Barney Wiget's Blog

“In every century only a few so earnestly pursue the Lord Jesus Christ. But there are always a few, and they are the ones who keep lit the pathway for those who will come after them.” (Frank Laubach in Practicing His Presence)

The term “remnant,” found almost exclusively in the Old Testament, has always intrigued me. It describes people who, against the tide of unreliable believers, know better than to turn a deaf ear to God. In the face of opposition and suffering remain faithful to their convictions. They refuse to compromise along with the crowd of pretenders and lukewarm Christians. They don’t chafe at being in the minority. Like the “underdog” sports team, they use others’ disrespect as a motivator. They stay the course.

It seems no matter how decadent the world gets or faithless God’s people become, there are always a band of survivors who press on. Jesus labeled them the “little flock” to whom the Father is pleased to give his “kingdom” (Luke 12:22). This flock might be small and bedraggled, but they presses on.

Isaiah encouraged King Hezekiah with these words: “Once more a remnant of the kingdom of Judah will take root below and bear fruit above…a band of survivors.” (2 Kings 19:30-31). In contrast to the thin layer of topsoil with which many Christians seem content, the remnant is rooted in deep soil. The deeper down they go improves this “band of survivors” chance of bearing fruit!

“The LORD our God,” says Ezra, “has been gracious in leaving us a remnant and giving us a firm place in his sanctuary.” (Ezra 9:8) Grace makes sure there will always be a critical mass of stubborn disciples with relentless hearts who are rewarded with a “secure hold within his holy place” (RSV).

It’s only God who can accurately identify the true remnant among the crowds who claim to be his followers. We’re ill-advised to commend ourselves as charter members and assume we can always identify who is and who isn’t in the club.

At one point in time Elijah thought he was “the only one left” in Israel that followed Yahweh. But the Spirit told him that he had “reserved 7,000” who refused to bow to Baal. Sometimes the remnant gets so used to being in the club of the few that they can’t seem to recognize others who are as faithful to the Lord as they are, if not more.

I know of a church that displays a banner in large letters facing the freeway for all to see claiming themselves to be “True Jesus Church.” On their website it says: “The True Jesus Church preaches the one faith and practices the one baptism as the church in the Bible. By being baptized in the True Jesus Church, we are brought into the one body of Christ.” They go on to espouse some interesting ideas about salvation, baptism, and Christ’s return. But most disturbing is that they seem to believe that they’re “the remnant,” the sole possessors of God’s saving grace. Always a dangerous position to take.

This group is one of hundreds, if not thousands of others that assume salvation has come only to them. They’re likely headed for a shock if (and hopefully when) they arrive in heaven with all those “other” Christ followers already settled in. So, yes, there’s a danger in claiming our own remnantcy!  Can’t you just hear everyone in heaven saying to God: We’re the remnant and everyone else are renegades! We’re the committed and they’re the compromisers! Since “pride comes before a fall,” it’s probably best to avoid such a spirit of exclusivity.

Nevertheless, it is wise to be discerning, which is not the same as judging. Paul told his disciple Titus to silence people who teach falsely in order to make money. “They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. And are unfit for doing anything good.” (Titus 1:10-16) Strong words! (If you’re up for some more strong language, read the epistles of Galatians, 2 Peter, and Jude.)

With that in mind, I want to say that I’ve been agonizing lately about some portion of the American Church. I became a Christian 53-years ago this year. My boast is in Jesus, in his sacrifice, his grace that chases me down, tackles me, forgives me, and recycles me for his purposes. I lament my own paltry revelation of him and my lack of progress in these five decades.

Nevertheless, I’m disheartened about some of the thinnest expressions of Christianity I’ve ever seen. I’m not talking about people who no longer attend church due to some disappointment they experienced in the pews or those who believe differently than me about a few social issues or politics. It’s not brothers and sisters who identify with a different political party than me.

My current angst has more to do with those who seem to have little to no idea how to actually love and follow Jesus. What gets to me are the QAnon conspiracy nuts, the so-called “prophets” who urge Christians to join militias, the white supremacists that decry the browning of America, or those who belittle and threaten anyone who disagrees with them. Some of such imply, if not outright claim to be “the remnant,” God’s favorites in our day!

