These writings are just as much, if not more so, for myself than for anyone who reads the words. I don't claim to have all the answers, but I strive hard for truth as I write from some of the darkest and most agonizing places that a husband's heart can experience. To TRULY love someone risks the very real danger of destruction. Whether my perception from this place of severe suffering is the accurate picture of reality or not, what I write should only be judged in the light of God's Word.
I'm BAAAaaack... and excited to get some more of my thoughts lined up to be read through! Alright let's get to it Is there something that is causing you to hurt? Something that you can't shake that you think is keeping you from being happy?
As I get into the heart of this next post, I want to touch on the difference between suffering, and discomfort. I see people in general, as well as myself, getting these two confused at times. (You can probably tell by now this isn't going to be a write-up about puppies and kittens rolling around in lush green grass:) )
Discomfort is a given in life, and is experienced by everyone. It comes in the form of a sore back in the morning, a fender-bender, losing your cell phone, and getting a week long flu, to name a few. These types of things are not suffering; they do not enter into the realm of true pain. They are merely the inevitable discomforts of life that we tell people about to bring attention to our existence.
I find that often it's easier to pretend these events are more dramatic than they actually are because the real pain in our life is too difficult to deal with and process.
What do you find yourself complaining about?
I will be addressing pain. Real pain. Suffering sometimes so intense, that the idea of staying alive is far from the logical choice. It is dark, but nevertheless, it is reality. You may never walk a road this bleak, but never-the-less the truths learnt in these times should be valuable to anyone’s life situation.
Suffering on the other hand, is also universal, and penetrates everyone's life in some way, and to some degree. Everyone has problems or circumstances they wish were different. But obviously some people do suffer much more than others over the course of their life. One person's "8 of 10", is another's "2 out of 10". But hear me when I say,
There is no vaccination for pain.
You can't choose what uninvited trials may come, but you can definitely inflict countless griefs on yourself and others; and you can always choose how you respond to both. If I had to guess, I would say that for the average person in North America, our problems are self-inflicted - Pain brought about by one’s own decisions.
Do you think lessons are learnt in the same way in self-inflicted pain, as in uninvited suffering? I don't think so. The question "Why?!?" does not need to be asked in self-inflicted pain; the "why" is obvious. I.e. “Why I am always finding myself in bad relationships?”, “Why am I always waking up feeling used and abused with a hangover?”, “Even though I have LCD TVs, nice house, and newer cars, why am I always broke?” You get the idea. This pain is real yes, but it’s easier to manage mentally as the 'cause and effect is' clear. You have control to fix these things.
It is in the chemotherapy riddled bodies, tsunamis, chronic pain, earthquakes, and a drunk driver hitting a family van on the side of the road, do you really have to face the great "why" question. Some of Jesus' final words on earth included the question WHY -- "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mark 15)
Affliction has many sources. The root of all pain is not the same. Different things cause different pain and I will explain that shortly!
Before I attempt to answer these deeper questions about suffering, we need a correct definition of suffering. Where do we get an idea of what is really evil and what is really good? Something must be good for something to then be evil in comparison. Love can’t exist without hate, +5 without -5, hot and cold, and so on.
Do you think that evil things happen in this world? I do. How do we know something is actually evil? Because we have an idea of what good is to compare evil to. And where do we get that idea? - God.
Where does one go for an accurate picture of God? The Bible. Despite the common misconceptions about the Bible, science and history prove what this book says should be trusted. It's up to you where you turn to for a final verdict on the answers to all the 'WHYS' in life. My logical mind keeps my heart grounded in this book for the answers to brutally tough questions.
Questions that you never thought you would ask, may only begin to burn in your heart when the fires of pain have reached a certain degree.
Facebook profile pictures, photo albums, makeup, phone-calls, emails, and most conversations try desperately to veer away from this very real side of human existence. To an extent, all of us are playing a role in this masquerade, hoping people will see what we want them to see: unfazed and unaffected while putting our best face forward. Suffering is real, often feeling more real and prevalent than happiness.
But King Solomon said this, "It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, because that is the end of every man, and the living takes it to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, for when a face is sad a heart may be happy. The mind of the wise is in the house of mourning, while the mind of fools is in the house of pleasure." (Ecc. 7:2-4)
Solomon isn’t saying good times are a negative, he says this because so much more can be learned from adversities than from celebrations. Substantial character growth rarely happens during parties or in the "good times". The potential for character growth is exponentially greater when you are in the middle of suffering.
The writer and public speaker Timothy Keller said something that has stuck with me regarding life’s circumstances in general. It went something like this…
There are three main things that will shape who you are; two of which you cannot control.
One: Your genetics. You cannot choose your genetic make-up. Such as talents, coordination, musical ability, learning ability, deformities, etc.
Two: Your circumstances and your environment. You cannot choose things you were born into, or that happen to you. Such as your family, parent’s religion, neighborhood, disease, rape, accidents, etc.
Three: This one you can choose. It is your response and attitude to the first two. What you decide to do with the parts of your life that you can’t control. A concentration camp survivor said, “The Nazis can take away everything from me but one thing, my attitude. They cannot force me to respond to their cruelty in a certain way.”
Pain and affliction is an endless world to delve into. But it isn't hopeless! This world still belongs to God. This means the game is not over.
Firstly, these next posts are not recommended for everyone.
It is somewhat graphic as I will tell of some of the darkest seasons in our young marriage. This post answers questions about pain and suffering that some, if honest, would be very content and intent to remain as distant unreachable unknowns. Because sometimes we humans prefer an altered, blurred, and even inaccurate view of suffering if it leaves the rest of what we believe about life, intact. We can sometimes find ourselves forcing our beliefs and world views to make sense; even at the cost of misplacing truths about the darker side of life.
