Archived Articles by Father Rob Smith

Christian Identity

Responses to the recent Super Bowl half-time show have thrown two contrasting attitudes into sharp relief. From some there has been outrage. Others don't really see what all the fuss is about. A late night comedian characterized the partial nudity on stage as a "Flash Dance." Certainly quite a number of people saw what they didn't particularly want to see and they saw it in an unavoidable flash. This must have been quite a jolt for some parents who were watching the game with young children. However one newscaster remarked that this scene was the one most replayed on TiVo that evening. To some extent what you are is revealed by what you want to watch.

On the other hand there is a proverb that says, "Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned?" (Prov. 6:27 ESV) Some of us who are campers share a common experience. I have always loved campfires and will sit around one watching the flames and stirring the embers for hours. The trouble is, no matter where you sit the smoke eventually drifts around and flows in your direction. The end result is that you smell of smoke and burnt marshmallows.

What does it mean to look like a Christian? The question is the same as asking what does it mean to smell like a Christian? Paul talks about this in 2 Corinthians 2:15-16 (ESV) "For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?" Christians in living fellowship with Christ Jesus carry His fragrance into the world. Ultimately one is either downwind of frankincense or one is downwind of brimstone. Whatever fire you sit around is the one you are going to smell like.

Don't underestimate the power of smells. Years ago we were on the Paris - Rome Express rolling past quaint villages, verdant pastures, and majestic forests. All passed unseen, masked by an odor. One woman had not yet discovered the benefits of deodorants and the air was so acrid that eventually the other seven of us, Americans and Europeans alike, left her in victorious possession of the compartment. If you smell, you smell, and you ought to do something about it. Ecclesiastes 10:1 (ESV) says, "Dead flies make the perfumer's ointment give off a stench; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor." It doesn't take much of the world's "flash dance" to leave an odor.

The fragrance of Christian Identity does not happen by identifying with the world, but by identifying with Christ. The closer we identify with Christ, the more beautiful the fragrance. Lent is a time for enhancing the fragrance of Christian life. An important aspect of Lenten discipline is self-evaluation. We ask "What do I do that marks me with the odor of the world?" Most of the time we actually know the answer to that question, we just don't want to ask because maybe we will find out. Ask anyway! That is a prayer the gentle Spirit of God will be pleased to answer.

Lent also raises another question, "What can I do to draw closer to the fire of God, so close that His fire actually burns in my heart and begins to consume in me all that is unworthy of His Presence?" There are two complimentary approaches. The first question applies direct pressure. Through self-evaluation discover what needs to be changed and make a decision to change it. That is much more advantageous than merely giving something up. Make that part of your ongoing Lenten discipline. If that is all you do you probably won't be very successful because direct pressure doesn't work well unless it is supported by indirect pressure. Indirect pressure is a secret that flows from the worship of the Living God. If you spend more time in His Presence you will begin to take on His aroma, a fragrance from life to life. You will strengthen your resolve to change and grow. For the forty days of Lent increase your time spent with God. Pray more, read his Word more, reflect on it more, and respond to the things that He says to you in His Word.

~ Father Rob +

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