Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health, Questions 8 & 10

“Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health,” Donald S. Whitney. 2001. NavPress*
Questions 8 & 10:  Do You Still Grieve Over Sin? & Do You Yearn for Heaven and to Be with Jesus? (excerpts and highlights from Chapters 8 & 10, with references to “Respectable Sins – Confronting the Sins We Tolerate,” Jerry Bridges, NavPress. 2007.) 

In this paper I have reflected on both Questions 8 and 10, as they complement each other. 

Do You Still Grieve Over Sin?

God Hates Sin. Put that on a street sign, and I guarantee you that each reader will come up with their own definition of sin. We readily do so because we have a warped view of sin; we often compare our righteousness as favorable over another’s. We find it hard to see ourselves as sinners. We are good people who do good things. We characterize sinners as persons who commit wicked and evil acts against people – especially children. We take offense at being called a sinner; a person, when a Bible teacher quoted to the group Psalm 51:5, “we are all born in sin” -- she defensively responded, “I wasn’t! my mother and father were married!” The apostle Paul, the one hand-picked by Christ to be sent to the Gentiles with the good news and to whom was given much power and grace, who was also given a glimpse of heaven, even he admits to his own sin estate, which makes his Spirit-led writings on sin more compelling.

What does God call sin? Lawbreaking. Any just law, but especially God's law. When Adam and Eve broke the law in the Garden of Eden, going against God’s command not to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, acting on pride and desire to be equal to God, sin was imprinted on and inside humankind. We all inherited Adam’s “sin DNA” so that every human born carries that “DNA”. We all are sinners, born to die, since Adam’s sin carried a death penalty. Therefore, everyone born, regardless of their character and conduct, are reckoned by God as sinners even in the womb. 

God grieves over sin. He hates it. He sees the damage and destruction it causes in those who were created in His image. It separates us from Him. Inherited sin causes spiritual darkness and results in spiritual death. Sin mars God’s image in us; the character of God, the mind of Christ – all parts of that image were once in Adam and Eve. Their descendants’ God-image reflects something like a mirror into our souls that has been smeared over with a liquid haze in which a very faint and distorted reflection of God is seen. Sadly, there are some mirrors into souls that have shadowed and dark imperceptible reflections – more akin to the impact of the prince of darkness on such souls. 

We often think of the impact of the sin DNA as affecting our conduct and behaviors. However, the impact of man’s sin on humankind has been devastating to the human body. Over the thousands of years, the human body has broken down from total perfection to a flesh and blood frame in which diseases and conditions of many kinds inhabit - some curable and many uncurable. This is a universal consequence of the inherited sin condition from Adam. Sin’s effects have caused every generation since Adam and Eve to suffer with divers degenerations: e.g., the number of births of children with deformed body parts, missing chromosomes or other gene-related issues, born intersex, blind, deaf, unable to speak, with predispositions to cancers, juvenile diabetes, and the list goes on. These traits of inherited sin continue to increase despite medical and scientific breakthroughs. 

In addition to its impact on humankind physically, mentally, and spiritually, all of creation has suffered from the influence of humankind’s fall due to intentional sin - going against the law of God. When Adam was placed in the Garden, to be joined by Eve, they were given dominion over creation as God’s appointed stewards; they were co-regents of the earthly kingdom; they were the 'earthly management' placed by God to steward His earthly creation - everything with life on the earth, even the earth itself. Both humans and animals – “everything that has the breath of life” – were created to be plant and vegetation eaters. That was God’s original plan for a world of peaceful coexistence between man and beast. But when sin came, this peace was damaged, and within time humans and animals became carnivores.

 Dr. Whitney shares an experience where he once “heard seminary professor John Hannah say, ‘The closer one comes to Christ, in one sense the more miserable he becomes.’ Those who have a Holy Spirit implanted love for holy truth, holy things, and [for] the Holy One, can’t help but feel miserable when they are reminded of that which is unholy within them.” The closer we grow to Christ through the work of the Spirit in us, the more sensitive we become, seeing the “red flags” of potential sin more quickly.

