The Ambiguous "They"

"Did you hear what "they" said?" You're probably like me, thinking, "who in the world is THEY?" It's almost like we have given some kind of authority to THEY. When in conversation, as long as you use THEY in some profound way, it's as if it carries some kind of weight.

But, you know, when "the ambiguous THEY" is used in a church, it seems to carry a different meaning. In church life, it usually goes something like this: "well, THEY decided to do such and such" or "THEY chose that" or "THEY wanted that kind of carpet" or well, you get the idea. I'm sure you've heard it, and we've probably all said it at one time or another. Usually, not always, the person saying that is either trying to avoid taking responsibility as a church member for the decision that was made because that person did not take their responsibility as a church member serious enough to show up when the decision was made. OR, the person saying it is trying to distance themselves from the decision because that person did not agree with the decision. OR, the person saying it is fishing to see what the other person is going to say before that person shows whether or not they agreed with the decision (whatever the decision by "THEY" was).

Granted, sometimes in church life, there is a clique of people that very well could be referred to as "THEY". Everyone knows who "THEY" are because "THEY" try to control everybody. I get that. But, that's a topic for another post.

But, I've wondered, could something else a little bit deeper be happening with the pervasive use of "the ambiguous THEY" in church life? Whatever happened to "WE"? I mean, aren't "WE" the "body of Christ"? Aren't "WE" the "household of God"? I wonder if the pervasive use of "the ambiguous THEY" reveals a lack of connection and the superficial nature of our relationships in church life. Sure, we'd like to think we have deep relationships, and truly, there are some in church life. I wonder if the pervasive use of "the ambiguous THEY" reveals a misunderstanding of what it means to be a church member and the great responsibility Jesus and the NT writers place on what it means to be a church member? Could it reveal the lack of true commitment and investment people have to the church and her mission of making disciples in such a way that using "the ambiguous THEY" somehow lets them off the hook?

WE are the body of Christ. WE are the household of God. WE are the chosen people of God. WE all have responsibilities. WE need a little more WE instead of a THEY; regardless of what "THEY" said.

"Hey, Make Yourself at Home"

Have you ever told someone that at your house? And, then, they started to re-arrange the furniture, go through your junk drawers, throwing things away, putting up their own pictures...most of us would go nuts if someone did that in our house.

In Ephesians 3:17, Paul writes, "so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith". To dwell or to abide is the idea of "making yourself at home". Paul is referring to Christ "making himself at home" within the Christian's life. That Jesus moves in. Many Christians are ok with that part of it, but Jesus, when he makes himself at home in your life, he does begin to re-arrange the furniture. He opens the junk drawers of our hearts and begins to clean them out. That's the nature of the indwelling of Christ. That's the nature of true conversion. That's the nature of true salvation. The transformation of the human heart. A "spiritual renovation" begins to take place. That is the evidence of the "indwelling Christ", that he is re-arranging the furniture and cleaning house.

It's easy to see...many who claim to be Christians don't want any part of that. They want Jesus to stay around long enough to "make them happy" by giving them what they want on their own terms. No sacrificial obedience, no surrendering, no denying, no cross-carrying, just "my best life now" based upon my definition or some Christianized version of the current culture's "american dream" (oops, where did that come from?) One of three things is true: a shallow understanding of the gospel, a mis-understanding of salvation, or a false conversion. Or, all three of those could true.

One New Man

This past Sunday, we began to tackle Ephesians 2:11-22 in our Sunday morning gathering. In this passage, Paul deals with the Jew vs. Gentile racial & ethnic hostility that was present in the 1st century. He dealt with it on a couple of different levels: historical redemptive level and a more personal, local church level. In other words, how do we understand the Jew/Gentile relationship from the big picture perspective and then how does that play itself in the church, the "one new man" (Eph. 2:15), on a very personal level.

A big question for us to ask in applying this: If the barriers and divisions are broken down between Jew and Gentile in Christ, how much more should this "unity" apply with respect to all races and ethnicities today in Christ (Gal. 3:28)?

I can hear some of the murmuring already..."well, as long as..." OR "well, we worship here & THEY worship there..." OR "well, you just don't understand..." OR "This is the south..." Honestly, save it. Are there some obstacles that must be overcome? Certainly. Are there some deep & honest conversations that must be held? Yep, sure thing.

However, I bet if we would start at the foot of the cross with the Gospel, we might make a little more headway than we've made. Sure, there is a hypersensitivity prevalent in our culture is an obstacle, but it is not insurmountable. 

Well, more to come...

What does holiness mean in our world today?

Holiness, for many people, is like this elusive thing that we know we should be grasping after (or we've at least been told we should be), but we aren't really sure what it is exactly we are grasping after or how to grasp after it.

Holiness is first, the defining characteristic of who God is. It is the characteristic that the seraphim call out back and forth over and over to one another about the Lord God in Isaiah 6, "holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts; the whole earth is fully of his glory." Then out of God's holy character flow his acts...they are holy because his character is holy. And, because his essential nature is holy, all his acts are holy. Yeah, but what is "holiness"? Holiness is separateness, otherness. Holiness is purity, without sin, without imperfections.  

So, what does that mean for us when God says to us in 1 Peter 1:16, "you shall be holy, for I am holy". God calls us to be holy and expects us to be holy, set apart for himself and pure and undefiled by the world. What does holiness look like in our world today? And, if we aren't pursuing holiness, what does that say about the Christianity we profess (Hebrews 12:14)? How do righteousness and purity relate to holiness that we pursue? What about Christian liberty (Romans 14)? How does the concept of "distinctiveness within the culture" fit into the conversation?

Separated

Numbers 6 records for us God's instructions for those that would take a Nazarite vow. The phrase that caught my attention in these instructions was in Numbers 6:2 - "to separate himself to the LORD". 

This phrase is repeated in the chapter on a few other occasions. Even the footnote reveals that the word "Nazarite" means "one who separates" or "one who consecrates" himself. In Numbers 6:8, Moses makes the connection between this separation and holiness. He writes, "all the days of his separation he is holy to the LORD."

To be "separated to the LORD" and "holy to the LORD" carries with it the weight that we are "separated for the LORD" and "holy (consecrated) for the Lord". 

Paul, who himself may have taken a Nazarite vow in Acts 18, draws a couple of parallels for the NT believer in his letters.

In Romans 12:1-2, Paul calls all believers to "present their bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." 

Then in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, he declares, "you are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body."

Since we are the "peculiar" people of God (1 Peter 2:9-11), we are called and compelled by the gospel to be separated and consecrated to and for the Lord. Because He, in his grace through justification, has declared us righteous, we are moved by the presence of the Holy Spirit to pursue a consecrated life unto God.

But, are we really? Or, are we just playing church and playing religion? Do we just do enough to ease our conscience "until the next appointed time"?