Last month, I wrote about the subject of change facing the Church and how change is not new in her history. The topic, as I stated then, is one of great discomfort, especially to me. Now, I want to approach it from a different angle altogether.
As I sit here keeping an eye on my youngest while the family enjoys a few days of respite away from home, I must confess I have a habit of people-watching. I enjoy observing people and their habits. At this particular time, there are a few folks about and so, as a result, I have the ability to make a number of deductions on the basis of what can easily be noticed. Indeed, in the last three days, having visited this same spot, I have accumulated a body of data and have come to an overwhelming conclusion. We, Americans, are truly a self-indulgent people!
This self-indulgent drive affects everything we do—how we eat (obviously), what we buy (advertising thrives on it), where we live (best schools, malls, etc.), even where we choose to worship (best music, programs, and the like). Self-indulgence is nothing more than a pleasant-sounding cover, a facade, for the realistic truths (sins) of selfishness and self-centeredness. It is the placing of “self” at the forefront of everything in one’s life. If one “gets down to brass tacks”, self-indulgence is nothing other than idolatry of self under a new designation.
Having sermonized enough on what self-indulgence is, let me then answer the implicit question lurking in the reader’s mind: “What does self-indulgence have to do with the impending change in the Church?” I am beginning to seriously wonder how many of the changes within the Church over the last fifty years or so have truly been God-driven and how many have been due to the influence of the self-indulgence that has become so prevalent in our society? When people want what they want just because they want it...it is self-indulgence. This is exactly why I stated in the previous article that one must use the Scriptures, the whole counsel of God’s Word, as the basis for all things done in the Church. Otherwise, change in the Church is accomplished simply on the basis of who controls the majority vote at a given time, thus able to stamp “God wanted us to do it” on the action—a deed which is neither prudent nor Biblical.
If change is truly God-driven, it will, first of all, be in accord with His Word. The Holy Spirit never violates Holy Writ. Secondly, the outcome of the change will truly glorify God and edify His Church. In other words, it will be a positive benefit to the Church over all. The change will in no way assist in appeasing human nature, nor will it lower the standards of the Church in order to better relate to the culture. The best way over history for the Church to minister to the culture has always been for her to engage the culture by her distinction from it, not by her capitulation to it.
Be sure not to read into this more than is here. This is not an implicit attack on contemporary worship, means or music. Nor is it an extension of carte blanche, a blank check, to the movement. There is as much of a concern of self-indulgence in the contemporary worship movement as there is in those who hold to traditional forms of worship. Idolatry in the Christian camp knows no boundaries as it moves through our ranks. The truth we must remember is that worship is for God not for us. It is He who decides what He wants and then we follow His lead, not visa-versa.
These are dangerous waters for the Church to navigate. The reef of pragmatism on the one side threatens to destroy her. The sandbar of self-indulgence on the other gives her the possibility of running aground. Only by holding fast to the sureness of God’s Word can the Church ever hope to pass through these formidable times unto the safety that lies beyond in His promises for His people.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Idolatry Today: The God of Pragmatism
Idolatry. It’s not a word we commonly use today, much less in association with Christians. We believe that Christians are not subject to falling into idolatry as a temptation because this sin can only apply to unbelievers. Yet, it takes but a moment of perusing the Scriptures to find that the people of God in the past easily slipped into idolatry and under the displeasure of God for doing so. Add to that the many times throughout Church history Christians have strayed away from the calling of Christ and His teachings to the trappings of this world...and you have quickly have a reflection of idolatry in the hearts of God’s people. So, we can safely say idolatry is a trap into which Christians today can fall. Then...have we?
One of the gods of our time that call for the loyalty of Christians is the god of pragmatism. Pragmatism is the belief system of “what works”. Success is gauged by outcome. If an action produces a positive response or result, it is successful. Pragmatism has an inherent values basis as well. If it is successful, it therefore is good. How positive the results are determines how right the action is. For instance, in church circles, the rightness of the program is judged by how many people are involved in the program or are touched by the program.
Americans, in particular, are suckers for the god of pragmatism because we have always been a results-oriented people. Everything beyond the Church is results-driven. Thus, many within the Church believe it should be the same for the Church. The reader may say, “That’s right! What’s wrong with it?” Such a response only goes to prove how much of an influence the god of pragmatism has had on so many within the Church, especially in the U.S.
