The Servant's Heart

The Apostle Paul was a servant par excellence. He could boast of his sufferings for Christ beyond measure and more than anybody else in the New Testament. Paul also said that he would boast of nothing but what Christ has accomplished through him. (Romans 15:18). You see, the most we could ever hope for no matter how much we suffer and no matter how much we do is that Christ says to us on that day well done thou good and faithful servant. Paul proved this by being down getting down and dirty just like Jesus did when he took up the tall and washed the disciples' feet.   He was not afraid that something was beneath him that is the servant's heart to be servant of all. Paul had no sense of superiority but he defended his right as an apostle appointed by Christ. the idea of a servant is that we have a master and we are obedient.  

When we call Jesus Lord that implies that he is our Master and that we will obey him.   In other words, to say no lord is a contradiction in terms. There could be no salvation apart from obedience. for instance, the Bible says to obey is better than sacrifice And God gives his holy spirit to those who obey him. obedience and faith are linked in scripture many times we adhere to the obedience of the faith.  God has given his Holy Spirit to those who obey him Acts 5:32

The Lord would not ask us about our achievements or accomplishments But he will be interested in what kind of persons we are. That is why Christ condemned those who posted before him on Judgment Day saying, "Lord have we not done this or that?" They were having faith in their works, not in the Lord. We should realize that we are only honored and privileged to serve God. Paul says it has been appointed unto you not only to believe in Christ but to suffer for his sake. (Phil. 1:29).   We also fill up the suffering of Christ. We are called to serve and when we do in Christ's name we should consider it an honor.

Would you worship a God who had no understanding of suffering? But Jesus Christ suffered more than anyone and God allowed his own son to suffer much more will he allow us to suffer for his glory. Then Christianity we find meaning and suffering unlike any other religion But of course, the true answer is not in philosophy but in the person of Jesus Christ. Now we are not to get a martyr's complex and think that the more we suffer the whole year we are or the more worthy we are. The faith doesn't us to become martyrs necessarily but to live for Christ and to present our bodies as living sacrifices. Many people will die for a Christ that they will not live for. Paul said that he would rejoice in his sufferings (Romans 5:3). 

As far as boasting goes, Paul said that he would boast in the Lord but he didn't do it to exalt himself but to put himself in Christ's shoes and think that doing something that Christ expects him to do. When we suffer and when we serve God, we are only doing what is our duty and we are even unworthy of that. Paul said that those who will be exalted must humble themselves.   And we do this by putting Christ first in our lives and making him our number one priority and letting all other things slide. 

One thing Paul did boast of saying that he was better at not just also at doing was that he was a servant of God. Yes, Paul did have a servant's heart, mentality, and mindset.  Paul did his boasting to be a fool for Christ. We all are fools and in a sense, but who's fool are you? Are you willing to be God's full and to do things that require faith not just the world's wisdom? Suffering can thus be a badge of honor but we must not use it to make ourselves better than others or to think of ourselves better than others or to think we are whole there than not type of attitude. All the suffering that we do is for the sake of the gospel and for the sake of the Name and we should be considered honored and privileged to be able to do it and that God is just using us for His glory!  Soli Deo Gloria!

Having Lordship Issues With Jesus

Be careful when you question authority: here's why as follows.  We must surrender the ownership of our lives to Jesus to be one of His. This entails handing over the helm of our life to His sole lordship and control as the rightful owner of it. Jesus said that all authority had been given Him and this means His lordship.  Many mistakenly believe they can accept Jesus as Savior but not as Lord of all.  Even though no one is without sin and we are all works in progress, we must give Christ the sole proprietorship of our destiny. Some of us may have lordship issues such as a distaste of taking orders or not submitting to legitimate authority, even the government.

In salvation, we trust Him as Savior but also submit to Him as Lord.  These two go together and cannot be divorced. We have taken a loyalty oath as it were and given Christ authority to do with us as He pleases and are we called according to His purpose, not ours. Not doing so is called easy-believism (or cheap grace) and that is counter to the correct doctrine of lordship salvation. It is not biblical to "accept Jesus," but we receive Him for who He is:  Lord of all.  If not we have rejected Christ and not given Him His rightful domain of authority. This is who He is and the Father has made this Jesus, who was crucified at the hand of sinners, both Lord and Christ.

He rules our lives regardless of whether we consent: His sovereignty is always at work and Providence is in control of all world events as He orchestrates history according to His will and purpose. God has no Plan B and will achieve His will with or without us.  We can do nothing to interfere with or frustrate God's will. God's will is sure to happen.  In application, our Number One loyalty is to our Lord and Savior not to the state, our party, our church, or even our family, but to Jesus alone: Jesus is Lord and He has entered the door of our heart and taken over in every room because we have given Him the passkey. All of our pursuits are to the glory of God and we ought not to find ourselves fighting God's will rather than submitting and trusting.  We must not lean unto our own understanding but trust in the Lord working everything out for the good.

