Interesting how some things seem to be timeless.  Spurgeon wrote the following in 1887, though, apart from slight language differences, it is just as relevant to us today.  I post it not as a slam against the church, but as something that convicts my heart as well.  - R

The present period of church history is well portrayed by the church of Laodicea, which was neither cold nor hot, and therefore to be spewed out of Christ's mouth. That church gloried that she was rich and increased in goods, and had need of nothing, while all the while her Lord was outside, knocking at the door, a door closed against him. That passage is constantly applied to the unconverted, with whom it has nothing to do: it has to do with a lukewarm church, with a church that thought itself to be in an eminently prosperous condition, while her living Lord, in the doctrine of his atoning sacrifice, was denied an entrance.

Oh, if he had found admission—and he was eager to find it--she would soon have flung away her imaginary wealth, and he would have given her gold tried in the furnace, and white raiment with which she might be clothed. Alas! she is content without her Lord, for she has education, oratory, science, and a thousand other baubles. Zion's solemn assembly is under a cloud indeed, when the teaching of Jesus and his apostles is of small account with her.

If in addition to this, worldly conformity spreads in the church, so that the vain amusements of the world are shared in by the saints, then is there reason enough for lamentation… If no longer there is a clear distinction between the church and the world, but professed followers of Jesus have joined hands with unbelievers, then may we mourn indeed! Woe worth the day! An ill time has happened to the church and to the world also. We may expect great judgments, for the Lord will surely be avenged on such a people as this. Know ye not of old that when the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair, and they were joined unto them, then the flood came and swept them all away?

…It appears from the text [Zephaniah 3:16-18] that there were some to whom the reproach was a burden. They could not make sport of sin. True, there were many who said that the evil did not exist at all, and others who declared that it was not present in any great degree. Yes, and more hardened spirits declared that what was considered to be a reproach was really a thing to be boasted of, the very glory of the century. Thus they huffed the matter, and made the mourning of the conscientious to be a theme for jest.

But there was a remnant to whom the reproach of it was a burden; these could not bear to see such a calamity. To these the Lord God will have respect, as he said by the prophet:--"Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof."

…To true believers prosperity means the Holy Ghost blessing the word to the conversion of sinners and the building up of saints; and if they do not see this, they hang their harps upon the willows.

…This burdened spirit, is a token of true love to God: those who love the Lord Jesus are wounded in his woundings, and vexed with the vexings of his Spirit. When Christ is dishonored his disciples are dishonored. Those who have a tender heart towards the church can say with Paul, "Who is offended, and I burn not?" The sins of the church of God are the sorrows of all living members of it. This also marks a healthy sensibility, a vital spirituality. Those who are unspiritual care nothing for truth or grace: they look to finances, and numbers, and respectability.  Utterly carnal men care for none of these things; and so long as the political aims of Dissenters are progressing, and there is an advance in social position, it is enough for them.

But men whose spirits are of God would sooner see the faithful persecuted than see them desert the truth, sooner see churches in the depths of poverty full of holy zeal than rich churches dead in worldliness. Spiritual men care for the church even when she is in an evil case, and cast down by her adversaries: ...Unless the Lord Jesus be extolled, and his gospel conquer, we feel that our own personal interests are blighted, and we ourselves are in disgrace. It is no small thing to us: it is our life.

Aquat Madhek grasps the arm of a Catholic Jesuit brother Herber Libel while in the leper colony of Kuelquac in southern Sudan.  Diseases like leprosy, eradicated in most of the world, have flourished in southern Sudan during the 20 years of Africa's longest civil war.

Source:http://cellar.org/iotd.php?threadid=4578

I was going to write an extended essay on leprosy, but the article on the Psalters website at http://www.psalters.com/manifesto.html says it much better than I could.  I *highly* recommend the few minutes it would take to read it.  Scroll down about halfway to where it says “Music for the lepers” and start there.  The article talks about leprosy and uses it as an analogy for much of the culture we live in.  It’s very insightful, I think.

Some additional thoughts…

The website above states that “For many sacrificial years physician Dr. Paul Brand had been working with Leprosy patients in India…Dr. Brand discovered…that the disease attacks only the millions of pain receptors in our body, while leaving the rest of our tissue undamaged. Because they do not feel any pain, the leper will regularly place their hands on hot stoves, or allow a paper cut to become infected until gangrene sets in and the foot or hand must be amputated.”

