Articles from this month's issue of the Berean News

Viewpoint Carry One Another's Burdens "Brothers, if a man is caught out in some moral slip-up, you whose lives are dominated by the spirit must correct such a man with the spirit of gentleness, and, as you do it, you must think about yourselves, in case you too should be tempted. Carry one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For, if anyone thinks of himself as important while he is of no importance, he is deceiving himself with the fancies of his mind. Let every man test his own work, and then any ground of boasting that he has will be in regard to himself and not in comparison with others. For each man must carry his own pack." Galatians 6:1-5 (Barclay's translation) This small portion of Scripture lays out timeless advice in dealing with problems that were of great consequence when written and just as great today. What Paul is doing in Galatians five and six is explaining the dichotomy between our natural side and our new spiritual side. In chapter 5:16-21 of Galatians, Paul lists the natural desires and effects we will carry out according to our old nature. He then follows up in Galatians 5:22-26 with the list of behaviors we can experience and exhibit when under the spirit of God and our new nature's control. In chapter six, verses one through five, Paul relates what happens when we do fail. He is not assuming that because someone is Christian that they will not deal with our natural ways any longer. He actually expands upon Jesus' advice of Matthew 18 for dealing with someone caught in the tangles of sin. So what happens when one of us falls under the power of jealousy, envy, strife, carousing, self-seeking, dissension, heretical division, enmity, idolatry, impurity, wantonness, witchcraft, fornication, or drunkenness as listed in chapter five? First, we need to be alerted to our error. We may be struck by our own conscience, convicted by God's spirit, God's Word, or a believer. Sometimes we are even convicted by the words of an unbeliever as happened to Abraham with Abimelech. We must then admit we have done wrong. This takes trust. In many churches today, these types of problems are handled by "professionals" instead of members or leaders of the church. This can be for several reasons, all of which show a hole that we need to let God fill. God completely designed his church for every experience. The fact that churches have to turn to man-made designs shows we do not live up to the ability and privilege we have in Christ. We may not have enough time, as can be the case where all of the leadership is volunteer based. We may not seem approachable. Sometimes we get so used to seeing each other in our "Sunday best" that we start to believe that is the way people always are. We might become afraid to admit our faults to another because of how good we all can get at hiding our own faults and falls. These and many other reasons can lower our trust in each other. Paul tells us, in this context, that those whose lives are dominated by the spirit should correct, in gentleness, one who has fallen - and make sure we're not tempted to fall the same way as we help! In fact, the word correct also carries the meaning of cutting away, like a surgeon taking away an infection or growth. Yet it is in gentleness, to restore another to a pure relationship with our Lord. Someone going through this process will need to trust the one they go through it with. It is important for us to maintain that trust as we help another. Paul then explains that in doing this we fulfill the law of Christ. The law of Christ is in John 13:14, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love each other. As I loved you,that you also should love each other" (Diagott). We carry each other's burdens when we can enter into a trusting relationship that allows restitution and recovery from our falls. The word "burdens" in this context is a Greek word that figuratively means a load, or abundance, or even authority. There are many burdens that are allowed by God's providence that can seem like the chances and changes of life. Sometimes we use the fruit of the spirit listed in chapter 5:22-26. Other times we fall into the ugly list of 5:16-21. And when we do the latter, our brethren should be there to help and correct. Another thing to consider is that in our hurried world, those that could help may not be able to because we don't know each other well enough to see the burdens. Many people silently suffer because they don't want to trouble others, look weak in front of another, or trust that their brethren can be gentle in the healing process. This needed trust will take time with each other, and usually more than an hour or two once a week at church. It may also mean taking a chance on someone who seems like they wouldn't understand, but the spirit is prompting you to go to for help. Mistakes will be made; nobody is perfect nor can perfectly help - including "professionals." Today's problems are no different than those of Paul's day. If you look into the meaning of the words in the ugly list you see premarital sex, adultery, porn, jealousy, mean spiritedness, alcohol abuse and alcoholism, drug abuse and addiction, assuming the worst of others, and on and on it goes. We are not free of such things because we are Christians. We can be! We can be indeed, but it is not something to assume. We need