Praying With Our Caps On

1 Cor 11:4 - Every man who has something on his head while praying, or prophesying, disgraces his head.

When it comes to Law, we can find both big rules and little rules. But, breaking a "little" rule is still breaking the Law. For example, it is common to see men remove their hats and caps whenever they are in prayer. 1 Cor 11:3, 7 and 8 provide a justification for this supposed rule. The justification itself is based on a spiritual principle and not on custom or culture. A related "rule" in the same section of Scripture, based on the same spiritual principle, states that women should not pray without a head covering. So, does wearing a hat while praying invalidate a man's prayer and place him in a state of sin? Is a woman in sin, if she never wears a head covering whether she is praying or not?

There are many, many possible rules that can be extracted from the New Testament. "Owe no man anything..", "A woman must remain silent in church..", "Greet one another with a kiss of love.." and whatever rule is your favorite. Yet, it is clearly stated and a basic principle in the New Testament, that the keeping of rules, the maintenance of appearance, and the mere saying of right words is of little or no value. What does matter, with infinite importance, is whether one is a new creation by the Holy Spirit.

Whether we speak or keep silent, wear our cap or remove it, and go in debt or not, is not right or wrong based on rules. These things are right or wrong based on Godly love. Godly love is the type of love that Jesus spoke of when He said, "This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you." We are clearly called to die for one another. In fact, we are called to die to self -- daily. As one small example, I personally believe that it is best for men and especially myself to not drink alcoholic beverages. But, a few years ago, my bride and I were visiting a family in China who were not believers. As a sign of hospitality, the elderly father offered me a drink of liquor. There have been many times over the years when I have turned down offers of beer, wine or whiskey. In this case, however, I sensed that rejection of his sign of hospitality would create a significant obstacle to the Good News. So, I accepted his offering, drank and expressed gratefulness. And, indeed, I was sincerely grateful for his generous spirit of hospitality.

In a way, the flesh prefers rules. By picking and choosing the rules to be obeyed, it is possible to create a framework wherein the flesh can justify itself to itself. Our salvation, however, is not dependent on our ability to obey one, ten or even hundreds of rules. Salvation is possible only through the cross of Christ and it is dependent on only one thing -- whether, by God's grace, we are a new creation in our spirit. It is by God's Spirit leading us to walk in the way of genuine love that we realize the proper behavior in a specific culture, context or situation. It is in the context of love of God and love of neighbor that the letters in the New Testament were written. And, the Way of Love is still the way to discover the behavior that will be best for spreading the Light of Christ, the Good News of Jesus and God's Kingdom into any environment or community. So, as children of God and followers of Christ, whether we pray with our caps on or off, let us choose the action which is motivated not by rules but by faith working through the love of Christ which is alive in our hearts.

Rom 13:10 -- "..love is the fulfillment of the law"

Gal 5:6 -- "..faith working through love"
Gal 6:12-16
Gal 5:14 -- "..the whole law is fulfilled in one word.." Rom 14.23 -- "..whatever is not from faith is sin."

Outside the Velvet Cage

"Go.." Matthew 28:18+

God calls ordinary people like you and me to heroic accomplishment for His Kingdom. The astonishing fact is that He will work this through weakness. To say, "I can't but I will try and see what God does" is to open the floodgates of God's power into this world. But, too often, I stop at the "I can't" and implicitly believe Satan's lie that God is either non-existent or un-interested. Tiny steps of faith are the keys to God's storehouse of power. The programming of our lives to fit the cultural norm is one way that we limit God's power. It is a little scary to be different. The programming of church services is one manifestation of this fear of risk. Many church services could keep on going week after week even after the Holy Spirit has stopped showing up. Most of us have been careful to eliminate the spots in our lives and churches where we might actually have to be dependent on God's power. In the book of John, Jesus said that we must abide in Him or we would accomplish absolutely nothing. The sad thing is that we can satisfy ourselves with the apparent security of busy-ness while achieving nothing, nada and zip. So, we have lives and churches that are like mice running in tiny circles within the security of a cage. The cat won't get us but we will die of hyperactivity and old age without ever getting anywhere. Lord, help me and all those reading this to hear your voice and to take the first tiny step of faith. Let's each ask God for some tiny amount of guts and faith in Him to say, "I can't but I will trust and try" and take some steps outside of the comfortable, velvet cage.

Liars Telling The Truth

Romans 12:2 - "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed.."

Human beings are very good at conforming. Instead of being who we really are, we modify our external appearance and behavior to conform to external pressures. The pressures could be cultural. Recently, I saw our Secretary of State wearing a head covering because she was in a country where this was expected of women. But, it was obviously not a permanent change. The pressure could be job related as when we must arrive at a certain time. We might even be required to smile. When I was in college, on my first interview trip, I felt pressure to order a alcoholic drink in order to seem more sophisticated. Since I didn't know what I was doing, I ordered and drank something that was not appropriate for lunch for an interviewee. My attempt to look sophisticated was a disaster. Conforming means we give in to the pressure and adopt a behavior that is not connected to who we really are internally. As all parents soon learn, behavior and appearance can be temporarily modified by external pressure. But, when that external constraint is removed, the genuine inner person will soon be manifest.

The incredible good news of Jesus is that we are no longer stuck with being a born loser trying to conform to the image of a winner. When we trust Jesus as the sacrifice for our sin and cling to Him as our only hope, as our Lover, and as our Lord, we receive His Spirit as a gift. We instantly receive the spirit of the Eternal Victor. There is no longer the need for God to surround us with fences, regulations and dress codes. Our deepest desires are changed so that we genuinely want to know and do the will of the Father. This change happens in our spirit and begins to percolate through our whole being. This leads to struggles between the desires of the new spirit and the nasty appetite of the old flesh. As Bonhoeffer said, "It is better to be a honest man who tells a lie, than a liar who tells the truth."

God commands us to love Him. Yet, it is impossible to have commanded love. No bride wants her husband to show love because it is an obligation. The only way we can genuinely love is to have the spirit of love. To give because it is a requirement is a waste of the gift, "for God loves a cheerful giver". The movie, "The Sound of Music", shows the change in a family that goes from rule conformity to living in love. At first, the children responded quickly to the whistle and acted like well trained, little soldiers. Later, the father experienced their genuine love and hugs. No father or mother wants a hug that is given out of obligation because it is basically a lie. A loving son can break many customs and rules and still have an obedient attitude. But, a son with a rebellious attitude can never keep enough rules to communicate love. "So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God." The truth of who we are in the depths of our being as a person, a family or a church is infinitely more important than the appearances, rules and obligations to which we conform. May the Lord Jesus be our focus, our love and our hope such that we are genuine sons of God rather than just liars who have learned to tell the truth.