Category: Christian Living

Articles I have written specifically dealing with areas of Christian living.

The Beauty of Holiness

by Mike Avery, posted in All Articles, Christian Living, Theology

–March of 1998

The Beauty of Holiness

In a recent revival meeting, the pastor and I were reminiscing about some of the people we had known from years gone by here on the Hilltop. The name of Mrs. R.W. Dunn was mentioned. Sister Dunn was a beautiful example of Christian holiness, so gentle and winsome. My pastor friend went on to say, “I miss that sweetness that has made holiness people truly beautiful people.”

My friend’s comments were not just sentimental reflections on the loss of a few “old timers,” whose personality just happened to lend itself toward gentleness. Nor was it a jab at today’s holiness constituents. Rather, I believe it was a genuine longing for God’s people to array themselves in the beauty of true holy living – a trait that has indeed been historically true of holiness people.

God is interested in beauty. A casual glance at His creation gives overwhelming testimony to that fact. Take a drive over the Beartooth Highway in the Great Rockies. Spend a day touring New England’s brilliant autumn countryside. Watch the sunrise on the southern edge of the Grand Canyon. Take an unhurried look at a bougainvillaea bloom blowing in a warm southern breeze, or a shy water lily in a beaver pond in upstate New York. Spend an afternoon peering through the pristine waters of the Caribbean at the breathtaking display of coral reef, while splendidly colored fish dart about. For that matter, just look out your window at the budding narcissus and the chirping cardinal. God has spared nothing in making a beautiful world!

If you are still not convinced, look into the Scripture at the two building projects God has undertaken. Read about the intricate tapestry of the tabernacle and the ornate designs God planned there. Then, turn to the closing book of the Bible and read the breathtaking description of Heaven. The overwhelming beauty of the eternal city of God impoverishes the human language to describe it.

Doesn’t it stand to reason that if God has so clearly testified to His interest in beauty that He would also want beautiful people? I believe at the very heart of redemption is the removal of the ugliness of sin and the restoration of the beauty of holiness. As a matter of fact, Peter and Timothy both take considerable portions of a chapter to tell us that a life adorned with the ornaments of “good works” and “a meek and quiet spirit” are in the “sight of God of great price.” This is a beauty that flows out of a regenerated and sanctified heart. It is a beauty that is attractive and alluring. On the contrary, any attempt to fabricate beauty through worldly embellishments becomes a false beauty, just as any attempt at holy living that is negative, self-conscious, weird, or denunciatory is like lilies that have begun to rot – repulsive and ill smelling.

Can the qualities of Christian beauty be defined? I believe they can, and I also believe that they are quite obvious. For instance, holy people are beautiful people because they are real people. Pretense and sham are always beauty spoilers by anyone’s yardstick. People who are authentic, genuine, and truthful (all traits of true holiness) can always be described as beautiful people. Another element of beauty is richness. Holy people are beautiful people because they are rich people. No, not in the sense of dollars, but in the sense of depth and fullness. Paul Rees said it like this, “A fussy straining after piety is not beautiful; it is pathetic. True holiness, however, is an overflow of the indwelling Christ. It is not something that has to be strenuously pumped up. It is artesian. It is the natural overflow of inner goodness.”

Holy people are beautiful people because they are balanced people. Jesus denounced the Pharisees because of their ugly imbalance. He described them as people who paid the most minute  attention to the least of issues, yet neglected the most obvious and weighty responsibilities of true spiritual living. The holy man has balance and proportion. He has the ability to disagree without becoming disagreeable. He knows how to be separated without being eccentric. He knows how to be sober without becoming morbid. He knows how to be firm without becoming harsh.

God is actively engaged in making His saints beautiful people. It begins in the decisive moments of conversion and cleansing, and continues in the daily discipline of being conformed to His image. It is my constant prayer that the Lord will make my life appealing and alluring so that I may truly worship Him “in the beauty of holiness.”

The Word in Worship

by Mike Avery, posted in All Articles, Christian Living, Theology

–Winter of 1997

The Word in Worship

For many Americans the recent blur of holiday activities was momentarily suspended by a curious news story out of Clearwater, Florida, a few days before Christmas.  It began when a pedestrian outside of a local bank noticed that one of the large smoke-colored windows appeared to reflect the image of Mary, the mother of Jesus.  Word spread rapidly and within hours police officers had to be summoned to manage the influx of traffic as worshipers of Mary flooded the streets and sidewalks, offering prayers, reciting the rosary and shedding tears of adoration and joy.  One wonders how it is that the groundskeeper seemed to be expressing the minority opinion when he concluded that the image was simply a coincidental result of a chemical reaction between the window finish and the lawn sprinkler.

