Truth Is Timeless...

"...For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world--to bear witness to the truth.  Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice"  (John 18:27, ESV).

"For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ"  (John 1:17, ESV).

It is paramount that we ascertain the truth and be devoted to making it known; for all truth is God's truth and meets at the top.  Mahatma Gandhi (called Mohandas Gandhi or "Great Soul") said that truth is God and God is truth--this obfuscates the issue that we can know truth as an absolute and that the truth is in Jesus (cf. Eph. 4:21). The erroneous view that truth is relative is unbiblical and one must wonder, "Relative to what?"

When Jesus said that He is the embodiment or personification of truth itself, He meant we can know it and progress in our knowledge of it.  "No lie is of the truth," says 1 John. 2:21, and this emphasizes that also that truth is absolute and something cannot be true for one person and not for another, as if it's all relative.  Jesus summed it up, saying, "You shall know the truth and it shall set you free"  (cf. John 8:32). God is a God of truth and cannot lie (it's against His divine nature); what kind of God would lie to us?

We are in the business of determining truth in a world filled with lies from the father of lies himself, Satan, the deceiver. We must be willing to stand up for the truth and show our colors--faith is not believing in spite of the evidence, but obeying despite the consequences!

Sometimes the truth even hurts, but we are to always speak the truth in love (cf. Eph. 4:15).  We are not to be offensive and reply that we were only speaking the truth and being honest--tact and manners apply.  The problem is that all men are liars according to Scripture, and God is seeking an honest person--it's amazing what God can do with an honest comedian who can laugh at himself; much more can be accomplished with an honest believer who doesn't take himself too seriously.

In the end result, though even Abraham and Isaac lied, the Bible teaches that honesty is the best policy. Why? Someone said, "Oh, what a web we weave, once we practice to deceive [Lincoln said you better have a good memory!]."  I believe the Bible teaches that we cannot be too honest, because God "desires truth in the inward parts"  (cf. Psalm 51:6).  Remember, partial truth or half-truths are not truths at all. We are incapable of telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help us, God, because only God can do this!  Mark Twain summed it up quaintly:  "Tell the truth; it will confound your enemies and astound your friends."

There is no absolute belief or universally accepted truth; however, truth is absolute and fixed so that God determines what is truth and it's His expression or what He would decree or say.  In today's postmodern worldview, people believe truth is a short-term contract; however, there is a truth war going on and each of us must engage in this angelic conflict against lies and deception.

In the final analysis, objective, universal, absolute truth exists that is true everywhere, for everyone, for all time and is knowable in the person of Jesus Christ; it's true whether one believes it or not and is defined as the expression of God--it's true because God says so--He decreed it!   Soli Deo Gloria!  

The Battle Is The Lord's

We are engaged in a mop-up effort to fight our vanquished foe, the devil, and despite his defeat, the battle has just begun for us as believers living on his turf.  We must not remain ignorant of his deceitful schemes lest we are caught in his web.  Note, nevertheless, our victory is assured, and we are fighting from the victory at the cross, not for victory--Satan's already in a no-win situation.

The tools of his trade are psychological warfare, mind-games, lies, propaganda, drugs, "education," and ignorance, et al.  Satan knows our vulnerabilities and weaknesses and strikes at the most opportune time, often when we are on a spiritual high or in special need.  He's always at work "seeking whom he may devour."

Our threefold enemy is the world-system, the carnal nature or flesh, and the devil and his legions.  Note that our worst enemy is ourselves:  "We have met the enemy, and he is us!" (This is quoted from the Pogo character by Walt Kelly.)  We are also on Satan's hit list and are targets of his animosity and cruelty. What does Satan foster, but division, divisiveness, contention, and polarization?  Remind you of someone?  His main strategy is to divide and conquer, the opposite of the Spirit that unites us in Christ as one body.

The best strategy in warfare is to "know your enemy" according to Sun Tzu, in The Art of War.  In warfare, the troops do not need to wonder why, but to do and die (from Alfred, Lord Tennyson's Charge of the Light Brigade). There are casualties in every war, and that is why it's imperative to arm ourselves with the full armor of God--to fight a spiritual war with natural weapons is sure to defeat.  The Word of God is our only offensive weapon and that is why it's important to stay in the Word and not to become negligent in the discipline.  Job One is holding down the fort and taking back the turf that Satan has stolen as the god of this age, the prince of this world.  Note that we are not to give the devil an opportunity or beachhead, and never to compromise with him.  Our SOP (standard operating procedure) is to "watch and pray" that we enter not into temptation and to stay alert to his dirty tricks--remember, Jesus said, "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak [we're human and can fail in the flesh]."

