Sin Wants To Destroy You....

 ".. that they should repent, turn to God and do works befitting repentance." (Acts 26:20). 

"Testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ." (Acts 20:21). 

"Therefore, bear fruits worthy of repentance." (Matt. 3:8). 

"He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy." (Prov. 28:13). 

"Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin." (Ezek.18:30). 

God had warned Cain: "Sin wants to destroy you but don't let it!" (Gen. 4:7). God always precedes judgment with a warning.  There might come a time when we seek repentance with tears and it is hard to come by as in the case of Esau. We must heed the warning and take it seriously and know there is a time to repent! Today is the day of salvation!  Also, we can never look upon repentance as a finished work but should as an ongoing, continuing solution.  Just like we "keep" the faith, we "renew" our repentance.  We cannot ever say that we "had" faith if we do not "keep" the faith!  Likewise, we are not just "filled with the Spirit" once but continually!  God gives us a regular time to reflect on our sins when we partake of the Lord's Supper and we should take it seriously and not tolerate our pet sins.  Paul urges us to "examine ourselves" as a form of assurance of our salvation. 

We must realize that sin is spitting in God's face, offending his holiness, insulting his person, rejecting his truth, contradicting his truth, repudiating his justice, resisting his grace, nullifying his grace, contradicting his wisdom, and outright rebellion against His authority.  We need to "listen up" when God speaks to our hearts lest we turn a deaf ear to his voice and become spiritually hard of hearing.  We cannot excuse ourselves or rationalize our sins to justify ourselves.  This is a time as Socrates said, "The unexamined life is not worth living." If we do not know ourselves, how can we know God!  Also as the Greeks said, "Know thyself!"  

We cannot alter the truth of God to make ourselves look better or to blame others for our problems or sins.  We are all culpable and accountable to God and shall give an account of ourselves at the Judgment Seat of Christ for how we lived according to the grace given us. We must not water down the gospel message or dumb down it either to exclude the call to repent!  There will come a time when we violate even doing something when we know better and our own conscience judges us.  God is patient with us not willing any should perish and this means our salvation!  If we got what we deserved, we would be in hell! 

Now, Paul had a unique view of weakness: he would boast of his weakness so that the power of Christ would rest on him.  God's power is made perfect through our weakness.  The more we acknowledge our weakness and the more we depend upon the grace of God, the more glory we bring to God. Weakness to God is letting him get things done through us and depending upon him to use us.  Our righteousness is God's gift to us, not our gift to him. The problem is that most people will not admit their weaknesses and give a sham they are strong or masquerade as mighty in the faith when it is weak.  We need to be strong in faith not in self-confidence. We don't need self-esteem as much as God-esteem. It is also not how big our faith is, but how big our God is. Obedience must be viewed as the measure of faith: "By faith Abraham obeyed..." 

We need to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith as God said, "Look unto Me and be saved...." Our focus is on him when we admit our weakness and need for him but many people are so self-confident and think they are so righteous they see no need for God.  Remember how Peter began to sink in the water when he got his eyes off Jesus? Well, we must focus on our Lord and give him authority over our lives and see things from his perspective. 

Now, I have mentioned but not defined or expounded on repentance itself. First, is it granted by grace when we believe (they go together as in believing repentance and penitent faith) according to Acts 20:21. They are linked just as works of repentance must follow to prove its genuineness. (Acts 26:20).  It is a complete and radical change of mind, will, and emotions toward our sin; not just a change of heart of opinion.  We must renounce our sins and begin a new life with Christ at the helm. We must turn from our sin and towards a walk with God. It is the missing ingredient to our faith because most preachers shy away from preaching on this topic.  It is more than just feeling sorry but actual control and change of direction.

We must become radicalized for God!   We must see the seriousness of our sin: rebellion, independence, faithlessness, lovelessness, and irresponsibility. We do a complete turnaround, about-face, or a 180 and this is more than a New Year's resolution, AA pledge, or turning over a  new leaf!  There can be no genuine repentance without saving faith! They go hand in hand or they do not save!   That is what Judas lacked though he was sorry for what he had done and betrayed innocent blood!  Soli Deo Gloria!

What About The Hard Sayings Of Jesus? ...

And after some disciples heard these sayings, they no longer followed Him..... Jesus never made it easy to be a follower of His and stipulated strict guidelines and requisites like denial of self, and having first priority in our hearts so much that we "hate" our parents. He also said that we "cannot come to the Father unless it has been granted.." We cannot believe in Jesus apart from grace ("Apart from Me, you can do nothing...." "This is the work of God... that you believe in Him whom He has sent."). St. Augustine of Hippo said it well: “God command what you will, but grant what you command…” If we can turn over a new leaf, make a New Year’s resolution, Boy Scout pledge, or AA pledge to change our lives, what good is regeneration? God must change us from the inside out!

What good is regeneration if we can accomplish this of our own strength and without grace working in our hearts? God opens the door of faith and kindles it within us as He quickens our dead spirit. This is called "lordship salvation" as opposed to "easy-believism" or that commitment to Christ as Lord is not required for salvation. We must receive Him for who He is! Jesus never watered down His message, contextualized it, nor dumbed it down, but told it as it is in straight talk and calling a spade a spade. He never minced words or made it easy to follow Him but discouraged half-hearted disciples who may have admired Jesus but were not ready to lay down their lives for Him.

For instance, no fornicator, murderer, liar, drunkard, homosexual, thief, or swindler will get into the kingdom. But with all these requirements, we cannot change ourselves but we must be willing to let God change us: we come as we are, but do not remain that way due to the grace of God working in our hearts. What good is regeneration if we can believe apart from it or conversion if we had the power to transform our lives ourselves? The whole point of the gospel is that God changes us and we become new creatures in Christ: a changed life as a testimony!

Salvation must be grace from beginning to end: "Salvation is of the LORD," (Jonah 2:9) and that means we do not contribute anything to our regeneration and conversion. Therefore, it is not of us and God nor of us alone but of God alone! It is the work of God on our behalf who gets the glory. Soli Deo Gloria!

How Can We Tell A Christian?

 Jesus clearly said that we would known them by their fruits. (Matt. 7:16).   Jesus also said they will know that you are My disciples, that you love one another!   (John 13:35)   That means we love our neighbors, practice the Golden Rule, and are good Samaritans.  This is manifest in charity, alms, rescue missions, food shelves, mission work, disaster relief, humanitarian crises and more where Christians can outshine the world and show what Christian love is all about. 

There are many Christians in name only or nominal believers but their faith doesn't stand the test of fire. All faith must be tested and proven. If faith were easy, it wouldn't  be worth much. Anyone can claim to be a Christian; for instance, they can sincerely believe they were born one because their parents are, but no one gets in automatically because salvation is a turnstile--one at a time! We all must personally make our decision to follow Christ at all costs and deny ourselves, pick up our cross and follow Him.  

It is commonly believed that belonging to a church makes one a believer or should I say disciple, but many in the church are just attendees and not worshipers--they are consumers and not producers!  We are not just customers of God but followers, nor fans or admirers but worshipers and followers. Some erroneously believe they were born Christians because the live in a Christian nation! Christ in only interested in wholehearted disciples who have counted the cost and willing to lay down their lives for the sake of the Name. 

What kind of fruit should we look for? A Christian proves his faith by good works. James said that he would show his faith by his works!  (James 2:18) We are to become a people zealous of good works!  (Titus 1:16) Faith without works is dead (James 2:22) and that kind of faith cannot save. We are indeed saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone. Without works, our faith is suspect. We are not saved by them, but not without them either!  We have a faith not as one we can live with but one we would die for!  We must live out our faith and prove it to others; it is not a given and we cannot expect people to believe our confession if we have no fruits!  Our lifestyles tell a lot and reveal what we really believe and speak louder than our words and our testimony speaks volumes.  

The true Christian ought to be engaged in spiritual disciplines such as prayer, Bible reading, witnessing, worshipping, fellowship, and good deeds. This all are taught in the local church of which he is obliged to join and not forsake.  Note: there can be no solitary saints or spiritual hermits or Lone Rangers!  For God has foreordained certain good works we are meant to do.  We should walk in them faithfully. Christians walk by faith and not by sight, they see things from God's perspective and not as the world sees them. Christians also are people of the book and love love the spoken and written Word of God preached and in the Bible.  We also walk in the Spirit and have overcome the power of the flesh. 

We do sin but Jesus always disciplines us or brings us to confession and back on track when we go astray. Christians overflow with thanksgiving and have the right attitude in serving and being servants; a non-serving Christian is a contradiction in terms. Christians find their spiritual gift by serving and are given a ministry to fulfill as stewards of God's blessings. 

"...Set an example of good works yourself..." (Tit. 2:7).

SO, ARE WORKS NECESSARY FOR SALVATION THEN?

