It's Not Just About Who You Know: It's About How You Know Them

 By David Ryser

It's not what you know, it's who you know. (An American saying originating @ 1914)

With the pure You will show yourself pure; And with the devious You will show yourself shrewd. (Psalms 18:26 NKJV)

"Don't you think that's just semantics?" These words were uttered by a precious sister in Christ during a conversation with her and her husband in their home. She was graciously offering me an "out" after something I'd said. Something controversial. Controversial at least in her eyes. What I had said was, "There is a difference between serving God in order to be loved and serving Him because we are loved." Do I view this statement as splitting semantic hairs? No. Absolutely not. In fact, I find the views of our relationship with God contained in this statement to be polar opposites and important because how we approach God in our relationship with Him will determine how He responds to us in that relationship...at least according to Psalms 18:26...in fact, it will define the whole relationship.

As a co-worker once said concerning how to interact with people positively, "Approach determines response."

So, was this interaction the beginning of an argument between this dear lady and me? Nope. The argument ended before it began. I never contend with someone over a theological disagreement. In these cases, I always defer to 2 Timothy 2:23 and do not engage in the dispute. So, my response to her was, "I suppose you could see it that way."

I would rather be in relationship than be right.

This incident came back to my mind recently as a result of a phone conversation with a dear friend...we'll call him Robespierre...during which he gave his opinion about what is needed in the church he is attending in order to please God and see Him move powerfully in the services. Without going into a lot of detail, Robespierre believes that strict observance of certain spiritual disciplines...prayer, reverence in the church sanctuary, and a number of other religious deeds...will enable, and encourage, God to manifest His presence in the church services. Some of the Pharisees of Jesus' day held a similar belief. They taught that if every Jewish person on the planet would observe the Sabbath on the same day even once, the Messiah would come.

Yeah, okay....

Now, Robespierre has put his faith in Jesus and is a genuine Christian. He loves God. And he knows God...has experienced His love and presence in a powerful way.

But Robespierre also tends to be more of a human-doing than a human-being.

The danger in putting doing before being is that it can lead to a person coming to believe that God must be appeased in order to be pleased. And that if He is not appeased, He will be unable...or, at the least, unwilling (I've heard both)...to move among His people. The problem with appeasement is that it is just one step removed from manipulation.  "If I do (fill in the blank), then God will/must do (fill in the blank)." Our relationship with God then runs the risk of becoming a business arrangement.

And if that's the way we want it, God will accommodate us.

You see, it's not just about knowing God, although knowing God is essential for being in relationship with Him. It is a true saying that it's not about what we know, it's about who we know. But who we know is only half of the equation. In addition to being about who we know, it's about how we know them. It matters greatly how we know the person we know.

Allow me to give an example from the business world.

The saying, "It's not what you know, it's who you know" was very popular in my childhood and young adulthood. It was used pejoratively in many cases to denote nepotism or favoritism in hiring. But this saying also expressed the truth that employers are more inclined to view a job candidate favorably if they know the person, or if the candidate is recommended for the job by someone the employer knows and/or trusts. Nowadays we call this "networking" in which intentional relational connections are sought after as a valuable tool in the securing of employment. On more than one occasion I have benefited from personal relationships in the pursuit of gainful employment.

A successful pursuit, I might add.

But even in the business world, simply being known is nor enough. Not only must I be known, it matters how I am known. If I am well-known by the person acting as a personal reference, their opinion is taken more seriously by a prospective employer than if I am merely a casual acquaintance.

So even in the business world, knowing someone and being known by them is in the context of connection and relationship at some level. And as it is in business, so it is in the Kingdom of God.

Which brings us back to Robespierre.

I've known Robespierre for more than 40 years. I believe Robespierre has a sincere desire to serve God and to please Him through serving Him. And there's nothing wrong with serving God; in fact, I highly recommend it. But why do we serve? Is it to be loved and approved by God, or is it because we are already loved and approved by God? How do we perceive God? And where does this perception come from?

For many of us, our perception of God...and our relationship with Him...comes out of our relationship with our earthly father.

Robespierre's father was not an unkind man, but he was demanding. And Robespierre strove to win his father's approval through his actions...through service and obedience. As is common with the relationship between fathers and sons (and daughters), Robespierre never felt that he quite measured up to his father's expectations of him. And, unconsciously, Robespierre brought this relational dynamic over into his relationship with God.

And his relationship with others.

Robespierre can be strongly opinionated and demanding when it comes to his relationships with others. And he has strong opinions about how others in his church should be striving to bring the manifest presence of God into the church services. Among other things, Robespierre believes people should be praying more often, and more fervently, for God to show up powerfully at the church when the congregants are assembled.

Prayer is a good thing. I'm in favor of it.

