There is a lot of talk these days about how turbulent the times are. Even conservative Christians are talking about our future here in America, saying we are heading for really bad times. Many think we are in the beginnings of the end times and if it isn’t that they think this is the beginning of the days spoken of in the Bible, many definitely think America is in trouble. Some say America either has or is about to lose the blessings God has put upon this country. I must admit that I have shared that opinion. Certainly as a nation we are turning away from God more and more. Our president appears to be more willing to embrace the Muslim culture and its agenda and is turning his back upon the Christian worldview.
All of this talk seems to have increased a viewpoint amongst Christians that it is time to store up food, water, and to prepare for the worst. Many are buying guns. Funny thing is I used to be a radical. I spent two weeks at a camp where I learned the rudiments of survival, how to exist in any environment with only a knife. Find food, water, and learn to make shelters was the core of the class. This survival was excellent in nature, because it was about survival in the utmost worse of conditions. While I never bought weapons, (having been one who struggled with depression I chose not to purchase weapons), I studied about them and military operations like ambushes. I read and tried to practice the secret ways of the ninjas, learning things about mind manipulation and intimidation. I looked at the world as if everyone except my closest family members were not to be trusted and I did not let myself get close to people. All this time I considered myself a Christian, yet I lived in isolation and mistrust.
But God has been watching over me for years. He has been calling me but I wasn’t listening. Little by little He began to break me. Without going into those stories, let me just say I have begun to listen a little more. About three years ago I decided that I should try and begin to look to God’s Word for how to live my life. He also led me to prayer. You know, I am still being taught by God. His Holy Spirit has become the only one I consider to be my counselor, as John 14:26 instructs me. "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.” So now I search the scriptures and then I pray that I have the proper understanding of what God wants me to do. I also have made an effort to search out and become close to those in the Church who I can see are men and women of God who also counsel only through the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word. Then I can also trust in their counsel as I compare it to what I believe God has already led me to. I believe this is Biblical and has allowed me to find so much more peace and joy even in the midst of life and trust me, my life like yours, has plenty of storms to weather. But God is good and His promises are true and I give ALL glory to Him.
So I say we look to the Word as we consider what to do if and when all this chaos and collapse comes to our country. Should we buy guns, store up ammo, water, and food? I am going to assume that you, the reader, are a disciple of Christ, Born again and under the grace and commandments of the New Testament. Actually I believe I could also make my point through the Old Testament, but since we are really under The New Covenant, I will stay mostly there.
Let us start at arming ourselves. I have no debate with anyone owning a gun, I really like guns and I may eventually buy one, maybe more. Most Christians will refer to Luke 22:36-38 (NASB) in which Jesus, himself, tells the disciples this, "But now, whoever has a money belt is to take it along, likewise also a bag, and whoever has no sword is to sell his coat and buy one.”For I tell you that this which is written must be fulfilled in Me, 'and He was numbered with transgressors'; for that which refers to Me has its fulfillment." They said, "Lord, look, here are two swords." And He said to them, "It is enough." Now I have enough Bible Commentaries to satisfy most who would like to discuss the meaning of this passage. There is an argument that Jesus was not really happy with them thinking they needed weapons when they were in the very presence of God Himself, and as Jesus would later say, He could call in legions of warring angels if He wanted. But let’s just accept that it is not a problem to have a weapon for personal protection. The problem lies in where you really put your trust. Except for cops and soldiers, I have probably been in as many dangerous situations and locations as anyone else. In my 32 years at the phone company I have been in neighborhoods and drug houses that most thought only exist in TV shows. I also have put myself in bad positions in my days of drinking and being stupid. Yet I have never needed a gun to get out of these situations. Not saying it can’t happen; just that God has always protected me.
Yet even in light of Luke 22:35-38, can anyone show me anywhere in the Bible, where Jesus, Paul, Peter, or any other author of the New Testament instructs us to use a weapon? Instead the scriptures offer a different viewpoint.
2 Corinthians 10:3-6 (NASB) For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.
Ephesians 6:12 (NASB) For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Hebrews 11:23-40 (NASB) By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king's edict. By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen. By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that he who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them. By faith they passed through the Red Sea as though they were passing through dry land; and the Egyptians, when they attempted it, were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace. And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.
As you can see, even the Old Testament people really didn’t fight by might, but by faith. This is not to say they didn’t have weapons, sometime God used the sword, but it was their faith in Him that brought the victory. So I think it is ok to have your sword, but do not ever forget where your real firepower comes from. God has given you a much more powerful weapon and it is called the Sword of the Spirit. That, guys, is the Word of God. Take your gun if you wish, but you better keep God’s Word even closer. Psalms 44:3 (NKJV) says this, “For they did not gain possession of the land by their own sword, Nor did their own arm save them; But it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your countenance, Because You favored them.”
So what of storing up supplies? How would that fit in to God’s Word? Well, I have heard several people speak about Joseph and his part in the feeding of the Jews during the famine. Simply put I would respond that this was a predicted event by a prophet of God and was in response to God’s direct plan. If one of you out there is convinced you have received a message from God that is a true prophecy, then I guess I advise you to store up food. I personally am not convinced we have a direct prophet of God today predicting that and since we also have the written revelation of God, I don’t expect that to happen. Unless we are speaking of the Great Tribulation and even then is there a Biblical mandate to do so? And I have just finished reading about the Tribulation and even if I thought the Church would be here for it (I don’t) I see no instructions in a book titled The Revelation to so and based on the description of this tribulation, I doubt it would help.
What I see and read more of in the New Testament is Jesus and the Apostles instructing us not to fear and instead trust in God to provide. I won’t continue to overwhelm you with scripture, but I think Jesus is clear on the principles of faith in Matthew 6:25-34 (NASB) that says this, “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? "Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? "And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?”And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. "But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! "Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?' "For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.”But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
I’m just going to let the part of scripture stand and suggest you go to God in prayer and ask Him what that means to you. I know this; God is sovereign. Although He allows Satan to be the prince of this world for now, God has not given up control. Trust me, He is still there and His promises are all true. Certainly it is proper to be prepared in case of a storm or emergency. There is no problem with defending your life, family, and property. But be careful how you let that process fit into your life. Read the Word and believe in the promises of God. Be careful of casting doubt upon what God has said and given you who have chosen to put your faith in Him. Be strong in the Lord, not in self. Look at the victories in the Old Testament and see how they were won. Read about Joshua and the Battle of Jericho. Do you not believe that story? Do you not believe God can still provide in that way? Read the Psalms regularly. Learn about the attributes of God and His mighty power. Pray Ephesians 6 each morning and “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might”, as Ephesians 6:10 instructs us.
As I often do I leave you with one last scripture. Please meditate on it and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you what it means to you. Search the entire breadth of the Word of God and then after going to God find out what God wants you to do.
Hebrews 10:32-39 (NASB) But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings, partly by being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations, and partly by becoming sharers with those who were so treated. For you showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and a lasting one. Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. For yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay. But my righteous one shall live by faith; And if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.
May God richly bless you!
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Friday, October 2, 2009
Throwing Stones
Some of you who read my blogs may think I am trying to be controversial at times. While they may be that, I can assure you that this is not my objective. It is my desire, no I believe I am called by God, to both seek truth and then to share it with others. God has put it on my heart to be a person who challenges Christians to become more like Christ everyday and to be a defender of the truth of the Word. Yet I am only an imperfect human and I know that at times I may fall into the traps of Satan and let my opinions slip in. I guess it is fine to have my opinion, you, too have that right, but it is my hope that, I can make a distinction when I write and speak, about when things are opinion and when things are God’s truth. The best advice I can give the reader is to follow Biblical command and do these two things from 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21 (NKJV): “Do not despise prophecies” and “Test all things; hold fast what is good.” Take all I say and search the scriptures then go to God and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth.
Just this week a young woman was arrested for enticement of a minor and coercion as she was caught in a plot in which it appears she was intending to have sex with a 13 year old boy. This young woman was an attendee of my church. I do not know her and I am incapable of knowing if she truly was a born-again believer or if she was just attending church because she was deceived into thinking simple church attendance was the path to heaven. Maybe she was seeking God and just hadn’t reached the point where she could give her life to Christ. We could speculate on her motives for all time. I leave that to God for you see the Bible teaches this about us in 1 Samuel 16:7 (NKJV) “…For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."
My question today is this: What is our part in this as the Body of Christ? I suspect that many of you out there are angry. Nothing worse than a child predator we say. Let her rot in prison and burn in Hell, some might declare. But today I would like us to explore what God wants us to do.
I was praying this morning for the 3 elders of my church, one of which is my pastor. They are on a small sabbatical if you will, taking the day to fast and pray. I know these men well and they are committed to leading my church as God calls them to, so they are humbling themselves before God and seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Their jobs are far more difficult than most church attendees realize. They will be held accountable in a higher degree because they are teaching and guiding us. What shall their response be to this situation? What if they are asked by the media to comment?
As I was praying God spoke to my heart through scripture, putting this text in my mind:
John 8:1-12 (NKJV) But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?" This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first." And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?" She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more." Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."
You see we are not really called to be God’s executor’s of justice. God has put all authority in place to accomplish that. Romans 13 tells us that “…there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.” He goes on to say that those He has put in authority are “…God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.” 1 Peter 2:13-14 (NKJV) continues to explain, “Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.” God has put a process in place to ensure that this young woman will be dealt with and justice shall be served.
But what does God call us, who are called in 2 Corinthians 5:20 (NKJV) to be “…ambassadors for Christ…”, to do? First of all we are not to get too worked up and be filled with anger. Proverbs 24:17-22 (NKJV) instructs us to “…not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; Lest the Lord see it, and it displease Him, And He turn away His wrath from him. Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the wicked; For there will be no prospect for the evil man; The lamp of the wicked will be put out.” God has this guys…He is in control.
Now certainly all would agree that child predators are our enemy. What does Jesus say about our enemies? Matthew 5:43-45 (NKJV) "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” In Proverbs 25:21-22 (NKJV) he says this: “If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; For so you will heap coals of fire on his head, And the Lord will reward you.”
Now maybe you aren’t going to run down to the jail and take this woman gifts. But I believe this is what we must do. Listen to the Word from 1 Timothy 2:1-7 (NKJV). “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,…”
Let me draw a quote out of that verse. “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth…” God desires that even those who do wicked and evil things come to Him. We are called to take the Gospel to the very ends of the earth. Sometimes we are so long-sighted we forget that the lost are right in front of us. But let us consider the missionaries who travel to the ends of the earth. Many of them go to tribes of people and those tribes are often filled with all kinds of violence and bizarre rituals which often include sexual deviated behavior. Those missionaries don’t forsake these people and deny them the Gospel; they know that the answer to the wickedness of the world is the Gospel. Jesus, Himself said that "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.' For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."
We know that Jesus did not come the first time to condemn, but to save us from our sin. While certainly as Christians we do not condone sinful behavior and we do have authority to judge believers and to go to them in love to rebuke and correct them, that does not mean we do not pray for even those who have not yet bent their knees to our Lord. Jesus tells us to even think sinful thoughts make us guilty. Her sin has been made public. Maybe yours hasn’t, but don’t think that makes you innocent. Jeremiah 17:9 (NKJV) reminds us "The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?” I can answer that question, God knows it.
So I say we pray for this young woman to serve the sentence she is given but also that we pray for restoration and forgiveness in her life. Pray that if she is not saved that the Holy Spirit will bring her into the fold. Pray for her family and pray for the family of the offended party, particularly the young boy. Let God serve justice and let the light of Christ shine out in you. Pray for me and for each other. Lift up God in praise and worship to a level you have never done before. None of us deserve His love or mercy. We all deserve to rot in Hell, but praise God for His undying love and mercy.
I leave you with scripture.
John 3:14-21 (NKJV) And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."
Just this week a young woman was arrested for enticement of a minor and coercion as she was caught in a plot in which it appears she was intending to have sex with a 13 year old boy. This young woman was an attendee of my church. I do not know her and I am incapable of knowing if she truly was a born-again believer or if she was just attending church because she was deceived into thinking simple church attendance was the path to heaven. Maybe she was seeking God and just hadn’t reached the point where she could give her life to Christ. We could speculate on her motives for all time. I leave that to God for you see the Bible teaches this about us in 1 Samuel 16:7 (NKJV) “…For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."
My question today is this: What is our part in this as the Body of Christ? I suspect that many of you out there are angry. Nothing worse than a child predator we say. Let her rot in prison and burn in Hell, some might declare. But today I would like us to explore what God wants us to do.
I was praying this morning for the 3 elders of my church, one of which is my pastor. They are on a small sabbatical if you will, taking the day to fast and pray. I know these men well and they are committed to leading my church as God calls them to, so they are humbling themselves before God and seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Their jobs are far more difficult than most church attendees realize. They will be held accountable in a higher degree because they are teaching and guiding us. What shall their response be to this situation? What if they are asked by the media to comment?
As I was praying God spoke to my heart through scripture, putting this text in my mind:
John 8:1-12 (NKJV) But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?" This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first." And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?" She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more." Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."
You see we are not really called to be God’s executor’s of justice. God has put all authority in place to accomplish that. Romans 13 tells us that “…there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.” He goes on to say that those He has put in authority are “…God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.” 1 Peter 2:13-14 (NKJV) continues to explain, “Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.” God has put a process in place to ensure that this young woman will be dealt with and justice shall be served.
But what does God call us, who are called in 2 Corinthians 5:20 (NKJV) to be “…ambassadors for Christ…”, to do? First of all we are not to get too worked up and be filled with anger. Proverbs 24:17-22 (NKJV) instructs us to “…not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; Lest the Lord see it, and it displease Him, And He turn away His wrath from him. Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the wicked; For there will be no prospect for the evil man; The lamp of the wicked will be put out.” God has this guys…He is in control.
Now certainly all would agree that child predators are our enemy. What does Jesus say about our enemies? Matthew 5:43-45 (NKJV) "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” In Proverbs 25:21-22 (NKJV) he says this: “If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; For so you will heap coals of fire on his head, And the Lord will reward you.”
