Monthly Archives: June 2010

"When Jesus saw him and knew that he had been lying there a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be healed?" John 5:6

Are you familiar with the word bilious? The first time I heard it, I wasn't sure. Something to do with bile, I supposed. Later I learned from the dictionary that it means "relating to or containing bile," and "a sickly yellowish color" At least I had the bile part right.

The woman who used the word was an elderly lady in a former church who was describing for me the inadequacies of a color that had been used in her Sunday School classroom. I had gone to visit her during December. She was an eccentric widow, and I thought a visit might cheer her during a sensitive time of the year. Somehow the discussion swerved into paint color and with great theatrical flourish, she pronounced her disdain. "Bilious!" she said. "Absolutely bilious!" She used the word once more during my 15 minute visit. She was nothing if not focused.

I thought of her recently when reading John's account of Jesus' healing the crippled man beside the pool (5:2-18). For thirty eight years he had been there, waiting for the miracle that never came. When Jesus found him, He asked a question that sounds very unusual. "Do you want to be healed?"

Why ask that question? Was He serious? Who wouldn't want to be healed? To have a chance to walk, to rid yourself of the calluses, to begin to live a more normal life? Of course he wanted to be healed!

Or did he? Many times we can become very comfortable with our infirmities, physical or spiritual. Instead of making the genuine effort to deal with the problem we prefer the attention that comes from having the problem. Or we fail to see a problem at all.

Take my friend with the affinity for the word bilious. She had developed over the years a reputation as a rather prickly person with a superior attitude. Consequently, she had few real friends and was rather awkward in most social settings, though she certainly would not have recognized this. In a kind of etymological karma, a fourth level meaning of the word bilious is "having a peevish disposition, ill-humor." That's genuine irony.

Imagine her reaction if I had said the following: "Mrs. Smith (obviously not her real name), you are creating a great many problems for yourself by looking down on other people and having a generally negative outlook on life. Faith gives you the opportunity to have real joy and a divine optimism. God has surrounded you with people who genuinely love you. If you looked at His blessings, instead of all the things that perturb you, then you might not be so fixated on paint color." She would probably have looked at me like I was an alien, with a bilious skin tone.

Do you want to be healed? We all need to hear and answer this question honestly. Before Jesus can deliver us from the real problems that beset us, we have to acknowledge their presence. True spiritual growth means honestly looking at the spiritual handicaps keeping God at bay. Frankly, it's far easier to accommodate, excuse, and defend our spiritual shortcomings than go through the painful process of saying, "God, I'm sick and I desperately need to be healed."

So if you are tired of staying in the same position in life, perhaps it's time to have a talk with Jesus. What is it that holds you back? Is it a sin? Or a habit of thought? Or doubt? The Holy Spirit can illuminate the darkest corners of your life. God can show you what needs to be done. Listen as He asks the question, "do you want to be healed?"

Grace,

Dr. Terry Ellis

"Make love your aim" 1 Corinthians 14:1

Love is so multifaceted, so broad in its scope that in its purest expression it transforms everything in your life. The Bible teaches us to love God, to love our neighbor, and even ourselves (love your neighbor as yourself). Certainly we must make our chief goal in life to become more loving. But everybody loves something, and we make a mistake if we do not understand the different degrees and directions of love. Anyone can "make love their aim" but they risk becoming narcissistic or maudlin.

Bernard of Clairvaux, a 12^th century monk, wrote a book entitled On Loving God. In it he described four degrees of love, each one successively better and purer than the one before. His degrees of love can help us think more clearly and deeply about aiming for the highest love.

The first degree of love is love of self for the sake of self. In other words, we solely are concerned about self. A baby comes with this programming, and there is certainly nothing wrong with it unless you don't grow out of it. Many people have only this selfish love as their aim.

The second degree of love is a considerable improvement. It is the love of God for the sake of self. This is an improvement because at the very least the idea of God has been introduced to the selfish person. God is on the radar screen, and the person has some stirring of faith. Good start!

But there is a real danger. This individual has figured out that faith in God, love for God, can be beneficial, to the extent that you can get something out of God. Love Him and He will bless you. This kind of love is no different from a child's love for Santa Claus. The child really does not love Santa, but the presents Santa brings! Many Christians never move beyond love of God for the sake of self.

The third degree of love is much higher. It is the love of God for God's sake. In other words you love God simply because of who He is. You delight in Him. You have the deepest affection for God because of His excellence and beauty. At this point you are no longer concerned about circumstances, and you do not stand in judgment of God's faithfulness. You love God no matter what comes.

Now you might think that is as good as it gets. How can we improve on loving God for God's sake alone? Bernard's brilliance is that he envisioned a fourth and highest kind of love, the apex of spiritual development. It is the love of self for God's sake.

