Tough Choices

Wednesday, June 14, 2023

So the Lord told Abraham, “I have heard a great outcry from Sodom and Gomorrah, because their sin is so flagrant.  I am going down to see if their actions are as wicked as I have heard.  If not, I want to know.”  The other men turned and headed toward Sodom, but the Lord remained with Abraham.  Abraham approached him and said, “Will you sweep away both the righteous and the wicked?  Suppose you find fifty righteous people living there in the city—will you still sweep it away and not spare it for their sakes?  Surely you wouldn’t do such a thing, destroying the righteous along with the wicked.  Why, you would be treating the righteous and the wicked exactly the same!  Surely you wouldn’t do that!  Should not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?”  And the Lord replied, “If I find fifty righteous people in Sodom, I will spare the entire city for their sake.”  Then Abraham spoke again.  “Since I have begun, let me speak further to my Lord, even though I am but dust and ashes.  Suppose there are only forty-five righteous people rather than fifty?  Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?”  And the Lord said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five righteous people there.”  Then Abraham pressed his request further. “Suppose there are only forty?” And the Lord replied, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the forty.”  “Please don’t be angry, my Lord,” Abraham pleaded. “Let me speak—suppose only thirty righteous people are found?” And the Lord replied, “I will not destroy it if I find thirty.”  Then Abraham said, “Since I have dared to speak to the Lord, let me continue—suppose there are only twenty?” And the Lord replied, “Then I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty.”  Finally, Abraham said, “Lord, please don’t be angry with me if I speak one more time.  Suppose only ten are found there?”  And the Lord replied, “Then I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.”  When the Lord had finished his conversation with Abraham, he went on his way, and Abraham returned to his tent.  Genesis 18:17-33

It was a tough decision all the way around.  For Abraham the problem was his nephew, Lot was living there.  For the Lord God, there were perhaps more than 100,00 of his loved ones, including Lot.  Abraham made his case, narrowing the decision from 50 righteous people to 10, probably equal to Lot’s family.

For the Lord, the difference between destroying a city, and even one person, did not change the ethical dilemma.  Ending a life is exactly opposite of the creative character of God; he gives life.  Yet, choosing against God’s ways of life-giving (we call it sin) is that dangerous freedom known-as free-will.  I’m as certain as a human can be that God, looking down on Sodom and Gomorrah, was torn with grief over what He knew would end in their destruction. 

The rest of the story tells us that God didn’t give up on them.  The Lord sent angels to Sodom, giving the entire city a chance to repent; they didn’t.  Every retelling of this account ends with God as the destroyer.  But that’s not the full story.  Destruction came upon the citizens of Sodom, because they used God’s gracious gift of free-will to choose their evil wickedness over God’s righteousness.  God had warned, and given them every opportunity to be saved; they wouldn’t, and the tough choice brought fire from above. In the end they committed eternal suicide, rather than confess their evil choice. 

That same thing has never ceased happening from the moment Cain lifted a rock against Abel, and it happens every day man draws breath.

For You Today 

The Holy Scriptures are often referred to as The Good News, because God’s mercy and grace gave us a Savior on a cross, taking our punishment so we could be saved.  But the “Good News” is only “good” because there is also evil.  The very definition of either good or evil is the dividing line between the two.  Hear and consider what Jesus said about all of it, and the choice we have:

The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy.  My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.  John 10:10

Satan, the thief, or Jesus, the giver…we all have that choice.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

Go to VIDEO (read by author)

There are about 2,500 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  To dig deeper explore some of these:   Pyxis Points  and  De-Railed  and  Fifteen Minutes of Spotlight – at What Cost?                                        

 

Title Image:  via Wikimedia Commons   Images without citation are in public domain.