The problem in Robespierre's case is that he is especially gifted to be an intercessor.  He spends hours every day engaged in passionate, intense prayer. And because this comes naturally to him, Robespierre expects others to have the same ability and desire that are his by gifting. And he can be a bit demanding about it. And demanding can become judgmental, and even accusatory, if people do not respond to Robespierre's demands to pray more often and more fervently...and if God does not manifest Himself in the church services the way Robespierre thinks He should.

But what if Robespierre is wrong about why God is not moving powerfully in the church services? What if God is not so much displeased as He is uninvited? Unwanted? Undesired? Undervalued? If this is the problem, no amount of religious works will fix it.

Why do we serve God? Is it in order to be loved and accepted by Him, or is it because we are already loved and accepted by Him? How we answer this question will depend a great deal on how we know Him. And the answer to the question matters.

It's not just semantics.

Responses to this article are welcomed.  You may contact the author at drdave1545@yahoo.com

Not All that Glitters is Gold: Do We Have More Good Sense than a Crow?

 By David Ryser

Successful living, according to the counsel of God's written Word, is seeking, knowing, loving, and obeying God. (Fil Anderson)

I have known Don for more than 40 years. He is one of the godliest people I know, a man of uncompromising integrity and a great love for Jesus. He has spent most of his adult life as an itinerant minister, traveling across the United States sharing the Gospel of Jesus in churches and other settings. In all the years I have known him, Don has never compromised himself or his ministry for fame, position, or money.

For example....

Early in his traveling ministry, Don found himself seated in front of a desk occupied by a high ranking denominational official. This man had heard of Don's ministry. Don is specially gifted to hear from God and speak the things of God...with an occasional miracle thrown in for good measure. He is one of a very few people I know with a genuine prophetic gifting, not to be confused with the frauds and charlatans all too common in the church world. This official had a proposition for Don. He offered to provide Don with all the speaking/ministry meetings he could handle if Don would restrict his meetings only to churches within this denomination. This would be a temptation for anyone in traveling ministry, especially early on, because the success of a traveling ministry rests, in great measure, upon having places to which to travel.

But Don desired to go where God led him to go regardless of denomination or tradition. So, Don respectfully declined the offer.

Later, at a church where I served on the ministerial staff, Don lovingly confronted the senior pastor concerning an area where the pastor's life was out of balance and urged him to make some behavioral changes to avoid the inevitable negative consequences of this behavior. This took courage on Don's part because this church supported his ministry with a sizable monthly contribution; in fact, this church may have been his largest monetary supporter. It would have been easy for Don to overlook this pastor's behavior and not risk the loss of support; but, as I mentioned earlier, Don is a man of uncompromising integrity and felt compelled to say what God was telling him to say to this pastor.

The church cut off monetary support for Don's ministry. And never reinstated it. There were many other such instances during Don's 35 years of traveling ministry.

 Don has seen it all in his years of ministry...the good, the bad, and the ugly. He has shared with me about how God moved powerfully and supernaturally in his meetings. He has also told me about some things...sad, dark, tragic, wicked, and even evil...I could scarcely believe would ever occur in any church. And even after all he has seen, heard, and experienced in his travels, Don has retained a childlike faith and innocence...without being naive. Don is a special human being and man of faith, and I am privileged to call him my friend.

Because we are friends, we speak often by phone. We visit by phone because Don lives a good distance from me, and he doesn't travel very much anymore. I look forward eagerly to each conversation, to hanging out with my dear friend and sharing about the things of God and our faith journeys.

During our latest phone conversation, we talked about something in the church world which very much disturbs Don. Don's whole life has been dedicated to God, and God has blessed him and provided him with everything he's needed whether spiritual, mental, emotional, physical, or material. Don believes in God's promises, blessings, and provision; and he is living proof that God takes care of His people's needs. And Don is grateful to God for His blessings.

But Don is not in love with the blessings. He is in love with Jesus.

And Don finds it difficult to understand how some Christians can lust after, and pursue, the blessings of God without wanting to have anything to do with Him personally and intimately. Don is disturbed by how some seek to manipulate the principles of God's Word merely for the sake of material gain. He's not disturbed so much that the theology is wrong. He is disturbed because the theology is biblical, but it is being misused in an unbiblical manner.

Enter the typical televised megachurch.

This church puts on a good show and teaches the congregants...and the television audience...they can have all of the material things they lust after as they apply the spiritual principles found in the Bible, so they can live the American Dream in Jesus' name. And as an added bonus, they don't have to be inconvenienced by having an intimate relationship with God. They are told they can get God's blessings without having to mess with Him. Don is baffled by how people can subscribe to this foolishness.