Suffering forces you to ask questions best left swept under the rug of ignorance.
Ignorance is a luxury not easily given up.
___________________________________________
I apologize for the time span in between my latest posts. This writing gap is for positive reasons as many of you know that my wife Christa has been improving slowly but surely, over the last 12 months. My fingers feel lighter than they used to in previous posts. I can feel myself, and Christa and I as a couple, begin to catch our breath after swallowing water while almost drowning for so long. There are still some scary days along the way and even a couple more ambulance rides this summer, but overall she is doing so much better. I am working more and more in my real estate career and really enjoying it.
We have moved back into Vernon from the golf resort Predator Ridge, and Christa and I have been able to set up home in our condo for really, the first time in our marriage. Our honeymoon 4 years ago got cut short for health reasons, and since then there has been very, very long dark days and nights. But as Christa's body finally begins to heal, we find ourselves in a brand new chapter of life. It has not been the celebration we thought it would be. We have endured too much, and have been scarred too deeply to celebrate the way we would have if her sickness had only lasted a few weeks. When thousands of hours of torture have crawled by, even if you survive, you can only shuffle and stumble your way out of the suffering into the light of brighter days. If you have ever seen actual film footage of the few survivors of Dachau, or Auschwitz being liberated by the Allied troops, you would see that they are not cheering or clapping as they are being freed. They carry the blank stares of shock from enduring unspeakable evil. They will never be the same again. This is how Christa and I feel. Yes, we are now free from our prison and life is so sweet, but some scars are permanent and serve as a reminder of what we endured.
I have no intention of bringing my blog writings to a stop. I have a passion for communicating Truth through words. There is the line of Christian thinking that goes something like this, "Witness at all times, and when necessary, use words." This is a very frighteningly ineffective way to live out one's faith. To think that a mere human is an example worthy of following, is dangerous. As one preacher said jokingly about one neighbour speaking to another, "I noticed there was something different about the way you trim your hedges...What must I do to be saved?!?"
We are flawed creatures. The primary way to share God's truth, is through words. We are fallible, God's Word is not.
___________________________________________
This post is the one I have been wanting to write since I started this blog. Actually it is the one behind why I started writing publicly. It will venture into some of the most shadow-filled places that my heart has been dragged through at the hand of endless suffering and traumatic circumstances. Almost anyone can handle pain for a short time, or maybe even a couple weeks or a month. But there comes a time with prolonged long-suffering when you begin to see, touch, hear, feel, and taste suffering; and little else. And after enough time passes, the word "hope" loses all real meaning, and becomes the concoction of one's own imagination conjured up for the sole purpose of survival. It is in these, and only in these times, when certain questions can be truly approached, answered, and dealt with.
So much of life fades into blurred oblivion in the presence of real suffering. If your mind and heart is primarily concerned about things like long hours at work, failing friendships, buying a house, cars, current TV series, knee surgery, getting older, hockey teams, or getting a bad flu, then you cannot stake a claim to real suffering. These things do not even register on the pain scale.
Is there a difference in how we are to handle self-inflicted suffering versus uninvited suffering? I will answer this later, but in self-inflicted emotional and physical pain, you don't need to ask the question "Why?"
There is nothing that will bring you to the very end of yourself, and a little beyond, more intensely and genuinely that physical suffering. Emotional and spiritual suffering can bring deep grief as well, but they always follow intense physical pain, but not always vice versa.
Take away your friends, job, and all your worldly possessions, and you may not curse God. Take away your home, relatives, and closest family members, and you may not curse God. But take away your health, and introduce unrelenting agony, and you may curse God as you lose control of your own mind. Just ask Job. Nothing brings you to your emotional and spiritual limit more than suffering.
It is during these seasons of pain that one can no longer avoid questions and statements such as:
"Where is God?!"
"There's a reason for everything."
"How could a loving God allow such pain?"
"There's so many people praying! Why is the problem not fixed by now?"
"What good can possibly come from this?" "Is it even worth it to keep going?"
"Whatever doesn't kill you, will make you stronger."
"This must be happening because I'm being punished for something."
"I'm a good person, how can I possibly deserve this? Why me?"
"But if you have enough faith won't God heal you?"
...and the all too famous stand alone question, "Why?"
Yes, God does care enough about his creation to take note when a sparrow falls to the ground, but we often fail to realize is this: The sparrow is still dead. (Mtt. 10) The fact that Goes knows about our suffering, is not the same as him releasing us from it. So is there genuine purpose and reason to stay the course?
God does know how many hairs are on our head, but that number may be 0 as maybe chemotherapy is in its later stages. I know God knows this, but it would seem that it is unrelated to how much pain he permits, wills, and signs off on for us to go through. Do I still trust him? I mean really trust Him? "And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his convenient with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel - and God knew." (Ex. 2) ...400 years of Israelites living and dying under the oppression of slavery, with no deliverance. Why is it that, what we often consider to be a happy ending, and what God considers to be a happy ending, seem to be at polar opposites with each other?
Anguish of heart at such depths offers a rare opportunity to see people, circumstances, life, and God from a perspective that is shockingly authentic and potentially life changing.
The preliminary question I ask myself about pain is this point of my journey is this: Is my perception of reality I now have from this place of long-suffering accurate? Or merely a delusional viewpoint brought on by countless hours intensely spent in a grief stricken state?
I will let you draw your own conclusion at the end of this post; but I do hope our story plays some role in your life. Everyone is affected to some degree Yes, parts of our journey are dark, but without darkness we wouldn't know or truly appreciate what light is. How can one truly enjoy the good of life, without the possibility of the bad? It is this tension that makes our life worth living. As a respected man said: "Should we be asking God's help to take us out of suffering; or to take us through?"
As love grows, so does the capacity for pain. Dying for someone is easy. Living for them is the hard part.
