Accountability

by Samuel Parrish, Campus Director, LHM Charleston, SC

“And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” Hebrews 4:13

Accountability.

Ugh. Another 2 hours I have to cut out of my already busy week to sit and listen to people I don’t really like talk about how they can’t seem to get their life together.

If you’ve attended a Sunday school class or a small/life/family/cluster/recovery group in the last five years, you’ve probably thought the same thing every once and awhile.

Long periods of awkward silence that give way to prayer requests for that one guy’s aunt’s neighbor’s cat who was stuck in a tree can wear down on even the most committed believer.

Sadly, if that’s as deep as we ever go, or we give it up entirely as a waste of time, we will miss something that both Jesus and the authors of the New Testament saw as essential for the Christian life.

In the Gospels, Jesus told quite a few parables involving agriculture. Sometimes the focus was on the seed or the fruit. In others, he emphasized the factors beyond the farmer’s control like weather, weeds, and soil. Many though highlighted the relationship between the owner of an estate and his workers. Whether his sons, or hired labor, the workers would receive a task from the landowner, and a time period to get the work done. This would be followed by a moment of reckoning, where the workers would give an account for the work they had done. This was completely appropriate and expected. The owner had given them his resources to steward to his advantage and promised reward if they worked diligently.

We seem to understand this principle well when our paycheck is a few hours late on the direct deposit, but totally disconnect it from how we spend our Saturday afternoons.

Of course, I work hard 9-5. That’s my company’s time.

The weekends, though, are mine.

Psalm 24 doesn’t mince words:

“The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof,
  the world and those who dwell therein.”

Not only does God own time, he owns us and the world as well. So when the writer of Hebrews says that we are exposed before God and will give an account for our lives, what is that truth supposed to do in us? Is it a God-sized scare tactic? Maybe a promise of wealth if we work really hard?

Not necessarily.

Accountability reminds us that we are under authority. Paul, writing to the Corinthians, reminded them that they were not their own; they were bought with a price. In accepting Christ as Lord, we are giving up the right to self-identify. In Christ, we are a new creation. In Christ, the old is gone and the new has come. In Christ, we have an inheritance. None of those things are true unless we are in Christ. Being in Christ overwrites any false identity the world, the enemy or our fallen selves might have named us.

Accountability reminds us that we are stewards, and not owners. Time, money, and relationships: they all belong to him. This doesn’t mean however, that will be fighting over crumbs. By his grace, we have been lavished with good gifts that are to be used to the praise of his glory (Ephesians 1). Paul tells Timothy that God has provided everything for us to enjoy. Stewardship is not drudgery. It’s a call to do and use every resource available to make Christ great among the nations.

Accountability reminds us that obedience is rewarded and wickedness is judged.

God is not like one of my elementary school teachers. On the first day of school, she taught us this elaborate system of conduct, various tiers of rewards and punishments meant to keep us in line. It didn’t take long to realize that she not only didn’t enforce the boundaries, she didn’t reward compliance either.

While it might seem scary to think that we will answer for every action, word and thought, we have a great hope in Christ. He died and rose so that we would not stand condemned on the day we give account, justified by his blood and adopted as His son/daughter!

So accountability this side of eternity helps us remember. And when we remember, we should worship. Our actions no long stand as a record against us! By his death, that record is nailed to the cross, and we are free to live a life of obedience by his ever-present grace.

The Never-ending Battle With Sin

By Ricky Chelette, Executive Director

“I’m tired of this,” he said, exasperated. “I don’t think any of this stuff is working! If I am going to be continually faced with these temptations, why don’t I just be gay?” 

The devil is persistent. The Bible warns us in the very first pages of scripture that “sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it” (Gen. 4:7). We tend to believe our struggles will simply disappear as we decide to follow Jesus. The fact is, however, they are more likely to increase. 

Before knowing Jesus, we’re in the devil’s camp. We’re doing things that benefit him, serving him: we’re not threats. That all changes when we encounter the saving grace of the cross. That’s when we begin to turn from sin—and when the devil begins to work a whole lot harder to make that sin appealing.  

Though the devil is not all knowing, he is observant and cunning. He sees the weaknesses of our flesh, and he is keen to craft ideal situations to tempt us to sin. Every temptation is designed by Satan to trick you into believing that you can trust in the temporal more than the eternal. Every temptation is designed to make you think you can somehow meet your own needs, in your own way, and find more fulfillment there than when you trust in Christ. Every temptation is crafted to cause you to believe more in yourself than you do in the Creator you vow you to love and obey.

Jesus experienced just such temptations. He felt the pull of his flesh just as we do, but he knew true joy, true happiness, and true fulfillment can never be found in temporal pleasures or quick fixes, but only in fellowship with a Holy Father who loves us. 

Luke 4 tells us about Jesus’ temptation. Surprise: Jesus wins! But despite Jesus’ victory over temptation, the devil was not finished with Him. The Scripture clearly states, “he [the devil] departed from him [Jesus] until an opportune time” (Luke 4:13). In other words, Jesus won the moment, but the devil would be back. He would try again to get Jesus to deny the Father and embrace His flesh. We see it clearly in the moments when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane and again on the cross. Jesus’ flesh would cry for relief, but His love for the Father was greater than His need for relief. Despite the temptations, He would be found faithful.

Are you ready for a long battle with your flesh? We are mistaken if we think following Jesus is an instant relief for the temptations we face. It is not. The devil is waiting and watching patiently for just the right moment when he can present what you think you want, so that he can instead give you what you should fear most – separation from the Father. Don’t believe the lies. And don’t be discouraged by the temptation. In fact, allow the temptation to be an encouragement to you. Think of it as evidence that you belong to Jesus and that you are a threat to the devil. If you are never tempted, it would mean that you were in Satan’s hands. You’re not.

“Opportune times” for Satan to tempt us will come. But Jesus has promised us this: “greater is He that is in you than He that is in the world” (1 Jn. 4:4). He has also promised that He will never leave you or forsake you (Deut. 31:6, 8; Heb. 13:5). We need to believe that when temptation strikes: that He is with us, and He is better.

How are you fighting against the temptations Satan presents you? Are you disappointed that you are still tempted? Can you see how your temptations can be a source of encouragement, leading you to deeper dependence upon Jesus? Ask the Father for His strength to resist the devil’s lies and embrace the Way, the Truth and the Life!