It goes without saying that the religious frenzy displayed outside the Clearwater, Florida, bank, while having a veneer of spirituality and piety diverged widely from true Scriptural worship.  Any time the central authority of Scripture is compromised, a fatal blow is struck to the heart of worship.  Heresy and cultic malpractices are the inevitable results.  Conversely, when God’s Word is consciously and consistently given priority, it contributes a soundness to worship, clearly defining the object of worship and governing the worship process in general.

However, lest we smile to condescendingly upon the misdirected idolizers of Mary, it might be appropriate to examine ourselves and ask if our worship is truly modeled and marked by the Word of God.  There is little doubt that we pay lip service to the supreme and prominent place that Scripture should occupy in our religious assemblies.  Furthermore, we have remained unquestionably committed to the supernatural character of the Bible, readily denouncing any and every threat or perceived threat to the doctrines of inspiration and inerrancy.  But, does this laudable conviction manifest itself in a real objective way – particularly in the context of public worship?  Or do our hurried worship services encumbered with a litany of organizational announcements, sandwiched between a handful of extemporaneous digressions ranging from stories of transportation difficulties on the way to church to half-humorous reflections on last week’s church get-together, leave little time for careful, thoughtful reading and meditating on the Word of God?  Are sermons something more than motivational speeches or spiritual pep-talks wrapped in a Scripture text?  Do they, in reality, unfold the holy Word?

In this book, The Ultimate Priority, John MacArthur, Jr., laments that, “some sermons are only marginally biblical but move the congregation and make them laugh and cry…They might be interesting, fun, entertaining, exciting and impressive sermons, but they do not help the people worship God.”  The result of such biblically deficient worship is predictable.  Worship eventually relaxes into a ragged, undefined shallow exercise that ultimately focuses on self rather than on God.  Over time the average congregation acclimates itself to the spiritually lean atmosphere.  Rather than sensing that something is wrong, they actually begin to enjoy and expect these services of entertainment where they always leave feeling good.

In Nehemiah the power of the Word of God to motivate true worship is clearly demonstrated as Ezra read from the sacred scroll in the presence of the standing congregation.  Though convicted and challenged by the Word, the grateful assembly responded in chorus, “Amen, Amen.”  With lifted hands they “worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground.”  May God grant us such a revival…a revival of true worship, firmly grounded in and flowing from a meaningful commitment to the holy Word.

Sinkhole Saints

by Mike Avery, posted in All Articles, Christian Living

–September of 1997

Sinkhole Saints

The residents of a Florida apartment building awoke to a terrifying sight outside their windows.  The ground beneath the street in front of the apartment complex had collapsed, creating a massive depression in the earth that scientists call a sinkhole.  Tumbling into the ever-deepening pit were automobiles, lawn furniture and whatever else fell prey to its gaping mouth.  In a matter of time the building itself would go.

Sinkholes occur when underground streams drain away during seasons of drought, causing the ground at the surface to lose its underlying support.  Suddenly everything simply caves in, swallowing everything on the surface and leaving the area in a state of disarray and chaos.

There are many dear Christian people whose lives are like one of these sinkholes.  On the surface, all looks well.  They are a bundle of spiritual energy and enthusiasm.  They dash about at a breathless pace, involving themselves in every activity imaginable.  Then suddenly it happens.  They collapse and leave onlookers scratching their heads in bewilderment as to what happened to this sincere child of God.

Others cave in more slowly.  They, too, immerse themselves in exhaustive activity, filling their daily schedules from early until late.  However, they are spiritually sensitive enough to feel the cracks developing in the surface of their lives.  They sense that something is about to give way.  They try to warn us about what is happening when they use terms like, “I feel so empty,” or “I’m just too busy to have a real devotional life,” or “I feel that my whole world is just coming apart.”  They are always talking about being stressed out, even after coming back from two weeks of vacation.  They’re like a drowning victim, grasping whatever is in his reach to keep his head above water, yet knowing that unless there is a rescue, he will ultimately go under.

