The Day we see Him

    

     There are many days we look forward to in life. There are momentous days we dream of such as our wedding day, graduation, or the purchase of a house. And then there are the smaller days we mark on our calendars as upcoming events of expectation - parties, vacations, and holiday gatherings. Without a doubt much preoccupation is given to much trivia - stress and emotional charge about a football game, what outfit to wear to an office party, and the release of a new movie in the cinema.  To be honest, there are some events we hold our breath for that are absolutely meaningless. And yet, tragically, the one moment that matters the most is the event most of us give the least time and preparation for - the moment we stand before God.

     We are told in no uncertain terms that "it is appointed unto man once to die, and after that the judgment," and yet most of us live either as if we are the only generation immune from the Adamic curse of mortality, or as if this life is all there is. But one thing is for sure - one day we will see our Maker. We will give an account. And we will either be invited in to unspeakable glory or banished to unthinkable torment. That is the testimony and truth of Scripture. And yet, even as a born-again believer, I think the day I see Him will be the greatest day of mixed emotions that I have ever experienced.

     Without a doubt, that day will be a day of indescribable AWE. My whole life I have looked achingly upon sunset-painted mountaintops. I have trembled before the Grand Canyon. Laid on my back and lost myself beneath a shimmering quilt of stars. And yet to think these are all simply creations that declare the glory of the Creator. "The heavens cannot even contain Him," so it is scarcely imaginable that my eyes could. What will happen to me when I look upon Him for the first time? It strains my imagination to even dream of His splendor. His glory. I think of times I have nearly melted inside at the sight of a beautiful girl, and yet she is only broken clay made in the image of the Altogether Lovely. "No one can look on My Face and live" and even with a glorified body, one would think it unbearably taxing on our hearts to approach the throne, from which emanates lightnings and peals of thunder, a throne surrounded by myriads of angels forever enraptured by His majesty, and a throne encompassed by martyrs, prophets, apostles, tribes upon tribes, and twenty-four elders casting their crowns, and then to look up into that unapproachable light and gaze upon the Eternal King. All of this of course to take place in an eternal city with holy air and golden streets and creatures and colors and shapes that go beyond human comprehension. "No eye has seen, nor ear has heard, nor entered into the mind of man what God has prepared for those who love Him," wrote the Apostle Paul after his celestial visit, and to borrow the words from that semi-cheesy but beautiful Christian chorus, "I can only imagine…"

     That awesome day for the true child of God will definitely be a day of LOVE. I have read many stories of supposed after-death experiences and trips to eternity, some credible and some not so credible. And while I do my best to retain a healthy level of skepticism on such rampant reports, I have been strangely warmed by the depictions of the depths of love that they have insisted fill God's paradise. An atmosphere charged with holy, selfless Agape and expressions and countenances of kindness that have never been seen on earth. "God is love" is a fact clearly stated in scriptures, and though I have repeatedly been filled with the love of God, shed abroad by the Holy Spirit in my heart, on that day I will behold unhindered the very Essence of love. And in that moment, everything I've experienced will pale in comparison. I meditate on transcendent moments of bliss in God's Presence here on earth. I reminisce on rapturous scenes of romance that made time stand still. I grin joyously at the brotherly and sisterly kindness and companionship I have found on this planet. And I wince almost painfully at the undeserved and unconditional love that has been shown to me by my parents.  And yet all of those imperfect forms of love combined multiplicably will not scratch the surface of what will overwhelm my soul in the Presence of my Heavenly Father. Paul says that even the mysterious and undying love between a husband and wife is merely a representation of the love Christ has for us, His church. I can't wait to hear the fatherliness in His voice. To weep at the depths of His mercy and compassion. To feel alive in His fiery love. To be made whole by His gentle and reassuring smile. Mankind has many cheap and even distorted views of love to where the word has been all but completely lost on us. But I think on that day, that word will become pregnant with eternal significance.

