Burdens & Backpacks

November 9, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
Burdens and backpacks! To be sure, most adults carry tremendous burdens these days, and most all the kids carry backpacks. I find it interesting that Paul (the apostle) knew something of burdens and backpacks, as he talked about them in his letter to the Galatians. This is what he said: “Bear one another’s burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ” (VI, 2); “For each one shall bear his own load” (VI, 5).
On the surface, it sounds like Paul is contradicting himself, but things are not always as they seem to be on the surface. The word “burden” translates a Greek word that refers to a weight much too heavy for one to bear alone; whereas, the word “backpack” translates a word that refers to a weight that one can easily carry on his own.
Like it or not, Paul tells us to bear one another’s burdens, to get under the load that is much-too-much for a brother or sister to carry alone, and bear it for him/her. Just for the record: I have noticed that oftentimes the burden that one is futilely attempting to carry is really no burden at all for someone else.
Now, listen up: when you bear the burden of another, you are easily (usually) doing for them what they cannot do for themselves. Sadly, most of the church is not doing a very good job of this, as is evidenced by the number of brothers and sisters who are burdened beyond despair.
Paul also tells us NOT to carry another’s backpack; instead, let each one carry his own load. When we do carry another’s backpack, we are doing for him what he should be doing for himself and, consequently, we are enabling him to continue down the path of immaturity. Just for the record: I have noticed that most of us have a very difficult time allowing others to carry their own backpacks. For some reason, we rush in and do for them what they should be doing for themselves; consequently, there is much immaturity in the Body of Christ.
Sadly, we have created a society, both in the secular world and in the church, where most believe that it is their right not only to have someone bear their burdens, but also carry their backpacks—an immature society, indeed.
Please allow me to encourage you to find someone whose burden you can bear and, then, to do it. It will bless both you and them. Let me also encourage you, however, to stop carrying the backpacks of others, as they really do need to have the opportunity to mature into adulthood.
By the way, when it comes time to vote again, please do NOT vote for those who are in favor of programs that encourage others to expect someone to carry their backpacks.

A Real-life Response

October 16, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
This is one of the responses I have received regarding my last several perspectives concerning “The Believer’s Club” (used with permission); I think many will identify with it: “I know I cannot live the Christian life... and I believe that the reason we get tired, frustrated and burnt out is because we are striving to do that which was never intended for us to at-tempt. I am tired of trying to do what I can't do.... I’m tired of trying to measure up according to someone else’s list of how I should live and what I should be doing. And I’m tired of someone trying to put this guilt-trip on me because I fail to measure up to their standards of what a Christian should be. I desire to enter His Sabbath rest..... Terry”
One more member of “The Believer’s Club!”
Although many of you have indicated your desire to be a part of “The Believer’s Club,” and some of you have indicated that you are seriously considering it, many of you have said nothing. Of course that is your privilege; however, because I really believe that we can make a difference, I want to encourage you to consider being involved.
Please rest assured that I am not going to ask you for money, nor am I going to ask you to read you Bible more often, to pray for fervently, to attend church more frequently, to feed the hungry more freely, to heal the sick, or to raise the dead. Instead, I am asking you to join a group of people who are stepping off the treadmill of trying to live the Christian life, a group of people who truly embrace the finished work of Jesus (the work He accomplished through His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension), a group of people who are diligent to enter the Sabbath rest that remains for the people of God. In the end, a group of people who practice the truth—I have been crucified with Christ, I no longer live; the life I now live is Christ living His life in and through my earthsuit.
I am eagerly awaiting your decision.

Sad, but True

October 15, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
This is sad but true: the vast majority of church-goers fit into most, if not all, of these categories: burned-out, frustrated, angry, perplexed, unhappy, depressed, tired, and especially tired of church. Trying to keep-up-the-pace has done them in; yet, the pressure to continue in the fray is so great, that stopping is out of the question. The really sad truth is that most of them aren’t even able to admit the truth. It is as if most sincerely believe that the success of the Kingdom of God depends upon how involved they are in Christian activities. Incredibly, there are many who honestly believe that their local church will not survive without their involvement, that the lost will never be saved without their witness, and that many will die and go to hell unless they win them to Jesus.
Honestly, I do not want to hurt your feelings, but I do want to tell you the truth: If you should drop dead today, in less than 30 days most won’t remember that you ever lived. I can assure you that there will not be even a single blip on the radar screen of the Kingdom of God. Thankfully, the survival of the church depends upon Jesus, not any one of us, or all of us put together, for that matter; the salvation of God’s elect depends upon the efficaciousness of the blood of Jesus, not the witness of any one of us, or all of us for that matter; and whether or not someone goes to hell depends upon the grace of God, not our “winning” them to Jesus.
Listen to this dialogue between Jesus and His followers: “They said therefore to Him, ‘What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.’” (John 6:28-29 NASB). Those, my dear friends, are profound words of truth, but they are hardly ever preached, and, sadly, this same question is still being asked. The answer, however, is still the same, but few ever hear it. Why is this so? In my opinion, it is because man thinks much more highly of himself than he ought to think, and that arrogance has led us to believe that we are much more important than we really are, that God depends upon us, rather than the other way around.
I don’t mean to over-kill, but truth is truth: the Body of Christ needs to cease striving and, thus, to know that He is God! We need to enter that promised, remaining Sabbath rest! We need to admit that we cannot keep-up-the-pace, that we cannot live the Christian life, and, then, RUN TO JESUS, who is our life.
“The Believer’s Club” is growing and I have a vision for it—

