I was enjoying a conversation with my CDR the other day (as I so often do). He is sincere, Roman Catholic believer who can offer a bunch of spot-on critiques of the evangelical pop culture.
We talked about how some of this culture was influence by the influence of psychologist Norman Vincent Peale's "Power of Positive Thinking," and the bubble gum preachers who decided to turn that into a Christian philosophy of ministry (i.e. most of the people on TV).
Now my CDR also appreciates a certain degree of positive thinking and believes in its power. To a certain degree, I do as well. We are both fans of cognitive psychology, with its focus on changing destructive thought patterns. But positive thinking isn't enough. Not for psychology. Not for ministry.
In fact, positive thinking, if seen as an end, will always end in despair. If a pastor tells you that you can have your best life now, then you should probably politely call him a liar. This life is not all about finding your purpose, realizing your potential, or achieving health and wealth. It is about glorifying God and enjoying Him forever.
I told my CDR that we need to hear about sin and judgment in every sermon. He told me he doesn't like those "hellfire and brimstone" sermons. I agree. Most of those sermons simply provoke the fear of God, but offer no comfort in the love and mercy of God in Jesus Christ. I told him that we need both. Jesus came for the sick, not the healthy; sinners, not the righteous. We need to be convicted of our sin by the law before we can be comforted by the Gospel. We need our wounds exposed if we are to savor the salve of the Gospel. Only great sinners know their need for a great Savior.
That point struck him. Hopefully the truth God gives us through Paul in Romans 12 will touch him anew--that we live in view of God's mercy before we offer our bodies as living sacrifices (v1) and we must be transformed by the renewing of our minds before we can test and approve God's will (v2). Positive thinking and living starts with the Gospel and is cultivated by Spirit-wrought conviction and comfort in Christ.
I also spent an hour or two debating some theological points with an older soldier at dinner last night. Whenever someone starts with the question, "You know what's wrong with the Church today?" I brace myself. I'm glad these folks don't have the authority to judge the Church as they suppose, for that power belongs to Christ alone and He is much more gracious (Rom. 8:34).
He then proceeded to tell me about how it's because we don't do what Jesus did, for Jesus said that those who believe shall do what he did and even more. For this man, this couldn't possibly mean that Jesus was referring to our walking according to the same Spirit that guided Him, or that we will be able to share the same life-saving message that He did, though we are sinners. Nope. This has to mean that we will do miracles just like the Apostles. We should be able to heal the sick and claim the physical promises that God has given us.
I rarely get annoyed. But when I hear a fellow believer claim this sort of voodoo-Christian nonsense, I get a bit perturbed. Jesus never sinned. Can we do that? Jesus poured out His Spirit upon His people. Can we do that?
Apparently, more miracles would verify the truth of the Word and the Church would reverse course from its "decline" (despit the fact that it is surging in much of the non-western world). Yet miracles did nothing to convince unbelievers of Jesus' identity in His day. Mankind saw the miracles. And then mankind murdered the Son of God.
Faith comes through hearing the Word (Rom. 10), not by sight. And we are not promised good times. Rather, we are told that the world will hate us and that we will suffer. To claim that we can heal cancer is demonic. Paul had a thorn in the flesh (perhaps bad eyes)--where was his faith to heal himself? Suffering is not the disease, it is the symptom. Christ became our sin so we might be the righteousness of God. He did not become our sufferer so we might be the healthy of God.
There will be a day when "there will be no more curse," the physical body and the world will be restored to their original beauty, and every tear will be wiped from our eyes (Rev. 21-22). But that today is not today. Today, we follow Christ and bear the weight of the cross. On That Day, we will follow Christ and bear the weight of glory (Col. 3:1-4).
You know what's wrong with the Church today? It is filled with sinners, some of whom would rather sit on the throne of judgment rather than at the feet of the Justifier. Come, Lord Jesus, come.