     Unfortunately, I believe the day we see Him will also be a day surely marked with SHAME for most of us. In Corinthians, Paul referred to eternal judgments as one of the "elementary principles" along with baptism and the laying on of hands. And yet fearfully little thought is given to the sobering fact that we will stand before Him to answer for our life. Paul urges us to "work out our salvation with fear and trembling" and in another place said "knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men…" Most of the time in Scripture when the biblical writers referred to the day of the Lord they entitled it the "terrible" day of the Lord. Even as believers, though the penalty of our sin was dealt with on the Cross, we will stand before the Bema Seat of Christ and "give an account of the deeds done in the body, whether good or bad." And many of us will suffer loss. In the third chapter of 1st Corinthians we are told that "If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test each person's work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved - even only as one escaping through the flames." As John Bevere once put it, "what we do with the Cross will determine where we spend eternity, but the way we live our lives as believers will determine how we spend our eternity." "He who has been faithful over much…" Oh, the horror to think of my irresponsible tongue and to think I will give an account of every word spoken. To think back on every time I grieved the Spirit, everything I spent prodigally on myself, every time I wish I would have been more merciful, every sinful mistake, all my prayerlessness and shallowness and selfish living. All the people I could have reached for God. The fact that I stored up far more treasures on earth than in heaven. A.W. Tozer once lamented to Leonard Ravenhill that he thinks "we will barely get our feet into eternity before we bow our heads in shame and humiliation and say my God! All the riches there were in Christ and I've come to the Judgment Seat nearly a pauper." On that day we will realize how earth-bound some of us - especially in modern comfortable America - really were, and we will wish we would've cried out like that old revivalist, "God, stamp eternity on my eyeballs!" And to think that the quality of our work will be tested. That's right, not the quantity, but the quality. Not how religious or ambitious, but my motive for why I did it and how passionately did I do it. On that day, there will be no caring friend to pat me on the back and tell me how spiritual I am, no encouraging church member to reassure me how good a preacher I was. But Him with eyes aflame with fire will look straight through my soul and see me for what I am, with every secret thought and intention laid bare before the Righteous Judge with whom there is no shadow or variation of turning. He surely "shall wipe every tear from our eyes," but I don't think those tears will be from the residue of earthly pain, but rather the godly remorse of wasteful living that is now excruciatingly revealed.

     I know little of what that day will look like, but I do believe there will be strong mixed emotions. Along with awe, love, and shame will surely be joy and fear. "Joy unspeakable in the Holy Ghost" will be joy unimaginable in His Presence. Joy coupled with a surreal peace that we did not know existed. Peace as a result of no more devil, no more sin, no more death, and no more problems. And the tangible, supernatural peace that naturally flows from the River of Life, the very One who is the "Prince of Peace." And fear - not carnal or earthly fear, but surely in those first few moments at least there will be a holy and dreadful reverence at the unveiled revelation of His majesty and power and sovereignty. I cringe at the carnal familiarity with which some people talk about Jesus as if they are going to walk up to Him in heaven and pat Him on the back and say "thanks for dying for me, buddy." Paul said that "we no longer regard Jesus in the flesh" and we must remember that the same beloved John who leaned his head comfortably against the breast of Jesus fell on His face as though dead when he saw the glorious and resurrected Christ.

     Without a doubt, that will be a terrible day for every unregenerate soul and an awesome and surely emotional day for every true believer. We don't think much of eternity like our spiritual fathers did. But we should. I read recently of a faithful Christian that decided to take off six months from work and ministry. Why? He said he wanted to search his heart and prepare himself for the Judgment Seat while he still had time. Sounds pretty extreme, doesn't it? But eternity's a long time. This life is a vapor. In fact, in mathematical terms where anything divided by infinity equals zero, this life is almost literally nothing compared to the billions and billions of infinite ages we will spend in one of two places. May the true children of God be encouraged and filled with joy and strength as they meditate on their eternal home, their "city whose foundation and builder is God," where our great Lord "has gone to prepare a place," and where "the things of this world will grow strangely dim." I can only imagine what I will feel the day I see Him. I am so excited to think about it. But I am also soberly challenged to "make the crooked paths straight" and search and examine my heart and correct my life so that when He comes, as James says, I "shall not be ashamed at His appearing."

