Christian living

Re Christian Unity: Are You an Exhorter, an Educator or an Exhaler?

Lisa SpencerLeave a comment

I’ve been trying to process a number of both compatible and competing thoughts around how Christians handle differences in doctrine and expression of Christianity.  More importantly, I’ve been thinking about how can the body unite around essential truths. Admittedly, it is somewhat fueled by acceptance of a position in a non-profit ministry that evolved out of the United Methodist Church. While I knew there would be doctrinal differences, I also was sold on the program and thought it to be a remarkable expression of Christ’s love in action.

Knowing that this organization upheld Wesleyan values, I had to ask my Calvinist, conservative self if I could handle the doctrinal rub. The one thing I kept coming back to was the commitment to building up children and the young adults who served them

I’ve also become somewhat weary of excessive complaints of others and how this or that person is not uphold truth. There is naturally a tension between articulating Christianity that is faithful to the historic and biblical witness and demonstrating the love of Christ in action. Truth and love are inseparable companions, yet at times it seems that turns into either a loosy-goosy Christianity or overly critical complaints.

man pointing to skyThe goal of our Christianity is to proclaim Christ, represent him well through growth in the body. But not everybody is on the same page. We have centuries of doctrinal splintering and exacerbation through increased media channels.  How to increase unity in the body? I observe that our denominational and/or tribal allegiances can thwart the unity that is and should be possible.

So I was pondering today how can this happen? We don’t want to lose truth but we don’t want to lose love either. We should take serious that belief in Christ means being tied to his body in spite of differences. What emerged out of my swarming thoughts were these three categories that can have an impact on unity: Continue reading →

The Quest for Contentment: Giving Self-Pity the Boot

Lisa Spencer3 Comments

sad faceThis is a personal entry that I hope can be of benefit for those struggling with discontentment.

“If I could just be content” I’ve repeated that one line more times than I care to count. After all that is what Paul said,

I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I’ve learned what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil 4:11-13).

He was needy. He had deficits. It wasn’t easy and it certainly wasn’t fair. He could have mired in discontentment. He could sit around and have a pity party for himself. Yet he said he had to learn contentment. As a side note, this is the context in which he says “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”.  His statement points to being content when there is need. This is what Christ strengthens him to do.

We should not fool ourselves in thinking that deficits and unaddressed needs don’t bother us and put the whammy on our souls.  But the bigger question is how do we treat them? Learning contentment in discontenting circumstances is often a difficult task and slow process. But what I’m discovering is that it is the only way towards contentment when you want to do otherwise.  Continue reading →

Putting the Prodigal in His Place: A Lesson from the Faithful Son

Lisa Spencer2 Comments

Arrogant Man in SuitThe story of the prodigal son found in Luke 15:11-31 has to be one of the commonly preached passages. The story goes a man had two sons, each with an inheritance but one decides to abandon it and sow oats to his hearts content. But then he’s wasted his inheritance, finds himself wallowing with the pigs and recalls the goodness of his father’s home.  He comes back to a party, which his father gladly prepares for him. The passage is commonly used to provide comfort to those who were far off, who have lived in ways that might make them feel ashamed and underserving of the God’s goodness.

Surely the prodigal son’s rebellion, meandering journey and unconditional acceptance comforts those for whom have struggled to find acceptance in God’s eyes and those of his family. To the extent that the prodigal son’s story mirrors our own, it does warm us to know that through Christ, the Father accepts us.

But there’s just one problem…

The story of the prodigal son was not written for those who were far off, it was written for those who never left. Putting this story in it’s context, the Pharisees observed that outcasted tax collectors and sinners were hanging around Jesus. So in their typical Pharisee-ish snarkiness, the said (most likely with nose in air) “this man welcomes sinners and eats with them” (15:1-2).

