Friday, December 12, 2008

Our Spiritual Journey

Popular in our social discourse, today, is the idea of a "Spiritual Journey." Many folks are on one but there doesn't seem to be any codified explanation of what being "on one" means.

Generally it falls into the category of a search. People are searching for spiritual truth or spiritual reality. Is there a God? What is He (or She) like? What does this God want from me? How can I live in harmony with His purposes? Does it really matter?

To this end people pursue all sorts of religious and/or spiritual, activities and beliefs. Colleges offer Comparative Religion Classes which "searchers" can take. There are Bible Study groups and Discussion Groups, books, tapes, and even weekend retreats to help people find what they're looking for.

Not a few have looked into several differing Christian denominations, Judaism and a host of lessor relgious traditions, looking for truth and/or meaning. Do any of these have the absolute answers my soul craves?

The Bible doesn't understand any of this as a spiritual journey. Paul paraphrases Psalm 14 in saying, "...no man seeketh after God" [Rom. 3:11] Why? Because they are all unrighteous and none understand God, nor what He represents.

The human search for truth or purpose is not a search for God. It is a search for something that will satisfy our need, without God. If we were seeking God:
a) it would be because the Spirit of God was at work challenging, convicting and drawing us [Jn. 6;44], and
b) it would lead only to Jesus Christ, God's Messiah.
And don't think ultimate truth can be found in any Christian Church or Denomination! None of them have absolute truth. They all have their own ideas about what constitutes a truly biblical approach to both doctrine and practice. Of course, some are better than others. And not every organization that uses the term "church" is a Church in the biblical sense. Some are not even Christian.

The only "spiritual journey" the Bible recognizes is the one undertaken AFTER a person has relinquished control of his life, repented of his sin and committed his life completely to God, in Christ. From here he/she grows and develops, becoming conformed to the image of Christ. [Rom. 8:29]

The real searcher's journey begins and ends with Jesus. Until then he is serving a god of his own manufacture, often Self. Improving the Self seems to satisfy most searchers. And the process whereby they find that satisfaction is what they mean by a "Spiritual Journey."

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Should Chrisitans Be Non-Judgmental?

The Rev. Michael Shuenemeyer, Executive for health & wholeness advocacy in the National offices of the United Church of Christ says that the church should be "nonjudmental" when it comes to HIV/AIDS. [CNSNews.com Nov. 26, 2008] He says Jesus sent His disciples out to heal the sick, not criticize them. Other Religious leaders and AIDS activists want Christians to stop labeling sex outside marriage as sinful or having multiple partners as immoral because these terms are "biased" and society has "moved beyond" this.

Question: What is the message of The Church in the world? It has only one Message: Jesus Saves! Aside from babies being born with HIV, due to mothers who are infected, and medical accidents, is it possible to contract this disease without engaging in an immoral act? Is immorality a sin?

The effort to stop Christians from being "judgmental" is designed to eliminate the idea of immorality from the public discourse. If that happens, what's the point in having a Church in the world? If there is no sin there is no need of a Savior. If there is no need of a Savior the message of The Church is moot!

A common teaching in churches across this land and around the world is that Jesus came, in large part, to bring healing to afflicted people. According to this teaching, sin is the cause of human sickness and salvation brings physical healing. But the clear message of Scripture is that The Great Physician came to heal our sin-sickness, not diabetes or epilepsy. Can He heal our body? Yes. Will He heal our body? If it serves His purpose -- which is always to get glory and praise to Himself.

If the result of immoral activity is a deadly disease, and Christians stop being critical of that behavior, the Enemy wins! So what is Rev. Schuenemeyer's point? According to him it's being real: "Creating a safe place for people to ask questions and share their views, experiences and ideas. To provide them with value-based, medically accurate information, along with the tools for making healthy and responsible decisions."

This all sounds sweet, generous, and understanding. It's everything BUT facing sin and repenting, apparently.