The Great Sadness - Good News Unlimited

October 2010

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

• The Great Sadness
Page 3

• Toggo Page 5

• Follow the Directions
Page 7

• The Ultimate Goal
Page 8

• Fulfillment Found Only

In Love

Really Alive, or Really

Dead? Page 9

• Legalism and its
Antidotes Page 10

• Love God and Do What
You Like Page 12

• Scripture Search
Page 13

• To and Fro Page 14

The Great Sadness

CHRIST ALONE • GRACE ALONE • FAITH ALONE • SCRIPTURE ALONE

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EDITORIAL . . .

“We have left everything to follow you” Many Christian adherents
(Mark 10:28).
have their riches that they
Jesus had invited a rich man to give his wealth to the poor
and come and “follow me.” The rich man had refused the treasure more than anything,
offer, walking sadly away. Peter was there, and it was he who
mused aloud, “We have left everything to follow you.” It takes or anyone. What about you,
little imagination to hear the self-satisfaction in Peter’s voice.
Realizing that he and the other disciples had left all to follow reader? Do you think Jesus Pastor Ron Allen
Christ, he supposed this meant that he was ‘in the kingdom’
though the rich man was out. has enough moral breadth

But Peter had not heard Jesus. Like the rich man who asked, that you could permit him to be your governor; let him be the
“What shall I do to inherit eternal life,”
Peter judged that because he had left law of your life, the ruler of your choices; let yourself be
all, he was in the kingdom because of
what he had done. Peter missed the motivated by his Spirit, driven by his imperatives? The question
most important thing Jesus had said:
follow me. is as vital for us, now, as it was for the rich man—and it goes to

The rich man thought that being with the issue of personal joy or sadness.
Jesus was a poor exchange for what he
already had. Peter was the same. He did Jesus did not come to the world to defend and maintain our
not realize what a surpassing privilege
it is to be with Jesus. Instead, he ethical benchmarks. He did not come to make us content with
thought what a fine fellow he was for
leaving everything. His personal what we have always thought and taught,
sacrifice was his wealth, and he clung
to it. what we have always done, nor what we

“We have left everything to follow have approved of or condemned. He does
you,” is the language of those who do
not really follow Jesus. They are far too not permit us to go on believing that if only
attached to their repertoire of virtues;
their little pile of good points. Peter the rest of the world would agree with us
thought he was quite magnificent. He
did not yet think that of Jesus. and submit to our levels of decency, then it

would be cured of its ills. He does not let us

have that luxury. Instead, he asks us to make

him the adjudicator of our being, so that all

the things we have done from our youth will

be seen as merely a starting point; not a

place to stay.

“We have left everything to follow you”

is not the language of a person won to

devoted obedience. The moral beauty, the

exalted goodness of Jesus expresses the

loving heart of God, and the soul that sees

it recklessly gives him/her self to please

him. Only in following Jesus can human

beings be set free from ways of thinking and

doing that leave them unfulfilled at the core

of their being.

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Philip Rhodes

THE GREAT SADNESS

By Ron Allen

In the prosperous decade that ended with the Global first challenging him to jettison what had previously been the
Financial Crisis, sociologists were publishing research on an center of his interest and devotion. His wealth was the focus of
era of unequaled material prosperity. They observed that his being, and he liked being rich.
though we had never before been as rich, our economic
well-being was not accompanied by corresponding high levels In the biblical world, it was taken for granted that the rich
of contentment or sheer joy of living. were especially blessed by God. Those who heard the man
talking with Jesus would have respected him because he was
It is not the case that rich people are all unhappy, but it is rich. This belief found some support in the Scriptures
noteworthy that in an era in which there was ‘bread enough (Job 1:1-3; 1 Chronicles 29:12; Proverbs 10:22; Isaiah 61:5-7).
and to spare,’ during a time remarkable not for scarcity but Another tradition held that God was the friend and defender of
excess, there were unprecedented levels of depression. the poor. It is likely that this rich man engaged in a measure of
Why so sad? philanthropy, and this earned him plaudits for being godlike.

It happens that the one person we know of, whose meeting The rich are able to give money to charitable causes in
with Christ resulted in an increase of sadness, was a rich amounts that the poor never earn in a lifetime of work. The
person. Jesus met all types of people. Many of them were rich are sometimes fawned upon by those who cannot afford to
amazed, others were astonished, some were awestruck, and give because they possess this facility (Bill Gates, Warren
some wanted to stay near him for the rest of their lives. Every Buffet are examples). This was possibly so in the case of the
life Jesus touched was better for it. But there was one who, ‘sad man’ of the gospels. He was seen as someone close to
after a brief encounter with Jesus, went away sad. He is the sad God; someone who shared God’s inclination to help the poor.
man of the Gospels, and his story is in Mark 10. Therefore, he was seen as righteous, and he enjoyed his high
rating in public opinion.
The man came running to Jesus and asked a question:
As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and A well-known billionaire died. At his large funeral he was
feted as a model citizen because of the millions he had given to
fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, various charities. At the same time as he was being lauded in
“what must I do to inherit eternal life?” memoriam, the press was having a feeding-frenzy with news
that he had kept a mistress and child in another city for more
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No than twenty years. It was also revealed that state investigators
one is good except God alone. You know the had been building a case of corporate fraud against him. In the
commandments: Do not murder, do not commit adultery,
do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, Continued on next page
honor your father and mother.”
…who stares discomforted at the food in front of him,
“Teacher,” he declared, “all these things have I kept searching for a way to welcome it into his body.
since I was a boy.”

Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you
lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to
the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then
come, follow me.”

