Avoiding the Crazy Label

 

Tuesday, February 1, 2022

So anyone who speaks in tongues should pray also for the ability to interpret what has been said.  For if I pray in tongues, my spirit is praying, but I don’t understand what I am saying.  Well then, what shall I do?  I will pray in the spirit, and I will also pray in words I understand.  I will sing in the spirit, and I will also sing in words I understand.  For if you praise God only in the spirit, how can those who don’t understand you praise God along with you?  How can they join you in giving thanks when they don’t understand what you are saying?  You will be giving thanks very well, but it won’t strengthen the people who hear you.  I thank God that I speak in tongues more than any of you.  But in a church meeting I would rather speak five understandable words to help others than ten thousand words in an unknown language.  Dear brothers and sisters, don’t be childish in your understanding of these things.  Be innocent as babies when it comes to evil, but be mature in understanding matters of this kind.  It is written in the Scriptures:  “I will speak to my own people through strange languages and through the lips of foreigners.  But even then, they will not listen to me,” says the Lord.  So you see that speaking in tongues is a sign, not for believers, but for unbelievers.  Prophecy, however, is for the benefit of believers, not unbelievers.  Even so, if unbelievers or people who don’t understand these things come into your church meeting and hear everyone speaking in an unknown language, they will think you are crazy.  But if all of you are prophesying, and unbelievers or people who don’t understand these things come into your meeting, they will be convicted of sin and judged by what you say.  As they listen, their secret thoughts will be exposed, and they will fall to their knees and worship God, declaring, “God is truly here among you.”   1 Corinthians 14:13-25

I’m not sure I’ve ever known anyone who claimed to be super-spiritual.  I have known several gossips who criticized others (behind their back, of course) that they were such.  The point about being super-spiritual or holier-than-thou (a phrase from another era), is that one who is truly so close to God that one gains the reputation of being something of a spiritual giant, well, that kind of person would never claim that status; humility would forbid it.  They would be denying attaining spiritual heights with pride.  Consider God’s Word on the matter:

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.  James 4:10

But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.  Matthew 23:12

And he gives grace generously.  As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”  James 4:6

Avoiding the “crazy label” is a matter of humility and truthfulness.  People who show-off with their so-called super-spirituality, or over-the-top-humility, are those who put-off others enough to derail a church’s entire ministry.  The apostle, Paul spoke of prophesying, or speaking the truth about God and humans in a way that exalts the LORD, and encourages people.  We can shirk that responsibility in more than one way:

1.    We can favor the appearance of super-spirituality, gaining the applause of men…a rather empty sense of accomplishment

2.    We can fade into the woodwork in feigned humility, a lie (at best) of the greatness of the Holy Spirit residing in your heart.

Either of those is not that to which God called any of us.  Rather, the body of Christ is to be a working force, every member using his or her gifts appropriately, respectfully, and humbly, so God gets the glory as unbelievers are converted.

For You Today

Our goal as a church is never to approach entertainment or satisfying someone’s opinion or preferences…or even just keeping peace.  It is to have the mission of Christ effective in our lives, declaring with power that God is truly among us.

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

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

When It Was Dark

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Jeremiah wrote a letter from Jerusalem to the elders, priests, prophets, and all the people who had been exiled to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar.

This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives he has exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem:  “Build homes, and plan to stay.  Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce.  Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren.  Multiply!  Do not dwindle away!  And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile.  Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.”  Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7

During last week’s prayer time in worship one of our members[1] asked that we pray for the strength to build the church back up.  I have not been able to get that thought out of my head since.  Then Jeremiah’s message showed up in today’s lectionary, and I took that as more than a coincidence; I feel certain it was a prompting from God’s Holy Spirit to lift up His plan for what we are to do to build the church back up. 

Today Jeremiah tells us exactly how to do what we must.  I believe strongly that the Old Testament gives us understanding of what Jesus came to do in us and through us.  That is, to build the Kingdom.  And, frankly, the building process doesn’t end when you’ve got a building in Bennett or Seagrove.  That building process will be complete when Jesus comes back for His bride.  Until that time, in good times of plenty, or in lean times when it is dark, our mission is unchanged; we must be working on building the Kingdom of God until He comes.

It’s no secret that we live in a dark time.  It is culturally-dark, with ungodliness proliferating, violence and anger ruling in every dark corner.  Sexual perversion is at a height most of never dreamed possible.  Dishonesty, lying, and a complete absence of integrity in government, business, and even churches.  And, on a close-to-home note, our United Methodist tribe is in a time of divisive, vitriolic upheaval that is almost certain to end in another General Conference that will make the shootout at the OK Corral look like a minor disagreement between kindergarten children.

Now, I am not about to give you a six-step surefire plan that will fix the United Methodist church, or grow this one.  I’m not going to announce a 30 day fast, or 40 days of planning and preparation for new programs.  I just want to point to what Jeremiah said to people who were going through darker times than we are. 

He told them to live! 

Jeremiah told God’s nation, Israel, demolished and demoralized by King Nebuchadnezzar’s storm troopers, to live.

He told them to live, despite the fact that their city, Jerusalem lay in ruins; the walls of the city had been torn down, temple desecrated, looted, and burned!

But Jeremiah did more than just say live;

He told them to live…and have hope!

Notice in the text the prophet told them to build, plant, marry, have plenty of children and grandchildren, and work for peace and prosperity where they were, exiles in Babylon, nearly a thousand miles from their Jerusalem homes! 

Jeremiah demonstrated his preaching by buying a piece of property in a dead city.  He bought a plot of land in Jerusalem while he was in jail (and “jail” would’ve been a fancy name…it was actually a hole in the ground with bars overhead).  Land was worthless in the conquered city, as was the currency of Israel.  But God had said Israel still had a future.  And when you believe God, you act that way.

For this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘Someday people will again own property here in this land and will buy and sell houses and vineyards and fields.’”  Jeremiah 32:15

Jeremiah’s preaching became Jeremiah’s practicing!  And that’s what we should begin to do…live with hope!  That means we must live like we say we believe…trusting God with our time, talent, and tithe. 

We live, not moping…but hoping…giving our best, serving like servants, even when it’s dark; we work like there really is a Kingdom in the building process!

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit…Amen!

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[1] Linda Sorrell at Mt Zion UMC

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[i] Title Image:  Courtesy of Pixabay.com.    All Scripture quoted is from The New Living Translation (unless otherwise stated)