Going to the Mountaintop

Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face. – Mike Tyson

Mike Tyson may be slightly insane, but he is right about getting punched in the face. I’ve experienced some substantial changes this year; particularly over the last few months. I’ve wondered, does our theology (and not just theology, but our faith) have the “legs” to go the distance and stand through whatever life would throw our way? You may think I only have suffering in mind, but I’m referring to ANYTHING life would throw at us; whether lack OR abundance, and everything in between. Sometimes abundance, success, and comfort can be a greater test of our faith than being brought low, or enduring suffering or experiencing lack. For example, you see New Testament believers in the Bible giving out of their poverty:

“We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.” – 2 Corinthians 8:1-2

Conversely, you see (in the words of Jesus) how difficult it is for a rich man or woman to enter the kingdom of heaven:

“The young man said to him, ‘All these [commands] I have kept. What do I still lack?’ Jesus said to him, ‘If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.’ When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. And Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” – Matthew 19:20-24

And in the Old Testament we see the risks that abundance poses to our faith:

“And when the LORD your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you–with great and good cities that you did not build, and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant–and when you eat and are full, then take care lest you forget the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” -Deuteronomy 6:10-12

You’ve seen both sides of the spectrum play-out in someone’s life (maybe your own). Sometimes a promotion with a bigger salary can be just as much of a threat or hindrance to our faith as the loss of a loved one, or sickness, bankruptcy, relational conflict, temptation, habitual unrepentant sin, etc. The days grind at us and steal “life” from us. By the end of most days, I’m usually pretty spent. Many things can happen in the course of just one day. For example, I was already flipped off by someone by 7:45am a couple days ago while driving to work. I suspect because the driver thought I was driving too slow (I’m often accused of this by my wife and kids, but that’s another discussion…haha). I was able to laugh it off, but things like this happen throughout our day and they begin to accumulate. And the only reason I was able to laugh it off that morning was because I had just spent some time with Jesus. Had I not been to the mountaintop that morning, I may have reacted differently to see that guy’s middle finger stuck up at me out the window. And believe me, on the mornings or days where I haven’t been to the mountaintop, I’m not nearly as gracious to someone that sins against me. Does my relationship with Jesus have the legs to make it through the end of the day, the week, the month, the year, my life?

I sure hope so. We don’t know what life is going to throw at us–good or bad. We can only trust in God’s “keeping” us to the end. To paraphrase John Piper (who said it well), he thanks God for his keeping of us whenever we are old in age, struck with dementia and out of our minds, not making any sense. Going on church plants, taking up your cross and following Jesus, getting married, etc. can seem like a “good plan” or a worthy endeavor, until your flesh, the world, and the evil one punch you right square in the face. Big money, church pain, health, lack of health, peace, trouble, and so on will test the genuineness of our faith. We cannot just be well-versed in theology or have a good plan. We have to truly know and be in love with Jesus if we expect to make it to the end and not just “make it,” but have joy in the midst of intense poverty or great wealth. If our love for Jesus and our desiring him above all things (not to go all Christian Hedonist on everybody) is constantly growing, we will endure anything life throws at us. Communing with Jesus is often times the decisive factor. Christianity is a relationship and is about abiding in Jesus and Him in us:

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” – John 15:4-5

Interestingly, Jesus didn’t end there in talking about “abiding.” We are also supposed to love and confide in each other (as the Church) as it says a few verses later in John 15:12. It is very difficult to do well spiritually outside of real, Christian relationship. Christian community has become a “buzz word” these days, but it is true that it’s essential to living out our faith and it is the way God designed it. We are supposed to use our gifts to encourage one another and build each other up. God uses people as a means to display His love and to comfort us:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our afflictions, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves our comforted by God.” – 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Abiding in Jesus and loving and confiding in one another will persevere us through whatever life brings, even if it feels like we’ve “received the sentence of death.”

“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves…” – Matthew 10:16