Human religious instinct and racing pigeons

The gospel frees people from trying to earn God’s acceptance through religious observance but human beings are like racing pigeons. Kept in comfortable but cramped coups, racing pigeons are taken away from their confinement and released, given freedom. They are free to take to the skies and yet they always return to their place of comfort and confinement.

In much the same way, the gospel takes us from the confines of our religious coup and releases us to fly free but our instinct is to find our way back to traditions as the means of our acceptance before God. It is much easier to say “you must come to church, you must be baptised, you must be kind, you must love your neighbour, you must not drink, smoke, sleep around or God will not accept you” than to say “I’m a sinner, I break God’s law, I can’t make myself acceptable but Jesus can.” The cross means freedom but, like the foolish Galatians, we often so easily drift back to the comfort of tradition:

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. [Galatians 5:1-4]

Religion and football on a bungee

Following religious traditions and laws (going to church, being good, giving to charity, not smoking or drinking and so on) to get right with God is like playing a game of football (soccer) with the ball attached to an anchor post by a length of bungee. It doesn’t work. Life is made more complicated and restricted when religious traditions bind people because of a fear that changing those traditions would make us less acceptable to God.

The gospel of Christ crucified for sin cuts the religious bungee which loads of people are bound by. No longer restricted by trying to do the right thing for God to earn his love we are instead assured of his love and forgiveness. True believers are free to play the game, traditions are not required.

Cutting the bungee of religious tradition does not mean being free for a random kick-about. Like a game of football, life needs boundaries and rules, and God gives us those in his law. The law is our friend, not a tether, a blessing (Psalm 1:1-2) as life works best when we play by God’s rules.

For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if justification were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose. [Galatians 2:19-21]

Many churches spend their time making sure the traditions make people feel comfortable before God, when actually it is Christ on the cross who should make us comfortable in God’s presence. When people grasp the cross, they are freed from traditions and are able to adjust, make sacrifices and allow changes, for the sake of others, even those whose appearance, customs and traditions differ vastly from our own.

Christian co-worker accountability

Christian ministry can suffer from personality clashes and ego-trips and so this list of questions by Dr W.E. Sangster in “A Spiritual Check-up” is very useful for all Christian workers:

Can I work with other people? – and can other people work with me?

Do I tend to dominate? – or leave the real work to others?

Do I love the people I am called to work with: know them intimately and at a depth: clear up misunderstandings with them quickly and never criticize them to others?

Have I a secret longing always to be first? – or can I truly say that I don’t care who is second, third or forth so long as Jesus is first?

Do I want God’s cause to advance , or is my chief desire that I should advance it?

Can I hear my colleagues praised and sincerely enjoy it?

Can I hear others praised for what I have done for God, and still be more glad that it was done than grieved to be neglected?

Am I willing to take my wages in Christian service from God alone?

Am I after anything for myself?

Prayer:
Master, I knew myself well, I thought well of myself, but now I know that all my motives are muddied and that I need to be forgiven not only for my sins but for my soiled virtues. Have mercy on Thy unprofitable servant, For Thy Name’s sake, Amen

The fruit of the Spirit and legalism

In Matthew 7:16-20 Jesus teaches his disciples to watch out for false prophets, “you will recognise them by their fruits” says Jesus. Many Christians, including myself at one time, turn this verse back on themselves and they ask “what are my fruits like?” This question will lead people to legalism or condemnation.

The legalist will say “look at my fruit, God, it is shiny, sweet, juicy and ripe, surely you accept me”. Others will say “my fruit is not as shiny as it could be, not as sweet, not as juicy and it needs to ripen, God you can’t possibly accept me, I’ll try harder.” The genuine believer, however, does not look at the fruit of his life but at whether he is a good tree or a bad tree. He knows that by nature he is a bad tree but by the grace of God in the death of Christ for his sins through faith he is now a good tree. The more he thinks about this the more his desire to be good increases and so the fruit grows and is visible to others.

You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. [Matthew 7:16-20]

Unloading condemnation everyday

This picture is taken from the cover of The Doctrine of Repentance by Thomas Watson [published by Puritan Paperbacks]. It depicts a scene from The Pilgrim’s Progress where Christian arrives at the cross and his burden falls off and tumbles into a sepulchre never to be seen again.

The experience of unloading the burden of condemnation is not something Christian believers need just at the beginning of the Christian life but everyday as we stuff things up and make a mess. As Paul writes “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! [Romans 7:24], so Christians should daily turn to Christ and unload their sense of condemnation.

This daily turning to the cross should lead Christians to be glad and “lightsome” as Christian experienced:

Now I saw in my dream, that the highway up which Christian was to go, was fenced on either side with a wall, and that wall was called Salvation. Isaiah 26:1. Up this way, therefore, did burdened Christian run, but not without great difficulty, because of the load on his back.

He ran thus till he came at a place somewhat ascending; and upon that place stood a cross, and a little below, in the bottom, a sepulchre. So I saw in my dream, that just as Christian came up with the cross, his burden loosed from off his shoulders, and fell from off his back, and began to tumble, and so continued to do till it came to the mouth of the sepulchre, where it fell in, and I saw it no more.

