Dr. Terry Threadwell's Blog

“Quit your worship charades.  I can’t stand your trivial religious games: Monthly conferences, weekly Sabbaths, special meetings— meetings, meetings, meetings—I can’t stand one more! Meetings for this, meetings for that. I hate them! You’ve worn me out! I’m sick of your religion, religion, religion, while you go right on sinning. When you put on your next prayer-performance, I’ll be looking the other way. No matter how long or loud or often you pray, I’ll not be listening. And do you know why? Because you’ve been tearing people to pieces, and your hands are bloody. Go home and wash up. Clean up your act. weep your lives clean of your evildoings so I don’t have to look at them any longer. Say no to wrong. Learn to do good. Work for justice. Help the down-and-out. Stand up for the homeless. Go to bat for the defenseless (Isa 1:13-17. MSG)

“The illusory character of the freedom which we have tried to find in moral and psychological irresponsibility has become inescapable. Our abdication of responsibility is at the same time an abdication of liberty. The resolution to let “someone else,” the anonymous forces of society, assume responsibility for everything means that we abdicate from public responsibility, from mature concern and even from spiritual life. We retire from the public realm of freedom into the private world of necessity, imagining that the escape from responsibility is an escape into freedom. On the contrary, it is, in Erich Fromm’s words, an “escape from freedom.” But when we turn over the running of our lives to anonymous forces, to “them” (whoever “they” may be, and nobody quite knows), what actually happens is that we fall under the tyranny of collective fantasies and delusions.” (Merton, Seasons of Celebration)

Has church for many become a fantasy world, a place of escape? Music, lights and yes, even the cameras and smoke.  Outside, those in need are left to fend for themselves, or rely on the policies and politics of what Merton calls the ‘them.’  There is nothing wrong with times of refreshing in the presence of God as long as we take what we have into the world—the world needs us.

Then he brought me back to the door of the temple; and there was water, flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the front of the temple faced east; the water was flowing from under the right side of the temple, south of the altar. He brought me out by way of the north gate, and led me around on the outside to the outer gateway that faces east; and there was water, running out on the right side. And when the man went out to the east with the line in his hand, he measured one thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the water came up to my ankles.  Again he measured one thousand and brought me through the waters; the water came up to my knees. Again he measured one thousand and brought me through; the water came up to my waist. Again he measured one thousand, and it was a river that I could not cross; for the water was too deep, water in which one must swim, a river that could not be crossed. He said to me, “Son of man, have you seen this?” Then he brought me and returned me to the bank of the river. (Eze 47:1-6 NKJ)

“If individualism and subjectivism are so widely suspect among us, there is perhaps a very good reason for it. We live in a climate of individualism. But our individualism is in decay. Our tradition of freedom which, as a matter of fact, is rooted in a deeply Christian soil, and which in itself is worthy of the highest respect and loyalty, has begun to lose its genuine vitality. It is becoming more and more a verbal convention rather than a spiritual conviction. The tendency to substitute words about freedom for the reality of freedom itself has brought us to a state of ambivalent spiritual servitude. The noise with which we protest our love of freedom tends to be proportionate to our actual fear of genuine freedom, and our guilt at our unconscious refusal to pay the price of freedom.” (Merton)

So, in the context of Ezekiel, we don’t get in the river, we stand on the bank talking about how deep it is.  The problem then is that we don’t truly experience the freedom of being carried along by the Spirit and being led by the Spirit.  True freedom is being led by God, and going with the flow.

Lent is not just about giving up, but about taking a new direction.  So, instead of standing on the bank, why not jump in?  Experience true spiritual freedom in the flow of the Spirit.

The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the LORD upholds him with His hand. (Psa 37:23-24NKJ)

As we walk on this journey of life, a journey of faith and this journey through Lent, you soon discover that all because our steps are ordered of the Lord, there is no guarantee that the pathway will be straight, flat and without its pitfalls.