There is a grand distinction between religion and Christianity: works out of a pure motive and not for applause versus to ingratiate oneself, or to get brownie points with a deity. Religion says, "Do!" while Christ says, "Done!" Christians are not "do-gooders" per se but do good deeds because they want to, not because they have to. The key is not "in order to," but "therefore." Good works logically follow a changed life, through which Christ lives. Changing lives is Jesus' business and the point of salvation. In a works religion, you never know how much is enough!

Since salvation is a gift only in Christianity, the person is free to do good out of gratitude. We don't have to, but want to! Many Americans have fallen prey to the misconception that achieving the "American dream" or "living the good life" is all that is necessary to accomplish salvation; that they have "made it." God requires perfection and any effort to earn one's way is in vain. We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone (a living one), in the person and work of Christ alone according to the Reformers.

Some misguided souls subscribe to the credo that since salvation is by grace alone, works aren't necessary or don't follow (but we say grace is necessary and sufficient). The Reformed doctrine is that salvation is "by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone." Works equaling salvation is the essence of religion; combining works and faith for salvation is legalism. Faith that produces no works is antinomians, being against the law or lawless. The prevalent view that faith alone without any evidence (some will say gifts of the Spirit like speaking in tongues) will suffice is erroneous, being initial evidence validates salvation or the filling of the Spirit. This is known as antinomianism or "no-lordship salvation."

Note: if you don't have good works to "work out" (cf. Phil. 2:12) your salvation is suspect. The kind of works I am referring to is good deeds not works of the law. We are not saved by works; but not without them either--but unto works! Works (or righteousness) prove faith to self others and God, as well as yourself (cf. Isa. 32:17); but are not the substitute for it. We must put our faith into action--as James would say, "The faith you have is the faith you show" (cf. James 2:18).

There is no irreconcilable difference between Paul and James; they come from two vantage points: Paul was dealing with those who couldn't do enough and thought the Law of Moses was necessary; James was dealing with "do-nothing" libertines. Paul would say, "I'll show you my works." James would counter, "I'll show you my faith." Paul talked about being "rich in faith" (1 Tim. 6:18). James talked about being "rich in deeds" (James 2:5). James says, "But someone will say, 'You have faith, I have deeds,' Show me your faith without deeds and I will show you my faith by what I do" (James 2:18).

Faith doesn't have a dormant or inert stage; it can't be left in mothballs! It goes places! Faith and works are distinguished, but cannot be separated. Faith without works is dead (James 2:17, 26).

Our works will be judged (for reward) not our faith per Romans 2:6; Psalm 62:12; Prov. 24:1 (our faith is a gift according to Rom. 12:3, Acts 14:27; 2 Pet. 1:1, et al.)! "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ" (1 Cor. 3:15; 2 Cor. 5:10). "God will repay each person according to what he has done'" (Rom. 2:6). Our works have to do with our testimony (Matt. 5:16; Tit. 1:16, 2:14)--"By their works they deny Him." We are to be a people "zealous of good works" (Tit. 1:16). We are to be "thoroughly furnished unto all good works" and "are created unto good works" (2 Tim. 3:17; Eph. 2:10). The faith we have is the faith we have is the faith we show! Faith must be authenticated by works or it's suspect.

It is important that we give the glory to God (Soli Deo Gloria). "I venture not to boast of anything but what Christ has accomplished through me" (cf. Rom. 15:18; Amos 6:13). Jesus said, "Apart from me you can do nothing." Isa. 26:12 reads, "All that we have accomplished you have done for us." The reason God blesses us is so that we can bear fruit (cf. 2 Cor. 9:8). We are commanded to do good works (Gal. 6:10; Phil. 2:12). Most of all the importance of it all is summed up: "Bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God" (Col. 2:10)--note how they are correlated. Soli Deo Gloria! 

To Be Seen By Men

Some believers actively and openly practice their piety, even praying in public to demonstrate that they are so close to God (cf. Matt. 6:1). Personal prayer is meant to be private and in your prayer closet, wherever that is, not that we are to privatize it though.  Religiosity is one reason to be rejected from military service--you can't have overly religious or superstitious soldiers on the battlefront.

If a brother is caught in the error of his way, you who are spiritual restore such a one, so that he may come to the knowledge of the truth (Gal. 6:1; 2 Tim. 2:24). We cannot be independent spiritual Lone Rangers who only listen to their inner voice and not to the what the body of Christ is saying. It is a matter of humility to submit to the authority of your brother and take advice and counsel. If you don't listen to anyone what makes you think you'd listen to Jesus--He will not save those He cannot command (through His body the church). We are not to be mystics either, just listening to what we feel God is telling us and ignoring others.

Our conscience is held captive to our brother's and we cannot just do what is right in our own eyes like Israel did ("In those days Israel did not have a king and everyone did what was right in his own eyes," says Judges 21:25). We must not be accused of doing our own thing, what's right in our eyes, or doing things our way. "All we like sheep have gone astray, and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:6a, ESV). Things are not always they look to us.

It is not unusual to have an intense hunger for the Word as a baby believer (in fact it's a fruit of salvation), but to make it look like all Christians do is sit around and read the Bible is a bad witness. If you do that, do it alone and not to be seen in public. The aim is not to fall into the condemnation of the devil and to have a witness that doesn't offend, not be an offensive Christian (Christ should be the offense--not you). We don't say public prayers either, just to be seen by men and demonstrate our piety or religiosity.

Corporate and private prayer are different and we need to put them in their place. Let's not be ashamed of Christ in public, but witnessing for Him has a greater impact than just being religious., like crossing yourself as Catholics do. Many people are completely turned off by religion and its religiosity and we don't want to create barriers, but build bridges and not make pseudo-issues.

Jesus mentioned how the Pharisees loved to be noticed praying on the street corners to be seen by men and said they have lost their reward (cf. Matt. 6:1). We need to keep our righteousness between us and God as much as is our control. I remember the first time I witnessed of my faith after being saved in the Army and found out that being a braggadocio is a no-no. God is not impressed with our filthy rags and we shouldn't be impressed by them either. Caveat: "For it is not he who commends himself that is approved, but he whom the Lord commends" (2 Cor. 10:18, NASB).

Ironically, the way up is down like John the Baptist said: "He must increase, and I must decrease." The person who humbles himself shall be exalted, not the person who presumes to be someone when he isn't. Humility comes before honor in God's economy.  We are not to have low self-esteem or to think less of ourselves, but to think of ourselves less! Like the actor who gets one role and thinks he is a star or the person who writes one poem and thinks he is a poet or the person who preaches one sermon and thinks he is a preacher, so we all tend to think we've arrived, even though Paul never assumed this: "I do not claim to have laid hold of it yet..." (Phil. 3:12).

When you've preached a hundred sermons dare call yourself a preacher, though others can and may--don't toot your own horn; or if you've witnessed hundreds of times call yourself a faithful witness--let others praise you and not yourself, or if you have done whatever God has called you to and been faithful in it--success doesn't come overnight. It is paramount that the Lord give His blessing to your endeavor and you be called to it, because you must have an anointing to do it in the Spirit--there are even preachers who do it in the energy of the flesh and are just great speakers or very scholarly, but not called by God or filled with the Holy Spirit. I do not think preaching is a production or a show but a calling that must be blessed by God. I know of storytellers, great public speakers, or even comedians who parade as charismatic preachers but are wolves in sheep's clothing and should get out of the ministry, despite their following--preaching is not just academics but spiritual.

Some people serve for the applause of man as people pleasers (cf. Eph. 6:6, KJV), and some seek the glory of God and give it back to Him. Praise is merely the test of a man's spirit to see what he is made of. I make it clear when my Bible class claps for me that it is of God and He is the one to praise, but they still insist because they really believe it's a good Bible study; but I have learned not to trust the opinions of man and I seek only to please God and not man--I certainly don't want praise to go to my head. Watch out for those who want the approbation of man, and not God's favor and smile on their endeavors. We don't do favors for one another as if they might owe us one in return, but we are servants of Christ doing it out of the pure motive of love for Him. Soli Deo Gloria!

"To Thine Own Self Be True!" (Shakespeare)

Did you know that God is true to Himself?  His holiness assures no conflict of interest or will and that He abides by His own nature and is true to character or always acts in character.  The Hebrew words for true, faith, and faithfulness are all related and sometimes used interchangeably. For example, in Hab. 2:4, it says, "The just shall live by his faithfulness [or faith]."   In  Psalm 31:5 is says God is a God of truth [faithfulness].  We must not divorce faith and faithfulness in our conduct and lives for God surely doesn't and we must not divide what He has joined together.  Are you true to your word? and faithful to promises?  We must feed on His faithfulness! (cf. Psalm 37:3). 