If you are up for it, let's get into Job's head...
Just wanted to take a quick side track from the heavier issue of suffering and briefly share something I came across recently. Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through him who strengthens me." This is a Bible verse that is frequently quoted by Christians that implies one can summon a certain type of "strength"; when in reality it may have a different meaning altogether then what some might think.
This verse could easily bring to mind the idea of a believer who is capable of tackling any project, take charge of a situation, or flex the physical or spiritual muscles on their way to accomplishing what they believe to be God's plan. To be honest this sounds fantastic. To have this spiritual "strength" to summon when needed could definitely have an impact. That may very well be the case at times, but the direct Greek translation this time, is to withstand something. So the verse would then be read like this, "I can withstand all things through him who strengthens me." And when you read the entire section of chapter 4 of Philippians this makes much more sense really.
Now, this meaning would shift its emphasis from the idea of a Christian conquering and overcoming something by the power of God, to that of a supernatural help to endure. To suffer with strength.
A definition of it goes like this: a: to stand up against : oppose with firm determination;especially: to resist successfully b: to be proof against : resist the effect of <withstand the impact of a landing — Current Biography> archaic: to stop or obstruct the course of
I personally find this quite interesting, because so often I have the tendency to think that I can accomplish and achieve whatever I think to be right, as long as I do it in God's name. When in reality, it's only because of God that I can accomplish anything righteous or worthwhile. And quite often, the strength that comes from God is best shown not in what we can necessarily do for Him, but in what and how we endure and withstand trials for His name sake.
Have you ever wondered where the concept of giving 10% of your income to the church actually came from? Does the Bible really ask for a specific amount from you? How much of the idea of "giving to the Lord" or "tithing", is God's, and how much of it is man's?
I grew up in church culture, and when I started making money in my teen years I wanted to thank God with some of what I made. I realized the body he gave me to work with, and all the profits I earned, ultimately belonged to him. So when I asked around the church, the standard of "giving to God" a.k.a. the church, the number 10% always came up. The debate was not over whether 10% was correct or not, but whether the 10% should come from the net or gross portion of your income.
This is something I want to write about, because as you may already know, Jesus actually addressed the issue of money more than almost anything else. He talked about it more than even Heaven and Hell combined. One of every seven verses in Luke's gospel talk about money. Over 25% of the parables are about money. The Bible puts greed on the same destructive level as idolatry. (Eph 5:5, 1 Cor. 5:11)
Jesus brought up the topic of greed more than the topic of prayer. "Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions." - Luke 12
I will try to keep this post specifically to the issue of "tithing", as the topic of money is almost endless in it's applications, i.e. loans and lending money, saving and spending, giving and investing, greed and idolatry. I would really like to write about money as a whole; maybe another day.:)
The word 'tithe' is actually a mathematical term referring to 10% of an amount; one tenth of something. It is not a word contrived specifically for religious purposes. But I have only ever heard the word 'tithe' when it was associated with church. I had always understood that a Christian should give ten percent of their income to God; so when I found out that it didn't originate from within the church, I was surprised to say the least.
So, why is this term often used when referring to giving money to a church? Where did it come from? Is it even the most correct usage of the word?
For a long time Israel was a theocratic state. Theocracy means that God and His law rule a nation. Theocracy does not mean a church, or a religious group is running a nation; however God did often choose to audibly speak to judges and prophets with specific instructions for the people of Israel. It was definitely still a Dictatorship with a capital and divine "D".
And during this time in history, when the Israeli government was directly run by God, God laid down certain laws concerning taxation for the people. These were not "freewill" gifts or offerings, and depending on each families source of income the tax could be comprised of money, livestock, land, produce, or time, etc.
ONE: Every year the people were to pay 10% of their yearly income to the Levite tribe (the God ordained priests at the time). This would cover all the expenses for them and their families as their priestly duties were full-time. - Leviticus 27, Numbers 18
TWO: Every year the people were to also put 10% of their yearly income towards the national festivals, aka the Festival Tithe. This would often be grain, fruit, meat, etc. that would be shared by everyone at the feasts during the festivals. - Deuteronomy 12
THREE: Every third year the people were to give another 10% of that years assets to the foreigners, poor, widows and orphans. Basically it was a God ordained welfare system. - Deuteronomy 14
After you total up these three main taxes you come to 23.3% of your yearly income to be paid as taxes. There were a few other taxes for the people such as every seven years they were to let the land rest, i.e. not work their fields. So this meant a total loss in their income for that seventh year. Another one was that every seven years all current debts were to be erased. They also were commanded to leave the corners of their field unpicked, as well as whatever was dropped during the harvesting process was to be left for the poor and widows to glean (Leviticus 19). These were non-negotiable taxes that the people were commanded to pay for the theocratic "government programs" to run. There was also a Temple upkeep tax (Exodus 30:13)
The people would also give free-will offerings out of their own heart's generosity. And there were times when the people gave unbelievable amounts on top of their taxes!
So as for where the 10% originally came from and applies to us today or even then for that matter, I'm honestly not sure what to tell you; as the New Testament says absolutely nothing about giving a specific amount to God or the church (as the laws about taxes I just listed apply only to Old Testament theocratic laws).
The New Testament does however specifically talks about paying your taxes to your government. Jesus even paid into the tax system that supported the Jewish leaders who conspired to kill him, and who also paid off Judas. So to be blunt, whether you agree with what the government does or doesn't do with your tax dollars is irrelevant. As believers that is not our concern. God ultimately signs off on every governing body so we are to leave it with Him. Another opportunity, if you will, to trust God.
So what does the New Testament say about giving of money? Well obviously God doesn't need money...
