How Can We Love God?

Jesus said that if we love Him, we will keep His commandments.  Our love is contingent upon obedience, not feeling or maudlin sentimentality, which can fluctuate like a weather vane in a whirlwind.   Some believers are more demonstrative than others, while some timid or inhibited believers are sometimes stoical, even with secular matters they show restraint at showing motion publicly--they may be too self-conscious or don't want people to notice them or deflect attention off Christ.  The focus of our worship and love should be Christ and not how we express it--there is a no-size-fits-all way to worship!  We're all hard-wired uniquely to complement the body!

The measure of faith is our obedience and its only yardstick. "Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes" (Bonhoeffer).  Love is not merely a sentiment or getting a spiritual high or intoxication on Jesus--though it may be preoccupation!  We don't walk in the glow of some religious experience all our lives. It's not about walking on Cloud Nine all day!  We have to have our valleys to test our faith, as God withdrew from Hezekiah to see what was really on his heart.

God wants to know how we will act by faith, not feeling!  (paying "lip service," Isa. 29:13; Jer. 12:2).   For we walk by faith, not by sight! (cf. 2 Cor. 5:17).  It is faith that pleases God (cf. Heb. 11:6)--He will not say to us, "How great awesome your feelings!"  Some people just have no control over their feelings and give full vent to them regardless of them being good or bad.  Jesus commended the Canaanite woman for her faith!  The Roman centurion was also commended for his faith!

What does it mean then to love God with all our heart?  It means all that we are:  our wills or volition; our emotion or sentiment; and, of course, our intellect or mind.  Everyone seems to be strong in some area and weak in others--for we all fall short and are works in progress.  The point is that we are sincere in our love and worship and don't feign love or try to be someone or something we are not to impress others.

Our faith isn't how much we believe, but how well we obey.   Our obedience is measured by how we love with our volition and submit to God's will; our emotions may be expressed by outbursts and feelings shared with others, and loving with our intellect measured by how we use or don't use our God-given brains and talents.  We cannot say that someone is an intellectual and is just wired that way to be insensitive and impassive other ways, no more than we can say one is emotive and foolish and reckless in expression.

We must seek to love God with our full and complete personality--all that we are and strive to be in Christ (OUR SOUL, MAKEUP, OR PERSONHOOD--WHAT DEFINES US!).  That's why Scripture says to love God with all our soul, all our mind, all our strength, and all our heart!  That just about covers all the bases and shows that we all have room for improvement and growth, for God isn't finished with us yet and we all must enroll in His school of love!

Christians are in love with Jesus and He is the Great Lover of our soul, who loves us for who we are and accepts us with baggage, flaws, and blemishes and all!   The believer's walk is a romance with God and we grow in our love by means of obedience and communion or fellowship on a daily basis.

We are to grow in our love of the Lord and it's a thrill meant to last a lifetime.  All believers have a different strong suit or forte of how they express their love for God--we might do it through our spiritual gift and in our service to Christ either in our mission to the unsaved or in ministry to the body.  At the Bema of Christ, we all await the final verdict:  "Well done, thou good and faithful servant!"  And we must never divorce faith and faithfulness!

The important lesson to glean is that we should never compare ourselves to others and get jealous of their gift or abilities, talents, responsibilities, or opportunities.  There are two common errors in the body:  gift projection, whereby we expect others to be like us; and gift envy, whereby we wish we had someone else's gift--we will all be judged individually and personally!  CAVEAT:  Don't let someone belittle your gift!   Christians are lovers in essence and what the world needs is more Christian love (our primary gift), according to Bertrand Russell, British mathematician and an atheist philosopher.

Christ didn't found an empire on war or the sword, but by being the Emperor of Love, according to Napoleon Bonaparte.  NB:  Christ never asks us to do anything He didn't do--He gave all for us and we must return the favor by denying ourselves, taking up our cross, and following Him, as our expression of love.  The expression of love is self-sacrifice, the opposite of being selfish and living for oneself--love gives of oneself sacrificially!  Remember who gave the ultimate sacrifice for us--His all!

A measure of our love for God can be seen in how we love our neighbor and especially the brethren too!   This is love in action and love applied!   He who loves another has fulfilled the law, according to Romans 13:8.  "For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command:  'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" (Gal. 5:14, NIV).  "Love does no harm to a neighbor.  Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law" (Rom. 13:10, NIV).  We have no right to claim a love of God if we do not love one another, for love is the fruit of the Spirit in all believers, which is shed abroad in our hearts (cf. Rom. 5:5).   The institution of matrimony is meant to be the image of Christ's love for the church and this is one vehicle for learning and applying the love we experience in Christ.  Soli Deo Gloria!

