Here it is. Part Trois.
It’s a writer’s conceit. I’ve known the answer to the question Who Do You Belong To from the get-go. Likely, hopefully, you have too. So what’s the hubhub, Bub? Why have I been pussyfooting around, Cubby?
I wanted to be careful with you.
Not just blurt it out. You might reel from the revelation if you weren't prepared.
So...if you need to, my advice - sit down NOW. Hold someone's hand, cuddle a pet.
I wanted to sidle up to the idea.
The idea that if we are Christians we belong to Christ.
We profess Him as our Lord do we not?
Believe it or not, there may be people whom you worship with that don’t know that calling themselves Christian means that they literally belong to Christ.
Once we get our hearts and minds around the concept of belonging to Christ then we need to look at what it means.
What's our Lord’s expectations of us?
The true meaning of taking the name of the Lord in vain?
Yeah. Not so much the verbal exclamations, the cussing that we were taught not to do. Not so much that as it is this: the failing to give a true representation to the world of our Lord through the way we live our lives - 24x7, 365.
Exodus 20:7: "You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses His name." (NIV)
Think of it this way: you’re a man. Your name is Goodguy, Ima Goodguy.
You have a reputation of being a real good guy. Solid, honorable, fair dealing (someone under charges you for a meal, a piece of clothing, a service, whatever and you INSIST on paying the full price).
Your word is your bond.
You help little old ladies across the street. Help get their cats out of trees.
You recycle.
Soon some comely woman catches your eye and ere long, you're married. Mrs. Ima Goodguy, formerly Miss Comely Woman, (that’s her Christian and maiden name - work with me, ok?) and she has taken your name.
But.
There’s a problem.
Of tabloid proportions.
Mrs. Goodguy is a whore.
The town whore. And everybody knows it.
Except you.
On top of satisfying the sexual wants & depravities of every man, some women and herself in town, she’s nasty to people, she’s impolite, rude.
She's arrogant and haughty; the living embodiment of hubris.
She throws tantrums when she doesn’t get her way; she is beyond impatient.
She doesn’t tip or, when absolutely forced to or to be mean, she under tips.
She is mean to children & small animals.
She gossips.
Her gossip causes quarreling & division among others.
She makes people angry, makes them jealous, makes them envious.
And she takes "Don't get mad, get even" and "Never forgive, never forget" as deeply held personal philosophies. She can remember, in detail and bitterness, every slight, real or perceived, every snub, every insult she has ever received. And she uses this memory generally against a person when they are most vulnerable.
And she takes "Don't get mad, get even" and "Never forgive, never forget" as deeply held personal philosophies. She can remember, in detail and bitterness, every slight, real or perceived, every snub, every insult she has ever received. And she uses this memory generally against a person when they are most vulnerable.
As Jimmy ‘The Tulip’ Tudeski, a notorious hit man, tells Dr. ‘Oz’ Oseransky, DDS, in the movie The Whole Nine Yards, “Your wife is not a nice person.”
So the problem?
How your wife behaves in public reflects on your reputation as Mr. Ima Goodguy.
In your house she may be the model wife. Prim, proper, properly submissive.
But.
Out in the world?
Her actions, her words and deeds, reflect very poorly.
Very poorly, indeed.
They reflect very poorly on YOU !
She has taken your name in vain!
Her behavior, if not changed, if it is perceived you have no control over her will cause first whispered and then open derision of YOU - by the public, in public!
According to one dictionary source on the net when you google “define vain” the word vain used to be mondo popular in general use and consequently well understood - in the 1800’s. By 2010, usage of vain had dropped off considerably. So. To review. From thefreedictionary.com:
As as idiom in vain:
- To no avail; without success: Our labor was in vain.
- In an irreverent or disrespectful manner: ...took the Lord's name in vain.
