Do I have it? Do you have it? Suburban Syndrome

Suburban Syndrome

I have had the bones for this post rattling around in my head for months, maybe even longer.  There are many ideas for writing that I consider, most of them counter-cultural and potentially controversial.  Like most, I don't particularly LIKE to be controversial, but just believing everything the Bible says (which I do) is controversial these days, so I tend to ponder and pray and make sure it is something the Lord wants me to cover before I plunge in.  I pray this message will be received in the manner of love that it was written in.

In Titus 2, the Lord commands older women (like me) to teach younger women, or even older women who have never learned this model from the Bible, to be sober (sound mind, disciplined), to love their husbands and children, to be discreet (self-controlled, temperate), chaste (innocent, modest, pure), keepers at HOME, obedient to their husbands, so that God's word is not blasphemed.  Those verses bring a whole world of controversy and are things most women absolutely do not want to hear, and in a lot of instances refuse to hear, or obey, because culture will gladly defend their disobedience and rebellion;  even the church will teach contrary to scripture regarding these issues.  (which is why you follow the Bible - not a teacher, not a book's teaching, not a pastor - all are fallible.) 

I decided a long time ago that because I have to stand before God someday and answer for my actions, it is a lot safer to just believe what God's word says without trying to trivialize or negate it by whatever means, including saying it is not relevant today because our culture is different, women had different roles back then,  blah blah blah infinitum.  That sounds scary to me, because God told us in His Word that He never changes, and neither does His word.  I didn't invent these truths; I just follow them.  And every Christian woman should as well; there is no legitimate, scripturally defendable reason not to.

Which leads me to this post.  Suburban syndrome.  A phrase I made up to describe what can be viewed as somewhat of a lemming effect in the lives of many modern Christians.  For those not familiar with the term lemming, it is a  mouse-like rodent who is known to blindly follow other lemmings without thinking for himself, resulting in tragedy like mass drowning.

We don't have to live in a suburb to have Suburban Syndrome, although it makes it easier to be infected with it if we do.  What are the symptoms of Suburban Syndrome?  In the suburbs, houses more or less all look alike.  They don't care if they aren't different, nor do they want to be different.  Similarly, to have this syndrome is to have such a desire to fit in that one is willing to ignore scripture, willfully disobey scripture, or act in ways that could be considered foolish or unwise, if not outright sinful. It is a life of always choosing the popular path, thought, opinion, or fad.

I have witnessed so many "Christians" lately defending things that are blatantly and irrefutably forbidden in scripture, or refusing to do things expressly commanded in scripture.  It seems we have adopted an "if it doesn't work for me, I can ignore it" view of all of the Bible.  Unfortunately for those people, the Lord hasn't changed; his Word IS indeed still valid, and he did mean for us to obey it, even in this enlightened (sarcasm) day and age.  When we don't follow His plan, our lives are a mess and our families fall apart, including our marriages; we are stressed, depressed, and wondering what the heck is wrong.  Not that doing things the Lord's way is the key to a problem-free life, but at least it brings resident peace that lasts throughout the storms, and confidence that disobedience is not the root of the problems.  A clear conscience before the Lord is invaluable.   The apostle Paul, Luke, and Peter all spoke of living with clear consciences.   We can do it.  We should do it.

Things that seem to be negotiable/optional when Christians have Suburban Syndrome:

1.  Not only can women (wives) with children work and NOT be keepers of their home AT home, but they can be the undisputed bosses and heads of their households.  (Refer back to Titus 2:3-5 for what God thinks about this)

2.  Modesty.  Not talking about being covered from head to toe.  Just a minimum standard because when God says we are to be modest, He MEANT something.  It literally means that there are things that should not be seen while wearing clothing. And that there are certain items that shouldn't be worn in public. He isn't referring to not walking around naked.  He is referring to the clothing we wear.

