IF FAITH IS REAL

In the political campaign just ended, faith was talked about more than in most campaigns in recent memory, at least out here in Colorado. We heard many candidates claim to have faith in God.

Interestingly, more than a few of them quickly went on to say something like this, “However, I try to keep my faith as a private matter between me and my God. I don’t let my faith affect the way I vote or make decisions in the political realm.”

That’s a fascinating kind of “faith;” a kind that, quite frankly, is completely unrecognizable when compared to what the Bible calls faith.

Such a so-called “faith” sees a person’s relationship to deity in completely private terms, making it a kind of hidden hopefulness that some god (who desires to play no active role in one’s day-to-day existence) will one day be nice to everyone and let us all go to heaven – or wherever.

The fact is, faith is not like that at all. If faith is real, it transforms you, and keeps on transforming you, making you little-by-little more like Jesus. That transformation is not isolated to the “religious” part of yourself, but extends to every aspect of your personhood: who you are, what you do, how you make decisions, and what you consider to be valuable.

Thus, if faith is real, it can’t be hidden, because it changes you. It can’t be privatized, because it makes you live differently. And it certainly can’t be relegated to the “religious sphere” of one’s life – whatever that is.

Inspired by God’s Spirit, James stated it this way: “faith without works is dead” (James 2:26). That’s blunt enough, isn’t it?

Or, to put it another way: if your faith doesn’t produce changes in your life, it’s not faith at all. It’s just a corpse – it may look real, but there’s no life in it.

If faith is real, it always results in change, because when you place your faith in Jesus Christ, a new life begins. You become a whole new person on the inside. Suddenly, you are changed. Formerly just a child of your earthly parents, you become a child of your heavenly Father. And since you have become His child, the family resemblance begins to take over. As you live out your life of faith in an intimate love relationship with God, the things that matter most to Him also come to matter most to you. Your values become more in tune with His values. Your heart begins to break over the things that break the heart of God. And you begin to be committed to those ideals God is committed to.

And, none of that can be hidden. It shows. Always. I repeat: A-L-W-A-Y-S. Indeed, if nothing shows, if no change is visible, then there’s nothing there. No real faith at all.

So, next time you hear politicians -- or anyone else, for that matter! -- say they have a kind of so-called faith that doesn’t change the way they live and act and vote, ask yourself who they’re trying to fool.

One thing’s for sure. They’re not fooling God.

Not an actual article, but, so, like, anyway . . .

. . . I mean really, uh, anyway, we were going out to, uh, the ,uh, you know, thing, and all, and when we got there, well, uh, the dude was, like - "whoa man!" I mean, and we were all, uh, you know - "whoa!" and stuff, and when I said to him, like, you know, "hey man", and all they, I mean he, was all "what?" and stuff - and I just told him what you said and all and they were all man - "not cool dude", but whatever - so, uh, we split and went back to my lair and just hung out and whatever, but the whole thing was, like, just SUCH a bummer and all but, you know, it was cool and stuff, but you just gotta, you know, about the dude and all, like, it's cool and all you know, but what's up with that "blah blah blah"? Whatzit got to do with Jesus and all? I mean, really, dude, whatever . . . but, it's cool and all . . . so, anyway, you know, I mean, like, right?

PASTORS NEED TO BE PRAYED FOR

News flash: pastors are people too. Just like all Christians, pastors are tempted with many of the usual enticements of this world. Though this should never be used as an excuse for sin, it is an important reality to remember, especially in view of the recent news out of Colorado Springs. The much-publicized moral failure of well-known pastor Ted Haggard highlights the need for the church to learn to relate in more healthy way with the real people that pastors are.

However, before I go any further, let me state unequivocally that what Ted Haggard did was wrong and sinful, and it was appropriate, by his own admission, that He be removed from his ministry.

In his letter of departure from his church, Ted Haggard wrote something intriguing. He indicated that, though he had accountability partners to help him overcome temptation, he let pride and shame keep him from being honest with them, and so the power of the temptation grew until he sinned. Interesting, isn’t it? He was ashamed that he was tempted, so he quit talking about his temptations, and eventually gave in to them.

The question naturally arises: why would anyone be ashamed of being tempted? After all, being tempted is not the same as giving in to the temptation. Temptation is when we sense an opportunity or an urge to sin. Scripture says that everyone is tempted, and that includes Jesus Himself during His earthly ministry. Indeed, Hebrews 4:12 says, “He was tempted in every way that we are, but He didn't sin.” Clearly, temptation to sin is not the same as sin itself.

Why do some folks seem ashamed that they are tempted? I don’t know for certain, but, I do know why some pastors won’t talk about their temptations: they’re afraid if they admit to being tempted they may be considered weak or somehow flawed. They wonder whether their admission of being tempted will turn into a church-wide object of gossip rather than being kept a confidential subject of prayer. They may even think that, because church leaders must aspire to a higher standard (see James 3:1), some will criticize them because they haven’t “gotten over that” by now.

However, the point here is not so much to analyze pastors, but rather to learn to deal with temptation in a healthy way BEFORE it leads to sin. Imagine the victory we would enjoy if we could say to a fellow Christian, “I’m struggling with a particular temptation. Would you pray for me?” How healthy it would be if pastors could discuss their temptations with a few other Christians, to objectify the temptation, reveal the schemes of the Tempter, and thus prevent sin before it takes place. Indeed, how beneficial it would be if all of us would pray for each other about our temptations, lest we give in to them!

Yes, pastors are people. Though that doesn’t excuse it when they sin, it does remind us that they, like all Christians, need the freedom to share their temptations and ask for prayer.

Could your pastor ask you for this kind of prayer?