Privilege vs Principle

Rev. Dr. David Lavigne, Bishop of the Evangelical Christian Church in Canada (Christian Disciples), emailed out a link to our group today that contained a video of Great Quotes From Great Leaders (http://www.videosmotivational.com/best-clips/success/great-quotes-from-great-leaders/#.UZYXxsrttZ4.gmail ). All of the quotes were very powerful but the one that struck me as very poignant yet quite forgotten was attributed to Dwight Eisenhower. He said “A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both”. Why did this affect me so much? Let’s break this one down a bit.

Our civilized western culture was built upon a biblical foundation; in fact many of our laws and principles can still be traced to their biblical roots. Do to others as you want them to do to you, one of my mother’s favourites, can be found in Luke 6:31. Don’t judge those around you because they can also find fault in you is found in Luke 6:37 and if you go a bit further, forgive and you will be forgiven. These are principles. Do not kill, do not steal, do not go after what another has or owns. These are basic principle that have their origins in Old Testament and are from the hand of God. If you want more examples, take a close look at the Scriptures, paying very close attention to the red letter words in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and see where the principles set forth by God line up with the laws, morals and ethics of today. Be careful with the laws however as the basic laws still follow fairly close but the loop hole laws, as I like to call them, are more geared to privilege.  

Now let us look at privilege. According to the Free Dictionary (online) privilege is defined as: A special advantage, immunity, permission, right, or benefit granted to or enjoyed by an individual, class, or caste. Look at the last part; enjoyed by an individual, class or caste. This is not how the bible works because, if we look to the two greatest commands from Scripture “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength”, repeated numerous times in the Old Testament, and then the addition to it from the mouth of Jesus Christ, “Love your neighbour as yourself”.  This has absolutely nothing to do with advantages enjoyed by an individual, class or caste. This has everything to do with community.

Now I know there are a few who are going to argue that following Christ could be defined as privilege because only Christians can go to heaven but I reply with this; Christianity is based on inclusion of all people and is open to all and if you walk into a church where this is not preached, find another church. None are denied the opportunity to enter into heaven; it is a privilege that is open to all. All people of this world are children of God; it is the individual’s choice whether they will follow Him and enter into a relationship with Christ. There is no exclusion on earth for all have the opportunity; that is the principle set forth by our Father in heaven. So, let’s get back to it.

Privilege is a selfish attitude. Those who feel it is their right or privilege to do whatever they want put themselves into a position of exclusiveness where they have the right to choose who may or may not come into their inner circle. It is all about the self rather than about the community and when we focus on the self to the exclusion of all others, we find ways to bend the principles of life to fit our own needs even if it to the detriment of others. Various people such as Howard Hughes and Ted Williams are, today, cryogenically frozen in the hope that one day there will be the technology available to bring them back to life, cure them of their ailments and prolong their lives even more. The principle of life is that we will all, at some point, die. For many this is the start of an eternal life with the Father but for those who have given over to privilege rather than focus on the principles set forth by a loving God, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” John3:16-17 NIV. This is a promise from the designer of all things to all His children; a principle to live by but when the privilege overrules, crazy new ideas spring forth to placate the wants of the individual.

The principles put forth by God in His Holy Word are designed to be a guide for us all. It shows the way to living a righteous lifestyle with a focus on community rather than on individualism. God created man in His own image and created Eve from Adam so that there would be community. God commanded us to go forth and multiply; community. When your brother falls, be there to help Him up; compassion and helping others. If we focus on helping others and rely on the principle that others are looking outwards as well, we will never have to worry for our own needs as they will be fulfilled. It is only when the needs of self get in the way of helping others that we begin the snowball effect. “I can’t help you because I am so mired in my own needs that I have to take care of this myself.” This attitude is transferred forward and soon all are islands unto themselves and privilege has overcome the principles set forth by God. But, my friends, this trend can be reversed. As the great Mahatma Gandhi once said “We must become the change we want to see in the world”. In other words, we must not only walk the talk but we must also teach the talk and expect others to see what can be accomplished by reversing the trend of individualism. In this, we can promote change and the world can become a better place, one person at a time.

Blessing all

Todd

Walking My Own Path Thank You Very Much

You never really know what to expect when you do a hospital visit and toady was no exception. I was sitting with a friend and we were having a great conversation. His neighbour was having a snooze, gently snoring away. My friend had to take a moment away and while he was gone, a relative of the neighbour came in and, after noting the gentleman was asleep, decided to have a chat with me. I let him know that the minister for his church was in to visit and he started to laugh. “His wife goes to church but he avoids it like the plague” he quipped. We chatted for a couple minutes about church and faith and he mentioned that he went to a church for about fifteen years but realized that the church was more about the building and money than anything else. I countered that all churches are not created the same and that was when the conversation ceased; not by me but rather by him. I have a feeling this is not the first time he has had to defend his choice to leave the church.

