Grieving the Holy Spirit (Part 1)

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

(Ephesians 4:30)

Lately, I have spent much time meditating and reflecting on the enormous gravity of my sin. While this is not the most entertaining and lighthearted pastime, it has been one of the most eye-opening experiences of my life. When we think of sin, we tend to think of specific actions such as lying, stealing, adultery, murder, and other deplorable deeds. The problem with such a view of sin is that we usually fail to bring the conviction we need. We Christians are usually far too easy on ourselves when it comes to the places where sin is present in our lives.

I have this theory that there has been a shift in evangelical Christianity over the past 100 or so years. The discussion of sin has moved from the sins of the congregations to the sins of the pagans. The major moral issues that evangelicalism has taken on have been twofold: Homosexuality and abortion. The problem with this very narrow-minded moral view is that it requires nothing from the churchgoer. The preacher tells his congregation, "Do not be a homosexual!" And they respond, "Thank you Jesus for not making me a homosexual!" The preacher says, "Do not have abortions!" The men respond, "Well there's nothing I can do about that." The women respond, "I haven't had an abortion, so I must be perfect." Meanwhile, the sin that the church is not addressing is running rampant in the congregation.

I just recently finished a fairly in-depth study of the book of Isaiah and there is one passage that I continue to think about again and again:

Like a pregnant woman who writhes and cries out in her pangs when she is near to giving birth, so were we because of you, O LORD; we were pregnant, we writhed, but we have given birth to wind. We have accomplished no deliverance in the earth, and the inhabitants of the world have not fallen.

(Isaiah 26:17-18)

This passage resonates in my heart in such a profound way it is almost breathtaking. I look back at my life as a Christian -- my purportedly "new life" -- and I see how much God has done. I recollect about the times when I have been brought to tears by the beauty of Christ's death and resurrection. I remember missions trips, specific instances of intercessory prayer, and every great sermon I have ever heard. I see all the ways in which I have been moved by the Holy Spirit, but still allow sin to have its way with me. I think about Paul's words to the Ephesians where he says, "we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10), but I feel more like I am grieving the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30).

I am convinced that I cannot continue living my life this way. I recently read a fascinating quote from Jacques Cousteau (who actually is paraphrasing Gandhi):

“If we go on the way we have, the fault is our greed [and] if we are not willing [to change], we will disappear from the face of the globe, to be replaced by the insect.”

As a Christian, I have long thought that my sin was a personal issue between God and myself. When I am angry, I owe God an apology for not being loving. When I am greedy, I ought to ask God for forgiveness for my lack of generosity. While I still think that sin is between us and God, I think that Satan has fed us lies that our sins does not have an effect outside of ourselves. Obviously, if I murdered someone this would effect the person I murdered, that person's family, and probably other people as well. But we don't tend to think about other sins in this way. When I am being greedy, I am preventing myself from being generous. Therefore, I am sinning against those in need around me. When I am angry, I am not loving my neighbor, so I probably need to ask for forgiveness from whoever my neighbor happens to be at the time.

Sin prevents us from living as a fruitful citizens of the Kingdom. The message of the Gospel is not only (or even primarily) about what we receive from Jesus, but rather what Jesus enables us to give back (see 2 Corinthians 5:14-15). Christians are not called to become rulers, but servants. Maybe when Paul tells us not to grieve the Holy Spirit, he is reminding us that our sin inhibits the Holy Spirit from working in us "to will and to work for his good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). For the rest of this "Grieving the Holy Spirit" series, I am going to talk about some sins I think are prevalent among the church (because I know they are in my own heart) and what good works they are keeping us from.

It's Not Easy Being A Pharaoh

For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."

(Romans 9:17)

This morning I was meditating on the story of the Exodus. Obviously, this is a well known story for Jews and Christians alike, but I have been thinking about it in a new light recently. There are some basics of the story that I find to be devastating when I apply them to my own life. For instance:

• God's people are slaves in a foreign land
• God uses an exile (from two groups of people) to free His people
• God's speech to the powerful goes ignored
• 9 plagues aren't enough to get Pharaoh's attention
• It takes the death of the Pharaoh's firstborn to break him

As much as I wish that I could write about how I can relate to the oppression and yearning for freedom of the Hebrews, I have more in common with another character in the story. Unfortunately, that character is the Pharaoh. Pharaoh believes that he has power over the world, and his own nation's religion tells him that he is the most important. Pharaoh has a very clear message spoken to him by God's appointed messenger, but his response is very much like my own. I make excuses, I justify myself, and then I refuse to listen. Pharaoh's whole existence is built around preserving the status quo, if he can just keep going about his normal business and just ignore God's voice, everything will be fine.