And while on the subject, in regards to clothing, you cannot get any skimpier than a bikini, aka bra and underwear.  There is nothing that you can wear smaller or more revealing than a bikini.  So if God MEANS something when He instructs us to be modest, HOW can we defend wearing something that can't get any less modest?  Seriously, has anyone ever considered that?  Yet Christians will defend this to their deaths because culture accepts it.  That's always a red flag for me, as it should be for anyone trying to follow Christ's way, because culture didn't like Him and it shouldn't like us, and vice-versa.  I would wear a bikini for my husband IN PRIVATE where there was no one else around.  

3.  Women pastors and teachers exercising authority over men.  In God's hierarchy, women are not the spiritual heads - not in the home, and not in the church (1 Cor 13:34-35).  All of Jesus' disciples were men, and the women in scripture that people use to defend women having authority over men in the church never actually taught doctrine or exercised that kind of authority over men.  We can spread the gospel and fill support roles.  We are not supposed to be preaching to or teaching men.

4.  Sexual Immorality - Shacking up with premarital sex, affairs, porn, and homosexuality seem to be acceptable as long as we don't have an objection personally.  There isn't just one scripture against these things.  Read the New Testament without skipping the stuff you don't like.  It's all there.

That was the big things God has laid on my heart.  Believe me,  I know that a lot of people absolutely abhor this message.   At one time I did too.  I still don't like it when people say things I know deep down are true but I'm not listening or obeying.   But I pray that God will show us all the truths in his Word and that we will have ears to hear.  That we will read the Bible and believe what it says without listening to fallible man's interpretation of it.  I love you all.

Debbie
 

Messianic Christianity - false teaching?

This will be my second attempt to write this post, having accidentally deleted my first draft.  But that's okay, because the second draft is usually better anyway.    The Bible warns us that false teachers and heretical teaching will abound.  I have found this to be true, because even in mainstream Christianity inaccurate and often detrimental teachings are common. 

Just for the record, I believe every single word of the Bible was inspired by God, both Old and New Testaments.  I don't try to dismiss certain scriptures as outdated and not applicable today.  I just believe what is written and that's what makes me less afraid to stand before God on Judgment Day, knowing I haven't twisted His Word to justify some sin of mine. 

Because I believe the entire Word of God, both Old and New Testaments, I have concluded that  a somewhat popular movement is very cultish and even possibly heretical.  It is called various things by its followers, namely "Hebrew Roots Movement", "Torah-observant", and "Messianic Christianity." 

The following is an informational excerpt from tabletmag.com:

     'These are non-Jews who have no intention of converting to Judaism yet follow laws, customs, beliefs, and practices commonly associated with Judaism.  And while they do believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God and the messiah - though in these circle he goes exclusively by his Hebrew name, Yeshua, they are EMPHATICALLY not Christian. 

     They do not celebrate Christmas or Easter.  They do celebrate Passover and Sukkot.  They do not display crosses or other traditional Christian symbols, but will wear the Star of David and post mezuzahs on their doors. 

     The movement's central belief is that the Torah (the first 5 books of the Bible) is still binding - that God, or Yahweh as they call him, did not intend for Yeshua's appearance to render irrelevant the lessons of the Old Testament, whose rules and instructions remain valid.  Specific theology varies from ministry to ministry and person to person.  Most strictly observe the Jewish Sabbath, and do not eat pork, shellfish, or other foods prohibited in the Torah, and the vast majority believe that women should keep their hair covered and not wear pants.  Some fulfill mitzvoth (the collection of 613 commandments or precepts in the Old Testament Law and additional ones of rabbinic origin) that aren't explicitly stated or detailed in the Torah, such as praying the rabbinic liturgy and observing Hanukkah.' (end of quote)

This is not meant to be a comprehensive study on Messianic Christianity, but an introduction to a decidedly false teaching that you can explore more on your own if interested.  There are scriptures that address these beliefs to some extent, as many of the first believers after Christ's Resurrection and the Day of Pentecost were Jewish.  But to accept this movement as heretical, you first have to believe that the ENTIRE Bible is God's inspired word, both Old and New Testaments (which it doesn't seem they do).  Therefore, Paul's teachings and admonitions are not only relevant and God-inspired, but of utmost importance when deciding if Messianic Christianity is a false, if not heretical, teaching.