"The idea of God needing your money is comical." - J. MacArthur
And even though Christians crave specific rules to follow, the New Testament doesn't give us any commands about the amount, or percentage of money to give. But the New Testament does provide us a very clear picture of what God does want from us.
There is one story that stands out to me that puts the importance where it belongs in regards to how God views your money. Jesus was sitting by the treasury and was just watching people as they came by to give their gifts to God. Some wealthy people were putting in huge amounts of money; but one widow came by and put in 2 copper coins (today's equivalent would be about 5 dollars). This was all the money she had to her name. "Calling his disciples to Him, He (Jesus) said to them, 'Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they put all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.'" - Mark 12
God doesn't want you to give something that you don't want to give. He is fine with it. Because you can still give a lot away and have your motives be very wrong. He does not need money to accomplish His will!
If you don't want to give a lot of money, a small amount, or none at all, then don't!
It will be USED, but you will not be blessed for it, and you are missing the point entirely.
All wealth ultimately belongs to God anyway, but we still struggle so much with loosening our grip of our stuff, time, and money. The act of giving is more for the giver than anyone else. "In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"
Your attitude towards money is a direct reflection of your heart's state before God. In Matthew 19 a rich man came to Jesus and was asking about how to get to Heaven. The man was very moral, and a standup citizen. From the outside he would have appeared to be very Godly. But Jesus knew exactly what was standing between this man's heart and God; his idol was money. He told the man to sell all his stuff, and follow him. All the man could do was walk away, because he was too attached to his wealth to do what Jesus asked.
Giving should be something a believer wants to do. He or she will be keeping their eyes and ears peeled for opportunities to give. There are times when that isn't the easiest, or the path of least resistance. If you know you should give something of yourself (money, time, skills etc.) to someone and you choose not to, that is sinning. "If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it, it is a sin for them." - James
Without going into a whole other topic, the issue of Christians being in debt, lending and borrowing money is something I want to touch on. The Bible specifically speaks against co-signing for a non-family member for anything. "One who has no sense shakes hands in pledge and puts up security for a neighbour." - King Solomon (wealthiest man to ever live) Prv. 6:1, 17:18
If you are in debt, it completely takes away your ability to help others. Emotional debt, spiritual debt, and time debts will also keep you pinned down in your life. I.e. If you are married and are struggling in that marriage, you are basically incapable of helping another couple who needs help at that point in your life. Or if you have slacked in your walk with God, your advice and council to those who need it will be very watered down with worldliness, being of very little worth.
So work hard in all areas of your life. At work, put in the effort as if your boss was Christ himself. Focus on the effort, not so much the paycheque or physical rewards of you effort. Let God bless you as He sees fit! This way you will be in a position to do God's will by helping others when the time comes.
Your confidence and security can not be found in anything other than Jesus Christ. The first (or oldest) book in the Bible to be written was the book of Job. Job was definitely a blessed business man. He wrote this during his great time of suffering: "If I have put my confidence in gold, and called fine gold my trust, if I have gloated because my wealth was great, and because my hand had secured so much;..."
The "death toll" of men and women which the pursuit of money has devoured, in my opinion, is higher than almost any other sin. Because in its simplest form, it is idolatry. Anything that takes the place of Christ, is an idol.
"But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." (1 Timothy)
What is more important in this life between loving a chubby bank account, or a heart that is right before God? The Bible doesn't say anything against having lots of money (many Christians in the Bible were very wealthy, i.e. Abraham, Joseph of Arimathea, Job, Noah, Lydia, King Hezekiah, Solomon, etc.), only against loving it. The state of your heart towards money, in Biblical theory, should remained unchanged regardless of how many, or how few worldly assets you have. But this does usually get more challenging when more zeros follow the first number in your pay cheques!
Yet ivory tower banking tycoons are far from the only ones who can struggle with idolatry. Idols that can be standing in the way of having a generous heart and a correct perspective on giving could be your time, pride, laziness, public image, and of course your bank account and your stuff (Be it the latest ipad, next planned vacation/trip, newest vehicle, or the modern style in clothes on your back-> large ticket "items" can sap your mental, emotional, and physical energy just as much as the smaller priced "items", and no one is exempt from this).
The Bible refers to giving away parts of yourself much like investing. If you invest a lot, you will reap a big return. If you only invest a little, you will only get a little back...
Jesus promised this in Luke 6, "Give, and it will be given to you." And Solomon wrote, "Honour the LORD with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and vats will brim over with new wine."
And in Paul's second letter to Corinth - A.D. 55...
"So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given.
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: 'They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endured forever.'"
On a personal note, over the last three years (2009-2011) Christa and I have had most of our lives taken away by her health. This has obviously put us in a precarious financial spot. Our families, relatives, and friends have been unbelievable in their support, and unlike most with these types of health issues not currently covered by HealthCare, we have not had to go into debt over Christa's Lyme disease + co-infections.
Help has come in the form of generous cheques, cooked meals, flowers, and huge amounts of time given running errands we couldn't do ourselves at the time. And also a lot of gifts that were only meant for us to enjoy and have fun with.
But here's the thing; up to a few years ago Christa and I have always been the ones in the position to help others in different ways. So we have had to really keep our pride in check as we learned to accept these gifts with a thankful heart. Knowing that not only are we blessed by them, but that those who gave are also blessed by helping us. Who are we to say no to help, or to be unnecessarily uncomfortable in accepting food? It has definitely been humbling, but in that, we have learnt a little better how to give, as we will one day be in that position to give to others again. We have now been on both ends of the act of giving, and the purpose of both sides is to give glory to Christ.
So to summarize this post on giving:
If you only want a small return on your talents, time, and money, give only a little away. And if in your heart you don't really want to give anything at all, then just keep it. But if you are sincere about giving, and don't necessarily think first on want a substantial return you'll get, give lots away, and you shall be blessed! Hang on to what God has entrusted to you with care, but at the same time, loosely. Be very wise with it and give carefully; but fully realize that it isn't your time. It isn't your talents. It isn't your money. It never was. It is all on loan as a tool to use in your one life.
