The ME in MEtanarrative

Several years ago, a national news network regularly showed a segment on TV called "Everyone Has a Story" (at least, I think that is what it was called).  The news network would randomly choose a city, open the phone book and randomly choose a name, and then interview that person and air their story.  It was an enjoyable feature, sharing stories of everyday Americans.  Every one of us has a story that we'd be happy to tell to whoever asks.  Unfortunately, though, the stories we tell about ourselves are only about us.


A metanarrative can be defined as a view that encompasses the whole world, or a belief system that explains everything in the world.  A metanarrative is basically one story that describes all of reality.  You know, like the Bible.


French philosopher Jean-François Lyotard wrote that he defined postmodernism (a dominant, self-centered worldview) as "incredulity toward metanarratives" (as quoted here).  In other words, there are no overarching, all-encompassing explanations.  That way, instead of believing God's truth about the world, we can all have our personal, contradicting bits of truth and reality, because, ultimately, truth and reality don't exist.  We live for pleasure, comfort, entertainment, and the pursuit of happiness.  Sounds fun, right?


Those who hold such views might have a difficult time understanding the Pilgrims.


In 1620, 102 English Christians sailed for America on the Mayflower.  Because of their unpopular religious views, they had been persecuted in England.  They had high hopes for their time in America, but they also realized the gravity of their decision.  After two months aboard a very crowded ship, the Pilgrims finally reached America in November of 1620.  They were now safe from stormy seas and no longer had to live in cramped quarters below deck.  Unfortunately, their troubles were far from over.


That winter, half of the Pilgrims died.  The Mayflower stayed in the harbor through the winter, providing shelter for those who needed it.  How the Pilgrims must have despaired as they found themselves without human help in a foreign, wintry land while their friends and family members were succumbing one by one to disease.  When spring finally came and the spread of the disease was halted, the Mayflower left the shores of America to return home.  This was the Pilgrims' chance to retreat to the safety and comfort of Europe!  Yet not one Pilgrim returned.


They, of all people, knew of the danger.  They felt the sting of loss.  They knew that the coming months would be full of toil, hardship, and more death.  Yet they stood fast.


As Winston Churchill once wisely said, "The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it and ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is."  Sometimes we don't like the truth, but it is still the truth.  And the truth is, there is only one metanarrative - and we didn't write it.  The Bible informs us that God had a plan before time began.  We weren't around for consultation.


The Pilgrims pursued their goal - not for individual accomplishment, but for the advancement of the Christian faith.  Not for comfort, but for the betterment of the future generations who would come behind them.  Not for the pursuit of happiness, but for the glory of God.  They understood that God had a metanarrative, and was weaving their stories for His glory.  This knowledge - and God's grace - sustained them through times and trials of disease, danger, and death.


The news network had it right - we all have a story.  Ultimately, however, our stories are not about us, but about how God has orchestrated our lives into His great story.  The big story of God gives our little stories meaning.  Sometimes we hear stories that didn't end like we would have written them.  What about the Pilgrims who perished that first, cold winter?  What was the purpose?  Why would God lead them on such a long journey only to have them die when they get there?  When we realize that God has a plan bigger  than our few years on earth, we can understand that, as hard as it may be for our earthly eyes to see, there is a plan, and God is in charge.

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The Warrior Life

"The issue is now clear. It is between light and darkness and everyone must choose his side."

G.K. Chesterton

As a culture, we don't seem to like choosing sides.  "It's not that simple," many contend about moral and ethical situations.  "It's not black and white."  In other words, "Do what feels right to you; there isn't a right way and a wrong way.  This life is meant for us to get along, take it easy, and have fun - stop stressing over such divisive issues."

That sounds easy enough.

In reality, Christians have never been called to an easy life.  In fact, Jesus promised the opposite: "'I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world'" (John 16:33, emphasis added).

Christ never called us to take the easy way out.  Christians are called to battle.  The New Testament tells us what armor to wear (Ephesians 6:10-18) as we "wage war" (2 Corinthians 10:3-5) and to not let anyone take us captive (Colossians 2:8).  Sounds like the military.

"China is not to be won for Christ by quiet, ease-loving men and women … The stamp of men and women we need is such as will put Jesus, China, [and] souls first and foremost in everything and at every time—even life itself must be secondary."

