Oh! ‘Them’

Posted on August 10, 2020 by drgause@agause.com

I have them. You have them. In fact, every human on earth has them. We are born with them. Most of the time, we are consciously aware of them. However, they can be buried within our subconscious. Scriptures tell us the Father has them, Jesus has them, and the Holy Spirit has them. Some are positive, but others are negative. They can take control of us, but God gave them as a gift that we should manage and experience in every aspect of our lives. Ok, that’s enough teasing you. So, what is ‘them’? They are our emotions. God created us in His image, which includes His emotions. This begs the question, “So what are emotions?” Someone said we know what they are until we are asked to define them. You will not find a consensus on a single definition. Here is a basic synopsis of several: emotions are a positive or negative sensation produced by a chemical released in the brain in response to internal and external events and can manifest consciously or stay in one’s subconscious.

All humans have multiple emotions. Christian counselors note eight common positive emotions mature believers should have: love, hope, joy, forgiveness, compassion, trust, gratitude, and awe. However, faith does not eliminate negative emotions as sadness, anger, loneliness, jealousy, self-criticism, fear, or rejection. The problem arises when we allow them to control us instead of us controlling them. We find both positive and negative emotions in the Bible. Yet, emotions are an ignored reality in much of the Evangelical Church. Churches may forbid any display of emotions. On the other hand, some churches allow emotions to control every aspect of a service. Neither approach is Biblical.

In order to gain a biblical perspective, we must first accept the fact that emotions are a natural part of our makeup. As believers, we need to recognize the role they play in our daily lives, keeping in mind that emotions are tied to both our new nature in Christ and our old fleshy nature. If we don’t manage them in correlation with the Bible and the Holy Spirit’s guidance, emotions can become the criterion by which we direct our spiritual life. A. W. Tozer wrote, “The heart of man [center of emotions] is like a musical instrument and may be played upon by the Holy Spirit, by an evil spirit or by the spirit of man himself. Religious emotions are very much the same, no matter who the player may be. Many enjoyable feelings [emotions] may be aroused within the soul by low or even idolatrous worship.”

Today our chaotic world challenges us with multiply situations that produce negative emotions. Yet, not all negative emotions are sinful in themselves. Anger is a good example. It is part of the image of God in us. God gets angry. And God is angry with the wicked every day (Ps 7:22 NKJV). At Horeb you provoked Him and He was angry enough with you to destroy you (Deut. 9:8 NIV). However, He always tempers His anger with His love.  But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, Slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth (Psa 86:15 NIV). Paul addresses human anger. “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry (Eph 4:26 NIV). New Living Translation provides a clearer picture, And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry (NLT). James adds, But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger (Jas 1:19). 

We will experience negative emotions. The pandemic can lead to fear and worry consuming believers and controlling their every thought and action. But by the fruit of the Spirit, self-control, we can manage our emotions and not allow them to control us.

Satan takes advantage of negative emotions as sadness, loneliness, grief, annoyance, confusion, etc. America is angry; the devil and evil spirits are using this as a tool to create a mass state of confusion. Paul saw this take place in Ephesus. When the city heard the idol-makers were losing business because of the Gospel they were filled with rage . . . and the city filled with the confusion and they rushed with one accord into the theater . . . some were shouting one thing and some another, for the assembly was in confusion and the majority did not know for what reason they had come together (Acts 19:28-32). The people were totally under the control of their emotions. Sound familiar? Sarah Sumner in Relevant magazine wrote, “citizens are clamoring in pain and hurling accusations and jeering at their opponents and holding grudges and threatening one another.”

Sustaining Word for the Week: If our emotions as Tozer suggest are a musical instrument, we must constantly ask ourselves, who’s playing ‘them’—the Holy Spirit, an evil spirit, or our sinful nature.

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Shattered Beliefs

Posted on July 20, 2020 by drgause@agause.com

Far too often in the past year, when we glanced at a Christian magazine, we saw the headlines of Christian leaders renouncing their faith. Saddest of all, this is only a small percentage of Christians, who are not in the spotlight, that have done the same. The first question we probably ask ourselves is “Why?” Paul warned that a time was coming when this would take place. But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons (1Ti 4:1). Fall away is the word from which we get ‘apostasy’ and means desert, withdraw, abandon, turn away, or leave. Every version translates it differently: some will desert the faith; some will abandon the faith; some will fall away from the faith; some will depart from the faith; some will renounce the faith. What we are seeing today are people who not only fall away from their Christian faith but abandon all forms of religion, often becoming atheists or agnostics.

In 2011, a psychologist who had abandoned her evangelical upbringing and belief in all religions, coined the term ‘Religious Trauma Syndrome’ (RTS) to describe those who struggled with emotional damage after leaving a cult or a repressive religion. Psychologists now include individuals who leave churches with an authoritarian leader and dogmatic rules and traditions. Studies have focused only on people who totally abandon religion. However, there are a host of believers struggling with their belief system who haven’t renounced their faith. They include Christians who have been hurt, wounded, and manipulated by authoritarian church leaders and indoctrinated with rigid rules and traditions. Some merely continue in these churches but live in misery, fearful to change because they would face terrible consequences. Others quietly withdraw from a church setting. They still believe in Christ and live moral lives, but something shattered their belief system. They no longer know what to believe, they trust no one, so they retreat into the shadows. Throughout our ministry, my wife and I have led Bible studies in homes for those in this category. We called the group, The Wounded Sheep.

