Who Are We; And What Are We About? (part 1)

Posted on August 26, 2014 by parklinscomb

A youth minister that a few of our old-timers will remember, Reid Moon, was fairly famous for his questions that seemed to come right out of left field—that would make you think a little deeper. One of his more famous questions was supposed to be asked while looking in a mirror, “Who am I, and what am I about?” The right answers to this double question can make a huge difference in the life of an individual Christian, because it refocuses and clarifies our true identities and purpose.

And if it helps us individually, it will help us collectively as a church. Let’s ponder this thought starting with who we are.

Or rather who we aren’t. Looks can be deceiving, of course, and this is the reason we must even ask the first question at all. For example, although the church is a group of friendly people, we are not a social club. Social clubs are for the expressed purpose of forming social circles and giving opportunities to socialize and make friends. They may have a few hoops to jump through, a special handshake to learn, and a secret to be in on, but these are primarily for the purpose of weeding out people “who just wouldn’t fit in”. If the church sees itself as a social club, it misses God’s vision by a mile and will miss God’s whole purpose for its existence. And although we do good things, we’re not a philanthropic society. Such groups raise money and help people or causes, so that they can feel good about themselves. And yes, such groups have certain value to society, but the church is much, much more, doing things for a much different, a much higher, reason than “the good of society” or to feel good about themselves.

We are the Bride of Christ. Here is the original rags to riches story, told in several spots throughout the Bible (Ezekiel 16, Ezekiel 23, Hosea 1, Ephesians 5:22ff, Revelation 21:1,2). We may look like just any other group of people, but we are the very Bride of Christ! Though at one point we were common, unremarkable, and even enemies; now we are chosen, covenanted, holy, loved, protected, special, and exalted.

We are the saved (Acts 2:47). At one point we were lost, doomed, and the certain objects of God’s wrath and justice; but now we have been rescued by a most gracious Savior. Rescued from the certain doom of justice, from slavery to sin, from sure disaster for our souls. Yes, we may still look a mess with eyes of the flesh—sin takes its toll and still tries to claw at us—but don’t be fooled, we are the saved, the rescued, from sin and death.

We are the new Israel, God’s people. Israel was described as the apple of God’s eye (Zechariah 2:8)—holy, chosen, and treasured. With such privilege, however, went great responsibility, too. Now, the church has become the new Israel (e.g., Romans 2:28,29). God once said this about Israel, (Isaiah 52:13, 14) “Behold, My servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted. Just as many were astonished at you, My people, So His appearance was marred more than any man And His form more than the sons of men.” That is to say, we may not look like “the nation of God”, the “kingdom of God”, but that’s exactly who we are! Conquering, mighty, and led by the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

We are priests of God (1 Peter 2:5). This description speaks of both great privilege (no one approaches God as a priest without God’s designation) and responsibility. As a church we offer up offerings of praise and living sacrifices of our lives, and we mediate between God and mankind with the Gospel. We may look like a bunch of “laymen”, we may feel like “laymen”, but the reality is, we are priests of God Most High.

We are the body of Christ. Christ’s resurrection body ascended from the Mt. of Olives 10 days before Pentecost approximately AD 30, He still has a body that remains here on this earth—us! What does Jesus look like? Us. A light to the lost; an example of obedience and love; and unified people melded into one body giving glory to God in all its deeds and perseverance. Granted, we may look a bit bedraggled from a human perspective, we may be misfiring as a body sometimes, but as long as we are connected with the Head, Christ—listening and obeying—we are His body.

We are the family or household of God (1 Timothy 3:15). Yes, I know, we don’t look like we’re related: short-tall, willowy-rotund, black-white, upper-class—lower-class, GED-doctorates, brown-eyed—blue-eyed, native-born—from-away. As Paul put it, (1 Corinthians 1:26) “For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble”—but we are family. And not just any family, God’s family. Covenanted, heirs, beloved, and even disciplined as sons.

So look in the mirror again, church. What you see is not exactly what we are, unless you’re looking in the mirror of God’s word. We are so much more than the eyes of flesh perceive, more than our fleeting feelings sense. And that realization is transformative, for then we can accomplish the commissions God has given to us. More on the commissions next week.

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But First We Must Run Aground

Posted on August 11, 2014 by parklinscomb

Last Sunday I preached from Acts 27:25, where Paul tells the crew and other passengers on his storm-embattled ship that he had received a message from God that everyone on board would be saved—and he believed God. A short statement with a significantly impactful thought. What a blessing, through all the challenges of the Christian life, to have God’s sure and steadfast promises!

What we didn’t pay too much attention to at the time was the next verse, (Acts 27:26) “But we must run aground on a certain island,” which offers an important additional lesson here for us, too. You see, in almost every case the path to blessing is challenge, hard work, patience, and sticking faithfully to God’s plan. There’s a “but first” involved in almost everything. It wasn’t what the sailors or passengers on board wanted to hear, but the way to safety was through the scary path of running the ship aground. This is not what most of us would prefer, either. We’d much prefer something like a Christmas-morning sort of promise fulfillment—everything’s there, no work involved, “no assembly required”.