Knowing Him as Lord assures us of divine guidance and blessing on our lives and we can bear much fruit.  Receiving Him as Lord is measured in our obedience and our faithfulness, not our success, which is up to God and in His control.  We all have a calling and can only fulfill it by obeying our Lord.  God will fulfill His purpose for us and call us to His will and glory.   Our calling is to bring glory to God in whatever we do. When we have completed our calling and God's purpose is fulfilled, we are called home.  Our goal should be to complete our mission and to someday announce, "Mission accomplished."

As a test of your loyalty to Christ's lordship: whom do you love?  whom do you not love? who are your enemies?  what are your priorities? where is your true loyalty? to whom do you submit?  whom do you obey? whom do you refuse to obey?  whom do you trust? whom do you know and trust?  whom do you respect? whom do you listen to?  whom do you love? what are your habits?  what are your addictions? how do you spend your money?  who are your heroes?  what are your past-times?  who are your friends?  who are your enemies?  who are your associates?  who influences you?  What are your plans? what are your dreams? what are your ambitions?  what are your goals?  All these questions impact your lordship issues. 

In summation, I must ask you:  Do you own Him as Lord; do not only confess Him,  but follow Him as a true professor in word and deed, not just for show in name only as a nominal Christian.    Soli Deo Gloria! 

Lordship Of Christ Issues

"You are slaves to the power you choose to obey"  (cf. Rom. 6:16).
"People are enslaved by whatever defeats them" (cf. 2 Pet. 2:19).  
"Through him we received grace and apostleship; to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name's sake" (Rom. 1:5, NIV).
"[S]o that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from faith--" (Rom. 16:26, NIV).  
"[A]nd every tongue [shall] acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:11, NIV).   ALL EMPHASIS MINE.  

Jesus was crowned Lord of all by the Father when he was raised.  The way up is down in God's economy--what a paradox!  Jesus began in humility to increase as He entered His ministry when He was baptized by John who said, "He must increase, but I must decrease."  John did away with his ego and didn't let it get in the way; likewise, our egos must die and we must say "No" to self before we can say "Yes" to Christ.  It's a contradiction to reply "No, Lord!" For that would be breaking faith! That's what faith in the Lord is:  giving up, surrendering, committing, and trusting--that's much more than acquiescence or simply easy-believism."  It is said:  Faith is not believing despite the evidence, but obeying in spite of the consequences!  

God never grants cheap grace which justifies the sin, not the sinner.  We become Christians with our prayer of relinquishment giving over ownership of our lives to the Lord of All.   Yes, this was also Jesus' motto of life:  "Thy will be done!"  The problem is that we are all volitionally defiant and have a will of our own--even our wills are depraved and in need of salvation.   It has been said justly so that Jesus "will not barter away His right to be Lord" and "will save no one whom He cannot command," according to A. W. Tozer.  When we address Him as Lord, it implies we are His servants and subject to His authority.  We must not be control freaks or enthusiasts over our lives!

We must obey our Lord for "to obey is better than sacrifice" (cf. 1 Sam. 15:22).   Heb. 5:9 (cf. Acts 2:39), NIV, says, "...[H]e became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him [italics mine]."  Jesus also said that if we love Him we will obey Him.  But it's not a legalistic attitude of having to, but a new change of heart of wanting to please our Lord.  This is accepting Christ for who He is--Lord and Master!  He has been exalted with all authority granted Him.   The more in bondage we are to our Lord, the more freedom we experience!  Any other belief in Jesus is rejecting Him.   He is worthy of our submission for we are not our own and have been bought with a price (cf. 1 Cor. 6:20).  This is interpreted as meaning that we undergo a reorganization of our life priorities.

We must never forget that true Lordship entails the flip side of faith which is repentance--we have a believing repentance or a penitent faith, so to speak.   This radical change in our life is from the inside out--not turning over a new leaf, making a New Year's resolution, or making an AA pledge.  We must own up to our sins and come clean with God, doing a 180-degree turnaround, a U-turn, or about-face, having a complete change of heart concerning sin as well as our sins.  Christianity has nothing to say to the unrepentant.  It's not always how big your faith is but how thorough your repentance. The call to repent was the first word of the gospel from John and then Jesus and they must be made manifest by fruits worthy of them.

