Public Acknowledgment Of Christ

"I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish.  That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.  For I am not ashamed of the gospel..." (Rom. 1:14-16, NIV). 

We don't want to be God's secret agents or Clairol Christians where only our hairdresser knows for sure whether we are believers.  We are called to openly confess Christ before men with no embarrassment or shame.  The extreme of flaunting our faith is just as wrong as to hide it and keep it a secret though.  True faith expresses itself; the world has nothing against those who privatize their faith and keep it to themselves, but we have a mission to fulfill!  We must not be apologetic or timid in our witness either; there should be no doubt where we stand, and that is not on the sidelines either.

You can never tell where lukewarm believers stand.  We are in the world but not of it (cf. John 15:19).  Sometimes it takes more faith to stand alone like Daniel did to defy the king's edict.  Doing the right thing is not the popular thing to do, nor the easy thing to do. We must be Christ's ambassadors in the world, though we are not of it.

If they harassed Christ and taunted Him, how much more us who have an imperfect witness.  Our testimony is so important that Christ said that if we don't confess Him before men, neither will He confess us before the Father (cf. Matt. 10:32-33).  We represent the gospel in shoe leather to the world and to some people, it's the only gospel they'll know or experience.  A life lived to His glory does a lot to honor our Savior.  Those who are hypocrites and don't live out their faith are doing more harm than good to the cause of Christ.  We want to be vessels of honor, not of dishonor.  In other words, we don't want to be what Christians ought not to be as the example of learning what to avoid.

Baptism is the initiation into the local body and represents our commitment to follow on to know the Lord in discipleship. The first act of obedience after baptism should be to fulfill the Great Commission and do our part.   If Christ got baptized, how much more do we need it!  Standing up for Jesus entails a lot more than preaching in season and out of season, it means when it's inconvenient and it might cost us something or be a sacrifice.  Yes, we might lose friends, but those are the kind we don't need!  Let the offense of the gospel be the only true stumbling block to the infidel's coming to know the Lord, not our personal offensiveness.

Like Paul, we need to pray for open doors and the skill to preach the Word efficaciously (cf. Eph. 6:19).  We don't just use a machine-gun type approach aiming our guns at everyone with the same ammo!  We must adapt our message to whom we're a witness to, and be sensitive to the leading of the Spirit.  God will indeed give us opportunities if we are prepared with the fish bait for the catch of a lifetime--a soul for Christ.  We must be savvy about these God-given chances and opportunities, because they may not come again, and if we miss them, hopefully, we will learn from our negligence and naivete.  We are all slow learners when it comes to following Christ's perfect witnessing example and high standards--He really raised the bar and we must learn from our experience sometimes.

Remember, you may be the only person that can reach out to that person in your orbit or circle of influence and God has entrusted you with the message of reconciliation. It's not a matter of scalp counting or thinking that the more conversions we muster, the better witness we are (God's not so obsessed with the numbers game as a correlation to success or faithfulness); quality is just as important and to whom much is given, much is required--we must be faithful stewards:

To what God has blessed us with--our talents, gifts, opportunities, ambitions, energy, vacations, vocations, relationships, physical abilities, free time or down time, time itself, skills, areas of expertise, education and training, knowledge, wisdom, responsibilities, social life, acquaintances, contacts, real estate, possessions, resources, money, portfolios, belongings, reputation,  friends, co-workers, servants, bosses, and even relatives that we are blessed with and will give account for.  What God is looking for is a bold witness who will speak up at any opportunity and open door presented without shame or timidity--He will open doors to those ready and willing.     Soli Deo Gloria!

Is There A Second Great Commission?

Gov. William Bradford came to the New World to "advance the kingdom of Christ," while many pilgrims sought religious freedom and the Puritans organized to purify the church.  America was the first "safe haven" and refuge for the religiously persecuted ever founded, and the State of Maryland was the first colony in America to grant Catholics freedom of worship and sanction when they were persecuted.  We are to be good citizens promoting the general welfare and be a blessing (cf. Jer. 29:7; Prov. 11:11). 

"If we are not governed by God, we will be ruled by tyrants." (William Penn). 

I didn't know that the government was ever meant to be the methodology of hastening the Lord's Day or ushering in the kingdom of God, and many preachers have stressed the notion that the Bible is not meant to reform society but to save souls.  It's true that Common Law has found origins in Scripture, and our national heritage is dominated by Christian worldview.  

It is individual believers who act as salt and light to preserve society from evil, but the church's job description is to reform souls, not society!  The church ought to be in the business of showing the way and saving those who've lost the way.  What do you think early believers were known as?  They were followers of the Way!  The way that churches have organized as if our faith depended upon it seems, like overturning Roe v Wade, et al, and other social reforms, such as the Second Great Commission--redeeming and reclaiming our nation for Christ!