Now maybe you aren’t going to run down to the jail and take this woman gifts. But I believe this is what we must do. Listen to the Word from 1 Timothy 2:1-7 (NKJV). “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,…”
Let me draw a quote out of that verse. “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth…” God desires that even those who do wicked and evil things come to Him. We are called to take the Gospel to the very ends of the earth. Sometimes we are so long-sighted we forget that the lost are right in front of us. But let us consider the missionaries who travel to the ends of the earth. Many of them go to tribes of people and those tribes are often filled with all kinds of violence and bizarre rituals which often include sexual deviated behavior. Those missionaries don’t forsake these people and deny them the Gospel; they know that the answer to the wickedness of the world is the Gospel. Jesus, Himself said that "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.' For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."
We know that Jesus did not come the first time to condemn, but to save us from our sin. While certainly as Christians we do not condone sinful behavior and we do have authority to judge believers and to go to them in love to rebuke and correct them, that does not mean we do not pray for even those who have not yet bent their knees to our Lord. Jesus tells us to even think sinful thoughts make us guilty. Her sin has been made public. Maybe yours hasn’t, but don’t think that makes you innocent. Jeremiah 17:9 (NKJV) reminds us "The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?” I can answer that question, God knows it.
So I say we pray for this young woman to serve the sentence she is given but also that we pray for restoration and forgiveness in her life. Pray that if she is not saved that the Holy Spirit will bring her into the fold. Pray for her family and pray for the family of the offended party, particularly the young boy. Let God serve justice and let the light of Christ shine out in you. Pray for me and for each other. Lift up God in praise and worship to a level you have never done before. None of us deserve His love or mercy. We all deserve to rot in Hell, but praise God for His undying love and mercy.
I leave you with scripture.
John 3:14-21 (NKJV) And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Letting Go and Holding On
The life we have is a pleasant gift from God. Even to most who never give God a casual thought or to the one who despises Him in every way, God has given so much, especially in this day of prosperity and ease here in this beautiful country. So I come to you today and ask that you drop right to your knees and thank God for the blessings of life. And never, ever take any single thing for granted. I say this now from a new perspective. Of course all of us at times remember how good life is, but I had let complacency slip in.
A few weeks ago, in a matter of moments, I found out that everything I took for granted could be lost in a moment, in a brief, bad decision. All my life I had bounced around roofs and climbed ladders and telephone poles with reckless abandon. At 52 years old I pridefully acted as if I was invincible and as if I was in control of my life.
Then I did something really stupid. My best friend knew it was stupid and told me not to do it. But I thought I knew better. I was wrong. I fell off a roof in a position that I immediately recognized as one I had no control of.
When I began to fall from that roof, I was desperately hanging on to a piece of plywood. But somewhere on the trip down, I let go, instinctively knowing that I was clinging to a useless material object. Smashing into the ground, my body was broken and beaten. Still conscious I feared for my life, at first unable to take a breath and then immediately knowing I was severely injured, I was more afraid then I had ever been.
But then finally along the painful journey to the hospital, I found the hand of Christ himself reaching out to me. Knowing the pain was unbearable for my weak physical mind and body, Jesus picked me up and carried me through the pain and kept me close to Him. My accident began with me hanging to a piece of wood, but it ended with me clinging desperately to Jesus.
Jesus carried me through each step of the hospital experience. Every fear I faced, fears that had haunted me all my life, He brought me through. Now, praise God, I am home recuperating. When people ask things like when I might return to work, I truthfully respond that I do not take more than 1 day at a time. I trust in God to provide and now I just seek patience and comfort through Him.
So how has this changed my life? Well to begin with I again became aware of how blessed I am. My hospitalization resulted in an unbelievable outpouring of prayer and of people coming to see me. I learned that not only do I have an awesome family: I have an awesome Church family.
I also learned quite a bit about pain. As soon as I hit the ground I was in intense pain. Many say that the body protects us by shutting down the pain, but in my situation God allowed me to experience intense pain and I never lost consciousness nor did I appear to be in shock. Instead I existed in a state of pain so intense I had no other option but to completely surrender it to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Now some might say God wouldn't have a hand in my suffering. To that I say read the Book of Job. You see while God wasn't the source of Job's suffering, He did allow Satan to bring it on and then God turned the tables on Satan by taking this devastation inflicted by the evil one and using it to defeat him. Romans 8:28 confirms this saying, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."
So the bottom line here is this: God has and continues to bless me through the entire experience. My life shall never be the same. I see now that being able to bench press a certain amount of weight or getting people to think you're afraid of nothing is all useless pride. Instead what matters is letting go of the silly idea that being in control of a situation is important and I have learned instead to let God be in control.
The Bible is not short of counsel in this area. 2 Corinthians 12:9 reminds of us of what Jesus advises us. It says this, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
I have experienced the power of Christ at work. My body knows of the amazing work of His healing hand . Just ask the staff at St. Anthony’s who witnessed how Jesus healed and moved me from the ICU to a regular room to home in just 9 days. Ask them why I was allowed a constant flow of visitors, against their rules that patients be allowed rest and not be bombarded with people. The answer is simple: God used the Body of Christ, through the biggest outpouring of prayer and love I and they may have ever seen, to make known the truth of His Word which says this: "...pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."
I think of all the lessons to be taken from this event, most importantly God wants each of us to at least understand this very important lesson. The Word of God is true...all of it. Those promises He makes are not just cheerful little statements given to make us feel better. No, the promises of God are complete truths that we can trust our whole lives with. If He said it; believe it. Then when you find yourself in a situation that seems unbearable, your spouse leaves you, you lose your job, or maybe your health whether by illness or accident, you can immediately ask Jesus to carry you through it. He will not let you down.
I have to make the following plea to you before I post this. If Bible reading and prayer don't play a dominent part in your life, please change that. I don't know how I would have made it through this had I not been convinced of the truth of God's Word and known the promises Jesus had made me. And when I fell, my Christian brother and friend Bill and I both knew to pray even before He called 911. You see God is in control. Doctors, nurses, and paramedics are awesome and I appreciate each and every one of them and their work. But they are just one way God heals and comforts us. It is His power and His love that actually does the healing. To God be all the glory and all the praise.
A few weeks ago, in a matter of moments, I found out that everything I took for granted could be lost in a moment, in a brief, bad decision. All my life I had bounced around roofs and climbed ladders and telephone poles with reckless abandon. At 52 years old I pridefully acted as if I was invincible and as if I was in control of my life.
Then I did something really stupid. My best friend knew it was stupid and told me not to do it. But I thought I knew better. I was wrong. I fell off a roof in a position that I immediately recognized as one I had no control of.
When I began to fall from that roof, I was desperately hanging on to a piece of plywood. But somewhere on the trip down, I let go, instinctively knowing that I was clinging to a useless material object. Smashing into the ground, my body was broken and beaten. Still conscious I feared for my life, at first unable to take a breath and then immediately knowing I was severely injured, I was more afraid then I had ever been.
But then finally along the painful journey to the hospital, I found the hand of Christ himself reaching out to me. Knowing the pain was unbearable for my weak physical mind and body, Jesus picked me up and carried me through the pain and kept me close to Him. My accident began with me hanging to a piece of wood, but it ended with me clinging desperately to Jesus.
Jesus carried me through each step of the hospital experience. Every fear I faced, fears that had haunted me all my life, He brought me through. Now, praise God, I am home recuperating. When people ask things like when I might return to work, I truthfully respond that I do not take more than 1 day at a time. I trust in God to provide and now I just seek patience and comfort through Him.
So how has this changed my life? Well to begin with I again became aware of how blessed I am. My hospitalization resulted in an unbelievable outpouring of prayer and of people coming to see me. I learned that not only do I have an awesome family: I have an awesome Church family.
I also learned quite a bit about pain. As soon as I hit the ground I was in intense pain. Many say that the body protects us by shutting down the pain, but in my situation God allowed me to experience intense pain and I never lost consciousness nor did I appear to be in shock. Instead I existed in a state of pain so intense I had no other option but to completely surrender it to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Now some might say God wouldn't have a hand in my suffering. To that I say read the Book of Job. You see while God wasn't the source of Job's suffering, He did allow Satan to bring it on and then God turned the tables on Satan by taking this devastation inflicted by the evil one and using it to defeat him. Romans 8:28 confirms this saying, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."
So the bottom line here is this: God has and continues to bless me through the entire experience. My life shall never be the same. I see now that being able to bench press a certain amount of weight or getting people to think you're afraid of nothing is all useless pride. Instead what matters is letting go of the silly idea that being in control of a situation is important and I have learned instead to let God be in control.
The Bible is not short of counsel in this area. 2 Corinthians 12:9 reminds of us of what Jesus advises us. It says this, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
I have experienced the power of Christ at work. My body knows of the amazing work of His healing hand . Just ask the staff at St. Anthony’s who witnessed how Jesus healed and moved me from the ICU to a regular room to home in just 9 days. Ask them why I was allowed a constant flow of visitors, against their rules that patients be allowed rest and not be bombarded with people. The answer is simple: God used the Body of Christ, through the biggest outpouring of prayer and love I and they may have ever seen, to make known the truth of His Word which says this: "...pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."
I think of all the lessons to be taken from this event, most importantly God wants each of us to at least understand this very important lesson. The Word of God is true...all of it. Those promises He makes are not just cheerful little statements given to make us feel better. No, the promises of God are complete truths that we can trust our whole lives with. If He said it; believe it. Then when you find yourself in a situation that seems unbearable, your spouse leaves you, you lose your job, or maybe your health whether by illness or accident, you can immediately ask Jesus to carry you through it. He will not let you down.
I have to make the following plea to you before I post this. If Bible reading and prayer don't play a dominent part in your life, please change that. I don't know how I would have made it through this had I not been convinced of the truth of God's Word and known the promises Jesus had made me. And when I fell, my Christian brother and friend Bill and I both knew to pray even before He called 911. You see God is in control. Doctors, nurses, and paramedics are awesome and I appreciate each and every one of them and their work. But they are just one way God heals and comforts us. It is His power and His love that actually does the healing. To God be all the glory and all the praise.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Failure
Recently I posted a story about the famous evangelist Billy Graham on Face Book and it immediately evoked a couple of responses from some friends, both of which are very astute Bible men. Their comments, though brief, I think expressed some concern over what Billy said. Here is the story I posted:
While being interviewed by Diane Sawyer on 20/20 Billy Graham was asked “What do you consider to be your greatest failure? Was it your association with Nixon? Your involvement with Russia?
Billy looked at Diane and said, “Well, Diane, I consider my whole life pretty much a failure.”
So what exactly did Billy Graham mean by that statement? I don’t really know; I was not able to locate the entire interview to view it in its complete context, nor did I see what the follow-up dialogue included. One of the responses I received was a comment that basically said that it is doubtful that Jesus would want us to call our lives lived as believers, as a failure. To that I must honestly say that I don’t know what Jesus would have said to Billy Graham if He were doing the interview. I do know that when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior and thus become “Born again”, then basic Christian Theology tell us that we are justified immediately and made pure as snow in the eyes of God. For the sake of brevity I will not devote much ink to that discussion and instead provide one scripture to support that (feel free to delve deeper onto the Word if you wish to on that topic). Romans 3:28 (NKJV) says, “ Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.”
But we have to stop a moment and consider this term justification. You see that involves our standing with God. Isaiah 1:18 reminds us of this “"Come now, and let us reason together," Says the Lord, "Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.” And we know that it is the Blood of Christ shed on Calvary by which we have remission of sin. But you see that is about salvation. That is about being able to enter into the presence of a Holy God who simply put, cannot tolerate sin. That is about our eternal destination. And that has nothing to do with “us” having accomplished something, you see, that is about Calvary.
The reason I posted that comment from Mr. Graham was about something else. It was presented in Jon Courson’s Commentary on the New Testament and he included it as an example of the type of humbleness and humility that Billy Graham displays. I put it out to challenge Christians to consider their own Christian lives. I did not present it to suggest people should consider their Christian lives as failures; I presented it in the hopes that it would strike others as it did me. You see what it said to me was this; Whatever evoked Billy Graham to make that statement (and I think he was sincere-not trying to publically present himself as humble), I felt a tremendous conviction of the Holy Spirit to evaluate just who I am as I walk this earth representing Christ and trying to be His ambassador. And yes, I do have a “log in my eye” so I cannot tell you about your “splinter” until I get the “log” out of my own.
There is another term that is often used in many theological discussions whenever the term justification is used. That term is sanctification. I think simply put, sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit in making the changes in our lives on this earth which will go on until the day the Lord comes calling for us to go be with Him for eternity
Consider sanctification for a moment. You see I believe the Bible teaches us that we have no real part in justification, Jesus paid that price. But sanctification, now that appears to be a process that involves our participation.
Let me offer two scriptures which I believe present a case for us to have an involvement in this process we call sanctification. First the words of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 2:12 tells us to “…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” Then James writes, " Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” (James 2:18) What these two men are telling us is that though we are not saved by our works, our works are evidence that we are truly committed to Christ. As the famous theologian Bill Bandy once told me, (well, maybe he’s not really famous, but he is pretty smart sometimes), while we aren’t saved by our works, we should live our lives as if we were.
Now it isn’t my intention here to delve into the theology of sanctification, nor is it my goal to try and explain what role the Holy Spirit specifically plays in the life of a believer. I will leave that to the individual to seek God’s wisdom in that area. What I would like to do, is to examine my own personal walk with Christ, in light of scripture to see how I line up. What I want to test here is this: If I had the opportunity to answer the question, “What is the greatest failure in my life?”, might my answer have to be that it is my Christian walk? You see it is a Biblical command to do just that. 2 Corinthians 13:5 says we are to “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless indeed you are disqualified.” That is a very important question; my eternal destination rides upon this test.
First I want to test myself against the Ten Commandments. According to Jesus in Matthew chapter 5, to violate these commandments even in your thoughts, is to violate the commandments. Ah, but you are forgiven for those sins. Well, sure I am, but when I accepted Christ wasn’t I supposed to stop, not only doing those things, but to also stop thinking about them? Well, I fail there. I have not mastered my mind yet. Daily I seem to fail at keeping the law of the Ten Commandments. Praise God for sending Jesus and that my eternal destination is not dependent on my own ability to keep the law. Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 5:17 (NKJV) "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.” Bottom line…I have not even mastered these 10 simple commandments.