 How should we grieve our sin? A young child – maybe 2 or 3 years old –has learned what to say to their parent to avoid chastisement. “Jimmy, did you hit your sister?” Jimmy weighs the question, then spurts, “She hit me first!” Mother: “Jimmy and Jenny, say I’m sorry.” Jenny, still playing with her doll, says a quick “I’m sorry.” Jimmy mimics her apology “I’m sorry.” And ten minutes later they are back at it! Well, older youth and adults do the same thing. To avoid whatever embarrassment or punishment that could result, we are quick to blame someone else, and/or offer our apologies which are so hollow the words come out like words shaped with outlines only. Like Adam and Eve did when God called them out of hiding. The Genesis account does not record an apology from either. We grieve because we get caught, we grieve at the consequences of being found out. But are we truly sorry? Do we see our error as a sin against God? Dr. Whitney notes that the Bible passage at 2 Corinthians 7:8-11 juxtaposes godly grief or sorrow with worldly grief focused on the punishment. True godly grief or sorrow is more than admitting our transgressions. Considering against whom we have committed the sin, should a child of God feel more than a perfunctory “I’m sorry” that is momentary to get him/herself off the hook? Does our “sorry” lead to sorrow? 

Jesus, in His Sermon on the Mount, delivered a set of beatitudes to the listening crowd. One of them is: “Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.”  We more often than not feel this beatitude at a time of loss, during a funeral service, or when mourning over the death of a loved one. The Lord My Shepherd who comforts Jesus' listeners knew, but Jesus wanted His hearers to understand the deeper meaning of the mourning He spoke about. He wanted them to know that the legal standards of the Mosaic Law were more than just laws; they were a bridge to relationship with God, an opportunity to reflect His character and holiness and grow in intimacy with Him. The people felt righteous because they obeyed the laws, and saw that as a bridge to blessings from God. The righteous teachers took pride in exacting strict adherence to law. Jesus notes in His Sermon, however, that it is a merciful heart that yearns for God – that is what God desires. Jesus, on the mount, would further clarify the foundation of the Law, that even in our so-called righteousness from obeying the law, we are still sinners in our thoughts, desires, in our DNA. We are still lawbreakers. Thus, His message exhorts us to mourn over such sins – feeling deepest sorrow that we have grieved our Heavenly Father. Genesis 6, linked to above, plainly states that our sin grieves God. Knowing that, we ought to feel a sorrow that leads to a change of heart, a repentance – a sorrow that seeks and gives forgiveness. To return to a right standing before God. Do we really mourn our sinful thoughts and actions? 

In his book, “Respectable Sins – Confronting the Sins We Tolerate,” Dr. Jerry Bridges asks that while we mourn or are grieved about the “big sins” – sexual sins and idol worship within the Church, “why do we not also mourn over our selfishness, our critical spirit, our impatience, and our anger? It is easy to let ourselves off the hook by saying that these sins are not as bad as the flagrant ones of society. But God has not given us authority to establish values for different sins. Instead, He says through James, ‘Whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for [is guilty of] all of it.’…When a person commits murder, he breaks God’s law. When a Christian lets corrupting speech (that is, speech which tends to tear down another person) come out of his/her mouth (Ephesians 4:29), he/she breaks God’s law.” All sin is lawlessness.  He further notes that “In our human values of civil laws, we draw a huge distinction between an otherwise ‘law-abiding citizen’ who gets an occasional traffic ticket and a person who lives a ‘lawless’ life in contempt and utter disregard for all laws. But the Bible does not seem to make that distinction. It simply says sin – that is, all sin without distinction – is lawlessness.” “Sin is sin.” Dr. Bridges continues, “even those sins I call ‘the acceptable sins of the saints,’ those sins we tolerate in our lives – are serious in God’s eyes. Our religious pride, our critical attitudes, our unkind speech about others, our impatience and anger, even our anxiety; all of these are serious in the sight of God.” In his book, Dr. Bridges exposits on other so-called ‘respectable’ sins: ungodliness, anxiety and frustration, discontentment, unthankfulness, pride, selfishness, lack of self-control, impatience and irritability, anger, judgmentalism, envy, jealousy, and related sins, sins of the tongue, and worldliness.  

