Tragedy in Genesis

After reading through three books in the New Testament I decided to kick it Old Testament and jumped all the way back to Genesis. Genesis is my favorite book in the Bible. I love stories!

I just read Genesis three, The Fall. It is hard to overemphasize just how tragic this portion of Scripture is. I learned somewhere that the difference between a tragedy and a comedy is not necessarily the content, but the ending. A tragedy always ends in death. However, no matter how twisted the plot of a story is, if it ends in a wedding it is consider a comedy. It is the difference between the inevitability of death and the continuity of life.

If you start at the begging of Scripture, once you get to Genesis three you assume the story is going to be a tragedy. Before Genesis three, Adam and Eve were forbidden to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but they were allowed to eat of the tree of life. By the end of Genesis three however, man had eaten of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and were now forbidden to eat of the tree of life.

Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—" therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.

Genesis 3:22-24

When God created man, man inherited some of glory of God. Man was made in His image. Yet, instead of humbling himself, man tried to promote himself above God. God therefore humbled man.

"By the sweat of your face
   you shall eat bread,
till you return to the ground,
   for out of it you were taken;
for you are dust,
   and to dust you shall return."

Genesis 3:19

Ash Wednesday is this next week. At the churches that have Ash Wednesday services this is one of the verses that is emphasized. This is a good verse to meditate on. You are not God. You are dust, and to dust you will return. Some of you may have seen paintings of saints that had skulls in the painting. Saints and holy men used skulls as objects in meditating on their own mortality. Sounds crazy I know, but it sure puts things in perspective. This season of the church leading up to Easter is supposed to be a time of fasting and repentance. A time to recenter our lives on Christ. Our priorities can get out of whack sometimes. So as we enter into the season of Lent, remember...YOU ARE DUST! (http://www.crivoice.org/cyashwed.html)

P.S. There is a wedding coming.

The Church

I finished reading through the epistle to the Romans this morning. Romans is never a good book for me to read for my own sanctification, because after every section I read I just want to preach instead of self-examining. I start meditating on the status of many of our churches in America and I get infuriated and then I want to weep. (I'm not bipolar, I swear!). I get so enraged at what we have turned the bride of Christ into. Instead of a young glowing bride we are more like a 40 year old virgin who lusts after heaven instead of the glory of God.

I see churches in which the Word of God is not rightly divided, emotive highs are mistaken for the Spirit, and dissension reigns.

Let me be clear...SECRECY HAS NO PLACE IN THE CHURCH!! We are not elitists. One group does not get to decide for the whole. Is the budget the only thing we get to vote on? Does the Spirit only move in those people? Is the pastor the only one to whom God has given a vision?

Churches are not to be treated as small countries. Pastors are not presidents or dictators they are servants. Associate pastors are not vice presidents. Boards and commitees are not senates and houses of representatives. A church should not look like a democracy!! The church has one head and that is CHRIST! He is who we get our vision from, and the Holy Spirit is what is to compel us. A body of believers is not something to be ruled over. We are brothers and sisters. Christ himself is called our brother, and if even he who is so much greater humbled himself, how much more are our leaders to humble themselves. Has God set up structure for the church? Absolutely! And He has told those who are in authority that they are to be servants, advocates, and His mouthpieces.

*Here ends angry rant*

And now I weep. I know that in these churches that people love one another and that they love Jesus, but I fear that they don't know God. I fear that a God who is comfortable to worship has been invented, and therefore a false gospel is preached. What I fear most in these churches is mediocrity. I fear that these churches comfort themselves with "eternal security" not knowing that a prayer does not equal salvation.

Do I judge too harshly and am I overly dramatic? Possibly, but I don't think that the problems that exist in the church of America can be overstated.

Prayer:
O Lord God save us from ourselves!
Do not allow us to worship a god we have created for ourselves.
Spirit come!
Dwell among us!
Teach us!
Give us eyes to see,
Ears to hear,
And a heart to know!
Humble us Lord Jesus!