I imagine God prefers to identify his own remnant. Those who claim the title may or may not be among them. Could he be raising up his own “little flock” to whom he is pleased to give his “kingdom”? Might he be beginning the process of separating the “sheep from the goats” based on their treatment of the most vulnerable (Matthew 25:31-46)? Do you think he might be speaking to the American Church like he appealed to the churches of Asia Minor, in hopes we will “hear what the Spirit is saying” (Revelation 2:1-3:22) and overcome our self-indulgent religion?

Though I can’t in good conscience claim to be part of such a remnant myself, nor do I assume to always know who qualifies to be designated as such. Only God knows for sure. (1 Corinthians 4:3) But let’s “Examine [our]selves to see whether [we] are in the faith; test [ourselves]. Do [we] not realize that Christ Jesus is in [us]—unless, of course, [we] fail the test?” (2 Corinthians 13:5)

Read the Sermon on the Mount again and again for its personal and social implications. (Oops there I go shamelessly promoting my book!)

Give to him the rest of yourself that you haven’t yet given (or that you gave and then took back again). Make the everyday choice to search him out, listen to his voice over the din of buffoonish media personalities and self-appointed social media doyens on every topic under the sun. And do what he says.

Perhaps the story most seasonally sermonized, if not spiritually sanitized, at Thanksgiving is  the healing of the ten lepers . All got well––well––sort of well, but only one returned to give thanks. That guy ended up getter “weller” than the ungrateful sort of ones.

I propose that an attitude of gratitude might well have something to do with getting well.

After they noticed their incurable sores and pocked skin cured, the nine continued on their merry way. After all, Jesus had instructed them to go show themselves to the priests to receive their clean certificate of health, so they could reintegrate as normal citizens in society. So why knock them for doing what he told them to do?

What did they lack that the other possessed?

An instinctual gratitude

The grateful guy, as both a leper and a “foreigner,” lived with twice the marginalization. Yet, when healed, he displayed a different spirit than the others, an “instinct” of gratitude. Granted, thanksgiving is an action that we Christians take in light of a good God and in spite of difficult circumstances. Sometimes we have to will ourselves into worship when we don’t feel like it. Giving thanks as matter of choice when we don’t particularly feel thankful can be a spiritually admirable act on our part. The Psalmists and prophets and apostles all practiced thanksgiving when their bodies and minds were anything but readily cooperative. But that’s not really my point…

The last leper possessed something more than disciplined will to worship; he seems to have had a sort of instinctual attitude of gratitude. It wasn’t duty that drove him back Jesus to thank him for his healing. His praise was as intuitive as the rocks that Jesus said would praise him if people refused.

The former leper would get to the priests in due time, but he was compelled to return first to the one who healed him. He embodied the proverbial “attitude of gratitude,” from which Jesus drew a straight line to the man’s “faith”––“your faith has made you well.” Some might say that his faith drove him to do what he didn’t feel like doing, but I suspect that it inspired his spirit of thanksgiving.

I’ve heard it preached, “Let’s be like the tenth leper and give God thanks even when we don’t feel like it!” Of course there’s truth in that statement. I’ve said it myself and to myself! But there’s something else at play in an instinctually grateful praiser’s faith.

His was…

A thankful heart of faith

The faith that made him well was something other than believing the right things about the right God and regurgitating them in the right cadence and tone. His faith was more profound than concurring with certain propositional facts found in the Bible. While that sort of “believing” plays a role in good “faith,” it’s not necessarily the leading role. The Samaritan’s faith was the kind that welled up from his interior. The other nine, though they all experienced the same healing, didn’t have an internal faith. They obviously “believed” that Jesus was their healer. I’m sure they were able to intellectually connect the dots from their healing back to Jesus, but their hearts made no such connection with the Healer himself. Hence, rather than return with thankful hearts, they kept on walking.

Speaking of hearts, what’s the heart of the matter”?

There’s well and then there’s “well”

This story employs three similar, albeit slightly nuanced terms to describe what Jesus did for the tenth leper: cleansed, healed, and well. The nine unthankfuls were “cleansed and healed,” but “well” they were not. Only one of the ten went away “well.” The nine concluded their journey with a bill of health from the priest, but it didn’t seem to occur to them to return thanks to Jesus. They had better skin but their souls were untouched. The tenth man was transformed in both in skin and soul.

“Your faith has made you well…”

The term for “well” is related to the one used throughout the New Testament for “saved” (sozo). Some Bible versions translate it “whole.” I like “whole.” I like what it implies, especially in contrast to other lesser miracles like cleansed and healed. Wholeness incorporates being cleansed and healed, but it is a country mile beyond those.

