"Oh the Awkward Phase of Diaper Days..."

For those of you who don't know, the above title is a quote from Sponge Bob (why, yes...I do need to get out more...). The complete quote is, "Oh, the awkward phase of diaper days, never to know the feeling of being a grownup." Maturity...isn't that a goal? It should be. Unfortunately, we find too many of us in the "diaper days".

Case in point: My husband and I attended a prophetic conference a few years back. We were hoping to hear encouragement, rebuke, and correction. We wholeheartedly believe in the need for prophetic forthtelling: "Repent, this is the way, walk ye in it..." Instead, we got "Bob" (not his real name, but it seems to be a popular one among all the false prophets). Bob wasn't interested in Scriptures which Christ claimed, "testified of Him". No, I guess maybe according to Bob, Jesus Christ really isn't the Spirit of Prophecy. "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God" (1 John 4:1-3a NASB).

Bob began to preach. (Of course, it wasn't expository...I mean, we wouldn't want the sword of God's Word to come forth and mess everything up.) He spoke of going to work out at the gym. Someone patted him on the back, saying "hi". Then, all of the sudden, he felt weird. All of these lustful thoughts started to fill his head. Where were they coming from? (ummm, prolly our own sinful nature that we need to crucify daily carrying our cross and following Christ?) No...that sounds too theological for Bob. The answer...*drumroll* it was that man who touched him! (Hey, that sounds like that dangerous "transference of spirits" we are warned about in those charismatic churches that poo poo theology!) Yes, indeed it was. Tranference of Spirits. Bob began to speak about how "disgusted" he was. I mean, who did this guy think he was to put all of his yuckies on him? I noticed how Bob couldn't imagine that the sinful thoughts were coming from himself. Maybe he thought the Apostle Paul was speaking in hyperbole when he lamented, "Oh wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" (Romans 7:24)

I looked around the conference room. My heart broke. I saw the faces of many men and women. What were they thinking? We all struggle with our sinful nature. Though, it will get better as we continue to mortify the flesh, we will struggle until we die. I do know how I felt. I felt dirty. I felt "unworthy" to be in the presence of this "great prophet". I wondered how many were afraid to go up to him to ask for prayer? What if he saw my sin and was disgusted too?

I thought of Jesus. Oh, my sweet Jesus. God in the flesh, that You would come down to dwell with sinful men, that you would save a wretch like me, will amaze me for eternity.

I thought of Jesus. Oh, my sweet Jesus. God amongst the lepers and the prostitutes...God touching what is dirty, and making what is dirty, whiter than snow.

They marveled of Jesus, "who is this who has the power to forgive men's sins?" They marveled. Do we marvel? Do we have the ability to forgive men's sins? As the Church we are enabled to give the assurance of pardon for those who grieve over their sin, and the way of salvation for those who cry out to be saved. What an enabling...to grab the hand of the unclean leper and not be disgusted...to point the sinner to Christ...to say, "this is the way, walk ye in it." It is the mature Christian who, when approached by sinful men, doesn't shrink away. He is not afraid. Why? because he knows the straight and narrow way that leads to Christ.

By-the-way:

Hey, Bob, "let me introduce you to my little friend..." Meet the Puritans... John Owen especially. We are reading his book Overcoming Sin and Temptation over at Tim Challies' site. A great theologian once said, it is "theology that overcomes biology."

And really, Bob, aren't you a little too old for the "awkward phase of diaper days"?