I have known many people who have a great difficulty in loving themselves. They are filled with regrets and recriminations over some previous behavior or neglected commitment. They cannot forgive themselves. This self-loathing comes in a variety of forms and causes tremendous damage. What they do not realize is that they are in fundamental disagreement with God, and that is part of the problem!

The real way forward is to love yourself as God loves you, or love yourself for the sake of God. You recognize that you are indeed uniquely formed in His image. You constantly remember that you are so valuable to Him that He would send His Son for you. You acknowledge and revel in the fact that the great God of the universe delights in you, forgives you, and transforms you. You take satisfaction in the talents and gifts God has bestowed upon you. You stop trying to be someone else, but decide to be precisely who God created you to be. In this acceptance you love the "self" God created you to be. This is the love of self for God's sake.

The greatest general mistake in self-help attempts is starting with self. That never works. Until you love God, you can never have a healthy self-image. Interestingly, some people in attempting to draw close to God end up feeling terribly unworthy. That may be equally as unhealthy as narcissism, and it results from an unhealthy view of God.

I believe a great deal of personal misery is alleviated when we relax and begin to accept the fact that God really does love us deeply and we are the objects of His deepest grace. In our love for Him we find an appropriate and necessary love for self. So loving God truly transforms everything in life. Make love your aim.

Grace,

Dr. Terry Ellis

"God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son." (Rom. 8:29 The Message)

Several years ago I learned something about the male brain that helps explain the mysteries of adolescent and young adult male behavior. A professor from Duke said the male brain takes longer to "wire up," a process that extends into a man's mid-20's, several years longer than the female brain.

I am not making this up! Young men typically are later in being able to use some of the higher brain functions, such as the ability to weigh decisions. The biblical word for this higher function would be wisdom. Wisdom generally comes later with our sons, no surprise to parents. By about age 40-45 most guys catch up. Now I did make up that last part, though women would probably agree.

Good parenting, teaching, and role models all make a difference, but some maturity simply takes time. The brain needs to grow. You can't force it. Doesn't this help explain the dumb things young guys often do? An 18 year old's brain simply is not fully developed.

Neither is a 52 year old's soul. Doesn't that help explain some of the dumb things I still do?

Surprisingly, spiritual growth is deeply mysterious. You don't necessarily grow spiritually by attending worship services every Sunday, or going to Beth Moore Bible studies weekly, or even by receiving degrees from a seminary. Trust me. My education does not make me more deeply spiritual. All of these things can help, but they can also hinder by playing to our pride.

Fundamentally, what does help us to be "shaped along the same lines as Christ?" The answer is not "what" but "who." The phrase from Romans 8:29 highlights God's work in shaping us. Christian growth is not mechanical and it cannot be forced. A common mistake is to believe that "more of _______" (fill-in worship, prayer, Bible study, etc.) will make me a better Christian. Not necessarily. That approach reflects Pharisaical thinking. "I do this in order to earn this benefit." No. Real spiritual growth is not a mathematical equation. It is a function of a loving relationship with God, cloaked in grace, trusting that He has begun a good work in you and will bring it to completion (Phil. 1:6). [By the way, this explanation helps us understand the "righteousness that exceeds the Pharisees" in Matt. 5:20]

So what do you do with this? First, stop trying to manufacture your own spiritual maturity. Too often that degenerates into an attempt to impress other people. Or it results in a tendency to critique everyone and everything around you, for you have a sense that "there should be more." It's at that point we often turn our discontent on others: a spouse, a church, or even God Himself.

Second, simply love and serve God, trusting His love for you and His timing for "wiring up" your soul. You may not be able to discern meaning in every event (test or blessing) of your life, but you can always trust your Father's heart. He truly does have your best interest in mind. He has not forgotten you or left you behind. But the Master Craftsman will not be rushed!

You may struggle with the same spiritual failures over and over. Do not lose hope, and do not give up! You may not be where you want to be spiritually. In fact, I hope you realize you are not! Rather than discontent and disappointment, however, I hope this creates in you a sense of joyful expectation. Be patient and persistent in feeding your soul through worship, study, and devotion. Your commitment is vitally important. But enjoy the life God has given you and the place where you are at this moment. Remember, God is at work deeply in your soul, bringing you to full maturity in Christ. Give Him time to do His work.

Grace,

Dr. Terry Ellis

"But about midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them." Acts 16:25

Paul and Silas were having a very rough time. In spite of trying to serve God faithfully in Philippi, they were stripped, beaten with rods by Roman soldiers, and imprisoned with their feet in stocks. They had done nothing wrong! In fact, they had done everything right. Let this lesson again be clear: life can be exceedingly hard and is incapable of caring about how good you are.