I think a lot of so-called “believers” stop considerably short of “wholeness.” While their brand of “faith” may be real, even passable for getting into heaven when they die, it doesn’t bring much heaven into them here and now. It may have cleansed them from their sin but it hasn’t made them whole.

Theirs is a sort of shallow faith. It involves their minds and even emotions, but it hasn’t sunk deeper into their souls. The evidence of this is that their brand of faith doesn’t engender an instinctual gratitude. They’re content with skin-deep health and when they do express their thanks they have to will themselves into it. They have to be prompted, if not cajoled into worshipping their God. If those measures are ineffective, they have to be enticed with a conducive atmosphere of soft lights and good music to get them in the mood. Jesus cleansed and healed them but their lack of instinctual gratitude reveals a paltry faith and a deficiency of true wellness.

Ominous are the proportions presented in this story. Only one in ten had more than a skin-deep faith. Only one possessed a thankful instinct. He didn’t have to force himself to worship; his praises came from somewhere deep inside and exuded from his pores. Only one got “well”! Is that the best we can expect of the Church––one in ten of us with the kind of faith that erupts into impulsive praise? I hope not.

“If you were to fall into the sea, and were that sea infinite, you would fall from one depth to another for all eternity. … The Christian who is in that place of continuous abiding is not even aware of his descent, and yet he is sinking with inconceivable swiftness to the most inward depths of God.” Madame Guyon (1685)

I propose that acts of compassion shouldn’t be singled out as uniquely heroic. When we signed up for enlistment into God’s service, we answered the call of duty (not the video game). We shouldn’t consider any kindness, compassion, or courage as “above and beyond.” It’s simply part of the call itself. Helping people in need isn’t necessarily newsworthy. I admire the fireman who, after pulling someone out of a burning building says, “Just doin’ my job.”[i]

I don’t think Jesus intended his story to depict heroism. He merely taught us how to love God and people like he does. We’re servants, not stars of the show.

Here and throughout the Gospels, Jesus stresses that humanitarian and social concern are at the core of the lifestyle that God requires of his disciples. In evangelical circles today, we tend to think that though it’s good to serve the needy, it’s an exceptional, optional brand of spirituality. Somewhere along the line we’ve come to believe that going to church, tithing, and telling others about Jesus are essentials, but serving the underserved is anelective.

Don’t get me wrong; good works won’t earn anyone a ticket to heaven. On the other hand, as Jesus’ half-brother James preached, serving others is an indispensable sign of genuine saving faith.[ii] Our attitudes and actions toward the less advantaged reveals the existence or lack of a truly born-again heart.

[Excerpted from my book: Missional, Merciful, Worshipful...]

See HERE to get your FREE or Pay-As-You-Can copy. All the proceeds go to help YWAM San Francisco with their operating costs. THANKS!

[i] “When you have done every thing you were told to do, [you] should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’” (Luke 17:10)

[ii] James 1:27

Halloween wasn’t even over when I received my first “Countdown to Black Friday” notice from all manner of insidious sources. Since I hide my darker side from public view fairly well, you might think I’m a pretty nice person, but I confess to a flood of peeved thoughts, none of which involved anything that would put my salvation in jeopardy, but might prompt the Spirit to jab me with his long pointy conviction stick. I really try to avoid that stick with acrobatic stealth.

It’s not so much about “leaving Jesus out of his own party” thing that irritates me most. I admit I really don’t like that most stores and Christmas decor substitutes the manger with a sleigh, but since I have no problem remembering whose birthday it is and since I don’t expect people who claim no allegiance to Jesus to bake him a cake or give him presents, I’m fairly cool with the whole yuletide scene. I experience my share of warm feelings derived from ornamented pines and chestnuts by open fires – although my apartment’s gas heater doesn’t produce the same effect. To be honest, I don’t much like chestnuts, but you know what I mean.

What does actually irk me are the retailers and economists who try to frame it as a moral imperative for me to drag our economy out of its doldrums by buying bigger and better stuff for all my relatives, including shirt tail cousins whom I’ve never met. The ones I have met, the media implies, would love me more if I sent them another coaster set. Unless, that is, they dislike me all the more for how my generous gift piles on to their guilt for not having purchased something for me. 