We must learn to "trust and obey" as the hymn says and "walk in a manner worthy of our Lord" (cf. Eph. 4:1).  He is worthy of our worship as well as our allegiance!    Remember, we have the power to live in the Spirit, not the permission to live in the flesh; that is, our sins show our slavery, they don't demonstrate our freedom.   Saving faith (not dead faith) is manifest only in obedience as Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, "Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes."  To call Him Lord and to disobey are contradictions (cf. Isa. 1:19, Heb. 3:18-19)!  We must never dichotomize Christ's offices as Lord and Savior:  we submit to Him as Lord and trust Him as Savior, we must receive Him as Lord and Savior; i.e., the whole package!  

Gal. 2:20 sums up our new life in Christ or our walk of faith showing we live a substituted, inhabited, exchanged, and surrendered life.  Finally, do you see yourself as Jesus' sidekick or colleague to be befriended, or as the Personage you own as Lord?  In sum, acknowledging Jesus as Lord is what our faith is all about--all else pales in comparison.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Finishing Well

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus..." (Heb. 12:1-2, ESV). 

As Paul's swan song (2 Timothy) expressed: to get back his manuscripts while he was under house arrest;  his cry of exultation was, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race [course], I have kept the faith," (2 Tim. 4:7, ESV). We are all to run so as to win (following the rules) and not be encumbered with the worries of the mundane in our race, just like a soldier is unconcerned of civilian affairs.  Jesus' kingdom is not of this world, and our citizenship is in heaven (cf. John 18:36; Phil. 3:20, ESV).  Don't get too comfortable in this world, for we are mere pilgrims passing through to the heavenly city.

It doesn't matter how well you start if you don't finish well.  Our reward is not according to our faith, but our works, what we did with it (cf. Rom. 2:6; Psa. 62:12; Prov. 24:12); how we apply it.  The race set before us is not a sprint but a marathon, and endurance matters; however, there is the danger of spiritual burnout if we don't know how to balance our life and keep the main thing the main thing, keeping our eyes on Jesus (cf. Heb. 3:1: 12:2). Walking with Christ gives us the power to do anything in the will of God (cf. Phil. 4:13).

Col. 2:6 tells us that just as we "have received Christ as Lord, so walk in Him" as Lord.  Lordship decisions are not a one-time matter at salvation, but progressive as we are being constantly filled with the Spirit (cf, Eph. 5;18) and keeping on the straight and narrow.  Mother Teresa, now canonized, who also received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, said that God doesn't "call us to success, but to faithfulness!"  The key is that we are faithful in the little God gives us, not to compare our ministry or mission to others. We all are unique in our calling and gifts.

Jesus did say that he who is faithful in little shall be faithful in much!  And to whom much is given, much is required.  An example is the widow who gave two lepta (copper coins) and Jesus commended her as having given more than anyone in the worship meeting.  Saint Theresa announced she was building a convent and was asked how much she had; when she told them only twelve pence, they said, "Not even Saint Theresa can do much with twelve pence!"  The reply:  "But Theresa and God can do anything with twelve pence!"

The important idea to bear in mind, is not to be conformed to the image of the world (i.e., the rat race, the law of the jungle, survival of the fittest, etc.) and not to be achievement-oriented, for God doesn't want our achievements, but our obedience, and us!  What matters is not how much of the Spirit we seem to have but our obedience--how much the Spirit has of us!  Bear in mind:  Dietrich Bonhoeffer said that "only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes."  Christianity is not about man's achievements then, but God's accomplishment on our behalf--we are to let God work through us (Hos. 14:8; Isaiah 26:12; Rom. 15:18) as "vessels of honor."

Jesus warned of the builder who didn't count the cost and had to abandon his building, and so earnest believers must be aware of what they are getting into--a life of self-denial, devotion, a discipline.  Jesus never encouraged lackadaisical, lukewarm, halfhearted, or insincere followers.  The reason other religions are so popular, namely Buddhism, is that you don't die to yourself.   In our race we are not in competition with each other, in the sense so as to compare ourselves with one another: who is the best Bible pastor/teacher in town are (or best exegete, biblicist, even Bible expositor, etc.)  God will level the playing field--who is faithful matters--results are up to God!

We all have our own calling and gift to present unto the Lord in a life of obedience, following Him wherever He may lead.  Maturity is never measured by emotion or feeling, though they are present even if one is stoical, not demonstrative, nor is it measured by ecstasies or experiences (according to Oswald Chambers), including dreams, visions, including audible or visual encounters, but solely by a life of obedience and faithfulness, which will be tested by fire to see if we grow bitter or better.  It is vital to know that the Christian life is not a contest to see who dies with the most toys, publishes the most books, preaches the most sermons, gives the most to missions or charity, and so forth, but "obedience to the heavenly vision," doing God's work and will, as it were, like Paul delineated our walk.

