Q: It seems like your days have been dark and God has forgotten you, but He hasn't..There are "brighter days" ahead of you... Declare today "brighter days" are here for me.
A: The song states that "I never knew I could be so happy." Remember, that happiness is based on what happens. That is why there is a word called unhappiness for when things don't go our way. The apostle Paul said he "learned the secret of being content in any and every situation (Phil 4:12)." My prayer is that we also learn to be content regardless of what our circumstances are. That only comes when we realize that God, in Christ, will "never leave us or forsake us" and that "God, who called us into fellowship with His Son, is faithful." There is no promise that life will work out the way we desire. The health, wealth and fruitful relationships expected by many are not promised by God. In fact, we are told to expect tribulation and suffering for being a Christian. The joy of our salvation comes from knowing that the Lord is with us in the midst of our circumstances and not to worry about tomorrow because it is not promised. This truth allows us to live above our circumstances. Amen!
Q: Jesus says your "thoughts" are not my "thoughts". What does that mean?
A: The Bible says that our "attitude" should be that of Christ Jesus and that we have the "mind" of Christ. Often times Christians tell each other that we need to be more "Christlike" or that we need to become "better" Christians. This is often a not so subtle way of trying to "be like God" and live a sinless life through the knowledge of good and evil. That is the same lie that Adam and Eve fell for in the Garden. Jesus said that He did nothing unless the Father told Him to do it. We are no different in that we should not do anything unless the Father tells us to do it. And He tells us what to through the indwelling Holy Spirit. The goal of the Christian life is to trust and depend on the indwelling Holy Spirit. As we discussed yesterday, renewing our mind has everything to do with discerning between the truth and the lie. It is what we believe about God and, specifically, Jesus Christ that motivates us each day. As we respond to the truth our thoughts and actions will follow.
Q: What does it mean to be "not" conformed to the world?
A: We do not conform to the world by becoming living sacrifices. A sacrifice is something that is surrendered or offered up to God. As living sacrifices we offer ourselves up to God by resting from our self-righteous works. It is not simply our behavior that is evidence of us not conforming to the world, but it is the attitude of our heart that is the evidence. As we submit to the leading of the indwelling Holy Spirit, He will renew our minds through helping us discern what scripture means. And it is in learning what scripture means that we discover all we have been given through faith in Christ. And as we discover all we have been given we are free to engage the world with what we have and not in expectation of what we hope to get from it. The unconditional love, acceptance and meaning and purpose to life found in Christ prevents us from searching for those things in the world. Because the world can only offer those things through sin.
Q: Is there a "difference" between being "spiritual" and having a relationship with Jesus Christ?
A: What is being Spiritual? In Christian circles being "spiritual" is often defined as going to church, participating in church programs, reciting some words on cue, singing songs and getting emotional. However, often times what people mistake for a relationship with Jesus Christ is actually a relationship with their church. As long as they are staying "busy" and in good graces with the leadership then they must be okay with the Lord. They may even be leaders themselves. But, as the Bible says, "they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge (Rom 10:2)." The devil could fill most of the roles we consider as being spiritual and any religion could give us something to "do for God." But, having a relationship with Christ has nothing to do with what you do for God or where you sit on Sunday morning or Wednesday evening. Your relationship with Jesus Christ has everything to do with understanding the Gospel, what you've been saved from and what you have in Christ.
Q: Is there such a thing as God giving you a "Soul Mate"? If not how does God want you to choose your Mate?
A: No, the concept of "soul mate" is not one found in the Bible. The only principle stated is to "not be unequally yoked" with unbelievers for obvious reasons. Yet, the Apostle Paul talks about staying single if at all possible to better serve the Lord. However, he also says if you can't resist the pull of intimacy to get married rather than "burn" with passion. And, if your spouse is not a believer, but doesn't want to separate, stay with them. Christians are free to choose whomever we decide to choose to marry. Just like Adam and Eve could eat from any tree in the garden, Christians are free to choose from any believer they desire. However, just because two people claim to be Christians doesn't mean they will get along. There are matters of personal taste, interests and even competing beliefs within the realm of Christianity that all must be weighed. Pray God will help you find a mate, but don't burden yourself with the thought that you must find the needle in the haystack.
Being single is not a punishment from God. There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1). While your circumstances, at times, may get you down, it is just the difficulty of living in this world. God is with you regardless of your marital status. There are plenty of couples living in misery and that is not God either. Trust me, God has and will use your circumstances to lead you into a deeper trust and dependent relationship with Him. You don't need to be married to experience God's love for you. As you already know.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Putting away the Sword
Q: Matthew 10:34 states that Jesus came not to bring peace but rather a sword and to set a man at variance against his father and to bring division to everyone. Why aren`t these words spoken of or preached anywhere? I look around and see countless families divided and sons killing fathers and mothers killing their children just as Jesus told was going to happen. Jesus was right when He said, you didn`t believe the prophets or Moses so why would you believe one that was risen from the dead? And also, when Jesus told Jerusalem that their house was desolate is that the way it is today? According to the prophets, the priest and pastors and all of Israel are desolate. Jeremiah 23, Ezekiel 13, Hosea 4 Malachi 2 am I to believe the prophets or man?
A: I don't know how many churches you have visited or teachers you have listened to that makes you say that Matthew 10:34 is not being preached anywhere. But, I would bet your experience can be traced to the growing trend towards compromise of biblical truth and political correctness we have in the world today. Much of the so-called Christian church and the world don't want to hear truth regarding Jesus Christ. Aside from this verse in Matthew what else did Jesus say that people don't want to hear. "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6)." Mention that faith in Jesus is the only way to get to Heaven and you will be rebuked and met with scorn. The world wants to hear things that support false beliefs like "all roads lead to heaven" and "all truth is God's truth." Your average person desires to be accepted by others and one of the quickest ways to do so is to compromise what they believe. I have heard it said that if you are not being attacked for your Christian beliefs, from the world, then you might not be telling the truth.
We shouldn't be surprised by people avoiding passages like these. Jesus said, "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own (John 15:18-19)." Mankind lives to maximize pleasure and minimize pain. Therefore, if preaching the truth about Jesus causes pain then many will not do it in order to be loved by the world. I have been called "close-minded" and that I see things too "black and white" because of my stand for the truth of the Word of God. But, honestly, it is an act of love to stand for the truth because for those lost and spiritually blind it may the only time they are exposed to Jesus Christ. Furthermore, something is either true or it isn't. The truth and reliability of the Bible all comes down to what you believe about Jesus Christ. He said He was God, lived a sinless life, died on the cross for the sins of the world and rose from the grave to offer the life of God to all who believe. If none of that is true than the whole of Scripture falls flat. But, we know it is true and if we don't preach it that says more about the faith of the individual than it does Jesus Christ. Remember this, "You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God (James 4:4)."
In Matthew 23:38, Jesus declared "Look, your house is left to you desolate." The disobedience of Israel to God is a constant theme throughout scripture. Often times it led to them being led into ruin. They were enslaved, not allowed to enter the promise land and been scattered across the world. Jesus' words here are a reiteration of what was said in the books 1 Kings and in Jeremiah. "I will cut off Israel from the land I have given them and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. Israel will then become a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples (1 Kings 9:7-8)." "But if you do not obey these commands, declares the LORD, I swear by myself that this palace will become a ruin (Jeremiah 22:5)." In both cases Israel was punished for not obeying God's commands. However, the biggest act of disobedience Israel committed is their unbelief in Jesus Christ. Their rejection of Jesus led to the salvation of the Gentiles as well as the death of Jesus Christ. There is no alternative for disobeying God than to suffer the consequences. God still loves Israel and is faithful to them despite all their disobedience. In many ways it is a picture of God's faithfulness to believers despite our struggles .
Obviously, you should listen to the prophets rather then men. But, more importantly you should listen to the Holy Spirit. Other than End Time events there is not any prophecy left to be fulfilled that hasn't been fulfilled in Christ. However, as Christians, we have the life of God indwelling us and it will lead us and guide us throughout our lives. The Bible refers to Christians as "Christ's ambassador's." We in effect are representing the Kingdom of God to a foreign world. With that in mind is it any wonder that the world hates us, doesn't want to hear the whole truth about Jesus, and that compromising churches and teachers want to be selective about what they teach and promote? "For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear (2 Timothy 4:3)." We can't reach the world with the Gospel if we don't preach it. And most Christians don't preach it because they don't know it. It is too easy to teach a false gospel that doesn't preach the uniqueness of Jesus Christ, is tolerant of sin and desires the acceptance of the world. Rejoice in the fact that you are aware of this and may I encourage you to be a light to the world and the Church.
A: I don't know how many churches you have visited or teachers you have listened to that makes you say that Matthew 10:34 is not being preached anywhere. But, I would bet your experience can be traced to the growing trend towards compromise of biblical truth and political correctness we have in the world today. Much of the so-called Christian church and the world don't want to hear truth regarding Jesus Christ. Aside from this verse in Matthew what else did Jesus say that people don't want to hear. "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6)." Mention that faith in Jesus is the only way to get to Heaven and you will be rebuked and met with scorn. The world wants to hear things that support false beliefs like "all roads lead to heaven" and "all truth is God's truth." Your average person desires to be accepted by others and one of the quickest ways to do so is to compromise what they believe. I have heard it said that if you are not being attacked for your Christian beliefs, from the world, then you might not be telling the truth.
We shouldn't be surprised by people avoiding passages like these. Jesus said, "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own (John 15:18-19)." Mankind lives to maximize pleasure and minimize pain. Therefore, if preaching the truth about Jesus causes pain then many will not do it in order to be loved by the world. I have been called "close-minded" and that I see things too "black and white" because of my stand for the truth of the Word of God. But, honestly, it is an act of love to stand for the truth because for those lost and spiritually blind it may the only time they are exposed to Jesus Christ. Furthermore, something is either true or it isn't. The truth and reliability of the Bible all comes down to what you believe about Jesus Christ. He said He was God, lived a sinless life, died on the cross for the sins of the world and rose from the grave to offer the life of God to all who believe. If none of that is true than the whole of Scripture falls flat. But, we know it is true and if we don't preach it that says more about the faith of the individual than it does Jesus Christ. Remember this, "You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God (James 4:4)."