The One And Only Or The Unique One

Are there any parallels between Jesus and any other great man of religion? Muhammad amassed an army of 10,000 to set out to conquer (killing thousands), while Jesus conquered hearts in His invisible kingdom through love ("My kingdom is not of this world"). Buddha, which means "Enlightened One," (while Jesus claimed to be the Light) and Buddha's real name was Siddhartha Gautama, and he came from an affluent Hindu family and lived a sheltered life in childhood. Muhammad and his followers looted and pillaged caravans, while Jesus had no flaws in morality and his followers aimed to live by his code of love.  Jesus was from a working-class family, while Buddha had privilege, Muhammad, a camel driver, married a rich woman 15 years his senior and then took to meditation.  Buddha left his wife and son to become an ascetic, while Jesus never married, was tempted of the devil for 40 days in the wilderness, and had a close-knit band of followers, both male and female to the very end, and Muhammad set out with his army in at least 66 battles.  Buddha was appalled at the suffering of his day, while Jesus was a man suffering, and acquainted with grief, even dying on a cross willingly. Buddha set out merely to reform Hinduism, while Christ was the fulfillment of Judaism and the prophecies.  Buddha claimed that his mother was impregnated by a six-tusked white elephant, while Jesus was born of a virgin woman in fulfillment of a prophecy made 700 years prior--the kind of life He lived would be consistent with this.

George Gordon, Lord Byron, the great Romantic poet, said that "if ever a man were God or God were a man, Jesus was both!"  John Stuart Mill, considered by some to be the most intelligent man to have ever lived, said Jesus was the "guide of mankind." Bertrand Russell, the atheist philosopher, said that "what the world needs is more Christian love and compassion"--people emulate Jesus like no other man as the epitome of love in action.  Will Durant said that Jesus is the dominant figure of Western Civilization.  No one predecessor is His equal and no successor meets His standards of perfection and lawlessness.

Jesus, Himself, challenged His enemies to convict Him of sin.  Even the Koran says that He was without sin.  The crassest heretics have not denied his sin-free life either. He was flawless, whereas Muhammad had his flaws. Buddha couldn't have been perfect and didn't even claim it--he was agnostic--because he claimed to have come to "Enlightenment" after his search under the bo tree near the river Gaya, and therefore couldn't have always known the way, while Jesus confounded the Pharisees at the age of 12 and knew the business of His Father, and didn't claim to know the way but to be the way--Buddha didn't believe in God, and said that, if there was one, He couldn't help you find enlightenment, because you must find it on your own.

You cannot compare Jesus with any other man (you can only contrast), for He is alone and incomparable:  His character was unique (flawless, without sin, and it is said that He is in a moral category by Himself, and it has been well said that His character supports His claims); His conduct was unprecedented (He forgave His enemies on the cross, and He invariably practiced what He preached); His claims were unparalleled (made Himself the Son of God--no other religious leader such as Muhammad or Buddha, an agnostic, has said this); and His credentials were unequaled (His life didn't belie but confirmed His claims, His miracles were true signs and consistent with his nature, and not just for show or selfish reason of profit, and even His enemies acknowledge His character). The caliber of His life was such that no one could challenge His answers and authority, and accuse Him of wrongdoing or sin.

The founders of other faiths are known for what they said, Jesus is primarily known for who He was and what He did--that He claimed to be the Son of God, died on the cross, and rose from the dead! Any man can claim to be God for instance, (but you need credentials and character), but to prove it by rising from the dead is quite another!  It has been said that the kind of life Jesus lived verified His claims and you would expect the Son of God to behave like Him--there is no ungodliness or weakness in His person. There is everything we would want in a man to worship and adore and He doesn't fall short of any ideal or standard, but only inspires even the greatest of men--even Napoleon proclaimed Him to be no mere man and he claimed to know men.

Jesus lived in obscurity as a common man without privilege: He had no army, yet He conquered millions; He never wrote a word, yet He inspired more books and inspired more literature than anyone else; He had no riches, yet He made many rich; He had no formal education, yet He was the greatest teacher to have ever lived.  Jesus was not born into privilege or opportunity, but into an average working family and knew what the average man went through in daily life from personal experience.  He confounded the Pharisees with His brilliance at the age of twelve with His questions and answers concerning the Scriptures.  There was no duplicity in Him, for He practiced what He preached, yet He condemned hypocrisy in others.  Though men have conquering armies, Jesus conquered hearts and many millions would die for Him.

