Radio Excoriator

As a SoCaler, I spend a lot of time on the freeways. Sometimes I listen to Christian radio. Sometimes it truly blesses me. Other times it just ticks me off.

Like yesterday when this radio preacher was screaming and shaming his congregation and anyone tuning in about their lack of commitment in just about every area of the Christian life. What bothered me most as he bellowed his way from one shaming truth to the next, was that he acted like he didn’t struggle with this stuff. He, unlike the peons and maybe-not-authentic-believers he vilified and mortified, had his religious “stuff” together.

Right. Sure. Wanna-bet?

My first thought when I hear these performance-driven sermons is, “I wonder what this guy’s hiding?”

I’ve Got a Secret!

Because he is; count on it.

Most of the teaching in the church is framed around the notion that the button-down, loafered-up, “I-got-it-all-together-and-never-have-any-doubts” Christian actually exists somewhere.

Read your Bible. The only One who fits that description wore sandals, had long hair, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father. Paul was the “chief of sinners”; Peter denied Christ, and Mark ran from the garden naked like some frightened little puppy.

They all let the Lord down mightily; but the Lord used them mightily.

That’s called grace. I prefer grace to arrogance any day.

Personal discipline and commitment seem to be replacing grace and mercy as the start points for Christianity.

The results are predictable; just read about the Middle Ages.

Unless we admit our own powerlessness to change ourselves, we’re going to continue churning out failing, hidden, and frustrated church-goers.

We need another reformation, from Protestant works-righteousness!

“The reformation was a time when men went blind, staggering drunk because they had discovered, in the dusty basement of late medievalism, a whole cellarful of fifteen-hundred-year-old, two-hundred proof grace–of bottle after bottle of pure distillate of Scripture, one sip of which would convince anyone that God saves us single-handedly.” (Robert Capon, Between Noon and Three)

Are you a victim of “Bargain Theology”?

Bargain theology is that heretical teaching that God is waiting to fix your life if you just get it right.

You know, serve a little in church, do your quiet time, memorize Scripture some, pray a little, or give some of your money to Christian work.

The problem with bargain theology is that God isn’t bargaining.

He doesn’t want to fix your life; He wants to give you a new life–eternal life.

He doesn’t want the stuff you do for Him; He wants you.

He wants to change you on the inside and launch you into a messed up and hurtful world.

It’s called grace, and it’s not a bargain.

It’s free.

But it’s not to make you a little better, a little happier, a little more Republican.

It’s to give you what you need to overcome the evil and broken places in your heart and to stand against the evil broken places in this world.

I can’t understand why more Christians in churches don’t get it.

I got it from the very beginning.

Oh yeah, maybe that’s because I didn’t meet Jesus in the stained glass confines of safe religious platitudes.

I met Jesus on the street during a revival.

We called it the Jesus Movement.

Do your remember when you first heard about grace?

Galatians 5:16-26

Galatians is the Magna Carta of Christian liberty. It’s a powerful little book. We’re studying it this year at Church of the Open Door. In Chapters 5 and 6 Paul applies the messages of justification and sanctification by faith.

In the first section of the epistle proper, 1:11-2:21, Paul defended his apostleship. In 3:1-4:31 the Apostle clarifies the implications of justification and sanctification by faith and why it’s true. His final section (5:1-6:10) demonstrates how this grace works in life. Grace works through liberty. Christ set us free to demonstrate His righteousness in ways that transcend any enslaving set of rules or moral codes (5:1-12). This liberty isn’t so that we can indulge the self-centered desires of our flesh as we did before we trusted in Christ. Using our freedom in that way will cause us to lose our inheritance in the coming kingdom (5:13-21). We’ve been set free to walk in the Spirit (5:16-18) so that we can display Christ’s righteousness through the fruit of the Spirit (5:22-26). But even this transformation isn’t about us; it’s about Christ and others. What we’ve really been set free to do is to love and serve others (6:1-10).

In one of the most important passages on the Christian life in the Bible, Paul explains the grace alternative to the law. By walking in the Spirit, Christians overcome the self-indulgent sins of the flesh and express their faith through love, a love that glorifies God by displaying the character of Christ:

Here’s the link to the sermon, study notes, and discussion notes from my exposition of  Galatians 5:16-26:

Walk in the Spirit!

C. S. Lewis said, “No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good.”

When I think of the revival of the 60s and 70s–the Jesus Movement–I remember knowing that we could not be good.