I’ll tell you what…let’s go straight to Jesus and listen to what He commands. He makes it simple and clear in what we are commanded to do. We pick up the story in Matthew 22:34-40, “But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." I hate to admit it, but though I say I love God, I have not loved others as I have been commanded, nor have I really loved Him as I should.
Let us look at my prayer life. Again we have Biblical command in this area. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Again I miss the mark.
By now I bet you are saying, “Mike, you being too hard on yourself. God doesn’t expect you to do all this perfectly.” Really? Well, then I guess Jesus was just fooling around in the Bible. Read on. Direct Bible quotes.
Matthew 5:48 (NKJV) Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
John 17:20-24 (NKJV) "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
The Apostle Paul calls us to perfection.
Colossians 4:12 (NKJV) Epaphras, who is one of you, a bondservant of Christ, greets you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.
And then James.
James 1:4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
The bottom line here is this: The Biblical standard is perfection. We are called to be like Christ. That is our mark. Anything short of that in this life could be considered failure. When we come to Christ we are called to repentance. Remember what Jesus told the adulterous woman in John 8:11? He said, “Go and sin no more.” As a matter of fact He told some whom He healed the very same thing, see John 5:14. And we have the same calling. Yet I have not been able to master the temptation of sin in my life. How about you? As to giving; well there again we really are to give everything, not just write some check or hand over a few bucks that really isn’t going to bring a deep sacrifice in our lives. How many of us can say on Sunday that we “put in all” we own, as the widow did in Mark 12:41? Ponder this one for a bit: John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.” Am I dying to self daily? I struggle just to overlook one sentence my wife utters that I (presumptuously) perceived to not be spoken in complete love and snap back at her. This is the love of my life and I still don’t always love her as God has called me to. When I do that I fail.
Praise God for His grace. Yes, we are saved by grace and that is an awesome gift of God. But because of that gift we simply must set our standard higher. We must be the salt and light of the world. We must be a witness to the saving power of Christ in how we live out our lives. We have got to stop patting ourselves on the back and letting pride engulf our lives. I am not saying that we should never compliment others who we see doing God’s work. On the contrary we are commanded to encourage each other. But humbleness and humility has got to characterize who we are.
Listen to the words of Paul from 1 Corinthians 9:24-27:
“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.”
The goal is to be like Christ. Consider anything else in this life that does not present that as failure. The only success is Christ. Run the race to win and that means run towards perfection and only perfection. We will fall down and we will even run off the path occasionally. But whatever happens in this life, if you see me basking in my own glory and pride; strike me down. If I fall down, point me back towards Christ…towards His way and His way only. Point me towards the finish line which has only one conclusion…the perfect and Holiness of God.
Satan has deceived us. Post-modernism has convinced us we are good enough. We settle comfortably into our salvation and when we do that, we can become ineffective in our walk. We stop growing as Christians. Personally I have a lot of growing to do as a Christian. But whatever I do I must never grow complacent. I think that is what Billy Graham might have meant.
Paul sums it up for me in Philippians 3:12-21: “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind. Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame--who set their mind on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.”
May God bless you.
While being interviewed by Diane Sawyer on 20/20 Billy Graham was asked “What do you consider to be your greatest failure? Was it your association with Nixon? Your involvement with Russia?
Billy looked at Diane and said, “Well, Diane, I consider my whole life pretty much a failure.”
So what exactly did Billy Graham mean by that statement? I don’t really know; I was not able to locate the entire interview to view it in its complete context, nor did I see what the follow-up dialogue included. One of the responses I received was a comment that basically said that it is doubtful that Jesus would want us to call our lives lived as believers, as a failure. To that I must honestly say that I don’t know what Jesus would have said to Billy Graham if He were doing the interview. I do know that when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior and thus become “Born again”, then basic Christian Theology tell us that we are justified immediately and made pure as snow in the eyes of God. For the sake of brevity I will not devote much ink to that discussion and instead provide one scripture to support that (feel free to delve deeper onto the Word if you wish to on that topic). Romans 3:28 (NKJV) says, “ Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.”
But we have to stop a moment and consider this term justification. You see that involves our standing with God. Isaiah 1:18 reminds us of this “"Come now, and let us reason together," Says the Lord, "Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.” And we know that it is the Blood of Christ shed on Calvary by which we have remission of sin. But you see that is about salvation. That is about being able to enter into the presence of a Holy God who simply put, cannot tolerate sin. That is about our eternal destination. And that has nothing to do with “us” having accomplished something, you see, that is about Calvary.
The reason I posted that comment from Mr. Graham was about something else. It was presented in Jon Courson’s Commentary on the New Testament and he included it as an example of the type of humbleness and humility that Billy Graham displays. I put it out to challenge Christians to consider their own Christian lives. I did not present it to suggest people should consider their Christian lives as failures; I presented it in the hopes that it would strike others as it did me. You see what it said to me was this; Whatever evoked Billy Graham to make that statement (and I think he was sincere-not trying to publically present himself as humble), I felt a tremendous conviction of the Holy Spirit to evaluate just who I am as I walk this earth representing Christ and trying to be His ambassador. And yes, I do have a “log in my eye” so I cannot tell you about your “splinter” until I get the “log” out of my own.
There is another term that is often used in many theological discussions whenever the term justification is used. That term is sanctification. I think simply put, sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit in making the changes in our lives on this earth which will go on until the day the Lord comes calling for us to go be with Him for eternity
Consider sanctification for a moment. You see I believe the Bible teaches us that we have no real part in justification, Jesus paid that price. But sanctification, now that appears to be a process that involves our participation.
Let me offer two scriptures which I believe present a case for us to have an involvement in this process we call sanctification. First the words of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 2:12 tells us to “…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” Then James writes, " Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” (James 2:18) What these two men are telling us is that though we are not saved by our works, our works are evidence that we are truly committed to Christ. As the famous theologian Bill Bandy once told me, (well, maybe he’s not really famous, but he is pretty smart sometimes), while we aren’t saved by our works, we should live our lives as if we were.
Now it isn’t my intention here to delve into the theology of sanctification, nor is it my goal to try and explain what role the Holy Spirit specifically plays in the life of a believer. I will leave that to the individual to seek God’s wisdom in that area. What I would like to do, is to examine my own personal walk with Christ, in light of scripture to see how I line up. What I want to test here is this: If I had the opportunity to answer the question, “What is the greatest failure in my life?”, might my answer have to be that it is my Christian walk? You see it is a Biblical command to do just that. 2 Corinthians 13:5 says we are to “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless indeed you are disqualified.” That is a very important question; my eternal destination rides upon this test.
First I want to test myself against the Ten Commandments. According to Jesus in Matthew chapter 5, to violate these commandments even in your thoughts, is to violate the commandments. Ah, but you are forgiven for those sins. Well, sure I am, but when I accepted Christ wasn’t I supposed to stop, not only doing those things, but to also stop thinking about them? Well, I fail there. I have not mastered my mind yet. Daily I seem to fail at keeping the law of the Ten Commandments. Praise God for sending Jesus and that my eternal destination is not dependent on my own ability to keep the law. Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 5:17 (NKJV) "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.” Bottom line…I have not even mastered these 10 simple commandments.
I’ll tell you what…let’s go straight to Jesus and listen to what He commands. He makes it simple and clear in what we are commanded to do. We pick up the story in Matthew 22:34-40, “But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." I hate to admit it, but though I say I love God, I have not loved others as I have been commanded, nor have I really loved Him as I should.
Let us look at my prayer life. Again we have Biblical command in this area. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Again I miss the mark.
By now I bet you are saying, “Mike, you being too hard on yourself. God doesn’t expect you to do all this perfectly.” Really? Well, then I guess Jesus was just fooling around in the Bible. Read on. Direct Bible quotes.
Matthew 5:48 (NKJV) Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
John 17:20-24 (NKJV) "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
The Apostle Paul calls us to perfection.
Colossians 4:12 (NKJV) Epaphras, who is one of you, a bondservant of Christ, greets you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.
And then James.
James 1:4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
The bottom line here is this: The Biblical standard is perfection. We are called to be like Christ. That is our mark. Anything short of that in this life could be considered failure. When we come to Christ we are called to repentance. Remember what Jesus told the adulterous woman in John 8:11? He said, “Go and sin no more.” As a matter of fact He told some whom He healed the very same thing, see John 5:14. And we have the same calling. Yet I have not been able to master the temptation of sin in my life. How about you? As to giving; well there again we really are to give everything, not just write some check or hand over a few bucks that really isn’t going to bring a deep sacrifice in our lives. How many of us can say on Sunday that we “put in all” we own, as the widow did in Mark 12:41? Ponder this one for a bit: John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.” Am I dying to self daily? I struggle just to overlook one sentence my wife utters that I (presumptuously) perceived to not be spoken in complete love and snap back at her. This is the love of my life and I still don’t always love her as God has called me to. When I do that I fail.
Praise God for His grace. Yes, we are saved by grace and that is an awesome gift of God. But because of that gift we simply must set our standard higher. We must be the salt and light of the world. We must be a witness to the saving power of Christ in how we live out our lives. We have got to stop patting ourselves on the back and letting pride engulf our lives. I am not saying that we should never compliment others who we see doing God’s work. On the contrary we are commanded to encourage each other. But humbleness and humility has got to characterize who we are.
Listen to the words of Paul from 1 Corinthians 9:24-27:
“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.”
The goal is to be like Christ. Consider anything else in this life that does not present that as failure. The only success is Christ. Run the race to win and that means run towards perfection and only perfection. We will fall down and we will even run off the path occasionally. But whatever happens in this life, if you see me basking in my own glory and pride; strike me down. If I fall down, point me back towards Christ…towards His way and His way only. Point me towards the finish line which has only one conclusion…the perfect and Holiness of God.
Satan has deceived us. Post-modernism has convinced us we are good enough. We settle comfortably into our salvation and when we do that, we can become ineffective in our walk. We stop growing as Christians. Personally I have a lot of growing to do as a Christian. But whatever I do I must never grow complacent. I think that is what Billy Graham might have meant.
Paul sums it up for me in Philippians 3:12-21: “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind. Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame--who set their mind on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.”
May God bless you.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Absolute Surrender
Recently I read Andrew Murray’s book Absolute Surrender. Murray was a late 19th century preacher and evangelist, who was no stranger to true revival, having been involved with a great revival in South Africa in the late 1800’s. I had been thinking of reading this book for several years and a recent interest in the concept of being a Christian who takes serious the commands of Christ, I figured this book would be an important tool in helping myself work out just what true Christianity looks like. Please accept this caveat; I am not a very successful Christian when it comes to “absolute surrender.” But I cannot let my own foibles and weaknesses get in the way of God’s desire for my life. I hope the following thoughts will be an encouragement to you in the dedication you bring to your own Christian walk.
I intend this posting to be well documented from a Biblical perspective. As usual, my opinion means nothing; it is God’s Word in which we must find the truth we need to live full lives on this earth. Please join with me as we take a small journey into the “mind of Christ” as we see just what it is we are called to.
First of all we know from Romans 10:9-10 (NASB) “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” We also know that the Apostle Paul exhorts us to “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?” in 2 Corinthians 13:5 (NASB). You see Paul is clearly warning us that it is a possibility that we can be fooled into thinking that we have believed in our hearts, but this has a possibility of being a false confession. Not convinced yet; here is a warning straight from the mouth of Jesus. In Matthew 7:21-23 (NASB), Jesus says, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.'” Please read that scripture again. Take it with you, mediate on it, and pray over it. Christians this is serious business. We must spend the rest of our days on this earth being positive we mean what we say with our mouths. I cannot judge your eternal destination, not even your pastor or priest can. That, my friend, is between you and the Lord.
Alright, let us go forward with this study making the concession that we are truly Christ’s. What then does that that mean in terms of our lives? In the words of Christ, himself, our dedication to him should run deep. Matthew 16:24-25 (NASB) says this, “Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”” Prior to this statement, Jesus had said even more to His disciples. Read what He instructs them about the cost of being a disciple in Matthew 10:32-39. Jesus says, “"Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.”But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven. "Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.”For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man's enemies will be the members of his household. "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. "And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. "He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.” This sounds to me like Jesus is calling us to make a pretty serious commitment. Like maybe “absolute surrender”?
So what does that mean to us, absolute surrender? I suppose to ask that question might elicit as many different answers as if we asked people to define what a Christian is. In his book Absolute Surrender, Andrew Murray speaks about surrender and he says on page 9 of that book this, “Give up yourselves absolutely to the will of God. You know something of that will; not enough, far from all. But say absolutely to the Lord God: "By Thy grace I desire to do Thy will in everything, every moment of every day."” Yet near the end of the book, Murray also says this about the topic, “Oh, friends, we need this absolute surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ. The more I speak, the more I feel that this is one of the most difficult points to make clear, and one of the most important and needful points to explain — what this absolute surrender is.” He goes on to define it as meaning “…as literally as Christ was given up entirely to God, I am given up entirely to Christ.” Now let us examine the Word of God in seeking the answer to what our surrender should look like.
We have already heard from Jesus. In the Book of Matthew, chapter 16 He has told us that to be his disciple one must “…must deny himself, and take up his cross…” verse 24 and then in verse 25 He goes on to say that those who want to save their lives must lose it. These are strong words and only those who have allowed themselves to be blinded by Satan’s efforts could fail to understand that this is a call to self-sacrifice. Jesus died for all of us and it is clearly Biblical that we are called to be like Christ in all we do.
Then Jesus gives us a command in John 15:12-13. He says, "This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” So you say, “Sure, I’ll lay my life down for my friends”, but Jesus raises that standard in Matthew 22:36-39, where we see that He meant this command to go well beyond your best buddies. Listen to His exchange he has in response to the religious leaders of the day as they question Him. “"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' "This is the great and foremost commandment."The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'” Jesus is calling us here to give up our petty dislikes for others and we must love everyone as we love God.