Who was the greatest leader of all time? Who has done the kind of miracles that have never been duplicated?   Who was the greatest teacher? Who gave us the highest ethic or moral code to live by? Who lived the holiest life of all men?  Who has the most followers and worshipers of all time? Who was the greatest philosopher or "un-philosopher" of all time?  Who has done the best for mankind? Who had the greatest personality of all time? Who sets the highest standards to live by? Who had a more profound impact on civilization, either direct or indirect (inspiring the building of hospitals, universities, orphanages, charities, and missions)?

All other men pale in comparison to Christ and no one can meet His standards of holiness.  Usually, familiarity breeds contempt, but not so with the disciples who were near Him--they never stopped admiring His perfection and even worshiped Him.  What Jesus did, no man can do and we don't compare Jesus with others but contrast them:  We don't say, "Jesus the Great," though we say Alexander the Great, or Peter the Great, for even that is an insult and do Him injustice; what we do is contrast Jesus with others and make Him the standard to judge all of mankind by.  If God became a man, what kind of man would you expect Him to be?

Of the greatest men who have ever lived, none have dared to claim to be God in the flesh or the one and only way to God.  Jesus didn't claim to be the best way to God, nor one of many ways, but the one and the only way to the Father.  Only Jesus had the "words of eternal life" and showed us the Way. He didn't claim to be telling us the truth, but that He was the incarnation of truth itself  ("I am the truth").  He said that all who are "of the truth" will hear Him, but unbelievers are those who reject the truth. In all of recorded history, no one has matched His personality and life! Many books can claim to be true, but only God's Word is Truth with a capital T, and the testimony is this: nature forms you, sin deforms you, education informs you, prison reforms you, but only Christ transforms you!

The New Testament books are not to be compared with the writings of other religions where so-called miracles are attributed, for they were written within a generation of the events and by eye-witnesses--not compiled centuries later.  The difference between Christ's miracles and those of other faiths is that they were signs of His deity, and not just fantastic, for a show, or for personal advantage. You can take the miracles out of Islam, for example, and the religion remains intact, but if you remove the miracles from the Bible you disembowel it and make it nothing.  Without miracles, Jesus would have only been a footnote in history and not worth following.   Even Muhammad believed Christ performed miracles and he did none himself (there are none in the Koran)--only years later did writers ascribe some to him.

After the crucifixion, His own followers were ready to write Him off and go on living as if they had wasted three years of their life.   It was the miracle (the great sign that He would give) and the fact of the resurrection that turned a disbanded and demoralized group of followers into roaring lions of the faith, who were not afraid of the authorities anymore, nor of death itself.  If God were to become a man, you would expect Him to be like Jesus and do miracles and Jesus foots the bill and doesn't let us down on any count.  It is one thing to claim to be God and quite another to prove it and have people die for your claims! "He spoke like no other man ever spoke"--with authority (He didn't say, "Thus says the Lord, but, "I say unto you.").

The Christian scholar Philip Schaff portrays Christ graphically as follows:

This Jesus of Nazareth, without money and arms, conquered more millions than Alexander, Caesar, Muhammad, and Napoleon; without science and learning shed more light on matters human and divine than all philosophers and scholars combined; without the eloquence of schools, he spoke such words of life as were never spoken before or since and produced effects which lie beyond the reach of orator or poet; without writing a single line, he set more pens in motion and furnished themes for more sermons, orations, discussions, learned volumes, works of art and songs of praise than the whole army of great men of ancient and modern times.

Nothing can explain Him, except the profound hypothesis that He is the living Son of God!   We don't compare Christ, we contrast Him who is in a league of His own as the one who claimed to be God in the flesh or incarnated--you can rest assured of this:  No one will ever improve on Jesus! As John Stuart Mill (considered one of the most brilliant minds of all time and an atheist) said he is "a unique figure not more unlike all his predecessors than all his followers,"

The problem with most would-be messiahs is that their character doesn't support their claims and the problem is that familiarity breeds contempt with men, but there is no discrepancy with Christ--his character does not disprove His deity, but it is consistent with it and confirms it.  No one, not even a psychiatrist could analyze Him as unbalanced despite His claims.  Christ is beyond our analysis (no one can figure Him or peg Him) and we can only be in awe as we wonder what kind of man would we expect the Son of God to be.  Who can understand a man who washes His disciple's feet, yet claims to be the Judge of mankind?   Soli Deo Gloria!

