Fluffy Pudding

     On special occasions like birthdays and other events, I enjoy cooking a meal for the family.  This past year, our daughter Jordan requested that I make a chocolate mousse for dessert for one of our special dinners.  Never having made this, I turned to "Google" to find a recipe.  Of course, there were many to choose from but I selected one that seemed relatively easy.  It turned out well, and everyone enjoyed it.  For those of you who are unacquainted with mousse, it is like a fluffy version of pudding.  There is a lighter texture to it.  My father never cared for what he termed "whipped" pudding.  He loved the heavier, richer type of puddings that would stick with your taste buds longer.  These recollections came to mind as I thought about what is happening in many fellowships around our nation.
     There appears to be "fluffy pudding" teaching in some gatherings or what I call "church light".  This type of teaching appeals to everyone, is user friendly, not much substance (maybe a scripture here and there), and is designed to motivate/encourage rather than instruct and challenge.  Much of this revolves around our feelings rather than the Word of God and on our doing works as a means of growing closer to God instead of doing good works because we are accepted in Christ already.
     In my current issue of a Christian book magazine, there are dozens of books that deal with our emotions, how to be happy in our job, and how to have a happy marriage.  These are all good subjects, but what's wrong with reading the Bible?  Isn't that the place to find many answers to our questions.  To give a personal example, I have recently read two books about loss.  One, written by Dr. John McArthur entitled "Safe in the Arms of God", is loaded with scripture and points to the comfort of  God's Word in dealing with the death of a child.  The other book by Philip Yancey entitled "The Question that Never Goes Away - Why" left me looking for a reason as to why I was reading it.  He dealt with the terrible Japanese Tsunami that killed so many, the Newtown massacre, and the genocide that occurred in the former Yugoslavia.  These were terrible events, but I found little scriptural answers there.
     As I thought about some of the "fluffy" teaching that abounds today, I could not help but think of what the Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Corinth.  Certainly, in his first letter, he was addressing a church that was dealing with sin, conflicts and division...not unlike churches today.  His purpose was to bring some correction so they could get back on track once again.  In I Corinthians 3:1-2, Paul writes:  "And I, brethren, could not speak to you as spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, spiritual infants in Christ.  I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it.  Indeed, even now you are not able to receive it."  While these believers had been under Paul's ministry before, they had not grown since that time.  They were still acting like spiritual infants only able to handle the basic truth of the faith.  God's plan for them and for us is to move towards spiritual maturity through the study of His Word, sound preaching and a life of prayer.  If any of this is neglected, we, too, will be eating pablum and drinking milk like the Corinthians and be fair game for false teachers.
     In the book of Hebrews, the author writes these words to the believers:  "For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. 14But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil" (Hebrews 5:12-14).  The author points out that by hearing the Word of God through training our senses we are able to mature in Christ.  Unfortunately, if we are listening only to the messages which soothe our emotions, make us feel good,  and leave us comfortable, we will not grow.  The Christian life is found in the narrow way not the broad way which leads to destruction.  It is not an easy life but it is a fulfilling life because God changes us.
     My dad liked regular pudding because it stuck to the taste buds longer, filled him up and satisfied him better than the fluffy mousse.  So it is with the Word of God and sound teaching.  It sticks to your ribs so much better and lasts longer when we partake of the solid food found in God's Word.  I fear that many are "dull of hearing" as it says in Hebrews 5:11 and would rather just drink milk and float along with the latest trends, authors, and happenings on the Christian scene.  After all, digging deep into God's Word requires too much effort.  Unfortunately, this does not lead to maturity.  Jesus said it well when He told us in John 15:5:  "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."
     We will not find the answers within our selves and we cannot work harder to earn our salvation.  Instead, we must put aside the fluffy teaching and dig deeper into the Bible.  It holds the truth we need for life.  As we pray over God's Word, He will help us by the power of the Holy Spirit to grow into maturity which is His plan for us.   This is my prayer for the church, for individual Christians and for myself.  The days are evil and we need to be ready when the bridegroom comes for the wedding feast of the Lamb.  Let us make certain we trim our lamps with the oil of His Word daily and avoid the "fluffy" stuff.  Selah!
   

