“HOPE IS FOREVER”

by Peter Garich

 

When I turned on the TV, to Fox news, I had a hard time believing what I saw and then heard. Being interviewed was this cute little grandmother type—with almost white hair and standing about 5 feet tall. As I watched, I thought to myself that there was something quite strange about this scene. What was so out of character for this warm, little grandmother type was that she was in combat fatigues. That’s right, she was in full battle-ready gear—with her M16 weapon in hand—ready to ship out to Iraq! The story went on to explain that this 56-year-old grandmother of three had been recalled into the

Army at her discharged rank of Captain, a rank she’d achieved during the Vietnam war. When she had completed her required service commitment (or so she thought), she left the service and began a whole new life. Even though she had fulfilled her required service agreement (both active and inactive), and had left the military, she had missed the fine print of her service contract. What they seemed to be saying about her unbelievable situation was that she had not formally resigned her commission and was therefore subject to being recalled during a time of war. And that is exactly what happened. Because the United States is at war she had been recalled and in the next three days was heading to the combat zone in Iraq. Unfortunately, this grandmother’s story was not

that uncommon. In fact, the story went on to say that there were many retired service people who were experiencing the same fate. As I watched, my heart went out to all these folks, and especially the grandmother. I wondered what was going through their minds as they faced such a radical, life-changing event. One other man they interviewed was a Christian and, although he was extremely and visibly shaken, he and his family said that their only hope was to place their future in the hands of the Lord and pray. His words, though quite reassuring concerning his faith, don’t quite reflect what I so often hear from many of those I counsel. If we went behind the cameras, and into the life of this family, I imagine they, too, would probably express many of the same questions that any of us would ask if we had our rug of security pulled out from underneath our feet. When our lives suddenly and without warning take such radical turns, it’s quite normal for us to ask all the usual questions. Sometimes we question our faith, or the love and sovereignty of our Lord. Thoughts such as, “Does God know how scared I really am right now, and if He does know, does He even care?” begin bombarding our fearful minds. Sometimes we

are plagued so severely by our doubts that we “feel” like giving up. At this point our focus on God seems to shift. We become consumed more with the circumstances we face than with the secure belief that our God is still completely and intimately sovereign. Or that His grace will take us through everything we face. Our anxious feelings and fear-riddled thoughts take over, and we lose sight of the FACT that God is still our loving Father and in absolute control. This, my dear friends, is the hope we want to remember as we begin a New Year. For these truths are the ones that will quell all of our fears no matter how life challenging. During times of such upheaval and confusion, many of the Faithful begin to ask, “What in the world is God doing in my life?” And without that

for which we yearn—an immediate answer—our spiritual bearings give way and a sense of hopelessness sets in. As one of the Faithful who has personally experienced his share of unwanted changes, I pray that the following thoughts can offer some helpful insights to build your hope. One of the most important insights I can pass along is that during these times of distress we MUST focus on God’s Word, as well as our relationship with the One who spoke it. Because of the reassuring truth that God sincerely loves us and has only His best in store for us, we can, and should, take a deep breath . . . and then ask for His grace to believe it. The Scriptures, and not our circumstances or emotions, will be the only source of truth we need during troubled times. For instance, God’s word assures us

that, “‘I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future . . . you will seek Me [during times of troubles] and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. I will be found by you’ declares the Lord.” (Jer. 29:11–14) To seek the Lord above all else during days of darkness is the hopeful admonition of this passage.  Here the Lord tells us that His plan for us during those times is always for our good. This is the hope we need—so that our fluctuating emotions or changing circumstances don’t rule our lives. When the question of, “Why am I going through these trials?” begins to haunt us, and it might, we again must go back to God’s Word. For it’s there, and only there, that we find His abundant means of strength and wisdom to answer such daunting concerns. Concerning the “why” His Word is again quite clear. One of the reasons we go through these trials, He tells us, is that He is testing our hearts to strengthen our faith. This has been true for all the people of God. When the Israelites entered the promise land the Lord told them that He was leaving some “giants” in the land so that they would continue to depend totally on Him. Complete dependence on God is as relevant and important to us today as it was for the Jews 4,000 years ago. It’s clear to God that, much like the Israelites, we can fall prey to living our lives in our own strength. And when left to our own device there’s little resistance to self-dependence. Even after times of tribulation it doesn’t take long before we are back to our “self-sufficient” old ways again. When we are facing the trial we are quick to call out to the Lord, but as soon as the crisis passes we fall back to doing things without thinking much about just how drastically we NEED Him. We think we can handle life’s ups and downs on our own with little, or no, help from above. This is a recurring problem for us all. C. S. Lewis told the story of a thoughtful and loving

young mother who found her precious little boy rolling and playing in the mud puddle outside their flat. Immediately she grabbed her darling, but utterly dirty, young son from the mud, took him in the house and proceeded to scrub him in the tub until his chubby little cheeks were pink and quite smashingly clean. But then, now being squeaky clean and free from his mum’s watchful eyes, the single-minded and mischievous young lad ran down the stairs, back out to his glorious mud puddle—and jumped right back in, rolling around until his new-found cleanliness was even dirtier than before. Lewis’ story graphically points out just how much we are like that mother and her young child. The

same as the loving mother, the Lord finds us wallowing in the filth of our sinful and destructive lives, but then, again like her, He plucks us out and washes our sins away until we are white as snow. And as for us, much like the thoughtless lad, as soon as we are “free” from the watchful eyes of our Father (so we think), we take off running back to the utter filth of our old ways. Disregarding the passion and price of our Savior, we foolishly believe it’s a great place to be—back the way we were when He found us.

Fortunately for us the Lord will not allow this to go on for too long. Just when we think we’re doing quite well (on our own), He brings in a “giant” or two (some trial or tribulation) and again we’re sliding down the hall on our knees. And as we head for our proverbial bed, we desperately cry out, “Lord, please help me, NOW.” As Ronald Reagan once put it, “There you go again.” We just don’t seem to get it. Here then again is the lesson, and thank God He intends for us to learn it: there is never-ever (no, nada) a time when we can do things on our own, period! We always need God because “apart from Me,” He says; we “can do NOTHING!” There are millions of people in the world who don’t know the Lord and are left to do it all by themselves. For them there is no “James the Giant Killer” and they are doomed to their own futile devices. But for us, our hope is in the Lord and His Word, which endures forever. Praise God, He won’t let us wallow in the mud forever. This New Year let’s all start again by finding our hope in God, His Word, and His unyielding faithfulness. And steadfastly continue in Him by keeping our eyes, minds, spirits and hearts fixed on our Savior’s grace, for ALL things are possible with Him—even His holiness, which we all desire. 

 

In His Service,

Peter Garich-

 ”Back Together Again”

 

 

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put Humpty together again.”

Or could they?

