Jump Start # 1152

Luke 9:23 “And He was saying to them all, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.’”

  I watched a documentary the other day about a castle in England. I love castles. It was built by Henry VIII and used as one of his palaces. It was within that castle that Henry decided to break free from the Roman Catholic church and start his own church, the church of England. Henry wanted a son. His wife of more than twenty years could not give him that. He wanted to divorce her and marry someone else. The Catholic faith would not allow that. Henry refused to go along with that, broke free, started a new church and appointed himself as the head. Interesting show. Great castle.

There are two thoughts that I want to share.

First, it is generally a personal dispute that leads to someone looking deeply into what they believe. This isn’t bad. Many doctrines and teachings seem more like theory to us until it they land on our front porch. Then, we become personally involved, motivated and curious. One of the sparks of the American Restoration Movement was a result of this. The doctrine of infant baptism wasn’t a hot topic until Alexander Campbell’s baby was born. Then the question came would the child be baptized? That prompted a study of infant baptism, which led to a further study of baptism itself. The conclusion found in Scriptures is that penitent believers were the ones baptized, not babies. A personal matter took them to the Scriptures.

The same happens today. Folks do not think much about what the Bible teaches about divorce, until someone in the immediate family announces that their marriage is over. Now, possibly for the first time, people start looking and seeing what the Bible teaches. People do not think too much about life after death, until someone in the family passes away, then they want to know where they are and what happens at death.

Personal involvement is a driving force to examining what we believe and what the Scriptures truly teach. It is not uncommon for a person to look in the Scriptures and discover that what they had always been told and what they “thought” the Bible taught, wasn’t there at all. It is here that our second point comes up.

Second, Henry VIII, wanted a divorce. The Catholic faith would not allow it, so he founded his own church so he could have what he wanted. The king always gets what he wants. This too, is the way most operate. They put their feelings above Scriptures. I have seen people read a verse from their own Bibles and then declare, “Oh, I don’t believe that.” This is why modern churches cater to the whims of the audience. They are interested in pleasing the people. Timothy was warned long ago, that some would not endure sound doctrine. They would find teachers that tickled their ears. Tell us what we want to hear. We want nice things. We don’t want much doctrine and definitely easy on the commitment part. Make it fun. Make it enjoyable. Make it the way we want. If it’s not, we’ll just go down the road to another church that’s more suited to the way we think. Really?

Our verse tells us that those who wanted to follow Jesus, first, had to deny self. That means you don’t “have it your way.” You do things God’s way. This is called submission. It means to bend your will for the will of others, and in this case, God’s way. So in this equation, saying, “Well, I think…” doesn’t enter the conversation. It’s what God wants. What Henry did along ago in England is done all the time in America. People “church shop.” They look and look and try out a church, like they are in a fitting room of a store, trying on outfits. If this church fits my needs, I’ll give it a try, is how many are thinking these days. Little thought is given to how serious and closely that church is following the Bible. Are they “denying self,” or making the rules as they go along? Are they following Christ or mimicking Henry VIII? Don’t say anything about homosexuality. God did. Don’t talk about personal holiness. God did. Don’t talk about divorce. God did. Don’t talk about daily living for Christ. God did. Don’t talk about reading the Bible. God did.

Henry’s way or Jesus’ way? When I don’t like something, don’t agree with it, it ought to drive me to the Bible. If I find it taught by God, then I need to change my thinking and my ways. Pleasing God ought to be the basis of what we believe and what we do.

Is it in the Bible? Paul said, “The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you” (Phil 4:9). If Paul did it, then we ought to. If he didn’t, we need to ask, why are we doing it then?

Starting a church is not a bad idea if the purpose is to be more Biblical, God-pleasing and Christ centered. To start a church to justify what I want to do is shallow and vain. To start a church because I don’t like hearing all that Bible, is wrong.

Henry got his divorce. In time, he married several others. A couple of them he accused of unfaithfulness and had their heads lopped off. Henry did what Henry wanted. It’s easy to see his spirit alive and well today. God is seeking those who are willing to do what Christ says, even if it means changing to do that.

Change the teachings or change yourself? Denying self is hard, but it’s a must if we are going to follow Christ. Without denying self, there will come a time when we part with Jesus and walk our own way.

Roger