The church at large is being deceived and Satan loves it when they get their eyes off the Great Commission (our marching orders) and get a bad rap as the unbelievers see them as nothing but hypocrites.  We must focus on preaching the gospel as keeping the main thing the main thing not getting sidetracked, and not establishing a sort of Christian Sharia law, in that they are forcing the infidel or pagan to live like a Christian, even observing the Law of Moses.  Attempts at this type of sincere Christian venture have repeatedly failed throughout history.  The government is not a necessary evil, but necessary because of evil according to Augustine, and would probably not be necessary if we were all Christians.  Believers are to work in the system, like running for office, but especially in prayer and intercession for our leaders and all in authority.

Christians do Christ no favor by giving the impression they are all zealous (bigots) enforcing the law their way and alienating those who are near the kingdom of God but become prejudiced by their experience with the religious right.  Not all sincere and mature believers are on the so-called right and Christ would never associate with any party or let Himself be labeled or categorized as such.  It is worse than sectarian spirit (party spirit destroys a church from within), which Paul criticized. 

If it is wrong for Muslim states to enforce their faith on Christians and forbid them from even wearing crosses on their lapels or holding public Bible studies, as is the case in Saudi Arabia, then how can Christians mimic this type of enforcement of their views and interpretation of unbelievers?  Nearly every great social reform and cause in history have been the result of Christian influence, from the abolition of slavery to women's rights, to equal justice under the law, to the abolition of child labor, and whatnot, but the church didn't organize en masse to force change, individuals settled the matter, those who made a difference with their witness and testimony, and especially tenacity and stick-to-itiveness like the long-suffering efforts of  William Wilberforce in eliminating slavery in Great Britain.

What we don't want is for unbelievers to stereotype Christians as being against this and that, instead of being for this and that--we prove the love of Christ by our love and tolerance, not pressure techniques and scare tactics like voter intimidation which is common in the South.  They actually are convinced that hounding the gays out of the military will bring God's endorsement to our nation and restore traditional Christian values and consequent blessing to our nation.  Since when does Christ order us to organize politically or to use government itself as the means of advancing God's kingdom, which is not of this world according to Jesus?

Leave ushering in the kingdom of God to Jesus and let us be here to prepare hearts for the onslaught of secular worldviews out there in academia, government, entertainment, and media so that our youth are not corrupted by false ideology and don't learn to see things from a divine perspective.  It is very tempting to use the leverage of political power to create a sort of utopia for believers, but this is not what we are here for.   Isn't the real Christian agenda the upholding of the rule of law and the principle that no one is above the law (justice in action)? 

After all, when the foundations are destroyed the righteous may not be able to find the solution (cf. Psalm 11:3):  Government is not the problem nor the solution!   The government is founded to keep evil at bay and to establish law and order in society--ensuring justice and securing our rights.  What about fighting the abuse of power and the spirit of authoritarianism?  The Christian agenda cannot be defined by one law, no more than you can put God in a box.  It seems to the unbeliever that there are just certain sins that offend Christians more than others when they have sins themselves.  The problem is man's depravity and the solution is the gospel through the grace and mercy of God.  In our nation, there is violence everywhere, due mainly to the accessibility of weapons of mass destruction, and Christians may have to decide whether they put their trust in God or the sanctity of the Second Amendment, knowing that no right is absolute, not even free speech, freedom of religion, nor the right to bear arms.

"We must obey God rather than men" (cf. Acts 5:29) and there comes a time when civil disobedience is not only a right but a duty and opportunity to stand for Christ in the public arena.  Individual believers like the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. have sought civil rights through nonviolence and suffered the consequence--he got himself killed just like Mahatma Gandhi, the founder of nonviolent protest.  But where there's a clear-cut command in Scripture we must fly our Christian colors and take our stand--only the coward stands aside according to James Russell Lowell. 

We cannot sit on the fence and claim neutrality on vital Christian issues.  The best work is done by individual believers called by God to accomplish His will, not the church at large.  William Wilberforce never organized the Church of England and Martin Luther King, Jr. never called for the church to aid his agenda as role models.

There's a Second Great Commission in a sense, but not a social gospel to preach though, and we must focus on what we are here for--spreading the gospel and being examples that they may see we are Christians by our love, not our political views, and the church ought to be careful not to organize as being officially for any party or political cause so as to be identified and labeled with anything but as being followers of Christ, not a political leader.   Whatever we do as a body of Christ ought to be done in the name of Christ and not to promote any party, or even party spirit, within or without the church.  

