Sick

I was sick a couple of weeks ago with a headache and a sore throat. Even when I'm sick, I'm not one to just lay up in the bed and do nothing. I tend to try to go ahead and work or do whatever and just push through it (not because I'm any kind of a trooper or anything, it's just that laying up in the bed is incredibly boring). Anyway, I was trying to do some work with the headache - and it just wasn't happening. I couldn't think straight. I was able to do some simple stuff, but anything that took some intelligent thinking I had to put off for another day.

It just so happened that at the time I was doing some research into other religions and what they believe for a class that I'm teaching. There is so much information out there on the Internet, but it takes a lot of compiling and organizing to get it into a presentable and understandable format. Anyway, let's just say that when your head and throat hurt and your head is all cloudy, compiling and organizing facts into a understandable format doesn't seem to work to well.

One of the things that has really astounded me about these other religions is their ability to believe things that are so far-fetched. Now I realize that I believe things that some would consider far-fetched (e.g. the Virgin Birth), but I believe them because the Bible tells me they are so. But they believe things that are far-fetched and have absolutely no scripture to back them up. So I ask myself, 'How can they be so deceived? How can they not understand the truth when it is right in front of them?" Even as I ask that question I realize it is not limited to other religions, but is true of all unbelievers.

But it's like me being sick. Everything I needed was right in front of me - but I just couldn't put my head around it. The knowledge was there but I couldn't compile it into an understandable format. It was like trying to see through a fog - you know that something is there but you just can't quite see it clearly.

That's what it's like being an unbeliever. The truth can be right in front of you, so close that it is staring you in the face - but you just can't quite understand it. Your mind can't compile the Scriptures into something understandable. The reason? You are spiritually sick - in fact, you are so spiritually sick that you are dead. You are trying to understand spiritual things with a natural mind - and that will never work.

For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. - Romans 8:6-7

I'm not sure if I am supposed to learn a lesson from this or not. I just know that for one brief moment I got an understanding of how difficult it may be for someone to come to the Truth. For one moment I realized that without the Holy Spirit drawing us and illuminating the truth for us - we would be 'ever learning but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth'.

Love without Need

In the book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis has a quote. I won't take the time to look it up and quote it exactly, but the gist of it is as follows:

"Christians can love you more than anyone else, but they need you less".

When I first read that I wasn't sure what he meant. But the more I studied on it the more I understood what he was saying. As Christians, we are commanded to love everyone - not only our friends but our enemies as well. Now this is hard to do to begin with, but as we put on the Lord Jesus Christ we begin to find that it becomes easier. As we grow and mature we find that our capacity to love expands more and more. So I do believe it's true that Christians can love others more (and better) then anyone else can.

But what about the 2nd part of that statement - they need you less? Let's examine that more closely. Each of us has 3 areas of our lives in which we have needs and desires: physical, emotional and spiritual. In our society today, we are encouraged to fulfill these needs through relationships. In the moral parts of society, we are encouraged to fulfill them through marriage. In the immoral parts of society, we are encouraged to fulfill them through any relationship we so choose.

Now obviously I would encourage marriage over the other, but even in marriage there is a danger of putting marriage up as the answer that will meet all our needs. Anyone that has been married will tell you that is not true. Marriage is a wonderful thing, but if you are relying on your spouse to meet your emotional and spiritual needs, you are going to be sadly disappointed.

I'm not a marriage counselor, so I'm not an expert on the subject. But don't you think one of the main reasons that marriages fail is that one spouse doesn't feel that the other spouse is "meeting their needs"?

"Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." - Psalm 37:4

That is the truth: only in Christ can those needs be met. He is the only one that can truly fulfil those inward desires.

"But my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." -Phillipians 4:19

My whole life I've heard that scripture quoted about material things, but it is so much more than that. "All your needs" are supplied by God - material, emotional and spiritual!

So now can you see what Lewis meant by his statement - "Christians can love you more than anyone else, but they need you less"? When Christ is first and foremost in our lives, we then have the ability to love our spouse - our family member - our friends - more than we ever could before. But we don't need them to make us content. We don't need them to fulfill those emotional and spiritual needs. They are fulfilled in Christ. And now we can really love, unencumbered.

Preach the Word!

We sometimes think that immorality couldn't be worse than it is in our day, but if you study history you'll see that there was a time when it was much worse than it is today. Homosexuality and sexual perversions were rife in the Roman Empire during the days of the Apostle Paul. In cities like Corinth and Ephesus immorality was not only rampant but was considered normal behavior by society in general. But that was just one form of wickedness that was being practiced - there were many others.

Paul described it this way in his 2nd letter to to Timothy:

But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. - 2 Timothy 3:1-4

That's a pretty good list and I think most would agree that it pretty well describes our current society. A few verses later he adds one more ominous note - it won't get better.

But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. - 2 Timothy 3:13

Paul was in prison and this would be his last letter to Timothy - his beloved son in the faith. What advice would he give him? What piece of wisdom would he impart to him to enable him to battle the forces of the enemy?

• Work with the Roman Senate to pass laws to legislate moral behavior?



• Open counseling centers to work with troubled people?



• Open faith-based ministries with the Roman government's money?



• Protest the bathhouses and other dens of iniquity?

No, he didn't say any of that. This is what he said:

I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. - 2 Timothy 4:1-2

The Bible clearly teaches that the Word - the Truth - changes people. It alone is able to convince, rebuke and exhort. But for some reason we've lost our focus. Preaching doesn't seem to be good enough anymore. Even though you won't hear people admit it, it seems that there is a reliance on programs and buildings and ministries and stories and technology more than on the the simple preaching of the Word of God. Why? I'm not sure. For many, preaching seems "old fashioned". They feel like that in order to minister to today's culture, you have to be "culturally relevant" - not preach a message that sounds foolish to the world. But the Apostle Paul makes an amazing statement in his letter to the church at Corinth.

For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. - 1 Corinthians 1:18

For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. - 1Corinthians 1:21

Preaching is God's plan. It may sound like foolishness to the flesh - but it is God's way. No matter what we try, we cannot improve upon it. John the Baptist preached, Jesus preached, the Apostles preached. There is no other way. In season and out of season - in good times and bad times - in a Christian society and in a pagan society - all the time and anytime - Preach the Word!

For whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? - Rom 10:13-14