That Sounds So Spiritual!

Judas' faith was a sham and a travesty, a truly pseudo-faith that even fooled his comrades and peers. Things, he said, like donating money to charity, sounded so spiritual that it impressed the other disciples, but not Jesus, who always sees through the veneer.  We all have feet of clay or a vulnerability that Satan can attack as our weak point and sin that easily besets us; we even have a dark side that no one sees, like being a Dr. Jekll and Mr. Hyde.  Mark Twain said, "We all have a dark side that no one sees" just like the moon.

There are no magical formulas or shortcuts to spirituality--one must often be experienced from the school of hard knocks.  There are pitfalls along the way, of course, and we grow by adversity, discipline, suffering, and trials; but Christ was honest enough to warn of them and didn't even exclude Himself from them.  Two of the greatest hindrances to growth is indifference and apathy to doctrine--people don't think it's all that important what they believe, which is a sort of unbelief and not knowing what one believes.   All believers should "love the truth" according to 2 Thess. 2:10.  It is the truth that sanctifies us:  "Sanctify them by thy Word, thy Word is truth"  (John 17:17, KJV).

It is so easy to have spiritual pride and get on spiritual highs where Satan can attack us (known as the Anfectung, attack in German, by Martin Luther).  We are most vulnerable after victory because our pride is boosted. Elijah experienced such depression after his victory on Mount Carmel.  That is why it is so important and vital that we know ourselves and be an active part of Christ's body; we are not spiritual Lone Rangers but need each other!  The epitome of pride is when we start thinking we are "holier than thou" like Isaiah reprimands in Isa. 65:5.

True spirituality in this day of grace that will end in the day of the Lord is manifested only in obedience--not visions, dreams, voices, or any experiences.  To know and love the Lord is to obey Him as Jesus said in John 14:14-15, 21.  A. W. Tozer says (cf. Heb. 3:18-19, Matt. 28:20), "The Lord will not save those whom He cannot command.  He will not divide His offices ...."  There is no spiritual badge that we wear that proclaims our level of spirituality--there is neither a spiritual elite or honor society to belong to.  Obedience is mandatory, not optional--the Ten Commandments are not the Ten Suggestions!

There must be a moment of relinquishment to begin the walk with Christ or a willingness to do His will.  We must surrender per Romans 12:1 and 1 Cor. 6:19-20 and give God the ownership of our lives.  It's like starting a new life in Christ and putting Jesus in charge.  God will reward us for what we accomplished through Him in Him.  Who's the boss?  Jesus has been given all authority! The motto of Jesus' life was, "Thy will be done."  He didn't live to please Himself, but to please the Father.   We are responsible to God to obey because we are moral creatures who owe this to God and children of God who desire God's will.  "His commands are not burdensome" and His "yoke is easy" according to 1 John 5:3 and Matt. 11:30.  Remember:  "To hearken is better than sacrifice, and to obey than the fat of rams'  (cf. 1 Sam. 15:22).

It is a known fact that Christians can backslide from the faith, but they cannot fall utterly into apostasy but are kept by Jesus Christ and the Father.  This is resultant from disobedience which starts with rejecting authority and subsequent rebellion (sin is ultimately disobedience and proves slavery, and doesn't demonstrate freedom).  We don't turn our backs on Christ suddenly, because it takes time to drift away, sin after sin not confessed.  Christians should be warned of becoming lax in the faith and "doing the Lord's work with slackness" as Jer. 48:10 (ESV) says.  We are to "feed on His faithfulness" per Psalm 89:8 constantly and grow in grace and in our knowledge of Him (cf. 2 Pet. 3:18).  We can falter or fall into sin for a period but are securely in the Father's hands (cf. John 10:29).

We must become obedient to the faith as they did in Acts 6:7 and know that lordship denotes obedience and lordship salvation is the only biblical model, not easy-believism.  Our obedience and behavior depends upon our knowledge and knowing what we believe--belief affects action!  It is important that we become men or women after God's own heart and not display false or pseudo-piety that only memorizes the Dance of the Pious and goes through the motions, treating the faith as the Pharisees did (e.g., externalism, lip service, and ritual) without it affects the condition of the inner man. "Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart," according to Proverbs 21:2.  We must be changed from the inside out (true repentance).  Dietrich Bonhoeffer's dictum that  "only he who is obedient believes; only he who believes is obedient" sums it up.  It all starts with a moment of relinquishment that is renewed day by day--no one-time decision will create spirituality.

What is the summation of Christian ethics or orthopraxy (right behavior)?  It is to heed the command:  "Follow Me." Orthopraxy is the flip side of orthodoxy or right belief. The spiritual believer has freedom in Christ and is to be judged by no man ("The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one, " says 1 Cor. 2:15, ESV).   "... [H]e who hears My word and receives Him who sent Me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment but has passed from death unto life" (John 5:24, ESV).   Paul says in Romans 8:1 that "there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ."

