Church Voices

Rich Mullins has some great words about the idea that happiness will come when you go out and assert your will in obtaining what you want.

Listen to it here

A man* I respect greatly posted on facebook;

“America is not God’s chosen people! Christians are!” I [not me the original poster] commented: “I totally agree with you, Levi. 2 Chron. 7:14 does not apply to any country or political entity today, including America. OT Israel has NO parallel–not even modern Israel. Biblical texts that apply to America (and all other countries today) include Rom. 13:1-7; 1 Tim. 2:2-4; 1 Pet. 2:13-14.” I copying this so more can see it.

I love that quote, mostly because I agree with it. Shortly after this was posted a comment was given in oblique opposition:

Specifics exclude any nation from that promise other than the nation for which Solomon offered the dedicatory prayer in the previous chapter. However, in principle the concept that “Righteousness exalts a nation; but sin is a reproach to any people” does come to bear. God will bless America only so far as America blesses God.

Part of that is appealing, it would be really, really nice if individuals and nations were rewarded exactly with how faithful they are. But we all know it simply isn’t true.

Consider this particular theology in light of the early church’s circumstances. Rome dominated the world stage, it was the most powerful, the richest, the most honored nation on earth, at least as far as the early church knew. And it was perhaps the least faithful, so much so that it was the bogeyman of the Jewish people, commonly being accepted as the fourth beast in Daniel that would eventually be crushed by God.

Of course Rome did fall, as nations are wont to do from time to time, but it was over 400 years later, and rather than being crushed Rome just kind of stopped caring.

But, that’s not really the heart of why a theology of national faithfulness outlined in the second quote is really dangerous. What makes it dangerous is that it confuses the World with the Kingdom of God.

Glory.
Riches.
Power.

These are all things that the World craves. These exactly sum up the Roman empire. And, these are exactly what the Kingdom of God shouldn’t care at all about.

But Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

When you attribute the accumulation of “blessings” ie glory, riches, and power with faithfulness to God you confuse what the Kingdom of God is, with what the World is. We expect modern day Romans to work for riches, power and glory, that is, after all, what they do.

The problem is that when followers of Jesus try to conform their country to God in order to earn the rewards of the World it is confusing what the Kingdom of God is and does. The Kingdom of God shouldn’t care about riches, glory and power. We should be putting off power in order to become slaves, in the same way Jesus did.

The Kingdom of God isn’t just another way to earn the benefits of the World in a better way. It is a distinctly different and revolutionary Way.

*Names withheld to respect the privacy of facebook.

I am not impressed with people who say they believe the Bible. Because you can make the Bible say a great many things that don’t really matter all that much. In fact, you can even make the Bible say things that are corrosive and harmful.

You can make the Bible say that God wants to make you rich.
You can make the Bible say that God wants you to drink the poisoned kool-aid.
You can make the Bible say that God wants you to stockpile weaponry and fight the ATF.

The worst, though, isn’t the obviously damaging teachings like those above. The worst, for me, is when I hear people I know, like, respect, and even love saying, teaching and preaching from the Bible in ways that leave out Jesus Christ entirely.

What you end up with is moralizing, lecturing, and sometimes even admirable teachings.

But you don’t end up with Jesus. And without Jesus you miss out on healing. Salvation. Grace. Rest. Church.

Without Jesus we are all prodigals, penniless in a distant land, hungry, starving, desperate.

With Jesus we are sons and daughters of the living God.

Everything we do, and say should point to Jesus, the Christ.

Baptism? Christ.
Feeding the poor? Christ.
Communion? Christ.
Preaching? Christ.

And the Bible?
Christ.
Christ.
Christ.

I have a couple of new sermons up.

The first is entitled Sin. Short and sweet, I know. I focus on the effect that sin had on the world, and on each one of us.

The second is called Conflict Resolution. It deals with how we deal with sin when someone sins against us, or we against someone else.