Unfortunately, this is not the reality God has in mind. God's plan is to turn the status quo upside down. Things cannot continue as normal because only God is allowed to dictate what is normal. We would prefer for God to comfort us and love us for "who we are," but that is not the message of the Bible. Instead we hear:

Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thought.

(Isaiah 55:6-9)

People like reading the second part of this passage as encouragement that God has a plan for their life and it will all work out well. While this may in fact be the case, they need heed the first part. We are called to forsake our wicked thoughts and ways. Just because we are forgiven by God does not mean we may continue living in open rebellion to him. If our sin is a sword of destruction, we must begin beating it into a plowshare of obedience (Isaiah 2:4).

When Jesus says, "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it" (Matthew 10:39), he is not being poetic. God made demands of Pharaoh and unfortunately Pharaoh refused to comply. I do not want to live like Pharaoh refusing to listen to God's clear commands on my life. Jesus, save me from the plagues of disobedience to your will.

The Gospel of Inactivity

"Like a pregnant woman

who writhes and cries out in her pangs

when she is near to giving birth,

so we were because of you, O Lord;

we were pregnant, we writhed,

but we have given birth to wind.

We have accomplished no deliverance in the earth,

and the inhabitants of the world have not fallen."

- Isaiah 26:17-18

I have been reflecting on Isaiah recently, and these verses really stuck out to me. Isaiah is lamenting over Israel, God's agents of deliverance in the world, who are a people who cry out for God, but accomplish nothing. Israel as a people sought God when they were in distress and God continued to deliver. This however, made no change in the way God's people lived.

What is so striking to me personally about Isaiah's bemoaning is what actually is to saddening him. Most of the time when people are mourning, they are mourning the loss of a person, a possession, or maybe a place. Isaiah is clearly mourning over his nation's sins. He wishes that his people had done more to change the world acting as God's emissaries. His last line there is convicting, "We have accomplished no deliverance in the earth, and the inhabitants of the world have not fallen."

I believe the church needs to consider Isaiah's words. Sometimes I fear that Stephen's words to the Sanhedrin are coming to true for Jesus' church:

"You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it."

(Acts 7:51-53)

We Christians claim that the ultimate miracle of miracles happened in the form of the incarnation: God came to earth. Jesus' ministry on earth was not neither ambiguous nor deceiving. He taught, he healed, and he made it possible that people would come into a right relationship with God. If it weren't enough to have God on earth, Jesus called apostles to preach and teach the word for years after his ascension to heaven. There has never been an absence of God's word to the world, there has only been an absence of hearing.

Nowadays the church (particularly in the United States), spends it's time largely ignoring Jesus. We relegate him to Lord of Heaven and Earth, but not of our houses, businesses, families, political parties or lifestyles. Jesus is a means to an end, namely salvation. He is a tool in the divine toolbox of our comfort. This ethos of passivity that I too am so guilty of cannot stand in light of the true Jesus. Christ does not speak words of comfort and rest to us. He says, "Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire" (Matthew 3:10).

I need to have the same spirit of Isaiah, one that compels him to action and sacrifice. I do not want to look back at my life and mourn over my failures for the world. I want to celebrate the beautiful ways God has worked in my life to further the Kingdom. When I look at the world around me I see people striving after some ounce of power or control in their life. I think this lust for power is actually a good sign. As Thomas Traherne puts it:

The noble inclination whereby man thirsteth after riches and dominion, is his highest virtue, when rightly guided; and carries him as in a triumphant chariot, to his sovereign happiness. Men are made miserable only by abusing it. Taking a false way to satisfy it, they pursue the wind: nay, labour in the very fire, and after all reap but vanity.

All of our life's desires for power, control and authority are but misguided aspirations for our life's true calling. I hear many people say that they do not want their lives to be boring or meaningless. People who have no relationship with Jesus pursue philanthropy because they want to connect with some greater purpose. The Body of Christ needs to preach and live the fact that following Christ is neither boring nor idle. True salvation as Stanley Hauerwas puts it is coming into the middle of God's story. A story that "began without us, as a story of the peculiar way God is redeeming the world, a story that invites us to come forth and be saved by sharing in the work of a new people who God has created in Israel and Jesus."