At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because
he had great wealth (Mark 10:17-22).
Mark goes further than Matthew and Luke in underlining
the doleful effect Jesus had on this man. He says his face ‘fell.’
His body language showed that he had experienced something
odious to him.
When we realize how depleted the man was after this
encounter, we are equipped to appreciate Jesus’ comment:
“How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God”
(Mark 10:23). How hard! The origin of this expression evokes
the image of a fussy eater, who stares discomforted at the food
in front of him, searching for a way to welcome it into his
body.
We are not told that the man was sad before he met Jesus.
What we know is that he was sad afterwards; after Jesus had
suggested he give his wealth to the poor and become his
disciple. Jesus did not invite him to be his follower without

3

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Continued from previous page The crestfallenness of the rich man was rooted in his
months before his death, a team of lawyers had worked refusal to admit his impossibility. He was not ready for God
night and day to limit the possible damage to his standing in to be the great interest of his life; he could not bring himself
the community. to depend entirely on God’s largesse. From boyhood, he had
obeyed all the rules; he had been correct, decent. He had
The wealth of the man who questioned Jesus lay not just in excelled. He was not now about to let go his fund of citations
his ownership of property. He was rich in standing, rich in and honorable mentions. Rich in religious devotion, adorned
prestige; rich because—being rich—he could make a show of with public acclaim, he clung to his assets and refused to
charity and thereby win civic endorsement. When Jesus submit to the terms of God’s kingdom. “He did not submit
challenged him to quit his riches he was plunged into crisis. to God’s righteousness” (Romans 10:3).
He walked away stricken. The last thing he desired was to not
be rich. In Jesus, the rich man met a greater goodness than he had
ever known—and he
He walked away stricken. refused to give himself
up to it. Instead of
“following”, he hoped
that Jesus would somehow
enable what he had
achieved so far to yield
him the joy of God’s
kingdom. When asked to
leave his assets (material
and moral) and follow
Jesus, the very thing he
had sought—eternal life—
was proffered. But
electing to stick with
familiar standards, he went
away sad.

He is not the only one! As the rich man walked away, The joy of the kingdom of heaven is inseparable from God himself.
Jesus’ disciples heard him comment about how hard it is
for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. They were Many are attracted to Christ, but not as many want to follow
stunned. Jesus knew they were, so he repeated it (verses 23, him. Perhaps this is why there are gloomy people who think of
24). But the second time, he didn’t say how hard it is for themselves as Christian. The joy of the kingdom of heaven is
the rich, he just said, ‘how hard it is,’ as if to say that it is inseparable from God himself. To follow Christ the Son, is to
hard for everyone! escape the great sadness, and be where there is fullness of joy.

The idea that it is difficult for rich people to get to heaven
was so unusual and surprising for the disciples that they
reasoned that nobody at all could ever be saved (verse 26).
What Jesus said next showed that is precisely what he
wanted them to think. “You are right; with man this is
impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with
God” (Mark 10:27).

A man had come to Jesus in quest of eternal life. He had
brought his own possibility with him. He brought his wealth,
which had earned him his good name; he brought his tithe-
paying, church-going, donating-to-charity, and pillar-of-society
self to Jesus; thinking that all of the above would give him a
head start into the life eternal. But Jesus told him to give it all
up, let it go, it isn’t needed. With man, entry into the kingdom
of heaven is impossible. All the warrant and deserving that
man can muster counts for nothing. The gift of eternal life
comes from the person that God is. It is founded on God’s
goodness, God’s welcome, God’s kindness, his forgiveness,
his love.

4

TOGGO been planted, Toggo International Children’s center has nearly
200 students enrolled, and a soon to be technical school for
I am Namusisi……. those who are older and in pursuit of furthering their careers.
Pastor Steve has brought the light of Christ to Toggo, and
My heart aches to be back at home in the United States, away because of it the locals are seeing a blessing they never knew.
from Uganda. I wonder how my home could make me feel so
homesick for the place my heart was made for. Each time we Our team was sent to continue construction on the school,
go it’s harder to leave those we love behind. Yet, it gives us including the reconstruction of a permanent church, concreting
hope knowing that we will be back. the floors of the classroom, and roofing. Toggo suffers much
from the infestation of jiggers. Jiggers embed themselves into
July 24th 2010 the feet and other parts of the body of the children and if not
The journey was soon to begin as our team of fourteen was to removed can cause serious infection, pain and amputation. The
return to where we call home. We always go with somewhat only way to fix this problem is to concrete the floors of the
of a plan, but God’s never seizes to blow us away with His. classroom, which we began in the main classrooms.
This was our first mission back to see the school open and full
of children learning. To see so many kids who were once in Seeing the effect that building a school in Toggo has had on
tattered clothing, unguided and uneducated, now clothed in the village has us so excited and praying for the provisions to
blue and white uniforms was amazing. The children we once continue the work of Project Toggo. Currently only holding up
communicated with through smiles and high-fives were now to primary three, many students wait for enrollment into higher
speaking English. Our hearts were filled as we saw the fruit grades. Those who should be placed in higher grades choose to
bearing from Project Toggo. remain in P2 because the education at Toggo International
Children’s Center is far greater than any schools nearby. Yet,
we know the need is large to continue building and further the
education of the children of Toggo.