One of the tactics he uses is to accuse us before the Father, but "there is, therefore, now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (cf. Romans 8:1).  The only way to silence the devil is to fight with the Word just as Jesus did, saying, "It is written."  Satan has no answer to it and must surrender or flee.  We can rest assured that we are "more than conquerors" in Christ and our battle strategy is to "stand still and see the salvation of the Lord." We are never to forget that we are on the winning side and our victory is assured because "greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world" (cf. 1 John 4:4).

However, we have two natures, and the one we feed or cater to is the one that wins over and dominates--therefore sow to the Spirit, not the flesh!  In the final analysis, we are to "rejoice that our names are written in heaven" and not to get a big head or sense of insecurity or inferiority, as we fight the devil with God on our side--we're in a win-win situation in the end, and there's no losing proposition at all in Christ!  Soli Deo Gloria!

The Measure Of Success

"...[F]or you have done for us all our works"  (Isaiah 26:12, ESV).

"... Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit says the LORD of hosts" (Zech. 4:6, ESV).

We tend to see worldly success as a sign of God's approval, or even prosperity as a keynote of spirituality; however, only God can judge true success, because He knows how faithful we are; we are not called to success, but to faithfulness, in the words of Mother Teresa of Calcutta.  God does promise to prosper us if we are in His will and doing what He calls us to do.  God does promise to prosper us, but not in human means when we set out to do something in the name of the Lord and God is in it--that's success!  Finding this calling.

We all have a work to do, and it will be worth it in the judgment to hear our Lord say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."  Even Jesus said that He had completed the work that God had given Him to do.  He was primarily, a man on a mission extraordinaire, and this is not a bad model for us, once we feel led to serve the Lord.  As for me, there is no greater joy than to be used by God and to be engaged in His service.

It is important to realize that it is always God using us and working through us as His vessels to accomplish His will, and we get the privilege of being used by Him and receive the joy of serving Him--who can render to God what He deserves and payback to Him for His blessings?   Isaiah 26:12 says that all that we have accomplished God has wrought through us!  We are not to boast as Israel did in Amos 6:13, when God should be given credit, as recorded:  "[You] who rejoice in Lo-debar, who say, 'Have we not by our own strength captured Karnaim for ourselves?'"

Paul summed it up in Romans 15:18 (NIV) similarly:  "I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me...." This is the faith that we leave our comfort zones in faith and do God's bidding and will and leave the results to Him--that means not comparing ourselves to each other per 2 Cor. 10:12, which is "unwise."

We are always in a win-win situation with God on our side as our autopilot and captain directing us. We must remember that God can turn evil into good and make the most out of every situation--look how He turned the humiliating crucifixion into glory!  It is always tempting for all of us to base our achievement on the visible results like measuring success by the numbers or monetary value when we should be seeing the work of God in us and miracles behind the scene.  We must admit that we cannot achieve great things for God of our own effort, we can only faithfully cooperate with Him in a Spirit of love and good deeds, which we are destined to do (cf. Eph. 2:10).

If God owns the results, they aren't ours to criticize or evaluate!  God is the one who called us and has a purpose for it--He designed the universe, how much more were our lives laid out according to Psalm 139:16.  What they often tell you is to try harder and maybe you'll get better results:  But the answer is in trusting more and leaving the results to God, or, as they say, let go and let God--we can do nothing apart from Him  (As John 15:5 says, "Apart from me you can do nothing...").  In our culture everything is results-oriented and if we don't see them immediately we think we're failures (many authors have only had their manuscripts published posthumously).  We are hard-wired for results and think that spiritual success is measured as if it were under the scientific method of measurement and observation--this is not so, we must trust God to work in us and believe Him for results, not others or especially ourselves, nor seeking man's praise, not God's alone.

It is said that you shouldn't strive to do what you enjoy, as much as learn to enjoy what you do; this is what is meant in Ecclesiastes when it says there is joy in our toil--we're hard-wired for work and a work ethic!  We are not made for idleness and boredom is unnatural and man needs purpose and fulfillment in life, that only God can accomplish.  it doesn't matter who sows or reaps, but that God gives the increase! The lesson to be heeded is to do everything in the name of the Lord, to the glory of the Lord, and that we "get" to serve God, who also will reward us for being used!  Follow your passion in your vocation, but be ready to enjoy whatever God grants and whatever you must do.

