A: Have you ever heard how monkeys are captured in the tropics? The natives hollow out a coconut, fill the coconut with sweet beans, and then attach it to the base of a tree. After dark, the monkey comes by and notices the sweet beans in the coconut. He reaches in through the hole in the coconut and takes hold of the beans. In grabbing the beans, the monkey makes a fist that's too large to remove. He won't let go of the beans, and he can't take his hand out of the coconut. So the monkey just sits there. The next morning the natives come by and pick the monkey up still holding onto those beans. All the monkey had to do to go free was let go of the sweet beans. And so it is with us. All we have to do to go free in our Christian experience is let go of the misconceptions we're grasping concerning the Christian life. This is especially true when it comes to the area of forgiveness. The Bible says that "God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them (2 Cor 5:20)."
Before you were even born all your sins were forgiven. Once you accepted Jesus as your savior you received that forgiveness as an inheritance of your faith. There is now no sin that can ever come between you and your God because, in Christ, God let your sins go for eternity. We, in turn, share the forgiveness we have in Christ with those who sin against us. "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you (Eph 4:32)." God no longer expects us to pay a debt we owed Him which sets us free from the bondage our sins had us in. Therefore, we can have a relationship with each other. Similarly, when we no longer expect someone who has sinned against us to pay us back we set both them and ourselves free from the bondage that their sin caused. Therefore, we are free to move on with our lives or restore the relationship we once had with them. The monkey's choice not to let go of the beans kept him in bondage until he was captured. Let us not be like the monkey and let go of the "sweet beans" in our lives that keep us in bondage and captivity. If truth sets you free then error will bind you. Let go of the unforgiveness and error that binds you and go free. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (Jn 8:32)." Have a blessed weekend in the Lord.
Q: The bible says put on the "belt of truth"..What does that mean and how can we as christain apply that to our lives?
A: Paul is giving a description of a soldier's uniform as a metaphor for a Christian's preparation for the spiritual warfare we are engaged in. It has been written that "when a man prepared for vigorous action, he tied up his loose, flowing garments with a belt." Obviously, by doing this the man was able to perform better because his movements were not hindered by any loose flowing clothing he had on. This would no doubt lead to a better performance when he was in battle. Notice how Paul states for us to "Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place (Eph 6:14)." The "belt of truth" helps us stand firm or hold our position against the attacks of Satan. We can't lose sight of the fact that this illustration is given in the context of outlining our "weapons" used to rebuke Satan. The "belt of truth" is just one of many parts of our armor that we put on to defend the faith. When Satan tempted Jesus he attacked Him on the spiritual level, in His mind and His heart. Satan promised Jesus power, prestige and position. He never physically assaulted Him in an attempt to take anything, he tempted Jesus to give up what He already possessed.
It is not any different with us. What is truth? It is anything that corresponds with reality. The reality of who we are in Christ is tied to our identity. And the truth is that, in Christ, we are many things. Amongst what we have is that we are unconditionally loved, forgiven, righteous, sanctified and justified. The Bible says that "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy (John 10:10)." Satan wants to steal our joy, kill our hope and destroy our faith by getting us to believe his lies so that we will give up the truth of who we are in Christ. Is Satan that tells us we aren't forgiven, we aren't sanctified, we aren't justified, we aren't righteous and that we aren't unconditionally loved. "You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace (Gal 5:4)." Satan wants us to be alienated from Christ in our minds so that we will constantly be focused on trying to obtain through our works what we already have been given by faith. Therefore, we will always be focused on ourselves and not on the Lord and who we are in Him. That is why we need to "tie up" those loose ends with the "belt of truth" so as not to give the devil an opportunity to tempt us to give up, in our minds, what we know to be true about who we are in Christ. Be blessed.
Q: Jesus desires a "personal" relationship with us; but why is it also important to go to church and have bible studies?
A: For those of you who do not presently have a "church home" or Bible study to attend it is okay. God doesn't require you to do either. I know from experience the condemnation, spiritual abuse and the doubts about your salvation that can be heaped on a Christian if they aren't consistently engaged in one of these activities. Ironically, I experienced the largest growth period as a Christian during the time I was without consistent fellowship. Why? Because it is the Holy Spirit that teaches us and guides us into all truth. I don't say this to encourage you to not seek out a church or Bible Study. I just want you to feel secure enough to realize that you are still in the faith and God's child if you don't have one of these things in your life. I believe one of the evidences of a saving faith is the desire to want to be around like minded believers. And the fulfillment of that desire can come in various forms. There are two passages that are often used when talking about this subject, Matthew 18:20 and Hebrews 10:25.