The song by ABBA, "Winner Takes It All," is a fallacious worldview since Jesus owns it all and shares the victory with us, we shall all have the opportunity to win an imperishable wreath that won't fade away, and a crown, if you will, for rewards of faithfulness. Remember one's last words are very telling of one's life work!   Famous last words:  Good intentions; poor follow-through!  Corrie ten Boom said, "Jesus is victor!" for us!  The Preacher of Ecclesiastes renders some timely, germane words of divine wisdom to conclude with:  "Finishing is better than starting..." (7:8, NLT);  "Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all"  (9:11, ESV).  Soli Deo Gloria!

The Focus Of Relinquishment

We all must face a crisis in our faith whereby we will have our "moment of truth" regarding our faith in God's will versus our own way--we are all like sheep gone astray, each one to his own way (cf. Isaiah 53:6).  If you've never grappled with the will of God, you probably haven't surrendered; once you have made the once-and-for-all relinquishment of control and ownership of your life, it only becomes a renewed effort on a continual, progressive, ongoing basis, even with day-by-day re-commitment.

We may one day be backed by God's will that clashes with the way we see things.  Once we have made this initial surrender that Romans 12:1 mentions as "our reasonable service," it becomes a pleasure to walk in the Spirit as we desire God's will (cf. Psalm 40:8:  "I delight to do thy will..."), and actually inquire as to what it is, whereby before we never even wondered about it.  In the Garden of Gethsemane, we learn that even Jesus had a will of His own, but He interposed it with the Father's will throughout His life, coming to a climax here; even at age 12 He said, "I must be about My Father's business [doing  His will]."

We are rebellious at heart and God has to work on us to mold us in His image, someday we end up backed into a wall and will make that decision to "follow Jesus."  This is the summation of our ethics: to follow on to know the Lord (cf. Hos. 6:3), doing His will to His glory.  Even Jesus had His time of testing and trial in the Garden of Gethsemane and surrendered to the Father's will, which He knew was something He didn't want in His humanity and was actually relating to our struggle with relinquishment.  Christ never asked us to do anything He didn't do Himself; in fact, our so-called crosses pale in comparison to His and He relates completely, even sending the Comforter to guide and lead us.  Jesus surrendered voluntarily and our surrender is the same, God wants us to want His will, not to feel that we have to submit to something we don't want.  In the end, all that counts is not how much of the Spirit you have, but how much of you the Spirit has; i.e., re your surrender!

Jesus doesn't ask us to die for Him, by and large, but to live for Him, to dedicate our lives to Him as living sacrifices, which is only a reasonable service of worship (cf. Rom. 12:1-2).  We are in the serious business of seeking God's will and obeying it; a genuine sign of a believer is that he wonders about God's will and submits to it gladly.  We are not Christians at all if we have never prayed our prayer of relinquishment, like Christ did Himself, and have given over the ownership of our lives to live them for His glory and not for ourselves.  It should be noted that often our surrender occurs after a good time or even a time of anxiety or stress (there's good stress).  And we are most vulnerable to testing after a victory or a "spiritual high," just like Jesus was tempted after His baptism by Satan.

Trusting Jesus is no less daring and brave than getting married and we must not run from God or avoid the corner we are backed into, but face the dilemma with the courage of God in our hearts.  Remember that He gives the Spirit without measure and some believers don't have more of the Spirit, they are just more surrendered and walk closer with the Lord.

Jesus had a divine as well as a human side; we have a flesh as well as a spirit and we must surrender our spirit to God's to overcome our flesh.  We may be facing some pet sin or a sin that easily besets us, but we can be reassured of victory only after our surrender. This initial surrender is often accompanied by a fear of the unknown, since the seeker may wonder if God is going to make them do something they don't want to do, like go to Africa, but if we realize the love of God and how He establishes us in the faith with all the provision to do His will, we can have faith in Christ despite our fears.  We must overcome our fears and get the courage to obey by having a heart fully surrendered, holding nothing back and having no reservations--then we will be able to walk with God and live in the Spirit day by day.  That is, we face our fears head on without running from them or dodging the bullet.

It may be as easy as just starting by making confessions of all fears and reservations, and having a person-to-person or one-on-one talk with God to resolve the areas of doubt and what your fears are.  God only reveals His will to the willing believer; it's only personal fears that keep a person from surrender and God will give you the courage to obey His will if you are surrendered--those who are rebellious will never know! We must trust God to only give us crosses we can bear and that He will give us the power to do His will, as well as the provision needed per Heb. 13:21 (NASB):  "[Equip] you in every good thing to do His will...."