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

 

When Judgment Falls

Monday

October 31, 2022

When I wrote to you before, I told you not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin.  But I wasn’t talking about unbelievers who indulge in sexual sin, or are greedy, or cheat people, or worship idols.  You would have to leave this world to avoid people like that.  I meant that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people.  Don’t even eat with such people.  It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning.  God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, “You must remove the evil person from among you.”  1 Corinthians 5:9-13

Paul was consistently misunderstood and criticized for his teaching on sexuality.  The apostle was even mentioned by his fellow apostle, Peter, as being somewhat hard to understand, but acknowledged that Paul’s revelations were from God, and delivered with the authority of Scripture.  Peter further stated that only the twisted mind (of false believers, not true Christians) mocked what Paul was preaching, and God would take them to task for it.[1]

So…what was it Paul taught that was so controversial?  It’s the very same thing you hear as a criticism (mostly from those outside the church), that Christians are judgmental, and critical of anybody who isn’t as holy as they consider themselves.  It is a blanket condemnation, by unbelievers, that all believers are blanket-criticizers.  It’s a little like the pot calling the kettle black!

Now, if that’s the misunderstanding of what Paul taught, what is it, precisely, that Paul did teach?  He taught just the opposite – that Christians ought not to judge those who are outside the church.  Paul said expressly that he left that to God.  The responsibility of judging (not of motives or ethical commitment) but behavior of Christians within the church is necessary, for the purity of God’s bride.

While Paul focused on sexual sins (sex outside of marriage, including unmarrieds, same-sex, and adultery), because that was rampant in the Corinthian church, he pointed to other gross sins that were demeaning to the character and moral ethic of the people called “Christian”.  Among those were greed, cheating and idolatry.

Without raking-over the lewd details of any of that list, let me cut right to the chase this morning.  I am not lambasting 21^st-Century culture for being immoral, and un-Christlike; the apostle Paul’s injunction against pointing fingers at those outside the church still stands.  It is the sin within the camp that strains credulity.  Today’s church (in large percentage) has identified more with the surrounding culture, than what Scripture identifies as the Bride of Christ.  It is the church’s lukewarmness in embracing those who profess Christ as Savior, but live in open, and unapologetic opposition to moral and ethical Christian standards. 

Sexual sins, including all forms of homosexuality, and heterosexual activity between unmarried people, along with every other kind of sin, must be held to accountability within the church before anyone outside the church will seriously take the church as something God-ordained.  You clean your own house first!

For You Today

I am not proposing a witch-hunt to weed out the church membership rolls.  I am suggesting, however, that pastors had better quit trying to fill the seats and grow a Corinthian-infested organization they call a church.  In place, it would be better to return to the practice of the mourner’s bench, to wait awhile until the fruits of true salvation are exhibited in the life of those who profess their faith.  Otherwise Pastors and elders who ignore this might hear from Jesus on that Great Judgment Day:  Depart from me…I never knew you!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

Go to VIDEO (read by author)

There are about 2,000 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions libraryI.  To dig deeper on today’s topic, explore some of these: 

       The Third Day   and   Living in Sodom

[1] Images:  Pixabay.com   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©  

---

[1]  See  2 Peter 2:1-22 and 2 Peter 3:15-16

Of Grace and Law

Thursday, September 8, 2022

The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith.  But some people have missed this whole point.  They have turned away from these things and spend their time in meaningless discussions.  They want to be known as teachers of the law of Moses, but they don’t know what they are talking about, even though they speak so confidently.  We know that the law is good when used correctly.  For the law was not intended for people who do what is right.  It is for people who are lawless and rebellious, who are ungodly and sinful, who consider nothing sacred and defile what is holy, who kill their father or mother or commit other murders.  The law is for people who are sexually immoral, or who practice homosexuality, or are slave traders, liars, promise breakers, or who do anything else that contradicts the wholesome teaching that comes from the glorious Good News entrusted to me by our blessed God.  1 Timothy 1:5-11

The current mêlée in the United Methodist Church is the division which centers around sexuality and gender identification.  Somehow Paul’s counsel to Tiimothy is not sacred advice to a young minister anymore.  Rather, it has become an inconvenient truth, dropped from the comfort zone of denominational managers.  When it comes to what drives worldly, culture-pandering leadership to twist what Scripture means, even when that means obtusely ignoring what Scripture has presented clearly, it is, sadly, a weaponized form of teaching false doctrine.  Paul advised Timothy to steer clear of it at all cost.