each other to allow the reality to happen. God has chosen to make us a body. We will have success as we live in that organic, relational way. In our embarrassed times of failure, we must not compare ourselves to others. In fact, Paul seems to tell those in the helping side of this relationship not to pay attention to others, but only to compare yourself to what you could be in Christ. This humbling point of view will allow us to realize how much grace God really does use in dealing with us at all. Paul finishes this portion of text with the words "each man must carry his own pack." The word for pack is usually translated burden, but pack is a good translation here. It is a reference to the pack a soldier had to carry as he traveled from place to place. Figuratively, the word means a task or service that must be rendered. The idea here is that we help each other with our burdens in life, but we each have a task or service given to us by God as our Commander. We must bear that by his power and grace alone. The idea here is a precursor to what he will say in chapter 6:6-10 when he says "whatever a man sows this he will also reap." We are to help each other with our burdens, failings, and slip-ups, but, eventually, we must stand before our God and receive the discipline or reward that our lives will merit - carry our pack. Let's avail ourselves of the help we can give to each other as we run in the race for the "upward call." Let's remember that when we see another in trouble that the idea is amendment and restoration. That is the type of loving, restorative judgement we Christians should be known for doing. It will take trust, openness, and wisdom. If we as Christians can't do it, who can? --Mike Knapp

Perspective An Izod Shirt Ever notice how different things impress different people? Some people are impressed by the kind of car you drive. Some people are impressed by the size, location, or type of house you live in. Some are impressed by the type of job you do. Some could care less about all of these things but are impressed by the amount of education you have, the degrees you have earned. Tim Wildmon wrote a story about himself that I recently read. He relates that when he was in seventh grade (in 1975) he noticed that all the popular kids at his Junior High School wore Izod shirts, the shirts that had a little alligator on the pocket. So he begged his mother to buy him some izod shirts. She resisted at first, but finally relented. He was really pleased and could hardly wait to wear one to school the next day. Here's what happened: "I remember the first morning I wore one of my Izod shirts to school and all the popular kids were in the same place every day &endash; before the bell rang to call us inside. Normally I hung out with some regular guys. But this particular morning I walked on by my regular buds, sporting my new status symbol on my chest. I was moving on up. I was going popular. "So I kind of milled around in the popular circle for a few minutes and got a few 'who are you?' looks. I tried to talk to a couple of these popular people, but they would just give me one-word responses to my advances, always looking over my shoulder to see who else was around. I felt like saying 'hey, look at me! I've got an alligator on my shirt, you idiot! I am popular! Respect it!' But I didn't. I just stood around for a few more minutes and then decided I didn't fit in. 'These people are jerks,' I thought. So I went back to my regular friends. Thing about it was, my regular buds didn't say anything about my alligator shirt either. They just liked me because I was like them &endash; regular…" So Tim Wildmon learned an important lesson early in life. Most of us as Christians hopefully know this lesson. We are not impressed by Izod shirts or any other of the many status symbols of the world. We supposedly do not live our lives trying to obtain that which impresses those around us. We have spiritual rather than material or worldly values. We understand what's really important, don't we? And yet I notice that sometimes we are really impressed in church by certain things. Some of us are really impressed by those who can quote scriptures by memory &endash; and even give the correct chapter and verse where they are found. Those who sing beautifully impress some. Some are very impressed by those who know and defend our doctrines well. Some are impressed by fine preaching, or meaningful counsel, or those who seem to be at ease in visiting the sick. Some are impressed by those who cook well, or those who can greet strangers easily, or those who never miss any church event at all. Those who give a great deal of money, or time, or energy are pretty impressive. And some sure pray impressive prayers. And some wear very impressive spiritual izod shirts. Romans 2:11 says, "For there is no respect of persons with God." NIV translates it this way, "For God does not show favoritism." No, what we wear, or what we own, or even what we do does not impress God. He does not use any of the measuring sticks the world uses. He probably does not even use any of the measuring sticks those of us in church who are religious use. God looks only on our hearts. -Larry Urbaniak