As we spoke over the phone, Don and I considered the possibilities of why this sort of preaching and teaching would be so alluring to God's people. Could it be that supernatural signs and wonders were being performed in the church services under the conditions described in Matthew 7:22 and thereby deceiving the people? We decided that was probably not the reason. For one thing, this kind of stuff doesn't seem to be happening in these churches. It's dead religion, however much animated. There is no evidence of any supernatural signs and wonders being performed in these services. So, it's nothing supernatural; it's just a message that appeals to fleshly greed and lust.

So, what could it be that was drawing people away from Jesus into crass materialism? As we considered the conundrum of why people would want to trade an intimate relationship with Jesus for mere fame, position, or money, another possibility occurred to us.

People love shiny things. And in that regard, we are just like crows. Crows are attracted to shiny things like bits of glass, gum wrappers, shards of mirrors, pieces of metal, etc...whatever they see that shines. They will pick up these things and take them to their nest. They treasure these things without regard for their lack of any real value. And no one can convince a crow that its shiny things are not as precious as it thinks they are.

Don't people have any more good sense than a crow?

It would appear not. Because by cherry-picking Bible verses, people have become convinced that they can have all of the shiny things they desire...apart from a relationship with God...if they can just gin up enough faith.

Faith in what? Or in whom?

So, Don looks at this mess and sums up the situation by saying, "They claim to be following the Book (the Bible). Do they not read the Book?" And he makes a good point, because the Bible has a lot to say about this kind of goings-on within the community of God's people.

Examples of this abound. Here are a few examples....

The Bible clearly states God's summation of this kind of non-relationship with His people when He says through the prophet Isaiah, "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught" (Isaiah 29:13 NIV).

The Bible also warns us against the love of money and its consequences (1Timothy 6:10), teaches us that our faith for material blessings is in vain if we are exercising our faith with wrong motives (James 4:3), and cautions us that, even if we do get all we want and gain the whole world, it profits us nothing if we lose our soul in the process (Matthew 16:26; Mark 8:36-37).

So now Don and I are left wondering why some of God's people...who are people of the Book...would ignore the clear teachings of the Book to trade an intimate relationship with God for the shiny things of the world.

Just like crows.

Responses to this article are welcomed. You may contact the author at drdave1545@yahoo.com 

Ahoy, Matey!: Being God's Cruise Director (Part 2)

 By David Ryser

...then the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not rise to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God. (2 Chronicles 5:13b-14 NASB)

It was early in the morning before classes began at the School of Ministry. As was my routine, I had arrived a couple of hours early to put some worship music on through the sound system in the sanctuary of the church and spend time with God. The students were invited to join me in this time of worship, and those who wished to participate typically would arrive one-by-one beginning about an hour before class. When I am worshiping God in this sort of setting, I usually pace because pacing while worshiping gives my body something to do as I quiet my mind and spirit.

This was my normal routine, but I've come to believe there is no such thing as a normal routine when it involves God.

On this particular morning, as I was pacing and worshiping, I discovered there were places where I felt the presence of God particularly intensely. And these spots would not remain static, but would pop up in different places over time. What fun! It was like playing hide-and-seek with God, and it brought me the wondrous joy most often experienced by a small child...I've learned God enjoys playing with His children. Once in awhile, I would stop at one of these spiritual hotspots and linger for a time in the awesome presence of God.

And then the students began to arrive.

And when they did, I transitioned from spiritual cruise passenger to cruise director. As a student arrived, I would say, "Why don't you stand over here?" and direct them gently to one of the places where God's presence felt particularly strong at the moment. When the student reached the appointed spot, the presence of God would overwhelm them. I would continue pacing and worshiping, finding another hotspot for the next student. When the next student would arrive, this pattern would repeat itself until there were quite a number of overwhelmed students worshiping and basking in the presence of God.

What does an overwhelmed student look like, you ask? You'll know it when you see it. It looks a lot like it looked in the Bible.

During this time with the students, I was acting as a spiritual cruise director. I would sense where the hotspots were located, but I would not step into one. Why? Because if I did, I likely would be overwhelmed by God's presence myself and be unable to be attentive to the students. While I was alone...before the students began arriving...I felt the freedom to become lost in God, and I took full advantage of it. But once the students began arriving, my role changed. I was still very much aware of where the hotspots were, but this awareness was for their benefit and not for mine.

And that's what it's like being a cruise director.

You see, a cruise director accompanies the cruise passengers on their excursions, sees and experiences the sights and activities along the way, but does not participate fully in them. While the cruise director sees and experiences what the passengers are seeing and experiencing, his/her focus is on the passengers and not the delights of the excursion. So, the cruise director experiences the excursion differently than the passengers. His/her joy is not based on experiencing the excursion, but in facilitating the passengers' delight while experiencing the excursion.

If a cruise director wishes to get lost in the experience of an excursion, they need to book a cruise as a passenger. Being a cruise director is hard work. Even a cruise director needs a vacation.

