The Voice: Part 8
“If the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle?”(1 Corinthians 14:8)
Paul is writing about the importance of interpretation following an utterance in tongues: without interpretation there is no understanding and so nobody can say “Amen”. Troops on a battle field need a clarion call to summon and direct them; no clear call, no battle readiness. It may sound somewhat strident, but trumpet blasts calling troops to war are strident by their very nature. In this installment of “The Voice” I believe I must now address an issue that is blasting at me and challenging me at the personal level.
When we’re not well our doctor might prescribe a mixture he or she believes will do us good. If the condition persists they may say,“Keep taking the mixture.” That might be good advice in the matter of personal health, but when we try to apply it to our faith – and to the Church it’s terrible advice. Mixture is something the devil loves, but it’s something God hates.The devil says, “Mixture is fine!” The Lord says, “Be holy because I am holy!”There is no room for mixture there. The Lord wants holiness but He wants it to reflect HIS holiness – His perfect standard unmixed with anything else (1 Peter 1:16 [Leviticus 11:44-45; 19:2; 20:7]; Matthew 5:48).
“But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do for it is written ‘Be holy because I am holy!’” Is the Lord serious here or is this a little joke on His part? Is it an impossible dream? How can it be impossible if our Father demands it? HE has made it possible through His indwelling Holy Spirit, but it can only be a reality if we cooperate fully and make holiness perfect in the fear of the Lord (2 Corinthians 7:1).
We have been made righteous (the state of being without sin) through the great exchange that took place on the cros (2 Corinthians 5:21). Our Father now views us through the purerighteousness of Jesus: we are made pure by the blood of the Lamb. Heaven is assured BUT while that is a given, He demands that we LIVE a holy life: holy like Him! At the Judgement Seat of Christ this will govern our eternal reward.
The Spirit and the Word make this work (Exodus 24:1-4, 7). We are led and enabled by the Holy Spirit to obey the will and the Word of the Lord perfectly. No mixture with the world or any tainting influence of the devil and his servants can be permitted.
The question is, do I WANT to be holy? I know the Lord expects it of me: but do I expect it of myself or do I make the excuse, “Well, nobody’s perfect and so I’m in good company!”That is the problem. Because we are surrounded by believers that make that excuse there is little holiness about and the result is powerless churches. The fact is, in the matter of becoming holy, many believers believe it is a forlorn hope and don’t even try.
In Matthew 5:6 Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness: for they will be filled”. Filled with what? Filled with righteousness – the very thing wehunger and thirst for! So the promise is glorious. If I am hungry and thirsty to be truly holy, the Lord will see that it happens. But is the hunger there? Am I prepared to take steps – extreme steps if necessary – to BE a holy man according to GOD’S own standard? Am I prepared to fight to get rid of mixture when I find it in myself?
The Bible shows how the Lord detests mixture at all levels. Some are very surprising. Deuteronomy 22:9-11 speaks of mixing seeds in a vineyard, ploughing with mixed farm animals and even using a mixture of yarns in weaving cloth (cf Leviticus 19:19). Jesus warned against mixture in Matthew 9:16-17. Picking up on and extending the Leviticus passage, He speaks of unshrunk cloth sewn on an old garment and new wine put in an old wineskin. These things must never be mixed if we are to avoid disaster: torn garments and wine all over the carpet!
It’s quite obvious that we cannot live by two standards. We either live by God’s standard or we mix it with the world’s, and any amount of the world’s standard we mix in will render it unacceptable. If we do it we can be sure of making shipwreck of our faith and making the Lord angry. Be sure this will deprive us of blessing. It always hasand it always will.
What does this mean for us as individuals?
In Hebrews 12:1-2, the writer expresses the mind of the Lord when he cautions that EVERYTHING that hinders our running the faith race must be stripped off. I need to consider my ways. What I am and what I do. I must separate myself in order to be holy. The word ‘holy’ means separated to God. It is a conscious and deliberate walk of faith every moment.
In Proverbs 4:20-27, Solomon cautions “Above all, guard your heart.” In Scripture the heart is the essential me. Above all else I have to guard it. I have to take steps to protect my heart – myself – from anything that might seek to corrupt it.
The early Wesleyans pursued personal holiness and to do so they kept a personal journal, confessed their weaknesses to each other, prayed for each other, ministered to each other and held each other accountable. Their ‘home-churches’ functioned that way – the biblical way. We need Scripture trained “tunnel vision”. If lust is an area of vulnerability I have I may need to take drastic steps like getting rid of the TV in spite of any accusations of being ‘holier than thou’.