Hudson Taylor

Once Hudson Taylor knew that God had called him to be a missionary to China, he immediately took measures to prepare.  To toughen himself up for a harder physical life, he began exercising outdoors and sleeping on a hard mattress instead of a feather bed.  In those days, there were no Mandarin Chinese textbooks or teachers available to the aspiring missionary.  Instead, Taylor found a copy of the Gospel of Luke in Mandarin Chinese and laboriously taught himself Chinese.  Convinced that he couldn't be a soulwinner in China if he wasn't one in England, Taylor exerted his efforts to preach to Englanders on a regular basis.  Never a restful moment.

Once in China, Taylor threw himself into his work.  Refusing to accept the status quo of other missionaries in China, Taylor challenged conventional practices and began wearing traditional Chinese dress.  Why cling to his English lifestyle when he was intent on reaching China for Christ?  Taylor also began the gargantuan task of translating the Bible into Chinese.  Never a restful moment.

Even when Taylor had to return to England for medical reasons, he continued to labor for China.  There Hudson spent his time writing a book, learning midwifery skills, recruiting missionaries, and continuing to translate the Bible into Chinese.  Never a restful moment.

Taylor knew that life is short.  Never one for living the way of the common culture, Taylor challenged the accepted forms of mission work, blazing new trails for those who would follow in his steps.  There was no time for entertainment or relaxation for Taylor.  All of his waking hours were spent in preparing for and accomplishing his God-given purpose.

"The Great Commission is not an option to be considered; it is a command to be obeyed," Taylor asserted.  For Taylor it was black and white.  Instead of being swept along in the cultural sea of mediocrity and self-pleasure, Taylor swam against the currents that advocated the easy life.

Hudson Taylor was at war.

"No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him" (2 Timothy 2:4).

Hudson Taylor knew that the Christian life is the warrior life.  We have a cause, a Commander, and a calling.  Time is short.  So much is at stake!

"Everywhere there is the persistent and insane attempt to obtain pleasure without paying for it....'Let us have the pleasure of conquerors without the pains of soldiers; let us sit on sofas and be a hardy race.' ...All around us is the city of small sins, abounding in backways and retreats, but surely, sooner or later, the towering flame will rise from the harbor announcing that the reign of the cowards is over and a man is burning his ships."

G.K. Chesterton

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Am I a Soldier of the Cross?

by Isaac Watts

Am I a soldier of the cross,
A follower of the Lamb,
And shall I fear to own His cause,
Or blush to speak His Name?

Must I be carried to the skies
On flowery beds of ease,
While others fought to win the prize,
And sailed through bloody seas?

Are there no foes for me to face?
Must I not stem the flood?
Is this vile world a friend to grace,
To help me on to God?

Sure I must fight if I would reign;
Increase my courage, Lord.
I’ll bear the toil, endure the pain,
Supported by Thy Word.

Thy saints in all this glorious war
Shall conquer, though they die;
They see the triumph from afar,
By faith’s discerning eye.

When that illustrious day shall rise,
And all Thy armies shine
In robes of victory through the skies,
The glory shall be Thine.

Be Prepared...Be Very Prepared

"Faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable, and receives the impossible." 

Corrie Ten Boom

None of us can see what will happen in the future.  While we often have an idea of what work God has called us to, we can never fully expect or predict what we will do or how we will be made ready for the task.

When a young apprentice in England was about seventeen years old, he found grace and forgiveness at the place he had for years been avoiding – the cross of Jesus Christ.  Hudson Taylor became a Christian, and he almost immediately knew what God was calling him to do.

He knew that he was called to China.

Throwing himself into the laborious business of learning Chinese, Taylor never looked back.  There were no Chinese classes or language textbooks for Taylor - China was too foreign at the time.  No, instead Taylor obtained a copy of the Gospel of Luke in the Mandarin tongue.  Painstakingly, he labored over it until he knew the Chinese language.

That's a lot of work.

But it wasn't enough for Hudson Taylor.  Going the extra mile, he found ways to increase his physical hardiness.  As a naturally frail young man, Taylor began physical activities, choosing less comforts in order to increase stamina.  He kept himself busy with ministry in his city, for he knew that he couldn't be a missionary in China if he wasn't a missionary in England.  Taylor took as many practical steps to preparation for missionary life that he could.