I think that many of us suffer from an emotional, mental and spiritual leprosy.  I’ve been getting schooled by God this last year in the area of suffering and pain and their importance to this life we live.  All of us have suffered hurt, pain and disappointment in our lives, some of us severely.  All of us can probably site ways we didn’t get something significant we needed like a father’s love and approval, the respect of our peers, the right kind of discipline, healthy affection, etc.  Many of us have gone through some kind of trauma that scarred us in such significant ways that it has nearly permanently affected who we are and how we deal with future pain and relationships. 

I went through some really painful times as a child and longed so much for affection and respect from my peers that I rarely, if ever, received.   I grew to care so much about what they thought of me and wanted their acceptance so badly that it shot pain deeper and deeper into my soul every time I was rejected.  I finally came to a point one day when I felt like I had hurt enough.  I decided that I was going to stop caring.  Although I never stopped caring about what people thought of me, I did start to stop caring about people in a lot of ways.  I decided that I had felt enough pain and so I started to shut out my heart and slowly, it grew weaker and less able to love.  Lust was more than happy to come in and take the place of love in my heart and it made its home there for many years.  I began, in many ways, to try to numb myself from the pain through all sorts of deep sin and selfishness.  I pursued a lot of women with selfish motives and used them to help me feel better about myself and to numb myself from the pain through their affection.  I’m so ashamed of that now and look back with many deep regrets for the ways I continued to hurt myself and them and for the “death” that I caused in my own life and in theirs. 

The reason I’m sharing this is because I can see how a form of leprosy set into my own life.  When I reached a point where the pain was too deep for me to handle on my own, I started to numb my ability to feel pain and started a process of denial and self-deception.  Because I couldn’t fully feel the pain I was causing and didn’t want to, I constantly injured myself and others in ways that I have difficulty even fully admitting to myself.  The result of that was a lot of trauma and brokenness in my own life and in the lives of others.  My “leprosy” had hardened my heart and my conscience and kept me from owning and doing something about the pain I had experienced and was experiencing.  As a result, I allowed the gangrene of lies and sin to settle into my life and start rotting away my heart, my mind, my body and my humanity.  As a result, I have lost parts of myself that I never realized fully that I was losing…. My ability to love, my ability to care, my ability to suffer for something right and worthwhile, my ability to change, my ability to commit, my ability to be pure, my ability to hurt with others and feel their pain, my ability to deny myself, my ability to really live, etc.

Not only have I experienced this personally, I have also experienced this and have seen this socially and globally as well.  I truly believe that apathy is the leprosy of this world.  We are so caught up with our own success, comfort and denial that we have become numb to the pain that exists in each other and in the world and therefore, do nothing to stop it.  Many of us have come to a point where our consciences have become so numb and conditioned that we no longer feel our own pain, the pain of others or the pain in the world and because of this, we are experiencing a slow death. The result is “death” in real loss of human life, widespread suffering, the decay of civilization, oppression, addiction, hypocrisy, loss of concern, etc. 

I know these aren’t comprehensive, but here are some applications.  The first step in dealing with this is to admit to ourselves that we are indeed wounded and often unwilling and unable to deal fully with our pain and sin and that we have become apathetic and lost in selfishness.  The next step is to invite the Holy Spirit to forgive us through Christ, to change our hearts by His grace and lead us through the process of dealing with our own pain and accepting whatever needs to happen to heal and deal with our sin. Lastly, praying that God would open our hearts to a real form of love and willingness to really reach out to other with His love and concern for humanity and give of our very selves.  This isn’t merely religious cliché stuff.  This is real soul-work that needs to be done in our hearts for us to come to a place where we can truly learn to love and care and reach out to humanity the way that Christ has commanded us to love our neighbor - whomever and wherever that may be in the world. 

Shalom ya’ll.

Currently Reading Pursuit of God By Aiden W. Tozer see related

I've been thinking a lot today and lately about my ideas about "stuff" and how much "stuff" we should have.  Since I'm thinking about going back to work in retail, it's a relevant topic.  I guess, the topic is two-fold for me.  The first has to do with consumerism in general and the other with what I'll call occupational holiness. 

First of all, I have soo many issues with the way we live as Americans (well, as humans in general, just more obvious here) in terms of our level of consumption.  Basically, we have a ton of stuff we don't need and we live in a world that is constantly pushing more stuff at us and trying everything it can to get you to make another purchase.