Big deal, you say, Jesus just us wants to be nice to everyone so that we can represent Him well. This means we should do good do others. But I say let us turn back to His Word. Here is what He says in Matthew 5:43-48 (NASB), "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? "If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Now Jesus has really cranked this up a notch; we not only have to love our wives, friends, and even neighbors, we have to love our enemies. We have to love even those who seek to harm us, persecute us, and even those we just plain don’t like. Clearly to love like that would mean a complete dying to our own selfish and self-preserving natures. And why? Because we are to be “perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Of course I get it; none of us in the life will probably attain such perfection. Yet that can and must be the target we shoot for. We must be seeking to be “Christ-like” in all we do.
Let us talk about giving now. I must confess that I am not a proponent of teaching the principle of the tithe to the New Testament Christian. I won’t get into that debate here, but let me say this; Just because you give 10% of your money to the church does not necessarily mean you are a good giver. Again I say we listen to what Jesus has to say about giving.
In Chapter 21 of The Book of Luke we find Jesus commenting on giving. Let us pick it up in verse 1 of chapter 21. “And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury. And He saw a poor widow putting in two small copper coins. And He said, "Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them; for they all out of their surplus put into the offering; but she out of her poverty put in all that she had to live on."” Jesus’ point here is that she gave everything she had. To put this into a different light, allow me to offer an exaggerated scenario. Suppose you earned 400 million dollars as, say an actor. If you tithed that 400 million dollars, you would still have 360 million dollars left. What would you have had to sacrifice in your life to give your tithe? But suppose you made $4000 working at Wal-Mart? After your tithe you have $3600 left to pay your bills and provide for your family. It seems likely that your gift would have actually been greater. Let me throw another thought at you. What if you made $4000 at Wal-Mart but your spouse was the one who made the $400 million? Do you catch my point?
Let us look at some more scripture now. Let’s move to Mark 10:17-22 and read the story some Bibles title “The Rich Young Ruler.” “As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. "You know the commandments, 'Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.' “And he said to Him, "Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth up."
Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, "One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." But at these words he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property.”
So was Jesus saying that no one can go to Heaven unless he gives up every penny one has? Certainly Jesus is not saying that. The point Jesus is making in both of these stories is that what matters is where your heart is in all this. Jesus goes on in verse 25 of Mark 10 to declare that, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." Why does He say that? Because Jesus knows the heart’s of men. He knows that for many rich men, they became rich because that was their complete heart’s desire and they spent their whole lives attaining riches instead of seeking the Kingdom of God. The Bible has many rich men who clearly were men of faith and men who will be there in eternity. King David, Solomon, and Job are just three examples. But these men loved God and although they messed up, they understood that all their blessings came straight from God.
Recently I have been considering this declaration that Jesus has made, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." Is it just possible that most of us reading this blog right now are rich? Certainly compared to the Rockefellers or the Bill Gates of the world, we are not. But compared to the rest of the world? I would say compared to much of the population in the world, we are quite rich. We own computers and cell phones, most of us have many changes of clothing. What if we compare ourselves to the people of Jesus’ day? I would say we are much wealthier than they, especially in terms of possessions. This doesn’t even scratch the surface of this way God has richly blessed us in terms of ease and comfort of life.
My point is that again I believe we must take scripture at its truest meaning and begin to listen to the warnings of God’s Word. We must stop thinking highly of ourselves and examine our commitment to our Lord and Savior. When I look in the mirror at the end of each day; can I say that I denied myself? For me; usually I think I must admit I have not. I have only began to unveil the truth of the topic at hand. I do not write this to bring condemnation or judgment down upon anyone. I merely write to fulfill what God has called me to and that is to speak truth in what He has revealed to me.
Consider this verse from Proverbs 1:7, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Then listen to the words of our Lord Jesus Christ himself in Matthew 7:21-23, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.”Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?'
"And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.'” I don’t know about you, but those are the most feared words in the Bible for me. I do not want to hear those words at the end of my life.
So what does this really mean “Absolute Surrender?” I believe each of us need to humble ourselves and ask God to teach us that answer by turning to Him on bended knees. I just know that when I look at what Jesus did for me: coming down from glory and being tempted in every way, walking this earth and even after performing great miracles and healings he was rejected by most, beaten and humiliated, hung on a cross while bearing the weight of all sin for all time and then even though I rejected the truth of His Word for many years and yet, in my darkest days, though I had not sought Him when times were good, when I finally understood I had no hope for this life or eternity and I was desperate and just wished to die… His arms were wide open and His love was right there for me…then I know that whatever little sacrifice I think I have ever made…it is not enough. I do not give enough money. I do not give enough time. I do not love His children as I should. I have not made the “Absolute Surrender.” Yet he loves me so.
I close this with one final scripture. It is the words of Jesus to Peter, just after Peter rebukes Jesus for telling the disciples of Jesus’ impending suffering and death to come. Listen to Jesus from Matthew 16:23 form the NASB, “But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's."” Now listen to the King James rendition, “Matthew 16:23 (KJV) But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.” Notice the use of the word “savouest” or we would say savor. So think about it; What do you savor? The things of man or the things of God?
I intend this posting to be well documented from a Biblical perspective. As usual, my opinion means nothing; it is God’s Word in which we must find the truth we need to live full lives on this earth. Please join with me as we take a small journey into the “mind of Christ” as we see just what it is we are called to.
First of all we know from Romans 10:9-10 (NASB) “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” We also know that the Apostle Paul exhorts us to “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?” in 2 Corinthians 13:5 (NASB). You see Paul is clearly warning us that it is a possibility that we can be fooled into thinking that we have believed in our hearts, but this has a possibility of being a false confession. Not convinced yet; here is a warning straight from the mouth of Jesus. In Matthew 7:21-23 (NASB), Jesus says, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.'” Please read that scripture again. Take it with you, mediate on it, and pray over it. Christians this is serious business. We must spend the rest of our days on this earth being positive we mean what we say with our mouths. I cannot judge your eternal destination, not even your pastor or priest can. That, my friend, is between you and the Lord.
Alright, let us go forward with this study making the concession that we are truly Christ’s. What then does that that mean in terms of our lives? In the words of Christ, himself, our dedication to him should run deep. Matthew 16:24-25 (NASB) says this, “Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”” Prior to this statement, Jesus had said even more to His disciples. Read what He instructs them about the cost of being a disciple in Matthew 10:32-39. Jesus says, “"Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.”But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven. "Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.”For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man's enemies will be the members of his household. "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. "And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. "He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.” This sounds to me like Jesus is calling us to make a pretty serious commitment. Like maybe “absolute surrender”?
So what does that mean to us, absolute surrender? I suppose to ask that question might elicit as many different answers as if we asked people to define what a Christian is. In his book Absolute Surrender, Andrew Murray speaks about surrender and he says on page 9 of that book this, “Give up yourselves absolutely to the will of God. You know something of that will; not enough, far from all. But say absolutely to the Lord God: "By Thy grace I desire to do Thy will in everything, every moment of every day."” Yet near the end of the book, Murray also says this about the topic, “Oh, friends, we need this absolute surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ. The more I speak, the more I feel that this is one of the most difficult points to make clear, and one of the most important and needful points to explain — what this absolute surrender is.” He goes on to define it as meaning “…as literally as Christ was given up entirely to God, I am given up entirely to Christ.” Now let us examine the Word of God in seeking the answer to what our surrender should look like.
We have already heard from Jesus. In the Book of Matthew, chapter 16 He has told us that to be his disciple one must “…must deny himself, and take up his cross…” verse 24 and then in verse 25 He goes on to say that those who want to save their lives must lose it. These are strong words and only those who have allowed themselves to be blinded by Satan’s efforts could fail to understand that this is a call to self-sacrifice. Jesus died for all of us and it is clearly Biblical that we are called to be like Christ in all we do.
Then Jesus gives us a command in John 15:12-13. He says, "This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” So you say, “Sure, I’ll lay my life down for my friends”, but Jesus raises that standard in Matthew 22:36-39, where we see that He meant this command to go well beyond your best buddies. Listen to His exchange he has in response to the religious leaders of the day as they question Him. “"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' "This is the great and foremost commandment."The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'” Jesus is calling us here to give up our petty dislikes for others and we must love everyone as we love God.
Big deal, you say, Jesus just us wants to be nice to everyone so that we can represent Him well. This means we should do good do others. But I say let us turn back to His Word. Here is what He says in Matthew 5:43-48 (NASB), "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? "If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Now Jesus has really cranked this up a notch; we not only have to love our wives, friends, and even neighbors, we have to love our enemies. We have to love even those who seek to harm us, persecute us, and even those we just plain don’t like. Clearly to love like that would mean a complete dying to our own selfish and self-preserving natures. And why? Because we are to be “perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Of course I get it; none of us in the life will probably attain such perfection. Yet that can and must be the target we shoot for. We must be seeking to be “Christ-like” in all we do.
Let us talk about giving now. I must confess that I am not a proponent of teaching the principle of the tithe to the New Testament Christian. I won’t get into that debate here, but let me say this; Just because you give 10% of your money to the church does not necessarily mean you are a good giver. Again I say we listen to what Jesus has to say about giving.
In Chapter 21 of The Book of Luke we find Jesus commenting on giving. Let us pick it up in verse 1 of chapter 21. “And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury. And He saw a poor widow putting in two small copper coins. And He said, "Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them; for they all out of their surplus put into the offering; but she out of her poverty put in all that she had to live on."” Jesus’ point here is that she gave everything she had. To put this into a different light, allow me to offer an exaggerated scenario. Suppose you earned 400 million dollars as, say an actor. If you tithed that 400 million dollars, you would still have 360 million dollars left. What would you have had to sacrifice in your life to give your tithe? But suppose you made $4000 working at Wal-Mart? After your tithe you have $3600 left to pay your bills and provide for your family. It seems likely that your gift would have actually been greater. Let me throw another thought at you. What if you made $4000 at Wal-Mart but your spouse was the one who made the $400 million? Do you catch my point?
Let us look at some more scripture now. Let’s move to Mark 10:17-22 and read the story some Bibles title “The Rich Young Ruler.” “As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. "You know the commandments, 'Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.' “And he said to Him, "Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth up."
Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, "One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." But at these words he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property.”
So was Jesus saying that no one can go to Heaven unless he gives up every penny one has? Certainly Jesus is not saying that. The point Jesus is making in both of these stories is that what matters is where your heart is in all this. Jesus goes on in verse 25 of Mark 10 to declare that, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." Why does He say that? Because Jesus knows the heart’s of men. He knows that for many rich men, they became rich because that was their complete heart’s desire and they spent their whole lives attaining riches instead of seeking the Kingdom of God. The Bible has many rich men who clearly were men of faith and men who will be there in eternity. King David, Solomon, and Job are just three examples. But these men loved God and although they messed up, they understood that all their blessings came straight from God.
Recently I have been considering this declaration that Jesus has made, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." Is it just possible that most of us reading this blog right now are rich? Certainly compared to the Rockefellers or the Bill Gates of the world, we are not. But compared to the rest of the world? I would say compared to much of the population in the world, we are quite rich. We own computers and cell phones, most of us have many changes of clothing. What if we compare ourselves to the people of Jesus’ day? I would say we are much wealthier than they, especially in terms of possessions. This doesn’t even scratch the surface of this way God has richly blessed us in terms of ease and comfort of life.
My point is that again I believe we must take scripture at its truest meaning and begin to listen to the warnings of God’s Word. We must stop thinking highly of ourselves and examine our commitment to our Lord and Savior. When I look in the mirror at the end of each day; can I say that I denied myself? For me; usually I think I must admit I have not. I have only began to unveil the truth of the topic at hand. I do not write this to bring condemnation or judgment down upon anyone. I merely write to fulfill what God has called me to and that is to speak truth in what He has revealed to me.
Consider this verse from Proverbs 1:7, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Then listen to the words of our Lord Jesus Christ himself in Matthew 7:21-23, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.”Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?'
"And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.'” I don’t know about you, but those are the most feared words in the Bible for me. I do not want to hear those words at the end of my life.
So what does this really mean “Absolute Surrender?” I believe each of us need to humble ourselves and ask God to teach us that answer by turning to Him on bended knees. I just know that when I look at what Jesus did for me: coming down from glory and being tempted in every way, walking this earth and even after performing great miracles and healings he was rejected by most, beaten and humiliated, hung on a cross while bearing the weight of all sin for all time and then even though I rejected the truth of His Word for many years and yet, in my darkest days, though I had not sought Him when times were good, when I finally understood I had no hope for this life or eternity and I was desperate and just wished to die… His arms were wide open and His love was right there for me…then I know that whatever little sacrifice I think I have ever made…it is not enough. I do not give enough money. I do not give enough time. I do not love His children as I should. I have not made the “Absolute Surrender.” Yet he loves me so.
I close this with one final scripture. It is the words of Jesus to Peter, just after Peter rebukes Jesus for telling the disciples of Jesus’ impending suffering and death to come. Listen to Jesus from Matthew 16:23 form the NASB, “But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's."” Now listen to the King James rendition, “Matthew 16:23 (KJV) But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.” Notice the use of the word “savouest” or we would say savor. So think about it; What do you savor? The things of man or the things of God?
Thursday, July 2, 2009
The Needy
Recently a topic popped up in which the demanding nature of customers was considered. A friend I have in the heating and cooling business was expressing some frustration with his business and made the comment that “there is no such thing as a heating and cooling emergency”. Now, while certainly one might argue that there truly could be a very pressing need for an elderly or ill person to need their furnace or air conditioner repaired ASAP or maybe in big commercial applications such as hospitals and nursing homes it may be considered a vital repair, but otherwise that is a true statement.
You see we live in an era of incredible comfort. For those born in my era, we know all too well that it isn’t the end of the world when the air conditioner isn’t working. Air conditioning is not a necessity. I grew up without it. We got by; we did not die. Every year we do hear of people dying in the inner cities where some of the poor have no air conditioning, but I expect they die because they haven’t done anything at all to prevent their homes from rising to excessive temperatures. I would have to see the individual facts of each case. For the sake of this blog, we are speaking merely of the average situation.