Roy's Reflections I asked my granddaughter Jamie who is in high school, "Jamie, in 11 years of public school, were you ever taught that anything is absolutely true?" "Sure," she said. Surprised, I then asked her what was the absolute truth she had learned in school. She shrugged, "Tolerance." I have since discovered that Jamie's experience is common. Tolerance has become the cardinal virtue, the sole absolute of our society, and our children hear it preached every day in school, from the government and the media. Yet few of us understand what society really means by tolerance, nor do we realize that it is the central doctrine of an entire cultural movement. As a result, few of us recognize the threat it poses to us, our children, our churches and our very faith. This one word now has two meanings! The traditional definition of tolerance means simply to recognize and respect others' beliefs, practices, and so forth without necessarily agreeing or sympathizing with them. This attitude, that everyone has a right to his own opinion, is what tolerance means to most of us. But today's definition is very different. This "new tolerance" considers every individual's beliefs, values, life-style and truth claims as equally valid. So not only does everyone have an equal right to his beliefs, but also all beliefs are equal. The new tolerance goes beyond respecting a person's rights; it demands praise and endorsement of that person's beliefs, values and life-style. I believe that fundamental change in meaning (and thinking) represents one of the greatest shifts in history, and most people are missing it. This new tolerance has many dangerous implications, and unless Christian churches and families recognize and respond to it, the beginning of the new millennium is likely to be marked by it. The repression of public discourse. For decades, ministers have addressed millions of high school and college students about Jesus Christ and the historical evidence for His life and resurrection. As might be expected, they would often be heckled by people saying such things as, "Prove it'." and "I don't believe you." But recently we have witnessed a startling shift. Now their attackers invariably say, "How dare you say that?" or "Who do you think you are'?" The issue is no longer the truth of the message, but the right to proclaim it. In this new cultural climate, any unpopular message can be labeled "intolerant" and therefore be repressed. The privatization of convictions. Because the new tolerance declares all beliefs equally valid, Christians will face increasing pressure to be silent about their convictions - in school, at work, in the public square - because to speak out will be seen as an intolerant judgement of others' beliefs and life-styles. Such pressure will pose severe problems not only for us, but for our families and children as well, as illustrated in the case of Shannon Barry, a fifth grader at Lincoln School in Washington, DC. Shannon and a classmate began talking at recess one day about their mutual faith in Christ. A teacher, overhearing the conversation, drew both of them aside and reprimanded the two fifth-graders, telling them that they were not allowed to talk about Jesus at school. This type of repression is being repeated every day in the schools through out our nation. The rise of this new tolerance is making the sharing of our faith an increasingly dangerous proposition. A new wave of religious persecution. For years I have puzzled over why a cross, a Christian symbol, suspended in a jar of urine is considered art, yet displaying a homosexual symbol in a jar of urine would be decried as a hate crime. That paradox reflects our society's shift from a Judeo-Christian culture to an increasingly and aggressively anti-Judeo-Christian culture. As the new tolerance permeates our culture, a new wave of unpopularity - and even persecution - is likely to be encountered, not only by Christians, but also by observant Jews, because these faiths profess to be based on divine revelations. In fact, over a year ago President Clinton announced a public-private partnership with companies such as AT&T known for its aggressive support of homosexual rights, to teach "new tolerance" to middle school children. The President linked so-called "hate crimes" to intolerance and said, "The No. 1 security threat to our nation is the persistence of old, even primitive fears or hatreds." What does the Lord require? It is not too late to avoid such scenarios, but I believe doing so will require effort in three areas: We must humbly pursue truth. It may be difficult to speak the truth in today's climate, but Jesus said, "The truth will set you free." Pursuing truth in this context means to oppose this new doctrine of tolerance. It means teaching our children to embrace all people but not all beliefs. Teaching them to listen to all people without necessarily agreeing with them. It means helping our children speak the truth courageously but humbly, even if it makes them the object of scorn or hatred. We must always remember what the apostle Peter told us, "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have," he then added, "but do this with gentleness and respect" (1st Peter 3:15). I believe the dangerous potential of this new tolerance can be averted, but only with a renewed commitment to truth, justice and love. And that this powerful trio of virtues can do more than prevent disaster, it can bring about true harmony and peace in the midst of diversity and disagreement. --Roy R. Boswell

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