Ministry is very much like being a spiritual cruise director. And by "ministry" I am not referring only to vocational ministry...or public ministry of any sort. Yes, I have been privileged to be used as God's cruise director in traditional ministry settings...in the classroom and in a church service...on numerous occasions. God would move powerfully during these times, and people's lives would be dramatically touched by God in their bodies, minds, and spirits. I would be very much aware of God's presence, but I would not be overwhelmed by it. I would be both a part of what was occurring and somewhat outside of it at the same time. Without losing a sense of God's presence and awareness of what He was wanting to do in that moment, I was also very much in touch with the person to whom God was ministering and rejoiced when they received what they, in many cases, desperately needed.

But not all, or even most, ministry takes place publicly.

Too many of us who say we want a ministry actually just desire a microphone. Ministry is not about being seen and heard. It is not about being noticed, approved of, admired, and idolized as a great minister. Ministry is not about the minister at all. It is about the welfare of the person being ministered to, and it is about glorifying God.

And most ministry takes place privately.

When you pray for a friend's physical healing, and the prayer administers God's healing power to them, this is ministry. When you are inspired by God to speak words of encouragement, comfort, and uplifting to another person with the result that they are powerfully touched by God, this is ministry. When you pray for a person who is in a difficult situation, and God moves to give peace of mind and provision to the person, that is ministry. On these occasions, the person may experience the presence of God in a very powerful, and even overwhelming, way. And you may not feel a thing.

Why?

Because you're not a passenger on this excursion. You're just the cruise director. God's cruise director.

Responses to this article are welcomed.  You may contact the author at drdave1545@yahoo.com 

Ahoy, Matey!: Being God's Cruise Director (Part 1)

 By David Ryser

God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.  (Jesus of Nazareth; John 4:24 NASB)

I was falling, plummeting from a great altitude. If I did not begin to beat my spiritual wings...furiously and soon...I was going to crash into the ground at a high rate of speed and burn.

Sounds like something out of a nightmare, doesn't it? I wish it was.

I was visiting with a friend in another state. We had not been together for quite some time, and I was very much enjoying the reunion as we hung out and enjoyed one another's company. Part of my visit was on a Sunday, and my friend attends a traditional church service on Sunday, so I honored our relationship by accompanying him to church. The church building was nice. And at the church I was introduced to some nice people, entered a nice sanctuary, and prepared myself to experience a nice church service. Everything was nice, but I really didn't feel as if I fit in.

Because I'm not nice. But I digress....

At the start of the service, a worship team, consisting of some very talented musicians and singers, came to the raised platform at the front of the sanctuary. They began to play and sing, intending to lead the congregation into the presence of God in worship.

And the worship got off to a great start.

The song the team had chosen to kick off the musical worship portion of the service was an excellent one. Even someone no more spiritual than I could sense the presence of God in that place, and the "wind" of the Holy Spirit blowing, as we joined our voices in song. We began to soar in the spirit, locking our spiritual wings and riding the powerful updraft of praise.

If you're going to lock your wings and soar, it's best if there is a strong updraft.

When it was time to transition to the next song, I eagerly anticipated the next "gust" that would take me higher in the spirit and into a greater experience of God's presence. The members of the congregation were fully engaged in the worship and obviously desiring to go higher. The next song began. It didn't connect well with the first song, and it became increasingly obvious as the "worship" service continued, that this loose collection of nice songs wasn't taking us anywhere.

The "wind" did not just abate. It stopped. It died.

And I was falling. The spiritual energy in that place had dissipated abruptly. I had been "soaring" in worship at a high altitude, and now I no longer had the support of the Spirit's "wind" to sustain me. I began...metaphorically speaking...to beat my wings frantically in an attempt to slow my rate of descent and come in for a soft landing back on earth. It was an unpleasant, and disappointing, experience for me.

But was it just me? Or were others experiencing the same thing?

I looked out into the congregation. What had begun as a group of fully engaged worshipers was a congregation becoming increasingly disconnected from the musical show still in progress on the stage. I observed the congregants as, one by one, they came "back to earth" and could read the disappointment in their deflated body posture and expressions of sadness on their faces.

And the show went on...at least on the stage.

I was now watching what Steve Gray has termed a "platform revival" in which a musical team is fully engaged in worship...and totally oblivious to the congregation...while the congregants become progressively disconnected from the worship. Not only did the congregants not receive anything positive from this experience, they were in some ways worse off than before the church service began. Because now, they were both disengaged and disappointed...and maybe even a little angry.

Imagine going on this spiritual roller-coaster week, after week, after week, after week, after....