The modern Merriam Webster definition for "prepare" includes this description:

"to make ready beforehand for some purpose, use, or activity"

Hudson Taylor certainly made ready beforehand for his life in China.

I learned a lot while writing this.  I was going to write about how we have a duty to prepare ourselves.  And we do.  But our preparations don’t always go the way we think they will.

Take John Hyde for an example.  He had aptitude.  He had brilliance.  He had a plan.

John Hyde traveled to India as a missionary in 1892.  He had great dreams of being a great missionary, a great servant of God.  Lost in dreams of being "great," he was ready to throw himself into his studies and then into evangelizing the Indian country.

God had another plan.

The new missionary was deeply convicted that he should spend more time growing closer to God.  Deepening his relationship with God, Hyde spent hours praying and studying the Bible.  Eventually, he did become fluent in Indian dialects, as he had hoped, but his relationship with God always took first priority.

Hyde soon found himself praying more than ever before.  Passionately, he would lift the requests of a missionary up to the God who sends missionaries.  Soon, he started getting up at 4 AM or staying awake until midnight in order to meet with his God.  "In college or at parties at home I used to keep such hours," Hyde reasoned, "and can I not do as much for God and souls?"*  Soon he became known as "Praying Hyde."  Hyde had great responsibility for God, and he was up to the task, because God prepared him for it.

Definitely something to think about, isn't it?  I mean, do we prepare ourselves or does God prepare us?

Yes.

Both men prepared themselves and were prepared by God.  Hudson Taylor relied on God as he worked to prepare.  John Hyde worked to prepare as he deepened his relationship with God.

Paul wrote that we are created to do good works "which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10).  "[I]n your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you," Peter counseled (1 Peter 3:14-16).

God works in our lives to prepare us for the plans He made an eternity ago.  The Holy Spirit works in us to motivate us to work to prepare ourselves for God's plan.  As Paul explained this mystery, "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me" (1 Corinthians 15:10).  Even though Paul worked hard, it was not him, but God who worked within him.


As we go about our lives, determining what God's good, perfect will is and striving to follow it, we prepare ourselves as God prepares us.  God will show us each step we need to take.  We must be ready to take it.

Are you preparing for the future God has for you?  Is your relationship with God your first priority?  Are you ready to take whatever step He calls you to take?

"I have seen many men work without praying, though I have never seen any good come out of it," Hudson Tayler mused, "but I have never seen a man pray without working."
*John Hyde quote: Ambassadors for Christ, Woodbridge (General Editor), chapter by Elaine Rhoton

Picture credit: Hudson Taylor

Picture credit: John Hyde

The Center

"As Christians, we profess, not only to believe and look for, but to love and long for, the appearing of Christ, and to act in our whole conversation with a regard to it. The second coming of Christ is the centre in which all the lines of our religion meet, and to which the whole of the divine life hath a constant reference and tendency."

Matthew Henry

Awkward!

In many movies, there is a side plot in which a man and woman seem to be just perfect for each other.  During the entire movie, everyone watching is just waiting for the couple to decide the obvious.  But until then, there are moments where the couple is together and they don't know what to say.  As they are obviously uncomfortable and begin searching for the right words, the viewers notice their discomfort.  This is when my brother likes to yell, "Awkward!"


There is a verse in the Bible that, when I read it, I find myself thinking, "Awkward!"  It happens in 1 Kings.  Israel, the nation loved by God, the nation that had seen the miracles and heard the voice from heaven, had once again turned away from the God who had blessed them so abundantly.  Under bad leadership, the Israelite people fell away and followed their hearts - and the neighbors' gods.  Soon the prophet Elijah appeared on the scene and proposed that all prophets (whether good prophets or false prophets) gather together at Mount Carmel.


Here we reach the climax.  Beginning his call for the Israelites to return to God, Elijah faced the Israelites.  We read, "And Elijah came near to all the people and said, "How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him." And the people did not answer him a word" (1 Kings 18:21).  Imagine the deafening silence.  The people "did not answer him a word" as Elijah talked about their sin.  There was no repentance or returning to the one true God.  There was no adamant defense of the lie they had chosen in place of the Truth.  There was only silence.  What was going through their minds?  It must have been very awkward.


It can be awkward when our sin is confronted.  While reading the Bible, God might show us some areas we don't want to change.  He might show us where we limp between God's Truth and the pull of other things - be it popular opinion, entertainment, or anything else we put before Christ.  It can be awkward, yes, but God doesn't call us to a comfortable life.


