The Conspiracy

I recently heard Joe Focht, pastor of Calvary Chapel of Philadelphia, make a statement that I really, really liked. And I took the liberty of taking what he said and expanding it, because I think it is so very important for many of us—specifically here in America—to take all of this into consideration. Now, it's going to sound a little like one of those cheesy church bulletin boards at first, but just bear with me.

There are a lot of conspiracies going on about presidents, current and former, International Bankers, Mega Corporations, and so on, and so on. If you're not being bogged down with stories about the evils of the Bush Administration, you're being bogged down with stories about the evils of the Obama Administration. But what we need to remember is the reality that there is an even greater Conspiracy...

And it's Christianity.

It's the Bible.

It's Jesus Christ. It's the power of His Gospel to change hearts, nations. It seeps into peoples' minds, changes their lives, topples tyranny, defeats death, strengthens homes, breaks the boundaries of race, gender, culture, class, rich and poor.

It is the only Faith loving enough to be honest and tell us that we are broken and in need of Help. The only Faith loving enough to tell us the work is finished, we need only surrender to the Savior. The only Faith loving enough to be honest and say there is only One Way.

When the world says "Go left," our Faith says "Go right." When the world says "Think this way," our Faith says "Believe that way." When the world says "That's illogical or irrational," our Faith says "Its Superlogical and Superrational." 

When the world says "There are no absolutes...." our God states "I AM."

This isn't Christians vs. Unbelievers or Unbelievers vs. Christians. This isn't Men vs.Women or Women vs. Men. This isn't Conservatives vs. Liberals or Liberals vs. Conservatives.

This is the the world versus God. And Jesus Christ has said that He has overcome the world (Jn. 16:33).

The question is: Do we live like that's true? Or do we try to fight the world on it's terms, not realizing that battle has already been fought and won by Christ?

Now, before you take this as an accusation of how "terrible the Church in America has gotten," let me make something clear: I believe there are no greater sources of anti-Christian propaganda than in the media and in much (though not all) of the public educational system. I believe, and actually know, that the Church here in the United States is doing more to address the issues of poverty and racism and abortion and Biblical values than we are being led to believe.

But that doesn't mean there aren't still those of us who are not doing anything. 

I recently had the privilege of watching Kirk Cameron's new film Monumental, in which he talks about how he has heard Christians saying "We should be glad that things are getting bad, because that means Jesus is coming soon!" But Cameron points out, and I believe rightly so, does that truly mean we should sit and do nothing? Does it not then become a self-fulfilling prophecy?

And yet, that is the worldview that some have adapted.

Why polish brass on a sinking ship?

We would much rather sit at our computers or in front of our TV sets and trace out all the different conspiracies, all the governmental problems, and the problems with society, then actually do something.

If there is one recommendation that I heard recently that has really stuck with me, it's this: We Christians need to get back to the priorities. We need to get back to our families and focus on strengthening them in Biblical values. We need to do what we can, where we are. We can act. We don't need to wait for the government to address these issues. We can address poverty as Ambassadors of Christ who have been charged with caring for the poor. We can do what we can to reach out to women who are considering abortion. We have the ability to address these Biblical issues. Biblically. While man-appointed laws can be helpful, we don't need to wait for them.

The Gospel is the only true answer to all the problems going on in our Country, today. We need to counter these supposed "conspiracies" by furthering the work of The Conspiracy. The proclamation of the love of God in the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The call to Repentance and Reconciliation with the Heavenly Father. Then, and only then, can we see true "Change."

We can't afford to mess around anymore. We need to get back to the timeless truth, inerrancy, and sufficiency of the Holy Bible as that by which we measure everything else. We need to get back to the Biblical Worldview.

Do I want this for myself and my generation? Of course! But I can tell you in all honesty that my full concern is for the next generation. I may not have kids myself, but I have nieces and nephews who are growing up in a difficult nation filled with confusion on morality, confusion on Biblical values, heck, confusion on every day issues. And I want them to grow up, as I know their parents do, strong in their Faith, uncompromising, unswayed by what the world is trying to teach them, and clinging to God. And it honestly can get pretty scary when I view my generation...

