The Fourth Epistle.
Sunday, November 19, 2000.
Fashionable Christians.
By Rev. James R. Bingham
Special to corndancer.com
POSTED FROM Memphis, Tennessee
Mark 2:10-12
10. But that ye may know that the Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)
11. I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.
12. And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.
Our subject today, in submission to the unction of the Holy Spirit, is Fashionable Christians.
We explore this subject in our continuing work to redirect the faith response of the Christian community. We have established through scripture that Christians have been mis-educated, but what does this mean in a practical sense?
The idea of being mis-educated means that the goals set as reasonable and worthwhile to the process of education are not the goals that were intended by the originators of the educational materials.
In this case the educational materials are the scriptures. The goals should be to direct believers to present their bodies a living sacrifice -- holy and acceptable unto God, as their reasonable service. This is to say, we are to establish a living offering that will demonstrate our submission to God.
The Key Is the Phrase, 'Living Sacrifice.'
Hold it! It seems that before I can go further, I'll have to explain my explanation. The answers here are not so obvious. To involve a living sacrifice is not the end. It is a means to an end. Note I said to involve a living sacrifice, not be a living a sacrifice. Let's look at the phrase "living sacrifice".
A living sacrifice has longevity. It has life -- so much of life that even when sacrificed, it maintains life.
A case in point is a living room in a harmonious home, which is a place for life or living. We can also think about a living will, which is a testament enacted while a person lives to state certain intentions about his physical death: That should he fall into an insufferable condition, his life should not be prolonged by artificial medical means.
Therefore, a living sacrifice is one that contains life. Though given as an offering, it maintains life. Listen carefully on this. The meaning I intend to open to you depends on the addition (or subtraction) of one small word. The scripture says to present your bodies a living sacrifice. This has normally been interpreted and taught as presenting your bodies as a living sacrifice. However, that is not what scripture says. Scripture says, present your bodies "a" living sacrifice.
The Sacrifice Is Made inside the Temple.
You can make your body a living testimony, but you should present, yield, or give your bodies a living sacrifice. Read this carefully: If we are the temple, then a sacrifice, whether it is obedience or self-denial, is made inside the temple. It is a sacrifice that is holy and acceptable unto God. This means you are to accept the Holy Spirit.
Turn to Philippians 4:18. Paul states that he was full, meaning spiritually full. Why? Because he had received, from Epaphroditus, a sweet smelling sacrifice, acceptable and well-pleasing to God. The sacrifice in this instance is the believer-priest.
I know this seems to be getting us overly involved in arcane interpretation, but listen. Mis-education is sometimes difficult to set right.
Ask yourself, "What does God want with your body?" Surely we are not to defile it, physically. Spiritually, your body represents the flesh. You can't please God with the flesh. God wants your heart, soul, and mind. I say it again: He wants your heart, soul, and mind. That's why it is extremely necessary for the Christian to know and accept the truth that God knows your heart. It is your heart that can be transformed by the constant renewing of your mind.
Jesus Sees the Spirit, Not the Flesh.
When Jesus begins to work miracles and shows himself to be The Son of Man, he observes the people who come to him in search of physical healing. He knows they want to see him work miracles -- and he seizes the opportunity. The men bring him a miserable being, afflicted by palsy. The body of the patient is paralyzed. Jesus observes their faith, not their bodies. He sees the Spirit, not the flesh!
Read the scriptures at verses 1-5 of the second chapter of Mark. Crucial to this passage, and my point in this Epistle, is verse 5. It says when Jesus saw their faith, he said, "Thy sins are forgiven." He was not focusing on the man's physical condition.
You see, when all is said and done, we will receive new bodies in the Spirit. So what does God want with your old body? Look a little deeper. When He said, "Your sins are forgiven," the scribes reasoned in their hearts. How many of you understand that God knows your heart?
He said in verse 8, "Why reason ye these things in your heart?" Did he know what he was talking about? Yes, he made it plain. He said, Why are you reasoning whether it is easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins are forgiven thee, or to say, Arise and take up thy bed, and walk? Why do ye puzzle yourself over whether my power from God is real?
It Is the Heart that Matters.
Now watch this. Jesus turns to the man who was sick, not to the scribes, and says, But that ye may know, you see, he was not concerned about the natural mind that was unable to demonstrate faith in him. He is concerned about those who believe in their heart.
Are you willing to submit yourself to faith, belief, and the principles of trust, that which is holy and acceptable unto God?
He said, So "...that ye may know that the son of man has power on earth…" What power? "To forgive sins...."
He did not say that you may know that I have power to heal your body, but that I have power to forgive sins on earth. He said, to demonstrate my power to forgive sins, to clean your heart, to rest your mind, to save your soul, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.
In other words, He had already said what needed to be done and it was already done.
Go and Magnify the Lord!
So now, my sickly friend, show them in a fashion that they have never seen before, now that your sins are forgiven, show them, go on and magnify the Lord.
And what happened? The man immediately arose, took up the bed and went forth. He got a lot more than just his body healed. He had his mind renewed. His sins were forgiven. He was handed a clean slate.
Now, watch this: As long as you come along for the ride, as long as you are working to be seen by men, you are not demonstrating faith. You're just being fashionable. You see, to be fashionable is to be in style.
Why do people come to church? Some come to see others act "silly" because of what the Holy Ghost does in them because of their faith. Instead of trying to get what that "silly" person got, they question it and try to show those around them that they are not silly like the Holy Ghost Christians. They may sing, "I got religion," but all they have is a show. They know Jesus died, but they don't believe it in their hearts. Jesus, when he was nailed to the cross, didn't say, Father, straighten out their twisted bodies. Sure, he had power to do that, too. Instead, he said, "Father FORGIVE THEM."
Let the Spirit of God Take Control.
Hello! Do you wonder why folks who focus on the physical never get healed? You can't get healed and you can't get delivered by being fashionable. It ain't your body. It's not what's on the outside. It's not how you sound like the devil while trying to be a Christian. It's all about how you choose to surrender to the power of God and invite the Holy Ghost to move inside of you, and let the Spirit of God take control.
Somebody say, "Praise the Lord."
Here is a good news flash for the fashionable among us. Just because you don't believe it, well…. It doesn't mean that somebody else can't receive a living sacrifice. Just because you walk around trying to make sure that the world accepts you and doesn't see you as a fanatical Christian, well…. It doesn't mean that somebody else won't have their soul saved by being, as it says in Deuteronomy 14:1, a peculiar person, with ways that are different from those who do not know Him. That's the fashion in which His word makes us.
Are you ready for this? As long as you don't submit, as long as you don't receive Christ in your heart, as long as you have little or no faith, you won't be healed and you won't be delivered.
Being fashionable may get you seen, being fashionable may get you noticed, but ask yourself: Who is doing the seeing? Who is taking notice?
Face it: You have to follow the will of God to be saved. The will of God will cleanse your heart. The will of God will make you whole. It will make you free! To be free, indeed, with all of its responsibilities, is to be fashioned in the image of God.
Give God Some Praise!
EDITOR'S NOTE: Rev. Bingham
can be reached by E-mail at
jamesrbingham@juno.com.
His phone number in Memphis is
901.785.5691.