Confronting the god of pragmatism is the God of truth, the God of Scripture, the God of righteousness. I use the last term purposefully for this reason. Where the world judges success by results, God measures success in His economy by obedience to His Word, by our doing what is right in His sight which may or may not produce successful results in the sight of the world. The ultimate example of this principle is Jesus Christ Himself. He came to do His Father’s will and in so doing did not fulfill the people’s expectations. Indeed, when the crowds became too large and too demanding, Jesus simply turned and began sharing what was required of them to become one of His disciples (rf. Luke 14:25ff). No doubt all this talk about “hating” one’s spouse and children and even one’s own life went far in securing increased crowd participation for Jesus’ ministry! Indeed, the opposite held true. When the time of His mission on earth came to fruition, it was only His mother, Mary the wife of Clopas, Mary Magdalene and John who were with Him. Would the world call that a successful ministry? To the world, it was an abysmal failure. But was it a success according to God? Absolutely! Why? He had accomplished that which God had called Him to fulfill, the right action He was intended to do regardless of the perception the world may have had of His deeds!
Where then is this all this talk of idolatry and pragmatism leading? We all realize that the Church is changing. Throughout history the Church has changed and she will continue to do so as long as she remains on earth until such time as the Lord returns. The key is how she will respond to the changes. Will she bow the knee to the god of pragmatism and pledge her loyalty to this false deity in return for empty promises of success? Or will she remain faithful to the God and Christ Who purchased her with His blood and Who has given her all she needs in His unchanging Word to weather the changing times as she always has before. Let me give you a brief overview of what I mean.
In reference to ecclesiology or the study of Church government, in the past the Church has changed from an elder-led model of limited congregational input system of church government as based on the synagogue to one in which the bishop/overseer/pastor is chief-among-equals serving with his fellow elders. She then later adapted to the bishop as serving separate and above the elders/ministers in a regional jurisdictional format. This transition all occurred within the first three hundred years of Pentecost while still keeping intact the offices as established in Scripture.
Likewise, in the area of doctrine, there are two time periods of significant change for the Church. Most of the foundational truths that we hold dear as Christians were hammered out in the first four to five hundred years in Church history. They were not easily arrived at, but, rather, were forged in the fires of controversy and doctrinal debates. The early Church produced what we believe in terms of the Trinity, the deity of Christ and the Holy Spirit, as well as the statements of faith that solidified the above truths in a systematic fashion for Christians of the future to follow (e.g. the Apostles’, Nicean and Athanasian Creeds).
The other time period of great transition was the Reformation in which God used a simple Augustinian monk to launch a movement to return the Church to its Biblical roots. Martin Luther’s belief in Paul’s quote of Habakkuk 2:4 “...the just shall live by his faith” as the stimulus behind his 95 Theses on the Wittenburg door was enough to spark a revolution. John Calvin expanded the concept into an overarching theological textbook that redefined not only the French language, but also forever changed the course of both the Church and Western civilization.
Worship also developed throughout the years of Church history. Followers of Christ have moved from the singing of the Psalms as their hymnbook (the Psalter) to the composition of classical works in praise of the Almighty (ex: Handel, Bach and other classical artists) to the writing of their own hymns unto the Lord (Hymnody) to the various types of revival music (ex: from Ira Sankey of D.L. Moody fame to Bill & Gloria Gaither, from Stamps/Baxter to Southern Gospel quartet music) to the composition of Scripture songs to Contemporary Christian music to the advent of praise/worship choruses. One must also add to these transitions the attendant technological advances of Powerpoint, projectors and screens, dramatic productions, liturgical dance, and other enhancements to worship that continue to “pop up” on the scene. In general, the Church has endeavored to maintain, with some exceptions, the connection of worship and Scripture, seeking to uphold sanctity and respect in music while touching the hearts and lives of the worshiper.
So, as you see, change is not new for the Church. The decision to be made is how to respond to changes prudently and in accord with the plain teaching of Scripture. It is a matter of doing what is right in God’s sight and not what is expedient, not bowing to the god of pragmatism. We should rather approach changes by wisely separating out personal preferences, “sacred cows” and the pillars of the faith, only keeping in place that which is truly enduring, adapting those things that are pliable, and scrapping those things that have truly seen their better days. To accomplish this transition, the Church needs the wisdom of God and the unity of all the brethren, young and old, men and women, rich and poor, every one of God’s people. As we all seek Him diligently in prayer and in His revealed Word, we are confident that He will provide the leadership we need to make this transition together in loyalty and service to Him alone, in unity and in the bond of love, fulfilling Jesus’ own prayer on our behalf: “...that they may be one, just as We are one.” (rf. John 17:22).