I speak on this topic with some authority, I have spent the last 32 years working in the service business, much of the time installing and repairing telephone lines. I have worked in every economic and social environment that exists. I have worked in the homes of the rich and famous (well, as famous as you can get in St. Louis), and I have been in the poorest of the poor. I can tell you this; the poor were much less demanding than the well-to-do. The poor were glad to see you and very appreciative, the rich carry an attitude of expectation that your sole purpose in life is to come solve their problem without regard to anyone else’s need. But I have digressed here, the topic of the rich and the poor is for another day.
The point I am trying to make is that we have become spoiled brats. Americans are soft and are overbearing in their demands. We carry around devices that provide instant gratification of our desires. We can communicate instantly with all of our cell phones. We can watch movies on demand and do so no matter where we are. We have food available at our beck and call. When I was a kid a baked potato required at least an hour or more to cook….now it’s a 6 minute microwave experience. You can even buy them at Wal-Mart already cleaned and packaged for microwaving.
We refuse to suffer in any way. We have pills for everything and self-help books for all emotional malaises, which promise instant relief. We drive everywhere with our windows up controlling our environment through heaters and air conditioners in our cars. When I started at the phone company we didn’t even have power steering or automatic transmissions in our trucks, now if a technician’s air conditioning breaks on his truck, it has to be repaired immediately. Recently in the news there was an article in the paper that chastised the Cardinal baseball team for not moving a couple of scheduled day games to the evening because it was hot during the day. In my early days all games were played in the daytime. I don’t recall any fan ever dying from watching a ball game in the heat. If you have a health problem then stay home for Pete’s sake. Don’t even get me going about indoor stadiums. I went to the Dome for a Ram’s game once and couldn’t even stomach it for more than the first half…..football was meant to be played in the elements, not in some pristine environment that looks and feels more like a hospital.
No wonder we whine when the power goes out or the air conditioner breaks. We are for the most part a bunch of babies. Now I am all for convenience. I like AC. I like heat. I like electric lights. But I understand that all of these wonderful gadgets are things that God has blessed us with. I do not view them as if I must have them to live; I view them as gifts from God to enjoy and thank Him every day for. I thank Him daily for bringing me into this world in an era of ease. I appreciate the men and women who earn their living working long hours and in sometimes difficult weather conditions to keep them up and running.
Several years ago I was working on my equipment during a major power outage across the St. Louis area. Since my equipment requires commercial power to operate, I have to work long hours throughout any power outage to keep the phone, internet, and TV aspects of AT&T running. I had been on the job for over 40 straight hours, having slept maybe 20 minutes in the cab of my truck. Often people see our trucks and think we are the power company. So this guy walks up and then after seeing I wasn’t able to fix his power, he starts ragging on the power company guys. He says that his power has been out for 2 days and here he drives by Pasta House and sees 3 Ameren-UE trucks sitting there and that just isn’t right, they need to be getting the power fixed. I laid into that guy good…..I asked him if thought those guys were robots? I asked him if he ever went 40 hours without sleep. I asked him if he ever climbed a 40’ pole in a pair of climbers and hung for two hours in the dark with a flashlight stuffed in his shirt trying to see while wiping sweat out of his eyes after having been stung earlier in the day by 5 wasps that had a nest built behind a transformer. I asked him if his children and his wife ever ask him when he’s coming home and been upset because he missed his son’s last 3 ballgames. I asked him if he ever went to a funeral for his friend and co-worker who at the age of 42 was killed when he accidently grabbed a hot 600 volt line. I really didn’t say all that, but I wanted to. I did explain that those men were doing the best they can and they are entitled to eat once in awhile.
I don’t usually find much in myself or others to say I am proud of, I believe all glory must be given to God. But I have been honored to work in the service business where we try and keep all of this nation’s people satisfied and comfortable. Sometimes I have even been part of vital repairs to things like 911 services and to hospitals and firehouses. I am not personally looking for accolades or even a thank you. I just want people to have patience and to be considerate when dealing with men like those power company men or the heating and air conditioning repairman. Appreciate the cop or the paramedic working on Christmas Day. Understand that in most circumstances you can live without most of what you have. Get on your knees every night and thank your Father in Heaven who provides all things.
You see we live in an era of incredible comfort. For those born in my era, we know all too well that it isn’t the end of the world when the air conditioner isn’t working. Air conditioning is not a necessity. I grew up without it. We got by; we did not die. Every year we do hear of people dying in the inner cities where some of the poor have no air conditioning, but I expect they die because they haven’t done anything at all to prevent their homes from rising to excessive temperatures. I would have to see the individual facts of each case. For the sake of this blog, we are speaking merely of the average situation.
I speak on this topic with some authority, I have spent the last 32 years working in the service business, much of the time installing and repairing telephone lines. I have worked in every economic and social environment that exists. I have worked in the homes of the rich and famous (well, as famous as you can get in St. Louis), and I have been in the poorest of the poor. I can tell you this; the poor were much less demanding than the well-to-do. The poor were glad to see you and very appreciative, the rich carry an attitude of expectation that your sole purpose in life is to come solve their problem without regard to anyone else’s need. But I have digressed here, the topic of the rich and the poor is for another day.
The point I am trying to make is that we have become spoiled brats. Americans are soft and are overbearing in their demands. We carry around devices that provide instant gratification of our desires. We can communicate instantly with all of our cell phones. We can watch movies on demand and do so no matter where we are. We have food available at our beck and call. When I was a kid a baked potato required at least an hour or more to cook….now it’s a 6 minute microwave experience. You can even buy them at Wal-Mart already cleaned and packaged for microwaving.
We refuse to suffer in any way. We have pills for everything and self-help books for all emotional malaises, which promise instant relief. We drive everywhere with our windows up controlling our environment through heaters and air conditioners in our cars. When I started at the phone company we didn’t even have power steering or automatic transmissions in our trucks, now if a technician’s air conditioning breaks on his truck, it has to be repaired immediately. Recently in the news there was an article in the paper that chastised the Cardinal baseball team for not moving a couple of scheduled day games to the evening because it was hot during the day. In my early days all games were played in the daytime. I don’t recall any fan ever dying from watching a ball game in the heat. If you have a health problem then stay home for Pete’s sake. Don’t even get me going about indoor stadiums. I went to the Dome for a Ram’s game once and couldn’t even stomach it for more than the first half…..football was meant to be played in the elements, not in some pristine environment that looks and feels more like a hospital.
No wonder we whine when the power goes out or the air conditioner breaks. We are for the most part a bunch of babies. Now I am all for convenience. I like AC. I like heat. I like electric lights. But I understand that all of these wonderful gadgets are things that God has blessed us with. I do not view them as if I must have them to live; I view them as gifts from God to enjoy and thank Him every day for. I thank Him daily for bringing me into this world in an era of ease. I appreciate the men and women who earn their living working long hours and in sometimes difficult weather conditions to keep them up and running.
Several years ago I was working on my equipment during a major power outage across the St. Louis area. Since my equipment requires commercial power to operate, I have to work long hours throughout any power outage to keep the phone, internet, and TV aspects of AT&T running. I had been on the job for over 40 straight hours, having slept maybe 20 minutes in the cab of my truck. Often people see our trucks and think we are the power company. So this guy walks up and then after seeing I wasn’t able to fix his power, he starts ragging on the power company guys. He says that his power has been out for 2 days and here he drives by Pasta House and sees 3 Ameren-UE trucks sitting there and that just isn’t right, they need to be getting the power fixed. I laid into that guy good…..I asked him if thought those guys were robots? I asked him if he ever went 40 hours without sleep. I asked him if he ever climbed a 40’ pole in a pair of climbers and hung for two hours in the dark with a flashlight stuffed in his shirt trying to see while wiping sweat out of his eyes after having been stung earlier in the day by 5 wasps that had a nest built behind a transformer. I asked him if his children and his wife ever ask him when he’s coming home and been upset because he missed his son’s last 3 ballgames. I asked him if he ever went to a funeral for his friend and co-worker who at the age of 42 was killed when he accidently grabbed a hot 600 volt line. I really didn’t say all that, but I wanted to. I did explain that those men were doing the best they can and they are entitled to eat once in awhile.
I don’t usually find much in myself or others to say I am proud of, I believe all glory must be given to God. But I have been honored to work in the service business where we try and keep all of this nation’s people satisfied and comfortable. Sometimes I have even been part of vital repairs to things like 911 services and to hospitals and firehouses. I am not personally looking for accolades or even a thank you. I just want people to have patience and to be considerate when dealing with men like those power company men or the heating and air conditioning repairman. Appreciate the cop or the paramedic working on Christmas Day. Understand that in most circumstances you can live without most of what you have. Get on your knees every night and thank your Father in Heaven who provides all things.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
The Judgments of God
Recently I have felt some heat over statements I have made either by mouth or through e-mail in response to the murder of the Kansas abortionist George Tiller. The basic premise of my statements were that I was not all that bothered by the events of his death, though as a Christian anytime someone whose eternal salvation appears tenuous at best dies without having made a confession of Jesus as Lord, and I think we can make that inference based on the life he lived (though I cannot nor would ever be able to read a man’s heart, I leave that to God) then we must feel some sadness over a soul ending up on the bad end of eternity. I also am very pleased that his clinic will now be closed permanently. I have also suggested that it is possible, I say possible, that the event could have been a result of the judgment of God coming down upon him for his unrepentant acts of killing the unborn. As I listened to some of the responses I have been led to go back to the Bible to first of all be sure that I was not misrepresenting God in any thing I say and that my statements had Biblical basis. Please make careful note: I am not saying that anyone should be going out and killing abortionists.
What has bothered me most is that as I listen to what others have said, I am concerned that the average Christian does not understand the basic attributes of God. All we ever seem to hear is that God is love. Yes, He is, that is for sure a scriptural fact. But God also hates sin and He is a just God as well. Without going too deep and long into theology, it is still important to understand that Jesus had to die and shed His blood and then be resurrected so that we can enter into God’s most Holy presence. Simply put He cannot, by His nature, allow sin to go unpunished. Jesus paid the price for us, but that only applies to those who have accepted His free offer of salvation. I don’t wish to spend time here; if we are anything more than a brand new believer we should have knowledge of this. See Hebrews 5:12 if you wish.
What I would like to do here is simply offer some scripture to provide a background into why I believe my suggestions are within the boundaries of legitimate Biblical theology. Please understand I am not a Bible scholar, but I do have a passion for seeking the truth of the Word of God. I believe every word in the Bible to be inspired by God and to be truth. The Bible is the authority upon which I base my entire theology and my goal, though I fall short, is to live a life based on its precepts and the commandments God has provided within its pages. If you are reading this and are not in agreement with my belief on the Bible’s authority, then we are probably best to just mutually agree that we will never agree. To anyone reading this who is a Catholic, it is my understanding that your leadership does not give total and complete authority to the Bible, but I know many Catholics who give the Word the authority that I believe it must be given. I guess my main question to those who don’t is to ask then, how do you determine what parts you throw out and what you keep, but that is not a debate I am currently interested in taking up.
I do not want anyone to be misled nor do I want to dishonor God in anything I say. If I do so in this writing or anywhere else in my life, I pray that God will provide me grace and then wisdom to correct any errors I make. I don’t believe the subject matter we are looking at is a matter of salvation, but is simply an important topic to consider and to seek clear Biblical counsel on. There are many reasons that it is important to develop a good sound theology in this area, however unless someone would like to dispute that, I will not delve into that area at this time.
Let us now review some scripture and as I present that, I can say that unless I specify other, all text is from the NASB translation. I encourage each of you to read other translations and to consider looking at various commentaries to consider some of the theological viewpoints that can be considered. Mostly I suggest that you go to your Church leadership as well if you have questions about the scriptures you will read here. I will try and stay mostly on pure scripture, but occasionally I may throw in a comment or two. Believe the Word, test and examine anything I say against scripture. If I highlight something in red, then it is particular to this discussion. Please consider reading the entire sections of scripture to understand the context of the verse. I am only including the main point I am making and do not like doing that, but for the sake of brevity I give you responsibility for verifying that context isn’t causing a problem with the true meaning and point. Actually my hope is that each of us would begin reading the entire Bible through on a regular basis and that we understand that we need to view scripture in light of scripture and that we learn of the way the Old Testament actually connects with the New Testament.
First let us look at Judges 9:22-25 (NASB):
Now Abimelech ruled over Israel three years.
Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech, so that the violence done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood might be laid on Abimelech their brother, who killed them, and on the men of Shechem, who strengthened his hands to kill his brothers. The men of Shechem set men in ambush against him on the tops of the mountains, and they robbed all who might pass by them along the road; and it was told to Abimelech.
Now look at Judges 9:50-57 (NASB):
Then Abimelech went to Thebez, and he camped against Thebez and captured it. But there was a strong tower in the center of the city, and all the men and women with all the leaders of the city fled there and shut themselves in; and they went up on the roof of the tower. So Abimelech came to the tower and fought against it, and approached the entrance of the tower to burn it with fire. But a certain woman threw an upper millstone on Abimelech's head, crushing his skull. Then he called quickly to the young man, his armor bearer, and said to him, "Draw your sword and kill me, so that it will not be said of me, 'A woman slew him.'" So the young man pierced him through, and he died. When the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, each departed to his home. Thus God repaid the wickedness of Abimelech, which he had done to his father in killing his seventy brothers. Also God returned all the wickedness of the men of Shechem on their heads, and the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal came upon them.
Notice above: God used the woman who threw the stone on Abimelech’s head leading to his death to “repay his wickedness”. Then listen to this, “Also God returned all the wickedness of the men of Shechem on their heads, and the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal came upon them.”
Read about the consequences God instituted in Deuteronomy 28. Here are some of the points:
Deuteronomy 28:15 (NASB) "But it shall come about, if you do not obey the Lord your God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes with which I charge you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:
Deuteronomy 28:20-24 (NASB) "The Lord will send upon you curses, confusion, and rebuke, in all you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken Me.
"The Lord will make the pestilence cling to you until He has consumed you from the land where you are entering to possess it.