We shouldn’t be so surprised at this, though; it’s in the world all around us. After children are conceived, there’s a “but first” you have to wait 9 months to hold them. And after they’re born, there are grandchildren, “but first” you have to raise them (right) and work at making them responsible adults. You can be successful, “but first” you have to get educated, have a great idea, and work really hard. The list could go on and on, but you’re well acquainted with the idea. And it works this way spiritually, too.

To Abraham God said, you’ll be a great nation and the whole world will be blessed by you…but first you must be childless for 25 years, and first you must come right up to the edge of offering your only son in sacrifice to Me.

To Israel God said, you’re going to inherit Canaan, the land of promise…but first you must cross the Red Sea; first you must learn My commands of My covenant; first you must cross the wilderness, and first you must cross the Jordan River.

To Jesus God said, You will be King of My Kingdom, You will be Savior and Redeemer of many men and women, You will rise from the dead and be glorified above all names…but first You must become a man, but first You must suffer all things that they suffer, but first You must die unjustly on a cross for their many, many sins. Then the promises were fulfilled.

And so it goes with us. God promises to answer prayer, for example…but first we must do our part and pray in faith (that is, act as if we already have received it—Mark 11:24), first we must ask according to His will (1 John 5:14), first we need to ask in Jesus’ name (John 14:13). Then the promises are fulfilled.

God promises to rescue His people from their tribulations…but first we love our enemies (Matt. 5:44), first we must abandon thoughts of revenge (Rom. 12:19), first we need to be patient and wait (Isa. 40:31), first we must remain faithful to God even to the point of death (Rev. 2:10). Then the promises are fulfilled.

God’s promises to provide for our needs (Matt. 6:26ff)…but first we need to put the Kingdom of God first (Matt. 6:33), first we must work (2 Thess. 3:10), first we must be good stewards (Matt. 24:46-51), first we must be content with needs (1 Tim. 6:8). Then the promises are fulfilled.

God promises to lift us up and free us from the slavery to sins that seem to have us firmly in its grip…but first we must hunger and thirst for righteousness (Matt. 5:6), first we need to die to ourselves (Gal. 2:20), first we need to be truly obedient to what we hear (Matt. 7:24ff), first we need to renew our minds (Romans 12:1,2), first we need to grow in knowledge of His word (2 Tim. 3:16,17), first we need to find companions to encourage us to do right and leave behind the wrong (Heb. 10:25,26), first we need to develop and establish new habits (Eph. 4:17ff), first we must struggle. Then the promises are fulfilled.

Regarding mankind’s salvation, God is saying, I will redeem you, give you eternal life, and Heaven…but first you need to believe in and obey Jesus (John 3:16), first you must follow Him faithfully through hardship or worldly opposition (Matt. 10:24ff), first you must die to yourself and let Christ live in you (Matt. 10:38,39). Then the promises are fulfilled.

God promises better families…but first we need to follow His rules for marital roles; first we must discipline our children lovingly, consistently, and properly; first we must submit to husbands, love wives, and honor parents; first we must be shining examples of Christianity—Eph 5:22-6:4. Then the promises are fulfilled.

God promises that our church can grow, be a light to our community, and be filled with earnest and zealous disciples of Jesus…but first we must seek first His kingdom; first we must actively share the good news with others; first we must give generously of time, treasure, and energy; first we must step out in faith on some matters; first we practice sincere love for one another; first we must stay faithful to His pattern. Then the promises are fulfilled.

Paul, by inspiration, wrote, (2 Corinthians 1:19, 20) “For the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who was preached among you by us–by me and Silvanus and Timothy–was not yes and no, but is yes in Him. For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us.” The reason that the promises are sometimes left unfulfilled has nothing to do with God, but everything to do with us—we are unwilling to follow the path that leads to the fulfillment. Let us claim the promises of the Lord realizing that He is faithful to them all…but first…

Park Linscomb

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The Same, but Different

Posted on July 9, 2014 by parklinscomb

Romans 6:3, 4 “Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.”

On a spiritual level, baptism is a wonder-inspiring miracle—dead men are raised and given life, sins disappear through no work or effort that we can muster, the Spirit indwells us, we are adopted as children of God—all through the power, grace, and efforts of our Lord Jesus. On a spiritual level everything is changed.

But on a physical level everything remains pretty much the same. You work the same job, keep the same family, retain the same circumstances, you struggle with the same weaknesses and temptations, you keep the same bank balance, go home to the same address, remember the same memories, and put on the same clothes. You, in other words, keep the same life with the same struggles and trials but with this earthshaking difference, you’re not the same.

It may be the same job and boss and stresses, but a new attitude toward work, a new response to the boss, and a new stress reliever for the stresses. Things should be different, because you are.