One great evil misconstruing this movement has precipitated and facilitated is the Postmodern worldview of truth and the creation of an alternative universe (of "facts"), not seen since the days of Joseph Goebbels, the notorious Nazi propaganda chief.  We have a right to our own opinions but not to cherry-pick our own facts, though everyone tends to just believe the facts that suit their own worldview. 

Many Americans in this generation now are convinced that character counts for nothing and leaders are no longer our role models--all that matters is AGENDA AND PLATFORM and it doesn't matter how it's achieved either; i.e., the ends justify the means.  

IN SUM, THERE'S NO LEGITIMATE SOCIAL GOSPEL PER SE OR ANY SOCIAL COMMISSION, BUT THERE IS SOCIAL STEWARDSHIP AND ACCOUNTABILITY.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Are We Too Bad For Salvation?

"The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" (Jer. 17:9, NIV).
"All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away" (Isa. 64:6, NIV).
"'Come now, let us settle the matter,' says the LORD. 'Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool'" (Isaiah 1:18, NIV).
"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9, KJV).
"I see better things and I approve them but I follow the worst."--Ovid

We are prone to play the "let's compare" (cf. 2 Cor. 10:12) game and suit ourselves by looking down on our fellow man as our inferior who doesn't measure up. As long as we can find someone worse than us we feel secure in our "holiness" or inherent goodness. After all, many of us believe God grades on a curve! Compared to the likes of Adolf Hitler, the paradigm of evil incarnate, we appear to be saints and godly enough to feel smug and self-satisfied in our goodness. But our goodness is from God and not our gift to Him, but His gift to us. Our goodness doesn't benefit God, but we are mere vessels being used for His greater good and glory, whether of honor or dishonor, we are manipulated and used by God's providence. This is a never-ending comparison and relativity since there's always someone we can thumb our nose at, no matter how wicked we are--even in the prisons there are self-righteous bullies who think they are the moral center of the place. We are all in jail, in a sense, but do not realize our depravity and need of a way out and salvation through a Savior. We cannot set ourselves free, and we weren't born free, but in bondage and slavery and can only be unbound by the power of the cross. "... Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more" (Rom. 5:21, NKJV). John Bunyan wrote Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners to expound on this motif.

How bad are we? Metaphorically, we are as far from God as a blind person comprehending the beauty of nature and hearing a symphony, if one is deaf. God is in another dimension and we are God-conscious and feel a tug to know He's there by instinct. No one has an excuse not to believe in Him and God's knowledge is plain to all. We must realize how bad we are to be good, according to C. S. Lewis, and we don't realize how bad we are till aim to be good. It's like thinking you can quit tobacco anytime, but when you try to quit you can't because it's got more power over you than you realized. We don't have the freedom of will to cease sin on our own, but are slaves to our sin nature and need to be set free by the Son (cf. John 8:36).

According to the doctrine of total depravity, we are as bad off as we can possibly be: every part of our nature is corrupt and affected adversely by evil and sin, including our emotions, mind, will, and body--all that we are. As far as our will goes, we are stubborn and hard as a stone, and God must turn our hearts into ones of flesh (cf. Ezek. 36:26). We don't think clearly because of sin and are blinded by Satan to the truth of the gospel. Our emotions are attuned to the lower nature and have lost their purity. Our bodies are dying and do not bring glory to God either apart from grace, no matter how well we treat them. In sum, we are bad, according to D. L. Moody, but not too bad to be saved! We all have feet of clay; we all are a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde--we all have a dark side no one sees.

The qualification for receiving eternal life is to realize you can't qualify! "Therefore I abhor myself And repent in dust and ashes" (Job 42:6, NKJV). We can't earn our salvation, we cannot pay it back, and we don't deserve it either. We cannot rationalize our way back to God by philosophizing or thinking; we cannot moralize our way back by good deeds, and cannot emotionalize our way back by our feelings. We must be sincere, but sincerity is not the whole equation, we must be willing to do God's will and repent of our sin, renouncing and denouncing it, in order to follow Christ in obedience and trust. God has reckoned all to be dead in sin so that He can have mercy by grace on us all. We don't get saved because of our intelligence, morality, emotions, wisdom, or even philosophy--or any accompanying affiliation or party membership. We must not deify a person, group, or even party, for this is idolatry.

We must echo the wise words of William Jay of Bath, who said that he is a great sinner, but he has a great Savior. It is only in realizing that we are sinners and are spiritually bankrupt before God that we can value Jesus as our Savior. The closer we get to God, the more we become aware of our shortcomings and sins. Samuel Rutherford said to pray for a lively sense of sin because, the more sense of sin the less sin. Remember the words of George Whitefield: "There but for the grace of God, go I"; which he uttered upon seeing a man going to the gallows. Paul said in 1 Cor. 15:10 likewise: "I am what I am by the grace of God."