In Hebrews it reads, "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching (Heb 10:25)." This is not a command to go to church as it is sometimes used. It is an encouragement for us to "meet together." There were no churches like we have today when this verse was written. Meeting together can come in many forms. We are meeting here on Facebook. I help moderate an online fellowship of believers on Yahoo who don't have a church home. I know people that have bible studies in their homes, in libraries, in police stations and even the YMCA. The early church met in homes and even in synagogues! As we previously talked about, we "sharpen" each others skills and encourage one another whenever and wherever we can. While attending a church is the most common and accepted form of gathering it is not the only form and many times not the best. Remember what Jesus told the disciples. "For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst (Mat 18:20)." Many wouldn't call the gathering of two or three people a church, but God does. In fact, if you are by yourself, He is in your midst because He indwells you. Be encouraged because wherever you are at God is there with you. You can have "church" or Bible Study all by yourself and that is just fine. Be blessed.
Q: The bible says iron "sharpens" iron..What does that mean?
A: What training camp and spring training is to the professional athlete, boot camp is to the soldier, study hall is to the student and Bible Study is to the Christian can all be summed up in one verse. "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another (Proverbs 27:17)." Athletes prepare for competition, soldiers prepare for battle, students prepare for testing and Christians prepare to advance the faith through practice. My pastor once said that "The best way to understand the Gospel is to share it." Only when you do that will you discover what it is you know about it. Answering "The Question Is:" everyday helps each one of us practice our skills and knowledge of the Gospel. That way we are sharpening one another so we are better able to share the Gospel, defend the faith and discern truth from error. The scripture referring to the Bereans is often quoted by Christians to underscore this point because they "examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true (Acts 17:11)." The Bereans made sure what Paul was saying lined up with Scripture. You would think nobody would have to check up on Paul, but it's the Holy Spirit that discerns truth and teaches us the meaning of Scripture.
How can you "be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have (1 Ptr 3:15)" if you don't don't continually sharpen your skills? It is too easy to be misled or end up following after a teacher or pastor because of their way with words or strong personality despite whether or not what they say is true. The Bible warns that it is children, immature Christians, who are "tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming (Eph 4:14)." It is the lack of being prepared, through one man sharpening the other, that leads to so many people being deceived and shipwrecking their faith. I remember a pastor joking about how early on in his walk his Bible cracked when he opened it because it had not been opened. He said he was at the mercy of his church and the pastor because he didn't know what to believe. Paul chastised the saints for not being teachers and still needing to be taught the basics of the faith. Saints, I encourage you not to be one of those Christians who is either uncertain about their salvation, ignorant of the truth or unwilling to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ because they have not been sharpened. We have to sharpen each other because the world will not have any mercy on us when we are out in it. Be blessed.
Q: The bible says unless the lord "builds" the house they labor in vain. What does that mean?
A: Psalm 127:1, from which the question is taken, can be seen as a physical metaphor to a spiritual truth. "Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain (Ps 127:1)."God is giving instruction through the Psalmist to Israel that apart from His instruction on how to build and protect their city everything will be useless. As a spiritual application, it can be applied to our faith in Jesus Christ as well. Jesus told the disciples, after Peter's confession of Him as the Christ, "And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it (Mt 16:18)." Jesus was saying that He is the foundation of the Church and our faith. Without a proper foundation nothing that you build upon it will stand. He is building His church through each and every one of us as a part of the Body of Christ. Many of the truths Jesus shared with us in the Gospels point to the fact that He alone is the foundation we build upon. Apart from me you can do nothing. I am the Vine you are the branches (Jn 15:5). Etc.
Paul summed it up with this: "For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building (1 Cor 3:9)." God is building us up in our faith as He uses us to build up His church. We are designed to be indwelt by our God. And through faith in Christ, He is our life and gives us our meaning and purpose. Each and every one of us are being used by God in our own individual way, but all of us are working together for one common goal; to build up the Church. "The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ (1 Cor 12:12)." If what we do is not motivated by the Lord living through us it will be in vain. It will be based on our own understanding and for our own glory. God has given us everything we need for life and godliness in Him. He did this so that we would rest from our own self efforts and allow Him to do His work through us. "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Eph 2:10)." God has a task for each of us that He will accomplish through us. Our only duty is to allow Him to do it. Otherwise, it will be in vain. Be blessed.
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