Note that the work of salvation is applicable, too.  Salvation is not man's achievement, but God's accomplishment and we are impotent to do anything to prepare ourselves for it.  Only God can transform a heart and make one anew!  Left to ourselves, none of us would have believed or come to Jesus; much less if up to our own efforts we wouldn't be able to stay saved--He preserves as we persevere; He calls and woos as we come by His resurrection power.    We must realize that we come to Christ by grace alone and stay in Christ by grace alone--it's grace all the way.   Soli Deo Gloria!  

The Expressed Faith

Faith isn't something you possess, it's something you demonstrate. "Let them see your faith!"  Your creed must be translated into deeds, be authentic, growing, and living.  Anyone can claim faith, but it can be bogus! However, as James said, "Faith without works is dead"  (cf. James 2:17). Anyone can make a profession of faith; however, the reality of faith is seen by deeds, or it's for naught. Faith and works are distinguished, but not separated, because they go hand in hand.

Faith isn't a feeling, either:  It's not about being on a perpetual religious high or on Cloud Nine.  One can even profess to know God, according to Paul in Titus 1:16, but deny Him by their works, or be a virtual practical atheist, living as if God isn't for real in your life. Faith has to be confirmed and validated by one's works, which are its evidence, not its substitute.  Faith, not feelings, please God, "For without faith it is impossible to please God," according to Heb. 11:6.  The Real McCoy is obedient as Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, "Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes."

We must be obedient to the spirit of the Law, not just the letter, deceiving ourselves as hypocrites. Paul and James both saw the correlation between faith and works in juxtaposition:  "I'll show you my faith by my works," says James; while Paul stated:  "I'll show you my works by my faith."  These statements are only complementary, not contradictory.  We are not judged by our faith (faith is a gift rendered to each of us per Rom. 12:3), but God renders us according to our works (cf. Romans 2:6). We shall know them by their fruits or deeds!  Paul mentioned the "obedience of faith," and how we must bring it to fruition or follow-through as being sincere, "unhypocritical," and unfeigned faith, but not perfect faith, which is not attainable.  They say we are "obedient to the faith." It's not how big your faith is, but how genuine it is, and in whom it is placed!  "I know whom I have believed...." (cf. 2 Tim. 1:12, emphasis mine).

All in all, faith is also a choice we make, because there is ample evidence for everyone who desires it, and no one has an excuse not to believe; it is an act of the will as God works it in us and we follow through with good deeds unto salvation.  We have sound reasons to believe; however, you have to want to have faith!  We have to be convinced in our minds before we can believe in our hearts, though.  And just like deciding to love (agape love), we decide to believe.

We are not under the law (per Rom. 6:14), nor do we merely obey the letter of the law, but the Spirit of it in love, as the fulfillment of the law.  Faith, as our expression, isn't a badge to be worn, but the gift of God, which we take no credit for:  It is received, not achieved.  If faith were a work, we'd have something to boast of and to merit; however, all the glory goes to God in our salvation and it is grace from beginning to end as we proceed from faith to faith (cf. Rom. 1:17)!    Soli Deo Gloria!

Staying Alive

There is no such thing as a worldly Christian, or some term it carnal Christian, as a class of believer. Christians can become carnal or worldly, but it doesn't last due, to divine pruning by God.  If we are without discipline we are not sons.  Christians who get soiled by this life are brought to repentance and do not enjoy being in a backslidden state.  Newsflash:  But God heals us of our backsliding (cf. Hos. 14:4).

Even Christians can have "spiritual dryness" which is temporary.  Any believer can experience Bible fatigue or writer's block.  We all can feel dispirited, uninspired, or unmotivated, but it doesn't last and we bounce out of it or rebound into the full privilege of fellowship.  We all must have trials or crises to determine what we are made of, and to give us the opportunity to become overcomers.  The Christian life is not about keeping up appearances, nor about being ideal, but being real--we all have vulnerabilities and we all fall short--no perfect people need apply to the church.  Our faith is more valuable than silver or gold and must be tested, because in the judgment, faith, not feelings, please God.

