'Wood for the trees' 1 'Your heart is wrong?'

John 8:43  Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say.

If your calling is to speak out about certain things in the Church it is good to clarify some points.  Sometimes people can't see the wood for the trees.  When this happens people label and compartmentalise based on a broad assumption.  It happened to Jesus.  I've been on John 8 for a while now because it is remarkable how the Lord dealt with his detractors.  The Pharisees could only hear 'this man is insulting us' when actually He was telling them they are not actually saved and need to change their parenthood.  They missed what was being said because it was a higher priority to be seen to be a rock star for God than actually hearing truth.  Anything that came to challenge their rock star status among the people is therefore obviously error.

In my own calling and sending I have to challenge the church system.  There is a version of this going around that is against the system but cannot articulate why except for a few stories where the leaders did this or that.  They don't like the system because they have a few scars.  All that issues forth from this is 'anti' this or that.   I get lumped into this crowd by people who have not heard the biblical position that I come from.  It is the same one Jesus came from when confronting the man made version of God's truth... this I call 'the system.'

In every single case it is the church system I am stating is wrong, not the hearts of the people in it.  I am in no position to judge a persons motives.  If, however, they do things that show their hearts are focused on other things like 'rock star' status, money, church growth etc, then I am instructed to call this out to those whom the Lord has entrusted me.  So to be clear:  If you are in a man made church whose practices are born of history rather than the scriptures, you are simply going to the wrong church.  No matter how blessed you feel or how good the preaching / attendance / fiscal / worship is, if it's not the practice that Jesus instructed the Apostles to do, it is simply un-biblical.  Basically, good people are going to un-biblical churches.  And that's it! God does things in these churches because a Father has to apply more care to babies.  There's the first ouch!

If, however, you understand and see that your church practice is un-biblical then you want to stay in knowing it is un-biblical, you are wilfully ignoring God's will and purpose.  You don't need me or anyone to show that this is a heart problem.  The Pharisees' problem was that they assumed they were squarely in God's will and purpose and now some bearded miracle worker is tipping up the apple cart!  Jesus had reason to be like the other anti-system people who had a tough journey with leaders.  They tried to throw him off a cliff.  I've experienced social martyrdom and excommunication from a denomination but never been dragged to a cliff yet!  My experiences are a spring board for God setting me apart to articulate the problem.

Most cannot see the wood for the trees and label me in the angry / hurt / resentful / bitter / rebellious / box, completely missing the plea to be biblical.  It's not my problem.  Myself and others like me have a task:  pour the salt into the unproductive waters (2 Kings 2).  Those hearing can be healed and become biblically productive.  But many are opting for the easy road.  Many want to be part of the shiny church that offers much in width but not much depth. 

In short, my point is not that your heart is wrong, but your church probably is, biblically. 

Lets talk.

Gary Ward

Was Jesus always 'nice?'

When we think of the ways of our Lord Jesus we see outrageous love, mercy and grace.  These poured out from Jesus as he healed, forgave and demonstrated who he was before Israel.  Believers should be aspiring to these qualities, not by an act of theatre, but by the transformation of the core self as we submit, yield and abandon to Jesus, risen and glorified.   We are given an overview of our fruitfulness and hopefully we desire to have love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness, gentleness, patience, self control and faithfulness in wonderful abundance.  I'm sure we all admit we are a work in progress.

The gospels record Jesus as the perfect model of divine attributes but then he confronts a particular bunch of people.  These were the religious establishment of the time.  Jesus' tact changed and we see love mercy and grace expressed in an entirely different way.  The best example is John 8 when he is taken on by the Pharisees.  Jesus wipes the floor with them, delivering truth straight from the hip.  The motive behind this was love, grace and mercy but we should not miss the fact that he did not shy away from the hostility of the Pharisees. 

Today it is frowned upon to stand up for truth or even engage anyone in what appears to be an argument.  The overarching idea about Jesus is that He is a wet blanket, just being nice all the time.  He called them liars! To tell someone their father is the devil and they wanted to carry out their fathers desires is not nice!  But it is truth!  To engage anyone in the way Jesus confronted the Pharisees is considered lacking in grace or missing the 'Jesus mark' somehow. 

We must be careful that we are not in fear of being perceived lacking in grace or missing the mark just because we confront issues.  BUT we must also make sure our motive for confrontation is love, mercy and grace.  Often we confront out of poor motives and that is not good.  But to slam confrontation itself as un-christian or graceless is error.  Being like Jesus involves standing up for truth even when the society, culture or Pharisaical ministry fraternity don't like it.

The Pharisees were part of the corruption that misrepresented Gods word and therefore God.  When we come across this today we may be expected to flag things up.  This is being like Jesus.  The Pharisees didn't take too kindly to Jesus because he scrambled their own self importance, status and rank.  They valued their own profile as supposed 'men of God' in their community. Jesus' message did not prop up these self appointed popes and they plotted his murder because of it.

We don't see crucifixion in our societies but we do see social martyrdom where leaders with something to protect hate truth being issued forth.  They shut out and exclude those who want to walk in all of Jesus' ways.  They hate their words and actions and try to call them out on them like they did Jesus.  Any attempt to address these Pharisaical claims is branded 'graceless' or failing to be 'nice.'  We all want to be like Jesus unless it threatens our status among our peers.  'Truth' and 'nice' never really get on well in the arena of walking out God's truth.

Gary Ward