What Would Have Happened?

If Noah had been tried in the court of public opinion, and laid his hammer down.

If Joshua and Caleb had trained their eyes on the "giants in the land" instead of the God of Heaven.

If Polycarp had merely gone along with the program instead of refusing to do what was popular.

If John Huss had simply muttered, "To each his own," because it was so much more tolerant.

If Betsie ten Boom had obeyed her fear rather than the Lord.

If Jim Elliot and his friends had just used some common sense, and stuck to street missions.

If Rosa Parks had simply sat down and shut up.

If Asia Bibi had waited for someone else to come and speak to those women.

If Kent Brantly had drawn the line at personal risk.

If the couple that sits beside me in church had only left Liberia sooner...
if my Facebook friend would just turn her back on Muslims wanting to learn...
if my nephew and his wife would stop worrying so much about those lost to addiction for years.

What would have happened if, rather than the call of Christ, these people had heeded the call of comfort, ease, political correctness, or popularity? No one willing steps into the ring with ebola, or death, or public ridicule without something much larger drawing them. Sometimes it is a tough decision, and the consequences are great. But I don't doubt these courageous people knew how much greater the consequences would be if they chose otherwise.

Quit Trying to Live By the Rules

One evening, a young man sat quietly at his kitchen table pouring over the pages of his Bible. He highlighted and scrawled notes in the margin. He spent hours simply studying and writing, studying and writing, while the members of his family popped into the kitchen on occasion, to grab a snack or a glass of water. He worked late into the night. In the morning, he lifted his weary head from the table, for exhaustion had vanquished his determination, and left him fast asleep. The sun had come up hours before; the young man's heart raced as he began to panic. Had he missed the start of services? He looked at his watch. No.!If they all hurried, they could make it. He washed his face and began to shave, barking at the others to get ready -- quickly! He brushed his teeth and combed his hair, growling at the others to get out of the bathroom! He speedily shined up his shoes and threw on his best suit, not-so silently wondering why she couldn't get those children ready any sooner. He grabbed his overcoat and headed to the car, yelling out to the others how much time remained for them to make it to church on schedule. The minutes ticked away, and the young man became annoyed; he pressed the center of the steering wheel once. Then again. "Why can't they just do as I ask?"

One evening, a young man sat quietly at his kitchen table pouring over the pages of racing forms. He highlighted and scrawled notes in the margin. He spent hours simply studying and writing, studying and writing, while the members of his family popped into the kitchen on occasion to grab a snack or a glass of water. He worked late into the night. In the morning, he lifted his weary head from the table, for exhaustion had vanquished his determination, and left him fast asleep. The sun had come up hours before; the young man's heart raced as he began to panic. Had he missed the start of the first race? He looked at his watch. No! If he hurried, he could make it. He washed his face, foregoing the task of shaving. He brushed his teeth and combed his hair, hoping no one would awaken and confront him over his hasty abandonment. No need for dressing up -- jeans and a T-shirt were just fine. Too late. She was up, and she wasn't happy. Like it was so difficult to take three boys shoe shopping. What did she need him for, anyway? He grabbed his jacket and his race forms, headed to the car. Things went so much more smoothly when he didn't have to wait for everyone else. "Why can't they just do as I ask?"

I knew this young man. Yup, "they" were one in the same. Now, some might call him a hypocrite. I know I did. But a hypocrite pretends with the intent to deceive others. What this young man was, was a legalist. Legalism rests on something other than Jesus to achieve its end. This young man genuinely wanted to follow the rules. He really tried to be good. This young man wanted to follow the rules for the sake of the rules: because it was the right thing to do; but he was trying in his own strength. Basically, this poor young man had the cart before the horse, so to speak. When Jesus comes into our lives -- and that's what He does: He doesn't hand down some book of "Bylaws of Our Club" and send us on our way -- He permeates our thoughts, our actions. He provides our personalities with context: sometimes rerouting and restructuring that which exists. We pray and read His Word to find out who He is, and He changes who we are. Someone once said, "Jesus met me where I was, but loves me too much to leave me there." He will work in us, in His time. We must set ourselves on a path of discovery and change (seeking only Him), knowing He reveals truth to us, and He is sovereign over all.

Why Is Anyone Following Lysa Terkeurst?

My apologies to Lysa right up front. But she is one of a group of leaders under scrutiny by…wait for it…

...other Christians.

And I’m not talking about scrutiny as in 1 Corinthians 14:29, “Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said;” or 1 Thessalonians 5:21, “But test all things. Hold fast to what is good.”(emphasis mine) I mean scrutiny like, “Why You Shouldn’t Be Following Lysa Terkeurst” scrutiny. Yeah, it’s personal.

I might be way out of line with this one, but why is anyone following anyone but Jesus? Christians are followers of Christ. If we were followers of anyone else, we’d be Lysians, or Grahamatons, or Stanleyites.