One of the gods of our time that call for the loyalty of Christians is the god of pragmatism. Pragmatism is the belief system of “what works”. Success is gauged by outcome. If an action produces a positive response or result, it is successful. Pragmatism has an inherent values basis as well. If it is successful, it therefore is good. How positive the results are determines how right the action is. For instance, in church circles, the rightness of the program is judged by how many people are involved in the program or are touched by the program.
Americans, in particular, are suckers for the god of pragmatism because we have always been a results-oriented people. Everything beyond the Church is results-driven. Thus, many within the Church believe it should be the same for the Church. The reader may say, “That’s right! What’s wrong with it?” Such a response only goes to prove how much of an influence the god of pragmatism has had on so many within the Church, especially in the U.S.
Confronting the god of pragmatism is the God of truth, the God of Scripture, the God of righteousness. I use the last term purposefully for this reason. Where the world judges success by results, God measures success in His economy by obedience to His Word, by our doing what is right in His sight which may or may not produce successful results in the sight of the world. The ultimate example of this principle is Jesus Christ Himself. He came to do His Father’s will and in so doing did not fulfill the people’s expectations. Indeed, when the crowds became too large and too demanding, Jesus simply turned and began sharing what was required of them to become one of His disciples (rf. Luke 14:25ff). No doubt all this talk about “hating” one’s spouse and children and even one’s own life went far in securing increased crowd participation for Jesus’ ministry! Indeed, the opposite held true. When the time of His mission on earth came to fruition, it was only His mother, Mary the wife of Clopas, Mary Magdalene and John who were with Him. Would the world call that a successful ministry? To the world, it was an abysmal failure. But was it a success according to God? Absolutely! Why? He had accomplished that which God had called Him to fulfill, the right action He was intended to do regardless of the perception the world may have had of His deeds!
Where then is this all this talk of idolatry and pragmatism leading? We all realize that the Church is changing. Throughout history the Church has changed and she will continue to do so as long as she remains on earth until such time as the Lord returns. The key is how she will respond to the changes. Will she bow the knee to the god of pragmatism and pledge her loyalty to this false deity in return for empty promises of success? Or will she remain faithful to the God and Christ Who purchased her with His blood and Who has given her all she needs in His unchanging Word to weather the changing times as she always has before. Let me give you a brief overview of what I mean.
In reference to ecclesiology or the study of Church government, in the past the Church has changed from an elder-led model of limited congregational input system of church government as based on the synagogue to one in which the bishop/overseer/pastor is chief-among-equals serving with his fellow elders. She then later adapted to the bishop as serving separate and above the elders/ministers in a regional jurisdictional format. This transition all occurred within the first three hundred years of Pentecost while still keeping intact the offices as established in Scripture.
Likewise, in the area of doctrine, there are two time periods of significant change for the Church. Most of the foundational truths that we hold dear as Christians were hammered out in the first four to five hundred years in Church history. They were not easily arrived at, but, rather, were forged in the fires of controversy and doctrinal debates. The early Church produced what we believe in terms of the Trinity, the deity of Christ and the Holy Spirit, as well as the statements of faith that solidified the above truths in a systematic fashion for Christians of the future to follow (e.g. the Apostles’, Nicean and Athanasian Creeds).
The other time period of great transition was the Reformation in which God used a simple Augustinian monk to launch a movement to return the Church to its Biblical roots. Martin Luther’s belief in Paul’s quote of Habakkuk 2:4 “...the just shall live by his faith” as the stimulus behind his 95 Theses on the Wittenburg door was enough to spark a revolution. John Calvin expanded the concept into an overarching theological textbook that redefined not only the French language, but also forever changed the course of both the Church and Western civilization.
Worship also developed throughout the years of Church history. Followers of Christ have moved from the singing of the Psalms as their hymnbook (the Psalter) to the composition of classical works in praise of the Almighty (ex: Handel, Bach and other classical artists) to the writing of their own hymns unto the Lord (Hymnody) to the various types of revival music (ex: from Ira Sankey of D.L. Moody fame to Bill & Gloria Gaither, from Stamps/Baxter to Southern Gospel quartet music) to the composition of Scripture songs to Contemporary Christian music to the advent of praise/worship choruses. One must also add to these transitions the attendant technological advances of Powerpoint, projectors and screens, dramatic productions, liturgical dance, and other enhancements to worship that continue to “pop up” on the scene. In general, the Church has endeavored to maintain, with some exceptions, the connection of worship and Scripture, seeking to uphold sanctity and respect in music while touching the hearts and lives of the worshiper.