Great is God's faithfulness toward us and this even applies when we are faithless. Even when we are wayward, He cannot deny Himself and go against His nature.  God's Word is faithful and is as sure as God Himself, He exalts above all things His name and His Word (cf. Psalm 138:2).  If God went back on His Word, He'd cease being God! Not one word of all His promise He have to Moses has failed (cf. 1 Kings 8:56). He is faithful to us and even believes in us! 

God can be seen as the great Promise Keeper who abounds in faithfulness. He exercises this by believing in us that we are justified though we sin (cf. Gal. 2:17). God's faithfulness can be seen in His discipline and correction when we go astray and even in our afflictions to show us the Way and even test our faith. He doesn't intend to punish us as our sins deserve but to sanctify us and make us more Christlike. He wants us to show faithfulness to Him and even in our calling: he that is faithful in little, shall be faithful in much!  As Mother Teresa said, "God doesn't call us to success but to faithfulness!" We will be rewarded by our works done in the Lord, not those done in the flesh or for wrong motives. 

You are true (faithful) to yourself when you fulfill your mission God gave you and judge yourself so God need not do it.  Also, when we confess our sins and keep short accounts (cf. 1 John 1:9) of them so we can walk in the light or in fellowship with the Spirit of Christ and also with other believers. God will not let sin slide and we should not grow lax on our attitude towards sin and show no tolerance.  We must not just dislike sins but denounce them and vow to live life with Jesus at the helm as Captain of our soul and Master of our fate.  We must keep our promises just like God is the Promise Keeper and value our integrity and not lie to one another, for it is impossible for God to do these things (cf. Heb. 6:18). 

Paul said that his aim is to "finish the race and complete the task God gave him" (cf. Acts 20:24). We don't want to leave behind half-built, derelict towers as unfinished business for our legacy when we die but to be assured we have done all God's will for us and complete the mission to say: "Mission accomplished!"   "See to it that you complete the ministry God gave you in the Lord," (cf. Col. 4:17).  Just like when King David had done all God's purpose, he died. (cf. Acts 13:36). We must realize as David did, that God's faithfulness surrounds Him and we can count on it as Jeremiah realized when he said, "Great is thy faithfulness," even while in captivity.   Soli Deo Gloria! 

My Spiritual Journey

This is a first-hand account of my religious and/or spiritual pilgrimage, pitfalls and all, without glorifying the past--and sparing the details. It's an example of a believer who got his own way and ultimately learned to submit to God's will the hard way of "been there and done that."

I was baptized in California as an infant in a Lutheran church and the pastor was a friend of the family--we were corresponding for years. I was also confirmed in childhood. I can remember as a youth making a scrapbook of Jesus' life and my pastor showing it to the church, teaching vacation Bible school, and inquiring of my pastor whether I should go into the ministry. I even went to Bible camp and believed I knew the Lord mainly because I was fascinated with the book of Revelation (reading Billy Graham's book World Aflame), and then shared insights with my mom.

I recall no particular moment of surrender or spiritual awakening, but my faith was very important to me and I loved the Bible (I recall beginning the habit of underlining favorite verses). I was a person of the Book as far as I can recall, even buying a children's Bible on my own. My grandmother became very close to me and told me Bible stories.

I made the big decision to dedicate my life to Christ in a Billy Graham crusade I heard on TV around my 15th birthday, and then got involved in a Seventh-Day Adventist Church Bible study. Counseling with my pastor, he told me to read Martin Luther's Commentary on Galatians. I then proceeded to write a paper debunking the sect and defending the Lutheran faith. I also found out I am not Sabbatarian. I don't believe in "forsaking the assembly together of ourselves, as is the manner of some." But to affirm that there are no "hard-and-fast rules" for the Sabbath Day."

I went to Augsburg College (a so-called Lutheran Christian college), and was exposed to "higher criticism" and liberal theology, finding out I didn't know all the answers. With no more motive to study and being confused in my beliefs, I dropped out to do some soul searching and to find myself--wondering if my experience was to no avail.

Joining the Army and looking for love in all the wrong places, I heard a Billy Graham crusade again, only this time it was from South Korea; it was translated into Korean, so he had to go very slow and not being a good listener, it sunk in that I needed to repent, the missing link in my walk ("Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, and times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord," Acts 3:19; "And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem, Luke 24:47"). I was under grave conviction of my sin and rededicated my life to Christ. I called my mom and told her she will like the new me; she said she liked the old me! It seemed like I had made this decision before, but this time it stuck. I had to get to the end of my rope before admitting my need.

Going back I hooked up with the Navigators and was mentored. Once you've experienced it, you want to pass it on; so I got the bug to witness. Witnessing to a friend, he got saved; we became bosom buddies and hung around together the rest of my stint--I could not have made it through without his companionship and fellowship. I credit the Navigators for teaching me devotions, witnessing, Bible study, and the discipline of committing Scripture to memory. Then I taught Sunday School while in Okinawa and made many Christian friends.

I matured in my doctrinal viewpoints and the first doctrine I became interested in was eternal security--I even wrote Billy Graham to ask him his stand. I perceived that repentance is a continual attitude and not just a one-time event and that God grants it by grace. I frown upon "cheap grace," which justifies the sin, and not the sinner, as it were; giving a license to sin. I had thought you could sin as much as you want as long as you confess it! Repentance is an about-face, in military terms, and "If we regard iniquity in our heart, the LORD will not hear us." We must get a new attitude, change our mind about our sin. We can be very bad sinners, but never too bad to be saved ("Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD, though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow....").

I became convinced of believer baptism and was officially dunked in the church--Dr. Johnson knew me and didn't give me a hard time. I then shared my faith for the first time publically in the church, and had a personal revival and couldn't restrain myself--I had the "can't-help-it's" ( and I couldn't stop reading the Bible). I was accused of living "under the influence. And it was so strange that my mom committed me to the mental ward of the hospital for observation (they couldn't find anything wrong with me and released me). I was accused of going overboard on my religion. But I was scarred as a result and never got over it. Afterward, I wandered the state of Texas flat broke, and went down to Mexico, and then committed myself to the VA.

Finally, I decided to move to Minnesota to live with my grandmother. I gave my spiritual ambitions a rest and took up electronics and got a job at Honeywell troubleshooting torpedoes--I wanted to pursue this as a career path.

Then I joined the Army again, but had issues with depression and wanted out, and was given a medical discharge. Later, I had many personal problems and found a girl who listened to me and fell in love--we were married for ten years. During those years I was in and out of the mental hospital, being committed by my best friend, and then by my wife several times. Once I spent 18 months in treatment, but, praise God, have not had a relapse in over 20 years--but I do take medications, and am under psychiatric observation, to be safe, considering my track record.

I thought my hope had perished from the Lord, and I was destined for mediocrity. I found a church where I could continue to grow (I learned that one must keep the main thing the main thing and that the purpose of the universal, as well as the local church, is to evangelize and fulfill the Great Commission), and this church had a place for me to serve; however, I wasn't that dogmatic anymore.

Later, after a lot of studies, I started to be concerned about my beliefs (I became cognizant of the deity of Christ in a real way, and realized the Proverb "without a vision, the people perish"). I knew I had to exercise grace toward those I disagree with, and not be judgmental; putting Augustine's dictum into practice: "In essentials unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity."

Since then I've had a meaningful relationship and friendship with my mom, who is not ignorant of doctrine, either--neither of us believes ignorance is bliss, and know our way around the block, theologically speaking. We talk every day and usually have mutually edifying and lengthy fellowship; we are on the same page so we can bounce ideas off each other.

I am not a success in the world's eyes and haven't achieved the American dream: But I believe what Mother Teresa of Calcutta says, "The Lord calls us to faithfulness, not success." God isn't interested in our achievements; He's interested in us and our obedience--Isaiah says, "All that we have done [God] has accomplished for us," and Paul says, "I venture not to speak, but of what Christ has accomplished through me" (Rom. 15:18).

Doctrinally speaking, I am a Calvinist who believes in the gifts of the Spirit--an oddity. Sometimes we must agree to disagree, and not be disagreeable, contentious, divisive, or argumentative. Even Paul and Barnabas disagreed and had to go their separate ways: There are more important things than being right all the time--relationships--our faith is a relationship with a person, not a creed. We must accept one another in love because we are "accepted in the Beloved" and always "speak the truth in love."

As far as doctrine goes, a good frame of reference for soteriology, the doctrine of salvation, is important for witnessing and assurance of salvation. Like they say, "God said it in His Word, I believe it in my heart, that settles it in my mind." I'm not what I ought to be, but thank God I'm not what I used to be! I now live an abundant life with a capital L and am seeking God's Kingdom first.

In summation, I am what I am by the grace of God, and am blooming where God has planted me. My mission is to the vets, my ministry is my Bible study, and my avocation is blogging to the glory of God--I thank God for my church home!

