Month: April 2019

Steeples are Falling

I watched the news report in shocked silence. The video showed the burning cathedral of Notre Dame. As the flames leapt into the sky from the engulfed building, suddenly the main spire came crashing down into the flames. It was not what I expected to see on the news, especially during Holy Week, when my wife and I were enjoying a vacation getaway to see family and friends in the Midwest.

As I watched, the words of an old Lutheran hymn went through my mind: “Built on the Rock the Church shall stand, Even when steeples are falling;
Crumbled have spires in every land, Bells still are chiming and calling.” Though the message of that hymn (Built on the Rock the Church shall Stand by Nicolai F.S. Grundtvig) is ultimately positive and optimistic, the mention of falling and crumbling spires has always made me profoundly sad.

Likewise, I feel saddened whenever I see or hear of any church building being destroyed or converted to some other use because the congregation has moved, died out, or lost its faith. The fact that many churches have been converted to museums, warehouses, mosques, or nightclub venues because no one worships in them anymore, troubles me. It somehow makes the term “post-Christian” all too real – and scary. I am reminded of Jesus’ words in Luke 18:8 about his return: “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

Those images of abandoned church buildings remind me of the nations and peoples who, over the centuries, had become Christian, only to fall victim to heresies or conquests and forced conversions to other religions. Areas like North Africa, Palestine, and Turkey were once almost completely Christian. Europe was strongly Christian, but now is populated by empty churches. And then there’s the US . . . which now has more people claiming no religion than Roman Catholics, mainline Protestants, or Evangelicals. (Thanks to reader Dave K. for sending me that data.) One could get very discouraged, indeed.

It’s hard to believe that any nation or people, once enlightened by the Gospel and transformed by the Holy Spirit would ever intentionally discard the faith and either become secular or wander after other gods. Why would anyone exchange the blessings, both spiritual and practical, that come from faith in Jesus Christ, for the shallow pursuit of what cannot satisfy or save?

Here are some of my thoughts about how this happens:

  1. Even though we refer to “Christian nations,” there is never a time when everyone in those nations is a devout believer in Jesus Christ. While its leaders or even a majority of its citizens may profess Christ, there are always a good number of people who just play along, giving lip-service to gain some social benefit. They use the words of the faith and sound Christian as they cry, “Lord, Lord,” but in the words of Jesus, “I never knew you; depart from me . . .” (Matthew 7:23).
  2. There’s a paradox in nations where Christianity has taken root. As people live lives in keeping with biblical truths and principles, their society thrives with peace, generosity, cooperation, law-abiding behavior, and prosperity. (Look up the effects of the Welsh Revival of 1904 for examples.) Then, as the blessings flourish, people get comfortable and pursue those blessings, rather than the One who has blessed them with such good things. There is a Christian song with the words, “I seek the Giver and not the gift” (“I Bow My Knee” by Ron Kenoly), but unfortunately, too many people have sought the gifts only, believing that they have earned them by their own efforts and deserve them.
  3. This is a problem as people look to themselves as the source of their good fortune, rather than to the true Provider. A classic example of this thinking is in the 1965 movie, Shenandoah, in which Jimmy Stewart’s character says a table prayer with these words: “Lord, We cleared this land; We plowed it, sowed it, and harvested it. We cooked the harvest. It wouldn’t be here—we wouldn’t be eating it—if we hadn’t done it all ourselves. We worked dog-bone hard for every crumb and morsel But we thank you just the same anyway, Lord, for this food we’re about to eat. Amen.” This blasphemous prayer denies the words of Scripture, that “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17). Unfortunately this is too prevalent an attitude in our country today, where we demand material things as our “right,” while ignoring the Creator who endowed us with those rights. We are so concerned about our own pride that we fail to humbly seek the Lord who provides us with everything.
  4. Another problem is that the faith and devotion of one generation does not automatically pass on to the next generation. In the words of Exodus 1:8, even though Egypt had been saved by the prophetic word and efforts of Joseph, “Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.” Likewise, people who are redeemed by Christ too often have children who, in spite of those parents’ efforts, “do not know Jesus.” This was shown in our country’s history, when the descendants of the devout Puritans soon founded heretical churches like the Unitarians and Universalists. I have heard the expressions, “God has many children, but no grandchildren,” meaning that each person must believe for him or herself, and not ride on their parents’ coattails. Another saying warns of the dangers of this truth: “Christianity is always just one generation away from extinction.” Thus, a nation can be strongly Christian in one generation, and then fall away the next, boarding up or converting the buildings which were lovingly built for the Lord.
  5. Even when churches and denominations seem strong in numbers, they must guard against false teachers and what I would call “heretical creep.” Too many preachers want to enhance their own reputations by bringing in “new” ideas to titillate their audiences (appealing to their “itching ears” as Paul put it in 2 Timothy 4:3). Wanting to be respected by their academic peers or other religions, they introduce ideas from the secular world, such as the newest popular philosophies and latest scientific theories.
  6.   And don’t forget the spiritual archenemy of the faith: Satan is active in the world, seeking to turn people away from God. He accuses and condemns us, denying our forgiveness and thereby trying to drive a wedge between us and God. He tempts people with the kingdoms of this world and all their glories, and promises satisfaction and happiness through sin. The Bible says he will deceive the nations (Revelation 20), and “lead astray, if possible, even the elect” (Matthew 24:24). Too many people, even nominal Christians, fall victim to the devil’s lies; in fact, we all do to some extent.

