Is God Doing His Best?

Some people think they are doing God a favor by "helping" Him out and doing Him a favor by what they do.  God doesn't need our aid to accomplish His purposes; He only has decreed the means to His ends and it is a privilege to be used by Him, not God that is privileged by our aid.  God doesn't need us in the slightest and can accomplish His will regardless--to say that He needs us is to deny His self-existence or His self-sustaining ability--He requires no outside aid to exist--God is dependent on no one. 

 Of course, some look at the lost and say that God is trying to save everyone and only doing His best--which means that God is a failure because not everyone is going to be saved.  ("As many as were appointed unto eternal life believed," says Acts 13:48.)  The doctrine of election is further delineated in Romans 11:7 saying, "The elect obtained unto it, and the rest were hardened."  Peter says, "They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do" in 1 Pet. 2:8.  There are encouraging words to the elect:  "For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through Jesus Christ," says 1 Thess. 5:9.  However, regarding the reprobate, Jude says, "For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation."

God achieves what He sets out to do and "accomplishes all His good purpose" (Isa. 46:10).  God takes no pleasure in the ultimate destiny of the wicked ("For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live," says Ezek. 18:32).  You might think of a judge that has to execute the guilty person but hates doing it.

God is a God of mercy and love, but also of justice and in some cases, justice must be served.  God owes mercy to no one or it would not be mercy, but justice.  God could have decided to save no one and He would still be God.  Yes, everything is going according to plan A and there is no plan B as a backup--God will not fail!   Soli Deo Gloria!

Hymn by Isaac Watts

Alas! and did my Savior bleed?
  And did my Sovereign die?
Would he devote that sacred head
  For such a worm as I?

Was it for crimes that I have done
  He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity!  grace unknown!
  And love beyond degree!

Well might the sun in darkness hide
  And shut his glories in,
When Christ, the mighty Maker, died
  For man the creature's sin.

Thus might I hide my blushing face
  While his dear cross appears;
Dissolve, my heart, in thankfulness,
  And melt, mine eyes, to tears.

But drops of grief can ne'er repay
  The debt of love I owe;
Here, Lord, I give myself away--
  'Tis all that I can do.

              Isaac Watts (1707, public domain)

What Is Fellowship?

When believers get together, what should be the topic of conversation?  (Jesus, as much as possible!) Is it real fellowship when they just talk sports or the weather or news events?  [N.B. I am not referring to fellowship with the Father and the Son, but fellow brethren.] Genuine fellowship (from the Greek word koinonia which means having something in common: Christians have Christ, a mission, ministries, purposes, the Bible, etc. in common)  which is two fellows in the same ship, as it were facetiously, is when honesty, authenticity, and real sharing takes place in the name of the Lord ("For when two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them," reads Matthew 18:20).  Sometimes it involves confession or empathizing and/or sympathizing.   Consoling each other as an example is fellowship (we are comforted so that we can comfort others--2 Cor. 1:20), but that can even take place even among nonbelievers in a technical sense. 

There is fellowship, and then there is fellowship.  What we ought to have in common is not the weather or our team, but our Lord.  Is the Spirit of the Lord present is all that matters, and if you have discernment in the Spirit you should be able to tell if the Holy Spirit shows up or is a "no-show" to your fellowship.  Sometimes all it takes is the mention of His name because He is not far from each of us and is in us already.

But we stifle the Spirit and hamper His free expression and quench His presence by our conversation--we need to be sensitive to what is pleasing in His sight (cf. Psa. 19:14).  The Spirit does not lie, exaggerate, jest, or tease, etc., but is full of love and that is the key to His presence in essence--Christians love the brethren, and His Spirit bears witness with our Spirit that we are the Sons of God.  The believers will know if they had fellowship, but an outsider would not be able to judge or discern, for he is unaware of spiritual things and blind spiritually.

There is no limit as to how far we can go into the realm of the Spirit if we but open the door and be willing to confess Him before man and be open and free in our spirit ("Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty,' says 2 Cor. 3:17). When we are having fellowship, we are equal in God's eyes and there is neither Greek nor barbarian, slave nor free,  male nor female, etc.  Rank has its privileges, but not in Christ--we kiss our social position goodbye.  There is often a so-called esprit de corps of the Holy Spirit, you might say.   The possibilities are limitless and sometimes even ecstasy and euphoria are possible, as well as the other extreme end of the spectrum which is grief--some people don't feel they are really friends till they have cried together, not laughed together.