In Matthew 23:38, Jesus declared "Look, your house is left to you desolate." The disobedience of Israel to God is a constant theme throughout scripture. Often times it led to them being led into ruin. They were enslaved, not allowed to enter the promise land and been scattered across the world. Jesus' words here are a reiteration of what was said in the books 1 Kings and in Jeremiah. "I will cut off Israel from the land I have given them and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. Israel will then become a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples (1 Kings 9:7-8)." "But if you do not obey these commands, declares the LORD, I swear by myself that this palace will become a ruin (Jeremiah 22:5)." In both cases Israel was punished for not obeying God's commands. However, the biggest act of disobedience Israel committed is their unbelief in Jesus Christ. Their rejection of Jesus led to the salvation of the Gentiles as well as the death of Jesus Christ. There is no alternative for disobeying God than to suffer the consequences. God still loves Israel and is faithful to them despite all their disobedience. In many ways it is a picture of God's faithfulness to believers despite our struggles .
Obviously, you should listen to the prophets rather then men. But, more importantly you should listen to the Holy Spirit. Other than End Time events there is not any prophecy left to be fulfilled that hasn't been fulfilled in Christ. However, as Christians, we have the life of God indwelling us and it will lead us and guide us throughout our lives. The Bible refers to Christians as "Christ's ambassador's." We in effect are representing the Kingdom of God to a foreign world. With that in mind is it any wonder that the world hates us, doesn't want to hear the whole truth about Jesus, and that compromising churches and teachers want to be selective about what they teach and promote? "For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear (2 Timothy 4:3)." We can't reach the world with the Gospel if we don't preach it. And most Christians don't preach it because they don't know it. It is too easy to teach a false gospel that doesn't preach the uniqueness of Jesus Christ, is tolerant of sin and desires the acceptance of the world. Rejoice in the fact that you are aware of this and may I encourage you to be a light to the world and the Church.
Friday, September 25, 2009
The Domino Effect
Q: What's your thought on the belief some people have that God allows trials sometimes as punishment for past sins or to break them from a current vice?
A: I guess I would ask those people how can they say that God punishes us for past sins and yet, at the same time, say there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus? It doesn't add up. Jesus took the entire penalty for sin and there is none left for us to take. Now, there is a passage in Hebrews (Heb 12:4-6) that some use, because of problems with translation, to say God punishes us for our sins. But, God's discipline is not the same as punishment. His discipline is preparation for the journey ahead of us, not punishment for a wrong committed. But, as you know, we are still subject to the outcomes of our sinful behavior and poor decisions, as well as those of others. That is not of God, but just a byproduct of living in this world. When things are going well it is easy to shout "Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!" from the mountaintops. But, turn things around and we can quickly start saying, "Why hast thou forsaken me?" We have to keep renewing our mind on the truth of who we are in Christ and realize that our right standing before God has nothing to do with our circumstances or our failures, but everything to do with Christ and His success on our behalf.
Have you ever noticed how quickly one bit of error can have a domino effect on everything else we say we believe? If God punishes us then there has to be a penalty for that punishment. What is it? The wages of sin is death. So, do we start eliminating ourselves and each other? We won't go that far, so we will institute other "sacrifices" like confession booths, altar calls, short accounts, rosary beads, 1 John 1:9, repetitive prayers and so on. All of these make the cross of no effect and minimize the severity of sin. The Bible talks about insulting the Spirit of grace. It is the failure to understand the once and for all sacrifice of Jesus that does the insulting. Is it any wonder so many Christians are living in fear (whether they acknowledge it or not)? That is why people talk about being "out of fellowship" with God, that He "turns His back" on us, that we can "lose our salvation," etc. There is no joy of salvation or experiencing God's love when you think He has His fist cocked at you waiting to "punish" you for every sin committed in your life. It is the fundamental misunderstanding of the forgiveness issue that has so many Christians focused on sin.
The major problem that arises when you believe that God is punishing you for your sin is that your entire focus becomes you and your attempts to rid yourself of the sin in your life. For the most part every religion, in one form or another, is designed to help you rid yourself from sin in an effort to reach up to God. The Bible tells us that the power of sin is the law. And what is religion if it isn't law? A friend of mine once said that "A religion is defined by the set of laws it imposes on its congregation." And with every set of laws there must be an equal amount of rewards and punishments for your obedience, or lack thereof, to those laws. How quickly we forget that God already had a system in place for us to try and live up to and to deal with sin. It was the Mosaic Law. And what was its purpose? To show us our sinfulness so we would turn to Christ by faith. Christ's death on the cross did away with sin for eternity so that, raised from the dead, He could indwell us. If our sins were still an issue then we would not have eternal life because every time we sinned that life would leave us.
Do we believe God when He says He "was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them (2 Corinthians 5:19)"? He is not counting our sins against us, but we seem to have no problem counting them against ourselves. Furthermore, the Bible tells us that, "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more." And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 10:17-18)." Our sins "have been" forgiven. The use of have been means that forgiveness is a past act. And there is no longer any sacrifice for sin. What does that say to the endless "sacrifices" we perform on a daily and weekly basis in order to get our sins forgiven? Besides, we know that "without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness (Hebrews 9:22)." All our attempts to get forgiven by God are not only unacceptable they don't even meet the requirement for forgiveness. The bottom line is that the sin issue is over between man and God. We can't be saved if it wasn't! God is not punishing you for sins He no longer counts against you. When we don't believe God everything else we believe will be incorrect. Correcting what we believe begins with understanding the truth about the forgiveness of sins.
A: I guess I would ask those people how can they say that God punishes us for past sins and yet, at the same time, say there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus? It doesn't add up. Jesus took the entire penalty for sin and there is none left for us to take. Now, there is a passage in Hebrews (Heb 12:4-6) that some use, because of problems with translation, to say God punishes us for our sins. But, God's discipline is not the same as punishment. His discipline is preparation for the journey ahead of us, not punishment for a wrong committed. But, as you know, we are still subject to the outcomes of our sinful behavior and poor decisions, as well as those of others. That is not of God, but just a byproduct of living in this world. When things are going well it is easy to shout "Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!" from the mountaintops. But, turn things around and we can quickly start saying, "Why hast thou forsaken me?" We have to keep renewing our mind on the truth of who we are in Christ and realize that our right standing before God has nothing to do with our circumstances or our failures, but everything to do with Christ and His success on our behalf.
Have you ever noticed how quickly one bit of error can have a domino effect on everything else we say we believe? If God punishes us then there has to be a penalty for that punishment. What is it? The wages of sin is death. So, do we start eliminating ourselves and each other? We won't go that far, so we will institute other "sacrifices" like confession booths, altar calls, short accounts, rosary beads, 1 John 1:9, repetitive prayers and so on. All of these make the cross of no effect and minimize the severity of sin. The Bible talks about insulting the Spirit of grace. It is the failure to understand the once and for all sacrifice of Jesus that does the insulting. Is it any wonder so many Christians are living in fear (whether they acknowledge it or not)? That is why people talk about being "out of fellowship" with God, that He "turns His back" on us, that we can "lose our salvation," etc. There is no joy of salvation or experiencing God's love when you think He has His fist cocked at you waiting to "punish" you for every sin committed in your life. It is the fundamental misunderstanding of the forgiveness issue that has so many Christians focused on sin.
The major problem that arises when you believe that God is punishing you for your sin is that your entire focus becomes you and your attempts to rid yourself of the sin in your life. For the most part every religion, in one form or another, is designed to help you rid yourself from sin in an effort to reach up to God. The Bible tells us that the power of sin is the law. And what is religion if it isn't law? A friend of mine once said that "A religion is defined by the set of laws it imposes on its congregation." And with every set of laws there must be an equal amount of rewards and punishments for your obedience, or lack thereof, to those laws. How quickly we forget that God already had a system in place for us to try and live up to and to deal with sin. It was the Mosaic Law. And what was its purpose? To show us our sinfulness so we would turn to Christ by faith. Christ's death on the cross did away with sin for eternity so that, raised from the dead, He could indwell us. If our sins were still an issue then we would not have eternal life because every time we sinned that life would leave us.
Do we believe God when He says He "was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them (2 Corinthians 5:19)"? He is not counting our sins against us, but we seem to have no problem counting them against ourselves. Furthermore, the Bible tells us that, "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more." And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 10:17-18)." Our sins "have been" forgiven. The use of have been means that forgiveness is a past act. And there is no longer any sacrifice for sin. What does that say to the endless "sacrifices" we perform on a daily and weekly basis in order to get our sins forgiven? Besides, we know that "without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness (Hebrews 9:22)." All our attempts to get forgiven by God are not only unacceptable they don't even meet the requirement for forgiveness. The bottom line is that the sin issue is over between man and God. We can't be saved if it wasn't! God is not punishing you for sins He no longer counts against you. When we don't believe God everything else we believe will be incorrect. Correcting what we believe begins with understanding the truth about the forgiveness of sins.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Bits of Grace
Maybe you can call them devotions, but I call them little bits of grace that make you think about our faith as Christians and question what we hold dear in hopes to bring us to a better understanding of who we are in Christ. Some are direct quotes of mine and some are combinations of things I've heard and read over time. I hope they help you out.
Are you a cultural Christian? People say, "I was born a Christian" or "I grew up in a Christian home." If Christianity is a habit more so than an encounter with Jesus Christ, you may want to test yourself. Otherwise, you might find yourself at the very throne of Christ at the very last judgment saying, "Lord Lord" and hear Him say, "away from me, I never knew you."
What is worship? To many it is going to church every time the doors are open and building their lives around the activities of that church. After all, God must be pleased with them for doing so, right? The Bible defines our "spiritual act of worship" as making ourselves "living sacrifices." When we make ourselves available to the Lord to live His life in and through us, that is true worship.
Welcome to the House of the Lord!" How many of us hear that every time we are in church as if the building we are in is the temple of God? The Bible says that God, "does not live in temples built by hands." It also says that Christians are the "temple of the Holy Spirit." We don't go to church. We are the Church and we go to the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
"There but for the grace of God, go I." This isn't a backhanded condemnation towards someone in trouble. It is not just a way to thank God we aren't in a bad situation. It is a recognition that we once were like a particular person or were headed in the same direction as that person. But, somewhere along that way we found Jesus Christ and recognize the opportunity to share Him with the individual we have encountered.
