The Beginning of Empowerment

The last two Sunday's messages have been a re-examination of the foundational teaching of repentance. We have learned about how many believers never live a healthy Christian lifestyle because repentance isn't fundamental to their conversion experience.

I made a personal commitment to Jesus after hearing the gospel preached in the eighties, and I often testify how I sinned more after my conversion than before. It seems as though the gospel had been reduced to a humanistic: "Just accept Jesus" before I darkened the door of the church that night. As young Christians, we were taught that if we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, He will progressively change our mind about sin and make us want to do good instead. As much as the Spirit plays a huge role in purifying our hearts, God cannot force us to repent from sin. The Spirit convicts, but we have to make up our mind to repent, and to follow through on that.

Why did repentance become so unpopular? In a world drenched with feel-good, popular psychology, the diagnosis of sinful practices requiring a humble acceptance of error and a radical course correction just didn't sit well with a generation hooked on self-expression. Caricatures of heavy-browed, finger-wagging preachers chastising their cowering flocks caused image conscious churches to wade into the swamp of democratically demanded affirmation.

While the church was softening it's message, society urgently attended to the empowerment of disadvantaged and oppressed people groups. Those seeking empowerment ranged from disadvantaged race groups, to women, the unskilled, to those pursuing alternative lifestyles. Few of these groups looked to the church for a pathway to empowerment. The irony is that the key to empowerment was lying fallow in the church.

Empowerment achieved can look suspiciously like the oppressed attaining the lifestyle of the oppressor. Those lacking self-determination looked over the fence of injustice and resolved to somehow obtain what the privileged had. The African-American wanted the respect and rights of the Caucasian, the women wanted the male privileges of high paying careers and freedom from the burden of homemaking, the unskilled worker wanted the wage and opportunity to relax that only the successful few enjoyed. The battle for equal rights for alternative lifestyles continues till today.

Just one question: Who said that a lifestyle equal to the privileged oppressor equates to freedom and empowerment? In my experience of apartheid South Africa, the oppressors were as disfigured and trapped as the oppressed. The oppressor has the further disadvantage of being blind to the golden cage. Most importantly, the oppressor has increased wrath stored up for the final day of judgment.

This gives rise to my premise. Empowerment cannot be achieved without God. Equality to a more privileged sinner might feather your nest, but how will that help if the whole tree is on fire?

You see, I believe that freedom isn't the absence of all authority. In fact, careful observation of history reinforces that freedom requires fences or boundaries to secure it. Without some final authority we are left with anarchy and without the rule of law, no-one is safe. It therefore stands to reason that empowerment can only occur through adherence to ultimate authority. In other words, if I comply with God's requirements, I escape all other oppressors and experience the freedom of having to bow only to my Creator.

I begin to comply with God's requirements by repenting from a sinful lifestyle. Therefore repentance is the beginning of empowerment. Forget the march to city hall, rather get a change of mind about the life God wants you to live.

Go Deep!

Columbus day weekend was a shocker for sport lovers across Boston. The Red Sox: swept out of the play-offs by the Angels! Now what? Are we forced to support our rival Yankees against the resurgent West Coast teams? Not likely. Rather, I suspect the subject of baseball will all but disappear from New England conversation until next summer.

What about Brady and the Pats? Are you kidding me? Somehow contriving to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory! I get the feeling that the monkey on Brady's back is his reputation rather than his repaired knee. The Broncos QB, Orton, who looks like Mr. Unassuming and probably won't marry a supermodel; played like the seasoned pro, while Brady desperately tried to engineer the old magic to no avail. Sure he did OK in the first half, but the long bombs exploded on the turf, and were it not for zippy Wes Welker grinding out the yards, the game would have been over long before the end of regular time.

I mentioned football in Sunday's sermon. I compared the fisherman Peter's return to the deeper water after an unsuccessful night on the sea in Luke 5 to the resolve of a receiver to dash into the end zone one more time to catch the elusive ball and win the game. In tough times we must still position ourselves within reach of opportunity and expect success, especially in response to Jesus command to "go deep."

My family and I went deep when we passed through "the eye of a needle", leaving our life in South Africa behind to go into the deeper water of the USA, expecting a great catch! It has been hard work just getting to and staying in this "end zone" of opportunity. The game is well into the fourth quarter and we need a touchdown to go to extra time. Like Randy Moss I feel like the ball just hasn't been there for a pass completion.

I will keep running into the end zone, continue sailing into deeper water to let down my nets. My hands are raised, my head is lifted, I know my quarterback has His eyes on me.

Mojave Madness

I'm not sure, but I think there is an endurance motor race through the Mojave Desert called Mojave Madness. The madness of a bunch of bikers looking for some extreme fun is nothing compared to the supreme court battle raging over a memorial cross erected by and for war veterans in a national park.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/6266291/Mojave-Cross-memorial-to-WWI-dead-violates-first-amendment

Some "bright spark" is suing for the removal of the cross because it is offensive to war veterans of other faiths and it violates the separation of church and state. As a result, the cross has been boxed like an IKEA flat-pack until the court case is over and a decision is made. Hah! This is what made America great!

I understand the first amendment. I think it is a critical part of making America's the best form of government on the planet. By the way, being better than other methods of government does not mean we have a perfect system of government!

Nevertheless, I think that many right wing conservative Christians are wasting their breath trying to argue for a Christian State and Christianity as the state sponsored religion, (or is it Church sponsored State? I dunno.) The fact is, every national population will consist of a percentage of people that don't believe that Jesus is Lord and Saviour. Those people must be governed with justice and be given their human and civil rights to prevent human authorities from inevitably exploiting the weak and limiting the liberty of the ignorant or the minorities.

Having said that, I have seen crosses across the South African landscape. They are serene, sometimes stirring reminders of the pioneering spirit that established a form of civilization in the wilderness. They are expressions of the devotion, trust and dependence on God that enabled some of our predecessors to endure hardship.

It is important to note that these crosses, just like the one in the Mojave desert, are not critical to the mission of the church or the advancement of the Christian cause. One can again argue whether the cross is the best symbol to serve the message of God's love. If Jesus had been hanged instead of crucified, would we be arguing about a "gallows and noose" on a rocky outcrop?

My point is that I think that the agenda to strip this nation of all physical reminders of an undeniable Christian heritage is pathetic. I can only imagine how a traveller or a tourist would ridicule at the current sight of what must look like a confused apology for the passionate determination of a God-fearing veteran who wanted to remember and celebrate the faith of his peers that endured the fire of war.

So the Buddhist couldn't erect their own monument nearby? Hey, as religions go, I think Buddhism is a very virtuous, peace-loving faith system. But was America built on it's principles? Did countless American soldiers find comfort and strength in Buddha as they shivered in the trenches of war? Do Buddhists even believe in war? C'mon people! Get real.

Having said all that, I think we can either leave the cross alone or sadly, take it down. Whatever satisfies the wisdom of the court. But will someone PLEASE get rid of the IKEA lollipop!