So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore

I’ve just finished reading a book by the above title authored by Wayne Jacobson & Dave Coleman. Through fictitious narrative, these two men address the heart cry of many who have become disillusioned with the institutional church. As a member and leader in said church for almost 50 years and often one of its greatest critics, this portrayal provides a necessary reminder of what it means to be a Christ follower and the values that are truly important as we attempt to adhere to the admonition to “not forsake the assembling together of ourselves”.

If you are one of the many who have quit “going to church” or dread “going to church” and have not understood why, it would be worth your time to read this book. If you are one of the many who are totally fulfilled in your present church experience, it will help you understand those who are on the other side.

You’ll need to resist the urge to villainize the church as you have known it and the tendency to swing to an extreme in response. We all know there is no perfect solution this side of eternity. Nevertheless, this account calls us to “be the church”, not just “go to church”. May the Lord grant us His grace and wisdom to do just that.

A Reunion in the Skies

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud cry of summons, with the shout of an archangel, and with the blast of the trumpet of God. And those who have departed this life in Christ will rise first. Then we, the living ones who remain [on the earth], shall simultaneously be caught up along with [the resurrected dead] in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so always (through the eternity of the eternities) we shall be with the Lord! - 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 (AMP)

It is truly incomprehensible how this will feel when it occurs, but I am convinced that it will be the most intense pleasure that I will ever have experienced up to that point. These words were spoken by someone who had experienced a personal encounter with Jesus. You can tell in Paul’s writings that he and Jesus knew each other. Many of the readers of these words of encouragement likely had seen Jesus
while He was on earth. Now they were waiting to join Him. Just a few thoughts about this reunion this morning…

1. He’s going to come get us personally. He’s not going to send someone else like His driver or right-hand angel. Jesus Himself is coming to get me and you. If there were a knock on the door, He would be the one standing on the other side when I opened it.
2. It will be an unmistakable moment. If anyone has ever thought that it would be possible for Him to come and not know that He had been here, think again. His arrival will be heralded by the trumpet of God Himself. Its blast will resound throughout the entire universe and the skies will split apart revealing His presence to all of humanity.
3. Somehow, seemingly instantaneously, those who have died knowing the Lord and those who know Him when he returns will converge at the place in the air where He chooses to make His entrance and from that point forward, for the rest of eternity, we will be together with Him and with one another – a reunion like no other.

Comfort one another with these thoughts today.

The Residue of a Crucified Life

Our Faith in Christ is tainted - tainted with our inherent desire for self-preservation and greatness and clouded by the fog of our limited perspective, thus the need for its purification. Authentic faith is the result of testing. It is the residue of a crucified life that longs to live again. Those having been so tested understand that their desire for life will not be sufficiently satisfied until they are finally home, and that Christ alone will take them there. - 1 Peter 1:3-9

The Search for Authentic Faith

^"... I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith." Luke 7:9

^“.... when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?" Luke 18:8

As Jesus walked the earth He was in search of something. He was in search of people of faith. Not lip-service faith. Not a faith in what He would do for them or give to them. Not a faith that wilted or faded away at the first sign of obstacle or opposition. He was looking for a simple faith. A childlike faith. An enduring faith. A faith that took Him at His word. A faith that transcended the realities of this world and lived in light of the realities of the next.

I lose sight of the bigger picture at times. My faith falters on occasion because I focus too much on the "seen", the tangible, the temporal. I forget that He is not looking for great exploits, but great faith. Such a faith is not arrived at easily. It is forged and tempered through the trials of this life.I have been thinking of Abraham this week. The Bible says of Abraham in Romans 4:19-21 that:

Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb; yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.

I've always considered myself a realist - a grounded sort of guy. But realism without the resurrection weakens us. Abraham had the ability to be realistic and simultaneously grow stronger in faith because he understood the promise of God. He understood that it wasn't about this life, but the next. I want to be like Abraham. I want to be a man that can face the reality of death head on and not waver. I want to go out guns blazing, full of faith.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.

- 1 Peter 1:3-9 (NASB)

Caught With Your Pants Down

“…Go and Sin No More” – John 8:11

A lot of people are being caught these days. From politicians, to celebrities, to notable “men of the cloth”, some of the dirtiest, most perverted secrets are being brought into the light. The above referenced scripture is the response that Jesus had one day to a woman who had been “caught with her pants down”. More accurately, caught with her dress up! She was literally apprehended in the middle of an adulterous “moment”. Punishable in those days by death!

