Promises

As I climbed, backpack carefully packed on my back I spotted a rock on the ground that was shiny held promise in the shimmering sun and so I picked it up and placed it in my pack. It wasn’t very big, the weight wouldn’t bother me, but as I climbed higher into the mountain pass there were other rocks that held equal promise. Each I would pick up and examine before placing them in my pack.

As I travelled those miles through beautiful mountain meadows and craggy mountain passes the weight of my pack grew heavier and heavier upon me, and still I found more rocks to pick up because I couldn’t live without them.

Finally, jumping off a small ridge on the trail the combined weight of the rocks became too much for me and I fell and found I couldn’t get up. I’d picked up more than I could realistically carry. I was done. I couldn’t go on.

Emotionally and spiritually the picture above is how I too often live my life. It is certainly how the alcoholic / addict lives theirs. My assumption is that these tendencies are part of what it means to be human; a result of choices made in the Garden of Eden many generations ago. If step four is our first surrender and housecleaning, step ten is merely our daily surrender and house cleaning.

There are so many things I pick up during the day: resentments against my boss, my wife or my kids; a shot of pride – taking credit for an accomplishment that was really a gift from God; and a long list of expectations of how I am supposed to be treated and catered to. I need to lay these things down promptly if I am to enjoy the journey. Bill Wilson, founder of AA writes:

We can’t stand it if we hate deeply. The idea that we can be possessively loving of a few, can ignore the many, and can continue to fear or hate anybody, has to be abandoned, if only a little at a time.

We can try to stop making unreasonable demands upon those we love. We can show kindness where we had shown none. With those we dislike we can begin to practice justice and courtesy, perhaps going our way to understand and help them.

Whenever we fail any of these people, we can promptly admit it – to ourselves always, and to them also when the admission can be helpful. Courtesy, kindness, justice and love are the keynotes by which we may come into harmony with practically anybody. When in doubt we can always pause saying, ‘Not my will, but Thine, be done.’” …. (Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous: Alcoholics Anonymous World Service, 1953: NY, NY. Pg 92-93)

 Jesus said something similar in the lingo of his own day:

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. 35 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. 36 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?* 37 Is anything worth more than your soul? Mark 8:34-38 (Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved

Peter said it this way: “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. 1 Peter 5:7 (Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.)

 All of these encouragements are toward the same end: letting go of things we don’t need to carry. The message of the Bible is incredibly humbling and freeing at the same time: “You are not God. Quit trying to be God. Simply be who I made you to be, and in so being, be free.”

 A story is told of a gold fish that used to look at the humans outside of his fish bowl with such envy. “I want to be like them. I want to be free. I don’t want to be confined to this bowl. I want to see the world and take my place in it.” So one day he started swimming around the bowl with all his might. He swam faster and faster until he finally jumped out of the bowl. He landed on the table, out of the water, flopped around and then died.

 Sometimes freedom isn’t what we want it to be. The 10^th step is all about learning to be free in completely counter-intuitive ways – by “taking up our cross and following Jesus” in the way of the cross; finding resurrection that always follows such a death.

 The trouble with us as humans, at least with me is that I have a very short memory, about 24 hours long. That is why Jesus urged me to repeat this process daily, and why Bill Wilson called it a daily inventory. Following Jesus is not a one time event. Giving up my own life to follow Him is not a one time event. It is a daily, sometimes hourly event precisely because I forget.

 For me it takes the form of gratitude. The Biblical writer addresses this as well. Paul states: “Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” (1 Thess 5:16-18 -- Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.)

 Gratitude is a sign of my surrender to God’s rule over and design for my life. It says, “Let me be thankful for all you give to me; whether I like it or not. Help me find you in the details and be grateful for all that you offer me.

 Step ten is really about a daily walk with God. It is part of God’s process of sanctification, and His purifying process in my life.

 

A biblical exegesis of step 9

Step 9:  Made Direct Amends to such people wherever possible except when to do so would injure them or others.

