Within the Lines

My Dad's "sermon", Part 1

 My Dad, pictured above, recently wrote an essay (?) that I enjoyed and decided to post here.  He is a tree-farmer, not orator, so the grammar, etc may not be perfect, but hopefully that can be overlooked for the meat of the message.

Basics

     I was saved at an early age and have attended Evangelical churches for over fifty years now.  During that time I experienced and observed many events in churches that were very disturbing.  I have seen delusional behavior, theft, scams, hatred, immorality, bitterness, unforgiveness, etc, etc.  I'm not addressing these things as if I have no sin.  I most definitely do, as we all do.  What I am talking about is unrepented sin.  A real Christian has an attitude of repentance and what I'm talking about is professing believers who are walking in an attitude of hiding and denying.  Why?

     I have pondered these things as well as the problem of people seemingly unable to get free of some compulsion even though repentant.  I've seen alcohol, sex, food, nicotine and other addicts try and try to get free with God's help only to fail.  Why?

     I've thought about these things for over forty years.  Then finally the answers came one by one from the Word.  The three R's.  The basics of Christianity.

     James 2 says faith without works is dead.  Obviously dead faith can't save.  Some people don't like what James says here: most notably Martin Luther who purportedly said James should not even be included in the Bible.  Others have used these scriptures as an excuse for legalism.

     Again, the Word has the answer:  The first "R", relationship.  Matthew 22:37-40 says, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it:  Love your neighbor as yourself.  All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments."

     That pretty much prevents legalism, but that is not the main point.  The main point which cannot be over-emphasized is that loving God is the first and foremost work of faith.  REPEAT-- LOVING GOD IS THE FIRST AND FOREMOST WORK OF FAITH!  It is the centerpiece of faith.  This love relationship is spoken of thoughout both the new and old testaments.  It is described very poetically in the Song of Solomon, and allegorized in God's instructions to Adam and Eve (eat the tree of Life), and in Jesus' picture of the vine and the branches.

     This love relationship with God is unique to Christianity from all the world's religions.    If you remove the love relationship from Christianity, you have just another dead religion, no different than Hinduism, Islam, Animism, or any other false religion.  Nothing left but dry bones, lifeless, ritual, bareness and futility.

     This love relationship is what gives us life; it's our umbilical to God through which His life flows.  This love relationship is the conduit to produce the life of God in us, the fruit of the Spirit (God's character in us), the fruit of spiritual reproduction, and power over sin and power in ministry.  This love relationship is so pre-eminent that God even said that if your "good" works aren't a result of this love, they are actually iniquity.  (Matthew 7:21-23)

     It's no wonder Satan started immediately in the Garden of Eden and has never let up since, attacking that intimate, abiding, life-giving, empowering relationship.  

     In most of the fundamentalist Evangelical churches in the country, the first commandment is largely ignored and instead, all the emphasis is on the great commission and perhaps a list of thou-shalt-nots.  This ignoring of the first commandment explains most of the hypocritical and even demonic behavior we have all seen in churches.

     Many people believe that if they show a lot of enthusiasm in church services that proves they have a love relationship with God.  Picture a political rally like we see on television every election year.  Those people are extremely enthusiastic, jumping, shouting and waving banners.  Is this evidence of a relationship?  Their candidate probably doesn't know them.  If their is love, there will be zeal, but zeal doesn't prove that love is present.

     Others think that if they carefully obey all God's laws, attend church regularly, study the Bible, etc, that proves love.  Picture someone working for a large corporation.  They are very conscientious and always on time, etc.  No one could conclude, based on their performance, that there is an intimate relationship between them and the CEO.  The CEO doesn't necessarily know them from a sack of apples.  If there is love, there will be obedience, but obedience doesn't prove there is love.

This relationship looks like a perfect marriage.  There is emotion, passion, zeal, and obedience.  There is praise, thanksgiving, and adoration with no thought of getting.  Love is about giving -- not getting!  In Song of Solomon 4:9, Jesus allegorically says, "You have stolen my heart with one glance of your eyes."  WOW!