Where did my joy go?

Galatians 4:15 "What has happened to your joy? I can testify that , if you could have done so, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me."


When Paul first gave the Gospel to the Galatians, they were overwhelmed with joy. They loved the Gospel and they loved Paul for sharing it with them. I find that awesome. They loved it so much they would have torn out their own eyes and given them to Paul.


"Here, Paul, you take these eyes. Yours do not seem to be functioning so well, and having my eyes might enable you to be a more effective minister of the Gospel. "


Wow!

 Then the law crept back in. Jews were the culprit in this case, but they don't have to be the only ones responsible for this kind of thought. Don't we still do it today whenever we fall back on the trap of focusing on ourselves and what we do. But isn't it ironic that when we focus on ourselves our joy fades!


Remember Moses? Whenever he returned from the mountain, he had to wear a veil to hide is face, which was glowing from being in the presence of God. But over time, his face returned to normal. Perhaps it was just the day to day dealing with it all that helped it go.


Maybe that is why, when I sit in church sometimes, instead of being filled with joy, I find myself squirming in my seat. I am hearing social gospel, or moral deism instead of The Gospel. The Good News.

So I sit here and wonder...where do I go from here? I was reading in Ezekiel, and came across this verse (2:5) And whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that a prophet has been among them.


So it is not whether or not I am happy, or whether or not they might be offended if I speak a truth that they might not be comfortable with. It is not about me convicting them or failing to convict them. It is not about me or them at all, it is about GOD. I think in some ways I have been letting them rob me of my joy. I have been robbing myself of my joy. And I want it back.


The prophets were never guaranteed success. God told them to go, and they went. Okay, so sometimes they grumbled...


So I believe that I must find my joy only in Christ. And I must speak freely and honestly about what I believe the Gospel to be.


So I suppose I better get ready for the ride. Somehow, reading the book of Jonah seems appropriate right now...

I just can't get comfortable...

I was reading a bit in the back of my copy of "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan, and I read a bit about how he feels that lukewarm Christians will not make it into heaven, that God will spew them out of his mouth. He uses Revelation Chapter 3 to confirm this. (See verse 16).


So, let's see a show of hands, how many of the Christians that will (or won't) be in church this Sunday think they are lukewarm? Are you willing to bet your soul on it?


I went to the Crazy Love study at the church we have been attending. That lasted 2 weeks. That was the week that they were talking about why God created us, and of course the typical "for fellowship" answer came up. A few years ago I would have bought into this. This time, I just sat there wondering what to say, wondering if it was appropriate to upset the apple cart at this moment.


The church we have been attending is full of nice people. The preacher preaches nice sermons. They do nice things and encourage others to do nice things. It all feels so comfortable.


But I don't feel comfortable.


Sometimes I want to scream.


Is this what Jesus died for? So nice people could do comfortable things? So we could gather on Sunday to sing a few songs and listen to a couple of jokes or stories from the internet? So we could be challenged to volunteer in the community (not a bad thing, but not the primary thing), give, pray, do this or that, etc. These are not bad things, but are they what the church should be built upon?


I thought the church was to be built upon the ROCK, the confession that Jesus Christ is LORD. (Matt 16:16-18)


What about Matthew 7:21-23?


Is Jesus primary? Or have we made that which is secondary the primary thing we talk about, thereby making the primary (Jesus, the Gospel) a secondary issue?


Is anyone else uncomfortable, or is it just me?