Commitment

Commitment

7/3/16

This term has been under attack for quite some time now and its persecutors are increasing in numbers each day.  The source of this word is highly significant because when it is truly applied to society it can produce the best of living conditions.  But unity must be willingly accepted in order for this state to be injected properly.  The message of commitment cannot be any clearer than what is being presented today yet more and more de-commitment is actually being noticed.  The world shall always fail to acknowledge the true concepts of this word because it cannot recognize the true Creator of the act itself.  And until we return our hearts back to Him, we shall never be able to completely focus and achieve this goal no matter how hard we try.

There are some great examples of this commitment setting that can be applied to our lives and it is the utmost promise of commitment that God gives us when we forget about our selfish habits and ways and focus on His ways instead.  And it comes as no surprise that God has given us a couple of examples that personify His level of commitment and even through our personal differences in backgrounds we can function as one Church to accomplish the command that His Son gave to us.  As time rolls along in my new career of writing, I have never at a loss for words because the Great I Am continues to shine His wisdom to His people.  God understands that –while it breaks His heart- that not everyone who reads these messages or hears His truth will respond with repentance but He does know that those who have ears and a heart who truly wish to seek and know the truth, these types of messages are present in many forms.

One of the more unusual examples that one can give is through the military and more specifically military basic training.  Most of you know that I served in the USAF back in the late 1980s and ended my career in the early 1990s.  The Cold War was ending and to be honest this period of time was one of the tense moments for anyone in the military for we had no idea of what our enemy ( the Warsaw Pact Nations) were going to act or react with the impending breakup.  But as I reflect on my time in the military some of my actions could have been conducted differently but what sticks out most in my heart comes from the so-called training that I defined what my military career was to be.

I remember my first night at Lackland, AFB and while it was later in the evening the entire base was buzzing with activity, mainly of the influx of new “rainbow” flights which had just “landed” on base.  I found it quite interesting of how much sound could reverberate under a few overhangs, but those sounds soon graced my ears with a great passion.  When I arrived, we quickly learned that we were no longer civilians and had a new position in life and for the next six weeks we had to listen to exactly what being drilled into our heads for if we did not it would cost us dearly.  Many of us did not understand these words and what they were designed to enhance in our time in the military for the only thing everyone in our flight knew was that they had a very long day and were eager to hit the bunks; which did not occur for another several hours.

As we stood there under the overhang we listened to one person scream out our names.  Everyone was present and accounted for and were in the right place but when a few of the names on the roll were called it became clear that many different ethnic backgrounds were represented in the thirty-three people assigned to Flight 071.  As some of the instructors began flying accusations and name callings around it was hard not to laugh and for those of us who could not keep from laughing found out quickly of military bearing and décor when things do not go as the authority figures expect.  It was my first taste of real diversity and the beginning of a journey that I should continue to remember up to and including when God showed me this article and what it was supposed to contain, with an entirely new concept of just how serious God is about commitment.

The next lesson of commitment within the military came just a few short days later when one of our airmen in our flight deliberately performed an act that was totally out of line concerning the addressing of a superior.  The scene became ugly very quickly and before we knew it the entire flight was being punished for one person’s actions.  We had nothing to do with the incident for the rest of us were standing at attention and in total flight formation.  Yet, after the yelling match ceased it was made clear that this sergeant was going to make the entire flight pay for what had just transpired between him and the airman.  Most of us learned at that moment of how important it was to stick together and for everyone to obey and complete what was told to us.  It soon became like a scene of the movie “Full Metal Jacket” when the recruit had to eat the jelly doughnut while the rest of the platoon did pushups.  Still, while some of our heads were reeling and contemplating against our flight member, we kept our cool while the commitment goals had not been understood as of yet. 

After a few more incidents with certain members of the flight, the reality of many becoming one started to filter around the flight.  It is this concept that we were being molded into and having this goal established within our minds we could then start acting as one flight instead of a bunch of individuals filling up the roster.  Our individualities began to disappear and after our efforts were directed into one working unit began to flourish, the goal that our instructors wished for appeared.  When people from different walks of life come together and work as one team to obtain a certain goal, no matter if some detours are taken at times to reach that goal the accomplishments of that team will be understood and met with complete commitment.  It was quite amazing that when we as an entire flight realized this, for all of the yelling by our instructors at us slowed and then eventually stopped and the praises for our efforts began and it was through both sides of the issue that taught us more about the one goal of national defense and how we were a vital part in its upkeep.  If only the Church could grasp this truth, look what would happen.

It was obvious that not every one of the personnel in my flight agreed with this philosophy and after a while their presence in the flight was voided.  These good men never figured out the true concepts of what the flight was supposed to follow and to strive for and sadly they were let go without further particulars being forwarded.  The flight continued to function according to the standards of basic training but some of the details required needed to be added to some of the other airmen in our flight, a process that was immediately recognized and accepted.  This pointed aspect in our basic training also defines what occurs when certain people or denominations within Christ’s Church decide to not accept His ways and authority and go about completing human ideas instead, a sad state that we are witnessing today.