When dealing with the Pharisees, (supposed) teachers of the Law of God, Jesus tossed aside their pedigrees and prestige in two short sentences:

Blind guides! You strain your water so you won’t accidentally swallow a gnat, but you swallow a camel!  Matthew 23:24

Swallowing the camel of law, and doing it in the name of grace, is what is wrong with the current practice of swatting the traditionalist gnats in the sexuality/gender-identification standoff, fueled by a higher commitment to political correctness and denominational survival, than fidelity to Scripture.

In the name of “grace” progressive thought says all humanity is exempt from law; there is nothing to forgive.  Yet, that kind of thinking lays aside the very substance of grace, as being forgiving that which is unforgivable.  It says perverted sexual practices are not sin…therefore, there is nothing to be forgiven, only embraced.  It belies the very essence of our vows in confirmation, to confess our sinfulness, and reject evil in every form.  Without accepting the grace of God, admitting our sins, and accepting that we deserve death, not a parade, we do not belong to Him, let alone get to presume upon His favor.  And that “camel” of false presumption that God winks at sexual perversion, is swallowed by unthinking (so-called) religious leaders every day.

For You Today

Continue to pray for leaders who are trying their best on both sides of this morass of sexual misunderstanding, especially in the halls of United Methodist leadership.  May God’s will be served.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

Go to VIDEO (read by author)

There are about 2,000 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  To dig deeper on today’s topic, explore some of these: 

Paul's Legal Review and De-railed

[1] Images:  via Pixabay.com   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

Dusty Sandals

This post is a special edition of Rocky Road Devotions, as a response to the recent news of the proposed “Protocol” suggested by a group of leaders in the United Methodist Church, as to how the church might be split-up, so as to put an end to the UMC’s struggles concerning human sexuality.  I sense a need to express thoughts that have been brewing for some time over this intractable stew and the attitudes and actions of those at polar odds in the making.

[1] 

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Wherever you go, stay in the same house until you leave town.  And if a town refuses to welcome you, shake its dust from your feet as you leave to show that you have abandoned those people to their fate.”  Luke 9:4-5

For the Lord gave us this command when he said, ‘I have made you a light to the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the farthest corners of the earth.’”  When the Gentiles heard this, they were very glad and thanked the Lord for his message; and all who were chosen for eternal life became believers.  So the Lord’s message spread throughout that region.  Then the Jews stirred up the influential religious women and the leaders of the city, and they incited a mob against Paul and Barnabas and ran them out of town.  So they shook the dust from their feet as a sign of rejection and went to the town of Iconium.  And the believers were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.  Acts 13:47-51

Those first-century Christian radicals tended to live like Jesus taught them to live.  When sending his disciples out to spread the Good News Jesus told them to go to the surrounding cities, find a hospitable family with which to stay, and get busy telling the story.  But if the message was rejected, they were to shake that town’s dust off their sandals and move on.  The dust hanging in the air was a warning that rejecting the Gospel meant rejecting God’s loving embrace.

That’s exactly what happened at Antioch as Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, came to town and preached a sermon at the local synagogue about how God’s grace had been extended to even the non-Jewish nations.  It started a riot, and got Paul and Barnabas chased from the city.  But as they left, they did what Jesus had instructed; they shook the dust off their sandals and moved on with joy. 

Twenty centuries later Christians seem to have forgotten how to do that!  That is, at least some Christians in the United Methodist Church.