My generation is sadly struggling with the problem of Postmodern philosophy. And not just outside the Church, but within the Church as well. I, myself, struggled with it for over a year and I can honestly say it was one of the hardest battles I have ever come through. I don't wish that on anyone. And yet people in my age group are going through it right now, and it breaks my heart knowing that.

But it inspires me to remember what the priorities are. It inspires me to reach out to them either directly, or in prayer. It inspires me to remember that our God is a merciful God, who loves His children, and who has a Remnant. He always has a Remnant. No matter how difficult things get. And that Remnant, no matter how small, no matter how outnumbered can do incredible things in Christ.

Let's remember that as we further the work of His Kingdom here in America.

Doubts and Worries

My middle name is Thomas. And I'll be the first to admit to you that, as far as the Biblical connotations of that name are concerned, I am true to that name. Good ol' Doubting Thomas who would not believe that Jesus Christ had truly risen again until he had placed his hands in the scars and holes. Of course, Thomas is not the worst icon of doubting. There are plenty of other cases of it throughout the entire Bible—which I thank God for, because it gives me the assurance that if even some of these great men and women in the Bible struggled with it, then I'm in good company. I think of Abraham and Sarah when they were told by the Angel of the Lord Himself that they were going to have a child. I think of Moses when he was told by God Himself that he would be given everything he needed to accomplish this mission with the Pharaoh and the release of the slaves. Or the Israelites themselves when they were being rescued, and all the amazing things God did to rescue them and provide for them, and yet before long they were doubting Him, cursing Him, and straying from Him. I think of Zacharias when he was told by Gabriel the Angel that Elizabeth would have a son. These are just a few of the examples of this scenario I can think of.

However, I think the one that sticks with me the most is that found in the Gospels (Matthew 8, Mark 4, Luke 8, et al) of Jesus and the Disciples setting sail across the Sea of Galilee. And a terrible storm starts to brew. And the Disciples start freaking out, afraid for their lives, worried that they would not survive this storm. But look at this picture. The Son of God, God in the flesh, is in the boat with them. Visibly. Physically. And yet... they are afraid.

And yet, even after all of these examples, here I am saying "Lord, if only you would visibly appear to me, or audibly tell me what to do in these various situations that I'm worrying about or having doubts about, then everything would be alright."

If the Disciples visibly had Christ with them, if Zacharias, the Israelites, Moses, Abraham and Sarah, all these people, if they all had visible or audible messages from God and yet still faltered, still doubted... then how can I possibly think I would be any different?

But see, God doesn't contact people that way much anymore, so I would especially know for sure!

Well, granted, I can't 100% confirm or deny that belief, I can only presume based on the pretty insurmountable evidence provided in the Bible itself. Presume that, yes, at first I might be blown away, with full faith, saying "This is real! Thank you God for appearing/speaking to me!".... but after a while, maybe a few days, weeks, heck, maybe even a couple hours, I believe I know what would happen...

Was that really real?

Ah... It was probably just my overactive imagination. Or a dream.

Or, my personal favorite, because this is often the one I struggle with after I feel God has given me clear direction (and actually just struggled with this week):

What if it was Satan deceiving me into thinking it was God?

Doubting & Worrying are a terrible enemy. I would say they come second to Pride on the list of Top Worst Enemies. Although, now that I'm thinking of it... Is it possible that Doubt and Worry are routed in Pride? Do we doubt and worry because we are not in control of the situation? I'm not sure, it's something to think about. But I'm suspicious that they are indeed linked together. I am suspicious that just about every struggle/problem we have can, one way or another, link its way back to Pride. C.S. Lewis called Pride "The Great Enemy", and for good reason.

Here's the thing, though, about the Disciples in the boat with Christ. What did they do when they were freaking out? Did they try to fix the problem themselves? No. They went to Jesus and woke Him. Now the way in which they woke Him, saying "Don't you even care that we're pretty much about to die?", may not have been the best way. But yet... they did go to Christ. They knew to go to Him. They knew that He was capable of dealing with the situation.

