Christian Karma

In the modern world, distance from one country to another makes little difference on cultural influences. Karma is one of those things that has permeated our culture from a distant land. Hindu and Buddhist belief systems. We often hear it referenced in our culture even though most of the people who use the term are not actually Hindu or Buddhist. So what does it mean? Do we as Christians believe in karma? Can we, or should we use the term?

Well, first off we should ask ourselves, "What do most people mean when they use the term karma?" Well, to put it in more American lingo, it means that we get what's coming to us. In other words, we get what we deserve, either good or bad. What goes around comes around.

But does the Bible say about this? Well, the concept of karma - evil begetting evil and good begetting good- is quite common in Scripture. We read that a man reaps what he sows. If he digs a trap for others he will fall into it. In Ecclesiastes we have more examples of this type of reasoning.

So in a sense, we as Christians do believe in karma, although we would not usually use that name for it. We instead would call it reaping what we sow. We believe that we pay for our decisions with the consequences that follow.

You may be asking, "What about grace? Where does that play into this?" Well, that is an excellent question. As Christians we do believe that we have consequences for our actions, but we also believe that God can and does forgive those who repent. So does this cancel out the reaping and sowing concept?

Not at all. Although a sin is forgiven, the consequence is not always blotted out. For example, if a murder repents for his deeds the dead do not return to us. In the same manner, the choices we make in our lives that we repent of will often still come back to us in some form and require restitution. We are forgiven, but the consequence may remain. Samson, the man God chose to lead the Israelites with his strength was blinded after he lost his strength. Although his disobedience was forgiven and he regained his strength, he did not regain his eyesight. Even in this situation not all of the consequences were removed.

Conclusion

In the end, we do believe in consequences for our actions. This is a basic belief of all mankind. As Christians we believe that God has given us this innate sense of right and wrong. The fundamental knowledge that we have to own up to our errors is also something we believe that God has given each of us. God does forgive, however that does not mean we have a magic erase button for our consequences. Karma, reaping and sowing, or plain old getting what is coming to us is very Biblical. The name used for it comes and goes, but the truth of the matter stays a constant.

Christian Contentment

Godliness with contentment is a great gain, Paul tells us in First Timothy 6:6. We are to be content with what we have. We have a similar command in the Ten Commandments. We are not to covet what our neighbor has. But what does that really mean? Are we never to want anything new? Are we not to desire anything we don't have? If we actually stopped wanting things, wouldn't the whole economy of our country collapse? How does this make any sense? Where does it apply?

These are good questions. We are to be content, we are told. But content is a word we don't always use correctly. To be content does not mean that we don't work or don't try to earn a living. Indeed, what it means is we are not basing our lives off of the fact of what new item we currently desire.

Coveting things overlaps with lust. We often only attribute lust to the world of sensual pleasure. But we can lust after a new house, car, job, or phone as well. Be can desire things to an unhealthy level and obsess over them. This is unBiblical. It is what we are warned against in these two passages.

Coveting, or lust, is one of the base sins. We usually fall for it before we do something that is a more visible sin. We covet, therefore we justify some other sin. God tells us that even if we don't take it to action, we will be judged by our hearts. This is one reason that coveting is so dangerous.

So what is the difference between wanting a new car or house and coveting? Well, first off we should ask ourselves why? Why do we want a new or additional item? Do we need it? Or do we just want the shiny new thing because it is the shiny new thing? Are we just after it because our neighbor has one now? Did we buy it because it has some use or because it is a sign of how great and wonderful we are? The matter of coveting lies where all sin lies - in the heart.

Conclusion

Coveting, lust, gluttony. These are all words for similar concepts. The desire for items for our own ego. How do we avoid these sins? We need to turn to God and ask Him to help us. We need to remember that we are to be content. The best way to be content is to give thanks. So, instead of coveting; give thanks. That is the best way to turn from coveting to contentment.

