I Am Music

"Music can name the unnameable, and communicate the unknowable." --Leonard Bernstein

This song by Barry Manilow from another generation tells how much we owe to music. God actually "wrote the very first song," not Manilow's composer.   The Bible doesn't mention the usage of music until the days of Jubal, "the father of all those who play the lyre and the pipe" (Gen. 4:20, ESV). Music predated man because Job mentions in Job 38:7, "[W]hen the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?"  There obviously have always been heavenly choruses, just like the one that greeted the shepherds at Christ's birth. The Greeks of antiquity studied music under the aegis of the Pythagoreans, who "held music in high regard" and was "therapeutic for the soul." The modern scales owe their development to them and their studies.  They thought music "soothes the savage beast."  Everything to them was ratios, proportions, harmony, and mathematical relations.

Actually, all music is of God, it's the lyrics that may be corrupt or inappropriate.  That means every genre!  I don't appreciate Country, but that doesn't make it bad music.  I do not judge people who do, they just relate to it and I don't.  Some people take to Soul, Rhythm, and Blues, or Rock and Roll because of their culture, DNA makeup, or the people they hang out with.  No music is of the devil or evil per se--only lyrics and a love song are of "good report" no matter what genre it's in. Music can be used by the devil for evil purposes like stirring up evil passion or lust, but it depends more on the lyrics than the musical genre.  As I mature in Christ, I become more fond of classical music because I just love music per se, and don't care to get too overstimulated by Rock anymore.

As far as church music goes, it is advantageous to have an understanding that it must be biblically sound and not just have a catchy tune. We tend to remember them, but they may not be uplifting, edifying, and/or doctrinally sound.  I think it is vital to the health of the church to respect all manner of holy music as Col. 3:16 says (songs, hymns, and spiritual songs), and not get uptight over who it appeals to--we must all cater to each other and not monopolize the music scene with our favorites, but let all the people feel included and part of the celebration and worship service on the Lord's Day.

There are some hymns that I just love and will never forget, and remember singing them to a pipe organ or in a choir and they bring back sentimental feelings; however, worship is more than sentiment!  The passages must delineate the truth and proclaim praise to God: "Blessed are the people who hear the joyful sound (Ps. 89:15)."  The Psalms say, "Shout to God with a voice of triumph! (Ps. 47:1)."  I have been in churches where they really make use of clapping to keep the beat and this is an effective tool (however, it's just a tool or gesture to aid in worship).

The most important thing is that our hearts be right before the Lord and we are not just giving lip service and worship from a pure heart.  Sometimes people just memorize the Dance of the Pious (cf. Matt. 15:8) or go through the motions because they've done it umpteen times:  As Isa. 29:13, ESV says, "And the Lord said:  'Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men....'"  Again it is written, Jer. 12:2 (NIV) says, "You are always on their lips but far from their hearts." Religion that only goes lip-deep is not up to par nor spiritual--"He that worships God must worship Him in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24).

The Puritans were very legalistic and published the first book in America known as the Bay Psalm Book to be used as their hymnal.  They didn't believe in singing anything that wasn't in the Bible! Some churches actually rule out forms of accompaniment such as instruments and singing a cappella. Today most churches that are "with-it" have drums, acoustic and/or electric guitar, and bass with a possible piano or organ to boot.  Worship leaders are the fad and some believers are especially gifted at getting the Spirit going and livening the church up.  This is not just a passing fad or phenomenon, but the future of worship, and if you are only into singing the old standby hymns, there is a church for you that is that conservative, but most evangelical churches today get inspired by the music industry and their members like to sing the popular songs they hear on the radio or at concerts.

Music is a powerful conductor and medium of worship and an actual vehicle that helps make God's Word come alive in us--we can remember things better when set to music, for number one.   Personally, I used to be addicted to religious radio stations because I thought that was the spiritual thing to do; however, now God has just given me a love and appreciation for music in general and instead of worshiping vicariously by listening, I can study and read the Bible to classical music that seems to fit the mood and relax me.

There is a time and there is a place for all genres of music. Johann Sebastian Bach wasn't the only profoundly spiritual and religious man who was very prolific musically in the classical genre:  Felix Mendelsohn, a Jew,  became a devout Lutheran like Bach.  I believe God has given me this spiritual awakening to have a taste for the classics.  Some would swear that Jesus speaks "Country."  After Whitney Houston passed, I realized her gift of music and no one could sing "Jesus Loves Me" quite like her, yet she was largely known as a pop star.  Amy Grant was the first gospel crossover star to make it big in the pop genre. Elvis, the so-called "King," actually started his career with Gospel and had a Christmas album.

In sum, it is paramount that all worship music be biblical, regardless of genre, while all other music (and we must not be so sanctimonious or pseudo-pious, legalistic, or holier-than-thou (cf. Isa. 65:5) that we can't even listen to it at all) must just be good music and uplifting to one's soul per Philippians 4:8, (ESV), says, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things [even if secular and what I mean is that some people limit God to spiritual things]."  Soli Deo Gloria!

Watch Your Doctrine!...

Verses to ponder and reflect on:

"Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching [i.e., doctrine]"  (1 Tim. 4: 13, ESV).

"Therefore, let us leave the elementary doctrines of Christ and go on to maturity ..." (Heb. 6:1, ESV).

