What Breaks God's Heart?

One of the most quoted phrases from contemporary worship in recent times would have to be "Break my heart for what breaks Yours" from Brooke Fraser's well loved song 'Hosanna'.  Every time I sing these words I immediately think of all that is broken in our world through a lens of social justice - war, poverty, slavery, human trafficking, drug and alcohol abuse, family violence...and sadly, this barely scratches the surface! Interpreting these words in this way is consistent with the message of the prophets - "And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8) - and is in alignment with the mission of Jesus Christ - "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners  and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour" (Luke 4:18-9).  God is clearly concerned about human suffering and flourishing and is grieved by anything that diminishes His image in humankind.  But could there be more than a social justice lens to understand the meaning of these provocative words?  What else breaks God's heart?

Again, I look to God's message and mission as revealed in Scripture and discover that He is as concerned about holiness as He is about justice...

"This is what the Sovereign Lord says: It is not for your sake, people of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone.  I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Sovereign Lord, when I am proved holy through you before their eyes." (Ezekiel 36:22-23)

So when I sing, "Break my heart for what breaks Yours," my thinking needs to extend beyond that which offends my humanity to that which offends God's divinity.  While the two are not mutually exclusive, as God's holiness and justice are inseparable; it seems the former has a declining impact on the hearts of many Christ followers than the latter. In fact, when Christians raise their voices against a violation of justice it evokes a somewhat different response from others than when Christians raise their voices against a violation of holiness. This is an interesting paradox when you consider that the first and greatest commandment is to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" (Matthew 22:37).  The depth of this love calls for complete devotion that synchronises two hearts as one, so that the pursuit of holiness reframes what breaks the hearts of those who say they love God. 

Consider these expressions of such love towards a holy God by key leaders in Scripture...

King David, who was described as being "a man after God's own heart" (1 Samuel 13:14), offered a prayer of repentance for his sin against a holy God, whom he loved:  "For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.  Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge." (Psalm 51:3-4)

The prophet Isaiah saw his sinfulness in the presence of the holiness of God and cried, "Woe to me!  I am ruined!  For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty." (Isaiah 6:5)

The disciple Simon Peter, humbled by the authority of Jesus, "fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!"" (Luke 5:8)

The apostle Paul, fully aware of his own wretchedness and the power of the Spirit, chose not to "live according to the flesh" nor to have his "mind set on what the flesh desires; [but to] live in accordance with the Spirit [with his] mind set on what the Spirit desires." (Rom 8:5)

 
In each case their brokenness led to repentance and their repentance led to holiness and their holiness positioned them for mission.  God says, "Be holy because I am holy" (1 Peter 1:16).  Why?  Only when our hearts are fully aligned with God's heart can our hearts be truly broken by what breaks His.  Only from this posture can we truly identify what is broken in this world.  Only then can we bring a message of hope and engage in a ministry of healing.  Only then will God's kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).

God's mission demands a posture of humility before a holy God, otherwise...

How can we preach a mandate of HOLINESS when we continue to justify what is right in our own eyes?

How can we participate in a ministry of HEALING when we cannot recognise the brokenness of our fallen humanity?

How can we promote a message of HOPE when we are seduced by the values of this world?

What breaks God's heart is when the church misinterprets the full counsel of Scripture and misrepresents the character of God by setting holiness and justice against each other, thereby robbing people from experiencing the fullness of life that Jesus came to give all humankind!

Who Am I?

While talking to the Lord this morning He reminded me of some important truths about my personal holiness. Far too often I fixate on 'who I am NOT' and lose sight of 'who I AM' in Christ. When I focus on what I am lacking (that is, my sinfulness), I am unable to see what I have (that is, God's righteousness). The former has "[my] mind set on what the flesh desires" (Romans 8:5) whereas the latter "fixes [my] eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith" (Hebrews 12:2). This is not a denial of reality but a view of reality through different lenses. Jesus restored the image of God within fallen humanity through a vision of His kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. The present reality is being transformed by the presence and power of Holy Spirit through whom "inwardly we are being renewed day by day" (2 Corinthians 4:16). Therefore, we should "fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:18).

Joseph Prince nailed it when he wrote, "It is time to awake to righteousness and sin not. Believe that you are righteous and you will start living like a righteous man or woman of God" (Joseph Prince, 'Destined To Reign').