Suppose for a moment that the door of your life was suddenly thrown open and there you were – naked [or nekked as we say here in Texas], in a room full of exquisitely clothed spectators. Every wrinkle, every wart, every imperfection laid bare for the whole world to see. In spite of what Hollywood would lead us to believe, we all know that it would not be a pretty picture!

Now I’m not trying to be crude, cute or funny here, but the truth is, sin is a devastating, embarrassing reality that plagues us all (1 John 1:8). So my point today is three-fold.

Most of us are hiding something

Some are like the woman noted above. You are engaged in known, explicit and perverted acts of sin [Yes, even you Christians.], acts which likewise are punishable by death. Others are more sly and subtle. You look good on the outside. You go to church, pay your taxes and are nice to animals. Your “affair”, however, is on the inside! Your heart is in bed with the world and has left its “first love”, the husband of your youth – Jesus. Whether you have an “inside” sin or an “outside” sin, the results are the same – you have a stone cold, lifeless heart.

Don’t wait to get caught

The Bible says that “the sins of some men are quite evident, going before them to judgment; for others, their sins follow after” (1 Timothy 5:24), which is just another way of saying that some are “out there” with their sin while others are more discreet, yet subject to eventual disclosure. At some point, we are all going to be exposed, standing nekked before God. When Jesus comes, He “…will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts;…” (1 Corinthians 4:5) Our proper response is to “blow the whistle” now. Get it out in the open now. Come clean now! The Bible calls it confession – telling the truth, the whole truth so help you God. There’s so much to say here, but you are probably bored already.

Go and sin no more

Now when I hear that familiar phrase, my thought hearkens back to my childhood when I would get caught doing something that I shouldn't be doing and my parents would say something like “Now don’t you do it again!”, otherwise interpreted as “The next time, you’re gonna get it!”. But, that’s not what Jesus was saying when He uttered those words. In fact, the whole statement was “…Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.” You see, with genuine “truth-telling” about ourselves (confession) and repentance (a change of heart that results in a change of our actions) comes forgiveness, a total acquittal – and with forgiveness comes life and liberty instead of death and bondage.

Have you ever tried walking with your pants down? It’s not conducive to progress. Let’s get right and move on with God!

Living Under the Gaze of God

Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, On those who hope for His lovingkindness, To deliver their soul from death And to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. For our heart rejoices in Him, Because we trust in His holy name. - Psalms 33:18-21 (NASB)

I'm trying to walk in transaprency and confession these days believing it is mandatory for purity of heart and relationship with Him (and each other) [1 John 1:7-9]. So, I share the verses above and my confession for this day.

I've always known in my mind that God sees everything. I'm not sure, however, that I've always felt that He's seen ME! I've thought many times that God was just too busy with more important things to be intricately involved in MY life, and I say that, knowing that I have a long list of events in which He has proven otherwise. Nevertheless, the moments of insignficance exist.

The Amplified Bible reads like this...

Behold, the Lord’s eye is upon those who fear Him [who revere and worship Him with awe], who wait for Him and hope in His mercy and loving-kindness, - v.18

Truth is, the promise is conditional, at least if I take it as it reads. His eye is on me if my eye is on Him. If He fills my field of vision in worship and adoration and if I live in watchful anticipation of His return (How many times in the N.T. does it speak of waiting and looking for His coming?), I'll know that I'm being watched. I'll be living under the gaze of God!

We should look at this "condition" more as a characteristic than a requirement. We know that nothing is truly hidden from God - that there is nothing that He does not see. How in the world would I feel obscured from the gaze of God if I were truly consumed with Him in worship and longing for His return?

We have this promise, when we look into the eyes of God we will always see that He is looking back on us.

The Way of the Pure in Heart…Coming Clean

There is great promise for the pure in heart.

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. - Matthew 5:8 (NASB)

In order to find God, or “see” Him, we must first find ourselves. We must “see” ourselves for who we really are apart from God. It is not a pretty picture.

"For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man." - Mark 7:21-23 (NASB)

The moment we come clean with ourselves, the opportunity is there for us to come clean with God. No more blaming others. No more rationalizations. No more self-justification. No more self-comparisons.

For we are not bold to class or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves; but when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding. - 2 Corinthians 10:12 (NASB)

All we need is a little light.

For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. - 2 Corinthians 4:6 (NASB)

Father, are You there? I have lost my way. I don’t know who I am anymore, let alone You. My heart is cold. My way is dark. Please give me some Light. Please let me see Jesus.

"…Sir, we wish to see Jesus." - John 12:21 (NASB)