Christians are to walk worthy of the Lord and to practice holiness--for we are to share in the divine nature and to produce fruit--no fruit equals no faith!  We all worthy in Christ and there is no such thing as one Christian being holier than another--we are all in Christ and His holiness is imputed to us.  So much of our walk depends upon what we expose ourselves to because of the computer principle, GIGO (garbage in equals garbage out) applies!

When we walk in Christ and are in fellowship, we are alive, and it is possible to keep this relationship growing because that which is alive grows.  "When we walk in the light, even as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another..." (cf. 1 John 1:4).  That's why we have a living faith in a living God.  When encountering evil we face up to it and overcome it with good.  We need to keep our testimony from being jeopardized by our walk, and therefore must pursue holiness, as a way of life in our sanctification.

This means we walk in the light of eternity and not store up treasures on earth but look to our heavenly reward. We don't want our reward in this life (cf. Psalm 17:14).  We have nothing to fear in man and if we fear God we have nothing to fear.  Remember Noah:  "... Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation [ways], Noah walked with God" (Gen. 6:9, ESV).  Soli Deo Gloria!

Promoting Our Spiritual Health

"... [W]ork out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12, ESV).  

"We must pay the most careful attention ... lest we drift away," (cf. Heb. 2:1, NIV). 

This implicates a spiritual workout or making your salvation work by demonstrating it.  This entails cultivating your spiritual life by exercising it by developing the spiritual muscles.

There is a vast difference in requirements for the health of an animal and a plant, and even in the extreme case of a mushroom, which can sprout up overnight, and an oak tree which takes 60 years to mature.  There are over 11 million varieties of lifeforms on earth, and each one is a living miracle bearing the imprint and identification of God in unique DNA.  The Bible says that God cares for and nourishes every animal on earth.  He gives them their food in "due season."  We are to pay special attention to our spiritual health, which is far more vital than our physical health.  

Even exercise is good to a degree, but spiritual discipline is better for eternal value. Promoting spiritual health is much like promoting mental health--you concentrate on occupation with the therapeutic activities or things that have positive results,  rather than getting hung up trying to analyze yourself or figure yourself out.   It is paramount that we know God, not ourselves to commence our healing.

We all need spiritual check-ups by fellowshipping with other believers and going to church.  There are no spiritual Lone Rangers or lone wolves, nor are we rocks or islands, but we all are members of one body and need each other, no one person possessing all the gifts.  We are family, as they say.

Church provides us with a wake-up call to assess our spiritual health and to hone our spiritual gifts and gives us the opportunity to serve and to get our eyes off ourselves in love's expression through faith.  Our wake-up call is a self-exam, we don't go around judging each other, but become fruit inspectors, i.e., of our own fruit!   Church provides the chance to recharge, especially for those who don't have the spiritual support system that comes with Christian friends, family, and associates.  

We don't just go through the motions or memorize the Dance of the Pious to do this but engage in sincere, unfeigned worship.  This recharging doesn't happen instantaneously but is a process and we do see growth as a work in progress.  In celebrating the Lord's Supper we are reminded of what our covenant stands for and to examine ourselves on a regular basis, so as not to forget our mission and why we are here:  We are to be believers with a purpose.

The only true measure of faith is obedience and discipleship and following in Christ's steps are mandatory to growth.  We are to go on and never look back because as we turn from our former way of life (a turnaround), we turn to God and experience revival in the process; however, repentance is not a one-time act but a continual one of obedience as we grow in the grace and the knowledge of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

We all must experience growing pains and God never promised us a bed of roses:  Growth and walking with Christ means going forward, and backsliding happens when we fail to advance and continue on to know the Lord.  There is no treading water or holding your ground without progress--we lose our power due to negligence; we drift away from God, we don't turn from Him, that is why it's so necessary to be active in the body and not think you can survive solo.

In conclusion, we must take inventory of ourselves.  There are accepted and proven methodologies to ensure spiritual hygiene: regular corporate and private worship as a gyroscope of the soul;  daily Bible reading and exposure to be a thermometer of our walk; continuing in fellowship with brethren to keep us in touch and from wandering astray; keeping short accounts with God on failures and sins by confession; be constant in prayer (one of the acid tests of true spirituality); offering yourself totally to God's service; and finally, witnessing (as an act of obedience; the only way to keep your faith is to share it!).  Doing nothing is a catastrophe, just like not gardening and the weeds begin to take over; we need to show forth the works of salvation and do a spiritual workout to stay fit for the kingdom.   Soli Deo Gloria!

