Doctrine and Dogma

 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. ~ 1 Corinthians 2:14

     Consider the most familiar people and places in your life. Your home, your loved ones, your yard, the streets of your neighborhood, your workplace, the coffee shop where you meet with friends, the church building, the sanctuary where you worship, the hallways, the classrooms, etc. Your routine interactions with the people and places naturally desensitized you to the superficial details. Now, suppose your church, workplace, or coffee shop undergoes some sort of project that forces you to use a different entrance. The change of perspective causes you to notice details heretofore overlooked - paint colors, artwork, potted plants, hair color and style, signs, announcements, and dozens of other little things appear new because of your fundamental change. 
     In the passage above, the Apostle Paul says, “There are none so blind as those who will not see.” Spiritual blindness in the Christian family is a matter of deep concern to me. It ranges from ideological idolatry to tunnel vision. In the previous paragraph, I presented a test for tunnel vision by asking you to give attention to details that have faded into the periphery. Tests for ideological idolatry are more complicated and might be offensive in some ways. For example, how do you feel about having the U. S. flag in the worship space, in proximity to the altar? Your answer to that question says something about your theology, doctrine, and ideology. When you think about church worship, programs, and governance, how much does personal experience influence your expectations? Does the term “tradition” refer to your tradition or long-standing practices rooted in doctrine? 
     Let’s define some terms before proceeding. Doctrine is “a set of ideas or beliefs that are taught or believed to be true.” (Dictionary 2021) My favorite definition of doctrine is: “the boundaries of a belief system.” Dogma is “something held as an established opinion, especially a definite authoritative tenet. (Dictionary 2021) Dogma is your tradition that may or may not be doctrinally sound. Church families, religious institutions, and societies regularly suffer because of dogma. Adherence to doctrine forces participants to play by common rules and submit to standards that keep boundaries intact. 
     While dogmatic devotional to personal traditions and lackadaisical disinterest seem very different from each other, they ultimately have the same effects. Their exemplars often regard things of the Spirit as folly. There is another way to look at spiritual blindness and tunnel vision: it is a matter of balancing feelings against facts. Feelings drive dogma and facts drive doctrine. So, how do you feel about infant baptism and why? What is the official doctrine related to it? How do you feel about church music, holy communion, pews vs. tables, Christmas, Easter, etc. etc.? What is the doctrinal standard? What did you decide about the flag and why? 
     My purpose in this critical thinking exercise is to discern the Apostle’s intention when he wrote, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Corinthians 2:14) The Church at Corinth dealt with plenty of drama and dogma. Spiritual blindness was rampant and Paul rebuked them with truth in love. Christian love is a combination of grace and discipline. Most people prefer more grace and less discipline, but love is incomplete without the fullest measure of both. Doctrine appoints some persons according to call and qualification to exercise grace and discipline. Participants usually accept that kind of spiritual leadership because of their sense of anointing and virtue. 
     John Wesley described the pursuit of spiritual discernment “holiness of heart and mind.” It is a type of self discipline, informed by the Body of Christ and His Spirit in and through it, that embraces God’s grace and Christ’s discipline  - That’s why we call Him Lord. Spiritual blindness and tunnel vision not only cause discord in the Church, but it accommodates the Enemy in his dedication to defaming Christ’s character. Satan cackles, “See how they claim His grace but reject His discipline?!”
     Please stop and pray right now that God would increase your awareness of the Holy Spirit in your life and times. Ask Christ to lead your life, and humbly submit to His leadership, so that you can discern that which is real and reject the counterfeit Christianity of Satan. 