As an adjective:
- Not yielding the desired outcome; fruitless: a vain attempt
- Lacking substance or worth: vain talk
- ...Conceited
So, put yourself in God's shoes for a moment as concerns how He is perceived by His creations because of His Bride's thought and subsequent behavior.
Collectively we are the Bride of Christ.
If we are individually and collectively called the Bride how can Jesus be Holy if…
...those who take His name keep thinking like and carrying on in this life like before becoming His Bride?
If being called the Bride has no bearing on our thought and behavior?
If we are Unholy?
I mean this is the logic chain that a nonbeliever might follow to decide that Jesus has got nothing they want.
It's exactly like the damage Mrs. Ima Goodguy has done to Mr. Ima Goodguy.
You wonder why the World has contempt for Christians? Listen, it ain’t because we think we’re “good” or “moral” people and they aren't - as I know many of us think we are, because then the World’s hatred for us means it's not our fault, that we’re being persecuted for Christ’s sake.
Be Glad, Scripture says when we are persecuted for His name's sake. To be sure, there are very devout people around the world who are persecuted for His name’s sake because they are Holy. But...some of us, maybe a lot of us, despite our capacity in this life, NOW, to be Holy, we aren't. And it is our fault.
I can tell you, just from reading my Twitter and Facebook accounts, the World intensely hates us because they KNOW, THEY KNOW, we should be different and we’re not.
They see (the blasphemous heresy of) "the Prosperity Gospel" being preached & taught & they are naturally repulsed. And well they should.
Instead of being Holy we come off as Holier-than-thou. Greedy & Insensitive to boot.
People hate it when they’re the object of condescension, deserved or not. I mean, don’t you, you herd of swine? You vomitous mass? (See?)
Mahatma Gandhi allegedly said: I like your Christ. I don’t like your Christians. They are so unlike your Christ… This quote, despite its vast attribution over the Internet to the Mahatma, is in dispute as to whether Gandhi said it or not.
This dispute over attribution is not material to our subject.
Whether Gandhi said what is attributed to him or not, it does not change the truth of the saying.
Anyone who can read and has an understanding of what they are reading can easily tell there is a vast difference between the way Jesus lived and the way we live and I am not talking about our wealth or ease of life.
So individually & collectively the Church is called the Bride of Christ. We are its members.
We’re called the adopted sons of God, adopted into the Kingdom of God.
We are heirs of the Promise, co-heirs with Christ.
We are called ambassadors of Christ.
I want you to fix the idea in your hearts and minds that you - we - if we are “in Christ” we literally belong to Him. Burn it into your brain.
We are “owned.”
We were “bought with a price.”
The currency? Blood Money.
The blood of the Word of God (the ‘haw logos’ John 1:1), despised and crucified, paid to the One God as ransom for the souls of the world.
We are called slaves of righteousness.
We are called slaves of God; God’s slaves.
And therein, as the Bard would say, lies “the rub.” Being a slave is work, thankless & hard. Being a faithful slave is a responsibility with hard work heaped upon it.
Wait. What?
No. IF we are slaves, you ask (not at all believing most, if anything, of what I have just written), how can the Faith be thankless and most of all hard?
Jesus calls us to Himself. He promises: “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you. Let Me teach you, because I am humble and gentle in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” (Matt. 11:28-30, NLT) (And just btw - Jesus' invitation is an invitation to become...a slave.)
Well, as they say, the devil is in the details.
Those details are going to be in Who Do You Belong To, Part Quatre. I know, I know, cliffhangers are such bummers - I'm your father, Luke. Wait! What? And then Luke gets a bionic hand and heads off to Dagoba and the credits roll. Arrgh!!!!
Part Quatre will be worth the wait. Really.
Until Part Quatre, work on getting your hearts and minds into the concept (fact) that we in Christ are slaves. His slaves. And this condition, this state that we have given ourselves over to voluntarily has responsibilities.
Until next time, remember: Your hovercraft is full of eels. And...
May the peace of Christ be with you.
†Scott, V.D.M., ev