          Though I shouldn’t have been, I was quite surprised when I began looking at the Biblical directives to make amends – “confess”. My mind went immediately to a well known passage in James, “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” (chapter 1 v 6. Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved. ) This passage has long been important to me because it plays a significant part in my Mum’s story of asking the elders at church to pray over her for healing and having the cancerous tumor in her abdomen disappear literally, overnight.

            The passage has drastic connotations. Normally when we “go to church,” we put our game faces on. People sitting next to us in the pews know very little of what is really going on in our lives. The idea of a “shared life” is as foreign as living in the Falkland Islands (unless of course you’ve lived there or currently live there.)

            It is a shame that we have lost the reality that what unites us is not our strength and shared “victory in Jesus,” but rather our brokenness and need of His power in our life every day to simply live the way that He designed us and asks us to. Instead of sharing the reality of a marriage in crisis and kids in rebellion we feel the need to manage our image and pretend that we’re leading our perfect middle class family through the rough seas of a broken planet. We want others to think of us as better than we are because when we look at others, they seem so much more “put together” than we feel. The James passage is in direct contrast to this and gives us a way to live in real relationship that is so counter-intuitive to our natural way of thinking.

            Now, while all of this is true, it does not quite get at the specific directive of the 9^th step. “Confession,” in this instance, is not about “making amends.” It is about being honest and being real which are bigger principles we need to grapple with before we ever get to the action of making amends. This is not to say that God has nothing to say on the subject, but like His disciple Martin Luther, he has a way of saying things all over the place so we hear them all over the place, if we will but listen.

Below are a few more of His words on the subject.

"Or suppose you make a foolish vow of any kind, whether its purpose is for good or for bad. When you realize its foolishness, you must admit your guilt.5 "When you become aware of your guilt in any of these ways, you must confess your sin. -- Lev 5:4-6 (Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved. )

Here is the scene, The children of Israel have left Egypt and are in route to the Promised Land. God is giving them direction on how they are to live life together. Very early on in his list of instructions (kind of like a list you leave for your teenagers when you are leaving them at home for the first time for a weekend) of how to live together. Here is my paraphrase, “When you are stupid, admit it and make it right.”

We all do stupid things. Many of us do them again and again. When we fall into this pattern we lose trust with people around us. When we make promises and don’t follow through. When we continually do same irritating thing that bothers or wrongs our co-workers or family members. When we keep making mistakes that cost our teammate’s games or trophies, it has become too easy to merely say, “I’m sorry.” It loses its meaning. Words evaporate in the air and all that is left is disappointment and a building vow never to trust that person again.

The writer of Leviticus says, “Confess your sin.” Now to a 21^st century reader those three words are loaded because the word, “sin” is loaded, and “confession” is misunderstood. “Sin” here is simply missing the mark. And confession has in implied, “it won’t happen again” attached to it.

In AA members are taught a simple formula, “I was wrong. I hope you will forgive me. How can I make it right?” Those outside of twelve-step fellowships could learn from this.

Feeling badly about what you did (I’m sorry) means very little, really. You can feel badly for a whole gamut of reasons: people think less of you, you feel less of yourself, you hurt someone, etc… Why you are sorry is anyone’s guess. Acknowledging wrong however lets people know that you know you are not perfect, and that you screwed up. Asking how you can make it right lets them know you want to make up for what you did to the best of your ability. God has more to say on this a little later.

 In Num 5:6-8 (still more or less the same section of Scripture as Leviticus) God has this to say: "Give the following instructions to the people of Israel: If any of the people—men or women—betray the Lord by doing wrong to another person, they are guilty. 7 They must confess their sin and make full restitution for what they have done, adding an additional 20 percent and returning it to the person who was wronged. 8 But if the person who was wronged is dead, and there are no near relatives to whom restitution can be made, the payment belongs to the Lord and must be given to the priest. Those who are guilty must also bring a ram as a sacrifice, and they will be purified and made right with the Lord.* (Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.)

 Here God is a little more specific: Confess your sin and then make restitution to those you wronged – 120% of the cost of the wrongdoing. And if the person and / or his family is no longer alive give the 120% to God.