You see, this worship team had forgotten they are not passengers on this spiritual cruise ship...they are cruise directors. The job of a cruise director is to see to it the passengers on the cruise get to where they are supposed to go and experience all the things they are supposed to experience. A cruise director goes with the passengers to the places they go, and is exposed to the things the passengers experience, but the cruise director is focused on the passengers rather than the sights and activities. The cruise director sees and experiences the cruise events, but is somewhat disengaged from them as well. If a cruise director wishes to be totally immersed in the cruise experience, they would be well-advised to book a cruise as a passenger.

Ministry in worship...or any other ministry for that matter...is very much like being a cruise director.

The function of a worship team is to take people into the presence of God...to lead them there. This requires they know where they are going, know how to get there, and take the congregation with them. And the exact formula for accomplishing this will vary from service to service, so there is no single method or procedure for accomplishing this. So it is a good idea to hear from God about how to approach each worship experience.

There are, however, some general principles in regard to leading worship which might be helpful.

For example, it might not be wise to string together a loose, random selection of Christian Top 40 hits and expect this song list to take the congregation anywhere. The songs in a worship service typically are most effective when they build upon one another and facilitate the congregation's journey into God's presence. And where does God want that journey to end? On the mountaintop? In the stillness of a lush valley?

Ask God where you're going and the best way to get there.

And please don't forget to take the congregation with you. This means attention must be paid to them as well as to God. Are they coming along with you? How are they doing while on the excursion? This will dampen your experience of the worship, but you're a cruise director and not a passenger.

And one other thing.

Please do not forget that you are pouring out while ministering on a worship team. Pouring out, not filling up. You are emptying whether it feels like it or not, no matter how much exhilaration you are experiencing during worship. And if you continue to pour out without filling up, you will eventually run dry. So, it would be wise to take the time to fill back up whether in a time of private worship or in a corporate worship setting in which you are not a part of the worship-leading team. Do it for the sake of the ministry. Do it for yourself.

And, please, do it for me. I never again want to have another worship experience like the one I had at my friend's church.

Responses to this article are welcomed.  You may contact the author at drdave1545@yahoo.com 

Lawful Use of the Law: Some Thoughts

 By David Ryser

But we know that the Law is good if one uses it lawfully, realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person...  (The apostle Paul, 1Tim 1:8-9a NASB)

The rabbi at one of the messianic synagogues in town was a guest speaker at the School of Ministry where I served. Among the many enlightening thoughts he shared that day was a statement which I will never forget, "Torah is not law in the legal sense. The word torah is better understood if it is translated as instruction." From that time, I have increasingly come to believe it is a mistake to impose the modern western concept of law onto the ancient Israelite culture into which the Law was given.

And if we don't understand what the Law is...and how to use it properly...it's a virtual certainty we will misapply it, misuse it, and even abuse it (1Tim 1:6, 7).

One day, while I was teaching a class at the School of Ministry, I drew an octagon on the whiteboard and wrote the word STOP in the center (this is the limit of my artistic ability). I then asked the students, "When you come to a T intersection and see this sign, for whom is the sign posted?" Now, the students had been with me in classes for several months, so they...correctly...assumed this was a trick question. Therefore, they didn't answer right away. I continued, "The sign applies to everyone, but for whom is it posted?" They thought about this question for a few seconds before I answered it. "The sign applies to everyone, but it was posted for the person who would not have stopped if it wasn't posted. The person who would stop if the sign wasn't there doesn't need it."

And that is the exact point the apostle Paul was making in the scripture passage in First Timothy chapter One quoted above.

Paul goes on to list some of the sorts of people to whom the Law was given. It's not a pretty list, and it's not anywhere near a complete list. It can, however, be summarized rather simply. To be succinct, the Law was not given to righteous people; it was given to unrighteous people. The Law was given to control their unrighteous behavior...if they obeyed it...until they didn't need it anymore. The Law was an instructor...a tutor (Gal 3:24, 25)...whose proper use was to bring us to Christ. Having been brought to Christ, we no longer need a tutor.

Simple. Very simple. As simple as stopping at a T intersection even if there is no posted STOP sign.

And this is not merely a New Testament phenomenon. No one has ever been justified by observing the Law. Paul gives two Old Testament examples of people who were justified apart from the Law...Abraham and David...in the 4th chapter of Romans. In the case of Abraham, he was declared righteous by God on the basis of faith...which is a good thing for Abraham because he couldn't possibly be justified by observing a Law which had not yet been given, and which would not be given for several hundred years (somewhere between 400 and 600 years). In David's case, he was born after the Law was given, and he was a dead man walking if he was attempting to be justified by keeping the Law. David's sins of adultery and murder were unforgivable under the Mosaic Law (as were any other intentional sins), and he should have been executed for them. Instead of death, David found forgiveness apart from the Law by putting his faith in God and receiving God's mercy.