 

This timeless English nursery rhyme is sometimes used to characterize the collective belief that once someone is broken—emotionally and psychologically—they can’t be put back together again. In other words, when a person has experienced, say, a childhood of abuse or some kind of catastrophic relational event that deeply traumatizes, their lives are irreparably scarred forever. If you believe the saying, “You can bruise and break the body and it will mend, but when one’s heart is broken that person’s life will never be whole again,” then in most cases those who live with the pain, fear and anger of a devastating past will be tormented their entire lives. For them, the mental and emotional mindset of being victimized overshadows who they are and what they do in an all-encompassing way. Almost every one of these people has one thing in common: their traumatized past determines a future full of pain, hurt and brokenness. In terms of interpersonal relationships, most of them go through life believing they can’t have relationships based on anything other than pain and manipulation. Because it’s almost impossible for them to get what they truly desire—loving relationships where they are safe, accepted and secure—unless they continue in the destructive patterns with which they have grown up. In the case of these people it’s believed, as with Humpty Dumpty, that they, too, will never be put back together again. But is it inevitable that these dear men and women, who have suffered so much already, are doomed to the fate of never finding a King who can save them from their wretched pasts and destructive patterns? These are important questions. They are questions each of us should consider because we all know someone who is struggling with fear, anger and mistrust—all attitudes that come with the pain from these horrific pasts. Over the last month I received several e-mails asking me what happened to the couple I wrote about in the last newsletter. But more specifically, and with great empathy, you wanted to know how the wife is doing? Let me thank you for your e-mails, and please keep them coming. Send any questions or

comments to: petergarich@cox.net

  The couple’s marriage, as with most who come for counseling, is a work in progress. I can say that they have made significant strides, but there is much left to accomplish. As you already know, people who go through such overwhelming problems do not solve them overnight. They need our prayers as they continue to trust God and focus on the love of Christ that is healing them. I’m pleased to say that the gospel is saving and comforting them—the same as it does in the lives of all of us. I’m hopeful that God can put her life and their marriage “back together again.” Most importantly they are still together, working on their marriage and they both love God.

   There are some important questions we have been working on during their counseling. Because her past has caused so much grief, we have sought to understand not only what scripture says about dealing with one’s past, but also how God uses it for our good and His glory. There is an assumption that when bad things happen to a person then those experiences will always cause a life of hopelessness. As Christians this could not be further from the truth. Even though these kinds of experiences are traumatic, it’s nevertheless true that God takes everything we have ever gone through and works it all out for good. This doesn’t mean that God causes us to forget our pasts, but He does begin to reshape our hearts so we interpret such events from a godly perspective. As God works within us He redeems the evil—all those unbearable experiences of our pasts—causing us to see them as part of a greater plan for our growth and maturity in Christ. Scripture teaches us that, “God causes all things to work together for the good, for those who love Him and are called to be conformed to the image of His Son.” (Rms. 8:28) Humanly speaking this verse is hard to swallow. When a person has gone through the kind of abuse that no one would wish on an enemy it’s hard to see how God could make it into something good. This was one of our great challenges in counseling. In a kind of stark reality check our counseling dealt honestly with this difficult fact, while at the same time looking for the hope that God brings in all suffering.

A RADICAL NEW PERSPECTIVE:

We change how we understand and live with our past—emotionally, attitudinally and practically—by looking at it from God’s perspective. By seeing our lives—our whole lives—from the point of view of Scripture, our pasts will affect us much differently. You could say the perspectives and purposes of God are 180 degrees different than ours. God’s purposes for allowing us to experience such deep suffering are always perfect, merciful and gracious—causing us to become more like Jesus. Notice I used the words “merciful and gracious” to describe God’s purposes. They would be neither if He let us go on believing something contrary to His truth. If we continue to believe that pain is bad and bad is hopeless then we will never understand what His purposes are for us. From His perspective our bad experiences are good because they are redeeming in nature. What makes something that’s bad into something that’s good—even when it’s as severe as abuse—is what God uses it for and how we are changed by it. The Apostle Paul speaks of the eternal mindset we must foster in the face of all suffering if we are to have the mind of God. He tells us “All this [suffering] is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause our thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary sufferings and afflictions are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporal, but what is unseen is eternal.” Day after day we remember old hurts and experience new hardships which encourage us to see life from a human perspective—one focused only on further pain and suffering. Yet when we look at these experiences from

God’s viewpoint we will have a radical new perspective—turning our pasts upside down. Understanding suffering apart from the eternal significance it holds will leave us broken and devastated. But as we compare the weight of God’s glory—as we become more like Christ—with our momentary afflictions, our pasts take on unparalleled significance, for now they are seen and used for good.

A RADICAL NEW WAY OF LIVING:

“We must not only look at life’s hardships through the lens of Scripture, and God’s grace, but we must also live as though those same sufferings they are.”

~ Charles H. Spurgeon

  Accepting and believing this radical new way of looking at our past suffering achieves its logical/spiritual good as we are matured by it. So how should we respond to negative memories? Let the words of Paul instruct us again as he wrote to encourage his friends from the dark depths of his own captivity. “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all situations, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Now that we can look at life’s tribulations from an eternal perspective, our response can be wholly different. It still may seem extremely hard to invoke joy, prayer and thanksgiving in response to the afflictions we have suffered. Yet when we see these responses as spiritual utterances directed toward God our past would finally have true meaning. Our deepest pain will be tempered by the joy we find in Christ. Our haunting memories will be diminished through the prayers we cry aloud to God. And the bondage of our past will be destroyed as we give thanksgiving to the God of all comfort. This is the will of God—which He would be glorified and our painful pasts would be mortified.

  Let us now dwell on this, “Rejoice IN THE LORD always. I will say it again: REJOICE! Let your gentleness be evident to all. THE LORD IS NEAR! . . . in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God that passes all understanding [all our human viewpoints], will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”—The only KING who can “put us back together again!!”

 

In His service,

Peter Garich

“ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE”

By Peter Garich

 

“The reason we fight so hard in combat is not for our Nation’s leaders, or a particular political belief back home, or even our families. The reason we give our all in battle is because of the commitment and bond we have to each other. I would die for my guys

and I know they would die for me,” said one young Vet who had recently returned from the fighting in Iraq. To a man, the Vets being interviewed wanted to make this same point. Aging Vets from the Vietnam era echoed this same sentiment. One of them put it

this way: “The guys I fought with in country are my blood. Even to this day if one was to come up to me and ask me for something—even something that was impossible to do, like something I might lose my life over—I would do it without even thinking. It’s some

weird kind of stuff. I would still give my life for my buddies, even now, 40 years later, and that’s just something I can’t explain. We have this inner bond going on that’s deep.” [The preceding excerpts were taken from a recent PBS special on Vets returning

from war.]

Every one of us should listen carefully to the message from these Patriots. For them, relationships are worth giving your life over. As I listened to these men—who had literally put their lives on the line for each other—I thought of what their words and deeds should mean to us as Christians. As a Christian, I believe we were created for relationships. I believe it’s absolutely imperative that we all have steadfast and enduring relationships where we’re not only willing to die for each other, but willing to live for

each other as well. We need to be engaged in relationships where we encourage each other in an ongoing way—especially when life gets difficult. Our relationships should strive to reflect eternity because, as Christians, we will all be together in heaven one day. But just as important, we should be willing to minister to one another as we make the

difficult emotional and spiritual transitions here on earth—where we need someone to lean on. We can’t afford to go through life and its hardships as “Lone Ranger  Christians,” hoping that when things get tough the “tough” get going—which means doing it without anyone by our side. This is a fate worse than the most difficult struggles we all encounter within our earthly unions because we weren’t meant to go it alone. Neither can we afford to assume that our relationships are doing just fine—especially if we’re not putting into them the kind of quality time required for growth and maturity. Relationships need the utmost care and attention if they are to be godly.

  I was deeply affected by those Vets’ life-and-death commitment to each other. They shared a bond that most of us can only imagine, but we all desperately desire. And although the word “love” was not used to convey the nature of their bond, I’ll bet, just beneath those tough exteriors, it was definitely a sentiment they not only felt for each other but one they had shown many times—especially when they faced the horrors of war. It was impressive to see their personal commitment of love and the message it sent: “I will die for you.” This deeply held sentiment is not only admirable but also Biblical. Christian love is a commitment that says, “We will lay down our lives for each other” and then be willing to do it. It’s the love that Christ showed us and we are called to show each other. In all honesty, I don’t know if I could live up to the example of these soldiers who were willing to die for each other, or that of Christ, who died for us, but this commitment surely is at the heart of true Christian love.