The body of Christ is one no matter where you go and you can have fellowship with a believer no matter what church he attends (fellowship actually could mean two fellows in the same ship).  We truly are "one in the Spirit."  But there must be commonality and unity (not necessarily uniformity) to have fellowship and you can fellowship with someone of a different denomination or doctrinal persuasion, but never think this implies doctrine is not important and that God doesn't expect us to learn the truth and be dedicated to its dissemination.  You don't have to see eye to eye to walk hand in hand--you can agree to disagree and find common ground to fellowship on--All Christians have Jesus in common and should not get so sectarian that they don't love the brethren, regardless of affiliation.

The Bible refutes the notion that it doesn't matter what you believe as long as you are sincere--the common fallacy of today's worldview. Paul exhorted Timothy to "Keep a close watch on [himself] and on the teaching [literally, doctrine].  Persist in this, for by so doing [he] will save both [himself] and [his] hearers"  (1 Tim. 4:16, ESV).  You can be sincerely wrong, though sincerity is important. We can be singing kumbaya around a campfire and learn to get along because we're all Christians (members of one church should have no internal dispute--yes--but cross-town rivals might!).

Timothy was told not to neglect the gift he had--he reportedly was a church troubleshooter, and I believe this is a sort of theologian.  Mainstream denominations are highly ecumenical in that they believe in interdenominational cooperation despite differences of doctrine.  Sure, there are major doctrines we should not compromise, but we should never major on the minors and divide Christ. This was the mistake of Corinth that had become highly sectarian. There is a place for forgetting our differences and let love be the rule of the day, like when we translate Bibles and don't want to have a sectarian bias, or charitable and outreach programs that they can concur on.  But nowhere does the Bible authorize that we neglect doctrine or its value to make us grow up in the Lord.  "All Scripture is profitable for doctrine ..." (cf. 2 Tim. 3:16).

Ignorance is not bliss and God puts no premium on it and expects believers to responsibly study according to their abilities and become genuine students of the Word:  "... If you abide in my Word, you are truly my disciples" (John 8:12, ESV).  What is implied is this:  "You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free [Jesus called God's Word Truth and said we are sanctified by it in John 17:17]."  We are not born free as humans, but in bondage to sin and must be set free by Christ ("If the Son shall set you free, you shall be free indeed," cf. John 8:36).

Paul exhorts Titus:  "But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine" (Titus 2:1, ESV). Notice that Paul says in v. 1 that the knowledge of the truth accords with godliness--there's a correlation!  It is by the acquisition of truth that we become sanctified as I quoted in John 17:17.  He also says, "... give instruction in sound doctrine ..." (Titus 1:9, ESV).   We need to know doctrine, according to Paul in Ephesians 4:14 so that we will not "be tossed to and fro ... by every wind of doctrine ...."

I don't know if there is a gift of being a theologian or if some people just have the knack for it and seem to excel in organized, systematic thinking and analysis of Bible teaching or doctrine.  But no one in the body is superfluous and unnecessary--the body needs theologians too, no matter what the gift may be.  A good theologian can identify a false doctrine a mile away and organizes his teaching and be thinking so as to be able to categorize it and disseminate it in an orderly way--let everything be done decently and in order according to 1 Cor. 14:40. Theologians have a viewpoint because they usually belong to a certain school of thought and tend to interpret things partially--remember, there is no such thing as perfect objectivity, except with God.

It has its limits:  For instance, you aren't going to convince a devoted Arminian that he can't lose his salvation--he has interpreted the whole Bible while denying that premise.  I remember that when God opened my eyes to the truth of eternal security it seemed like scales came off my eyes and the whole of Scripture was opened in meaning to me with a viewpoint (I previously had no opinions or didn't know what to believe or even who to believe).   Soli Deo Gloria!

The Few, The Chosen

Christian theologians don't have any problem realizing that God chose Israel, or even that He only saved a remnant that He preserved; however, they have consternation over believing that God can choose Christians and predestine their salvation.  We were not chosen because of our works, but according to the purpose of His will (cf. Eph. 1:5).  It wasn't anything in us that merited salvation--it was grace all the way, from beginning to end.  Jesus said in John 15:16 that we didn't choose Him, but He chose us.  Matt. 22:14 says:  "Many are called [the outward gospel call], but few are chosen [elected]." This is so we have no basis of pride! 

People generally believe they are protecting God's reputation by denying predestination, because they perceive it as making God out as a despot.  We are elect according to the foreknowledge of God, which means God loved us personally before salvation. We are elected unto faith, not because of faith (which is the prescient view that Romans 8:29-30 militates against).  Election must be unconditional or it opens the door to merit, it had to be by grace alone and God saw nothing good in a totally depraved man.  We were not inclined to come to Him but only came because of the wooing of the Holy Spirit ("No man can come to Me, unless the Father who sent Me draws him," John 6:44).

Yes, this does mean our ultimate destiny is in the hands of God and God left nothing to chance or out of His sovereignty (Jonathan Edwards said he liked to assign absolute sovereignty to God):  This means there isn't even "a maverick molecule in the universe!"  Grace is sovereign because it is irresistible according to Reformed tradition--this is stated in Romans 5:21, where it says "grace reigns through righteousness."

Who is the promise of salvation designated for, then?  "For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself"  (Acts 2:29, ESV). There are two callings here:  The outward call that we announce to the world of sinners and the inner calling that is effectual that God does.  "Who has believed our report, and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?"  (cf. Isa. 53:1).  Doctor Luke says, "as many as were appointed to eternal life believed" (Acts 13:48, ESV).  God does reserve the right to have mercy on whom He will (Rom. 9:15,18).   God quickened or kindled faith within the elect so that they got born again and exercised faith and repentance unto salvation. If left to ourselves, none of us would come to Christ or believe in Him.