So Jesus tells them three stories of what was lost being found: the sheep (vv 3-7); the coin (8-10) and finally the wayward son (vv 11-32). Now let’s understand what exactly Jesus is showing them with these stories, which is Gentile acceptance into the kingdom of God on equal footing with the Jews who had been the original recipients of covenant promises. It goes back to the Abrahamic covenant (Genesis 12:1-3) and the fact that his seed would inherit the promises of God. Cross-referencing with Galatians 3:13-16, the descendents of Abraham were those found in Christ. Through his death, he brought in Gentiles into the fold on equal terms (see Ephesians 2:11-3:11; Galatians 3:28). Continue reading →

Prayerlessness: Another Option

Lisa Spencer3 Comments

Tim Challies posted some good thoughts on prayer recently in Prayerlessness is Selfishness after reading H.B Charles, Jr. book.  I haven’t read the book, but I am a firm believer in prayer and believe that signals dependence on God. Well, of course this is what Challies is driving at – that when we don’t pray, we are not depending on God and with that comes the statement ‘I can do this myself’

“The things you pray about are the things you trust God to handle. The things you neglect to pray about are the things you trust you can handle on your own.” – H.B. Charles, Jr.

And I’ve heard this many times before. It’s not that I disagree with the statement, for I certainly do think that can be a signal of self-reliance. But, I think there is another option that typically gets overlooked, that I fear far too many Christians experience: Discouragement.

It is one thing to not bring things to God in prayer with an underlying assumption that we can handle it ourselves. It is something entirely different to bring Him everything in prayer in faith believing that He will take care of it, completely dependent on Him, only to be met with…Silence. And by silence, I mean inactivity. Nothing.

Now, I do believe that God uses times of silence to test our hearts, purge out sin and build our faith in Christ and be found in Him. We should not expect that He will immediately act upon our requests or otherwise be some genie in a bottle that grants our every wish. There is a reason for dry times and seemingly lack of movement on God’s part. To be sure, it is very well a process of divine discipline (cf. Hebrews 12) Continue reading →

Shaming to the Glory of God

Lisa Spencer7 Comments

A few years ago, I wrote this piece here on Parchment and Pen about how we use condemning statements under the rubric of Christian affection.

I was listening to a Christian broadcast the other morning on the way into school and the topic of the sermon was Christians and alcohol.  The preacher took a rather hard stand against alcohol and insisted that the Bible expressly forbids the use of alcohol.  While I don’t agree with him, I was intent be gracious to his points as to why.  That was until he made the statement at the end of his broadcast that he did not want to condemn any Christian who drinks alcohol BUT (yes you knew there was a but coming, right?) you Christian, should really ask yourself does your use of alcohol really glorify God.  If you love God and offer yourself to Him….skreeeeech! My first thought was ‘how is that not condemning’?  That person who may have a glass of wine or beer on occasion, and has a conviction regarding this liberty, has now had their Christian devotion challenged.

wagging_finger_cartoonI find this all too common – shaming to the glory of God. Well, of course it’s not to God’s glory. In fact, I’d take a gander and say it is to our own to show we have the upper moral ground. Shaming happens when you highlight deficiencies and then show the other person how they are not measuring up. It happens on issues of Christian liberty and demonstrating the superiority of doctrinal positions, as I highlighted in the article. Shamed based preaching usually involves some condemning statements to motivate people into doing something because the preacher feels they aren’t doing enough.

Most Christians don’t [insert statement about how people aren’t measuring up]

Then follow it up

If you really loved the Lord, you would….

Is that love? Dr. Anthony Bradley said it well.

Love does not shame people into compliance or service. Love does not pull out the measuring stick then smack them over the head with it. Love let’s people know that they can’t measure up and points to the One who has. Love encourages that we rest in the completed sacrifice of Christ. Love encourages not condemns.

Let us consider how we may spur one another on to love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24)

Oh and the good deed? That would be loving neighbor, not productions to satisfy our sense of what we feel somebody ought to be doing for God.