   Last month I made the point that one of the most important insights I can pass along is that during times of distress and distraction we must focus on and foster our vertical relationship with God. This month I would like to explore another equally important truth—one that speaks to our horizontal relationships. Scripture tells us that God has not only called us to love Him with all our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, but to love one another in the same manner. The latter command given by Christ focuses on the horizontal relationships that we must actively establish in our lives—ones that, as I stated above, we are not only willing to die for, but to live for as well.

  The vertical relationship we share with our loving God and Savior is at the center of life itself. To minimize Him in this most vital relationship is to weaken us in every area of our lives—diminishing the absolute source of our existence. At the same time it was our Lord who said, “Love one another, even as I have loved you. For they will know you are my Disciples by your love for one another.” Therefore, it’s not only our love for God, and His for us, that builds godly character, but it’s the committed bond we build with one another. Beloved Pastor and author Andrew Murray wrote concerning our need for godly relationships, saying, “Our love of God is revealed by our everyday fellowship with one another and the love it displays.” It’s true that we have been chosen and called by God not only to commune with Him but also to fellowship with our Brothers and Sisters in Christ. God has set before us the deepest kind of joy, love and oneness in the relationships we share with our spouses, our children and all other believers. Just as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are united in selfless union, so too should we be one with each other. Barriers such as fear that separated Adam and Eve should no longer hinder us. Christ died to make our relationships totally different.  In Christ, the barriers that separated us have been done away with (Eph. 2:13–16). And now it’s our selfishness that stands reluctant to seek the blessings of human intimacy. Theologian and author J. Oswald Chambers wrote concerning the inner opposition we experience when faced with our need for committed relationships saying, “The real enemy to the delight of intimacy that binds believer to believer . . . is not just general sin, but the sin that lies deep at the heart of the fall of man.  Individualism and self-reliance are the twin enemies that battle relentlessly against loving unity in the body of Christ.” The most insidious enemy we face in our attempt to build loving relationships (first those in the family of God and then all others) is love of self. In the great commandment Jesus teaches us that if we love the Lord with our whole being and love our neighbor as we love ourselves we will fulfill all God has commanded. Here in Christ’s magnificent summation of the Biblical mandate for life and love He gives us two commands—not three. Loving God and loving others is the extent of the Biblical charge, and NOT, as some today have stated, that we must first love ourselves before we can love anyone else. Make no mistake about it, the reason we do not have deep and abiding relationships with those people God has put in our lives is because we put our own self-interests, needs, desires and wants above the will of God.  As stated earlier, on the absolute necessity of having

committed and loving relationships, Jesus said, “Love one another, even as I have loved you. For they will know you are my Disciples by your love for one another.” To put love of self before love of God and others, or to believe or live in any fashion other than selfless, committed relationships is in complete contradiction to the Word of God. The Bible never tells us to build self, indulge self, nurture self or in any way to love self. In fact, Paul tells us that no man hates himself, but instead loves himself and takes care of himself. (Eph. 5:29) The truth is, in order to fulfill the commandment of love we are called to DIE TO SELF. It’s my belief that, “God is not attempting to nurture self, but to KILL it. He is not in the business of giving self a boost (for it has gone farther than it should), but instead His way is to crucify and bury it.” It’s my belief that the fleshly endeavor of loving self before loving God and others is one of focus and worship. The more we focus on self, the more we worship self! But the more we focus on Christ and worship God the more we die to self. It’s extremely important to understand that it’s within the biblical act of worshiping God and loving others that we see how love of self is unimportant and unbiblical. The KEY to godly relationships is found in focusing less on me and more on Him—and more on those I’m given by God to love. As our focus shifts from self to Christ and others, the more we will reflect the nature of the relationship between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit—giving them all glory and true worship.

  It’s absolutely true that I am my brother’s keeper, even if I don’t “feeeel” like it. This means God has given me the gift of building relationships that will foster encouragement, initiate communication, develop unity, sustain intimacy and grow in the grace of God. This is the life of biblically loving others in the same way that I already love myself. Jesus never loved being God more then loving His children. This was clearly evident in His final hours on earth.  And with His death before Him His full attention was focused on loving the ones His Father had given Him—and so He kneeled down and washed their feet. In principle and practice this is a great place for us to begin and finish—Loving each other as He loved us!

 

In His Service,

Peter Garich

 

 

Worshiping God as a way of Life

By Peter Garich

 

While doing my graduate studies I attended a class on worship. In reading an overview of the course work I noticed that the class was designed to study the theological aspects of worship, but not how to worship—as in actually practicing it. There wasn’t any real time set aside for the act or acts of worshiping the Lord. For instance: gestures such as singing and praising God (with hand up or down) were not part of the course. No thought was given to allowing us to participate in corporate worship, as done in a Church service (whether at the university or on an out of class experience in a local Church). To most of us this seemed a little strange. We thought that any true study of worship should have as its objective not only the biblical study of worship, but also its practice. It seems reasonable that in order to study worship we should do it as well—not only being students of the Biblical worship, but participants in its practice.

In studying the theology of worship we looked at the specific words used for worship—both in the old and new testaments, and in the original languages. We studied the context of worship—how worship was expressed in its historical and cultural milieu. We explored, in-depth, who was and should be worshiped as taught and commanded in God’s word—only God is worthy of our worship and therefore is to be worshiped. And lastly, we examined the Scriptures to see who or what is not to be worshiped—Scripture states that no man or man made thing is to be worshiped, PERIOD (Exodus 20: 1-3).  But again, what was missing was the opportunity for our class—the people who were there to both learn about as well as worship God—to actually put our studies to use and lift our hearts, hands and minds to the Lord in an offering of praise. In the class we would not use our voices, or the sound of the trumpet, or the harp, lyre or strings, or praise Him with the tambourine, the clashing of the cymbals, or with dancing, as David did when he returned to the city of his God (Psalm 150:1-6). Inherent in David’s words is the call to not just study worship with our minds, but to practice worship with our hearts, and hands and everything else we have. Yes the study of worship in God’s word is absolutely necessary so our minds will be renewed, but the practice of worship from our very souls in also necessary so that our lives will reflect and express the glory that is do to Him alone. We see this in the last verse of Psalms 150.  David ends by saying, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.” In his final thoughts I don’t believe David was saying that animals were to lift up their voices and “praise the Lord”, but PEOPLE (His people) were to give God glory and praise with their whole beings. It was people who were made in the image of God and it is people (those who He has called out to be His own) who have within their hearts the absolute need to worship Him.

Worship is not an option, nor just a command, but the worship of God is a deep abiding need that we all have. God has placed eternity within our hearts and if we don’t cry out to praise and glorify His most sovereign and holy name then the rocks will.  A life, let alone a class, should and must be about the continual practice of giving God the glory that is due Him. Everyday we should, and yes, we MUST look at our every breathing moment as a gift from our sovereign Savior and worship Him. 

There are three aspects I want to explore this month, as we look deeper into the worship.  First: we must understand what it means to worship God Biblically—having a true Scriptural knowledge of worship. Second: we must know what it is to worship God practically—expressing our worship for God in outward ways that are whole hearted. And third: we must grasp what it is to worship God in its totality—to worship God from both our heads and our hearts, with our whole being and in every aspect of our lives.