This is the point, just because someone seems like a worse sinner than you are, doesn't necessitate him being further from finding God; sometimes the prostitutes and tax collectors are closer to God than the Pharisees of the world. Just because your sins may be more civilized, polite, concealed, or refined doesn't make them less serious: better off the ignorant cannibal in the South Seas than the informed bully on Wall Street! The Greek admonition to know thyself goes hand in hand with knowing God. Why do you think the Law was given? To convince you that you cannot keep it and need a Savior! The Bible tells it like it is; how we are and how God is and how to restore the relationship. Once you've seen your nature for what it is, you'll realize it's not a pretty picture. The closer we get to the Spirit's illumination, the clearer becomes our blemishes.

Note that depravity is not what the world espouses: Secular Humanism postulates the inherent goodness of man and that he can be good without God! All goodness comes from the Source of all Goodness, God, and the definition of evil and temptation of Eve is how to be good without God in the equation, noting that evil is a parasite on good and distorts or perverts it; to find our own values, virtues, wisdom, and enjoyment without God in the picture. Humanism originates from the Greek philosopher Protagoras who said that "man is the measure of all things" ("Homo mensura"); thus exalting and deifying man, and dethroning God as irrelevant and even nonexistent--up with man; down with God, the credo. Their aim is to make a name for themselves and live for this world and life only, thus taking away the motive for reconciling with God. Their conclusion is that no deity will save them and so they must save themselves (cf. Humanist Manifesto II, 1973). Thus, the issue is whether one chooses to believe in himself, or in God for salvation.

Psychiatrists are starting to refer to "sin" again, according to Karl Menninger, MD (who penned Whatever Became of Sin?), and this means he knows right and wrong and is culpable unto Judgment Day. It only takes one sin to make a man a sinner, as violating one part of the Law is an infringement on the whole of it. We are not sinners because we sin; we sin because we are sinners (as theologians say). Martin Luther said that man doesn't see his sin, and it's our job to inform him. When Paul said that "all have sinned," he was putting us all in the same boat, with no grading on the curve--we all have been put under the scrutiny of God and found wanting. Caveat: "... Your sins have been your downfall" (Hosea 14:1, NIV); "...[S]in lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it" (Gen. 4:7, NKJV).

The worst sinners are those who are confident in their personal righteousness and see no sin; the self-righteous, goody-two-shoes sinners of the world. It is vital to realize our sinfulness because it implies our responsibility and helplessness before God and smashes our sense of self-righteousness and shows our rebellion. Many must first realize they're lost and need salvation as a requisite for getting saved from sin. Trusting in your own intrinsic goodness leads to death, for God is the moral center of the universe and the final Judge will meet one-on-one with everyone to give an account of themselves. In sum, let me emphasize that it's not that we are good enough to get saved, but bad enough to need salvation. There's hope for everyone. DON'T WRITE ANYONE OFF AS TOO FAR GONE! Soli Deo Gloria!

To Advance The Gospel

 "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh, I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is the church"  (Col. 1:24, ESV)
"For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake"  (Phil. 1:29, ESV). 
"[T]hat I may know him and the power of his resurrection and may share his sufferings..." (Phil. 3:10, ESV).

Paul rejoiced "that what has happened to [him] has really served to advance the gospel" (Phil. 1:12, ESV).  If we have a meaning behind why we're suffering, we can endure it for Christ's sake.  It serves a larger purpose than ourselves, God is turning evil into good and all of our trials, tribulations, tests, and sufferings are but to bring glory to God as we are vessels of honor in His sight.  We must cling to the promise of Romans 8:28 that all things will work together for our good and God is too kind to be cruel, too wise to make a mistake, and too deep to explain Himself; even Job got no reason or explanation for his trial, only a revelation! Even when evil befalls us, God means it for good (cf. Gen. 50:20).  It's not a matter of "Why?" but "Who?"  It is a proven psychological fact that when people are given a "why" for their suffering, they can endure nearly any "how."  This is focused on our attitude, to rejoice in the Lord always! When we see the big picture of God's providence, we can have the right attitude.  Only we can choose our attitudes. 

If we know God, we will trust Him through thick and thin, and when the chips are down our faith will be all the stronger.  There is no kismet or blind fate of Islam, but we have a personal God who gives us a destiny.  We aren't called to be stoics of depressing fatalism though and sing "Que sera, sera," "What will be, will be..." as Doris Day sang, nor to gladly let the chips fall where they may, but seek God's preceptive will through Scripture, knowing that His decreed, hidden will is none of our business (cf. Deut. 29:29 says, "The secret things belong to the LORD our God...").  Stoics are called the philosophers of the "stiff upper lip," because they just believe we have to grin and bear it, no matter what and just accept our fate--resignation or accepting the status quo is not faith.  But Christianity is not determinism!

