Friday, July 31, 2020

Ignatius of Loyola

Today is the Catholic feast day of Ignatius of Loyola. He's the founder of the Jesuits. Looking through some articles about the feast, I saw this picture from St. Nicholas Church. That's Ingatius, the founder of the Jesuits with his foot on Martin Luther. Not what you would expect in Saint Nick's place? In my attempt to verify, I found it hard to find any information on this piece. If you go to the the Wikipedia page and look on the interior picture, to the left of the altar, you can see it. 



2 Timothy 2:24-26  And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

Or, stab them in the neck with a pitch fork. Either way. 

This is why I like statutes. I like to know where everyone stands. As a Baptist, I like to know who Saint Nichols was and what his followers think about justification by faith. I also like to know how they honor the founder of the Jesuits

Speaking of wolves, here's the family crest of Loyola. It's supposed to represent generosity. The family was so generous in feeding soldiers, after the men ate, there was enough for the wolves, OK, I guess? I'm no heraldist, but if I was going to depict generosity and love, I don't think I would use ravenous wolves around a pot as the symbol. It's now part of the symbol for many Jesuit schools and institutions. Which, it's a little too on the nose, don't you think? 



Thursday, July 23, 2020

No Profit

2 Timothy 2:14  Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers.

In the context of this letter, Paul is in prison, at the end of his life, writing to his friend and colleague Timothy, who was the pastor at the church in Ephesus to him to encourage him to continue following and serving the Lord Christ in perilous times. He told Timothy some hard truths, which were difficult to hear. But it wasn’t drive-by spite or courage at a distance. He loved the elect of God (2 Timothy 2:10) and loved them too much to lie or flatter. He was going to speak profitable words, and to borrow a phrase from Baxter, he wrote as a dying man writing to dying men.

He urges Timothy  not to be ashamed, not to be afraid, but, with boldness serve the Lord Jesus despite what the world may do to him. As a pastor, he had to take care of himself (2 Timothy 2:6) because he was charged to take care of others (2 Timothy 2:2) so he had to “endure hardness” like a good solider and carry on for the glory of the King. In verses 11-13 Paul reminds us that being united to Christ, we died with him. We died to the condemnation of the law. We died to sin, but we also, by faith, rose to live in Christ. And while we live in this world, we will suffer, but he has promised, we will reign with him when he returns in his kingdom. A few days of suffering in this life, to reign with Christ, after the resurrection is certainly worth it. But, if we deny him, he will deny us. 

Right after such a warning, Paul says to remind the church, and to charge them before the Lord of something very important. As a preacher, he wasn’t to suggest these truths and offer some friendly advice. Nor was he to find some uplifting words to make the church feel good and comfortable as if the preacher is supposed to be a motivational speaker to give you a boost to help you get through the week. Timothy had to preach divine truth. Sometimes, truth encourages the believer. Often times that charges, commands, or corrects the believer. I saw a TV preacher the other day telling how he came about his current sermon series. He was talking to his son and his girlfriend and gave them some marital advice. The problem was this was his advice. He didn’t provide any Scripture, or expound any text, but some things that came to mind in their conversation. Timothy had to charge the people before the Lord. The Lord who is coming again. The King they will stand before and give an account of how they lived since he saved them. I know we forget this truth. We can get wrapped up in the news or the goings on in our life that we forget the Lord is coming back. I think we also forget the Lord knows what we are doing and why we do it. If we are in God’s will, that’s a blessing. If not, well, that’s the point of this verse remember how you live — the Lord is coming.

The church is not to strive about words to no profit. Meaningless, useless, war of words, about words. Words are important. Douglas Wilson says the battle of our time is the battle over the dictionary. Some in our culture are trying to redefine reality by changing the meaning of words. Words have meanings and it's the art of the deceiver to subtly change the meaning of words to make things unclear. Defining our terms brings clarity to the discussion. But defining terms isn't fighting about words. Changing definitions is fighting about words. But if you tell me that marriage is union of some period of time between an indistinct number of life entities, then we are going to have a problem. That definitely is something. But it's not marriage. 

