Gambit!
By
Ron Schwartz and Sons
February
28, 2010
As
I drove through town a few days ago, I noticed several men on the right side of
the road staring eagerly across the street. The traffic was thick, so it took
several moments before I could see what had captivated their attention. I
chuckled when finally I saw what fascinated them. It was a girl. “I should have
guessed,” I told myself. The girl wasn’t even pretty. It was the scantily way
in which she was dressed – or should I say undressed – that mesmerized her
admirers.
As
I passed by, I was left to wonder why so many women choose to disgrace
themselves in such a manner. My mind began to drift, but then I heard the
Spirit speak to my heart: “she thinks that she has no other choice.” I realized
that many women believe the only “real” power they have in a seemingly male
dominated world is their sexuality. So they exploit themselves in the way they
dress, their makeup, and how they carry themselves in an effort to get what
they believe they need from those who seem to hold all the power. Once again,
the Spirit spoke to my heart: “churches feel as though they have no other
choice.” At once I realized that, like the young woman I saw alongside the
road, churches feel powerless in a world dominated by evil. So they use
whatever means necessary to draw people in.
The
Spirit directed my attention to the Great Whore described in the book
Revelation. John wrote, “So he carried me away in
the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet
coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten
horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with
gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of
abominations and filthiness of her fornication: And upon her forehead was a
name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND
ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the
saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I
wondered with great admiration (John
17:3-6).”
I
realized perhaps for the first time that what astonished John was this: what
would such a beautiful woman see in such a horrific beast? What would cause an
attractive and stunning woman to join herself to a monster? When she could have
anyone, why choose the vilest creature alive?
The
words continued to race through mind: “the church feels as though it has no
other choice.” It began to dawn on me that like the young woman, churches are
intimidated by the world at large. They know that to be considered successful,
they must draw people to Christ, and to them that means drawing people
into their church. But like the plain girl I saw alongside the road, they ask
themselves: why would anyone be drawn to us? What do they have to offer?
Consequently,
like a young girl who exploits her sexuality to draw the attention of men,
many, many churches recognize that they must become what the world wants if the
world is ever to take notice of them. Jesus spoke a word of caution concerning
this behavior when he said, “whosoever looketh on a
woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his
heart (Matthew 5:28).” Notice the
words, “with her.” Adultery is a two
party act. When a woman dresses or acts in a seductive manner to draw the
attention of men, she is committing adultery “with”
them.
Many
churches and Christian leaders are inveigled by the illusion of distinction and
recognition that this world has to offer. They are enticed by the promise of
prestige and prominence. But they realize that all they are is a plain ordinary
woman in world of giants. They simply can’t compete in a world filled with
enticement and seduction. So they lay aside their spiritual decency and throw
themselves like a prostitute to the horrendous worldly creatures that hold all the
power.
As
I pondered these things, I realized that there was something more the Spirit
was saying to my heart. This young woman believed that “she was NOTHING” – that
she was without value. Eventually, she learned to use her sexuality to obtain
the attention the world. In doing, so she gave up her dignity and honor. She
quickly learned that by shedding her clothes, she captivated the attention of
men, and had control over the beasts that controlled this world. She no longer
felt like nothing.
In
the same manner, when the public ignores churches, the churches often feel
unimportant. They begin to crave acknowledgement. Generally, this is because
they really are nothing - they’ve become apathetic and spiritually barren, and
are unable to affect the world. Rather than admit that they’ve backslid and
repent, they choose to embrace the world’s values and “fit in.” As they begin
to receive the world’s approval, they make more and more compromises and gain
more and more of the world’s attention. Like a prostitute, they’ve shed their
“robes of righteousness,” then their clothes of spirituality, and their cloak
of Godly worship. As more and more of their nakedness are exposed, the beasts
of this world take notice. Eventually, these churches lose all sense of shame
and strut about unabashed and brazen, exposing their nakedness for the entire
world to see. They feel no shame for their apostasy, but are instead proud of
the significance they now receive from the world. Eventually, the virtuous
bride conforms herself to ways of
prostitution.
It’s
called a Gambit!
A gambit is all about the use of scheme, tact, or sacrifice, to
gain a tactical advantage over others. The dictionary defines a “gambit” as any maneuver by which one seeks to gain an advantage. In Chess, a gambit is an opening in which a
player seeks to obtain some advantage by sacrificing a pawn or piece.
Many churches have gained the attention of the world, but in doing
so, they’ve sacrificed their spirituality. They build large churches and grand
cathedrals, they draw large crowds, and they pull in lots of money. They have
expansive and luxurious campuses. They are embellished with lavish sound and
multimedia systems that prey on the senses of the visitor. All this has cost
them is their relationship with God. They are in every way a harlot who uses
her sexuality to prey on the weak. This may seem like a gambit in chess – a
small sacrifice for a tactical advantage, but in chess a gambit is actually a
noble act. It’s a sacrifice to help you win. Contemporary churches are NOT
sacrificing their spiritually to win, but to lose. Their compromises do NOT
gain them an advantage in their relationship with God, but an advantage in
their relationship with the world.