We have a destiny to participate in and God has plans for our good and to bless us in doing His work. (Jer. 29:11, ESV, says, "For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for wholeness and not for evil, plans to give you a future and a hope." God will fulfill His purpose for us (cf. Psalm 57:2; 138:8).  "He carries out his decree against me, and many such plans he still has in store," (cf. Job 23:14).   God doesn't have to explain Himself to us and we aren't His judge, but we have to explain ourselves to Him and He is our judge.  We are suffering to bear witness to the world, but we aren't saved through suffering; it's only an honor to suffer for His sake as we fill up the sufferings of Christ in the body. Actually, the blood of the saints was the seed of the church according to church father Tertullian, and martyr means witness--it was the suffering of the church that gave it such growth.

The problem of suffering is not answered definitively in Scripture; we must take God's Word that He means no harm, but our good and is wise enough to work it out.  But then again, no religion adequately answers this question, of why there's evil in the world.  Concerning Paul, who boasted of more suffering than any of the other apostles, and still thought himself unworthy, Jesus said, "For I will show him [Paul] how much he must suffer for the sake of my name" (Acts 9:16, ESV). We must not strive against God's will (kick against the goads) per Acts 26:14.   Paul reluctantly mentioned what he had endured for the sake of the gospel in 2 Cor. 11 and the suffering was really a feather in his cap, to his credit.  Even so, Paul was given a thorn in the flesh to keep him humble, because he had suffered so much for the sake of the Name.

Affliction is inevitable:  David says in Psalm 34:19, NLT, "The righteous person faces many troubles, but the LORD comes to the rescue each time."  "Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God," (cf. Acts 14:22).  In summation, it is to be noted that only in our faith is there meaning behind suffering--Eastern thought of karma just says you get what you deserve in life or the next time around, but doesn't offer a higher understanding. Karma is negated by the undeserved sufferings of our Lord, of Joseph, and of Job; note also Psalm 103:10, "He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve."  Mercy is not getting what you deserve, and grace is getting what you don't deserve--only Christianity fully embraces in these doctrines.

In sum, "adversity, discipline, suffering, and trials inevitably happen to all Christians," but Christ was honest enough to warn us and doesn't expect anything of us that He didn't experience and didn't exempt Himself from suffering (He learned obedience through suffering, cf. Heb. 5:8)--in fact, our crosses pale in comparison!  Remember: no cross, no crown!  Soli Deo Gloria!  

Universal Gospel Message

"Many are called, but few are chosen"  (cf. Matt. 22:14).

The wise men or magi did seek Jesus, and wise men still do; this was to show us that Jesus' gospel is for the world at large and not just specifically for the Jews.  Paul proclaimed a universal gospel for all, Jew and Greek, or Gentile, alike.  It was unheard of for Jews at that time to even believe Gentiles could be saved, but Jesus said in John 10:16 that He had sheep of another fold, and they must come to Him too.

One hard saying of Jesus and many refused to walk with Him upon hearing this (cf. John 6:66), was that a person could not come to Jesus unless the Father granted it (cf. John 6:44). Jesus said, "Apart from Me you can do nothing" (cf. John 15:5); that includes believing in Him.  The Holy Spirit must woo or we won't come; if we come to Christ alone, we leave alone too.  The disciples refused to leave Jesus because He had the words of eternal life.  Our job is still to present the gospel message to all who will listen and to proclaim it, defend it, and demonstrate it, but not to debate it.  Caveat:  We cannot argue people into the kingdom; infidels are seldom convinced by debate.

Now Peter realized the gospel was for everyone in essence when he said in Acts 2:39 (ESV):  "For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself [reference to the inward call]."  This makes reference in passing to the doctrine of election, whereby God elects some to believe and passes over (the doctrine of preterition) others, and lets them go their own way without Him into eternity to receive justice, not mercy.  God is unjust to no one; some receive mercy and grace, and others receive justice--if God were obligated to be merciful or gracious, it wouldn't be grace but justice. God need not save anyone!  Some receive mercy, some justice, but God is unjust to no one; mercy is a form of non-justice.   We must bear in mind the primacy of grace:  It is written in John 15:16 (NKJV) that Jesus said, "You did not choose Me, but I chose you...."