 Someone may ask why God has this in his list of instructions and God answers in the Psalm 32:3-5: When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. 4 Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat.Interlude  5 Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, "I will confess my rebellion to the Lord." And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.(Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved. )

 This was a lesson that I learned too late in life: I confess because it is good for me. I do not confess for the good of the other person. I confess in order to maintain my own connection to my Creator. I do not have the power to break the connection of the person I wronged or re-connect it. I only have the power to keep my connection in place. I do not make amends for the other person. I make amends for me and in so doing restore my connection to my Creator and allow for the possibility of ongoing relation to the other person. Our ongoing relationship ultimately relies on their relationship with their Creator. The only way any of us have any relationships at all are if God is in the middle either intentionally or completely unrecognised – but that is another post in and of itself.

 We will end with 1 John 1:8-10: “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. 9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.(Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.)

 Part of being human in a fallen world is a demand to be god. We live in a universe that is running away from its centre. Scientists tell us that there was a big explosion and since that moment in time each piece of the universe is moving at extraordinary speed toward complete isolation, away from all other created objects, away from that awful explosion that sent us careening out of control away from our Creator. (Well the scientists don’t say that last bit.)

 We are but microcosms of the macro picture. We too in our natural state are moving away from the centre, which is our Creator, and in so doing we can’t help but move away from our fellows. It is simply the trajectory that by our nature we were created on. The only way to find true union is to change trajectories, turn around and move back toward the centre, toward union with God and our fellows. That requires the death of our natural self which wants to be self-sufficient and is grandiose and fragile.

 Our natural trajectory is way off the mark. In and of itself it is leading us toward a world of aloneness and pain. God’s word for it in John’s letter is “sin”. I find that the word is unhelpful though because it is so loaded. Word’s have pictures and “sin’s” word picture for me and many like me simply doesn’t work.

 To get a better picture of what God is saying that does work, I’ll accept: sick, going the wrong direction, got on the wrong freeway, self-centred, ego-centric, etc… because all those words paint a picture that I can accept. John may say, “If we say we have not sinned…” I will say, “If you think everyone is not ego-centric and self centred…”

 Come on, we all have, we all do… the 9^th step is simply about admitting how broken and foolish we are. We can laugh on the back side of things… “You know what an idiot I was… I remember when…” everyone laughs because we’ve all been there. That is confession.

 

That is the 9^th step. I need to add one note here. The end of the 9^th step states: “Except when to do so would injure them or others.” Above I stated that the reason we make amends is for ourselves. Now while this is true, it is true within the confines of love.

 It is wrong form me to unload my dump truck of guilt on your head so that I can feel better about myself knowing that in so doing I am turning your world on its head and destroying any foundation you may have.

There are Christian counsellors here in my city that argue that a complete “dump” has to be made for restoration to occur. I could not disagree more. I love you first, and in loving you I tell you the truth, and commit to being completely truthful with you, but I do not dump on you. Perhaps that should also be explored further in another post.

What is important is that we recognize that Bill Wilson figured some things out when he wrote these steps down that allowed alcoholics and addicts that wanted recovery to find a way to connect with God and find life free from drugs and alcohol. Those same steps can work for anyone that wants to connect with Jesus.

 

Two Authorities

From: As Bill Sees It

Many people wonder how A.A. can function under a seeming anarchy. Other societies have to have law and force and sanction and punishment, administered by authorized people. Happily for us, we found that we need no human authorities which are far more effective. One is benign, the other malign. There is God, our Father, who very simply says, "I am waiting for you to do my will." The other authority is named John Barlicorn, and he says, "You had better do God's will or I will kill you."

 << << <<      >> >> >>

 The A.A. Traditions are neither rules, regulations, nor laws. We obey them willingly because we want to. Perhaps the secret of their power lies in the fact that these life-giving communications spring out of living experience and are rooted in love. (1. A.A. COMES OF AGE, P. 105 2. A.A. TODAY, P. 11)

I posted this because of my previous posts on authority. there were so many questions from well-meaning "church people" who simply baulk at the idea of authority that is lived out daily in 12 step rooms. Bill Wilson in his usual crisp and clear manner seems to go to the heart of the matter.

