Be Holy!

But Just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do, for its written; "Be Holy because I am Holy." 

1 Peter 1:15-16

The series of messages that I have been working through has been called Weird: Because Normal isn't working.  The admonition to be holy is a call to be "different" or "set apart" from the world.  The reason we are to do this is because God is holy and we are to be like him.  What does holy look like?  Many of us have strange views of what holiness is, and sometimes we end up striving or moving towards something that may not be holiness at all.  The quandary that we end up in is how we can be holy without becoming legalistic.  Legalism is when spirituality becomes about do's and don'ts.  It is when we become judgemental of those who do not hold to the rules.  Instead of being a vibrant relationship, it becomes about outward adherence to a moral code.  I remember being confronting with this type of behaviour when I was younger.  I was told that I was going to hell because I played cards.  I was also told that I wasn't a Christian if I didn't vote Conservative in an election.  I think many of us in the Evangelical church have been affected by this time of thinking.  In many regards, it is easier to adopt a concept of holiness more closely aligned with the Pharisee's (the religious people of Jesus' time) than with Jesus. Undoubtedly Jesus was the most Holy man who ever walked on the planet and yet he lived in such a way that the religious people said he was a "friend of sinners".  In their minds he hung out with the wrong sorts of people.  Rebecca Manley Pippert summed it up so well in her book, Out of the Salt Shaker.

"But what do you do with a man who is supposed to be the holiest man who ever lived and yet goes around talking with prostitutes and hugging lepers?  What do you do with a man who not only mingles with the most unsavoury people but actually seems to enjoy them?  The religious accused him of being a drunkard, a glutton and having tacky taste in friends...Jesus was simply not your ideal Rotarian...It is a profound irony that the Son of God visited the planet and one of the chief complaints against him was that he was not religious enough."

 "The religious of his day were offended because he didn't follow their rules and traditions.  He was bold and outspoken.  He favoured extreme change and valued what they felt was insignificant, which was largely the "unlovely"... To say he was not the master of subtlety would be putting it mildly,,,I think Jesus would have been my last choice for a speaker at a fund raising drive.  Imagine a scene in which you would gather all the powerful leaders and religious elite so they could hear Jesus give a talk (such as Matthew 23)...When they are seated, Jesus comes out and his opening words are "You bunch of snakes,   You smell bad,  you're hypocrites and blind guides.  And I want to thank you for coming...."  It was not exactly a speech that endeared the Pharisees to Jesus, which was what the disciples pointed out when they told him with a sudden flash of insight, "we think you might have offended them."  But for those who loved Him he was equally exasperating.  He constantly kept smashing some of his own followers expectations of what the Messiah should do.  He simply did not fit there mold.  He did not try to,  They thought the Messiah would come in power and liberate Jerusalem...But the only power that Jesus demonstrated was the power of servanthood." 1

 Holiness is not a predictable journey.  It is a daily excursion into the unknown wildness that is His will.  Sometimes that journey will be removing things that are hindering us from conforming to His likeness.  Sometimes it will be stepping into places that we never would have imagined we would go.  Sometimes it will be learning to clothe ourselves with characteristics and traits that will make us more like Jesus. God is looking for our willingness to choose to be holy, because He is holy.

  Tim Hansel in his book Holy Sweat, has this wonderful poem describing the holy life.

The Road of Life

At first, I saw God as my observer,
my judge,
keeping track of the things I did wrong,
so as to know whether I merited heaven
or hell when I die.
He was out there sort of like a president.
I recognized His picture when I saw it,
but I really didn't know Him.

But later on
when I met Christ,
it seemed as though life was rather like a bike ride,
but it was a tandem bike,
and I noticed that Christ
was in the back helping me pedal.

I don't know just when it was
that He suggested we change places,
but life has not been the same since.

When I had control,
I knew the way.
It was rather boring,
but predictable . . .
It was the shortest distance between two points.
But when He took the lead,
He knew delightful long cuts,
up mountains,
and through rocky places
at breakneck speeds,
it was all I could do to hang on!
Even though it looked like madness,
He said, "Pedal!"

I worried and was anxious
and asked,
"Where are you taking me?"
He laughed and didn't answer,
and I started to learn to trust.
I forgot my boring life
and entered into the adventure.
And when I'd say, "I'm scared,"
He'd lean back and touch my hand.

He took me to people with gifts that I needed,
gifts of healing,
acceptance
and joy.
They gave me gifts to take on my journey,
my Lord's and mine.

And we were off again.
He said, "Give the gifts away;
they're extra baggage, too much weight."
So I did,
to the people we met,
and I found that in giving I received,
and still our burden was light.