I) Biblical Worship:

Biblical worship should be self-explanatory: worship that’s biblical is founded in Scripture. Worship that’s Biblical takes its definition—broadly and specifically—from the Word of God. It’s not enough to “feel” like we know what worshiping God is, we must know what God Himself says is true worship. The ONLY place we know for sure what God says is true worship is from His Word. The Scriptures are the final word on worship.  Sometimes we will see expressions of what some might call worship or praise but in fact prove to be nothing more then the misguided ideas of men. These ideas and expressions of what those people “feel” is worship can be seen best for what they are in light of God’s Word. For example, divisive element of false and unbiblical“worship”, such as the self-centered misuse of the gifts—tongues and prophecy—was evident in the Church at Corinth and can be seen today. Through these problems we can learn much about identifying and correcting unbiblical worship as well as learning from Scripture what is the true expression of godly worship. From Paul‘s letters of correction to the Believers in Corinth we can see how even the gifts we receive from God—gifts given to bring Him glory—can be abused. All good gifts that God gives to the Church can be used as a sweet fragrance of praise and worship or as nothing more then endeavors of self-centeredness.  The difference lies in a clear understanding of what Scripture teaches about the true nature of worship and then practicing it. Our worship is only as sweet and holy to the Lord as it is biblical. Because if it’s not according to Scripture then it not acceptable to the Lord.

II) Practical Worship:

Worship that’s practical is worship that’s relational and comes from the heart—a deep desire to love God and others. It begins in my head, moves to my heart and then expresses itself in blessing those around me. Worshiping God touches the lives of others so that they too can encounter Him. We worship our Lord when we willingly, and even unwillingly, love others. This is what I mean by worship is relational. We were created to have relationship with God and with the people of God.  This also encompasses those outside the family of God for they too need Him and must worship Him. We can’t say we love and worship God if we can’t and don’t love others.

Worship is also relational because it should be experienced and expressed with others. We are the body of Christ and the body blesses God when it comes together in biblical unity and worships Him in Spirit and in truth. By “In Spirit” I mean that we are united together through the Holy Spirit for the purpose of corporate ministry—this is corporate worship. In corporate ministry we are exercising the gifts God gives us in an expression of love that ministers God’s grace. This brings Him glory. By “in truth” I mean that we are worshiping Him by ministering to one another in accordance with His Word—this too is an offering of praise. There is a biblical way to minister and it follows the teachings of God’s Word. Following the Spirit in acts of biblical ministry is our reasonable and spiritual act of praise—it’s offering our bodies as a living sacrifice of worship (Rm. 12: 1-2).

III) Total Worship:

Worship that is total gives God all the praise and glory due Him. It’s using our heads and hearts—all we are—as we express it in every area of our lives. It’s both a biblical knowledge of worship and a practical expression of worship. It evolves our personal relationship with God—living a life of love and praise toward Him—and it evolves our personal relationships with others—living a life of love and ministry toward them. Speaking in somewhat human terms, true worship cannot just be“head knowledge”. It can’t be were we know all about what the Bible says about worship but we don’t practice it. Head knowledge is where we think allot about what worship is but we don’t experience and express it to God. It’s the failure of not singing praises to the King, while we sit in silence and meditate on His holiness–a holiness that deserves our praise of Him. No matter what we are going through–either good or bad, up or down– we are commanded to worship Him and exclaim, “You are worthy to be praised oh Lord for you are glorious and gracious in all your ways.” We also fail to show God how much we love Him when, because of that “bad day”, we fall short of giving Him our worship. This is ungodliness because we are disobeying His word  and disregarding the love we have for Him that woos our hearts to praise Him no matter what we are experienceing in life. It’s knowing what’s right and not doing it. This is a lack of worship to a Father who loves us and it‘s sin. 

And lastly worship can’t be true if it’s not total in its horizontal application. If we don’t love others more then our selves then we are not worshiping God. If we deem our needs as greater then the needs of our brothers and sisters then we are primarily worshipers of self over God.  Jesus said that people would see the love we have for Him by the love we show for others.

Now let’s make the most of every opportunity we have—for who He is and what He does–and practice what we know is holy worship, worshiping God in Spirit and in Truth.  And that’s WORSHIP!! 

Blessing upon you all,

Peter Garich

 

 

“Creating A Loving Environment”

Part 2 — by Peter Garich

 

  Plumbing the depths of how to create an environment of godly love in our relationships is more than we can accomplish in these few paragraphs. It is, however, possible to explore some of the most important passages and principles that, I believe, are primary to the process. I call it a process because, as humans, we are engaged in its ongoing practice for the rest of our lives. And since God cares so deeply about seeing us have godly relationships, He has been quite specific in His word as to how we accomplish this undertaking. Marriage counseling often reminds me of the importance of what can be created between two people. Recently I watched a couple, while sitting in counseling, go from a state of kindness and peace to boiling tempers in a matter of seconds. The initial, enjoyable atmosphere of guarded peace and love quickly turned into an out-and-out war of words with anger, hurt and resentment on both sides. The problem was not merely their fighting, but that they had no idea how they got there so quickly, or how they could change things for the better. Upon reflection, though, how we get to that point of anger and rage should not be strange to us. The truth is, it’s our natural fallen bent to go there—in our flesh we are inclined to fight with each other because our motives are selfish. Recall what Moses writes in Genesis 3:16 concerning our fallen proclivity to fight for personal dominance and control.  When God curses the woman after the fall, we’re

told that, “your [the woman’s] desire shall be for your husband [to rule over and dominate him] and he shall rule over you [to fight back; ruling over and controlling you in his position of divine headship].” John MacArthur, commenting on this very state of

affairs, writes, “Just as the woman and her seed will engage in a war with the serpent (i.e., Satan and his seed – v. 15) because of sin and the curse, the man and the woman will face struggles in their own relationship.  Sin has turned the harmonious system of

God-ordained roles into distasteful struggles of self-will.  Lifelong companions—husbands and wives—will need God’s help in getting along as a result.”  Sin seeks to rule us, and the breeding ground for such a struggle is found in the context of our interpersonal relationships. This is a primary reason the couple meeting in my office could go from a caring husband and wife, with some real problems, to warring factions within a matter of seconds. Some have referred to this primal struggle as the war between

the sexes. War is an appropriate term to use when describing this struggle, for it conveys the dangerous posture that two people take when vying for individual positions of power and control. Two people in the throes of such a struggle are at war.

  This, then, is the first step to both understanding how we got to the point of battling and finding our way out. We must recognize our personal battle within the greater war for establishing selfish domination over others. Each person is fighting for what they desire and want, and will do whatever they believe necessary to win. The end game for each participant is to get their desires met—no matter what. This is the sad state of affairs that all relationships go through—and Christians are not exempt. Jesus’ brother James wrote of such fights in his epistle to the early Church. He stated that all such wars come from our desires that battle within us. “Where do the conflicts and where do the quarrels among you come from? Is it not from this, from your passions that battle inside you? You desire and you do not have; you murder and envy and you cannot obtain; you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask; you ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, so you can spend it on your passions.” (James 4:1–3) In his commentary on the book of James, Douglas Webster explains, “James’ counsel for the church goes beyond superficialities and guides the church into holiness in its internal relationships.  True spiritual direction not only challenges; it comforts, and this section of the epistle is a fine example. James is faithful to confront sinful motives and evil practices, and he is equally clear about the promise of God’s grace.” Webster tells us that James identifies how we get into our messes, as well as how we get out of them. Let’s look a bit deeper into James’ blueprint for overcoming our self-centered driving desires.

THE CORE OF THE PROBLEM:

The internal source of our quarrels—the sinful motives of the heart; our selfish wants, desires and needs—must be identified, challenged and changed if we are going to build godly relationships. But it’s not just anyone’s motives—such as the OTHER persons—but our own that must concern us. In starting with our own motives first we have a serious shot at creating interpersonal relationships that are loving and mature. “Make peace not war” was a familiar slogan in the sixties. But as great as the sentiment of the saying was, it is extremely difficult to accomplish. In his book, Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands, Paul Tripp makes this insightful statement: “James gets our attention, not only because he addresses an issue in all of our lives, but because he explains why it is there. Wouldn’t you like to understand why some people irritate you more than others?  Why relationships turn sour, and our own anger can flare so quickly…shouldn’t we consider why we, as sinners, are better at making war than peace?”