Things I need and other things...

Things I Don't Need:

• 10 pairs of shoes
• multiple jackets and sweaters (it isn't even cold in Phoenix)
• the box of random electronics that sits idle in my closet
• four tennis racquets...i'm not as Roger Federer as I think I am

Things I Think I Need, But I Really Don't Need:

• my giant book collection
• my car...walking+bicycle+bus+light rail= getting to 99% of the places I need to go
• my snow skis and boots...they get used once or twice a year at this point
• two longboards (skateboards not surfboards)...anyone want a free longboard?
• In'N'Out Burger, Chipotle or Hungry Howie's pizza at least once a week

Things I Need:

• enough clothes to get me through about a week and a half in a couple seasons
• my bicycle
• my Bible...I think I have too many of these in fact
• my guitar...as much as I talking about wanting a new one, I just need this one
• simplicity in lifestyle and in mind
• to meet the people and remember the names of the people in my apartment complex
• to find ways to serve the poor around me
• to eat healthy, but not too healthy
• the church
• to figure out what I really need and what I really don't
• to follow Jesus as closely as possible...i see this as the only viable option

A burr under their saddles...

On more than a few occasions, I've read or heard people say something to the effect of, "We need a new kind of Christianity." The saying has always irked me largely because I see it as being incredibly arrogant. As I've studied church history, I often feel like we are not in need of a new Christianity, but rather an old one. That aside, when people declare a desire for new Christianities, I generally become very skeptical. However, if you're like me than I think we can all agree that there is something wrong with the church at large.

Without hitting too many specific issues, I'd like to voice my opinion that the church is losing its voice in society, but not for the reasons we think. Evangelicals have made claims that the world is losing respect for Christians because they have a low view the Bible, morals, traditional families, or all of the above. It would be convenient for us to claim that the world has turned on us because we are different, but I am not so sure that is the case. Right wing, ultra-conservative Christians have tried to claim that there is a war against Christians (and Christmas for that matter), but I think this may be a major overstatement.

I would offer that the reason Christians are losing their voice is because far from being different than the world, we have become all too similar. Our families look more or less the same as non-Christian families, our spending habits and business practices are almost no different from our secular counterparts, our views on most moral issues (except abortion and gay rights obviously) are no different than the general populations. We drive the same cars, live in the same neighborhoods, go to the same gyms and watch the same movies.

Now some of those similarities are innocuous enough (heaven forbid if all Christians all move into one neighborhood together), but we are a far cry from what I believe Jesus calls us to. In Matthew 5:16, Christ calls us to "let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." Furthermore, the Apostle Paul exhorts the Philippians saying,

Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world (Philippians 2:14-15)

I would offer that there is a major problem when Christ's ambassadors to the world appear just like the "crooked and twisted generation"? If such a unique and supernatural thing as conversion has occurred in the lives of believers, than why does nothing appear different? I think if we examine the context of Paul's letter to the Philippians, we might find some help.

We must remember that Paul is writing this epistle during the time of Roman Imperialism. Rome has occupied nearly all of the Mediterranean world, and thus the church at Philippi would have well known the distinction between a Roman citizen and a native person living in a territory conquered by Rome. These citizens had certain privileges and rights that were endowed to them by the government. Though he himself was a Roman citizen, Paul writes:

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel (Philippians 1:27)

Translators have never been able to capture the full meaning of the phrase they translate as "manner of life." The Greek word used here is politeuomai (πολιτεύομαι), which means to behave as a citizen. I think this beautifully captures a truth that Christians then needed to understand, and we today are in need of reminding.

I think Paul is great a turning his readers' worlds upside down. For instance here, he is no doubt reminding people that among them are Roman citizens. They are endowed certain rights by Rome (whether by birth or by purchase), and these rights accord to them luxuries and esteem. But for Christians, Paul says, your citizenship is not of any nation or country, but of a kingdom not of this world (John 18:36). Unlike Roman citizens, this citizenship doesn't afford us luxuries, but calls us to a new life. Christ calls us not become his followers who will serve and not be served. Or as Paul puts it in 2 Corinthians 9:8, "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work."

If you're an American you need to understand that your first pledge is to him who says, "To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance" (Isaiah 45:23). If you're British your primary service is not to the Crown, but to him who "is crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone" (Hebrews 2:9).