To see so many kids who were once in tattered clothing, unguided and Our team was sent to continue construction on the school…
uneducated, now clothed in blue and white uniforms was amazing.
Along with the awesome time spent in classrooms teaching
The school consisting of baby class thru primary three is full the students and construction of the church and classrooms, we
to over its capacity. Gabriel, Pastor Steve’s daughter, teaches spent a lot of time focusing on Evangelism. The previous year
the baby class, which is filled with over 30 three-year-olds in a we learned of the dire need of Christ in Toggo when we
small 12x12 classroom with a dirt floor. Even though some of witnessed firsthand the tragedy of witchcraft and the
the children are too young, and the classroom is packed full, sacrificing of children, after finding two children, Sarah and
Gabriel has accepted students because they desire to learn and Enoch on the edge of death. For the first time since we found
love to study. Gabriel teaches with the compassion and love of them, we saw them in person and we were brought to tears,
a mother for her many little ones. filled with emotion, memories, and the joy of their new life.
Pastor Steve adopted them and moved them to the city where
The school only recently opened but it is academically the they now are enrolled in school and are doing great. Seeing
best in the region. There is still much work to be done including this testimony of God’s work made us on fire to do
the second block of classrooms which will consist of P-4 and evangelism. We went door to door spending time with
up, but even still the village of Toggo is thrilled that the families, praying for people and sharing the gospel. Many
children have an opportunity they never knew was possible. were excited to give their lives to Christ and have questions
answered that they never understood. Those who chose to
Toggo is a village oppressed by warfare, witchcraft, poverty, practice their own religion or witchcraft still asked for prayer
and disease. Pastor Steve had a vision to educate the children over their babies, in which we were honored to do. We invited
not only biblically but scholastically and to raise a generation them to attend our open-air crusade in which we gave
of leaders. His vision has become reality, and now a church has
Continued on next page
5
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testimonies, messages and worshipped together with the joy their people, to save their children and bring up a new
of Uganda praise.
generation of their leaders. We are not called to look at
One evening, the most powerful evening of my life, we
witnessed the transformations of lives like we’ve never seen or ourselves as superior; we are called to fix the problem.
felt before. Ben went on stage, in the middle of the town
square, not knowing exactly what his message would be, but Throughout our mission we continued to do more crusades,
felt lead to tell the story of Hosea. He captured the fascination
of not only the locals but our team. He explained how Hosea and every evening more and more stood up to follow Christ. In
would come home to his wife and she wasn’t there because she
was with someone else…….she was wearing the perfume that the last evening, we dedicated Toggo to God and named it the
she wore for him…for someone else…and she was wearing
the garments she wore for him, for somewhere else, then place He reigns.
screaming into the microphone Ben asked the question, “Who
are you dressing up for?” Three years ago, I wrote an article entitled “We have been

I knew God was there, He was angry that His people had called.” Three years later this calling has turned into much
turned their back on Him. The truth was that a lot of the people
who were showing up dressed for the Lord on Sunday were greater than a three week mission trip. This is our journey for
turning around Monday thru Saturday worshiping in their
witchcraft. People were crying and cheering and clapping, and God. I feel selfish saying it’s for God, because I feel like I’m
all of sudden many came forward giving their lives to Christ. A
baby who was dedicated to witchcraft was brought forward by the one receiving the greatest blessing. I want to see Toggo
his mother and they gave their lives to Christ. The baby was
bound in beads of witchcraft in which Ben cut off his body and International Children’s Center constantly growing, self-
dropped to the ground. Once bound in witchcraft, once a live
sacrifice to demons, he was now free and dedicated to Christ. sustaining, and a blessing to the village of Toggo. I want to see
The crowd cheered as we prayed over the child and his mother.
In this moment, a life was saved and forever changed from the every child sponsored and taken care of, and I want those
demonic world of witchcraft. God reigned in Toggo over all
demonic forces and the village and everything in it knew it. surrounding Toggo to look at it and know that it is indeed

Gabrielle explained to us that especially in the city, many where God reigns. I want witchcraft to be cast down and a
children get kidnapped and their body parts are cutoff and the
children are sacrificed. I have been asked what gives us the thing of the past. It’s time Toggo is known for the light of
right to go to Uganda and tell people that our religion is better
than theirs? My answer is a question, what right does humanity Christ and nothing else. This is not just a dream but the path
have to take the right of life from a child? For me, this is not a
right, it’s a responsibility; and it’s not just us going, it’s us we are on and watching God orchestrate.
partnering with those who have been called in Uganda to lead
I haven’t been home a week, and though my schedule is full
The baby was bound in beads of witchcraft in which Ben cut
off his body and dropped to the ground. I feel lost; though my family and friends are also here, I am

homesick; and though I’m focused on school, I know the work

I need to do in Toggo is awaiting. Our prayer is that we can

return for the summer of 2011 to continue our work. We love

even the smallest time spent in Toggo, and we know God can

move in literally a second, but we want more. We want to live

among the people and those we now call our family and work

among the locals to build up Toggo. Of course being college

students we always say this is our prayer because our itinerary

is solely based on God’s provision. We ask that you would

support us not just on this mission, but in our lives. We ask that

you would invest in us by praying for our protection, our

provision, and God’s hand upon us in Toggo. We need help

every time we go and wonder each time how we are ever going

to manage, but God overwhelms us with his blessings,

provision, and plan. We’re praying that you will send us, and

next summer we will be reporting from Toggo. Those who

pray for us, support us, and invest in us are our fellow

missionaries. You are a part of Project Toggo and we

thank you.

I miss Uganda and I miss my

Pastor Steve and his family. Ben

and I were given Ugandan names

for the first time. Ben is Musisi and

I am Namusisi, aka Mr. and Mrs.

Earthquake. I want to fulfill my

Ugandan name. I want to shake

Toggo up for God’s glory. I stare at

the pictures and watch the videos

and wish I was still there, and can’t

wait till we go back. I left my heart Ben and I were given
in Uganda mostly because I know I Ugandan names for the first
will be back to visit it along time. Ben is Musisi and I am
with the people I love and my Namusisi, aka Mr. and Mrs.
family I adore. Earthquake.