The Believer's Club

October 14, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
In case you haven’t figured it out, I am very serious about my belief that the church has been way off course in its relentless effort to teach its members how to live the Christian life. It has been as futile as it would have been, had the mission been to teach us how to walk on water. As I said earlier, the tragic truth is this: the church cannot produce a single piece of evidence that it has been successful, not one.
Oh, to be sure, it can produce many people who are trying very hard to live the life, doing their very best, but trying very hard, even doing our very best is simply not good enough, not even close. God’s standard has always been perfection, and that has not changed, nor will it change.
So, in my desire to “right the wrong,” I want instigate “The Believer’s Club,” a group of Christians who are not only finished with trying to do what they cannot do, but also are ready to begin resting in what He has done for us. In previous perspectives, I have provided a bird’s-eye view of what we in “The Believer’s Club” believe, as well as a rather lengthy list of the benefits of membership. Please review them.
Just to make myself clear: I want to begin a movement, something that will spread across America and, eventually, across the world, a movement made up of people who not only want to live in the freedom and rest provided for us through Jesus’ finished work, but also want to inform others of the good news, the good news that the pressure is off, that there really does remain a Sabbath rest for the people of God. “There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall through following the same example of disobedience” (Hebrews 4:9-11). By the way, in the New Covenant, the Sabbath is no longer a day of the week, but the Person of Jesus Christ, thus we rest in Him and in His finished work.
Before I move forward, I would really like to know how many of you believe that what I am offering is truth, and would, therefore, like to become a charter member of “The Believer’s Club.” If you would like to, or if you have questions, please let me know via email. I eagerly await your response.

The Believer's Club

Mac's Perspective on the Intricacies of God’s Amazing Grace

October 13, 2009
Dear Fellow Travelers,
Hopefully, by now you are eager to learn of the benefits of membership in “The Believer’s Club.” As I said yesterday, they can easily be summed-up in this single sentence: The pressure is off!
I must believe (the evidence is too overwhelming) that most church-goers live in “pressure cookers,” and would love to learn that God has released them from the pressure the church and its religious people have imposed upon them. Well, I have good news for you (imagine that!): As far as God is concerned, the pressure is off, as in zilch, nada, zero, none. When Jesus uttered those incredible words, “It is finished!”, He really meant what He said.
With that, let me give you a bird’s-eye view of the benefits of membership in “The Believer’s Club”, known theologically as The New Covenant:
1. First of all, lifetime dues for full membership have been paid in full, so you will never be pressured by a bill collector for your dues (I think you know who paid them!).
2. You no longer have to live under the pressure of being sure you have con-fessed all of your sins, repented of them, and sought His forgiveness, as your certificate of debt has been cancelled, nailed to the cross, and you bear it no more. If you do not believe me, read Colossians 2:13-14.

3. Living in a continued state of forgiveness need no longer be a pressure for you because God has chosen to make you perfect—forever perfect, as is evidenced by this: “By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every Priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time onward until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet. For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified” (Hebrews 10: 10-14). In other words, because of the death of Jesus, the once-for-all-time-death, every sin you will commit during your entire lifetime has been forgiven and taken away. As a result, you are sanctified and perfect—forever forgiven.

4. Meeting the requirements of the Ten Commandments need no longer a pres-sure for you because God did for you what the Law could not do for you, namely, this: “For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:3-4). In other words, as a bona fide mem-ber of the Believer’s Club, you can cease striving to meet the requirements of the Ten Commandments (requirements that God knew you could not meet from the beginning) because Jesus satisfied the Law’s requirement for you, namely, that sin be punished by death.