The Gibraltar Of Christianity

"To them he presented himself alive after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God"  (Acts 1:3, ESV).
"Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers a one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep"  (1 Cor. 15:6, ESV).  

This is an apologetic for the resurrection of Christ and is included with worldview posts because acceptance or rejection affects one's interpretation of history, and whether he believes God intervenes in it or plays an active part (as Deists deny).  A so-called uniformitarian view holds that God if there is one, doesn't intervene in human affairs, nor cause any cataclysmic events.   As Ben Franklin said, "I have lived a long time and the longer I live the more convincing proofs I see that God governs in the affairs of men."  Believing in a supernatural God, and that with God nothing is impossible, settles the issue, for this is merely child's play for the almighty Creator of the universe and the one who holds all things together in His hands.

One's approach to interpreting history is affected because his philosophy biases him for or against the supernatural and how we can "know" historical events and verify them to our satisfaction.  It is not the denial of the miracle of the resurrection that is at stake, but the whole concept of their existence and possibility.  Denying the fact of miracles leads to the ultimate conclusion that there is no God, which cannot be proved (logicians know you cannot prove a universal negative!).

The crux of the Christian faith is its dependence on the resurrection of Christ to be the foundation and inception.  You must accept this fact or the whole faith is disemboweled.  The resurrection is the final proof that Christ's sacrifice was accepted, that there is a heaven to hope for and that Christ is the one and only Son of God.  This is the most crucial and vital fact of history--the most astonishing and fantastic fact--or it is the biggest and cruelest hoax ever perpetrated on mankind.  There is no middle ground; it is not a legend since there was not the time for it to develop till the gospels were written (probably before AD 70).  The historicity of Christ is beyond dispute by any reputable modern historian because it is vouched for by many secular forces as well as the internal testimony of the Word.

How do we know this as historical fact, though?  History, by its very nature, cannot be proved in a scientific manner (it's out of the realm of science because it's nonrepeatable).  How do we know that Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth?  There are no witnesses alive today to verify it, but we do have documentation that is credible, and trustworthy.  We must assess the veracity of the records and the dependability of the eye-witnesses--consummate, inveterate liars, and lunatics or madmen are not reliable witnesses, no matter the number.

However, in the case of Scripture, we have four noblemen who lived in the times of skepticism and persecution for their faith, and they have the character that one could believe. We can believe the records written because they give no evidence of rantings and ravings of madmen.  Simon Greenleaf, a prof at Harvard, and one of the world's foremost authorities on legal evidence became a believer in Christ by examining the evidence and announced that, if an unbiased jury were to hear it, they would proclaim the resurrection as historical fact.  There certainly isn't a lack of evidence to support it, one must have preconceived ideas or prejudices to deny it.  The heart of the matter is that it's a matter of the heart, and people feign intellectual problems as smokescreens to hide their moral rebellion and unwillingness to do God's will.

There is no way you can disprove it:  The opposite of the resurrection is not that people don't rise from the dead, but that God cannot raise the dead, specifically, that He cannot rise from the dead Himself.  All science can say is that people don't normally rise from the dead, all things being equal. There is no law that says so, it has just been observed that men normally die and conclusions were drawn.  Jesus predicted His resurrection and there is plenty of circumstantial evidence to verify it: The appearances of Christ to doubting apostles, who had to be convinced against their better judgment (Thomas said he wouldn't believe unless he could put his hand in Christ's side) and they had become disillusioned, reverting to their former way of life, such as fishing; the many eyewitnesses that were alive when the gospels were written that could've dispelled the belief--it would be like someone saying that FDR claimed to be the Son of God today; one famous lawyer (Frank Morrison, asked that pivotal question and wrote Who Moved the Stone? --it was guarded and heavy; one must account for the empty tomb and everyone knew where it was and could've checked it out; how do you explain the rise of the church that taught the resurrection, the martyrdom of thousands for the faith, when all they had to do to save their hide was deny this fact; the day of worship was changed from the Sabbath day to the Lord's day (and Jews practically had a fetish about this command); the grave clothes were undisturbed and this made an instant believer out of John, showing supernatural exit; and most convincing is the dramatic change in the lives of the apostles, going from timid and frightened to roaring lions for the faith.