In summation, we must differentiate between surface-level chitchat and real genuine fellowship, which is not a given, even among believers--they may be out of fellowship with God.  We must put Christ into it or be inspired or led by Him in our conversation.  We share our walk and can relate to each other as to how we are doing, which is also key; but NB:   There is no fellowship (in my interpretation of Scripture) with an unbeliever:  "For what does light have in common with darkness?  What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?"  (2 Cor. 6:14-15).  Soli Deo Gloria!

Why Live Today?

The problem with most people is that they don't know that the principle from Scripture (cf. Deut. 33:25) says that "as your days are, so shall your strength be."  We can get depressed by 3 states of mind:  dwelling on the past, misinterpreting the present, anticipating the future.  The well-known verse from Psalm 118:24  says, "This is the day that the LORD has made, let us be glad, and rejoice in it."  Tomorrow does not belong to you and is not guaranteed by God--He wants you to live each day to the fullest and "boast not [ourselves] of tomorrow" [cf. Prov. 27:1] for "tomorrow does not yet belong to us."

Each day when we arise we should gratefully thank God for a new day and new opportunity to walk with Him, asking Him if He might come that day.  Matthew Henry said that we should live each day as if it were our last.  We should always be prepared for our death, which can come at any time, and live each day as if it could be our last--and I mean to "occupy, purify, watch, and worship, (conduct main business as usual)" not to sell out and stop our affairs like quitting our jobs, and so forth.  The hedonist philosophy to "eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die" is evil and presumptuous on God's mercy and grace (cf. Isa. 22:13; 1 Cor. 15:32).

 A real famous local pastor on TV in my youth used to start each sermon with the verse quoted above and it inspired me to be patient and live in the present:  "This is the day that the LORD has made...."  That verse is also the way many a church service is begun by tradition or custom. ( Focus on the now and you will be happier--God will take care of your tomorrows.  God will give the grace you need when the time comes.) Each day is a new beginning and a new chance to walk with our Lord, and we should be thankful as a state of mind for this opportunity.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Are We Faithful to Our Church?

The issue we must face sooner or later in our walk is, "Are we to remain faithful to our church, as opposed to our Lord and our personal faith?"  Here's a case in point:  After many years and many ties to a church,  one finds out that he doesn't agree with the church dogma and it is a compromise on his faith to cooperate, where he doesn't feel he can grow in Christ according to his faith, even though he may have the opportunity to serve in that church--what is most important?

To cite an example:  My grandmother, God bless her soul, stayed faithful to one church for most of her 96 years, seeing the coming and going of countless pastors, programs, and opportunities.  I don't know whether she knew it or not, but the church had become quite liberal, theologically speaking, and I don't think she realized it (she may have felt she was just too old to start over in another church and thought maybe she could influence them more than they her).

In my own walk, I am glad I'm not where I was when I was young and knew nothing of doctrine.  It seems like I was at a different stage at each church and God had a purpose for me being there, but then called me out to move on in a spiritual promotion, as I matured. Thank God I'm still not going to the Lutheran church of my youth where I would probably be a somebody by now, but the church would be nowhere.

The issue is whether one should be in a church where he can serve, or where one can grow.  One deserves accolades for faithfulness, but not if he disregards principle or his faith to do it--his primary concern should be to grow in the Lord, his priority in service.   I believe that, if you seek to grow, the serving will come naturally, and we shouldn't tend to promote ourselves or to presume on God that he has to put us into service--He will call us in is timing. 

In the early church, there was no alternate church to go to if one disagreed, for example; one had to stick it out through thick and thin.   We recall the carnal Corinthians who split into factions, and Paul labeled that a fruit of the flesh.  Sectarianism ("I am of Paul, I am of Peter, I am of Apollos, etc.) is a sin and not in God's original design for the local church.  The Bible does teach the local body's autonomy and independence from other churches, and the individual responsibility of the believer for his own faith--he cannot say that the church told him so, and pass the buck, so to speak.

It is good to downplay denomination quarrels and not be so dogmatic about doctrines that divide--we should seek unity and not division--avoiding the Bible-club mentality.  We all need to under authority and be accountable so that we don't go off on our own tangent and get flakey. The key to doing this is to remain in fellowship with other believers and know the basic doctrines of the Scriptures as a grounding in the truth to stabilize ourselves.

