Confusion, Fear, the Church and the battle for the Gospel

Today I have been steadily in battle to take back the ground of Truth in my mind.

I am thankful for friends who will stand beside me, under-gird me with prayer and wisdom. How necessary it is to have friends that consistently remind you of the Truth (and Power) of the Gospel.

My heart is very heavy because I have noticed my load had become burdensome again.  The weight of the world was literally on my shoulders.  It is so strange to know the Truth and to have experience with the Faithfulness of God, and yet still, slip back into moments where even what you know to be true doesn't hold it's ground against a particular storm that is raging. Faith begins wavering and fear creeps in.

I saw a sign at Kohls that said, "Let your faith be bigger than your fear."  

Each time I have seen it, I have been drawn to it.  I need to have my friend at 11th Street Lettering pen it for me so I can hang it big on my wall.  I have been given to fear recently.  Not just one fear, but many.  That is not the way of God.  That is not the will of God.  So, I sought out some wise counsel to help me find the root - and to press back into the Truth which rescues me from all fears.  The only thing I want to fear is my God.  And, I don't mean fear, like "what will He do to me next?", but in the way that He desires we fear Him - with deep understanding that "Perfect love casts out all fear" 1 John 4:18.

Psalm 34

I will extol the Lord at all times;

his praise will always be on my lips.

2I will glory in the Lord;

let the afflicted hear and rejoice.

3Glorify the Lord with me;

let us exalt his name together.

4I sought the Lord, and he answered me;

he delivered me from all my fears.

5Those who look to him are radiant;

their faces are never covered with shame.

6This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;

he saved him out of all his troubles.

7The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,

and he delivers them.

It was hard not to write out all of Psalm 34. It is just that good. Do yourself a favor and read through the whole thing today - like 4 times. You won't regret it.

Something that has been highlighted in my mind recently is that many good, God-fearing people have taken the way of Saul. It is devastating to the church.  Press in and hear what I am saying, because I think it is very important for this time in our Culture.  Many well meaning, but self-righteous people have become indignant that we make the Gospel something about us, and our obedience, rather than hanging it entirely on Jesus Christ.  Even now, if you are a Pharisee, I can sense the hairs beginning to bristle on your neck.  Something inside of you is so offended.  You believe you hold the power to judge a man's salvation by his works, or by one particular action. The spirit that accompanies those dangerous beliefs are so argumentative and defensive.  You feel like you are protecting God and the truth.  You probably feel exactly like Saul did as he was "breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples." (Acts 9)

Saul was a Jew.  He was brought up to fear God and to serve Him.  He knew all of the laws by heart.  He knew all of the customs well.  He had much knowledge and a true fear of God.  He was not pretending.  He was not fake.  But, he was deceived. In his mind, killing Christians (those who would follow Christ) was an act of SERVICE to God.  It was his duty.  It was his strong belief.  He did not hate God.  He sought to do right by God with all of his heart. But he was greatly deceived.

 He was so deceived that it took Jesus himself, returning from Heaven to convince him his acts of service and self righteous behavior were actually wrong.  

Very wrong. 

Jesus thought is was so important that He left Heaven (again) to reveal to Saul that he was blind... and then he had a man remove literal scales from Saul's eyes because he had been blinded by his beliefs about God, and about people who were not "religious" like he was.  

There is a warning to Shepherds in Ezekiel 34 - and I am struck by the description of the shepherds responses to the sheep.  But, God's heart is revealed as He talks about restoring the sheep that were mishandled by the shepherds.  It is a good read.  I encourage you to dive in and ask the Lord to teach you more about His character from that chapter - and the chapters surrounding it. 

It is so dangerous to our souls to believe that our salvation is based on something we do or don't do. Salvation belongs to our God.  Salvation is only through Jesus.  And it is a gift.  

The message of the Pharisee becomes heavy and burdensome for those of us who have not forgotten how desperately sinful we are.  They implore us to believe through their teaching that God is disappointed in us, that He is angry with us, that we should doubt our salvation if we still struggle in our flesh.  Those with the mind of Saul cannot see their own hypocrisy, or the ways that they are persecuting true believers.  They believe that somehow God has rescued them from their wretchedness, and thankfully the only sins they commit now are sins of omission (just to make themselves feel better because they cannot actually point to any sin currently in their lives) - even though they are riddled through with pride, murder (according to Jesus) and slander of their fellow believers.  It is scary.  The scales are real.  And the destruction they do in their blindness is heartbreaking.  I believe we have many Saul's declaring their message so loudly in the church these days that true believers are running, fearing for their lives - and fighting for truth to remain strong and louder in their souls than the accusations lobbied against them. The wounds that have been inflicted have done much damage to the message of the cross, but they will not stop the true Gospel, nor do they have the power to thwart God.

Have you been hurt by the church?  Have you been wounded by other believers?  Have you been made to doubt your salvation?  If so, I beg of you to pray. I beg of you to forgive.  I beg of you to ask God for a revelation for the Saul's in your life.  Ask God for a moment where the scales are removed and sight is restored.  Ask God to help you forgive those who have wounded you.  It is FREEDOM to do that.