Misunderstood

 Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy. ~ Proverbs 27:6

     The fear of being misunderstood is among my greatest weaknesses. My hypersensitivity is likely worsened by a series of traumatic instances during my most significant developmental periods. There is a kind of distrust wherein one feels that a misunderstanding in a new relationship bumps the trajectory of a potentially fruitful friendship just enough to fuel a series of assumptions that lead to feigned civility and concern. It’s difficult to be friends with someone whose assumptions frame their perception of everything you say or do. In the best-case scenario, the fruitful relationship matures through basic misconceptions and arrives as a rich friendship based on mutual respect and trust. In the worst case, one’s assumptions cause distrust, angst, and endless tension. 
     We instinctively know that interaction with other people is essential for emotional and spiritual well-being. There are very few stories of hermits who lived joyfully alone without human contact. In fact, where such stories are told, mock-human relationships eventually surface as a connection made with an animal or even an inanimate object - consider “Wilson” in the 2000 movie, “Castaway.” It turns out that one’s inner dialogue requires a respondent, and more often than not, the voice needs to counter one’s irrational assumptions so that dangerous delusions don’t set in. 
     The compulsion to seek fruitful, intimate relationships begins in early childhood. We naturally desire acceptance and encouragement from parents, siblings, cousins, aunts and uncles, and grandparents. Those relationships framed our social norms, particularly when they generated positive feelings. Conversely, words and deeds that lead to disapproval and pain usually generate resistance and avoidance. This becomes the rubric for assumptions. Assumptions in the relationship realm frequently result in feelings of dread when words and deeds that met with disdain and hurt long ago trigger internal defense mechanisms. Whether it is the behavior of one’s self or of the new acquaintance makes no difference. Once the panic button gets pressed, the emotional roller coaster glides out of the station and starts clicking its way up the hill. Or, one might say, “I don’t do roller coasters” and just walk away from the risk. Walking away can be anything from literal distancing to emotional shut-down.
     Now, I respectfully request your patience and Christian love as I reflect upon the aforementioned dynamics from my perspective. As stated in the first paragraph, I am unnaturally sensitive when it feels like I am being misunderstood. It’s exponentially worsened when wild assumptions about my motives and meanings are so thoroughly ratified in the mind of my critic that I can feel the heat from his or her burning eyes. As one charged with preaching the gospel and administering the sacraments, I regularly witness an array of assumptions and attitudes. I strive to limit the use of certain words, like “sermon” and “preaching,” because they connote negative lectures from hurtful memories. However, I find it impossible to resist the urge to speak truth in love as defined in and by the Bible - Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ (Ephesians 4:15). Grace and discipline are the benchmarks of authentic Christian love. 
      If I could clarify one thing in the minds of all the people I’ve ever attempted to serve within the Church, it would be this: I did it all for love. First, for the love of Christ, my King. Second, because His Spirit drove me to love you. Like you, all the influences common to people in my sphere shaped me. Thankfully, the LORD took hold of my life at a young age and led me through a wide variety of experiences and paradigms that broadened my perspective. Looking back, I can see the LORD’s hand on my life at so many critical moments. The LORD has exponentially increased my capacity for love and courage. 
     So, when I teach from the bible and suggest the implications of the Word, I do not desire to be heard as an authority figure reminiscent of some painful lectures in the past that lead to shut-down or a roller coaster ride. When I lead Christians in the church institution by applying biblical principles and practical wisdom, I hope to be understood as doing so for love’s sake. My greatest hope is that my charges will develop a biblical-Christian worldview. My highest ambition is to bring glory to Christ.  

