Deliverance from the Cult of Self

 "He has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it."
(Matt. 10:39)

Selfishness is the epidemic disease of our day. Unbeknownst, to those suffering from this disease, it is destructive. We are systematically taught from our earliest days to "look out for number one," to "pamper ourselves," and to "encourage self-actualization, self-awareness, and self-esteem." We have made a supreme vice into a supreme virtue. As a result we have become self-absorbed, self-concerned, and self-consumed. We have also become supremely unhappy and unfulfilled. As psychologist Paul Kellerman has pointed out, this is precisely because "The only path to genuine happiness and fulfillment is through service to others. It is only as we give ourselves away that we can truly discover ourselves."

Whereas, in times past the motivating concept that shaped our society was "faith in God," it is now "self-fulfillment." The modern cult of self beckons us to "find ourselves" by turning inward. It entices to "satisfy ourselves" by "being true to ourselves." Modern man wrongly assumes that all his personal ills are a result of his failure to "love himself," actually nothing could be further from the truth. He has been brainwashed to believe that the root of all bliss is "self –esteem." But one of the most basic principles of sociology is that satisfaction, purposefulness, contentment, and success are all directly connected to selfless service. In other words, authority ultimately resolves itself upon the servant not upon the tyrant. This basic concept of social development is understood all too well by the administrators of many of our contemporary social service institutions. They recognize that whatever agency serves the needs of the people will ultimately gain the allegiance of the people. So, they serve. And, as a result of the entitlements they bestow upon others, they gain more and more authority. As my dear friend Dennis Peacocke is fond of saying, "He who serves leads." Unfortunately, many believers have seemingly missed this truth.

Notice what Jesus taught His disciples, "And He said to them, ‘The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called benefactors. But not so among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves. But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials. And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel’" (Luke 22:25-30).

The cult of self is contradicted by the whole of history. The great lessons of the history are invariably told through the lives and work of men and women who put the interests of others before their own, who put the safety of others before their own, and who put the happiness of others before their own. Compare the life stories of men like William Wallace, George Washington, Patrick Henry, Booker T. Washington, Teddy Roosevelt, and Winston Churchill with our modern day obsession with self. The contrast is immediate and enormous. The heroes of the past were always those who resisted the temptation of selfishness. They fought for justice, they cared for the needy, they worked for mercy, they fed the hungry, and they rescued the perishing. Their greatest accomplishments were always the result of their comprehension that servanthood was ultimately the key to significance and success.

There is an axiomatic principle of life that reveals if a person or thing does not abandon its independence and right to exist as a "free agent," it will never fulfill the purpose for which it was created. Marriage is an example of this truth. It was the intent and the design of the Creator that in marriage two individuals become a single unit. "These two shall become one flesh" (Gen. 2:24). This does not mean that the woman loses her identity, and becomes a mere "shadow" of the man. But it does mean that both are required to lose their independence in order to attain the fulfillment and joy that God purposed in marriage. Each individual must be willing to abandon "self" for the sake of the marriage.

Our society is seeing the purpose and joy drain out of marriage because individuals have become more and more preoccupied with self-fulfillment. As long as marriage partners put their self-fulfillment as the focus of their relationship, they remain separate individuals and the "life" of the marriage is lost.

This principle is evident in the biology as well. For instance, a living cell in an organism, such as the human body, is not designed to function in and for itself. Each cell was created to function in service to the other cells in the organism. On occasion a cell will step out of its proper place and begin to act independently. When this occurs the cell has become cancerous and must be destroyed in order that the life of the body might be spared.

The world of physics provides us with another example. The three subatomic particles – protons, neutrons, and electrons – are useless existing independently. They can, however, lose their independence and become bound with other particles to form the elements that make up our universe. Together with other atoms, they form an almost infinite number of compounds that bear no resemblance to the identity of the original elements.

Plato, over three hundred years before Christ, understood this principle and its relationship to the social order. In reference to a society that had demanded the independence of the individual to the detriment of the whole, he wrote, "They fret at the least hint of servitude, and won’t have it; for at last, you know, they care nothing for the laws written or unwritten, that no one may be their master in anything. This then is the beginning from which tyranny grows." [Great Dialogues of Plato, New York: The New American Library, 1956. pg. 362.] When a people are consumed with independence and self-fulfillment they are on the road to the loss of liberty.