The problem with these dear people is very similar to the problem that creates the Florida sinkhole.  Just as physical drought takes its toll on the underlying streams that uphold the surface, spiritual drought takes its toll on our inner world and we lose the ability to sustain and support all that must be done in the outer world of our lives.  The world’s wisest man was well aware of this when he penned the words, “Keep thy heart with all diligence for out of it flow the issues of life” (Prov. 4:23).

Those of us who are affected by Westernized Christianity are extremely susceptible to this danger.  Our Western cultural values blind us to this problem.  We are naively inclined to believe that the most publicly active person is also the most privately spiritual person.  We wrongly assume that the more activity we are involved in, the better.  But the truth of the matter is that we can only engage in the quantity of public ministry and activity that our inner spiritual resources can sustain.  That is why Martin Luther said on one occasion, when confronted with an extremely busy day, that it would necessitate him rising earlier to spend three hours in prayer in order to be able to handle the day’s busy schedule.  He needed the extra inner resources that only prayer could give him.

It is shocking the number of good people scattered across our country that have become weary and feeble spiritually, when they ought to be strong and flourishing.  I’m amazed at the number who have lost the song from their soul and are ready to put their harp in the willows because they are so deeply discouraged.  I’m sure there is no simple answer.  But I do firmly believe that at the heart of much of this is an empty heart.  Too many Christians are trying to sustain a huge superstructure of activity without the underlying power and strength that comes from close fellowship and daily communion with our Lord.

My world at GBS is extremely busy.  I constantly face the temptation to let the most important part of my life go—strength and care of my own soul.  Recently, back in the spring, I called for several days of prayer and fasting on our campus.  I felt I needed something more and that the campus needed something more.  I felt empty, stressed out, and void of any music in my soul.  After the third day into the fast, my soul began to soar, heaven’s orchestra began making melody in my heart, and I felt prepared to tackle the biggest problem around.

Don’t wait until your world collapses and your inner resources have given way.  Learn what Jesus meant when He said, “Apart from me ye can do nothing.”

Are You Christian?

by Mike Avery, posted in All Articles, Christian Living, Church, Theology

–Summer of 1997

Are You Christian?

To pose such a question as this to my readers this month will be to many the essence of folly.  I can hear some of you saying, “Of course, we’re Christian.  What else could born-again believers in Jesus Christ be?”

What is forgotten, however, is that a new creation in Christ is the embodiment of growing life, and, as such, may be retarded, stunted, undernourished, or injured.  It is possible for a whole generation of Christians to be victims of erroneous or poor teaching, low moral standards, and unscriptural or extra scriptural teaching, resulting in a life that is not New Testament Christianity.

I’m convinced that there are many in the church today who have never truly understood nor grasped what it means to be a Christian.  I worked for a lady once who smoked, drank, swore, and was consumed with bitterness and hate.  However, she felt confident in her Christianity, because, “all you have to do is just believe,” she said.  On the other hand, I pastured a lady one time who was filled with anger, bitterness, hatred, and a critical spirit.  But, she, too, was confident in her faith because “I don’t do things like the world does.”

Granted, these two cases may be extreme; but there are a lot of people who are taking too much comfort from “comparing themselves among themselves” or simply embracing a false security by accepting certain “historical facts” about Jesus.  They have anchored their confidence to the wrong thing rather than finding the Biblical norm for real Christianity.

God doesn’t leave us guessing on such important issues.  The Bible gives clear principles to guide us in determining and knowing if we are expressing a genuine faith.  One of the broadest-reaching principles that the Bible articulates from cover to cover could be stated like this: The Christian is essentially a unique and special kind of person.  This is a principle that can never be emphasized sufficiently, and nothing but tragedy will follow in the wake of forgetting or failing to understand this.  The Christian is someone quite distinct and apart.  He is a man who lives in the world but is not of the world.  He is a man who can never be explained away in natural terms, but can only be understood in terms of his relationship to Christ.  This uniqueness separates him from those who are not Christian.  It doesn’t dehumanize him, but it does enable him to live far above and beyond the natural man.  His perspective on life is different.  He lives with eternity in view.  He loves his enemy rather than seeks revenge.  He prays for those who persecute him.  He gives more than grudging obedience to the law of God, but actually delights in God’s law and meditates on it day and night.  He faces life with the optimism of faith rather than the debilitating dread of unbelief.  He indeed is different.