It may be the same family, husband, wife, children, and parents. But after dying to self and rising to let Jesus live in us, it’s different. There should be a new way to deal with marital disputes, train and discipline children, and honor parents, because it’s a new person doing it all.

And to be sure, you will struggle with the same weaknesses and temptations, but after being buried with the Lord in baptism you have a new answer to the temptations, a different reaction to them, a new source of strength, and a new compass in life.

After having been born again, (John 3) you keep the same bank balance (sorry about that), but something’s different. It belongs to the Lord now; you have a different set of priorities about where it should go; you have a different and better way of spending it. Now it is no longer a god, but merely a stewardship from God.

You’ll also have the same amount of time (hours, minutes, and seconds) every week and will have a lot of the same time commitments (e.g., work, school, etc.), but again, many things here will also be different. Now, we look to redeem the time (Eph. 5:16) and use it for the Lord’s things. Now, because we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, we use Sundays and Wednesdays differently, we make time for study of the Bible, we make the time to pray, and we reschedule our calendars to reflect a Christian view of what is important.

And you’ll also remember the same memories some painful and some pleasurable. But the view and interpretation of those memories will be different, because we can now look at our lives from God’s point of view. While previously we may have bragged about some things, now we may be embarrassed; and while we may have beforehand reveled in them, we will now want to learn from them.

Yes, when we come out of the waters of baptism, everything will be the same but everything will be radically different, too. If it isn’t, something’s wrong and needs to be righted. Things can’t just remain the same.

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Books and THE Book

Posted on June 22, 2014 by parklinscomb

I love books; I always have. There’s something almost magical about opening the cover of a book and looking inside for an escape from the ordinary or sit at the feet of people with something interesting to say. My day-off frequently includes a stop by Barnes and Nobles to scan the latest offerings in some of my favorite reading categories: action adventure, history (especially ancient and early American history), sociology, occasionally politics, and of course religion. Occasionally, I buy one.

When I buy fiction, I usually read through at a leisurely pace—occasionally having to go back and pick up the thread of the plot again, if I’ve been too leisurely. It’s a story, a diversion, I can take it lightly, and I’m supposed to suspend my skeptical critique.

If its a non-fiction book, on the other hand, it’s a different story. I’ll often read it with a pen or pencil in hand, so that I can underline, comment, expand, apply, criticize, and basically have a conversation with the author in the margins of the book. Non-fiction books that I buy will never be resold as “practically new”.

Why would I apply such a different approach to non-fiction books? Because while many things in a book may be true, not everything printed in a book written by a man is necessarily true. Tragically, sometimes folks read non-fiction as it were fiction—leisurely, gullibly, and uncritically. But everything making a claim to be true—men or the written words of men—must be challenged, critiqued, and compared with THE Book, the ultimate truth, the Bible. The inspired apostle John warned the early church (1 John 4:1), “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” And on the other hand, Jesus commended the Ephesian church (Revelation 2:2), “‘I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false.” Those claiming to be prophets or apostles—some of them even had books that they wanted to call Gospels—needed to be tested against God’s word, the Bible; and in many cases, they were found wanting.

You see, while books of men may be useful, they are still being written by men, who are fallible, sometimes agenda-driven, sometimes well-meaning-but-lacking-enough-information, sometimes less-than-thorough-in-thought, and sometimes willing to simply tell us what we want to hear. They may be inspiring, but in the end they aren’t inspired. They may promise great insights and solutions for our personal lives, our spiritual lives, or even church growth; but men’s wisdom will always pale in comparison to God’s. Some authors will have an “alphabet soup” of letters behind their names from prestigious universities, but the three letters that matter the most—that none of them will have—are G O D.

And by the way, yes, I’m well aware that the Bible was physically written by men; but the crucial difference between books and THE book was and remains the Bible’s God-breathed inspiration. As Peter discussed the subject of true versus false prophets, he said this, (2 Peter 1:20, 21) “But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”

And that God-breathed inspiration makes all the difference. Paul wrote by the Lord’s inspiration, (1 Corinthians 1:18-20) “For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, ‘I WILL DESTROY THE WISDOM OF THE WISE, AND THE CLEVERNESS OF THE CLEVER I WILL SET ASIDE.’ Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?” And you could read right on through chapter two for even more inspired wisdom about the so-called wisdom of the world. Put succinctly, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5).

Thus, commentaries, theologies, devotional books, web sites, class lesson books, paraphrases, Christian novels, church growth literature, periodicals, preachers, etc.—even this bulletin article—are men’s works which must be cross-checked (and “cross” checked, if I may be allowed a pun,) with the inspired word of God, and to be believed only after a healthy application of skepticism. Because truth matters (Prov. 23:23); accurate handling the word of truth matters (2 Tim. 2:15), teachings and doctrines matter (Gal. 1:8,9); and what we think and believe matters (Eph. 4:4-6). And sometimes men’s works are off.