In the economy of God one will only find frustration and emptiness seeking to serve and satisfy one’s self. On the other hand, true fulfillment and joy are ours if abandon the quest of self-fulfillment, and lose our life in God’s Kingdom. Jesus stated it this way: "For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it" (Matt. 16:25). This principle of life could not be more simply stated.

Gotta Pay Somebody

[I wrote this exactly 8 years ago today. It was an issue of my e-mail column I did called "Arrows of Truth." Obviously, I wrote it in commemoration of "Tax Day."]

Bob Dylan wrote, what remains one of my favorite songs from his “Christian era,” the song entitled Gotta Serve Somebody. (I still remember him performing it on Saturday Night Live in the late 70’s.) I have entitled this issue of Arrows of Truth: “Gotta Pay Somebody.” Like the truth expressed in Dylan’s song, this is also a fact of life. In fact these two truths are tied together, you will pay the one you serve. Or to be more precise, a people will pay the “God” they worship.

We live in a society that has rejected the God of the Bible, and has opted to worship the “State,” and as a consequence the State demands our tribute money. You may question my remark about our society rejecting the God of the Bible, but the evidence is everywhere. It is not simply reflected in our social mores, it is reflected in the Church as well. How you may ask? In the percentage of Christians who tithe. Most studies show that less than 5% of evangelical Christians tithe. Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there is your heart also.” My friend, our pocketbook reflects our value system. If the Church refuses to honor the Lord with their tithe it has repercussions in the society in which they dwell.

Many of the services provided by the State were originally designed by God to be provided by the Church, the family, or the individual. According to God’s plan, it’s not the job of the State to care for the widows and orphans. Neither is it the job of the State to educate, feed the hungry, subsidize artists, or care for its citizens from cradle to grave. The role of civil government was to be limited. The more we demand from the State, the more the State must take from us in taxes to provide for those services. In other words, “There is no free lunch.” The State that provides you with everything must take everything that you have. You gotta pay somebody.

I do take note that the Mormons, who practice tithing, are an influential force in spite of their comparatively few numbers. Imagine the influence Christians, if they tithed to the extent that the Mormons do, could have in our culture.

Because of the failure of most believers to tithe many of the services formerly performed by churches can no longer be provided because of the lack of finances. Therefore, the State provides these services and hands us the bill. In addition, this gives the State more power over our lives, which means the loss of freedom. In other words, enslavement to the State. You gotta serve somebody.

We cannot extract ourselves from this dilemma until believers begin to tithe. In reality, the financial basis for the advancement of God’s Kingdom is the tithe. If we expect its growth without obedience we are deceiving ourselves.

The Master, the Masters, and Seven Days in Utopia

I am a golf fan, I'm not a good player, but I love the game and can be found on most weekends watching the Golf Channel or a network broadcast of a golf tournament. I can converse more freely on golf than any other sport. I follow the PGA tour more closely than I do any other sport.


This last weekend I enjoyed the drama surrounding the Masters tournament. Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and Rory McIlroy were all favored to be contenders for this most prestigious event. But Bubba Watson rose to the occasion and came away with the "green jacket." Following his win he posted this on his Twitter account: "1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." At his press conference he was unafraid the honor his Lord and Savior.


Bubba is not by any means the lone evangelical believer on the tour. In fact there are a plethora of evangelical Christians playing in the PGA. Webb Simpson, Aaron Baddley, Ben Crane, K.J. Choi of South Korea, and many others have used their success in the sport as a platform for bearing witness to their faith in Christ.


Last September, June and I took an afternoon to go the movie, Seven Days in Utopia, starring Robert Duvall, who happens to be a favorite actor of mine. I don't believe that this movie was promoted as a "Christian" film, in an attempt to "fly under the radar" of a secularized audience. This film was clearly produced on a low budget with the clear intention of communicating a message about faith in Jesus Christ.


The opening begins with Isaiah 30:21.

And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears

shall hear a word behind you saying, “This is the way, walk in it.”

The film script is based on the book, Golf's Sacred Journey: Seven Days at the Links of Utopia, written by David Lamar Cook, a psychologist who received a Ph.D. in Sport and Performance Psychology from the University of Virginia. It was actually filmed in a small Texas town with the real name of Utopia. (Utopia is about 80 miles from San Antonio.)