As we enter our journey of transformation and sanctification through the Holy Spirit, Dr. Bridges reminds us that in collaboration with God’s Spirit, we are to put to death the various expressions of sin in our lives. (Romans 8:13; Colossians 3:5) In chapter six, he offers seven general directions for dealing with sins. Not enough space to fully explain here, but I will list them.

 

First – we should always address our sin in the context of the gospel; our sins are forgiven and we are accepted as righteous by God because of both the sinless life and sin-bearing death of our Lord Jesus Christ – both together are the greatest motivations.

 

Second – we must learn to rely on the enabling power of the Holy Spirit. We can never get beyond our need for the Spirit, and should cultivate an attitude of continual dependence.

 

Third – while depending on the Holy Spirit, we must also recognize our responsibility to diligently pursue all practical steps for dealing with our sins. This is the meaning of Philippians 2:12-13.

 

Fourth – identify specific areas of ‘acceptable’ sins. (covered in the book’s chapters on specific sins) As we read each chapter, humbly ask the Holy Spirit to help us see if there is a pattern of that sin in our life, which will enable us to better put it to death.

 

Fifth – find specific applicable Scriptures to each of our subtle sins, (use concordance) memorizing them, reflecting on them, applying and praying over them as we ask God to use those God-breathed words to help us deal with those sins.

 

Sixth – cultivate the practice of prayer over the sins we tolerate. Prayer is one of our major directions for dealing with sin; through prayer we consciously acknowledge our need of the Holy Spirit for dealing with our sin and stay aware of the presence of them.

 

Seventh – we should involve one or two other believers with us in our struggles against our subtle sins in a mutual relationship as we seek to exhort, encourage, and pray for one another.

 

…The biggest motivator in our spiritual battles against sin is in Chapter 10 of Mr. Whitney’s book: Do You Yearn For Heaven And To Be With Jesus?

Mr. Whitney states that “those who have been on a long pilgrimage increasingly desire to reach their destination, especially one as glorious and excellent as Heaven. Those who have spent decades loving and living for Jesus naturally long to see Him.” That is the message of Romans 8:22-23. Paul makes a similar statement in 2 Corinthians 5:2. “These longings for the coming great change in body and place are simply part of a normal, healthy, growing Christian life.” Does our yearning for heaven in and of itself confirm that we know the very one with whom we wish to be, or is our yearning focused on getting relief from this hard life? 

Mr. Whitney offers that “the question is not merely, ‘Do you yearn for Heaven and to be with Jesus?’ but also, ‘For which Heaven and Jesus do you yearn?’” Do we yearn for a place of holiness? If being holy as God is holy is off-putting for us in our earthly existence, then we will hate heaven. Are we longing for and looking forward to a heart without sin? To have a pure heart to see the Lord? To being clothed in righteousness? That is what growing Christians increasingly long for – not just a “rest” from troubles and difficulties, but a holy heaven, holy relationships in heaven, a Holy Jesus, a holy joy, where we will be able to gaze and gaze upon the Lamb of God, on Jesus our Savior. Is that the thing we want above everything else? Is our groaning for that kind of heaven? 

I confess that at one time my “heaven” was a place of green valleys, of beautiful sunsets, of peace all around me, of a Garden of Eden. The more I grow in Christ, the more I know Him personally, I find my desire for Him is growing more than a desire for a heavenly geography. 