It’s the self-indulgent and rampant waste of time and money when there are people in the world who need a meal more than I need another paperweight to which I seriously object. I’m bone tired of hearing that it’s my civic duty to spend, spend, spend while people die around the world for a shortage of clean water, for treatable diseases, or at the hand of insanely greed-driven traffickers taking advantage of the vulnerably impoverished. Plus, who knows how many of the goods we consumers buy at Christmastime at cheap prices are produced by people in inhumane working conditions. By the way, does the word “consumer” bother anyone else but me? What or who is being consumed by whom?

A Wall Street banker named Paul Mazur back in 1927 said: “We must shift America from a needs to a desires culture. People must be trained to desire, to want new things even before the old have been entirely consumed… Man’s desires must overshadow his needs.” I think the shift has been pretty much made, don’t you?

OK, it’s obvious I have some serious therapy needs about the holidays in general. Nevertheless, on a less neurotic level, I do feel strongly about the irony of how generous we can be at Christmastime with our relatively well-off friends and family and be so miserly when it comes to the truly needy of the world.

If all Christians lived out Jesus’ commands to live simply and care sacrificially for their poor brothers and sisters, there would be much less poverty in the world. Poverty exists not because God does not care but because we do not. It exists because we continually edit out large chunks of the divine story that we don’t want to respond to. Our efforts to see God’s kingdom come will always be imperfect. But we will never know what can be done until we get out of our Sunday morning seats and try.   Derek Engdaul

Both poverty and consumerism dehumanize. Through his Church, Jesus can answer both and humanize us again.

And if you must shop for the deals of the century on Black Friday, be good Christians and don’t hurt the other shoppers.

“I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.” (Jude 1:3-4)

Syncretism: “The blending of different religious beliefs and practices, often resulting in a new or modified religion.”

If you’ve been following the Lord as I have, you’ve no doubt seen a bunch of different syncretic forms of Christianity, hybrids that don’t much resemble the faith “once for all entrusted” to us. Do you remember Christianity with an ounce of New Ageism, a splash of Hinduism, maybe a smidge of Buddhism thrown in for seasoning? How about faith infused with pop psychology, prosperity gospel, or dominionistic theology? Then there’s your ever-popular “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism,” otherwise known as the “American Dream Gospel.” While living in San Francisco and frequenting the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood I encountered a new one to me that I call the “Hippie Jesus” version of the faith. You know, the rainbows-and-butterflies brand of spirituality with little to no room for repentance and nary a path to sanctification.  

These and many more have blown in and then out again with each breeze of doctrine. But the one that concerns me most these days is the one that fuses faith with far-right politics, popularly termed “Christian Nationalism.” Before I continue, I’m NOT saying everyone who subscribes to this less than orthodox amalgam is not a true Christian. This is a warning, not a judgment. It’s the heart that God tests, and I don’t know your heart any more than you know mine. But I do genuinely believe that what we’re seeing unfold in real time in our country is poisonous to the faith and to those who hold it dear. Let me give you some examples of what I mean.

Standing beside two members of Congress on the stage, Pastor Steve Holt prayed at a Colorado “revival” in the spring of 2022, “May this state be turned RED with the blood of Jesus… and politically.”  Praying for Jesus’ precious, sacrificial blood shed for the salvation of sinners and conflating that with winning an election? I wonder if this might qualify as blasphemy!  

In a campaign rally, U.S. representative for Colorado’s 4th congressional district Lauren Boebert said, “We are in the last of the last days.” And then she prayed out loud for President Biden’s death! If that weren’t enough, she claimed that Jesus didn’t have enough AR-15 assault rifles to stop the Roman government from killing him!

A longtime member of a local church told his pastor, “I’m afraid we have to leave the church after all these decades, because you’re not interpreting the Bible in light of the Constitution.” So, the Constitution is now the lens through which to interpret the holy Scriptures?

Southern California pastor Ché Ahn is running for governor in 2026. He called the Trump/Vance ticket an “all-star…dream team, and “whoever fights them is really fighting God.” I remember Lincoln’s famous statement: “My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.”

These and many many more are examples I could cite to demonstrate in living color a new syncretic religion, one that I believe threatens to undermine the faith that was entrusted to those who possess it.