God helps those who help themselves." "Let go and let God." We repeat cliches like these everyday trying to encourage and comfort each other. While they're well meaning, they're vague and unbiblical. Defining there meaning is too often left up to the individual to determine. We need to rely on the truth of the Bible to comfort and encourage us. Remember, if truth sets us free then error puts us in bondage.
There are many Christians that say they love God, but live a life in total fear of Him. They believe themselves to be one sin away from damnation or separation from God. You can't love a God you are afraid of. As long as you believe God is not pleased with you and is always raising the bar of acceptance you will never experience His love or grow in your relationship with Him.
My reason for sharing these observations is because I believe there are people out there who can relate to the questions I have raised and the observations I have made. I know what it is like to not have questions answered or, worse, to be afraid to even ask them because of the response you may receive. In your normal religious or church environment what is being taught is supported and accepted by the masses regardless of whether it is true or not. And any questioning of the norm can be met with aggressiveness to the point that the individual asking the question can be deemed heretical. There is only one truth out there on nearly every subject related to our lives as Christians. God desires to reveal it to us all and He doesn't mind us asking questions in order to be sure of what we believe. In fact, He encourages it. "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world (1 John 4:1)." Be encouraged saints. It is okay to think and ask questions. It is the only way to grow.
Are you a cultural Christian? People say, "I was born a Christian" or "I grew up in a Christian home." If Christianity is a habit more so than an encounter with Jesus Christ, you may want to test yourself. Otherwise, you might find yourself at the very throne of Christ at the very last judgment saying, "Lord Lord" and hear Him say, "away from me, I never knew you."
What is worship? To many it is going to church every time the doors are open and building their lives around the activities of that church. After all, God must be pleased with them for doing so, right? The Bible defines our "spiritual act of worship" as making ourselves "living sacrifices." When we make ourselves available to the Lord to live His life in and through us, that is true worship.
Welcome to the House of the Lord!" How many of us hear that every time we are in church as if the building we are in is the temple of God? The Bible says that God, "does not live in temples built by hands." It also says that Christians are the "temple of the Holy Spirit." We don't go to church. We are the Church and we go to the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
"There but for the grace of God, go I." This isn't a backhanded condemnation towards someone in trouble. It is not just a way to thank God we aren't in a bad situation. It is a recognition that we once were like a particular person or were headed in the same direction as that person. But, somewhere along that way we found Jesus Christ and recognize the opportunity to share Him with the individual we have encountered.
God helps those who help themselves." "Let go and let God." We repeat cliches like these everyday trying to encourage and comfort each other. While they're well meaning, they're vague and unbiblical. Defining there meaning is too often left up to the individual to determine. We need to rely on the truth of the Bible to comfort and encourage us. Remember, if truth sets us free then error puts us in bondage.
There are many Christians that say they love God, but live a life in total fear of Him. They believe themselves to be one sin away from damnation or separation from God. You can't love a God you are afraid of. As long as you believe God is not pleased with you and is always raising the bar of acceptance you will never experience His love or grow in your relationship with Him.
My reason for sharing these observations is because I believe there are people out there who can relate to the questions I have raised and the observations I have made. I know what it is like to not have questions answered or, worse, to be afraid to even ask them because of the response you may receive. In your normal religious or church environment what is being taught is supported and accepted by the masses regardless of whether it is true or not. And any questioning of the norm can be met with aggressiveness to the point that the individual asking the question can be deemed heretical. There is only one truth out there on nearly every subject related to our lives as Christians. God desires to reveal it to us all and He doesn't mind us asking questions in order to be sure of what we believe. In fact, He encourages it. "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world (1 John 4:1)." Be encouraged saints. It is okay to think and ask questions. It is the only way to grow.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Am I Saved?
Q: Hi. I have desperate fears and ongoing anxiety over whether or not I truly am a Christian. I fear I have through unbelief fallen away from God. Saying `sorry` and then trying to believe never seems to last very long. I believe I have encountered God, indeed, I often preach and have held various leadership positions. But I feel no love for Jesus and I can`t say with certainty that I know I believe the gospel. I believe it`s all true, but so does the devil; my struggle is to put my trust in it. I fear I`m shallow soil; that my faith has only ever been spurious, and that I may be apostate. I cry out to God again and again, but not a lot is changing. Do you think that my being concerned over this is evidence that I am saved? Would someone who is shallow soil be afraid of apostatising? I`m terrified I might be apostate, but I can`t seem to be able to actually place my trust in Christ, either, try as I may. How can I learn to exercise faith, when I seem to fail every time I try? I want to believe, but I feel like I can`t; like it`s impossible for me. Sorry lots of questions. Thank you for your help.
A: Hello. I am sorry that you are so concerned about your salvation. Let me put your mind at ease by letting you know that many Christians have experienced what you are going through at this time. But, rest assured that the fact you are struggling with whether or not you are a Christian is evidence that you are a Christian. Early on in my Christian life I was struggling with the fact that I wasn't reading the Bible enough, that I still struggled with certain sinful desires and actions along with many other issues. But, I realized one thing. I didn't even care about these things prior to coming to faith in Christ and now that I was in Christ it only served to prove the Bible correct. "For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want (Galatians 5:17)." Therefore, what you are experiencing is a natural part of your growth in Christ. So, instead of struggling, rejoice that the indwelling Holy Spirit is at war with your sinful nature.
A good friend of mine recently reminded me that it's not the size of our faith or even our ability to exercise it but Who our faith is in that matters. I sincerely believe that you are struggling because you may not know the fullness of the Gospel. Somewhere along the way it would seem that you have been told that your salvation is up to you to either obtain or maintain through your self-effort. Jesus made it clear when He said, "For my yoke is easy and my burden is light (Matthew 11:30)." It doesn't sound like your yoke is easy or your burden is light. Why would Jesus say this to us? It is because most of the time we are taught as Christians that the goal of the Christian life is to stop sinning and/or our right standing in God's eyes is conditional on our ability to be obedient to certain rules, tenants or laws. Does this sound familiar to you? Nothing could be further from the truth. There is nothing encouraging about the idea that we have to live the Christian life and that we are to somehow be like God in order to enter into the Kingdom of God.
The reason Jesus said His yoke was easy and His burden is light is because He did everything for us. 1 Peter 3:18 says, "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God." Everything we try to obtain from God through our self-effort has been given to us as an act of faith because of what Jesus Christ did on our behalf. The reason you are feeling that you are "apostate," "cry out to God again and again," "never change" and are "terrified" is because your entire focus is on you. Has anyone ever told you that when God sees you He sees you as holy (Heb. 10:14), blameless (Col. 1:22), accepted (Rom. 15:7), righteous (2 Cor. 5:21), forgiven (Col. 2:13), sanctified (Heb. 10:10), justified (Rom. 3:23-24), free from condemnation (Rom. 8:1), at peace with Him (Rom. 5:1), have eternal life (1 John 5:11-13) and are His child (John 1:12-13)? How does reading this about yourself make you feel? If you don't know these truths ask yourself one question, "What is your understanding of the Gospel?"
For many Christians their understanding of the Gospel begins and ends with Jesus Christ's death on the cross for their sins. While this is part of the Gospel, it is incomplete. It is only half of the Gospel. And when you only know half the Gospel you are forced to fill in the gaps. And in most cases what we fill in the gaps with is religion which is centered around what you are doing for God and not on what God has done for you. When God created Adam He "breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being (Genesis 2:7)." But, before Adam had any children He sinned and what God promised would happen came to pass. "[Y]ou must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die (Genesis 2:17)." Adam died spiritually as God removed His life from Adam. Because of this, all mankind has been born into the world, in the image of Adam, spiritually dead to God in sin. Before God could restore His life to mankind He had to deal with the sin that caused that life to leave. Thus, you have the propitiating death of Jesus Christ. His death took away all our sins for eternity. That is why He said, "it is finished (John 19:30)." Now, through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, God is able to offer His life again, as a free gift, to all who place faith in Him. And because there is no sin that can cause that life to leave it is an eternal life. A life that will carry you through this life and on into eternity. This is summed up for us in Romans 5:8-10.
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!"
Remember that it is not the size of your faith that counts for anything, but the size of your God. The goal of the Christian life is to start trusting God. And the only way to trust God is to understand your identity in Christ. The more you realize the inheritance you have in Christ the more you will begin to see the changes in your life you so desperately want to experience. You cannot mature in your faith, approach God with confidence, or experience His love, if you are living in fear of Him. The Apostle Paul said two important things about the Christian life. First he said, "For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died (2 Corinthians 5:14)." Secondly, "To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me (Colossians 1:29)." You see what Paul's motivation was for the Christian life? The love of Christ he was experiencing and the indwelling life of Christ he was resting in.
If you are still struggling with your salvation my suggestion is that you take the time right now and nail down the fact that you are a born again child of God through faith in Jesus Christ. The following is a suggested prayer:
Lord Jesus, I need you. Thank you for dying on the cross for the forgiveness of my sins. Thank you for offering me Your life. I now ask You to come into my heart as my Lord and Savior. Take control of my life and make me into the new creation You want me to be. I now thank You for coming into my heart and giving me eternal life.
If you prayed this prayer, the living Christ has come to dwell within you forever and you have begun the great adventure for which you were created as a child of God. The next thing to do is to do a study on your identity in Christ. Go back and look up the verses I have mentioned and study them. You can know that God will never leave you and have assurance of your salvation. And keep in mind that religion is man's best effort to reach up to God, but Christ is God's only method to reach down to man in forgiveness and offer him true life. May God continue to reveal to you the blessings you already have in Christ.
A: Hello. I am sorry that you are so concerned about your salvation. Let me put your mind at ease by letting you know that many Christians have experienced what you are going through at this time. But, rest assured that the fact you are struggling with whether or not you are a Christian is evidence that you are a Christian. Early on in my Christian life I was struggling with the fact that I wasn't reading the Bible enough, that I still struggled with certain sinful desires and actions along with many other issues. But, I realized one thing. I didn't even care about these things prior to coming to faith in Christ and now that I was in Christ it only served to prove the Bible correct. "For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want (Galatians 5:17)." Therefore, what you are experiencing is a natural part of your growth in Christ. So, instead of struggling, rejoice that the indwelling Holy Spirit is at war with your sinful nature.