We have the Spirit of the Living God moving in us, motivating us, energizing us, developing joy into a once burdened heart. We are riddled by sin’s woes, and we work with that same Spirit to put off those things displeasing to God. But, let us not forget that this struggle is not forever:

·  “You are from God, little children, and have overcome [the spirit of the evil one]; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4

·  ⁴For whoever has been born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world: our faith. ⁵ Who is the one who overcomes the world, but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 1 John 5:4-5

·  The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will grant to eat from the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.’ Revelation 2:7

·  The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.’  Revelation 2:11

·  The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows except the one who receives it.’  Revelation 2:17

·  The one who overcomes, and the one who keeps My deeds until the end, I will give him authority over the nations;   Revelation 2:26

·  The one who overcomes will be clothed the same way, in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.   Revelation 3:5

·  The one who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.   Revelation 3:12

·  The one who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat with My Father on His throne.   Revelation 3:21

 

For these things we fight the good fight of faith; we do spiritual battle against sin and the evil one everyday. We know that we have the power to be faithful to the end, because Jesus has given us that kind of power that raises us up to life with Him. We are victors who will see the one for whom we yearn, Jesus Christ, in all of His glory and splendor, and we shall be clothed with His righteousness.

 

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. -  Ephesians 3:20-21

"My People Perish ..." can you complete the Bible verse?

[This was sent to a youth group at my church for them to contemplate.]

Following is a true story.

If you have done any serious TV watching over the past year, you will have seen a commercial about a place called Camp Lejeune. It is a sad story. (Information below derived from several postings by local governments, veterans' groups, the Bladder Cancer Society, et. al.)

From the 1950s through the 1980s, people – Marines, their families, contract employees, visiting military, etc. living or working/regularly visiting the U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in Lejeune, North Carolina, were potentially exposed to and/or poisoned by contaminated drinking water. The water contaminants were toxic: industrial solvents, benzene, and other chemicals. Benzene is a colorless volatile liquid hydrocarbon present in coal tar and petroleum, and used in chemical synthesis, i.e., causing or producing a chemical reaction. An example of that is the combination of sodium (Na) and chlorine (Cl) to produce sodium chloride (NaCl). Its use as a solvent has been reduced because it was discovered later to contain carcinogenic or cancer-causing properties that could prove mortally compromising if breathed in, ingested, or absorbed through the skin. However, in the 1950s through the 1980s in Lejeune, North Carolina, persons were ignorant of this and other toxins that had entered into the eating and drinking environment and sources: the water used for making urns and urns of coffee, making pots and pots of tea, making pitchers full of lemonade or iced tea; of boiling vegetables and meat in, of making baby formulas with. Over a period of 30-plus years. There is a saying that you may have heard before – “ignorance is bliss”, but for the hundreds, if not thousands of persons ingesting or otherwise exposed to the Camp’s water, bliss was not in their future.

The impact of the toxins was not immediate; but over the course of time, large numbers of persons connected to the military were presenting with differing cancers and conditions: bladder cancer, breast cancer, esophageal cancer, kidney cancer, different blood cancers – including leukemia and aplastic anemia, lung cancers, liver cancer, lymphoma, female infertility, Parkinson’s disease, and more. It has not been officially confirmed when the military ‘discovered’ this disastrous situation (it has been reported that it only became aware of the issue in 1985), but when research into the commonalities of the patients over the course of decades came to light, people who were still alive or who had relatives and friends who had succumbed to the cancers they had contracted as a result of the poisoned waters, were stunned. How many survived is unknown, but the number of deaths and the amount of suffering caused by the poisoning were monumental.

Can you imagine – all of those people were walking around with ‘time bombs’ in their bodies because they did not know. Friends and families consoling each other through years of pain and suffering - theirs and others who spent time at the base. They did not know that the water was poisoned. They did not know that the cause of their cancers and other fatal health issues was caused by drinking the same water that they took their medicines with that were supposed to combat the cancers growing in their bodies. They suffered and died because they did not know. The dead people will not be able to be compensated – no money will bring them back. No successful court battle will take away the years of pain and suffering. They died not knowing why.

As I said, this is a true story, and so very sad. Its ramifications are still being felt. Families who had members who lived and died during the 1960s through present will never be able to reconcile the inconceivable idea that their beloved were poisoned in the course of their work. So, one may say, “that is sad – but I didn’t have any relatives or know anybody who had that experience.”

