“His hand broke off,” said the 4-year-old boy to me as he held it up to show me. His eyes and the shape of his face showed deep concern. “Can you fix it?”
Unfortunately, I could not, and suddenly, all the joy he had from that toy ended. That toy, for all practical purposes, no longer existed for him.
He kept asking for a few weeks if the toy’s hand had been fixed. No glue would hold the break at the wrist. We had been down that path with other toys.
Somehow, those events and readings my wife and I have been doing from Tozer on Christian Leadership began to play together in my mind and heart. Tozer noticed (and this has only gotten worse) that too often the Christian church when gaining a new convert focuses too much on getting them to work for the Lord quickly as opposed to teaching them to worship first.
That combined with another quote that challenged me, and I hope challenges others too:
The church that can’t worship must be entertained. And men who can’t lead a church to worship must provide the entertainment.
Is worship or entertainment easier to plan? We don’t need to call it church if the goal isn’t to worship God. Certainly, to worship God is to glorify Him – a chief end of man. Finding the balance in a worship service that honors God as a God of order (1 Corinthians 14:33) and God as the Creator who initiates, authors, and perfects our faith can’t be easy. Tozer wrote this more than seventy years ago in The Pursuit of God:
The simplicity which is in Christ is rarely found among us. In its stead are programs, methods, organizations, and a world of nervous activities which occupy time and attention but can never satisfy the longing of the heart.
Many in the church today crave revival. But to crave revival and simultaneously limit God’s work as we worship is as pointless as catching air with a butterfly net. To love God first is to worship Him first.
A few verses joined in chorus together to develop what Jesus spoke of here.
Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24).
I remembered verses about those who put their hands to the plow and looked back as not being worthy of the kingdom of God (Luke 9:62), of working heartily as unto the Lord (Colossian 3:23 and many others), and if a hand or foot causes one to sin that it should be cut off…wait, what?!
Jesus challenged his disciples and listeners with:
And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire (Matthew 18:8-9).
Well, we don’t see that one preached or practiced much, do we?
Look at what comes right before this though. The world that brings temptation will experience woe or deep suffering, affliction, and/or grief. So deep is the suffering, affliction, and grief that Jesus is also telling us it is better for Christians to enter life without those body parts than to enter the suffering where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
This doesn’t bode well for the heart when we consider other parts of Scripture. From the overflow of our hearts, our mouths speak (Matthew 12:34), and our minds think evil thoughts, commit murder, adultery, theft, false testimony, and slander (Matthew 15:18).
A sinful heart creates a sinful life. This is why Proverbs 4:23 tells us, “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”
Even so, who then can be saved? This is a hard teaching, isn’t it? I had an agnostic college professor in the literary department who denounced all Christians as hypocrites because they didn’t practice this verse by lopping their hands and feet off when they sinned.
Dr. Ray Ortlund let Scripture interpret Scripture HERE for Tabletalk in a lovely way that professor might have benefited from:
The Lord is not telling us literally to maim ourselves. After all, the Apostle Paul condemned “asceticism and severity to the body” (Col. 2:23). But our Lord’s point is this: we must resolve that, whatever the personal cost, we will follow the upward call of God in Christ (Phil. 3:14). Yes, the Lord is working in us that which is pleasing in His sight (Heb. 13:21). We are trusting in His merit and power. But we are not passive in our sanctification. Our part is to oppose our sins with sharp discipline. And it isn’t optional. Our Lord is saying to us, “Whatever it takes, get free, follow Me, and enter life. The only alternative is hell.”
The gospel creates morally decisive people who hunger and thirst for righteousness—desires that God promises to satisfy (Matt. 5:6). “The grace of God … teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives” (Titus 2:11–12, NIV). “Strive for … the holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12:4). “I discipline my body and keep it under control” (1 Cor. 9:27).
If you see this and find yourself discouraged, then seek the Lord even more. His mercies are new every morning. He gives wisdom and strength to those who ask to the point our cups overflow. Have you asked for His help to grow closer to Him? Have you asked for wisdom to better love and obey Him?
Lord God, let your Word fill any parts of our hearts that still love darkness instead of Jesus, the Light of the World. Give us wisdom to understand your Word according to the meanings you give it instead of what our culture wants to assign it. Let our lives glorify you. Amen.
(Editor's note: Please visit "Spiritual Growth: A Collection of Resources" for more help.)