According to Rom. 12:2 we have to surrender to know God's will, that is the divine order of events and link.  A true believer ultimately delights to do God's will, though he may falter or fail at times, deep inside he wills or yearns to please God and live for His glory (Psalm 40:8, KJV, with emphasis added, says plainly, "I delight to do thy will...").  Paul's prayer for the Colossians was to "be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding"  (Col. 1:9, NASB).  We must bear in mind that God is able to overcome our wills (cf. Rom. 9:19), and make us willing to do His will, by taking our heart of stone and giving us a heart of flesh (cf. Ezek. 36:26) and, according to Psalm 51:12, will give us or sustain us with a "willing spirit."  We are to imitate or emulate Christ's example and motto of His life:  Thy will be done!

You can always discern those who haven't ever made the prayer of relinquishment:  They don't know God's will or wonder about it; are apathetic about it; have reservations or something they're holding back on God with; or they aren't seeking God or walking with Him in a growing faith and relationship as they "learn to love Him more dearly, follow Him more nearly, and know Him more clearly" (Richard of Chichester).  Usually, upon salvation, one is cognizant of God's will in the short term, but no one knows His will in the long- erm because it isn't rolled out for us in a life plan, but the "course of our life is in [His] hands" (Psalm 31:15, HCSB).  God makes us willing to do His will progressively per Phil. 2:13 (NASB):  "[F]or it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure." In the final analysis, it's not how much of the Spirit that you have, but how much of you the Spirit has!   Soli Deo Gloria! 

Life's Priorities

Job One is to practice the lordship of Christ over our lives and to abide in Him.  What does this entail? We must walk even as He walked in constant fellowship and union with Him in obedience and confession with our motto being, "Thy will be done!  We must rearrange our priorities and change our lifestyle to please Him Jesus doesn't just have an important place in our lives, but the predominant and preeminent place. Everything else is secondary! This involves seeing things in a new light as God sees them, not as the world sees them, for we are no longer of the world. The centrality of Christianity is Christ! All else is peripheral or circumference. 

Furthermore, we must put our whole heart into following Christ with as much gusto as we can muster, as "Mr. Hustle" himself, Pete Rose did when he put his whole heart into his game. God wants the same kind of attitude of us:  "And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, in the law and in the commandment, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart. So he prospered"  (2 Chronicles 31:21, NKJV). God found men who "wholly followed the Lord."  

This means a commitment to Christ through thick and thin and living by His agenda.  It means a "great commitment to the Great Commission and the Great Commandment!"  We "crown Him Lord of all," as the hymn goes, but this must be from the heart, not just the lips.  Joshua and Caleb are two examples:  "... for they followed the LORD wholeheartedly"  (cf. Numbers 32:11).

What is lordship mean?  "...You are not your own; for you were bought with a price (cf. 1 Cor. 6:20, ESV). "As you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, so walk ye in him" (Col. 4:6)--we didn't receive Him as best bud, sidekick, or colleague, but as our Lord!  The only legitimate salvation is "lordship salvation" (once quite a controversy), which means we must accept Him with all the authority over us, dedicating our wills to Him all our lives, as living sacrifices. There is no such thing as a class of disobedient Christians who have accepted the lordship of Christ. 

Obedience is the test and the relationship is expressed by obedience. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, "Only those who believe are obedient; only those who are obedient believe."  We are either obedient or not, with no middle ground--this has no degree of fulfillment and obedience. We must bow to His lordship and I don't mean just lip service. A. W. Tozer said, "The Lord will not save those whom He cannot command." If we don't accept His lordship, we haven't accepted Him and this is nothing less than easy-believism or "cheap grace," as Dietrich Bonhoeffer termed it.

We abide in Christ and walk in the Spirit in fellowship with God, as we are led by the Spirit and being filled with the Spirit for every good work that He has ordained for us.  Let it be said of us what God said of Joshua:  "He wholly followed the Lord!"  We live in a trusting and obedient life: "Trust and obey, for there is no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey!" 

Jesus said that if you love Him you will obey Him (cf. John 14:21). Believing and obedience are equated in Heb. 3:18-19 and in John 3:36 (ESV) as:  "He who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him."  Hebrews 5:9 (ESV) says, "And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him."     Soli Deo Gloria!

Obligatory Obedience Of Discipleship

"[T]hrough whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations"  (Romans 1:5, ESV).
"And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient?  So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief [note correlation]"  (Hebrews 3:18-19, ESV). 

Here's an anecdote of a believer who had come full-circle (Is he Catholic or Protestant, or Protestant acting like a Catholic?):  "I don't believe in the infallibility of Scripture anymore, but I still believe in Jesus as my Lord!"/"O how does he exercise His Lordship?"/ "Through the teachings of the Church!" (Who and what is he obeying?)

