"Believing all the lies to keep the dream alive"

I spend so much time
Believing all the lies
To keep the dream alive

Those are lyrics from a song from the 80's by Billy Idol, Eyes Without A Face. I'm intentionally ripping those lyrics out of the context of the song because they speak to me in another context that others will probably relate to in one way or another.

In this case the lies I'm thinking about are those of legalism and religion and the 'dream' I'm referring to, whether consciously realized or not, is the delusional and fruitless fantasy of self-preservation. I'm thinking of the lies that are preached and taught - and believed - to keep the dream alive of having people remain allegiant to any given church or ministry. Those who preach these lies end up believing them themselves, and it's all rooted in the protection and preservation of "their" ministry, "their" church, "their" institution, "their" cause. Manipulative lies are taught about "tithing, "hierarchy," "covering," "church membership," "behavior modification" (performance-based acceptance), etc, in order to keep the masses loyal to a certain leader or ministry.

Two thousand years ago, the Pharisees were a prime example of this, being hard nosed about keeping people strictly under God's law, and even adding myriads of additional rules, laws, interpretations and traditions on top of it all. And of course during the past 20 centuries, this has moved into the church setting. I fully understand that sometimes these legalistic lies are taught because the teachers and preachers honestly don't know any better, and are simply teaching what they themselves have been taught. But I'm talking about those who are caught in the very tangled web of self-interest and self-preservation, who purposely teach manipulative lies in order to "keep the dream alive," with the dream being the success and growth of whatever system or institution they've created and built.

This is also true in many other areas of life, such as in household situations and other family matters and relationships, finances, jobs and vocations, social activities and so on. Whatever the case, the pursuit of self-preservation is very often the root of the legalistic and religious lies that keep people in bondage and keep them from experiencing the freedom for which Christ has set them free.

Not one to remain stuck only on criticism of the system, I offer up a solution or two to all of this, and I look for input from others as well! My main focus would be to keep on remembering that we were bought with a price, and that we are not "our own." Our "ministries" are not our ministries. They are the work that God Himself is doing in and through us for the good of everyone, not for our own individual self-preservation and self-centered success and prosperity. God didn't "purchase" us so that He could keep us in chains but so that we'd be free! This is also our "ministry" to one another. It's not about building "a ministry." It's not about coming up with ways (lies and manipulation) to keep people faithful to US so that OUR dreams stay alive. It's about building one another up (edifying) and ministering to (serving) one another!

Any thoughts? (including additional criticisms, solutions)?





:)

Giving of our resources

A recent post of Aida's, "Giving - Darin Hufford Quotes," along with some of the comments that followed the post, turned my mind to something that I've often thought about but I don't know if I've spent a whole lot of time talking with others about it. When the subject of "giving" is taught in the church today, how much of the teaching is related to giving to a church and/or giving to a ministry? Quite a bit, in my experience! You go into a church and they're talking about giving to their church. You flip on the TV or radio and hear someone from a certain ministry talking about giving, and they're wanting you to believe that God is calling you to give to their ministry.

I'll say from the start that I'm not coming against the idea of people focusing the giving of their resources on supporting the work of a local body of believers (church, building, missions, etc, etc) nor to any other types of ministries - as long as that's truly what's in their hearts to do! My wife and I personally give money to "a church" and to various "ministries," simply because we enjoy being a part of the larger work that's going on and we want to support those works with our resources, when we're able to.

But as long as I've been in the Evangelical church (and I know it extends far beyond my experience), "giving" messages generally aren't preached unless the focus is on getting people to give money to that particular church or ministry... and not so much on giving amongst ourselves to help the needy among us, or to give to help outside of the church where there are many needs as well. Or, if those other things are talked about, the main emphasis still remains giving money for that church or ministry. It's kind of like, "we have to keep this ministry going, so give to us and then if you have money left over, give to others as well." That's not the way it's worded, of course, but isn't that really what's being said?