5. You no longer have to live under the pressure of winning the world to Jesus, as He has already foreknown, predestined, called, justified, and glorified eve-ryone who believes. If you do not believe me, read Romans 8:29-30!
6. You no longer have to live under the pressure of trying to have enough faith to “get the job done,” as faith is His gift to you, not yours to Him. If you do not believe me, read Ephesians 2:8.
7. Facing God at the Great White Throne Judgment and having Him reveal to everyone the secrets of your life need no longer a pressure for you because He has chosen not to give you what you deserve, but to set you free from all judgment and condemnation, as is evidenced by this: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:1-2). Not to mention that He chose never to remember your sins again, as is evidenced by this: “And their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more” (Hebrews 10:17). In other words, God chose to provide a scapegoat for you and for your sins in the Person of Jesus. God gave Him what you de-served and gave you what Jesus deserved.

8. You no longer have to live under the pressure of wondering if you are praying according to God’s will, of not knowing how to pray as you should, as you now have an Intercessor, the Holy Spirit, who intercedes for you and He does so, always according to the will of God. If you do not believe me, read Romans 8:26-27).
9. Striving to maintain your relationship with God, so that He will not distance Himself from you by breaking fellowship with you, or by severing you from Himself altogether, need no longer be a pressure in your life because He chose to allow the New Covenant, unlike the Old Covenant, to be a covenant between Him and Jesus, and to exclude you from the covenant altogether, other than making you its beneficiary, as is evidenced by these passages: (1) “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:13-14); (2) “And for this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, in order that since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. For where a covenant is, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it” (Hebrews 9:15-16). In other words, the success of the New Covenant depends upon Jesus, not you.

10. Striving to stop sinning, striving to overcome the power of sin in your life, need no longer be a pressure in your life because God chose to break the power sin had over you by releasing you from the Law—the Law of Moses, the Ten Commandments, the law of sin and death, the ministry of death, the ministry of condemnation—as is evidenced by these passages: (1) “For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14); (2) “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.’” In other words, through Jesus’ death, God severed you from the very thing that gave sin its power, namely, the Law (Romans 7:8; 1 Corinthians 15:56).

11. Finding ways to hide from God’s Presence need no longer be a pressure in your life, even when your behavior is most despicable, because God chose to give you unconditional access into His Presence, as is evidenced by this: “Since therefore, brethren, we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water” (Hebrews 10:19-22). In other words, you can now feel comfortable in God’s Presence even when you are doing the most despicable sin you can imagine. Never again do you have try to hide from Him!

12. Striving to get to Heaven need no longer be a pressure in your life because God chose to give you a seat on the same return flight that Jesus took when He ascended back to Heaven, as is evidenced by this: “But God being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:4-6). In other words, you are already in Heaven and comfortably seated at God’s right hand in Jesus!

13. Striving to live by a list of religious rules need no longer be pressure in your life because Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to live in you, as your guide and teach-er, as is evidenced by this: “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you, and will be in you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you” (John 14:16-17; 26). In other words, you can now wake up each morning thoroughly convinced that the Holy Spirit will be your guide and teacher, as you journey through the day. Caution: Do not throw your list away; instead, burn it, for fear that someone else might find it.

14. Last but surely not least, you no longer have to live under the pressure of having to measure up to the expectations of those who are not only trying to live the Christian life, but also trying to teach you how to do it. You are already accepted in the Beloved! If you do not believe me, read Romans 14:3:

The Believer's Club

October 12, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
Well, I trust that you have taken some time to consider my last perspective, and now, as a full-fledged member of the “I Can’t Live the Christian Life Club,” are ready to explore the benefits of membership.
The truth is I have never liked negative titles, so before I get involved with the ben-fits, I want to give you the “official” name of our club, a much more positive identification—“The Believer’s Club.” Of course, this begs a significant question: What is it that we believe? Please allow me to give you a bird’s eye view.
1. Each of us believes (is fully convinced) that we were born in Adam—dead to God, alive to sin, with no inclination for God whatsoever, and helplessly and hopelessly destined for Hell—justly so (see Romans 3).
2. Each of us believes that God reconciled us unto Himself while we were yet sinners (see Romans 5:10).
3. Each of us believes that we were redeemed from this Adamic, sinful family solely by the grace of God, by His choosing to do for us, what we could never do for ourselves, and could, certainly, have never deserved (see Ephesians 2:1-9).
4. Each of us believes that our redemption was accomplished through the vicarious death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, the Only Begotten Son of God, without any assistance from us whatsoever (see Romans 6).
5. Each of us believes that, having been purchased off the slave block (redeemed), we were justified, sanctified, and glorified by and through the precious, shed blood of Jesus—a perfect and complete work (see Romans 8:28-30).