6

FOLLOW THE HAPPINESS
DIRECTIONS QUOTES

By Desmond Ford The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to
cheer somebody else up. -Mark Twain.
Perhaps you have
heard the story of the Indeed, man wishes to be happy even when he
father who bought a toy so lives as to make happiness impossible.
for his child from a –St. Augustine.
mail-order house. It was
one of those that are Happiness? That’s nothing more than health and
rather complicated and a poor memory.
had to be assembled by -Albert Schweitzer.
the parent. After an hour
of frustrating experiment If you want others to be happy, practice
in trying to put the compassion. If you want to be happy, practice
pieces together, the compassion. –Dalai Lama.
father discovered at the
bottom of the box a We have no more right to consume happiness
message from the without producing it than to consume wealth
manufacturer—a small without producing it. –George Bernard Shaw.
white card on which
were printed the words: To be without some of the things you want is an
“If all else fails, follow indispensable part of happiness.
the directions.” If you –Bertrand Russell.
and I want to be happy,
healthy, and indeed, live
forever, we need to
follow the directions.
God made us. He sent
along a message from the manufacturer. We find it wrapped in
the covers of the book we call the Bible.
When Jesus said, “I am the way,” he meant just that. In the
book of Acts, Christianity is referred to as “the way.” I like the
words of E. Stanley Jones:

When we live the Christian way, are we living the
way we were made to live? Made in the inner
structure of our beings? Is life made for the Christian
way as tracks and engines are made for each other?

To be good is good for you—your soul, mind body
and relationships. To be bad is bad for you—your
soul, mind, body and relationships. You must love
others or you cannot get on with others or yourself.
Apparently God has us hooked….

We can say with Stanley Jones that when we live in the
Christian way we are at home in the universe, everything
works for us. If we don’t we are out of gear. We are orphaned,
estranged. We are not at home with ourselves or with people or
with God. Our life will sag. It will lose its music. Things
within us will cry out, “this is an unnatural way to live.

-Desmond Ford. WORTH MORE THAN A MILLION,
p. 586.

7

THE ULTIMATE GOAL
By Fulton Sheen

Life is monotonous if it has no goal or purpose. When we do Man wants three things: life, knowledge, and love. The
not know why we are here or where we are going then life life he wants is not a life for two more minutes, but the fullness
is full of frustrations and unhappiness. Where there is no goal of life without wrinkles, worry, or old age. The truth he wants
or overall purpose, people generally concentrate on motion. is not only the knowledge of geography to the exclusion of
Instead of working toward an ideal, they keep changing the literature, or the truths of science to the exclusion of
ideal and calling it progress. They do not know where they are philosophy; he wants to know all things. Man is incurably
going but they are certainly on their way…. Those who have curious.
no ultimate destiny for life really can never say they are
making progress; if there is no fixed point they can never say Finally, he wants love. He needs it because he is incomplete
whether they are getting to their goal or not…. within himself. He wants a love without jealousy, without hate,
and above all, a love without satiety—a love with constant
When life has no intentional destiny; when it has no ecstasy in which there is neither loneliness nor boredom….
bivouac, no harbor, no ideal, it is full of mediocrity and
tedium. It then becomes completely exteriorized with Man knows he would not be craving for such happiness if it
consequent loss of much power and peace. As Stephen Vincent did not exist. He would not have eyes if there were no light or
Benet put it: things to see.

Life is not lost by dying; Life is lost minute by If we are to find the source of the life, truth, and love that is
minute, day by dragging day, in all the in the world, we have to go to a Life that is not mingled with
its shadow, death; to Truth that is not mingled with its shadow,
thousand small uncaring ways. error; to a Love that is not mingled with its shadow, hate. We
must go to Pure Life, Pure Truth, Pure Love, and that is the
definition of God. He is the ultimate goal of life; from him we
came, and in him alone do we find peace.

-Bishop Fulton Sheen. LIFE IS WORTH LIVING,
pp 14-19.

Where there are no inner resources but only staleness and
flatness, such people say that life has frustrated them: No!
They have frustrated life. They excuse themselves saying they
are bored because they are not loved. No! They are bored
because they do not love; because they have denied love….

What we call the ultimate purpose of life is one beyond all
immediate, proximate goals, such as a man wanting to become
a farmer, or a woman wanting to become a nurse. The purpose
that survives when these lesser goals have been achieved is the
ultimate goal. No one can have two final purposes in life any
more than he can walk to the right and left at the same time.
The final purpose is, therefore, unique—the grand powerhouse
whence flows the current for all the particular tasks of living.

8 www.goodnewsunlimited.org

FULFILLMENT FOUND REALLY ALIVE, OR
ONLY IN LOVE REALLY DEAD?