  “James answers [and]…challenges us to something radically different from our usual reactions to conflict. When angry, most people explain their anger by blaming something or someone outside themselves. (“She makes me so angry!” “This traffic

makes me crazy!”) James says we will never understand our anger that way. Instead, he counsels us to do the exact opposite—to look within. This is a fundamental biblical principle. The only way to understand your anger is to examine your own heart. According to Christ, angry words and actions are the heart overflowing (see Luke 6:45). If you really pay attention, you will realize that people and situations do not force us to be angry.” It is always the desires of our heart that undo us and not people, places or

things. Therefore, we would do well to start with our own hearts first before we move on. And even then it would help a great deal, before moving on, if we spend some quality time identifying our warring desires—with a measure of selfless humility—so we can become part of the solution and not the problem.

  The couple I wrote about earlier were not aware of the insights James gives for understanding and working through these problems as they struggled and fought. Had they been, they’d have had a real chance to do things differently. When I went over these passages and principles it was as if a light bulb went on. It was a real “God thing,” stopping them dead in their tracks. Finally they understood the need to look at their own sin first and not at the other’s. They were both extremely humbled by the process and it wasn’t long before God was showing them their entrenched desires. As quickly as they recognized their sins, they humbly repented. This was a work of the Spirit of grace, as James goes on to say: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (James. 4:6)

THE GRACE TO CHANGE:

With full awareness of our own sinful hearts—seeing our sinful desires as the problem, not the other person—we are now ready to travel the path of grace. This, James tells us, is the only way to realize change in our lives—to redeem our relationships for good. Grace is where we find hope. Dr. Tripp explains the heart of redemption by grace like this: “We are not battling by ourselves—God battles for us! James says more: ‘do you think the Scripture says without reason that the Spirit He causes to live in us envies intensely? But He gives us more grace.’ This jealous God is a giver of grace, the most powerful weapon in the war for the heart. God’s grace gives us power to say no to powerful desires…It makes us willing to forsake our kingdom for His. God’s grace forgives, but it also constrains, draws and wins [for grace is enabling us through the Spirit’s work]…[it’s] God-focused grace, fitted for the moments we are tempted to follow our fallen desires.” His grace is absolutely our only way through. If we’re going to

create godly environments that breed flourishing, holy relationships, then we will need to set our fallen and sinful hearts on the grace of God alone [Sola Gratia]. (Eph. 2:1–10, Col. 3:1–3)

“And this is true faith: this desire to obey God, that causes us to call sin sin, that causes us to see how utterly sinful we actually are, and that forces us to grace alone.”

 (Jeff Harkin, Grace Plus Nothing)

 

In His Service

 

Peter Garich

        “Creating A Loving Environment”

part I 

   By Peter Garich

David had been coming to counseling for several months. His wife Mary had given him an ultimatum; get counseling or get out! The names depicted here are fictional, but the scenario all too often rings true. Most of their seven-year union had been characterized by extreme self-centeredness, often erupting into loud bouts of anger and emotional abuse. Before going further, I should state that they both had problems, which needed to be addressed, but Mary believed she had taken about all she could. David was angry, controlling and could create a sense of fear and oppression just by entering a room. Neither she nor the children wanted to live under this cloud any longer and counseling was their last hope. Although David was the first to come to a session; I knew that ultimately they would both need counseling so that true change could take hold. Her position was clear: David needed to change or she would divorce him. David’s response was also clear: he wanted to change and keep his family.

  I’m deeply troubled whenever I see Christian marriages in such turmoil and decline and, in my work, I see this all too often. In fact, according to some of the latest statistics, divorce in the Church is nearly as rampant as in society at large. The Church is quickly mirroring the world in ways that are just NOT acceptable in God’s plan and purposes for marriage. God’s best is that marriage is for life.

   David continued to come to counseling regularly and worked diligently to make his marriage better. But even though he gave his marriage and his personal life this level of attention, there was, as I mentioned above, something still missing. In order to get to the heart of their marital problems, they both needed to be involved. Unless Mary came to counseling, we would never see things from both sides or experience the changes God wanted.  This shift was not unique to their situation, but is the only biblical way to ultimately structure marriage counseling—both must be involved. God created marriage to be a joining together—“and the two shall become one,”—and both need to be there in order to realize this truth. Only by seeking God’s grace together could they receive the healing they desperately needed. Because they were both responsible for the marriage, they needed to share in the task of rebuilding it. Even though David rightfully accepted the lion’s share of the responsibility, Mary was also in need of God’s counsel. The marriage didn’t get the way it was in a vacuum, or just because of the ungodliness of one person. Both parties’ attitudes, acts and reactions played a role. The only way through this mess was with God and each other. You see, neither one of them really grasped the difficulty, and blessing, of working to creating a marriage according to God’s plan.  This was the task before us and we would begin as soon as they both were ready to do it together.

  Thankfully it wasn’t long before Mary was ready to join us in counseling. Now that they shared the single desire to create a godly marriage and an open, loving environment in which it could thrive, we were ready to get busy. But first, David had some unfinished personal issues. In the few remaining weeks before we all got together, David and I accomplished a great deal. A significant share of their marital difficulties revolved around David’s desire to control Mary. Fortunately, the more he attempted to manipulate and control, the greater his contempt and anger grew. I say this was fortunate because, as his anger grew, he was miserable. And the more miserable he became, the more he turned to Christ. Ultimately he knew that his attitudes and actions toward his wife were wrong and his anger proved it. Therefore Christ and repentance was his only way through the mess. The fact that David was trying to do something that was not part of God’s job description for a husband was evidenced daily as he tried to control Mary. But by staying in counseling, and more importantly by continuing to work on changing himself, we all had some hope.

  His sinful desire to manipulate Mary and the children was a subject we explored in some depth. As we looked to God and His word for answers, it became very clear to David that his view of love in marriage and parenting was not biblical and that he needed to repent. It was imperative that he ask Mary and the kids to forgive him, and he did. As soon as he asked them, they forgave him and, through his humility, the true and loving biblical basis for a godly marriage were now set. From that point on, our counseling became quite fruitful. God began to show David how to love his family. And in response David wanted to create and not control, bless and not boss, and minister instead of manipulate. He did this so that his marriage had an opportunity to open up and grow where before it was closed and dying.

   Finally, when we all got together for counseling, there were two themes that we knew we needed to explore. By focusing on them we believed we would set the godly foundation the marriage needed to stabilize and grow.

   First was the biblical idea that we are all created in the image of God. Second was the necessary belief that because we are in the image of God, we have the ability and mandate to create an environment in our relationships, which reflects God’s own. The relationship between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit has an intimacy, which is exhibited by an environment and reality of true selfless love. Each reflects this love in ways that Scripture explains are the attitudes and behaviors we can and should show each other. In Scriptures such as 1 Corinthians 13:5–9 we are instructed in the attitudes and actions in which we must walk to experience the intimacy seen in the Trinity. Scripture also teaches clearly that, through the Holy Spirit, we have all we need for godly relationships expressed in a loving and trusting environment where His grace can flourish. Just as there are no hindrances or barriers between the Father, Son and Spirit, there should be none in our relationships. And just as He laid down His life for us, we can now do the same for each other. Then, our marriages and other relationships become pregnant with possibilities for selfless servants. With His help we can create hope, not hate; faith, not fear; and acceptance instead of alienation.