It’s no secret that progressive, centrist, and traditionalist Methodists have been at each other’s necks for a half-century over whether the denomination will be an evangelical/Biblical or socio-political movement.  The focal issue of late (since about 1972) has been the acceptance of other than traditional heterosexuality as normative.  Traditionalists believe homosexuality, trans or bi-gender, and even multi/self-identifying (non)gender proponents are attempting to re-define what God has clearly stated; that is, we are created male or female…clearly.  Progressives prefer the door wide-open, and all restraints removed on human sexuality.  In short, traditionalists believe the very idea of LGBTQ[2] as normative is sin, while progressives believe the historical orthodoxy of heterosexuality is open for individual interpretation without prejudice.  This is the immovable object of heterodoxy meeting with the irresistible force of cultural rebellion.

True Wesleyan practice holds what its founder held, a quite high view of Scripture, that our loyalty to Christ is lived-out with adherence to God’s Word, not trying to change God’s Word to fit the image of progressive cultural trends.

Progressive thought tries to scramble for the higher moral ground, proclaiming the love of Jesus as their marching banner; albeit a love which ignores the righteousness of the Christ, the One who will one day judge every action.  That is certainly a fly in the ointment of progressive thought.  To hold that one is following Jesus, when one is unquestionably following self-desires and cultural popularity, is a de facto denial of what Christ said plainly:

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.  Matthew 16:24

Progressives have little desire to be crucified daily, when one can be puffed-up daily with a platitude that elevates humanism’s I must be true to ME over Christianity’s I must be faithful to God.

In case you haven’t yet detected where my deeply-held conviction lies, let me come out front with the substance of my argument here:  I am shaking the dust off my sandals, abandoning progressivism (as if there was any embrace of it in the first place!), and moving on down the road with Paul and Barnabas in joy.

With that declaration I wish to hold up an admonition to my sisters and brothers in Christ who hold the opposing view.  If you claim to be followers of Christ, do like the first century Christians did – follow Him…not your disobedient bishops. 

According to The Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace through Separation the “separation” will be when the Traditionalists leave the United Methodist Church to form other denomination(s).  This is as odd as it gets. 

For a moment, pretend I support the Progressivist position.  And we go back in time to – well, pick a time in history when homosexuality was considered a normative alternative as opposed to heterosexuality – Oh…pardon me; you can’t find one?  Perhaps that’s because there isn’t a time frame such as that, even if you go all the way back to the Garden of Eden.  And since that is so, it is hard to imagine John Wesley presiding over a conference to wish the traditionalists Godspeed while he and his progressivist bishops actually do the Lord’s work. 

Considering Jesus’ instruction to not get embroiled in the disbelief of others, but to leave and continue your own work (working out your own salvation with fear and trembling), how is it that Traditionalists are blamed for ruining the United Methodist Church by imposing bigotry and homophobia on the United Methodist Church, which was founded upon, governed by, and operating within traditional orthodoxy according to Scriptural parameters?  Traditionalists (as I understand the term) wish nothing more than to continue within those parameters

My question then, for my dear friends in Christ who hold progressive convictions, presumably for the purpose of honoring and following Christ, is:

Shouldn’t you be shaking the traditionalist town dust off your sandals, instead of taking over and inhabiting what you didn’t build, and only acquiescing to separation if the traditionalists leave town…how is THAT denying self?

The sin in this takeover is it finds zero precedent in Scripture.  Perhaps the Scriptural precedent is being seen in the Traditionalists willingness to leave the home ground (as Abraham did when God called) and begin a new work, unencumbered by petty grabs for money, notoriety and power.  You can grab the house if you want to, but what will you have when it collapses around you (as it has done in the case of every other mainline denomination to embrace progressivism)?

It’s difficult for me to fathom why progressives want anything to do with Traditionalists, seen as stodgy and obtuse…weak-visioned orthodox troglodytes, prejudicially abusing the gender rights of liberated souls.  That does not seem smart or right, as this impasse has demonstrated.  Progressivism won’t hold anything together, but only does what it always does, fight against something.  Progressive doctrine is to dismantle every doctrine, to drive whatever wedges of separation exist deeper between whomever resists.  And the unfolding ultimate consequences, in this case, will be tallied in souls.