Am I advocating some sort of book-rejecting ignoramus-ism? No, not at all. Come into my office, see my own library of books, and ask that question again. I am encouraging readers of serious books that they cannot afford to swallow what they read “hook, line, and sinker”, no matter how riveting, how inspirational, how academic, or how well-researched the author’s writings may seem to be. What I am advocating is that we must be thoughtful readers, cross-checking with Scripture, and “spitting out bones” as necessary. I want to urge that when we read, we need to pick-up on warning signs (e.g., no mention of Scripture, or the regular use of “I feel” and “I think”). And I am fervently advocating that we need to be strong students of the one book that is always true, the Bible.

 

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The Therapeutic Level

Posted on May 27, 2014 by parklinscomb

In the world of medicine there is a term that is used of prescribed drugs, the “therapeutic level”. It means the amount of drug that must be present in the body to achieve the desired benefit. While it is a term that is used for a number of drugs, it’s one that I came into contact with in my clinical work in psychology, especially as I dealt with clients with bi-polar affect disorder. The medication that was commonly given for this disorder was actually quite effective; the catch was that it took a couple of weeks for the medication to reach “therapeutic levels”—enough to really help the client.

However, one of the common reported side effects of the medication was a feeling of lethargy, and so it was often difficult to persuade patients taking the medication to continue taking the medication. Sometimes they would legitimately forget, sometimes they deliberately forgot; but the response was always the same: “Oh, I didn’t take the meds, but I didn’t relapse. Maybe I’m OK now.” So, they’d skip another, and another. By this point, clients often began to hope that the bi-polar disorder had been cured and that were normal—and they would just completely stop taking the medication.

What they discovered, however, at the end of a couple of weeks was that they were not cured. Little by little, as the therapeutic levels of the medication went down, they became more excitable, step by step they lost sight of appropriate behavior, degree by degree they lost control and finally experienced another full blown episode. It took a couple of weeks to flush the beneficial medication from the body and the mind, a couple of weeks to return to no self-control, inappropriate behavior, and the old madness—which they often seem to sort of like.

Have you ever thought about church attendance and the “therapeutic leveL”? No? Let me share what’s crossed my mind.

So, what does church attendance do? Some would say at the beginning “Not much.” However, as the individual is exposed to Bible preaching, Bible teaching, spiritual singing, prayer, remembrance of the Lord’s sacrifice for us, and warm godly fellowship, the cumulative effect begins to make a difference. Selfishness, pleasure-seeking, lack of control, inappropriate behavior, improper attitudes, unwholesome speech—the symptoms of worldly madness—begin to disappear. They are replaced by Christian love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithful, gentleness, and self-control—the fruit of the Spirit, and one’s truly right mind. And the more we attend the stronger we get. How does this happen? Hebrews 10:24, 25 tells us, “and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” While Jesus is certainly the cure for sin and death, the church is God’s spiritual “medication” to keep us strong in our commitment to be in our spiritual “right mind, and against descending back into the spiritual madness of sinful living.

But then life starts getting busier. So much of the world’s activities get scheduled for Sundays, Wednesdays, and sometimes worst of all, late Saturday nights. “C’mon,” says the world (and sometimes our own treacherous hearts), “One sleep-in Sunday won’t send you to Hell.” So, you do; and you notice that the earth didn’t open up and swallow you. So, then a friend teases you about going to church and says, “C’mon, one Sunday morning golf game isn’t gonna hurt ya any. You’re one of the strongest Christian guys I know.” And you believe it, and play golf on Sunday morning. And you notice that, lo and behold, you didn’t rush right out and get drunk or start swearing—well, maybe one swear word, when you shanked the ball into the woods; but you don’t think your friend noticed.

And so it goes. Never feeling radically different from week to week. So, we begin thinking, “Maybe I don’t really need to go to church to be a Christian, to remain spiritually strong.” Little by little, degree by degree we begin to believe that we don’t need it. We wander away never noticing the subtle changes in our life. The influence of the Spirit through the church falls below the spiritual “therapeutic level”. Slowly, imperceptibly, we become more worldly, more callous to sinful influences and sinful deeds, more defensive toward those that urge us to come back to church, and more sensitive to “judgment”. In time, we don’t read the Bible anymore, we don’t pray (unless in dire straits), we let the world dictate right and wrong. We fall back into the spiritual insanity and lostness of the world.

The world mocks church attendance as unimportant at best and a waste of time at worst. What do you think?

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About Easter

Posted on April 22, 2014 by parklinscomb

If you’re not a regular church-goer, or just not an especially religious person, you might wonder what all the fuss is surrounding Easter. And even if you do come to church regularly you might sometimes wonder the same thing, even though you know a little more Bible. It’s a good question.

Once a year?

A once a year Easter celebration is not a Scripture-demanded holy day, although it is the one Christian celebration that we have a solid month and date for—it all happened at Passover. Instead of an annual event, what the Bible tells us is that we are celebrate the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus every first day of the week.