In Love With The Idea Of Jesus

Some so-called believers fool themselves because they are in love with the idea of Jesus as if they are His fans or admirers and not with Jesus Himself. They like to think of him as their buddy or cohort for their favorite cause or on their side or in their party.   Sort of like falling in love with a book and storyline but not the author!  Some sincere believers can be accused of it all being in their heads if they don't practice their faith.   Instead of serving or practicing piety, they may simply like to read about Him or talk about Him, even though this can be genuine it can also be counterfeit faith and an exercise in futility or a show that talk can be cheap.  We must live our profession and not belie our testimony so as to jeopardize it by bad conduct--we're in the spotlight as believers and must and lead show by example.  That's why Gandhi said that he'd become a Christian if he ever met one and he loved and admired Jesus but was ambivalent towards Christians--touche! Believe me, it would take a Jesus to invent a Jesus!

We must know the real Jesus, who He is in fact, not our opinion or popular opinion or consensus, nor even an imaginary Jesus or "another Jesus," (cf. 2 Cor. 11:4)"  Our faith must be built on Jesus as the Rock and all else is circumference or a peripheral issue. The most important question we will ever have to answer is, "Who do you make Jesus out to be?" This doesn't mean respect for His morals or that He was a great leader or teacher or revolutionary or reformer, but as our Savior.  For with Jesus, what you see is what you get--He demands sincerity but that is not enough we must know the true Jesus as He claimed to be: the greater I AM, God with skin on or in the flesh.  He is all things to all believers in other words...

It's plain that He was not Jesus the Great (an unworthy moniker) for that doesn't do Him justice but He led the most influential life ever lived, as Napoleon called Him the "Emperor of love."  The contrast is so great that no one can remain neutral around Him nor remain unmoved or untouched and unchanged.  "But the one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world," (cf. John 1:9, NLT).

Jesus isn't looking for an admiration society but wholehearted followers who have counted the cost. Likewise, there are those who love the idea of a church and get converted to the program and not to Christ; for instance, they love the idea of do-goodery and helping out in times of need but fail to have a personal relationship in knowing Christ as Savior. Churchianity is common in churches whereby believers put their faith in the church and think it saves, converted to the program, not to Christ! We are not saved via the church but via faith in Christ alone, not Christ plus the church!   Therefore, we must not only have a profession of faith but a reality of faith translating your creeds into deeds and applying our faith to everyday life and in our sphere of influence and circle of friends--putting our faith into practical everyday practice, just as Jesus practiced what He preached and preached what He practiced without duplicity!

What is Churchianity?  I insert this previous blog post: 

Some Christians "play" church and go through the motions of worship and never go for the right reason--to worship God--they say, "I didn't get much out of worship today!" (maybe they should concentrate on what they put into it). God condemns us for having worship without our hearts in it or hypocritical worship, this is just  going through the motions or "memorizing the dance of the pious." A real hypocrite (hypocrite means wearing a mask, or acting in a play) is not one who falls short of his ideals, but one who uses religion as a cover-up and knows he is insincere.  The hypocrite trusts in his attendance, church membership, faithfulness, or even the organization of the church itself to save him, but one must realize that it's not Jesus plus the church but Jesus alone (or anything)..

The theme of Psalms is Ps. 29:2, "Ascribe the Lord the glory due to His name, worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness." Deut. 17 (cf. Isaiah 29:13) condemns insincere and dishonest worship or sacrifice. Amaziah (cf. 2 Chron. 25:2) was known for doing the will of the Lord, but not with a true heart.

Someone has said that there are four persons that we show: The one God sees; the one you see; the one the world sees; and the one your intimate friends see. Let's be careful not to just have a "public persona" and parade our spirituality or piety. Worship should be a delight and our feelings should be in it (or we are blaspheming God--just like doing it as a "duty" not because we want to) as the command "Delight yourself in the Lord..." says. In summary: Psa. 84:1 says, "My soul longs, even faints, for the courts of the Lord" and Psa. 122:1 says, "I was glad when they said unto me, 'Let us go into the house of the Lord.'"