The New Testament completely does away with the idea of giving a specific amount, and places all emphasis on the heart of the giver, not the amount or a percentage (personally, I would much prefer exact numbers and regulations to deal with, but God knows I would try to find a way around them:)). No, what God wants, is a heart that has bent its knee to Him, and Him alone.
Before I get going, I just want say this post isn't short, but it won't be as long as my previous one on marriage.
This post is about something that has been rattling around my head for a few years now and it may not digest well for many church going people and may be controversial for some, but nonetheless I want to write it. My intent is not to get a reaction, but to shed some light on some things that the Bible does not teach, and more importantly what is does teach.
On a personal note, I was born just outside the Bible school my parents were attending. I grew up on the "mission field" of Eastern Canada where my dad pastored a small french church for a long time. I have taught Sunday school and Bible studies for years. I have attended two bible schools; one in Alberta, the other in New Zealand. I have led youth events. I have played guitar for years on music/worship teams. I have done many Christian sports camps. I have been a Young Life leader. I have done "unofficial" outreach with unsaved young people. I have done international mission trips. I have given my "testimony" and preached sermons. I have breathed, smelt, heard, tasted and been saturated in organized church since as long as I could remember. I have easily heard thousands of sermons and been to 2500+ church gatherings of some type in my young life. Why do I say all this? Because so much of what I just listed about myself is totally and completely worthless. It doesn't mean anything. My worth and purpose as a christian is not defined by any of these things. Because I want you to know, I do not say all this from an outsider's perspective. I speak from the inside of today's churches. My wife and I have dozens of close friends and acquaintances who fill many paid church positions, and just as many who are currently in various levels of seminary training for said positions.
One thing I have noticed growing up in the "church culture" since I was very young, was just how much prestige, attention, and respect that could sometimes correlate to the years one spent at a seminary. This is not always the case in smaller churches, but it is very prevalent in churches that have 150+ people, and especially so in the mega churches where weekly attendance is in the high hundreds or thousands. When I was young I first noticed this, and at that impressionable stage of life I assumed it normal. I began to notice other things along these lines, such as the yearly salaries generally corresponded with what "Christian degree" and formal education you had from a seminary. For example, if you did 2 years at a seminary, you would expect an intern position of sorts, but certainly not a pastoral position, but probably one in youth, college, or music ministry, and a salary in the ball park of $20,000-35,000. But if you could stick it out for 3-4 years at seminary, you could make $35,000-45,000 a year if God "called" you to the right church to fill the position of an associate pastor. Another option would be to get a masters or a doctorate over 5-7 years at seminary. This could put you in the running for senior pastorate position with a yearly salary ranging well into six digits (More on paid church positions later). And if you managed your resources well, spoke in a way that drew people to you, and didn't take a definitive stance on too many controversial issues, you would most likely be offered or "called" to a bigger and more profitable church. The temptation to avoid preaching on certain difficult topics, and cling to the cozier passages of the Bible week after week is hard to resist when new people keep coming in the doors.
"...but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void." (1 Cor. 1)
Jesus was just as eager to turn away truth "seekers", as he was to accept genuine repentant believers. Think of the wealthy ruler who approached Jesus in Luke 18. He fit the bill perfectly for a "prospective convert". He walks into church and starts asking about how to get to Heaven. He is obviously willing to talk about spiritual things. He knows the Bible. He is morally perfect in his living. He is very rich. What else could a church body want from a guy? All he needs to add to his great life is Jesus, right? But at all costs, do not let this one off the line.
But what did Jesus do with him? He shows him exactly where he falls short. He immediately pinpoints where this stand up citizen has failed. Not failed by human standards, but by God's. Jesus knew his heart. Jesus knew this man's security was tied up in this life. And while this man is standing there discouraged and stunned, Jesus then loudly speaks to everyone around, "How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!"
Is Jesus being cruel? Cold and uncaring about this man's feelings? I suppose it depends on who you would be in this story. This man's feelings did not matter in comparison to the severity of eternity, Hell, and Heaven. What do you think would happen if this type of "evangelism" was carried out in today's average church? If things like forgiveness would only be taught along side of the gravity of sin? I believe the immediate effect would be a drastic decline in attendance, followed by a genuine rebuilding of the entire church.
Jesus would often have very large crowds numbering in the thousands listening to his words, but how many times did he say something that caused a stampede in the opposite direction?
John 6 tells of when Jesus finished preaching, and it was not received well by the people. "On hearing it, many of his disciples said, 'This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?" Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, 'Does this offend you?'...He went on to say, 'This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.' From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. 'You do not want to leave me too, do you?'"
I can't help but see a direct comparison to the way a successful company is run in the business world. You go to university or college and get your degree. You then bring your resume to an interview where you potential competency is evaluated. If all goes well you will be offered a position and salary according to your experience and education. Once you've been in the business for awhile, your success is graded by your marketing skills, ability to complete the tasks at hand, and total revenue generated. This is the way one can expect things to go quite often in the business world, but I fail to see any major differences with the way almost every single church is run in our present day in 2011. One can climb the corporate ladder of a church in the exact same way as in a company.
Now, I am being a bit cynical? Maybe a little, but only a little. I know full well that no church is perfect, or has it all together, but some hills are worth dying on. This is one of those hills....