Volumes have been written on this:  the most famous being L. S. Chafer's, founder of Dallas Seminary (the largest Protestant seminary in the world), He That Is Spiritual.  The term "spiritual Christian" doesn't mean that they are a category, like Chafer thought, in that we have a class of carnal believers, too.  Chafer made a false dichotomy from his misinterpretation of dispensationalism--he got carried away with his application.  It is only definitive in the sense that every Christian is in the Spirit though he may have periods of carnality or of being in the flesh, obeying the old man or sin nature.   

The spiritual believer hears God's voice through conscience, circumstance, nature, dreams, visions, preaching, prophesying, or the Bible itself, which is the main methodology.  Yes, God hasn't retired dreams and visions, and just because He speaks through the Word plainly if we are prepared spiritually, He has not precluded an audible voice from above--though this is not the usual or conventional way.  C. S. Lewis wisely puts it this way:  "He whispers in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, and shouts in our pains."  Being obedient he walks with God in daily fellowship and communion because he does His will, even performing the good deeds preordained for him to do to God's glory being manifest through him.  It boils down to having a relationship with God, not just a philosophy about God--he knows God!  Pseudo-piety, like saying, "I don't read books about the Bible, I just read the Bible itself" are not scriptural, as Paul wanted his parchments and books from Timothy. We need to learn to profit from what God has revealed to other students of the Word as our heritage.

Prayer is one acid test of knowing God (some have indeed been anointed for this, and some others don't even know how to put their petitions into words). God hears us and doesn't turn a deaf ear.  The problem is that some people are spiritually hard of hearing!  God will hear us on conditions:  We must hear Him.  Before Samuel spoke to God, God spoke to Samuel, "Speak, for thy servant hears!"  Job 33:14-15, 16a, ESV:  "For God speaks in one way, and in two, though man does not perceive it.  In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men, while they slumber on their beds, then he opens the ears of men ..."  The cliche that Christianity is a relationship, not a religion still is valid, because all religion does show man's achievement and not God's accomplishment.  Samuel later said to Saul:  "To hearken is better than sacrifice [outward show of religion]" (cf. 1 Samuel 15:22).  Francis Schaefer wrote, "He Is There and He Is Not Silent."  The Shema Hebrew for "to hear"), or credo of the Hebrew liturgy, (Deut, 6:4-9, 11:13-21; and Numbers 15: 32-41) stresses this point.  God wants us to listen up and pay attention when He speaks!  "Today, if you hear His voice ..." (Cf. Heb. 3:7; Ps. 95:7-8).

We must not only obey but do it wholeheartedly and not half-heartedly as Saul did.  Joshua followed the Lord with his whole heart and David desired to do God's will (cf. Ps. 40:8).  Joshua 22:5 (ESV) says:  "Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and to cling to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul." Again in 2 Chronicles 31:21 (ESV) it is written:  "And every work he undertook ... seeking his God, he did with all his heart, and prospered."  Again it is written in 2 Chr. 16:9 that "the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him...."  Jesus rebuked the Pharisees and scribes:  "This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far away from me;  in vain do they worship me..." (Matt. 15:8-9, ESV).

To conclude, just because we are spiritual doesn't necessitate everything becoming spiritual.  We don't "spiritualize" everything and relegate mundane activities to the "unspiritual" while we do the Lord's work.  Today we have celebrity Christian artists who seem so "spiritual" but every believer is so "spiritual" when they are doing God's will and with their gift--that's what they do, so don't compare yourselves.   Martin Luther made it clear that our whole lives are offerings to God and Brother Lawrence wrote The Practice of the Presence of God to show a living and vital relationship with God, even while washing dishes.  We cannot expect to walk on cloud nine all our lives even if we've had mountain-top experiences and get into a spiritual high.  Paul sums it up thus:  "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"  (Philippians 4:8, ESV).  God doesn't want us to depend on feelings but to grow in our faith, which is what pleases Him (cf. Heb. 11:6).    Soli Deo Gloria!

Jesus' Impression On Men

"The law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ"  (John 1:17, NIV).
Jesus said, "He who is of the truth hears My voice."

No matter who Jesus talked to He left a deep impression as the personification and embodiment of truth, enlightening everyone along His path.  Pilate asked the question, "What is truth?" (John 18:38). He was a little ahead of his time, as people in this postmodern era echo similar queries. They teach us today that you can know nothing for certain, and they are certain of that one truth!  Just saying, "Truth is relative" has little truth-value, since it is also relative, that's a truth claim.  If some posit that something is only relative, just inquire of them, "Relative to what, to you?" or "Is that statement relative?"   In antiquity, there was no worldwide or international truth that was accepted because each nation or peoples seemed to have their own gods and their own turfs where they reigned.  Romans let the locals have their own gods, especially the Jews, to whom they acted in deference to their laws and traditions, such as no images on coins.

