I just about shaved my head bald and donned the sackcloth robes when I read that Rick Warren think that God's Word isn't enough for the spiritual growth of an individual. How can you be so predisposed to a "group think" mentality that you lose sight of the ultimate importance of God's Word and prayer for living a healthy Christian life. If I was stranded on a desert island, isolated beyond all control, the words of Jesus to the Devil during his temptation (Matthew 4:4) still apply to the situation.
Now, would I have the most fulfilling Christian life if I weren't connected to other people? Absolutely. I've been both connected and disconnected from other believers. There is growth among other believers, and there is growth in solitary study and contemplation. He makes the point that you grow faster and stronger if you have a mentor. I say, why are you in such a hurry? What difference will it make if you beat me to spiritual maturity? The process of spiritual growth is typically referred to by Lutherans as Sanctification. It is a life long process. It can't be completed more quickly or more slowly than a lifetime.
Now there is value in having teachers, pastors, and mentors. They are "Jesus with skin on" - visible examples of God's Word. The single greatest impact on my spiritual life was a Sunday school lesson, Bible study, and sermon. The Word of God is the single most important, life-changing event that any one can experience. After that comes real life... the life that is made up of relationships that have greater purpose, the life that follows the example of mentors, the life that becomes an example to others.
Encouragement is a powerful expression. I appreciate the identification of the author that encouragement often means, "to come alongside". That has a lot of impact to me. I should be more aware of opportunities to come alongside a brother or sister, and build them up.
What encouragement is not is some kind of superficial pep talk. To some extent I think that this lesson comes off that way. I'm not convinced that saying things like "I believe in you...", "I'm grateful for you...", or "I appreciate you..." is anything more than giving someone a sense of self confidence... something I'm particularly annoyed by. The "self" is not the center of our lives. The "self" is always failing, and not worthy of any confidence. Instead, we should be building a sense of Christ-confidence. He is our strength and our salvation. In Him we place our trust for everything we need to live this life. That is something in which we can be confident.
To be an encourager is to build up in Christ. Don't be superficial in your expressions if encouragement. Encourage each other in the Lord (Acts 11:22-24).
This is probably one of the lessons I most agree with. Everyone has experiences that contribute to where they are in their spiritual growth. No one is at the same place. For that reason, each of us has insight and counsel to give.
I also appreciate the focus placed on being in the Word. It really does have to be in your mind and in your heart as much as possible. You need to feed on it, integrating the wisdom into the very make-up of your life. The more knowledge you gain from the Word, the more wisdom you glean from the experiences in your life.
All that is left to do is open up your life - both to sharing and receiving the wisdom that God has given.
This lesson brings to light something I've rarely considered regarding exhortation, warning, and correction. When we are aware of immediate physical danger, without hesitation we scream out the warning to the individual at risk. However, when we are aware of immediate spiritual danger, we stop and wonder if it is really our place to offer our opinion regarding the potential threat. Do you see how our natural sense of self-preservation prevents us from jumping in the way of the oncoming traffic to save our friends in a spiritual life or death situation?
Part of the reason for this mentality, I think, is that we really aren't as close to our friends as we could be. If we were more involved in the everyday lives of our brothers and sisters, we would be closer to their situations and circumstances and we would have a better awareness to the spiritual danger that awaits them. It makes me think of Romans 5:6-8. The passage indicates that our human desire would never stick its neck out to save someone else, even if they were the most righteous person. Yet, Christ gave his life for all of us while we were enemies of God.
It seems to me that we need to be active in the lives of those we call friends. If we do have that connection with other people, then it should be a reflex action to provide warning when we see something that puts them in every kind of danger... especially the spiritual dangers.
Putting others first is harder then it sounds, especially if you have decades of self-interest to overcome. What I mean is, if you are the type of person that hasn't really ever put the interests of others before your own, then it will be more difficult for you. That is the case with me. I've not ever been really good at self-sacrifice... to the point where it is still a bit foreign to me.
Fortunately, I can count on Christ to work in my life to think more of others first. I've noticed a greater desire to cut people some slack rather that be overly critical. Maybe that is the start of a very specific sanctification of my heart.
So the only question I'm considering is what is the difference between playing second fiddle (giving preference to everyone else) and being indifferent about the preference. For example, he suggests letting someone else take the credit... is it giving preference to that person if you don't care who gets the credit? I'm talking about a content attitude rather than something with a negative connotation. Something to ponder I guess.
Confessing my sins to the other people in our small group, or one-on-one with someone other than my wife is probably the hardest thing I can think of. In fact, besides my wife, I can't think of anyone I've really confessed any of my sins to. What makes it so hard is that my sins are so... personal. They are things I'm only comfortable with God knowing about.
This lesson has one thing totally wrong though. Any Christian brother or sister has the power to forgive sins in Jesus name. God gave the authority to forgive sins to men (Matthew 9:1-8). God also made Jesus' name the only one by which sins can be forgiven. So when Jesus turned around and put the power in our hands (Matthew 18:18), we were given the responsibility to affirm each other regarding the grace and mercy found in Christ Jesus.
For now, I'm content keeping my transgressions between God and me, not because I can't receive forgiveness by confessing to a brother or sister, but because His forgiveness is sufficient for me.
A good point made in this lesson is that forgiveness isn't a mental process by which you dispel the hurt caused when you were wronged. However, in some ways I have to believe that it is forgetting the fact that you were wronged, or at least living as if it never occurred. When God separates you from your sin, like in Psalm 103:11-12, it is complete - as if it never existed.
The lesson also makes a good point about getting rid of the bitterness that is caused when someone sins against you. I've got some bitterness like that. There is a fine line though that makes it hard to forgive. Not that I don't want to forgive and forget - it would be much easier - it is just something that will linger for a time... a phase of life that will pass.
© 2007-2010 - Jonathan E. Kuhl