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Sunday, September 30, 2001

 

Dear Family:

 

Today as I look at the verses that follow I can't help but think of the perpetrators of the 9/11/01 tragedy. There have been untold numbers debating the religious significance of this act. My heart breaks when the discussion poses the question, "whose side is God on?"  The thought that these perpetrators pray to the same God that I do chills me.

 

I think back to the time before Christ to the days when God dealt directly with the Children of Israel. There was a high standard of conduct He demanded. That conduct was dictated in the Law. God, through his love and grace, set about bringing man from a rugged, pagan society to a civilized society which would reflect His own likeness. At that same time, there was one of his most beautiful angels who decided to compete with Him for rule over the universe. It was God who gave mankind the freedom to choose who they would follow. We have the choice of being a civilized society modeled in love, kindness, gentleness and charity or we can choose the ancient paganistic way of life.

 

God told the Children of Israel to circumcise their young men as a sign of change, that they had changed their ways. Circumcision symbolized the putting away of sin and disobedience to a life of purity. It was a continual reminder to be more civil each and everyday.  It was impossible to undo the circumcision. Meaning of course that they should not be less civil tomorrow than today. When mankind became stuck in time and did not become more civil toward his fellowman, God came to earth himself in the form of Christ to show man how to continue to live while at the same time to move him from the ages of blood sacrifice and ritualistic torture to a higher mind-set and civility.  He even gave a part of himself to live inside man to help guide him in this new life. He said, when you choose me I will put my spirit inside of you to comfort and guide you. Now look at these verses:

 

Col 2:6-13 (6) So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, (7) rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. (8) See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. (9) For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, (10) and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. (11) In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, (12) having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. (13) When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, (NIV)

 

As Christians we have been circumcised in our nature. We no longer should have the desire to be pagans in our behavior. We are now possessed with the spirit of God in Christ. But notice in verse (6), "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him". Why would those words be in there? If we have a new nature, why are they there? Could it be that when God gave the spirit of Christ to live in our hearts, he did not remove our freedom to choose? We choose whether to let Christ live through us or according to our own desires. While some philosophize as to man's nature being replaced by Christ, I submit although he is there every minute of everyday, we struggle with him many times as to whether we will make the next choice or we will choose to permit him to influence that next decision.

 

I like to compare our relationship to Christ to the courtship and marriage relationship. When we fall in love, our hearts burn to be with that special one. We feel lost when they are not near. We get married and have several years of seeking to please the other.  But then one day we say,  "I'm going to be number one in this relationship.  I am more important than the one I married. I do more for him/her than he/she does for me. It is time I start living to please me."  The honeymoon is over. As a married person, I can say it is not always easy being more in love today than yesterday. I have to stop sometimes and think, "how would I feel if she were gone suddenly?"  I might not always like my partner but she is my choice.  I can either continue to see the love she has for me and the love I have for her or I can choose the selfish path of self-gratification and fault finding.

 

If love is going to flourish and grow -- did I say grow? —I did, I did.  If we are not growing in love with our partner, we are growing in love with ourselves or something or someone else.  It is no different in our relationship with Christ. We need our love to grow.  Our politicians say, "we need to grow the economy."  I say, "I need to grow my investments," and Ardyce likes to see her plants grow. So yes, our love relationship needs to grow and we need to find ways to make it grow.

 

Why is it we have no problem in growing new friendships but struggle growing in our love relationship with our mate? Could it be that we are too lazy to continue to work at the courtship we started while we were trying to win the heart of that loved one? Have you ever rolled a snowball up a hill to make a snowman?  If so, you know that it grows as you roll it. It gets bigger and harder to manage.  If you let go of it, it will roll down the hill and come apart. If you roll it to the top, you can relax and enjoy the efforts of your work. Just as the snowball changes its shape, so must we.  I am not referring to less hair and more waist.

 

As our experiences increase, we change and our relationship has to change too. Life is a series of changes and so must we change through growth in knowledge, love, understanding and wisdom. (I define wisdom as learning to apply knowledge and understanding correctly). We have learned through experience what brings joy to our loved one.  So, should we be searching for new ways to continue to bring them joy? Our relationship grows only when "each esteem the other more than themselves" and,  that is scriptural.  Phil 2:3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. (KJV)

 

Revisit with me the verses we looked at as we began. (8) See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. We must be very careful not to fall into the trap of following the wrong teaching and/or teacher in our marriage or in our spiritual relationship with Christ.

 

The problem is that we get excited and fall in love with Christ. Later when the honeymoon is over we tend to grow in love with other wants and desires.  We become selfish rather than growing to find true comfort, happiness and joy in Christ. We fail to grow our love relationship with Christ just as we fail to grow our love relationship with our mate. It is possible to lose our fellowship with Christ just as we can lose our fellowship with our mate. It is really easy to know when something is wrong.  Prayer is less frequent and loses it breath of freshness to our heart. We have less time for reading, meditation and prayer. There is no doubt when we are out of fellowship with Christ anymore than when we are out of fellowship with our mate. That fellowship is restored much the same way our relationship with our mate is restored. We have to go to them, say I'm sorry for my actions, please forgive me. The same is true with Christ.  I John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (NIV)

 

It is possible to lose our fellowship and not know how to get it back. Sometimes it requires some help. But please notice in Galatians not just anyone can help us restore our relationship with Christ.  I submit also that if we are Christians not just anyone can help us restore our relationship with our mate. Notice the words of Galatians 6:1-5 "Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3 If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, 5 for each one should carry his own load". (NIV)

 

Notice it says, "you who are spiritual restore him". It is not the non-Christian.  It is not the lawyer, psychiatrist or phone-in psychic who is able to restore us.  It is, "you who are spiritual."  It takes someone who is in fellowship with Christ.

 

When the fishermen of old would go to sea to fish they would return only to spend much time cleaning and mending their nets so that they could go fishing another day. You remember the, "Big fish story" I wrote you sometime ago. If not, ask for a copy and I will send it. Notice when Christ was walking by the sea as he began his ministry he came upon James and John.  Mark 1:19 "And when he had gone a little further thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets". (KJV)

 

The same word translated mending (katartizo) here is translated restore in Galatians. (katartizo- to render, that is, to fit, sound, complete a) to mend (what has been broken or rent), to repair, to complete b) to fit out, to equip, to put in order, to arrange, to adjust to fit or frame for oneself, to prepare c) ethically, to strengthen, to perfect, to complete, to make one what he ought to be). We all need to be restored from time to time. Let us just be sure we go to the right mender and not to the Bin Ladens of the world for advice.  Col 2:6-13 (6) So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, (7) rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

 

Father I thank you for the family you have given me to love and be loved by. Continue to grow my relationship with you, your son, my wife and the family you have given me. Grant me, oh God, the knowledge, understanding and wisdom to always be a mender of nets and never, never, never let me be a destroyer of them. In the name of Christ I pray. Amen.

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