Reformer John Calvin said, “The heart is an idol-making factory.” In my opinion, “Christian Nationalism” is a form of idolatry for many of those who subscribe to it. The very conservative political pundit and former member of the “Moral Majority,” Cal Thomas nailed it when he said, “We don’t have statues now; we have political parties and presidential candidates.” I heard someone say, “Just because you slap the name of Yahweh on a golden calf doesn’t make worshipping an idol acceptable… It is nationalism with the veneer of Jesus, which serves it by granting it divine sanction, authority, and the aura of orthodoxy to the cause of the nation.”

“Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.” (1 John 5:21)

Christian Nationalism is national pride on steroids with a dash of Christianity to give it an air of respectability. It’s what occurs when “God bless America” turns to God has blessed America above all other nations. It’s not just an appreciation of our country more than others; it’s when we claim it is by its very nature and destiny better than all the others. It claims God has chosen us to carry out a special mission on earth. The product is either a Christianized Americanism nor an Americanized Christianism. Neither are sanctioned by the Bible or historic orthodoxy.

It is what someone called “patriotism mixed with Christianity lite.” And when left unchecked, the Christianity component inevitably gets liter and liter. Paul D. Miller said, “Christian nationalism is taking the name of Christ as a fig leaf to cover its political program, treating the message of Jesus as a tool of political propaganda and the church as the handmaiden and cheerleader of the state.”

We’ve all heard stirring speeches and rousing sermons from some of the most verbose advocates of God, Guns and Country. Someone said, “The sermons to watch out for are the ones that are clear, dynamic, funny, vivid, creative, passionately delivered—and wrong.”

“…they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm” (1 Timothy 1:7).

I love Christ and I love America, but of course, in distinct and vastly unequal ways. That is, I love Jesus in an altogether different way than I love my country. It’s important to me to keep these loves separate and in their appropriate priorities.  

It is our Christian duty to be obedient to God and to be good citizens of whatever country we happen to inhabit at the time. It’s the conflation of the two that becomes problematic. It’s dangerous when we assume that the special place we individuals have in the heart of God applies to our relationship with the nation.

If you choose to love America in a particularly patriotic way, cool! But love and serve the Lord with abandon first and always foremost. Sacrificially love and serve your neighbors (wherever they come from and whatever their race, class, or culture). Oh, and your enemies too, even if they don’t vote the way you do. May your citizenship in heaven (Philippians 3:20) determine how you practice your citizenship on earth and not the other way around.

“See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.” (Colossians 2:8)

“Act ahead of your feelings and trust that one day your feelings will match your convictions.” Henri Nouwen

Last time we talked about the importance of taking control of our souls and our bodies in these present tumultuous and tantalizing times. Two passages, one from Jesus and another from Paul reinforce our need to get a hold of ourselves:

“By your endurance you will gain [control of] your souls.” (Luke 21:19)“Each of you should learn to control your own body[ in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans who do not know God.” (1 Thessalonians 4:4)

But there’s yet another piece to image-bearing Jesus-inhabited humans that comes into play. This part of us is deeper than our bodies and even of our souls. Though intangible to the touch and invisible to the eye, it’s our most important part. More than that, it’s the essence of what we are as humans indwelt with the Spirit.

One chapter later in the Thessalonian letter Paul refers to this third core part of us: “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). There it is. We’re not merely a body and a soul. We have a spirit. More accurately, we are a spirit with a soul and body as opposed to a soul and body with a spirit.

It’s true that sometimes the soul and the human spirit are used interchangeably in Scripture. But when biblical authors, like Paul in this case, want to be specific about their difference, they distinguish between them.

Consider your spirit as the operating system, your soul (intellect, emotion, and will) as software, and your body as hardware. Each part, though distinct, works together with the others in order for us to be “sanctified through and through,” which I assume is something we Christians all want. Yes?

Before we received Jesus our spirit was vacant so to speak. The power was turned off. Darkness prevailed until Jesus came and turned on the light. When you came to Jesus, he came into you. Your spirit is no longer vacant but full of God. He lives in you to live His sweet life in and through you!

“… you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:3)“… it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” (Philippians 2:12-13)

A little girl said, “Mommy, isn’t God bigger than us?” Of course.

“And doesn’t he live inside us?” Yes.

“Well, then, wouldn’t he show through?”

That’s exactly what he wants to do––show through us!