"If there is no God, all things [including truth itself,] are up for grabs," and truth is a meaningless concept indeed (as Dostoyevsky said).  Actually, truth is what God decrees and agrees with Him. Francis Schaeffer called God's Word "true truth."  God cannot lie and is called the God of truth, while Jesus claimed to be "The Way, the Truth, and the Life." In antiquarian times might was considered right and they had not conceived of monotheism, except in the Jewish world, even though there had been a diaspora or dispersion of Jews being scattered around the known world.

One cannot arrive at the truth unless one admits his ignorance and that he could be wrong. Many searchers for truth never find it because they've got their minds made up and don't want to be confused with the facts.  The truth of the Bible is not something we would've imagined or thought up on our own, but it is revealed truth--we postulate that the veracity of the Bible is at stake in our dependence on supernaturally revealed and inspired truth.

Pilate didn't perceive Jesus as any threat to Caesar until the weak-willed, wishy-washy procurator was blackmailed into crucifying the Lord of glory.   It was obvious to him that the Pharisees were jealous of His popularity and were trying to keep job security and protect their turf.  Even Herod saw Jesus as nothing more than a dreamer, bumpkin, or magician that was no threat.  Herod and Pilate became friends that day on their mutual convictions.

No one is the same after an encounter with Jesus, he is transformed or hardened, there is no neutral territory or reaction.  When Jesus wanted to make a pronouncement, He said, "Amen, amen!" which means "Verily, verily, I say unto you."  It introduces a vital truth not to be ignored.  Jesus would say, "You have heard it said, but I say unto you" to shock them out of their comfort zones and as a spiritual wake-up call reminding them of His identity and credentials that matched.   Jesus didn't bother to footnote His sermons by quoting the rabbis as the Pharisees had done (i.e., the "Rabbi So-and-So says this" formula!"). He never "prefaced" his decrees as the prophets did ("Thus saith the LORD, etc. which is not self-attesting) and is not known to have quoted anyone.  It was known that Jesus spoke as one who had authority no by authority (cf. Matt. 7:29).

Jesus is the highest authority and to rely on someone to prove someone compromises this trait.  Jesus spoke of His own authority and like no other man before Him.  They were also unable to withstand His wisdom and He was so able to answer all their questions, that they dared no ask anymore.  If Jesus had quoted people, He would not have been coming in His own authority, speaking on the Father's behalf, but would have been a scholar offering opinions.  Jesus only said what the Father told Him to say.

Absolute Truth with a capital T does indeed exist and we can encounter it and have a relationship with it by knowing Christ as our Lord and Savior.   Statements can be true, and logical conclusions can be valid, but only God's Word can be called truth.  Jesus told Pilate that he who is of the truth hears Him.  Things that are wrong in the Bible are still wrong and haven't evolved with the times to be right in today's modern age.  If something is wrong, it is always and everywhere wrong. Something is objectively true whether one believes it or not and believing something doesn't make it true, nor denying it makes it false!  Man cannot achieve total objectivity apart from revelation from God.

Jesus is the source of all wisdom and knowledge and Proverbs 1:7 says, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge."   It is not a matter of some people having faith and others having facts. It's not faith vs. reason, but faith vs. faith (faith in science is still faith).   All knowledge begins in faith and assuming something you can't prove--you just decide which set of propositions you are willing to accept as a foundation to your thinking and mental outlook or belief system. Augustine of Hippo said that all knowledge begins in faith and "I believe in order to understand."  He also said that all truth is God's truth, and Thomas Aquinas added that all truth meets at the top.

It has been wisely said that nature forms, sin deforms, education informs, prison reforms, but Christ transforms.   Jesus said that we shall know the truth and the truth shall set us free and He is not talking about knowledge of facts or education, but of knowing the truth in Him and being set free by it--only Jesus can set a soul free from its bondage to sin.  Jesus is still in the business of changing lives and God is still in the resurrection business, and the Bible is not for increasing our knowledge but transforming our lives as the living Word of God.  However, "to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge" is the key to victory and assurance (cf. Eph. 3:19).  Soli Deo Gloria!

A Dangerous Knowledge

You've probably heard it wisely said that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.  Some people also know enough to be dangerous, especially knowledge of the Bible.  No one has a monopoly on the truth and can speak for the Church ex-cathedra all by himself, of his own authority--the Bible is the sole authority and arbiter of truth.  We must be careful not to acquire an exclusive mindset and think we have arrived at the truth that no one else knows--that they need to be clued in or privy to it. The Gnostics were one of the original cults who thought along these lines.  The Bible doesn't beat around the bush as to the way of salvation and requires no secrets.  No one has cornered the market on truth and can say that they are right and everyone else is wrong if they don't join their church or sect.  We still see some churches with this Bible-club mentality today as they cling to one translation and call themselves "King James-only" readers.