We can worship or be edified in a "crowd," but we need to function in a local body of believers with our spiritual gift. Rick Warren says that there is no "one-size-fits-all" for worship and there are many ways to worship. He says we believe, we belong, we become. We are to be committed to our church as a token of our commitment to Christ--they go hand in hand--and then we will grow and be accountable.

I can't stand the legalistic crowd that goes to church thinking that will make them a Christian, like going into a garage will make you a car, or eating a donut will make you a cop. They are called the "nod-to-God" crowd, which thinks it is fulfilling its obligation by a short visit to the local church, just out of guilt. The true Christian wants to worship God and wants to fellowship with other believers with whom he is a "fellow in the same ship."

I think some megachurches miss the boat in worship, you just don't hear people say, "Amen" to the preacher (where is the worship in the Spirit and in the truth?). But different people are at different stages and God has a purpose for their existence--megachurches aren't where I'm at, because I want to know my pastor personally, not just from afar.

Some think their religious performance is enough to save them. To some, it's only a formality and not a relationship. John MacArthur says, "We can't enter through our religious emotion or our sanctified feelings...Lip service is no good--there must be obedience...You don't get into the kingdom by sincerity, by religiosity, by reformation, by kindness, by service to the church, not even by simply naming the name of Christ; you get there only by personal trust and faith in [the person and work of] Christ." We can have a form of godliness and be empty. The church at Sardis had a reputation that it was alive, yet it was dead (see Rev. 3:1). We can even have "sanctimonious emotions" and not know Christ. There is a difference between knowing the Word and knowing the Author of the Word.

We can have many experiences in church and everyone has a different one, but I believe we should test our experiences by the Word of God and not the Word of God by our experiences. That's an important concept--we are not to become either rationalists nor empiricists (going by reason or experience only), but belief in the Bible (revelation) and sound teaching.

The more we learn the more we realize where the wiggle room is and what is not worth fighting about. We are to "maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Sectarianism is a sin according to 1 Cor. 1, and we shouldn't divide into factions if we can help it. As Augustine said, "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity."  Many contemporary believers will die for a church they won't attend and even hate anything resembling organization but claim to love Jesus and His church that He purchased with His blood.   Soli Deo Gloria!

God isn't impressed with our works and our righteousness is God's gift to us, not our gift to God (cf. Isa. 45:24); it's merely filthy rags in His estimation and judgment (cf. Isa. 64:6). Jesus is the model of mankind and no one can compare or compete with Him--neither predecessor nor follower alike.  We can only contrast Him and realize His uniqueness and holiness which is evidence of His deity.  Even infidels are often impressed with the moral perfection, guidance, and standards of Jesus' ethic, the Golden Rule, which has not been improved upon and is the most difficult to keep, for Christ made us realize there is a higher law than some rule or law to obey and that is the rule of love for our neighbor--love thy neighbor as thyself. Even John Stuart Mill, an atheist, said that Christ is the "guide of humanity." 

We may satisfy the demands of a law or rule but not the demands of love!  We cannot match the love of God and meet the standards He set; "perfection" is the standard but "direction" is the test ("Be ye perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect"). The point is that the "Christian life isn't hard, it's impossible," (author unknown).

It doesn't matter what we think of the president or some secular hero or villain (a typical controversial person)  eternally, but it does matter what we think of Christ!  Our destiny is in His hands and He demands first loyalty to Him bar none.  Likewise, we are Christians first and then members of a particular church or denomination. Far too many believers feel they don't need the church or any need for preaching and their lives are doing just fine without participation in the local body of believers that we are not called to forsake. The point is that no believer decides point-blank to leave Christ but slips away one step at a time hardly noticed at first till he finds himself backslidden or even apostate.  Someday he may wake up and be shocked at what has become of his faith or walk in Christ.

It must be pointed out that true love for Jesus involves obedience and following Christ no matter the cost wherever He may lead--we carry that cross with Him in charge of our lives. Jesus said that if we love Him we will obey His commands!  Dietrich Bonhoeffer stated it bluntly: "Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes."  They are tied and linked in Scripture (cf. Heb. 3:18-19; John 3:36) and we can tell them by their fruits as Jesus said.   Thus, it costs to love Jesus: salvation is free but not cheap!  "It costs to be saved, but more not to be!"

We must practice our piety but neither flaunt it nor privatize it; never to be ashamed of our Lord and always ready to give an answer to him who would question our faith and its rationale. In the final analysis, we must learn to turn our thoughts to Him and to meditate on His Word and get to know Him, for no one can do HIm justice in explaining or describing Him--no portrait or caricature behooves Him--we cannot know Him exhaustively, but can truly!   Soli Deo Gloria! 