The days are short.  Jesus is coming back.  His church must stop aligning itself with the enemy to tear apart the faith and power that was bestowed on believers to be manifest in the church, which is led by Christ - and not a man.  The answer is not to leave the church (although if the messages have become more about man's thinking than the truth of Jesus, you may consider leaving that particular church).  The answer is not to run away from a corporate body.  The answer is to seek out those who have not forgotten the Truth of the Gospel.  The answer is to seek out believers who are ALL BROKEN, but are desperate to worship God in Spirit and Truth.  The answer can not, and will never be found in man.  The only One who can make the wrongs right is God, and He did so through Jesus.  

Do not allow the weakness of man to determine how strong you believe God is.  

Do not let the anger of man convince you that God is not loving.  

Do not allow the foolishness of man to cause you to underestimate the Wisdom of God.   

I have not followed the story about Jen Hatmaker much, so please don't freak out that I bring her up. I think some things she has to say are funny.  Like, really funny.  I think there are some places where she nails it, and some places where she gets it desperately wrong. (Although in truth I have only read one of her articles and seen a few quotes here and there from her, so my knowledge on the subject is limited)  And so many people are just devastated by her statements.  Why?  Because they set their sights on a PERSON.  A broken person with good intentions.  They sought their truth and their wisdom from her, rather than from God's Word and God's Spirit.  That is always devastating.  People are broken.  People get it wrong all the time.  I get it wrong all the time. 

Read the Word.         Study the Word.             Fall in love with the Word. 

Don't settle for one message a week that points you to the Word.  Seek out the Word in your own time and ask God to be near as you study.

Pray for God to reveal Himself to you, in the quiet places. Pray for a fellowship where you can worship God in Spirit and in Truth. Ephesians 3:10 says, "His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms." God will make known his wisdom through a body of believers.  But read this, you need a fellowship that worships in Spirit and in Truth. Not only Truth - with no room for the Spirit... and not in Spirit only, with no firm grasp on the Truth. John 4:21-24 says it like this, "Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. 23 But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. 24 For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”

Do you see it? The Father is looking for those who will worship Him that way. Another of my favorites is this: 2 Chronicles 16:9, "For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him." Oh Lord, help us to be wholehearted, fully committed to you - and you alone. Not to the teachings of mere men who have the appearance of wisdom - the living Bible says it this way, "These rules may seem good, for rules of this kind require strong devotion and are humiliating and hard on the body, but they have no effect when it comes to conquering a person’s evil thoughts and desires. They only make him proud." (Colossians 2:23)

God help us to remember you are searching, seeking, pursuing us.  You are not disappointed in us, angry with us and out to get us.  You are good and you seek to restore and heal and help.  You do not seek us to destroy us.  You are not out to get us.  You have not abandoned us.  Please be with those who believe they are doing good in your Kingdom, who are actually persecuting Jesus with their zealousness.  Please help us to forgive, to move forward... to encourage and uplift.  To give grace and extend love and mercy.  Please God, help us to become what we can't become without YOU.

Please hear me.  I am not suggesting you leave your church that preaches truth to go on a hunt for a church that is more "spirit filled", but I am praying and hoping if your church is heavy in Truth and light in the Spirit, you cry out to God to come again and fill that place with His Spirit.  And, I pray that if you are in a church that is heavy in Spirit, but lacking in Truth teaching, that you will cry out to the Lord for the Truth to grab hold.  And whatever group you fall in with, that  God will set the balance right in your own heart (AND MINE TOO!!) as well as the corporate body you worship alongside. Oh that we would be the generation that worships Him in Spirit and in Truth that will usher in the King of Glory with our worship.   

The Gospel is the good news that Christ came to set us FREE (not put us in bondage). He came to save us from our wickedness (because we will NEVER get it right on our own).  He alone took the penalty of death - even went to Hell - so that we would not have to.  We simply have to believe. 

When a man (Siris) asked what he must do to be saved, he was told "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved." Acts 16:31. Romans 10:9 says, that if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  Jesus is the way, the truth and the life - and no one comes to the Father, except through Him.  That is the Gospel.  He came to rescue and redeem.  He came to give life and life abundant.  The one that came to destroy us was the devil.  Please don't get the two confused!

If you have run from God and the church because you have been wounded... please consider starting with a simple prayer to the God who you may have come to misunderstand.  Ask Him to reveal Himself.  Set aside some time to just sit with Him.  Maybe put on some worship music.  Maybe sit with your Bible in your lap.  But, sit with Him and let your soul be still.  Believe that He is good.  He is altogether good.  Believe that He is for you and not against you.  Believe that He has a good plan for you.  Ask Him to show you how to rest in Him again.  How to open your heart up again to more pain that will come when you surround yourself with the broken people of the world.  But, go out and do what you were created to do.  Don't let people stop you from your God spoken destiny.  Every light, no matter how small overcomes the darkness.  Go out and shine and bring some hope to the weary ones.