This is something I see over and over again in first hand experience, and read and hear about constantly when it comes to the pulse of 90%+ of churches today. The "higher ranked" Christians will generally go for lunch with the visiting missionaries or guest speakers, while everyone else goes to Swiss Chalet or Denny's with the other lowly church peasants. And if the person on the stage that week happens to be a renown speaker or well known author, the amount of worship ...err I mean attention given to them is staggering. The pastor can be referred to, and approached as a celebrity of sorts. I see "sucking up" to the pastor as a very common way to validate your own worth within the church. To be able to say, "I know him pretty well.", or " When we went for lunch last...", can boost the self esteem of someone who has put their confidence in a mere man. These types of relational church pursuits are very unhealthy dead end roads to go down. God has not designed any man to fulfil that role of, well, God.
If a younger or newer Christian in a church begins to get fired up and passionate in their faith, learning about the Bible at a furious rate, and their life starts to show significant signs of change by becoming more like the person of Christ, one of two things will happen as other church members notice. One, they will tell you in subtle ways to calm down and quit "running" at such a high speed. Or two, that person will be encouraged to go to seminary to get a Bible degree to ease the ruffled and singed feathers of other Christians who's moral boats have been tipped a little too much for comfort. Because if someone does not have a seminary degree, then the accountability before God must be less; right? How can one be expected to live in the same moral league as one who has a "Masters of Divinity" degree? Because if someone has a Rev., Dr., or Pastor in front of their name, then how can someone else possibly be expected to know as much, be as moral, or be as passionate about God and the Bible as someone who has gone to seminary? The Bible says otherwise.
"There is only one place a man can do something for 20, 30, or 40 years and not get any better at it, and still be accepted by his peers: Church." - V. Baucham (He has a great talk on this topic: http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=41511125147 )
Titus 2 - "Older men are to be temperate, dignified, sensible, sound in faith...Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good,..." Hebrews 5 - For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles..."
Pastor Mark Driscoll has such a sold article on the pros and cons of Seminary:
http://theresurgence.com/2013/01/22/should-i-get-a-ministry-degree-or-a-real-world-one?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=pastormark&utm_campaign=Pastor%2BMark%2BFacebook Do I think Bible schools are a bad idea? Often, but not always. Yes, seminary has the potential for one to genuinely grow in their faith and knowledge, but it is far from a guarantee. The Bible says nothing about needing a degree or certificate given by men to be able to teach or lead in a church. Nothing. The books of Titus and 1 Timothy give more than enough clarification as to the education and qualification of a church leader. It is unfortunate how many Godly men are not encouraged or given a chance to teach, while the pulpit is often filled with someone who has a 'Masters of Divinity' degree who may fill all church requirements while failing Biblical ones. I rarely hear of Pastors who are interviewed in a way other than one that follows the business model. I find this strange as the Bible gives such a clear picture of what a man should be, to lead a church.
Titus 1 "...namely, if any man is above reproach, the husband of on wife, having children who believe, not accused of dissipation or rebellion. For the overseer must be above reproach as God's steward, not self-willed, not quick tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious (quick to argue), not fond of sordid gain, but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, just, devout, self-controlled, holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict."
1 Timoth 3 adds a few things to this list, "...able to teach...respectable...free from the love of money. He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control will all dignity (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?), and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church..."
Why are men not critiqued by these standards anymore? But by the world business model standards instead? By attendance, resumes, percentages and stats. And what part of these definitive standards God has laid out in the Bible are not directly applicable to all warm blooded men of God? If this list only applies to pastors and elders, then where does a man look for a standard to reach for? No, this is for every saved man. Period. And yes some men choose to teach the whole church, but all Christian men should be capable of at least teaching their own families.
And those same parts of the Bible also lay out the standard for women. Do they only apply to women who are musically gifted, Sunday school directors, and Pastor's wives?
"Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure...so that the word of God will not be dishonored." (Titus)
If one man is hired to be the main leader of a church, then ministry which is every single saved person's responsibility and privilege, often falls to the paid church staff. I mean, why should I go visit sick people when I pay 10% of my paycheck to the church? (more on tithing in the next post) Why should I help clean up when we hire a janitor? Shouldn't the powerpoint and music be more modern and smoother with what the church can afford?
A Christian comedian had this funny line, "You know when someone at church comes up to you and says, 'You got a servants heart dude, you got a real servants heart.' What they really mean is, 'Start stacking chairs!'"
This trend has spread into what is called "Youth Ministry" over the last 20 years. Now, without getting too much into the issue of youth ministry, but where else can a 20 something year old guy or girl get paid $20,000-50,000 a year to hang out with kids all day? In answer to "But I have a passion for young people." I like the quote "Well if that's the case, then get married and have your own." Yes, amazing things can still happen within youth groups, but it is far from the ideal set up. Youth ministry has failed its own stated goals in the church. It is not producing life long fruit bearing believers. It's just not. What if some kids got saved through youth group? Well, some people get saved at WalMart. This is bad logic. The point is that a separate ministry for youth is not necessary for young people to get saved. Why? Because the church body itself fulfills that role. Where, throughout history starting in Acts, did a young person fail to find Christ through a church body but needed a youth or college and career group to get answers? College and Career groups provide a place for Youth Group graduates to go without stepping all the way up to the "big church", without feeling uncomfortable and out of place. If the church is functioning as it is supposed to, there is no need for this industry...err I mean ministry... Does this mean every guy or girl "working" in this ministry is a failing Christian? Of course not, but the entire premiss of youth ministry is not supported by Scripture. As Voddie Baucham (first video clip below) so delicately put it, "There is more Scriptural evidence to become a eunuch then there is to become a youth pastor."
I know the word "pastor" is found in the Bible, but the church structure based on one man preaching the majority of the time (i.e. 75%+ of Sundays) is not found in Scripture; not matter how hard one looks for it. It is far from healthy to have one man, a mere man, be the one responsible for most of the teaching a church body receives.