And therein lies the key to what we usually struggle with. I think you can agree with me when I say intellectually we know God is capable of handling our problems. He's capable of fixing everything. He's capable of delivering us. Capable of leading us to the right decisions. That's not what's in question for us. What's in question for us is:

Will He?

We know He can, but we doubt He will.

Of course there is also a lower level than that, and I really hate to even admit this. But, you know there are times when I have seriously looked upward and said "Are you really even there, God? Or am I just going through all of this alone?"

It's amazing that we even struggle with either of those things (doubting His provision, doubting His existence) when, if we were to examine all the things that God did for us in just the past year alone, we would see that we really have no legitimate reason to be freaking out and doubting. Not only that but, as far as doubting His provision is concerned, the fact that we can have those doubts and worries when the God of the WHOLE UNIVERSE is for us! 

"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?" — Romans 8:31-32 (ESV)

Isn't that sick? It's sick ('sick' as in: it blows my mind) that God, the Lord and Creator of all things, more than the greatest celebrity, more than the greatest person we look up to, more than the kings and queens and other rulers of the earth, more than any of these people that we hold up so high and get nervous in their presence... this God is for us. This God loves us. And it's not a blanket love. He's not just like "I love y'all!" He's like "I love you, Joe. I love you, Tom. I love you, Rebecca. Steve. Mark. Angela. Amy." He loves us all as individuals! Because He's big enough that He can do that. Isn't that amazing?

If only we could devote more time to remembering that. And we can! I'm not going to say it's hopeless. Never. Because I know it isn't. It may feel like it's hopeless at times. But it isn't. That's an important thing to remember: If it feels hopeless, it's not of the Holy Spirit unless it's to show you that it's 'hopeless' if you try and do it in your own strength. The Spirit doesn't fill us with hopelessness. Quite the contrary, the Spirit fills us with Hope. If you're being filled with anything to the contrary, you know who it is. It's that serpent of old whispering into your ear "It's hopeless. You're doomed. You're nothing. You have nothing. You'll never have anything. Give up. It's over." If we hear this and seriously worry that it's the prodding of the Holy Spirit... then we don't know God. And it's time to get to know Him, either again, or for the first genuine time in our lives.

Wow, I have rabbit-trailed so much, I think. But that's what happens. Because as I type, my own thoughts start to expand as I start to realize more about what I'm talking about, and it's like I'm learning about what I'm writing about as I write it. 

I am not any kind of a role model in trusting God. If I was a role model of anything it would be Doubting and Worrying. Michael Hyatt, former CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishing, recently referred to himself as an Olympic Gold Medalist of Worrying. I would say I'm an Olympic Super-Master-Platinum +1 Medalist of Worrying and Doubting. And as a guy it's really hard to admit that because it makes me feel less like a man. But, hey, if by my openness God can use me to help someone else dealing with similar problems, then I will continue to humiliate the heck out of myself. Because even though I'm not strong, I'm not mighty, I'm not by any long stretch Superman... My God is. And He is with me. He is for me. And you know what? You know what it means when I'm in a situation where Worry and Doubt are threatening to take a hold of me? It means that I'm in a situation where God can and will prove to Me that He is all those things. He is Mighty. He is Strong. He is MORE than "Superman". It means I'm in a situation that is an opportunity for Him to show me His Grace, His Mercy, and His Love.