"The Lord will smite you with consumption and with fever and with inflammation and with fiery heat and with the sword and with blight and with mildew, and they will pursue you until you perish.
"The heaven which is over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you, iron.
"The Lord will make the rain of your land powder and dust; from heaven it shall come down on you until you are destroyed.
Deuteronomy 28:45-46 (NASB) "So all these curses shall come on you and pursue you and overtake you until you are destroyed, because you would not obey the Lord your God by keeping His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you.
"They shall become a sign and a wonder on you and your descendants forever.
Please take time to read all of Deuteronomy 28.
Next I call attention to Judges 3:15-30:
Judges 3:15-30 (NASB) But when the sons of Israel cried to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for them, Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man. And the sons of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon the king of Moab.
Ehud made himself a sword which had two edges, a cubit in length, and he bound it on his right thigh under his cloak.
He presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man.
It came about when he had finished presenting the tribute, that he sent away the people who had carried the tribute.
But he himself turned back from the idols which were at Gilgal, and said, "I have a secret message for you, O king." And he said, "Keep silence." And all who attended him left him.
Ehud came to him while he was sitting alone in his cool roof chamber. And Ehud said, "I have a message from God for you." And he arose from his seat.
Ehud stretched out his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh and thrust it into his belly.
The handle also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not draw the sword out of his belly; and the refuse came out.
Then Ehud went out into the vestibule and shut the doors of the roof chamber behind him, and locked them.
When he had gone out, his servants came and looked, and behold, the doors of the roof chamber were locked; and they said, "He is only relieving himself in the cool room."
They waited until they became anxious; but behold, he did not open the doors of the roof chamber. Therefore they took the key and opened them, and behold, their master had fallen to the floor dead.
Now Ehud escaped while they were delaying, and he passed by the idols and escaped to Seirah.
It came about when he had arrived, that he blew the trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel went down with him from the hill country, and he was in front of them.
He said to them, "Pursue them, for the Lord has given your enemies the Moabites into your hands." So they went down after him and seized the fords of the Jordan opposite Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross.
They struck down at that time about ten thousand Moabites, all robust and valiant men; and no one escaped.
So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land was undisturbed for eighty years.
I am not using this section of scripture to compare any situation including the man who killed Tiller. I am using it to demonstrate that God has at times used men to accomplish His purpose and to illustrate Biblical example of an attribute of God that we are afraid to look at some times. Just note that this man was used as a “deliverer.”
How about 1 Samuel 15:1?
1 Samuel 15:1-3 (NASB) Then Samuel said to Saul, "The Lord sent me to anoint you as king over His people, over Israel; now therefore, listen to the words of the Lord.
"Thus says the Lord of hosts, 'I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he set himself against him on the way while he was coming up from Egypt.
'Now go and strike Amalek and utterly destroy all that he has, and do not spare him; but put to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.' "
This verse seems pretty clear that for those who choose to hurt God’s chosen people, it is possible to have a strong measure of wrath brought down upon them by the direct order of God.
1 Kings 13:26 (NASB) Now when the prophet who brought him back from the way heard it, he said, "It is the man of God, who disobeyed the command of the Lord; therefore the Lord has given him to the lion, which has torn him and killed him, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke to him."
Not all things that happen in this world may just be freak accidents or for those who believe in it, bad luck.
Ok at this point you may be saying “But that is all Old Testament stuff, we’re under the New Testament.” Well, I could spend time showing the direct correlation of the Old and New Testaments and how they tie in. I won’t do that for the sake of brevity and it isn’t even necessary here. I am trying to demonstrate by scripture that the wrath of God is a dangerous thing for the disobedient and to also offer that while God is love and he is longsuffering, there is some kind of point where, by His nature which is to Holy and unable to tolerate unrepentant sin, He can and does take punitive action. It is also a Biblical fact that God does not change. The covenant He has made with His people did, but God and His nature did not. Malachi 3:6 says, "For I, the Lord, do not change….”
That being stated let us look at what the New Testament does say about judgment and God.
1 Corinthians 10:1-22 (NASB) For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea;
and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
and all ate the same spiritual food;
and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ.
Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well-pleased; for they were laid low in the wilderness.
Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved.
Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink, and stood up to play."
Nor let us act immorally, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day.
Nor let us try the Lord, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the serpents.
Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer.
Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.
No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.
Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.
I speak as to wise men; you judge what I say.
Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ?
Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread.
Look at the nation Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices sharers in the altar?
What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything?
No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons.
You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.
Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than He, are we?
In many different places the New Testament gives us warnings. Romans 1 & 2 are quite clear. Jesus speaks often warning of the results of unbelief and un-repentence. My personal favorite warning comes from the Apostle Paul in Galatians 6. It says:
Galatians 6:7-8 (NASB) Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.
For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
The Book of Revelation is an entire book of warnings about the coming times. Yes, I know Jesus came not to "judge the world, but to save the world.” But that was last time. The next time Jesus returns there will be judgment.
Revelation 19:11-16 (NASB) And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war.
His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself.
He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.
From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.
And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."
His judgment is not to be taken lightly:
James 2:13 (NASB) For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.
At this you say “OK, judgment is coming but what does that have to do with Tiller? How could you say based on the New Testament God could possibly have been involved in his death? That judgment is reserved for the end of the days.
To that I ask you; Explain the story of Ananias and Sapphira to me.
Acts 5:1-11 (NASB) But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property,
and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife's full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles' feet.
But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land?
"While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God."
And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came over all who heard of it.
The young men got up and covered him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him.
Now there elapsed an interval of about three hours, and his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.
And Peter responded to her, "Tell me whether you sold the land for such and such a price?" And she said, "Yes, that was the price."
Then Peter said to her, "Why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out as well."
And immediately she fell at his feet and breathed her last, and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.
And great fear came over the whole church, and over all who heard of these things.
All Ananias and Sapphira did was lie to the Holy Spirit and hold back some money for themselves. They were taken out of this world for not being totally truthful and it says that “great fear” came out of it. This seems clear to me that God, though He loves his people, sometimes does things for His Glory and to accomplish His will, even if we don’t like it.
This little study is not an exhaustive one. Yet in this short study clearly we can see that there is something known as “the wrath of God” and He has and thus could again be free to exercise His wrath on both the saved and the unsaved in any way He sees fit. Yes, I know we can also prove by scripture that God is love, longsuffering and full of grace. I agree. I am very grateful He is or I would be in huge trouble. But we cannot ignore the basic nature of God in His entirety, even if we worry that this makes Him look mean or unloving. Just because he is just and disciplines His children does not mean that He isn’t loving as well. For some in the world preaching the love of God is all they need to come to repentance and the gift of salvation. But for others, they do not respond. We must be confident in God’s sovereignty and realize that some are in serious danger of eternal damnation and need to be warned. We must be prepared that to some there will not be eternal salvation, but instead a lake of fire is that the end of the road. Jesus, Himself said in Matthew 7:13-14 (NASB) "…the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it."For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
I could go on and on with this but the onus is on each of us to search the scriptures ourselves and to “work out our salvation with fear and trembling.”
In conclusion I hope this has helped you understand why I say that God could have been a part of this process in which Tiller is no longer on this earth. I can’t say God was for sure, but I can say that God will and has used this incident to His good and to accomplish His will. I hope all of you again understand I am not in any way supporting the murder of anyone. I am just saying that by the writings in scripture it is clear to me that God is not to be “mocked” and we should entertain a healthy fear of His judgments and understand His nature and subsequent intolerance of un- repentant sin.
If you are not a serious student of the Word, please consider doing so. Please consider reading the entire Bible from beginning to end and to seek help in understanding the way that both the Old and New Testaments fit together. Thru the Bible with J. Vernon McGee is an excellent option. His works are available in print and online in both written and in audio form. I have purposely avoided using outside commentaries and other writings as I want to stay within direct Biblical quotes.
Pray and ask God for truth and His wisdom and the Holy Spirit will "…will teach you all things…” John 14:26
Pray for me and ask God to correct me in any way I have misrepresented Him and His Word.
God Bless All of You!
Mike Wood
What has bothered me most is that as I listen to what others have said, I am concerned that the average Christian does not understand the basic attributes of God. All we ever seem to hear is that God is love. Yes, He is, that is for sure a scriptural fact. But God also hates sin and He is a just God as well. Without going too deep and long into theology, it is still important to understand that Jesus had to die and shed His blood and then be resurrected so that we can enter into God’s most Holy presence. Simply put He cannot, by His nature, allow sin to go unpunished. Jesus paid the price for us, but that only applies to those who have accepted His free offer of salvation. I don’t wish to spend time here; if we are anything more than a brand new believer we should have knowledge of this. See Hebrews 5:12 if you wish.
What I would like to do here is simply offer some scripture to provide a background into why I believe my suggestions are within the boundaries of legitimate Biblical theology. Please understand I am not a Bible scholar, but I do have a passion for seeking the truth of the Word of God. I believe every word in the Bible to be inspired by God and to be truth. The Bible is the authority upon which I base my entire theology and my goal, though I fall short, is to live a life based on its precepts and the commandments God has provided within its pages. If you are reading this and are not in agreement with my belief on the Bible’s authority, then we are probably best to just mutually agree that we will never agree. To anyone reading this who is a Catholic, it is my understanding that your leadership does not give total and complete authority to the Bible, but I know many Catholics who give the Word the authority that I believe it must be given. I guess my main question to those who don’t is to ask then, how do you determine what parts you throw out and what you keep, but that is not a debate I am currently interested in taking up.
I do not want anyone to be misled nor do I want to dishonor God in anything I say. If I do so in this writing or anywhere else in my life, I pray that God will provide me grace and then wisdom to correct any errors I make. I don’t believe the subject matter we are looking at is a matter of salvation, but is simply an important topic to consider and to seek clear Biblical counsel on. There are many reasons that it is important to develop a good sound theology in this area, however unless someone would like to dispute that, I will not delve into that area at this time.
Let us now review some scripture and as I present that, I can say that unless I specify other, all text is from the NASB translation. I encourage each of you to read other translations and to consider looking at various commentaries to consider some of the theological viewpoints that can be considered. Mostly I suggest that you go to your Church leadership as well if you have questions about the scriptures you will read here. I will try and stay mostly on pure scripture, but occasionally I may throw in a comment or two. Believe the Word, test and examine anything I say against scripture. If I highlight something in red, then it is particular to this discussion. Please consider reading the entire sections of scripture to understand the context of the verse. I am only including the main point I am making and do not like doing that, but for the sake of brevity I give you responsibility for verifying that context isn’t causing a problem with the true meaning and point. Actually my hope is that each of us would begin reading the entire Bible through on a regular basis and that we understand that we need to view scripture in light of scripture and that we learn of the way the Old Testament actually connects with the New Testament.
First let us look at Judges 9:22-25 (NASB):
Now Abimelech ruled over Israel three years.
Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech, so that the violence done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood might be laid on Abimelech their brother, who killed them, and on the men of Shechem, who strengthened his hands to kill his brothers. The men of Shechem set men in ambush against him on the tops of the mountains, and they robbed all who might pass by them along the road; and it was told to Abimelech.
Now look at Judges 9:50-57 (NASB):
Then Abimelech went to Thebez, and he camped against Thebez and captured it. But there was a strong tower in the center of the city, and all the men and women with all the leaders of the city fled there and shut themselves in; and they went up on the roof of the tower. So Abimelech came to the tower and fought against it, and approached the entrance of the tower to burn it with fire. But a certain woman threw an upper millstone on Abimelech's head, crushing his skull. Then he called quickly to the young man, his armor bearer, and said to him, "Draw your sword and kill me, so that it will not be said of me, 'A woman slew him.'" So the young man pierced him through, and he died. When the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, each departed to his home. Thus God repaid the wickedness of Abimelech, which he had done to his father in killing his seventy brothers. Also God returned all the wickedness of the men of Shechem on their heads, and the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal came upon them.
Notice above: God used the woman who threw the stone on Abimelech’s head leading to his death to “repay his wickedness”. Then listen to this, “Also God returned all the wickedness of the men of Shechem on their heads, and the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal came upon them.”
Read about the consequences God instituted in Deuteronomy 28. Here are some of the points:
Deuteronomy 28:15 (NASB) "But it shall come about, if you do not obey the Lord your God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes with which I charge you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:
Deuteronomy 28:20-24 (NASB) "The Lord will send upon you curses, confusion, and rebuke, in all you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken Me.
"The Lord will make the pestilence cling to you until He has consumed you from the land where you are entering to possess it.
"The Lord will smite you with consumption and with fever and with inflammation and with fiery heat and with the sword and with blight and with mildew, and they will pursue you until you perish.
"The heaven which is over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you, iron.
"The Lord will make the rain of your land powder and dust; from heaven it shall come down on you until you are destroyed.
Deuteronomy 28:45-46 (NASB) "So all these curses shall come on you and pursue you and overtake you until you are destroyed, because you would not obey the Lord your God by keeping His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you.
"They shall become a sign and a wonder on you and your descendants forever.
Please take time to read all of Deuteronomy 28.
Next I call attention to Judges 3:15-30:
Judges 3:15-30 (NASB) But when the sons of Israel cried to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for them, Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man. And the sons of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon the king of Moab.
Ehud made himself a sword which had two edges, a cubit in length, and he bound it on his right thigh under his cloak.
He presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man.
It came about when he had finished presenting the tribute, that he sent away the people who had carried the tribute.
But he himself turned back from the idols which were at Gilgal, and said, "I have a secret message for you, O king." And he said, "Keep silence." And all who attended him left him.
Ehud came to him while he was sitting alone in his cool roof chamber. And Ehud said, "I have a message from God for you." And he arose from his seat.
Ehud stretched out his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh and thrust it into his belly.
The handle also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not draw the sword out of his belly; and the refuse came out.
Then Ehud went out into the vestibule and shut the doors of the roof chamber behind him, and locked them.
When he had gone out, his servants came and looked, and behold, the doors of the roof chamber were locked; and they said, "He is only relieving himself in the cool room."
They waited until they became anxious; but behold, he did not open the doors of the roof chamber. Therefore they took the key and opened them, and behold, their master had fallen to the floor dead.