     

"Oh, those Olympians, how majestic they are - but only for a moment! From a young age, they train hours and hours everyday. All they ever do is train. Until the age of twenty-two and then they run a nine second race for a medal they hang up, and that's it! Can not we give equal for eternal things?"  - Paul Washer

"Peace is pouring over my soul. I see the lamb and the lion playing. I join in and I drink the music. Holiness is the air I'm breathing. And my faithful heroes break the bread and answer all of my questions. Not to mention what the streets are made of. My heart's held hostage by this love and these brilliant colors I have never seen. I join a billion people for a wedding feast. And I reach out and touch the face of the One who made me. All the love I feel and all the peace…" - Deep Enough to Dream (Chris Rice)

What the True Gospel IS NOT

     "Strange, is it not, that we dare without shame to alter, to modulate the words of Christ while speaking for Christ to the ones for whom He died?  Christ calls men to carry a cross; we call them to have fun in His name.  He calls them to forsake the world; we assure them that if they but accept Jesus the world is their oyster.  He calls them to suffer; we call them to enjoy all the bourgeois comforts modern civilization affords.  He calls them to self-abnegation and death; we call them to spread themselves like green bay trees or perchance even to become stars in a pitiful fifth-rate religious zodiac.  He calls them to holiness; we call them to a cheap and tawdry happiness that would have been rejected with scorn by the least of the Stoic philosophers."         - A.W. Tozer

     It is very popular nowadays to speak out against American Christianity, and for good reason. Some of the criticism is well-placed and some is not. Some of it is out of the right spirit and some is not. In this post I want to explore for a few moments one of if not the most tragic problem of American Christianity - the true Gospel not being preached, and thus not being lived.

    I have been told there are currently more missionaries to America than from it. That believers in other cultures look grievingly at our version of Christianity and are convinced we don't know what the true form looks like. That these believers would agree with one missionary who stated that "America is not gospel-hardened; she is gospel-ignorant." I don't know for certain whether those missionary stats are true, but I believe without a doubt that the heart of the problem is. I think we don't, as a whole, really know or preach the Gospel. And I believe the true Gospel is not preached for two main reasons. One is our lack of rightly dividing the Word of God and being good and faithful stewards of what it truly teaches.  The other is our view of God.

     One thought that kept resounding in my spirit repeatedly when I was at home Sunday night is this - we simply don't know the Word of God. Now that is a broad statement to be sure, but what I mean is that nearly all of our problems stem from the fact that many of us don't truly know the Word of God and what it says for our lives.  We are not feeding deeply and satisfactorily on it daily for our portion, nor are we diligently studying it. This is a concept I want to post on in detail at a later date. However, I simply wish to point out for now that of all the endless problems that arise from our neglect of knowing the Scriptures, one most tragic result is that we end up with very lopsided views in our theology by leaning on the Scriptures that we do know or that we like and thus choosing to remember over other ones. This leads to believing and preaching a distorted Gospel.

     Secondly, our view of God. A.W. Tozer rightly predicted that a person's view of God would determine the outcome of their spiritual life and the course of their entire existence. How high or how low, how kind or how angry, how holy or how carnal our view of Him will determine how we respond to Him and to others. And it will shape everything about our theology.

      I personally believe the American view of God is the lowest, most carnal, most comfortable view of God ever held in any generation. He is preached more as a "buddy" than the "Holy and Anointed One", as our "homeboy" instead of the "All-consuming fire" that is to be greatly feared, and as the trite companion or "pal" of anyone who would stoop to give Him the time of day instead of the faithful and loving "Friend" to all who would obey Him and keep His commands.  Without  a doubt we have lost the awe-inspiring, majestic, lofty view of God that used to leave our forefathers breathless before an Eternal King. And where the fear of the Lord and the vision of God is lost, corruption and deception will sink in. It wasn't until the holy prophet Isaiah caught a true glimpse of the glory of God that he simultaneously saw the depths of his own sin and need for God. Thus, as Ravenhill used to point out, when we lose sight of the holiness of God, we lose sight of the depravity of man. And this leads to a Gospel, the likes of which preached in America, that is humanistic to the core. Where, as David Platt points out, man is now the object, and not God.  Southern Baptist Missionary Paul Washer even goes so far as to state that the greatest hour of idolatry in America every week takes place on Sunday mornings, where most people worship a "God" that just doesn't exist. And while I find this view a bit extreme, it is hard to escape the conclusion that while a small remnant of a few determined souls dare, like Moses, to ascend the mountain touched with thunder and lightning to behold the One who dwells in unapproachable light, the great carnal majority who labels themselves to be Christians are far too content to remain at a safe distance at the foot of the mountain, eventually gathering gold with Aaron to form a more "manageable deity" (as Bevere once labeled it),  and call it Jehovah.  Out of this type of community emerges a weak, deceived, and seeker-sensitive culture.  And out of this culture emerges a watered-down Christianese-style message that I believe the Apostle Paul would have written off as "another gospel."