  As David’s attempts to control gave way to a ministry of selfless love, Mary’s trust began to grow. The environment he was now beginning to create was much like that of a hothouse, where the most delicate orchids both bloom and flourish. Even though the process was slow, it was steady and encouraging to them both. And although we were at the beginning of that process, their hearts were now in a place of hope and not despair. They were even sensing the presence of God and had a real reason to be thankful. It was at this point we started something I call trust and verify. First, trust in the Lord and continue to move ahead—believing the best about the other. At the same time, and with great humility, verify—by real steps of accountability—the attitudes and actions that were a necessary aspect of true growth. This was something that took a deep commitment and a real step of faith from them both, but especially from Mary. The commitment they were making was first and foremost to God. They had to have their hope fully in the Lord and not in each other—which must always be the case, because as sinful people we inevitably let each other down. This is why the writer of Hebrews instructs us to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus—not on each other—for He’s the author and finisher of our faith. Also, to continue to run the race marked out for us with the same perseverance as He did—not as the other person may or may not be doing (Heb. 12:1–2). Both David and Mary needed to have their mind, emotions and will set steadfastly on Christ and not on each other—this was the process of trusting. At the same time it was realistic and godly to have biblical expectations of one another, but only as they sought to love God and serve one another—this was the process of verifying.

   The work of rebuilding their marriage, although difficult, was not impossible. The Apostle Paul assured us that, “All things are possible with the Lord.” As David and Mary focused and fixed their hearts on Christ, acted in faith, and were humble instruments of God’s grace, their marriage steadily experienced that environment of God’s love. Even then, their growth was not without some trying moments driven by those not so old selfishly driven desires of the past. But there was newness to their love that only Christ could bring.

   David and Mary’s story should give us all a great hope. They have shown that through God’s grace we all can began to create a new reality no matter how dark the day looks.

In His Service

Peter Garich

FOR ALL OTHER NEWSLETTERS LOOK UNDER “Recent Posts”

This document was written prior to the 2008 elections.

“Government And God”

By Peter Garich

“Hi, I’m Peter and I’m an addict.”

I have a confession to make: I’m a political junkie. Ever since I was 8 years old, watching the Republican Convention with my Dad, I’ve been hooked. This year I’ve enjoyed the intensity of the debates and the unpredictable news coverage of the candidates—Republicans

and Democrats—as they’ve pressed-on toward the Presidency. Since becoming a Christian I have also been aware of the Biblical need to both care about what’s going on in

politics as well as be involved—even if that just means making sure I vote. As Biblical Christians I believe we are to be thoughtfully engaged in the future of our country and the world at large. Right now we are at a time in history when the Church can (and I believe must) be motivated

to take the lead in the future of the United States, as well as in looking for solutions to the problems in a postmodern world. If we don’t then someone else will. But what exactly is our role? The quick answer is that we should make sure we do the least—like thoughtful voting—and encourage the greatest—like involvement at all levels of politics. This is a privilege many in the

world don’t have and Christians must not be slack. Here follows an article that made me think. It’s by Larry Taunton, Executive Director of Fixed Point Foundation, and reproduced with permission. He asks the question:

WHO WOULD JESUS VOTE FOR?

“With the primary season in full swing there is no shortage of would-be Presidential hopefuls who have evoked the name of God or Christ with hopes that the “Religious” community will take notice and vote for them. But a question remains unanswered: who should we vote for? And even more to the point for us as Christians: who would Jesus have voted for? Since both

parties call on His name with great regularity, it is a logical and important question. In speeches on issues ranging from taxes to the war in Iraq, it seems that every member of the Trinity is being cited to buttress the candidates’ positions. So I ask: Who would Jesus vote for?

To answer the question we must look to the Gospels and consider Jesus’ message and conduct where politics was concerned. Perhaps you are thinking that the Gospels offer scant information on the subject of Jesus and affairs of state. But you would be wrong. The historical context

of Jesus’ earthly ministry was far more politically charged than that of our own time. In fact, that He was a threat to the existing political structure was one reason for His enemies to murder Him.

So I repeat, who would Jesus vote for? That is a question His contemporaries wanted to know, too. Not that there were any Democrats or Republicans at that time—whether that is a bad thing or not, I leave you to decide—but there were plenty of political “parties” vying for power. Romans, Zealots, Sadducees, Pharisees, and Scribes all wanted to know Jesus’ politics. Would He support their agendas or was He an enemy to be destroyed? Let’s consider the evidence.

Contrary to their popular image, Roman authorities are depicted throughout most of the New Testament as ambivalent to Christianity. Indeed, the first Gentile convert of the new church was a centurion, and he was shortly followed by a Roman governor (Acts 10 and 13). It was not until the burning of Rome in 64 AD that state sponsored persecution of Christians began. Prior to that

time, Rome was mainly concerned with maintaining order in a religiously diverse empire. But when the Jewish crowd accused Jesus of treason against Rome—“bad politics,” so to speak—Pilate relented and crucified Him (John 19:12–16).

What about the Zealots? Although Scripture says little about them, it is a safe assumption that they were also interested in Jesus’ politics. Violent and embittered by Roman tyranny, the Zealots wanted to overthrow Roman governance of Israel using any and all available means.

Was Jesus the conquering Messiah they had long anticipated? When He demonstrated a capacity to woo crowds and perform miracles, some attempted to seize Him and make Him a king. But Jesus did not permit it and withdrew (John 6:15). Many scholars think that it

was, in part, a disappointed Zealotry that incited the Jerusalem mob to call for Jesus’ death when they might have asked for His release. Who was released in His place? Pilate gave them Barabbas, a murderer who was, most probably, a leader of the Zealots.

As for Jesus’ encounters with the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes, they are well documented. Having amputated Judaism from authentic worship of God, they were quick to recognize that Jesus’ message was a threat to their monopoly on power. When it became clear to them that He would not recognize their authority, their anger intensified and culminated in a plot to kill Him.

So what may we deduce from this small window into the politics of the day about Jesus’ political views? First of all, Jesus was not, as some suggest, indifferent to politics.

As Abraham Kuyper once said, “In the total expanse of human life there is not a single square inch of which Christ, who alone is sovereign, does not declare, ‘That is mine!’”

Nevertheless, He did not endorse any political platform, for He knew that politics are

merely the superficial manifestation of man to control his world. Hence, it was His practice to address matters of the heart—justice, mercy, love, man’s need for His atoning work—and the eternal consequences that accompany our attitudes toward each. The result was that He condemned elements of every group for their sinfulness and refusal to obey God, while affirming others for their obedience. Secondly, His ultimate allegiance was to God the Father, not men and their worldly systems. From this we learn that political views are good only to the extent that

they are subordinated to God’s holy and inerrant Word. The late Bishop J.C. Ryle wrote,

“There is but one test of truth: ‘What do the Scriptures say?’ In front of this let every prejudice collapse.” So must it be in politics as in every other realm of life. The politics of the day

are and must be subjected to God, Christ and His Word! Finally, Jesus understood that while party affiliation may be an expression of one’s deeply held convictions; it does nothing to put you in right standing with God. One may, for instance, resolutely support all of the “correct”

policies and still lack a saving knowledge of Christ. Let us, therefore, remember that conversion to a political cause is not the same as conversion to Christianity. And our ultimate hope is not in politicians or the laws they enact, but in Jesus Christ alone. No matter what we confront in this seemingly chaotic world there are absolute truths we can fix on, and they will secure us in the steadfast hope of God. In 1st Peter he encourages us not to fear or be frightened of anything

(in the world—or specifically within the political minefields devised by men—like those of Rome during his life). Peter writes, “But in your hearts set Christ apart as Lord. Always prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” (1 Peter 3:14–15) By God’s grace we have this same hope to which our Savior held fast as He faced the

extreme religious forces and political powers of His day. And in setting Christ apart in our hearts AS LORD we too are assured that we stand within the sovereign reign of the one true government which controls all things—for “His kingdom will endure forever.” (Lk. 1:31)

With that said, in a time such as this, I cannot tell you to be aligned with any specific candidate running for the office of presidency. It’s not the man or woman who stands there saying they “are the best person for the office,” and, by-the-way they’re “religious, too.” But what I can say with a certainty is this: the one with whom we must eternally align and on whom we must rely—

setting Him apart in our hearts—already governs the world with a sovereign, just and merciful hand. And He is THE KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS—the Lord Jesus Christ.

