A Word For Thought

Looks like a sports analogy to be made here—
—If you’re a sports fan, you think everybody must be (ought to be) a sports fan.
Obviously any conversation starts with,
“What’s your favorite team ?”
No, “What’s ‘your team’?”
You’ll talk about ‘your team’, hope ‘your team’ wins, stay loyal to ‘your team’.
You know there are other teams out there, but you don’t really like to talk much about how they might win, because ‘your team’ is ‘your team’.
It’s all about the future, next year—talking about ‘your team’ is it.

If you’re not a sports fan, you know how emphatically, fanatically, sports fans follow ‘their team’ and talk about it (and talk about it . . .).
They may ask you what’s ‘your team’.
You may even be prepared to answer with one, just to humor them, or so they’ll think you’re at least in the group.

That’s how it is in the sports world.
Sports has become phenomenally all-consuming in our country and culture.
It is big entertainment, big business, and big worship.

– – –

Is it fair to make the analogy between sports and end times teaching, talking about sacred teachings from the Bible in the same article with secular sports ?
Or is it sacrilegious ?

Here is where I find myself, on both subjects, prompted to write.
One is far more important, and the other has become far too important.
One matters in the end, and the other is fleeting just like the ‘longevity’ of career and fame.

The assorted views of sacred teachings has become like secular competition between interpretations.
The debate even gets heated like competition.
If you’re right—if you’re the best—you’re obligated to prove how obviously you must come out on top.

A test for end times teaching getting into sports-like competition—
—Does time and emphasis on end times teaching in any way draw away from the Gospel message of urging people to confess their sin and turn to Jesus for salvation ?
Even the teachers that graciously offer the various interpretations of the end times must be careful how much time is spent—and more important, how listeners might feel pressure to pick one.
Conviction for my sin, to make me want to get saved from the fires of hell, must not be compromised by fear of tribulation, to make me want to avoid suffering here. (And that is, if their interpretation is right)

– – –

SPORTS
I used to have ‘my team’—America’s Team—The Dallas Cowboys.
I greatly admired Tom Landry !
I even quote him, after he won two Superbowls in a row, and someone asked what he was going to work on for the next year.
“Consistency.”
Sounds like what’s required of all Christians as stewards.
“Faithfulness.”
You see, I know what it’s like to be inspired by sports—just ask my kids, when they were in it ! ! !
But now . . .

– – –

END TIMES TEACHING
I believe everything in the Bible is for us to read and study.
I’m working on it—want to do better.
I do not believe anyone has a corner on explaining everything the Bible says.
I do not have enough intelligence or claim enough wisdom or feel enough devotion to any teacher to guarantee how things will go down at the end.
The most important things are clear, settled.
As Ed Vitagliano said on afr:
“. . . I know two things—He’s coming, and I’m going.”

I wanted to put the title this way:
BALANCED – – – LIKE JESUS ?

But I thought I would first mention some common applications of balance from Jesus in our day.

— Psychologists write books and get on programs to promote their insights and new prescriptions for peace, love, and happiness.
They emphasize balance, and demonstrate with humor how they have found it in their own lives.
And they point to Jesus as the example for showing a balanced approach and level-headed response to all kinds of people and situations and problems.
To be honest, I often react with some skepticism—they seem to be too good to be true, too ‘got it together’ to be real, too much for me to follow their formulas, in my world.

— Educator professionals point to Jesus for always having the perfect story, the perfect question, the perfect illustration for every situation.
Totally true, because He was God and had it all intellectually to respond the best way.
But then Jesus’ ‘balance’ of emotions is often overlooked or minimized.
In our zeal to present Jesus’ manner as even keel, without bluster or rants or threats, or raising His voice, we miss the real balance Jesus showed as God and man.
Jesus was God, “sent from God”, to do the work only God could do.
But why was He a man ?
So we could relate to Him in all kinds of ways:
-tired
-hungry
-angry
-tempted
-celebrating
-drinking
-hurting
-weak
-crying

— Preachers sometimes think their messages should be smooth and not make waves, to maintain balance.
Avoid controversial topics and controversial texts.
The last thing—what you don’t want—is to get a negative label, like a ‘hellfire and brimstone’ preacher.
So, many preachers end up focused on making people comfortable—happiness over righteousness.
Many preachers have to skip a lot of the things Jesus said, because they might (they will) be taken the wrong way.

– – –

Now the alternate title:
BALANCED – – – LIKE JESUS ?

Was Jesus ‘balanced’ as we like to think ?
If you consider all the wide range of Jesus’ recorded interactions, words, emotions, judgments, combined, you could say Jesus was balanced.
But if you choose only the smooth, peaceful, loving, and forgiving parts of Jesus’ life that you are comfortable with, that does not make Jesus balanced.

I’m glad the Bible records the real reactions of Jesus when He was confronted with tough stuff and bad people.