Have you noticed that your body and your spirit send conflicting “orders”? It’s your soul that receives both sets of instructions and makes the decisions which to follow. The way you were designed to work is when your spirit commands your soul, and your soul then sends the command to your body, and your body carries it out. In other words, instead of barking its own orders, our body needs to learn to take its orders from our soul, which takes its orders from the Holy Spirit who resides in the command center of our spirit.

Some glad day we’ll have bodies that seamlessly collaborate with our spirit. They’re called “spiritual bodies” (1 Corinthians 15:14; Philippians 3:21). But for now, we’ll have to make do with the bodies that we have and remind ourselves every day to take our lead from our Spirit-infused spirit.*

Acting otherwise, that is, when we let our body issues all the orders, it’s called being “carnal,” “fleshly,” or “worldly” (1 Corinthians 3:1, 3). Equally as unhealthy is the one who is led around by their soul, that intermediate part. Let’s call that being “soulish.” This is when we’re dominated by our mind, emotions and / or will, rather than by the Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:14; James 3:15; Jude 1:19).

It seems to me that a lot of Christians who consider themselves spiritual are in fact more soulish. They’re incited more by their own opinions, emotions, and willfulness than by the Spirit himself. **

It’s the “spiritual” person that learns to win mastery over their souls and bodies. Unfortunately, the term spiritual is tossed around sloppily and imprecisely these days among both non-Christians and Christians. “I’m a spiritual person,” they say, either to distinguish themselves from being “religious” or from being “secular.” From a biblical vantage point, being a spiritual person doesn’t mean you believe in something somewhere. Furthermore, you don’t necessarily qualify for being spiritual just because you believe in the God of the Bible, pray, and go to church.

Paul was sad to have to consider his Corinthian brothers and sisters not as spiritual people. Instead they acted like “ordinary people,” i.e., worldly and immature (1 Corinthians 3:1-3). They had spiritual gifts and spoke in a spiritual language, but they weren’t actually spiritual people. Hmm.

Calling Jesus “Lord,” prophesying, driving out demons, and performing miracles (all of which sound pretty spiritual, don’t you think?) doesn’t make you spiritual either (Matthew 24:21-23). A spiritual person is a one whose spirit is full of the Holy Spirit and is learning how to control both soul and body for the love of God.

Remember those things called the “fruit of the Spirit”? There’s one called “self-control,” which is a terrible translation of the Greek term, which more literally means “inner strength.” Those Christ-like characteristics are cultivated by the Spirit who abides in our spirit, and not by the self. From within us, the Spirit provides more than enough strength to do what’s right and resist what’s wrong.

This brings us back to where we began:

“By your endurance you will gain [control of] your souls.” (Luke 21:19)“Each of you should learn to control your own body[ in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans who do not know God.” (1 Thessalonians 4:4)

It’s the spirit-centered, Spirit-filled, i.e., spiritual person, that can, as we talked about in Part 1, bridle the body and control the soul. This is how we get a hold of ourselves in tumultuous and tantalizing times!

*For a deeper dive into the role of the human spirit, see this: https://barneywiget.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/foundations_101_chapter2.pdf ]

**For a deeper dive into the difference between the spirit and soul , see this: https://barneywiget.com/2017/08/29/how-deep-is-your-deep-avoiding-superficial-spirituality-part-5/

I’ve been quite concerned (more accurately put, frustrated) about the state of the world in general, our country in particular, and even more so about some versions of the Church. I’ve been talking to the Lord about it, and he agrees with me that amidst all its good, the world has more than its quota of bad. I thought we were on the exact same page, when a whisper arrived in my exasperated mind: “Get a hold of yourself!”

Two New Testament passages that speak to that theme came to mind. The first was…

“By your endurance you will gain [control of] your souls.” (Luke 21:19)

Control of the Soul in Tumultuous Times

This passage is lifted from Jesus’ famous teaching during passion week while on the Mount of Olives. The teaching comprises some of his last words before leaving his disciples to fend for themselves––with the Spirit’s help, of course. He was in the process of giving them a heads up about turbulent times right around the corner that would cause a lot of anxiety and fear. Earthquakes, famines, and pestilences… wars, persecutions, and deceptions… people fainting from terror, nations in anguish and apprehension…

Sound at all familiar?

It’s difficult in times like those (and these) to get a hold of ourselves––to minimize anxiety, fear, and frustration and maximize calm, courage, and peace.