'Hidden' Holiness

We have all sorts of friends in our lives. There are those who are great fun to talk to, those we play games with, those we enjoy hanging out with in a crowd, and those close friends that we can discuss our innermost thoughts with. I don't know about most folks, but I greatly enjoy various types of fellowship when the time is right for it.

But what about our Christian faith in the midst of our friends? I find that with some people I can easily delve into spiritual matters and with others not so much. Some times its because they aren't inclined to the spiritual walk we as Christians have with God, others it is because they are shallow, and some others it seems we just don't feel close enough to in order to discuss these things. Is this wrong?

Let's take a closer look at this. First off, what about those friends who aren't professing Christians, or perhaps are not living a Christian life? How should we deal with that? Most important in this situation is prayer. Not with them in the moment so much as for them, before and after we interact. With these people, the straying or lost, we must spend time in prayer for them and do as the Lord leads us. No two examples are the same, however I can assure you that without proper prayer the whole situation will come crashing down around our ears.

The second type of interaction that we don't spend much time in spiritual matters is often with those who are shallow in their faith. This doesn't mean that they are ignorant of Scripture or other knowledge.  Indeed, those from this group that trouble the church most are quite learned. So what do I mean by this? By shallow Christians I mean the ones Paul referred to in the first letter to the Corinthian Church - the carnal Christian. These are those who do not take their Christian walk to heart, and that can take many forms. Some are those who are obsessed with the liberty to do whatever they want, some are legalists who try to get everyone to do as they do, and yet others try their best to ignore all the problems and just smooth them away without dealing with them.

So why do we not discuss spiritual matters with these people? To answer this let me quote Charles Spurgeon. 'Holy things are for holy men.' Now this does not mean that we are condemning these people, far from it. What we mean is that we do not discuss these things with them because they cannot understand them. It would be just as pointless to discuss the slope intercepts with the 3rd grade class. Its far above them. Instead, I teach slope intercepts in 8th Grade Math and let the 3rd grade class struggle with their new concept of division for now. One day, I do expect to be able to teach them algebraic graphing, but that will be once they are in 8th grade. They must reach the level of the material, the material cannot be reduced to their level.

In the same way we must allow some people to first develop their basic faith' as Paul also tells us in the same epistle' before we can introduce some more complex concepts to them. Instead of trying to teach them spiritual truths as we see them, we should instead try to help them where they are in their current state. In this case, we must be patient and prayerful while the person matures in Christ.

So where do we draw the line between the mature and the immature? The danger in this question is the fact that most of the time when we ask it we are still on the side of the immature. So often in life, we assume that the only reason other people don't agree with our side of the issue is because they are the immature one. We need to take a different approach. Instead of assuming all the world is incompetent, we should assume that people have good reasons for their beliefs and that we may also be in error. In answer to the question however, we must be cautious about assuming people are less spiritual or knowledgable than we are. Ironically, usually if we must ask if a person is less mature than we are, the answer is no.

Conclusion

In the end, we need to be ready to give an account of what we believe at all times. (II TIM. 4:2) Our faith should not have an off button, or a mute button, but a volume control. Not because we are ashamed of what we believe, but because we are to handle holy things carefully. (MATT. 7:16) However, we are not to force ideas and theology on those who are not ready or not dedicated enough to handle them. In order to accurately do so we must do as Paul told Timothy. (II TIM. 2:14)

Flying Faith

For thousands of years, man has dreamed of flying. Only in the last 110 years has that become reality. The first manned aircraft to fly did so 110 years ago in 1903. But in seventy years time, we were not only flying but we planned missions to fly to the Moon. What changed? How could we do more in 70 years than in over 4,000?

Let's take a look. Early on, men saw birds fly. It looked like it was pretty fun. So they looked at birds and found what they had that we didn't: wings and feathers. So in the 'we got this' arrogant attitude that mankind has always had, they slapped wings and feathers on some guy and threw him off the cliff. Didn't work out so hot. So, in that same omnipotent arrogant attitude, they did it again... and again... and again. After much pain and feather gathering, they finally quit.