Why do some people respond and others don't (Arminians cannot answer this without contradiction), but from the work of grace in their hearts to quicken them to faith, that makes them repent and believe by conviction and regeneration?  As Paul says in Romans 11:7 (ESV):  "... The elect obtained it, and the rest were hardened."  One must realize "Salvation is of the LORD,"(cf. Jonah 2:), and not of us and the Lord--it's solely the work of grace in our hearts.  Theologians call this salvation "monergistic" (one-sided), as opposed to synergistic, which means working in cooperation with God or contributing to it--it is the work of God alone. Who are those who believe but the elect?  Note Acts 13:48 (ESV):  "... as many as were appointed to eternal life believed."  We have indeed "believed through grace,"(as the gift of God) as Acts 18:27 stipulates.

The whole point of election is that we cannot prepare ourselves for salvation, no pre-salvation work, or do any work that is worthy to deserve it: Our destiny is ultimately in God's hands; we are not elected because we believe (called the prescient view), as Arminians suggest, but we are elected unto faith because of grace, for "grace reigns through faith," as Romans 5:21 suggests (J. B. Phillips says, "grace is the ruling factor."  This saying that God's call is efficacious and we cannot resist it. (note Romans 9:19 (J. B. Phillips):  "...' If this is so, and God's will is irresistible, why does God blame men for what they do?'" God, is, therefore, in the business of making the unwilling willing--or turns hearts of stone into hearts of flesh metaphorically speaking (cf. Ezek. 36:26; Jer. 24:7).

Note:  There are two kinds of calls:  the outward one of the gospel (cf. Titus 2:11); the inward call of the Holy Spirit, which is irresistible and effectual (cf. Acts 5:32).  Many are indeed called, but few are chosen, as Matt. 22:14 claims.  We are to "... be even more diligent to make our call and election sure..." (2 Pet. 1:10, NKJV.  And cannot do it apart from grace.

Now, even though the gospel message is for everyone, and no one who calls upon the name of the Lord will be lost or disappointed, God is the one who chooses whom will be saved and on whom He will have mercy as His divine prerogative (cf. Romans 9:15).  God even hardens whom He will (cf. Romans 9:18).   Our destiny is in God's hands, not ours. 

The final proof of the efficacy of God's call is in Romans 8:29-30 (ESV, italics mine) [called the Golden Chain of Redemption by theologians], which militates against prescience and guarantees eternal security:  "For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son ... And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified..." This is interpreted to mean by exegesis that God loses none in the shuffle between predestination and justification.  All who are called are justified, not just some; this is a reference to God's call, not man's call, and there is no exception of believers being called who lose their salvation or justification in God's eyes.--no one is "un-justified" nor "un-born."  Note that there isn't one legitimate example of anyone in Scripture losing his salvation.    Soli Deo Gloria!

Frantic Search For Happiness

Augustine said that our hearts are restless until they find their rest in God (we can even get desperate).   Pascal said that there's a God-shaped vacuum that only God can fill.  The chief symptom of the times is emptiness and boredom with life--not feeling fulfilled or what they would call "happy."  We are not made for boredom or idleness, but to serve God in productive living--work manifests the image of God in us. Nature abhors a vacuum and it is unnatural for us to be bored, as only humans can be, because we are in the image of God, meant to glorify Him and have a relationship with Him.

God doesn't exist for our happiness, but we exist for His glory and only when we seek God with our whole heart can we find happiness.  If you are desperate to find it, it will remain elusive.  Happiness is akin to reaching for each passing straw, and as you grasp it, it disappears--it is a nebulous thing indeed. Americans have the "right to the pursuit of happiness," but God gives us no right to happiness.

Happiness depends upon "happenings," and, even if you are in jail, you are not happy about the circumstances--but can still rejoice in the Lord, and also when you are mourning the loss of a loved one are you not happy per se.  But the Word says "... [For] the joy of the LORD is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10, ESV).  We can have "inner joy" despite our circumstances and rejoice always in the Lord (cf. Phil. 4:4) as Paul did from prison in his treatise on joy in the book of Philippians.  Joy comes from within and needs no outward stimuli.

Temporal and spiritual bliss is only found in Jesus.  It is said that the secret to joy is to think of Jesus first, others second, and yourself last!   Dr. Albert Schweitzer (Nobel Prize winner) said that the happiest people are those who've learned to serve.  If you are busy serving you will not think of yourself.  A non-serving Christian is a contradiction in terms and you should be so busy serving others, you don't have time to worry about yourself.

We are bound to have emotional ups and downs, but we are not to ever change our attitude towards a life of contentment.  God doesn't sanction or countenance excessive whining or complaining.  God wants us to be satisfied with what we have and not to covet nor be greedy for ill-gotten gain.  The "love of money is the root of all kinds of evil."  If we love money, we will miss out on the real pleasures of life that money can't buy.