My favorite Bible verses are as follows:

"Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep thy word" (Psa. 119: 67).
"He brought me out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps" (Psa. 40: 2). "Therefore, the LORD longs to have mercy on you, and He waits on high to have compassion on you" (Isa. 30:18). "I know the plans that I have for you, says the LORD, plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (Jer. 29:11). "If thy Word had not been my delight, I would have perished in the way" (Psa. 119:92).
"The LORD has chastened me severely, but He has not given me over to death" (Psa. 118:18).

Most importantly: "The LORD knows the way that I take, when He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold" (Job 23:10). Soli Deo Gloria!

Admitting Our Spiritual Blindness...

"The true Light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world" (John 1:9, HCSB).  
"Jesus said, I came into this world for judgment, in order that those who do not see will see and those who do see will become blind" (John 8:39, HCSB).  

Like the blind man admitting he couldn't see clearly, we must also come clean and confess our inadequacies, sins, weaknesses, shortcomings, or in short, our sin (calling a spade a spade) to God, and not be engaged in a coverup, hypocrisy, facade, or masquerade.  Why?  "Be sure your sin will find you out" (cf. Num 32:23, KJV).  "You have set our unjust ways before your secret sins in the light of Your presence" (Psalm 90:8,, HCSB).  The primary condition of salvation also is to admit our disqualification for it--that we are wholly blind to spiritual truth without Christ in our lives.  We will never know we are blind until we try to see the light or seek sight!

Light itself doesn't heal blindness, but Christ is the Light who can.  Even believers can have spiritual myopia and not see things the way they should through the lens of the Spirit--having a Christian worldview--having mind and thinking renewed--the lense of our interpretive framework.  The point of healing is to admit we need it, and just like when Jesus healed the blind man when he saw "men as trees walking"; oh, how different his life would've been without this straightforward confession!

He didn't try to see, but had faith he could! I know Jesus had quite a reputation for healing the sick but it still was an act of faith to come to Him for it.  We must go to the Lord.  So, salvation is not trying but trusting, and its the object of our faith that matters for it to be genuine.  Faith doesn't heal or save, Christ does!  Blindness isn't just physical but spiritual--we all are that way without Jesus.  We may not know when we began to see or how we see, just that we do!  We must be like the blind man who said, "All I know is that I was blind, but now I see!" But God is interested in more than physical sight!  Then our testimony cannot be denied or refuted by scholars!  Once the light is in us and we see we have spiritual discernment and our outlook changes and it can have dramatic and radical changes in our lives and testimonies.

We all need to see men as they are in reality, as sinners and God can open our eyes to see the Big Picture with Him in the equation to be oriented to the real world or Reality 101.  The world has too high a regard for man, that he is the measure of all things, that man must be deified and God dethroned, and what they really mean is "glory to man in the highest," not to God alone be the glory--Soli Deo Gloria!  God alone deserves the glory and worship for He alone is worthy, for worship means "worth-ship."

If ever we get healed (and we must want to be healed!), and we will if we believe, we must give God the ultimate and final glory--He only uses men as His instruments and vessels of honor!  But note that spiritual healing is what is promised, not necessarily physical healing with salvation. Then we can overcome our lack of intuition or insight into God's will by following Jesus, which is the essence of ethics (orthopraxy or right conduct).  When our eyes are opened, we can then see God at work and that: when God needs to lend a helping hand He uses ours when He wants to love someone He uses our hearts when He wants to listen to a person in time of need when God listens, He uses our ears!  God is in the business of using us as vessels of honor to accomplish His will and glory.

So how is God moving in our life?  We can only know if we see and our eyes have been opened by grace and when our spirits have been quickened.  "God works in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform!"  Now, no one sees perfectly in time but we all can use spiritual enlightenment from the Word of God, especially its preaching to illuminate us. Our blessed hope is the beatific vision or the full measure of seeing God as He is with our eyes having full restoration in glory.

CAVEAT:  WE MUST ADMIT OUR BLINDNESS TO SEE, AS JESUS TOLD THE PHARISEES THAT BECAUSE THEY SAY THEY CAN SEE, THEY ARE BLIND:  "'If you were blind,'  Jesus told them, you wouldn't have sin  But now that you say, 'We see'--your sin remains" (John 9:41, HCSB).   In sum, we could say that if we don't come clean we may remain in our sin and not be rescued, for salvation is a form of rescue or deliverance from slavery and blindness.      Soli Deo Gloria!

Be Prepared!

"... Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have..." (1 Pet. 3:15, NIV).

The Boy Scout motto "Be prepared!" is pertinent to our faith too. If we are prepared, God will see fit to use us for His glory to do His will and will give us opportunities to exercise faithfulness.  Jesus told us to teach all disciples to obey all He commanded in the discipleship of others.  But no matter how prepared we are, we must learn to lean on God's grace and power to complete the mission given to us.  We must humbly realize that we can do nothing apart from grace and Christ's power (cf. John 15:5). We all must prepare for our mission; Christ spent thirty years in preparation for three years of ministry and they all wondered how he had such learning, having never studied!

We don't do preparatory work to become saved or any pre-salvation exercise either.  We are totally transformed by grace as we are wooed into the kingdom.  If we came to the throne alone, we are likely to leave alone.  We can contribute nothing to our salvation either; if we had to, we would fail!  Remember Christ's words:  "No man can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him..." (John 6:44, ESV).  As Martin Luther's hymn goes:  "Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing."  We are subject to the enabling ministry of the Spirit.  The ironic fact is that the closer we get to Christ, the more we realize we need Him and realize our own unworthiness.  We must never forget that we have nothing we didn't receive!  (Cf. 1 Cor. 4:7).  We must always identify with Paul, who said he could do all things through Him who strengthened him (cf. Phil. 4:13; John 15:5).

We must prepare ourselves for the mission we are called to, whether by academic, experience, the school of hard knocks, or by direct discipleship.  Not everyone is fortunate enough to have a mentor and must learn to rely on books, online info, and church activities, fellowship, and Bible studies.  That's why it's so important to be in a Bible-based and Bible-teaching church.  We must never lose focus that Christ aims to make us in His image by knocking away at everything that doesn't look like Him.  We must learn from Providence and experience as well as directly from the Word.  Experience is the best teacher if one is applying what one learns.  We become good witnesses by experience--we don't just wake up one day and resolve to be a good witness!  We must never forget that "Iron sharpens iron" (cf. Prov. 27:17)! This is why a cloistered virtue is no virtue at all and we must not aim to live a monastic life escaping the real world where we are needed to be God's witnesses as salt and light.

Our aim is not to become scholars ("the world by wisdom knew not God"--1 Cor. 1:21) but to apply the knowledge we know and to use it to God's glory.  Knowledge is not an end in itself but a byproduct of seeking the Lord!  Wisdom is the right use of knowledge and the aim is to get wisdom even if it takes all we have!  Wisdom can come from experience, especially if we aren't in tune with the Word, but knowing the Word can be a great blessing too, and seeing God fulfill and honor it.  We reinforce it with doing it.  We don't study the Bible to know all the answers, nor to be content at being doctrinally correct, nor to be a cut above other Christians, but to but the purpose of Scripture is Scripture--we must learn to let God speak to us and enjoy the Word in communion and fellowship.  We will learn to love the Word as we apply it and it becomes real to us.

It's been said that the Bible is our Owner's Manual (meant to be user-friendly), but it's our line of communication with God whereby He has promised to speak to us, if we faithfully read the Word, an important "if" or conditional.  We must never think that our situation is special and God will make an exception in our case and see things our way!  We must be willing to pray the prayer of relinquishment as Christ did in the Garden of Gethsemane:  "Thy will be done!"   Instilling a basic love of the Word in people at an early age is of vital importance and they must realize that the faith can be defended in the open marketplace of ideas and we don't have to privatize nor apologize for our faith!  But unfortunately, most youths don't even know what they believe, much less know how to defend it, and this is a kind of unbelief.

Finally, it's been said that if you won't die for your honor, then you don't have any!  When we take up our cross for Christ, that's what it may entail someday and we must be ready to lay down our life if need be, and be willing to die for God's honor, our honor, and His will.  If we won't die for anyone or anything, we probably don't know how to live either!   All of us must ultimately ask ourselves the question:  Would you die for your allegiance to Jesus?  Only then can you know you are prepared to live for Him!     Soli Deo Gloria! 

I Saw The Light!

"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD shines over you.  For look, darkness covers the earth, and total darkness the peoples; but the LORD will shine over you, and His glory will appear over you"  (Isaiah 60:1-2, HCSB).  

"'This, then, is the judgment:  The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil" (John 3:19, HCSB).

"In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matt. 5:16, NIV).

"If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin"  (1 John 1:6-7).   