A good friend of mine recently reminded me that it's not the size of our faith or even our ability to exercise it but Who our faith is in that matters. I sincerely believe that you are struggling because you may not know the fullness of the Gospel. Somewhere along the way it would seem that you have been told that your salvation is up to you to either obtain or maintain through your self-effort. Jesus made it clear when He said, "For my yoke is easy and my burden is light (Matthew 11:30)." It doesn't sound like your yoke is easy or your burden is light. Why would Jesus say this to us? It is because most of the time we are taught as Christians that the goal of the Christian life is to stop sinning and/or our right standing in God's eyes is conditional on our ability to be obedient to certain rules, tenants or laws. Does this sound familiar to you? Nothing could be further from the truth. There is nothing encouraging about the idea that we have to live the Christian life and that we are to somehow be like God in order to enter into the Kingdom of God.
The reason Jesus said His yoke was easy and His burden is light is because He did everything for us. 1 Peter 3:18 says, "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God." Everything we try to obtain from God through our self-effort has been given to us as an act of faith because of what Jesus Christ did on our behalf. The reason you are feeling that you are "apostate," "cry out to God again and again," "never change" and are "terrified" is because your entire focus is on you. Has anyone ever told you that when God sees you He sees you as holy (Heb. 10:14), blameless (Col. 1:22), accepted (Rom. 15:7), righteous (2 Cor. 5:21), forgiven (Col. 2:13), sanctified (Heb. 10:10), justified (Rom. 3:23-24), free from condemnation (Rom. 8:1), at peace with Him (Rom. 5:1), have eternal life (1 John 5:11-13) and are His child (John 1:12-13)? How does reading this about yourself make you feel? If you don't know these truths ask yourself one question, "What is your understanding of the Gospel?"
For many Christians their understanding of the Gospel begins and ends with Jesus Christ's death on the cross for their sins. While this is part of the Gospel, it is incomplete. It is only half of the Gospel. And when you only know half the Gospel you are forced to fill in the gaps. And in most cases what we fill in the gaps with is religion which is centered around what you are doing for God and not on what God has done for you. When God created Adam He "breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being (Genesis 2:7)." But, before Adam had any children He sinned and what God promised would happen came to pass. "[Y]ou must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die (Genesis 2:17)." Adam died spiritually as God removed His life from Adam. Because of this, all mankind has been born into the world, in the image of Adam, spiritually dead to God in sin. Before God could restore His life to mankind He had to deal with the sin that caused that life to leave. Thus, you have the propitiating death of Jesus Christ. His death took away all our sins for eternity. That is why He said, "it is finished (John 19:30)." Now, through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, God is able to offer His life again, as a free gift, to all who place faith in Him. And because there is no sin that can cause that life to leave it is an eternal life. A life that will carry you through this life and on into eternity. This is summed up for us in Romans 5:8-10.
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!"
Remember that it is not the size of your faith that counts for anything, but the size of your God. The goal of the Christian life is to start trusting God. And the only way to trust God is to understand your identity in Christ. The more you realize the inheritance you have in Christ the more you will begin to see the changes in your life you so desperately want to experience. You cannot mature in your faith, approach God with confidence, or experience His love, if you are living in fear of Him. The Apostle Paul said two important things about the Christian life. First he said, "For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died (2 Corinthians 5:14)." Secondly, "To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me (Colossians 1:29)." You see what Paul's motivation was for the Christian life? The love of Christ he was experiencing and the indwelling life of Christ he was resting in.
If you are still struggling with your salvation my suggestion is that you take the time right now and nail down the fact that you are a born again child of God through faith in Jesus Christ. The following is a suggested prayer:
Lord Jesus, I need you. Thank you for dying on the cross for the forgiveness of my sins. Thank you for offering me Your life. I now ask You to come into my heart as my Lord and Savior. Take control of my life and make me into the new creation You want me to be. I now thank You for coming into my heart and giving me eternal life.
If you prayed this prayer, the living Christ has come to dwell within you forever and you have begun the great adventure for which you were created as a child of God. The next thing to do is to do a study on your identity in Christ. Go back and look up the verses I have mentioned and study them. You can know that God will never leave you and have assurance of your salvation. And keep in mind that religion is man's best effort to reach up to God, but Christ is God's only method to reach down to man in forgiveness and offer him true life. May God continue to reveal to you the blessings you already have in Christ.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
My Answer is ... September 19, 2009
Q: Sometimes when we go through trials and tribulation we just want Jesus to "Hold Us" in His arm to let us know that everything will be alright...if that is you just call on Jesus and say Father, "HOLD ME".
A: I don't like to think of it as "HOLD ME", but "IN ME." "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives IN ME (Gal 2:20)." "To this end I labor, struggling with all HIS ENERGY, which so powerfully works IN ME (Col 1:29)." The Christian life cannot be lived by us. It can only be lived through us by the indwelling Holy Spirit. Romans 7 is probably the greatest chapter on the Christian life. The Apostle Paul, who wrote two thirds of the New Covenant, admitted his struggle with sin. What was his conclusion? "Thanks be to God—THROUGH Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom 7:25)!" We don't live to be more "Christlike" or to be "better" Christians. We completely rest from our works of trying to be like God and allow God to live His life through us. Jesus doesn't hold me up in this life, He is my life. He is "able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy (Jd 1:24)." Now that's encouraging! All Him and none of me.
Q: What does it mean to have the "keys" to the kingdom of God?
A: The "keys to the Kingdom" were given to Peter, and the Apostles, more so than to believers in general. But, the Kingdom of God is within every believer in the form of the indwelling Holy Spirit. The "dominion" that the "King" resides in and rules over is our body. That is why Christians are called the Body of Christ and why our body is referred to as the "temple of the Holy Spirit." The access we have to God is due to the fact that Jesus' death on the cross purchased "eternal redemption (Heb. 9:12)," which took away our sins from the eyes of God forever. Our sins which once separated us from God are no longer an issue between He and us. "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Heb. 4:16)." We no longer need a key to unlock the door to God because we are already in His presence. We now have an inheritance at our disposal which can never be taken away. Do you believe this?
Q: What is God's will, and how do you know you are walking in it?
A: God's will is a description of the inheritance we have received as a result of the death of Jesus Christ. "[A] will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living (Heb.9:17)." Contrary to popular belief, the New Covenant began after the death of Jesus Christ, not at His birth. A will contains what a dead person desires to pass on to those who are still living. God's will is not about who we marry, where we live, what we eat, what job we have or what happens tomorrow. God's will is that we be thankful in all things, that all should come to repentance and that believers discover what it is He has given us through our faith in Christ. In Christ, we are redeemed, totally forgiven, totally sanctified, totally justified, at peace with God, have eternal life, are holy, blameless, righteous children of God. You know you are in God's will when you are engaging the world in accordance with what you have and not in hopes of what you wish to get.
Q: When we give our life to Christ, He then calls us "righteous"....What does that mean?
A: Being righteous means "without guilt or sin." Before a perfectly holy and righteous God we have no righteousness of our own. As Isaiah said, "all our righteous acts are like filthy rags (Isa 64:6)." Before Christ we stand guilty of ungodliness and are spiritually dead in sin. After coming to Christ we have His righteousness imputed to us as a free gift."For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God (1 Ptr 3:18)." There are only two kinds of righteousness, self-righteousness and God's righteousness. Which one do you want? All our good deeds and religious acts amount to nothing before God. It is only through our recognition that "There is no one righteous, not even one (Rom 3:10)," that we begin to understand the magnitude of what Jesus Christ did for us. It may be cliche', but it is true that "Jesus did for us what we could not do for ourselves." All we can do is live a life in thankfulness to Him for His selfless act of love.
Q: Why when 9 \ 11 comes we "act" like we are "unified" as a country but can't stand each other the rest of the 364 days of the year? Why is that?
A: 9/11 was an emotional event for the country and, specifically, for those directly effected by the attack. And emotional events can often bring people together as they focus on getting through difficult times. However, our emotions change by the moment. Therefore, the "unified" America we witnessed only lasted temporarily. Our emotions are governed by what we think. And what we think is governed by what we believe. And what we believe is driven by what we place faith in. And what people place faith in varies by the individual. Thus, you have the lack of a sustained unity amongst people. As a Christian, I have faith in Jesus Christ. He said He was God and this was validated by His death, burial and resurrection. And since He is God I am compelled to believe what He says about the world. Ultimately, unity comes when people agree at their foundations and that begins and ends with what they believe about God. And we can't love others until we realize how much God has loved us in Christ.
A: I don't like to think of it as "HOLD ME", but "IN ME." "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives IN ME (Gal 2:20)." "To this end I labor, struggling with all HIS ENERGY, which so powerfully works IN ME (Col 1:29)." The Christian life cannot be lived by us. It can only be lived through us by the indwelling Holy Spirit. Romans 7 is probably the greatest chapter on the Christian life. The Apostle Paul, who wrote two thirds of the New Covenant, admitted his struggle with sin. What was his conclusion? "Thanks be to God—THROUGH Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom 7:25)!" We don't live to be more "Christlike" or to be "better" Christians. We completely rest from our works of trying to be like God and allow God to live His life through us. Jesus doesn't hold me up in this life, He is my life. He is "able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy (Jd 1:24)." Now that's encouraging! All Him and none of me.
Q: What does it mean to have the "keys" to the kingdom of God?
A: The "keys to the Kingdom" were given to Peter, and the Apostles, more so than to believers in general. But, the Kingdom of God is within every believer in the form of the indwelling Holy Spirit. The "dominion" that the "King" resides in and rules over is our body. That is why Christians are called the Body of Christ and why our body is referred to as the "temple of the Holy Spirit." The access we have to God is due to the fact that Jesus' death on the cross purchased "eternal redemption (Heb. 9:12)," which took away our sins from the eyes of God forever. Our sins which once separated us from God are no longer an issue between He and us. "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Heb. 4:16)." We no longer need a key to unlock the door to God because we are already in His presence. We now have an inheritance at our disposal which can never be taken away. Do you believe this?