     It is because of these two reasons that I believe we have lost the power of the Gospel. Now I don't claim to be anywhere close to an expert on the Gospel. In fact, I feel like I'm just now starting to learn what it is for the first time. And I agree with Washer that it is the greatest mystery - that though our eschatology will be cleared up the moment Jesus returns, we will spend an eternity of eternities trying to comprehend the beauty and mystery of the Gospel - a mystery in which angels long to look.

     But I think this is so important. There is much trivia the church fusses and splits over these days, from the color of carpet to the detail of a doctrine that none of us will fully comprehend until eternity. But I also agree with Washer that when it comes to the Gospel, there are no truces to be sought out and no compromises between the two camps. Either we preach the Gospel correctly or we don't. Spurgeon once said that true conversion is "as real as a man ground into a mill and made new again." But if there is to be true supernatural regeneration by the Holy Spirit, it will rarely come except a true Gospel be anointedly preached. If there is anything we need to study and know and pray over, it is the core of the Gospel. I want to know it. I want to live it. I hope this post doesn't come off as uncharitable or judgmental, or simply another cursing of the darkness to stroke my ego. God knows if anyone is in need of mercy and enlightenment it is me. But we are warned in the epistles to "pay close attention to your doctrine." And if there is any doctrine we need focal attention on, it is the Cross and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That we were born in sin with the wrath of God upon us, destined for eternal destruction, but Christ took our physical and spiritual punishment, and had the cup of God's wrath poured out on Him that we may stand justified before a holy God, cleansed by royal blood. And not only that, but to be forgiven and set free and cleansed from the curse of sin. Given life. Brought from dark to light. Granted entrance into the Kingdom. Have the veil ripped that the awful separation from God's Presence might be breached so that we could have intimacy with our Maker again. It is the most glorious good news this world could ever hear.  And there is so much to it, we could talk for a century and not scratch the surface.

     The truth is, no one has it all figured out, but I believe a more honest and searching look into the Bible will leave us with some absolute certainties about what that the Gospel IS and IS NOT.

    The true Gospel is NOT a message of self-improvement; it is a message of self-denial. The true Gospel does NOT simply declare the joy and necessity of forgiveness at the foot of the Cross, but also declares the imperative of obedience to pick up a cross, and the necessity of death to self on that cross.  The true Gospel does NOT view sin as an unfortunate disease by which we all need help; it views sin as the heinous crime against the Sovereign and Almighty God by which we all stand wholly guilty and condemned before Him with only the coming wrath to look forward to, lest we throw ourselves upon the finished work of Christ and be changed from the inside out by Him.  The true Gospel does NOT urge people to merely repeat  a sinner's prayer like a flu shot by which they then have an nonrefundable ticket to heaven; it urges them as the Holy Spirit deals with their hearts to believe on Christ and wholly surrender to Him, the evidence of their salvation being the ongoing fruit of their life and growing in the Lord.  The true Gospel, while it joyfully exclaims all of the riches that we have in Christ, never puts the accent on the benefits and blessings, but instead emphasizes the glory of knowing God and experiencing Him. Thus the true Gospel will reproduce mature and steady disciples who serve God for who He is and not for what He can do for them. The true Gospel is NOT simply a soft, sugary-sweet, sentimental message of "you are loved" but also a fiery, tearful message by which prophets lovingly declare "you are lost." The true Gospel will never try to entice by only offering attractive messages to the masses in order to gain a seeker, but will always boldly declare in love the complete counsel and truth, even if they walk away on us like they did Jesus when He uttered such hard sayings. The true Gospel will always be most concerned with our holiness, not our happiness. The true Gospel does NOT merely coax people into accepting Jesus as Savior without also accepting Him as Lord and Master. The true Gospel is not a plea that someone allow Jesus to be a part of their life; it is an ultimatum to either reject the message or allow Jesus to consume and control their life. The true Gospel is not an offer of greater peace of mind so that one may enjoy the world; it is a transforming by the renewal of our mind to separate ourselves from the system of this world in order to embrace the greater and invisible world. The true Gospel does NOT offer a better life; it reveals that we are dead in sin and are living corpses who need to be made alive with Christ and completely born again - and when that really happens, we learn that "if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature." And we learn that that is more than poetry, but a mere declaration of the facts of what happens when a man or woman is truly converted by the Holy Ghost.