Instead of seeking happiness as your goal, and God's plan is not necessarily your happiness--so don't tell Him that all you want is to be happy--God wants you to do His will!  God's purpose is to bring glory to Himself through you and for your life to have an impact for His kingdom.  We need fulfillment and meaning in life, not necessarily happiness.  The purpose for a living is a basic need of man and when you have a reason why you have to endure something, such as a trial or tribulation, you can endure it because you know God is with you:  "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you ..."  (cf. Isa. 43:2, ESV).

Being happy or blessed as the Beatitudes calls it is a byproduct of living in God's will and obedience. Christ lists eight principles to live by if we want true "blessedness."  Remember:  happiness depends upon happenings!  Happiness that's more than skin deep and lasts is kingdom happiness that results from being in the image of Christ:  For example, being meek, humble, peacemakers, pure in heart, merciful, etc.  The more Christlike we become the more fulfilled we are and enjoy a more meaningful life.

Paul most likely suffered more than any other apostle (cf. 2 Cor. 11) and rejoiced in them.  In Philippians, he said he had learned the secret of contentment in all situations--in plenty and in need. We should likewise aim to be content (cf. Philippians 4:13) with whatever situation we find ourselves, and not think that God is holding out on us.  We should emulate Paul's attitude; we have the choice to choose our attitude no matter the circumstance.

If you begin a frantic search for happiness, it will be elusive or a will-o-the-wisp and you will never attain your goal. Happiness must be bestowed on you as a gift, not something you go out and purchase or find desperately.  Some people are so deluded into thinking that money buys happiness, and when they get it they just want more money and a lid never gets put on the greed.  If you love money, you will never have enough--that's why you ask a millionaire how much money he needs, and he will tell you, "Just a little more!"  Don't fall into the temptation to desire to get rich.

God is looking for smiling faces (some people's face just say they are happy, and others need to tell their face that they're happy!) and people who are happy campers.  People content with God's will for their life (which is not accepting the status quo with complacency) are a good advertisement for the Lord, while malcontents and grumpy believers are darkness and do not show the light of the gospel that we should be promoting as lights in a dark world.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Do You Qualify?

Have you ever wondered if you were good enough for heaven?  Did you ever think you were on probation or on your scout's honor to do your best till Jesus comes or you die?  The fact is is that we are never good enough to be saved, but must realize we are bad enough to need salvation.  We cannot compare notes at our judgment as if we would be graded on a curve and think that we have a advantage over someone less fortunate.  "Who makes you to differ?  What do you have that you didn't receive?" (1 Cor. 4:7).  God doesn't grade on a curve and if He were to mete out justice to all, none of us would be able to escape hell; salvation is not because we deserve it, that would be justice, not mercy. 

The requirements for heaven are to have the righteousness of Christ, and the only way to get it is by imputation or God just reckoning it to our account.  We are not just forgiven of our wrongdoings and brought to a place of neutrality, but given the righteousness of Christ to boot--actually we are declared righteous or reckoned as righteous, but we are not made righteous, which would be different. We tend to think that God is looking for our achievements, or even cares about them, but God is looking for our obedience. 

Religion is about man's achievement; Christianity is about God's accomplishment.  Religion tries to reach out to God, while, in Christianity, God reaches out to man.  God doesn't even call us to success but to faithfulness.  What the world regards as success, I am saying, is not how God sees it.   You cannot be a man of the world and a man of God, they are mutually exclusive.  John exhorts us not to love the world (cf. 1 John 2:15) are not to be of the world (John 15:19).

People shouldn't come to their judgment and tell God about all the works they did, even if they were miracles, (Matt. 7:22) because Christ may say He never knew them.  We are not to put our faith in our works--works are no substitute for faith and works don't save--only faith in Christ saves. It is the object not the faith that saves.  Let me repeat:  Faith doesn't save; Christ saves.  

We live in an era when people applaud faith, even blind faith and most don't care what your faith is as long as you have it.  When someone says, "Keep the faith," it is meaningless and has no spiritual value. The reason the people are rejected who did great works in God's name is because they put their faith in their works and not in Christ.  They had a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge as it says in Rom. 10:2. You can have a lot of faith, but if it is misdirected, it does zilch and is worthless. 

Who gets saved, but the lowest bidder!  It is not the person who says he meant well, and was sincere, and did his best and believed the right creed, but the person who comes to God with nothing to offer and knows his wretchedness and knows he is at God's mercy, saying:  "God be merciful to me, the sinner." The way up is down in God's economy!   Don't think so highly of yourself!  You cannot think too lowly of yourself in God's eyes (actually humility is not thinking of self at all!), because you are just that:  Your righteousness is as filthy rages (cf. Is. 64:6).  You must despise yourself, hate your life, and realize you have nothing to offer God.