Q: What is God's will, and how do you know you are walking in it?
A: God's will is a description of the inheritance we have received as a result of the death of Jesus Christ. "[A] will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living (Heb.9:17)." Contrary to popular belief, the New Covenant began after the death of Jesus Christ, not at His birth. A will contains what a dead person desires to pass on to those who are still living. God's will is not about who we marry, where we live, what we eat, what job we have or what happens tomorrow. God's will is that we be thankful in all things, that all should come to repentance and that believers discover what it is He has given us through our faith in Christ. In Christ, we are redeemed, totally forgiven, totally sanctified, totally justified, at peace with God, have eternal life, are holy, blameless, righteous children of God. You know you are in God's will when you are engaging the world in accordance with what you have and not in hopes of what you wish to get.
Q: When we give our life to Christ, He then calls us "righteous"....What does that mean?
A: Being righteous means "without guilt or sin." Before a perfectly holy and righteous God we have no righteousness of our own. As Isaiah said, "all our righteous acts are like filthy rags (Isa 64:6)." Before Christ we stand guilty of ungodliness and are spiritually dead in sin. After coming to Christ we have His righteousness imputed to us as a free gift."For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God (1 Ptr 3:18)." There are only two kinds of righteousness, self-righteousness and God's righteousness. Which one do you want? All our good deeds and religious acts amount to nothing before God. It is only through our recognition that "There is no one righteous, not even one (Rom 3:10)," that we begin to understand the magnitude of what Jesus Christ did for us. It may be cliche', but it is true that "Jesus did for us what we could not do for ourselves." All we can do is live a life in thankfulness to Him for His selfless act of love.
Q: Why when 9 \ 11 comes we "act" like we are "unified" as a country but can't stand each other the rest of the 364 days of the year? Why is that?
A: 9/11 was an emotional event for the country and, specifically, for those directly effected by the attack. And emotional events can often bring people together as they focus on getting through difficult times. However, our emotions change by the moment. Therefore, the "unified" America we witnessed only lasted temporarily. Our emotions are governed by what we think. And what we think is governed by what we believe. And what we believe is driven by what we place faith in. And what people place faith in varies by the individual. Thus, you have the lack of a sustained unity amongst people. As a Christian, I have faith in Jesus Christ. He said He was God and this was validated by His death, burial and resurrection. And since He is God I am compelled to believe what He says about the world. Ultimately, unity comes when people agree at their foundations and that begins and ends with what they believe about God. And we can't love others until we realize how much God has loved us in Christ.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
God's Will for your Life!
One of the most commonly talked about subjects within the Body of Christ is God's will. Recently a friend of mine posed to a group of us a question about what is God's will and how we know we are walking in it? Here are a few of the responses.
"For me it is what my gut is telling me. If you have unwavering faith and ask that God's will be done, the Holy Spirit will make your paths clear. Your faith cannot be seasonal. God knows your heart. I believe God's will is much more than a piece of paper after you die." (sic)
"The "word" of God is the will of God for our lives, therefore if were are in obedience to the word we are walking the in the will of God." (sic)
"First, number 1, and most important is OBEDIENCE to His Word." (sic)
" You know you are walking in God's will when OTHERS can see God's word and the mind of Christ reflected in the everyday actions of YOUR life. You know because you are aware of God's presence and influence in all existence not just now, or since you were saved, or how it will shape your future, but where it has been throughout your lifetime and beyond. You know because you truly understand what it means to say, "God is good all the time..." and you are able to live life through God's peace and God's love. God's will is Love. God is Love." (sic)
Have you heard similar responses to the question of God's will as these? Perhaps, even you share similar beliefs as what has been said above. However, I suggest that these answers are so vague and open-ended one still is left wondering what is God's will? When I hear things like "obedience" to His Word, I want to ask, "What part of His Word?" Don't people understand that, in context, not everything written within the pages of scripture are for us or even to us. I know the Bible says "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16)." But, it also says, "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15)." In other words, if you don't take scripture in context you won't be able to teach, rebuke, correct and train others in righteousness.
Too often the subject of God's will is focused on what we desire for our lives. Therefore, we end up going in the wrong direction when it comes to discovering God's will. A key to discovering what God's will is can be found in the book of Hebrews.
"For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living." Hebrews 9"15-17
God's will is a description of the inheritance we have received as a result of the death of Jesus Christ. As the passage above states, "a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living (Heb.9:17)." Contrary to popular belief, the New Covenant began after the death of Jesus Christ, not at His birth. A will contains what a dead person desires to pass on to those who are still living. God's will is not about who we marry, where we live, what we eat, what job we have or what happens tomorrow. God's will is that we be thankful in all things, that all should come to repentance and that believers discover what it is He has given us through our faith in Christ. In Christ, we are redeemed, totally forgiven, totally sanctified, totally justified, at peace with God, have eternal life, are holy, blameless, righteous children of God. You know you are in God's will when you are engaging the world in accordance with what you have and not in hopes of what you wish to obtain.
Christians like to quote Hosea 4:6 which states, "my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge." While, in a general sense, what is said here can be applied to many situations, what often goes unmentioned is that this passage was written to Jews and not to Christians. But, even if we use this verse, I think those who quote it should realize that the knowledge Christian's lack is the knowledge of what we have in Christ. When we ask what is God's will for our lives, what we are really asking for is what is it that God is going to give me so I can prosper in this world? Thus, we spend our entire lives looking for the fleshly blessings of health and material gain. That is why you hear words like "obedience" thrown around so much. It is another way of making God's love and blessings conditional on our behavior. If you are "obedient," God will bless you. If you are "disobedient," God will curse you. That is not true this side of the Cross of Christ. Take a look at the following passages and then I want to ask a question.
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ." Ephesians 1:3
"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness." 2 Peter 1:3
The question is this: If God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ and given us everything we need for life and godliness, what more is there for you to get from Him? The greatest thing God ever gave any one of us is Himself! Unfortunately, many Christians fail to understand the eternal things that we have in Christ in order to pursue the temporal things offered by the world. It always amazes me how unbelievers seem to do just fine acquiring the things of the world apart from Christ, but Christians seek after the same things, supposedly, with God's help. As if His love and faithfulness to us is measured by how much success we have in the world or how much pain we avoid while in the world. Jesus said, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:19-21)." If Jesus told us to store up treasures in Heaven and not treasures on earth, then perhaps God's will has nothing to do with earthly things. Think on that the next time you the subject of God's will arises.
"For me it is what my gut is telling me. If you have unwavering faith and ask that God's will be done, the Holy Spirit will make your paths clear. Your faith cannot be seasonal. God knows your heart. I believe God's will is much more than a piece of paper after you die." (sic)
"The "word" of God is the will of God for our lives, therefore if were are in obedience to the word we are walking the in the will of God." (sic)
"First, number 1, and most important is OBEDIENCE to His Word." (sic)
" You know you are walking in God's will when OTHERS can see God's word and the mind of Christ reflected in the everyday actions of YOUR life. You know because you are aware of God's presence and influence in all existence not just now, or since you were saved, or how it will shape your future, but where it has been throughout your lifetime and beyond. You know because you truly understand what it means to say, "God is good all the time..." and you are able to live life through God's peace and God's love. God's will is Love. God is Love." (sic)
Have you heard similar responses to the question of God's will as these? Perhaps, even you share similar beliefs as what has been said above. However, I suggest that these answers are so vague and open-ended one still is left wondering what is God's will? When I hear things like "obedience" to His Word, I want to ask, "What part of His Word?" Don't people understand that, in context, not everything written within the pages of scripture are for us or even to us. I know the Bible says "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16)." But, it also says, "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15)." In other words, if you don't take scripture in context you won't be able to teach, rebuke, correct and train others in righteousness.
Too often the subject of God's will is focused on what we desire for our lives. Therefore, we end up going in the wrong direction when it comes to discovering God's will. A key to discovering what God's will is can be found in the book of Hebrews.
"For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living." Hebrews 9"15-17
God's will is a description of the inheritance we have received as a result of the death of Jesus Christ. As the passage above states, "a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living (Heb.9:17)." Contrary to popular belief, the New Covenant began after the death of Jesus Christ, not at His birth. A will contains what a dead person desires to pass on to those who are still living. God's will is not about who we marry, where we live, what we eat, what job we have or what happens tomorrow. God's will is that we be thankful in all things, that all should come to repentance and that believers discover what it is He has given us through our faith in Christ. In Christ, we are redeemed, totally forgiven, totally sanctified, totally justified, at peace with God, have eternal life, are holy, blameless, righteous children of God. You know you are in God's will when you are engaging the world in accordance with what you have and not in hopes of what you wish to obtain.
Christians like to quote Hosea 4:6 which states, "my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge." While, in a general sense, what is said here can be applied to many situations, what often goes unmentioned is that this passage was written to Jews and not to Christians. But, even if we use this verse, I think those who quote it should realize that the knowledge Christian's lack is the knowledge of what we have in Christ. When we ask what is God's will for our lives, what we are really asking for is what is it that God is going to give me so I can prosper in this world? Thus, we spend our entire lives looking for the fleshly blessings of health and material gain. That is why you hear words like "obedience" thrown around so much. It is another way of making God's love and blessings conditional on our behavior. If you are "obedient," God will bless you. If you are "disobedient," God will curse you. That is not true this side of the Cross of Christ. Take a look at the following passages and then I want to ask a question.
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ." Ephesians 1:3
"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness." 2 Peter 1:3
The question is this: If God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ and given us everything we need for life and godliness, what more is there for you to get from Him? The greatest thing God ever gave any one of us is Himself! Unfortunately, many Christians fail to understand the eternal things that we have in Christ in order to pursue the temporal things offered by the world. It always amazes me how unbelievers seem to do just fine acquiring the things of the world apart from Christ, but Christians seek after the same things, supposedly, with God's help. As if His love and faithfulness to us is measured by how much success we have in the world or how much pain we avoid while in the world. Jesus said, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:19-21)." If Jesus told us to store up treasures in Heaven and not treasures on earth, then perhaps God's will has nothing to do with earthly things. Think on that the next time you the subject of God's will arises.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
In Defense of Marriage
Q: Someone asked me why Christians want to make homosexual marriage illegal but aren't trying to make marriage between Christians and non-Christians illegal. He said that since the Bible is against both types of marriages and Christians only focus on homosexual marriage, it is obvious that they are doing this only out of prejudice against gay people. What is a good answer to this?