Two of the things that disturb me the most is the dangerous sense of superiority exuded that they are the only true believers on Earth, and also the fact that they don't feel a need to spread the Gospel.  The first has its roots in Pride, which the Bible makes clear is abhorred by God.  It also ignores the entire teachings of Grace and Salvation by Faith in the New Testament.  The second disobeys a direct command by Jesus as he ascends into heaven to spread the gospel. 

However, Messianic Christians do feel called to minister in the land of the Jews, Israel.  But since you can't proselytize (attempt to convert) in Israel, this is not fulfilling the mandate to spread the gospel.  All they can do is labor in the vineyards, which is a sure help to the owners, but not so much to their souls.

Christ made it clear that a new thing was coming, a better thing.  This better thing is known as the New Covenant or New Testament.  It's "new" because it replaced something "old".  Messianic believers do not recognize the New Covenant, so I can only assume they do not fall under the dispensation of grace, which means they are probably not truly saved or born again.  I hope for their sakes this is not the case. 

God made it clear through Paul's New Testament writings that anyone under the law will be judged according to the law, and therefore will be condemned because no one can keep it perfectly.  It only takes one slip to be guilty of failing to keep all of the law (James 2:10).  While Christ was on earth, he taught the Law and kept the feasts.  This is because the New Covenant didn't take effect until after his resurrection, so he was being obedient to His Father while the earth still labored under the Old Covenant.

Then the Lord chose the apostle Paul to be the bearer of the vast majority of New Testament teachings.  "Paul, an apostle, not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead." Galatians 1:1  Paul, chosen by God to teach us about the Law and Grace, makes it ABUNDANTLY clear that the law was a schoolmaster to teach us and show us how sinful we are.  It awakens our conscience.  "The law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.  But after that faith came, we are NO LONGER under a schoolmaster."

That is all the Law can do.  It didn't save the Old Testament people, and it can't save us.  If it could, Christ would have come for nothing, because we would have already had a means to salvation and eternal life.  In fact, for those who place themselves willingly under the Law, they are actually cursed by God.  "Cursed is every one who doesn't continue in ALL things which are written in the book of the Law.  Gal 3:10" 

"For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision (being Jewish) availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision (being Gentile), but (he made) a new creation (neither Jew nor Gentile) Gal 6:15."   Also, "no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, because the just shall live by faith."  We are actually heirs of the Abrahamic Covenant, which is a covenant of faith because Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness (Gal 3:7). 

Nowhere in the New Testament (New Covenant) are we taught that we inherited the Mosaic Law.  "For these are two covenants; one from the mount Sinai (Mosaic Law) which gives birth to bondage, but we are the children of promise Gal 4:24, 28."  "For if the inheritance is by the law, it is no more by promise; but God gave it (the inheritance) to Abraham by promise."

In fact, Paul was so concerned about the Jewish Christian's clinging to the Law that he questioned their salvation (Gal 4:11).  Paul never spoke of the Law except to link it to bondage, to ineffectual living, to war with the Spirit, and to past times before the better thing came (Christ and the Holy Spirit). 

This movement also believes in observing all the Old Testament feasts.  Regarding that is the scripture Romans 14:5-6, which also addresses not eating certain foods - "One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike.  Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind.  He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God."

Followers of Messianic Christianity have obviously chosen to ignore or discount most of the New Testament, which can only be because they don't believe the apostles were chosen and called by Christ himself.  But I do.  And I think it is dangerous to not believe the New Testament is as valid and as inspired as the Old Testament. 

I wouldn't want the apostle Paul questioning my salvation because it appeared I wanted to live under the Law.  I want to live according to the freedom Christ brought, under the power of the Holy Spirit he sent to help us live obediently.  Freedom in Christ does not mean freedom to sin.  I do not desire to live a life of sin.  But I do desire Christ's freedom.

And that's why I would never, not ever, choose to follow the false teachings of Messianic Christianity.