Buffet Christianity

Authentic Christianity is Not to Be Found in the Buffet

Many Americans think they love Chinese food.

If you were to ask them, “Do you like Chinese food?” they would likely reply, “You bet! I eat at the Chinese buffet all the time.”

Christianity and buffets should not resemble one another.

Christianity and buffets should not resemble one another.

Said buffets are to be found across the breadth and length of this country, and they are all surprisingly alike, with some variation on the quality and selection offered. These fine eating establishments offer a variety of culinary delights, most of which is anathema to sound dietary practices, but all of which is consumed with eager relish. From the popular General Tso’s Chicken, to the egg rolls, to the sushi and hibachi grill, to the pizza for the kids, to the crab rangoons… it seems like there’s always something for everyone.

However, the curious thing about most of the food found in Chinese Buffets is how little of it is actually Chinese. Some of it, one supposes, might be better described as being inspired by Chinese cooking, perhaps in a fashion similar to how some movies claim they are inspired by real life events… meaning they maybe kept the names.

As we start analyzing the various dishes, we will of course observe that there are, in most buffets things that are obviously not Chinese: the sushi (inspired by the Japanese), the pizza and the alfredo noodles (from the Italian), the salad bar,the multi-colored jello offerings. But even the dishes most might think are Chinese, aren’t. While there was a General Tso in China, its most likely he never consumed anything resembling the dish that now bears his name. The Chow Mein noodles? Invented in San Francisco. Egg rolls? They seemed to have been invented in New York City. The Mongolian Beef? Not really a Mongolian dish. Even the ubiquitous fortune cookies are an American invention.

But, the buffet does delight. And there is something for everyone. It’s just not authentically Chinese.

Many Americans likewise love Christianity.

If you were to ask them, “Are you a Christian,” they would reply, “You bet! I go to worship at such and such a church all the time.” All the time being a vague term which, depending on the person, might mean anywhere from a couple of times a year to several times a week.

It is worth noting that for many Americans, Christianity frequently seems to resemble the aforementioned Chinese buffet. There is something to please everyone. There are churches which will cater to your tastes, no matter what those tastes are. If you want an easy divorce, there are churches which will sanction it for you. If you want to get drunk on a Friday, there are churches which will tell you it’s alright. If you want loud explosive music filled with screaming guitars and heavy drums, or if you want soft, soulful music with a nice choir… somewhere there is a church that will provide what you want.

However, as with the buffet, what is all too often lost in all of this variety is authenticity. The religious experience offered might delight the senses, tickle ears, and get the adrenaline pumping; but chances are good that it has little to no relationship to that form of Christianity found in the pages of the New Testament.

This is not a new problem, nor strictly speaking, an American problem… but it is a problem.

We see this in the concern the apostle Paul had for the church in Corinth, when he feared that the devil would lead them away from the purity and simplicity of Christ and His gospel (2 Corinthians 11:1-4). We are warned of the danger of departing from the purity of the Gospel, being told that to change the Gospel is to make it not the Gospel, and that the one who adds to it in his teaching will be accursed (Galatians 1:6-9). The Scriptures warn us that the one who runs ahead and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have a true relationship with God (2 John 9). And Jesus Himself reminded His listeners that,“teaching as doctrine the commands of men,” made their religion, and their worship, vain in the sight of God, revealing hearts that were not in tune with what God wanted (Matthew 15:8-9).

True Christianity is not to be found in the buffet. It is to be found in that form of doctrine taught in the New Testament. Men who are authentically seeking the authentic Christ should not be satisfied with men who tell them what they want to hear, but should continue to look until they find those teachers that point to the Bible, and the Bible, alone for their worship, doctrines and practices.

 

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Loneliness

Go Visit Someone Today

There is a word that is chilling to our culture today; that word is “alienated.”  The word “alienate” means to cause to withdraw or isolate.  To be alienated is to be alone.  Loneliness is one of the greatest fears that we have.  It has driven some to insanity, and caused others to end their lives.  It is the father of despair and hopelessness.  What causes alienation?

Combat loneliness! Reach out to someone!

Combat loneliness! Reach out to someone!

Alienation is the result of failing to treat others with respect by acting upon our selfish desires (James 1:14-15).  Selfishness displays no true concern for others.  That lack of concern works in two ways.  First, others will observe it and seek to insulate themselves against it by not associating with us.  They will not want to be used as mere tools for our satisfaction.  Such reduces people to being objects instead of a persons.Second, those showing no concern for others will also cease associating with anyone who is not interested in satisfying their selfish desires.  They mistakenly believe that it is the satisfaction of their desires that affirms their value as persons.They assume that anyone who does not satisfy them shows no concern for them.  They will only see people who are treating them as objects instead of persons.