The only way to dismantle Christianity is to disprove this historical fact and this has never been done, and cannot be done--it would raise more issues and questions than it solved--there's no legitimate evidence against it; only a preconceived notion that it's untrue brings doubt.

Note that the burden of proof falls on the party making the challenge that a document is not authentic or bogus:  Every document apparently ancient, coming from the proper repository or custody, and bearing on its face no evident marks of forgery, the law presumes to be genuine and devolves on the opposing party the burden of proving it to be otherwise"  (Professor, an expert on law and evidence, Simon Greenleaf of Harvard).  He also states:  "[That] the competence of the New Testament documents would be established in a  court of law." 

All the above are compelling, circumstantial evidence, and this kind of evidence is admissible in a court of law; however, no evidence can be conclusive in itself, but one must weigh it and go with the preponderance of the evidence--all the popular theories about how Christ didn't rise from the dead have been refuted and aren't believed seriously anymore by scholars (like that the disciples merely stole the body, and no one should believe the testimony of guards while they were asleep--this is not admissible evidence, and this tale circulated and the Jews believed it).  What is so compelling about the evidence and makes the gospel writers so credible?  They were willing to die for it and were in a position to know whether it was true--unlike radical Muslims dying for what they think is true--and people will gladly die for what they believe, but not for a known lie.

Finally, the integrity of the Scriptures is well-established and its reliability, authenticity, and faithful reproduction with utmost fidelity leaves no doubt that they have survived without being corrupted, as Islam claims.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Answering Prayer...

"For God may speak in one way, or in another, Yet man does not perceive it.  In a dream, in a vision of the night, When deep sleep falls upon men, While slumbering on their beds"  (Job 33:14-15, NKJV).  "I love the LORD, because He has heard My voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live"  (Psalm 116:1-2, NKJV).  "He is there and He is not silent."  (Francis A. Schaeffer, philosophical apologist)

Our problem is being spiritually hard of hearing and turning a deaf ear to God, failing to listen to what He does say to us, not that He doesn't speak clearly enough!  Prayer works and Satan laughs at our wisdom, mocks at our toil, but trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees (source unknown).  Lincoln is said to have said that he often went to his knees because he simply had nowhere else to go.  It isn't our posture, but our attitude and we are to work as if everything depends on us but pray as if everything depends on God.  We all have an innate potential, and, though our attempts may be feeble and anemic, they are not ineffectual.

Whenever you can't stand life, kneel, they say!  You really don't need a theology of prayer or another lecture on the subject, but just need to apply what you do know and just pray!  Don't ever get an inferiority complex or feel you are out of your league, God honors the humblest efforts, even from children.  Prayer is a muscle to exercise and the skill atrophies without constant and daily use.  The difficulties and trials of life are only meant to keep us on our knees!

A skeptic might wonder how God can hear everyone's prayer at once and possibly answer them simultaneously.  The reason we believe in prayer is not that we became convinced by argument or someone's testimony, as if second-hand; no, it's because God answers prayer and prayer works!  Billy Graham was asked how he knew God was alive:  "Yes, I'm sure because I talked to Him this morning."  This kind of postulation baffles the unbeliever who is skeptical about such mystical talk, that could be defined as a gut feeling, to a burning in the bosom, to hearing "a voice."  We don't necessarily assert that God is audible, visible, nor tangible to us, but He has revealed Himself in the person of Jesus Christ and God's pet peeve is that we don't seek Him out--He is overjoyed to reveal Himself to those who diligently seek Him (cf. Heb. 11:6).

On the other hand, just because God has put His Word into a book and revealed all we need to know, this doesn't preclude Him from speaking through any means He desires, even visions and dreams, which haven't been retired despite having the Bible--but this isn't normative and we are commanded to find God's will and the answers in the Word, because He has promised He will use that and has elevated and magnified the Word, which will not come back void (cf. Isa. 55:11), above all His name, fame, or reputation (cf. Psalm 138:2).