“What’s in a name?”

About the name “Easter”—well, there’s about a hundred theories about the origin of the name. Some claim the name has a pagan root while others claim that it has its origin in a German term (the old Teutonic form of auferstehn, Auferstehung, i. e. resurrection). But whatever the origin (and I favor the second), the meaning in modern English has nothing to do with paganism and everything to do with the resurrection of Jesus.

No kidding

About the believability of the event of Jesus’ resurrection: it is one of the best documented, best witnessed event in history. Despite 1) an fear of Jewish religious leaders that Jesus disciples might try to steal the body, 2) a Roman seal being placed on the stone covering the tomb, 3) and a well-armed Roman cohort of guards being placed at the tomb; the tomb remains empty and Jesus’ body was never produced by His enemies. He was seen, heard, and touched by well over 500 witnesses over the course of 40 days before His ascension, most of whom were skeptics at first. And one witness, Saul of Tarsus, at first hostile, completely changed his life from one of aggressive disbelief to one of aggressive promotion of the faith. And one more thing, despite persecution, imprisonment, torture, and death not one of them ever recanted their testimony—really, who would die for a lie?

Big deal—or no big deal?

Lastly, what is its importance? Now we’re really getting to the good stuff; let me quote from the Bible itself:

1 Corinthians 15:3, 4 “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” First, note that this event is not only important, it is of first importance. There are some things that are important, and then there are things that are important enough that they demand that you drop all else and pay attention. The resurrection is one of those kinds of important things.

1 Corinthians 15:16, 17 “For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.” The resurrection is important because it is the proof that we are forgiven, that Jesus’ death on the cross was more than just another example of human cruelty. Had Jesus not risen from the dead, then His death on the cross could legitimately be questioned as being effective for salvation. The resurrection says that Jesus was indeed God and that He indeed died for payment of the debt of sin that we have amassed.

1 Corinthians 15:20-22 “But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.” Third, Jesus’ resurrection proves that this life is not all there is. Death is not a “dead end” (pun fully intended). There is an afterlife in which we will one day have to “face the music” of our deeds in this life. The resurrection proves that there is a Heaven to gain and a Hell to avoid.

1 Corinthians 15:54-58 “But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory. “O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” The resurrection also assures us that all the difficulty that we put up with as Christians, all the trouble that we endure, all the temptation that we reject, all the sinful pleasures we abstain from, all good deeds, all the sharing of the Gospel, all the compassion, all the mercy shown, all the time spent in service to others and the Lord, all the toil in the Lord is meaningful, purposeful, and substantial—the opposite of vain and empty. It does count for something; and it counts big!

While Easter isn’t a required holy day (it is only traditional), it still brings to our minds, and the minds of the whole world, that something really BIG happened over 2000 years ago; that changed the world then and still changes the world today.

Has it changed you yet?

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King Josiah of Judah

Posted on April 21, 2014 by parklinscomb

[This posting can also be found on another blog of mine, Bible 101, and is offered here as a sample of that series of posts, in case you’d like to follow that one, too.]

I hope you had a blessed Easter Sunday. While Easter is not a commanded holy day, it is the one date (month and day) for a major event that we know for sure in Jesus’ life. We know His crucifixion happened the day before Passover and we know that His resurrection  happened on the the first day of the week, three days after His burial. Of course, the Scriptures record for us that Christians taught by the apostles remembered Jesus death, burial, and resurrection weekly, each first day of the week (Acts 20:7, for example); and obedient Christians even today follow that pattern. Nevertheless, it is a great opportunity for the church to proclaim loudly every year that something huge happened 2000 years ago that the world ought to seriously consider.

But it’s time to get back on track on our journey through the Bible.

The last post talked about good king Hezekiah. Today’s post will come primarily from 2 Kings 20-23 and 2 Chronicles 33-35. I hope you’ll take a little time to read through the Scriptures themselves for details we can’t go into here.

Josiah’s roots

Sadly, Hezekiah’s son was not so good. Manasseh turned out to be every bit as sinful and unfaithful to the LORD as his father had been good and faithful—though in fairness, it should be mentioned that he seems to have repented at the end of life. Nevertheless, Manasseh’s son Amon followed in his father’s evil footsteps. However, after only two years, Amon’s own servants assassinated him, and Amon’s 8-year-old son, Josiah, was placed on the throne. Unlike his father and grandfather, Josiah chose to follow the LORD. He faithfully and systematically began to erase the paganism that had invaded Israel in the days of his grandfather Manasseh and restore the worship of the one true God.

An amazing discovery!

