If MY People

Many people of faith (I've taken my shots) are piling on this Administration, decrying its polices, arrogance and penchant for demagoguery.   

     

But, let's face the the hard truth: Government shares only part of the responsibilty for the troubled state of our Nation.  The failure of the Church to be the Church has accelerated our decline. The light from "The City set on a hill" cannot penetrate the darkness because The City too often has become an anemic, self-indulgent, impotent place--flirting with priorities, forms and dogma that have no genesis in God's Word.

     

The Church has embraced popular culture and been absorbed by a pursuit of a reworked (secularized), dumbed-down (sequestered) version of the "abundant" life; by a quest for "relevance" in the name of Christ.  She has a vital role in culture: to be the watcher on the wall, the harbinger of Good News, a conduit for God's love given without regard for conditions or behavioral change. Instead, she slumbers, points her finger at others and cries "foul."  The Church need not quest for relevance; when she behaves as The Church, she is relevant.  Instead...  

    

Apathy, division and moral compromise have ravaged the fruit of the Spirit.

Reaching out with the Good News has become an unfunded mandate.

Codependence has swallowed up courageous leadership.  

Sound teaching has been replaced by pop pyschology.

Relevance has pushed reality to the back of the bus. 

Sacrifice is considered a synonym for weakness. 

Integrity is open to interpretation.

Godliness just isn't hip.

         

This isn't the first time the people of God have lost their moral and spiritual compass... 

      

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land."   2 Chronicles 7.14   

      

It ended badly for Israel.  But, it need not end badly for this nation; there is hope.

Hope springs from humility.

Humility leads to repentance.

Repentance produces healing.

Humility, repentance, healing.  It all begins in the Church.

This, is change we can believe in.

bN tGit

Exceptional.

American exceptionalism: our multiple failures, our human weakness, TRUMPED by redemptive generosity across the land and around the world.

bN tGit

tGit!

Make a hard life easier today--opportunities abound. A kind word, a smile; a simple generous gift. See it, do it. Thank God it's...today.  TGIT!

bN  tGit

Flesh it out.

The so-called "culture war" strides forward--taking America by storm.  But nothing has changed.  Nothing.

As believers we have been "gifted" to add value to the lives of people. We've been called to love people--the best and the worst--with a love that looks past what they are and sees WHOSE they are.

Whether or not they come to effective faith in Christ is not my responsibility, this is the work of God. He uses me (it's not a head thing, it's a heart thing) when I selflessly serve people in a way that adds value to their lives, I reflect Christ--no, I flesh-out Christ--and they wonder, "Why, what's in this for you?" This testimony is powerful becasue the reality of Christ in me has manifested itself in an "incarnational" way; they have seen Christ through me. That reflected image is intense and compelling. God uses that kind of "vision" to transform hearts, minds and lives.

This needs to inform our outreach effort, the way we see people, the way we see their sin. When our efforts at outreach do not wholistically address the felt-needs of people and work toward their spiritual need, we diminish the Gospel at best, and erect substantial barriers to faith for people without hope. 

This is especially relevant given the the world we live in today. God does not need us to defend Godly values. They stand on their own. What He desires from us is to love "the lost sheep, the lost coin" the Way He does. He isn't finished yet, Matthew 25.34-40 makes this point very clear... 

"34 Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35  For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38 And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39  When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’"

Believing friends, the Word is still becoming flesh--through us.

Flesh it out.

bN tGit

The Main Thing.

On December 28, 1968 (age 15) I said "yes" to Jesus; in that moment my life was transformed. Forty-seven years since then is...a few.  My life has a not always been a clear reflection of His presence, but it has for the most part been, by His grace, a slow and steady "long obedience in the same direction."

The dynamics of our culture, over my lifetime, could be described as a devolution of "conscience" and evolution of "relevance" as our moral compass.  It's ironic that the most extreme expression of the conservative mind, libertarianism, is in many ways the penultimate form of liberalism.  My point is that "systems of thought," even theological systems of thought, can't change the trajectory of the human spirit. God does that one person, one decision, at a time. We just don't have the temperament to pull that off.  History is filled with movements which morphed into extremism that marginalized human beings, in the name of a "greater-good," producing tyranny and crimes against humankind.