By Jack Obrien Idon’t like being hurt. I don’t enjoy experiencing pain.
But I believe I become less of a human being if I learn
Victor Frankl, the psychiatrist, states that “true self-esteem the art of detachment so well that I can experience the death
and a true sense of identity can be found only in the of a friend or a relative, or watch a television news show
reflected appraisal of those whom we have loved.” The about starving children, and not be affected by it….
experience of love is what makes life meaningful, for love
implies a commitment and dedication to another. Giving the When I protect myself against the danger of loss (by
gift of oneself in love leaves one with a deep and lasting death, divorce, or just having a close friend move away) by
satisfaction of having done something good with one’s life. teaching myself not to care, not to let anyone get too close
to me, I lose part of my soul. When I try to avoid pain by
Love does not promise instant gratification, but lasting skipping the articles about famine and torture in the papers
fulfillment. Satisfaction and fulfillment are the by-products of and turning to the sports pages and gossip columns, saying
genuine love. ‘Good times’ should not be confused with a to myself, “It’s too bad but that’s the way the world is,” I let
‘good life.’ The endless pursuit of ‘good times’ can only end in myself become less human, less alive…. To be alive is to
a sense of emptiness and disappointment. feel pain, and to hide from pain, is to make yourself less
alive…. Simon and Garfunkel sang to the people of the
Many a life may be regarded—and experienced by the ‘sixties” “If I never loved I never would have cried, I touch
subject—as good, yet may comprise a relatively scant no one and no one touches me, I am a rock, I am a island,
measure of what is commonly called fun and enjoyment. and a rock feels no pain, and an island never cries….”
Few would deny that a fair share of the goodness of life
befell to such persons as Gandhi, Albert Schweitzer, If we believe that in order for life to be good, we have to
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Pope John XXIII and Martin Luther avoid pain, the danger is that we will become so good at not
King. Hardly anyone, however, would say that these feeling pain that we will learn not to feel anything—not joy,
persons’ lives were marked by lots of fun. Such not love, not hope, not awe. We will become emotionally
contamination of the notion of a ‘good life’ with that of a anaesthetized. We will learn to live our whole lives within a
‘good time’ obscures and distorts the issue. (Marian narrow emotional range, accepting the fact that there will be
Kinget, ON BEING HUMAN) few high spots in our lives in exchange for the guarantee
The tension between self-fulfillment directly sought and that there will be no low moments either, no pain or
self-fulfillment as a by-product of loving, is seen by John sadness, just a perpetual feeling of monotony, one gray day
Powell, author of Unconditional Love, as the greatest crisis after another.
facing our society today.
The ‘Gestalt Prayer’ of Fritz Perls reflects the first view: -Harold S. Kushner. WHEN ALL YOU’VE EVER
WANTED ISN’T ENOUGH, Pp. 89-97.
I do my thing and you do your thing. I am not in this
world to live up to your expectations. And you are not in
this world to live up to mine. You are you and I am I; if
by chance we find each other, it’s beautiful. If not, it
can’t be helped.

...we are interrelated and interdependent social beings. These words express very forcibly the human need for
independence and self expression, but at the same time they
ignore the fact that we are interrelated and interdependent
social beings. It ignores one of the deepest truths of human
existence: for a person to be is to be with others.

If I just “do my thing and you do yours,” we stand in danger
of losing each other, and ourselves. I am not in this world to
live up to your expectations, but I am in this world to confirm
you as a unique human being, and to be confirmed by you. We
are fully ourselves only in relation to each other. The ‘I’
detached from thou disintegrates. I do not find you by chance;
I find you by an active life of reaching out.

-Jack Obrien.

9

LEGALISM and its ANTIDOTES

By Dominic Smart

When a Christian is delivered from an oppressive burden away from His sufficiency and misplaces it upon ours. We live
that has weighed him or her down for years, then it’s to achieve his approval; we forget that we are already alive and
especially wonderful. For such deliverance brings release into accepted in Christ. Ever so plausibly, we are sold a different
the joy of the Lord. There’s a sin that takes a peculiarly gospel: one that isn’t really a gospel at all. And the desire not
Christian form in churches. It is burdensome, lethally plausible to sin in some big way can be little more than a mask to hide
and, tragically, it’s rife. It would be one of my greatest delights our lack of faith in Jesus, who has become “for us, wisdom
if through the years of my ministry believers and fellowships from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and
are delivered from it to the glory of God. Its legalism! redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30). Holiness is not a matter of
living on eggshells with a God who is reserving judgment on
It’s a sin. It always has been and always will be. Like all us and might turn away from us at any moment.
sins it causes others to suffer. So some of you reading this
might be more sinned against than sinning: only you will know It really is a deadly, false thing, this warped alternative, this
that. The indicators, sadly, will be guilt, pain and an inferiority lie, this all-pervasive and hideous distortion of Christian
complex that you somehow can’t quite believe. living—for at least eight reasons that I can think of.

Legalism isn’t a matter of having rules, structures, limits, or First, Legalism cannot deal with sin. It is utterly
instructions in our congregations or individual lives. While
they can be overdone, and often are, by people of a certain powerless to deal with it in Christians and non-Christians
temperament, they are necessary for godly order in any alike. Law never reaches the well-spring of the heart; at best it
fellowship: God has given many to us in the Scriptures. The merely curbs the behavior of the flesh. It never changes a
opposite of legalism isn’t lawlessness (antinomianism as some person’s nature. It might persuade a man or woman of the need
like to call it), which is nothing more than anarchic pride. to change, but it cannot effect the change. It will never rob sin
Nobody is delivered into that. Christian freedom isn’t freedom of the capacity to beset you.
to do whatever you want: down here none of us is safe to be
let loose with such a freedom; up there- well, we’ll be More, it is useless against the tempter. No law ever defeated
different then! him, robbed him of his strength, plundered his domain,
released his captives, broke his back. Law never cast him out,
Legalism is primarily a God-ward thing. It’s a way of never rebuked him, never bound the strong man. It took God
making and keeping yourself acceptable to God. From this the son, the cross, and an empty grave to do these things.
flows the legalism that is directed toward one another. It’s a
way of scoring ‘sanctity points’ in our fellowships, and Yet more: laws and rules can never yield forgiveness. They
exerting what one post-modernist called a “truth regime” – are the very written code that a person breaks. Break it at one
it’s about pride, power and control. It simultaneously glorifies point—only one—and you’ve broken it as a whole. No law
man and ‘unsecures’ man. Thus its true opposites are grace can cancel the code. No law can declare forgiveness; it can
and faith. only declare offence, guilt, and condemnation. With respect to
sin’s power, author, and penalty, legalism is utterly powerless.
Yet it is so plausible. The need for order and boundaries
feeds our quest for control. Our very ability to keep some Second, legalism cannot bring us closer to
rules feeds our pride and gives us the impression that our God—precisely because it cannot deal with our sin and clear
relationship to God is somehow founded on this ability. But in
the same day, our inability to keep others feeds our despair, the obstacles that sin throws up between us and him. Our
which in turn generates more rules and a more strenuous effort legalistic fellowships only multiply reasons for not ascending
to keep them. Since laws and rules can be helpful, legalism
seems to be on to a winner.

