How do "when's" become "if's" ?
Ok- I know that was a strange title, but it seemed appropriate. I suppose this time of year I often think about the sermon on the mount from Jesus. Many churches (including ours) declare the first month a special time of emphasis on prayer, fasting, and giving/stewardship. In a world that seems to complicate life so much, Jesus made things sound so simple. He had a way of speaking in plain terminology- it's either a good tree or a bad tree- we are either wise men or foolish men- we're either on the broad path leading to destruction or the strait and narrow path leading to life. Some..how some... way, we always (as humans) try to complicate and obfuscate the clear message of Jesus. Such is the case in the subject of my blog today. In this famous sermon, there are three things that Jesus gave instruction on how to obey certain disciplines. Let's look at them briefly:
Matthew 6:3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth
Matthew 6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly
Matthew 6:17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;
Three things- giving, praying, and fasting. I find it interesting that these are three areas that we (Christians) tend to really miss the mark. It's almost as if we have changed the words "when" and substituted the word "if" as if they were suggestions rather than commands. I have found that the most difficult things to motivate people to do in my ministry have been praying and giving....fasting is almost unheard of in the modern church. And yet Jesus said "when" you do all of these things. He expects you and I to do these things- they are the bare minimum of our Christian existance. They are not extraordinary feats of spiritual discipline, they are (as Romans 12 declares) our "reasonable service." It is difficult to find Christians today who "have the victory" in most areas of their lives. It is entirely possible that we face these problems time after time because we have changed the truth of God into something else entirely. When we change the "when" to "if", we rob ourselves of the blessings that God has for us. In each of those instances above, Jesus promises an open reward to all who will practice these disciplines in secret. What more motivation do we need?
Ok- I'll quit preaching now.
God bless,
Henry
5 comments:
Right on, pastor Henry. I have recently been making more of an effort one of these areas, fasting. Admitedly, it's hard to fast. I love to eat. So, I decided to start slow. But you know what, just the fact that I was obeying a command of Christ brought such joy and fellowship with Him. It really was a blessing.
~Jeff
Amen- fasting can be a tremendous blessing to the spirit man- I have recommended the "Daniel" fast to our church for those who have difficulty with absolute fasts.
Campus Crusade for Christ has some wonderful materials on fasting by the late Dr. Bill Bright. Folks can check it out by going to
http://www.billbright.com/7steps/
Very good post Henry. I have been fielding questions about this (especially concerning giving) from some in my church as well as another church, and this is a great way of addressing it.
I too am really perplexed by how we have made so many commands fo the Lord conditional.
And the fasting thing...
Struggling with this one right now myself. I used to do this regularly, but over the last several years I struggle. I have never done the Daniel fast. Care to share the guidelines for this?
Well, it depends on who you ask. Some ministers say the Daniel fast is "no meats and no sweets" while others say it is beans and water-LOL
My State overseer (AB) sent me this material the other day and it has some suggestions for the "Daniel" fast- see what you think How To Fast and How Long
First of all Pastor Henry, thanks for calling me a buddy...I am honored! I saw my blog on your Buddy Blog list, made me feel special today!
Isn't amazing how that we have developed a user friendly concept of God's realities? As you said, we pray, fast, and give, if it is feasible for us, if we have something we need, and if it doesn't hurt too much, cost too much, and take too much time. I remember when our oldest daughter was six and I told her she needed to tithe on her Christmas money, she amassed about 60.00, she promised to give the clerk some pennies, I went off...not mean, but she could not believe that I expected her to give 6.00, that's allot of money! In a very direct manner I explained the concept of tithing, the benefits, blessings, and that if all of church members had her attitudes...we wouldn't eat! She gave the six dollars eventually, but she gave me an insight into the attitude that many people have about most everything...If it works for me and benefits me...it's the nature of humanity...even christians!
Don't quit preaching Pastor, keep reminding us that it's when not if!
Neil
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