God's best gift to man is the Bible and He expects us to use it and depend on it, not just read it once and put it back on the shelf!  The Bible is a lifelong journey with God and has all we need to know for a fulfilling, abundant life in Christ.  In it, God speaks to us in sixty-five books, and we speak to God in one book (Psalms)!  Prayer is two-way and that means we must be prepared to listen to what God is saying and have the right mental attitude.  We need a thirsty soul, needy heart, willing spirit, an open mind; we must also be teachable, humble, and obedient to God!  It's not a matter of training or education that brings effective prayer and Bible reading (you don't have to know how to be a good reader, for example), but you must be in the right frame of mind and ready and expectant to hear from God--it is written clear enough that a child can understand its main message and get something out of it.  We are only responsible for what we do understand, so take that by faith and God will cause growth so you can understand the deeper truths later.  Mark Twain said that it's not the parts of the Bible that he doesn't understand that bother him, but those that he does understand!

God can hear prayer universally and simultaneously because He is miraculous and time is not of the essence for Him, who created the time-space continuum.  Time is merely a corollary of space and matter and if those two didn't exist, there would be no time.  Time stops in a black hole, by the way. God is outside time and can use it or manipulate it to conform to His will and desires.  He has all the time in the world to hear everyone's prayer, just like they are the only one praying at that time.  With God there is no such thing as time, which is irrelevant, He existed before time began or in eternity past.  God sees history as one episode a view, not in sequence as we do.  God had no beginning and will have no end because He is timeless and in another dimension, besides the four we live in (length, width, height, and time).  God never tells us to take our turn and never is too busy for us--He's always there, and Christianity is "about the God who is there" according to Francis Schaeffer.

Prayer can be explained away if one is so inclined, and you can always find some excuse not to believe; however, it becomes increasingly incredible to explain away countless prayers as coincidence.  The problem is not that our prayers don't get heard, but that we are not praying His will and also that we don't pray at all or even ask for what we want.  ("You have not because you ask not.")  God wants faith and will not force anyone to believe in prayer, but there is evidence if one is willing to believe, and prayer is only for the believer who has faith in Jesus name, not for some experiment to see if God is out there somewhere--we are not to test God!  (Hebrews 11:6, ESV, says, "..[For] whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.")  God doesn't have to prove Himself to anyone, but He is not anyone's debtor and will reward sincere seekers--He wants to hear from us more than we desire to fellowship with Him.

In summation, if we feel estranged from God and He seems MIA, it is not God who moved, but us--we are to be blamed for the alienation: "Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear, but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear"  (Isaiah 59:1-2, ESV). However, if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse us (cf. 1 John 1:9).  Don't feel alone if God seems distant; even Job pondered:  "Oh, that I knew where I might find him, that I might come even to his seat!" (Job 23:3, ESV).   Soli Deo Gloria!

Awake,O Sleeper!

"Wake up, and strengthen what remains...."  (from Revelation 3:2, ESV, emphasis added).
"Arise, shine, for your light, has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you..."  (Isa. 60:1, ESV).
"... The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed' (Rom. 13:11, NIV).
"... The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed" (Rom. 13:11, NIV)

God is able to bring everything into a light and wake up the spiritually lukewarm and those who are lackadaisical by the power of the Word, which is alive and active, and able to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart (cf. Heb. 4:12).  We don't hide anything from God (cf. Psalm 90:8, ESV: "You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence."  God sees in the dark and nothing is hidden from his countenance.  Jesus sees through the veneer of our facade and knows the real person that we are, even if we don't (Psalm 139:23,24, ESV:  "Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!  And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!").

Paul urges the Ephesians (5:14, ESV) to arise from their spiritual slumber and death:  "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."  We all get our wake-up calls in due time and need the motivation to do the Lord's work by finding our spiritual identity (who we are in the Lord and what is our gift?).  This pertains to a spiritual wake-up call not one of physical exhaustion or even of sloth.  God calls us to do His work and we all have meaningful tasks to fulfill if we do it in the Spirit.  "Whatever you do, do to the glory of God"  (cf. 1 Cor. 10:31).

I'm not talking about the used-up, seasoned believer who occasionally falls asleep during a sermon that he doesn't relate to or understand, but one who fails to see what he's on earth to do in the name of the Lord.  We need to be mission and ministry-oriented and serve with a purpose to achieve God's will.  God didn't come to make bad men good, it is said, but dead men alive (those who know and fellowship with God!).  "God speaks once, yea twice, and man does not notice or hear it" (cf. Job 33:14)!   

