A Sorrowful Faith

Just a few days ago, I read where a minister stated in an article on worship:

I’ve decided I don’t like going to church. It’s not that I’m going to stop going. But I came to the conclusion last Sunday, as I was showering before church, that I’ve come to the point where I just don’t feel like it makes a difference in my life. When Sunday morning comes, I find myself wishing it were Saturday where I would have the entire day to do whatever I wanted (http://www.relevantmagazine.com/article.php?sid=4636 as of 01 October 2004).

What followed this assertion was even more amazing! Responses from around the country came into the web site from fellow pastors, missionaries, ministers, and other church workers. Each and every one of the responses related how they were or had felt the same sense of sorrow concerning their ministry. In churches through out the land is heard many of the same types of lamentations. So, is it time that we should be singing a funeral dirge over the church; a funeral dirge similar to that found in Lamentations 1:1-6? Surely, the church has not been conquered, destroyed, and members bound and shipped away from the church, as had occurred when the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem! But wait, maybe that has occurred in the churches of America? Listen to Lamentations 1:1-6 once more, but with a little twist:

Lam 1:1 How lonely sits Centenary UMC that once was full of people! How like a widow Centenary has become, a church that was great in the world! Centenary UMC which was once a princess among the provinces is now a vassal to the world.

2 Centenary UMC weeps bitterly in the night, with tears; among all Centenary’s lovers Centenary has no one to comfort her; all Centenary’s friends have dealt treacherously with Centenary, they have become Centenary’s enemies.

3 Centenary UMC has gone into an exile with suffering and hard servitude; Centenary UMC lives now among the world, and finds no resting place; Centenary’s pursuers have all overtaken Centenary UMC in the midst of Centenary’s distress.

4 The roads to Centenary UMC mourn, for no one comes to the festivals; all Centenary’s gates are desolate, Centenary’s priests groan; Centenary’s young girls grieve, and Centenary’s lot is bitter.

5 Centenary UMC foes have become the masters, Centenary’s enemies prosper, because the LORD has made Centenary UMC suffer for the multitude of her transgressions; Centenary’s children have gone away, captives before the foe.

6 From Centenary UMC has departed all past majesty. Centenary’s princes have become like stags that find no pasture; they fled without strength before the pursuer.

While I inserted Centenary UMC in these verses, just about any church in America could be inserted into these verses as well. And what follows is not just for Centenary UMC; indeed my comments are applicable to churches in America, and around the world.

So, Woe then is the church, woe to those that come seeking a song, some joy, and spiritual fulfillment. Where is the church of the past, when Great Revivals occurred, when churches were filled to capacity, and the children of the church laughed and played in the streets? Maybe, we should all be wearing black arm bands as we sit here in our service. We can indeed look at Lamentations as a funeral dirge for the churches of America, and for the same reason: the church’s transgressions against God.

What are those transactions against God that the church has committed? Do we need to list the number of times the church has failed in its mission? Should we examine the number of times we have turned away from those that need the Good News that Jesus came to be their Savoir, Lord, King, and most importantly, friend? Do we need to look back at the times when men and women bickered against each other; both in the church and outside the church? Of should we consider the times when the church has refused to accept the prompting of God’s Holy Spirit? Can we name many other examples of the church’s transgressions against God? Of course, but that is not the purpose here, nor should we dwell on these transgressions.

I think however, we must ask whether the church in America is able to recover from the current circumstances, even as severe as those described in Lamentations. Where is the church to turn to? How can the church turn again to become the church God desires? The church needs a plan.

One place in the scripture that discusses a plan is in HABAKKUK, a minor prophet, but one with a big stick. In HABAKKUK the prophet asks God some hard questions; questions concerning injustice, turmoil, discord, hardships, and many others. The entire book is a dialogue between God and Habakkuk. And that big stick I mentioned earlier! The stick is revealed when God states, "I have a plan. The righteous shall live by faith." What does this mean for the church? Let’s investigate the statement “The righteousness shall live by faith.”

