Fundamental Christians, Are They the Elder Brother? What Really is Marriage?
When I went downtown for the Superbowl NFL experience in Indy here there were a couple of street preachers, and it never seems to fail that many street preachers preach the judgment/critical side of God. I heard this minister say one time, “Don’t preach against sin, preach its cure.” It's like these Christians really want people to suffer and experience the bad rather than good in their life. The Bible talks about that God’s sun and rain comes on both just and unjust:
"that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. Matthew 5:45"
My husband and I always told our kids that you can get a whole lot more flies with honey than vinegar as far as getting what you want from us. In other words, if our kids were going to make us feel guilty for not buying them something and put us under condemnation, we are less likely to buy it for them.
Do you really think this extreme judgment side of God attracts people like flies to Jesus? What usually happens to these street preachers is God and the preachers get mocked, and they did downtown. That does not mean that vinegar does not attract some flies, because it will, but more flies are attracted with honey.
Typically, legalism (the law) tends to cause people to rebel. I like that song "Authority" by John Mellencamp, "I fought authority and authority always wins." Or that other song, “If fought the law and the law won.” The more you crack down on some people and put more rules and regulations, the more one rebels.
I’ve not met anyone who does not like to bend the rules. I have to put my cruise control in my SUV on 70 to drive 70 on the interstate because I want to drive faster. When Paul said, “I am chief of sinners” I can relate. Mary is chief of sinners.
It’s rather a joke but I’ve always thought if there is a fine line between sanity and insanity, I’m going to step on the line. I’ve always had something inside of me since I was four years old when my dad told me not to feed the dog grapes and I did it anyway and he beat the living tar out of me with a belt to defy authority.
So I became a Christian and I submitted to behavior modification which at the time was an extreme legalistic Christian ministry in wearing long dresses in being outwardly modest, but what I find is that God deals with the attitudes of my heart, which include self-righteousness, fear, worry, unbelief, jealousy, strife, anger, judging, envy, etc. I became a fundamental Christian as far as focusing on the outward things of being conservative, non-drinking, right wing. I cleaned up the outside of the cup, but did not deal with the inner attitudes before God:
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12
What the problem with fundamental Christians is that they lean towards the prophet side of God without understanding the priesthood of Jesus which is the compassion side, i.e. the shepherd/pastor’s heart. A good example of the shepherd’s heart was when David actually ran after a lion and bear to pull a sheep out of its mouth. That is the way God seeks and save those who are lost. We have the parable of the lost coin in the Bible, the pearl of great price, and that God leaves 99 righteous sheep to save one lost sheep. We see that David was like that as a shepherd lad.
God became man to bridge the gap between God and man and Jesus became our high priest who identifies with our weaknesses and illnesses. It says that God looked for a man on the earth to bridge the gap, but he could not find a man so he took matters into his own hands by sending his son:
He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm worked salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him. Isaiah 59:16, Ezekiel 22:30
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. Hebrews 4:15
If you are fundamental Christian, please go read the book of Hosea. Hosea was a prophet, but God told him to marry a prostitute Gomer. This was to show God's love and patience for Israel. The prostitute represents God’s people, how they go after idols. Hosea was a prophet, and yet he practically was an enabler of Gomer’s lifestyle of prostitution. Eventually, her lovers killed her with her life of prostitution, which certain life styles can kill us after awhile. I realize that some people can smoke and drink in excess and not get liver disease or lung cancer, but those are exception cases. Many people can eat what they want, but for most heart disease, diabetes, or other health problems can result from poor eating habits and obesity. The norm is rock stars, porno stars, anyone who lives a lifestyle of having sex with many people usually it catches up with herpes simplex virus, AIDS or venereal disease so there are consequences in life for our actions. It does not mean that God loves people less like Hosea loved Gomer, they are consequences for choosing that lifestyle.
(This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live. Duet. 30:19)
Fundamentalism Christianity can be based on conditional love. Many of us grew up in a non-Christian home may have experienced this type of love. It’s “Scratch my back and I’ll scratch your back mentality” and it’s carried over to marriage and that is why there are so many divorced. Conditional love in the church where unless a person lines up with our way of thinking, you refuse to accept the person the way they are. We typically gravitate to those who are like-minded (birds of a feather block together). We are not necessary to be like-minded towards an organization, political voice, or our particular view of what is being a Christian, but to be like-minded towards the humility of Jesus Christ.
What is so different about the “Jesus Way” is it’s laying down our lives for a person so that is not always convenient. Jesus gave the example of washing the disciples feet. That type of love in marriage, changes a marriage. Marriage represents our relationship with Christ. Jesus as the husband and the wife is the Bride of Christ.
(Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross! Philip 2:2-8) and (If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Philippians 2:1-2)
I realize that my kids can run wild and do their own thing, but that does not exclude me from loving them. I can bail them out of jail if I’m financially capable, and they continue on and on and this is the example of Gomer. God does bail us out over and over, but that type of lifestyle can lead them into danger. I can see why God made man in image of male and female, because it seems that women (mothers) tend to have more of the unconditional love side. Where father tends to be more critical/authoritive.
An example of seeing a “critical” side of God is the elder brother. The elder brother complained about how the Father lavished the prodigal son with the finest robe and killed the best fatted calf. The elder son complained that he “slaved” for his father. The elder son (Christians) did not serve the Lord out of joy and gladness, but out of duty. Somewhere they left off the first-love relationship with his Father and it became a marriage without the joy of the relationship. In marriage there is the joy of fellowship and the joy of intimacy in sex.
It’s like a marriage where the love has grown cold and the elder brother was not experiencing the joy of his salvation, or the benefits of being a son rather than feeling like a slave, and was serving God out of service/duty relationship.
(The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!' 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours Luke 15:28-31)
Jude said he was a “slave” of Jesus. This is a willing love slave. Marriage is like
that, it’s a willing pouring out oneself as a love slave.
“This letter is from Jude, a slave (bond-servant) of Jesus Christ and a brother of James. I am writing to all who have been called by God the Father, who loves you and keeps you safe in the care of Jesus Christ. Jude 1:1"
The disciples argued who would be the greater and Jesus told them that the greatest would be the servant. As the greater person, we will serve our children. That does not mean later in life that children requite that life of service and the love offering we gave to our children. Being a servant is a willing role and it’s out of joy, not as a burden. It sometimes can become a burden, depending on how others accept our servanthood, if it is taken for granted and not appreciated.
One of the things I like to do is tell God how much I love and appreciate him every day. I noticed that God seems to like to hear that from me as his child, like my husband liked for me to tell him he was the best every day. I really meant it with my husband like I mean it with my Daddy God. I believes he gets enough mocking and hate from other people in the world that accuse Him of the evil. Maybe that is why he likes to hear it from his own children once in awhile (Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4)
Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Galatians 6:7
They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him. Rev. 16:9
Authority: by John Mellencamp
No comments:
Post a Comment