CYPRESSWOOD CHURCH OF CHRIST

Return to CypresswoodJuly-August2007

August 26, 2007

25424 Aldine-Westfield, Spring, TX. 77373

www.geocities.com/adon77373/cypresswoodbuletin.htm

KEEP PRAYING FOR:

Our congregation     Various relatives, friends and co-workers

Our nation, military and leaders   The spread of the good news

OUR BRAVE NEW WORLD

"Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things" (Philippians 3:19).

When I was a senior in high school I read Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. This book is considered a classic, though at the time I found it somewhat confusing. As I remember, the world Huxley painted was very controlled, especially through machines. As I have said before, our culture has been changing for over a half of century, maybe longer. How do we live in this brave new world that has developed and how do we communicate to it (1)? These questions have caused much discussion, debate, misrepresentation, and ideas that some see as valid and others as at least compromise. 

The first thing we need to understand is that in reality, humanity is not much different than it was one hundred years ago or in the days of the New Testament when Jesus walked the earth and Paul preached throughout the Roman world. Technology made promises about making the world a better place for humanity but after the sinking of the Titanic by an iceberg, and two World Wars with its technically superior weapons, the idea that we will have a better world seems far fetch. 

Christianity proclaims a new humanity. We are to live a radical life before others. We are not perfect at this but that is our challenge. How then do we do this? What we need to understand is the contrasts between us and the world we live in.

First, we are to live a life of peace in a frantic and anxious world. Jesus stated that rather than worry, seek God's rule and righteousness first (Matthew 6:33 - context from vs. 25-34). Paul said that we are not to be "anxious about anything, but in every situation by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God…will guard our hearts…" (Philippians 4:6-7). He goes on to talk about being content in all situations (see Philippians 4:4-13). The idea here is that of a life of absolute calm, or as in Hebrew, shalom. We should be a serene people. This comes because we understand how things turn out in the end.

In contrast, it appears that everyone, including Christians, are extraordinarily angry. It just doesn't take much to set people off. Michael Medved calls Islam the religion of perpetual outrage. We see it in political speech, not that this hasn't happened in the past. Even in the church, if someone states something different from tradition, the traditionalists become quickly angry, stating that they must defend the faith from whatever outrage has been spoken. Harris suggests that we apply what he calls the eternity test. Do they matter in the long haul? Most that passes for conflict in our churches and lives will not pass it. Most of what we have argued over will not matter, not only in eternity, but a few years from now. Some of us remember the angst over women wearing pantsuits in the late 60s and early 70s. In the words of that famous American philosopher, Gomer Pyle, "Surprise, surprise." Women wear pants to the assembly and men have long hair, others tattoos and various jewelry in different places.

Second, we as Christians have a self-awareness in a posturing world. We know who we are and have neither a too high or too low view of ourselves. In essence, we humbly walk before God recognizing that Jesus is Lord (Philippians 2:5-11). Humility before God means that we have nothing to claim. We recognize that we needed God's grace in our lives. This is related to happiness, pursing something else. We cannot posture before God.

Posturing is a way of live for many, if not most. Resume writing is the idea of boasting about one's ability, and for some going beyond claiming activities one never really participated in. Politicians are constantly doing this. They boast about what they have done and how they have "stood" up to this or that. Celebrities often want to be in the forefront and are proud of their status. Unfortunately this posturing is seen too often in the church. Control and rule have become a common factor. Church politics, lining up on one side or the other, causes much damage in relationships. We need to stop trying to gain power and influence and recognize that Jesus is Lord and no one else is.

Three, we need to be open and non-judgmental in a tribal world. It is an us verses them things and is seen in a variety of areas such as gender, class, ethnics, religion, the righteous verses the sinner, and war. We are often quick to see the sin and problems in others lives but not in our own. 

Jesus was open to everyone. He ate with tax collectors and sinners as well as with the Pharisees. He spoke to priests and prostitutes. Harris gave a talk several years ago where he said that he longed for the day when two people with purple hair could sit side by side in our assembly, one an older mature sister and the other a young woman making a statement. He longed for the day when two could sit together, one with nice jewelry around her neck and the other a guy with body piercing (2). God is working in us to be more like Jesus in various situations. In the movie, Evan Almighty, Morgan Freeman who plays God, made an interesting and accurate statement about prayer. When one prays for patience, does God give you patience or a means to learn patience? When one prays for a closer family, does He give it to you or does He give you a means to draw closer to each other?