In 1 Corinthians 6:19 Paul says I am the temple of the Holy Spirit. I am not my own any more. What does that mean in practical terms? A searching question that demands attention. What have I to strip away in order to pursue holiness?
What does this mean in regard to our church life?
David Watson’s quip rings many bells: If God had removed the Holy Spirit from the New Testament churches 95% of all activity would have ceased instantly. If He were to remove the Holy Spirit from many of today’s churches, 95% of all activity would continue! Maybe it’s naughty … but is it true? The Lord recognises ONLY the Church HE builds. In Matthew 16:18 Jesus says, “I will build My Church”. But how does He do it?
The foundation laid is Jesus Himself, and He builds it up on the solid rock of obedience to His Word (Matthew 7:2427). Only His Word. Nothing else is permitted. If it is, that expression of His Church is built upon sand and is bound to collapse.
The Book of Acts and the Epistles show us what true churches were like. They were not without their challenges, but the Scriptures enable us to piece together a clear picture of what those far off believers believed and what they did. It is nothing less than the corporate expression of the character and ministry of Jesus Himself: the Body of Christ. Though primitive, those were the churches that turned the world upside down. Local churches that are unmixed with human and religious tradition are the only ones that Jesus owns. He owned them then and He will own them now. Anything else or anything added or taken away creates pseudo-churches. Only truly Jesus churches can please Him. “Unlessthe Lord builds the house, its builders labour in vain!” (Psalm 127:1)
2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1 describes the perfect standard of God for the corporate Body of His Son. No mixture is permitted, so in order to please Him and enter into His perfect will, we must reject the mixture and not return to it any more. We must not so much as touch anything not of God (cfProverbs 4:2027). But how do we recognise the mixture? What do we have to leave aside and step away from? Paul tells us: We must purify ourselves from EVERYTHING that contaminates our body and our spirit. We must perfect our holiness out of reverence for the Lord. Then our Father will receive us and be a Father to us in every way
Tunnel vision with respect to ‘Church’ means we steer a course that is charted by the Bible and not by tradition or the preferences, fashions and opinions of men. An objective assessment is required to discern the many things believed and practised in churches that have no basis in Scripture. We may consider them quaint, ancient, modern, charming, nostalgic, entertaining and artistic, but if they are not present in biblical churches, those things have to be left behind and we must step away from them. We must become separate from them ALL. Anything else is a mixture and the Lord HATES it.
If all this sounds extreme, that is because it is! Extreme measures have to be applied. Many Christians and their churches have become the devil’s playground and it has to stop. Lest you should think that I am setting myself up as Judge and Jury, let me say that when it comes to repenting over personal unholiness and unbiblical beliefs and practices, Chris Hillis first in the queue I have no illusions about it. Change is imperative … and the time is NOW.
A METAPHOR
Some would compare the Church to a great ship. But the ‘ship’ we refer to as ‘The Church’ has been badly holed by the ‘enemy’ and his agents and it is listing in a serious state.
It is rat infested. Much of the food is contaminated and disease is rampant in all ranks throughout the vessel. Many of its officers are largely inept: unable to navigate through difficult waters, unfamiliar with the Chart and out of contact with the Bridge. It’s getting increasingly cold. There are dangerous waves – some are mountainous and there are deadly currents. To be set adrift in such conditions may well be disastrous.
There is an added danger from pirates wishing to make slaves of those leaping overboard. The Head of the Church is mounting a ‘search and rescue’ operation. He wants to rescue those disciples who are desperate to survive. If you are content and are being encouraged to be a disciple in your ‘church’, well and good – this appeal is not to you. But if you are troubled in your spirit about your spiritual state and have deep misgivings about some of the beliefs and activities being promoted in the ‘church’ you attend, recognising them as alien to the Bible, that is another matter.
MANY NEED RESCUING AND NEED TO BE TRANSFERRED INTO A SERVICEABLE BOAT IN WHICH TO TRAVEL ON TO THEIR FINAL DESTINATION!
We need no clever courses or programmes. We need the simplicity that is in Christ. Expressing devotion to Jesus: growing towards the Lord alongside each other, being stimulated to pursue holiness. Growing towards each other in the Lord, being stimulated to pursue fellowship. Being extensions of the character and ministry of Jesus to our community to pursue the lost.
New Testament churches were in homes. That is where the business of being church went on. Is that the pattern for the Last Days? Perhaps it’s high time we came home.
… to be continued.