Whether Jesus was referring to “signs” of the last of the last days or to the sacking of Jerusalem by the Romans not many years later or to some of both, the question remains the same. How do we conduct ourselves in tumultuous times? And the answer is the same. Get ahold of yourself! Be patient and get a grip on your soul.

You gotta admit it’s interesting that he referred to our “soul” here. Not our body, not our spirit, but our soul. I’ll unpack the difference between soul and spirit in the next post, but for now, remember that your soul consists of your intellect, your emotions, and your will (mind, feelings, and the power to choose). Also interesting (at least to me) is his prescription as to what we must learn to do with our soul. “Gain control” of it, master it by bringing it to the Master. So don’t give in to the chaos that’s in the world (and sometimes in the Church)! Don’t let your soul, your thoughts, emotions, and will run wild! Corral them––“Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10).

In times like these, God prescribes neither apathy nor apoplexy. We’re more likely to maintain the testimony of Jesus in these frenzied times by getting ahold of our souls through patient endurance. In other words, don’t lose heart. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow, if not after a bunch more tomorrows. But the things we can’t see now will last forever (2 Corinthians 4:16-18). Don’t give in to fear. Get a hold of your soul! FYI, I’m talking to myself too!

Why, my soul, are you downcast?
    Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
    for I will yet praise him,
    my Savior and my God. (Psalm 42:5)

I said there were two Get-a-hold-of-yourself passages that came to mind. The other addresses another part of us and in a completely different context in the New Testament.

To his friends in Thessalonica, Paul used the same Greek term Jesus used regarding gaining control of our souls to command us to take mastery of our bodies. Different context, different part of our human make-up, same exhortation. Get a hold of yourself! Take a look.

“Each of you should learn to control your own body[ in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans who do not know God.” (1 Thessalonians 4:4)

Bridle the Body in Tantalizing Times

Jesus spoke of controlling our souls during catastrophic times. Now Paul urges us to bridle our bodies while swimming in a culture of moral dissipation, especially the dissipation of sexual hedonism.

Though 350 miles apart, Thessalonica and Corinth had something in common, their need (and ours) was to bridle the body in a way that honors God and reflects the reality that our bodies belong to him:

“Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” (1 Corinthians 6:18-20)

This God-honoring bridled body includes, maybe even begins with, sexual behavior. But it doesn’t end there. We’re told to offer our bodies as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1) in everything we do and in everything we resist. It implies taking care of our body (feed it healthily, exercise it, refuse to abuse it with drugs or too much alcohol, etc.). It includes making it available to serve God and others (think of the Good Samaritan). “Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?” (James 2:15-16). Essentially, our own Hippocratic Oath: “Do no harm” to your body or anyone else’s!

Another: “Do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires… put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. (Romans 6:12; 8:13). Eventually, we won’t have so much difficulty harnessing our bodies for good, because he will “transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory” (Philippians 3:21)! But in the meantime, and believe me these times can be quite mean, it’s our job, with the Spirit’s strength, to reel in our bodies and use them to live for the glory of God and the good of others!

Notice anything missing from the conversation so far? There’s another part of us we haven’t mentioned, really our most important part, the key component that makes it possible for you and I to get a hold of our soul and body. But it’s getting late, so, let’s talk about that next time.

On the edge of your seat yet? See you then.

“Do you rulers indeed speak justly? Do you judge people with equity? No, in your heart you devise injustice, and your hands mete out violence on the earth.” (Psalm 58:1-2)

To date, the Trump administration has unleashed at least 17 strikes against boats suspected of transporting drugs, killing more than 70 people. They claim the boats were manned by drug trafficking narcoterrorists. They haven’t given evidence to support their claims. Instead of stopping the boats and arresting the crews, they launched missiles from a safe distance and killed (some would say murdered) everyone on board.

Vice President JD Vance posted that “Killing cartel members who poison our fellow citizens is the highest and best use of our military.” Republican Sen. Rand Paul criticized Vance’s statement as “a despicable and thoughtless sentiment” for glorifying “killing someone without a trial.” I couldn’t agree more.

Senator Lindsey Graham, who claims to be a Christian, said he “feels good about [us] killing all the right people.” Is that what it takes for him to feel good––killing all the right people? Scripture says not to glory in the death of evil men (Prov. 24:17–18). And we don’t even know, as no evidence has been offered to prove that these were even evil men! Might some or all of them been innocent fishermen just working to feed their families?