In addition to not being executed, David wasn't even removed from being the king (which is something of a moot point, since his execution would have effectively relieved him of his kingly duties). There were consequences resulting from his sins to be sure, but not the consequences spelled out in the Mosaic Law.

But now Christ has come, and we no longer need the tutor...the Law. By faith we live in Christ, and His life in us produces a righteous life that does not rely on external rules, regulations, or laws. Christianity is not a religion; it is an intimate relationship with God entered into by faith. Law is no longer needed except by those who are not living in Christ. For those persons, the Law is given (if followed) to rein in their behavior and protect them from destructive living. To quote Wayne Jacobsen, "If you don't have Jesus, you'd better have Law."

But what about the 10 Commandments? Don't they apply to Christians? Well, yes. Sort of.

Let's look at the 10 Commandments. Eight of them are commands not to do something. To summarize, we are commanded not to: worship other gods, create idols, profane God's name (God is not His name, by the way), murder, commit adultery, steal, commit perjury, and yearn to possess what belongs to someone else. These commandments apply to everyone, but are they given to everyone? Not according to Paul in his letter to the young apostle Timothy.

In fact, I've begun to view these 8 commandments not so much as prohibitions, but as promises. Promises? Yes.

Who needs to be commanded not to worship other gods or create idols? Someone who desires to worship multiple gods and create idols. Who needs to be commanded not to profane God's name? Someone who desires to profane God's name. Who needs to be commanded not to murder? Someone who desires to murder. Who needs to be commanded not to commit adultery? Someone who desires to commit adultery. Who needs to be commanded not to steal? Someone who desires to steal. Who needs to be commanded not to commit perjury? Someone who desires to lie under oath. Who needs to be commanded not to lust after what belongs to another person? Someone who lusts after what does not belong to them.

But what if I don't desire to do these things?

For me, these commandments are beginning to take on the characteristics of promises rather than prohibitions. They are promises that I won't be the kind of person who would do these things, or even desire to do them. Whether these commandments convey the idea of "don't do it" or "you won't do it" depends very much upon the person receiving the commandments, don't you think?

If you don't do something...or even desire to do it...you don't need to be told not to do it. You might even find the promise that you won't do it to be somewhat of a comfort. I know I do, especially when I am practicing walking according to the Spirit and manifesting in my behavior the life of Christ that dwells in me. And it's really not all that hard to do.

It's no more difficult than stopping at a T intersection that does not have a posted STOP sign.

Responses to this article are welcomed.  You may contact the author at drdave1545@yahoo.com 

Rules, Regulations, and Rituals: So Who Needs Jesus?

 By David Ryser

If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit to decrees, such as, "Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!" (which all refer to things destined to perish with the using)--in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men? These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence. (Saul of Tarsus, Colossians 2:20-23, NASB)

As I sit down to compose this little article, it is the beginning of the Lenten season. Normally I would neither know, nor would I particularly care, about this; but I’ve been spending time with some great guys who attend a church which operates according to the liturgical calendar. And during Lent, people who attend churches where this sort of liturgy is an essential part of the worship attempt to live…for 40 days…the repentant, sacrificial, humble, and moderate lives we all would be well-advised to live year-round. Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, so many of the people at the restaurant where I dined last evening had smudges on their foreheads and ordered meatless salads.

I ordered a meat lovers pizza. It was delicious.

And this incident started me thinking about the subject of religious rules, regulations, and rituals. The Church to which I'm referring has a plethora of all these and is often lampooned by other religious groups as a result. The irony is that all church groups have rules, regulations, and rituals...even those which claim to have none...they simply differ from group to group.

And these rules, regulations, and rituals are routinely used to judge the genuineness of the faith of the adherents/congregants.

Dr. Tim Stafford coined the term Double Validation Heresy to describe this situation. In short, the double validation heresy states that a person must be validated twice in order to be considered a good Christian...or to be considered a Christian at all. Not only must we be validated by God on the basis of coming to a saving faith in Jesus, but we must also be validated by a religious/church group by submitting to their particular rules, regulations, and rituals. Calling this heresy unbiblical is like calling Mount Everest a big rock...it's not just unbiblical, it's anti-biblical.

To sort out this mess, and hopefully arrive to a resolution to this conundrum, we need to return to the first century AD.

Shortly after Jesus' resurrection, His followers received the Holy Spirit and became what we would call born-again believers (John 20:19-23). Shortly thereafter, on the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came upon the 120 persons assembled in a room. They preached the gospel to a multitude of people that day, and many came to a saving faith in Jesus (Acts 2:1-41).

They were all Jewish. Every one of them. The preachers and the hearers.

I mention the Jewishness of these believers in Jesus because although the disciples of Jesus were commissioned to preach the gospel to all the world, they did not yet understand He was including non-Jewish people. Jewish people were scattered throughout the whole of the known world. And Jesus was the Messiah. Their Messiah.