Once you've seen the light, your life is transformed not just reformed.  Darkness is expelled by the presence of light, which is its enemy.  They cannot dwell together in the same space.  God is light and in Him is no darkness! He created light and separated it from the darkness. No one has an excuse: God gives light to all, for in Jesus we all can see the light if we look for it; however, He gives us only enough to see where we are to go.  There is enough to see for the willing and enough darkness for the unwilling to reject the light.  We must be willing to come to the light and hate the darkness!  In God's economy, known as the divine order of reality, enlightenment comes from Light!  

If we are to become enlightened by the Word, we ought to seek the Source, the Holy Spirit, who illuminates the eyes of our hearts. We are to be lights in a dark-infested world that is Satan's domain and turf.  We are to let our light shine in the darkness and influence it for the good.  The M.O. of finding the light and being enlightened is via the Bible and preaching of it; the day will dawn and the morning star will shine in our hearts (cf. 2 Pet. 1:19).

The problem with evil men is that they love darkness rather than light and will not come to it lest their evil deeds become exposed (cf. John 3:19)!  Only those who see the light can pass it on to others and show them the Way.  The Bible shows us the real self, for what we are in reality, not painting a pretty picture but being blunt about the portrayal.  For Proverbs 20:27 "The spirit of man is the lamp of the LORD, searching all his innermost thoughts." God made our hearts and knows the diagnosis as well as the cure and prognosis!

There is just enough light for anyone to see if they are willing and the Bible equates Truth with light, for Augustine said that all truth is God's truth (cf. 1 John 1:6)!   It is a sign of evil when men walk in darkness and this type of metaphoric language should hit home for us all, for we can all identify a time in our life without direction and guidance from the Divinity.  This is in contradistinction to Satan, the prince of darkness.  The fulfillment of our faith is to see Jesus: "Open our eyes, Lord, we want to see Jesus." "But we do see Jesus" as the ultimate "Beatific Vision" completed in glory  (cf. Heb. 2:9, NIV) for He is the very personification and manifestation of the Light.

CAVEAT:  THE GOAL OF OUR LIFE IS NOT "ENLIGHTENMENT" AS IS SOUGHT IN BUDDHISM BUDDHA MEANS "ENLIGHTENED ONE"), BUT SALVATION OF THE SOUL AND RESTORATION OF OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.   CHRISTIANITY IS A RELIGION OF SALVATION!  NB:  BUDDHA, SIDDHARTHA GAUTAMA, DIDN'T BELIEVE IN GOD AND  SAID THAT IF HE DID EXIST, HE COULDN'T HELP YOU FIND ENLIGHTENMENT, YOU MUST FIND IT ON YOUR OWN!    Soli Deo Gloria!

We Are Lights In The Midst Of Darkness

"In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matt. 5:16, NIV).
"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you" (Isaiah 60:1, NIV).

Christians are an open book and they seem to live in a glass house once the word is out they claim ownership of Christ publicly. We are not to be ashamed to represent our Lord and to be willing to even suffer for righteousness and the gospel's sake. We are not all called to be martyrs but we are all "living sacrifices" and that means God wants us to live for Him, know Him, and make Him known. A living sacrifice can crawl off the altar, and we must constantly renew our commitment. 

Lordship entails daily dying and renewal in the Spirit as we make constant spiritual checkups, especially as we gather together in the Lord's name. We are not to commend ourselves with ourselves, nor to compare ourselves with some standard or some ideal person, not even a so-called idol of ours (cf. 2 Cor. 10:12). Our job description is to walk in the Spirit and by faith and let God lead us in our calling. We don't all have the same special calling but we are all elected to be ambassadors or representatives of Christ on earth.

When the world sees our good works and witnessing is not the only fruit manifest, but the testimony of our life in general and showing that we make a difference in the world. They should see that we are different from the world and wonder what makes us tick. They may even taunt us but God promises that if we are not ashamed of our Lord, they will nonetheless praise our Heavenly Father. Some Christians in name only profane the name of Christ and bring it into disrepute by denying Him in their works (cf. Titus 1:16). Hypocrites are not those who fall short of their personal standards but those who make a parade of pseudo-religion and are pretenders, claiming to know God but denying Him by their life: it's like putting on a mask or play-acting. God sees through the veneer though and they will be judged, just like Jesus condemned the Pharisees.

Satan would love to see us silenced and to jeopardize our testimony by compromising with the world and there is grave danger in loving the world or in being attracted to what it has to offer--it takes away our desire for holy things which are of the kingdom of God. We ultimately have to decide where our loyalty lies and to whom we owe allegiance and who owns us.

Let everything we do be in the name of the Lord (cf. Col. 3:17, 23), bringing glory to His name and thus being lights in a dark world; we should never hide our light but be bold to see the open doors of opportunity that we have to share our testimony and do good works in His name. We are meant to be "zealous of good works" (cf. Titus 2:14) and "increasing in the knowledge of God" in so doing (cf. Col. 1:10). Some have made the fallacious conclusion that the only fruit is witnessing and that is the measure of our spirituality. This is a given and God makes us all witnesses and vessels of honor no matter what, a good tree automatically brings forth good fruit. We must make sure of our calling and know our gift to be fruitful with it and grow in grace to bear the fruit of the Spirit. The world should wonder where we get our strength! Bear in mind: opportunity knocks--seize the day!

The world is looking for the real thing, the real McCoy and we must realize the mission that God has commissioned us with and fulfill our ministry, being a witness to all our neighbors and those in our inner circles and influence. Jesus didn't say, "Please be lights," but that we are lights and we shall witness or let it shine on--as vessels God works through us and glorifies Himself by our testimony and works. All in all, never pretend to be what you are not, and be true to yourself and God, which entails knowing yourself as well as knowing God--twin goals from ancient Greek philosophy which are still valid.

We give the gospel credibility by our consistent testimony and our labor of love in showing compassion has demonstrated the nature of Christ to the world. It has always been Christian relief agencies and believers who come to the aid of those in distant lands where Christ is not named, like during the "killing fields" where Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge killed thousands and devastated the land, but Christians, who didn't believe they deserved it because of their karma, stepped in and showed the love of God and the infinite compassion of Christ in action via relief organizations.

As Mother Teresa said, "It's not what you do, but how much love you put into it that matters." She would say, "Get with the program!" Paul says also in Gal. 4:6, NIV, that "the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." The message of James is "the faith you have is the faith you show." He said he'd show us his faith by his works, and Paul would show us his works by his faith; indeed, they are correlated and can be distinguished but not separated.

What does light do but expose darkness because they cannot coexist? The world hates the light because their deeds are evil (cf. John 3:19) and we cannot love the world and God, but must choose whom we will choose (cf. 1 John 2:15; Josh. 24:15). We are not to be mere do-gooders nor goody-two-shoes, but doing the work of the Lord willingly with a smile. Christ refused to turn stones into bread and we are to be representatives of Him first and meeting their needs second. Our do-goodery or do-goodism contrasts with the world's best efforts as goody-goodies; believers aren't against good works, just those done in the flesh.

Remember, the Christian life, it's been said, is not hard--it's impossible (you must be filled with the Spirit!). Caveat: we are in the world, but not of it, so illuminate it! (cf. John 15:19). Even our lives are an open letter of the gospel, and even may speak in our death, as Abel's blood cried out to God. On the flipside cloistered virtue is no virtue--we're not hermits in seclusion nor spiritual Lone Rangers. Soli Deo Gloria!

A Legitimate Testimony Or A Misrepresentation?

"... And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ" (Romans 8:9, NIV).
"For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God' (Romans 8:14, NIV).
"I can do all things through him who gives me strength" (Phil. 4:13, NIV).
"To the law and to the testimony!  If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them" (Isaiah 8:20, NKJV).

Some churches require would-be members to give their testimonies as a condition for joining the assembly of believers.  Too often this gets out of control and people get carried away glorifying their past sins and want to portray themselves as the worst sinner since the apostle Paul, the chief of sinners.  Sometimes testimonies do the opposite of the spectrum and are just watered-down bios of about their so-called spiritual journeys (just giving the facts of baptism, going to a crusade, reading the Bible, raising your hand, responding to an altar call gives no details worth knowing about how to get saved--these don't save!), but leave out the essentials: (1) What was their life like before getting saved?  (If they don't know how to get saved, how do we vouch for their salvation?)  (2) How did they come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ?  (3) What is their life like now that Jesus is in charge?  These three questions are crucial because they nurture and feed the seeker so that he can get saved too.  This is one of the best opportunities to present the gospel one may ever encounter and it's a shame that one misses the chance to materialize it and seize the moment.  Just letting them think they've jumped over one more hurdle does them no favors in the long term--it's short-sighted!

How they went to church since a child and grew up in the faith and seemed to inherit salvation is irrelevant or paraphrastic, (this is nice to know, but not a testimony)--I want to know how they got saved!  The words sin, repent, and saving faith all by regeneration or a born-again experience by the Spirit is a requisite.  To be remiss to mention them is a sin of omission because sin is missing the mark or falling short of the ideal of God' biblical standard.