We've got to be careful not to think that because we are better informed that we are a cut above other Christians.  Ignorance isn't bliss (Proverbs 24:5 says that "a man of knowledge enhances his might" (ESV) and Sir Francis Bacon also said, "Knowledge is power."), but knowledge can puff up according to 1 Cor. 8:1.  No church has exclusive rights to your mind and you don't stop questioning authority or give up thinking when you join a church but are advised to be as noble as the Bereans of Acts 17:11 who searched the Scriptures to see if the things were so that Paul preached.

Knowledge should not be an end in itself but have purpose and application, or it leads to arrogance, and, worse yet, intolerance of those with other views.  Remember the dictum of Augustine:  "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity."  We are never to judge our brother solely because we disagree with him on a questionable or disputable doctrine--agree to disagree and disagree without being disagreeable.  We need biblical savvy, however, to confront error and heresy in the church (and this polemic fight is not popular in today's church). In the last days, many will bail out theologically according to 1 Tim. 4:1.  The best line of defense against being led astray is to have a sound foundation in doctrine and not to drink of only one fountain or preacher, so to speak--get other opinions and views and don't bail out theologically, but learn to "contend for the faith" (cf. Jude 3, ESV).

Hosea said, "My people perish for lack of knowledge" (cf. Hos. 4:6).  In v. 14 he says, "[A]nd a people without understanding shall come to ruin" (ESV).  Also:  "Therefore my people go into exile for lack of knowledge" (Isa. 5:13, ESV).  God puts no premium on ignorance and "fools despise wisdom and instruction" (cf. Prov. 1:7, ESV).  Doctrine is not mumbo-jumbo gobbledygook but all Scripture is profitable for it; another name for it is teaching or what the Bible teaches about a subject. I'm hoping to whet your appetite so that you will realize that doctrine gives a point of view or a frame of reference to interpret things.  We must know the scoop, the lowdown, or the skinny, as it were, and be in the know, theologically, to be protected from the onslaught of the doctrines of demons--going on to maturity and leaving the elementary doctrines of faith and repentance per Heb. 6:1.

In summation, beware the brother who is overconfident in his superficial knowledge of the Bible and becomes contentious, judgmental, argumentative, or divisive.  Education is really going from an unconscious to a conscious awareness of our ignorance, and the more we learn the more humble we ought to be.   

We all need to know the scoop, the lowdown, or the skinny in the world of theology to navigate faithfully through the Word, i.e., to know our way around the block in the Word with correct interpretation and application. In the last days, according to 2 Tim. 4:3, many will bail out theologically, and 1 Tim. 4:1 says even believers will give heed to seducing spirits, or doctrines of demons.

Today's Eastern philosophy predominates with the New Age (the Age of Aquarius) and its many Buddhist and Hindu applications are stealing people away from the truth of Scripture by an experience with the occult or Eastern religion. We need to be informed of a balance of doctrine and know what we believe (the problem with today's youth is that they largely don't know what or why they believe). A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing and when we think we've cornered the market or have an exclusive mindset (no one has a monopoly or has all the truth!) or if we seek knowledge for its own sake, we've misused it. Knowledge must not remain theoretical but must have an application and become real to the person's experience.

Not many are mighty in the Scriptures, but we all need to train to show ourselves approved unto God (cf. 1 Pet. 3:15). The Bible warns that "knowledge puffs up!" (Cf. 1 Cor. 8:1). One of God's peeves is that man perishes through lack of knowledge or ignorance (cf. Hos. 4:6). Ignorance is not bliss, but it binds you and opens you up to being led astray. Don't you sometimes just thirst for the unadulterated truth of God: sometimes there's no knowledge of God in the land as Hos 4:1 says.

The biggest error Christians have in acquiring knowledge is to be over-influenced by one teacher and drink of only one fountain, as it were--this is a good way to lose perspective and to be led into error. Indeed, there are Christians who are like bulls in china shops, or more accurately, like Dennis the Menace! Their middle name is trouble and their head knowledge is way above their application of it.

How Big is Your God?

A recent book by J.B. Phillips, Your God Is Too Small, was popular in Christian circles a while back and it was concerned with the fact of confining or defining God and putting Him into a box or limit as if we can analyze Him to spec.  God is without definition or limit and is infinite as the Greeks said, "The finite cannot grasp the infinite."  This is called the profundity or incomprehensibility of God and we will never fully know Him throughout all eternity simply because we are finite creatures.  There is always more than we can apprehend.  What can be known, however, is given us in the person of Christ.  Christianity is a revealed religion, not speculation or imagination, myth or fable, but history and revelation in the incarnation of God Himself.  All that we know about God is in the Scriptures, not in our own fabrications or subjectivism.