We have assimilated our souls to cultures that do not value the things of God. We have become so immersed in these dark places that we forget just how much Jesus stands in opposition to the ways of this world. We've traded the Fruit of the Spirit for consumerism, materialism, greed, violence, egotism and indifference. We fail to remember that Paul writes:

But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; (1 Corinthians 1:27).

As Christians, our lives should be such that we confound the ways of this world. When Christians heed the words of Christ and begin loving their enemies, our war torn world will come to us to learn about peace. When followers of Jesus denounce their treasures on earth in favor of their heavenly treasures, the world will come to us to learn generosity. Christians should be a burr under the saddles of the world, so irritating and extraordinary that their only response would be "give glory to [our] Father who is in heaven." Christians need to stop masquerading as citizens of this world with redeemed Sunday mornings. I pray that God would not judge us too harshly for the ways we have forgotten our first love.

Blog inspired by the crying baby behind me on the airplane...

A crying baby on my flight? That is so cliché. Luckily, my flight is not particularly lengthy, but it allows me just enough time remind myself that this baby's audible weeping is merely a small fraction of what our whole world is feeling at any given moment. For this baby, crying is one of his or her (I can't see it from my seat) two modes: sleeping or crying. But in a very real way, our world is in a constant state of suffering. The Apostle Paul, in one of my favorite passages of scripture, puts it this way:

For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. (Romans 8:22-23)

I sometimes wonder how we manage to insulate ourselves from this pain which was so evident to Paul. In in the United States, we have built a system that promotes comfort. The trajectory of science, technology and all our institutions is towards whatever is easier, less painful, and less time consuming. Occasionally we get a glimpse of what is ailing us, sometimes in the form a the death of a loved one or an economic collapse. We see things that most agree, “Should not be this way,” and we decide that all our resources should be allocated to preventing this catastrophe from ever happening again. This pain management system we've developed is more laughable than laudable.

I sometimes wonder what our society would look like if we embraced the hurting world around us. Would we have reality television shows where contestants must be homeless for an alloted period of time? Would we have shows where contestants must actually survive in Third World conditions? Could we ever get to the point where war, disease, or oppression ever become subjects for our entertainment? The answer is probably not, but we have done a great job at removing these eyesores from our everyday life. Whenever you go to the grocery store, what are all the tabloids talking about? Celebrity relationships or infidelities, government coverups and which American Idol contestant has a secret life we don't know about What if our tabloids and some of our less refined magazines only reported on the terrible things going on in the world? What if some story about a “balloon boy” failed to capture the attention of the news networks because they were reporting on malaria deaths, genocides, tribal wars and starving children?

I am sick to my stomach sometimes because all I ever do is complain about the ignorance or insolence of Americans, but I myself fail to hear the groaning of the world around me. Even more than that, I fail to respond to the the groaning when I do hear it. I must confess that I am scared to death when I read the words of Jesus:

"But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. "Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. "Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.” (Luke 6:24-25)

Knowing what I know, perhaps I should be joining the baby in tears.

The Need For Contemplation

And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.

Mark 1:35

Recently, in my own personal study and conversations with friends, I have been finding some constant themes.

1. People are not pleased with their lives, and widely report to have no "inner peace."
2. People are looking to alternative forms of spirituality.
3. People think of Christianity as a moralistic, but not particularly spiritual path.
4. Christians do not understand their relationship to the Holy Spirit.

While I do not think any of these facts are good in and of themselves, I find an amazing hope in the way they relate. I will take a look at these ideas individually and then talk about what they mean together.

People are not pleased with their lives, and widely report to have no "inner-peace." This should come as a surprise to no one. We in the United States live in a culture that is finding less and less satisfaction in life. We live in an information age, where we are never more than a Facebook poke or Twitter tweet away from other people, but we reportedly still feel alone. Obviously we are in a time of economic struggle, but is there any proof to say that we will feel better when we come out of it? I've harped on this issue before, but I must maintain that we are slowly killing our souls with materialism. Whether you like him or not, Jimmy Carter was prophetic when he observed:

"Too many of us now tend to worship self-indulgence and consumption. Human identity is no longer defined by what one does, but by what one owns. But we've discovered that owning things and consuming things does not satisfy our longing for meaning. We've learned that piling up material goods cannot fill the emptiness of lives which have no confidence or purpose."