Elijah proposed a test to the undecided Israelites.  They decided to offer sacrifices and see which God responded to their efforts and devotion.  What follows is a humorous yet incredible account and a breathtaking display of God's awesome power and involvement in our lives.  As expected, the false god lost, just like our petty priorities will never be able to stand before God's magnificent power.  God turned the hearts of Israel back to Him.  Oh, that He will keep our hearts true to Him.

Naught Be All Else To Me

The other day my family and I were shopping in a major retail outlet. Imagine my surprise when, as I was browsing for deals, I found a miniature, desktop Buddha (for only one dollar). As an American, I have never seen what many in other countries see routinely: a Buddha statue intended to be worshiped. It struck me that right in front of me in the aisle of that major American shopping center was an object that in other countries is a symbol of idolatrous devotion and solemn religious rituals.

The first two of the Ten Commandments both dealt with idolatry: "'You shall have no other gods before Me'" and "'You shall not make for yourself an idol'" (Exodus 20:3-4). Repeatedly, Israel abandoned God's commands and pursued the gods - the idols - of the other nations. In fact, King Amaziah of Judah went so far as to worship the gods of the peoples he conquered. As a prophet of the Lord insightfully asked Amaziah, "'Why have you sought the gods of a people who did not deliver their own people from your hand?'" (2 Chronicles 25:14-16). Testifying to God's sovereignty over all false gods, the Bible records an account of when the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant during battle with Israel. Triumphantly, the Philistines took the Ark and put it in front of their god, Dagon, in their temple. They awoke the next morning and "there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the LORD!" So they set him back up. But the next day, "there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the LORD! His head and hands had been broken off and were lying on the threshold; only his body remained" (1 Samuel 5:1-4). Idolatry was not just an Old Testament problem. Paul debated Greeks whose city was full of idols. He also reminded the Corinthians, "'What agreement has the temple of God with idols?"' (2 Corinthians 6:16). The apostle John ended his first epistle with the plea, "Dear children, keep yourselves from idols" (1 John 5:21).
Neither did idolatry end after the New Testament. I realize that those who buy the one-dollar-desktop-Buddha-statue aren't intending it for worship. It's merely a desktop decoration; something that just sits there. We all have our own desktop idols (our pet sins), don't we? Bob Hostetler wrote American Idols: The Worship of the American Dream, where he says,

"I've become convinced that often the cause [of a lukewarm spiritual life] is idolatry. Not so much the ancient, pagan-altar-on-a-hilltop variety, nor the light-a-candle, chant-a-mantra sort of thing, either. No, it's usually a more modern form of idolatry. More antiseptic. More American. We seldom realize it when it happens, but our lives can easily become infected with modern idolatries that look utterly harmless, sometimes even virtuous. But these 'user-friendly' idols distract us from a wholehearted, single-minded devotion to God, and become the enemies of our souls. They insert themselves between us and God. They hinder our prayers. They dull our spiritual sensitivity and impede our spiritual growth. And, like all idols, they substitute broken cisterns that hold no water for the springs of living water God wants to pour into our lives..."

In his book, Hostetler names fourteen - yes, fourteen! - idols that are socially acceptable and even common in our day, such as "The Microwave Mentality" (instant gratification), "The Modern Baal" (money), and "The Passion for Fashion" (appearance). As Ross King writes in his song, "Clear the Stage": "Anything I put before my God is an idol. Anything I want with all my heart is an idol. Anything I can't stop thinking of is an idol. Anything that I give all my love is an idol" (And All the Decorations, Too). How easy it is to give our heart and set our thoughts on something other than God - even in our modern day.

If we root our idols from our hearts, Hostetler's prayer is that we "may come to know the one true God to be an extent we've not yet experienced or even imagined." As Ross King's song advises: "We must not worship something that's not even worth it. Clear the stage and make some space for the one who deserves it." Let us tear down every idol from the throne of our heart, be it Baal or fashion, Buddha or self-gratification. That throne is for God and God alone. Anything that takes our mind and heart from the One who made us to worship Him will cause us to stumble in our walk with God. Another song prays a prayer against idolatry of the heart:

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;

Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.

Thou my best thought, by day or by night,

Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise,

Thou mine inheritance, now and always:

Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,

High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

For Where Your Treasure Is...