     The true Gospel - it is the power of God unto salvation. Let's learn it, believe it, live it, and preach it.

* - I want to acknowledge Tozer, Washer, Bevere, Ravenhill, and even Platt and Piper as much of my spiritual philosophy on this subject I owe to the influence of their teaching, along with the ultimate authority - the Bible. We are all largely shaped - for good or bad - by the influence we subject ourselves to and because of that, at times I don't know where some of my phrasing and thoughts ends and theirs begins - and so I offer apology if there is ever any subconscious plagiarism of any sort, I want them to have credit.

** - I repeat, though I speak passionately on the subject, I, of all people, am most in need of the grace and mercy and wisdom of God! And I want the humility and strength to live out His Word.

*** - I also want to say how humbled and honored I am to be a part of a Gospel-driven church and to have a godly, compassionate, and anointed Pastor from whom I can learn God's truth and watch his example.

Until the next monster post,

Russ

    

A Dense January

     "I fall asleep with my friends around me. The only place I know that I feel safe - I'm going to call this home."  - Jimmy Eat World

     Well, I just got back from small groups and am on the eve of a rather full day, so I'm afraid this will be another short but sweet post. This past weekend was refreshing to say the least. I had the weekend off thanks to my old boss and Colt, Leah, Chris, and Kelli all ventured up here from South Carolina to spend the weekend with me. We stayed up most nights talking, went near Cincinnati on Saturday to spend the day at the Creation museum, attended some of the Daniel Fast prayer meetings, and they came to the Bridge on Sunday, a sunday on which I happened to have the privilege to preach. Though I slept very little those three nights, the visit left my spirits refreshed - something I have been needing as of late.
     I was reading a little bit the other day from my old xanga posts, and being swallowed up in the nostalgia of it, it's simply hard to believe sometimes that certain periods of your life once existed. They seem so far removed. I smiled effortlessly at certain memories and winced at others. I always feel a small ache when I look back - either a yearning for those memories, or the pain of regret or loss. Life really is fast.
    So soon I'm going to venture onto a monster post. I might do one on the "Blasphemy of Truth" or "My thoughts on Calvinism." Which one should I do? Thoughts on other topics?
  
    Back to the keyboard soon,
    Russ
 

THURSDAY LIBRE

  
        "For Thou madest us for Thyself, and our heart is restless until it repose in Thee"
                                                       - St. Augustine

     Well I am currently following through on at least one new year's resolution - I am blogging! Not to say that today's entry is only obligatory... but I don't feel as much inspiration on this one. Other than to say that today is my glorious day off and so here I am. I hope to get some long over-due cleaning done, I am meeting Pastor for lunch at Good Foods at 12, and I need to rest. I feel as though I have been sick for nearly a month now, though I am feeling much better this morning.
     This month should prove to be a great commencement to the year. Our church is in the middle of our annual corporate Daniel Fast and we are having prayer at the church each night of the 21 days. Also, on the 14th, Colt and Leah, and Chris and Kelli are all coming up from South Carolina to visit for the weekend. Not to mention the joy of now being able to have days off like this again!
     I love the end of "Castaway" where he says "All I know is tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring?" I have thought about the line many times throughout the past five or six years whenever something really amazing or terribly disappointing would take place. This year - who knows? I know it is not all up to fate, however. I have the ability to live each day to the fullest. I also know as a child of God, that as I live in the center of His will, nothing can happen to me outside of His plan. That is the safest, most dangerous place to be. Kind of like the beaver said to Lucy about Aslan in the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, "Of course He isn't safe. But He's good." And in His goodness we can trust.
     And now for an abrupt halt. I must clean and pray and shave. Until next time...

     Russ