We don't want to leave a fellowship for petty differences or for minor doctrines (don't major on the minors), but leave room for some disagreement--we can disagree, without being disagreeable; just don't be divisive, argumentative, or quarrelsome in the body and known as a trouble maker--keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace as Eph. 4:3 exhorts.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Is There Political Theology?

I mean, is there a political litmus test of orthodoxy in theology?   Do our political "opinions" influence our theology?  Now, to be sure, we hold opinions, but convictions hold us.  There is something you believe, and then there is something you will die for.  For instance, in the Civil War, or the War between the States, families were often set against each other, brother against brother, and so forth.  This was such a strong political influence that people were willing to die for it and many volunteered for the war--the 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry that was the first to volunteer when Pres. Lincoln called for regiments.  It should be obvious that our regional upbringing and background have a lot to do with what kind of politics we have--not many Minnesotans joined the South.

There were sincere people on both sides that believed in the same God, read the same Bible, and even belonged to the same church denomination who opposed each other.  God wasn't concerned about what so-called side they were on but the condition of their heart and whether they loved Him and their neighbors, to be specific.  He isn't going to ask us, "What side were you on in the War?" but "Did you love Me during the War?"

 It is unfortunate that in today's evangelical churches that stress is made on conservative politics, as if all Christians should be conservatives, to their definition.  You cannot put God in a box and label Him, how does one know what party God would be a member of?  Wouldn't that have to be a perfect party, since God is holy?  It is not the question asked, "Are you a Democrat or Republican? but "If you are a Democrat or Republican, do you love Republicans or Democrats?"

With all the bitterness and backbiting, and slander, libel, and insults, I really wonder if this is the case.  The point is, is that there are sincere believers on both sides, and it is just like a ballgame, in which we believe that God doesn't take sides in any way that we can figure out, but must leave the outcome to the providence of God. 

It is wrong to call a movement the "Evangelical Right" implying that this is the orthodox position and that there is a consensus here to be conservative among Christians.  Do you know that a lot of African-American Christian voters are Democrats and they are just as sincere in their faith as the White majority who vote Republican?   There ought to be a separation of church and state in the sense that churches ought to stay out of politics and stay with the main thing--the Great Commission, which is the only program they are to be converted to.  "Keep the main thing the main thing!"  I don't go to church to get propaganda about a pastor's political leanings.

 Let me apply the Bible as I see fit and leave room for disagreement in the body:  Remember Augustine's famous dictum, "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity." We are not to hate (and showing disrespect and dishonor is a form of it) our leaders who we elected in the providence of God is to be hypocritical to our faith--we should be trusting in God and praying for all in authority, even honoring the king, no matter who he is and how much we disagree.  Soli Deo Gloria!

God Reaching Down to Us

Christianity may be summed up in grace or God reaching down to us (condescending) and acting on our behalf in doing for us what we didn't deserve--this is unique in Christianity.  All other religions are based on works because man is incurably addicted to doing something for his salvation (cf. John 6:28-29) and are summed up in man's effort to gain the approbation or approval of God by his good deeds, rituals, morality, etc.   You might say man's vain effort in reaching out to please God.

The Christian life is about seeking God and His presence and face in our daily walk.  But this does not take place apart from grace:  we didn't find Him; He found us.  Pascal said that he would not have sought God, had He first found Him.  Paul said that "there is none that seeks God" in Rom. 3.  God's chief quarrel with man, says John Stott, is that he doesn't seek.  God is no man's debtor and if we seek we will find. 

The miracle is that He is found by those who were not looking:  "I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me; I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me" (Isa. 65:1). Many people are looking for the benefits, not the Benefactor.   Actually, according to R. C. Sproul, the search for God begins at conversion, it doesn't end there. Jonathan Edwards said that seeking God is the main business of the Christian.   When we say we found God, we really mean He found us.  We begin our search for God at salvation because only in the Spirit can we know Him and be aware of Him.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Belief's Correlation with Obedience

There is a direct relationship between faith and obedience; faith is manifested only in obedience--there is no such thing as disobedient faith.  Our faith is not perfect or faultless, but genuine faith is sincere and unfeigned ("The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith," says 1 Tim. 1:5).   No one has perfect faith or perfect obedience and perfectionism is a false doctrine.  We never reach a point of sinless perfection  (of sins intentional, or no)t.   "...He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him"  (Heb. 5:9). 