So what was wrong? Birds don't fly just because they have wings and feathers. They fly because they are designed to, from top to bottom. Every part of the bird is made to be light, aerodynamic, and functional. Nothing about a bird that soars beautifully is just slapped on to a different design. Its all created with that purpose: the purpose of flight.

In this way, we as churches often wonder why our evangelism doesn't fly. We tack on some ministries, add a Saturday once in a while to go and preach on street corners or maybe hand out tracts, but it does't ever take off? What are we doing wrong?

Let's take a look into history and see how our forefathers handled these things. In the first century church (the Church that the followers of Jesus ministered in after His death and resurrection) the entire church was evangelizing. They converted hundreds a day, thousands followed Christ at that time. Similarly we find that the Anabaptists often started entire churches overnight while fleeing those who would kill them for their beliefs. Why could they and not we? 90% or more of our churches have new member growth only from our children joining the Church. As wonderful as that is, there should be more; much more. So what can we do to change this?

First of all, let me point out that I am not saying that I have mastered this myself. These are thoughts that I feel I need to share; not my instructions with a 110% guarantee. But back to the subject on hand. What can we do?

1. We see that the first church and most growing churches are mission minded. They are there for the express purpose of creating new disciples (not just one time converts). They majored in the area of ministry, it wasn't just a hobby. Ministry truly defined those churches. Outreach and sacrifice were what those churches were all about.

2. Prayer was a driving factor in these churches. They got together to pray often. They thrived off of it. They worked together and they prayed together. I'm talking about true prayer, not just memorized lines (though they can also be useful), or long sermons with our eyes closed. (I've heard these, too) True prayer is fellowship with God Himself. This fellowship with God is the single most important thing that will produce a strong ministry minded church.

3. Fellowship is another item that these churches had. There were not many rogue preachers, even those that started solo joined the church when they could. There was unity, fellowship, and accountability.

4. Knowledge can be very useful, but it is not the top of the list. In our modern world of self glorifying knowledge, we often put this far too high on our list of requirements. Knowledge can indeed be useful, but if it is not applied correctly, it makes us more like devils than saints. Bible study is a total requirement for ministry, however, I would be more inclined to put that under prayer than under knowledge.

These are all important tools for ministry. But another important thing to remember is the fact that the Holy Spirit, not we, is the driving force behind conviction. We are only to be faithful servants, not the commander. In all of this, we simply follow the commands of our Leader.

Costly Christianity

So many teachers and pastors today talk about grace and salvation like they are  a gift that we receive and ignore. We put it on our shelf for that day when we will need it, like a useless gift given to us that we feel like we cannot toss but have no use for. We keep it for that day when we might need it, but until then, we forget that it even exists. Is that the grace Jesus taught? (Matt. 19:21, Matt. 13:46, Luke 9:23)

No. It is not. Jesus taught that we have to follow, we must give up our flesh and its evil. (Romans 6) If we want God's forgiveness but do not wish to actually follow God, it is of no use to us. It is like starting to make a meal and quitting. Thawing chicken, peeling potatoes, and heating the oven may be half of making a meal, but, in ending there is less useful than not starting at all. If we only do those steps we end up with putrid chicken, hard potatoes, and an oven that is heating for no reason at all. We must continue, we must finish the job. A half finished meal like this does not feed half the people the completed meal would, nor is it only half as filling, it is altogether useless. It smells and is worse than not starting with the preparations at all.

So what then? Am I saying that people who  accept His forgiveness but deny His leadership are not His disciples? Actually, that is exactly what I'm saying. Jesus bluntly told us that this is how it is. (Luke 14:27) We cannot tell people that God will forgive you if you ask and that He requires nothing in return. For that is untrue, God requires everything in your being in return. We must give God everything, we must realize that nothing that we have is ours; not our time, money, intelligence, or even our family. We must give it all back to Him. He allows us to use it. We are to recognize His absolute reign in our lives.

Conclusion

So is this task easy? No. Is it something we conquer quickly? Not at all. Even the Apostle Paul said this about his life.

Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. (Phil. 3:12)


May we also do the same.