When I was about ten, my parents sent me for swimming lessons (without success). On one occasion we were all standing around the pool being given instruction. Very close to my feet was the inlet valve, the pressure from which pushed my feet away, and under the water, I went. I remember the instructor’s hand coming down and grabbing a handful of hair, pulled me to safety. There have been other times when I almost fell, and the Lord’s hand grabbed me and pulled me up.

Not every pathway is of the Lord, Proverbs tells us, “For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly; He guards the paths of justice, And preserves the way of His saints. Then you will understand righteousness and justice, Equity and every good path. When wisdom enters your heart, And knowledge is pleasant to your soul, Discretion will preserve you; Understanding will keep you, To deliver you from the way of evil, From the man who speaks perverse things, From those who leave the paths of uprightness To walk in the ways of darkness; (Pro 2:6-13 NKJ)

The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart And saves such as have a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all. He guards all his bones; Not one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked, And those who hate the righteous shall be condemned. The LORD redeems the soul of His servants, And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned. (Psa 34:18-22 NKJ)

In Christian theology, contrition, from the Latin meaning  ‘ground to pieces’, is a state of remorse and repentant. A central concept in much of Christianity, contrition is regarded as the first step, through Christ, towards reconciliation with God. It consists of repentance for all one’s sins, a desire for God over sin, and faith in Christ’s redemption on the cross and its sufficiency for salvation.

Contrition or brokenness isn’t just a pre-salvation state.  We need always to make sure that the ground of our hearts is ready to receive from God and that it hasn’t become hard.

Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” Mark 8:31-38

If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death. We know that whoever is born of God does not sin, but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him. We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. (1Jo 5:16-21 NKJ)

John here, having implied that sins committed by believers (sins “not resulting in death”) may be prayed for and forgiven. He doesn’t want to give the impression that such sin is insignificant, all sin is unrighteousness, and God doesn’t make concessions.  Such a sin, even though it has been forgiven, may have a natural consequence.

So, what are those sins unto death?  These would be the sins of heresy or attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to the devil.  These sins lead to death because their very action cut off the person and make them an unbeliever.

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.  (1Jo 3:1-2 NKJ)

Children of God in that we bare the image of God, and that has and is being restored so that one day when we see him, we shall be like him.

So as a child of God we should be about the Fathers business, what is that? First, we should be wanting to spend time in the Father’s presence, through prayer, the Word, and worship, reflecting back to God the image and the glory of God. Next, we should be taking care of God’s business here on earth.  Taking care of creation, and the environment, peace and justice for everyone, and ensuring that the policies and politics of man align with the Word of God.

Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us. But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth. Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is the antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. (1Jo 2:18-22 NKJ)

John wrote his gospel, the letters and Revelation of Christ fifty plus years after the death of Christ.  The Church was going through extreme persecution, especially under Nero and Domitian. Christians believed that the end was coming and that Jesus must return soon. John calls this the last hour.  The rumor was that Nero, the Antichrist, was coming back to life, that Domitian may even be Nero incarnate.

John reminds the people and even us, that antichrist is anyone who, “denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is the antichrist who denies the Father and the Son.”  Don’t just look outside, look inside as well.

I write to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, Because you have overcome the wicked one. I write to you, little children, Because you have known the Father.  I have written to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, And you have overcome the wicked one. Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world– the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life– is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. (1Jo 2:13-17 NKJ)

Here in 1 John, John speaks to the Father, the young men, and the children, a word of encouragement. Loving the Father, being strong in the Word and overcoming the wicked one. Don’t love the world or the things of the world. Then watch out for the big three;

1.                Lust of the flesh—money

2.                Lust of the eyes—Sex

3.                Pride of life—power

Money, sex, and power when they are worshipped or used against others is not of God, and they are temporal.  Our society today is plagued by men that use sex, power and money, at the expense of young women, children and even young men—the signs of a godless society.

But he who does the will of God abides forever. What is the will of God? To love, show respect, treat everyone equally, value, build up and encourage everyone, no exceptions.