Let me explain corporate business for you.  The business world is under such pressure to make exponentially growing profits (we have to make at least ___% more than last year) so there's a lot of pressure to sell more stuff than last year to keep the profits growing.  People invest money in companies because they want to get more money back. Well, that money has to come from somewhere.  And people don't just want the same amount they got last year, they want more...and more...and more... (usually so they can buy more stuff...its a cycle...)  So, companies are under a lot of pressure to meet the demands of stockholders and employees.  They have to sell more and more to keep up with this.  Enter YOU. 

Let's assume you are actively pursuing the Christian life and a relationship with God.  You are now tapped in, through Christ, to the love of God.  You are seeking to direct your deep sense of need and desire toward God, where your deep voids can ultimately be filled and satisfied.  You are actively pursuing the "shalom" of Christ - the completeness, wholeness, well-being, and peace that comes from trusting God and living in His grace.  You are striving to reach and stay at the point where Paul says, "I have learned to be content in all circumstances."  You are now enemy #1 to the world system.  Why? Because you don't need distractions or more stuff to be content.

Since the Garden, Satan has been trying to get people to take their eyes off everything they have and get them focused on everything they don't have.  The basic elements - pleasing to the eye, suitable for food and desireable to gain are the elements in the vast majority of temptations since.  The ploy certainly hasn't changed much, except that it's on a much larger scale now.  Satan has intentionally built a world system that reproduces this to an unfathomable extent.  His goal is to enslave us to anything and everything he can so that we have no real desire or room left for God. 

Not only is Satan looking to devour and consume us, we have our own flesh to contend with as well.  Our flesh is recklessly selfish, too, and wants to minimize any effort to restrict it from fulfilling any and every desire it can come up with.  Unfortunately, the best marketers are aware of this aspect of human nature and whether they do it maliciously or not, they certainly play to it.  They offer us anything and everything to make our lives easier, more comfortable, more entertained, and more distracted from the pain and suffering of reality in a fallen world. 

But, since when did Jesus call us to a more convenient, comfortable and easy life?  Jesus did call us to be free, though.  Free from what?  Free from sin.  And that freedom from sin includes freedom from whatever enslaves our desire and attaches it to cravings and anything other than God and His will.  Yet, so few "Christians," myself included, are experiencing this kind of freedom!  It seems like we are consuming so much of the same stuff and at the same rate as the rest of the world is.  We take delight in many of the same things (not always wrong) and seem to need just as much of it as they do. 

I'm learning a lot about freedom in Christ these days.  I'm learning that God wants me to live in freedom...freedom of choice... Freedom to choose what is right and best and His will without being enslaved and hindered by my attachments to anything that isn't so.  Freedom to not need a bunch of stuff. Freedom to take my desire back from everything my flesh wants and turn it towards God. 

I'm learning to not respond to every craving and hunger.  I'm learning that obedience, suffering, dealing with inconveniences, making an effort, hard work, resisting apathy, living with discomfort and not having everything I want are big parts of reality that I need to accept and endure.  This world is intent on offering me anything and everything it can to distract me from these realities.  But, in Christ, and in everything I have through Him, I don't need to be addicted, distracted or in denial anymore.  I can live with reality and all these things and still be free because I have the Source of my deepest desires, the Grace and Love of God, and a hope that nothing in this world can give or take from me.

"Yose ben Joezer of Tzeredah used to say: Make your house a meeting place for sages, be willing to be covered by the dust of their feet, and drink in their words thirstily." (The Legends of the Jews - Sefer Ha-aggadah, 429:269)

"...Bialik and Ravnitzky in Legends of the Jews -Sefer Aggadah explain that 'being covered by the dust of the sages' feet' means either to follow the sages closely or to sit on the ground while they teach. Lastly we are told to drink their words thirstily. This means we are not to approach the teaching of the sages in a lackadaisical manner but rather with great passion."
Source

I was reminded of this concept by the Nooma video yesterday morning.  I've studied this concept under the direct teaching and/or books of Ray VanderLaan, Rob Bell, David Bivin, Dwight Pryor and Ben Patterson among others.  I decided to do some personal research into the source of the phrase, "May you be covered in the dust of your rabbi."   The idea originates, from what I can tell, from the above quote from a book of Jewish writings called the Mishna, in the book of Avot 1:4.   Obviously, the three key aspects are "making your house a meeting place for the sages," "be willing to be covered by the dust of their feet,” and “drink in their words thirstily.” I’ll  break each of them down…

“Making your house a meeting place for the sages”

Our culture has largely lost the value of hospitality and sharing our homes and lives with each other.  Some are better at it than others, but it’s a dying art.  I wish we spent a lot more time in each others’ homes pursuing spiritual matters and not just hanging out.  I can barely remember more than a couple times since I’ve been at South when we’ve just gotten together informally in someone’s home and just worshipped together or shared communion or studied the bible or discussed spiritual things in depth.  I really hate when we bottle up our spirituality into programs and events and time slots and leave so little room for the spontaneous movement of the Holy Spirit or bringing those things into our “leisure” time together.