I did not trust Him,
at first,
in control of my life.
I thought He'd wreck it;
but He knows bike secrets,
knows how to make it bend to take sharp corners,
knows how to jump to clear high rocks,
knows how to fly to shorten scary passages.

And I am learning to shut up
and pedal
in the strangest places,
and I'm beginning to enjoy the view
and the cool breeze on my face
with my delightful constant companion, Jesus Christ.

And when I'm sure I just can't do anymore,
He just smiles and says . . . "Pedal."

-- author unknown 2

Let's take up his call to be different and join the adventure of a Holy Life.

pj

1. Becky Manley Pippert, Out of the Salt Shaker (Downers Grove Ill.: Inter Varsity Press, 1979), 40-41

2 Tim Hansel, Holy Sweat (Dallas, Texas: Word Publishing, 1987) 51-53

Just the Beginning

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." Proverbs 9:10

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge" Proverbs 1:7

I am endeavouring to build a healthy lifestyle right now.  I have wanted to lose a few pounds and try and keep it off.  I am on day nine of my diet and actually have been quite successful.  By making some simple adjustments to my diet (no chips, pop and sweets) and better choices (salad instead of fries, drinking more water) I have lost 5 pounds in that period of time.  But there is another side to healthier living that I haven't touched yet and that is exercise.  My approach is very one sided at this time and I know that if I am truly interested in being healthy and not just being skinny, I need to be concerned about this other side of health. If I was to sum it up in a formula, it would look like this:

Healthy Eating + Exercise = A Healthy Lifestyle

  I began my faith journey in the 1970's.  It was the summer between grade eight and grade nine.  Our family became involved with some camp meetings put on by the United Church renewal fellowship at Carrick Camp just outside of Mildmay, Ontario.  One Sunday night they showed a film called a Distant Thunder, a part of a series of movies on the second-coming of Jesus.  It was the Left-Behind series of its time.  It was an all out scare you into the kingdom event.  I actually call my testimony, "Scared into the Kingdom".  I was filled with anxious dread about being left behind. I was fearful of having my head chopped off.  I didn't respond to the altar call, but later that night I couldn't sleep and asked Jesus into my heart in my parents bedroom.  

  As I began to grow in my knowledge of God and my relationship with Christ I became gripped with Christ's love and my fear quickly faded and was overshadowed by his overwhelming love for me.  It was fear that brought me to Christ, but it was His love that held me.  But now I am being pulled back again to fear.  Not the anxious dread of my teenage years, but to a deep sense of reverence and awe for God.  The reason is because if I do not have this, my understanding of God is built on a shaky foundation.

The writer of Hebrews states in Hebrews 12:29, "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful and worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire."  This fear is an essential part of faith in God.  Solomon after an incredible search to find purpose and meaning concluded that the number one priority in life is to "fear God and obey his commands" (Ecclesiastes 12:13).  He also states that fear of God is foundational, it is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge. 

  I remember reading an article a number of years ago, can't remember where it was, about the math it requires for NASA to launch a rocket into space.  It mentioned that a one degree error at launch would mean that it would be off course by over a 1000 kms by the time it hit the earth's atmosphere.  A mistake at the beginning can cause major variations in  a short period of time.  I think this is the point of Proverbs 9:10.  The Fear of God is the starting point of understanding His holiness, His greatness, His glory, His majesty, His judgement, His righteousness and all other things that make us realize how incredible God is.  If I am off on these things, I have the potential to skew my view of God and tailor it towards my preferences.  Instead of man being made in the image of God, I begin to make God in my image.  A proper view of God is essential to right thinking about everything.  If I was to some it up in a formula it would look something like this.

Love of God + Fear of God = Devotion to God

As Jerry Bridges says in his classic work The Practice of Godliness, "The fear of God should provide a primary motivation for, as well as result in, obedience to Him.  If we truly reverence God we will obey Him, since every act of disobedience is an affront to His dignity and Majesty." 1

"Fear God and serve Him only."  Deuteronomy 6:3

pj

1. Jerry Bridges, The Practice of Godliness (Navpress, 1983 p. 30)

The Missing Piece: Fear of God

My Dad just celebrated his 89th birthday.  I love to hear his stories, particularly the ones about World War 2 and his part in the Dutch underground and about his childhood in the Netherlands.  One of my favourites is his story about visiting the Queen of Holland.  He had been a part of a boys club and a select few had the opportunity to have tea with the Queen.  When they were serving tea, the sugar was in the form of cubes (you don't see sugar cubes very often any more).  The cubes were to be picked up with a set of small tongs.  My dad always had sugar in his tea, but he had it black that day. He didn't want to use the tongs so that no one could see how bad his hands were shaking.  He was keenly aware of the fact that he was in the presence of royalty.