C. H. Spurgeon said, "The highest science, the loftiest speculation, the mightiest philosophy, which can ever engage the attention of a child of God, is the name, nature, the person, the work, the doings, and the existence of the great God whom he calls his Father." We cannot plumb the depths of God.  He goes on:  "Nothing will so enlarge the intellect, nothing so magnify the whole soul of man, as devout, earnest, continued investigation of the great subject of the Deity." He says nothing so humbles the mind!  If we have a high opinion of ourselves, then our idea of God must consequently be small.

In The Knowledge of the Holy, by A. W. Tozer, he entertains the idea that an "inadequate view of God is actually idolatry."  We gravitate toward our image of God and our worship is no deeper than our understanding and concept of Him.  C. H. Spurgeon said that nothing so humbles the mind of man than thoughts of God--it boggles the mind and is a mental gymnastic workout that blows your self-perceived concepts away. The query is not what can we imagine of God to be, but what He has revealed of Himself.  Thales, the first of the Greek philosophers, was asked to describe God, and he couldn't!  Eventually, Greeks said He had to be immutable, immaterial, and eternal or undefined by time.

There is only one necessary being in the cosmos, and that is God; we are not necessary for the existence of the cosmos, because we don't sustain it and didn't create it.  The Greek philosophers also described Him as the first cause, or the unmoved mover, because something or someone had to be behind it all and get the ball rolling.  Nothing happens by itself or can be its own cause, according to the fundamental law of causality, or cause and effect.  God is not an effect and needs no cause and that is why He is eternal. However, we cannot know what God is like personally unless He chooses to show Himself in person and reveal His propositional truth.

It is important to have a big God because we have big problems and we must have the faith that our God can meet them all.  No situation is too big a problem for God!  Everything is small to Him and nothing is too trivial either because of that fact.  It takes great faith in a great God to meet these desperate times, but it isn't so vital how big your faith is, but in whom it is--the object of the faith.  It is better to have small faith in the right God who is great, than a big faith in a false God.  The bigger our faith the more we can accomplish with God as our partner, because Christ said, "... 'According to your faith be it done unto you'" (Matt. 9:29, ESV).

It is important to note that we are not judged by our faith, which is a gift of God (cf. Rom. 12:3) and we are stewards of this faith to produce fruit, or it is a dead faith.  Men of old were approved by their faith (in what they did with it), as we see throughout Hebrews 11.  We are judged according to our deeds done in the body as to whether they deserve a reward (our sins have been dealt with on the cross and are paid for in full).   "He will render to each according to his works"  (Rom. 2:6, ESV).  The hall of faith in Hebrews 11 mentions that these saints were commended for their faith, but note that it was faith in action that mattered;  "By faith Abraham obeyed ...."   Anyone can say they have faith, but the faith you have is the faith you show!  Jesus rebuked the disciples for their small faith, but at least that is better than no faith.  He also said it only takes faith the size of a mustard seed to move mountains.  To move a mountain, so to speak, we need a big God who has power over everything, or who is almighty.  God is plenipotent or omnipotent, as theologians say.  Nothing is a problem, hassle, or a big deal to God, you might say.

Thoughts of God are meant to humble the mind because we will never grasp Him fully.  When we say things like, "I like to think of God as a kind, old, sentimental grandfather who dotes on his grandchildren, even spoiling them," I am putting God in some prefabricated box and making Him out as one-dimensional.  While we live in four dimensions of the space-time continuum, God may live in many more than that.  We can also do this by believing He is primarily a cosmic killjoy, kind Father Time, a mean judge, the man upstairs, the Great Spirit in the sky, cosmic energy or force, or even a genie who gives us our wishes in prayer.  We must not limit God in this way, but must see the whole picture as revealed in Scripture, and put God into the full equation of our reality. Having a biblical conception of God will give faith in any circumstance and be big enough for any problem we encounter without being unbalanced.

Will Durant, a historian, has said that the "greatest question of our time is whether man can live without God."  Solzhenitsyn has said that man has forgotten God!  We must put God into the calculus to live right and any worldview without Him is bleak and gives man no dignity:  Without God we are nothing; with God, we have extrinsic dignity, being created in the image of God, and not being glorified algae that came to life by some fluke of nature.  If we don't have a big God we have a small image of ourselves and the answers to the questions:  How did I get here?  Why am I here? and Where am I going? go unanswered and man has no purpose and meaning in life but to avoid pain and seek pleasure as animals in heat.  And so there is value in knowing God:  We can truly know ourselves because the God who tells us what He is like in the Bible tells us what we are like too.            Soli Deo Gloria!

Teamwork Counts

"As iron sharpens iron" one friend can influence another.  "Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil....  And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him--a threefold cord is not quickly broken"  (Eccl. 4:9-12, ESV).   Jesus sent the disciples out two-by-two in Mark 6:7, and in Luke 10 He also sent out the seventy in pairs. It is a fact that "iron sharpens iron," Prov. 27:17. 