How important is it, then, that 1) we do not identify ourselves with our own desires, and 2) that we have enough respect for others to include them in our lives even when they behave selfishly?  The Bible teaches us true respect for others by letting us know that we are 1) persons created in God’s image (Gen.1:27), and 2) worth the life of God’s Son, Jesus (John 6:51).  When we identify with Him, we won’t identify with our desires (Galatians 2:20).  We will also submit ourselves to God to be used in unselfish service for others (Romans 6:17-19).  So, go visit someone today and affirm both your value and theirs.  God bless you, and I love you.

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You Will Receive Power

You Will Receive Power

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. – Acts 1:8

Who will receive power? When? What are we talking about?

Who will receive power? When? What are we talking about?

Have you built your ark yet?

Seriously…have you?

No?  Why not?

I mean, you want to follow God, right?  Didn’t he command that an ark be built in Genesis?  He sure did (Gen. 6:14-16).

So again I ask:  Have you built your ark yet?  If not, you better get cracking, don’t you think?

What’s this you say?  You’re not Noah?  What’s that got to do with anything?

Oh, I see.  You’re saying that God gave that command to Noah, not you.  So it was Noah, not you, that he required to build an ark.  I get it now.  Thanks.

———————-

The above dialogue is an illustration of how ridiculous our conclusions can be if we read passages of the Bible and don’t practice the simple hermeneutic of taking into account who is talking, to whom they are talking, and the circumstances surrounding the conversation.  Millions of Bible readers practice this hermeneutic every time they read the Genesis account of Noah and conclude that God wanted Noah, not them, to build an ark.  That’s why we don’t see numerous arks popping up all over the world (and where would they get the gopher wood, anyway?)

Yet when it comes to the topic of the Holy Spirit, so many of those same people fail to practice the same hermeneutic.  So many professed followers of Christ talk regularly of “being moved” by the “power of the Spirit,” “being filled with the Spirit” to do this or that, “being led by the Spirit” to say this or that, etc., and point to passages in the Bible like today’s Scripture which talk of such things.  However, the questions must still be asked.  In these passages, who was talking, to whom was he talking, and what were the circumstances surrounding the conversation?

In today’s Scripture, a survey of the context surrounding Acts 1:8 shows that it is Jesus talking to his apostles after his resurrection and immediately before his ascension.  They had asked if he would restore the kingdom to Israel (Acts 1:6), still not understanding that Christ’s kingdom was spiritual in nature (John 18:36; Luke 17:20-21) and would come in the form of the church (Col. 1:13; Rev. 1:4, 6, 9; Matt. 16:18-19).  Rather than directly answering their question, he prophesied to them what would happen to them ten days later on the day of Pentecost, the day the church began and the day when the Holy Spirit would come upon the apostles and grant them miraculous power (Acts 2:1ff).  Starting on that day, Acts records that the apostles and those whom they converted would bring the good news of Jesus throughout the world.

A further study of Acts, along with 1 Corinthians 12-14, reveals that miraculous power from the Holy Spirit was given in various measures to the early Christians whenever an apostle laid their hands upon them.  These miraculous gifts were prophesied to cease when God’s Word became complete, something which happened centuries ago.  Thus, miraculous power from the Spirit – being miraculously led by the Spirit, called by the Spirit, doing miracles by the Spirit, having the Spirit “speak” to you in visions, etc. – does not happen today as it did in biblical times.  Rather, we are led by the Spirit in a more indirect sense: when we follow the Spirit-inspired Word of God, the Bible.

Granted, this is a deep study…but it is an understandable study, especially if one remembers to take into account the context of each passage which talks about miraculous power of the Holy Spirit like today’s Scripture reading.

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A Lesson in Galilee

Among so Many

Our Lord had sent out the twelve on the limited commission of going to the Jews to tell them about the coming Kingdom. They had been given power to heal the sick and to cast out demons (Luke 9:1). When they returned to Him, they told Jesus of all that they had done. He took them away from the multitude to a deserted place on the east shores of the Sea of Galilee. They did not know the lesson He was about to teach them.

What were eyes on in Galilee?

What were eyes on in Galilee?