God's righteousness in me has nothing to do with who I am or what I have done but everything to do with who Christ is and what He has done. Right belief always leads to right behaviour! In this case, right belief is much more than an intellectual understanding of a new reality but an integrated application of this inherited new reality in Christ.

“Righteousness represents the state of God’s character – his goodness, his purity, his character.    We inherit God’s righteousness when we have faith and believe in him.    Faith and belief in the spirit of God’s grace is what constitutes our righteousness."  (Mae Elise Cannon, 'Social Justice Handbook')

HOLY! A review...

Yesterday, I partnered with a number of Salvation Army Corps around Melbourne to help launch a new book during our church service that was co-written by two of my Salvation Army Officer colleagues and friends, Major Stephen Court and Captain Peter Brookshaw. The book is titled "HOLY! - Nine lies, half-truths and outrageous misconceptions about the most radical experience you've never lived."

Having read a number of books along my spiritual journey about holiness, from past and present authors, I was keen to discover what this new publication would add to an already well covered subject. While it doesn't add anything new, it does invite us to take a fresh look at an experience that has become misunderstood, misrepresented or misplaced in the church today despite the unchanging biblical call to be holy.  That's the beauty of this book.  It puts holiness back on the agenda for the 21st century church by challenging the "lies, half-truths and outrageous misconceptions" that have robbed many Christians from this life transforming experience.

Right from the outset Major Danielle Strickland sets the tone for the book in her foreword by removing holiness off the shelf of spiritual idealism or theoretical rhetoric and grounds it by declaring that "The blessing of holiness is not in the idea but in the experience of it."  

From that platform, Brookshaw and Court deliver a clear and concise overview of an experience that is intended for every Christ follower, not just the "super saints."  They are unapologetic about taking holiness out of the realms of pop-theology and reframing it through a lens of Scripture to provide us with a biblical image of a holy life as personified by Jesus Christ.  They are unforgiving of the untruths that distort this experience, yet gracious in re-establishing a biblical framework of truth around holy living.  And they are uncompromising about calling the reader to a renewed desire to "be holy, because [God is] holy" (1 Peter 1:16).

HOLY! doesn't attempt to provide an in-depth theological commentary about holiness but does provide an accessible response to FAQ about holiness that could unleash a renewed passion to pursue a Christ-like, Spirit-filled experience of a holy life that will radically transform this generation of Christ followers!

If ever there was a time when a renewed focus on holiness is needed in the church, it is NOW!!  HOLY! can be purchase from http://commerce.salvationarmy.org.au/default.asp 

Realigning Christianity

If you are a follower of Jesus Christ who has declared His Lordship over your life, accepted His Word as the source of truth, and received His Spirit as your guide, then this post is for you...and me!

We are "a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that we should show forth the praises of him who has called us out of darkness into his marvellous light" (1 Peter 2:9).  We have been "saved and called to a holy life - not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace" (2 Timothy 1:9).  We have been commissioned "to go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19-20).

Therefore, as God's chosen, called and commissioned people we are urged to "offer ourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God" and are warned to "not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Romans 12:1-2).  As such, our lives become His and His ways become ours.  Our hearts beat after His and His mind is in us.  Our desires are submitted to Him and His will becomes ours.  

As fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ, we are to "have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:  Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather he made himself nothing by taking on the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death - even death on a cross!" (Philippians 2:5-8)

However, against this biblical framework of Christian faith...

There is an emerging form of Christianity where words like sacrifice, submission and service are being exchanged for a self-centred humanistic theology that seems more strongly influenced by popular opinion than being inspired by divine revelation!

• Some Christians pursue their HAPPINESS instead of God's HOLINESS
• Some Christians defend their RIGHTS ahead of God's RIGHTEOUSNESS
• Some Christians place their PREFERENCES over God's PATTERN
• Some Christians value their OPINIONS more than God's TRUTH
• Some Christians consider EQUALITY with the world greater than SUBMISSION to God's kingdom order
• Some Christians seek TOLERANCE of all views at the expense of OBEDIENCE to God's commands

This emerging form of Christianity unwittingly or maybe willingly flirts dangerously close to Paul's warning to Timothy:  "For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine.  Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear" (2 Timothy 4:3).