In the incident with the rich young ruler who said he had obeyed the commandments; however, the ultimate test was whether he would obey the Lord Himself, according to John MacArthur.

The issue is how does Christ extend His authority over us.  We are not to be rule-obsessed like the Pharisees but have a personal link to the Lord, take His yoke of love, and follow His will as the fulfillment of the Law.  The Lord exercises His Lordship over us through the Word (as a check on all other authority), through the body of Christ, and through all legitimate authority (even government, unless civil disobedience is called for out of Scriptural reasons), i.e., we cannot say we obey the Lord if we are disobedient to our superiors who have the rule over us (we submit one to another in the love of Christ) and we are rogues, doing their own thing and going their own way, as it were.

Protestants go a step beyond obedience to the authority of the church over them by obeying the Lord as revealed in Scripture via a personal relationship, i.e., knowing the Lord--unlike the rich young ruler who obeyed rules, but not the Lord Himself.  Protestant means:  I dissent, I disagree, I protest. Protestants are not at the mercy of Church dogma as infallible.

Thinking you can believe without obedience is called easy-believism and its gospel as the no-lordship gospel.  "Christ will not save anyone He cannot command," says A.W. Tozer.  And will not barter away his claim to lordship and ownership of us.  He couldn't be our Savior if He were not Lord of all (cf. Acts 10:36).  John MacArthur says "follow Me" refers to unconditional surrender to His lordship. True salvation is free, but it is not cheap, because the Bible doesn't teach "cheap grace" or "cheap peace," the terminology of this heresy if you will, because it cost God everything to redeem us, and He wants all of us in return. "I call it heresy," says A. W. Tozer about this gospel in vogue that dumbs down and domesticates the biblical evangel.

Obedience ultimately also means submission to authority, but some believers are reluctant to follow suit or go there--we are all under authority in the body of Christ and no one is the man in charge, except Christ Himself.  We have leaders who are also under authority!  "[We] have turned everyone to his own way" (Isaiah 53:6b, ESV).

Since we are creatures and God is our Creator, we owe Him all our obedience by virtue of this alone, whether there is a heaven or not. Even Satan has to obey when commanded and seeks permission for his mischief.  Religious people who simply go through the motions and memorize the Dance of the Pious don't please God by their religiosity.  God seeks obedience from a "noble and good heart."  1 Samuel 15:22 says:  "...Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams." Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the Lutheran pastor who was executed in a concentration camp by the Nazis for his Christian stand, said eloquently and succinctly:  "Only he who believes is obedient, and only he who is obedient believes."  They are linked and correlated and go hand in hand in a complementary manner, they can be distinguished but not separated;  there is no such class of believer who is perpetually or habitually disobedient--obedience is not an option and the Great Commission is not the Great Suggestion!   And we can obey only by the power of Christ working in us (cf. Col. 1:29). God's power is always there to enable us to do His bidding and the power of the Holy Spirit is always on hand to kick in when needed--but we must remember it is His energy not the energy of the flesh. Paul says in Romans 15:18 that he "will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through [him] to bring the Gentiles to obedience by word and deed [actions can speak louder than words and prove our testimony]."

Faith is simply about trust and obedience and learning to walk in them.  I love the hymn "Trust and Obey" which stresses this definition of faith.   Isaiah 1:19 says in one version, "If you consent and obey you shall eat of the best of the land..," and in the NLT, "If you will only obey me and let me help you, then you will have plenty to eat..,"  or "If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat of the good of the land... (ESV)." Jesus admonished his disciples in John 14:21:  "He who has my commandments and keeps them [obeys], it is he who loves me."  Part B of the Great Commission is to "obey" or "observe" His teachings or commandments! We are not done when we make a convert, but must train them as disciples or followers of Christ--they must be learners and students in the school of Christ, in which they have matriculated upon salvation.   Jesus' commands are not burdensome according to 1 John 5:3 (compared to the yoke of the Law of Moses), and his burden is light (cf. Matt. 11:29).  Only when we submit to His yoke will we find our Sabbath rest.

Jeremiah 4:8 says that Israel didn't "know the rules of the LORD!"  What does God require?  Deut. 10:12-13 (ESV) says it in a nutshell:  "And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statues of the LORD which I am commanding you this day for your good."  One of my favorite verses is Micah 6:8 says:  "Her has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"  This refers to ethics, brotherly relationships, and fellowship with God.  Jesus summed up the deeper requirements of the Law in Matt. 23:23 (ESV) as follows:  "...[And] have neglected the weightier matters of the law:  justice, and mercy, and faithfulness."