So, as you see, change is not new for the Church. The decision to be made is how to respond to changes prudently and in accord with the plain teaching of Scripture. It is a matter of doing what is right in God’s sight and not what is expedient, not bowing to the god of pragmatism. We should rather approach changes by wisely separating out personal preferences, “sacred cows” and the pillars of the faith, only keeping in place that which is truly enduring, adapting those things that are pliable, and scrapping those things that have truly seen their better days. To accomplish this transition, the Church needs the wisdom of God and the unity of all the brethren, young and old, men and women, rich and poor, every one of God’s people. As we all seek Him diligently in prayer and in His revealed Word, we are confident that He will provide the leadership we need to make this transition together in loyalty and service to Him alone, in unity and in the bond of love, fulfilling Jesus’ own prayer on our behalf: “...that they may be one, just as We are one.” (rf. John 17:22).
A Proactive Approach to Finances
“...And the borrower becomes the lender’s slave.” (rf. Proverbs 22:7)
Whenever bad times occur, someone invariably will take advantage of another. The one with much will oppress the one with little. This is not a lesson in class warfare but rather in the politics of power. Therefore, he who has the ability to make or create the most money also has the wherewithal to become the most powerful as well as the most corrupt. This principle applies not only to individuals but also to organizations, industries, and governments. Those who borrow from them become servants to them and subject to their fiats.
As Solomon implies in the text, there are two avenues that one can take in order to avoid becoming ensnared by this scheme. First of all, one must avoid debt. We define debt as money borrowed to purchase an item or items that depreciate in value. This definition would, obviously, include computers, furniture, vehicles that far exceed reason, income and ability with which to pay, etc. Investments, such as education and homes, are not considered debts because their values only, or should, increase in time. The one qualifier to these items would be the advisement to only invest in that which you could legitimately afford to repay. (Note: One main reason for our current economic hardship is the ease with which too many people were qualified to get loans for homes and higher education who could not afford it and should not have ever been allowed to receive them.) Therefore, as long as the investment is wise and within reason, it is not a sin to put money into these efforts, since they will eventually prove to better one's life. Debt, however, only serves to drag down the borrower in the present and will be the "ball and chain" that may hold the person back from fulfilling one's goals and desires for the future.
Secondly, one must proactively spend and save wisely. Elsewhere in the Proverbs, Solomon tells the reader to take lessons from the ant, to note how the ant knows when to store up in times of plenty for the season of dearth. This is understanding. There is also wisdom in knowing when to spend as a nation so as to keep the economy going by making sure jobs are plentiful for those who can work. To listen to the harbingers of fear and doubt, and, thus, rein in one's spending is to thereby create exactly the downward spiral of economic hardship that everyone does not want to happen. It is a self-fulfilling prophecy! If, on the other hand, in the face of a downturn, people who did have the wherewithal to spend invested their monies in the marketplace, this would generate the necessary cashflow to turn things around, and, thus, insure that the downturn would be but a "bump" in the economic road of the nation.
This is an extension of the message in the allusion of Jesus' parable of the rich man and his barns (rf. Luke 12:16-21). Though the parable in context refers to the sin of greed and hoarding in the face of need, one can extrapolate that when one has the resources to be of a benefit to his fellow citizens and yet keeps it to oneself, it is a sin unto God and to one's fellow man. One should release those resources into the marketplace so that others can likewise gain the benefit of their blessings. I am not referring to Socialism or Communism where the society or the government becomes owner/controller over all of the resources. I am stating that when we in a free market economy withhold our resources from the economy for fear that we will have nothing at the end of the day, we will have nothing at the end of the day because we will have fulfilled our own prophecy. We all have to engage and invest in the process if the process has a chance to succeed for all of us.
The last thing that most of you expected was a lesson in economics when you opened this newsletter, much less from this section. However, it goes to show us all that God's Word is applicable and relevant to every area of life. The Scriptures are the foundation, not only of our faith, but also of our living from day to day. We need only to mine its depths to know how valuable its truths are to us...always.
Whenever bad times occur, someone invariably will take advantage of another. The one with much will oppress the one with little. This is not a lesson in class warfare but rather in the politics of power. Therefore, he who has the ability to make or create the most money also has the wherewithal to become the most powerful as well as the most corrupt. This principle applies not only to individuals but also to organizations, industries, and governments. Those who borrow from them become servants to them and subject to their fiats.
