Growth in Godliness
Last evening, I was reminded of the movie It's A Wonderful Life after watching a Hallmark story that sent the star forward in time to see that her life was not so sweet without the love of her life, no matter how successful it turned out. It's a wonderful life when the love of our life becomes the focus of our life and gathering, as spoken by Jesus Christ in Matthew 18:20, "For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst." Gathered together - we know it ironically as "church."
It's a Wonderful Life When We Can't Live Without The Love Of Our Life
I read from The Valley of Vision today, as I currently do. The prayer closed, mindful of his need to love the love of his life. "Take away my roving eye, curious ear, greedy appetite, lustful heart; show me that none of these things can heal a wounded conscience, or support a tottering frame, or uphold a departing spirit. Then take me to the cross and leave me there."
The Puritans were ever mindful that love is a verb, and we only love Christ when we are obedient to Him, which includes departing from sins we don't wish to recognize.
It's A Wonderful Life When We Go The Extra Mile
The 3rd Century gave rise to a Christian church in name only. Since that time, Christianity has been built upon hypocrisy and of the kind that brought the wrath of John the Baptist as the forerunner of Jesus Christ, who so antagonized the religious elites to force them to do what they always wanted to do: have Him (God) nailed to a Roman cross.
The Gospel was clarified at the Reformation, but the form of worship did not change. Elitism continued, scholarship increased, and sectarian division went off the charts. The head of the newly formed protestant "Church" was not Jesus Christ but still men and agencies of men, which Paul denounced. Galatians 1:1, "Paul, an apostle (not [sent] from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead)."
It's A Wonderful Life When Men Don't Take Charge Of What God Earned Through Suffering.
My dear readers, it is a warning signal whenever men pronounce one another called of God. Jesus set the standard by which we judge righteously or not. John 5:24, "But the testimony which I receive is not from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved." Furthermore, Jesus said, "I do not receive glory from men; 42 but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves." Lastly, verse 44, "How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another, and you do not seek the glory that is from the [one and] only God?"
Numbers of congregants, doctrines (as vital as they are), buildings, professionalism, and scholarship do not verify calling. Calling and salvation are verified by character traits and the absence of worldliness. Honesty, humility, servanthood, self-sacrificing community, joy, love, forgiveness, grace, charity, transparent confession of sin without judgment, and godliness, as opposed to worldliness, are some verifiers of salvation and calling.
Satan never takes a break from distorting the truth and giving fleshly living all the gas needed to replace Christ with sinful behavior, slothfulness, lust, pride, and greed. Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, and Ephesians 4 make clear the necessity for every member and not the privileged few to make a gathering sweet and productive.
In closing, not nearly as much as we all might hope takes place during an hour and a half to three hours on a Sunday morning because the community is not involved or at other times. There are weekly meetings, but there is still much about teaching, little about doing, and even less about praying. Do we meet with God on Sunday morning or with one another and leave Him out?
Are you suspicious when the pastor is hard to talk to, can't ever be wrong about scripture, listens to you but doesn't, and his ID reads who is the greatest in the kingdom rather than "For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little." (Luke 7:47)
It's a wonderful life when a man can be a pastor who's committed a terrible sin. How is it that 1/3 of the Apostles were fishermen, untrained and unlearned, 1/3 included a man from the mob, a thief who hired thugs, and terrorists who killed people in the night, and 1/3 we know nothing about? Let's not forget that the most notable Apostle was a pharisee who had Christians imprisoned and approved of the first martyr Stephen's death. How is it that pastors have risen above the Apostles?
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