People are taking many different outlets to fulfill their emptiness. Family, friends, sports, money, sex, drugs, alcohol, pets (so many lonely people only experiencing love from the Golden Retrievers), and everything else under the sun are becoming outlets to fulfill our deepest needs. Which brings me to my next point...

People are looking to alternative forms of spirituality. From the Hindu Vedas and Upanishads to Kabbalah, from Oprah and her gurus to Scientology, people are dying to believe in something. Obviously I believe their aims are way off, but I still see this as a good thing. Bad thinking Christians tend to be up in arms about the oncoming atheistic apocalypse, but the empirical evidence is not reinforcing such fears. I think our biggest fear as Christians shouldn't be that people like Richard Dawkins are going to argue Christianity away. We should be more afraid of not offering people what they need to the point that they will turn to empty religions in order to satisfy it.

People think of Christianity as a moralistic, but not particularly spiritual path. When I consider this prevalent idea, I cannot decide if I am more saddened or angered by the notion. As I understand it the church is supposed to be the Body of Christ in the world. If the world wants to see Jesus they should be able to look at the church. If this is the case people might think that Jesus...

1. hates all homosexuals and cares more about them not getting married than he does about feeding the poor.
2. thinks Barack Obama is a socialist and might be the Antichrist.
3. has a "pick yourself up by your bootstraps" attitude about salvation.
4. is mean spirited.
5. is antagonistic towards the world.

I don't really want to go into all those misrepresentations of Jesus because I will just get angry, but needless to say we have not done very well as Christ's representatives.

Furthermore, even aside from our ugly face we've shown, we haven't done a great job inside the Body of Christ either. Christianity has become an overly pragmatic religion. We have done a really good job at systematizing the Christian life and a really bad job of communicating the Good News. We teach people what we perceive as the necessary hows without teaching them the whys. Often have I heard sermons on "God's 12 Step Plan to Save Your Marriage," or "the Bible's Money Management System." I am not saying that God is not interested in those areas. Clearly He is. But I think we are going about it entirely wrong. (I'll finish this thought later.)

Christians do not understand their relationship to the Holy Spirit.I actually think that the Holy Spirit is sort of an outcast in many churches. Every good Bible student knows that Christians receive the Holy Spirit, but most Christians seem oblivious to His role in their lives. Just recently I was teaching a class where we were looking at how Jesus' life was Spirit led. Not surprisingly it prompted the question, "How do you live by the Spirit?" I think this is a question many Christians are asking, even if they can't verbalize it.

Now that I've made it through the preliminary ideas, I think it boils down to this: Christians need to learn the contemplative spiritual disciplines. Prayer, meditation, silence, and solitude are what I really have in mind. I think it would be extremely hard to make a universal order for the Christian life (many have tried), but if I had to guess it might look something like this:

1. People hear the Gospel, they believe and repent and are saved.
2. People join the body of Christ, they experience God through worship, fellowship, and the sacraments (essentially the Eucharist and Baptism).
3. People are taught about who God is and how we can know him.
4. People are taught how to spend time with God: prayer, meditation, silence, solitude.
5. People are transformed (not immediately or ever on a fixed scale) more into the image of Jesus.

Obviously I do not think it would or will always work nicely and neatly in that order. But I think that makes more theological sense than this:

1. People hear the Gospel, hopefully they believe and repent and are saved.
2. People join the body of Christ, they learn that singing is worship.
3. They are taught "how to be a Christian."
4. They never spend time with God.
5. They get really frustrated when nothing in their lives reflect Jesus.

I know that I may be exaggerated the process a bit, but not by too much. We have an American approach to Christianity: if you work hard at it, you will succeed. This is not the "faith that was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 1:3). I believe in a God of transformation. I believe that when we experience and draw close to God we cannot leave the same. I love the way Paul describes it in 2 Corinthians 3:17-18:

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

What should your church teach? Teach people to draw close to God. Teach people how to live in the Spirit. Teach people the Spiritual Disciplines. If we are helping the body of Christ to behold "the glory of the Lord" we will never have to teach another dating seminar, marriage saving lesson, or business ethics class ever again. I am hopeful because people all over the world are seeking inner peace and satisfaction in their lives and the only fulfillment they will ever receive will be through the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Further Reading:

A Celebration of Discipline and Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home by Richard Foster

The Life of the Spirit and the Life of Today by Evelyn Underhill

The Lord's Prayer and The Beatitudes by Gregory of Nyssa