Philippians 2:13 says that God is at work within us both to do and to will of His good pleasure--God woos us and works on our hearts to make believers out of us and turn hearts of stone into hearts of flesh, because He is the Potter and we are simply clay in His hands. God can make the "unwilling" willing or the unbelieving believe!   God has given man a choice, but we do not have the ability to respond favorably to the gospel message apart from the grace of God working in our hearts ("Apart from Me you can do nothing," says John 15:5), and grace prevails over our reluctance.

No one is able to resist God's will according to Romans 1:19 and God has mercy on whomever He wills and hardens whomever He wills (cf. Rom. 9:18). We have a destiny:  "For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thess. 5:9, ESV; cf. Jude 4; 1 Pet. 2:7).  Note the order of God's sanctification prior to faith:  "[Because] God chose you as the first-fruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth" (2 Thess. 2:13, ESV).  Who got saved? "What then?  Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking.  The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened [blinded]" (Rom. 11:7, ESV).

We don't necessarily need free wills to be saved then, but wills made free!  "If the Son shall set you free, you shall be free indeed." (John 8:36).  We are not born free and innocent but enslaved to sin and totally depraved.  Only the Son can set us free and the truth is the agent.  There is temporal will like what foods you like and you do have the power to choose them, but spiritual and/or moral freedom is not granted--Adam had it and lost it and we are in Adam, our representative who lost it for us before salvation, when we are in Christ and set free.  John 6:44 says that no one can come to the Father unless He draws him and v. 65 says it must be granted by the Father.

Apart from Christ, we can do nothing (cf. John 15:5).  If left to ourselves, none of us would've chosen Christ!  No one can resist God's will according to Romans 9:19 and our salvation doesn't depend upon human will according to Romans 9:16. ("It is not of him who wills.....").  God's sovereignty is not compromised nor sacrificed because of our wills--He remains 100 percent in control of all events and things per Ephesians 1:11 (ESV), which says God "works all things according to the counsel of his will."

The only way our will could be considered free is that we feel no outside force and never do anything we don't want to do--God doesn't coerce us against our wills but makes the unwilling willing.  We are never forced to do what we do not want to do.  We do make choices but God decides what the choice is and He knows how we will respond and can manipulate or orchestrate whatever events He wills to precipitate His divine, decreed, sovereign will. Free will must be seen only as the ability to make choices based on our desires uncoerced. 

In sum, our salvation does not depend upon our wills (they are so little of the equation that depends on God being sovereign anyway--as He orchestrates all events providentially):  "So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God who has mercy" (Romans 9:16, ESV).   Soli Deo Gloria!

The Authentic "Imitation Of Christ"...

Thomas a Kempis, Thomas von Kempen in German, (1380-1471), wrote The Imitation of Christ in the 15th century as a German Roman Catholic whose devotional work was highly original, but extremely mystic and introspective; however, it is one of the most widely read Christian books of all time, but many believers have gotten the wrong impression of imitation (note that only the Bible has been translated into more languages than this book).

A theologian has said, "The Christian life is not hard--it's impossible!"  People mistakenly believe that the Sermon on the Mount is the essence of Christianity as ideals to live by and especially the Golden Rule as the summation of Christian ethics.   Some churched souls memorize the Dance of the Pious, learn Christian jargon, or try to behave like a Christian in the flesh, but they can never measure up--it's not about keeping up a reputation or appearances, but knowing Christ and making Him known by letting others see Him in you!  

We need to be real people, not ideal people for Christ to use us. We have to stop coming up with our "to-do lists" or taboos that make Christianity appear to be a catalog of rules or guidelines to be adhered to, and forget that the objective is to know Christ and enjoy a living, growing relationship or fellowship with Him--as He opens our eyes!  The Key: "For if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law" (Gal. 5:18, ESV). Jeremiah also said that, if we boast, let it be that we know the Lord (cf. Jer. 9:24).

Galatians 2:20 says that Paul was crucified with Christ, but "the life that he now lives in the flesh he lives by the faith of the Son of God."  This verse should be highlighted for three reasons:  We seek a relinquished life, a surrendered life, a substituted, an inhabited, and an exchanged life to grow as believers. ("Christ in you, the hope of glory," cf. Col. 1:27).   We want God to reveal His Son in us.  Surrender is the key, not to try to copy His nature in the flesh. We are to "present our bodies a living sacrifice" per Romans 12:1. Jesus wants us to die to self and live for Him, not give up things or obey someone's list for Him.  Note this it is not as much imitation of Christ, as inhabitation by Him.  

It is not as much as always asking the so-called question "What would Jesus do? [W.W.J.D? Sometimes we don't know!]" as much as being sensitive to the Spirit's guidance and LISTENING to His leading and still, small voice (we should be a natural at this and know this voice!) and just surrender to His will, which you can only do if you have the Spirit in the first place--relinquishment is just saying, "Thy will be done" to God as Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane.

As we mature in Christ and learn to walk in the power of the Spirit we learn to be guided and led by Him.  "As many as are led by the Spirit these are the sons of God."  The command to be constantly filled with the Spirit in order to bear fruit as evidence is elementary (cf. Ephesians 5:18).  When you have the Spirit, God fills you with His love as the litmus test of discipleship, and you naturally grow in resemblance to Christ, called sanctification.  

We must come to the fork in the road where we let Christ live through us and stop trying to copy Him in our own strength.  As Jesus said in Matt. 5:48 that we are to be perfect (mature) as our Heavenly Father is perfect, but we must realize that perfection is the standard, but the direction is the test.  The answer:  "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh" (Gal. 5:16, ESV).