Legacy of Love

Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children. ~ Proverbs 17:6

    I recently served as a babysitter for our newest grandchild. She was a month old at the time and our date was a delight. Her mother left all the needed resources for common eventualities and I employed almost all before she returned. It was a pleasure to feel comfortable and competent after so many years out of practice. I felt honored and loved as my wonderful daughter-in-law confidently entrusted her first child to my care. 
    As I held that precious, squirmy little one in my arms, cradling her tiny head in my palm, I saw her mother and father, her grandparents, and her own special light. I noticed how my hands have aged since I held her father like that decades before. As I gazed into her eyes I felt compelled to softly speak adjectives to her subconscious while she received her bottle. Each word was a character trait that came to mind as I thought about her mother and the good parents who raised her, and her father and the people we tried to be as we raised him.
    From her grandfather the farmer who fed his family and countless others, she receives courage, determination, skill, industriousness, ingenuity, strength, entrepreneurship, love for the land, and perspicacity. From his wife, the grandmother she acquires devotion, thriftiness, good humor, inner strength, vitality, shrewdness, adaptability, resourcefulness, strong will, community-mindedness, and kindness. From their daughter, the baby’s mother, she gets inner and outer beauty, thoughtfulness, intelligence, poise, discipline, resolve, humility, forbearance, humor, humility, and selflessness. 
    From her grandfather the fisher of men, she is endowed with faith, hope, audacity, duty, loyalty, reverence, insight, foresight, forthrightness, and, perhaps, a way with words. His bride, the little one’s grandmother, brings tenderness, compassion, perseverance, bravery, honesty, reliability, patience, creativity, resilience, and frankness. Their son and father of the child, brings joy, wit, generosity, level-headedness, imagination, sagacity, productivity, laughter, gregariousness, energy, boldness, love, wisdom, leadership, and aptitude. 
    This long list of adjectives barely touches the vast accumulation of qualities at hand. The rugged and soft hands that hold the infant progeny of so many remarkable people represent the most important institution God created, the family. One day, the baby with the delicate loveliness of an autumn butterfly will be a woman, whose yet unseen gifts and talents will combine with the stuff of her ancestry to make her place in the world made better because she is part of it. As she grows amid servants of Christ, we hope and pray that she will join the family of God as a born-again and eternal child of God.  
    As I reflect upon my grandchild, I urge you to remember that you too are a legacy. Once upon a time you were held in the hands of your parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and other special people who shaped the woman or man you’ve become. You were born again, entering eternal life in the family of God. No matter what you’ve done with your life so far, your true potential is still ahead of you. If it is late in your life, you are still a product of the heritage of your forebears and the Spirit’s work in you. When you depart this world to continue your eternal life in Christ, you are still all of that and, unencumbered by flesh and sin, all the more in a future outside of time and space.
    Before you were born. Before your parents held your tiny form in their loving embrace, your Heavenly Father held your newborn soul and marveled at your loveliness. The Father saw your worthiness and saved you from damnation by making a way to return home to Him. The love and joy I felt as I held my little granddaughter in my broken and undeserving hands was a small expression of the immeasurable, majestic grace of God. Never forget that you are exponentially more loved, understood, endowed, and redeemed than you can possibly imagine, so carry on and believe. 

The One We Proclaim

“He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ." ~ Colossians 1:28

    Colossians 1:28 is a powerful statement that is worthy of detailed examination. “He is the one we proclaim” boldly states without equivocation that it is not a belief, ideology, or system, but the proclamation of Jesus Christ. Proclamation means a public or official announcement, especially one dealing with a matter of great importance.      The point of great importance is Jesus Christ. He is the One under consideration. It is vitally important that we consider Him; His true nature, His purpose, His Word, and His accomplishments. The proclamation does not celebrate His linear progression while He dwelt among us, but His eternal significance and relationship to our temporal condition. 
    The Apostle admonishes or advises with intense urgency. So it is as if the One proclaimed requires immediate attention and definite response. Admonition also serves as corrective direction, as in “stop doing this and start doing that, before it’s too late.” 
    Teaching everyone with all wisdom suggests that knowledge is imparted with great care so that truth supersedes myth. Soon after Jesus’ ascension, heresies arose that questioned the apostolic testimonies about him. The Apostles’ letters served as wise teaching so essential that they became part of the Bible we still refer to for the Word. The problem of teaching without wisdom plagues the Christians of every generation. Many devout practitioners of various religious systems and local church customs lack wisdom and maturity. At the very least, Paul’s definition of wisdom and maturity is a matter of healthy critical thinking. 
    Full maturity in Christ is not about a body of knowledge or worldly experiences. It starts with the One we proclaim. “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.” (1 John 5:20) 
    Brothers and sisters, many of those who call themselves Christian, can adequately share what they know about Jesus, but far fewer can say with certainty that they know Him. Moreover, fewer still have experienced literal, personal contact with Jesus, like Saul of Tarsus on the Damascus road (Acts 9). So, how does anyone know Jesus apart from a physical, emotional, and spiritual interaction?
    When Spirit-filled Christian Believers proclaim “the One,” they are His presence, His voice, and His touch. Jesus said, “In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.” (John 14:20) He referred to the day after the coming of the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is in the Christian Believer by the indwelling of His Spirit. Persons who are not born again in the Spirit are most likely doing and saying things about Jesus, but not as one whose very being is tied to Christ, as “In him, we live and breathe and have our being.” (Acts 17:28) To know Christ Jesus, one must interact with the Body of Christ. Then, you will hear His voice, feel His touch, and learn maturity in Him. 
    Local churches are good starting points for Christian maturity, but one must enter into small groups led with wisdom and the proclamation of the Son of God. Small groups of Christian Believers who invite the Spirit to guide them will mature in Him and know Him through the Body and the Word. 
 