This film is the fictional story of a young golfer who blows a tournament lead by shooting a 14 on a critical hole at the end of match play. In his rage and disappointment the young golfer flees only to have a car accident in a pasture near Utopia, Texas. What he discovered in Utopia was God and himself. The plot here is quite simple, the story is common and the genre is predictable. But the film is still very good. Contrary to so many Christian films Seven Days does not provide a “simple” gospel answer but rather the searching of a young man who comes to believe in God and himself. Admittedly, this is not stunning character stuff but it is not that bad. Robert Duvall is the young golfer's mentor. He helps the young man find the meaning to his life through a series of unusual learning experiences.


Was this a great movie? I wouldn't say that, in fact, it was panned by most of the critics. Even Christianity Today, the most-read evangelical magazine, criticized the film for "lazily rehashing clichés" and for failing to deliver "genuine characters or plausible storytelling.”


Nevertheless, as a golf fan and as a believer, I found the message reaching to basic issues in life. It addressed the issue of what "really" matters, it spoke to the importance of character, and finding meaning in life. It deals with the journey of faith. It was not the typical "evangelical' film with an altar call tacked on at the end.


I personally, found it inspirational and came away both entertained and uplifted. It is now available on DVD, if you come across it - check it out.

A Mountain Tree

[I wrote this about eight years ago, I came across it today and was once again meditating on the truth I believe it conveys.]

I first read this poem about twenty-five years ago. Since then the content of these words have become more and more real to me. I find in it the call to separation, intimacy with Christ, commitment, and the resultant misunderstanding that often occurs, when one chooses the “less traveled road.” I also find in it the same “heartbeat” one encounters in reading the mystics like Fenelon and St. John of the Cross, or A.W. Tozer, or John Wright Follette.

 The poem is entitled, “The Mountain Tree”:

 A mountain tree if it would see
The far horizons and the stars,
May never know a sheltered place
Nor grow symmetrical in grace.
Such trees must battle doggedly
the blasts, and bear the scars.
                                                           -Loyal Marion Thompson

This poem expresses in the imagery of a mountain tree, the price and the reward for our persevering in the ascent up into the realm identification with our Lord. The Lord is seeking those who are willing “to come apart” and "ascend” the mountain of vision to be alone, with Him. Psalm 4:3 says, “But know that the Lord has set apart him that is godly for Himself.”
There is much that yet remains hidden, which the Lord desires to reveal to those who intimately desire Him, and are willing to come apart to spend quality time with Him, alone. The Apostle Paul prayed for the Ephesian believers that, “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, and what is the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints” (Ephes.1:18).

Our coming into this realm of “spiritual vision” requires our being “separated” from all that is seemingly good, in order to be brought to the best. Therefore, many weights (acceptable things not born of the spirit) must be laid aside (Heb. 12:1), that we might climb unhindered into this “set apart place” of union with Him, in the outworking of His purposes and our destiny (the mysteries of the kingdom). For those responding to this call into the higher realm of spiritual vision and insight, there is a priceless reward. It is out of this recognition that Paul declared, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14).


Few are willing to ascend the “mountain” with Him and then abide there, for “vision always has a price.” John the Baptist said, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). In other words, “The way up is down.” This paradox applies to those who would make the ascent up the mountain. Abraham was called alone, out from his kindred and country, into a land he knew not. There, he became the friend of God and the progenitor of a set-apart nation. Joseph was sold alone, into a strange country where he suffered alone, in a dark prison. There, in a time of dire need, he became the head of a nation, and saved his people. Moses fled into the wilderness alone, where he met the Lord at a burning bush. From there, he led Israel from bondage, into their land of promise. And Jesus went up into a mountain alone, to pray, and to call unto Himself those whom the Father had given Him.

Today, many of us are resting in the safety of the sheltered place, satisfied with the surrounding protection it provides. These appear as being beautiful to the eye and “symmetrical in grace.” But something is missing; they are not in “the mount of vision.” May we by God’s grace be one of those who cannot remain satisfied in the place of sheltered comfort, and passive acceptability. May we be of the ranks of those who are “intensely hungry for more.”  May we never again be willing to rest in the safety and security of past experiences or visitations, but be continually pressing onward up the mountain of the Lord into a realm of “higher vision” and understanding of God’s ways.

Each pioneer paid a price for the vision they received. Few of them were understood or accepted in their lifetime. The price of “truth and vision” is always costly, may we join with these saints of old, and begin our ascent upward toward this realm of clear vision.

