Php 3:8-11 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, (9) And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: (10) That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; (11) If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

What are “the means” that Paul is talking about here? Does he mean that a person should be reached for Jesus Christ using any methods? There is a church in the United States that opened its Easter services with its band playing AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell.” There are churches that use secular music to draw people in such as the church pastor that preached the Gospel according to John, Paul, George and Ringo (the Beatles). Of course, there are churches that use secular music, insert Christian words and call it a worship band. Should any methods be used to reach the lost? Yes, if you view God as being a means and not an end. The argument then becomes that I am putting God in a box – “don’t speak against contemporary Christian music, God loves all music and we are worshiping God.” Or they may quote one of the new religious leaders of today, like Rob Bell who wrote: “The moment God is figured out with nice neat lines and definitions, we are no longer dealing with God. We are dealing with somebody we made up.” (Velvet Elvis, Page 25). In another attempt to “keep God out of the box”, listen to what Rob Bell said in an article about him: The Bells started questioning their assumptions about the Bible itself – “discovering the Bible as a human product,” as Rob puts it, rather than the product of divine fiat. “The Bible is still in the center for us,” Rob says, “but it’s a different kind of center. We want to embrace mystery, rather than conquer it.”

I am not putting God in a box – God is very specific about the things He likes and dislikes and God is very specific about the methods that are to be used to reach people. God has clearly revealed Himself to mankind through His Word. Do we understand everything in the Bible and everything about God? No, we do not, but God has told us what we do need to know:

Joh 20:30-31 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: (31) But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

God has told us who He is, why He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, and what He expects of mankind. He is specific about what should be doing and He tells us how to worship Him.

2Co 6:14-18 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? (15) And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? (16) And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (17) Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, (18) And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

God tells us what He expects from us and He tells us who He is.

1Ti 3:15-16 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. (16) And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

Obviously, there are many more verses than this that tell us about God. But God is not a method of happiness. God is not a cure-all. God is not the means to stay out of hell. God does not need us. Think about it: before God created time, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit were together for an eternity past. God did not need something to love Him – He already had the Trinity.

Joh 17:24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

God is in a box, because God has told us about Himself, given us guidelines and structure and is not the author of confusion. When people accuse me of putting God in a box, it is because they wish to worship God they way they want to worship Him and make Him into whatever they want Him to be. That is Humanism disguised as Christianity! There is a church in Virginia called the Reality Church and the following is the banner on their home page:

“Doing the church thing doesn’t have to be boring! With a hot band, high-end multi-media, free Starbucks, Krispy Kreme, total acceptance, and great stuff for your kids in Adventure World each Sunday morning, you are bound to be amazed that this could actually be church.”

Note the first thing mentioned: “a hot band”, what is the focus here, God or man? Where is the preaching of God’s Word mentioned? Or the love for Jesus Christ? Or reaching out to the lost souls? “A hot band” points to fulfilling man’s desires rather than bringing glory to God! This nothing more than humanism!

Look at their stated beliefs: Our Values: You! You’re accepted for who you are…period. God! Our desire is to know him better and love him with all that we are. Being Real! No perfect people allowed. We enjoy people just being themselves. Community! God’s not about rules and rituals, just relationships…so are we. Our Community! Our goal is to serve the people of this city in ways that improve their quality of life. The Bible! The most fantastic book ever written…it’s got to be divine. “No perfect people allowed” the word “perfect” in the Bible does not mean flawless, but means mature. This same crowd also cries out that they cannot be judged, only God can judge. But the Bible clearly teaches that we are to discern things and actions and then decide what to do – that is the definition of judging. “God’s not about rules and rituals” again ignores what the Bible says. A saved person may no longer be under the Law, but being under grace actually requires more of a person. These types of guidelines from this church show that they view God as a means rather than an ends.

In some ways this church is an extreme example, sadly however, it is becoming typical. How about on a fundamental Baptist level. Do you, do I view God as a means to my desired end? When you pray, do you pray only when you need or want something from God? Or maybe you pray on a regular basis but only when trouble arises do your prayers become more fervent. Are you reading your Bible daily? How often do you read your Bible? Do you only read whatever the daily devotional said and then stop? Do you read your Bible only when you are in a troublesome time? When was the last time you prayed to God to give you wisdom before reading the Bible? When we only go to Him when we want some thing — that is humanism! How? Because we treat God like a divine butler, we need Him for the moment and dismiss Him when the crisis or want is met. We are trying to use Him as a genie. It is like we are saying to Him, “I need you right now, but when this over, I need you to back off a little.” When something comes up, what should our first action be? That we need to pray to God for wisdom and guidance. What is usually our first thought? “What am I going to do now? Or how can I fix this?” That is humanism, idolatry and using God as a means, and He receives zero glory from it. There is no glory for anyone based on human achievement or merit. God receives the glory when His Will is accomplished by obedient men and women of God.