"Without consultation, plans are frustrated, but with many counselors they succeed." (Prov. 15)
The amount of upheaval following a pastor leaving a church is an obvious example that comes to mind. If by one man leaving a church body, even one that was in leadership, causes people to consider whether they will stay on in that church or not, is a sad indicator as to where the trust was laid and who was really worshiped in that church. Verbally God was praised, but hearts trusted in man.
A church body cannot be based on men. Especially one man. Is it a sin to have one pastor who does most if not all of the teaching? No of course not. But it is far from the ideal situation for a church to grow in. What it does however, is place far too much responsibility on one man. That burden is too great for any one person to carry. And as opposed to the attention being temporarily given to one person while they teach, then given fully to God and his Truth, the attention and adoration remains on that one pastor. His words can become more familiar and trusted, than the Word of God. One man can only learn so much. One man has only lived so much. One man has only trusted God in so many ways through suffering. But multiple Godly men teaching one church body, will result in far more consideration given to the subject of the teaching, as opposed to the speaker.
"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires." (2 Tim 3:4)
"Where words are many, sin is not absent." (King Solomon)
Human applause is a very dangerous thing. Look at what happened to King Herod...Acts 12:22,23
If the church had a handful of men that were in charge of the teaching, then it is much more difficult to come to trust in a single man over the true head of the church; Jesus Christ. When the first church were getting going after the ministry of Jesus, they would select multiple leaders for each body of believers, as well as dividing all the rest of the responsibilities to men and women in the church. No one person having any more importance then another.
Acts 14 - "When they had appointed elders for them in every church..."
Acts 15 - "Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them..."
Titus - "For this reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you..."
Eph 4 - "And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangilists, and some as pastors and teachers,..."
The Bible does not class people spiritually in levels of importance and rank. Once Christ buys you from your former master of sin, then you belong to him. All His slaves are equal.
"For the one who was a slave when called to faith in the Lord is the Lord's freed person; similarly, the one who was free when called is Christ's slave." (1 Cor. 7:22)
"There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Gal. 3:28)
"...do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you." (Rom 11)
"There is no one righteous, not even one;...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."(Rom. 3)
Yes, this includes your pastor, youth pastor, favorite Christian authors, favorite Christian musicians, and favorite Christian speakers. No one is worthy of human worship. Paul talks about his zeal for God, moral faultlessness, high social and religious training all being worthless. He also talks about how his ministry brought on much long suffering in the form of 5 separate whippings that stripped the back of all flesh, beatings, 3 shipwrecks, stoned 3 times, and always in danger from something. But Paul refused to boast in any of this. His security was found in Christ. Period.
The leaders are the ones who (should) serve the most!
"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve; and give his life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10)
Preaching to, or being in front of hundreds or thousands of people, does NOT make you an "effective" Christian. A ditch digger, wall street trader, salesman, grocery teller, housewife, or tradesperson, can have JUST as much impact on the world, or more, than a famous Christian author or preacher. We must get this idea of human worship dealt with. We often don't even know we're doing it. But we humans crave an object to give attention to. Something or someone tangible to trust and hope in. Bank accounts, vehicles with years left on the warranty, famous people, a house with an X amount of square feet in the right neighbourhood, etc. In the church we look to the popular "teachers" and figureheads. As well our Christian musicians who sound like something on America's top 40, the approval of the higher ranked Christians around you, the satisfaction of other church members knowing how much $$$ you gave, the desire to have others know about what ministries you're involved in, and how many times your face shows up on the slideshow of the recent missions trip.
"But when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. then you father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you...When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to other that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."(Matt. 6)
A leader, or teacher, should be almost pitied more than applauded, envied, and elevated. The responsibility is massive. It is not a position to be sought after. There is no human glory when a leader is teaching and leading Biblically, only more responsibility before God. "Pastors" or church leaders are far from being more important than anyone else, but in reality are actually held to more accountability the more they teach. Yes, all men are commanded to reach for a certain standard God has set for them to teach their families (Prov. 22:6), but those who decide to teach to the church body have undertaken a role they are guaranteed to fail at. How can one perfectly explain the Bible? How can any man accurately and perfectly depict God's hatred of sin or His immeasurable love for us? Any good that comes from a man's teaching is only because of God and his Spirit, while any shortcomings are placed squarely on the leader. See how being a church leader can be a daunting task? Pray for them. They are signing up for more responsibility and judgment from God on what they have said or didn't say.
James (3) says this on the issue - "Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly."
This brings me to the issue of paid church positions. This could easily be a post in itself, so I will try and summarize. Financial support for certain positions in the church is Biblical. But it is not the example Paul set for us. He knew that when money starts flowing, things get warped very quickly. Less is more in the case of paid church positions.
"For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God." (1 Thess 2)
"For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate." (2 Thess 3)
But unfortunately "church" has become a business, as I touched on earlier. In the last century it has gotten completely out of hand. The emphasis and importance of money and materialism within the church body is revolting. The design for a church laid out in Scripture has multiple men leading the church. Multiple men can not all be full-time preachers. This is point. Responsibilities become Biblical, rather than traditional.
When I often hear the phrase, "He or she is in, or going into full-time ministry." I then say, so they must be a Christian then? You see, there is no such thing as a career Christian, but that is exactly what almost every single church is comprised of. It is supposed to be an equal body of believers, with different roles. Not a pyramid of Christians, with different pay scales and commitment levels.
Think of it this way. Imagine you were on a walk with someone you care about very much, i.e. a parent, brother, sister, husband or wife etc. Picture the two of you enjoying the warm summer night air while walking downtown. Now, let's say the two of you were jumped by a gang of 5 or 6 thug-types. After a few minutes of them threatening you, one of them pulls a pistol on you and starts shouting. The person you're downtown with, who you love and care about very much, sees the gun holder is strung out on something, and steps in front of you just as he pulls the trigger. He or she slumps to the ground right in front of you as the gang scurries off.