If anything is worth doing at all, it's worth doing right and well.  I know that the elders may be convinced of their conversion, that they are believers and saved by virtue of personal fellowship, but this is the church's opportunity to judge and discern--just talking the talk and using the jargon of the church doesn't make one a believer. What I'm saying is that if it's just an introduction to get to know the person, and then a vote up or down, based on whether they like the person, it shouldn't be called giving salvation testimonies, because they aren't biblical--these are life stories, church histories, or religious experiences.  It's not just the church's opportunity or ratification of the elders' decision, it's a special occasion for the prospective member.

I am especially suspicious of those who are too shy to even read a testimony to the church, though some may disagree on this nonessential point, because Paul said explicitly in Romans 10:9-10, NIV, this proclamation:  "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved, for it is with the heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved."  This says nothing about proxy testimony for the shy.  Also, note that Jesus expressly said in Matt. 10:32 that whosoever acknowledges or professes Him before others, He will acknowledge before the Father in heaven. Of course, this doesn't mean you can get legalistic and deny membership on this basis, but it should be encouraged because it's for their own assurance and sooner or later they will have to profess Christ orally before men. Remember, it's always the devil who's trying to get into the fellowship some other way besides through the gate and some churches sure make it easy for him to worm his way in.

Those too shy at heart must realize that God doesn't give a spirit of timidity according to 2 Tim. 1:7!   A real sign of the Spirit is a bold and fearless testimony!   I realize some people are not gifted at public speaking and are shy by nature, but God changes that and its membership shouldn't be made as easy as talking the talk without any fruit or even explanation of how the conversion happened in detail.  Saying something like, "I was saved when I was five!" means nothing to the seeker or member wondering how to get saved--no one just gets saved by osmosis or because they were born into the right family--it's a turnstile, not something inherited.  We don't get saved en masse like being a member of the right church either, God doesn't save churches or families, but individuals.  It can become a meeting whereby members are just getting to know the prospects and voting on whether they approve of them or not, without any doctrinal information exchanged.

Good testimonies are not just a few lines of Christian lingo showing one has grown up in the faith and has earned the right to become a member, but an illustration of the gospel:  what it was like before salvation; how one got saved; and what's it like afterward that's made a difference.  These are the essentials of biblical testimony and to omit them is a dereliction of duty and indicates a lack of guidance.   If a church is to fail to train in giving biblical testimony, then it shouldn't call them testimonies, but life story or church history, because they are serving another purpose, the prospects are being admitted because the elders believe them, and it's assumed they are already believers and there should be no reasonable objections.

Voting by the church assembly is unnecessary in light of the fact that they are already virtual members when the elders deem them saved, unless testimonies are to be taken seriously they are futile, but serve as a time to get to know the person better, but not any concrete evidence of salvation.  In Revelation "they overcame by the word of their testimony" (cf. Rev. 12:11, NIV); this is not just clinging to some childhood experience like telling the people you were saved at five or even that you responded to an altar call (the church may not believe in them)--this has no inherent spiritual impact or convicting power!  The overcoming power is in the gospel (cf. Rom. 1: 16) and the experience one has with it through the Spirit (cf. Phil. 4:13).

The dynamic of church membership should be straightforward and not pretend to be what it's not (they're not fooling God, who sees through the veneer and masquerade)--it shouldn't be majority rule, for it is seldom the voice of God.  The accord of the elders and unity of the body one in the Spirit and mission should pass judgment, with the personal rights:  "I dissent, I disagree, I protest," according to our legacy a Protestants.  

We need to adjourn the methodology of welcoming members aboard by virtue of talking the talk and knowing some jargon, but be forthcoming about what we are doing and teach the biblical way including renouncing sin, having saving faith, and regeneration by the Holy Spirit; for we are members of The Way--let's proceed like we know it (and I'm not being nitpicky), instead of performing a sham for God, trying to make people feel good.  Call it what it is (and it's not certifying salvation), and do it the right, biblical way.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Just Be Yourself

In Shakespeare's play, Hamlet, Polonius says, "To thine own self be true."  This is one of the most famous quotes from Shakespeare and even misquoted and misinterpreted.  We don't want to try to be someone else, of course, unless we aspire to be like Jesus, like all Christians do, but we still retain our personal identity and should never forget who we are--our roots and calling. God hates hypocrites and duplicity!  It wasn't long ago that kids idolized Michael Jordan and chanted, "I want to be like Mike!"  It is never advisable to live as someone else, live a lie, nor to live in sin, but being true to thine own self implies being true and having integrity too. 

The prerequisite to being yourself is knowing yourself, one of the twin goals of the Greek philosophers of antiquity:  Know thyself; know God--they are correlated.  This is why Socrates' dictum from his trial articulated this well: "The unexamined life is not worth living."  We all need to take inventory and get a spiritual checkup to find out where we stand in Christ and be honest with God with no skeletons in the closet.  We must find out what we're made of and what we are in Christ to be of use to God's service.

Bruce Jenner took this advice and became Caitlyn; however, he didn't go far enough--once he found out what or who he was, he should've been convicted and repented of his sin and asked God to transform his nature.  If you have tendencies to be an arsonist or a thief, you don't live them out under the pretense of being true to yourself.  What is wrong for others is wrong for everyone and God is the moral center of the universe, not us.  Taking God out of the picture leads to being a sinner, no matter how true to yourself you are.  Shakespeare was a Christian and quoted the Bible hundreds of times in his plays and sonnets, and there is some truth to what he wrote in Hamlet.  

Does character count?  Paul said that nothing good dwells in him and the good that he would do, he doesn't do.  Ovid said that he knows the good and approves it, but doesn't do it.  The point is that we don't have the power to conquer sin without Christ in our metric.  I'm glad that the Holy Spirit is a restraining influence on the sinners of the world, to keep them from being as depraved as they possibly could be or would be if they could.

Being true to yourself necessitates honesty with yourself and being open about who you are, good or evil.  Jenner wasn't necessarily given bad advice, but his problem is not that he chose to be a transgender, but that he doesn't know Jesus.  Hypocrites are those who act a role they really aren't and put on a show for others to see as a deception--wearing a mask in a play.  "Why is it that I know what is right, but do what is wrong?" (Leo Tolstoy's character Pierre says in War and Peace). 

God is looking for honest people (even if they don't measure up to their own standards), and sometimes that honesty is costly and we cannot put a price on our integrity.  When they say, "What you see is what you get," they are being human, for God is not looking for ideal people but real people.  Jesus came to save sinners and to call them to repentance. Jenner needs to humble himself before God and realize his helplessness to be the man God intended him to be.

As Christians, we should think outside the box and put others first, and live for something bigger than ourselves--the community of believers, the body of Christ.  There is a point at which so-called tribalism becomes evil, like when we deify a political party and follow it right or wrong; we should never forget that we belong to Christ first as citizens of heaven, and He has primary authority over our lives.  Individualism is evil, though we are individuals.  When we exalt ourselves and think we don't need anyone, we mock God who designed us to need community as social beings.  As Christians, we have the mindset to give back to society and the church and want to contribute, not just be focused on what we can get out of the system.

No one is autonomous and self-sufficient but God!  He needs no one and nothing, but we are ones in need of Him and others.  The Victorian Englishman was known as a self-made man who worshiped his creator!  This is the epitome of individualism, and also believing that God helps those who help themselves, like Ben Franklin and John F. Kennedy said, is bad theology--for God helps the helpless and those who are in need, even destitute--this is quoted by politicians as an argument against a nanny-state, public assistance, entitlements, and even social safety nets.  Some people are not in a position to help themselves or to turn their lives around for the good.

If our nation believes everyone has the right to life, it would follow that they have a right not to starve to death and to be fed adequately--for even prisoners are granted three square meals a day.  Christian, transcendent law entails equal opportunity, and no bias towards the rich or big business either.  They talk about social engineering for the poor or redistribution of wealth to their advantage, but what about social engineering favoring the rich or corporations, and redistribution of wealth their way?

Many today follow the so-called Iron Rule, or that "might makes right" and the law of the jungle should prevail (from the Darwinian theory of the survival of the fittest).  People want to take care of themselves first and be as independent as possible--look out for Number One!   The Christian ought to be about something bigger than himself.  The first lesson one learns upon knowing Christ is that it's not all about them!  Christians learn to love others as members of the same body of believers. God doesn't approve of Lone Ranger Christians or lone wolves who think they can go it alone and be a one-man-band for Christ--the key to authority is that everyone is under authority and accountable from the top all the way to the bottom, and those who refuse to be under authority have no authority for Christ.

