Legalism Run Rampant

There is no question that at times I struggle with authority. I am not particularly fond of rules and regulations and I probably view far too many things in this life as "suggestions."  My rebellious nature covers all but one area of my life - that is my view of Biblical Authority. The Bible is God-breathed, inspired, infallable and innerrant - of this I have no doubt.

My problem isn't with the Bible, it's laws or precepts, but with the individual's interpretation of the Bible. Most of you recall the passage, "no prophecy of scripture is given for private interpretation..." (2 Peter 1:20), still we insist on making silly, foolish laws that suit our own personal interpretation. "You have to wear a tie, if you are serving the Lord's supper" or "raising your hands in prayer or song is a distraction to other worshippers." I could start a lengthy list of all the foolish laws and rules we make that suit our personal preference for worship, for Christian living, for personal conduct, etc.

Most of those objections begin with I THINK, "I think God wants us to give him our best," or "I don't think a Christian should . . ."  We all have opinions, but when we begin to subtitute those opinions for law we run into problems.  I can hear someone right now thinking, "well God does want our best."  I have no argument with that, it is our opinionated application of that belief that usually gets us into trouble. Our opinion of what is best is an arbitrary standard. God on the other hand is looking at my heart, which to be perfectly honest is of much great concern to me than men's opinions.

The problem arises because of our applicaiton of Christian liberty. I want this liberty extended to me when I seek to "work out my own salvation with fear and trembling" (Phil 2:12), but I am reluctant to let my brother or sister do the same. I don't trust their judgment, reverence or interpretation of the scriptures. Even worse, I don't respect those areas that do allow us to exercise personal choice.

We all have a lot of burdens we carry in life. I pray we will be cautious not to add to another's burden by heaping on them laws, rules and opinions that they cannot bear.

Dirty Cups

Last week I was cleaning out the garage and found an old coffee cup I had left out there months earlier (or maybe longer). The site of brown, green and grey mold growing over the top of the abandoned coffee was pretty disgusting. It reminded me of Jesus rebuke of the Pharisees, "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence" (Matthew 23:24-26).

I find myself increasingly disturbed by the trends I see in 21st century churches. I fear that we do a wonderful job in cleaning the outside of the cup, we have a  nice, sanitized environment to worship, but we are missing the opportunities to minister to the people who most need to learn about Christ. Let me share a few observations I hope are helpful:

1. I can't speak for everyone who walks into a church on Sunday morning, but there are a lot of Sunday's I feel like that dirty cup. I clean up pretty good on the outside. I cover up a week of struggle and failures with a clean pair of khaki's and blue blazer. I smile cheerfully and when people ask, "how are you," I respond with the obligatory, "I'm fine, or I'm doing great, how about you?" Then I go on to another week and no one is the wiser.
2. I struggle with a gap between my heart and hands. I want the church to minister to the prostitutes, alcoholics and broken menbers of our society, but struggle with getting my own hands dirty. I am afraid of the time, challenges and headaches ministering to dysfunctional community will bring.
3. I wonder how many broken, hurting and struggling members there are who look just like me every Sunday morning. They pull out their nicest dress, or best silk tie. They brush their hair and paste on their Sunday-go-to-meeting smile, but inside are rotting away. Inside is a dark, dirty, disgusting bowl that we hope no one ever sees.

I love reading the stories of the New Testament church. Not because they are filled with stories of hope, conversion and eternal glory, but because they reveal real people with real problems. Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners, the early church converted pagans, adulterers, homosexuals, and those challenges and struggles carried over into the work of the local church. I am inspired by the belief that we can open our doors to the basest of human behavior and walk with convicts and characters, pagans and prostitutes, leading them along the path to a greater understanding of Christ.

I almost cringe to put in this short addendum (it shouldn't be necessary), but if I don't many will choose to misunderstand. In seeking out the most challenging elements of our society to minister to, we do not advocate embracing sinful behavior, or enabling unrighteous conduct, we do need to learn how to walk with sinners to lead them to Christ. We must demonstrate the love that Jesus showed the woman caught in adultery, and model the grace and mercy that inspires people change.

If you will excuse me, I need to go run my cup back through the dishwasher.