It's not my job save my culture from itself.  The part I have been given, as a Christ-follower, is to point the people in my sphere of influence to God, who can; this is "the main thing" for me.  I'm not called to point them to "systems" or movements that will save the day, but to the God of eternity who loves human beings with an everlasting and long suffering love, a transformative love.  He does the formative work in people that can change culture.

That said, how can I "keep the main thing," the main thing?  I offer 10 simple disciplines...

• Be humble.
• Love my spouse.
• Act as an agent of peace.
• Trust in the power of God.
• See people the way God sees them.
• Focus on walking close to God on a daily basis.
• Empower my kids and grandkids with a legacy of godliness.
• Declare the principles and precepts of God in a loving, inclusive way.
• Love unconditionally my enemies and those who might seek to hurt me.
• Pray for those raised up as leaders in my church, community and nation.

Systems and movements, by their very nature, devolve. God, is the same yesterday, today and forever. 

I choose God.  He produces change which gives me, gives us all, hope.  

Keep looking up.

bN tGit

Hold Fast.

Peace withers.             
Order explodes.
Culture devolves. 
Hold fast.

Justice fails.
Virtue punished.
Truth hidden.
Hold fast.

Love lusts.
Innocence lost.
Hope vanished.
Hold fast.

God our stronghold.

He is exalted.

Cease striving.
Hold fast.

Help is on the way.

bN tGit

Will. Power.

I am reminded throughout the Scriptures about "the sacrifice of praise." 

When I discipline my will to offer my sacrifice of praise to Him, without exception, I experience a "breakthrough" to worship, where a dynamic exchange takes place; Kingdom authority--His power working in me, for authentic Worship. 

This is why we see so much conflict around "worship" in the church today. Failure to worship prevents Believers from experiencing His empowering flow, from the throne of God to the people of God; as a consequence we underachieve and never fully appropriate "His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think."

Ephesians 3.20

Start this week in Worship to say "no" to any attitude that prevents you from turning your full focus on God, who loves us with an everlasting, undeserved love. Don't focus on the environment, the music, the clutter created by leadership, the squasma of life--just look up and offer your sacrifice of praise; watch what God will do in you, then through you.

This is one sacrifice where God's people get much more than we give.

bN tGit

Politics as industry.

Father in  heaven...

Politics has become a growth industry in America, this is a problem; too much ambition and too little service.  It didn't start this way.  The noble has become dishonorable.

Regardless of party affiliation, the pursuit of power, wealth, celebrity too, has become the focus of many who have been elected to serve "the people" in Washington.  Congress has been sullied by gridlock, the "love of money", sexual scandal, graft and abuse of privilege.  Democrats, Republicans, sully their sworn oaths.

I pray this 2016 election cycle breaks toward leaders willing to make tough decisions, without regard for how those decisions poll: that, will be patriotism.

...Deliver us from evil.

bN tGit

Dear Mr. President

"WE the PEOPLE in order to form a more perfect union...do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

Preamble to the Constitution

"...to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among men deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; and whenever any Form of Government becomes destrutive to these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute new Government."

Declaration of Independence

Dear Mr. President...

I know you get it; what's troubling is your presumption that because you believe America needs to be fundamentally transformed--you have the right, your opinion, to exercise the power of the Presidency in ways that violate the trust given to you in 2008. You don't own the Presidency, the People lend our Presidents power and expect they will use but not abuse it.

You have described a classic American experience, people helping each other up the ladder--part of what makes our culture exceptional. Then it became clear as you continued, that you don't get it at all. In your vision of our country, "behind every successful entrepreneur there stands a successful government (Rich Lowry)."  Nothing could be further from the truth.

The truth is, Mr. President, that behind our government--the oldest most successful democracy on earth--stand exceptional citizens, who believe in a big idea birthed in the crucible of revolution, which make it great. It's this "citizen DNA" that makes democracy work. "We the people" build those bridges, dams and roads, that "infrastructure;" our engineers vision and design them and our labor force contructs them; our hard earned tax dollars pay for them. Government has a role, but make no mistake: the People preceded the Government and it is this Nation's People that make her great, government possible and dreams come true.