On a more personal level, we also need to make our own selves a meeting place for sages – a place where we interact with other spiritually minded people and those who have gone before us.  I love reading books by deeply spiritual people and interacting with the “sages” who truly “get it.”  It’s a sacrifice to pull yourself away from entertainment opportunities, other important responsibilities and lesser things to meet with and spend time in the richness of the sages and our Teacher/Rabbi Jesus.  Yet, the rewards are rich, and without it, we could never reach the second point.

“Be willing…to be covered…by the dust of their feet…”

This phrase has value from two perspectives.  One perspective is that of following your rabbi so closely that you are covered in his dust.  The other is that of sitting humbly at the feet of your rabbi.

From the first perspective, we have the essence of discipleship: The passionate desire to become just like your rabbi in every possible way.  I believe the quest to become just like Jesus, our Rabbi, is the essence of everything Christianity is about.  Jesus is the perfect representation of relationship with the Father, pure intention and sacrificial love. He’s the balance of Truth and Grace, strength and gentleness, confidence and humility, tolerance and intolerance.  Living out my Christianity as a passion to become like Jesus makes my faith alive and dynamic, freeing and real.  Seeing discipleship as striving after a perfect, relevant example of someone who can relate to my own life experience is so much more alive and engaging than simply playing by the rules and evaluating myself against some lifeless standard.  We should follow Jesus so closely, as best we can, that the “dust” and residue of the way that He walked is readily apparent in our lives.

The second perspective is one of humility, reverence, adoration, and receptiveness.  Young Jewish disciples would, apparently, spend a great deal of time sitting and listening to their rabbi’s teachings.  Their physical position at the feet of their rabbi was one of meekness, humility and a willingness to endure the dust to receive any spiritual crumbs that might fall.  This was no place for the proud, the self-sufficient or the stubborn. It was a place of listening and opening oneself to everything the rabbi instructed, taught, or revealed to them.  This is also the position we should be in with our rabbi.  A place of humble willingness, learning, and receiving.  Most of us rarely, if ever, take a good deal of time to just sit and be still and open ourselves to whatever we can learn from our rabbi, Jesus.  You can’t be like someone you don’t know and you can’t know someone without spending time seeking them out and intentionally listening. Sadly, many of us would rather sit in front of the TV and absorb the messages of our culture.  It’s no wonder we are becoming so much like it and so covered with its dung.  Instead, it should be obvious to others that we have been at Jesus’ feet, not through the dust on our clothes and faces, but through the application of his teachings in our lives.

“May you drink in their words thirstily”

This world is full of gossip, mindless chatter and the ramblings of the ignorant.  There is something that draws us to all of that and we often drink in thirstily the entertainment and distractions that this world offers us.  We are all born with an intense thirst that demands to be satisfied.  We can take that thirst to the things of this world and choose to relentlessly seek to satisfy our cravings with the “Here I am, now entertain me” culture, shallow relationships and consumerism.   Yet, we have within our reach the teachings of the great sages and wise men who “got it” and can help direct us with intentionality to true discipleship.  But, we make excuses and fill our lives with so much of the world that we have little left to devote to the serious pursuit of wisdom, learning and application.  Wisdom cannot be pursued casually, in the same way you can’t pay off debt making minimum payments.  We need to make sacrifices, get intentional and really turn our thirst toward wisdom and revelation that will lead us to a greater understanding of ourselves, of God and the way we were meant to be and to live.

Well, not sure if any of you read all the way through to this point, but those are my thoughts!  I haven’t arrived at most of this in my own life, but I’m learning and realizing that this is the direction I need to keep moving. I hope you are encouraged to do so as well!  Feel free to comment!

Isaiah 42:6-7
"I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness;
I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
to be...a light for the Gentiles, 
to open eyes that are blind,
to free captives from prison
and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

Isaiah 61:1-4
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,   
to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn, 
and provide for those who grieve in Zion--
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor.
They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.