The Crucifixion

“Pilate said to them, ‘Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called the Christ?’ They all said ‘Crucify Him!’” (Matt. 27:22) It was the Phoenicians who were the first to devise the art of crucifixion. Having experimented with strangulation, drowning, burning, boiling in oil, and impalement - they found that each of these brought death too quickly. They wanted a slow, humiliating death fit for punishing criminals. The nakedness, the hours in the burning sun, the jeering crowds, and the indescribable physical torment met all the sadistic requirements. In fact, our English word “excruciating” is derived from the word “crucifixion.” The Greeks learned this means of execution from the Phoenicians and passed it on to the Romans. The Romans “perfected” it transforming the practice into a science. They produced a specific set of rules and made sure their soldiers were carefully trained in the techniques of crucifying the Empire's enemies. They had abundant opportunities to gain experience. Following the revolt of Spartacus, for example, more than six thousand men were crucified in a single day and hung on crosses along the Via Appia between Capua and Rome. The Romans were experts - and now they would employ their craft in executing one Jesus of Nazareth, charged with sedition and blasphemy. By the time Jesus reached Golgotha, he was already beaten beyond recognition. He had been brutally pummeled, spat upon, and a crown of thorns, each from four to six inches in length, protruded from his torn scalp. But the horror of his appearance was primarily the result of the whipping he had received. Had he endured the Jewish scourging, the "forty stripes save one," he might have fared better. However, Jesus was scourged by the Romans, and they called their torture "the almost death." The Romans would strip the man of his clothing and tie his hands to a post above his head, which would not only restrain him, but it also would stretch the skin tight across his back. There was no required limit to the number of stripes a man might receive, and the jagged pottery and rocks knotted into the leather cords of the whip tore the flesh from the bone with each blow. Each blow from the whip cut deeper and deeper into the flesh, ultimately producing the spurting of blood as arteries were ruptured.  Condemned criminals were forced to carry the horizontal crossbeam, the patibulum, which weighed around 110 pounds, to the site of their execution. In the case of Jesus this would have been approximately 650 yards. The criminal was usually stripped naked for this procession in order to add to the humiliation. In addition, the condemned man was often required to carry a titulus stating the reason for his execution. Jesus was probably in the early stages of shock when the soldiers at Golgotha forced him down upon the very crossbeam he had just carried through the streets of Jerusalem and drove the five-inch stakes into his wrists. Moments later he was hoisted up against some kind of upright, probably a post permanently fixed in the ground for this purpose, and through his overlapping feet another even larger stake was hammered. But the agony had only just begun. Instantly, Jesus experienced the true horror of crucifixion. As he hung from the crossbeam with his arms in a V position, he quickly realized that his pectoral muscles were paralyzed. He could draw air into his lungs but he was powerless to exhale. Carbon dioxide begins to build up in the lungs and blood stream. This sensation produced an involuntary panic and He could only find relief by pushing Himself up by pressing down on the stake that pinned His feet. The motion was agonizing and it was repeated again and again much to the cruel, mocking delight of the crowd. In addition to this agonizing torture, dehydration due to the loss of bodily fluids begins to take effect and the chest cavity begins to fill with serum compressing the heart. The compressed heart struggles to pump blood to the tissues.   And so he remained for three hours - from noon until three in the afternoon. He hung in the darkness that now covered the land, his sinless soul beset by every evil and wickedness mankind could know. So alone was He that toward the end of his ordeal he cried out in Aramaic: “Eli, Eli lama sabachthani” meaning  "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" He thus experienced the ultimate rejection as a Holy God turned away from his own Son, now made sin. Then at the final moment, when all had been accomplished, Jesus cried out “It is finished!” The Greek word being tetelestai. A word that was used in the marketplace when the final payment had been made. It in essence means “paid in full.” The price of our redemption had been fully and completely paid.   A Roman soldier comes and thrusts his spear through the ribs, into the heart. Water and blood drain out the sac surrounding the heart. Medically, this indicates that Jesus died from heart failure due to shock and constriction of the heart by fluid. When it was all over, Joseph and Nicodemus, members of the Sanhedrian Council that had condemned Jesus, took the body down from the cross, washed it, wrapped it with strips of linen and spices, and placed it in a new tomb. Then with the women who accompanied them, they hurried home to observe the Sabbath. The body of Jesus remained where it was placed, in the darkness of the tomb. But early on the first day of the week God's Spirit entered that tomb. The pierced and ripped body of Jesus was in some inexplicable manner restored. Where flesh had been torn away by the Roman whip, perfect skin and muscle now appeared. Where a soldier's spear had pierced the side of Jesus, only a scar remained. The once lifeless body then filled with a brilliantly radiant force and rose from the stone slab. And then, just as Lazarus had done in response to his command, Jesus went out from the tomb. At that moment, all heaven knew what mankind would soon discover; that He, for all his sacrifice and suffering, is worthy. More than any champion of Greek mythology, more than any hero of human history, more than any icon of pop culture, Jesus, the risen Christ, is worthy...as the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise. He alone is worthy.