The Holy Spirit has been given to all who obey Him (cf. Acts 5:32).  Dietrich Bonhoeffer had a famous saying that is now an axiom:  "Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes."  We are saved through the obedience of our faith that is a gift of God. ("...He greatly helped those who by grace had believed," says Acts 18:27).

There is no such thing as a brand of Christian called "disobedient Christian," though Christians can disobey, sin, and fall short; but they have a desire and longing within to obey in their spirit.  "For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. ...For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.  Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I  who do it, but sin that dwells within me. ...For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being"  (Rom. 7:15-22).  In other words, we all fall short of our ideals and can't live up to our own standards--thank God for grace.

There is also no such thing as a carnal Christian having an excuse ("It's okay, pastor, I'm a carnal Christian") when caught in a sin.  He must repent and if he belongs to the Lord he will be disciplined ("For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives," says Heb. 12:6).  Christians don't get away with sin and are not happy out of fellowship with the Lord.  The exhortation to all believers is to "trust and obey"  and the song goes:  "For there is no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey."

The acid test or the litmus test of the believer is his obedience and they are correlated in Heb. 3:18-19 as follows:  "And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient?  So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief." True faith is manifested or demonstrated by obedience only.  "To obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams"  (1 Sam. 15:22).  Soli Deo Gloria!

How Do You Prepare for Worship?

We don't just roll out of bed and show up at church for the show hoping we can get blessed!  Some believers go to see what they can get out of the worship and complain when they get nothing or aren't blessed.  We go to church to corporately worship God and it is a serious business.  Would you go to see the president dressed casually or as nice as you can?  Of course, it depends on how well you know the president!  But we are to worship God in holy array ("Worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness," says Psalm 29:2b) and this is an inward attitude, not our outward appearance--"Man looks on the outward appearance, God looks on the heart" (1 Sam. 16:7).  Come as you are (God won't let you stay that way, though),  God will change you from the inside out and make you a neater person or one that dresses to please others, and not just yourself.  

 Worship is not a performance we go to see, but it involves our effort and input as we become sensitized to the Spirit's message to us.  Unconfessed sin can get us out of fellowship and is a hindrance to worship--we must realize that sin is a barrier that must be overcome by confession and repentance.  Discover the power of praise and get your eyes off of yourself and onto Jesus--"looking unto Jesus."  It is depressing to get our eyes off of Jesus and focused on ourselves or the world.

We get into the spirit of worship or some may say the mood by entering His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise (a friend of mine says he gets into the mood at Bible study when they sing the hymns)--we just do it and if we are in fellowship with no unconfessed sin (cf. 1 John 1:9) it is God's pleasure to bless His children as they worship Him. 

 We must be patient and not go by feeling but wait on the Lord.  For me the best preparation is to read the Bible and let God speak to me--O how I love the Word--it is a vital part of my walk and fellowship (from the Greek koinonia, meaning sharing things in common).  Case in point:  "When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight" (Jer. 15:16).

Note that fellowship is not only vertical but horizontal--we prepare by making sure we don't have any unholy relationships and by fellowshipping with our brethren--that's why it is a good idea to show up early for worship and let the Lord lead you and enjoy the fellowship of believers in the Spirit and see why the apostles were so devoted to it (cf. Acts 2:42).   Soli Deo Gloria!

What Is A Healthy Church? Are You A Happy Camper?

Rationale:  Other teachers have taught on this subject and I am not ignoring them, but my purpose is to tell my own personal insights after having been in many churches during my life.  First of all, let's tell my story, we have a choice to go to a church where we can be of service and God can use us, or we can go to a church where we feel we can fellowship and most importantly grow with others of similar doctrinal persuasion--just how important are our beliefs?  I had a sudden awakening where I realized that what I believed was important and I couldn't compromise that anymore.

I went to a church that had a motto of "a place for you."  I felt needed there and God gave me an opportunity to serve, but eventually I woke up and couldn't tolerate the church government and the doctrines of the church that I couldn't approve of any longer--specifically the watering down of the gospel message and the so-called agenda of the pastor who didn't seem to know the Lord any better than me--though I don't deny he was Spirit-filled and put a lot of fire into his sermons and he should've put more of his sermons in the fire!  I would fall asleep during his sermons because I heard it all before--he repeated himself as a methodology.  I was ready for greener pastures.