So, what should we think about the power of our government to rule us when their intentions seem self-serving, but they say, “We’re acting for your good?” As Christians what should our response be to their authority? The simple but challenging answer comes from Scripture. When it comes to our relationship to the government Paul instructs that “Everyone must submit

himself to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” (Rm. 13:1)

Speaking with God’s authority, Paul says that we all must submit to the authorities that

govern. But be very clear: their binding rule is only authoritative because our sovereign God has set them over us. All governments govern at the behest of and according to His will, no matter how corrupt we believe they are—for in their fallen-ness they often work against the good of the people. At the same time God is working all things according to His will and for His glory, no

matter how bad things seem. This may be a hard saying for us because we bristle at the levels of corruption we observe, wondering, “how in the world can God bring good out of such things?” I’m sure this sentiment was the same for Christians at the time Paul wrote these

difficult words for Rome’s rule was absolute and ruthless. But let’s think back to what was stated earlier, “Our ultimate hope is not in politicians or the laws they enact, BUT IN JESUS CHRIST ALONE!” This then is our hope!

In His Service,

Peter Garich

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“OUR INNER STRUGGLE,

 Part 2”

By Peter Garich

                                                             July 1, 2007

 

We all desire to live lives of true godliness. Each of us longs to experience the freedom Christ brings from the bondage sin. There’s not one among us who doesn’t want more of the Spirit-controlled life. In knowing Christ we have tasted of those glorious moments and so our hearts cry out for more. Moments where the Holy Spirit has enlightened us to

our fears and failings, while at the same time, giving us His grace to move ahead. From the beginning of our salvation His love has drawn us ever closer into the intimacy we so desperately need—and He so eagerly desires. Yet, at the same time, we are plagued by our inner cravings and desires, which wage war against His holiness, glory and true peace. There’s no denying we are all engaged in that struggle within. The Apostle Peter writes about these two competing aspects of our nature saying, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His glory and goodness. Through these [His great and precious promises] we may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption that is in the world caused by evil desire.” (2 Peter 1:3–4)

   It’s always fascinated me that Peter does not point to our ability to do good deeds—to live lives of godliness—as our hope for winning the war within. Of course our idea is that our lives will be just fine if we can somehow control things by being good people. Even as Christians we sometimes believe that keeping our lives in “godly check” and “under control” will bring us a real measure of His peace. The truth is, we are dreadfully afraid to take an honest look at our hearts. We fear seeing ourselves as we really are—full of demanding desires, out of control needs and fearful of what we can’t control. But the Apostle Peter says this is exactly what we will find—a self-seeking, desire-driven and out-of-control heart. Because for Peter (and God), the answer to attaining true peace comes from a much different place than such superficial acts that can only give false security. The Apostle states clearly that the secret to experiencing a life of Biblical godliness—in all its manifestations—comes “through our knowledge of Him.” This is where we must start and where we will ultimately finish—in an everlasting and growing intimacy with God! From beginning to end our lives are now “hidden in Christ” as the great Apostle Paul rightly states. And to think otherwise—as if something we might do in relative goodness could be at the heart of true godliness and a deeper knowledge of God—is just wishful foolishness and worldly speculation. We will fulfill our calling to true godliness as we “continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you [we] were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” And to this beginning and end we are warned to make sure, “no one takes you captive [to be in bondage to] through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ,” for you have “fullness in Christ.” There were no illusions in the Apostle’s mind and there should be none in ours.

  Last month we ended by asking the question: what will help us finally bring about the love and intimacy we so deeply desire, as well as vanquish the fears that seem to captivate us? As stated above, it is an everlasting and growing intimacy with God. But if this is true then why is it that we are so easily waylaid in such a holy endeavor? This seems to be the $64,000 question. Why do we get so dissuaded from a deepening intimacy with God if He has given us (and He has) everything we need for life, love and the pursuit of godliness? If God, and we, both desire to be more deeply intimate, then why is it so difficult? I believe it can be summed up in one sentence. Our quest for intimacy is so labored—seemingly taking three steps forward and two steps back—because of the residual effects of the fall. We fear and falter because we FELL from grace. The same fear that gripped Adam’s heart and drove him away from God resides in you and me. The identical terror that the Disciples obsessed over as the waves grew higher and threatened their lives is a defeating part of our lives as well. Yet to His Disciples, and to us, Jesus said, “don’t be afraid” and then quieted the storm. Hasn’t He done that for us as well? In fact, aren’t the gospels full of Jesus’ assurances to those around Him to not be fearful? Jesus’ summons not to fear went out to Jairus as he anguished for his dead daughter—hoping that Jesus would bring her back. He encouraged His three closest friends, Peter, James and John, with a loving touch and the words, “Don’t be afraid” as He was transfigured before their very eyes. Matthew tells us that the three women who came to the tomb fell at the feet of their resurrected Lord and worshiped Him as He exhorted them to not be afraid. In her book, Risking Intimacy, Nancy Groom reminds us that just like Peter, James and John, or the three women, “we are no different. Does not our hope give way to fear, especially when our plans go awry and our expectations go unmet? When we face the decline of our health or the death of a loved one, does not terror leap up within us? When confronted with the loss of a job or of a significant relationship, are we not angry with God who could have prevented the loss? Moreover, the fear and rage that dominate our hearts when our circumstances disappoint or threaten us often dictate our perception of God’s goodness. When our lives are going well, we say, ‘God is good.’ But when we encounter life’s suffering and chaos, we ask, ‘can God really be trusted?’” The answer to this life changing question she states, “our integrity will not let us ignore” and I believe neither will God Himself. Even more than us, it’s God who wants His Children to be sure of the answer for it’s His nature and veracity that’s on the line. And if He’s the one that stirs things up in our lives, then it’s also Him who calms us down—“Do not fear” are the words of our loving Father. “The passion of trusting God enough to intimately connect with Him comes to none of us without struggle.” Groom goes on to say, “And the journey into such intimacy with God is made in increments, of which no step is insignificant if it leads to greater trust.” She closes the chapter on dealing with fear and intimacy by writing, “Amazingly, the God that we are to worship with reverence does not want our awe of Him to keep us from drawing near to receive His grace. In fact just the opposite is true. God longs to bring us into reconciliation and renewed oneness with Himself, though it cost Him the death of His Son to bring us home. This is the Gospel, which is able to banish our deepest fears.”

