Higher Calling

50 Shades of Grey

We all know the prayer that Jesus taught us in which we pray “Lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil”.  We live now in a world that only recognizes evil on a Hollywood movie screen. Movie goers thrill to see heroes doing battle with supernatural villains intent upon destroying mankind. We find momentary inspiration in stories of hope that endures and overcomes devastating hardship. Then we as a people, walk out of the theatre into a world that does not accept the existence of evil.  It is not just our society but a view that is accepted worldwide.

There is no longer a black and white of good and evil. There are no longer any lines which cannot be crossed by a decent society.  The moral and spiritual compass of mankind has now been defined entirely by “political correctness”.  We have been conditioned to give up our ability to determine what is right and what is wrong. Any attempt to identify evil or wrongdoing is attacked as judgmental or bigoted.  We must not offend anyone no matter what the cost. Therefore tolerance is forced upon the individual until complete submission is achieved and accepted as a way of life. Instead of black and white we truly live in a world with 50 shades of gray.

This has led our world in the direction of anarchy in which there is no stopping a group of terrorists who kidnap, rape and kill 300 young girls in Africa. There is no stopping a mindset that is capable of mutilating and crucifying children or burning a man alive on video for the world to witness.  Yet even facing such horror we cannot label such actions as evil.  In our society we have seen a total role reversal from respect for institutions that protect and provide for our wellbeing, to their being viewed as the enemy. Christians have been effectively silenced in public. Finally, the most anticipated movie this year is about sexual deviancy, abuse and the degradation of women.  All the while it is being promoted as an exciting, sexually liberating story to which millions of women aspire presented for our entertainment.  How sad.  

No wrong. No right. No evil.

I am a firm believer that there is not one single word uttered from the mouth of Jesus that is not significant all by itself.  Jesus did not teach us to pray “Our father help us to do good deeds”.  He did not teach us to pray “help us to be nice people” or “help us to not offend”.  Jesus spoke the word “evil”. He identified “evil” as something real, something relevant. It was real enough and relevant enough that he taught everyone who came to Him to pray for Gods divine deliverance from it.

As Jesus taught us, we must pray to be led out of the gray fog of temptation. The temptation to succumb to a world with no definition of right and wrong is strong.  The evil in the world cannot possibly be resisted if it cannot even be identified.

We must remove the veil from our eyes and recognize that although the characters and the means may be different, the evil represented on screen is all around us. We MUST hold on to the Light. We MUST hold on to the blessed Hope. We MUST absorb His truth for He is the only way, the only truth and the only light in a world that is 50 currently shades of gray.

Confessions of a Hypocrite

I have some people in my life who are very dear to me, a dear friend, children, and siblings, who in their earlier lives were involved in church but are no longer. Each one at some point experienced something hurtful at the hands of individuals representing a church. In each case whoever the offender was went on with their lives never knowing the devastating impact they had on these people.

My heart breaks to hear one say “Churches are full of hypocrites. Before they judge me, they should walk a mile in my shoes”.  To hear another say, “I don’t believe in organized religion”.  And yet to hear another say ”I won’t go to a church for a God that causes so much pain”. These precious people are only a few of millions of persons who feel they cannot be part of a body for fear of judgement by people they consider no better than themselves.

I want to be the first to say to these people and all those like them. You are absolutely right.  Every single person in the church is a hypocrite. Anyone who wants to state otherwise is not being honest with themselves.  We profess to follow the perfection of Christ and strive to be like him but never quite make it. Throughout the church you will still find, untruths, envy, adultery, gossip, self-promotion, and greed among many other faults. And it will always be that way because we are human. You may ask why would I bother to go to a church to be part of that when it is all around me in the world?

The difference is that whenever I (and I feel I represent the church at large) fail in one of these areas I hate myself for it. If I find myself judging another person harshly, afterward my spirit feels grieved. I don’t feel good about it. If I do something not in accordance with Gods word or His will, I do not have peace about it. I do not find that peace again until I take it to Jesus, recognize and admit my failure and my weakness. Then I ask for forgiveness, accept His grace, and know that I am not cast aside because of my frailty. Then being aware of my weakness I try to not make the same mistake. It is an eternal struggle.

Everyone at some time in their lives will be hurt by someone else in the body of Christ. It is inevitable because the church is made up of imperfect struggling people. Each one is struggling to overcome their own flaws to be the best they can be through Christ.  The difference is that within this body, when a member faces hardship or heartbreak, for the most part, they can put aside their own needs to lift someone else up.

The purpose of the church is not just for worship or to take your money. It is not a gathering of pious holy perfected people. It is a gathering of individuals looking for strength, hope, guidance, forgiveness, and a feeling of connection with others who are walking the same hard road. Through church we find strength in the word given to us to remind us of Gods steadfastness. We find hope through Gods word and the encouragement to continue given from one to another. We find guidance through the teaching of God’s word and sharing the application of it among one another. We are reminded or God’s forgiveness in our humble worship and learn how to forgive each other within and without the church.

I want to share my own experience. I was a person who found Christ at a very young age. In young adulthood, I let someone into my life that pulled me away from the church. In that period things happened in my life that made me feel that I had fallen so far from God that He could never take me back. I went for years not going back to church or having a relationship with my Savior.  I looked for every other explanation I could to find peace. I read about reincarnation and all kinds of false doctrines. I judged others because I judged myself not good enough. Not once in that time did someone reach out to me to tell me that I could never fall so far that God’s grace could not reach me. Later someone else came into my life bringing me back to the truth of God’s love and forgiveness. Then I was better prepared for the tragedies that life would bring me later. I had somewhere to turn at a time of loss.

This is what I see in these people that I love. They have been hurt.  The worst thing is not that they were hurt. But that they continue to carry the disillusionment of the initial event and all of life’s pain and sorrows alone.

To my church brothers and sisters, let’s remind ourselves that we do not know when something we say or do can have long term effects on another’s life. Ephesians 4:29 tells us “ Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”

To my loved ones and all those who feel let down by churches; There is no pain, loss, or sin you have experienced that has not been experienced by many many others. Believe me there are people with our walls who have walked the same road as you with minor differences.  You don’t have to be alone. Let us love you. Let us help you. Don’t judge us because we are not looking to judge you. Let us share the joy of Jesus together. And together we will lift each other up when we stumble.

Still Waters