 

Feelings and Facts

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. ~ Exodus 20:2
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    The King James Version of the Bible records the phrase “I am the LORD your God” 160 times. It is most frequently followed by the reminder that the LORD delivered them from slavery. Thus, it is apparent that God intends that His people do not forget to remember who they are in Him. After all, their ancestors made a golden calf and gave it credit for the works of God. It is said that those who fail to study history are destined to repeat its mistakes. Therefore, regularly remembering God’s faithfulness and glorious might increases faith. This truth reveals a substantial strategy employed by the Enemy—he insights rebellion against the LORD by diversion and deception. 
     Faith is often associated with feelings because some aspects are held in trust; “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1) A Christian Believer necessarily “feels” assurance about things that he cannot prove empirically. Still, James asks, “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?” (James 2:14a) It’s like having faith in an elevator but being unwilling to enter it. Faith in an elevator comes from a combination of feelings and facts. 
    The wreck of the HMS Titanic was discovered on this day (9/1) in 1985. The true nature of its demise was a source of speculation until then. Reports from the media of 1912 and the recollections of survivors often contradicted each other, and feelings led to misinformation. So, a team of people dedicated years of their lives to researching and finding the truth about the Titanic. Since then, the legend of the Titanic was updated and, over time, embellished and looted over and over. Facts are exciting, but feelings generate more revenue - thus, the romance of Jack and Rose. 
    Overlooking the facts in any venture is a mistake. Christian living is the same. Remembering daily who the LORD is and how He has delivered you so many times before leads to feelings of security in the hardest of times. The gift of the Bible is the LORD’s way of communicating from outside space and time so that we have facts that inform our feelings of faith. Perhaps that is why the Enemy desires that it be rendered irrelevant and untrustworthy. 
    The Enemy’s diversions and deceptions agitate feelings that can run rampant in the streets, causing chaos like the winds of a relentless hurricane. The hurricane chaos casts aside historical facts and context for the sake of the flesh. The Enemy’s schemes are never more sinister than when they play out amid the Body of Christ. Therefore, it is essential to lean on the elders of faith who have withstood many challenges to their flesh while keeping and growing their faith. Beware though! Those elders will speak the truth in love that will often affect your feelings.  
    Here is a simple truth, given in love from someone who is not fit to untie the Master’s sandals. He saved me while I was a sinner. My works have nothing to do with it. But, if I live under His grace, doing and saying things that demonstrate a lack of faith in His nature, Why should you believe what I say about the LORD? My consistency shows more than I can say. It is the same with you, sisters and brothers. A life ruled by feelings is like a tin roof in a hurricane wind. Living rooted in truth and emitting the love of God is the surest anchor in the storm.