In other words, good leaders are first good followers and good teachers are first good students.  But we never reach a point of graduating from the School of Christ that we have enrolled in for the remainder of our lives, but must learn that we are always works-in-progress and others should be patient with us because God isn't finished with us yet--as He promised to bring our sanctification to completion (cf. Phil. 1:6).  The mature believer has taken himself out of the equation of life; for humility is not thinking less of himself, but thinking of himself less.

We need to be true to ourselves, but this is in light of being true to God and what His Word tells us, not listening to what the world says and its conventions, traditions, and customs--don't live a lie!  They say to be yourself, but most people haven't discovered who they are and are searching for some identity, known as an identity crisis to find themselves.  We must be found by God and changed by His grace, for our sin nature has no power over sin, since it's the slave to it.

In this day and age, many people are coming out of the closet and declaring their sins without shame, and our culture thinks it's the right thing to do to accept them the way they are, when they need to repent of their sin:  "Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand!"  The message of sin, repentance, and faith has been lost and today it seems that anything goes and people are living to please themselves and doing what is right in their own eyes: (Isaiah 53:6, NKJV) "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, everyone, to his own way."

The "what's-in-it-for-me" gospel has come into vogue and we need to realize that the Christian life is a surrendered, relinquished, obedient, exchanged, and a substituted life through Christ's power (cf Gal. 2:20).  God gave us ego and a will, and as soon as this is realized there is the peril of putting them first and before God-exalting or deifying them instead of God, i.e., not giving God His due.  Soli Deo Gloria!  

My Spiritual Pilgrimage Abridged

My Journey of Faith, by Karl W Broberg

This is a first-hand account of my spiritual pilgrimage without glorifying my sins.

I was baptized as an infant in a Lutheran church and the pastor was my sponsor, while friends of the family were my godparents--we corresponded for years (i.e., the pastor).  Some of my earliest memories are of listening to my grandmother telling Bible stories.  My parents made sure I was confirmed.  I can remember as a youth making a scrapbook of Jesus' life and the pastor showing it to the church, teaching vacation Bible school, and inquiring whether I should go into the ministry.  I also went to Summer camp and believed I knew the Lord because I was preoccupied with the book of Revelation and Billy Graham's book World Aflame

I recall no particular or sudden moment of surrender or spiritual awakening, but my faith was very important to me and I loved the Bible--I recall the habit of underlining favorite verses.

I made the leap of faith, realizing my sin and Christ dying for me, and then dedicated my life to Christ during a Billy Graham crusade at age 15 and subsequently got involved in a Seventh-Day Adventist Church Bible study.  Being counseled by my pastor, he told me to study Martin Luther's Commentary on Galatians.  I then wrote a paper debunking the study and defending the faith.

Later, at Augsburg College, I was exposed to "liberal theology" and "textual criticism," and found out I didn't know all the answers!  Being disoriented in my faith, I dropped out, did some soul searching, and tried to "find myself" as they said back then.

I enlisted in the Army and heard another Billy Graham crusade.  The missing link--I needed to repent (my church never mentioned this!)  I was under grave conviction and rededicated my life--it was then that I felt I "found Christ."  I called my mom and told her she would like the "new me," but she said she liked the "old me."  It seemed like I had done this before, but this time it was for real.  I guess I had to get to the end of my rope!

Back at the base, I hooked up with the Navigators and was mentored or "discipled," as they term it. "Once you've experienced it, you want to pass it on," and so I got the bug to witness.  Gradually I matured doctrinally, and I got interested in eternal security or "Once saved, always saved"--even writing Billy Graham to get his stand.

Upon discharge I became convinced of "believer baptism," and was officially "dunked"--the pastor knew me personally and didn't give me a hard time--it was then that I first took my stand for Jesus in church.

Later I became concerned about my beliefs and "keeping the main thing the main thing."  I didn't want to "major on the minors."  I had to learn grace toward those I disagreed with, without splitting hairs.  I've learned when not to be dogmatic--and never to be divisive or quarrelsome--we can disagree without being disagreeable or contentious!  As Augustine's dictum says, "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity."

Now I have a rewarding relationship with the Lord that manifests itself in many ways, including having inner peace; a purpose for living; being on the same page as other believers; understanding the Word; seeing the Light; knowing God's will;  and assurance of salvation.

In conclusion, I am not what I ought to be, but thank God, I am not what I used to be!  I don't believe in perfectionism--God isn't finished with me yet!  When I see lost sinner, I say, uttering the words of George Whitefield, "There but for the grace of God, go I." And I echo Paul, "I am what I am by the grace of God."

My assurance is simply this:  "God said it in His Word, I believe it in my heart, and that settles it in my mind."

My favorite verse is Job 23:10:  "The LORD knows the way that I take, when He has tried me I shall come forth as gold."

[Note that part of my problem was that I was never exposed to sound doctrine in a church that answered all my problems,  I knew something was awry, so I heard I should repent, raise my hand, come forward,  receive Christ, commit my life to Christ, be baptized, or this or that, ad infinitum. You can be born again without assurance of salvation (it's not an automatic fruit of salvation--no one's faith is perfect, but it must be sincere) or have doubts and insecurities--my journey took me a long way to where I am now understanding the assurance of salvation and the eternal security of the believer in Christ as doctrines that are distinguished, but not separated.]  Soli Deo Gloria!

My Spiritual Journey

This is a first-hand account of my religious and/or spiritual pilgrimage, pitfalls and all, without glorifying the past--and sparing the details.   It's an example of a  believer who got his own way and ultimately learned to submit to God's will the hard way of "been there and done that."

I was baptized in California as an infant in a Lutheran church and the pastor was a friend of the family--we were corresponding for years.   I was also confirmed in childhood.  I can remember as a youth making a scrapbook of Jesus' life and my pastor showing it to the church, teaching vacation Bible school, and inquiring of my pastor whether I should go into the ministry.  I even went to Bible camp and believed I  knew the Lord mainly because I was fascinated with the book of Revelation (reading Billy Graham's book World Aflame), and then shared insights with my mom.

I recall no particular moment of surrender or spiritual awakening, but my faith was very important to me and I loved the Bible (I recall beginning the habit of underlining favorite verses).  I was a person of the Book as far as I can recall, even buying a children's Bible on my own.  My grandmother became very close to me and told me Bible stories.

I  made the big decision to dedicate my life to Christ in a Billy Graham crusade I heard on TV around my 15th birthday, and then got involved in a Seventh-Day Adventist Church Bible study.  Counseling with my pastor,  he told me to read  Martin Luther's Commentary on Galatians.   I then proceeded to write a paper debunking the sect and defending the Lutheran faith.  I also found out I am not Sabbatarian.   I don't believe in "forsaking the assembly together of ourselves, as is the manner of some." But to affirm that  there are no "hard-and-fast rules" for the Sabbath Day."

I went to Augsburg College (a so-called Lutheran Christian college), and was exposed to "higher criticism"  and liberal theology, finding out I didn't know all the answers. With no more motive to study and being confused in my beliefs, I dropped out to do some soul searching and to find myself--wondering if my experience was to no avail.

Joining the Army and looking for love in all the wrong places, I heard a Billy Graham crusade again, only this time it was from South Korea; it was translated into Korean, so he had to go very slow and not being a good listener, it sunk in that I needed to repent, the missing link in my walk ("Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, and times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord," Acts 3:19; "And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem, Luke 24:47").   I was under grave conviction of my sin and rededicated my life to Christ.   I called my mom and told her she will like the new me; she said she liked the old me!   It seemed like I had made this decision before, but this time it stuck. I had to get to the end of my rope before admitting my need.

Going back I hooked up with the Navigators and was mentored.  Once you've experienced it,  you want to pass it on; so I got the bug to witness.  Witnessing to a  friend, he got saved; we became bosom buddies and hung around together the rest of my stint--I could not have made it through without his companionship and fellowship.   I credit the Navigators for teaching me devotions, witnessing, Bible study, and the discipline of committing Scripture to memory.  Then I taught Sunday School while in Okinawa and made many Christian friends.

I matured in my doctrinal viewpoints and the first doctrine I became interested in was eternal security--I even wrote Billy Graham to ask him his stand.   I perceived that repentance is a continual attitude and not just a one-time event and that God grants it by grace.  I frown upon "cheap grace," which justifies the sin, and not the sinner, as it were; giving a license to sin.  I had thought you could sin as much as you want as long as you confess it!  Repentance is an about-face, in military terms, and "If we regard iniquity in our heart, the LORD will not hear us."  We must get a new attitude, change our mind about our sin.  We can be very bad sinners, but never too bad to be saved ("Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD, though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow....").

I became convinced of believer baptism and was officially dunked in the church--Dr. Johnson knew me and didn't give me a hard time.   I then shared my faith for the first time publically in the church, and had a personal revival and couldn't restrain myself--I had the "can't-help-it's" ( and I couldn't stop reading the Bible).  I was accused of living "under the influence.    And it was so strange that my mom committed me to the mental ward of the hospital for observation (they couldn't find anything wrong with me and released me).  I was accused of going overboard on my religion.   But I was scarred as a result and never got over it.  Afterward, I wandered the state of Texas flat broke, and went down to Mexico, and then committed myself to the VA.