We find more important lessons here. First, notice that Paul and Silas were singing at midnight. These hymns were probably songs of praise, most likely from the Psalms. Praise for God is always appropriate. If you reserve praise only for the victories in your life, you have set a limit on your spiritual growth. You will be stunted, forever in a toddler stage of demand. Instead sing your favorite hymns of praise (Immortal, Invisible and O Worship the King are two of my favorites). Praise takes your eyes off your troubles and focuses them on your Father. Praise for God is always appropriate.

Second, singing hymns during the "midnights" of life is a tremendously faith affirming practice. A time of testing will never leave you in a neutral state spiritually. You will either emerge better or bitter. The good new is that you choose the outcome. If you choose to affirm your faith, no matter what happens to you, then you have opened your soul to the greater blessings of God's presence. Decide today, in a new and deeper way, to affirm your faith at midnight. Your affirmation will dull the power of doubt and discouragement, two of the enemy's favorite weapons.

Third, your faith at midnight will be a tremendous ministry to others. Notice that the other prisoners heard Paul and Silas singing. I doubt singing was typical in a Roman jail! How do you think that may have affected them? Songs of light sung in the darkness can be a great inspiration. The Bible is full of stories of one person's faith helping another person's healing (the four friends with the paralytic, or the centurion with his slave are two examples). Your faith at midnight has a ministry quality that you must not ignore. Others will be encouraged by your faith.

We have all heard the saying "it's always darkest before dawn," and while this proverb is very hopeful, it is not true. Astronomically, it is darkest at midnight, when the sun is on the opposite side of the world. In other words, your darkest hour may presage a period of longer darkness. But praise is always appropriate! So keep singing no matter what the circumstances. Your God is The Father of Lights (James 1:17). He will brighten your darkest times. He will do that this moment as you sing, even at midnight.

Grace,

Dr. Terry Ellis

"Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus" 2 Timothy 2:1

Philip Yancey often refers to his having been raised in a strict religious environment. In and of itself that is neutral. The problem was that grace was not a feature of his church or his early Christian thinking. He understands today why some troubled people say "Why would I want to go to church? They only make me feel worse."

I want to point out here, that there are some legitimate reasons people need to feel some guilt and pain, but the contrast between the way many people regard the typical church and the way sinners regarded Jesus is arresting. Jesus attracted sinners. The typical church does not. Something is missing.

Back to Yancey. In What's So Amazing About Grace? he relates a very revealing story. He attended a Bible college that was of the same tone as his early church experience. Years after graduation, the president of his college asked him to assess his experience at the school. How was his education? Yancey replied honestly, "some good, some bad. I met many godly people there. In fact, I met God there. Who can place a value on that? And yet I realized later that in four years I learned almost nothing about grace. It may be the most important word in the Bible, the heart of the gospel. How could I have missed that?" (p. 14)

He continues by adding that he spoke in that college's chapel later and related that conversation, and offended some of the faculty. Some suggested he not be invited back. One professor wrote sensibly asking that perhaps he could have phrased it differently, that maybe he lacked the receptors to hear the message of grace. Yancey thought seriously about the question, but came to the conclusion that he had found at that Christian college campus as much ungrace as he had found anywhere else in life. (ibid)

I am deeply grateful that my pastor through my teenage years, James K. Pierce, helped me to begin learning of the importance of grace. So did my youth minister, Roger Sullivan. Without question in seminary I learned more about the fullness of grace from gifted men and women who were my professors. I have continued to be fascinated by God's grace and committed to studying and teaching it.

In my experience with many Christians and churches, however, I would say that grace is not well understood or well lived. I agree with David Seamands, a counselor who summed up the challenge in this way: "Many years ago I was driven to the conclusion that the two major causes of the most emotional problems among evangelical Christians are these: the failure to understand, receive, and live out God's grace and forgiveness; and the failure to give out that unconditional love, forgiveness, and grace to other people. . . . We read, we hear, we believe a good theology of grace. But that's not the way we live." (ibid, p. 15)

Apparently that was one of the problems Timothy faced. He was a young minister in a tough place. His struggles led him to doubt his own ability, and so Paul wrote to encourage him to be strong. His exhortation to Timothy is summed up in the verse for this week's GraceWaves: "be strong in the grace of Christ Jesus."

Some of the personal struggles and doubts that plague you this week are likely related to an inadequate acceptance of God's grace. You have fallen into the trap of evaluating yourself and others, of comparing yourself, criticizing, and finding fault. Rather than being strong in grace, you have grown strong in doubt, fear, judgment, etc. How's that working for you?

The problem is not really knowledge. You know what grace is. The problem is trust. You must trust God's unconditional love for you. This truth is not complicated, but it is a bit difficult to accept. However, if you do accept it as true, stop doubting and questioning, just accept it, then life becomes clearer. You begin to see and sense God's gracewaves and draw strength from Him. Then, most wonderfully, you discover that you can be both a recipient of grace and an agent of grace.

So be strong in grace today.

Grace,

Dr. Terry Ellis