The point is that we cannot do the Law nor fulfill its demands, even though Israel promised to do them rather than plead for mercy in Exodus 24:3 (ESV) as follows:  "... All the words that the LORD has spoken we will do [obey again]."  The point of the Law is to point out our sin according to Paul in Romans 3:20 in the Phillips translation:  "Indeed the straightedge of the law shows us how crooked we really are." Other versions render it: "... [F]or by the law is the knowledge of sin;" "... [Since] through the law comes knowledge of sin." C. S. Lewis aptly said that we don't know how bad we are till we've tried to be good, and we can't be good till we know how bad we are!  This is a paradox and worth thinking about, because the closer we get to God, the more we realize our unworthiness and His grace and mercy.  Luther said the Law is a hammer that smashes our righteousness and a mirror that shows our faults.  Why didn't Israel realize that they couldn't keep the Law?  Only Jesus was able to and He did it on our behalf so we don't have to but can have His righteousness imputed to our account and be considered justified (or just as if I'd done it!).

What kind of attitude should we have in obedience?  Deut. 26:16 says, "...You shall be careful to do them with all your heart and with all your soul."  David says in Psalm 40:8 that he "delights to do [His] will."  We do not obey begrudgingly or because we think we have to, but because we want to; we now have a heart of flesh willing to obey God, instead of a heart of stone (Ezekiel 36:26). "... For the love of Christ constrains us" (2 Cor. 5:14). We are not inclined or biased to good anymore and need to be set free, because we are not born free (we are slaves to sin and the sin nature).  Our attitude determines our altitude spiritually and we need constant "attitude checks" or "spiritual check-ups."  We have the choice to choose our attitude and it should be one of joy in suffering because we are counted worthy. We are not free to disobey at will or our discretion, but free to obey the will of God.

According to John MacArthur, faith is manifest in obedience only.  James said, "I will show you my faith by my deeds," while Paul is saying, "I will show you my deeds by faith." We are saved by faith alone, according to the reformers, but not a faith that is alone (that would be antinomianism).   Without deeds our faith is suspect!  The obedience of faith saves, but works are no substitute for faith, because, even though we are not saved by works, we are not saved without them either. Matthew 7:17 says we shall know them by their fruits. We must bear fruit in keeping with our repentance and so prove our faith (cf. Acts 26:20: "... [Performing] deeds in keeping with their repentance"). Luke 3:8 says, "Bring forth fruits in keeping with your repentance."  Obedience is evidence of faith, not its substitute, and God is not against works, just those done in the flesh (cf. Isaiah 64:6).  The faith you have is the faith you show is James' key point.  Remember, we are judged by our obedience (i.e., our deeds or works per Romans 2:6), not our faith.  God is not interested in our achievements or accomplishments, but in our obedience only!

When God tests us, it is for our own good and it is an honor because He trusts us to pass the test and obey Him.   You might wonder if you are obedient.  Acts 5:32 (ESV) says, "And we are witness to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him."  Jesus said, "If any man wills to do His will, he shall know of the doctrine..."  (John 7:17).  Jesus said in John 17:3 that eternal life is knowing Him; likewise to know Him is to love Him and to love Him is to obey Him--because we now want to do God's will from the heart! Again I reiterate 2 Cor. 5 v. 14: "For the love of Christ constrains [or compels in ESV] us...."  Though the believer is capable of disobedience out of failure or because he is human, he possesses a supernatural yearning to obey and please God. As David said in Psalm 40:8 (ESV), "I desire to do your will, my God; your law is with my heart."The ultimate result of knowing Him is to desire to be like Him in sanctification and a growing and living faith.   Soli Deo Gloria!

All Authority

Giving the Great Commission, Christ said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me" (Matt. 28:18).  Peter declared at Pentecost: "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this:  God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah" (Acts 2:36).  We do not "make Christ Lord" as the modern-day terminology coins it when we get saved--He is Lord and to accept Him we cannot divide His offices as Savior and Lord, because He couldn't be Savior without being Lord of all (Acts 10:36).

We are rejecting Christ if we don't accept Him for who He is and acknowledge His lordship over our lives (i.e., lordship salvation as opposed to easy-believism that denies this doctrine).  We trust Him as our Savior and submit to Him as our Lord--obedience is the only test of faith.  We must surrender unconditionally and give up the ship and helm of our lives to His leadership.  He is the new Captain of our soul and the Master of our fate.

When we refer to the good Lord or simply the Lord we are generally referring to Christ Himself--that is the exclusive privilege that God the Father has bestowed on Him.  The Father is Lord also, and there is one Lord, but we give the nomenclature of Lordship to Christ in deference to His role as executing and completing our salvation and rising on our behalf from the dead.