Then was Christian glad and lightsome, and said with a merry heart, “He hath given me rest by his sorrow, and life by his death.” Then he stood still a while, to look and wonder; for it was very surprising to him that the sight of the cross should thus ease him of his burden. He looked, therefore, and looked again, even till the springs that were in his head sent the waters down his cheeks.

Understanding and behaviour; doctrine and life

One of the prayers in the 1662 prayer book is that ministers should teach by both their life and doctrine. I’m reading The Marrow of True Justification [The Biblical Doctrine of Justification without Works] by Benjamin Keach published in 1692. It is very clear and helpful as Keach demonstrates very clearly the link between our understanding of how we are justified and our resulting behaviour.

On Romans 4:5, Keach writes:

My Brethren, do do mistake; a Man seeing himself wounded doth not heal him, though it may, and does not put him upon seeking out for healing, so a Man seeing himself a Sinner, doth not render him Righteous. Nothing renders a Man righteous to Justification in God’s sight, but the imputation of the perfect Personal Righteousness of Christ, received only by the Father of the operation of God…

So much as to the Explanation of the Terms of the Text; in which you have three parts:

1. A Negative Proposition, But to him that worketh not.
2. An Affirmative Proposition, But believeth on him that justifies the ungodly.
3. The Conclusion from hence, His faith is counted (or imputed) for Righteousness.

Keach goes on to describe several misunderstandings of the doctrine of justification, some of which were present in the debate over Steve Chalke’s doctrine of justification.

1. Justification is by inherent Righteousness: good works are meritorious, whereby venial (forgiveable) sins are covered by faith in Christ but obedience to the Law of God is necessary for justification

2. Justification, free pardon, is by the grace and mercy of God apart from Christ. God simply forgives people who ask him. Christ’s death achieved nothing with respect to justification as he was only a man (Socianianism)

3. Justification is by the work of faith, including love of God and showing mercy to others, as an act of the sinner toward God

4. Justification is by sinless perfection, being perfectly holy, by the Spirit, Light, or Christ within; and that no Man can be Justified, unless he be in himself perfect without Sin.

…They say “It is a great abomination to say God should condemn and punish his innocent Son, that have satisfied for our Sins we may be justified by the imputation of his perfect righteousness”

5. Justification is by procurement through prior cleansing before coming to Christ to be washed and justified

6. Justification is by faith and obedience [neonomianism]. There are others of late, as well as formerly, who by too many are looked upon to be true Preachers of the Gospel, and Orthodox Men, who are strangely tainted with that poisonous Notion which brings sincere obedience into the gospel, as joining it with Faith in point of Justification.

Avoiding ministry burnout

I’ve been in post as vicar at Holy Trinity for 1 week, I did three services on Sunday and hosted an open house for over 30 people. Yesterday I was at a pastors’ prayer meeting at 7:30am and finished a service planning meeting at 9:45pm. It reminded me to beware of burnout and this article which helped me diagnose my brownout in Malaysia in 1998 when I fell asleep at the wheel of my car on the highway to Singapore.

If in the beginning your job seems perfect, the solution to all your problems, you have high hopes and expectations, and would rather work than do anything else, be wary. You’re a candidate for the most insidious and tragic kind of job stress–burnout, a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion caused by unrealistically high aspirations and illusory and impossible goals.

…Burnout proceeds by stages that blend and merge into one another so smoothly and imperceptibly that the victim seldom realizes what happened even after it’s over.

These stages include:
1. The Honeymoon. During the honeymoon phase, your job is wonderful.

2. The Awakening. The honeymoon wanes and the awakening stage starts with the realization that your initial expectations were unrealistic.

3. Brownout. As brownout begins, your early enthusiasm and energy give way to chronic fatigue and irritability. …You become increasingly frustrated and angry and project the blame for your difficulties onto others. You are cynical, detached, and openly critical of the organization, superiors, and co-workers. You are beset with depression, anxiety, and physical illness. Drugs or alcohol are often a problem.

4. Full Scale Burnout. You experience an overwhelming sense of failure and a devastating loss of self-esteem and self-confidence. You become depressed and feel lonely and empty.

5. The Phoenix Phenomenon. You can arise Phoenix-like from the ashes of burnout, but it takes time.

Adapted from The Stress Solution by Lyle H. Miller, Ph.D., and Alma Dell Smith, Ph.D.
Read the full article at the Healthyplace

What the article makes clear is that burnout is caused by unrealistic expectations. In parish these can be my own high expectations of success, or in trying to meet the expectations of others, either in the parish or within my diocese which has a high focus on growth.

I have learned to manage my own expectations by remembering that my primary responsibilities are: to remain close to Christ and so be a godly man (Colossians 2:6-7); to manage my family well (1 Tim 3:4); to preach God’s word (2 Tim 2:1-2); and to train and support people to establish various ministries (Acts 6). It is not my responsibility to see people come to Christ or to grow the church (1 Cor 3:7).

As far as other the expectations of other people go, I’ve drafted a working agreement which, once finalised with my wardens, I’ll put to the PCC, so that people know both my working pattern and priorities. The Diocese of Exeter has a really useful set of guidelines on developing working agreements (word document).