How can he be so radically different?  He has been born from above – born of the Spirit.  The power of grace is working in his life, enabling him to be different.  Frankly, it enables him to be Christlike and this is the secret of his difference.  It is essential to the New Testament definition of a Christian that the real Christian is different from the world because he is like Christ.  The Christian is meant to follow the pattern and imitate the example of Jesus.  We are not only meant to be unlike the natural man, but we are meant to be like Christ.  If this Christlikeness is absent from our lives, we have no other way to authenticate to an unbelieving world that we are truly Christian.

The question we must ask ourselves, then, if we want to know for certain if we truly are Christian is this: As I examine the actions and attitudes in my life, and look at my life in detail, can I claim for it something that cannot be explained in ordinary terms?   Something which can only be explained in terms of a life-changing relationship to the Lord Jesus Christ?  Do I see in my life a positive difference that is not seen in the life of a non-Christian?  Can I truly say that because of my faith I am Christlike?  Am I Christian?

The Demands of Calvary

by Mike Avery, posted in All Articles, Christian Living, Theology

–March of 1997

The Demands of Calvary

One of the most striking statements found in Holy Writ about the atoning work of Christ was penned some 700 years before Calvary ever occurred.  Isaiah lifts the veil that shrouded the future and with graphic words paints a moving portrait of our suffering Saviour.  That picture, however, does not stop with His suffering.  With the masterful strokes of a prophetic brush Isaiah shows the triumphant Son of God looking back as it were from eternity, back on all that Calvary meant and provided.  The expression of the Saviour’s heart on all that He saw was framed in these words, “He shall see the travail of his soul and be satisfied.”

He looked back upon his humiliation.  He thought equality with God not something to be grasped, but took upon Himself the form of a servant.  He laid aside the royal robes of heavenly splendor and clothed Himself with the fading garment of our humanity.  He saw all of this and was satisfied.  He saw again as we spat in His face, plowed His back with a scourge, spiked Him naked and thorn-crowned to a tree, and mocked His anguish until the sun hid its face in shame and the earth reeled in terror.  He relived drinking the bitter cup to the very last drop.  He looked upon it all – all the rejection, all the agony – and was satisfied with the travail of His soul.

The travail of His soul has provided a completely adequate atonement for the deepest needs of every man who has ever lived or ever will live.  He met every demand of a broken law, fully satisfied the justice of an offended God, and silenced every accusation of Satan.  He held nothing back.  He gave His all.  Jesus Christ is satisfied with what Calvary has wrought.

The question that surfaces immediately in my mind is this: “Is He satisfied with the full appropriation of Calvary as it touches and works its way out in my life?”  A missionary returning from Africa during the early stages of World War II went down to the bottom of the ocean in an ill-fated ship.  In one of her last letters she wrote, “The gift of forgiveness has become exceedingly precious to me when I ponder the cost to Christ to pardon mankind.  God has to curse His only child to free me from the curse of sin.  To lay nothing to my charge, He charged His own Son with all the guilt a sinful world could produce.  To give me a mother’s care He forsook His Son in His hour of loneliness and need.  To give me a taste of the sweetness of Heaven, He caused His Son to taste the bitterness of Hell.  To fill my heart with all the peace it can contain, He filled the heart of His Son with all the agony it could contain.  Oh, the fathomless love of the Father’s heart for me, a sinner sunk in fathomless sin!  Pray for me that God may get all out of my life that Calvary can get out of it.  And that in me and through me He may see the travail of His soul and be satisfied.”

 The haunting question that leaps from the pages of this missionary’s diary is this: “Has God got out of my life all that Calvary can get out of it?”  When He looks at me and remembers the travail of His soul, is He satisfied?  Have I allowed the cross of Christ to wean my heart from all other affections, from sin, from the world and from self?  Has it met and surrendered to the love that Calvary demands?

Jesus held back nothing.  He gave everything.  He did not withhold one drop of His precious blood or one fleeting second of His life.  Have I allowed Calvary to do that in my life?  Am I clutching to any of the trinkets and souvenirs of this world, or have I forsaken them all in the light of Calvary?

I’m firmly convinced that this Easter we would all shout in harmony that we are satisfied with what Jesus has done for us.  But the haunting question that still remains is this: “Has God received from my life all that Calvary can get out of it?”