A: I don't accept the premise of the question. Christians are not trying to make homosexual marriage illegal. Christians are trying keep the legal definition of marriage as the union of a man and woman as husband and wife. In fact, the term "homosexual marriage" is a contradiction in terms. Since the individual who asked you the question is using the Bible as their standard then we are free to turn to the pages of Scripture to disprove their reasoning. "The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman,' for she was taken out of man." For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh (Genesis 2:23-24)." It is clear that man becomes united with woman in marriage. Furthermore, the Bible's thoughts on homosexuality are clear. "Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable (Leviticus 18:22)." Therefore, to equate a detestable sex act between two individuals of the same sex with marriage, designated for the union between a man and woman, is not supported by the Bible.
In 2 Corinthians 6:14 we read, "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?" If the individual who asked you this question knew anything about Christian doctrine they would know that this passage is a common sense directive to Christians not to have close fellowship or ties with unbelievers. This is because a Christian and a non-Christian do not have anything in common at their core. A believer is righteous and spiritually alive to God. Whereas an unbeliever is wicked and spiritually dead to God in sin. However, we still have to have some contact with unbelievers in order to be a witness to them for the Lord. Normally, if you are in fellowship with an unbeliever, especially if you marry one, it is kind of difficult to tell them they need salvation in Christ when you are probably engaging in similar activities or agreeing with them in much of what they believe. However, there is more the Bible says about marrying an unbeliever.
Christians, because of their freedom in Christ, are allowed to marry unbelievers. However, they can't blame God if their marriage suffers because of the fundamental differences that will no doubt arise. But, we must remember that marriage is the union between man and woman. There is no designation that only two Christians can get married. The Apostle Paul even had something to say about a Christian and non-Christian being married. " If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him (1 Corinthians 7:12-13)." One could easily make the argument that the sin would be to divorce your spouse because of their unbelief, especially if they are comfortable with your faith. That flies in the face of someone saying that the "Bible is against both types of marriages." Not only is there no such thing as homosexual marriage, the Bible doesn't condemn the marriage between a believer and an unbeliever. The issue is not one of Christian prejudice towards homosexuals, it is one of Christians standing for the true definition of marriage and not compromising it in order to condone sexual sin.
I doubt whether the person who asked you this question is really interested in the truth. Most likely they are more interested in trying to plant a seed of doubt in your faith by what they presume to be a contradiction in the scriptures, or at the very least, a hypocritical stance by Christians towards homosexual marriage. The Bible says that people like this "are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts (Ephesians 4:18)." In other words, they don't know the truth because they are lost. They don't know Jesus Christ as their Savior. Next time someone asks you a similar question like this ask them what evidence they are willing to accept to be persuaded of the biblical view of marriage? Their response will let you know whether they are seeking the truth or just an opportunity to argue. We are told to avoid "godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly (2 Timothy 2:16)." Homosexuality is a sin and marriage is not sinful. "Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate (Mark 10:9)." Be blessed.
A: I don't accept the premise of the question. Christians are not trying to make homosexual marriage illegal. Christians are trying keep the legal definition of marriage as the union of a man and woman as husband and wife. In fact, the term "homosexual marriage" is a contradiction in terms. Since the individual who asked you the question is using the Bible as their standard then we are free to turn to the pages of Scripture to disprove their reasoning. "The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman,' for she was taken out of man." For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh (Genesis 2:23-24)." It is clear that man becomes united with woman in marriage. Furthermore, the Bible's thoughts on homosexuality are clear. "Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable (Leviticus 18:22)." Therefore, to equate a detestable sex act between two individuals of the same sex with marriage, designated for the union between a man and woman, is not supported by the Bible.
In 2 Corinthians 6:14 we read, "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?" If the individual who asked you this question knew anything about Christian doctrine they would know that this passage is a common sense directive to Christians not to have close fellowship or ties with unbelievers. This is because a Christian and a non-Christian do not have anything in common at their core. A believer is righteous and spiritually alive to God. Whereas an unbeliever is wicked and spiritually dead to God in sin. However, we still have to have some contact with unbelievers in order to be a witness to them for the Lord. Normally, if you are in fellowship with an unbeliever, especially if you marry one, it is kind of difficult to tell them they need salvation in Christ when you are probably engaging in similar activities or agreeing with them in much of what they believe. However, there is more the Bible says about marrying an unbeliever.
Christians, because of their freedom in Christ, are allowed to marry unbelievers. However, they can't blame God if their marriage suffers because of the fundamental differences that will no doubt arise. But, we must remember that marriage is the union between man and woman. There is no designation that only two Christians can get married. The Apostle Paul even had something to say about a Christian and non-Christian being married. " If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him (1 Corinthians 7:12-13)." One could easily make the argument that the sin would be to divorce your spouse because of their unbelief, especially if they are comfortable with your faith. That flies in the face of someone saying that the "Bible is against both types of marriages." Not only is there no such thing as homosexual marriage, the Bible doesn't condemn the marriage between a believer and an unbeliever. The issue is not one of Christian prejudice towards homosexuals, it is one of Christians standing for the true definition of marriage and not compromising it in order to condone sexual sin.
I doubt whether the person who asked you this question is really interested in the truth. Most likely they are more interested in trying to plant a seed of doubt in your faith by what they presume to be a contradiction in the scriptures, or at the very least, a hypocritical stance by Christians towards homosexual marriage. The Bible says that people like this "are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts (Ephesians 4:18)." In other words, they don't know the truth because they are lost. They don't know Jesus Christ as their Savior. Next time someone asks you a similar question like this ask them what evidence they are willing to accept to be persuaded of the biblical view of marriage? Their response will let you know whether they are seeking the truth or just an opportunity to argue. We are told to avoid "godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly (2 Timothy 2:16)." Homosexuality is a sin and marriage is not sinful. "Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate (Mark 10:9)." Be blessed.
Friday, September 11, 2009
My Answer is ... September 11, 2009
Q: ALL GONE"...Your past sins, Your fears, Your past Hurts, Your Past mistakes, Your insecurities are "ALL GONE"....remind the devil it's "ALL GONE"
A: God promised: ""For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more (Jer. 31:34)." Jesus Christ fulfilled: "When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit (Jn 19:30)." We are reconciled: "...that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them (2 Cor 5:19)." Your past, present and future sins are gone. You are holy and blameless in the site of God. That truth alone should remind you of how much God loves you. In turn, that love should take away your fear because God is not counting your past hurts and mistakes. That leads to taking away your insecurities. If God is over your past, you now have the ability, in Him, to get over it as well. You can't change your past, you can only relieve yourself of the burden of trying to change it and expecting those who hurt you to pay you back. We don't owe God. Now we can release those who owe us. "It's ALL GONE!"
Q: Why is it important for Christians not to "speak" negative words over yourself?
A: It is funny how people in general, not only Christians, will say things about themselves that they wouldn't tolerate others saying about them. Our words don't create our reality. Our words are a reflection of what we believe about ourselves and our reality. What Christians need is a proper self-image about themselves. And that begins and ends with our identity in Christ. We need to see ourselves through God's eyes not through our eyes or our circumstances. We must ask ourselves, do we believe what God says about us? God says we are forgiven, holy, blameless, sanctified, justified, seated in the heavenlies, clothed with Christ, have eternal life, cleansed, reconciled to God, redeemed, righteous, at peace with God, perfect, in fellowship with God, made complete, have total access to God, given everything and much more. Do you believe this? Cementing these truths in your mind allows you to live above your circumstances and speak the truth about yourself from God's perspective. Amen!
Q: What does the word "Christian" mean?
A: That's the $64,000 question. Today, unfortunately, the term Christian has been hijacked to mean someone who belongs to, and follows the tenants of, a particular denomination. However, there are no Catholics, Protestants, Baptists, etc in Heaven. Jesus didn't come to this earth to start a religion. He came to get God out of Heaven and back into mankind. Mankind was created to be indwelt and directed internally by God Himself. A Christian is a child of God. "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God (Jn 1:12)." I am not a follower of Jesus Christ. I am not behind Him walking in His footsteps. I am led from within by the indwelling Holy Spirit. I have the very life of God inside of me, leading me and guiding me through life. I am set apart from the world to be a light to the world so that Christ can live His life through me. A Christian is an ambassador of Christ, a sheepdog leading the lost back to the Shepherd! Amen!
Q: Jesus says when you are "weak" I'm strong..Does this mean the we (Christan's) are "weak"?
A: Christians are weak. Weak in the flesh. Paul said, "That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong (1 Cor. 12:10)." Despite popular belief, we cannot live the Christian life. No matter how hard we try, no matter what steps we take, despite rededicating ourselves ad nauseum to trying to be "more Christlike" we cannot do it. And, God never expected us to. If we could we would be God and there would have been no need for Christ to come. Paul said his righteous works were "dung" compared to knowing Christ (Phil 3:8). Said the things he wanted to do he could not do because of sin living in him (Rom. 7:20). We are no different and are fooling ourselves if we think we are. Our weakness should make us thankful because it is a constant reminder of just how much God, in Christ, has loved us. We cannot live the Christian life. Only Jesus can and did. Now, let Him live it through you.
Q: Why does God "pursue" you?
A: The Bible says, "God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us (Acts 17:27)." God doesn't so much pursue us as much as we "pursue" Him. God has given us the light of Creation (Romans 1), the light of our conscience (Romans 2) and the light of Christ (Romans 3) in order to draw us to Himself. In fact, Jesus said, "But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself (Jn 12:32)." We are told that mankind suppresses the truth when it comes to acknowledging God. His righteous requirements are written on our hearts. And that when compared to Jesus Christ no man is good. God did all this to show us that we are dead in sin so that we would turn to Christ and receive forgiveness and life in Him. Our failed attempts to "be like God" through a lifetime dedicated to works strips us of our pride so we will come to the end of ourselves and acknowledge that apart from Jesus "we can do nothing(Jn 15:5)."