Now Ehud escaped while they were delaying, and he passed by the idols and escaped to Seirah.
It came about when he had arrived, that he blew the trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel went down with him from the hill country, and he was in front of them.
He said to them, "Pursue them, for the Lord has given your enemies the Moabites into your hands." So they went down after him and seized the fords of the Jordan opposite Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross.
They struck down at that time about ten thousand Moabites, all robust and valiant men; and no one escaped.
So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land was undisturbed for eighty years.
I am not using this section of scripture to compare any situation including the man who killed Tiller. I am using it to demonstrate that God has at times used men to accomplish His purpose and to illustrate Biblical example of an attribute of God that we are afraid to look at some times. Just note that this man was used as a “deliverer.”
How about 1 Samuel 15:1?
1 Samuel 15:1-3 (NASB) Then Samuel said to Saul, "The Lord sent me to anoint you as king over His people, over Israel; now therefore, listen to the words of the Lord.
"Thus says the Lord of hosts, 'I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he set himself against him on the way while he was coming up from Egypt.
'Now go and strike Amalek and utterly destroy all that he has, and do not spare him; but put to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.' "
This verse seems pretty clear that for those who choose to hurt God’s chosen people, it is possible to have a strong measure of wrath brought down upon them by the direct order of God.
1 Kings 13:26 (NASB) Now when the prophet who brought him back from the way heard it, he said, "It is the man of God, who disobeyed the command of the Lord; therefore the Lord has given him to the lion, which has torn him and killed him, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke to him."
Not all things that happen in this world may just be freak accidents or for those who believe in it, bad luck.
Ok at this point you may be saying “But that is all Old Testament stuff, we’re under the New Testament.” Well, I could spend time showing the direct correlation of the Old and New Testaments and how they tie in. I won’t do that for the sake of brevity and it isn’t even necessary here. I am trying to demonstrate by scripture that the wrath of God is a dangerous thing for the disobedient and to also offer that while God is love and he is longsuffering, there is some kind of point where, by His nature which is to Holy and unable to tolerate unrepentant sin, He can and does take punitive action. It is also a Biblical fact that God does not change. The covenant He has made with His people did, but God and His nature did not. Malachi 3:6 says, "For I, the Lord, do not change….”
That being stated let us look at what the New Testament does say about judgment and God.
1 Corinthians 10:1-22 (NASB) For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea;
and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
and all ate the same spiritual food;
and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ.
Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well-pleased; for they were laid low in the wilderness.
Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved.
Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink, and stood up to play."
Nor let us act immorally, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day.
Nor let us try the Lord, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the serpents.
Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer.
Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.
No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.
Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.
I speak as to wise men; you judge what I say.
Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ?
Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread.
Look at the nation Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices sharers in the altar?
What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything?
No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons.
You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.
Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than He, are we?
In many different places the New Testament gives us warnings. Romans 1 & 2 are quite clear. Jesus speaks often warning of the results of unbelief and un-repentence. My personal favorite warning comes from the Apostle Paul in Galatians 6. It says:
Galatians 6:7-8 (NASB) Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.
For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
The Book of Revelation is an entire book of warnings about the coming times. Yes, I know Jesus came not to "judge the world, but to save the world.” But that was last time. The next time Jesus returns there will be judgment.
Revelation 19:11-16 (NASB) And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war.
His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself.
He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.
From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.
And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."
His judgment is not to be taken lightly:
James 2:13 (NASB) For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.
At this you say “OK, judgment is coming but what does that have to do with Tiller? How could you say based on the New Testament God could possibly have been involved in his death? That judgment is reserved for the end of the days.
To that I ask you; Explain the story of Ananias and Sapphira to me.
Acts 5:1-11 (NASB) But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property,
and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife's full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles' feet.
But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land?
"While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God."
And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came over all who heard of it.
The young men got up and covered him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him.
Now there elapsed an interval of about three hours, and his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.
And Peter responded to her, "Tell me whether you sold the land for such and such a price?" And she said, "Yes, that was the price."
Then Peter said to her, "Why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out as well."
And immediately she fell at his feet and breathed her last, and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.
And great fear came over the whole church, and over all who heard of these things.
All Ananias and Sapphira did was lie to the Holy Spirit and hold back some money for themselves. They were taken out of this world for not being totally truthful and it says that “great fear” came out of it. This seems clear to me that God, though He loves his people, sometimes does things for His Glory and to accomplish His will, even if we don’t like it.
This little study is not an exhaustive one. Yet in this short study clearly we can see that there is something known as “the wrath of God” and He has and thus could again be free to exercise His wrath on both the saved and the unsaved in any way He sees fit. Yes, I know we can also prove by scripture that God is love, longsuffering and full of grace. I agree. I am very grateful He is or I would be in huge trouble. But we cannot ignore the basic nature of God in His entirety, even if we worry that this makes Him look mean or unloving. Just because he is just and disciplines His children does not mean that He isn’t loving as well. For some in the world preaching the love of God is all they need to come to repentance and the gift of salvation. But for others, they do not respond. We must be confident in God’s sovereignty and realize that some are in serious danger of eternal damnation and need to be warned. We must be prepared that to some there will not be eternal salvation, but instead a lake of fire is that the end of the road. Jesus, Himself said in Matthew 7:13-14 (NASB) "…the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it."For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
I could go on and on with this but the onus is on each of us to search the scriptures ourselves and to “work out our salvation with fear and trembling.”
In conclusion I hope this has helped you understand why I say that God could have been a part of this process in which Tiller is no longer on this earth. I can’t say God was for sure, but I can say that God will and has used this incident to His good and to accomplish His will. I hope all of you again understand I am not in any way supporting the murder of anyone. I am just saying that by the writings in scripture it is clear to me that God is not to be “mocked” and we should entertain a healthy fear of His judgments and understand His nature and subsequent intolerance of un- repentant sin.
If you are not a serious student of the Word, please consider doing so. Please consider reading the entire Bible from beginning to end and to seek help in understanding the way that both the Old and New Testaments fit together. Thru the Bible with J. Vernon McGee is an excellent option. His works are available in print and online in both written and in audio form. I have purposely avoided using outside commentaries and other writings as I want to stay within direct Biblical quotes.
Pray and ask God for truth and His wisdom and the Holy Spirit will "…will teach you all things…” John 14:26
Pray for me and ask God to correct me in any way I have misrepresented Him and His Word.
God Bless All of You!
Mike Wood
Friday, May 1, 2009
Living for Christ
What is your goal in life? Where is your focus? Are you a college student working towards a degree that will bring that six figure job you so long for. Maybe you are already employed, but are seeking the big promotion. Maybe you are a high school student intent on making the big leagues, practicing baseball every day. It doesn’t matter what it is your desire is in life, if you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, there must be a redirection in your priorities. One of the biggest lies we have allowed ourselves to fall for is the lie of self-importance. Maybe it is better to call it self-reliance.
In everything I have ever done in my life, it was my goal to be completely reliant on myself. At work I did everything I could to learn my job in a manner that assured I would never need to depend on anyone else. I attended a survival school that taught me how to find food and shelter if ever I was lost in the woods. Even as a child I learned to entertain myself so I would always be able to exist without friends. But then as my life progressed, God, using the trials and tribulations of my life, taught me that I could not survive without him in my life. Then as my Christian life progresses, he has taught me that I also need the fellowship and the resulting encouragement of the Body of Christ. My studies in God’s Word has reaffirmed that God desires that we share with other Christians, not only for our good, but for their good as well.
As we look at God’s Word we will find out what He wants us to be seeking in life. Let us start with our true needs. Often we confuse them with wants. Jesus has already promised to take care of us. Matthew chapter 6 is a good place to start. Listen to the words of Christ starting in verse 25 where he tells us this: “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” He goes on in this section to demonstrate that if God provides food and clothing for the birds and the plants, He will certainly do so for us. God knows we need these things. Instead Jesus tells us in verse 33 to, “… seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Clearly our priority in life is to seek the kingdom of God, not food, housing, or clothes.
What this comes down to is a matter of the heart, our hearts that is. Ask yourself this; have I really given my heart to Jesus? Or do I want to take His free gift of salvation but not die to myself because of it. Listen to the very words of Jesus as quoted from Matthew 16:24-26, “Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” What Jesus is saying here is that if we choose to follow Him, though our salvation is a free gift, it does not come without responsibility. The question for today is this: Are you willing to lose your life for Him? Jesus says this in John 12:25-26 "He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. "If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.” I don’t think we can argue that Jesus is calling us to die to ourselves and to start living for him.
So what does that mean to live for Christ? It means to live out our lives as He lived His. He says this in John 15:12-14, "This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. "You are My friends if you do what I command you.” Jesus gave His life on the cross for me and for you. Accepting that sacrifice for our sins means that we should submit ourselves to him. Often we speak of Jesus as our savior, but we forget that he is to be Lord of our lives as well. Romans 10:9, one of our basic salvation texts, does not mince words saying, “…that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Take careful note of that, it says “confess…Jesus as Lord.”
If we confess Jesus as our Lord, then we are called to obey Him when he gives us a commandment. He has clearly commanded us to love one another as He has loved us and that means to give up ourselves as he gave up Himself. We should study and pray over Philippians 2:1-8 which says this, “Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”
Would you like to see your relationships change? Then seek to live out your life as Jesus has called us to. Begin putting the needs of others in front of your own desires and I guarantee God will bless you in ways you would ever have expected. Start sacrificing the small useless things in your life and begin serving others. This what the Apostle Paul meant when he told us Philippians 2:12 to “ work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” Remember with God nothing is impossible and through the power of the Holy Spirit we can live out our lives as God’s servants in the Kingdom of Heaven. We can stop living a life devoted to our own priority and live it His way.
As always be strong in the Lord.
What is your goal in life? Where is your focus? Are you a college student working towards a degree that will bring that six figure job you so long for. Maybe you are already employed, but are seeking the big promotion. Maybe you are a high school student intent on making the big leagues, practicing baseball every day. It doesn’t matter what it is your desire is in life, if you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, there must be a redirection in your priorities. One of the biggest lies we have allowed ourselves to fall for is the lie of self-importance. Maybe it is better to call it self-reliance.
In everything I have ever done in my life, it was my goal to be completely reliant on myself. At work I did everything I could to learn my job in a manner that assured I would never need to depend on anyone else. I attended a survival school that taught me how to find food and shelter if ever I was lost in the woods. Even as a child I learned to entertain myself so I would always be able to exist without friends. But then as my life progressed, God, using the trials and tribulations of my life, taught me that I could not survive without him in my life. Then as my Christian life progresses, he has taught me that I also need the fellowship and the resulting encouragement of the Body of Christ. My studies in God’s Word has reaffirmed that God desires that we share with other Christians, not only for our good, but for their good as well.
As we look at God’s Word we will find out what He wants us to be seeking in life. Let us start with our true needs. Often we confuse them with wants. Jesus has already promised to take care of us. Matthew chapter 6 is a good place to start. Listen to the words of Christ starting in verse 25 where he tells us this: “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” He goes on in this section to demonstrate that if God provides food and clothing for the birds and the plants, He will certainly do so for us. God knows we need these things. Instead Jesus tells us in verse 33 to, “… seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Clearly our priority in life is to seek the kingdom of God, not food, housing, or clothes.
What this comes down to is a matter of the heart, our hearts that is. Ask yourself this; have I really given my heart to Jesus? Or do I want to take His free gift of salvation but not die to myself because of it. Listen to the very words of Jesus as quoted from Matthew 16:24-26, “Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” What Jesus is saying here is that if we choose to follow Him, though our salvation is a free gift, it does not come without responsibility. The question for today is this: Are you willing to lose your life for Him? Jesus says this in John 12:25-26 "He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. "If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.” I don’t think we can argue that Jesus is calling us to die to ourselves and to start living for him.
So what does that mean to live for Christ? It means to live out our lives as He lived His. He says this in John 15:12-14, "This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. "You are My friends if you do what I command you.” Jesus gave His life on the cross for me and for you. Accepting that sacrifice for our sins means that we should submit ourselves to him. Often we speak of Jesus as our savior, but we forget that he is to be Lord of our lives as well. Romans 10:9, one of our basic salvation texts, does not mince words saying, “…that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Take careful note of that, it says “confess…Jesus as Lord.”
If we confess Jesus as our Lord, then we are called to obey Him when he gives us a commandment. He has clearly commanded us to love one another as He has loved us and that means to give up ourselves as he gave up Himself. We should study and pray over Philippians 2:1-8 which says this, “Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”
Would you like to see your relationships change? Then seek to live out your life as Jesus has called us to. Begin putting the needs of others in front of your own desires and I guarantee God will bless you in ways you would ever have expected. Start sacrificing the small useless things in your life and begin serving others. This what the Apostle Paul meant when he told us Philippians 2:12 to “ work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” Remember with God nothing is impossible and through the power of the Holy Spirit we can live out our lives as God’s servants in the Kingdom of Heaven. We can stop living a life devoted to our own priority and live it His way.
As always be strong in the Lord.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Spiritual warfare
Whether you realize it or not, you and I are living in a warzone, and we are active participants in the conflict. This earth we live on is a battlefield and war rages around us on all sides. The difference in this war and the wars you studied when you were in school, is that this is not a physical battle, but is in actuality a spiritual one. Ephesians 6:12 tells us that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” We are in a constant battle in which Satan seeks to devour you. (See 1 Peter 5:8) These forces of darkness are working day and night to capture your soul and to control your mind, which in turn controls you.
Oh my, wait a minute, you say, I am not a Christian. I don’t believe all that crazy talk. Or maybe you do believe in God, you go to church every Sunday and even pray to God, but all that stuff in the Bible, that is just symbolism and hyperbole, nobody believes all that kind of talk. I hate to be the bearer of bad news (actually for those who understand, it is good news); but that talk isn’t just hype or symbolism, it is the truth of the Word of God. You can deny the truth all you like, but that doesn’t change the truth. Actually it proves my point that we are at war. One of Satan’s favorite methods is to deceive us. It was his ability to deceive Eve in the Garden of Eden that led to what we call the fall, which was the time when sin and death entered into the world. So if you do not believe what the Bible says, you have already become a casualty in the horrible war.