The multitudes followed Jesus and the apostles, and Jesus spent hours teaching them about the Kingdom. As the day ended, the disciples came to Jesus and told Him to send the multitude away that they might find food and lodging. How startled these men must have been when Jesus said, “You give them something to eat” (Luke 9:13). With weak faith, they reminded the Lord that it would take at least 200 days’ wages to feed so many. They told Jesus there was a young man who had five barley loaves of bread, two small fish and then added, “But what are they among so many” (John 6:9)?

Think about this for just a minute. They had just returned from days of healing, teaching and casting out demons but were still looking at the world without any faith. Eyes without faith see the world so differently from those with faith. What are the loaves and fish compared to their needs? The real truth is that a child’s lunch and the Lord are no problem at all when He is there.

Is it possible that we react to situations in our lives without realizing that the “insurmountable” problems we are facing are meaningless when the Lord is with us? The storms of life are so immense when we look at them, but faith allows us to look at these storms and understand that the Lord is far greater than all storms.

The Lord has always dealt with His people and purposely used “powerless” individuals to bring glory to Himself. Had God chosen mass armies to deal with the pagan armies all the glory would be given to men, and He would be left out. The land which flowed with milk and honey and giants living in cities with walls which reached heaven could so easily be conquered by “grasshoppers” with the Lord among them (Num. 13). Remember also the Lord’s use of Gideon’s army of 300 and the destruction of the Midianites.

So, as you face the storms of life, look at it through eyes so different from those of men without God. They say, “What are these (loaves and fish) among so many?” Eyes of faith, look not at the loaves and fish, but see them in the hands of Jesus with the hungry multitudes and see the twelve baskets filled with leftovers! “What is the Lord, among so many?”

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Paciencia: ¡NUNCA TE DES POR VENCIDO!

¡NUNCA TE DES POR VENCIDO!
Estamos a punto de terminar año y de parte de todos los que formamos parte de esta pagina web: “church of christ articles” más que agradecidos con usted por haber estado visitando nuestra web durante este año. Han sido más de quinientas mil palabras que se han escrito durante todo el año en  nuestros artículos con el único fin de poder ayudarle a usted un poco más, y de poder además animarle. Son trescientos sesenta y cinco días al año, cada uno de ellos con buenas y malas experiencias. Estoy seguro que estamos muy agradecidos con el Señor por tantas buenas cosas que sucedieron en este año en nuestras vidas,  tal vez; en este año usted encontró a su media naranjada, o fue celebrada su boda, o nació su hijo (a) o quizás encontró en buen empleo. Cualquiera que sea el caso, contamos con mucho entusiasmo esas bendiciones pero… Como Job preguntó hace unos cuantos miles de años atrás “…Recibimos el bien de parte de Dios, ¿y no recibiremos también el mal?…” (Job 2:10 RV2015).  Es fácil reconocer que este hombre como quizás muchas personas hoy no tenía una idea muy clara de Dios. En la declaración anterior él asume que el mal también proviene de Dios, sin embargo nosotros sí tenemos toda la revelación completa y solamente basta echar un ojo en Sant 1:17 para entender que Dios origina lo bueno únicamente y que lo malo no proviene de El, aunque en muchas veces El permite (que es muy diferente) que sucedan cosas malas para poner a prueba nuestra fidelidad, y afinar nuestro amor para con nuestro Dios.  Job capítulos más tardes logra observar el cuadro más correctamente: “De oídas había oído de ti pero ahora mis ojos te ven” (Job 42:5 RV2015).  Sabe algo respetado amigo, a nosotros  muchas veces nos cuesta ser agradecido con Dios en todo tiempo. No se que haya sido lo peor que haya pasado usted en este año: tal vez la muerte de un ser querido, o una separación de su pareja, o no sé quizás lo corrieron del trabajo o peor aún no tiene uno. Al menos quien escribe puede decir que los ministros cristianos muchas veces pasamos por situaciones tremendas de desesperación, angustias, amarguras y para ser honesto hasta de dejar el ministerio (no puedo mentir). Pero cada cristiano debería de estar agradecido con el Señor por cada una de estas tremendas situaciones en las que nos entramos,  y note que digo cristianos, y la razón  es porque somos los únicos con la capacidad de ver lo positivo en lo negativo. Cristo pudo ver vida abundante para miles y miles con su muerte, y sus seguidores también vamos aprendiendo a poder ver vida en la muerte en todo sentido.

Senor, Dame Paciencia.

Senor, Dame Paciencia.