Finally, I decided to move to Minnesota to live with my grandmother.  I gave my spiritual ambitions a rest and took up electronics and got a job at Honeywell troubleshooting torpedoes--I  wanted to pursue this as a career path.

Then I joined the Army again, but had issues with depression and wanted out,  and was given a medical discharge.  Later, I had many personal problems and found a girl who listened to me and fell in love--we were married for ten years.   During those years I was in and out of the mental hospital, being committed by my best friend, and then by my wife several times.  Once I spent 18 months in treatment, but, praise God,  have not had a relapse in over 20 years--but I do take medications,  and am under psychiatric observation, to be safe, considering my track record.

I thought my hope had perished from the Lord, and  I was destined for mediocrity.   I found a church  where I  could continue to grow  (I learned that one must keep the main thing the main thing and that the purpose of the universal, as well as the local church, is to evangelize and fulfill the Great Commission), and this church had a place for me to serve; however, I wasn't that dogmatic anymore.

Later, after a lot of studies, I started to be concerned about my beliefs  (I became cognizant of the deity of Christ in a real way, and realized the Proverb "without a vision, the people perish"). I knew I had to exercise grace toward those I disagree with, and not be judgmental;   putting Augustine's dictum into practice:   "In essentials unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity."

Since then I've had a meaningful relationship and friendship with my mom, who is not ignorant of doctrine, either--neither of us believes ignorance is bliss, and know our way around the block, theologically speaking.  We talk every day and usually have mutually edifying and lengthy fellowship; we are on the same page so we can bounce ideas off each other.

I am not a success in the world's eyes and haven't achieved the American dream:  But I believe what Mother Teresa of Calcutta says, "The Lord calls us to faithfulness, not success."  God isn't interested in our achievements; He's interested in us and our obedience--Isaiah says, "All that we have done [God] has accomplished for us," and Paul says, "I venture not to speak, but of what Christ has accomplished through me"  (Rom. 15:18).

Doctrinally speaking, I am a Calvinist who believes in the gifts of the Spirit--an oddity.  Sometimes we must agree to disagree, and not be disagreeable, contentious, divisive, or argumentative.   Even Paul and Barnabas disagreed and had to go their separate ways:  There are more important things than being right all the time--relationships--our faith is a relationship with a person, not a creed.  We must accept one another in love because we are "accepted in the Beloved" and always "speak the truth in love."

As far as doctrine goes, a good frame of reference for soteriology, the doctrine of salvation,  is important for witnessing and assurance of salvation.  Like they say,  "God said it in His Word, I believe it in my heart, that settles it in my mind."  I'm not what I ought to be, but thank God I'm not what I used to be! I now live an abundant life with a capital L and am seeking God's Kingdom first.

In summation, I am what I am by the grace of God, and am blooming where God has planted me.  My mission is to the vets, my ministry is my Bible study, and my avocation is blogging to the glory of God--I thank God for my church home!

My favorite Bible verses are as follows:

"Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep thy word" (Psa. 119: 67).
"He brought me out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps"   (Psa. 40: 2).  "Therefore, the LORD longs to have mercy on you, and He waits on high to have compassion on you" (Isa. 30:18).   "I know the plans that I have for you, says the LORD, plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (Jer. 29:11).  "If thy Word had not been my delight, I would have perished in the way"  (Psa. 119:92).
"The LORD has chastened me severely, but He has not given me over to death"  (Psa. 118:18).

Most importantly:  "The LORD knows the way that I take, when He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold" (Job 23:10).    Soli Deo Gloria!

Secrets To A Convicting Testimony

"Has the LORD redeemed you?  Then speak out!  Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies"  (Psalm 107:2, NLT).
"Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story--those he redeemed from the hand of the foe"  (ibid., NIV).   
"Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble"  (ibid., ESV). 
 "You see, we don't go around preaching about ourselves.  We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus' sake"  (2 Cor. 4:5, NLT).   
"Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what he did for me" (Ps. 66:16, NLT).
DISCLAIMER:  THIS POST DOES NOT MEAN I CLAIM TO BE THE EXPERT ON THE SUBJECT.  IT WAS PROMPTED MAINLY BY MY OWN EXPERIENCES AND LEARNING CURVE THROUGH THROUGHOUT MY SPIRITUAL JOURNEY'S SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS AND HEARING OTHERS.   I HOPE SOME OF THE WISDOM MAY COME IN HANDY AND CAN BE PASSED ON.

Giving one's conversion testimony can be done in the wrong way, even if you're sincere.  We are to take our testimony as serious business and even get counsel or advice on what to share, or as to what's relevant or works.  Sometimes our life is a testimony in itself and our actions speak louder than words:  One cowboy was asked why he didn't hitch his horse at the saloon anymore, but at the chapel; he replied simply that he heard the gospel and decided to change hitching posts--sometimes a short dramatic explanation of our metamorphosis is all that's necessary, just like the healed blind man in John 9:25, NIV, saying, "One thing I do know, I was blind but now I see."

A testimony is a first-hand, personalized account of your experience in the Lord--what happened, not just what formula you followed or plan of salvation you used.  You cannot refute such a personal claim.  It is vital to relate how your life changed and what is so different now if there is conversion (conversion means a change took place--the whole point in salvation:  a changed and exchanged life!).

We are all called to do the work of an evangelist and "preach the Word in season, and out of season" (cf. 2 Tim. 4:2).  We cannot expect them to always take our word for it but should rely on the convicting power of the Word, that will not come back void and will accomplish God's purpose (cf. Jer. 1:12, Isa. 55:11).  It is the Word that God promises to use as imperishable seeds implanted. We should address the situation at hand, give relevant info, and then make a beeline for the gospel, as this is the big opportunity and chance with an open door if we have gained their ear.  Background info is vital to help the inquirer relate to us and our situation, just as Paul always gave his personal history.

We all have a unique story to tell and the Bible says in Psalm 107:2, NIV: "Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story...."  Share with them how you came to see the light!  Just saying you accepted Christ as Lord and Savior and became a Christian is simplistic, a cliche, or even hackneyed, if not in context. and if you don't elaborate or expound.  What do you mean by that?  Not everyone understands the jargon of Christianity and will understand you--the purpose is to reach the lost who don't know the lingo, not the saved who do.

Usually, testimonies are going one-on-one and can be made to suit, tailor, or fit the person we're witnessing to--you should know your audience or recipients!  No testimony should ever be negligent to make mention of an open invitation to accept Christ, as the Holy Spirit is opening the door we take advantage of it--many a believer has to learn by lost opportunity and trial and error.  The purpose of a testimony is to show others how to get saved, not just announce that you're a Christian.

We must remember that we cannot argue people into the kingdom nor rationalize God because the Holy Spirit has to do a work on their hearts first of preparation; i.e., we talk to God about people, before we talk to people about God and ask Him to open the door that only He can do.  The key to witnessing is laid out in Romans 1:14-16 as being a debtor to God, being eager and ready to share, and not being ashamed.  We must remember that only we can tell our story--everyone has a unique testimony and can reach a certain segment with it.  We have our marching orders directly from God to preach the gospel, known as the Great Commission, and the church is meant to facilitate and equip us for this challenge and mission.  We are all ministers of reconciliation appointed the task of preaching the good news about Jesus (cf. 2 Cor. 5:18).

One caveat is not to come on too strong or to force the issue, but be tactful and sensitive to where they are spiritual--let God work on them and woo.  He alone tugs at the heart and opens it to grant the gift of faith. The keys to a complete testimony are to explain one's life before salvation and then how you came to faith in Jesus, and finally the results of conversion and what your present experience is now.  Sometimes one can make use of evangelistic tools or anything that will bring up the subject in a roundabout manner, such as sharing a blog post or even making an indirect approach by mentioning one of the sound barriers (the mention of God, Christ, sin, etc.) and fishing for an opening.

But the Lord's servant must never quarrel (cf. 2 Tim. 2:23f).  And bear in mind that neither he who plants, nor he who waters is anything, but God who gives the increase (cf. 1 Cor. 3:7).  One also plants seeds or sows and another reaps!  We don't rely on the wisdom of man or of our own brilliance or craftiness, but on the power of the Word to prepare the heart and make it wise unto salvation.

To be effective, we should heed Paul's obedience to the gospel:  "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received..."  (1 Cor. 15:3a, ESV). We don't want to just demonstrate that we can talk the talk and speak the language, but we want to bring conviction.   Paul was obedient to the heavenly calling as our exemplar and role model.   In short, a testimony is this:  What's the gospel according to you?  Soli Deo Gloria!