What Good Is Theology Or Theologians?

Theology is given a bad rap and theologians are looked upon as being suspect in their testimony of Christianity as to their motive for being so attentive or even intellectual and academic in their studies.  But we are all theologians and it's just a matter of how good your theology is that matters: our lives speak much louder than our words anyway. But one cannot mature without a basic understanding of theology, though it's not sufficient, it's necessary.  One must be totally devoted to Christ and obey wholeheartedly as well.  Part of the reason theologians don't have a good reputation is because they study so-called controversial doctrines, even ones that divide sincere believers.  But we are not called to avoid godly controversy, just godless ones.

I might add that theology isn't just for seminary and that it's not too arcane for the average believer; God will enlighten anyone with an open mind, willing heart, and needy soul. But we must not revert to the Scholasticism of medieval Europe and avoid the applications.  We don't want to just know about the Bible and not know the Author or how to happy it to our lives.  We could get A's in theology in a seminary and hardly know our Lord at all. It must not be just in our minds, but in our hearts; i.e., we must love the study of God's word, even the deeper truths, for it's the infant believer who balks at learning the things of God in depth and is only able to consume the milk of the Word and not the meat or solid food.  Doctrine is what makes us grow and understand God. We cannot avoid theology; to do so is to avoid Christ!  We must seek to understand the Bible in Toto, not just our favorite teachings or doctrines as Paul sought to teach the full counsel of God.

We need theologians who do it as a discipline though I do not believe this is a spiritual gift, I do think that some teachers are more inclined to explain doctrinal truths in plain talk.

Theology is literally the study of God or Theos using the Greek. It is like a "God-talk." Theology has a bad connotation for some but I hope to clear this up.

I'm writing this because every believer ought to know his way around the block theologically and not be an ignoramus, but have a working knowledge of basic doctrine or credo.

Theology is not an abstract science like economics with many conflicting schools of thought and interpretation. It is the "Queen of Sciences" because it deals with the truth of Jesus who is the embodiment of truth. It is not a fool's errand of speculation but a revealed knowledge from divine revelation. We could not know God apart from revelation because the finite cannot penetrate the infinite--God must take the initiative because no man can see God and live.

Great preachers are those who have honed their theology to perfection and can then deliver the goods. Every Christian is a theologian, what kind of theologian is open to question. We all have a theology; the question is whether we have sound theology. You can have a sound theology and an unsound life, but you cannot have a sound life without a sound theology.

In sum, everyone has a theology and you cannot avoid it. The question is how good and sound it is because we cannot have a sound life without sound theology, though sound theology doesn't guarantee sound life and spirituality.
Soli Deo Gloria!

The Litmus Test For Believers

"Make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace" (Eph. 4:3, NIV).

Too often Christians become sectarian and deem their favorite doctrine one to divide over (i.e., they get petty or fanatic) like the doctrines of grace (the Five Points of Calvinism) are now considered the "doctrines that divide."  We are not to be argumentative, divisive, contentious, nor judgmental though, no matter what our theological understanding and no matter what camp we belong to.  Some people only believe what their spiritual "tribe" tells them, and much worse, see their political leaders as spiritual leaders calling forth the marching orders of the church. Paul condemned sectarianism, whereby some were of Paul, some of Silas, some of Christ!  Church splits are of the flesh.

We all bear the name of Christ and are brethren even if we don't attend the same services and don't otherwise congregate.  Point in fact: the man of God must not quarrel (cf. 2 Tim. 2:24)!  Some believers do get deceived by heresy or even strange teachings (cf. Eph. 4:14; Heb. 13:9), but we are to beware of false teaching by having our antennae sensitized by the antidote of the truth.  The church is the "pillar and ground of truth" (cf 1 Tim. 3:15) and we are to grow in the faith by understanding pure doctrine and not remain ignorant, for ignorance isn't bliss, but biblical knowledge gives us stability in time of trial and testing. "... Stop thinking like children.  In regard to evil be infants, in your thinking be adults" (cf. 1 Cor. 14:20, NIV).

