Something To Get Serious About?

Some "tongue in cheek" silliness--

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Now, some seriousness...

There are many “good folk” who give undeserved credence to such high-sounding  words.  Christians ought to be discerning in order to not be seduced by  “psycho-answers” which may undermine the sound foundation of Scriptural perspective, principle, and practice.

Yet, after working with real people in the trenches of life for 20+ years, we think it is vital for believers to ask themselves whether or not Colossians 2:6-8 is relevant to today’s church:

“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him: Rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments [basic thoughts and ways] of the world, and not after Christ." 

Certainly we must heed Jesus' instruction to His followers, that we “judge with righteous judgment” (John 7:24).

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"I suspect that self-examination is seldom the most profitable, certainly it is sometimes the most unpleasant, and always the most difficult of moral actions--that is to perform after a genuine fashion. I know that very little of what passes for it has the remotest claim to reality; and I will not say it has never to be done; but I am certain that a good deal of energy spent by some devout and upright people on trying to understand themselves and their own motives would be expended to better purpose, and with far fuller attainment...in the endeavor to understand God, and what He would have us to do." --George MacDonald

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Jesus warned about building our houses on sand, instead of on the rock. Today’s “sand” seems to be the practices, mindsets, and ways of the world around us. Much of the sand comes from faulty educational, social, ‘scientific’, and religious ideas. Many in the church, for all their activity and well-intended ministries, seem unable to grasp the ways and the Word of God. Nowhere is this more evident than in the marriages and the parenting efforts of those who may be religiously “active”, yet whose lives, and the fruit of those lives, indicate little of the “conversion” which follows salvation.

Of course, this phenomenon is not new. Paul wrote to the Galatian believers, “O foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth…” (Galatians 3:1).

  No matter how ‘sophisticated-sounding’ the current answers are—and how ‘credentialed’ their proponents and promoters might be—unless there is a proper foundation upon which to build, there will be no lasting solution to the character, behavior, moral, marital, and child-raising dilemmas that have permeated, and even ravaged, much of the church that names the name of Jesus.

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We have seen before our very own eyes, in the last decade or so, how the church has rushed to become conformed to the world—the current term is seeking to “become relevant to the lost”. Perhaps a more Biblical description would be that believers are becoming like salt that has lost its savor—and we know what Jesus said about that!

  A generation ago, a wise man said, that the church of the future is in danger of being reduced to two things—1) a ‘preaching point’, and 2) an ‘activity center’ for its membership. This is a far cry from what Scripture calls Christians to be, the army of ‘servant followers’ of the Lord Jesus Christ, reflecting His character, teaching, and mission.

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For those of us who serve the Lord through teaching, counseling, and exhorting the flock, a haunting, and all-too-true verse, is Psalm 11:3, “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

Many Christian men and women are laboring to help fellow church members “deal with” deep problems and the weighty consequences of their choices. Unless there has been a Biblical foundation, or there is now a genuine desire to rebuild their lives upon that foundation—rather than to find a ‘fix’ that helps one ‘feel better’—there is very little that any counselor can do. (Attempting to bail out the water when the boat has already sunk avails little!  How much better is it to learn how to sail before you set out!)

Sadly, there seems to be less and less an appetite for learning godly principle, perspective, and practice in the modern church. ‘Activity’, ‘fun’, and ‘fitting in’ have taken the place of responsibility, growing in godly ways, and developing disciples through teaching, encouragement, and example.

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One passage often heard, and perhaps misused, is Galatians 6:2, “Bear ye one another’s burdens [weighty matters], and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

  Yes, we Christians are to care for others—to minister, encourage, uplift, and help others, especially other believers. However, those who are needy and often demanding (“You’re a Christian. You’re supposed to help me, fix my problem, rescue me, etc…”) must realize that they have a greater prerequisite which the Lord has placed on them! A few verses down, and in this same context, Paul says, “For every man shall bear his own burden [task, service, responsibility].” (Galatians 6:5)

  Unless individual Christians are committed to learning how to carry their own responsibilities, there will be no real growth in their Christian life, or their ability to properly address life issues. Friends, family, pastors, teachers, counselors, and “they”, cannot do for someone what God has tasked that someone to do. Others may come alongside, but they cannot live life for anyone else.

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One of the greatest shirked responsibilities we have seen is a failure to learn the Word of God, and to know God more ‘truly’. Unless the mind is renewed through the Word (Romans 12:2), there will be little transformation in one’s life. Being preached to once a week cannot supplant this time of purposeful study, meditation, and reflection upon the Lord and His revealed Word and ways.

  As a result of increased Bible ignorance and a hazy view of God, problems proliferate. Then, new ‘solutions’ are sought to ‘fix’ the ever-expanding realm of problems. In essence, the foundation [God’s Word and ways] is not even considered relevant. Sometimes it is relegated to its little compartment of ‘religion’ or worse, it is dismissed altogether. Note that this can be the situation in the church, not just ‘secular society!

  Thus, with many ‘active members’ not knowing what Scripture says, let alone what it means or how to apply it, it is not surprising that the church is just an extension of the world, with some ‘religious practices’—as long as they are ‘fun’, we might even say—added.

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Pastors, we must teach, preach, model, and exhort the ways of God if the church is to be more than an organization with a membership drive or a community center. Biblically, the church is a community of genuine believers who have as their mission to follow their Master and to represent Him ‘true-ly’ to others.

  Parents, our goal is not merely to get our kids ‘involved’, but to lead them to know the Lord ‘true-ly’, to seek Him, and to follow Him. Also, we must teach our sons and daughters to recognize, and to reject, those things—ideas, behaviors, appetites, attitudes, practices, ‘friends’, etc.—which do not befit the character and name of Christ.

  Counselors and teachers, we must not be seduced by the things which come and go, but really have little to do with the answers that come from, and through, the Lord alone.

  In over 20 years of working with people from all walks of life, we are convicted that nothing is as strong an indicator of what a man or a woman really is than 1) the marriage relationship, and 2) their children’s character and conduct.

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Please realize that we offer these comments out of hearts burdened for the dear people for whom the Lord shed His blood.

The task is daunting, the need is great, and the Master calls us.  Perhaps it is time for some of us believers to re-evaluate things, and to make some course corrections…

May the Lord guide us to know Him more, and to follow Him more devotedly!

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