Approaching the end of our series on healthy self examination, I' reminded of counseling a teenage boy who was heavily involved in his church. He was wrestling with issues like speaking in tongues, why God wouldn't heal him of a minor ailment and other religious concerns.
I could never get him to face the volcano of rage toward his parents. I am not reporting a counseling success story. His picture appeared in the local newspaper some time ago - murder. He refused to look inward. A young waitress was the recipient of his displaced rage.
SCRIPTURE’S ADVICE
To make sure I'm not just suggesting some self examination pop-psychobabble, let's look at Scripture to see what it says about penetrating the darkness within.
Leviticus 16:29-30 (LB) This is a permanent law: you must do no work on the twenty-fifth day of September, but must spend the day in self examination and humility.....for this is the day commemorating the atonement, cleansing you in the Lord's eyes from all of your sins.
This comes from the Old Testament. Let's check what the New Testament would indicate.
1 Corinthians 11:25-34 gives us the Holy Communion context. Paul here exhorts us to examine ourselves before taking communion. He says some people had not and their sin had caused sickness and even death.
Covered sin is nothing to indulge. Paul further teaches:
2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you--unless, of course, you fail the test?
Are you and I really Christians? Does our life reflect Christ even at home?
I like Verner's test of a Christian in his book "Fire in Coventry."
In my church we don't give pamphlets to people nor have missions. We just send one or two Christian families to live in a village. When people see what Christians are like, they want to be Christians themselves.
I don't think Verner is criticizing church missions programs. He is suggesting that our brand of Christianity must be contagious. If it isn't - check up on yourself. Are you really a Christian? Would there be enough evidence to convict you and me of being Christian in court?
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