A: God promised: ""For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more (Jer. 31:34)." Jesus Christ fulfilled: "When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit (Jn 19:30)." We are reconciled: "...that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them (2 Cor 5:19)." Your past, present and future sins are gone. You are holy and blameless in the site of God. That truth alone should remind you of how much God loves you. In turn, that love should take away your fear because God is not counting your past hurts and mistakes. That leads to taking away your insecurities. If God is over your past, you now have the ability, in Him, to get over it as well. You can't change your past, you can only relieve yourself of the burden of trying to change it and expecting those who hurt you to pay you back. We don't owe God. Now we can release those who owe us. "It's ALL GONE!"
Q: Why is it important for Christians not to "speak" negative words over yourself?
A: It is funny how people in general, not only Christians, will say things about themselves that they wouldn't tolerate others saying about them. Our words don't create our reality. Our words are a reflection of what we believe about ourselves and our reality. What Christians need is a proper self-image about themselves. And that begins and ends with our identity in Christ. We need to see ourselves through God's eyes not through our eyes or our circumstances. We must ask ourselves, do we believe what God says about us? God says we are forgiven, holy, blameless, sanctified, justified, seated in the heavenlies, clothed with Christ, have eternal life, cleansed, reconciled to God, redeemed, righteous, at peace with God, perfect, in fellowship with God, made complete, have total access to God, given everything and much more. Do you believe this? Cementing these truths in your mind allows you to live above your circumstances and speak the truth about yourself from God's perspective. Amen!
Q: What does the word "Christian" mean?
A: That's the $64,000 question. Today, unfortunately, the term Christian has been hijacked to mean someone who belongs to, and follows the tenants of, a particular denomination. However, there are no Catholics, Protestants, Baptists, etc in Heaven. Jesus didn't come to this earth to start a religion. He came to get God out of Heaven and back into mankind. Mankind was created to be indwelt and directed internally by God Himself. A Christian is a child of God. "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God (Jn 1:12)." I am not a follower of Jesus Christ. I am not behind Him walking in His footsteps. I am led from within by the indwelling Holy Spirit. I have the very life of God inside of me, leading me and guiding me through life. I am set apart from the world to be a light to the world so that Christ can live His life through me. A Christian is an ambassador of Christ, a sheepdog leading the lost back to the Shepherd! Amen!
Q: Jesus says when you are "weak" I'm strong..Does this mean the we (Christan's) are "weak"?
A: Christians are weak. Weak in the flesh. Paul said, "That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong (1 Cor. 12:10)." Despite popular belief, we cannot live the Christian life. No matter how hard we try, no matter what steps we take, despite rededicating ourselves ad nauseum to trying to be "more Christlike" we cannot do it. And, God never expected us to. If we could we would be God and there would have been no need for Christ to come. Paul said his righteous works were "dung" compared to knowing Christ (Phil 3:8). Said the things he wanted to do he could not do because of sin living in him (Rom. 7:20). We are no different and are fooling ourselves if we think we are. Our weakness should make us thankful because it is a constant reminder of just how much God, in Christ, has loved us. We cannot live the Christian life. Only Jesus can and did. Now, let Him live it through you.
Q: Why does God "pursue" you?
A: The Bible says, "God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us (Acts 17:27)." God doesn't so much pursue us as much as we "pursue" Him. God has given us the light of Creation (Romans 1), the light of our conscience (Romans 2) and the light of Christ (Romans 3) in order to draw us to Himself. In fact, Jesus said, "But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself (Jn 12:32)." We are told that mankind suppresses the truth when it comes to acknowledging God. His righteous requirements are written on our hearts. And that when compared to Jesus Christ no man is good. God did all this to show us that we are dead in sin so that we would turn to Christ and receive forgiveness and life in Him. Our failed attempts to "be like God" through a lifetime dedicated to works strips us of our pride so we will come to the end of ourselves and acknowledge that apart from Jesus "we can do nothing(Jn 15:5)."
Monday, September 7, 2009
1-900-Christian Psychic
I couldn't tell you how many people say they've experienced someone "prophesy" over them at one point or another during a church service. In my opinion, this is just another way of promoting Christian "psychics." And we all know the scams behind the psychics attached to the 900 numbers we see advertised on television. Why we seem to think that we can have our futures revealed simply because a pastor or fellow Christian does it is beyond me. How is this any different than pagan practices like palm reading, tarot cards or gazing into a crystal ball? It is not! We seem to turn off our spiritual discernment in hopes that some so-called pastor will reveal our future for us. Just last night a friend of mine wrote the following regarding her experiencing regarding "prophesy":
"...it is important to remember that when prophetic words have been spoke over our lives & have not come to pass it is only because it was\is not the season. Wait on God! Just because it hasn't happened does not mean they were not true. Sometimes we can cancel what God has promised us because of our unbelief."
If "prophetic words" don't come true that means the prophecy was false. Since when does the outcome of a prophecy depend on the individual named in the prophecy believing in it? How convenient for the prophet to blame the person they prophesied about for the prophecy not coming true. Deuteronomy 18:22 says, "If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken." So, if what someone predicts about your life doesn't come true they are the ones who should not be listened to. They are making God out to be a liar through their false prophecies. Furthermore, when someone states the prophecy didn't come true because of the unbelief of the individual condemnation is sure to follow.
The Bible is clear that "there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1)." If this is true, then what is the first thing that happens if you believe you were the reason behind a prophecy not coming true? Condemnation. Error leads to error. Besides, how does one know that they are exercising prophecy fulfilling faith? You can't! Then the individual gets all sidetracked in wondering what they did wrong, but can't put there finger on it. Was it some sin I committed? Maybe it was something I didn't do? And so on and so forth. The bottom line in all this error is that the focus is on the individual and not on God. First, when you are expecting God to fulfill a prophecy that means you are desiring for God to bless your flesh through something in the world. Secondly, it is a sign that you do not know the blessings you already have in Christ.
The letter to the Ephesians tells us that it is God "who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1:3)." We have every spiritual blessing, yet the false hope of prophecy is the promised fleshly blessings we may receive. Most times what people are expecting from God or believing on Him for is for things like physical healing, restored relationships, long life, material possessions, financial windfall, etc. And this is what leads to the problem with prophecy. We have every "spiritual blessing" in Christ. Therefore, if we are expecting physical blessings it is evidence that we are expecting something from God He didn't promise to give. God knows what we need to make it in this world and His Word says that "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3)." If you have every spiritual blessing and been given everything for life and godliness, what more are you expecting from God that He hasn't already given to you in His Son?
Stop desiring things you don't have and recognize all that you do have because of your faith.
"...it is important to remember that when prophetic words have been spoke over our lives & have not come to pass it is only because it was\is not the season. Wait on God! Just because it hasn't happened does not mean they were not true. Sometimes we can cancel what God has promised us because of our unbelief."
If "prophetic words" don't come true that means the prophecy was false. Since when does the outcome of a prophecy depend on the individual named in the prophecy believing in it? How convenient for the prophet to blame the person they prophesied about for the prophecy not coming true. Deuteronomy 18:22 says, "If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken." So, if what someone predicts about your life doesn't come true they are the ones who should not be listened to. They are making God out to be a liar through their false prophecies. Furthermore, when someone states the prophecy didn't come true because of the unbelief of the individual condemnation is sure to follow.
The Bible is clear that "there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1)." If this is true, then what is the first thing that happens if you believe you were the reason behind a prophecy not coming true? Condemnation. Error leads to error. Besides, how does one know that they are exercising prophecy fulfilling faith? You can't! Then the individual gets all sidetracked in wondering what they did wrong, but can't put there finger on it. Was it some sin I committed? Maybe it was something I didn't do? And so on and so forth. The bottom line in all this error is that the focus is on the individual and not on God. First, when you are expecting God to fulfill a prophecy that means you are desiring for God to bless your flesh through something in the world. Secondly, it is a sign that you do not know the blessings you already have in Christ.
The letter to the Ephesians tells us that it is God "who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1:3)." We have every spiritual blessing, yet the false hope of prophecy is the promised fleshly blessings we may receive. Most times what people are expecting from God or believing on Him for is for things like physical healing, restored relationships, long life, material possessions, financial windfall, etc. And this is what leads to the problem with prophecy. We have every "spiritual blessing" in Christ. Therefore, if we are expecting physical blessings it is evidence that we are expecting something from God He didn't promise to give. God knows what we need to make it in this world and His Word says that "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3)." If you have every spiritual blessing and been given everything for life and godliness, what more are you expecting from God that He hasn't already given to you in His Son?
Stop desiring things you don't have and recognize all that you do have because of your faith.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Feel Grief and then Move On
Q: I was in a ministry where God was using me for 2 years. I felt Him tell me move on and I have left this ministry. Is it normal to feel some grief when God closes a door?
A: I believe it is human nature to feel some form of grief when we leave an environment we enjoy. That is the case whether it is a ministry we are involved in, a job we have worked at, a living situation that comes to an end or a variety of enjoyable circumstances we experience in life. Many of us don't like change, but change is the only thing that continues to happen in our lives. When the Apostle Paul was getting set to leave Caesarea the brothers and sisters in Christ pleaded with him not to go because they new he was headed for his death. Paul responded to them by asking, "Why are you weeping and breaking my heart (Acts 21:13)?" Obviously, Paul felt some grief with the knowledge that his time with the brethren was coming to an end. But, with anything in life we are secure in the knowledge that God is with us wherever we may go.