Being Scandalized

"Blessed is he who keeps from stumbling (taking offense) over Me"  (Matt. 11:6)

John the Baptist was nearly stumbled by the ministry of Jesus due to his own expectation as to what the Christ would do. John was a prophet of "fire and judgement" and assumed that Jesus would be too. Instead, Jesus comes proclaiming a Kingdom of agape love, dines with the Pharisees, has his feet washed by a harlot, and is called "a glutton and drunkard" by His enemies. John being shut away in prison, begins to hear these reports and is puzzled as to Jesus' messianic mission. He sends his disciples to ask Jesus, "Are You the One? Or should we look for another?" It is then that Jesus makes the comment, "Blessed is he who keeps from stumbling over me." John was almost tripped up by Jesus not doing what he thought He would do.

Offense is one of the most binding traps into which a believer can fall; here's why it is imperative you avoid it.

Years ago, people built traps in order to catch birds. They would balance a box on a stick tied to a rope and birdseed or other food would be placed under the box. When a bird came to eat the seed, the stick would trip, and the box would fall on the unsuspecting bird.

In Greek, that stick is called the skandalion, the verb form of this word is skandalizo translated “to offend” or "to stumble." The English word "scandal" is derived from this word. When skandalizo becomes your portion—and it will—and you find yourself in a spiritually or emotionally dark box, it is often difficult to recover because you can feel like you’re fighting a tar baby. Every move is the wrong one. Every prayer sounds like a poorly verbalized whimper. All counsel seems petty or counterproductive.

Being scandalized or offended is one of the most binding traps into which a believer can fall. In many ways, it goes far beyond simply being hurt, deceived or ensnared by carnal sin; it has the capacity to totally undermine and destroy our walk with the Lord. When we have been scandalized, we really do not care what anyone thinks. We feel the early signs of deep-seated anger, and if we are not careful we can rapidly be sucked into the vacuum of rage and depression.

Jesus warned us about not being offended. We must allow God to do things that we would never expect. Maturity involves guarding against stumbling, falling into sin, or giving up our faith because our expectations were unmet.

Orthodoxy of Community

"One cannot explain the explosive dynamite, the dunamis, of the early church apart from the fact that they practiced two things simultaneously: orthodoxy of doctrine and orthodoxy of community in the midst of the visible church, a community which the world can see. By the grace of God, therefore, the church must be known simultaneously for its purity of doctrine and the reality of its community."
                                                                                                                                     Francis Schaeffer

Francis Schaeffer touches on a very important point with this statement, taken from his book, The Church Before the Watching World. As importantant as sound doctrine is, we must recognize that our witness before the world does not stand on doctrine alone. The importance of our relationships within the covenant community is equally important. Jesus said, "By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another" (John 13:35).

The witness of the Church has often been marred by the lack of love we show to one another. At times in our quest to be doctrinally sound, and unwavering in our defense of the truth, you have damaged one another. Other times simply out of our self-centeredness we have hurt others and may not even be aware of it. The reality is oftentimes, we have not walked out relational what it means to be part of Christ's covenant family.

Currently, I am teaching a class on "Handling Conflicts" to a group of inmates. The book we are using is entitled, The Peacemaker by Ken Sande. This book challenges us with the importance of dealing with our relational conflicts and the importance that the Bible places on reconciliation. I would commend this book to you.

Let me encourage you today to seek reconciliation to those members of God's family that you may be estranged from. It takes forgiveness, humility, graciousness, patience, and the extension of mercy to restore relationships that have been broken. May God grant all of us the grace to walk in the "orthodox of community."