July 20, 2020

Minute of Transparency: The one bright spot in a COVID-19 world…

Intro: Last week we talked about the importance of making good choices, forming good habits and eventually developing a character we can be proud of. 

Today we focus on the character aspect, and just how important it is. Not to our eternal outcome - but to the world around us here and now.

Today’s Basic Assumption: Our Character Impacts Everything

1. The Great Debate

2. Character Impacts Everything

// 1. THE GREAT DEBATE

So last week we introduced the ideas of Justification and Sanctification. And we talked about them as being Step 1 and Step 2.

The debate we’re talking about typically arises when we get to Step 2 and start talking about choices, habits and character. 

People go through the amazing experience of Step 1 (Justification), and then completely forget about it and start asking questions like:

• So how good do I have to be?

• What if I make some bad decisions?

• Is perfection the goal?

• I feel like I’m never going to measure up!

• What if I can’t make enough good choices quickly enough?

• What if I still have some of my bad habits?

These questions are 100% legit. Not just for people new to faith - but for all of us! 

• We struggle with these questions because we see our human nature, and it scares us

• We see the presence of the Sin Virus. We see the impact it still has on us. And we know we can do better

• So we start debating with ourselves:

  • How important is Step 2 really?

  • How good do we have to be?

  • Isn’t there a piece of it still left up to me?

  • Like if I fail to do something Step 1 goes away and I no longer have the antidote to the Sin Virus?

And that’s it right there… The real question: Is Step 1 good enough? Or do I have to do something else?

This is the debate we mentioned last week:

• Grace vs. Works

• Faith vs. Legalism

• Accepting vs. Doing

• Or what it really comes down to: Jesus vs. Me

The debate basically hinges on these two ideas:

• One side believes the only way to get to heaven is to accept the antidote to the Sin Virus

• The other side believes that if you do enough, you will be worthy of the antidote to the Sin Virus

Now I’m not here to try and persuade you one way or the other. 

I’ll just tell you that Controversy Theory accepts the first to be true: “The only way to get to heaven is to accept the antidote to the Sin Virus”

Drop the mic. Done.

However, now that we have our eternal outcome secured. We still have the rest of our lives to live. And we have the choice:

• We can sit back, lock ourselves in our houses and wait to die, or for the world to end

• Or, we head in a new direction - working to Transcend Human so we leave the world a little better than we found it

Let’s net it out: 

Once we fully understand how loved we are by God, and the sacrifice He made in sending Jesus to die a horrible death for us - we start to view Step 2 differently: 

• We stop looking at Sanctification as a list of rules and regulations we now have to keep

• We start Transcending Human to be more like Him, so we can carry His message, and His gift to those around us

• The closer we get to our Creator, the more we want to be like Him

• We start to realize the profound impact we can have on others around us. We see that every interaction is important - and that how we act can either build people up or tear them down

• And finally, even though we understand we will never be perfect - we want to be on the side of good. We want to add to the good in the world so that the evil and darkness is pushed back

Let’s illustrate with a real-life example:

• When you finally meet the love of your life and say, "I do” - it’s the “I do” that seals the deal, and makes it official:

  • It’s that one time event - the wedding and the ceremony that make it real

  • This is Step 1

• But once it is official, do you:

  • Spend the rest of your life sitting on the couch?

  • Doing nothing with your spouse as if you’ve arrived, and there is nothing more to learn about the person?

  • Or worse yet, do you return to your old life and start dating around again?

  • No! The obvious answer is this:

    • When you get married your life has changed forever

    • You spend the rest of your life getting to know your spouse better

    • And over time you mature, making changes in your life which make you a better spouse

    • Or at least that’s the way a healthy marriage is supposed to work...

• The marriage was official in Step 1 - and that is something nobody can take away from you

• But Step 2 is you getting to enjoy being married over time

• So why would it be any different with God?