The definition of grief is "a cause or occasion of keen distress or sorrow." Why would you feel distress or sorrow when something comes to an end? It is because you enjoy what you are doing. You said God was using you for two years. Now, you feel He is leading you in a different direction. I would suggest that you not focus on what you are leaving behind, and how it makes you feel, but on what lies ahead of you in your walk with the Lord. Remember, "we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10)." The work we do, and may I add whether we enjoy it or not, is the work of the Lord. God will use us when and where He sees fit to use us. Our responsibility is to be available to Him to use us when the opportunity arises. Be thankful that you were being used by God. I believe there are many times that we may not know God has used us. I only say this because the fruit we bear is not our fruit, but the Lord producing it through us. And the fruit we bear is not for us, but for those we come in contact with on a daily basis. We may not even know that someone partook of the fruit we bore for Christ.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23)." Any time we bear these fruits of the Lord is a time when God is using us. This can take place at any time, not just those times we are involved in ministry efforts. How many times a day do we have an opportunity to love someone, be patient, be kind or exhibit self-control? These opportunities can arise at any moment of the day in any circumstance. A wise man once said that "we cannot show the love of God towards others unless they are sinning against us." In other words, the best chance to be loving, patient, kind and under control is when someone else is not being loving, patient, kind and under control towards us. The fruit of the Spirit is the fruit of the Spirit. It is not our fruit. It can only be expressed by God through us.
It is normal to be grieved by having to move on from a ministry that we enjoyed. Take heart in the fact that you believe God is telling you to move on. I pray that you become confident in one thing as you move on in your walk with God. "He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant (2 Corinthians 3:6)." Our true ministry is not a particular place in life where we feel we are being used by God. Our true ministry is our lives, in general, because we are ministers of the new covenant. Our mission field is everywhere we are located at a given moment. If we are somewhere the Lord is there with us. Jesus said to "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19)." In other words, it doesn't matter where you go, just go! That is the great thing about being in Christ. He is where we are. And where we are is where He can use us to be a witness for Him and the Gospel. Be blessed.
A: I believe it is human nature to feel some form of grief when we leave an environment we enjoy. That is the case whether it is a ministry we are involved in, a job we have worked at, a living situation that comes to an end or a variety of enjoyable circumstances we experience in life. Many of us don't like change, but change is the only thing that continues to happen in our lives. When the Apostle Paul was getting set to leave Caesarea the brothers and sisters in Christ pleaded with him not to go because they new he was headed for his death. Paul responded to them by asking, "Why are you weeping and breaking my heart (Acts 21:13)?" Obviously, Paul felt some grief with the knowledge that his time with the brethren was coming to an end. But, with anything in life we are secure in the knowledge that God is with us wherever we may go.
The definition of grief is "a cause or occasion of keen distress or sorrow." Why would you feel distress or sorrow when something comes to an end? It is because you enjoy what you are doing. You said God was using you for two years. Now, you feel He is leading you in a different direction. I would suggest that you not focus on what you are leaving behind, and how it makes you feel, but on what lies ahead of you in your walk with the Lord. Remember, "we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10)." The work we do, and may I add whether we enjoy it or not, is the work of the Lord. God will use us when and where He sees fit to use us. Our responsibility is to be available to Him to use us when the opportunity arises. Be thankful that you were being used by God. I believe there are many times that we may not know God has used us. I only say this because the fruit we bear is not our fruit, but the Lord producing it through us. And the fruit we bear is not for us, but for those we come in contact with on a daily basis. We may not even know that someone partook of the fruit we bore for Christ.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23)." Any time we bear these fruits of the Lord is a time when God is using us. This can take place at any time, not just those times we are involved in ministry efforts. How many times a day do we have an opportunity to love someone, be patient, be kind or exhibit self-control? These opportunities can arise at any moment of the day in any circumstance. A wise man once said that "we cannot show the love of God towards others unless they are sinning against us." In other words, the best chance to be loving, patient, kind and under control is when someone else is not being loving, patient, kind and under control towards us. The fruit of the Spirit is the fruit of the Spirit. It is not our fruit. It can only be expressed by God through us.
It is normal to be grieved by having to move on from a ministry that we enjoyed. Take heart in the fact that you believe God is telling you to move on. I pray that you become confident in one thing as you move on in your walk with God. "He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant (2 Corinthians 3:6)." Our true ministry is not a particular place in life where we feel we are being used by God. Our true ministry is our lives, in general, because we are ministers of the new covenant. Our mission field is everywhere we are located at a given moment. If we are somewhere the Lord is there with us. Jesus said to "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19)." In other words, it doesn't matter where you go, just go! That is the great thing about being in Christ. He is where we are. And where we are is where He can use us to be a witness for Him and the Gospel. Be blessed.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Working on the Sabbath
Q: If my intent is to take on a part-time job to pay off some debt, but requires me to work on weekends, does it say somewhere in the bible that I shouldn`t take the job being that the job requires me working on the Sabbath day?
A: You are not going to find a passage in the Bible that is going to tell you what to do about working a part-time job on the Sabbath. However, what you will find in the Bible, specifically in the New Covenant, is that "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is constructive (1 Corinthians 10:23)." Why is everything permissible? Because "you are not under law, but under grace (Romans 6:14)." If you are in debt and need to make extra money in order to get out from under that debt, I don't want you to think that you are in violation of God's law for trying to improve your financial situation. If you think about it, what you are actually asking is if God will punish you for working on the Sabbath? Christians are not obligated to observe the Mosaic Law, much less observe the Sabbath. For Christians, the Sabbath is not a day of the week to rest from our work, but a daily rest from trying to obtain or maintain our right standing before God by what we do.
The dilemma you are facing seems to be one of what type of anxiety are you willing to choose? On one hand you are faced with the very real prospect of continued financial burden because you will not have the income from the part-time job to pay down your debt due to your concern about working on the Sabbath. Yet, on the other hand, you are faced with the fear that you are sinning against God should you decide to work on the Sabbath. Do you believe that those are the only options available to you? Scripture tells us that "there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1)." If there is no condemnation awaiting you, what do you think God feels about you working on the Sabbath? Many times the thing we fear most is not so much God's condemnation, but the condemnation of our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. I don't know your situation, but I would imagine that there might be some pressure from those you fellowship with for you not to work on the Sabbath. And nobody wants to be the focal point of attention for some perceived sin we have committed.
Scripture has something to say about that situation as well. "Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day (Colossians 2:16)." Do not let worries about what others think about you working on the Sabbath prevent you from doing what is necessary to pay off some debt. Your creditors do not care about your religious convictions. They just want to be paid. As your brother in Christ, I am not going to judge you for whatever decision you make. If you are uncomfortable with working on the Sabbath, then don't work. But, be clear that your reason for deciding what to do should not be out of a fear of violating a law of God. The book of James says, "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it (James 2:10)." If you are worried about breaking the Sabbath, then you should be worried about breaking all the law. That is a burden no man can withstand, nor does God expect us to.
The Bible is clear about the purpose of the Law. We read that "through the law we become conscious of sin (Romans 3:20)." In 1 Timothy 1:9 it says "that law is made not for the righteous." And, lastly, "the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith (Galatians 3:24)." You see that the Sabbath is just one law within the context of the entirety of the Law. In fact, there are 613 laws to uphold with the penalty for violating many of them being death, including violating the Sabbath Law. God gave the Law to show us our inability to be like Him in an effort to get us to come to faith in Christ. You have already come to faith in Christ and He said "my yoke is easy and my burden is light (Matthew 11:30)." When you are free your yoke and burden are light. If you are concerned about working on the Sabbath you might be concerned about violating other laws. That is not a burden put on you by the Lord. Make your decision to work on the Sabbath in response to your personal needs not in response to concerns about violating a law you are not obligated to uphold. And keep in mind that as Christians "we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1)."
A: You are not going to find a passage in the Bible that is going to tell you what to do about working a part-time job on the Sabbath. However, what you will find in the Bible, specifically in the New Covenant, is that "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is constructive (1 Corinthians 10:23)." Why is everything permissible? Because "you are not under law, but under grace (Romans 6:14)." If you are in debt and need to make extra money in order to get out from under that debt, I don't want you to think that you are in violation of God's law for trying to improve your financial situation. If you think about it, what you are actually asking is if God will punish you for working on the Sabbath? Christians are not obligated to observe the Mosaic Law, much less observe the Sabbath. For Christians, the Sabbath is not a day of the week to rest from our work, but a daily rest from trying to obtain or maintain our right standing before God by what we do.
The dilemma you are facing seems to be one of what type of anxiety are you willing to choose? On one hand you are faced with the very real prospect of continued financial burden because you will not have the income from the part-time job to pay down your debt due to your concern about working on the Sabbath. Yet, on the other hand, you are faced with the fear that you are sinning against God should you decide to work on the Sabbath. Do you believe that those are the only options available to you? Scripture tells us that "there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1)." If there is no condemnation awaiting you, what do you think God feels about you working on the Sabbath? Many times the thing we fear most is not so much God's condemnation, but the condemnation of our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. I don't know your situation, but I would imagine that there might be some pressure from those you fellowship with for you not to work on the Sabbath. And nobody wants to be the focal point of attention for some perceived sin we have committed.
Scripture has something to say about that situation as well. "Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day (Colossians 2:16)." Do not let worries about what others think about you working on the Sabbath prevent you from doing what is necessary to pay off some debt. Your creditors do not care about your religious convictions. They just want to be paid. As your brother in Christ, I am not going to judge you for whatever decision you make. If you are uncomfortable with working on the Sabbath, then don't work. But, be clear that your reason for deciding what to do should not be out of a fear of violating a law of God. The book of James says, "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it (James 2:10)." If you are worried about breaking the Sabbath, then you should be worried about breaking all the law. That is a burden no man can withstand, nor does God expect us to.
The Bible is clear about the purpose of the Law. We read that "through the law we become conscious of sin (Romans 3:20)." In 1 Timothy 1:9 it says "that law is made not for the righteous." And, lastly, "the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith (Galatians 3:24)." You see that the Sabbath is just one law within the context of the entirety of the Law. In fact, there are 613 laws to uphold with the penalty for violating many of them being death, including violating the Sabbath Law. God gave the Law to show us our inability to be like Him in an effort to get us to come to faith in Christ. You have already come to faith in Christ and He said "my yoke is easy and my burden is light (Matthew 11:30)." When you are free your yoke and burden are light. If you are concerned about working on the Sabbath you might be concerned about violating other laws. That is not a burden put on you by the Lord. Make your decision to work on the Sabbath in response to your personal needs not in response to concerns about violating a law you are not obligated to uphold. And keep in mind that as Christians "we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1)."
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