Even if subconscious, both Christians and non-believers, have what we call an ‘assumptive world concept’. It refers to the assumptions or beliefs of what we hope reality will be in the foreseeable future. Christians base this on what they learn from the Bible and teachings from other believers, which may be incorrect. We depend on a belief system to ground, orient, and stabilize us as we go through life. However, we must be aware that more than painful church experiences can challenge and even shatter our hopes. Any traumatic experience, as the death of a spouse, can shatter our basic assumptions and beliefs. The hopes of our foreseeable future are gone. This requires us to reexamine our beliefs and establish fresh hopes based on the Word of God.

OK, I realize this has been a detailed technical overview of belief systems. But it brings us to the challenges Christians are facing today. We see people renouncing their faith in Christ, believers who retreated into the shadows, and an all-out assault on Christianity. If that weren’t enough, our belief systems are being challenged by the lingering world crisis with COVID-19 and racial conflicts that have shattered our hopes for the future we thought we would have. Challenges like these can bring about several results. Something shattered the ‘assumptive world concept’ of the Christian leaders referred to in the opening. It can cause people to live in misery or lead one to retreat into the background, not knowing what to believe. Or the good news, it can lead us into a time of spiritual growth. Our current circumstances are providing the time and opportunity to evaluate our assumptions and beliefs. The Holy Spirit will help and guide believers into establishing a biblical belief system that plagues or cultural conflicts can never shake.

Two years ago, I would have labeled myself as a ‘wounded sheep’ having worked for years under authoritarian leaders and trying to obey dogmatic rules and traditions. Several events shattered my belief system. Praise the Lord, He loved me enough to allow those things to happen. Since then, through His Word and the Holy Spirit, I have a belief system that has brought healing, freedom, and peace. The world pandemic has changed some of my hopes of what life would be like in the future. But that’s OK because He has promised to sustain me even in the valleys of deep darkness and lead me to new green pastures. Best of all, this world is temporary, and eternity lies ahead.

Sustaining Word for the Week: We live in a unique time when the Lord longs to heal our land and pour out His Holy Spirit on all of mankind.

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Tension of Biblical Balance

Posted on July 13, 2020 by drgause@agause.com

Any student who studied under Robertson McQuilkin in the 1980s left with this phrase etched in their brain; “Walking the tightrope of Biblical balance.” Through the years he developed and refined this thought. His final version reads, “It seems easier to go to a consistent extreme than to stay at the center of biblical tension.” Regardless if you say, biblical balance or bible tension, today more than ever, Christians and churches need to practice this principle. We live in a world with more extreme beliefs and practices than anyone could count; this is true in churches, society, and individuals.

We should not confuse Biblical balance or Bible tension with secular philosophy’s idea of reconciling the conflict between a thesis (truth) and an antithesis (a contradiction) by combining the two (synthesis) through compromise—”you give up that belief and I’ll give up this belief.” Humanists advocate that truth evolves and this kind of negotiation produces a new thesis (truth). The tension of biblical balance means we live according to a true perspective of right and wrong based solely on the standard of God’s Word. It is not influenced by our individual bias, a church’s tradition, or cultural norms. This is where the tension arises. Human nature prompts us to look for a comfort zone by conforming to either an extreme on the right or the left of a true Biblical perspective.

Overemphasizing one truth of Scripture and ignoring others without allowing all biblical truths to qualify and balance our beliefs brings error and can even lead one into heresy or cults. Maintaining a biblical balance is an ongoing task because of the ever-changing winds of doctrine, the trickery of men, and craftiness in deceitful scheming (Eph 4:14). When considering God’s perspective on right and wrong, we must guard against allowing the social and cultural conflicts around us to affect our Christian value system. Believers around the world have suffered persecution and martyrdom since the beginning of the Church. But not in my lifetime, have I witnessed the assault on Christianity as today in the USA. Even so, we must be willing to stand in the center of biblical tension and declare the whole counsel (will, purpose, plan) of God” (Act 20:27 NKJV).

Churches and denominations are most often divided over doctrine that requires people to ignore certain verses. Vance Havner said, “The opposite of dogma is ‘dodge-ma’ – the clever art of evading issues.” This topic has long been a study of mine because I was schooled and served in churches that held extreme beliefs that resulted in legalism. In a work-oriented doctrine, teaching about grace is always avoided. Biblical teaching about predestination and election were never discussed. However, the opposite extreme, are those who teach grace to such a degree they ignore any reference to the works of believers and man’s ability to choose. You must be cautious if you discover you have been overemphasizing one area of Scripture and disregarding others. It can lead to what we call ‘pendulum-swing theology’ i.e. someone trashes all they have learned and swinging to the opposite extreme. Walking in the biblical balance demands we consider all scriptures rather than ignore one.