How often do we pray for those we disagree with, or for our enemies (Matthew 5:44-45)? We can disagree with the actions of others but still love them. How we speak to them is so important and we do need to be careful in our speech.

Four, we need to look to others in a world that is self-seeking. Too often, there are people who think the world revolves around them. It's all about me, my desires, comforts, me, me, me. We even use other's concerns to get my way. I remember an elder expressing this when we were talking about how we could help with the youth of the congregation. He said, "What about me?" Then he quoted Philippians 2:4: "Each of you should look not ONLY to your own interests, but ALSO to the interests of others" (NIV, my emphasis). Those two words, "only" and "also" are not in the Greek. "Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interest of others" (TNIV, also NRSV). This is in keeping with the mind or attitude of Christ expressed in verses 5-11). 

Narcissistic behavior is seen in much of our public culture, from the singer who demands everything in her hotel room be a certain color and way, to the politician who thinks he does not have to answer to anyone about his ideas. Sadly, this behavior is not recognize and very self-destructive. In a radical life, we serve, just as Jesus washed the disciples feet (John 13).

Five, we are to be holy in a world that wants more. We recognize that everything we have belongs to the Lord and we offer it up in His service and to His glory. We learn contentment in trust. Being holy means we trust in God and not in our things. We are indulged with advertisements that tell us we need this or that to be hip, up-to-date, or whatever term is in vogue today. Holiness means set apart. Jesus lived a holy life among the rich and poor, the sinners and the so-called righteous. Our lives are to be set apart. It might be living a more simple life rather than having all the latest gadgets. It could be selling all we have to follow Jesus. There are some who want to commit to such a life but become angry about it. A simple lifestyle just might not be your means of expressing holiness, as long as one recognizes that things, in the end, do not matter.

Six, we are to be joyful as Christians in a world of dissatisfaction. Dissatisfaction is a major industry. Shareholders are dissatisfied with their holdings. Fans are dissatisfied with their teams. Owners are dissatisfied with their coaches. Politicians are dissatisfied with each other and the voting public. And Christians are dissatisfied with their preachers. Advertising is meant to make us dissatisfied with what we have. Computers are outdated when one walks out the store. The new I-tunes phone that just came out has already become outdated because a newer model is coming out at Christmas. 

Joy is the Christian way. We rejoice in suffering, though that really seems strange (see Romans 5:1-5). We are to rejoice always, and Paul said that from prison (Philippians 4:4). One fellow said that Jesus promised His followers three things: 1) to be entirely fearless, 2) to be absurdly happy, 3) and to be always in trouble. We know who we are in Christ. We seek the new heavens and new earth while we wait here (Philippians 1:21-23). We also realize that everything that people think is important is really nothing to us (3:4-7). We can't take anything with us because we do not have anything; God has given us all things. 

Finally, we are to be a presence in a world of distraction. People are distracted by many things to focus on God. Yard work, ball games, work, travel, vacation, home repair, and any number of things distract people from seeking God. Even in the assembly, we can be distracted by the type of song we sing or the song leader who is leading, by a prayer or the color of the curtains, by the frustration with the preacher or by some other person. We fail to experience the presence of God because of this. Our assemblies are meant, among other things, to come into the presence of God where we have fellowship with one another. 

Our worries are about tomorrow but James tells us that we do not know what will come tomorrow. Other things distract us. In the cartoon strip, Zits, the teenage son is seen multitasking, listening to a book on I-tunes while communicating with friends on the computer. His mother just screams at the all process. We tend to loss focus when we have too much going. God is with us or as Paul says, "The Lord is near" (Philippians 4:5). We might have to rethink our time together and what is going on. Not that the assembly doesn't offer a time for encouragement and repentance, it does. 

As Christians, our lives reflect Jesus living in us. This life should be a radical difference from what we see in the world. The question for us: how different are we from those around us? I fear that most of us will admit that we are not much different from others. That should be our challenge in this brave new world.

                                                George B. Mearns

(1) Thoughts for this article come from lectures by Randy Harris at the Pepperdine University Lectureship, 2007.

(2) Abilene Christian University Lectureship, 2005.