We all are part of a team and need each other as the eye needs the ear and the body is incomplete without the foot or the hand.  The body is a mind through which Christ thinks, a heart through which Christ loves, a voice through which Christ speaks, and a hand through which Christ helps, it has been wisely put.  1 Cor. 12:12ff makes this clear that all members work together and are dependent on each other--no one has all the gifts and can do it by himself.  

Paul makes mention in 1 Cor. 3:6-9 that one plants or sows, one waters or fertilizes, and one reaps--but it is God who gives the increase!  No one is meant to be a one-man show or lord it over the others in the work. The model in the book of the Acts of the Apostles is teamwork such as Paul and Silas, or Barnabas and Mark, and this book is the paradigm for evangelism technique.

The Great Commission was given to the Church at large and it is to be done cooperatively, though we are each individually commissioned.  This is why the duty is not just to preach the gospel and make converts, but to teach them to do all that Christ commanded and to baptize, and disciple--a task only a body of Christ working jointly can accomplish.  Getting them saved is only part of the marching order.

We are all ambassadors for Christ and have the ministry of reconciliation per 2 Cor. 5:18, 20. There is no elite in the body or partiality with God and no one's work is insignificant, and he will be rewarded according to his faithfulness, not the opportunities, which are given according to ability.  "He who is faithful in little will be faithful in much," Luke 16:10. 

Don't go it alone in evangelizing because there are no spiritual lone rangers in God's service; however, the Great Commission says literally "as you are going" implying that we are to be witnesses in our daily walk and circle of friends and opportunities or open doors that God gives--it doesn't mean you have to "go" somewhere out of your way.   Soli Deo Gloria!

The Spirit Speaketh Expressly

"[S[o that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes"  (Eph. 4:14, ESV).
"Do not be led astray by divers and strange teachings [far-fetched ideas]" (Heb. 13:9, ESV).
Note that a believer needs a frame of reference of sound doctrine in order to interpret the Bible and discern good teaching when he hears it.

In the last days there shall be an apostasy or great falling away:  "Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings [doctrines] of demons"  (1 Tim. 4:1, ESV).  This not only a warning to heed but a sign to acknowledge that we are in the last days, and can see the day approaching and Christ knocking at the door.  What characterizes these teachers?  They may have impressive degrees that give them so-called authority, but they are not called by God to speak in His name because they only want to create disciples of their way of thinking and school of thought, rather than discipling believers to equip them for spiritual conflict with Satan and to complete the Great Commission, our marching orders.

Another sign you might look for is the sign today of the megachurch or a preacher that is a celebrity and has learned to preach what people want to hear as if itching their ears.  The size of a church has zilch to do with the blessing of God on the ministry--the maturity of members is more indicative.   Actually, megachurches are usually just a gathering of crowds that are fans of a popular preacher, and when he passes, the church might even be in transition spiritually.  Churches are supposed to be families and fellowships and we are supposed to be involved in it, not just attending it.

Discern good and evil as mature believers (cf. Heb. 5:14) and heed teachers devoted to sound doctrine.  Remember, Jesus wasn't educated and the only three men of substantial learning in the Scriptures were likely Moses, Daniel, Luke, and Paul.  God usually calls those that are not the mighty or noble of society.  You don't have to be a scholar to speak for God and degrees (no matter how many or how prestigious) don't guarantee a teacher is qualified to teach or preach in God's name.  However, you must be called of God and anointed to preach and you can even be a layman like Amos, who was not a prophet nor the son of a prophet (he didn't go to prophet school, as it were cf. Amos 7:14).

Something is not true because the teacher pontificates and speaks ex-cathedra like a Pope--even Popes are fallible and have been wrong and contradictory--nothing is true because someone says so. Be careful to hold only the Word of God as infallible (as Augustine told Jerome). The verification must come from the Word, which cannot be broken (cf. John 10:35), and not on the basis of any other authority!  The cry of the Reformation was Sola Scriptura, which is Latin for "by Scripture alone." The Roman Church recognizes other authorities such as tradition, which was held in equal esteem, credibility, and/or authority as the Bible (per the Counter-Reformation at the Council of Trent, 1546-48), and the right to interpret Scripture was in the hands of the clerics, meeting at the top with the Pope as Head of the Church.

One present-day phenomenon is the emergence of charismatic preachers who may be known in the media quite readily by blitzing the media with name ministry familiarity, and because of financial resources are able to saturate the public with their agenda and campaign.  We should never be impressed with personalities or anything the world can offer such as that may seem prestigious.  We should be impressed that the preacher is devoted to and teaches sound doctrine.