Aida's comment (I hope you don't mind me sharing this, Aida!) on her blog had something to do with how very often "giving to a church" is equated with giving to God Himself! You're either robbing God, or you're simply not giving Him your best, if a certain portion of your income is not given to a church or ministry. Again, let me be clear that if that's what a person wants to do, then go for it! Even though organized "churches" and "ministries" are not perfect, a lot of great work can come out of the sharing of resources in various ways in these settings, and people may truly enjoy supporting those things.

But when did the emphasis change from giving to people to giving to "a church" or "a ministry." What if I'm really ignoring the prompting of God's love in my heart by giving to my church when there's a homeless man who is in far more need? "Well, just give to your church, and the church will have outreaches that will help the homeless." Nice answer, but what if I truly want to relate personally to the homeless man with my own time and money, but yet the church has taught me to give to IT and to serve IT, and I now have no money or time left to give.

I've been "out of church" for a couple years now. ( I'm not "attending" a church). Some people have wondered out loud to me how I could possibly be 'serving' or 'giving' in the body of Christ, if I'm not focusing my time and money and other resources on a "local church" (the building, the programs, the outreaches, etc). The wonderful thing is that I don't have to answer to anyone... only my heart and my conscience... and all I can say is I'm quite happy to be giving of myself in the ways that I do.

An organized local church is not a "storehouse." Can a local body of believers organize an efficient way to gather together the resources of many and hand it out for the welfare of others? Sure!!! How wonderful it is when that happens! But don't let "a church" or "a ministry" manipulatively rob you of serving others and giving cheerfully from your heart as the love of God compels or directs you! Grow in the grace of giving from your heart... not in the legalistic bondage of giving!

Practically Speaking – Part 2 of 3

Exhortation and admonition are wonderful words. Exhort: "To urge by strong, often stirring argument." Admonish: "To reprove gently but earnestly; to counsel against something to be avoided; caution." Unfortunately, as with the word “discipline,” in many cases the church has made these into very legalistic words that they use to manipulate people and try to keep them under control. But those are not the reasons the Apostle Paul exhorted, admonished and encouraged the people he wrote to, as he built them up in who they were, and in what the Christian life looked like in action. And you know what, if you don’t want to use those words, that’s fine. The point is that Paul spoke practical words to people that showed them what life in Christ looked like when lived out, and it was a really good thing!

Paul made sure that the people of the church were rooted, grounded and established in grace and in their identity in Christ. Paul made sure the people knew that it wasn’t about their efforts at pleasing God. It wasn’t about them striving to be good. Paul is the one who showed us that we have died, and the life we live in the body, we live by faith, not by our own flesh-produced works! I believe he also showed us what this looks like by speaking practical words (practical: “capable of being used or put into effect”) that would aid in stirring up the inward Christ-life and getting it out.

One wonderful truth that has helped me in my Christian life is the idea that God initiates and we respond. In other words, it’s not about us going and looking for things to do, and principles to follow, but as we rest in Christ, God gives us the thoughts and ideas and He works in and through us to make it happen. I believe there are myriads of ways in which God does this, and one of the many ways is through our communication with one another. As we encourage one another, and speak words of edification and admonishment and exhortation to one another, we stir one another up. We dig into the Christ-life that is within each other and we spur one another on toward love and good deeds. It’s all God’s doing, and in these instances He does it by speaking to us through one another.

Again, I don’t believe it’s a matter of us going around trying to find principles to follow and I also don’t believe it’s a matter of a preacher coming up with a new set of generic principles to preach each week. I think it’s more a matter of, in the normal course of life, God’s children communicating with one another, and in the proper times and seasons speaking words to one another that come from our own life experiences and from biblical truth that fit the given circumstances, and that will help us to grow in grace and in the living out of who we truly already are in Christ.

I’ll give some ‘practical’ examples in the next post to show where I’m coming from.

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3

Zerox Machine

I know something about you! I may not even know you personally but I know that I know at least one thing about you.

You are unique.

Nobody else is you and you are nobody else. And that's good.