There is no litmus test of political positions that determines a Christian politician!  As much as the Roman Catholic Church urges members to vote pro-life, that is not the litmus test to judge candidates by.  We are not to be known by our politics!  We shall know them by their fruits!  Jesus said that the test of a true believer is that they love one another!  With all the cleavage, polarization, and chasm in politics today, and everyone becoming so alienated and estranged, it hardly shows the example Christ would have us set of being involved in politics. We are to even love our enemies, much less our political opponents!    We should never be blinded by our politicians to the point that it's their way or the highway, their party right or wrong.  We should observe some principles in politics per se, and avoid some errors like the one that Gandhi mentioned in his seven deadly social sins: politics without principle.

During the Civil War, it was often clan against clan, brother against brother.  And we see the same estrangement today even in families especially if they live in different geopolitical areas. Would a mother want her sons to fight one another?  On the same token, Jesus doesn't wish for His children to wage war vicariously through their politicians.  We must acknowledge that Christ is not a Democrat, nor a Republican--We cannot and must not put Him in a box of our convenience and label Him.  That is a way of limiting God!  God is too big to fit into a party and He wouldn't join our parties and they probably wouldn't accept Him anyway.  Partisanship is a way to divide when one cannot compromise and see the other side's point of view and be fair with them.

I know we must take stands, but polarization is uncalled for and God would not have us be joined to the world-system in that way.  We are supposed to be in the world and not of it (cf. John 15:19).  We live for eternity and realize there's hope in Christ alone, not in politics. There's a broader perspective to see life through than political stances.   We cannot usher in the Millennial Kingdom but must be salt and light nevertheless and preserve our society and help it to prosper, but we are not called to sanitize it nor reclaim America for Christ, nor outlaw all sin as if that would make us a righteous nation in God's eyes.   Jesus said that His kingdom is not of this world (cf. John 18:36)!

In sum, we must resolve conflicts and not let them fester and spoil the body and learn to be like-minded and sympathetic, trying to put ourselves in the other guy's shoes.    Soli Deo Gloria!  

Overcoming A Personal Crisis

"People are enslaved by whatever defeats them" (2 Peter 2:19, HCSB).  
"You belong to the power you choose to obey" (cf, Romans 6:16).  
"O that they were wise, that they would consider their latter end" (Deut. 32:29, KJV). 
Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision" (Joel 3:14, KJV). 
"Tell me your certainties, I have enough doubts of my own." --Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German dramatist, scientists, poet, philosopher
"If you come to a fork in the road, take it!"  --Yogi Berra, Yankee great Hall of Famer

We all have come to a point in our lives when we face a fork in the road, a decision to make. We all must come to a point of relinquishment to God's will just like Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane, saying, "Nevertheless, not My will, but Thine be one."   For example, when Alice of  Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland asked the Cheshire Cat which way to go, he said it doesn't matter as long as you keep going, you'll get somewhere eventually--that is if Alice didn't care where she ended up.   We must have heavenly goals in our lives not temporal.  But our lives are headed toward an eternity with or without God in the picture--how bleak to spend it without His presence.  We ought to always consider our motives for God judges them (cf. Prov. 21:2) and that the heart of the matter is that it's a matter of the heart ("Consider your heart, for out of it flow the issues of life,"  --Prov. 4:23).

A crisis is merely preparation for what we must be in Christ--we either become bitter or better. The same crisis can evoke skepticism and doubt in one and faith and rejoicing in another the same way the same sun that melts the butter hardens the clay.  We all must endure trials for Christ's sake for the virtue of adversity is fortitude.  We must endure all trials and tribulations with eternal grit, not the grin, and bear it of stoicism but in faith (not in fate) but in a personal God who loves us and has a purpose for it all:  "He will fulfill His purpose for me." (Cf. Psalm 57:2).  God is determined to make us in the image of Christ and when we enrolled in the school of Christ we signed up for Reality 101 which includes all manner of adversity, difficulty, trials, tribulations, suffering, afflictions, and tests to measure our faith.  Our faith is more precious than gold or silver and must be tested--note that Christ was honest enough to warn us of them and did not exempt Himself from suffering.

At least once in everyone's life comes a time of testing of his character, to see if he is just going to stand on the fence or if he will take a stand for right against wrong or stand up for Jesus and declare Christian colors.  We cannot stand on the sidelines forever but must make our decision to follow Christ or not--as Jesus said that if we are not for Him, we are against Him.   We must even dare to be "Daniels" who stood alone against the king's edict and prayed anyway.  Only overcomers are able to defeat the devil and live victoriously in Christ---and this is our victory (our faith).