It often arises out of a good motive: to be holy. We don’t
want sin to rule over us, we don’t want to grieve God or to
stray from his path. And it is a narrow path compared to the
one that leads to destruction. So in order to avoid big sins we
add rules to God’s word—hedging sinful territory around with
codes that are intended to keep us from it. It is the well-
intentioned, keen, and committed that are most prone to it.
The half-hearted Christian couldn’t really care enough to veer
towards legalism (though he or she makes up for it with many
other errors).

But all this focuses the mind on self. It takes the mind and
heart away from Christ, the Proper Man. It takes our faith

10

the hill of God. Because the keeping of rules becomes the legalities—you can be a cruel husband, a tyrannical mother, a
ground for acceptability with God and the means access and lousy employee, a pervert; the list goes on. Or you can be just
approach to God, we stay away from the Savior whose hands hard-hearted, bitter, jealous, and spiteful.
were clean for us, whose heart was pure for us, and who has
already ascended the hill of God for us. Legalism keeps But since legalism is essentially a God-ward problem, the
Christians and non-Christians alike away from God. hypocrisy has a deeper and pernicious dimension: we act with
God. We needn’t, of course. He knows all there is to know,
Third, it sends us in entirely the wrong accepts us in Christ and is resolved to present us perfect before
directions as we progress through life. The his throne at last. But it is one of the weaknesses of the
legalistic mindset that we think we must come to God strong,
mindset of legalism has four great products. Despair—you and we define strength: that we must come not needing help.
cannot keep the rules, so your self-esteem plummets and your Who needs a great high priest able to sympathize with us in all
assurance of the father’s love evaporates from under your feet. our weakness when we can, with a few adept strokes of acting,
Pride—you can keep some of the rules. And so you think that make ourselves strong? Who needs a Proper Man when we can
you can keep yourself in the father’s good books, so your do the proscribed life well enough ourselves? The mask-
assurance is grounded on self’s performance. wearing stops us from coming to God in dependence upon
Judgmentalism—you constantly assess people according to the him. Does the legalist feel loved in his brokenness? Is she ever
rules and are quick to look down on others based on your healed from the inner, crippling injuries of sin? Tragically not.
negative assessment. Control—the desire to have people tow
the line and conform to the regime. Nowadays it’s called There’s an irony about the sixth distortion: it ends up
spiritual abuse. Legalism never produces gracious, expansive trivializing life with God. It fills life with rules that govern
souls, growing richer in compassion and wisdom as years go non-essentials. Does it really matter if your hair is longer than
by. You’d never run to a legalist with you moral failure, the fellowship regulations? Is that hat really virtuous (or sinful,
breakdown, temptation, depression—unless you’re a masochist! depending on the hat and the fellowship)? Is God bothered by
jeans? What if you don’t feel like lifting up your hands on the
Fourth, it’s narrow-minded and sinfully third repeat of ‘Shout to the Lord?’ Legalism can introduce
boring. Under the guise of being holy, legalism makes the layers of conduct that fix our attention on things that the Bible
rates as relatively unimportant, if not downright trivial. It trips
narrow path narrower than God has made it. No non-Christian us up with mincing pedantries, when we should be running and
is going to turn from a life of happiness and apparent freedom dancing with joy in God.
to a restrictive, trussed-up, dull, and joyless life. It carries
none of the natural winsomeness that Jesus had in his ministry. The problem becomes acute in our fellowships when we
Most of the legalistic fellowships, organizations, groups or equate being pedantic with being godly. By doing so, we make
individuals that I’ve had any contact with have been more or godliness an impossibility for those with a more laid-back
less negative, down on fun, and narrow—you really want to temperament. Don’t get me wrong: its not that being laid-back
say to these folk, “get a life.” God’s creation isn’t to be is inherently virtuous anymore than being rule-dominated is
enjoyed; much of it is to be avoided, or else it is seen as a light virtuous. It’s when a fellowship is set up, in terms of its
distraction from the really serious matters of theology. Music, psychology and values, to portray godliness as unattainable by
theater, cinema, art—probably sinful, so best to avoid them…. some simply because of their God-given temperament and
personality. There has to be an expansiveness in our churches
But the narrowness gets much worse: sinners aren’t to be among the formal and the informal tone-setters, that gives
loved, they’re to be evangelized, and beyond that, avoided lest breathing space and elbow room to those whose Creator has
they stain you too. If you can’t have evangelistic contact, made to be ‘laid-back.’ We can’t force the Lord’s children into
better to have as little as possible. People, in all their clothes that just don’t fit. The expansiveness comes from love,
complexity and contradictions aren’t to be understood with of course.
compassion—they are to be told what to do; objects, not of
love, but of expectations. Legalism is boring, sinfully boring. But legalism trivializes life at a deeper level. It shifts the
Boring in a way that diminishes the richness of humanity focus of our attention onto something other than God himself.
which is made to the glory of a never-boring, endlessly Since he is the highest, best, and true focus of all his creation,
creative, and staggeringly imaginative God. it means that our focus is shifted onto something other than its
true ground. Our motives and preoccupations change. No
Fifth, legalism encourages, even protects longer is our chief end to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.
hypocrisy. How? It provides masks for us to wear at Instead, we do stuff for approval by controllers. But compared
to God, the controllers are trivial. The reduced life misses the
church. We can wear the mask by keeping a sufficient number point, which is to find joy in life with God; serving, worship-
of the rules. You can look like a good Christian, while ping, resting in, growing in, learning from, loving, and finding
underneath you are an entirely different person. Beautiful but glad sufficiency and satisfaction in God.
rare is the fellowship where the really important things are
gauged as quickly as the obvious, visible things. As long as -TO BE CONTINUED.
you keep up the appearances—defined as they are by the -Dominic Smart is minister of Gilcomston South

