Don't Go To Church

Of course I like football. Fuuuuhbaawh! But my day is not ruined if my Seahawks lose. I don't go through withdraw symptoms if I miss a game or two. What makes watching the game so much fun is the time I spend with my son. Sunday after church we go over to his house for an afternoon of high fiving and shouting at the TV.

This last Sunday I was scheduled to fill in as preacher for a local congregation at the same time the “Elliot bay Birds” were playing The Detroit Lions. I acted like a pouty little boy. “Aw Mom. I don't wanna go to church.” It felt like an obligation; a duty; a chore. My wife drove as I mumbled over my sermon notes. When we arrived, I dragged myself up the entry stairs, through the church doors and into the foyer where some happy music met me. I walked to the back of the sanctuary to listen and watch. There in the front of the church were four of my favorite people. Kris sawed away on the fiddle, Gordon and Tom strummed guitars and Elsie rattled the ivories. My heart perked up. It was so good to see them. In my whiney attitude I had forgotten one very important point. This wasn’t just some dry ritualistic event. These were my friends. I loved these people and this was gonna be fun. I danced across the back of the room to their 6/8 time. It was one of my favorite hymns.

 Some through the waters,

Some through the flood,


Some through the fire,

But all through the blood;

Some through great sorrow,

But God gives a song,

In the night season and all the daylong.

What a wonderful time I had singing, worshiping and sharing the Word of God’s love with my friends.

Here’s what I learned. Next time you don’t want to attend Sunday (or Saturday, or whatever day) services, don’t go to “Church”. Instead, go meet your friends at the church building. Enjoy a morning with those rare and precious people who love you and share your love for Christ. The Quakers have the right idea. They call their gathering “The Society of Friends.” If you don’t have friends at church, go make some. If you do, you’ll never have to drag yourself to “church” again.

Oh yeah…the Seahawks lost…but I won.

The Good Thing That Is In You

If we are to walk in His virtue it is essential to understand and acknowledge that the virtue is present in us in Christ. We must believe it is there if we are ever to use it. Acknowledging what God has done in us is key to so much of our faith. Acknowledging the King’s mercy, the wicked servant would forgive a fellow debtor. (Matthew 18) Acknowledging God’s mercy, suggests Peter, keeps God’s virtue flowing in us. “But he that lacks these things … has forgotten that he was washed from his old sins.” (2 Peter 1:9)

Acknowledging God’s love, Paul tells us, instills a “peace that surpasses understanding that guards our hearts and minds.” (Philippians 4:7P

Acknowledging God in our ways, Solomon says, keeps us on the right path. (Proverbs 3:6)  In this letter to Philemon, Paul refers to acknowledging our gifts in Christ Jesus. He told his friend that he was praying: “That the communication of your faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.” (Philemon 6)

Forgiveness is a communication of our faith. It will take effect as we recognize it in the indwelling Christ. We forgive by first confessing that in Christ Jesus, we have forgiveness. It is there because He is there. No one bothers to look in the fridge if they think its empty, but if they know there is pie in there, the door utility light turns on. We open to forgiveness as we acknowledge the love that is in us in Christ.

As we take stock of what He is in us, let us also consider what we are in Him. 

All You Need...

I’m thinking of the lyrics of two popular songs from the sixties. “What the world needs now is love, sweet love.” And one by the Beatles: “All You Need Is Love.” Sounds good. I suggest there’s a problem with it, though. Love that is all we need is the unattainable ideal. At least the love necessary to heal America is beyond human capacity. Just because a virtue is absolutely beautiful does not mean it is absolutely achievable.

Love is the law. It is the foundation of the Law of Moses. “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The human race dabbles in this commandment, but one need not look far to see our failure to implement it satisfactorily. “By the Law comes knowledge of sin”(Romans 3:20). It let’s us know how sinful we are-how unloving we are. Sure, all we need is love…but where do we get what we need. God is love. By faith in Jesus Christ, that Love comes to live in our hearts through the Holy Spirit.

The church of Jesus Christ is the temple of this Love on earth. America needs now what resides in the community that confesses Jesus as Lord. To many people, that sounds like bad news. For sure they see some love flowing from us, but everyone senses that it should be more than it appears. Where there is a babbling brook there should be a raging river.