James 3:1 says, “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” What about your brother? You’ve known him his whole life. You know he has a heart for Jesus. He, like the rest of us, gets it wrong occasionally. Sometimes he really goes out on a limb and says something thoroughly unbiblical. Do you hold a press conference? Write a blog? I hope you’d be moved by your responsibility for his spiritual health, motivated by love for a member of your family, and privately urge him to check his facts. (John 13:34, 35) Why do we treat the members of our family (of Christ) so differently? Would Martha Stewart’s mother publicly criticize her flambe -- telling others to never eat from her table again? Unbelievers don’t treat family that way! We wouldn’t treat our children that way, why do we treat God’s children that way?

Ever watch postgame interviews? A Receiver could have been stinking up the place the entire game, but does the QB tell everyone what a bad player this guy is? Publicly, they, as team members, maintain a united front. How much more, members of the body of Christ? (1 Corinthians 12:27) It is my belief, as Christians we should NEVER, NEVER, NEVER publicly admonish anyone. Take their work, go through it line by line, thoroughly evaluate it, criticize it, pick it apart until the cows come home, but NEVER, NEVER, NEVER attack a person. We shouldn’t be naming names, but rather, putting to the test concepts and teachings. People are not enemies; lies are our enemies.

A few months ago a friend gave me a book, written by someone who was part of the Word of Faith movement. I’m not a fan. However, I do believe the author has a desire to know and serve God. (Not that it’s subject to my judgment anyway) Point is, I took from the book truth, and left the rest alone. So what if I’d taken the time, sent this brother an email, pointed out the things he taught which I believe are contrary to Scripture, and he told me to get lost? Even told me he knew they were contrary to Scripture; but they were popular ideas, and he was more devoted to selling books than to telling the truth? I’m still not certain it gives me license to publicly -- in front of unbelievers and believers alike -- call him out. First of all, why would the world care, except to point to the existing divisions among Christians and our apparent hypocrisy? Secondly, biblical conflict resolution, even when taken to its most extreme limits -- separation -- has the ultimate goal of repentance and restoration, not humiliation.

WHENEVER we put our hope in anyone but Jesus we take our chances.

How Do I Love Thee...

Scott and I attended a church pastored by an older man from West Virginia -- yeah, homey. Sometimes he'd tear up; sometimes he'd get a little loud. Scott loved him. But older men retire, and he did. The new pastor, a bit younger, was an intellect. I enjoyed learning about the Bible in light of Jewish texts, and examining background information. The more I learned in his midweek Bible study, the more I wanted to learn. Scott was lost in the sauce. Scott was Chicken Soup for the Christian Soul, and I was Horton's Portable Seminary. We began to feel God's leading to find another church. How on earth would my intellectual thirst be quenched in a place where Scott found inspiration and guidance? Well, it's taken me almost two years to get it, but the answer is: it won't. It won't, because that's not what God wants for me. "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:8) Not a thing in there about earning a doctorate in Theology in your spare time. Don't get me wrong; God does not want us to be ignorant, but when we love His Word more than we love Him, we are idol worshippers. And I had become an idol worshipper. I took notes until my fingers cramped; fast-forwarded through the "application" parts of online sermons just to get to the facts. I rarely poured out my heart before Him, and even more rarely sought what was in His. He had been telling me for two years -- at least -- to stop compiling facts and start living in His presence.

Well, I've begun. And this amazing thing has happened. I am realizing just how much He loves me. Me. Judi. Specially. Particularly. Personally. Deeply. And He chooses to show His love by showing me that He knows even the simplest things that trouble my heart or lighten it. Let me give you an example:

My mother was bitten by a dog when she was about six years old. Her father got rid of the dog, but she was terrified of dogs afterward, and had cats her whole childhood. Somewhere along the way, something changed. I distinctly remember Mom picking her new dog out of a litter of pups in a muddy garage. She loved that dog. Even after I left home, my mom had a dog. Several years ago, I bought her a dog. Always a dog. About a year and a half ago, Mom's dog died. She was crushed and wanted a new one. Mom was having a few issues living on her own, and I thought a dog would be a little hard for her to handle. Plus, realistically, Mom is eighty-five: if something happened to her, what would I do with this dog? I'd even asked a friend to keep her ears open for anyone looking to home an older cat. But, Mom wanted a dog. The more she pleaded, the more awful I felt. Fast forward to August this year, time for Mom to move in with us. And Tinkerbell. And Bishop. This morning I was leaving for a bit. She asked, "Will my babies be staying here with me?"

"Yes, Mom, the dogs will stay here."

"You know I was bitten by a dog when I was in first grade or so."

"Yes, I know. Your dad's dog."

"I always had cats. I never wanted dogs. I never liked them until I met these two dogs."

Wow. God, did You really do that? God took something that -- let's face it, didn't keep me awake at night, but it made me feel bad. (And that's not hard to do in this season of my life; some days I feel like all I do is tell Mom what to do, or what not to do.) This thing that gnawed at me, months ago; that I'd never resolved, but merely forgotten. God -- not Alzheimer's -- erased all recollection of it in my mother's mind. It was not enough that she was appeased by the company of our two brutes, but Mom doesn't even remember liking dogs before these two. And it was because He loves me. All I had to do was be quiet enough to hear Him say it.