All these factors contribute to the closing of churches and the falling of steeples. So what do we do about it?

First, we must remember that the Bible warns strongly against falling away from the faith. The book of Hebrews (6:4-8) puts it this way: “For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.” This is scary stuff that people must not dismiss lightly.

Second, we must remember that the Gospel call is the same today as it was in those first centuries. Just as the faith first spread in a hostile, pagan world by the power of the Holy Spirit working through faithful believers, so it can spread again through the same Spirit working through us. If God has “no grandchildren,” then neither does Satan; we can bring the faith to a new generation just as it was brought to us. It may be hard because of the mischaracterizations of  Christianity so prevalent in our culture today, but our faith has always been slandered and maligned b the world. Didn’t Jesus say something about the world hating us for his sake? (Yes, he did, in John 15:18-19, and affirmed in 1 John 3:13 – “Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.”

Third, our imperative (our “Prime Directive” in Star Trek lingo) is to make disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching them about Christ. This has not changed in 2000 years, nor will it until Christ returns and “every knee bows, in heaven and earth and under the earth” to worship him (Philippians 2:10-11). Though this may seem futile at times, remember that God’s Word promises that heaven will be filled with “a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages” (Revelation 7:9).

And finally, we must remember that the Church is not a building. It is the body of believers, those who by the Holy Spirit are being built up into a temple suitable for God. People have gathered to hear God’s Word and worship him in every kind of place: homes, synagogues, meeting halls, forests, catacombs, rented schools, empty store fronts, sports stadiums, and yes, churches. While a dedicated building adorned with the symbols of our faith can be comforting and even inspiring, it is what happens there, and the people who gather in Christ’s name, that is important.

To that end, even as we watch the collapse of a famous cathedral’s steeple, we take note of the second verse of the hymn, Built on the Rock the Church shall Stand:

Not in a temple made with hands
God the Almighty is dwelling;
high in the heav’ns His temple stands,
all earthly temples excelling.
Yet He who dwells in heaven above
chooses to live with us in love,
making our body His temple.

Thank God that his beloved Church will go on in us whom he has saved!

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Read: 1 Peter 2:4-6, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

 

 

 

The Tax Man Continueth

In last week’s blog article, I set aside working on my own taxes long enough to address some of the issues that arise from our tax systems and how a Christian should relate to them.

Basically, I pointed out from Scripture that:

1. God has instituted all authority (Romans 13:1); 2. The rulers are God’s instruments for justice and the restraint of evil (Romans 13:3-7); 3. Everyone is to be subject to the governing authorities (Romans 3:1 and 1 Peter 2:13-14 – “Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.”); and 4. Jesus himself commanded us to “render to Caesar” what belongs to him, namely his taxes, but to render to God the things that are God’s (Matthew 22:21). This two-way submission is God honoring, but it may lead to problems when our duties to God and our duties to the state  conflict with each other.

At the close of the last blog, I said “At some point, we may need to just say ‘No’; there may be a point when obedience to God means saying no to government demands.” I then ended with the statement:  “Before we do, there are certain criteria we must take into account if our protest is going to be God-honoring.” But, what are those things?

