|
|
|
January, 1994 Finally Beloved
... Take A Look Inside
A New Look at Ourselves One of the key distinctives of the practical side of the Reformed tradition is its call for godly introspection, that is, looking in at ourselves to see what God has done in us. This became a part of our worship through the excellent tradition of preparation for the celebration of the Lord's Supper. Before going to the Lord's Table, a person must look inside to see if he or she is converted, changed to believe in Christ as Lord and Saviour. A true sign of conversion is striving to keep God's law out of thankfulness for the redemption in Christ; a true sign of being unconverted is choosing to live in unrepentant sin. So as the church prepares for the Lord's Supper, each member is called to examine themselves to see the internal and external evidence of conversion in their hearts, while the elders also check the external evidence in case it points to the unconverted state of any of the members. This is a beautiful and biblical tradition which we must never lose. But it would be wrong to save taking a look at ourselves for preparatory times before the Lord's Table. Our spiritual gauges need to be constantly checked How is your relationship with Christ? A helpful illustration is that of our relationship with our spouses. Our heart tells us how we feel about our spouse. In any loving marriage there is an abiding feeling of love that keeps growing even in the midst of conflict and pain in the relationship. If I love my wife, I can feel and see that abiding love when I stop and look at my deepest feelings. If you love the Lord, you will see and feel a deep abiding love for Him when you look at your heart. If there is true love in the heart, other signs automatically flow. If I love my wife, I talk to her. How can I say I love my wife, then enter our house after work and not even say a word. If I constantly ignore my wife, my claim to love her is proved to be false. How much do you talk to God? If you claim you love Him, yet never express your thoughts and concerns to Him, you prove that claim to be false. Many of us are nervous about praying out loud, and the Lord certainly understands the feeling of awkwardness we feel. However when we are alone with the Lord, if we ignore Him and refuse to talk with Him, we show a lack of love. Talk to Him right now, and ask Him to forgive you for ignoring Him. The cross of Christ has purchased redemption for all who will tell Christ they are sorry and believe in Him. If I love my wife, I also learn about her. If I say I love my wife, but don't know her sister's name, or her favourite colour, I show I have a very poor relationship. If I don't even want to know these things about her, I show I have no loving relationship at all. It is also so with the Lord. If I say I love the Lord, but know no more about Him today then I did ten years ago, my claim of love is hollow. If I say I love the Lord, but have no desire to study His Word at all, I am lying when I say I love Him. Talk to God and promise him that Von will make the commitment to study His Word and learn more about Him this year. If I love my wife, I want to tell her. Some of us gush, write notes and bring flowers. Others are more reserved and show their love by a gentle smile or a touch. But one can be sure that if someone loves his wife, he will tell her. If we love God we will want to tell Him - that's what we call worship. Part of the reason that there is such a difference in worship styles in the church is because of how different we are in the ways we express our love. Some of us express our love to God in very visible ways, others are more comfortable keeping it deep in our hearts. The key is being sure that worship is important to you. Are you are heartbroken if you cannot attend worship on the Lord's Day? Do you find additional opportunities to tell God how wonderful He is? If so thank the Lord for these signs of His Spirit's converting spirit in your life. If you have no desire to tell God how wonderful He is, tell Him you are sorry about your unconverted heart, and ask Him for a new heart which will praise Him. If I love my wife, I want my friends to meet her. There is nothing quite as special as seeing the shine on the face of a newly engaged young person when they announce their engagement. How they want friends to see the one they have committed their life to. Personally I feel that people that have never met my wife, have never really met me. How much more with Christ. If you love Christ, you will want everyone to know Him. I think if someone meets my wife, they will be blessed by the experience. I know that if someone comes to know Christ, they will receive eternal life. If you love Christ, you will do all you can to help others come to know Him. It is a well known fact that many congregations die because of refusing to change to make it easier for those not currently attending the congregation to feel welcome. They may stick to the way they feel comfortable to show their love to Christ, and ignore his call to help others love Him too. In other words, many congregations die because of failing to love Christ the way He wants to be loved. If I love my wife, I am not angry if people ask me about my love. If someone asks me if I love my wife, the answer is such an automatic part of who I am, I respond automatically without even having the time to be surprised by the question. "I love her so much!!" What type of husband would answer, "How dare you ask me that question? I pay the bills for our house, what more would anyone expect." Clearly only an unloving one would. if you love Christ, you ought never to be afraid to be asked if you are born again. Your response will be natural, "Yes, I have loved Christ as my Lord and Saviour for years. Do you know Him, too?" If your natural response is, "How dare you ask me if I am born again, I have been a member of this church for all my life, " you show a lack of love for Christ. One who loves supports the house out of love, but never uses support of the house as an excuse for not expressing that love. If you lack that love and have assumed you are a Christian because of church membership talk to Christ right now. "Jesus, I am sorry I have taken for granted that I have a saving relationship with you simply because I attend and support my church. Please be my personal Lord and Saviour and grant me a heart that loves you. " Church will become a joy when you start attending to learn more about the One you love, and to tell Him how wonderful He is. What has been said in this call to take a new look at ourselves in 1994 is totally reformed and faithful to our tradition and our confessions. Don't ever think that it is reformed to not believe in personal conversion or outreach. The church which fails to stress the need for personal conversion inside and outside of the church has denied the Gospel practically and is well on its way to denying it in its teaching as well, as history has shown us repeatedly. Only God can grant true conversion and new life. But we who know Him can draw near to the throne of grace and beg Him to convert us, our children, and our world. The Reformation worked itself throughout the world because those who remained faithful to the truth of being saved by faith alone, faithfully called all to personal conversion, both inside and outside the church gather to face the future needs for renewal and reformation of our congregations, denomination and our culture together. Looking in is the first step to looking out at the future God has for us. |