The danger of legalism is that one sees "sins" and not "sin."  One gets preoccupied with some sin or pet sin that especially seems offensive to them and fails to see that the real issue is the old sin nature that is causing the problem.  Jesus forgave us for what we did (sins) by justifying us, and cleanses us from what we are (sin) by the process of sanctification. There is no such thing as a doctrine of "perfectionism" or "entire sanctification" as some denominations term it--we never approach a point of being sinless or of being incapable of willful sin. 

The qualification for church membership is recognition that we don't qualify;  "no perfect people need to apply!"  The story of David in the Old Testament comes to mind:  He fell into egregious sin and repented in Psalm 51, and also prayed in Psalm 19 that he would never commit "presumptuous sin"--we are capable of this too!  Recollect how David said, "How the mighty have fallen" about King Saul, and realize that we are not immune from Satanic attack or of falling away from the Lord in backsliding if we give the devil an opportunity.

It was said of Puritan revivalist and theologian Jonathan Edwards that "his doctrine was all application, and his application was all doctrine." In other words, don't go beyond that which is written (cf. 1 Cor. 4:6).  Caveat:  This is a paradox because we are not to get so theoretical and academic in our preaching that there is no application--we must learn to relate to Scripture.  Christ's "yoke is easy and His burden is light" according to Matt. 11:30.  

We need to learn to apply ourselves to the Word of God, and apply the Word of God to ourselves!   Our application must stay within the Bible's guidelines, and we should give people the opportunity to apply it to themselves and not micromanage their lives--we give them suggestions, stimulate, or motivate their spirits instead.  As Paul said in Galatians 5:1 (ESV):  "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery."  Soli Deo Gloria!

Reading/Teaching With A Purpose

It is vain to read Scripture like you would a novel to only get the storyline and not let God speak to you in a personal way--which only happens when you know the Author!  You do apply all the normal rules of reading books to reading the Bible, but so much more.  You cannot make illogical deductions or infer nonsense or fabrications.  It is dangerous to get into subjectivism and listen to the "inner voice" as Quakers like to call it, the "burning in the bosom" as Mormons term it, or the "God within" as New Agers term it.  No Scripture is of any private interpretation (cf. 2 Pet. 1:20). We can also know so much or be so educated that we miss the point!  This is called being educated beyond our ignorance (or being so smart we're dumb), and we must also beware lest we become eggheads, who just want to know all the answers or be more informed than the next guy.  We can indeed have an existential encounter with the Word, but it does not become the Word upon the encounter--it always was and is the Word of God, whether we understand and relate to it or not.  God can speak through any passage and doesn't need for us to be educated or in the know to get a Word from Him.

What I'm hinting at without being too obvious is that some believers take an academic or textbook approach to reading and are attempting to get info or be informed, without being spoken to with a message from the Lord.  "Behold, the days are coming," declares the Lord GOD, "when I will send a famine on the land--not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD.  They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the LORD, but they shall not find it" (Amos 8:11-12, ESV).  An academic approach is akin to reading a textbook for information and is something an unbeliever can do--real spiritual perusal can only be done in the Spirit and with His guidance and illuminating power. God enlightens the open mind, willing spirit, and needy heart if he is teachable, obedient, and receptive!

Let me mention in passing that Bible teaching is not like being in a lecture hall, or a military classroom. where one is forced to listen up! There are more variables and types of people to cater to and accommodate. There is no one-size-fits-all way to teach and one has to realize his purpose and make it known.  I do not agree with outlines of the Bible in general, though there are exceptions, simply because they can give too much detail and discourage some students. There is a danger in overwhelming or going over their heads--one certainly doesn't want to "wow" them with your scholarship either.  If one really believed in outlines he would outline everything and the student would get into the habit of doing it whenever he reads and not just for curiosity sake. If one does resort to outlines he should keep them simple and to the point; however, it is better to just make introductions and summarize what one desires to teach, sparing unnecessary details.  

I've seen teachers who painstakingly outline the books of the Bible as if it can be done and God's Word can be analyzed mechanically--one needs to delimit and show restraint and reservation. This seems to be a very dry approach to me and bores me rather than spares me the details I am unconcerned with and don't relate to or are pertinent to me as an individual.   Socrates said, "Woe to the teacher who teaches faster than his students can learn."  

When we try to learn too much we end up learning less because true learning is purpose-oriented, and puts the person in focus so that he sees a reason for reading for his personal delight and insight. The fewer facts (not ideas, though) you present and the more you put the person into the text, the better a teacher you are and the student learns to study on his own and not get bogged down with the details. Getting back to outlines, there is no perfect or inspired one. and they can be misleading and give false confidence that you understand the passage. Remember, the goal is to get the student to risk a personal encounter in the Word, getting his own experience in the Word, not yours.  

The more generalized the interpretation, the more effective: In other words, a good quick summation of the main point of the book to introduce the points of study is highly recommended because it sticks, and the student can focus on it without getting in over his head. We ought to make things as simple as possible, but not more so (Einstein)!  The principle I learned in the Army stands true and making things unnecessarily complicated defeats the purpose: Keep it simple, stupid!  If you cannot make it simple, you probably don't understand it yourself--what is it saying in a phrase; can you put it in a nutshell?  What's the gist of it all and how does it apply to your personal life--no application infers no reason to study!  Soli Deo Gloria!

Present Your Credentials, Please!...