First, what does it mean that the Righteous Shall Live? Habakkuk declares that he will stand at his watch and station himself on the ramparts and look to see what God has to say. He is going to do what he knows to do. Part of being faithful is doing what we already know to do. The church today has a life, but is the church alive. Just as Habakkuk is going to live, to do what he already knows to do, so too must the church. The church must be in a watchful attitude and anticipate God's answer, thus putting itself in a position to receive it when it comes.

Secondly, what does it mean that the Righteous Shall Live by Faith? Habakkuk's dialogue is grounded in his belief in God, in the righteousness of God, in the eternal justice of God. So too must the church believe that God is unchanging in his holiness as manifested in justice and righteousness. Even as Habakkuk believed this unchanging holy God has specific plans and directions for a changing finite world, so too must the church. The church must then live by faith in the faithfulness of who God is; not blind faith, but faith in a God who provides straight answers to tough questions. God’s answers are as unambiguous as His character.

Finally, what does it mean that the Righteous Shall Live by Faith and in Faithfulness? Just as God is faithful so are those who truly have a relationship with him. The righteous church by definition is one who is faithful to God in word and deed. The church cannot live in faith and not be faithful to the God. Most churches have no trouble with faithfulness. Their trouble is rooted in the god to whom they are faithful. Churches may be very faithful to the god of greed, selfishness, unhealthy control, addiction, immorality, and so on. But the righteous church must live by faithfulness to the path that their faithful, holy, only true God has called them. These churches know that God speaks to them and expects to enter into relationship; a relationship that is full time, not a part time affair.

The church can therefore seek comfort that comes from God because God has a plan based on faithfulness. However, that is just part of the answer. II Timothy 1:1-14 provides another part of the answer; an answer that the church must embrace if it desires to break free of the Babylonian exile that it is suffering. Basically, the church must allow itself to be overcome by the transforming power of the Spirit, so that the power of the Spirit may employ the church in service to the will of God as known through Jesus Christ. Only when the church allows the working of the Holy Spirit can the church raise to its calling from God.

This is not an easy calling. Paul recognized the difficulty of the Spirit Working in the Church and Through the Church when he writes to Timothy to warn him about problems and to advise him about building up the church. Paul makes an appeal for Spirit-inspired faithfulness despite the humiliation of Christian suffering. Paul recognizes the superiority or supremacy of God's will and the commission to ministry by Christ Jesus, and so must the church. The church has been set aside by God to be sent out in service, to do God's will, and those actions will bring the church into divinely altered relations to other humans. For example, we see that Timothy is called by Paul "beloved child," although there was certainly no blood relation between these two men. Why? Because Timothy became Paul's child according to the will of God in Jesus Christ. The life of Christ, given in suffering for the accomplishment of God's salvation of humanity and raised up to abolish death, instilled new life in both Paul and Timothy, so that they are related to each other through Christ in a bond that can be described only by the intimate and powerful metaphor of family—of father and son. So too should the church seek this level of relationship among each and every member. We all have a new life through Jesus Christ! We are a new creation and just as the powerful Spirit of God at work in and through Christ Jesus grasped Paul and altered his very existence from opponent to advocate of Jesus Christ, so the same Spirit reaches through the ministry of the church and grasps others—namely, the world. Paul recalls the transforming work of the Spirit in such a way that we as the church can be both reminded of the experience of saving grace and calling to give whole-heartedly to the work of the indwelling Spirit, so that the same work of Spirit-transformation that the church knew may continue to reach out through to others.

This is not to say that we will have a bed of roses, rather, the verses state the reality that even as Christ Jesus himself and, in turn, his followers suffered, so shall the church. The power of the Spirit is no guarantee of comfort, although the Spirit can inspire a boldness and love in Centenary UMC that will keep Centenary secure despite the worst forms of hostility. Even as you can hear Paul's confidence in the Lord, and his appeal to Timothy to embody the same absolute trust in God, Centenary can also claim the same level of trust.