  • Step 1: Seals the deal

  • Step 2: You getting to know Him better. Enjoying your new life. Exploring the new you. And Transcending Human...

// 2. CHARACTER IMPACTS EVERYTHING

So last week we talked about character as our Spiritual DNA - or what’s truly inside us. A combination of millions of little choices, and the formation of multiple habits.

• We talked about the fact that making good choices, and forming good habits helps you develop a character that looks a lot like God’s character - which is love

• And we talked about the fact that making a lot of bad choices, and forming bad habits helps you develop a character that looks a lot like Satan’s character - which is based on anger, hatred and revenge

And today we made it clear that this Spiritual DNA does not save us. It is not the antidote to the Sin Virus. Instead it is the natural changes in our behavior if we vote against God, or for Him in the Eternal Election.

In other words - our character is a REALLY good indication as to who we voted for…

In the book of James there are a lot of verses that talk about you “faith" being dead with your “works.” And that the way you show your “faith" is by your "works." 

In Controversy Theory terms, we would say it this way:

• Our “vote” may not have been cast if there has been no change in the way we "feel, think or behave”

• And similarly, Her “vote” was obvious by the way she “felt, thought and behaved” in life 

As you can see we’re starting to get into the weeds in the grace vs. works debate - and that’s not my intention. So we’ll leave it there - and move to the importance of our character.

At the end of the day these are the big questions:

• If it’s the antidote to the sin virus that cures us - why is our character important?

• And, if it’s our vote in the Eternal Election that determines our Eternal Outcome - why is our character important?

Well, hopefully as you read the two statements above, it occurred to you that both of them were very “me” focused…

• It’s “me” accepting the antidote for “my” Sin Virus

• And it’s “me” casting “my” vote for “my” future

It’s all about me!!!

And that’s fine. In Step 1, the process of Justification is VERY focused on me. It’s God, working on my heart, asking me to return to Him and choose Him in the controversy. It’s Him telling me about the Rescue Mission and asking if I want His free gift - the antidote to the Sin Virus.

But once that process is over and we’ve made our decision - everything changes.

Step 2 is the process of Sanctification, which is all about:

• Making good choices

• Forming good habits

• And developing character, or Spiritual DNA that resembles the character of God - which is love

• And it’s the love piece that changes everything...

There is a verse in the Bible that goes something like this: 

Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40

This verse summarizes God’s entire plan for our lives in two commands:

1. "Love God"

2. "Love others as you do yourself"

I think we all get the “Love God” part. It’s Step 1 in a nutshell right? Choosing God over Satan in the Eternal Election. Of course there is an ongoing component to this - maintaining our relationship with God, but it all starts with Step 1.

Then the second statement is interesting as it defines for us what Step 2 is all about. If we break it down there are really two parts to Step 2:

1. First - it suggests that I love myself. And for most of us this isn’t a problem. We are born selfish. We look out for ourselves. We struggle with jealousy. We want good things to come our way. We struggle to be nice to others if they have things we think we should have. So it’s there - the love for ourselves

   • Now I fully understand that there are people out there who struggle with this. They don’t love themselves. In fact they may hate themselves. This can happen when a person experiences bad things growing up. Various forms of abuse. Childhood trauma. And it can also be related to things they can’t believe they did growing up. Things they did to family members, friends or others 

   • For people in this situation - this becomes their first priority in Step 2. Learning to love themselves the way God loves them. Reprogramming the negative view they have of themselves and accepting God’s unconditional love. Only then will they be able to see their value and truly love themselves - in order to love others

2. Next, is loving others the way you love yourself. And this is where your character - or your Spiritual DNA - becomes so important 

This goes back to what we talked about a couple weeks ago when we were talking about temptation and the way Satan uses people to do his work for him through Peer Pressure. (Blatant and/or Observed Peer Pressure.) 

We said: Because Satan uses peer pressure in the controversy, we MUST understand the following: "There are no meaningless interactions. When we interact with others, we become active agents for God or for Satan.” 