It goes without saying that Jesus was not the Messiah of conventional wisdom--a military prince to deliver Israel from Rome; instead, they got a pacifist with a whole new way of living. No one had the unique character of Christ that forgave His enemies and had compassion on the multitudes; no one had exhibited such unprecedented conduct like turning the other cheek or practicing what He preached to such a magnitude; no one demonstrated such unparalleled claims like being the incarnation of God--yet people were puzzled as to His very identity:  He didn't go around advertising that He was the Son of David, neither did He ever deny it.  He did speak in figures of speech at first but didn't always beat around the bush--His enemies knew full well what He was claiming.  He didn't have a publicity agent to promote Him, but the word sure got around that He couldn't escape the adoring crowds and curiosity seekers.

In short, no one has ever had His credentials, just like George Gordon, Lord Byron said, "If ever a man were God, or God was a man, Jesus was both."  For instance, he despised duplicity and hypocrisy in others and yet he was so straightforward and guileless Himself.  This is notable because normally familiarity breeds contempt, and the closer the disciples got to Him the more they saw their sin, not His and respected Him to the point of worshiping.

Jesus is unique and cannot be pegged or put in a box to be analyzed:  No one ever spoke like Jesus; He is easily the most outstanding personality of all time and easily the dominant figure of Western Civilization; His ethic is unheard of to the time in formulating the Golden Rule; He is the greatest teacher, lived the holiest life, has the most adherents, made the biggest impact on history, and He is by far the leader par excellence of mankind (John Stuart Mill, atheist, called Him the "guide of humanity") and the greatest man of letters, William Shakespeare called Him his Lord and Savior in his will. Without an army He has conquered more hearts, without going to formal school or penning anything He has inspired more songs, books, poetry, and sermons that can be counted!  Even Napoleon wandered at His influence over man and said, "I tell you, I know men, and Jesus was no mere man!"

Let's examine some credentials of the God-man:  His enemies concede more than you might realize in saying He was innocent blood, truly the Son of God, having no fault to crucify for, and did nothing worthy of death.  His friends like Peter testified that He was the Son of the living God, and Thomas cried, "My Lord, and my God."   The thief on the cross unwittingly said that "He saved others."  The chief priests and elders couldn't deny the miracles (it was common knowledge!) that He wrought and even plotted to kill Lazarus because of his testimony. Some of the strongest credentials are the 333 prophecies He fulfilled to the letter of at least 456 details.  He had all the witnesses you could ask for John the Baptist announced the inauguration of His ministry; the Holy Spirit was there at His baptism; the soldier at the cross realized He was the Son of God; Paul saw Him on the road to Damascus; a heavenly chorus of angels sang at His birth;  More than 500 eyewitnesses saw Him in His resurrected body at one time; He was showered with gifts by magi; (the books couldn't all be written) ad infinitum.

The sign of His virgin birth, given as fulfillment of prophecy (Is. 7:14) was a biological anomaly, but is wholly consistent with His character:  If a man lived the kind of life He did and died the way He did, you would believe Him when He claimed a virgin birth, unlike Alexander the Great, who claimed his real father was a snake!

To mention in passing that His historicity is vouched for by pagan as well as religious or spiritual sources is only common sense.  Pliny the Younger, the Talmud, Suetonius, Tacitus, Josephus, et al mention vital facts about Christ inadvertently and what seems fortuitously.  One can no longer dismiss the Scripture record as legend or myth because these didn't have time to develop and the timeline places them in the first century mostly before the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.

We would have no reason to believe in His deity had He not risen from the dead to prove it as the ultimate credential--this is a historical fact that can be vouched for by more various sources than any antiquarian fact.  His miracles were not denied but attributed to Satan--even the historian Josephus in his Antiquities of the Jews claimed miracles done and the Jews never denied this.  The point is that He didn't just do fantastic miracles to attract attention, on-demand, or for selfish reasons, but only as signs of His nature and out of compassion.  In multiplying the loaves He was proclaiming Himself as the Bread of Life; in raising Lazarus as the Resurrection and the Life, etc.

In application, we have to realize that we present Jesus to the world and people look at our personal credentials:  What manner of person are we or what are we really made of in a crisis?  Our testimony shows our true colors and there comes a time when our actions may speak louder than our words.  To some people, Jesus would never measure up because He isn't what they are looking for; and likewise, we will be rejected by the world and we must learn that the world hated Him and will hate us also. We have the honor to bear our cross, which pales in comparison to His, and to suffer for Jesus in ways that He never did to complete them and so that we can share the fellowship of suffering as Paul did and said in Philippians 3:10 (ESV) which says, "[T]hat I may know him and the power of his resurrection and may share his sufferings [the fellowship of His sufferings] ...."

In sum, John couldn't have said it more clearly:  "This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true" (John 21:24, ESV).  I appeal to no higher authority than Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith, because He is the highest authority and is self-attesting.  This means that Jesus measures up and to appeal to any other authority than to Him is to dethrone Him and exalt that authority to God-like status.  Soli Deo Gloria!

The Gateway To Hades

"Wretched man that I am!  Who will deliver me from this body of death?  Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!  So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin" (Romans 7:24-25, ESV).

"A fool vents all his feelings, but a wise man holds them back" (Proverbs 29:11, NKJV),

"I see the better things and I approve them, but I follow the worst."  (Ovid, a Roman poet of antiquity).
"The road to hell is paved with good intentions."  --C. S. Lewis
Note:  From this post, I hope to show you that the sin crescendo is the malady spiraling out of control and that Christ is the only cure and answer.