At the time of my military basic training, I had no idea that it is this concept that Jesus wants for His Church; however, and as long as the Church functions as many without one goal denominational divisions will rule the day.  It has always been a puzzle to many of why denominations popped up shortly after Jesus left the earth’s presence, which the answer should come as no surprise yet we have allowed the answer to fester and then infect our lives ever since because we refuse to come together as one body even though our individualities are present.  This concept of unity poses an interesting challenge in the fact that our lives are born into sin which means that we have to fight this physical order first to bring ourselves into submission to God instead of the world; a defining moment for choice.  Denominational backgrounds were bound to appear given the consistency of individuality and the “importance” of being heard, another concept that the Church that Jesus set up does not need present.

Matthew 18:20 gives us a perfect setting of how we are to be when we come together and operate as the body of Christ through the name of the Church.  This verse states as follows: “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”  Like I have shared many times before, this is another verse that I have heard taught and read from pulpits and groups but I have never have fully been told what this verse really is saying and what Jesus is teaching His disciples and everyone else who wishes to be like him and complete the mission that He commanded us to do.  The emphasis does not really need to be on the numerical content of this verse however, it does serve an important reminder of how God operates and what His character represents.

One important focal point of this verse lies within the words “gathered in my name” and has the same significance and direction as the phrase “Our Father” has in the Lord’s Prayer.  These words have a meaning that says that all human thoughts and ambitions are thrown out the window and have no meaning what-so-ever at this moment.  God is in complete control and human ways are not of any importance.  The question is this: do we really follow this verse or do we go around until we find churches or groups of friends that share similar ideas instead?  Be honest for if you keep the Word of God living inside your heart you will immediately say that the Church is not abiding by this verse at all.  Look at the fruits of the Church and one will see that she is readily digging up the godly foundations and Cornerstone and replacing Them with worldly ideas and philosophies.

When the Church - you – live inside the confines of this verse you represent this setting at ALL times because when this verse was written there were no gigantic cathedrals to worship in, nor were there any sacred buildings that hundreds or thousands gathered in each Sunday.  These meetings occurred in houses or in underground rooms and the Church flourished on a personal level and not through congregational means.  Jesus was alive in their hearts and constantly being spoken from their lips through prayers and supplications, they desired His presence at all times in their lives; do we do that today?  NO WAY!!!

It is through this type of living that many people from different cultures and walks of life operate within Church life and when these individual deceptions appear, they should be squelched yet are allowed to thrive instead; the definition of denominations.  There is no way possible for Christ’s Church to operate in the fashion that He prescribed if we do not function as one unit through Him.  There cannot be one ounce of self living in our lives in order for His Church to fulfill the mission that He authorized.  This single verse in the book of Matthew says it all, a church building can be converted into an auditorium with excellent services each time the doors are open, but if the people that attend those services continue to hide behind their individual and worldly beliefs, God cannot perform what He desires most the winning of hearts.  The Church of Jesus is not about membership or how much money a congregation brings in, it even is not how many medical missions a church completes, but it is all about functioning in one accord with absolutely no self proclamations present because it is this setting only that God can operate.

This knowledge should place a whole new outlook on denominations and how we have elevated each one to a personal best.  It is not about denominations and it is not about how we interpret the Bible according to our personal agendas.  It is ALL about turning our lives over to God completely at all times and focusing on the mission of spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a dying world.  Yet, here we sit proclaiming civil rights from the pulpit, inviting sin into the church building walls without any type of repentance needed and proclaim Divine revelation of a new way to reach Heaven.  Jesus can use denominations – as disgusting as they are – for His mission but He cannot even use a single heart unless the foundation of the individuals are focused on the one and only goal of His mission.  What is amazing about the statement in the above sentence is that when we allow God to use our lives for His mission our denominational focus shall fade quickly and create a pure unadulterated Church that cannot hide the eternal light of God just as our basic training flight became.

As I look back at my time in basic training I cannot help but notice that approximately 30 young men came into the USAF with their own directions, not wanting to conform to one single goal.  I also cannot help but think that God sees the exact same conditions within His people who call themselves Christians.  It is obvious that our thoughts and beliefs about God come from individualistic and selfish hearts and not what His own Word states who He is.  It grieves my heart that the Church is floundering during such a time as today and from all indications we have no intentions of turning our hearts to be in accordance with Matthew 18:20.  In other words, we want to see the Church convert to denominational ways instead of what Jesus wanted and this is nothing but a pure 1and 100% lie from the pit of hell!

None of these examples given here would have been obtainable if the hearts of the participants were not focused on the single goal that was needed to be met.  We can still have this type of Church but time is running out for our hearts to secure this perfect mission statement.  Any deviation from having our hearts 100% set into motion through Christ to the sinful and dying world will prove to fall on blind hearts because the light of God cannot penetrate darkness without a pure light emanating from our lives.  Turn your hearts back to God church and reestablish the capital “C” in our name.  God can change us and He can change the world through our holy and pure commitment to lighting the world from its darkness.  But it takes disciple and commitment to ensure that God’s Church is fulfilling its mission and a heart that is Matthew 18:20 focused for this to occur.

DLB