I can't help but think that we have too long neglected the role of the Spirit (cf Jer. 31.31) because of a tradition handed down by earthly authorities that created human authority in reaction to very real problems and confusion left over by a church that was making a mess as it tried to live faithfully in those early centuries. 

Historically speaking, the real problem hit when Contstantine co-opted the church for the State's and his personal gain in the 4th century. In one fell swoop, authority in the church was turned on its head. I realize that more words need to be written on this and after I finish writing on the steps I will certainly revisit the subject.

Clothing and the 7th Step

6 The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. 7 At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.

                    8 When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man* and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. (Gen 3:6-9 Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.)

 From the beginning of our story we have been covering up our own nakedness. We hide from each other. We hide from God. We cover ourselves in a protective act. An unforeseen danger lurks. If I see me as I am, I will lose hope, and so I hide.  If you see me as I am, you will not love me, and so I hide. If the Holy God sees who I really am, the very light of His holiness will destroy me, and so I hide.

Our fig leaves are our character defects. All the things we do to hide: procrastinate, lie, kill, steal, ignore, isolate, deride, hate, cheat, gossip, overindulge, lust, fornicate & adulterate, create idols, attempt control, image manage, etc… are the psychological weavings of an out-of-control ego that wants desperately to achieve equality with God. The cloth is designed to cover the reality of our own wantonness and seeming ugliness which ruins any hope I harbor for real connection and relationship.

Sometimes the fabric works to cover us for awhile. The lie appears to make us more desirable, but inside we know those who hear the lie desire something that is not really us and so it doesn’t count. The derision can make us feel better about ourselves and some of those who may be watching, but it really only serves to point out how we feel about ourselves. All the weaknesses we see in others are but our own shadows and point to something sinister inside ourselves that we are able to see in another because the shadow is so familiar. The murder may remove a competitor or challenger and make us feel stronger than we really are, but in the end murder, by definition can only destroy the relationship we crave.

We could go through everything on the list and the answer would prove to be the same. We see a perceived benefit. The article of psychological clothing works for us in some way. Giving it up means that we undress and bare a little more of ourselves than is comfortable.

In the story The Silver Chair, CS Lewis tells of Aslan coming and ripping the scales from the back of the boy before he is completely overcome by them, and, digging his claws in He rips the scales away. The process was agonizing almost to the point of death. Giving up our own defects is often no less agonizing.

In step six, the alcoholic / addict “becomes entirely ready to have God remove every single defect of character.” Step seven follows on, “humbly asked him to remove our defects of character.” My character defects are simply different forms of my primary addiction to myself, and I know that I am powerless to remove them. I have to have help from God. “God, help me!” becomes the ongoing prayer of the person who prays without ceasing. Often, as CS Lewis so eloquently describes the process of God taking the clothing we have wrapped ourselves in away is excruciatingly painful, but it is not without reward.

    21 And the Lord God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife. (Gen 3:20-21: Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.) God did not leave his creation without clothes. He made them clothes made from animal skins. He covered them better than they could cover themselves. HE promises to do the same for us

Isn’t that always the way? What we attempt to do in our finitude, God accomplishes so much better than we could ever dream. As we let go of our character defects that we have long clothed ourselves in, asking God to take them from us, we discover that God clothes us so much more effectively. But that is another post for another time.

"God, I am now ready that you have all of me, good and bad. I pray that you now remove from me every single defect of character that stands in the way of my usefulness to you and my fellows..."

Stepping into the Meat of it

Step Six: “Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character”

“…(A)ny person capable of enough willingness and honesty to try repeatedly Step Six on all his faults – without any reservations whatever – has indeed come a long way spiritually, and is therefore entitled to be called a man who is sincerely trying to grow in the image and likeness of his own Creator.” (p 63, 12 and 12 of Alcoholics Anonymous)

               “What we must recognize now is that we exult in some of our defects. We really love them. Who, for example, doesn’t like to feel just a little superior to the next fellow, or even quite a lot superior? Isn’t it true that we like to let greed masquerade as ambition? To think of liking lust seems impossible. But how many men and women speak of love with their lips, and believe what they say, so that they can hide lust in a dark corner of their minds?....