Mr. President, the People did not anoint you to Federalize mentors, teamwork and pro bono benevolence. That's not a function of government, never has been, never will be; it's part of the character of our People and has marked every generation for 239 years. The genesis of this kind of generosity is the goodness of our People and our willingness to help each other; our passion for helping others improve their lot in life, realize a dream, move across socio-ecomic barriers and beat the odds. That's just what we do; we give back and we give generously without concern for what "our fair share" might be. That's why America is the most generous Nation on the planet; this is a place where in spite of evil, goodness does eventually prevail.

Please, Mr. President, reconsider your campaign to reinvent America in the image of collectivism. That sets the bar far too low and will surely relegate us to the backwaters of the 21st Century. The world will be a far less humane place if that becomes our destiny.

Mr. President, like many politicians, you often conclude your prepared remarks with a simple yet profound blessing; "God bless America." I pray that you will be energized by the possibilities contained in that simple phrase; that you will lift your eyes from the horizon, to the heavens and be gifted with a fresh vision much bigger than "a fair share." A vision rooted in grace, driven by faith and powered by obedience.

Mr. President, may God bless you.

Respectfully,
Ben Baier


bN tGit

From another perspective.

"Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or imagine, according to the power that works within us, 21 to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3.20,21

This is a capstone of worship and benediction to Paul's prayer for the Ephesian Church in his letter to the same. The prayer, and this benediction, are perhaps my favorite text in the Newer Testament.

I've come to another perspective over the last few months about this promise in vv.20,21.  The optimist in me always sees the glass half-full.  These words "...abundantly, beyond all that we ask or imagine..." always brought great joy to my heart as I contemplated--then experienced--God's blessing on His people,  His provision on a "just in time" basis--rarely early but never late.

But recently I've connected the dots in a different way; "...abundantly, beyond all that we ask or imagine..." can sometimes come to us through the portal of pain, suffering and loss.  It isn't that I don't understand that God uses suffering in our lives.  It isn't that I've never personally experienced that process.  I'm 62 years old--who hasn't suffered in 62 years? God has always been a ROCK and walked though all the squasma with me.  I simply have never connected THIS verse to THAT process.  

Reflect on this with me for a moment--applying the text, "...abundantly, beyond anything we can ask or imagine," to the crucible called suffering.  This promise is a deep well of hope for those between a rock and a hard place.  God wastes nothing that comes into our lives.  I believe that most of what we suffer is simply the result of the ebb and flow of life impacted by a world wrecked by sin.  Imagine (though the text says it's beyond our ability to imagine) God meeting us "abundantly, beyond anything we can ask or imagine" in those hardest of hard "life-loss" moments--NOT removing the suffering or restoring the loss, but using it to transform us.

This--the hardest of hard-- is where I've lived since February 19, 2015 when we learned our 13 grandson, Braden, had a very serious cancer.  God has met me in this barren place...abundantly, beyond anything we could ask or imagine.  

Braden is not cancer-free, and we have no guarantee, though his prognosis is good.  The way to his current status has been difficult, he has suffered and lost too much.  Yet, through it all, God has inhabited my fear, my anger and my tears.  He has changed me, made me more dependent, forged a more profound faith in me; He has changed Braden.  He has changed our family...abundantly, beyond anything we could ask or imagine.

I have witnessed abundance through Braden's parents--their resolve and leadership; through Braden's transformed adolescent attitude;  through younger brother Kellen pitching in, doing all he can to bring comfort and ease the load.  I have witnessed abundance through answered prayer.  I have witnessed abundance through the hundreds of people who are investing there time, energy, love and faith in us--generously, constantly.  I have witnessed His abundance in my "dark night of the soul" moments...abundantly, beyond anything we could ask or imagine.

I know this: God is. God is acting. God is acting for us. God is acting for us abundantly beyond anything we can ask or imagine--in celebration and through suffering.

Loss isn't abandonment. It isn't the death of hope. It's an "intersection" where one can step back and see life not just for what it isn't, but for what it is; it's at that place, in that moment, we see the goodness of God...abundantly, beyond anything we can ask or imagine.

Sometimes, joy comes in the MOURNING.


bN tGit