As Solomon implies in the text, there are two avenues that one can take in order to avoid becoming ensnared by this scheme. First of all, one must avoid debt. We define debt as money borrowed to purchase an item or items that depreciate in value. This definition would, obviously, include computers, furniture, vehicles that far exceed reason, income and ability with which to pay, etc. Investments, such as education and homes, are not considered debts because their values only, or should, increase in time. The one qualifier to these items would be the advisement to only invest in that which you could legitimately afford to repay. (Note: One main reason for our current economic hardship is the ease with which too many people were qualified to get loans for homes and higher education who could not afford it and should not have ever been allowed to receive them.) Therefore, as long as the investment is wise and within reason, it is not a sin to put money into these efforts, since they will eventually prove to better one's life. Debt, however, only serves to drag down the borrower in the present and will be the "ball and chain" that may hold the person back from fulfilling one's goals and desires for the future.
Secondly, one must proactively spend and save wisely. Elsewhere in the Proverbs, Solomon tells the reader to take lessons from the ant, to note how the ant knows when to store up in times of plenty for the season of dearth. This is understanding. There is also wisdom in knowing when to spend as a nation so as to keep the economy going by making sure jobs are plentiful for those who can work. To listen to the harbingers of fear and doubt, and, thus, rein in one's spending is to thereby create exactly the downward spiral of economic hardship that everyone does not want to happen. It is a self-fulfilling prophecy! If, on the other hand, in the face of a downturn, people who did have the wherewithal to spend invested their monies in the marketplace, this would generate the necessary cashflow to turn things around, and, thus, insure that the downturn would be but a "bump" in the economic road of the nation.
This is an extension of the message in the allusion of Jesus' parable of the rich man and his barns (rf. Luke 12:16-21). Though the parable in context refers to the sin of greed and hoarding in the face of need, one can extrapolate that when one has the resources to be of a benefit to his fellow citizens and yet keeps it to oneself, it is a sin unto God and to one's fellow man. One should release those resources into the marketplace so that others can likewise gain the benefit of their blessings. I am not referring to Socialism or Communism where the society or the government becomes owner/controller over all of the resources. I am stating that when we in a free market economy withhold our resources from the economy for fear that we will have nothing at the end of the day, we will have nothing at the end of the day because we will have fulfilled our own prophecy. We all have to engage and invest in the process if the process has a chance to succeed for all of us.
The last thing that most of you expected was a lesson in economics when you opened this newsletter, much less from this section. However, it goes to show us all that God's Word is applicable and relevant to every area of life. The Scriptures are the foundation, not only of our faith, but also of our living from day to day. We need only to mine its depths to know how valuable its truths are to us...always.
The Remedy for Spiritual Hypothermia
I find it interesting that the turn of the year, the annual transition point, comes in the dead of winter. After the lights of Christmas have faded from memory, we close the chapter of one series of events and open the pages to find a new set of circumstances awaiting us. It can be a very exciting time for us all...as long as we stay close to the fire, as long as we remain in the place of warmth when it is cold outside.
Truly, it is a dangerous thing to venture out into the brisk weather without suitable clothing. Stay out too long enough and one may find oneself at the mercy of the elements suffering the effects of the cold as it creeps into every fibre of one’s being. The official designation of this condition is known as hypothermia. It is by no means a pleasant experience, especially if you have seen someone fall victim to it firsthand as I have. The warmth of one’s body retreats from the extremities, including the head, hands and feet, unto the body’s core, making it a very dangerous and life-threatening situation. A person so afflicted must be given immediate assistance and returned to a warm atmosphere as soon as possible if his/her condition is to be remedied and the threat to life removed.
A very similar affliction can happen on the spiritual plane within the church. It doesn’t take the coldness of the winter’s atmosphere to initiate its effects. This spiritual hypothermia (better known as apathy) creeps in slowly and unexpectedly when the church body moves away from the fire, the spiritual warmth, of Christ. This is accomplished for many reasons: a desire to go her own way rather than His, a conscious or subconscious pursuit of goals that are inward rather than outward in motivation, a lack of prayer in the submission and seeking of His will for direction, etc.