               “Self-righteous anger also can be very enjoyable. In a perverse way we can actually take satisfaction from the fact that many people annoy us, for it brings a comfortable feeling of superiority. Gossip barbed with our anger, a polite form of murder by character assassination, has its satisfactions for us, too. Here we are not trying to help those we criticize; we are trying to proclaim our own righteousness.

               “When gluttony is less than ruinous, we have a milder word for that, too; we call it ‘taking our comfort.’ We live in a world riddles with envy. To a greater or lesser degree, everybody is infected with it. From this defect we must surely get a warped yet definite satisfaction. Else why would we consume such great amounts of time wishing for what we have not, rather than working for it, or angrily looking for attributes we shall never have instead of adjusting to the fact, and accepting it? And how often we work hard with no better motive than to be secure and slothful later on – only we call it ‘retiring.’ Consider too our talents for procrastination, which is really sloth in five syllables.” (pg 66-67, 12 and 12 of Alcoholics Anonymous.)

     I was reading one of my favourite Christian authors the other night when I turned to Michelle and said, “I think that in a lot of areas the church doesn’t do as good a job communicating  truth as those in recovery.”

      If this were a Christian program, steps six and seven would be the “heavy discipleship” steps. Working these steps requires a commitment to continuing to work the first three steps because one can’t work step six without first surrendering to God. In church we sing the hymn “I Surrender All.” That is what this step is about. We can only surrender everything that comes up after our searching and fearless moral inventory (step 4) and the experience of sharing it with God, ourselves and another in step 5 if we continue to go back and renew our trust in our Creator, Saviour, and Comforter each day.

    This is at the crux of step six. It is merely bringing our initial surrender to the Triune God into our everyday lives. It is never easy, never perfect, but incredibly freeing and life giving. In the process of completing this step we pass through the “valley of the shadow of death,” discovering that God is with us every step of the way.

The 5th step's indictment

From the very beginning of our story, the result of our attempt to be like God is a compulsion to hide from each other and from Him.

Gen 3:1-13

 The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, "Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?"

2 "Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden," the woman replied. 3 "It's only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, 'You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.'"

4 "You won't die!" the serpent replied to the woman. 5 "God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil."

6 The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. 7 At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.

8 When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man* and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. 9 Then the Lord God called to the man, "Where are you?"

10 He replied, "I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked."

11 "Who told you that you were naked?" the Lord God asked. "Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?"

12 The man replied, "It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it."

13 Then the Lord God asked the woman, "What have you done?"

"The serpent deceived me," she replied. "That's why I ate it."

Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

What we know to be true of ourselves; what we fear about ourselves – that “we are not as strong as we think we are,” leads us to hide, and then, if discovered, point our fingers at others attempting to shift the blame. We know we are broken and in need of repair; that if people knew what we knew to be true about us, they would abandon us to our own company. We think – no, we know – that if others knew what we knew, we’d die alone with no friends or family to mourn or miss us.

One way of describing the redemption story is that it is a story of restoration of relationship – an end to the necessary hiding away of our secrets. In this story, God provides a way for people to come out of hiding and into the light. As they do they discover love, joy, freedom, hope, and peace.

Recovery is about bringing out into the light the hidden and secret lives we live internally. It is about giving voice to the selfishness; acknowledging the narcissism; admitting the grandiosity, childishness, and oversensitivity. Recovery gives a forum for people to heal the wounds of shame by telling others what they swore they would never tell anyone, and being loved for doing so.

This is the place that the church is supposed to shine. James tells us: “Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed.” (James 5: THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.). Peter encourages us: “Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.( 1 Peter 4:8-9 Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.). We don’t do this in the church very well.

 The thing that frees me to truly love is that I know I am truly loved. I am not loved because of my accomplishments, my looks, my intellect, or my charisma. I am loved because others share my weaknesses. They see my weaknesses in themselves and so they love me; for to reject me would mean a rejection of hope of redemption for themselves. Because I know I am loved no matter what; I am free to love. I am free to confront. I am free to face rejection of others. None of it matters because I am loved and that is enough.