Picture of Chocolate Mousse pie courtesy of Kelly at Wiki Commons

When I Am Weak

   

Highlands Hammock State Park - picture courtesy of
Cathy Hardesty

 Most of us would consider weakness an undesirable quality of life.  Our world values strength, power and ability.  We like the self-made man or woman who has "pulled himself up by his bootstraps" and made it to the "top" on his own merits.  In contrast, the weak person is looked upon as a failure incapable of doing things on his/her own with effectiveness.  God, however, has a different perspective for us to examine.
     In his letter to the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 12:1-10), the Apostle Paul tells his readers about his experience of being caught up into the third heaven.  It was a marvelous revelation too great for words to describe.  While Paul could have easily spent time boasting on this unusual and privileged experience, he instead points out that he would much rather boast of his weaknesses.  This is a different take for someone who proclaimed the Gospel as Paul did.  Today, there are many pastors who would spend their time touting this experience rather than pointing to the God of our salvation.  In fact, many people base their Christian faith on their personal experiences rather than the solid Word of God.  This leads to heartache down the road when they realize that life is hard, demanding, painful and unfair.  Building our faith on feelings and emotions is like trying to run a train with the caboose instead of the engine which is God's Word.
     Paul goes on to describe what happened to him after this revelation of the third heaven in verses 7-10:  "So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.  Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.  But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'  Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities.  For when I am weak, then I am strong."  These are profound words that fly in the face of modern day culture.  Here is a man boasting about his weaknesses.  Many would say he is not an overcomer!  He has failed to be free from this thorn in the flesh; therefore, he must not have much faith.  Otherwise, God would deliver him from it.
     Now contrast this picture of Paul with a modern day preacher of a mega church, Joel Osteen.  I recently read an article which contained links to a Youtube presentation given by Joel Osteen at an Oprah Lifeclass.  Watching the Lifeclass discussion was eye opening.  Pastor Osteen told the audience:
"You'll never rise any higher than you see yourself."  Sounded like a business conference where we are told to see ourselves as a success in order to make it to the top.  Then, he later instructed the audience to make positive declarations about themselves.  He told them that negative confessions would weigh them down (he has written a book on making positive statements about ourselves); so he led them, at Oprah's bidding, to have the audience stand and make some of these positive declarations.  These are some of the things he had them proclaim:  "I am strong, I am healthy, I am confident, I am secure, I am talented, I am creative, I am disciplined, I am focused, I am beautiful,  I am valuable, I am blessed, I am excited about my future, I am victorious." ( Joel Osteen on Oprah's Lifeclass ).  No where in all the declarations do we hear the words "in Christ" I am strong or "in Christ" I have victory.  Instead, we are led to believe that if we just repeat these declarations over and over again we will become these things.  What?  In our own power?  Apart from Christ?
     If we look into the Bible, we have a different picture.  There we learn that we are born into sin (Psalm 51:5; Psalm 58:3) and are slaves to sin (John 8:34; Titus 3:3; Romans 6:6,16-17,19-20).  We also learn that the heart of a man/woman who does not belong to Christ is hostile towards God (John 3:20; Romans 8:7-8; Isaiah 64:6; Ephesians 2:3).  With these thoughts in mind, does it sound like we can just reach down deep within ourselves and proclaim ourselves strong, focused, victorious, blessed, and confident?  Unless we are "god",  we do not have the power or ability to speak things into existence.  This is a heresy rampant among "prosperity" preachers today.  No, our strength, our life, our victory are in Christ as Paul so well articulated.
     Carl Trueman writing for Reformation 21 blog (An Important But Neglected Distinction, July 22, 2013) summarizes it well as he describes the difference between childishness and childlikeness: " Growth in Christian maturity should manifest itself in numerous ways. One of them is that we should become less and less enamoured  with the myths we tell ourselves of how unique we are as individuals, of how we have limitless potential, of how we really do have the last word on everything. In short, we should become less childish. Instead, we should become more conscious of how we are really just like everyone else - limited, dependent, finite, fallen. We should also learn more and more to find our fulfillment in resting in the simple biblical, catechetical faith which describes who we are, what we need, and how we can find it in submitting in humble and reverent faith to Christ. In other words, we should become less childish and more childlike."  To his evaluation, I say "Amen".  May we, like the Apostle Paul, boast only in our Lord Jesus Christ for we are weak but He is strong.  God's grace is really sufficient for us no matter what our trial, illness or other human frailty for His power is made perfect in weakness.  Selah!