Part of the restoration of the worship of the LORD was rebuilding the Temple of God, which had fallen into significant disrepair. Money was given to Hilkiah, the high priest to conduct the repair and restoration of the Temple. Hilkiah and the other priests of the LORD set to work and while doing clean up work in some of the storage rooms of the Temple, the priests made an astonishing discovery—the book of the Law. The book of the Law had been neglected and lost for decades. The discovery was brought to the attention of king Josiah, who had the book brought in and read in front of him. Josiah’s response was shock and grief, (2 Chronicles 34:21) “Go, inquire of the LORD for me and for those who are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book which has been found; for great is the wrath of the LORD which is poured out on us because our fathers have not observed the word of the LORD, to do according to all that is written in this book.”

Tapping the brakes

The answer from God was that He fully intended to punish Judah for their disobedience, but “‘Because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants, and because you humbled yourself before Me, tore your clothes and wept before Me, I truly have heard you,’ declares the LORD. ‘Behold, I will gather you to your fathers and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, so your eyes will not see all the evil which I will bring on this place and on its inhabitants.’” 2 Chronicles 34:27, 28. For Josiah’s faithfulness, God was willing to “tap the brakes” on the punishment in store for Judah.

The best Passover in over 300 years

Josiah, the leaders of Judah, and the people renewed the covenant with the LORD and celebrated the Passover, a crucially important holy day to Israelites, for the first time in a really long time. The outpouring of sincerity and devotion toward the LORD was stunning; the Scripture describes it this way: “There had not been celebrated a Passover like it in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet; nor had any of the kings of Israel celebrated such a Passover as Josiah did with the priests, the Levites, all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.” (2 Chronicles 35:18).

Then back to the promise

But just as God’s word had promised, the wheels of justice for Judah’s disobedience had already begun to turn. Too soon Josiah died in a battle at Meggido against Pharaoh Neco, who was heading north to join their Assyrian allies against the rising Babylonian empire. Although they initially won; four years later, the Babylonians, led by Nebuchadnezzar, decisively crushed Egypt and Assyria at Carchemish, giving rise to the great Babylonian Empire.

Josiah was deeply and sincerely mourned. His son took his place, but the kingdom of Judah was living on borrowed time. God’s promise and processes were now back on track and in play. In the space of only 11 years Babylon would invade and take captives (like Daniel). In another few years, Judah would try rebelling against Babylon and the whole city of Jerusalem, including the Temple, would be razed to the ground. More about this next time.

Something to think about…

  • God keeps His good and bad promises—always.
  • Consider the power of God word: power to change, power to motivate, power to save. Now, if only we’d open it up and read it. Consider what happens when it is not read.
  • Josiah was a “transitional person” in his family, refusing to let a legacy of paganism and evil to dictate the choices he would make. Many of us may come from “dysfunctional” or irreligious homes with little or no moral compass; it doesn’t mean that we are locked in to that sort of behavior. We can choose differently.
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Which Is It, Love or Fear?

Posted on March 31, 2014 by parklinscomb

Love and fear are often placed in opposition to each other in the realm of religion. They seem on the surface to be mutually exclusive, when it comes to discipleship and service to the Lord. The clear preference is for love of the Lord; fear of the Lord is thought to be a low and despised motivation. The Bible, however, has a different view: (Deuteronomy 10:12) “Now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require from you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,” You see, it is not either love or fear; it is both love and fear. Indeed, if one of them is missing, faith tends to go a little dysfunctional.

What happens, if we don’t love the Lord enough?

Our service becomes drudgery
When one loses one’s love for the Lord; our service becomes less joyful by degrees, our obedience becomes increasingly only about compliance, and our discipleship becomes more and more slavish.

We seek to avoid service when we can
As self-love increases against Christ-love, one begins to seek to dodge service and obedience, whenever possible. And as we dodge more and more, we find that we love less and less.

We become satisfied with the minimum
Connected with seeking to avoid service; we also find satisfaction with minimal discipleship. We begin to be interested in what is absolutely necessary to get to Heaven. We begin compartmentalizing our discipleship from our secular life—losing sight of the fact that our spiritual life should reach into every corner of our lives.  And as we minimize our discipleship, we begin maximizing the secular compartment of our lives.

Obedience becomes rote
When one has lost his love for the Savior, worship, prayer, Bible reading, etc. starts to become mechanical, purposeless, and thoughtless—because we’re supposed to. And as these things begin to mean less and less, we are motivated to love less and less.

Is it true that “perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18)? Yes, of course; Jesus clearly had such perfect love for the Father and His will. However, with the remainder of men the trouble usually is in that phrase “perfect love”. Our love is too often immature, incomplete and imperfect. It could be strong at one moment, but then be overcome with self-love, pride, sensuality, etc. the next. For those of us with imperfect love (I’m going to take a chance and include us all in this category); healthy, reverent fear is good and even necessary.

What happens, if we don’t fear the Lord enough?

We play fast and loose with God’s commands
One of the first things that we may do, when our fear for the Lord declines is become careless with our obedience. We get satisfied with “close enough” and “good intentions”. We start finding situations in which the Lord’s will won’t apply to us; we discover lots of “play” in the commands found in Scripture.