Is it easy to see this in the midst of the trial? No, not always. But we've got to trust Him regardless. Because, seriously, who else are we going to trust? Ourselves? I don't know about you, but I don't trust myself as far as I can throw myself. I don't "believe in myself" to accomplish anything, let alone solve my own problems. I believe in God who I know can accomplish anything and everything and solve all problems in the ways that He knows best. God is the only trustworthy believable Person there is. Because He's the Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End, the King of Kings, the Creator, the Great I AM, the Way, the Truth, the Life. Seriously? We're not going to put our trust and belief in Him? I've trusted and "believed in myself" too many times. It may "work" for a little while, but in the end either I am overwhelmed with more than I can handle and/or I realize I have strayed so far away from the God who has promised to take care of me. It's not worth it, and I refuse to do it any longer. I'm not playing that game anymore. It's like... It's like jumping out of an airplane with a parachute and not opening the parachute. I can "believe in myself" to suddenly sprout wings and fly to safety so hard that I puke, but the Laws of Gravity and Physics are going to have the final laugh when the ground and me have a sudden 'marriage' (if you will). The parachute was given to me for a reason. Because it's its job to 'take care of me' and guide me to safety. But instead all the time that I'm falling I waste so much time screaming at my parachute about how I don't trust it to open if I pull the cord. So, because my doubts and worries overwhelm me... I don't pull the cord. Because, for some reason that seems like a good idea to not even try. Lord have mercy. And He has. He does. You know why and how? Because even when we don't 'pull the cord', even when we splat on the ground like one of my famous chocolate chip pancakes on the grittle... He's there to revive us, heal our wounds, and re-energize, and give us another chance to trust Him.

God is Good. For serious. So trust Him. You won't :)

But you have to!

And don't start regretting all those times you didn't trust Him! All that's doing is starting the cycle of worrying and doubting all over again, paralyzing you. 

"Not that I have already obtained [Righteousness] or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained." —Philippians 3:12-16 (ESV)

Don't dwell on past mistakes. Don't worry about the past. You can't change what happened in the past nor can you ask God to change what happened in your past, but God can help you in your present and future to make the right decisions.

"Thus says the LORD, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters, who brings forth chariot and horse, army and warrior; they lie down, they cannot rise, they are extinguished, quenched like a wick: 'Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. The wild beasts will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches, for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, the people whom I formed for Myself that they might declare my praise." —Isaiah 43:16-21 (ESV)

God's ready and able to make a path through the sea, He's ready to provide you and me with water in the wilderness, and show you and me the way through the desert. He is trustworthy. So are we going to trust Him? Or continue to stumble in the darkness as we trust ourselves or our circumstances or surroundings?

I want to trust Him. I know that I can because He is trustworthy. And I know that He's giving me the strength to do so. I just need to break out of my stubbornness and take His hand.

But I'm worried that I'm not going to. And I have doubts that He will take care of me.

:-D

My middle name is Thomas.

Lord have mercy.

"And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!" —Luke 12:22-28 (ESV)

There is No Perfect Church....

....this side of Eternity. Well I'm sure right away that title probably caught many of your attentions. Perhaps most of you are nodding in agreement. But perhaps some of you are saying "Now wait just one minute"... Well, to me this is a logical statement to make that I feel can be proved by the simple fact that, as long as there are imperfect people in the Church, there can be no perfect Church this side of Eternity.

Now, I believe this statement to be true.... but I don't always acknowledge it. In all honesty, over the years, I have tried to make the Protestant Church and the Orthodox Church into the Perfect Church. It's like, while intellectually I understand that there is no perfect church, in practice I ignore that. I keep trying to set churches up on a pillar of perfection. And then when suddenly I run into something I disagree with... disappointment rolls in like a thunderstorm and my world starts falling apart. Why do I struggle with this? In all honesty I'm not totally sure... All I'm sure about is that I struggle with it.

But, almost always, I'm able to snap out of disappointment and remind myself "No... there is no perfect church!" One thing I've also been saying to myself of late is that, ironically, we should be more suspicious of a church that appears "perfect."

But regardless of these reminders, I keep struggling with it.

This is partly what happened when I began moving away from Evangelicalism and delving into Orthodoxy. When I began to be immersed in Orthodoxy, I remember thinking "Ah! At last! Here is the perfect church!" I entered, as my brother in Christ Eric puts it, a type of "honeymoon" period. But... as He often does, God saw that I was starting to really get carried away and suddenly things became revealed to me in Orthodoxy that rattled my cages, caused me to back away saying "Whoa-whoa-whoa". And then I entered a "barren lands" period of my life. I backed away from Orthodoxy and found myself sort of hovering in the shadows between Orthodoxy and Evangelicalism, not in the sense that I was a "hybrid" of the two (as I am now), but in the sense that neither really appealed to me. I needed a break from the both of them. Obviously, I continued my Christian walk regardless of not having a firm footing. God helped me. It was a pretty dark time, though. Looking back now it really does seem like I was walking in the dark, stumbling because I couldn' see. But, again, even so, every time I did stumble, God helped me back to me feet.