So what’s blocking the flow? Unforgiveness–specifically, unforgiveness between members of the body of Christ. It stagnates the love that needs to cascade over the spiritual desert of America. Resentments great and small, offences deep and petty choke the flow. The scriptures instruct us to forbear one another. Forbearance is living in the attitude of forgiveness. It is to exhibit the character of God who is always “Ready to forgive and plenteous in mercy” (Psalm 86:5).

I believe the main reason the church lacks in forgiveness is ignorance. We’d all like to forgive, but we just don’t know how. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6). If Christ is in you, (and by faith He is) then you have the love. Knowing how to forgive is to know how to use that love. It is understanding how to get out of God’s way and let Him do what He does best: love and forgive. When the Christians of America get hold of this, there will be a great revival.

I have written a book about this. It is titled, “How Shall We Then Forgive.” Read this book. You will be delighted to find that not only can you forgive but you will experience joy and peace in doing so. You are made for this. You will even come to enjoy it.

The National Treasure

We who trust in Jesus Christ to save us are His Church. All our denominations and doctrinal divisions do not change the facts in God’s view. We are one in Him even if we are divided in our ideology. Jesus Christ is above our little theologies; He is God.

Perhaps the worst of our heresies is the one that says “Our denomination is the only true church.” Some go so far as to pronounce damnation on others whom Christ has washed from sin by His own blood. It is shameful.

For the last few years my wife and I have been visiting Sunday gatherings of many denominations. We felt lead of God to go and see His church in all its colors. Our conclusion? God’s people are beautiful. They love their God with all their heart. We sensed the presence of the Spirit in every house. There is a treasure buried in each congregation, and the treasure is Christ. Paul said, “This treasure we have in earthen vessels (clay jars, terracotta pots.)” The vessels are humble and flawed but the contents are holy and priceless.

If we would feed the hungry, assist the poor, heal the sick, house the homeless and wield the influence of God’s love over our nation, we would first acknowledge the wealth that dwells in every believing heart. The God who is Love inhabits each of us.

Because Christ Himself dwells in the hearts of His people, they are the presence of His Grace in America. This has been my argument in these articles. To those who reject Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, this may seem like an arrogant position, but to those who welcome Him into their lives (as eternal life) it is the inexplicable mercy of God on miserable sinners. We will not surrender the gift of His salvation just because it is politically incorrect. God does not keep His finger in the bowl of public opinion to test its temperature.

Though doctrine is very important, Jesus is not a doctrine. He is Lord of all. He is the Love in us, through us and between us. I suspect that we hold fast to our ideas so we can avoid holding fast to our Savior. Belief systems are predictable, neat, tidy and under our control. No man controls Christ, and no man can predict what Christ will do. With our theology we build seemingly safe and secure foundations for living our lives. Jesus Christ is the only foundation, the only security and the only life. Far from safe, He likes to take us walking on troubled waters that make us hold tight to Him. Living by points “A”, “B”, and “C” is easier than living by the Alpha and the Ωmega. The wildness he calls us to is Love: His Love. It will heal our nation.

Here is a lyric from one of my songs that I think applies to our subject:

We're as different as each other.

We're the same as everyday.

We are as one as the only.

We are more than we can say.

We are every one a treasure

Hidden in the clay

And if we can't see it,

We might throw it all away.

Hold on To your brother.

To your sister, hold on.

Hold on to one another.

Don't let the wind come and blow it away,

Don't let the wind come and blow it all away.

She may not say what you wanna hear

Or hold the things that you hold dear;

A different set of values;

He does some things that gall you.

But she's a blood bought Child,

A lamb of the Lamb.

He's too tame.

She's too wild.

But he's you.

She's family.

Didn't He leave us with a clear commandment?

“Love one another,” I think He was adamant,

He tried to tell us, He tried to sell us

That the world would all know Who we follow by our Love.

I used to carry my bible

Like I was carrying a gun.

Never thought I would be libel

For any damage I had done.

I was up on the Christian talk,

I memorized the Word,

But I didn't love my brother.

I hadn't really heard a thing…