viewoutsidethepew

There are only two kinds of people: those who act like God and those who play God. The first are motivated by deep, compassionate love and show respect. The others claim to know best for everyone else and impose their opinions on others with contempt. John Milton accurately portrays this impulse of humans (through the voice of Satan) by writing:
Here we may reign secure, and in my choice
To reign is worth ambition though in Hell:
Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heav’n.
(John Milton, Paradise Lost, Book II, Lines 240-242)
The theory of those who play God is, even if you can’t reign in real hell, make life hell for others and dominate them.
The theory of those who act like God is, by devotion to the worth of others, make the world a better place.

In the God’s Word Translation the word “wait” occurs 162 times in the Bible! Why?

Because people, wanting to be like God, want to do when God wants to do it for us and through us. We are constantly forced to review the Garden of Eden sin, lusting “to be like God” (Genesis 3:4).

Today is the anniversary of Pentecost, the day the Body of Christ (Church) was truly born.

In a spectacular way God demonstrated that God can do it, and people can join in.

“Once, while [Jesus] was meeting with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait there for what the Father had promised. Jesus said to them, ‘I’ve told you what the Father promises: John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’|” (Acts 2:4-5 God’s Word Translation©)

The Church (not congregations) exists because God is at work, NOT because people are smart, skilled, or simply sensational.

Wait for God to lead, call and do. Serve God. Do not chase your need to be a famed or noticed champion deserving accolades and honour!

“A time will come when people will not listen to accurate teachings. Instead, they will follow their own desires and surround themselves with teachers who tell them what they want to hear. People will refuse to listen to the truth and turn to myths.” (2 Timothy 4:3-4 God’s Word Translation)

“I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live I live by believing in God’s Son, who loved me and took the punishment for my sins” (Galatians 2:20 God’s Word Translation©).

“If I had not destroyed myself completely, I should not have been able to rebuild and shape myself; that is, if I had not forsaken everything deriving from my own will that appeared good to me, I would not have been able to acquire the virtues**.” Abba Alonius (Alonios), 4th Century

**[prudence (reasoning), justice, temperance (self-restraint), fortitude (endurance), faith, hope, charity (deep compassion)].

The story is told that a desert brother told Abba Poemen (Egypt approximately AD340-450) he had heard something distressing about one of the others. Poemen asked, “Is it true?”

The brother answered that the source was trustworthy. The Abba did not agree. “The one who told you is not reliable. If he were, he would never have passed it on to you. When God heard cries from Sodom, he did not believe it until he had gone down and seen it with his own eyes.”

Then the brother confirmed that he had seen it with his own eyes also, to which Poemen referred to a parable Jesus told.

“Stop judging so that you will not be judged. Otherwise, you will be judged by the same standard you use to judge others. The standards you use for others will be applied to you. So why do you see the piece of sawdust in another believer’s eye and not notice the wooden beam in your own eye? How can you say to another believer, ‘Let me take the piece of sawdust out of your eye,’ when you have a beam in your own eye? You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye. Then you will see clearly to remove the piece of sawdust from another believer’s eye” (Matthew 7:1-5 God’s Word Translation©).

Abba Macarius (Egypt AD300-390) lived by the mercy of God with such integrity that he ignored the faults of others as though blind and was deaf when someone slandered another.

Defamation is obviously delicious to swallow, but it rots the hearer from the inside out. So the example of these two great teachers should show us to zip our lips when anyone would cast aspersions and refuse to swallow slander or talk about tittle-tattle.