Then Paul tells Timothy that he has been entrusted with a treasure. To entrust is to place a valued keepsake in another person's possession. As a minister of the gospel, Timothy had been charged with guarding the treasure entrusted to him. He was to guard it, defend it, and protect it. If we are to allow Paul's challenge to Timothy to be God's challenge to Centenary, then two questions must be answered as Centenary hears the call to guard the treasure. They are: What is the treasure? And how do we guard it?

What Is this Treasure? In Matthew 13:44, Jesus offers a parable about the Kingdom of God. "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field." Jesus portrays the kingdom of God as the great treasure of life—it is the pearl worth any price paid to receive it. In joy, each of us shall sell our lives so that we can inherit all that God has in store for us. The Kingdom is like a treasure. Let us ask why. What is so great about the gospel story of Jesus?

In these verses of the text, Paul carefully and reassuringly reminds Timothy of all that the gospel can do. In verse 9 he reminds Timothy of the power of the gospel to save. In verse 10 he reminds Timothy of the gospel's power to both bring life and offer immortality. Simply stated, the gospel is a treasure because it has the power to save, it brings life, and it offers immortality.

The gospel has the power to save. To the church at Rome, Paul writes, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile" Rom. 1:16 NIV). The power of the gospel is this—a relationship with Jesus Christ is able to take any person from where they are and bring them to where God wants them to be. It is a forgiving, liberating, invigorating new life that Christ offers. The great hymn of faith declares, "Amazing grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found; was blind, but now I see." That is the transforming power of the cross that it has the ability to melt hearts, change attitudes, forgive the past, and usher us into a relationship with God.

The gospel brings life. Christ's offer of new life is the offer to an abundance of life: "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly" ( John 10:10) . We've all experienced long and hard winters, where even by April 1 there are no dogwoods in bloom, no azaleas displaying their color, only the drooping jonquils even hint that spring is coming. But come it will, and life will be restored. Flowers will bloom, trees will bud, plants will grow. In the deepest, longest winters of our lives, deep below the surface, there has always been the promise of life from God. God through Jesus offers hope in the midst of our despair, joy amid sorrow, relief from heartache, and grace in the depths of guilt. The gospel is a treasure because it brings life, over and over again, just like spring.

The gospel offers immortality. In verse 10 Paul states that "Christ Jesus abolished death." Understand clearly, that death is a part of life. We will all face it someday. We will all die, but the promise of the gospel is that death is not an end, but rather a journey to an eternal life. In Christ there is immortality. Our relationship with God established through Jesus will never be severed. Our place in God's kingdom will never be erased. Our life will never end. It will change but it will not end. The treasure of the gospel is rich enough to provide abundant life in this world and everlasting life in the next.

How Then Must The Church Guard It? Paul's challenge to Timothy and to the church is to guard the treasure. And in verse 14 he outlines the key factor in doing so. "Guard the good treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us." Paul quickly reminds Timothy of his weaknesses and inability to guard the treasure of the gospel all by himself. The church by itself cannot guard the treasure alone; it must have the strength and wisdom that will come from the Holy Spirit. Nor can the church be much of a guard without the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It is the power of the Spirit who will help the church guard, defend, preserve, and protect the gospel. With the Holy Spirit providing power to the church, there are three ways to guard the treasure: spread it, live it, and demand the proper use of the treasure.

First, we guard the gospel when the church spreads it. When the church spreads the gospel, we ensure that its power and influence is greatly multiplied. There is a world to reach with the good news of Jesus. The more people who know Jesus, the more the church can be sure that the gospel will never be extinguished or forgotten. Let’s have churches that increase the number of people who will help the world to know and preserve and spread the gospel.