"Therefore the LORD said to Solomon, 'Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant. Yet for the sake of David your father I will not do it in your days, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son'" (1 Kings 11:11-12). What sad words for a king to hear! His kingdom would be wrested from the hands of his son and given to another. How had things come to this?

At the beginning of his reign, Solomon loved God and obeyed Him. In fact, God had personally appeared to Solomon - not just once, but twice! The first time God appeared to Solomon, God told him that He would give him whatever he wanted - all Solomon had to do was name it. Instead of requesting riches or power or honor, Solomon asked for wisdom. God was pleased with Solomon. The second time God appeared to Solomon was right after Solomon finished building the Temple of Jerusalem. God told Solomon that He chose to put His Name in Jerusalem and in the new temple, and, if Solomon would steadfastly serve God, "'then I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father'" (1 Kings 9:5).

Solomon was truly blessed by God. His reign was the safest, most prosperous reign Israel ever saw. The citizens were safe and secure (1 Kings 4:24-25), silver was so plentiful that it was counted as nothing (2 Chron. 9:20), and Solomon was renowned by many nations as a wise ruler (2 Chron. 9:22-23). God had brought the nation of Israel a long way since the days when they were shepherds without a country!

One day the Queen of Sheba came to visit Solomon to see if the lavish reports she had heard of him were really true. The Queen had traveled long and far and brought with her expensive gifts. After asking Solomon hard questions and telling him everything that was on her mind, she also saw much of his wealth. After seeing so much extravagance, "there was no more breath in her" (1 Kings 10:5). Truly Solomon was at the height of his fame and wealth. All his cups were made of gold. His throne - made of ivory and covered with pure gold - had six steps and was decorated with twelve lions built onto it. Silver was as common as stone (1 Kings 10:27). He had 1400 chariots and 4000 stalls for horses. 2 Chronicles 9:22-23 says it best: "Thus King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind." The Queen of Sheba found the reports were true.

But something happened not long after the time of the Queen's visit, when Solomon's fame and riches were at their height. Solomon turned away from serving God and began to worship false gods. Solomon had been given so much - wisdom, riches, fame, honor - how could he have abandoned the God who gave it to him? It started simply enough. In 1 Kings 10, we read of Solomon's great wealth and prosperity. Right after that, in 1 Kings 11, we read, "Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, from the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the people of Israel, 'You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.' Solomon clung to these in love. He had 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart" (1 Kings 11:1-3). Soon Solomon started worshipping the foreign gods of his foreign wives. "[H]is heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God" (1 Kings 11:4). God saw Solomon's fall into idol worship. He was not pleased with Solomon anymore.

It's easy for us to see Solomon's fall coming in the chapters before 1 Kings 11 and not understand how someone so wise could fall so far - and fast, in our mind. But the reality is that it is easier than we think. For example, what have we been given? First of all, we have the Truth - not everyone has access to a Bible and godly teaching, but we are blessed here in America to have all we could ever need at our fingertips. Additionally, as Americans, we are some of the most materially blessed people in the world. Do we even realize how much we've been given? With all of our benefits and blessings in mind, what do we think about most, and talk about most? Is it entertainment or social circles? Is it gossip? Maybe it is our own image and reputation. Whatever "it" is, do we love it more than Christ? Oh, it is so easy to fall into loving something else more. It is very common to find Christians who love this world more than Christ. It is easier than we think. Every day our hearts seek something else. We can truly sympathize with Robert Robinson, who wrote "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing": "Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love..." As we look back on Solomon's life, his fall seemed to take place very quickly. But it was a slow progress (or, should I say, regress); one decision at a time.

"Above all else, guard your heart," Solomon wrote to his sons (Proverbs 4:23). One wonders if he wrote this before or after his own heart strayed after other gods. I don't know when he wrote it; either he knew this truth from painful regret or he forgot it himself to follow his own desires. Robert Robinson's hymn and prayer continues: "Here’s my heart, O take and seal it, Seal it for Thy courts above." "'For where your treasure is," Jesus Himself counseled His disciples about what is truly important, "'there your heart will also be'" (Matthew 6:21). While I am not sure when in his life Solomon penned Proverbs, we can imagine him sitting, gray-headed and wondering what is most important to tell his sons. "Above all else," he cautions as his mind wanders over his own experiences, "guard your heart..."