Whenever I hear of someone leaving the church because of this reason or that, I cringe. I do agree that there are numerous reasons for people to leave and can empathize because I left the church for almost two and a half decades. I am not saying my actions were right but I am saying that I have said what I have heard so many others say; “the church is full of hypocrites and I can worship my God just as well on my own, I don’t need church for that” or “I believe, I just don’t like the whole church thing.” Have you ever heard that or even said it yourself? Well I can honestly say that I have both heard it and said it. I can also say that I was very, very wrong.

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:24-25 NIV

When I was away from the church, it was very easy to continue wandering away from the truth. I considered myself a “closet Christian”, I had faith and believed in Christ but could not stand being around all those “bible thumpers” and “holier than thou rollers” because they were all so much better than me and looked down their noses at me. While there may have been a few with that attitude, there were not really that many, in fact most of the perception was in my own mind and it was fairly much a self fulfilling prophesy; I was looking for the hypocrites and I found them. The big thing was there was no one around to show me where the really wonderful Christians were, I had them all lumped in together and I had people around me that were more than willing to spur me on the wrong way.

As I chatted with this guy in the hospital, I could see the same thing in his eyes that I had in my heart when I was walking my own path. I believed that I was better than all those money-hungry church fanatics and the TV evangelists reinforced my stance and that is what I heard in his comments. “The church is more focused on the building and the money than they are people.” My lame argument was “not all churches are that way, in fact I know a couple that believe the setting is secondary to relationship” but in his eyes was “ya, ya whatever”. What I wanted to say was “so why didn’t you say anything?” but I didn’t. A thought came to mind with regards to this; I believe it is easier to dispel, discredit and walk away then it is to speak up and say something. The usual argument; “what good would it do, nobody listens anyways.” Problem is there are many out there who are wondering the same thing. I am not saying that you need to go out and start a church split but I am suggesting that when the actions do not represent the biblical truth, ask questions. Don’t be afraid to keep others accountable and be ready to be held accountable in return. This is the importance of the church and this is also the importance of belonging to a faith group.

Another big reason to be a part of a faith group (church) is that without the accountability of our peers, we can dream up all sorts of fallacies and talk ourselves into believing them and we become week within our faith. Where two or more are gathered there is Christ also. There is strength in numbers that cannot be denied.

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 NIV

We cannot be fully protected if we do not have the support of those around us. This man was in visiting his relative but why? Was there anything he could do for him? He was not a doctor or a miracle worker so why was he there? He was there to watch out for his relative, to make sure that he knew he was not alone. This man was there to be a support and a comfort to his relative even though there was nothing he could do to make his physical being better. That is why we meet as a church. We come together to support one another, be a blessing to each another and to corporately worship our Creator. If the focus is elsewhere, then make it known instead of just leaving. Only when all avenues have been exhausted, then leave but please, please, please, do not leave the church completely because the dangers of a lone wolf walking in the wilderness is far reaching.  

If you have been hurt by a church, remember it is not the church that hurt you but rather the people within. Every day we deal with this same situation and yet we have not walked away from everything. We work things out and go forward. If the issue cannot be solved then, as a last resort, place a blessing upon them and find another gathering to attend. The importance of being a part of His kingdom on earth and not only being supported by the family of God but also being a part of someone else’s support is paramount. So before you walk away from a church or roll your eyes at the invitation to attend a service, just think at what you could be missing out on or what you are keeping from someone else. You may be surprised at what you are missing out on.

The Power Under The One

Over the years I have come to realize that there is one subject that can either result in a heated debate or a lively conversation surrounding shared passions; the topic is, of course, ecumenicalism. Okay, I promised long ago not to use words like that without definition. Free Dictionary - Ecumenicalism - 2b. Concerned with establishing or promoting unity among churches or religions.

I talked of this in the past when I referred to sheep stealing. There was a message delivered one time about sheep stealing and I took exception to it. The term "pastor" refers to a shepherd of a flock. The last time I checked, the Master owns the flock, the shepherd is employed by the Master to tend to the needs of the flock and guide and protect them. Protect does not mean covet. Should the Master decide to move the sheep between flocks, to share the DNA as it were, then it is His prerogative. We, pastors and leaders, being good and righteous stewards of what the Master has blessed us with must realize and respect the wishes of the rightful Owner.

With all this said, there should be sharing between the different flocks to ensure the health of the flock stays strong. The protectionism model does not work and only breeds suspicion and wariness within the flock. The devil loves those who promote the "ours is the only way to the cross and all others are blasphemous and without blessings from God" and for those leaders and clergy who promote this within their own congregation, shame on you. I am expecting some rather rude and angry emails over this but I stand on the Truth and will defend it with all I am.