  “God is love and in Him there is no fear,” writes Jesus’ beloved disciple John. And it is this very good and glorious news that keeps us from falling into the pit of an emotional hell, out of which we cannot climb. It’s a place in our souls where our anguish and fear is fueled by our inability to be god and control the situations in life that we would rather deny and avoid. This is that chasm where Christ wants to meet us and heal us. This is that place where the gospel of God’s mercy and grace, and the forgiveness of sin, can transform us. For only God can control the future and only God can forgive us of such

sinful presumption as trying to be god. Noted Pastor and author Alistair Begg comments on the nature of the gospel and what we believe. He says that at these times of darkness, “The gospel of Christ will either be, ‘I like you, now try your best,’ or, ‘I love you and your sins are forgiven. Now go in the assurance of God’s grace and live in peace.’” And this is the hope that we have, that “this is the gospel, which is able to banish our deepest fears.” (Nancy Groom)

  In closing let me quote from Truth for Life Daily devotional. In it, Alistair Begg gives us this striking insight: “In every believer’s heart there is a constant struggle between the old nature and the new. The old nature is very active and loses no opportunity of employing all the weapons in its deadly arsenal against newborn grace; while on the other hand, the new nature is always on the lookout to resist and destroy its enemy. Grace within us will employ prayer and faith and hope and love to cast out the evil; it takes to itself ‘the whole armor of God’ and wrestles vigorously.  These two opposing natures will never stop struggling as long as we are in this world. Bunyan’s Christian fought Apollyon in a battle lasting three hours, but the battle of Christian with himself lasted all the way from the entry Gate to the River Jordan. The enemy is so securely entrenched within us that he can never be driven out while we are in this body: But although we are closely followed, and often in fierce conflict, we have an Almighty helper, Jesus, the Captain of our salvation, who is always with us and who assures us that we shall eventually be more than conquerors through Him.” Through God’s grace we will be victorious over our struggle within!

 

In His Service,

Peter Garich

 

“OUR INNER STRUGGLES

Part I”

By Peter Garich

June 1, 2007

 

“Hardships not only build character, but they reveal it as well.”

—Anonymous

  The Westminster Catechism states that the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. These two admonishments are words of promise and action. The Apostle Paul teaches this same enlightening and uplifting message when he writes, “. . .whether you eat or you drink, or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God.” (1 Cor. 10:31) The thoughts and actions of a life that glorifies God are not an option. We’re commanded to seek His glory throughout Scripture. Graciously we have been assured that we can attain this lofty endeavor—for He has also equipped us. The moment we’re regenerated

God gives us His Holy Spirit. And as His Spirit works within us we are empowered to live for His glory. Because of this new life we are also promised that we will enjoy Him forever. And remember, the magnificent joys of forever began the day we were saved and will go on throughout eternity. Glorifying God and enjoying Him forever is a reality that’s in the here-and-now and not just some distant hope.

  In light of this truth let me pose the following question. What makes glorifying God so important? The answer to this life-altering question is somewhat simple, yet deeply profound. Being created in the Image of God, and not being gods ourselves, we were created to glorify God in all we think and do! (Mt. 22:37–39) It’s also true that the life that glorifies God cannot be separated from the life that worships Him. Paul points us clearly to our need to worship in Romans 12:1–2. The Apostle states, “In view of God’s mercy, offer yourselves to God as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to Him, which is our reasonable and spiritual act of worship.” As far as God and Scripture are concerned, worshiping and glorifying God are two realities of the Christian life that cannot be separated.

   How we walk this path of glory and worship will become clearer as we know more of Him, His love for us and His manner of life. Our level of intimacy with Christ, a richer knowledge of the life He lived, and the life He now has for us helps us in our quest to live for His glory. The manner and means God employs to move us along this path are many. Since it’s the chief end of every Christian to glorify, worship and enjoy God forever, and since He has equipped us for this journey, then it’s important to understand the nature of the road He’s put us on in order to get there. To accomplish this, the book of Hebrews encourages us with these words, “let us run with perseverance the race that’s marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, Who, for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not lose heart…endure hardships as discipline: God is treating you as sons.” While this passage is full of truths that admonish and encourage us, there are just a few I want us to focus on. To begin with, the writer assures us that the race we run is designed specifically for each one of us. God created us as unique individuals and knows exactly what each of us needs to grow. In other words, He has a race and road that I must take—one that’s different than yours—so that I can mature in my faith. Next he tells us to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus Christ. For He not only ran and completed His race, but has assured us that we will complete ours as well. Since God brought Jesus through all He went through, we too are assured of the same. But Jesus’ race was not without the obstacles of life that tried to deter Him, and neither is ours. The same as He was faced with the hardships God had ordained for Him—overcoming them as He lived for His Father’s glory—we too must face and persevere through ours. There are further insights about the struggles Jesus went through as He moved ever closer to fully glorifying His Father. Earlier in Hebrews the writer lifts the veil of Jesus’ humanity, allowing us to view the deepest agonies that even the Son of God endured. These glimpse of our suffering Savior help us to endure what we must as well. We see that,  “during the days of Jesus’ life on earth, He offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverent submission. Although He was a son, he learned obedience from what He suffered.” This is one of the most amazing passages in Scripture, for through it we are allowed to see the suffering of our Lord. It should break our hearts that Jesus—the Son of the living God—had to go through such pain and anguish. He did this so we could partake in His glory and enjoy Him forever. Through these verses we see that Jesus learned obedience and submission through all He endured. As He laid down His life in an act of submission, He had to experience the road of suffering and hardship. What is made so absolutely clear here is that not even God’s Son would pass through this world without going through all that sin’s vicious curse could bring. One of the blessings we received by all He went through was that He endured the worst so that we could be spared such a fate. And yet, even though we were spared from the depths of His suffering, we too would still run the gauntlet of hardships.

  This brings us to the final truth we will focus on. Just as God’s Son grew through all he suffered, we too, as sons, must endure and persevere in ours as well. This happens so “we may share in His (God’s) holiness.” (Heb. 12:10) One word that helps us understand our shared holiness with God more clearly is that of character—godly character. Just as hardships and holiness go together, hardship and godly character do, too. Remember, “Hardships not only build character, but they reveal it as well.” The hardships we endure are designed to get at our hearts—the seat of our character—so the issue of godly character is extremely important. Building and revealing our character is exclusively a work of the Holy Spirit and the hardships we go through are the instruments He uses. The source of Jesus’ suffering was the sin of others. This is also true for us. But there’s another source we must deal with: ourselves. Although many hardships come from external circumstances—including the sin of others—ultimately we must face our own ungodliness. The only way this happens is through our submission to the Spirit of God as He works within us. One of the gifts He imparts to us is the conviction of His Spirit—showing us our sin and giving us the grace to change. At the same time, one of the curses of being a sinner is that we are self-centered and in denial of the depths of that sin. We do not like to see ourselves in all our filth, much less acknowledge, confess and repent from it. We will sit in resignation to our flesh unless we respond to God’s grace.

  Some time ago a woman came to me who was facing her deepest fears. She was being allowed to see the depths of the sin that blinded her. The occasion was the potential loss of a loving relationship—a loss that was breaking her heart. The woman’s besetting sin was a deep-seated fear that captivated her, and a lack of truly trusting God. She was fearful that she would never know the intimacy of a godly marriage, while at the same time she ran from trusting God for what such a commitment would bring. For years she’d struggled with a plaguing knowledge of these two opposing sins, yet was never compelled enough to deal with them. But then she was faced with a hardship that forced her to the brink and to her moment of truth. Either she would face her inner demons, and her character would grow in the grace of God, or she would shrink back and live in the bondage of sin’s grip. Nancy Groom writes insightfully of this woman’s spiritual battle, “We all struggle with fear in our relation-ships. The intimacy for which we were designed is continually being sabotaged by our fear, and we keep running away from what we long to be running toward. We desire oneness but we flee the closeness. Our desire for love collides with our horror of vulnerability. We want closeness but we fear being consumed or ignored . . . too often we retreat to the area of the manageable instead of trusting God in the uncharted territory of our fear.” Her words are extremely insightful as she captures the heart of this woman’s plight. She also speaks to the fear to which we can all fall prey. But what will help us, we ask? What, or who, will finally bring about the love and intimacy she (and we) so deeply desire, and vanquish our fears? In a word, it is CHRIST ALONE!! Only He can enable us to step through the mist of every tormenting fear that binds us and take hold of all we were designed to be.

  Next month we will explore this more deeply. We will look closely at the LOVE and GRACE of Christ. They bring us comfort in our battles and free us from our struggle!

Grace and Peace,

Peter Garich