"If , then, they should say to you, 'Lo! In the wilderness is He!' you may not be coming out' 'Lo! in the storerooms!' you should not be believing it.
Matthew 24: 26, Concordant New Testament
I read with some interest the recent page put forth by author Wayne Jacobsen this week. It seems that Wayne and his cohort were speaking to a college based program which I'm assuming spoke to college age students concerning the realities and misconceptions of sex. Now, my own past has been scarred by my own misconceptions of sex, but that's a story for another time. What I want to speak to here is something most all church going Christians have experienced at one time or another. That is, the mainstream churches ability to use a class or study session in order to solve some of life's major issues. From alcoholism to sexual purity, the church seems to have a class to answer any and all questions concerning life. For my part, I have been involved in more than a few of these dog and pony shows. The basic setup of these situations is that a group of people who are already carrying the guilt of their situation like a weight on their shoulders get together and are asked to describe just why they have fallen victim to this temptation. Of course, rarely does this approach succeed in ridding the person suffering through their situation of the guilt and/or shame of whatever it is they are struggling with. I believe this is because the truth of the Lord is rarely taught, nonetheless spoken to in these times of need. Too many times, the individual is left with the impression that God is somehow angry because of their sin. Nothing could be further from the truth. The apostle Paul speaks more than a few times of the knowing he received of the indwelling Christ within him. For Paul, to live is Christ and to die is gain {Philippians 1:21}. That is, our life is in Christ Jesus. This isn't simply Paul proclaimed as if to say, 'Look what I have!' No, this indwelling Jesus is something we all share in. It is Jesus who calls on us to bring our burdens to Him {Matthew 11:28-30}. Jesus never instructed those who were hurting to go to the local synagogue for relief from their guilt and shame. He IS our relief. Of course, if this were spoken to in mainstream church classes, eventually we would have zero need for them. Just one more example of the believer sustaining church system.
"Hither to Me, all who are toiling and laden, and I will be giving you rest. Lift My yoke upon you and be learning from Me, for meek am I and humble in heart, and you shall be finding rest for your souls, for My yoke is kindly and My load is light."
Matthew 11: 28-30, Concordant New Testament
Is there something that you are struggling with? An addiction? A bad situation? When you boil it down , there is one thing for certain. Man will always disappoint you in the end. The apostle Peter spoke to this in Acts as he proclaimed his trust in the Lord {Acts 5:29}. Many believers are familiar with the iconic scripture we find in proverbs of trusting in the Lord {Proverbs 3:5}. The question I have is this, what can the church give you that God somehow cannot? For if we continue to engage in these institutional church self help groups are we not pushing God aside in favor of the works of man? You can claim all day long that you follow the Lord, but where does your heart? Do you follow God or man? Well, I know for a fact that one of those will NEVER disappoint you. There is One who will NEVER turn His back to you. He is our heavenly Father. It is God who knows intimately whatever it is that you are going through. It is Christ Jesus who resides in you {Galatians 2:20}. Each and every day we find ourselves in the presence of the Lord. What problem will you ever face which God can not remedy? There is a reason in which Jesus called those who were hurting to Him. Jesus knew the church system and its hold upon the people of His day. It is Christ Jesus who proclaims that we will not find rest in the man made church, but in Him only. Bring what troubles you unto Him, for His load is light.
Yet answering, Peter and the apostles say, "One must yield to God rather than to men."
Acts 5: 29, Concordant New Testament
~Scott~
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