En Santiago 1:3 la versión más popular entre nosotros Reina Valera 1960 dice: “sabiendo que la prueba de vuestra fe, produce paciencia”(énfasis mío añadido HLM), y es una lástima que muchas veces no podamos apreciar más a fondo el verdadero sentido de este pasaje tan corto pero tan poderoso. Tal vez estemos tentados a pensar que paciencia es cuando voy al banco y estoy haciendo fila con paciencia en el sentido de estar pasivo. La palabra que se encuentra resaltada como “paciencia” es “hypome” en el idioma original. Bien, la raíz etimológica de este sustantivo es hupomeno y  es una palabra que aparece unas 32 veces en el N.T, al parecer de uso bastante común. El significado alude a algo como: constancia, resistencia. También en el N.T es una característica muy remarcada en alguien que no es movido del propósito que deliberadamente ha decidido escoger, y que su lealtad y fe no cambian aún en los más altos sufrimientos, alguien que soporta, alguien que al mismo tiene se sustenta. Es la misma palabra griega que fue traducida en Lucas 8:15 como perseverancia. ¿Esto nos gusta, no? Todos queremos aguantar como guerreros de Cristo, soportar todos los embates, ser sustentados por el Señor, como dicen en mi pueblo: ser un roble, pero para Dios, permita sugerirle que no existe otra manera de lograr esto si antes no pasamos por las pruebas. He estado en clases bíblicas y sermones incluso sobre este tema pero parece que la parte de las pruebas se ha visto siempre como en un tono negativo y hay que evitarlo, sabe para que Cristo resucitara con poder y con gloria primero tenía que pasar por la vergüenza  y deshonra de morir en la cruz, me llama la atención como el escritor de los Hebreos dice que “por el gozo que tenía delante de El, fue a la cruz” (Heb.12:1-2). Considero que hay que deteneos de pedir siempre al Padre que nos saque de las tribulaciones… porque eso no va a suceder, de hecho deberíamos de pedir al Padre más bien que nos ayude a ser firmes en medio de las tribulaciones, que nos ayude a nunca negar su nombre, que fortalezca nuestras espíritu para nunca salirnos del camino aún si tenemos que ir gateando pero que podamos andar en ese camino, debemos de pedir al Padre que a travez de su providencia nos envíe a los hombres  correctos para llorar sobre ellos y que nuestros oídos puedan escuchar la voces más sabias en medio de la angustia ¿Pero que tiene que ver todo esto con el titulo de arriba? !No te rindas!, esa es la clave de todo y yo añadiría ¡POR FAVOR JAMAS, JAMAS TE RINDAS!. El hermano Bod  Spurlin talentoso predicador del evangelio, sufrió una tremenda crisis de esclerosis multiple, así que después de predicar por 30 años ahora su trabajo comienza a limitarse a un bastón, luego una silla de ruedas y por último a una cama de hospital. Aún estando en el hospital el hermano escribió tres libros y cuando se le preguntó como podia estar tan radiante con tantas discapacidades y tantos problemas de salud el hermano respondió: “mi enfermedad nunca ha tocado mi corazón”.  Amigo mío esa es la clave, nunca se rinda. La audiencia de Pablo en Hechos 14 lo dejó medio muerto,  ¿y que hizo? ¿fue a la corte y los demandó? se puso de pie y volvió a ingresar a la misma ciudad… ¡que determinación, que valentía, que perseverancia…! sin embargo al pedir que se le quitara el aguijón de la carte también se le dijo lo mismo que se nos dice a nosotros: “bástate de mi gracia porque mi poder se perfecciona en las debilidades”  (2Co.12:9). Como Pablo, como Cristo jamás se dé usted por vencido, no siempre vamos a ganar todas las batallas y hay que saber aceptar cuando hemos perdido, sin embargo es muy diferente a abandonar el campo de batalla y salir corriendo desesperadamente, desanímese no importa, llore si es necesario pero no tire la toalla no huya porque su enemigo no tiene intenciones de huir. Enfrentemos nuestros temores nuestros proyectos y planes para este nuevo año, agradezcamos a Dios por cada momento bonito pero también estemos agradecidos con el Señor por cada escenario horrendo que vendrá (y vaya que si vendrán) porque es la única manera para poder pulirnos como el oro y para poder traer gloria al Señor. Hay una razón bastante concreta del porque no debemos nunca de darnos por vencidos, el apóstol Pablo escribe: “No nos cansemos, pues, de hacer bien; porque a su tiempo segaremos, si no desmayamos.” (Gálatas 6:9). El cielo es suyo y mío solo si no, nos damos por vencidos.  

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