That is quite true – you may not have had anyone with whom you share DNA or was a family friend who suffered as a result of the poisoned water. But that is not the point of this story.

Can you figure out what is the point, and what it has to do with the partial quote in the subject line? Will anyone be able to figure it out?

Results will be posted in a few days. 

Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health, Question 7

 “Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health,” Donald S. Whitney. 2001. NavPress.*

Question 7:  Are the Spiritual Disciplines Increasingly Important to You? (excerpts and highlights from Chapter 7; also, excerpts from “5 Things Every Christian Needs to Grow,” R. C. Sproul. 2008. Reformation Trust Publishing)  “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands”, 2 Timothy 1:6

Dr. Whitney’s book, in chapter 7, begins with how to build a wood fire and sustain it. He uses this metaphor in a way similar to the apostle Paul’s inspired language in 2 Timothy 1:6, Paul’s admonition to Timothy to rekindle the faith flame in him.  Dr. Whitney ends his introduction to the chapter with the following: “Nothing contributes to the growth of spiritual ‘heat and light’ more than the persevering practice of the Christian spiritual disciplines. The disciplines are the bellows and the iron poker – tools in God’s hands through which He stokes and blows upon the eternal fire He Himself ignites in His people.” He states that the spiritual disciplines are biblical, God-given and grounded in His Word; the Holy Spirit who authored the Bible works through the disciplines in ways unique to each believer. And that the spiritual disciplines in God’s Word are sufficient, requiring no ceremony, rite, ritual, religious habit or spiritual exercise. Nothing but God’s Spirit can create the environment Christians need as they pursue Christ’s holiness.

In this chapter, Dr. Whitney identifies the disciplines as devotional and sanctifying practices, e.g., prayer, fasting, solitude, private reading of and meditation on Scripture, as well as corporate worship. He adds a couple of pertinent points: the disciplines are practices, not attitudes, that engaging in the Christian disciplines is more than piety. The purpose is to use the disciplines as an instrument for pursuing a deeper communion and intimacy with Christ. To "add some meat to those bones", the fundamental premise Dr. Whitney provides, I have included in this paper the five spiritual disciplines iterated by Dr. R. C. Sproul in his book, “5 Things Christians Need to Grow,” to give believers substantive learning of what the spiritual disciplines are. The quotes and highlights from Dr. Sproul’s book are just that – they are not the full-on detail that the St. Christopher’s Tuesday evening Bible Study Group had the privilege of studying using Dr. Sproul’s book as a guide. (To obtain your copy, see above information in the introductory paragraph and purchase from Amazon or your favorite bookstore.) The five disciplines are Bible study, prayer, worship, service, and stewardship.

Bible Study. Dr. Sproul opens this first chapter by recalling for the believer the sin of one of the most highly favored kings of Israel – King David. When David is confronted with his offense, he recognizes that his adultery and murder were - primarily and in the utmost - sins against God. David expresses his grief in Psalm 51 – a familiar passage visited and recited during Lent. Comparing this Psalm to Psalm 1, we see a different picture of David; likewise in Psalm 119 – images of a devoted worshiper and lover of God’s Word. David’s break with God through his sin thrust him into a depression and lack of joy. Like David, we can allow our feelings to trump God’s Word, deceiving ourselves that such action will bring a joy, but it is short-lived. Because God loves us, He will not let us languish in our sin. 

The power of God’s Word is extraordinary, as Hebrews 4:12-13 also tells us – it is the Spirit’s tool that allows us to discern God’s will and reveal what is in our hearts; it is God’s voice to us. In it we hear the need for God’s grace and mercy; He wants the best for us. The Master Handbook, the Bible, reveals God’s character and acts as a light to guide us to growing intimacy with Him. When viewed from that perspective, our response must be to bow before God and seek forgiveness and His presence.