If Jesus is not the Jewish people's Messiah, then whose Messiah is He?

But then, God threw a wrench into the apostles' understanding of the faith community. In Acts, chapter 10, we read of how the gospel was first preached to Gentiles by Peter with the result that they also came to a saving faith in Jesus. Peter caught some grief over this, and he defended his actions to the group of believers in Jerusalem with the result that they accepted what had occurred as a genuine act of God (Acts 11:1-18).

But this was only the beginning.

Believers who had fled Jerusalem because of persecution began to preach the gospel in Gentile territory with the result that eventually their preaching was accepted by non-Jewish people (Acts 11:19-26). And like a snowball rolling downhill, this move of God among the Gentiles grew exponentially and with irresistible momentum. Acts, chapters 13 and 14, chronicles a missionary trip taken by Barnabas and Saul/Paul which resulted in many Gentiles coming to a saving faith in Jesus, and primarily Gentile fellowships were established.

And for some, this was a problem (Acts 15:1-2).

You see, when the fellowship of believers was comprised only of Jewish people, these believers continued to practice the rules, regulations, and rituals of the Jewish faith which defined them both religiously and culturally. The earliest expression of the Christian faith, therefore, was Jewish. Now that Gentiles were coming to faith in Jesus, the question arose as to whether these Gentiles were required to become Jewish and to observe all of the rules, regulations, and rituals of the Jewish religion in order to be considered genuine believers.

Would these early Jewish believers and their leaders succumb to the double validation heresy? Or would they accept God's validation as sufficient?

A council of the leaders in Jerusalem was convened to consider this question. After much debate, it was decided to require nothing more of the Gentile believers than that they abstain from certain practices that were particularly offensive to their Jewish brothers and sisters in Christ (Acts 15:3-35) so both groups of people could worship and fellowship together...a major stretch of existing social norms even at that.

So what we have now is Christianity without rules, regulations, and rituals.

The earliest Gentile believers had an experience with Jesus and very little, if anything, else. They had no Bible. And even if they had parts of the Old Testament available, they likely couldn't read them because the vast majority of these believers were the most common of people and were likely illiterate (1Cor 1:26-28). They were experiencing and worshiping a living God and operating in a faith that had no rules. To say they had questions about how to live their lives without religious rules and regulations would be an understatement. A good portion of Paul's letters to the Christian fellowships in various locations is devoted to answering their questions and the giving of instructions concerning living a life that honors God and manifests the life of Jesus which had been planted in them...without succumbing to the pitfall of religion.

Even so, the temptation to turn a vibrant and intimate relationship with God into a religion existed even in these earliest fellowships. Paul tells the Colossian believers in no uncertain terms that religious rules and regulations are not only unnecessary, but they are worthless for living the Christian life. So we can safely dispense with observing religious rules and regulations as a way to honor God and to be accepted by Him.

But what about rituals?

I suppose rituals can be somewhat helpful so long as the person observing the ritual remembers that it merely serves as a means of connecting with the One to whom the ritual is pointing. Too frequently, however, the ritual itself has become the thing worshiped and often is performed in a perfunctory manner with bored/unengaged celebrants and congregants. Worse, it can become a requirement, the neglect of which is a serious sin and casts into doubt the spiritual standing of the offender.

The only thing even approximating ritual among the early Christians was the observance of the Lord's Supper during their fellowship meal when they would gather to fellowship and worship. Bread and wine were served with the meal, and the redemptive work of Jesus was remembered and celebrated. But even this ritual became common/stale in at least one instance, and Paul addressed and corrected the situation (1Cor 11:17-33).

Religious rules, regulations, and rituals? I neither need, nor do I want, them. All I need and want is Jesus.

Responses to this article are welcomed.  You may contact the author at drdave1545@yahoo.com 

The Eucharist: Holy Sacrament or Powerless Ritual?

 

By David Ryser

Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.” (Jesus of Nazareth, John 6:53)

 For more than a year now, I have been attending a men’s study/fellowship group sponsored by a local church. Although I am not a member of this church, nor do I attend the religious services there or share many…if any…of its core beliefs, I am enjoying the fellowship of the men in the group. Like many Christians, these men are desiring to know and serve God better. And their desire is sincere and heartfelt.

 And because I am a guest at this church, I strive to be on my best behavior and not contend against any of their beliefs at our meetings.

 The sect of Christianity of which this church is a part is currently in the midst of a three-year Eucharistic Revival. Exactly why it would take three years to train the faithful members of this sect adequately concerning the Eucharist (or Communion, or Lord’s Supper, if you’d prefer) is somewhat bewildering to me, but I have found the discussions of the Eucharist at our meetings to be quite illuminating.