This is HUGE!!! And speaks to just how important it is for each of us to be developing good character. Not for us - but for the people we will encounter for the rest of our lives.

So let’s walk through a few of the places where our character impacts everything:

• Character Grows You Individually:

  • Developing a strong, positive character starts with your relationship with your Creator 

  • The more time you spend talking to Him, reading about him and focusing on His ways the stronger your character becomes

  • Ultimately, this is you choosing to Transcend Human. Growing as a person vs. the alternatives:

    • Stagnation: Choosing not to do anything or grow at all

    • Regression: Choosing to slip back into making bad choices and reengaging with bad habits 

• Character Will Impact Your Family:

  • Your relationship with your spouse

  • How you parent

  • The relationship you form with each of your kids

  • What you pass on to your kids and the legacy you leave behind

  • And finally, you can impact (or lessen) the effects of human nature on your family by modeling the opposite of greed, selfishness, anger, revenge, etc. Our kids are born with the Sin Virus - and if left alone - human nature would take over. But with you there to intervene - they are in good hands

• Character Is Evident Around Your Friends, Coworkers & Acquaintances:

  • As you develop character, you’re able to be a good influence on others

  • Maybe it comes out in a mentorship role

  • Or even a more formal roles as an Accountability Partner (Similar to a Sponsor in the AA Program)

  • When you let love lead you, you can often play the role of the cheerleader - cheering people on when they are doing well

  • And finally, you can be the support system for others. You can be that one stable person in someone’s life. And someday they may look back and credit you with pulling them through and helping them succeed

• Character Is the Backbone of Your Community, Local Government and the Nation:

  • Think of the power you have in these arenas

  • First is your choice to be a contributor or a consumer. You can sit around and consume the good things available to you, or you can contribute to it - making things even better

  • Concepts like giving back. Paying it forward? etc.

  • Use the talents God has given you to impact your culture with your unique contribution

  • It takes people with a strong, positive character to stand up to social injustice, racism, abuses of the system and deeply ingrained behaviors that are at the root of problems in society

  • At this level, your character - your Spiritual DNA - depending on the direction it has gone, will either:

    • Facilitate change

    • Or actually make things worse than they already are

• Character Drives the Controversy and the World Around Us:

  • We could look at character as weight on a scale

  • On one side of the scale you have people developing good, strong, positive character with God’s help

  • On the other side you have people choosing against God and developing bad, negative and worldly character

  • And the scale tips to the side with the most weight

  • When we choose God, and develop characters based on love - we are adding weight to right side of the scale

  • We are pushing back the darkness and evil that exists in the world

  • And we are making the world a better place while we’re in it

  • And when we’re no longer in it - hopefully the legacy we’ve left will be there to strengthen the resolve of the generations that follow

So let’s land the plane:

This week: Ask yourself the following:

• Again, where are you at on Step 1? If you’re still struggling - maybe this is the week for you - that defining moment where you cross the line and cast your vote in the Eternal Election

• Next, have you ever thought about your character in this way before? How important it is, and how big of an impact it can have in so many areas of your life?

• And finally, where can you strengthen your character this week? In what areas could you step up your game and leverage your character to bring positivity and love to your family, a co-worker, or even a stranger on the street?

Next week we jump to the End of Time. You heard me right. In the Thirteenth Basic Assumption: The Controversy Will End

This is a topic that scares many people. They don’t want to think about the world ending, or things getting worse than they already are. But don’t worry, there is SO much good news that comes along for the ride. And I can’t wait to talk through it with you. 

Thanks again for joining us today. I hope you’re doing well - and that you’re hopeful even if this crazy time where things are shutting down again and our future seems a little up in the air. Just remember God is there - and ultimately He’s in control. Satan may be having the time of his life watching the chaos he’s inspired on Earth - but God owns the box Satan is playing in. Never forget that!  

Have a great week everyone - and until next time, keep Transcending Human!