  1. First, we recognize that “no one can serve two masters” (Luke 16:13). If God and government disagree, God is the supreme authority. As Jesus told his disciples regarding coming persecutions: “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). I would rather be judged by the state than by God.
  2. Next, we have to make sure that our objection to particular government demands is based on God’s word, and not just our opinions or attitudes. Just because we don’t like a certain tax or law doesn’t mean we get to refuse it. The Apostle Peter was clear about this when he told Christians to behave, so that if they were persecuted it was for their faith and not for their criminal actions. He wrote in 1 Peter 2:19-20, “For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.”
  3. The form of government does not matter when it comes to honoring those in authority, since all authority is given by God. Whether we are in a kingdom, an empire, a republic, a democracy, or a dictatorship, we are still to do our civic duty. In fact, for most of history, including all the earliest centuries of the faith, believers were under pagan kings and emperor – yet Christ’s command was still valid.
  4. Our form of government puts more of the onus on us as citizens. We cannot just point the finger at distant rulers and blame them for everything (as guilty as they might be); we share the responsibility because of our role in electing our leaders and decision-makers (or passively allowing others to elect those leaders for us). Our approach must be one of humility before we complain too loudly.
  5. If a law or tax violates God’s word, we must first seek to change that law or tax in ways that respect government and those who work in it. This means lobbying our legislators, speaking out publicly, forming organizations that seek to overturn the bad policies, etc. We must first make the case for why we object to the law or tax.
  6.  Refusal to follow an evil law must be done while still honoring our fellow citizens who are enforcing those laws. We owe them respect, recognizing the position they are in, even if they fully endorse what they are doing. By treating them well we remove the personal nature of our refusal and have a better chance of winning them to our viewpoint. Hatred breeds hatred; love calls forth love.
  7. If we decide that we must disobey a law or tax, we must do so without violence. All violence decides is who has the biggest, or most, guns. People will decide that might makes right, rather than see the rightness of our cause. When a matter is decided violently, it is never truly settled; anger, hate, and revenge can simmer just below the surface, waiting for the chance to boil over. The early Church grew in spite of persecution by winning the hearts and minds of even the persecutors.
  8. If we disobey the law, we must be ready to suffer the consequences. We may not like the punishment, and may truly suffer loss of property and freedom, but those are prices that we must sometimes pay if we are to obey God. The martyrs before us, and those in other places around the world today, gave all they had for the faith. And they considered themselves blessed to suffer for their Lord who had suffered for them. Why should we expect to avoid government’s rod or sword?
  9. Ultimately, God will judge those in authority for what they did with their power. He brings down people and governments for doing evil and for not fulfilling the purposes for which he raised them up. God requires rulers to restrain and punish evil, to establish and administer justice, to protect the vulnerable, and to guard the lives of its people. It’s very interesting that the founders of many of our states’ early constitutions required that elected officials be Christians, or otherwise believed in judgment after death; they wanted leaders who recognized they were under divine authority and would one day be judged for what they did in office. (Too bad we don’t require that any more!)

There is a question to which all these considerations point: namely, what are the things of God that we must render to him? We owe him our very lives; we owe him our possessions (recognizing that he says to pay some of them to Caesar); we owe him our time; we owe him worship; we owe him our relationships and our activities; we owe him obedience to all his commandments (even recognizing that we cannot fulfill any of them); we owe him our faith and trust. We owe him love with all our heart and mind and strength; we owe him love for our neighbors as ourselves. In other words, we owe him everything. Should government command we look to it as our god, we must refuse. Should government outlaw our faith, we must resist. Should government order us to violate God’s commandments, we must refuse. For where our duty to God conflicts with the demands of men, God wins.

Finally: when Jesus was asked about taxes, he pointed to Caesar’s image on a coin and asked whose image was on it. If you look at a dollar bill today, you see a picture of George Washington, and the words, “In God We Trust.” If Jesus were asked that same question today, I can imagine him saying, “Render to Washington the things that are Washington’s, but render to God the things that are God’s, and trust in God for the outcome.”

With that in mind, have a great April 15th!

May the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Read: 1 Peter 2, Matthew 10:16-33