They say that all who entered here (hell) should give up all hope. They toyed with the devil and reaped what they sowed.  They have made the final decision, step by step to go the way of the devil by the exercise of their own will and cannot blame God for their fate, that they claimed they didn't see coming. They made their decision one step at a time knowing what they were doing and not being forced to do anything they didn't want to do.  Sin is like that:  It is like a gateway drug that leads to dangerous drugs and further addiction, seeming harmless at first, but then there's no turning back after the point of no return--you become enticed as it's slave (you are now a confirmed and possibly  a hardened sinner) and the only hope is to be set free by Jesus, who is "the Way, the Truth, and the Life" (cf. John 14:6).  A. W. Tozer said, "Jesus is not one of many ways, nor the best way, but the only way!"

An example of the progression of sin from Colossians 3 is lying leading to abusive speech, leading to slander or character assassination, leading to malice, then wrath, then finally outbursts of anger, and Jesus equated anger with murder (cf. Matt. 5:22)!  How do people get addicted to sex?  Greed leads to evil desire, then passion or lust, then impurity, then acted out sexual immorality itself.  The problem arises as to how to defuse the time bomb of escalating sin before we do something that will get us in trouble with the law or what have you. Psychologists have a term that may be helpful: Opposite action.  To neutralize greed, for example, be thankful!  To neutralize anger, forgive! Sin is a contrary spirit to God (man's declaration of independence from God) and we must learn to undo it by reversing its appeal with "opposite action."  Sin may seem harmless in incubation, but when hatched it is dangerous and must be recognized for what it is:  Calling it by other names or denying it will do no good (some believers are in denial, when the first step to recovery is simply admitting you are powerless to overcome it alone), and denial will only compound or postpone the problem.  Call a spade a spade and don't invent or concoct pretty names for your sin.

Everyone has some trigger sin that leads to a chain reaction if not checked. Sometimes there may be cues that we need to avoid and flee immorality like it is written.  We can even have pet sins that we tend to be lax about and tolerate, but fail to realize their danger and nip it in the bud like they say in slang wording.  We all have a sin which easily besets us according to Hebrews 12:1 and needs to recognize and admit this.  Sin at any level is a dangerous thing to flirt with and to experiment with. "The eye is never full of seeing," and that is how innocent looking [which isn't necessarily sin, but letting the imagination get carried away is], and curiosity and finally addiction to boot can take over a person's life, and he ends up becoming a pervert--there will be no perverts in heaven.  I've heard people admit to being a "dirty old man" and thought nothing of it, but God frowns and condemns any such acting out of perverts' fantasies.  There is only one solution:  "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh" (Gal. 5:16, ESV).

All this means this:  You must learn to walk with the Lord in fellowship by keeping short accounts of your sins and confessing them per 1 John 1:9 in the ESV ("If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [unmentioned ones]"). Remember we all have our individual issues and all of us have feet of clay (flaws not readily apparent), and Jesus sees through the veneer.  We have two natures: The one that gets fed the most will dominate your behavior!  You cannot be spiritually starved and expect to get the victory!  In sum, the antidote to sin is a close walk with the Lord and a spirit of gratitude and praise: "Enter His gates with thanksgiving, his courts with praise!" (Psalm 100:4, ESV). But note well:  "If I regard iniquity in my heart the LORD will not hear me" (cf. Psalm 66:18).

How does a person become a slave to his own sin?  He thinks it's okay to fudge a little and become lax, i.e., he doesn't see it coming and lets the little sins slide not taking holiness and sanctification seriously.  Three people didn't see their sinful downfall coming on the day of Christ's crucifixion:  Pilate had long given in to public pressure and expediency and finally caved to public opinion and compromised his own morals and Rome's standards to boot; Judas had been flirting with Satan and listening to his ideas, like when Mary anointed Jesus, and it was only a small step after already opening the door to Satan to give in to the temptation to betray him; Peter was impetuous and compulsive and didn't think before he spoke often and thought too highly of himself and his flesh got the best of him on that night.  So the three gave in to the world, the devil, and even the flesh: The big three are our enemies also!  In fact, we are our own worst enemy just like the cartoon character Pogo of Walt Kelley fame said, "We have met the enemy, and he is us."  Sometimes we have to reach rock bottom before we realize our own nature and repent or find God like Peter did when Christ reinstated him. If we don't know what God is like we will never know what we are really made of either.  Judas felt remorse, but not true repentance, and did not match it with faith in forgiveness from Christ, because he didn't know Him.

We all have to know ourselves and our weaknesses because others may figure us out and learn how to push all the wrong buttons.  The Greeks sought to "know thyself" as well as to "know God."  The two go hand in hand and compliment each other.  Knowing God helps you know yourself and see yourself for what you really are and in the true light.  The fool gives full vent to his rage according to the Bible. We all need an outlet but we must learn to be angry and not sin or do something we'll regret. Most of us have experienced losing it, or giving someone a piece of our mind, or letting them have it at some point. Some believers have anger management problems but don't realize they are nurturing sins that feed into this vicious cycle of anger and regret over it. Personally, I have learned to know myself well enough to know how the devil tempts me and to avoid those situations (i.e., watching certain TV channels), and so nip it in the bud--don't open the door to Satan or given him a beachhead or opportunity to use you for his will or to be captive to his spirit.  It is easy to get carried away when you don't know yourself and how the devil uses you when you are at your weakest--he likes to catch you on a "spiritual high" and whenever you've done something for the Lord he will counterattack to neutralize you and put you out to pasture, so to speak, being of no benefit to God's will.