 This is the core of the 5^th step. All our shit is laid at the foot of the cross. It is laid bare. We don’t bury it from our own view or try to hide it from God. Another human being who has travelled the path ahead of us helps us negotiate the sea of crap that we fear will drown us. They help us see things we are incapable of seeing on our own.

 The only way we can take this step, turning from shame to grace, is because the 5^th step comes after the 2^nd. Many who attempt a fourth and fifth step drown in the stench of their own shame. Their god (idol) is too small to handle their filth, and cleanse them. Their 2^nd step was lacking.

 For the follower of Jesus, this is where we glory in the cross. Many in the church today acknowledge the cross verbally and give it a cognitive and cursory nod, while never allowing the reality of God’s cosmic grace and forgiveness to affect their own attitudes toward those around them. This is the experience of many with the visible church. It is probably it’s most stinging indictment, and has driven countless numbers away from Jesus to any other idol that will offer them a temporary reprieve from the sting of their guilt and shame.

 

An Evening to Remember

This was forwarded to me by an old friend: It is definitely worth the read:

What the Graham team continues to communicate with or without words

A few days ago I journeyed to The Cove—the Billy Graham Training Center in Asheville, North Carolina—to participate in a small two-day discussion between pastors and business leaders. After dinner on the first evening, we guests were honored by a visit from Billy Graham, Cliff Barrows, and George Beverly Shea. Barrows is in his eighties, Graham his nineties, and Shea his hundreds (yes, he's 102).

For an hour the three men chatted back and forth, reminiscing on their 65-year partnership in world evangelization. Barrows and Shea sang a few of the songs that were often featured at Graham crusades in the past. They even coaxed Billy into joining them for one of them. The three told many stories and remembered "inside jokes" they'd played on one another. But always the focus of the conversation was their indelible joy over the tens of thousands who had crossed the line into faith in Jesus Christ as a result of their efforts.

Throughout the hour Barrows, Graham, and Shea expressed great affection and appreciation to each other in ways that made us all realize that each was conscious that there might not be another occasion quite like this one when the three of them would be together again. Aging at this advanced point, you must understand, makes moments like these precious beyond understanding.

Watch three men like this who have lived a lifetime of kingdom-service, and you are reminded of the words of E. Stanley Jones who wrote toward the end of his life, "My song is a life-song. Not the temporary exuberance of youth that often fades when middle and old age sets in with their disillusionment and cynicism …. No, I'm 83, and I'm more excited today about being a Christian than I was at 18 when I first put my feet upon the way." Ditto: these three.

As I listened to these remarkable old men speak of God's faithfulness in their lives, my memory went into overdrive.

My first experience with Cliff Barrows—music director and crusade coordinator—came when I was just 16 years old, a student at a New York boarding school. It was 1956, the year of Billy Graham's historic, four-month crusade at Madison Square Garden. On one of those days, a schoolmate of mine and I took the train into the city, found the "Garden," and sneaked in a side door. It was midday and the arena was empty except for one solitary figure sitting on the edge of the stage shuffling papers. It was Cliff Barrows.

When he saw my friend and me, he put his papers aside and swiftly walked in our direction. "I'm Cliff," he said when he reached us. "Welcome to the Garden. Where are you from?" We told him we had come to the city hoping to be part of the event that night. I shall not forget his response.

"Well, let's see how we can make that happen." He took us to the stage where there were three or four rows of chairs right behind the podium. Barrows pointed to those seats. "Where do you think you'd like to sit, second or third row?" We were astonished! And when we realized he was serious, we pointed to two seats in the second row. He immediately took paper and wrote, "Reserved for Gordon MacDonald." Doing the same for my friend, he placed the papers on the seats we had chosen.

"Now let's find a way to get you back into the Garden tonight," he said. Taking us to a small office outside the arena area, he spoke to a security guard. "These two young men need passes for the side door. Please make that happen." And the man did.

When Barrows left us in the following moments, he said, "Now, boys, pray for Mr. Graham tonight while he preaches. That's why I've got you up there."

