The End of it All

The end of it all is this: fear the Lord and keep his commandments. (Eccl. 12:13)

Pretty simple, huh? That little statement penned by King Solomon is a summary of the lessons learned from of one of the most unusual books in the Scriptures. Solomon, seeking fulfillment in life, delved into a narcissistic period most likely unmatched in history. And, it was vanity. This man, whom God endowed with incredible wisdom, summed up a lifetime of learning from mistakes in that seemingly pithy sentence. Amazing.

However, it is powerful in its truth. The two precepts encompass all of existence. In the next few posts I want to delve into these principles.

Fear the Lord. Keep his commandments. Simple, yet profound.
Fear the Lord. Keep his commandments. Ancient, yet relevant.
Fear the Lord. Keep his commandments. Simple, yet difficult.
Fear the Lord. Keep his commandments. Ancient, yet refreshing.

Fear the Lord. Keep his commandments.

Madison Avenue Missions?

I thought I had seen it all. The current craze to use all means possible to grab the attention of non-churchgoers has produced some truly wacky methods of outreach in addition to ‘campaigns’ designed to draw people into the church’s facility. Becoming all things to all men in order that one might win some has reached a point of incredulity: cooking contests, races, ‘whatever’ nights, professional wrestlers, concerts, and much more. But, today I may have seen the topper.

When addressing this crazy unbiblical penchant for extreme outreach from the pulpit I have stated the following:

If it is all about drawing unsaved people here in order that they might be able to hear a message of hope I could pack this place out next week. It would be filled with unsaved men and women; those that need to hear the gospel. Here’s how I would do it.

I would take out ads that state that next Sunday we will be serving all the beer on tap that you can drink, all the food that you can eat, and every hour we will have special guests-strippers.

Yep, that will pack them in. But is it right?

I know that sounds silly, but push the reasoning to the nth degree and that is what happens.

In our city there is a congregation that is, in my opinion, far beyond the limits of acceptability regarding outreach programs. I’m no prude. But, I find the following appalling. On the marquee for the past several weeks has been a sign proclaiming the upcoming series to be ‘Pure Sex’. Along with this is the following url yourlamesexlife.net. Okay, a little racy. This week past a banner, and now bulletin boards are up:





The suggestive nature of the ads is inappropriate. Again, I’m no prude. I think that the church addresses human sexuality too little, on the whole. But, it must be done in a proper manner. And, we have no biblical warrant to use it as a method of evangelism. Yes, I know the logic behind it: Appeal to a felt need and then slip in the gospel. The only problem is that is not the biblical pattern of evangelism. It creates self-centered church goers who may or may not be actual Christians.

What do you think?

The Constant

Constancy is an underrated commodity in our modern world. Mobile telephones, computers, media technology, automobiles, even cooking appliances seem to become outdated almost upon market entry. Families and individuals move on a regular and frequent basis. Rare is the individual who lives in the community where his grandparents lived. As a society we have embraced change to an amazing degree. This brings with it many stresses that our forebears never faced.

As I wrote earlier, our churches change methods seemingly at the drop of a hat. Our families face a barrage of change on a regular basis. Some changes are inevitable and wonderful: the growth of children, the deepening of relationships, marriage and children, these are good and a blessing. Other changes such as the blurring of familial roles, the demands placed upon working fathers, and the continual drone of the siren call of a fallen world to 'blend in' place a burden upon God fearing families.

What is the constant upon which we can depend? Obviously it is our unchanging Sovereign Lord. This may seem simple; but it is profound. He has placed us in this world at this time. He stands in stark contrast to the fluid society in which we live. This fact should make it much easier for the Christian to remain steadfast. Yet, many Christians are overwhelmed by the changes which they face. Why is this?

At the risk of offending I offer this: While most Christians say that God is sovereign they really do not believe it. Very few in the American church will stand and say that God is the absolute final determiner of events. Mention the fact that a hurricane's course is directed by God and you are called an eccentric at best. You may even be labeled an heretic. To what extent does the sovereignty of God extend? Proverbs 16:33 says, ' The lot is cast into the lap, but the disposition thereof is of the Lord.' Today we would say, 'The dice are rolled, but the numbers that come up come from God.' No, this is not a license to play games of chance. It is, however, a very clear indicator of just how far the the work of God extends into the affairs of man. This is not fatalism. This is a statement of explicit faith in God. The modern view of God is far too small. Modern Christianity's view of God is one of a God who is hindered from truly exercising his power. He is dependent upon the actions of others to accomplish his will. This is a far cry from the picture of God that is painted in the Biblical narrative.

How does this affect us in our daily struggle amidst the changes of life? In every way. Once the Christian surrenders his haughty intellect to the truth of our Sovereign Lord a true, deep, and lasting peace can enter the heart. We can trust unrelentingly upon the goodness of our God. We need not despair when unforeseen change occurs; regardless of how painful that change may be. Think about it. How could an unsovereign God fulfill the promise of Romans 8:28?

God is our constant.