We need to be energized, kindled, and equipped by the Holy Spirit (not lukewarm, apathetic, nor ignorant),  and not try to accomplish God's will in the power of the flesh: I'm not against good deeds, just those done in the energy of the flesh! In summation, even believers can become hard-of-hearing spiritually and turn a deaf ear to God.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Spiritual Complacency

As Peter says, "And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in hour hearts" (2 Pet. 1:19, NKJV, emphasis added).  It is easy to fall into a spiritual rut and rest on your laurels, thinking you've arrived or made it; however, Paul says to Philippians (3:12, NKJV):  "Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected...."   However, we are all works in progress and cannot claim spiritual perfection or complete sanctification, which will only take place in glory. As the psalmist said, in Psalm 119:9 (ESV):  "I have seen a limit of all perfection...."  We will never overcome all sin: in time:  "Who can say, 'I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin?'"  By analogy:  No one is so destitute as one who thinks he's wealthy and isn't.

We don't have permission to live in the flesh, but the power to live in the Spirit!  We have the security of our salvation, but not of spiritual growth, since that is a cooperative or synergistic effort--some infants in Christ never seem to grow up and become mature in Christ, only feeding on the milk of the Word. We are never to get lax spiritually, and lackadaisical in our spiritual ambition.  It is wrong to get comfortable and take it easy, living a life of undisciplined spiritual luxury.  The backslider in heart needs to heed God's correction and realize that God can heal him, but his downfall has been his sin (cf. Hos. 14:1).  Jesus is looking for "overcomers" to reign with Him and this life is merely a dress rehearsal or tryout for eternity.

We are soldiers, who are to live a spiritually disciplined life, not getting entangled in the affairs of the world.  There is one main plumb line to measure us by the Word of God--our standard is perfection, but our test is direction, as we strive to become "perfect, even as our heavenly Father is perfect (Matt. 5:48).  It is always tempting to take the easy path of least resistance and go with the flow or follow the crowd instead of obeying the Lord.  Amos 6:1 (NKJV) says, "Woe to you who are at ease in Zion...."  (The book denounces luxurious living and general complacency of God's people.)  Woe unto those who are in great need and don't realize it:  Martin Luther said that the sinner doesn't know his own sin, and it's our job to show it to him.

The Christian life is a marathon and not a sprint to be run, a battle to be fought, a crown to be won; and we should realize that we can be disqualified, even if we've preached to others per 1 Cor. 9:27 (NKJV):  But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified." We ought to take the spiritual conflict seriously, and endeavor to continue fighting the good fight; woe unto us when our relationship with Christ degenerates into a perfunctory one lacking zeal--though zeal without knowledge is not good, we need to do our work heartily, as unto the Lord.  It is necessary to learn the doctrines of the Bible for growth and maturity, but not sufficient--we need to apply what we know and live out the Word, not just appreciate it.

The Bible-believing or preaching church isn't complete unless they are completing the Great Commission and get their members active in fulfilling it, so the church doesn't just become a place to hang out once a week and catch up on the latest gossip with friends--having a social function.  Bible doctrine is good, but it can leave a person cold if not applicable or put to work.  When we just have an intellectual interest in the Bible and don't love it as the Word of God, Jesus sees through the veneer and we learn in vain, for mere academic reasons.  I don't know of any church that Jesus rebuked for being inadequate in doctrine or impure, or not as orthodox as they should be, but to those who didn't apply what they did know were culpable.

Knowledge does "puff up" and we all have knowledge or reason to be arrogant, if we let our so-called knowledge go to our head (it should be cause for humility), but we must realize that the important thing and the aim of our profession is love of God and each other, not to increase head knowledge--as some merely have an intellectual assent or the gospel merely in their heads, not their hearts.  Billy Graham says, "A vague knowledge that He exists will not satisfy ... We yearn for a relationship with Him."  We must realize that to know Him is to love Him, not just to acknowledge the facts about Him.  

The real fulfillment is in knowing Him (cf. John 17:3) as Lord and Savior, not just becoming educated or informed about Him.  We don't learn for the sake of knowledge, and it is not an end in itself, but we must take action and apply what we know and make it real in our relationships with others--just why do we want to know?  We need knowledge turned into wisdom or its right application.

Only the Bible tells it like it is:  God's nature and ours--it's our lifeline to reality! As a precaution: We should know ourselves and our weaknesses because the devil sure does and takes advantage of his knowledge (cf. 1 Pet. 5:8, ESV:  "... Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." My final admonition is to be ever vigilant and not to look back after putting your hand to the plow, but keep your eyes on Jesus and the prize that we can gain as motivation. Soli Deo Gloria!