 

And we did. I think I grew a foot taller and several years older that day, thanks to Cliff Barrows.

Some years later as a seminary student, I had my first chance to meet Mr. Graham personally. "Billy, I'd like you to meet Gordon MacDonald," my introducer said.

I was a 24-year-old scrawny, somewhat unpromising kid, struggling to pass basic seminary courses, and I was one of many being introduced to Billy Graham. What do I remember about that moment? That he fixed his piercing eyes upon me, extended his hand and said, "Mr. MacDonald, it's an honor to meet you." Mr. MacDonald! He addressed me as if I were a peer or someone "superior" to him. Oh, the dignity of the moment for me. For the space of about—I'm guessing—ten seconds, he connected with me and it seemed as if the two of us were the only people in the room. For weeks I bathed in that awesome moment in which this extraordinary man poured value into me. Such a tiny encounter: such an unforgettable moment.

I know it sounds like an exaggeration, but ever since that moment when I shook Billy Graham's hand, I have always tried to replicate that same sense of intensity of interest any time I have been introduced to anyone.

And now, the other evening, I sat and watched three very aged men do their best to make us, we visitors to The Cove, feel welcomed and honored. Their singing was a tad off key. Their words were halting as they taxed their memories for the right ones to express themselves. Their eyesight and their hearing were obviously impaired. Their physical limitations were apparent. But they filled the room with grace, and I was tearful and awed. They are still bringing people to Jesus.

When a godly person grows old—Simeon and Anna in the temple come to mind—and reaches the twilight in a life of faithfulness, there is no need to be musically on key or smooth with words. The fact is that one's Spirit-filled presence is all that is needed to bring others blessing.

When the evening was over, we milled around these three saints trying to offer appropriate words of thanks, snapping pictures with them and with one another, seeking to sort out our own thoughts about what it's like to occupy a small piece of holy ground (or floor in this case) where you are in the presence not of celebrity but of men who have walked with God.

Do you think any more like them are coming down the pipeline?

Gordon MacDonald | posted 5/24/2010

Theology and the Fourth Step

Note: This is a really long post. I am sorry for that. I hope it proves helpful though. I quote extensively from the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous Here. 

I don't think many people other than alcoholics really know what AA, and other fellowships which have followed in its footsteps, teach. This is meant to begin to remedy that. Bob Seger kicks it all off with Lock and Load off "It's a Mystery" released in 1995:

Theology and the first three steps

Words we need to know with simple definitions:

·        Regeneration: “God granting life to those who are spiritually dead…”

·        Justification: “God (imputing – giving us) making us look like Jesus when we stand before the Father so he doesn’t judge us for being selfish, self absorbed, ego-centric, beings…”

·        Sanctification: “A process by which the Spirit of God makes us more like Jesus as we move through our life journey…”

·        Glorification: “What we are going to be like in the life to come – physically perfect, emotionally and mentally sound, spiritually connected…”

All these words relate to the study of soteriology in theological discussions. In the Baptist world of my upbringing, the order of “salvation” was: justification, regeneration, sanctification, glorification. The narrative went like this: We believe and are justified; our justification grants us new life (regeneration) so that we can begin the journey of sanctification. Eventually we all die and are glorified with Jesus at the resurrection.

As I studied during my time with InterVarsity I realized the Baptists ordered their theology incorrectly. It may seem like a small difference but my new found reformed theology stated that God gave us new life (regenerated us), so that we might believe and thereby be justified, beginning the process of sanctification which culminated in glorification.

In my reformed world, if God granted new life people would automatically believe. They had no choice. They were predestined to new life. While that statement might be true it is practically dangerous and unhelpful. There is no hint of it ever being announced to people not already in the church.

It is equivalent to telling a young person that pro-athletes are all predestined; and if they are predestined, they will make it to the NFL, NBA, MLS, NHL, or MLB. No, in this model, if predestination is true it is a message that is to be announced to the pro athletes in the middle of their career: “You need to know that all your hard work, your discipline, you natural abilities are not what got you here… it was God’s grace…”

This really isn’t a discussion about the predestination of anyone to anything. It is about these theological words and what they have to do with recovery and addiction. Every active addict is spiritually dead, worshipping the idols of his/her addiction. Every recovering addict will tell you this. Recovering addicts will also marvel at why they were chosen to escape when so many are held in addictions destructive vice-like jaws, unable to get the monkey off their back, destroying everything and everyone around them, including themselves.