False preachers do the same. They redefine theological terms such as justification, elect, or even resurrection. Mormon's believe in Jesus if you ask them. Catholics believe you are saved by grace, if you ask them. But the Mormon's Jesus is not the Jesus of the Bible and the grace of Catholicism is accompanied by works. It's grace, just not grace by itself. So if a person in the church is redefining grace or teaching we are justified by grace but not grace alone, then it's time to define some words which will probably start a fight, but a fight with a purpose and with profit. 

Words are important and that’s not what Paul addresses. He is addressing the far too often experienced fight about shades of meaning that have no answer. Fights with no profit. There is no end in the struggle other than to defeat your opponent and win. Win what? The argument? Congratulations. The end of the argument isn’t when someone wins, because once the shooting of words is over and the smoke clears, you see you’ve destroyed the hearers. 

One thing, most people don’t consider the collateral damage in such wars. You might be fighting with just one other person, but it never stays with just one person. Yes, you showed the preacher! You really proved yourself right. And you did it in front of his kids who get bitter about the church that hurts their dad so often. Yes, you really won that argument about whether Adam had a belly button in the garden and put Brother Jones in his place. But you also made half the church dread coming because they know they are going to have to be in the middle of a war. 

Paul was no snowflake. Take 15 minutes this week and read 2 Timothy and notice how many specific people Paul calls out. He wasn’t afraid of a fight or an argument — when they had a purpose, when they brought glory to God or protected God’s sheep. Paul called out Peter to his face, and said he didn’t put up with a false gospel, even for an hour. Why? The the “truth of the gospel might remain” with the churches (Galatians 2:5). Doctrinal precision, defining our terms is a crucial, profitable exercise. A shepherd can’t expect wolves to play nice with the sheep. Sheep are not aggressive animals. Usually. A ram can get a little feisty and so do ewes with lambs. God’s people are not aggressive. Usually. Brothers and sisters can get a little feisty. The Bible says to stop.

Friday, July 10, 2020

Little Lies

Little Lies

Gaslight, a movie starring Ingrid Bergman and Joseph Cotten, is the story of a husband who tries to make his wife think she’s crazy. He dims the lights, makes noises, talks to himself and when his wife mentions it, he pretends like never happened and it’s all in her head. She knows she is seeing and hearing things — but her husband makes her question reality to drive her crazy. Gaslighting entered our lexicon to describe anytime someone purposely manipulates others to make them question their sanity by lying about a situation that is obviously happening. There was an old joke told in the U.S.S.R. that the future is known, it’s the past that’s always changing. The dissidents in Communist Russia knew they were being lied to but were powerless to do anything about it. How could you? In West Virginia, committing perjury will get you at least  one year, and up to ten in the pen. Swearing falsely in court can cost you $1,000 and get you a cot and three square meals for a year. 

Before I came to West Virginia, I had a book about lying and someone I knew asked if they could borrow it. They took the book and then I never saw them or the book again. I wish I had loaned a book about stealing. It was an fascinating book to pilfer. It was about a POW in the Civil War who was part of a conspiracy to escape. The plan hinged on deceiving the guards, however, one of the men refused. He said it was a lie and he wasn’t going to sin against God, even to escape. That set off a spirited debate (could you imagine being the one who came up with the plan!) in which the pro-escape party said there are justifiable times to lie, while the author held a lie was never justifiable. What do you think? The author finally did get out and decided he wouldn’t rest until he came to understand whether a lie was justifiable. He decided it’s worse to suffer than to sin.