We try to play lawyer with His commands
Lack of fear for the Lord often leads to playing close to the edges of sin. It usually includes trying to parse the exact words of the commands: “Well, the Bible doesn’t specifically condemn this” or “The Lord doesn’t say that I’ll go to Hell, if I do it.” It’s a very dangerous game to play with God, who takes sin seriously.

We take advantage of God’s mercy and grace
We begin to caricature (a picture with exaggerated features) God’s nature as being all loving, merciful, gracious, and forgiving—a doting grandfather figure in Heaven. Justice and righteousness get shoved to the back of the closet of our minds, and before long we are sinning easily and fearlessly, because “a little sin won’t be any big deal”, and because God will just cover all our sins.

We may abandon God’s commands altogether
And why not? If God is not to be feared, if all my sin is to be forgiven anyway, if there is nothing but Heaven in store for me no matter what I do; then bring on the “religions” of convenience, worship of my own choosing, cheap discipleship, and lives that are indiscernible from the world’s.

The Hebrew writer’s words offer serious warning to those whose love is sometimes less than perfect, Hebrews 10:26-29:

 “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?”

Love and fear are two godly sides of the same coin of Christian faith. God wants us to serve Him in love; but we must also understand clearly Who we are dealing with, the awesome and holy Creator. It’s not either/or; it is both/and.

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Judgment

Posted on March 9, 2014 by parklinscomb

Along with inclusiveness, one of the “high virtues” of the modern age seems to be non-judgment. It is considered a serious “sin” to many modern minds to be judgmental. This is , logically, a rather curious set of morals, since to spot a judgmental deed and point it out is—well, a judgment itself, right? The whole interaction could very logically go around in an infinite loop: 

“Don’t judge me!” 

“What?! You just judged me! Don’t judge me!” 

“Hey, wait a minute! I said it first. Don’t judge me!” 

“Well, Don’t judge me!”

And round and round it goes in perfect, silly, post-modern circles.

“But wait,” you may say, “isn’t there a serious, biblical directive against judgment?”

Right you are; it is a clear command found right in Matthew 7:1-5

“Do not judge so that you will not be judged…”

And yet, 10 verses later (Matt. 7:15ff), Jesus not only commands us to judge or discern, but even gives us some criteria by which we might judge false teachers, their fruits.

Was Jesus confused? Is this a Bible contradiction? What’s going on here?

Although it may seem confusing, it is less difficult that you may think. The simple answer to the apparent problem is that there are two ways to judge—a godly way and a sinful way—it is not a one-size-fits-all matter. Let me explain.

Sinful Judgment
 Jesus said, “Do not judge so that you will not be judged.” (Matthew 7:1), and then He clarifies. The first clarification—“For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you”—reminds us that the kind of judgment that we “offer” is the kind of judgment that we’ll get from God. If our judgment is sheer criticism, aimed to humiliate and condemn, or born from harshness, malice, or grudges; then, watch out, what goes around, comes around—from God!

In the second clarification Jesus poses a parable, “Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” Here we see the irony of correcting someone’s sin, when our own uncorrected sin is so obvious. People judge this way, generally speaking, when they want to draw attention away from their own sin. Jesus calls it acting, hypocrisy.

Another kind of sinful judgment has to do with criticizing others on the basis of non-binding traditions—which Jesus judged: Matthew 15:9 “BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.” Later in the New Testament Paul also called to account those who were judging other Christians on the basis of their own opinions, traditions, and tastes—Romans 14:1 “Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions.”

So, Is Judgment Ever Right?
 Jesus commands us (Matthew 7:15-20) to tell the difference between good and sinful teachers (prophets)—between what is right and what is wrong. Note: we do not determine what is right and wrong; we simply recognize it. Jesus clarifies our “place” in Matthew 18:18, “Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”

“OK,” someone may say, “but isn’t it better to just discern the truth and keep it to yourself?” While some truths are not necessary for survival, I think you’d agree that there are some that I need to know. For example, I’d need to know, if my house is on fire; and I’d need to know, if I was about to drink poison. Likewise, I need to know, if my soul is in jeopardy. Ezekiel 33 (please read it) tells us clearly (in parable style) that silence about spiritual truth can’t help anyone—and may actually condemn us for letting others die spiritually without a warning. Truth unspoken is truth hidden.

Of course, for judgment to remain “right”, it must be spoken in love: Ephesians 4:15 “but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ.” Notice: 1) Speaking 2) the truth 3) in love is all part of growing up spiritually to the image of Christ.