6. Each of us believes that God has forgiven us forever of all of our sins—past, present, and future (see Ephesians 13-14).
7. Each of us believes that the person we were in Adam, actually died in Jesus, when He died on the cross [“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live . . .” (Galatians 2:20a NASB)].
8. Each of us also believes that that person, who was crucified in Jesus on the cross, was also buried in Him [“Therefore we have been buried with Him, . . .” (Romans 4a NASB)] and, therefore, no longer exists.
9. Each of us also believes that the life we now live is not our own, but the life of Christ being lived in and through us [“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; . . .” (Galatians 2:20 NASB)].
10. Each of us believes that we are, therefore, new creations in Christ Jesus—old things have, indeed, passed away and new things have come (see 2 Corinthians 5:17).
11. Each of us believes that it is not our task to live the Christian live, but to rest in His finished work—the work He accomplished in our behalf.
Now that you have a bird’s-eye view of what we believe, let me move on to the benefits of membership, which can be summed up with this single statement: The pressure to perform is off!
Enough for today! I will continue on the morrow—

On Not Living the Christian Life (continued)

October 9, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
OK! Surely by now you have accepted the fact that you cannot live the Christian life; that doing so is above your pay scale—way above it. Hopefully, I have convinced you that even your trying is in vain—a complete waste of precious time. Yes, I know it is difficult to have to admit that “your righteousness” is as a filthy rag before God, that all the “good deeds” you have so enthusiastically credited to your account, amount to nothing more than dung for the compost pile. I am trusting, however, that you have humbled yourself and admitted what you know to be true, and that you are now a bona fide member of the “I Can-not Live the Christian Life” club.
It is quite possible that some of your are thinking, “OK, I will admit that I cannot live the Christian life, but, surely, I must do the best I can to keep the Ten Commandments, to honor God with my tithe, my time, and my talents, to love others, and to love God.” If you weren’t thinking it, you are now, so let’s talk.
Why should you attempt to do the best you can when it will NEVER amount to any-thing but rubbish? What makes you think that “the best you can do” is even worth considering? Please listen up: Jesus did not come to help you to do the best you can, He came to die, so you could die to doing your best, so He could live in and through your life, and, thus, credit His best to your account.
Before I offer more, please take some time and think about this, as I really do want you to get it, as in see it as truth, believe it, and take ownership of it. Doing so will change your life for the better, you will finally understand what Jesus meant when He said, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My load is light” (Matthew 11:28-30 NASB).

On Not Living the Christian Life (continued)

October 8, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
It is my sincere prayer that you can now see the sheer impossibility of your living the Christian life, not to mention the utter foolishness of thinking that God accepts your “doing your best” as being sufficient for acceptance into His family. If doing our best were sufficient for our justification, then Jesus could have avoided His entire trip to this sinful earth, as we would not have needed Him.
Throughout my years in ministry, both as a pastor and a counselor, I have noticed that many people honestly believe they are doing quite well, when it comes to obedience to God, to living the Christian life. It is as if they wear a merit badge sash, fully decorated with the badges of obedience, similar to the one I used to wear as a Boy Scout. Just to clear the air: try as we might, none of us could ever earn a “merit badge” of obedience, and we can-not because God’s standard is perfection and our best efforts fall short—far short.
Even so, it has been the obvious mission of the leaders of the church not only to teach, but also to encourage its members to live the Christian life. Sadly, it does not have one record, not even one, where it has been successful. You think about that. Throughout all the years of the church’s existence, there is not one shred of evidence that it has been successful in this mission—not one!
Oh, I am sure it could provide us with many examples of those who have done, or are doing, their best, but that is simply not good enough. Even the couple who spent 50 years in ministry to the pigmies in the jungle of Africa didn’t do nearly enough. The man who sold all of his possessions and used the money to feed the poor of Ethiopia didn’t even get to first base. The evangelist who won 250,000 people to Jesus didn’t get one vote of approval from the Committee of Three. The lady who taught Sunday School for 60 years, came up 60 years short of the goal (at least!).
Will we ever learn that Jesus did not come to teach us how to live the Christian life? He came to rescue us from sin and death, to give His life in exchange for ours, to impute His righteousness to us as a gift of grace, and to deliver us from the kingdom of darkness and transfer us to the Kingdom of Light. He came not to give us life (though He did!), but to be our life!
Who in the wide world started the ridiculous rumor that He came to model for us “how to” live the Christian life? Folk, He came to die, so we could die, so He could live in and through us.
Maybe the Psalmist got it: “Cease striving (let go, relax) and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10 NASB; emphasis and parenthesis added).
Yes, I will continue this tomorrow—