Sin is like a chain reaction or a domino effect that must be stopped dead in its tracks!  It could also be pictured as a roundabout that you cannot get off or a vicious circle that goes for infinity.  The only escape is to be delivered by Christ who paid the price to set you free--we have the power to live in the Spirit, not permission to live in the flesh!  Sin is slavery and bondage, and there is no freedom but in Christ.  No other religion names sin as the issue to man's evil and offer the solution of atonement--other religions offer philosophy, works, enlightenment, or meditation.  There's only one Savior given among men under heaven (cf. Acts 4:12) though. "... [And] you shall call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins" (Matt. 1:21, ESV).  You don't need to be enlightened or turn over a new leaf or make a New Year's resolution, but to repent and this can only be done by God's grace as you come to Him in sincerity and throw yourself at His mercy, realizing your helpless and hopeless state without Him.  You have to realize your spiritual bankruptcy.  Einstein said that it is easier to denature plutonium than the evil nature of man!  Jeremiah had a lot to say about how evil man is: "The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick, who can understand  it?" (Jeremiah 17:9, ESV) and "Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then also you can do good who are accustomed to doing evil"  (Jeremiah 13:23, ESV).  Even Moses said, "The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Genesis 6:5, ESV).

There is a way to avoid the gateway to your personal "hell":  You must make an honest assessment of yourself (as Socrates said, "The unexamined life is not worth living") and you must be accountable, aboveboard, frank, and straightforward; this means no hypocrisy or semblance of holiness under the guise of your walk--going through the motions, memorizing the Dance of the Pious, or talking the talk without walking the walk. Why?  We Christians are held to a higher standard and it is like living in a glass house once the world figures out you are a Christian--life gets complicated, inconvenient, uncomfortable as we have to move out of our comfort zones. This is called the "buddy system" or having a sponsor in AA's 12 steps.  Every believer should have someone they can level with and be honest with without any pretense from a faux friend.  Your spouse has you pegged and may be partial!   Mates (they are often your chief critic or sparring partner!) can be good, but often they just know how to push each other's buttons.  It is counterproductive to put such a burden on them alone--you may need a circle of friends or church you can call home and be involved in.

Don't be like a fish out of water or a Lone-Ranger Christian trying to fight the devil all on your own--we are not his match and woe is us when we get on his hit list if we are unprepared. We all have different thresholds of sin tolerance; however, remember, sin doesn't just happen: Satan knows our foibles, weaknesses, and faults and exploits them to the max--so beware of his schemes, especially mind or psychological games!  Let me quote Paul:  "... I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices [schemes]" (2 Cor. 2:11, NKJV).

The only way to defeat the enemy is to be outfitted with the full armor of God per Ephesians 6:10ff, ESV:  "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might...."  Note that keeping your eyes fixed on Jesus will keep you out of trouble (cf. Hebrews 12:2)!  Finally, for survival purposes, I challenge you with the five necessary K's:  Know Scripture; know thyself; know your enemy; know the will of God, and finally, know God!  Soli Deo Gloria!

The Legitimate Fear Of God

"The fear of the LORD is to hate evil...." (Proverbs 8:13a, NKJV).
"Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another,
And the LORD listened
and heard them;
So a book of remembrance
was written before Him
For those who fear the LORD
And who meditate on His name" (Malachi 3:16, NKJV).

What does it mean to put the fear of God into someone?

The fear of the Lord and knowing Him go hand in hand.  Our intimacy with the Almighty depends upon our ongoing relationship as we learn to fear Him and give Him the reverence He deserves in every aspect of our lives as we give Him complete ownership of them.  Fearing God does include a healthy awareness that God can destroy both body and soul in hell, but we are to love Him at the same time.  

You can distinguish the two but not separate them because they are both necessary to a healthy respect and reverence.  We don't live our lives in terror of punishment but in view of God's benevolence and love. Love is a greater motivator than fear! Perfect love casts out fear!  

As A. W. Tozer said, "What we think about God is the most important thing about us,"  So we must have a doctrinally accurate view and interpretation--a saving faith entails correct or sound doctrine--we cannot have a false image of God or put Him in a box, as if we could label or define Him! God deserves our fear and no man does!  Without fearing God you can know nothing for certain and everything would be relative:  "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge..." (Prov. 1:7a, ESV).

Fearing God recognizes the seriousness of sin and a quickened conscience that doesn't want to take advantage of grace.  Fearing God is also defined as having a sense of awe in much the way a child is awed by the world he is discovering and asks many questions out of curiosity.  Job 28:28 says, "... Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding."  

Indeed, to fear God is to hate evil or hate what He hates and love what He loves.  The closer we walk with God the more we learn to fear Him and don't want to abuse or take advantage of His grace.  God isn't looking for a people who serve Him out of fear, but out of love and if we do fear God in the right way, we have no fear of man. We don't become Christians just for a ticket out of hell!     Soli Deo Gloria!

Now Concerning Visions And Gifts

Paul was upset at the Colossians for letting deceivers disqualify them by "going on in detail about visions" (cf. Col. 2:18, ESV).  It is easy to get sidetracked from the exposition and preaching of the Word as commanded by relating personal experiences.  The Bible is complete and everything we need to know is written and canonized. ("[P]reach the Word ..," says 2 Tim. 4:2a, ESV.)  I have been in fellowships believers got carried away about visions of angels and revelations.  I have met believers who convincingly can relate personal encounters with the Lord or their guardian angel, yet our personal experience is meant to strengthen our faith, not someone else's.  