What I have to say really isn't all that deep or complex. It's just something that I know I need a reminder of now and then, and I would think most of us do too.

I am who I am. I don't need to try to be anybody else. I can sure glean a lot from others, and I can learn a lot from others, but my personality, my character, my talents and abilities, my gifts, my looks, my thoughts, my learning curve, my experiences, my ways, my tastes, my likes and dislikes, my prayer life, my Bible reading, my way of assembling with other saints, my... whatever... is uniquely mine and I don't have to be like anyone else! Sure, I want to get along with as many people as I can and I want to work well with others, and I can most certainly be flexible. But my uniqueness doesn't have to be breakable.

--------------------

The following video may or may not be your taste of music, and the lyrics may not strike you in the way they have struck me, but it's really the main reason I started this blog entry. There's so much I could say about my thoughts of Adam Ant being a musical and lyrical genius. And while I'll use the same disclaimer as I used for the Extreme video I posted the other day (that is, I definitely wouldn't look to Adam and the Ants as a source of great spiritual enlightenment!), I can truly say that once in a while I find a "message" that I can relate to in the lyrics.

There's so much I draw out of this one song. I'll just say that there have always been "copycats" in the music industry. Artists copying other styles, etc. Just think, when you turn on your radio you instantly know the "era" of the very song you are listening to, whether or not you know that particular song. Some examples, of countless many: You know if it's a song from the 50's. You have your 80's pop music and "hair metal." You have the "boy band" era. You get the point. Each song from each era is different, but yet has many of the same elements. Adam Ant didn't seem to want to ever conform to the styles of his day and he was very vocal about all of this through the use of clever sarcasm and brilliant imagery in his art

Well, the song "Zerox" (funny how it's spelled "Xerox" in the video) is right to the point throughout the whole song. Executives in the music business - you might as well "lock up your brain" because we'll just get together and collect up the ideas and simply duplicate whatever else may be hot right now. Make sure you "keep your ears to the ground" to make sure you've got the next hit record. We'll steal the chords from another hit song and make sure this song is equally as successful.

You get the idea. And you perhaps know where I'm going with this. Many in the church today seem to be more focused on having the best programs and having the sermons and worship services that attract the most people. Let's see what's "working" in other churches and start applying it in our church. It's often about "church growth. Unfortunately, it's about how the people can make the church grow, rather than how the people can help the other people grow, if you know what I mean. It's about making sure the people's brains are locked into "our" vision. The pastor and other leaders sure do have huge smiles and they sure do give "inspiring" and "convicting" sermons. But are they being real, or are they simply putting on a show to try to attract people, or even to manipulate them into conforming to their program or into being just like them?

Which leads me to my favorite line from the song:

"I may look happy, healthy and clean
A dark brown voice and a suit pristine
But behind the smile there is a Zerox Machine..."

Can't anyone just be real anymore? Can't we just meet together with no false pretenses and with no hierarchies. Can't we just be who we are, and not try to be what that other church down the street is? Can't we simply base our identities upon who we are in Christ rather than being concerned about how we appear to each other and to the community? Can't we stop trying to reproduce people to be just like us, conforming into our image, and instead work to help them walk in their own uniqueness and for the purposes for which they were created?

adam and the ants :zerox machine

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A different version of the video with better audio quality is here. (It wouldn't allow embedding).

Lock up your brain
'Cause I'm here again
I'm never bored, I steal your chords
ooh-ooh Zerox Machine
ooh-ooh Zerox Machine

Give me a line
Or a middle eight
I've got the best so I want the rest
ooh-ooh Zerox Machine
ooh-ooh Zerox Machine

Let's get together before its too late
Collect up the ideas, and duplicate
Filling out the forms, send them off tonight
And you'll be the owner of the copyright
Of the copyright, of the copyright

Time's of the essence get your ears to the ground
However else can the hits be found?

I may look happy, healthy and clean
A dark brown voice and suit pristine
But behind the smile there is a Zerox Machine

I'm a Zerox Machine...