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.  Ephesians 4:1-6 NIV

In this I am bearing this message in brotherly love; enough coveting that with which our Father in Heaven has gifted us to care for and share with the nations. Jesus did not say "stay put and wrap your arms around all that you oversee", rather He said to go forth into all nations preaching, teaching, baptizing and empowering others to do the same. Where would the Word of God be today if the disciples had stayed closed up in their room protecting what they had?

In the grand scheme of things, all things are preference And there is nothing wrong with it because we are a diverse nation. Some like hymns while others prefer something a bit more modern. There are numerous versions of the Bible yet all communicate Jesus is Lord and Saviour. Baptism by immersion or sprinkling, water or sand, only pure water pulled from the River Jordan or chlorinated water from the tap; is the difference really worth the dispute? One God, one faith, one baptism over all yet we, as a christian nation present a message of foolish nonsense to a nation watching to see the love of Christ in our actions. What a message we have perpetrated. Paul said it best to the Ephesians and this message is as relevant today as it ever was. United as one under His banner is the only way we will reverse the trend of society. A strand of three twines is much stronger than a single, a stool with one leg cannot stand on its own.

If the energy put in to trying to save what we have was diverted to uniting His churches and presenting a message of love and compassion to the world, then hundreds and thousands would come to understand the Truth and lives would be saved. We can put the run to the devil in our communities and shift the trend that has gripped the nation. The time has come to take back what the devil has stolen.

ONE YEAR!!! WOOOWOOO!!!!

Celebrating One Year Together

Shoreline Gathering Point, a non-denominational church in Abercrombie, NS, is celebrating its first anniversary this coming Sunday, April 28^th at 9 Impala Rd.

We will be holding the service at 10:30 am and having an open bar-b-que at 12:00. Don’t feel that you have to be at the service to come to the bbq, we know that church is not everyone’s cup of tea but we would love to have you come by for burgers and hot dogs. 

If you are coming by, we will have ice tea and coffee and only ask that you please bring any other refreshments you may want (and maybe a salad or dessert) and your own lawn chair(s).

Hope to see you there!

Pastor Todd and Natalie

Pastor WendyLee

PS. If you don't usually attend SGP, give us a call so we can plan for the amount of food we will need. 

931-0077

Thx

Coffee Shop Theology Part 2

Once again I find myself in McDonald's having my usual large double-double and a cranberry orange muffin pondering life in general and enjoying my time in the Word, when this little beauty piece of wisdom came to me courtesy of my Promise Keeper's daily devotional.

"It does seem to me that at least some of us have made an idol of exhaustion. The only time we know we have done enough is when we are running on empty and when the ones we love most are the ones we see the least." —Barbara Brown Taylor (writer, professor)

Society today has extolled the virtues of hard work equals success but in order to ensure that hard work is being done, the powers that be have instilled in us all that long hours equals dedication and therefore, hard work. For those who start out streamlining and working efficiently, their reward is more work. "If he or she can easily handle that work load, they can handle a bit more". They play on the pride of the employee, "you have handled that so well, we are going to reward you with a new project that you may find challenging!" Before the employee knows it, they are at work sixty or seventy hours a week and who suffers? I can tell you it is not the owners of the company but rather the employee and the family of the employee.

My question is this; has anyone noticed that the rise in the divorce rate and the fall in church attendance is a reflection of the increase in the work demands of a "bottom-line" driven society? According to the oft cited but academically frowned upon resource, Wikipedia, almost all the countries where the divorce rate is above 40%, industry rules the roost. This could be a doctoral thesis for someone. Among many of those same countries, according again to Wikipedia, the church attendance is showing a gradual decline and, for the most part, run below 30%.

So, you many ask, where is this leading to? I would suggest that there is a correlation between society's demand for more work for less pay and less employees and the lack of down time for family and faith. Now, before I get people emailing me, again, about how business is important and without it we would not have this, that and the other thing, listen closely, I support business and fair business practices. There are a lot of companies out there who believe in positive family relationships but there are also those who double the workload and expect more from fewer people in order to reduce the overhead and increase the bottom line at the expense of their employees. It is also true there are those out there who grab every opportunity to pad the pocket book, but that does not make it right.

Rabbit trail complete, now back to it. We have been led to believe that we have done our very best when we are completely spent but that is not the case. Medically speaking, we need our rest to regenerate the body. Too much stress and over-exhaustion is a killer and leads to health issues. All work and no down time with family and friends tends to lead to relational issues and can result in psychological issues. Lack of time with God leads to spiritual starvation and usually the first thing to suffer is the one thing that needs to be nourished the most, one's faith walk. So here is the question, where do you turn when things start to fall apart?