  I am often reminded of this story when I am thinking about God.  He is the ultimate royalty.  He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.  I am aware of God's great love for me.  He loved me and you so much that he gave His only Son to die for us.  His love is infinite, the apostle Paul challenges believers to plumb the depths of God's love, to see how high, wide,  deep and long is the love of Christ (Ephesians 3:18).  He explains that nothing, absolutely nothing can separate us from His love. (Romans 8) He also tells us that His love is a compelling force to do His will. (2 Corinthians 5:14-15) But there is another half to this truth, God must also be feared.  We are to have a deep sense of reverence and awe.  the writer of Hebrews tells us, "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, because our God is a consuming fire."

 I remember the first time I saw what would be a consuming fire.  I was working in Jasper, Alberta at the Tramway for the summer and a small forest fire developed about 40 km's outside of the town.   It was contained, but still a sight to behold, trees would burn like torches.  I was laying on a grassy hill on the edge of town and as I watched the destruction I thought to myself, "I am glad I am looking at this from a distance."

  Sometimes I think we make God too manageable, too easy going, and too safe.  Maybe there should be like in my dad's story, a little bit more of the "shaking of the hand".

  In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe C.S. Lewis describes the first time the children hear about Aslan:

"is - is he a man?" asked Lucy

"Aslan a man!" said Mr. Beaver sternly.  "Certainly not.  I tell you he is the King of the wood and the son of the great Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea.  Don't you know who is the King of the Beasts?  Aslan is a lion, the Lion, the great Lion."

"Ooh," said Susan.  "I thought he was a man.  Is he - quite safe?  I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion."

"That you will, dearie, and make no mistake," said Mrs. Beaver; "if there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knowcking, they're either braver than most or else just silly."

"Then he isn't safe?" said Lucy

"Safe?" said Mr. Beaver; "don't you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you?  Who said anything about safe? Course he isn't safe.  But he's good.  He's the king I tell you." 1

Like Aslan, God is definitely not safe. He is to be feared with reverence and awe. To not have a little bit of trembling of the knees is foolhardy.  He is not safe, but God is very, very good.  Donald McCullough in his book The Trivialization of God says this about a God who is a consuming fire, "The blaze of holiness admits no disrespect; its,boundaries cannot be trespassed.  But this very distinctness is the fire that thaws our frozen hearts, the fire that draws us into a relationship with God and one another, the fire that cleanses even as it purges" 2

"Fear God and give Him glory"  Revelation 14:7.  And that is just the beginning...

pj

1 C.S. Lewis, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (London: Puffin 1950), p.75

2 Donald McCullough, The Trivialization of God (Colorado Springs: Nav Press 1995), p.87

  

85 Billion Dollars

I was reading the "Our Daily Bread" devotional this morning and it stated that in the United States and Canada, 85 billion dollars was spent last year on lottery tickets.  85 billion!  I can't even imagine those kind of figures.  Money spent with the hope that it will turn in to more money.

I never did real well with math when I was in school, but I wanted to take a shot at calculating what you could do with 85 billion dollars, if it was channelled in a different direction,

Just recently we had Jay Calder who represents Compassion of Canada speak to our congregation.  For the price of a cup of coffee from Tim Horton's you can support a child, feed them, clothe them, educate them and guide them to God through a relationship with Jesus Christ.

$1.60/day = $584.00 annually = 1 Child sponsored

$85 billion = 145,547,945 Children Sponsored

Gospel for Asia supports national missionaries to minister in their own environments.  It takes between $120 and $360 per month on average to support a national missionary.  For our math, let's take the higher figure.

$360.00/month =  $4,320.00 annually = One Missionary Supported

$85 billion = 19,675,926 national pastors supported.

I am aware that I am coming at this money from my bias.  Maybe you don't care about national pastors and children finding faith.  But my point is this, that amount of money could change the world drastically for the better.   I am pretty confident that 85 billion dollars can make a dent in a lot of major issues on our planet.  It could resource food banks, homeless shelters, camps, drug rehab centres and on and on.

Jesus talked about in Luke 12:48, "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked."  For some reason God has allowed us in North America to have much.  But because of that the demands on us are higher.