I now know that God can speak to me through a pastor who doesn't necessarily get that worked up, but is more the one that God wants me to listen to and I can relate to.  I firmly believe that we go through spiritual stages, that there is a right church for us at a certain level of maturity.  I started out as a Lutheran, and I am glad I didn't remain loyal to that denomination, seeing how liberal most of them have gotten.  We are not to be faithful to a church, but to Jesus Christ--there may come a time that we have to take a stand and decide where we want to be and what God wants us to do, and knowing who we are in Christ is vital, i.e., knowing our spiritual gift or calling (cf. 2 Pet. 1:10). 

We are not to look down on our brethren in other churches or to become sectarian (1 Cor. 1:10ff), which is a sin according to Paul who rebuked the Corinthians for saying they were of Paul, Peter, Apollos, or Jesus himself!  We don't take pride in our labels; in fact, we shouldn't label other believers at all and we are not called to straighten the church because we disagree and think they are wrong.  Who wrote the book on comparing ourselves?   God condemns those who cause division among the brethren or who are divisive, quarrelsome, or schismatic, and we should warn them to "strive for the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (cf. Eph. 4:3).

A healthy church is a serving church that is involved and has opportunities to reach out and minister.  A healthy church must have a vision ("Where there is no vision, the people perish," cf. Prov. 29:18).  But some people will end up being converted to the program, not to Christ!  The pastor has to know where he wants to lead the flock and be one step ahead of them and not be a one-man show but is involved in the body, realizing that he needs them as much as they need him (for all parts of the body are necessary).  There should be no doubt that it is the Lord who is the head of the church and not an individual who is a control freak or power-hungry and likes to be number one like Diotrephes. 

Choirs are fine, but they are not necessary, because the goal is to get us to worship--worship is not vicarious, but involved--the question should not be "What did you get out of the worship today?" but "Did you give God the glory and worship Him adequately?"  Soli Deo Gloria!  Worship is giving one his due!  The church service is not a show where we see people perform but sincere heartfelt worship that involves us personally.  Worship leaders should not draw attention to themselves, but focus the glory on Christ--and this is a calling and gifting to be able to lead in worship. 

A healthy church is not a crowd but a family of interacting and fellowshipping believers or called out ones as the term, ekklesia, from the Greek implies.  Some churches give no opportunity to get to know the members and one can get lost in the crowd or lost in the shuffle--nothing against so-called mega-churches if they have interacting "mini-churches" or subunits that give the members the opportunity to reach out individually and exercise their spiritual gift.  Each member has a ministry to the church members and a mission to the unsaved.  Most of all the church is an organism, not an organization.  Many people are rightly against the institutional church because it smacks too much of institutionalism.  Jesus himself was anti-establishment and a revolutionary in his own right--turning the world upside down.

Many people are turned off by the church because it is too much like the establishment--we need to get away from that image and tailor the church to the needs of the members and not all churches are at the same level spiritually; but we should not think we are the only church in town doing God's will(a sect or cult thinks they are right and everyone else is wrong, being the only show in town), or have cornered the market on truth and have a sort of Bible-club mentality.  No church has a monopoly on truth or has the right to judge other churches--they are there for God's glory and He has a purpose for them and the people in them. 

We don't want to be a dead orthodoxy (it must preach the Word, as Paul taught the "whole counsel of God," and not just pet doctrines or passages, as commanded, and not be content just to be doctrinally correct) but a vibrant interacting fellowship that members can call their home church.  It should be their second home and the body of believers should be their second family.  The members are in solidarity with each other and don't feel someone is not needed or isn't useful to the body.  A healthy church recognizes elders and deacons among candidates who desire the office, it doesn't make or elect elders and deacons but recognize them--this is a gift and a calling and like teaching one exercises it and sees if God blesses him and given him the gift.

Harmony and unity (not uniformity) are essential in the church and discipline must be done to divisive brethren that cause division over nonessential doctrines.  St. Augustine's dictum was right:  "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity."  The early church was known for four elements:  the Apostles' doctrine, fellowship, prayer, and the breaking of bread or communion (cf. Acts 2:42).  The sign of a powerful church is what Jesus said, quoting Isa. 56:7, "My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations." As they say:  The church is not a hotel for saints, but a hospital for sinners--no perfect people need to apply!

In conclusion:   If you think you have found the perfect church don't join it (remembering that the Reformers called the church semper reformanda, or always reforming) because it will no longer be perfect!  Soli Deo Gloria!