How do we challenge these heretics?  We must know basic sound doctrine and also know what is major doctrine and what is disputable, questionable, a gray area, a matter of opinion, or nonessential. Some doctrines are wrong, but some are damnable heresy, able to condemn the soul.  (Denying the deity of Christ is so basic as to be fundamental and a litmus test for true Christians to affirm.) They may quote the authorities as the Pharisees did, but we must quote the Bible to debunk their doctrine. Just ask them, "Do you have a verse for that?" We have the right to speak in God's name if we speak the Word of God and are true to sound doctrine as believers.

Don't be impressed with the teacher's credentials, except that he is filled with the Spirit and has an anointing to preach and teach--be spiritually discerned!  Nothing is true because a great teacher says so--we are supposed to be like the Bereans, who search the Scriptures to see if things are so as taught. They may have clever, specious arguments, but you must steer them back to the Word and ask again the question: "Do you have a verse for that?" As Romans 4:3 says, "For what does Scripture say?"| I cannot emphasize this enough.   In other words, it may seem so true and even ring true, but can you cite a Scripture for it?

Beware of high-sounding nonsense (cf. Col. 2:8), philosophy and know this for sure:  "No Scripture is of any private interpretation" according to 2 Pet. 1:21.  This is interpreted commonly as meaning that God doesn't reveal secrets or interpretations to some teacher in isolation that He doesn't to others. You cannot say that God reveals a mystery to you and not to others!  Soli Deo Gloria!

I Found It!

I recall the Evangelistic Explosion campaign in the '70s from D. James Kennedy, whereas people had bumper stickers proclaiming that said, "I found it!"   Found what? would be the rejoinder they were hoping for. They would claim that they found Jesus (I didn't know He was lost)! They wanted people to look for Jesus, I guess!  (Where was He?  They were lost, not Him.)  This is so unbiblical that I shudder to decry and debunk it. 

God was found by those who were not looking according to Isa. 65:1, ESV, ("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...."), but actually God found us and we didn't find Him--He was looking for the lost sheep and sheep cannot find their way home or to the shepherd, they have no sense of direction at all.  Blaise Pascal said that he would not have searched for Christ, had He not first found him!  The song "Amazing Grace" goes:  "I was lost, but now am found!" This means we have been found by God.  "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost"  (Luke 19:10, ESV).

You tend to find what you are looking for and if you are looking for a good deal you may get one. Gold-diggers are looking for a wealthy mate to support them so they don't have to work or can come into some money the easy way.  If we want to find God we must seek Him with all our heart and soul and as our first priority.  "Seek and you shall find." (a principle of life).   It is much more valuable to have found the Lord than to have found riches or a trophy wife as some nowadays seem to be hung up on.  If you seek riches, honor, power, fame, influence, respect, or status you may get it, but you may lose your soul in the process.

Be content with what you have and let God supply all your needs and you will know Him.  If you have too much you may get comfortable and forget your God and a relationship with Him.  Job confessed that he did not put trust in gold or silver but in the Lord.  Today many put their hopes and dreams in their portfolios and 401(k)s and forget that real security is simply knowing the Lord.

Being friends with God is like friends with benefits. God is a benevolent God and there are fringe benefits to knowing Him.  "What shall I render to the LORD for all His benefits to me?"  Romans 11:35 (ESV) says, "Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?"  Job 41:11 (ESV) says, "Who has first given to me, that I should repay him?"  There are perks to knowing God and He is always looking out for our needs, but when He showers gifts, it is mainly as a test of our faithfulness, not to waste the opportunity to bring glory to God.

I once found a $20 bill on the sidewalk as I was walking home, and it just happened to be what I needed--this was a boost to my faith!  But I certainly was not looking for money even though I superstitiously pick up pennies I find (once I had found the one penny I needed for exact change at a store!).  I can remember God answering me a prayer for one single penny that I needed, and God came through because I kept on looking and didn't lose heart or give up.  God provides our needs in mysterious ways and we should never doubt His generosity, but we are all at different levels of faithfulness and responsibility. Proverbs 18:22 (ESV) says, "He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD." As the Bible says, "The LORD shall provide," hence His name Jehovah Jireh (The LORD our Provider). 

Be careful what you are looking for--you may find it!  Some people are just looking for a good time and end up finding trouble all right! It has been wisely said by Jonathan Edwards "that seeking God is the main business of the Christian life."  According to R. C. Sproul, the search for God is initiated at salvation not consummated at salvation--"we do not find God as a result of our search for Him.  We are found by him."  The search is inaugurated at salvation then. Remember, God's pet peeve so to speak (Rom. 3:11) is that man is not searching for Him. Only if we search with our whole heart will we find Him (Deut. 4:29; Jer. 29:13; Isaiah 55:6; Heb. 11:6). 

In sum, it is a sad thing to gain the whole world and lose your own soul (cf. Mark 8:36), and this happens by having the wrong priority of not seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, so that all these things are added unto him (cf. Matt. 6:33).    Soli Deo Gloria!