How does all of this come together?
We all judge; what kind of judge are you? None of us like to be corrected; sometimes it is done poorly and wrongly; but correction/judgment/discernment doesn’t have to be un-Christian. It is right, when we are accurately and humbly speaking God’s words. It is right and required, when people’s souls are on the line. And it is right, when accompanied by love and self-examination (Gal. 6:1-5). In summary…

  • You must be certain of God’s judgment or authority before speaking. Men’s tastes, traditions, and opinions are a different story in the matter of judgment. (John 7:24; Romans 14:3-5; 1 Cor. 8-10)
  • You do have the biblical right to discern right from wrong. (Matthew 7:15ff; Hebrews 5:14)
  • You do have the right and obligation to point out error and sin. (Ezekiel 33; 1 Cor. 5:1-13; Galatians 2:11; James 5:19-20)
  • You do not have the right to be unkind, unloving, disrespectful, hurtful, or petty. (1 Cor. 13; Colossians 3:12-14; James 3:13-18)

Park Linscomb

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What if I Don’t Feel Like It?

Posted on February 18, 2014 by parklinscomb

There’s probably not a parent in the world who hasn’t heard that one. There’s probably not a person in the world who hasn’t personally asked it. And although it is used in every situation imaginable, I would dare say that it is used more often regarding religion than any other. On the surface of it, the question is an honest admission regarding difficult demands and expectations of the Lord; but beyond the surface, it is mostly seeking a “pass” to be disobedient and to do what we “feel”. 

We usually intuitively know what this question is trying to accomplish, but we often don’t know what to do or say—to others or ourselves. So, we work hard at making those who “don’t feel like it” change their feelings. We offer rewards, highlight the positives, ask them “What’s wrong?”, and work at making things more pleasant for them. Sometimes it works; but more often, it just “enables” indolence and irresponsibility.

May I suggest another approach? Strongly encourage—perhaps even insist on—doing what should be done anyway. There are good reasons why. Let me list a few.

First, the Bible (God word) has many examples and commands about overcoming feelings and acting righteously. Moses, for example, resisted going to Pharaoh and saying, “Let My people go.” Gideon, Deborah, Saul, Jeremiah all were given “work orders” they didn’t feel like carrying out—but did. Jesus’ own teachings call on us to both love our enemies and forgive 70 times 7! And Jesus didn’t just teach acting better than you feel, He lived it. He washed feet of His betrayer on the night of His betrayal. And later, Gethsemane’s prayer makes it pretty clear that Jesus didn’t really feel like going to the cross: “Yet not as I will, but Thy will be done.” Sometimes things we don’t feel like doing simply need to be done anyway.

Feelings, you see, are fleeting and are usually the worst of advisors on the subject of what the right thing to do is. On the other hand: truth, duty, and faithfulness are constant and permanent and are among the best of advisors on the right thing to do. Who doesn’t have serious regrets about things done as we followed feelings? Conversely, I have never regretted doing anything because of truth, duty, or faithfulness—even when I didn’t really want to do it.

When students decide that they don’t feel like going to school, no teacher would say, “OK;” the school department definitely wouldn’t. When the kids don’t feel like doing their chores, good parents don’t give them a “pass”, do they? When the baby’s crying out of hunger or “diaper discomfort”, few responsible parents would say, “I just don’t feel like it.” No smart husband attempts to excuse himself from remembering or making a big deal about a first (or any) anniversary, because he just didn’t feel like it. Should matters of Christian obedience, service, or duty to the Lord really be different?

And here’s an interesting thing, once we start doing things, our feelings tend to change. There’s a psychological principle called cognitive dissonance that is at play under such circumstances; and while some duties are just plain unpleasant, the way to change how you feel about something is to act better than you feel. More than a 100 years ago, philosopher and psychologist William James talked about this phenomenon: “Action seems to follow feeling, but really action and feeling go together; and by regulating the action, which is under the more direct control of the will, we can indirectly regulate the feeling, which is not.” In other words, by acting as if you feel a certain way, you induce that emotion in yourself. Act like you love someone, and before long you’ll feel love. Act like you’ve forgiven someone and before long you’ll feel more like you’ve forgiven them. It’s surprisingly effective.

According to the inspired apostle Paul, discipleship to Jesus is about a transformation Rom. 12:1,2), a renewing of the mind , a renewal of the spirit of our minds (Eph. 4:23,24)—a new self (Col. 3:23). Do we really suppose that the old self, who must be laid aside and crucified (Rom. 6:6), is going to just go quietly? Of course the flesh will feel differently, will rebel, will make war with the Spirit. To expect anything else is to have missed or forgotten the warning of Romans 7’s passage about the war between the flesh and the spirit.

Loving and following Jesus often means choosing duty over ease, speaking up over silence, silence over speaking up, giving rather than taking, activity over leisure, and what we should instead of what we feel. Of course, He never asks us to do what we cannot do; but what we can do—even when hard—we should at least try to do.

Let us listen closely to and obey the Lord’s words, even when we don’t feel like doing them. Let us look around us at things that should be done in service to the church, the Lord, and others—and wash whatever feet we find at hand, whether we feel like it or not. And let us commit ourselves to have the same spirit as our Lord: “Yet not as I will, but Thy will be done.”

Park Linscomb

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