Church, in Aberdeen, Scotland.

11

Love God and Do What You Like
Gordon Powell

Most people, I suppose, would say that his mother’s heart with his drunkenness and
they would be perfectly happy if revelry with all sorts of wrong companions.
they could do what they liked. Now the Still she kept praying for him with faith
happiness that Christ offers is precisely until the day till the day when Augustine
that happiness, provided that we follow was set free from the slavery of sin by the
him and learn to like that which will One who said: “If the Son shall make
make us really happy, that which you free, you shall be free indeed.” Then
ministers to the true welfare of he became Saint Augustine, one of the
ourselves and others…. greatest intellects ever produced in the
long history of the church and the one who,
It has been well said that people who
do what they like, do not like what they do. perhaps more than any other, preserved the
People, who do what they please, are seldom church through the dark ages which followed the
pleased with what they do. People, who center collapse of the Roman Empire.
themselves on themselves, come to dislike the self “Love God and do what you like.” I think that
which they have put at the center…. among the happiest people I know are those in our
church who often have far too much to do in some of the
It was Augustine who gave us that great motto: “Love worst slums in the country. In spite of all their frustrations, all
God and do what you like.” You see what he meant. If you their disappointments, all their straight-out hardship and
love God you won’t want to do anything that isn’t good for self-sacrifice, they are happy and free as few others ever are.
you or for others. You will instinctively, love the right, rejoice They love God and do what they like—which is God’s work
to do it and so feel free, right and happy. Augustine knew what among those who are most needy.
he was talking about. As a young man he was the spoiled, only -Gordon Powell. HAPPINESS IS A HABIT, pp. 72-78.
son of a widow and became completely wayward. He broke

BOOK REVIEW:

Jeremiah Burrows: THE RARE JEWEL OF CHRISTIAN CONTENTMENT.

Look at the self-help section and Christian living section in bookstores and you will find hundreds, if not
thousands of books professing to help the reader to contentment and happiness. Very few, if any, survive the
test of time, much less the test of human experience.

This great book, written almost 400 years ago, addresses the basic problem of human discontent and
suffering, and offers a timeless and tested solution. Sixteenth and seventeenth century divines did not mince
words, cater to the fickle tastes of the reading public, or care about being politically correct. They preached
the truth.

True contentment, argues the author, is achieved by subtraction and not by addition; by surrender and not
struggle. Read this great work, and toss all those written by people who will be forgotten next year. It will
set your heart on fire and elevate your soul.

-M. Galishoff.

The “Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment” is a classic and a ‘rare jewel’ itself, especially in our modern
time. It’s a wonderful treatment of the subject of contentment based on Paul’s words in Philippians 4:11: “I
have learned, in whatsoever state I am in, therewith to be content.” Burroughs explains the nature of
Christian contentment, the art and mystery of it, the excellence of it, the evils of a murmuring spirit, why we
are to be content, what lessons are to be learned to bring the heart to contentment, how Christ teaches
contentment, and directions for us to attain it.

-Jessica.

12

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Scripture Search...

“These are the Scriptures that testify about me…”

The Great Sadness

Introduction: missing. Perhaps you ought to try to get rid of yourselves
a little. Perhaps you will end up by getting rid of
In the 21st century, we know a great deal about the universe. yourselves as well.
Science has proved such a powerful tool of knowledge that it It is well said that Man is incurably religious. He will insist
has enabled us to demystify much of nature and expose many on asking the twin questions: what is the meaning of the
misconceptions that were once held as self-evident truths. But universe, and what should I do about it? Even if his answer to
this vast advancement of intelligence has not been all positive both questions is, nothing and nothing, the fact that he asks is
in its effect. Witness the following remarks by Romain Gary in noteworthy. He is the only animal who must decide what kind
“The Ski Bum.” of animal he will be. Whether a person is formally involved in
religion—as in going to church—or not, he/she will inevitably
Your generation is suffering from what, for lack of a ask in some form or other, the question asked of Jesus by
better word, I shall call over-debunk. There was a lot of the rich young man: What good thing shall I do to inherit
debunking that had to be done of course. Bigotry, eternal life?
militarism, nationalism, religious intolerance, hypocrisy,
phoniness, all sorts of dangerous, ready-made, Read: Ecclesiastes right through (only a half-hour’s reading).
artificially preserved values. But your generation and
the generation before yours went too far with their Read: Ecclesiastes chapters 1-3 in KJV or NIV then read
debunking job…. You have over-protected yourselves…. again in the Living Bible or The Message.
You were so angry with all the dangerous, phony piper’s
tunes that you ended up by breaking all the pipes and Note: List the various elements of life that failed to satisfy
hating all the tunes. You have reduced the world to a the author.
spiritual shambles. God is ha-ha-ha. The soul is
ho-ho-ho. Booze is reality. Love is sex. Family— • What aspects of the writer’s plight are typical of 21st
what’s that, are you kidding? So all you have left now is century dissatisfactions?
the H-bomb. That at least gives you a purpose in life. To
be against it, I mean. You’ve got something to live for, or • Are there any key, repeated phrases, expressions? Do any of
to live against. them yield a clue to success?