I have found it most helpful to keep the goal in mind that I must be close to Christ in my walk with him and this frees me to spend time in prayer, bible study, reading and rest, which I wouldn’t do if I thought my goal was to grow the church.

[See my other post Avoiding burnout without copout for a list of symptoms]

My final letter in the final St Luke’s Magazine

Last week I was given a copy of the final parish magazine from my old church, St Luke’s, which coincided with my move to West Bromwich. This is what I wrote from the “curatage”.

I’ve been a Christian for over 15 years. In October 1993 I heard about the cross where Jesus died and I had a deep sense of my own wickedness yet an overwhelming sense of God’s love for me because Jesus Christ had died for my sins. This conversion gave me a new tender conscience and love for people, something I had not experienced since my early teens.

I have noticed over the years that my conscience is changeable. Sometimes it hardens, not as hard as rock, but like bread left out on the worktop. At other times my conscience is tender and is easily pricked like a tomato skin with a sharp knife. A tender conscience can be painful as it produces guilt, and guilt is like cement mixed in sand and water, it turns soft hearts to stone.

My conscience is tender today as I look back over the last three and a half years in St Luke’s. I have loved being here and love our church family and yet I feel a twinge of guilt for things I have done which I wish I hadn’t and for things I could have done but didn’t.

I remember leaving our church in the Far East nine years ago as we moved country again. At my leaving party I said, “Never lose sight of the cross. Whenever you preach or teach how a Christian should live, about the high expectations of God on believers, consciences will be pricked. So never lose sight of the cross.” I am afraid that at times I have spoken about the high expectations of God during my time at St Luke’s without mentioning the cross.

When I arrived in Wolverhampton I had forgotten my own message. I had a view of the Christian life which began with Christ and ended with Christ but the middle bit was all about me and my walk with God. I knew Jesus had died for my sin and I knew he waited for me in glory, but the cross had lost its significance for me today. I was going on in my own strength without the deep joy of the cross and I know this must have shown in my preaching. But God is good and it was during 2006 that the cross came back into sharp focus for me. I realised that by faith in Christ on the cross I am righteous, pure and holy before God today.

And so, I remember the good times at St Luke’s. The positive times like the Pure Joy Week and the people who have been established and grown in their faith in Christ. I have been pleased to take many funerals where God’s word has comforted and healed in power. It’s been great to see Growth Groups grow, I hope this continues as Richard trains more leaders. Perhaps, most importantly to me, has been passing on faith in Christ to our Pathfinders and The Next Generation. I love our young people. As, I said, there are many foolish things I’ve done, things done badly and these things prick my conscience. Yet, my joy is complete and my conscience is clear before God because of Christ my righteousness.

As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1:17-18 “For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. 18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.“

And so, dear brothers and sisters at St Luke’s, never lose sight of the cross, it is the power of God for all who are being saved.

Dr Sangster on taming the tongue

I’m an extrovert thinker, which can be a problem when my tongue is working ahead of my brain. I was on a diocesan training course last week and wonder why it is that when clergy get together, the problem of the tongue is at its worst. If only my thoughts could be completely sanctified by being focused on Christ at all times, as Dr Sangster writes in his Westminster pamphlet “A Spiritual Check-up”:

Do I mount constant guard on my tongue? – or, is my heart so full of God that even my most unpremeditated words could only be of love?

Or, I am critical of others?

Do people know me as one whose conversation is constantly censorious?

Do I doubt that it is still a high compliment to say of anyone@ ‘You never hear him speak an unkind word against a soul’?

What makes me so critical of others:
jealousy?
inferiority?
just hatefulness?

Is it possible, then, that I claim to be a Christian and nurse revenge? nourish an unforgiving spirit? harbour dislike of other people?

Can I not see that any good I try to do is more than neutralized by this bitterness?
I am not happy myself.
People fear my jaundiced tongue.
Folk suspect I speak the same of them behind their backs.

The complete and consistent Christian

Practical holiness is hard to get right.  Neonomians (those who mix grace and works) look at themselves and try a bit harder to be holy, but the focus of the Christian must be Christ and his light, so that, as Horatius Bonar writes:

Like the stain’d web that whitens in the sun,
Grow pure by being purely shone upon.

As disciples of Christ, let our discipleship be complete and consistent, our connection with Him exhibiting itself in conformity to His likeness, our life a comprehensive creed, our walk the embodiment of all that is honest, and lovely, and of good report. Christ’s truth sanctifies as well as liberates; His wisdom purifies as well as quickens. Let us beware of accepting the liberty without the holiness, the wisdom without the purity, the peace without the zeal and love.

Let us be true men, in the best sense of the word: true to ourselves, true to our new birth and our new name, true to the church of God, true to the indwelling Spirit, true to Christ and to the doctrine concerning Him, true to that book of which He is the sum and the burden. Let us be true to truth, loving it, not because it is pleasant or picturesque or ancient, but because it is true and divine. On it let us feed, with appetite new-whetted every day; so shall we add, not one, but many cubits to our stature, growing in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. [God's way of Holiness ch9]