— Before Jesus started His ministry, He went to the wilderness (desert) “to be tempted by the devil”.
He fasted forty days, and then He was hungry, and then the devil showed up.
It wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t easy, it wasn’t nice and smooth—it really tested Jesus.
Remember, a test is not a test unless it tests you.
Meek and mild, gentle Jesus never would have survived satan’s onslaught under those conditions.
He got tough with the devil and used the sword of the Word of God over and over until He won, and the devil left—for a while.

— If Jesus was not also tough as nails, He would not have survived the popularity when multitudes flocked to Him everywhere.
In fact, at that very time, Jesus said hard things that thinned the crowds to nothing except His disciples.

— Jesus cried over cities that rejected Him, and then pronounced scathing judgments on them.

— Jesus blasted the religious leaders of the day with verbal barrages that went on and on.
He raked them over the coals with descriptions and choice words and name-calling that most preachers today wouldn’t read from the pulpit.

— Jesus got physically violent when He found His Father’s House, the Temple, used as a market place.
He ran everybody (and the animals) out with a whip that He made Himself, and yelled (to be heard above the noise and mayhem He created), “My Father’s House shall be called a House of Prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.”

— Jesus kicked out a lot of demons, with firm authority, not sweet and soft.
He also warned about the disaster if someone has his ‘house’ cleaned from demons and leaves it empty.

— Would you believe Jesus once asked His disciples if they had any weapons (swords).
When they said, “Two”, Jesus said that was enough.

— When the mob of soldiers came to arrest Jesus at night, He asked who they were looking for.
When they said, “Jesus of Nazareth”, and He said, “I am He”, they all fell backward on the ground.
So He asked them again.
Truthfully, I get personal, human satisfaction out of that.

– – –

Sometimes, many times, Jesus came on strong, put people in their place, in no uncertain terms.
And—I thank Him for showing mercy, so I could be saved.
But don’t ever trifle with His justice and His wrath.
Remember, Jesus seriously held back His power while He was here the first time.
He will show no restraint the second time.
Get ready, now.
Ask Him to forgive your sins and write your name in His Book.

As I listened to the opening of Voice of the Martyrs radio, Todd Nettleton said anything worthwhile will include suffering and hardship.

SUFFERING FROM SIN
I suffer a lot from my sin (also after forgiveness).
As I read and listen to Voice of the Martyrs, I wonder if I have any suffering because of Jesus—maybe I don’t see it—maybe just as well ?

Todd Nettleton said suffering from persecution makes life harder in the short run.
This is also true when God takes us to His ‘woodshed’ for correction.
“No chastening for the present seems joyous, but grievous; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to them who are exercised thereby.”

For most of us the following verse applies, so far:
“You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood, striving against sin.”
What if our suffering from sin changed to striving against sin, like those who are suffering persecution ?

REPERCUSSIONS FROM REPENTANCE
When you get specific—identify sin and call it SIN, in your heart and in conversation, and not refer to it as ‘mistakes’, it may not be smooth sailing to get past it, like you thought when you got into it.

Call it SIN in your heart—
There will be internal wrestling, to see the seriousness of sin, of your sin.
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Call it SIN in conversation—
There will be impact from others who are unsupportive, who disagree, who are uncomfortable with you talking, confessing your sin—because it may be convicting in their own lives.
Nobody wants to admit SIN.
“Confess your faults one to another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.”

– – –

Now, going farther, getting beyond the consequences of our sins—SUFFERING FROM OUR SINS,

and

beyond the impact of resisting and turning from our sins—REPERCUSSIONS FROM REPENTANCE,

to

a “higher plane” of “pressing on the upward way” . . .

What most Christians never get straight (because we never hear about it)—
—If we really seek a closer walk with Jesus, to live totally sold out to Him, life will not get easier (easier in ways people around us expect)—life will likely get harder.

Jesus said a lot of hard things.
Jesus promised, guaranteed, His followers a lot of hard things—
– trouble
– self-denial
– hatred
– persecution
– chastening (correction along the way)
– hard life
– warfare (spiritual, that sometimes spills over into . . .)

“In this world you will have tribulation (trouble), but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world.”
“If anyone comes after Me (follows by choice*), let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.”
“You will be hated by all people because of Me.”
“All who live Godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”
“He whom the Lord loves, He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.”
“Endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”

How far do I really want to follow Jesus ?
How far do I want to follow everything He said ?

“I’m pressing on the upward way,
New heights I’m gaining every day.
But still I’ll pray till heaven I’ve found,
‘Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.’

‘Lord, lift me up and let me stand
By faith on heaven’s table land.
A higher plane than I have found;
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.'”

– – –

*Choice—
What do the following have in common ?
– Punishment
– Persecution
– Sacrifice
All three involve suffering.
– With Punishment, you suffer, and it’s your fault.
– With Persecution, you suffer, and it’s not your fault.
– With Sacrifice, you suffer, and it’s your choice.

What have I sacrificed lately for Jesus ?