It cost a lot to be saved, and Jesus never made it seem easy, but it cost more not to be saved or to ignore His gospel message of being saved solely by grace, through the instrumental means of faith, in the object of Christ as Lord and Savior--God gets all the glory and the authority is the based on the Word of God.  Anything less is heresy, and corruption of the gospel and not evangelical in emphasis, but influenced by false teachings [the three heretical twists of the gospel's purity].   

"Salvation is of the Lord," (Jonah 2:9) and of the Lord alone (we contribute naught)--that is its essence. God has done it all--"It is finished!" Reckon it as a done deal.  There are religions galore that emphasize our achievements; however, Christianity stresses divine accomplishment, not human achievement!   Soli Deo Gloria!

Our Marching Orders

"And do this, understanding the present time:  the hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed"  (Rom. 13:11).
"Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle?" (1 Cor. 14:8).

KEEP THE MAIN THING THE MAIN THING!  DON'T MAJOR ON THE MINORS!


The church today is sidetracked with many foci that are not commissioned by Christ--personal agendas and political causes, for instance.  The church was given the Great Commission and this should be the focal point of its ministry.  All other ministries are secondary and should be relegated to the lesser degree of importance--they are not of paramount value compared to the number one goal of achieving the calling given us to spread the gospel and make disciples of all nations.  This commission, by the way, is not any one person's burden, because no one person has all the gifts, but it is the shared burden of the church at large.  We need to do our part as an individual, as well as corporately as a church.

What we have today is the social gospel where churches are into causes so much that they are derelict of their evangelical duties (not just for evangelists--Paul exhorted preachers to do the work of an evangelist).  You might say they are turning stones into bread or of multiplying bread to feed multitudes and attracting crowds, not converts.  People are being converted to the cause, not to Christ.  Bleeding hearts are into the church and taking over because they see it as a social vehicle for change--an opportunity to spread their agenda. They have no interest in Christ Himself and no love for Him, but if He is not the center of church life they feel right at home because they have a concern for the betterment of society and to usher in their idea of peace on earth--and the church is only a vehicle for change.

The priority of the church is the Great Commission and if this loses emphasis the people never get converted to anything other than a cause. They are, in reality, converted to a program, not to Jesus Himself.   The Great Commission includes making disciples (not just converts--they must be followed up and mentored or trained in the Scriptures), and in taking part in spreading the good news first at home (teaching members how to spread the good news too is implied), then elsewhere via missionaries, etc.  There is no limit to the amount of impact one obedient church can have, and this does not depend on its size, because Christ was more interested in quality than quantity.

Today, with all the so-called mega-churches, we see attention given to size as what is impressive, and what most of them are is really crowds, not families;  a church is a local body of believers who function as a family in Christ, not strangers who just happen to worship together.  The order of growth is to believe in Christ, to belong to His body, the church, and to grow and become what He wants for you in Christ.

Until Christ comes the marching orders for the church are not to sound the alarm as doomsayers as some today are wont to do, (we are to be ready, yes, but not to predict or act as if we know some secret revelation from God Himself as a latter-day prophet would),  but to occupy the land or you might say do business as usual, in obedience; to proclaim the Lord's death till He comes; to purify ourselves in holiness and sanctification; and to watch the signs of the times (be ready saying every day, "Lord, will this be the day?"), so that we can judge for ourselves whether we feel the time is near and as we do to not forsake the assembling together of ourselves (Heb. 10:25); and most of all to worship God corporately and personally.

We are not to have an agenda of being prophecy nuts or of warning people of the coming of Christ and of coming judgment as if we are unbalanced or fanatics (what we need are more clear-thinking interpreters of the times who understand the Christian worldview, not self-appointed ministries claiming indirectly to be prophets or to be prophesying).

Many errant preachers have presumptuously predicted the coming of Christ and have been wrong (i.e., William Miller on Oct. 22, 1844, called the Great Disappointment because Christ was a no-show).  The last hour was announced by John (cf. 1 John 2:18) over 17 million hours ago and Paul rebuked believers who jumped to the conclusion that the coming was near and refused to even work.  It should be comforting and encouraging that Christians will be finally delivered ("Therefore comfort ye one another with these words").

In summation, the sole emphasis of the obedient and model church is the Great Commission, and any other ministries are only secondary as they only should serve to unite the body and to reach out and spread the good news as a body.  Liberal causes are rampant in the church and the church has no business getting into political causes or the so-called social gospel, which is a misnomer, and should stay focused on the gospel. The great inquiry and judgment on that day of judgment will be whether we did our part in this Commission.  Causes are not taboo, but the church's function is not that; individual believers can be involved in them, but this is their own business and calling in life as they see fit.  The church can give out bread, but only if it also gives out the gospel first. What we need is a wake-up call to the church, not an alarm to the world at large!  Soli Deo Gloria!