"What keeps the feet of faith-travelers on common ground is wisdom's unrelenting insistence that nothing in human experience can be omitted or slighted if we decide to take God seriously and respond to him believingly." — Eugene Peterson

Everything Is Connected

We've heard of the "straw that broke the camel's back" or the damage caused by a "weak link in the chain." Though hard to fathom, scientists tell us that a butterfly fluttering its wings in Iowa can, in some sense, cause an avalanche in Alaska.

It seems that when God created, He connected and fit everything together. Every thought, every action, every word carries on for decades. One cow can go mad and McDonalds produces "McFarm" and Burger King produces "Piggy King," both pork sandwiches. One statement against a presidential candidate - even if a bold-faced lie - can dramatically change ratings overnight. One judge in Massachusetts and one statement by a mayor in Los Angeles results in the marriage of hundreds of gays.

Ten years ago, David Schwedt and Roy Hendrix of the Gowanda, NY, Free Methodist Church began going annually to Russia to work in orphanages and camps. Vera, the camp director, eventually came to the US, visited the Gowanda Free Methodist Church, gave her heart to the Lord and returned to Russia where she lives in a communal setting with her children and several other families. Recently, I was in Russia along with some Free Methodist mission leaders. Dr. Art Brown asked Vera if she thought people would come if we planted a Free Methodist Church in St. Petersburg, Russia. Her eyes welled up with tears, a smile came across her face and through an interpreter she simply said, "I would come."

Connection: the Holy Spirit…David…Roy…church family…Vera…Art… interpreter… St. Petersburg…Free Methodist World Missions.

Is anything ever done in private? Sin, for example, cannot end with the sin. It undermines our attitude; it hinders the way we speak or act with people; it hurts our ability to pray in faith; it makes us want to be alone. The only thing is, we can't be alone. My father used to tell me, "Richard, sin will cost you more than you want to pay, take you farther than you want to go, and keep you longer than you want to stay."

We never sin alone. Our nation is so deeply troubled. I wonder about our future. Being in Russia, Romania and having visited Auschwitz in Poland brings great pause to me. Which aborted baby will take us down? What homosexual or adulterous act will break our back? Who will purchase the lottery ticket that will cause the "avalanche?"

It may sound like I'm down on the nation. That it's our country's problems that are taking us down the tubes.

This is not my concern. My heartache is that the American church - thus, the American "Christian" - has been squeezed into the world's mold. I know there is a remnant of holy, praying, faithful people. But we cannot any longer disregard the studies illustrating that there is little difference between the behavior of the world and the action of professed Christians. The data on this truth is overwhelmingly persuasive. Culture is, by far, over the long haul, more a result of the church's behavior than of any other force.

When Adam and Eve changed focus from a relationship with God to "what's in it for me?" "all creation groaned." When the man, Jesus, prayed "not my will, but yours be done" and when He then took our sins in His body and was nailed to the cross, all heaven broke loose.

Is it possible that many people reject Christ because of the church? Is your local church relevant? Is it transcendent? Is it possible that the church is actually the founder of our secular nation?

There are two teachings that are prevalent to greater or lesser degree in the church today. They are teachings that are in conflict with one another, have served to divide the church and have often left its members without the joy of the Lord and without the God-shaped love we long for.

The greater teaching is that once we are saved we are in. That behavior is not all that much of an issue though good behavior is desirable. This "legal" teaching: Jesus paid the penalty for our sin, so believe in Him and you've got a ticket to heaven, has left many with a false security and with a laissez faire approach to discipleship. It has also fanned the flames of mockery by the world toward the church. It is a gospel of personal, selfish appeal. Escape the consequences of sin rather than from the sin itself.

The lesser teaching these days is that a sinless perfection is available to us. This easily results in problems such as denial of reality, legalistic judgment of others and to encouragement of the reactionary false teaching noted above - believe and you're in.

Both of these extremes must be rejected. Biblical Christians are in an absolute trust relationship with the living Jesus Christ through the pruning work of the Father and the teaching and empowering work of the Holy Spirit.

This relationship has its pressure points. After all, self-interest comes naturally to us while self-sacrifice comes naturally to God. The Spirit of God works constantly in us and Jesus always prays for us so that we will set aside every weight and the sin that so easily holds us back, conforming more and more to His holy way.

Here is the bottom line for me: knowing the condition of our nation, knowing that in many places the church has lost its way, knowing that every sin I commit lives on, and that every good I do lives on, I'd like to avoid sin like a plague and practice good with everything in me.

This means that relationship with the Lord must always be front-burner fresh. And it means that relationship with people must flow - not out of our love - not out of any correction or transformation of our love - but out of His love that He pours into us - AGAPE.

After all, as Paul writes: "ALL that matters is your faith that makes you love others" (Galatians 5:6 CEV).

Our role as individuals and as churches is to produce healthy biblical communities of holy people and to multiply godly, competent leaders, make disciples, and form and participate in groups who plant churches. In other words, we are to transform society into the image of Jesus Christ.

Richard Snyder
3/31/04

Job was a man who lived in Uz. He was honest inside and out, a man of his word, who was totally devoted to God and hated evil with a passion. (Job 1:1 The Message)