Immersing ourselves in the Bible -- not just as a goal to rush through the Bible in a year so as to check off a box – rather, we do so to gain the mind of Christ, to learn what discipleship is. Dr. Sproul uses 2 Timothy 3 to undergird that statement. Just as Paul wrote to Timothy in the first century AD, we, too, in our 21st century world and cultures, are exhorted to “continue in the things (of truth) which we have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them,” knowing truth of Scripture -- not trying to piecemeal it through “hearsay”. Are we being strengthened in faith and in our walk with God by the study and application of God’s Word, or are we satisfied with head knowledge and the ability to quote scripture with the skill of the devil, while being detached from its application? (Matthew 4:5-6) Do we profit from our study of the Word to be able to comprehend Biblical doctrine, to be corrected by the Word in our thoughts and behavior and practicing repentance, to learn righteousness and holiness? (2 Timothy 3:15-17) Do we participate in a worship community’s teaching ministry regularly? (Ephesians 4:11-12) Do we hold scholarship and academic criticism of God’s Word above the Bible? (Matthew 5:17-19; 1 Thessalonians 2:13) Are we reading and meditating on the entire Bible, harking back to 2 Timothy 3:15-17? Are we growing in trust of God’s Word? (Psalm 119:42) Do we have in our Bible study arsenal a study Bible, a concordance, and similar resources?

Prayer. Well, that seems like a no-brainer, one might say. But, what informs and shapes our prayers? Is our focus “what God can do for us?” Why should we pray?

• It is our duty. We are called to be a people of prayer. Dr. Sproul’s book refers to explicit Scriptures: Romans 12:12; Philippians 4:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:17 – to name a few. Jesus gave a parable recorded at Luke 18:1-6 as admonition of what we ought to do, i.e., it is an ethical and moral necessity – a solemn duty we are to perform. Prayer is conversation (two-way) with God, as we come before His throne in all humbleness. (Hebrews 4:16)
  
  
•  It is a privilege. Prayer is instituted by God and gifted to His people as a privilege not to be taken lightly. In God’s Word, our relationship with the Father is like a marriage, where both persons are “one,” not just signifying a communion or intimacy with God, but also agreeing with God’s Word to us, which is what our “Amen” conveys. God will not hear the prayers of willful sinners and nonbelievers. (Isaiah 58:3-5) Jesus was asked by His disciples how to pray and he taught them. We benefit even today by their inquisitiveness.  
  
  
• It is a means. Prayer is a means God uses to bring about His intended “ends” and redemption; God uses our prayers as His instruments to bring about His will. We pray to change us, not God! Thus, our prayers informed by Scripture change things. (James 5:13-18) God answers prayers of those who seek His truth. (Acts 10) Prayer is effective most often when offered in “the Spirit” – praying God’s Word, being in unity with God’s will. (Ephesians 6:18-20) We often hear the expression, "the power of prayer;" it is often said in a way that makes it sound like rubbing an oil lamp and waiting for God to appear and give us what we want. As if "prayer" is an entity all unto itself. The truth is this: Prayer’s power is based in and tied to relationship with God; without that relationship, or a heartfelt desire to have one, a prayer has little power. (refer to Isaiah 58 above) Prayer, in tandem with the meditation on God’s Word, increases our trust in God multifold. (Mark 11:24; 1 John 5:14) Using the Lord’s Prayer as a pattern, some use this structure acronymically: ACTS – Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication – where God is praised and honored foremost.

Worship. The essence and foundation of worship is obedience. Worship is initiated by God; God determines what worship of Him is to look like. After God had given Moses a lengthy description of how He wanted to be worshiped by His people - instruction that was passed on to the people, two sons of Aaron chose to worship God in their own way, to their own liking, despite God’s warnings. (Leviticus 10:1-3) 

God takes worship seriously. In this world of “entitlement”, even some in the Church have adopted that line of reasoning, interpreting in favor of themselves what pleases God. That attitude violates the first Commandment: You shall have no other gods before me (in My presence). (Exodus 20:2-3) That Commandment is still in force, per Jesus’ words in Matthew 5 as noted above. God created us, and all creation, to bow before Him in obedience and worship. (Romans 1:19-23; Psalm 66:4; Psalm 148; Psalm 150 (these are great prayer starters by the way!)) 