Never in the history of America, do I believe we should be more cognizant of this war, than today. We spend a lot of time, money, energy, and even the lives of men and women, fighting what we currently call the war on terrorism. This war on terrorism had been quietly being fought for years, but after the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers, we suddenly were all aware of the need to protect ourselves. Drastic measures have been put into place, even leading to a new entity tilted Homeland security. While certainly I understand the threat of terrorism in the world today, it is amazing to me that many of God’s people are blind to the attack that Satan and his demonic army has been carrying on against us for so long. Take this a severe warning, we are on high alert, Satan is very active and wants your soul, your children’s souls, and everyone else in this world.
Having grown in up the sixties, I remember feeling the winds of change that were blowing in sometime in the latter part of that time. Things that were considered unmentionable on TV or in normal conversation were suddenly ok. Foul language became commonplace. Sexual freedom and drug use were accepted. I believe a major paradigm shift occurred in 1973 when abortion became legal. Then the development of the internet forever altered the temptation of pornography, making it available anywhere, anytime, and by anyone who has access to a computer or even a cell phone. The bottom line is that sin, always present in our world, has now been relabeled as ok. We are living in a post-modern day when right and wrong now depends on the individual’s perspective.
Maybe you don’t worry about this; you have raised your family with good Christian morals and led a fairly good life. I am here to warn you. The devil is prowling around seeking to devour your children and grandchildren. Your own life and marriage could be destroyed at any moment. Just look around at our society today. Marriages fail at an alarming rate and that number does not change in the Christian realm. Same sex marriage is being crammed down our throat. Somewhere near one million babies are aborted in America each year. One out of four women today will have had an abortion by the age of 45. Abortion is used as a birth control method. Many of the babies being born today, and I applaud the mothers and families who choose to raise these children, are being born out of wedlock and will never know what it is like to grow up in the family environment that God designed for them. Our prisons are overloaded, many incarcerated on drug related charges. Do any of these scenarios sound like something you would want your children or grandchildren to face? I think not.
Ephesians chapter six is our primary text on spiritual warfare. Verse 12 tells us explicitly that “…our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Listen to the Word of God in 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 which says. “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.” God has made this very clear; we are at war and it is a spiritual one and we have divine power with which we can fight with.
In his commentary, Albert Barnes says that we at war on three different fronts:
1 (1.) it is a warfare with the corrupt desires and sensual propensities of the heart; with internal corruption and depravity; with the remaining unsubdued propensities of a fallen nature.
(2.) With the powers of darkness-the mighty spirits of evil that seek to destroy us. See Ephesians 6:11-17.
(3.) With sin in all forms; with idolatry, sensuality, corruption, intemperance, profaneness, wherever they may exist. The Christian is opposed to all these; and it is the aim and purpose of his life, as far as he may be able, to resist and subdue them. He is a soldier, enlisted under the banner of the Redeemer, to oppose and resist all forms of evil. But his warfare is not conducted on worldly principles. Mohammed propagated his religion with the sword; and the men of this world seek for victory by arms and violence. The Christian looks for his conquests only by the force and power of truth, and by the agency of the Spirit of God.
Albert Barnes has hit on it exactly. In all reality it is safe to say that this war not only includes believers, it includes all of mankind. The only question that remains is to decide whether you will fight or just be a casualty of war.
I have more good news. The war is won; Christ won it on the cross on Calvary. The bad news; we still have to fight the battles of the war, and some we will win and some we will lose. Are you ready for some more good news? God has provided us with the battle equipment with which we have the ability to win every battle. The Apostle Paul gives us the briefing on our armor and on our weaponry in Ephesians, chapter six. Check it out. I have highlighted some of the important points in bold.
Ephesians 6:10-18 (NASB) “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints…”
Let me reemphasize a few points. Our strength in is God. He has given us a complete suit of armor, we lack nothing. Our fight is not against men, but against a dark force of evil, which consists of the Devil and his army. There is a realm of existence that we are to realize is not visible to the physical eye.
What are we to do about what we have just learned? We are to stand firm. Our foundation for standing firm consists of truth, a righteousness that is imputed to us by the blood of Christ shed on the cross, and in the peace that we have with God that we know comes through the Gospel (see Romans 5:1). Then we are to hold in our hands our “shield of faith” and it is though our faith that we know we can believe the Word of God and its promises. It is God’s promises that, when we truly believe, will defeat the attack on our hearts and minds by Satan, when he accuses us and tells us we are too sinful to go in front of a holy God. Then wearing the helmet of salvation, our confidence is in our eternal destination and that protects our minds from Satan’s lies and deceptions. Satan attacks our minds, which is where the real battle is fought. We can fight both defensively and offensively by yielding the Sword of the Spirit, which is God’s Word. The best example of spiritual warfare being fought is seen in Matthew 4:1-11, as Jesus fights off Satan’s temptations by using scripture (Sword of the Spirit) to defeat him. Look at that encounter and see how Satan twisted scripture to mess with Jesus, but His response was to use scripture as well, but in the right context and in truth.
One more thing, which I think many miss from Paul’s dissertation on spiritual warfare. The final verse of that part of Ephesians is an exhortation to pray at all times in the Spirit, staying alert in these prayers for all the saints. Christians are the saints being referred to here. Do not, I say again, do not, try and fight this battle without prayer. Prayer is your communication line back to your commander in this war, God himself. An army that loses its ability to communicate with the higher command, becomes lost and in big trouble.
Spiritual warfare is real. The Bible is replete with examples, and I encourage people to search out the scriptures for the many stories where we see the battles of the Bible are of a spiritual nature. During my teenage years I dabbled in the occult quite a bit. Ouija Boards and Tarot cards were two of my favorite things, and I was fascinated with death and trying to reach the dead. Later I was involved with the Church of Scientology for a short time. I had an aunt who was considered a fortune teller, supposedly had foreseen the death of my Mom’s second baby, who died in childbirth. I have had some experiences in seeing supernatural things occur before I was born again, and I have seen supernatural things occur as a Christian as well, especially in the area of answered prayer. I believe in the Bible and what it says about the Heavenly realms. I also believe we must be careful when we step out of God’s law in dealing with these things, as I did as a youth. I was blessed, God saved me from own wickedness.
You may not agree with what I have had to say about this topic. I encourage you to seek out the Word of God for yourself. Do a bible study and learn all you can. As we near the end times we cannot afford to be uneducated in the Word of God.
Notes
1 Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament Explanatory and Practical, ed. Robert Frew WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Under: "2 Corinthians 10".
Whether you realize it or not, you and I are living in a warzone, and we are active participants in the conflict. This earth we live on is a battlefield and war rages around us on all sides. The difference in this war and the wars you studied when you were in school, is that this is not a physical battle, but is in actuality a spiritual one. Ephesians 6:12 tells us that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” We are in a constant battle in which Satan seeks to devour you. (See 1 Peter 5:8) These forces of darkness are working day and night to capture your soul and to control your mind, which in turn controls you.
Oh my, wait a minute, you say, I am not a Christian. I don’t believe all that crazy talk. Or maybe you do believe in God, you go to church every Sunday and even pray to God, but all that stuff in the Bible, that is just symbolism and hyperbole, nobody believes all that kind of talk. I hate to be the bearer of bad news (actually for those who understand, it is good news); but that talk isn’t just hype or symbolism, it is the truth of the Word of God. You can deny the truth all you like, but that doesn’t change the truth. Actually it proves my point that we are at war. One of Satan’s favorite methods is to deceive us. It was his ability to deceive Eve in the Garden of Eden that led to what we call the fall, which was the time when sin and death entered into the world. So if you do not believe what the Bible says, you have already become a casualty in the horrible war.
Never in the history of America, do I believe we should be more cognizant of this war, than today. We spend a lot of time, money, energy, and even the lives of men and women, fighting what we currently call the war on terrorism. This war on terrorism had been quietly being fought for years, but after the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers, we suddenly were all aware of the need to protect ourselves. Drastic measures have been put into place, even leading to a new entity tilted Homeland security. While certainly I understand the threat of terrorism in the world today, it is amazing to me that many of God’s people are blind to the attack that Satan and his demonic army has been carrying on against us for so long. Take this a severe warning, we are on high alert, Satan is very active and wants your soul, your children’s souls, and everyone else in this world.
Having grown in up the sixties, I remember feeling the winds of change that were blowing in sometime in the latter part of that time. Things that were considered unmentionable on TV or in normal conversation were suddenly ok. Foul language became commonplace. Sexual freedom and drug use were accepted. I believe a major paradigm shift occurred in 1973 when abortion became legal. Then the development of the internet forever altered the temptation of pornography, making it available anywhere, anytime, and by anyone who has access to a computer or even a cell phone. The bottom line is that sin, always present in our world, has now been relabeled as ok. We are living in a post-modern day when right and wrong now depends on the individual’s perspective.
Maybe you don’t worry about this; you have raised your family with good Christian morals and led a fairly good life. I am here to warn you. The devil is prowling around seeking to devour your children and grandchildren. Your own life and marriage could be destroyed at any moment. Just look around at our society today. Marriages fail at an alarming rate and that number does not change in the Christian realm. Same sex marriage is being crammed down our throat. Somewhere near one million babies are aborted in America each year. One out of four women today will have had an abortion by the age of 45. Abortion is used as a birth control method. Many of the babies being born today, and I applaud the mothers and families who choose to raise these children, are being born out of wedlock and will never know what it is like to grow up in the family environment that God designed for them. Our prisons are overloaded, many incarcerated on drug related charges. Do any of these scenarios sound like something you would want your children or grandchildren to face? I think not.
Ephesians chapter six is our primary text on spiritual warfare. Verse 12 tells us explicitly that “…our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Listen to the Word of God in 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 which says. “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.” God has made this very clear; we are at war and it is a spiritual one and we have divine power with which we can fight with.
In his commentary, Albert Barnes says that we at war on three different fronts:
1 (1.) it is a warfare with the corrupt desires and sensual propensities of the heart; with internal corruption and depravity; with the remaining unsubdued propensities of a fallen nature.
(2.) With the powers of darkness-the mighty spirits of evil that seek to destroy us. See Ephesians 6:11-17.
(3.) With sin in all forms; with idolatry, sensuality, corruption, intemperance, profaneness, wherever they may exist. The Christian is opposed to all these; and it is the aim and purpose of his life, as far as he may be able, to resist and subdue them. He is a soldier, enlisted under the banner of the Redeemer, to oppose and resist all forms of evil. But his warfare is not conducted on worldly principles. Mohammed propagated his religion with the sword; and the men of this world seek for victory by arms and violence. The Christian looks for his conquests only by the force and power of truth, and by the agency of the Spirit of God.
Albert Barnes has hit on it exactly. In all reality it is safe to say that this war not only includes believers, it includes all of mankind. The only question that remains is to decide whether you will fight or just be a casualty of war.
I have more good news. The war is won; Christ won it on the cross on Calvary. The bad news; we still have to fight the battles of the war, and some we will win and some we will lose. Are you ready for some more good news? God has provided us with the battle equipment with which we have the ability to win every battle. The Apostle Paul gives us the briefing on our armor and on our weaponry in Ephesians, chapter six. Check it out. I have highlighted some of the important points in bold.
Ephesians 6:10-18 (NASB) “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints…”
Let me reemphasize a few points. Our strength in is God. He has given us a complete suit of armor, we lack nothing. Our fight is not against men, but against a dark force of evil, which consists of the Devil and his army. There is a realm of existence that we are to realize is not visible to the physical eye.
What are we to do about what we have just learned? We are to stand firm. Our foundation for standing firm consists of truth, a righteousness that is imputed to us by the blood of Christ shed on the cross, and in the peace that we have with God that we know comes through the Gospel (see Romans 5:1). Then we are to hold in our hands our “shield of faith” and it is though our faith that we know we can believe the Word of God and its promises. It is God’s promises that, when we truly believe, will defeat the attack on our hearts and minds by Satan, when he accuses us and tells us we are too sinful to go in front of a holy God. Then wearing the helmet of salvation, our confidence is in our eternal destination and that protects our minds from Satan’s lies and deceptions. Satan attacks our minds, which is where the real battle is fought. We can fight both defensively and offensively by yielding the Sword of the Spirit, which is God’s Word. The best example of spiritual warfare being fought is seen in Matthew 4:1-11, as Jesus fights off Satan’s temptations by using scripture (Sword of the Spirit) to defeat him. Look at that encounter and see how Satan twisted scripture to mess with Jesus, but His response was to use scripture as well, but in the right context and in truth.
One more thing, which I think many miss from Paul’s dissertation on spiritual warfare. The final verse of that part of Ephesians is an exhortation to pray at all times in the Spirit, staying alert in these prayers for all the saints. Christians are the saints being referred to here. Do not, I say again, do not, try and fight this battle without prayer. Prayer is your communication line back to your commander in this war, God himself. An army that loses its ability to communicate with the higher command, becomes lost and in big trouble.
Spiritual warfare is real. The Bible is replete with examples, and I encourage people to search out the scriptures for the many stories where we see the battles of the Bible are of a spiritual nature. During my teenage years I dabbled in the occult quite a bit. Ouija Boards and Tarot cards were two of my favorite things, and I was fascinated with death and trying to reach the dead. Later I was involved with the Church of Scientology for a short time. I had an aunt who was considered a fortune teller, supposedly had foreseen the death of my Mom’s second baby, who died in childbirth. I have had some experiences in seeing supernatural things occur before I was born again, and I have seen supernatural things occur as a Christian as well, especially in the area of answered prayer. I believe in the Bible and what it says about the Heavenly realms. I also believe we must be careful when we step out of God’s law in dealing with these things, as I did as a youth. I was blessed, God saved me from own wickedness.
You may not agree with what I have had to say about this topic. I encourage you to seek out the Word of God for yourself. Do a bible study and learn all you can. As we near the end times we cannot afford to be uneducated in the Word of God.
Notes
1 Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament Explanatory and Practical, ed. Robert Frew WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Under: "2 Corinthians 10".
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