Dexter (not his real name) found himself working extra hours to meet the deadline. If he succeeded, his bonus would pay off the credit card and relieve some of the burden around the house. What he did not know was Leiagh (not her real name) was packing up and moving home. Dexter was always at work and when he was home, he was too stressed to talk so he unwound, with a bottle of rum. He worked six days a week, slept until noon on Sunday and when he woke up, he was in the office at home finishing up stuff for Monday. They argued constantly and he was more a room-mate then a husband. Their faith had suffered and neither went to church anymore and that was it.

God does not want us to be busy, that's the devil's calling card. He created all things in six days and then commanded us to rest on the seventh. In fact Jesus gave us a way to rest.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30 NIV

"Learn from me"

With thousands looking to Christ, demanding His presence, He still took time to pray and meditate to His Heavenly Father and He took time to be with His disciples. There has been a shift in priorities in life and the ripple effect is spreading worldwide. Where once the priority was faith, family/friends then work, it is now work and then friends/family and bringing up the rear; faith. The one thing in life that can bring rest is the one thing we relegate to "when I get around to it" status. God longs for relationship with all His creation and looks forward to the day when we are all with Him in glory yet so many have decided that the here and now trumps His promise.

The challenge is this, take a look at your schedule and move around the unimportant things that society says we "must have" and move the things you truly need up on the priority list, and you will find rest. Faith, family/friends and finally work...give it a shot.

Coffee Shop Theology

I walked into the local Tim Horton’s coffee shop today to meet with a friend who is struggling. I won’t go into any more detail than that as it is not a matter for public discussion. What is relevant is the fact he did not show as he slept in but what was important is this; God’s timing is perfect and there is no such thing as coincidence.

This morning, I was ready to sit with a friend and help him with a few issues and when I got into the shop, a man called out to me. I glanced behind me and did not immediately recognize who he was (truth be told, I had to ask his name about fifteen minutes into the conversation) but he seemed to recognize me, actually, I figured that out because he called me by name; did I mention my memory was getting bad? Anyways, I got my tea and bagel sandwich and sat with him while I waited for my friend to show up and we got to talking about faith and church.

Ken had brought a wonderful message to Master’s Hand a few months ago and what I found very refreshing was his the passion for the message as he presented that evening was not confined to the safety of the four walls of the church but rather, it was the way he lived his life. I had found another kindred spirit (not that I don’t know several like him already) who was not ashamed to share his faith in a public place with numerous people around. We talked about crazy things like the love of Jesus, the magnitude of His compassion and where we, as a church, could improve going forward. What a great time.

One thing that stuck in my mind was something I have talked of in the past and it came up in conversation in the past week on two occasions. It was asked of me ``If your God is such a loving and compassionate God, why does He send people to hell? While we talked of this, I could see a couple guys at the next table take a break from their conversation and lean in a little closer to ours. If God is so loving, how can He condemn people to hell, why does He allow pain and suffering and even death? There are a million questions that could be asked about this subject and probably none can be answered to anyone’s full satisfaction but I tried my best at the first question with the individuals I talked with earlier and Ken and I explored my answer even further.

First of all, God created the world and ALL things on it. If you have ever created anything that you truly love and take great pride in, how hard is it for you to release it? God created all mankind and it is not His wish to find the one glaring flaw that would condemn us to hell.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. _{John 3:16-18 NIV}

How do you explain the fact that God sent His Son for ALL mankind as the way to eternity? For anyone who argues that God judges people for Heaven and hell, I counter with this; we decide our direction and God hopes that we choose correctly. He did not force Adam and Eve to eat of the fruit of the sacred tree, they chose their path. The message is presented that those who believe in Christ Jesus will not perish and it goes on to say that those who do NOT believe are already condemned...condemned by their own actions. This does mean that we cannot move from unbelief to belief; it does not say that at all. Believe in Christ, the Son of God, Saviour of all mankind and those who would call upon Him as Redeemer will be with Him in eternity. The judgement is this; do you believe in Christ...enter the gates of Heaven, if your back is turned to Jesus then it is not Him who made the call...the choice was made by the individual. Here is the other big understanding; we are not God and we are not the judge and jury (thank goodness). It is ultimately up to us to spread the word.

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” _{Matt 28:18-20 NIV}

To this point Ken and I were both in agreeance and we went on in discussion a bit longer until the point where we both realized that almost two hours had passed. With that we decided the time had come and that the rest of the world’s theological issues would have to wait until another day.  And with that, I will sign off until next week and Shalom Aleichem.