Here is how Jesus described such takeover attempts to co-opt tired, rigid, outdated and unsuitable mechanisms to do new things:

“And no one puts new wine into old wineskins.  For the old skins would burst from the pressure, spilling the wine and ruining the skins.  New wine is stored in new wineskins so that both are preserved.”  Matthew 9:17

For You Today

If you’re a progressive-minded United Methodist reading/listening to this, reconsider please what you’re supporting.  If you really consider Traditionalists as Satan’s pawns, why would you do anything else but shake the dust off your feet and go form your own system/church? 

Remember the monsters of Nazi Germany, or Russian Czars, or Mafia, or any other group trying to push another out?  If you adopt the monster’s methods, you then become the new monster! 

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

Go to VIDEO

---

[1] Title Image:  Pixabay.com   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©

[2] An acronym for Lesbian Gay Bi-sexual Trans-gender Queer

Making Sense in a Storm

[1]

Friday, October 4, 2019

Don’t worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong.  For like grass, they soon fade away.  Like spring flowers, they soon wither.  Trust in the Lord and do good.  Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.  Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.  Commit everything you do to the Lord.  Trust him, and he will help you.  He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.  Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act.  Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.  Stop being angry!  Turn from your rage!  Do not lose your temper—it only leads to harm.  For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.  Psalm 37:1-8[2]

I watched a TV show recently where a tsunami swept over the California coastline.  I’ve seen plenty of video and still shots of the damage such a storm can produce, but this dramatization staged everything to help the viewer experience the raw power and arbitrary selection of whose life to ruin.  It was memorable, which I’m certain was the director’s intention.  It got my attention, and for the next couple of days sleeping was more difficult.

As I reflect over the number of tsunami-like waves that have appeared in my lifetime and changed everything, it gets a little mind-staggering.   Vietnam, the assassination of President Kennedy, landing on the moon, fall of the Berlin wall…these (and many more) are epochal game changers. 

Another tsunami game changer was the 2015 Supreme Court decision allowing same-sex marriages, undercutting two thousand years of church teaching (not to mention 6 millennia of common sense!).  That 9-judge ruling set off a wave of celebration and anger across the continent.  I certainly didn’t (and still don’t) agree with the decision, but rather than fretting or anger, I’ve learned (along with the Psalmist) to trust God with what He’s doing, despite how unsettling it all seems.

One disclaimer here.  While I disagree with the court’s decision, and even the idea of homosexuality being good, or even normative, I also take my cue as to how to behave towards my fellow human beings from Scripture.  I call no person insignificant because of how they were born, or how they choose to act.  We are all God’s creatures.  On the other hand, naming sin, while loving the sinner, puts one in a precarious position.  It’s easy to be labeled a homophobe if you don’t agree with the LGBTQ++ agenda and, because of conscience, choose to come out of the quiet background about it.  The trick, as I see it, is to put away the anxiety over it, act with graciousness towards everyone, and remember how my sins are no less worrisome to God than those of anyone else!  Complex issues are just that, and you run the risk of being misunderstood if you try for simplistic “solutions”.  However, I don’t think you can do better than the simple loving principle the Psalmist lays down:  

Trust in the Lord and do good.  Psalm 37:3

In this case there are a lot of moving parts in human interaction when it comes to that last phrase, do good.  The list begins in the Psalm also:

Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act.  Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.  Stop being angry!  Turn from your rage!  Do not lose your temper—it only leads to harm.  Psalm 37:7-8

For You Today

It’s not wrong to speak up, but if you would do that, remember to be still in the presence of the Lord first…exercise patience without worry or anger.  If God gives you something to say there won’t be any room for self-righteousness.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day.

Go to VIDEO

---

[1] Title Image:  Pixabay.com    Unless noted, Scripture used from The New Living Translation©

[2] For another post on this text see:  Cleaning Up the Mess 2/27/19