This emerging form of Christianity is out of alignment with the relationship Jesus demonstrated with His Father and the life He modelled to His followers.  It has created a false dichotomy between God's love and justice, compromising truth for tolerance.  Jesus, on the other hand, "full of grace and truth" (John 1:14), reframed God's law and love in such a way that His justice and mercy hold together in perfect harmony.  Jesus, "full of grace and truth", redefined religion as a relationship that fully reflects God's character.  Jesus, "full of grace and truth", restored God's image in broken humanity by setting us "free from the law of sin and death" (Romans 8:2).  Jesus, "full of grace and truth", "condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit" (Romans 8:3-4).

Grace without truth is licence to do what is right in your own eyes.  Truth without grace is legalism to enforce your version of truth.  However, to be truly Christlike, grace and truth are the incarnational posture for humility and holiness that brings Christians into full submission to the One whose name we bear.  This is the only posture where the Spirit of Christ dwells and His transforming power prevails.  Anything less makes us a "slave to the law of sin", not the law of God (Romans 7:25).

At this time, when there is so much confusion and compromise in the church, our opinions and desires as Christ followers must be fully submitted to Jesus Christ if we are ever to regain our voice as effective witnesses in the world and be the generation to fulfill the Great Commission!

I Can See Clearly Now - I See MYSELF

One of the activities I used to enjoy doing to relax was drawing.  When my children were around two years old I attempted to draw my daughter sitting on a large log at a country market. 

 

While incomplete, I was particularly proud of my drawing [left] until I see it compared alongside the drawing of a 'real' artist [right]!  My perspective of my ability changes when compared alongside the ability of someone else. 

An under or over inflated view of ourselves is often right-sized when our self-image is compared with something or someone that redefines our perspective. Unfortunately, we live in a society where self-image takes a battering, but equally we live in a society that also has an over active ego!

Whatever our self-image looks like, a right image of God helps us to correct our image of ourselves.  It is only when we see ourselves for who we really are that we are able to reposition ourselves to become whom God intended us to be!

Just as a wrong perception of God will lead to a wrong perception of our selves, a right perception of God will enable us to see ourselves in perspective of His holiness.

As the prophet Isaiah's divine vision progresses from seeing "the Lord...high and exalted" (Isaiah 6:1), he moves from really seeing God, to really seeing himself: 

“Woe to me!” I cried, “I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” – Isaiah 6:5 

A vision of a Holy God exposes anything that is unholy!

From my experience and observation as a Corps Officer (Pastor), I have seen three primary responses that are in complete contrast to Isaiah’s response from people who have been exposed in some way by a vision of themselves:  Denial, Blame or Retreat… 

Denial is the unwillingness or inability to recognise anything that will challenge a person’s image of themselves.

Blame is the deflection onto someone or something else that we do not want to take ownership of ourselves.

Retreat is to remove ourselves from an environment where something about us is exposed that makes us feel uncomfortable or insecure.

In contrast to these three responses is that ‘aha’ moment that opens our eyes to new revelation that has potential life changing consequences if we have the humility to really see ourselves.

Isaiah had that ‘aha’ moment in the presence of a holy God!  When he really saw himself against the image of a holy God and humbled himself to confess that which was unholy, he experienced a cleansing that imparted God’s righteousness into this man, making him acceptable in the presence of a holy God.

King David sought this same cleansing after he had monumentally sinned against God in Psalm 51:10 – “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” 

This same cleansing is also available for you and I today as declared in 1 John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 

A clear vision of a holy God will enable you to see clearly who and where you are in your spiritual journey and if you humble yourself and embrace this vision, then you will reposition yourself for a divine encounter with a holy God who will make you righteous in His sight.

We can confidently and securely approach this holy God, because what He reveals to us is not to condemn us but to liberate us to become the people he has created us to be! 

“God is more just than any of us will ever be. He will not pretend or close a blind eye to our sinfulness. His holiness requires more than our brokenness can provide, yet He generously offers us life. When we turn to Him regardless of our condition, His gift to us is the same. In this regard He does not treat us differently. He loves us all with an everlasting love. You can choose to hold God’s generosity against Him, or you can receive the abundance of the life He offers.” - Erwin Raphael McManus “Uprising” p. 163