Think
of it like this. A prostitute imitates the love and intimacy that a wife shows
to her husband, but it’s nothing more than just going through the motions. The
actions may appear to be the same, but it lacks the true power that is found in
the love that binds together a husband and wife.
Paul
wrote in 2 Timothy 3:1-5: “this know also, that in
the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own
selves… lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of
godliness, but denying the power thereof…”
These words describe the actions of a prostitute. They describe people who go
through the motions of spirituality without having any real idea of what it
means to love God. Most churches are more concerned with playing the part of a
prostitute (e.g. that is gaining power over people, and having them as members
of their church and under their influence) than becoming the bride of Christ.
They have sacrificed their purity – call it a gambit - to gain power and
prestige.
“Churches
feel as though they have no other choice.” These
words continue to ring in my heart. Most churches are nothing more than
a fragile girl who is lost in a great big world and struggling to survive. But
rather than throwing herself to the mercy of a loving husband, she becomes that
which the world wants and craves – she is drawn to the power which the world
promises and prostitutes herself in the arms of “the Beast!”
Jesus
said to the church of today: “I know you inside and
out. I know you better than you do yourself, and I find very little to like. In
your spirit you're not cold and you’re not hot—far better to be either cold or
hot! You're stale. You're stagnant. You make me want to vomit. You brag, 'I'm
rich, I've got it made, I need nothing from anyone,' oblivious that in fact
you're a pitiful, blind beggar, threadbare and homeless… Buy clothes from me…
and stop parading around allowing the entire world to see you naked (Revelation 3:15-18 paraphrased).”
We
find in this passage the idea that churches of this last age will be proud of
their nakedness and shame. They’ll be like so many women who parade around half
naked with much of their body – cleavage, legs, back, and stomach – exposed.
And what is covered is clothed so tightly as to leave very little to the
imagination. Churches, like so many young women today, have come to love the
fact that fat, old, vulgar men are allured to their sensuality. How twisted is
that?
John
“wondered with great admiration.” The
Greek work here is thaumazo, which means, “to admire, marvel; be amazed;
amazement, and astonished.” It was an astonishing sight to see the last age
church so engrossed and consumed in a sexual affair with the world.
A
sexual affair is nothing but the ultimate form of self-gratifying pleasure. It
is the final step in the rejection of moral values, and the final step on the
way to apostasy. A sexual affair is nothing but selfish, cavalier, and arrogant
self-indulgence. But then, doesn’t that sound like the current generation of
humanity? The church – all wrapped up in what “feels good?”
God
Assessment
The
masses that attend prostitute churches of this age find it ridiculous to
believe that their church is nothing more than a prostitute to the world.
Consider carefully what Jesus says to these churches: “You brag, 'I'm rich, I've got it made, I need nothing from
anyone,' oblivious that in fact you're a pitiful, blind beggar, threadbare and
homeless…” How is it that they could be so blind to the obvious?
Where
I am employed, we’ve just went through a performance evaluation. The first part
of this evaluation requires all my team members to do a self-assessment. There
are certain people who are not performing as effectively they should, so I
rated these team members as “needing improvement.” To my surprise, these team
members actually rated their performance as “exceeding all expectations” in
every category. What I learned is that these employees didn’t really care about
what anyone else thought. They were measuring their performance by their own
assessment and that is all that mattered to them. How they were functioning in
alignment with corporate goals and department objectives was not relevant.
Is
it possible that churches and Christians of this last age are just as cavalier as some of my employees? Is it possible
that they are so wrapped up in their own assessment that they completely miss
God’s assessment? Paul wrote, “We do not dare to
classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure
themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not
wise. (2 Corinthians 10:12).” This
is the nature of many contemporary churches. Instead of attempting to please
God by doing what He wants them to do, they measure and assess their success by
their own standards - against other contemporary churches.
About
a month ago, I explored the website of the Pacific Garden Mission of Chicago. I
knew it is one of the oldest and most recognized missions in the world. I
learned that the mission employs dozens of fulltime help. It has a large
sprawling campus that is similar in size to that of a school, and that their
monthly budget is $11 million. I also learned that this 24-hour a day Christian
organization brought 111 people to know Jesus during the month of December
2009. When you compare this to the fact that most churches lead only a few
people to know Jesus each month - or even each year - it’s difficult to say
that this was an ignoble act. But what if we don’t “measure
[our]selves by [our]selves and compare [our]selves with [our]selves”?
