Imbalance and Disconnect: Christians Behaving Badly
The last in our series, Christians Behaving Badly.
We explored what it means to be “holy” or “sacred”.
“The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in His ways. Then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you.” (Deuteronomy 28:9,10)
The idea that the children of Israel are SET APART has caused untold strife throughout history, as it is bound to whenever one group or individual raies themselves above others in any way.
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” (Exodus 20:8)
Our Worship on the Sabbath (or Sunday, or whatever day we “set apart”) is not holy unless it is lived in every moment. In Isaiah,
“Is it a fast that I have chosen, A day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush, And to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Would you call this a fast, And an acceptable day to the Lord? “Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke?” (Isaiah 58:5,6)
“Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:23,24)
How many times have YOU come before the Lord in worship, at the same time nursing a grudge?
“A person is worshipping all the time if love and charity abide in him, external worship being only the outward expression of it. Such is the worship of angels, and therefore with them the sabbath never comes to an end …” (Heavenly Secrets, paragraph 1618)
“… the essential divine worship in the heavens does not consist of going to church regularly and listening to sermons but of a life of love, thoughtfulness, and faith in keeping with doctrine. The sermons in church serve only as means of instruction in how to live.” (Heaven and Hell, paragraph 222)
“Moreover, when man is in a life of charity he is constantly praying, if not with the mouth yet with the heart; for that which is of the love is constantly in the thought, even when man is unconscious of it.” (Apocalypse Explained, paragraph 325, section 12)
What is the solution? To recognise, and act from, the connection:
“Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)
A final reading from Divine Providence, paragraph 9, section 1:
“As for the way love and wisdom form a unity in things beneath or outside us … I may mention three things by way of preface. First, there was a marriage of goodness and truth in the universe and in absolutely everything in it that the Lord created. Second, this marriage was broken up in us after creation. Third, it is a goal of divine providence that what has been broken apart should become a whole and therefore that the marriage of goodness and truth should be restored.”