Dual Citizenship

We are not only citizens of our country or nation, but of heaven itself, which should be even more real to us as we live day to day in the light of eternity. We have responsibilities to both but heaven takes priority. Paul said he was the citizen of no obscure city in Acts 21:39 and claimed to have been born a citizen of Rome.  He also says we are all "fellow citizens with the saints" and that "our citizenship is in heaven. " (cf. Phil. 3:20). 

It was said of a great missionary that when he arrived home the same time as Pres. Teddy Roosevelt returning from Africa, who got a ticker-tape parade down Broadway in New York City, that he was depressed that no one welcomed him home.  God told him, "You aren't home yet!"  Don't get so comfortable in this world that you aren't ready to meet the Lord in the air at the rapture--Matthew Henry said we ought to live each day as if it's our last, but we really ought to always "love His appearing," and look for His coming per Heb. 9:28 instead.

Why are we dual citizens?  So that we can represent Christ on earth and do His bidding and divine will according to Plan A of the Father (God has no Plan B!).  God has nor needs no other plan.  Paul called us ambassadors in 2 Cor. 5:20 and ambassadors are the spokesmen for a state and have the legal authority to speak on its behalf. We speak for Christ and are commissioned to bring the gospel to the whole world and be His representatives in this evil age. God has interests that we are to look out for and we are responsible according to our time, talent, money, relationships, blessings, resources, and opportunity to serve Him the best we can.  

But it is Christ who lives and works through us, it is not of our own power ("'Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the LORD," --Zech. 4:6), for we can do nothing apart from Christ (cf. John 15:5).  Paul said in Romans 15:18, ESV, "I venture not to speak of anything, but of what Christ has accomplished through Me."  Isa. 26:12 (ESV) says, "[You] have done for us all our works." This means all we have accomplished God has done through us and used us as vessels of honor to accomplish His will.

The territory that ambassadors reside in is considered sovereign to the nation they represent, and in analogy, our property belongs to God and He considers any infringement on it as an attack on Him from Satan.  Churches are like oases where Satan has no authority!  Like Christ said, "Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there I am" (cf. Matt. 18:20). In sum, don't get too comfortable--we're not home yet!   Soli Deo Gloria!

The Welfare State

"A righteous man knows the rights of the poor; a wicked man does not understand such knowledge"  (Proverbs 29:7, ESV).
"The righteous considers the cause of the poor, But the wicked does not understand such knowledge:"  (Proverbs 29:7, NKJV).

By definition, a welfare state (or benevolent state) is one that provides its citizens with such things as health care, retirement, and other social programs including public aid to the poor and destitute.  The Romans had a welfare state to bribe the citizenry into loyalty and contentment.  God mandated a kind of welfare to Israel (Deut. 15:4 says there should be no poor in the land, etc.) like ordering farmers to leave crops in the fields for the poor to glean (i.e., they were only allowed to harvest once and leave the corners unharvested).  Likewise, a certain percentage of the tithe went to the poor as well as alms, which were customary.  Some people say that it is not charity when it is coerced by the state; however, following the biblical pattern shows us a grave concern of God for the poor and unfortunate.

Paul says in 1 Tim. 5:8 that a person who doesn't provide for his own relatives is worse than an unbeliever, but also says that those who are unwilling to work (presumably because they are too busy getting ready for the Second Advent of Christ) should not eat (2 Thess. 3:10). Many people misquote this verse and say that if you don't work, you don't eat like Captain John Smith of Jamestown fame said.  The verse should only apply to those who truly don't want to work, period.  Caveat:  "Hear this, you who trample the needy, to do away with the humble of the land" (Amos 8:4, NASB).  God reprimands those "Who oppress the poor, who crush the needy" (Amos 4:1b, NASB).

There are people who are unable to work and should be the dependent of the state, since they have bona fide or legitimate disabilities, diseases, or handicaps--and there is nothing inherently wrong with retirement as one wanes in ability and they find they can no longer compete; however, some jobs or careers are easier to do in old age.  But it is not the government's job or responsibility to provide the people with security from cradle to grave or in retirement; however, government is a social contract and can legislate a so-called "Ponzi Scheme" if it wills to keep on supporting the retirees with the wages of the working people.  But technically, people are only getting back what they put into it and are only getting the return on their personal investment throughout their working life.

The verse in 2 Thess. 3:10 is also not referring to those who are willing to work but just can't find any--there is nothing inherently wrong with a society set up a safety net for those who are between jobs, laid off, or can't find work that fits their qualifications.  In all fairness, I also believe people should be given adequate opportunity to find work that becomes their abilities, skills, and education, etc.  This is only showing mercy and grace to those in need as if you were in need yourself.    Soli Deo Gloria!

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!