  I don't think God is pleased when we flitter away the resources he has given to us on the vain attempt of "instant wealth". I think God would be more pleased if we invested that money in what really matters, one dollar at a time.

pj

Time and Technology

I just got a new cell phone.  It's not the newest and the best, but in comparison to the one I had, it's way better.  The battery actually lasted all day.  My app updates don't fail because of lack of storage. I like it a lot. Technology is amazing!  I cannot believe what my phone is capable of, and that's just what I know.  It probably does way more than that.  For the couple years I have it, I hope it serves me well.  

 That last phrase is really the big question: Will it serve me or will I serve it?  Technology has a dark side.  The problem comes when our technology starts to control us, instead of us controlling it.  Really, it's not the phone or tablet's fault.  It is just metal, plastic, glass and whatever else it's made of.  There is nothing evil or dark about these things.  In many regards it reminds me of the Apostle Paul's words in 1 Timothy 6:10 when he talks about money, "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil,  Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs."  Sometimes people will say that money is evil.  Money is not evil, it's just paper (I guess polymer if you live in Canada) and metal. It's the love of money that makes it the root of evil. So, getting back to technology, it is not evil, but it's misuse can be extremely detrimental.

  It can be dangerously distracting.  I'm glad I live in Ontario and the government has made it illegal to use a phone will driving, but the problem is many continue to do so.  I love this commercial that Volkswagen has put out, it shows very clearly the danger.  

I have heard of people walking in to manholes, crashing bicycles, walking into walls, falling downstairs, falling into fountains and having to have surgery or physiotherapy because of physical ailments because of over use.  We are also just beginning to get the stats on the long term physical affects of phones on people.  But they can also easily move from being a dangerous distraction to just being a huge waste of time.

A 2009 study conducted by the Nielsen-funded Council for Research Excellence and by Ball State University’s Center for Media Design (Council for Research Excellence) According to this study, the average person spends twenty-eight hours in front of their television each week. This is in addition to the sixteen hours a week, on average, that we spend in front of our computers.

Okay, I'm not a mathematician.  Actually, I failed grade 11 academic/advanced math. But according to my calculations, if they are even close to being true, we spent 4.8 hours daily in front of a screen.  Some of that time is work related.  I am sitting on my computer right now.  It's a part of my job.  But a lot of times we end up wasting tons of time.  I love games, and I could waste my whole day playing Candy Crush, Trivia Crack, Battle Cats, Angry Birds, Scrabble and whatever other games are out there. I could watch sports or movies all the time.  These things aren't necessarily bad, but when they waste so much of our time, they can become a great detriment. Again the Apostle Paul has some great thoughts on this in Ephesians 5:15-18, "Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.  So then do not be foolish, but inderstand what the will of the Lord is.  And do not get drunk with wine...but be filled with the Spirit."

Paul warns them about the wasting of time and he picks an addictive behaviour as the thing that needs to be avoided.  The addiction he chooses is the misuse of alcohol, but the new addiction seems to be technology. I have seen teens weep and grief over broken technology and compare it to the loss of a child.  I have seen them have symptoms of withdrawl without their devices.  Paul says addictions are unwise and keep us from understanding God's will.  He says there is a better alternative...be filled with the spirit.

I found this prayer in a blog by Scotty Smith, the Pastor of Christ Comminity Church in Franklin, Tennesse, called a "Prayer for a Fresh Stirring and Filling of the Holy Spirit."  I was greatly moved by it and would encourage you to make it your prayer.

Prayer for a Fresh Stirring and Filling of the Holy Spirit

 One other problem that technology and just busyness in general does, is that it can rob you of the moment that you are in.  Almost all of us have experienced a time when they have seen someone so engaged with their technology that they were not even there.  I remember the first time I saw this.  I was at a restaurant and two people were having lunch, but instead of talking to each other they were on their phones while they ate.  They were not fully-present.  We need to try and live in the moment - be where we are.  How do you do that?  Let me give you three suggestions;

1. Turn it off.  Have technology free parts of your day.
2. Tune in.  Actively listen to what the person you are talking is saying.
3. Don't be in a hurry.  Many times we rush, because we think we should be doing something else.

Let your technology serve you, not the other way around.

pj

I Get Knocked Down

It has been four weeks since my last blog post.

It has been four really bad weeks.

Discouraging, difficult and depressing.

But it's time to get out of the mud and keep pressing on.

Is life any better?  Not really.

Is life really that bad?  Probably not as bad as I think it is.

In life I will get knocked down.  It is just a part of life.  But I will determine to give Glory to God in the midst of whatever I am going through.  By God's strength I am getting back up again.

Onward and Upward

One Another Scriptures from the New Testament

This is an infographic from
http://overviewbible.com/one-another-infographic/

I thought it did an excellent job of highlighting all the "One Another" scriptures in the New Testament. Thanks to Jerry Kranz for making this available.