Today, the issue facing those who are trying to walk in God’s perspective of right and wrong is the social and cultural pressure to suppress anyone who speaks out on the evils of sexual immorality, abortion, gender identity, false religions, or anything that limits the ability of godless humanity and their effort to destroy Christianity. This has led many Christian leaders to remain silent. C. S. Lewis said 50 years ago; “We live in a secular culture where Christians often feel strong pressure to adapt their faith to the culture or to keep faith private. Are you sometimes too willing to compromise your faith or the truth to win people? Are there times when you remain silent when you should speak?”

Last October I wrote the SW, “Why Are They So Afraid?” If Christianity is just another religion, as some assert, why fear it? Others argue that Christianity is worthless and irrelevant to contemporary culture. Secular humanists contend the Bible has been disproven by scientific theories and is therefore a useless document. So, why have fifty-two countries around the world banned this worthless, irrelevant, and useless document? Why are some believers afraid to examine all Scripture on a subject?

Often walking in Biblical balance is a lonely path because others avoid the tension. Seven years ago, with bated breath we watched Nik Wallenda walk a high wire across the Little Colorado River Gorge near Grand Canyon National Park. Gusts of wind, a shaky wire, and the pull of gravity were constant factors. He was all alone with no one to steady him, but he adjusted, stayed balanced, and kept walking. When we walk in the tension of biblical balance, many forces will pull against us—adjust, stay balanced, and kept on walking.

Sustaining Word for the Week: Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act—Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

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What a Mess!

Posted on June 29, 2020 by drgause@agause.com

If this is not the end of time when Jesus returns, historians a hundred years from now would probably summarize this as an era of worldwide chaos. Our English word chaos means complete disorder and confusion, behavior so unpredictable as to appear random, a situation in which everything is in a mess. Yet, chaos isn’t anything new. The Hebrew word is scattered all through the Old Testament. It might surprise some that creation began with chaos. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep (Gen 1:2 NIV). Another version reads, When God began creating the heavens and the earth, the earth was a shapeless, chaotic mass (TLB).

Scripture tells us God is not the author of confusion [tumult, unquietness, or commotion] (1 Cor 14:33 NKJV) so what brought about the chaos between verses one and two (Gen 1:1, 2)? The Bible doesn’t tell us, and we must not get bogged down in what God doesn’t reveal and overlook the important truth and the hope it declares, i.e. how God dealt with the chaos. First, the Spirit of God hovered over, moved over, brooded over the chaos, and began bringing order. Second, God spoke, “Let there be light,” and there was light (1:3). Every day for six days, the Lord spoke, and order ensued. At the end of the sixth day God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good (1:31). That implies order was in place with no chaos. However, since then Satan has sought to disrupt order and bring chaos back into the world and people’s lives.

The applications of these verses aren’t confined just to creation. David wrote the waves of death engulfed me; the currents of chaos overwhelmed me . . . I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I was delivered from my enemies (2 Sam 22:5, 4 NET). If anyone’s life was in a total mess, Job would top the list. He cried out; I am disgusted with my life . . . It is a land of blackness like the deepest darkness, gloomy and chaotic (10:1, 22 HCSB). But note what God did; the Lord spoke . . . The Lord restored what Job had lost . . . the Lord blessed the second part of Job’s life more than the first (42:7, 10, 12 NET).

I like the Message Bible’s translation of Genesis 1:2. Earth was a soup of nothingness, a bottomless emptiness, an inky blackness. When I first read that, I thought, “that sounds like a lot of people I’ve known.” Even without our current world chaos, you may feel like your life is a soup of nothingness and bottomless emptiness. Your life has become an inky blackness and you see no hope; your life is out of control and falling apart. Your emotions, finances, family, and spiritual life have reached a point that you can’t hold it together any longer. For the Holy Spirit, this is not a problem. The same Holy Spirit that moved over the chaotic universe will hover over you and bring your life into order.

The first step is admitting to yourself you can’t fix your mess. Then turn your life, as bad as it may be, over to Jesus. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God [set aside self-righteous pride] . . . casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully] (1 Peter 5:6, 7 AMP). The word for cast means to throw, deposit upon, fling, deliberately hurl. It is the act of exerting effort to fling something away from you. You must turn your troubles loose and allow Him to take charge. Then the Lord will begin speaking His Word into your life. It probably won’t happen all at once and may require six days, six weeks, etc. but you will see order coming into your life.

This same truth applies to our current chaotic world. We must first realize that we as humans can’t fix it. All the medical research, all the task forces, and all the restrictions without God will result in futility. Tear down all the monuments, destroy all the history books, protest 24/7, and censer every word written, but it won’t bring order to the chaos. First, we must remember, our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens (Eph 6:12 HCSB). We are in a spiritual war with Satan and his army. Second, we must turn to Christ realizing the world is falling apart and humanity can’t hold it together any longer. Then the Holy Spirit can move over our mess and the Lord will begin speaking and bringing order.  

Sustaining Word for the Week: Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God [set aside self-righteous pride] . . . casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him—this includes your chaos and mess. Why? He cares about you.

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