On these and many other grounds, the church body suffering from spiritual hypothermia pulls away from the warmth of Christ’s presence and moves into the coldness of her own counsel. In so doing, the result becomes the opposite of what she, the church, expects. The warmth of her body begins to withdraw into her core, causing her extremities to suffer loss. Her hands and feet no long work and move as they used to in the past. The outreach and service efforts are no longer there. Her head is constantly warning her of these problems and difficulties, but, because the coldness has reached the upper regions of her body as well, her eyes and ears are likewise damaged, therefore, she is not seeing what she needs to and not hearing these words of alarm. Her legs are robotically taking her further and further away from the warmth. Speaking of the warmth, only the core of her body is enjoying it still. Only those in the fellowship for the longest time whose families possess the greatest tenures and histories blissfully move forward as if there is nothing wrong. After all, the cold is not touching them. As long as the body does not die completely nor will it, they say! Yet, such is not the inevitable outcome of spiritual hypothermia. Like its physical parallel, the death of its parts will bring the demise of the whole. Its just a matter of time.
How then can spiritual hypothermia be remedied? The warnings of the head must be heeded. The body must be moved back to the warmth. Like the Apostle Paul states in I Corinthians 12, we are all part of one body with each of us as members. The head cannot move the body on its own; the head needs the ears, the legs as well as the rest of the body to get the body back to the place of warmth, by the fire of Christ’s presence. To be close to Christ is something that all of us together need to want, to desire, to do. The body of Christ is an organism made up of believers who themselves are “on fire” for the Lord and who are corporately“on fire” for the Lord. The only way to combat spiritual hypothermia is for each of us to pursue this passionate desire to be closer to Him individually and to bring that passion with us when we gather together to worship Him.
Let us make this our goal for 2009. May we take the following passage from Psalm 42:1-2 , declaring it to be our corporate theme for the year:
As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So my soul pants for You, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
Amen.
Truly, it is a dangerous thing to venture out into the brisk weather without suitable clothing. Stay out too long enough and one may find oneself at the mercy of the elements suffering the effects of the cold as it creeps into every fibre of one’s being. The official designation of this condition is known as hypothermia. It is by no means a pleasant experience, especially if you have seen someone fall victim to it firsthand as I have. The warmth of one’s body retreats from the extremities, including the head, hands and feet, unto the body’s core, making it a very dangerous and life-threatening situation. A person so afflicted must be given immediate assistance and returned to a warm atmosphere as soon as possible if his/her condition is to be remedied and the threat to life removed.
A very similar affliction can happen on the spiritual plane within the church. It doesn’t take the coldness of the winter’s atmosphere to initiate its effects. This spiritual hypothermia (better known as apathy) creeps in slowly and unexpectedly when the church body moves away from the fire, the spiritual warmth, of Christ. This is accomplished for many reasons: a desire to go her own way rather than His, a conscious or subconscious pursuit of goals that are inward rather than outward in motivation, a lack of prayer in the submission and seeking of His will for direction, etc.
On these and many other grounds, the church body suffering from spiritual hypothermia pulls away from the warmth of Christ’s presence and moves into the coldness of her own counsel. In so doing, the result becomes the opposite of what she, the church, expects. The warmth of her body begins to withdraw into her core, causing her extremities to suffer loss. Her hands and feet no long work and move as they used to in the past. The outreach and service efforts are no longer there. Her head is constantly warning her of these problems and difficulties, but, because the coldness has reached the upper regions of her body as well, her eyes and ears are likewise damaged, therefore, she is not seeing what she needs to and not hearing these words of alarm. Her legs are robotically taking her further and further away from the warmth. Speaking of the warmth, only the core of her body is enjoying it still. Only those in the fellowship for the longest time whose families possess the greatest tenures and histories blissfully move forward as if there is nothing wrong. After all, the cold is not touching them. As long as the body does not die completely nor will it, they say! Yet, such is not the inevitable outcome of spiritual hypothermia. Like its physical parallel, the death of its parts will bring the demise of the whole. Its just a matter of time.
How then can spiritual hypothermia be remedied? The warnings of the head must be heeded. The body must be moved back to the warmth. Like the Apostle Paul states in I Corinthians 12, we are all part of one body with each of us as members. The head cannot move the body on its own; the head needs the ears, the legs as well as the rest of the body to get the body back to the place of warmth, by the fire of Christ’s presence. To be close to Christ is something that all of us together need to want, to desire, to do. The body of Christ is an organism made up of believers who themselves are “on fire” for the Lord and who are corporately“on fire” for the Lord. The only way to combat spiritual hypothermia is for each of us to pursue this passionate desire to be closer to Him individually and to bring that passion with us when we gather together to worship Him.
Let us make this our goal for 2009. May we take the following passage from Psalm 42:1-2 , declaring it to be our corporate theme for the year:
As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So my soul pants for You, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
Amen.
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