Could they have done better? Two summers ago, a small handful of brothers and
sisters (in the Lord) and I went into inner city parks for a few hours on 5
different Saturdays. During these few hours, we saw 150 people give their lives
to God and 50 were baptized. What was the cost? It cost us a few hundred
dollars a day and a few hours of our time.
I
use this example so you can understand that there are other ways of assessing
success. The Pacific Garden Mission may appear to be an intimidating
construction and pinnacle of Christian achievement, but how does God see it? Is
it truly effective, or is it just busy?
Jesus
said to Martha, “Martha, Martha ... you are worried
and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what
is better, and it will not be taken away from her (Luke 10:41-42).”
So many churches have good intentions. They believe they are doing the right
thing. They truly believe that “they have no other choice.” They use any means
possible to get people into their churches, and in doing so, they play the part
of a prostitute, believing that the end justifies the means. Are they really
effective, or are they just busy, like Martha?
Jesus
said “Getting into My Kingdom is not as simple as
know a password such as saying ‘Lord, Lord [even
though this is what many Christians would tell you].’ I can see it now—at the Final Judgment thousands strutting
up to me and saying, ‘'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in
your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them,
‘You completely missed what was really important. All you did was use me to
make yourselves important. You’re intimacy was with this world. You played the
part of a prostitute. And I never knew you (intimately).’” Matthew 7:21-23, paraphrased.
Summary
In business, there are two words that seem to be similar, but are
very different. These words are ‘solutions’ and ‘results.’
Since I work in ITS, I will use technology as an example. I once
worked for a large retailer that hired a very prestigious consulting firm to
work with their ITS department to create a new invoicing system. The ITS
department and the consultants spent thousands of hours, worked day and night,
and even worked through their weekends and holidays. Eventually, after over a
year of work and $3 million worth of effort they produced a workable ‘solution.’ There was only one problem: it was completely unusable to the
business. What the department failed to do was to produce ‘results.’
This analogy fits most contemporary churches perfectly. They are
like Martha, running everywhere, doing everything, and complaining about other
Christians who aren’t as busy as they are, yet where are the results? Where are
the masses being saved?
Most contemporary church crowds will strut up to Jesus in the end
pointing to all their community involvements. They will talk for hours about
how – like Pacific Garden Mission – they have spent million dollars a month for
Him. They will tell of the books and video series that were produced, and of
the building they constructed. All this was done in His name. Then there will
be only a long silence as Jesus lets out a long sign and says, “The only
person you made look good was yourself. They only person you attracted people
to were you. You became popular and self-important. You are your own reward.
You’ll get none from me. By attracting people to you, both your and their
intimacies were with each other. Your intimacy was not with Me. I never knew
you intimately. You’re nothing more than a prostitute. Go away from me!”
Don’t listen to Satan who continues to whisper in your ear, “Just
keep busy. God appreciates your sacrifice!” That’s simply a lie. God expects
results. And ‘solutions’ like community involvement are not ‘results’ if they
do not translate directly into leading people to know the Lord (intimately).
Many women become jealous of the attention that beautiful sexy
women receive. So little by little, they change their appearance to match that
of the sensual women who have bewitched the world. As more and more men take
notice of their “new” seductive look (i.e. more skin exposed, tighter fitting
clothers, seductive mannerisms, etc.) they lose their shame and embrace
ignominy. Many contemporary churches follow this same behavior. They’re tired
of being overlooked, they’re tired of feeling like nothing, and they’ve become
confused in their apathy. So like a prostitute, they embrace the values of this
world, throw aside their honor, and invite the world in.
Remember that a prostitute goes through the motions of love, but
doesn’t really experience it. Likewise, many, many Christians merely go through
the motions of discipleship but never really experience it. If you feel like a fake,
perhaps you are. If you feel fraudulent in your spiritual life, perhaps this is
God’s spirit convicting you. Don’t change and adopt the ways of this world.
Repent!
The Great Whore in Revelation is said to be, “the
mother of prostitutes.” In other words, just as she prostitutes
herself to the world, she teaches her children to do the same. What we find
today is generation after generation of Christians doing exactly what the
previous generation of Christians have done while the world slips deeper and deeper
into decadency. At least they are busy - busy working for the Lord. But are
they really? If John was to describe what he sees in the contemporary church,
would he describe their actions as a victorious army conquering the world, or
would he describe it as a beautiful woman having sex with a monster?
Take care, my dear friends!
I apologize for the delay between notes in these recent months.
There are many trials and adversities that are interfering with my time to
write.
God bless you all!
Ron, David, and Michael Schwartz
To subscribe to
these notes:
SUBSCRIBE
To see more of these notes: Ron's Thoughts
Counter:
To unsubscribe simple reply back with the word ‘UNSUBSCRIBE’ in the Subject field.