The Long Ad

Commercials and ads have found their way onto YouTube and Facebook so that whatever is free isn't exactly free anymore.  Media seems to always drift into advertising as its primary goal.  When I have subjected myself to these ads, I find that the bottom line is my attention.  The advertiser does not care what I think of the product, but only that I think of the product.  Whatever silliness, lies, sexual innuendo, or supposed seriousness will get my attention is what must be pushed onto the screen before my eyes and ears in order to occupy some of my mental landscape.  Fill the mind, get the heart.  This is a good picture of how the world works.  One big, long ad.

For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’  (Matthew 11:13)

I think of Jesus sitting and eating with tax collectors and prostitutes.  He must have seen and heard all kinds of things, many not particularly good.  It did not seem to matter to him what he saw, but what he sought.  Looking would not make him sin, but what he was looking for.  In this I see how he had mastered being in the world, but not of it.  What we see does not matter much, only what we seek.

The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!  (Matthew 6:22-23)

I think of Jesus listening to all sorts of questions and accusations concerning himself and his work.  Not only were people skeptical, they were trying to trip him up in his words and catch him doing something wrong.  He heard them, but he did not listen to them.  Many voices came to him, but the only one he heeded was the voice of his Father speaking to him and through others.  What we hear does not matter much, only what we take to heart.  "Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away."  (Luke 8:18)

For some people every comment, question, or statement has to do with some theological controversy, some political bend, or some new diet or health trend.  Certain words or favorite quotes or songs or hobbies will indicate whether the person is "for us or against us."  People with minds consumed with such ideas lie and wait for something to prove whether a person is reliable and right or untrustworthy and wrong by their use or misuse of certain "code words."  The burning question in their minds is "Are you for us or against us?"  Then they know how to deal with you.  Such a life has been filled up with reactions so there is not any room left for any real actions.  "They preach, but do not practice. . . .  They do all their deeds to be seen by others."  (Matthew 23:2-3)

When we are in the world but not of it, we see, hear, and react to all sorts of things, many of them not of God.  But those many things that come pounding down upon us do not necessarily decide in themselves what we will seek, what we will take to heart, or what our actions will be.  What will make the difference is what we look for, what we listen for, and how we act when no one else cares.

Jesus looked for the Father at work and joined him there.  Jesus listened for his Father's voice for comfort and direction and authority.  Jesus acted when the time was ripe and right, both personally and in his whole earthly vocation.  It is not what we look at, but what we look for.  It is not what we listen to, but what we listen for.  It is not how we react to people and events, but what we do when no one else cares what we are doing.  When our attention is on Jesus and his Father, then we can be in the world, but not of it.  "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."  (Matthew 6:19-20)

The Cost of Legalism

Recently, I heard someone ask at church, "What is legalism?"  Mostly, it is a slur thrown around at people who are harsh and overly religious.  As far as that definition goes, I need to ask myself, "Would Jesus be called a legalist if someone met him today?"  Maybe. . . .

Jesus carefully warns his disciples about the "yeast" or teaching of the Pharisees (Mark 8:15).  He describes this yeast that spreads so easily in Matthew 23:

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1. Right words, wrong actions (vv. 2-3)
2. Produces guilt with no freedom (v. 4)
3. Does good deeds for others to see (vv. 5-7)
4. Focuses on authority in position rather than in deed (vv. 8-12)
5. Minimizes God's influence and power in this life (vv. 13-14)
6. Makes converts to an idealism instead of disciples of Christ (v. 15)
7. Uses words to convince instead of clarify (vv. 16-22)
8. Does "good" deeds without good character (vv. 23-24)
9. Outwardly clean without inwardly filthy (vv. 25-26)
10. Outwardly beautiful but inwardly dead and decaying (vv. 27-28)
11. Justified by self instead of by God (vv.29-32)
12. Persecutes and destroys those sent by God (vv.33-36)

 Legalism is a malady of the heart.  It has followers from all walks of life.  It is not defined by a particular viewpoint, but more by a particular attitude, a way of doing things.  Spiritual formation or discipleship or social action that does not have the substance, the reality, the heart of goodness leads inevitably to legalism.  A legalist believes a person can do good without being good.

I am grateful for this teaching in Matthew 23.  Jesus was right to warn me about legalism.  It is a trap. Jesus gives me some words for avoiding this trap:

1. Do everything they tell you.  But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.  (v.3)
2. The greatest among you will be your servant.  (v. 11)
3. You have one Teacher, the Christ.  (v. 10)
4. First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.  (v. 26)

I count the cost of legalism not only in what bad it does, but also in what good I miss.

1. I will miss being able to practice what I preach.
2. I will miss relieving people of their heavy burdens.
3. I will miss having God as my Master, Father, and Teacher.
4. I will miss being in God's kingdom, in his power and influence.
5. I will miss seeing others come to know Jesus and follow him.
6. I will miss speaking words that bring knowledge and truth.
7. I will miss having a just, merciful, and faithful character.
8. I will miss inward purity.
9. I will miss inward vitality.
10. I will miss being justified by God.
11. I will miss being a prophet, wise man, or teacher sent by God.