We are to pray in His name and not just attach the phraseology "in Jesus' name, amen!" at the terminus of our prayers for good measure--this implies to His glory and will!  We have the privilege to pray in His name that angels don't have and can boldly approach the throne of grace in His name (cf. Heb. 4:16).  We are given authority over demons and Satan's dominion of darkness in His name.

When Jesus preached and taught, He did not do as the Pharisees and scribes had done:  He taught as one having authority and as no one had dared preach before Him;  because He didn't footnote His sermons by quoting the so-called authorities and interpretations, but made His own pronouncements:  "Verily, verily, I say unto you," or "Amen, amen I say unto you."  His formula was not to say like the prophets, "Thus saith the LORD." but He said boldly and audaciously proclaimed, "You have heard it said, but I say unto you so and so.  The people were heard saying, "Never has a man spake like this man!"  If He relied upon an authority, His teaching would not have the authority of what the Father told Him to say.  He was His own authority! One of the reasons they objected to Him was because He was making Himself equal to God.

In application, God wants us to not despise prophesying and urges us to speak the Word of God boldly as if they were oracles of God.  A prophet today speaks to the edification of the body of Christ and proclaims what God has revealed to him.  A prophet speaks to men on behalf of God, while a priest speaks to God on behalf of men. Modern prophecy doesn't consist in foretelling in as much as forthtelling.  Jesus never prefaced His words but dared to speak out and tell it like it is.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Seeking the Will of God

All genuine believers want to be in the will of God--this is Job One!   Sometimes the only time they think of it is when they have to make an important decision like marriage or a job; this is unfortunate. God can put a hedge around us if we are in the will of God and the devil cannot touch us; we can live in victory over our enemy. The safest place to be is in the will of God. Does God still speak to us about His intentions today? God is not bound by any certain MO or 1-2-3 formula like circumstances (which Gideon used with a fleece; (c.f. Judges 6); but most commonly speaks through His Word, as He was wont to do in biblical times. Greg Laurie calls the Bible God's "User's Manual." We can get an existential experience ("Aha!") or epiphany in the Word if we take every situation to the Bible with an expectation of God's illumination.

 If we do find God's will we will have peace of understanding as it says in Col. 3:15 (there is always peace of mind in God's will). [To define terms, God's will is the good and pleasing and perfect will of God, as Romans 12:1-2 describe. I am not referring to God's secret or decreed will that is none of our business, such things as necromancy, tarot cards, or crystal balls (Deut. 29:29).] Before you seek God's will, decide if you really want to know it; you may be fooling yourself into thinking you're willing to do it.

The Christian journey is by faith ("For we walk by faith and not by sight"), so we just need to "just walk" as Laurie says. Knowing God's will is a state of mind and not a rolled-out "itinerary" There is no easy MO, but it is revealed one step at a time, one decision at a time.   As we are obedient to the things God does reveal to us He gives us more guidance. God does have a master plan for our life and "the just shall live by faith" (Jeremiah 29:11: "I know the plans that I have for you...")   God has promised to make His ways plain in Isa. 35:8, and Isa. 30:21: "Whenever you turn to the right or to the left, you shall hear a voice behind you saying: 'This is the way, walk ye in it.'" Psalm 25:4 says God will reveal His way to us ("The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him").

But one caveat: Laurie says the condition of an enlightened mind is a surrendered heart. Some people want to know God's will so they can decide if they want to follow it or not. We must surrender to God's will first, then He will reveal it to us.   Eph. 5:17 says: "Do not be foolish but understand what the will of the Lord is." Acts 22:14 says that it has been granted unto us to know His will. When we get in sync with the Bible we can echo Hebrews 10:7 which says, "Behold, it is written of Me in the volume of the Book: to do Thy will." God's will is not just common sense, but sometimes we are to go against the grain and march to the beat of a different drummer. 

Proverbs 3:5-6 says not to lean unto our own understanding--"there is a way that seems right to a man."  I'm not saying we should be mystical or "spooky," but the more we grow in grace, the clearer God's will becomes to us. If we make a mistake God can "turn curses into blessings."   You will have peace of mind as you walk by faith, so "start walking." This  begins with our relinquishment or surrender to God's sovereignty over our lives. 

"The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way" cf. Psa. 37:23).  The Lord is our shepherd and "for His name's sake" "He leads us in the paths of righteousness" (Psalm. 23). We are to pray "Thy will be done" in our prayers. King David was anointed because he was willing to do all of God's will.  The Word of God is the "litmus test;" [cf. Isa. 8:20] so if it doesn't line up squarely with the Word, it is wrong for you.  To sum up, I don't know the future, but I know who holds the future.   Soli Deo Gloria!