"Marthadists", Flannel Bishops, and Judgment Seat Jitters

How are y'all doing out there? Grace, peace, and all the best to you and yours. And now, here are some miscellaneous musings of a malcontent:

 Who Needs Rest When You Can Burn Out Faster?

I went to church with my mom recently. The youth pastor was filling in for the usual guy (who is in a lot of pain, so pray for him, please) for the sermon. The youth pastor is a nice guy that loves Jesus. He helped me carry some donated furniture once. But somehow, when preaching on Luke 10:38–42—the famous “Mary vs. Martha” passage, in which Martha is frantically running around like a one-woman catering company while Mary sits at the feet of Jesus—this preacher managed to turn “rest in Christ’s presence, like Mary” into “let’s all be like Martha!”

Now, for the record, Martha’s not a villain. She was faithful, she loved Jesus, she was hospitable like Abraham, etc. But the point of that story isn’t do more, it’s sit down and trust Him. His yoke is easy (Matthew 11:28-30). What I heard was a laundry list of ways we could “do better, try harder, give more.” In other words, human effort, which smells like Law, not grace. So, in honor of my Methodist friends who excel at turning resting in Christ's finished work into flesh-powered moral to-do lists, I hereby christen them "Marthadists".

Enter the Flannel Bishop

During another part of my visit with my mom, we tried out a TV pastor a friend of hers likes. I have concerns. I'm not naming names because I'm more interested in spreading the truth than in starting fights. He spent more time talking about the current President of the United States than about King Jesus. America isn't even three hundred years old; the Gospel has been around two thousand. Priorities, please. Maranatha. Come, Lord Jesus.

From there, he launched into the old line: “People want Jesus as Savior, but not as Lord.” Which sounds deep, but really means, “You’re not living up to the standards that I personally am very smug about.” But here’s the thing: if you call on Jesus to save you, you’re already acknowledging His authority to do so. In Luke 15, the coin did not shine itself up, the Shepherd wasn't mad at the lost sheep, and all the Prodigal Son did that was ultimately effective was turn back to the loving Father.

The pastor went on to lament that people don’t recognize his authority in the hierarchy of the body of Christ, the Church, which is a fascinating claim to hear from a Protestant in a flannel shirt. Christ is the head of the body, and the rest of the parts need each other, like Paul spelled out in 1 Corinthians 12. Per 1 Corinthians 12, after Christ comes the apostles, so I'm going to stick to fact-checking sermons against the writings of Paul. By way of concession, Paul did say that the less presentable parts are clothed with greater honor (1 Corinthians 12:22-27), so I am curious what part of the region my underwear covers this guy thinks he is.

Judgment Seat Jitters

Last on my agenda for today is another TV pastor. My mom likes this guy, and I’ll grant you, he’s usually okay. But in this installment, his sermon camped out in 2 Corinthians 5:10, with a heavy emphasis on scaring Christians about the Last Judgment. The message boiled down to: “Straighten up, do better, because Jesus is coming and He’s keeping score.”

Scaring Christians isn’t ministry. Jesus already took care of judgment for those who believe. John 5:24 says we won’t come into judgment. Hebrews 7:25 says He always lives to intercede for us. Hebrews 10:14 says He perfected us forever. Hebrews 8:12 says God promised never to remember our sins, and dragging them back up at the end would make Him a liar.

Yes, all of humanity will face God’s judgment. That’s why 2 Corinthians 5:11 tells us we persuade others—evangelism. Believers were already judged, found guilty, and executed (Galatians 2:20); that's in the rearview for us. The same chapter this guy was preaching from contains one of the most powerful declarations in Scripture: “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). That means even if you were examined, you’d be judged as righteous as God Himself—not because of your track record, but because of Jesus’ finished work.

The Cherry-Pick Shuffle

I’ve noticed a general pattern with some of these TV preachers. They grab one New Testament verse they can spin into a fear-based pep talk about working harder, then spend the rest of the sermon in the Old Testament to back it up—they love the stories about Samuel, David, etc. The problem is, believers in Christ have a better relationship with God than any Old Testament character. David prayed for things we already have in Christ. Know what side of the Cross you live on.

The New Covenant doesn’t add more weight to your to-do list. It declares the work is done. Sit down like Mary. Rest. Jesus has you covered. Jesus is enough. That’s the Gospel. Don’t let anyone scare you out of the security Christ purchased for you with His own blood.

Benediction

In closing, as Jude said, "Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen."

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