A few months after the funeral you decide to begin speaking at schools about gangs, alcohol, and drug abuse, but mainly you want to tell about what your friend did for you that night. How could you not take every opportunity that comes along to sing this person's praises, and how you owe them your life. Now imagine if you were approached after a talk you just gave, and were offered an career where you could speak full-time, get a salary, and have your own office. Now you have an opportunity get paid to talk about the sacrifice your friend made for you that night.
I don't know about you, but just the thought of that repulses me. How could anyone accept money to talk about that? If someone wanted to give you a gas card while you traveled, offered you their guest suite while you were passing through town, gave you a donation, or cover you food expenses, that's a different story.
To get a T4 slip for being a better, harder working, or a more full-time Christian than most, just isn't right. (Jesus talked about money constantly; and the extreme dangers of it.) The more paid church positions there are, the more doors are opened where sin can enter the church. How many more countless ways are there for money to be spent from the church. Not within the church.
Keith Green, realized this during his very successful years before he died at an early age in a plane crash. He was a former child music star. He became Christian in his twenties, and he changed the direction of his music during the 70's and 80's. He began not charging for his concerts and records. He only asked for what people were able to give, as he believed it wasn't right for Christians to be making so much money for presenting the Gospel.
Many from the Christian music industry to put it mildly, went ballistic. Keith took a lot of flack from the Christian community for this over the years. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/So_You_Wanna_Go_Back_to_Egypt He and his wife mortgaged their own house and found other ways to finance the producing of the album (with a guest appearance by Bob Dylan) he was working on at the time. Of the 200,000 copies sent out, 61,000 of them were free and the rest were purchased by donation. He continued this "policy" for the rest of his career.
In the Bible it is far easier to find passages that support giving to widows, orphans, the sick, and the poor and needy, than it is to hire a music/worship leader; or a children's ministry director. These are careers within church "culture". The church lingo and overall vernacular will sound good and right, but the actions, money trail, and fruit of the Spirit (or lack thereof) will often tell a different story.
God does not need anyone or anything to save someone. He does not need certain preachers or authors. He does not need extremely talented, funny, or popular Christians to accomplish His will. He does not need buildings to reveal himself to someone. Who do we think we are, that we deserve orare owed money for our service to God!? Do we not, even in a small way, grasp what He did for us?!
I get too emotionally charged when I get into this topic so I will end it there before I write something I will regret.
When it comes to preachers, the criteria is clear. Is Biblical knowledge and training necessary to teach a church body? It is absolutely critical! But I know multiple men of God who have a very strong desire to fly planes for missions work, third world medical help, preach, teach or serve God in a certain way who qualify by Biblical standards to do so, but have been denied the opportunity because they lack a piece of paper from a seminary. This has to change. God does not need anyone to accomplish his will on this planet, but He will hold everyone accountable for what we have done, or haven't done...
I will say it again, we humans crave someone or something to worship. A tangible object to devote all our attention to. Key word there; TANGIBLE. Do you want to know what you worship? Whatever it is you think about most. Whatever it is you are most afraid of losing. There was a time when Israel was a fully theocratic nation; answering only to God through prophets and judges. But the Israelites wanted to be like the other nations around them; have a system just like everyone else.
"'Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.' But he thing displeased Samuel when they said, 'Give us a king to judge us.' And Samuel prayed to the Lord, And the Lord said, 'Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.'" Even though Samuel then went on to explain all the negative outcomes this would cause for the people, they wouldn't listen, "But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And the said, 'No! But there shall be a king over us, that we may be like the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.'" (1 Samuel 8)
It really boils down to idol worship. Just like the Israelites when they made a golden calf (Ex. 32) to worship when Moses was gone for too long. Unhealthy prestige, honour, and attention masked by Christian-ese language, given where it doesn't belong.
When Christ died He removed the need for priests when the Temple curtain was ripped down the middle. Jesus himself became our only High Priest.
"We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, have become a high priest forever..."(Heb 6)
This means there is no need anymore for men to come to God on your behalf. So why, when we esteem pastors and church leaders more than we should, do we rein-act the very system Christ did away with when he died?!
How does this play out in most churches? By thinking and acting like your pastors are Dr. Phil and Oprah. That their words and opinions are law. Why study the Bible myself when the same man we hire, can do so every week for me instead? The first commandment "You shall have no other God's before me." is often broken when we worship the same men who are bringing the word of God themselves.
Or think of it this way: If you go to, or take your pastor's advice (or any human's for that matter) on an issue, before you go to the Bible and pray about it yourself, then you are in serious trouble.
"There is no such thing a great man of God. Only weak, pitiful men of a great and merciful God." - Paul Washer
My ending thought: if you are involved with any type of organized church, I would strongly encourage you to define what is right and wrong within that church, not from human opinions (including mine) or traditions, but by what the Bible clearly lays out. The Bible was not written to trip you up. It is not a Easter egg hunt for truth. Truth is right there. And once you have your own opinion and belief on how a church should function from the Bible, then act on it accordingly and pick your battles carefully. But there is something I've realized as I have found myself more alone than not, with where I stand on these types of issues. I am never the only one left; even though it can be so frustrating at times, am not flying solo on this flight path. The prophet Elijah said this, "I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your alters, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left..." God then causes winds strong enough to break chunks of rock off the mountain where Elijah is, an earthquake follows, then fire...and God then answers Elijah in a low whisper, "Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal..." (1 Kings 19) After Paul also refers to this part of history in chapter 11 of his letter to the Romans, he says, "So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace." So ultimately, we are not supposed to follow a man or woman, but to follow Jesus Christ.
Thank you for reading this post. I pray God blesses you as He sees fit.