Earlier this year, my ears started to perk again at the sound of Orthodoxy. Slowly I began to journey back into it, picking up where I left off, but this time delving even deeper into it than ever before. I bought the Orthodox Study Bible (which I highly recommend) and was reading it, and its study notes) constantly. I was listening to podcasts on Orthodoxy, I started saying some traditional Orthodox prayers in the morning and evening, I even bought a censer and started burning incense (which has quickly become a favorite thing of mine to do!). But over time... once again I started falling head over heels. I started to become disillusioned with Evangelicalism, even to the point where I was almost disgusted with it. I became very foolish! And God saw that and knew I needed help. So bam! Again, something gets thrown in my path, some revelation of Orthodoxy that trips me up. However, this time it didn't have the same effect as it had before.

Rather than running away from Orthodoxy, this is about the time when I started to realize that I really was trying to find a perfect church. And I was trying to make Orthodoxy that perfect church. And so that's when it really dawned on me that, if I'm correct, there never will be a perfect church... until we are united in the Kingdom of Heaven. That's where there will be true unity. Where we will have the perfect Truth.

So I took a lot of time to really reflect during this period. And then I heard something that really helped me. I listened to a lecture from Metropolitan Kallistos Ware (an Orthodox Bishop). The lecture was titled "Orthodox and Evangelicals: What Can We Learn From Each Other?" Kallistos was giving this lecture at a seminar that was attended by Orthodox Christians and Evangelical Christians alike. And within the lecture he began to talk about the differing views and, specifically, the places where both sides, perhaps, fall short, and it's in these areas that Orthodox and Evangelicals can help each other. Much of what Kallistos was saying was summed up in his words

"[It's not 'either/or'... rather it is 'both/and'.]" (paraphrased).

We have a lot to learn from each other. And this in itself caused me to start to appreciate both Evangelicalism and Orthodoxy. I no longer feel the need to distinguish myself as either/or. But I am  comfortable distinguishing myself as 'both/and'. A hybrid. An Orthogelical, as it were.

Orthodoxy will help me with seeing that just about everything points to God (I don't mean this in a Universal sense), and truly appreciating the wonderful Love of God, and that Jesus Christ did not die on the cross merely to take on our sins, but to destroy Death, and the importance of the Church and that Christ greatly values our unity with each other.

Evangelicalism will help me appreciate the Scriptures (specifically applying them to my daily life), evangelizing, and realizing that I do have a very real struggle with my 'old man' who I keep digging up and trying to live the Christian life for me, and that my freedom from sin did come at a price, which emphasizes my thanksgiving to Christ, and that Christ also greatly values me as an individual.

Now this is not to say that either side is devoid of the other's views, because they aren't as far as I have seen. But in my experience, these are what these respective churches emphasize (again, please read the Disclaimer at the top!).

So... I burn incense while listening to praise and worship songs. I listen to Orthodox chants while reading a book written by a Dr. Michael Youssef (an awesome Protestant pastor). I open prayer, crossing myself, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and end prayer in the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ.

My Father has me on a unique path on which I am learning so much more than ever before. Almost every week I find myself learning something new that actually broadens both sides of my Evangelicalism and Orthodoxy.

I think we really do make the mistake, as Metropolitan Ware put it, of making it an either/or confrontation... When I really think we can learn a lot from each other if we take our fingers out of our ears. Now, as always, I have to make a firm clarification that I don't mean this in a Universalist "All paths lead to God" sense, but in regards to the Biblical, Apostolic Church. As Jesus Christ Himself stated:

"I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." — John 14:6

And I believe, affirm, and will uphold that statement, so help me God :)

So... examining myself....


A Paradox? Maybe.

A Lukewarm/Neutral Christian whom God will spit out of His mouth? Lord have mercy, no.

Am I scaring my friends on either side? Most definitely :-D


These are the merry mishaps... (dramatic pause)... of an Orthogelical.