They are given a gift when they reach the point of utter despair and turn, crying out to their higher power to save them because they realize their gods are killing them. Theologically speaking, they are given enough life to see that help is available if they ask. Not all do, and not all stay the course once they do. Rather they turn back to their addiction unable to clear its snapping teeth. 

Others though find new life and new hope, trusting in their higher power to give them another day sober each and every day. Completing their first step: acknowledging their powerlessness and unmanageability (spiritual death), they begin discovering the life that alluded them. Turning to God (justification) they discover life, inch by inch, as they back away from the hell that engulfed them. They begin to learn how to live (sanctification) as they take each of the steps and begin living in the solution rather than the problem.

Jesus Plays Oldtimer

There is a story found in Mark’s gospel where Jesus states the same thing that the old timer says, “You need to remember one thing, there is a God and you’re not him; and there is one thing you need to change: everything.” Here is the passage taken from the Message, Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of the Bible:   

As he went out into the street, a man came running up, greeted him with great reverence, and asked, "Good Teacher, what must I do to get eternal life?"

Jesus said, "Why are you calling me good? No one is good, only God. You know the commandments: Don't murder, don't commit adultery, don't steal, don't lie, don't cheat, honor your father and mother."

He said, "Teacher, I have — from my youth — kept them all!"

Jesus looked him hard in the eye — and loved him! He said, "There's one thing left: Go sell whatever you own and give it to the poor. All your wealth will then be heavenly wealth. And come follow me."

The man's face clouded over. This was the last thing he expected to hear, and he walked off with a heavy heart. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and not about to let go.

Looking at his disciples, Jesus said, "Do you have any idea how difficult it is for people who 'have it all' to enter God's kingdom?" The disciples couldn't believe what they were hearing, but Jesus kept on: "You can't imagine how difficult. I'd say it's easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye than for the rich to get into God's kingdom."

That set the disciples back on their heels. "Then who has any chance at all?" they asked.

Jesus was blunt: "No chance at all if you think you can pull it off by yourself. Every chance in the world if you let God do it." Mark 10:17-27 (from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)

Notice:

  1)         You have a wealthy young guy that is a bit enamored with Jesus. He comes up to him, humbles himself by getting on his knees in front of him, and asks a question.

2)         Jesus doesn’t think he is that humble at all and challenges the man’s preconceived notions immediately, “Why are you calling me good?” No one is good, only God.”

3)         Jesus quotes the second half of the Decalogue, skipping over the four commands that have to do with a human’s relationship with God.

4)         After the man states he has kept all these, Jesus doesn’t challenge him, he simply loves him and adds one additional command, “go sell all that you have and give the money to the poor and follow me…”

5)         The man leaves sad and the disciples are amazed that anyone can enter heaven.

6)         Jesus gives the answer that humans can’t do it but God can.

Most scholars agree this is an authentic part of the gospel message for different reasons. Jesus Seminar scholars argue that they know it is real because Jesus clearly denies that he is God. They misread the text, however. Jesus does not so much deny he is God as He makes sure that the rich young ruler realizes that he is not God. The young man thinks that he is good. That is clear from his comments about his keeping all the commands that deal with his relationships with other humans. He thinks that Jesus is better than him and so by saying, “Why do you call me good, no one is good but God,” Jesus puts the man in his place. “There is a God and you are not him.”

 Jesus does not challenge the man’s “goodness.” Instead he replaces the first four commands of the Decalogue with one simple command, “Get rid of everything you put your trust in, and trust me instead – change everything.”

 And so, the old timer makes statements that parrot what Jesus said 2000 years earlier. “Remember, that there is a God and you’re not him; and remember that there is only one thing you need to change – everything.”

Coming next: one more Biblical exposition and then some basic theology…