 Because I was raised in this particular sect of Christianity; and although I have not practiced this form of religion for more than 50 years, I do speak the language and understand its core teachings.

 The doctrine of the Eucharist is this sect’s theological cornerstone. According to their doctrine, the elements of the Eucharist…the bread and the wine…are transformed (transubstantiated) into the literal spiritual body and blood of Jesus when consecrated by a priest during their religious ritual. And this doctrine is based upon the biblical passage in John 6:48-56 combined with the Gospel accounts of the Last Supper. So, partaking of the consecrated Eucharistic elements is the same as partaking of Jesus’ body and blood.

 And now things become interesting.

 Because in one of our meetings, a question was posed as to how long the grace received at the partaking of the Eucharist remains effective. Having received the body and blood of Jesus, why is it necessary to receive the Eucharist more than once? Why does one need to receive the Eucharist multiple times? Does the presence of Jesus leak out of us over time? Does Jesus’ body and blood have an expiration date? And if it does have an expiration date, how long does it last before it becomes ineffective? Is there something that can cause this grace to become null and void?

 All good questions, and there is an answer to them.

 According to this sect’s teachings, the presence of Jesus and the grace received upon partaking of the Eucharist is effective until the recipient sins. When the participant sins, they have fallen from a state of grace, and the benefits of Jesus’ body and blood are no longer effective in their life.

 What? My sin drives Jesus out of me?

 Oh, but there’s more. Because receiving the Eucharist with certain kinds of sin on my soul can render the whole thing ineffective from the start. If I have unconfessed small sins (venial sins such as lying or having impure thoughts) on my account, the grace received at the partaking of the Eucharist will wash these sins away. But if I have unconfessed big sins (mortal sins such as rape, murder, or missing mandated church services), these will remain unforgiven even though I have received the literal spiritual body and blood of Jesus.

 It seems that some sins are just bigger than Jesus.

 Fortunately for the members of this sect, there is an avenue to receive forgiveness for sins prior to receiving the Eucharist so that the grace imparted can be obtained by the recipient. Instead of relying on Jesus’ broken body and shed blood for forgiveness, one needs merely to confess their sins to a priest who can do for us what Jesus’ body and blood cannot…forgive our big sins.

 And it doesn’t matter what is the spiritual condition of the priest administering this forgiveness to me. He might be engaged in grievous sin (homosexual pedophilia, for example) and still be able to forgive me for cheating on my taxes.

 So, on those rare occasions when I attend a service at a church associated with this sect, I do not go forward to receive the Eucharist, in part because I am not an active member of the sect and would be respectfully denied the Eucharist as a result. Also, to receive the Eucharist at this church would imply that I am unified with this sect in its doctrine of the Eucharist…which I am not.

 So, I don’t.

 But what is the alternative? I have received the Eucharist at churches which are a part of other Christian sects. Typically these churches refer to receiving the Eucharist as taking Communion. And, typically, this partaking of Communion consists of a five-minute add-on to the end of the church service where the communicant is given a stale oyster cracker and small cup of Welch’s grape juice to consume when the cue is given to do so after a brief review of the institution of the Lord’s Supper.

 Aside from giving me atrociously bad breath, this disrespectful form of receiving the Eucharist does virtually nothing for me.  It certainly does not bring me closer to Jesus. And it is, at best, unbiblical.

 Because while I do not subscribe to the doctrine/teaching of the first-mentioned sect concerning the Eucharist, neither do I see the receiving of Communion to be merely symbolic. To do so would be to ignore the clear teaching of 1Corinthians 11:17-34 in which the apostle Paul chastises the Corinthian believers for receiving the Communion in an unworthy manner and writes that to do so brings judgment upon the recipient…to include physical illness and even death (verses 27-30).

 Mere symbolism won’t kill you.

 So, what exactly is the Eucharist? Is it a holy sacrament? Is it a powerless ritual? I have come to believe that it likely is, strictly speaking, neither; rather, it is an observance and proclamation in memory of Jesus and His redemptive work that is best received with reverence, gratitude, and a pure heart. And when a fellowship of believers receives the Communion in this manner, Jesus is present.

 So where does that leave me?

 I find that I can no longer, in good conscience, receive the Eucharist in either of these kinds of churches. But I also desire to experience the presence of Jesus in this special way shared with other believers.

 Fortunately, I have come into contact with a small group of godly people who are passionate about Jesus. Because we do not live in the same town, or even in the same state, we meet regularly, remotely, via the internet. We share our lives and our faith journeys during our time together and recently have expressed our desire to receive Communion collectively. No ritual. No priests needed to consecrate the elements. Just a handful of garden-variety lovers of Jesus who want to share a sacred moment together.

 And that’s what the Eucharist is to me.

 Responses to this article are welcomed.  You may contact the author at drdave1545@yahoo.com