I shall say one more thing. Godlessness…. You don’t Read and re-read: Ecclesiastes 12:13. Compare: John
seem to enjoy it. Something is still missing, eh? You got 4:13, 14; John 10:10.
rid of God, and isn’t that funny, something is still

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• Ask the Pastor • Good News for the Day
• Letter from the Pastor • CDs & DVDs Available

1132

TO and FRO
with the Editor

Question: Christian privilege to live large under the judgment delivered
in their favor by the work of Christ.
I normally keep the Sabbath; it has been a blessing for me and
my family. It gives me the opportunity to go to church and Question:
meet with my Lord. I have a job that sometimes (2-3 times a
year) requires me to work on Saturdays, or I can lose my job. What is the nature of the inspiration of the Bible? I have been
It is difficult for me to risk my job since I am the only reading books by Bart Ehrman who makes a good case for
provider, but I feel guilty when I work on Sabbath. Will I be human, rather than supernatural origins of the book.
lost if I continue this behavior? J.M.
M.M.
Answer:
Answer:
The Bible was certainly produced by human beings. It reflects
In my opinion, you are right to give priority to providing for their flaws and weaknesses. In some areas that have no bearing
your family. When Jesus said, “the Sabbath was made for man on its religious purpose, it displays ignorance of contemporary
and not man for the Sabbath,” he was saying that human needs scientific knowledge of the universe, nature, and human
are paramount, and religious laws, applied so rigorously that physiology. The supernatural credentials of the Bible lie in the
they prevent such needs being met, are bad. If the Sabbath fact that it reveals Jesus; he invests Scripture with the divinity
stops you from ministering to your family’s basic needs, it has of his personality. The great miracle of the Bible is that it leads
become a curse, not a blessing. That aside, there are indeed the reader to One whom we can safely entrust our soul and our
blessings to be had from Sabbath observance. I encourage you destiny. That is why ultimately, it is Jesus who is Lord, and not
to keep doing it as best you are able. Remember though, that the Bible.
there will always be some who will have to work on the
Sabbath. If the entire world kept the Sabbath, there would be a The question of whether life has meaning, of whether
large number of its inhabitants who would be on duty on that our individual lives make any real difference, is a
day. In modern society it is not possible to keep the Sabbath religious question not because it is about matters of belief
according to a rigid, legalistic formula. or attendance at worship services, but because it is about
ultimate values and ultimate concerns…. Religion focuses
Question: on the difference between human beings and all other
species, and on the search for a goal so significant that we
What is your understanding of, “let no man judge you in make our lives significant by attaching ourselves to it.
meat or in drinks or in respect of holy days, or of the new
moons or of the Sabbath days … (Colossians 2:16)? Is Paul America’s declaration of Independence guarantees
contradicting Jesus?” every one of us the right to the pursuit of happiness. But
J.P. because the Declaration is a political document and not a
religious one, it does not warn us of the frustrations of
Answer: trying to exercise that right, because the pursuit of
happiness is the wrong goal. You don’t become happy by
No, he isn’t! The heresy Paul was combating in Colossae was a pursuing happiness. You become happy by living a life
blend of Jewish and Greek elements. It represented an attempt that means something. The happiest people you know are
to move beyond the faith once delivered to the church through probably not the richest or most famous, probably not the
the apostles—who received it from Jesus. It posited a “fuller” ones who work hardest at being happy by reading the
salvation by means of devotion to various ascetic practices. articles and buying the books and latching on to the latest
The body was seen as impeding the soul and had to be fads. I suspect that the happiest people you know are the
subdued. Christ was not openly rejected, but he was included ones who work at being kind, helpful and reliable, and
among a mix of obediences that practitioners saw themselves happiness sneaks into their lives while they are busy
as superior to others. As in all “work of law” human doing those things.
competitiveness is unleashed and people pass judgment on one
another. Even today, the weekly Sabbath can be used to the -Harold S. Kushner. WHEN ALL YOU’VE EVER
same effect. But Jesus has delivered us from all of this. It is the WANTED ISN’T ENOUGH, pp. 22, 23.

14

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Did You Know? In fact, people say they like watching
television. Past research has shown that when
Did you know that unhappy people glue people watch television, they enjoy it….
themselves to the television 30 percent more But perhaps the high from watching
than happy people? While happy people television doesn’t last. “Conflicting data
report watching an average of 19 hours of suggests that TV may provide viewers with
television per week, unhappy people report short-run pleasure at the expense of long-term
watching 25 hours per week. The results hold malaise,” says researcher John Robinson,
even after taking into account education, sociologist at the University of Maryland,
income, age, and marital status. College Park.

In addition, happy individuals are more In this scenario, even the happiest campers
socially active, attend more religious services, could turn out to be downers if they continue
vote more, and read a newspaper more often to stare at the boob-tube. The researchers
than their less-chipper counterparts. suggest that over time, television-viewing
could push out other activities that do have
The researchers are not sure, though, whether more lasting benefits.
unhappiness leads to more television
watching, or more viewing leads to
unhappiness.