Lying is something we all know is bad. Lying is universally understood to be wrong, especially when someone lies to you. A politician, whose bread and butter is spinning the truth and telling lies, will get furious when someone tells a lie on him. But, it’s the same with you. We think it’s OK to fudge the truth a little here and there to save us some pain or embarrassment. But woe until the unfortunate soul who lies against us. Lying hurts because too often, there is often no recourse once the lie has done it’s work. Lies can ruin lives, marriages, friendships, countries, and whole societies. It hurts, really hurts to be lied to. Often, the liar, just gets away with it —  no, strike that. The liar never gets away with it. “A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall not escape,” Proverbs 19:5. The Lord will judge the wicked, and all liars will spend eternity in the second death (Revelation 21:8). Maybe there is no such thing as a little lie?

Friday, July 3, 2020

Liberty

I’m writing this mere days from the Fourth of July. That grand day we celebrate our liberty in these United States. Or, the day we used to celebrate our liberty. Maybe I’ll watch virtual fireworks online which seems fitting to celebrate my virtual liberty. In 1828 Daniel Webster, in the dictionary that bears his name, defined liberty in a rather robust way. The entire definition wouldn’t fit in this column, but we can boil it down to it’s Latin roots, which  means free. Liberty is freedom from restraint, whether physical, or mental. It’s being free from the control of others. In Title 27 CFR 555.11, the Federal Government defines fireworks. There are different categories and depending who you are, what you are doing with them, and whether you have obtained a license from the ATF, will determine if you have the freedom to celebrate your liberty. 

Liberty is a gift. It’s something everyone wants for themselves and most people want to take away. To live with liberty means you can’t make everyone look, think, act, or believe like you do. I love liberty. But liberty comes at a cost. There is a price paid to get it, there is a price to have it, and a price to keep it. Our forefathers paid a price to give us this country and the freedoms we have. They are not my gods or saviours. They were not perfect, but I don’t need them to be perfect. I’m not either. We are learning now there is a price to keep it. There is also a price to have liberty. Liberty is dangerous. 
 
I was at the park recently to watch my boys play an outdoor, socially distance recital. It was nice to hear the kids playing music. Someone, in order to protect the kids (what about the children!) took away the seats to all the swings at the park. Our government hard at work to protect us. It was a sad sight, all those chains hanging from the swingset. But soon after, there were some little rebels who made their way from the concert to the playground and went straight for the chains grabbed hold and started having a blast. Was it safe? Nope. Could they have gotten the virus, or broke their arm, or skinned their knees or struck by lightening? All possibilities. But liberty is dangerous. Maybe these kids will have the courage to fight for their liberty, if we have any left to pass down to them. 

The Lord Jesus, the King of Kings, came to set the captives free (Isaiah 61:1). The Lord pronounced the blessed Jubilee of the soul and set those bound by sin free to walk in the light and liberty of the New Covenant. King Jesus gives liberty. Men try to squash it or take it away. But I’m Christ’s freeman, free from the condemnation of the law and free to live in Him. Free to serve him and free to love God and neighbor. Christ's liberty doesn't make a man selfish but in the Spirit we don't use freedom as a cover for sinfulness but to live for God's glory. Some people use their liberty to be jerks. So is the answer to stifle speech? I would much rather know what people really believe by hearing what they have to say than try to be the conscience police. 

The liberty of conscience we have in this country is a Baptist Heritage. That's dangerous. I believe you have the right to believe how you want. I will also take that same privilege for myself. I'll stand before the Lord Jesus Christ one day to give an account to him for my life and my words so I had better judge myself how I use my liberty. Is that safe? Ask Paul how safe being free is and how much it cost him. They took they liberty of his body but not his soul. Once you beat a man on the inside, he's beaten all together, no matter how strong and tough he is. The Romans, the Jews, the religious preachers beat Paul's body and hurt him all they could from the outside, but they didn't' whip his Spirit. To be free is dangerous because you'll loose friends. You'll loose opportunities. You can't be faithful, free, and popular with everyone. But being popular with everyone has a price all its own. 

Jesus set me free. The Lord Jesus lived to do the will of the Father and didn't care what men thought of him. My King gave me eternal life why should I bow the knee to the ungodly dictates of a pagan world? Why should I now have my conscience molded by ungodly infidels as to what is right or wrong? 

Let freedom ring.