Second, the church guards the gospel by living it each day. When churches walk with personal integrity as Christians we guard the gospel. Let’s talk and walk so that Christ is honored. So often the churches spasmodic behavior makes the gospel suspect. Rather than guard the gospel the church gives nonbelievers an opportunity to criticize it. When the church fails to practice what we preach, it harms the cause of Christ. A church’s lack of fidelity to God will bring it to ruin. The church must be faithful, consistent, and genuine. The church must guard the gospel by living the gospel each moment.

Third, the church guards the gospel as it demands the proper use of it. There are many modern-day charlatans who use the name of God for the sake of furthering their own prejudices and selfish desires. There are many who do things in the "name of God" that God would never have anything to do with. It ought to bother the church and stir the church to action when it sees the gospel of God being used to further ungodly causes. Our blood ought to boil when the holy name of God is profaned. The church guards the gospel when it demands that the world uses it properly.

So, where is this church headed? Is Centenary headed for the rivers of Babylon—where Centenary will sit down and weep as it remembers its heyday in Chase City? Will Centenary sing songs of lament and sorrow and have a sorrowful faith as the world smugly asks for songs and says, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!" Or will Centenary have the courage and fortitude to be faithful to God. Will Centenary seek God’s help in times of distress? Will Centenary allow itself to sense God’s presence in our midst and to see His mighty hand at work in the world? Will Centenary allow God to fill its hearts with mercy and grace toward the world? That is the calling we have for God. The church is not to have a sorrowful faith. NO! The church is to have a faith that knows no boundaries. Centenary must have a faith that totally trusts God.

Is Centenary willing to represent the voice of faith when there appears to be no evidence for belief? Is Centenary willing to be a voice that does not provide easy theological conclusions, but is resolute in its commitment to continue journeying with God? Is Centenary able to sing a song of Zion when the traditional language of faith is no longer meaningful? Is Centenary willing to trust in the unknown like the person described in the following story that comes across an unusual note at an abandoned shack?

Many years ago, a weary traveler hiked for miles across the desert with the hot sun beating down on his back. His water supply was gone, and he knew that if he didn’t find water soon to quench his thirst, he would surely die.

In the distance, he spotted a deserted cabin which brought hope that maybe water was to be found there. He made his way to the cabin and discovered an old well. He frantically pumped the handle of the well to draw water, but all that came from the pump was dust.

Then he noticed a tin can tied to the pump, with a note inside. The note said:

Dear stranger:

This pump is all right as of June 2002. I put a new sucker washer in it, and it should last for quite a few years. But the washer dries out and the pump needs to be primed. Under the white rock, I buried a jar of water, out of the sun and corked up. There’s enough water in it to prime the pump, but not if you drink some first. Pour about 1/4 of the water into the pump and let her soak for a minute to wet the leather washer. Then pour the rest medium fast and pump hard. You’ll get water. Have faith. This well has never run dry.

When you get watered up, fill the bottle and put it back as you found it for the next stranger who comes this way.

Pete

Centenary UMC should have the faith to pour the jar of water into the well as the note instructed. Why? To Centenary UMC, Jesus has said, “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:39). The same principle applies here. If Centenary lives selfishly, Centenary will surely die. But if Centenary UMC gives itself away (“lose your life” for the sake of the Gospel) Centenary will live. Centenary’s thirst for happiness and fulfillment will be met. In the note, Pete wrote, “This well has never run dry.” Likewise, God is faithful and his promises are true. He has never failed those who have trusted him.

Just like Habakkuk's beautiful image of one standing as a watchman on a fortress encourages us to live from faithfulness to faithfulness, trusting in our God who is always faithful, so too must the church be a watchman standing in faith looking for God’s answers, not the worlds. Centenary must be willing to become a watchman in Chase City? Are you, the congregation will to be faithful and live a life of righteousness, always seeking God though His Holy Spirit? These questions you need to ask yourselves and make decisions. I ask you now to be as the apostle Paul when he states in Romans 1:16, 17: "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written, 'The righteous will live by faith' " (NIV).

Go then and live a life of faith lifting up Jesus to the world and be a church that does not have a sorrowful faith, but a joyful, fulfilled faith in Jesus Christ.