One of the attacks had survivors. The president decided to have them repatriated to Colombia instead of putting them in military detention and giving them a trial. Wouldn’t that have been the right way to go about it? It’s called “due process.” I’m not given to conspiracy theorizing, but it sounds to me like someone has something to hide. Even if they were who he says they were, as far as I know, we don’t execute drug dealers, with or without due process.

I’m told that the president authorizing lethal force without the approval of Congress is illegal and should be deeply disturbing to anyone with a conscience and a respect for the rule of law. In my view, this is not self-defense but murder. There’s a legal process to follow and their wrecking ball approach to solving the drug problem in America is not in compliance with it. Not to mention, that these assassinations have no chance of curbing the supply and demand of illegal drugs. It’s just another example of Trump’s conscienceless arrogance.

I agree with Russell Moore who said, “For Christians, these acts are a moral problem and a theological problem, not just a constitutional one.” Mike Cosper added, “The question we must ask is, What kind of government do we want to be living with? Do we care about the expectation of accountability? Those who say the system was broken are right, but due process and precedent matter. God made all human beings in his image.”

Before anyone accuses me of being soft on crime and actual criminals, especially drug traffickers, I’ve probably had had more interaction with street addicts and their dealers than almost anyone reading this. Believe me, I’ve seen a lot of things I’d rather unsee. I hate what drugs do to God’s beloveds, and want convicted dealers and traffickers to be punished to the furthest extent of the law. Not to mention that for a number of years as an advocate for a safe house for human trafficking survivors I was privy to stories of the despicable treatment inflicted by traffickers on women and children. I want justice for those victims, and the victimizers to be punished to the extent the law allows. But it’s the law, not a hunch or hearsay that matters.

But these assassinations are yet another demonstration of the abuse of power by our president. We have systems in place to restrain that power making it harder for abuse to occur. The people who are actually “soft” are those in congress and the president’s cabinet and his advisors who are terrified to cross him and tell him when he’s wrong. The problem lies in the feckless lawmakers and law keepers who are afraid to hold the president accountable.

As a Christian first and an American, I’m appalled. I’m not surprised, though, since this is what many of us saw coming a decade ago and warned our friends and families to stay clear of Donald Trump. But here we are.

May God have mercy on the United States of America and on anyone who happens to be in our bully president’s way.

“Hear the word of the Lord to you, king of Judah… Do what is just and right… Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place.” (Jeremiah 22:2-3)

“At our recent Love Your Neighbor fundraising dinner, not only was it a special night of celebration, we also received more than $200,000 in gifts and pledges from generous donors in the room. That night moved us closer to erasing our mortgage!

And now, after 11 years of faithful stewardship, generous donors, and God’s provision, we have met our goal to pay off our home in the Tenderloin!

Because of generous donors, our ministry is debt-free. Praise God!

This means we can begin redirecting funds that once went toward our mortgage to expanding our programs, cover much needed renovations, and DO MORE to love and care for neighbors.

While we have reached our goal, there is still as great a need as ever. If you have given, thank you! And if you haven’t given a gift recently, please do. Your gift will go towards helping neighbors in need and support all the work that takes place here each and every day.

Thank you for being part of this incredible moment.

May God bless you,

Tim Svoboda
Executive Director”
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I (Barney) also want to thank all of you who contributed to this worthy cause by purchasing my book on Luke 10! Those, who haven’t gotten it yet, please do as the proceeds will continue to go directly to YWAM. Instead of paying down their mortgage the funds will be directed to their ongoing operating costs. It will continue to be a “Pay What You Can” approach, which means you can pay nothing, a little, or more than a little to help those desperate for some good news! Here’s how.

Can you imagine if the principles of Jesus’ Teaching had been recited over the centuries, each time with conviction?

I believe in loving my enemies and blessing those who persecute me

I believe in nonviolent resistance to social injustice

I believe in storing up my treasures in heaven instead of on earth

I believe that before judging another it’s best if I take the beam out of my own eye first

I believe in a shalom-saturated society wherein we treat each other like we wish to be treated

Though culturally counterintuitive, the Jesus way is the way for which humans were originally constructed. We were made for this. It’s our soul’s home, the air we were meant to breathe. The One who made us knows what we’re made of and made for. Hence, he has the inside track on how we must live and how to empower us to function for peak performance.

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This is excerpted from my book: WHAT ON EARTH? Considering the Social Implications of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount

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