What I'm saying is that this is not the right track to go down for a Bible-based church--though it is widespread among charismatics wherein spiritual gifts are stressed in excess and have a tendency to downplay sound doctrine.  We have to learn that God doesn't exist to provide us with experiences and experience isn't the measure of maturity or growth. Oswald Chambers said the the true measure of faith is obedience, not experience or ecstasy. 

God speaks through the Word and doesn't need our help to make it more colorful or real--the Holy Spirit illumines just fine. A prophet is one that speaks forth to the people what God has told him and Pentecostals believe this gift is still intact and alive; however, our faith must rest on the Word of God and not on personal revelation.  

It is immature and naive to share subjective experiences without being asked to and unsolicited, because the recipients will get the impression of being inadequate or that they are missing out on something; this is why Jesus said that "those who have not seen and yet believe" (cf. John 20:29) are blessed.  In my understanding of Scripture, the measure of a man of God is not his experiences, but his faithfulness:  For it is written, "...'The just shall live by his faithfulness [or faith]'" (cf. Rom. 1:17; Hebrews 10:38; Habakkuk 2:4). We must not divorce these two concepts. 

The conclusion would be that we don't need expositors, biblicists, or exegetes of the Word if we have people getting it right from God--how do you think cults get started?  People wonder what they are missing and are tempted to follow suit into mysticism and reject sound doctrine.  You cannot trust a person's charisma or personality to lend any credence to what they say.  A rivalry between believers and personalities in a church can lead to forms of spiritual one-upmanship, and it is hard to argue against the perceived clout of someone saying that God told him such and such.  

One believer will say, "I don't need to study the Bible because God will tell me something if I listen to Him more--He will tell me what I need to know! This attitude is a rejection of knowledge, wisdom, and understanding and is anti-Christian, spiritual suicide, and not an option for the believer.

It must be emphasized that God speaks through His Word and we need to heed it, even though He is not obligated to only do so; and this does not preclude God's audible voice--even dreams have not been retired, rescinded, or made void but are still in effect.  In other words, dreams cannot be ruled out, but we shouldn't depend on them or put more stock in them than the Bible, which is the ultimate authority. Sometimes dreams and visions are the best vehicles to get a point across.  As we can see that Joel prophesied about young men seeing visions and old men dreaming dreams, but nowhere does he say they are to make them public; however, I concede this is a judgment call.

Churches should refrain from "strange fire unto the Lord," i.e., worship or testimony that is unwarranted by Scripture or the church. There isn't anything mystical about a living relationship with Christ. Bear in mind that the Bible is always the standard of truth.  "But all things should be done decently and in order," (1 Cor. 14:40).  Some people are out to promote their personal agenda, or get into the limelight by relating their subjective, personal experiences--even Paul hesitated to boast but was compelled to do so.  To this day, I'm suspicious of excessive charismatic expression in the church meeting. The spirit of the prophet is subject to the prophet and this goes for all gifts. 

Some people erroneously believe that effectiveness in prayer is how much effort or spirit you put into your prayers; indeed I concede that "a heart without the words is better than the words without a heart" though (source unknown). Some people are more stoical, others more demonstrative by nature. Obedience is the key factor in love as Jesus said you would obey Him if you love Him.

[Biblical Prayer formula: It must be to the Father, in the name of the Son, and in the power of the Holy Spirit, done in faith according to the will of God per Eph. 2:18.]  God looks at the heart, and faith is what pleases God, though we ought to obey wholeheartedly and have compassion;  our faith is not emotionalism, maudlin sentimentality, or personality.  Matt. 9:29 says, "Be it done unto you according to your faith [not feelings]."   Soli Deo Gloria!

History's Climax

It was Josh McDowell who said that the resurrection is either the greatest fact of history and to be reckoned with, or the biggest and cruelest hoax ever perpetrated on mankind.  Paul really did say that if Christ isn't risen our faith is in vain.  He also said that Christ "was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead..." (Rom. 1:4, ESV).  Because He lives we can be sure that we, too, will live with Him in eternity.  

The Jews had no clear cut-and-dried theology on the afterlife, and Jesus' resurrection transformed the disciples from cowards unwilling to stand up for Jesus to being fearless in the face of persecution.  Now they had reason to believe and had evidence to boot. Jesus also did say that blessed is the one who believes and hasn't seen after Thomas' doubts.

We don't need to see Jesus in order to believe because we have the Holy Spirit resident in us and it bears witness with us.  We have it better in this arrangement with God than if Jesus were just walking around the earth still teaching.  We have the complete canon of Scripture and the filling of the Spirit which is a superior blessing than to have been there and sat under His teaching! We are more blessed than they were! Jesus changed the disciples and He is still in the business of changing lives--you might say He is still in the resurrection line and business!

The resurrection has profound theological significance because it proves the Father accepted His blood atonement and it proclaimed His final victory over Satan and over death.  It gives us a rationale to believe in the afterlife and heaven.  We don't just have philosophical or theological reasons to believe in the resurrection, but a historical and experiential one--we can experience the power of the resurrection too.  It is historical fact supported and proved more variously by circumstantial evidence than any in antiquity.

Jesus is with us today in Spirit because He said that wherever two or three are gathered in His name, there He is (cf. Matt. 18:20). His victory is now ours and Satan is a defeated foe who has no power over us. Jesus proclaimed His salvation as a done deal and we are to tell the wonderful news concerning Him was known as the gospel.

We have a sound reason to believe, not based on myth or cleverly devised story, as Peter said. Dr. Luke said, there were "many infallible proofs," Acts 1:3    Believing Christ lived, died, and rose to live is really just history; believing and realizing His resurrection in you and that He lives in you is salvation.  Soli Deo Gloria!