Other than the recognition gained from legalism, all it brings is hypocrisy and blindness.

I get all tied up inside when I worry about what everyone else is doing or what everyone else might be thinking about me.  I find that such thoughts carry the temptation of legalism.  Today, I am most moved by the thought that I have one Teacher, the Christ.  Through him I find that I have a Master and a Father as well.  There are many voices out there, but only one I have to attend to, really.

Master, Teacher, Father,  what good do I have apart from you?  Sometimes I fear what following you might cost me, but I see better what it will cost me to not follow you.  Let my surrender be based on counting the cost.  Let my examination bring me to your rule, your lessons, and your arms, loving Father.  Amen.

Discipleship Inside-Out

“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.  Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thorn bushes, or grapes from briers.  The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.  Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:45-47)

First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.  (Matthew 23:26)

Spiritual formation and spiritual disciplines are words being thrown around with greater frequency these days.   It is easy to share what I feel about these subjects before I adequately define what I am talking about.  Most of these shared thoughts and feelings would come from the people I’ve run into (in person or through some media) who use these words, for good or ill.

One popular (at least on internet searches) notion is that these terms signal “New Age” views and practices brought up under a different name.  They are seen as efforts to add to the gospel and draw people into confusion or legalism.  Paul identifies such dangers in Galatians 1:6-9.  The fear is that spiritual formation adds to the “gospel of grace” so freely given by Paul.  Not only that, but the additions are seen as unbiblical or even pagan in nature.

No doubt such spiritual formation can be found.  If a person looks for a “spiritual director or guide,” there are many varieties to be found.  Even if one adds the word “Christian” to their search, some of the notions of spirituality have little to do with Christ.  Searching in this area is full of potential danger.

However, just because a term is misused, it does not make it unusable or the user wrong.  As with so many other abused terms and ideas, spiritual formation has been the baby thrown out with the bathwater by some groups and individuals.  I feel compelled to rescue this term.  Others have done a better job than I have, such as Eugene Peterson and Dallas Willard.  Such rescues occur frequently in the Church, such as the rescue of “grace” by Bonheoffer in The Cost of Discipleship.  He did not throw out grace, but gave some clarifiers to explain it: “costly” grace and “cheap” grace.

I would like to frame spiritual formation in terms of discipleship.  Spiritual formation is discipleship inside-out.  First, I like the use of inside-out because it reverses something that many people are familiar with, making it seem strange.  Like pants or a shirt worn inside-out, spiritual formation looks at the seams and pockets of discipleship from an angle where they can be worked on.  Rather than the usual mode of discipleship (“God is good. You stink.  Do better.”), spiritual formation starts with the unseemly (pun intended) aspects of my life rather than merely prescribing good behavior.

Unseemly parts of my life are ugly sins, bad habits, and careless words.  They also are day-to-day work, family life, and mundane tasks.  Spiritual formation begins here because these are the things closest to my heart, closest to my insides.  This is where the work begins.  Rather than sewing “letters” on jackets, brandishing special “designer” labels, or showing off my best qualities with the right cuts and shapes, spiritual formation focuses on cleaning stains, ripping out bad seams, and sewing up torn places in my life.

Secondly, inside-out points to the priority of the spirit (or heart) in the life of a person.  Spiritual formation is not about performing certain actions, but having new attitudes.  Spiritual formation is not about what to do, but about how I do it.  Spiritual formation is not about getting what I want, nor is it about doing good, but about wanting to do good.  Human change always comes from the inside out, and spiritual formation takes this seriously.

Putting “Christian” on the front of spiritual formation may help a little bit, but often the view of Christians is all too low both inside and outside of the Church.  It gives some meaning, but not a lot.  I prefer “Christ-centered.”  Spiritual formation (really spiritual re-formation) cannot occur without Christ at the center.  Spiritual formation without Christ at the center  makes as much sense as performing open-heart surgery on yourself, or trying to determine what is real from what is fantasy for a paranoid schizophrenic (like in A Beautiful Mind.)  No, this activity must be instigated, supervised, and completed with Christ or it will end in catastrophe.  Christ-centered spiritual formation is discipleship to Christ inside-out.

What is truly beautiful about spiritual formation is that the tools are right at hand.  Christ is available to everyone through his Spirit.  He comes to everyone who longs for such change.  Such a longing and a seeking for his influence is what Jesus meant with his invitation, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”  Learning what this means takes a lifetime. . . and longer.  However, it takes only a moment to begin.  And it goes from moment to moment.

His Spirit has also provided the testimony and teaching from lives dedicated to spiritual formation of people from ages past.  These words and stories are the teaching tools of his Spirit, opening our lives to his instruction, healing, and power.  The Bible, read honestly and openly, searches our hearts and minds and lays us open for a new life with God.  That is the result of Christ- centered spiritual formation: Life with God.   That life is being constantly renewed, constantly deepened, and constantly nurtured.  That life is worth every sacrifice.