Worship is not restricted to a building or location, nor a particular place on earth. When speaking to the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus responds to her presumption that worship is either on Mount Gerizim in Samaria, or in Jerusalem. He answers her presumption regarding where God is to worshiped: neither on that mountain nor in Jerusalem, but in Spirit and Truth. He clearly notes that worship is not restricted to a “where”, but rather through a “who” – in Spirit and truth. Spirit has no boundary, no geographic location; i.e., God is not confined to a geographic location or building. We must worship God in spirit – in harmony with the Holy Spirit, with our hearts fully engaged and our desires in agreement with Him; we must worship in truth, not our truth but His Truth, by His ordinance and designation in His Word. 

What does it mean to engage with the Holy Spirit? In a recent sermon at my church, the Pastor spoke to that encounter between Jesus and the woman of Samaria. The “living water” Jesus cites is metaphor for the Holy Spirit and His active work in us. She ruminated in her talk about how long one can go without water before its lack began to have detrimental effects on the body; continuing Jesus reference to the Spirit’s aliveness, His work in our lives, the intricacies of being indwelt by God the Holy Spirit – should we resist His work and/or ignore His work in us? If we do, the Holy Spirit will not force us to worship or force us to obey, and will be quiet, in grief, rather than enlivening, refreshing. We spiritually become like a blocked stream where the water has stagnated and has begun to slowly evaporate. If you have ever seen a stagnate puddle or pool where the water has evaporated, you may see a 'shadow' outline of where the water once was. So it goes when we resist the work of and refuse to heed the Spirit's call and prompting - allowing our Bible to gather dust. How long can a Christian go without the active life power and refreshing of the Holy Spirit in our lives? Consider what the consequences will look like and feel like.

We are to prepare ourselves for worship. As we worship individually, we come before God in prayer, praising Him and offering Him thanksgivings, confessing our sins. Inculcating Scripture and understanding from God. In our daily walk we demonstrate our worship by obedience to Him -- which is the foundation and essence of worship, and doing all things to His glory. We are also called to come together corporately to worship, as instructed in Hebrews 10:24-25.

In the liturgies of some churches, there is a rationale for the “order of worship.” We pray and praise God; we open our hearts, minds and spirits to hear the “cleansing” Word of God read to us and are to contemplate on that Word; that Word of God is then to be exposited by the preacher who has prayed for God to put His words in their mouth so that what is heard is coming from God. We worship in obedience, are instructed in the Word, and we confess our sins. We make peace with our brothers and sisters, then give our gifts to God in grateful thanksgiving cheerfully, as we approach His throne of grace to engage in sweet communion with Him through the remembrance of the Lord’s Supper. Our words and hearts are filled with praise and adoration, in prayers and supplications, as we bow before Him in humble obedience. Do we gather regularly with our local worship community? Do we desire such gathering? Does our daily walk, activity, attitudes, behavior reflect our daily walk of worship of God? Is the majority of our worship spent only inside a church building? Is our worship bearing fruit?

Service. What does the Bible say about service? The best examples are found in Jesus. In addition to serving His Father by willingly submitting Himself as a sacrifice to open the means for restoration of the world with God, there are other ways that Jesus served others; He did not come to be served, but to serve. Part of that service was giving healing to many; the work was almost nonstop at certain times; He could feel the power leave Him, and in His humanity, the magnitude of His service often left Him quite tired! Jesus served the needs of His disciples so that they may accompany Him in His missionary work. In John 13, Jesus humbly cleans their feet, assuming the role of a slave, to teach them the necessity of how to serve one another with humility. Members of the early Church were inspired to serve one another to ensure that all needs were met. So that the Church could function as a community of oneness, God instituted a structure for corporate worship and life by creating servant leadership roles and servanthood opportunities in differing ministries within the Church. (Ephesians 4:11-16; 1 Corinthians 12:1-18; Acts 6:1-6) Ministerial, or as they are often called, “spiritual” gifts, have been given to all believers indwelt by the Spirit so that the work of the Kingdom may be carried out effectively. When persons choose to not use their gifts for whatever reason, there is a diminishment of effectiveness both seen and felt, and the congregation suffers from that imbalance and neglect. When we are not serving others as Jesus served, our worship may not be pleasing to God.[i] Service, for some, may be demonstrated in their vocation: some enter the broad field of healing; others may serve as caretakers for persons unable to do for themselves; may serve in the military or in the local police departments; may serve as grocery store workers, mechanics and technicians; in industries that support the environment; in the farming industry, in hospitality services, as educators, and the list goes on; always working as to the Lord! Find God’s purpose for you.