I really believe that was one of the reasons the Jesus Movement “moved”–our dependence on God rather than ourselves.

I’m appalled by the teachings of so many today telling Christians that they can “get going for God” or “turn from their sins” or “take Christ seriously” in and of themselves.

It was a mighty work Jesus did on the Cross. Not only did it deliver us from the penalty of sin, but it also delivered us from its power, and released us to our best for Him. That’s what He did for us, not what we do for Him.

Do you know how bad you are? If you do, then you’re living your Christian life by depending on Him and the resources He says you need to follow Him–your new community (the church), your new power (the Holy Spirit), and your new identity (in Christ).

If you don’t know how bad you are yet, you’ll learn. Paul did. Read Romans 7!

Cheap Grace!

A new reader of this blog is really getting beat up. Like me, this person emphasizes the grace that is ours through Jesus Christ our Lord as the defining and sustaining dynamic of the Christian faith.

The response to his writings? “When are you going to say something about obedience, commitment, and morality?”

The unspoken charge? “You just want the Christian life to be easy and cheap!”

I assure you that is not what grace-teachers believe. There’s nothing cheap about grace, nothing soft about grace, nothing easy about grace.

What about the Cross of Christ is cheap, soft, or easy?

Grace is costly to the one offering it. But if it’s going to be grace, it has to be free to the recipient!

But here is what most objectors to grace teaching miss, in my opinion: The awesome power of grace. When we receive the life of Christ, eternal life, by grace through faith, it’s not only powerful enough to get us to heaven, it’s also powerful enough to change us to live like Christ on earth.

This is why it’s so absurd to receive grace and then try to pay Him back with works. What do you have to offer? Everything good about you was put into you by His grace. And that, not your obedience, not your commitment, not your morality, is what needs to be released in your life if you want to glorify Him.

My prayer for those who mistrust grace is the same prayer Paul had for his beloved Ephesians: “That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height–to know the love of Christ which passes all knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God”(Ephesians 3:17-19).

Now to Him who is abled to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Jesus Christ to all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21).

Grace isn’t cheap; it’s free!

Question: Do you remember the first time you were told to fear “cheap” grace?

What Tempts You?

What would you consider the most serious and debilitating temptation to a true Christian?

Sexual sin?

Lying?

Spiritual laziness?

How about none of the above?

The most serious temptation that derails Christians is the temptation to return to the law once they’ve received new life by trusting in Jesus. It’s a “Now that Jesus saved me, I better get to work to clean up my life and make Him proud of me!” temptation. And the so-called Christian culture cheers them on, “That’s right. Get to work for Jesus you sorry-little-sinner. That’s what we’re doing!”

No They’re Not!

(more…)

From Dave Burchett:

One of my favorite blogs is written by my friend and fellow grace-warrior, Dave Burchett. Recently he posted this paragraph exalting the power of God’s grace in our lives and our reluctance to embrace it:

“Jesus offers us so many gifts. But the one we seem to have the hardest time unwrapping is the gift of grace. The gift that allows us to become who God desires us to become as we simply trust Him and quit trying to be “good” for goodness sake. We are saved by grace and faith in Christ. We become like Him by the same radical strategy. Faith that He has changed us into a new creation. And understanding the grace that gives us good gifts even when we don’t deserve them.” daveburchett.com/archive/2009/12/16/8038.aspx

Wait a Minute Here!

(more…)

Radio Excoriator

As a SoCaler, I spend a lot of time on the freeways. Sometimes I listen to Christian radio. Sometimes it truly blesses me. Other times it just ticks me off.

Like recently when this radio preacher was screaming and shaming his congregation and anyone tuning in about their lack of commitment in just about every area of the Christian life. What bothered me most as he bellowed his way from one shaming truth to the next, was that he acted like he didn’t struggle with this stuff. He, unlike the peons and maybe-not-authentic-believers he vilified and mortified, had his religious “stuff” together.

Right. Sure. Wanna-bet?

My first thought when I hear these performance-driven sermons is, “I wonder what this guy’s hiding?”

I’ve Got a Secret!

(more…)

This Never Works!

When Christians get caught up in a system of works righteousness, failure is their only ultimate option. It all feels good and holy and even smug at the beginning.

“We’re the Christians who don’t do this, or this, or this, or this. We’re the ones with self-discipline. We’re the most committed, the least sinful, the truly spiritual.

Let’s Be Honest!

(more…)