Stewardship. Often when a local church talks about "stewardship," it is during a campaign or other event to encourage financial giving to the local church. That is but a small though vital aspect of what Christian stewardship is. As we look at the disciplines God has given us, can we agree that these all fall under the broad heading of stewardship? 

We are given stewardship of our . As Peter is inspired to write in his first letter, all Christians are called to be “stewards of the manifold grace of God.” Think. soberly. about the depth of that imperative. Even the word used here, manifold, just barely touches the edge of what God's grace is. How broad and how deep is God’s grace? Immeasurable. Yet God has given each of us grace in proper measure [ii] so that His Kingdom will increase in its earthly manifestation.

We have been made stewards of creation – how are we doing with that? Taking a look at the crises caused by climate change and global warming, we have to give ourselves as the human race an F-minus. While Jesus in his famous Mt. Olivet discourse recorded in the Gospels about the last days foretold the onslaught of what we are experiencing now in climate swings, melting polar caps, disappearing animal species, daily earthquakes, and polluted air and waters, and so forth, making that connection requires knowing Scripture and discerning the times. 

We have already noted how the early Church handled matters of stewardship. But let us revisit the financial support for a moment. Such support was instituted for the people of God by God in the form of a tithe of income and/or harvest[iii] (it was already a common practice in the region of Canaan). Under the sacrificial system of worship established by God, every family, during various “feasts” in the year, would take the first fruits of their harvests, or one-tenth of their harvests, livestock, and other designated items to give to God to support the service of the priesthood, as affirmation that they owe God their lives, to confess their reliance on God, as an expression of thanks to God in all humility. God chose the Levite priesthood for Himself and the nation was to support the work of the priests at the Tabernacle, and later, the Temple. As obedient children to a Father, God would supply and increase their yields to make such giving not burdensome. The Church would also practice the tithing of income/goods, which may also include service of some kind. So, like that, the work of forwarding the Kingdom message would not be hampered, and the needs of the worship community and the greater community met. When it is possible and/or hearts are committed to the Kingdom and God’s people, Christians will give beyond the tithe to support a special project or need.

 

Armed now with such vital information, what shall we do? Are we eager to add these disciplines to our lives? When this life is over, will we just be satisfied with “squeezing” through Heaven’s gate, or will our hearts long to hear the amazing words, “Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; come, enter the joy of your Master.”

*The foregoing represents my personal reflections on a study by Dr. Donald S. Whitney, Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health. (2001. By Donald S. Whitney. NAVPRESS. ISBN 978-1-61747-187-2) Quotations and excerpts are from that source, unless otherwise identified. For the 2023 Lenten season I provided these thoughts to my local congregation's Bible study group. The questions are not, however, constrained by a particular liturgical season, holiday, or age group: these are questions every Christian may find useful in fulfilling God's command at 2 Corinthians 13:5, "Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless, indeed, you fail to meet the test!" The church at Corinth looked a lot like many of our churches today.

---

[i] In this context, worship and service is not just what we do inside a building. Jesus wants us to worship corporately, yes, however, what happens next? Where is the most important worship taking place? Outside the walls of the church building in our daily walk. One church calls it, “the mission field” of self and community. See also Ezekiel 3:16-21.

[ii] Also see Ephesians 4:7.

[iii] Several references are in Exodus and Leviticus. Search in a program such as Biblegateway for one-tenth or tithe.