After the crisis, we find out what we are really made of and what kind of people we are for Christ's sake, whether we really do have saving faith or if it's a mere bogus profession.  We must pass the test with flying colors and prove that Christ lives in us by our testimony and good works, which they cannot deny even if they disagree.  We are to emulate Christ with an exemplary life and live out the gospel of Christ in our lives so that the world may see our good works and have nothing evil to say of us, even if they disagree.

The only faith worth having is a tested and proven one; if faith were not difficult, it wouldn't be worth much. We don't just want a faith we can live with but one we can die for.  For instance, if you wouldn't die for your honor, you probably don't have any.  If you aren't ready to die, you aren't ready to live!  We prove the earnestness of our faith by endurance through trial as Habakkuk did when the fields failed to produce fruit and said in Hab 3:18, "Yet I will rejoice in the Lord."  We will not know the future but can know who holds the future! We ought not to complain but realize God did something about evil--He made us!

A personal crisis is unique to us, in other words, not collective or congregate.  We all have our own crosses to bear and if we have not cross we deserve no crown, for Christ seeks to live out His sufferings in us to completion (cf. Col. 1:24).  We are all called to die to self and live solely for Christ's glory and kingdom.   It's not just about building character but virtue added to our faith that counts.  When the infidel sees our good works he may glorify God in the day of visitation  Therefore, we must never jeopardize our testimony by bringing Christ to public shame and acting like the world, for we are under a higher standard--the law of love.

The opposite of faith is despair, unbelief, fear, confusion, suspicion, and anger, or anything contrary to trusting God for the outcome and taking matters into our own hands and losing our patience or grit. Note that doubt is not the opposite of faith, but an element of it; we all live in the faith-doubt continuum just sort of absolute certitude till we reach glory. It takes courage to doubt! Learn to doubt your doubts and believe your faith.   But we have been given a spirit of love, not of fear, and God is not the author of confusion meaning we see things clearly and bear witness to the light, not darkness, and we never become angry at the perpetrators of evil against us, even the powers that be nor do we suspect God of wrongdoing or of being unfair in treating us.

We must learn to rest in peace and faith for God works this fruit in us through the Holy Spirit as a gift, winsome grace, and fringe benefit of being saved.  Just as God rested on the seventh day, we also can from our works as we walk in Christ.  But there comes a time when we stop trusting ourselves and of trying to save ourselves and lean on Christ as the Rock of our salvation; we cannot lift ourselves up by our own bootstraps and we must realize that our salvation is not a do-it-yourself proposition.  We must realize that God is at work within us to do His will and make us conformed to His image.

Remember, whatsoever is not of faith is sin!  Unbelief is sin! We must be willing to go wherever the Lord leads us and follow Him to our cross if necessary.  Come what may we must be willing to stick with Him through thick and thin, even when the chips are down, willing to say in faith with Christ that we trust God and let the chips fall where they may.  This is not blind faith that doesn't know where it's going but a trust in what we have good reason to believe to be true, for Christ alone is worthy of our faith; it's not how big our faith is but how big our God that counts.  But in the final analysis, Christ will render to each according to his faith but reward each according to his works--therefore our testimony and walk with Christ are paramount. 

If anyone had a personal crisis that we should relate to, it's the passion of  Christ from the Via Dolorosa to the crucifixion.  He had every reason to see Himself as a victim of circumstance but understood that it was the Father's will to afflict Him on our behalf.  He never succumbed to temptation nevertheless, and didn't even sin or take retribution, when at His most human of vulnerabilities on the cross.  He found the power to forgive His enemies to assure us that He can even forgive us.    Soli Deo Gloria!  

What's The Big Deal With The Cost of Discipleship?

Most con men oversell or stress the pros or upside, avoiding the negatives, the cons, or downside of a new venture if they're interested in the numbers game. Jesus wasn't interested in quantity, but quality and His apostles proved Him right by turning the world topsy-turvy.   Jesus was different and didn't want those interested in a "working arrangement" in His kingdom--He wanted servants.  What would you venture to bet in order to gain the whole world?  Your soul?  Well, you are if you don't know Jesus.  I hope it's not your soul because many do see only in the mundane, here and now, and not in light of eternity. It may seem like we have to give up everything to become a Christian, but God is only testing the motives and priorities of our hearts.  But the ante is up and eternity is the bet: where we end up spending it.

Discipleship, according to Jesus is no light matter and He discouraged halfhearted disciples or followers, who didn't count the cost--one could literally lose it all, even one's life; however, Jim Elliot wrote that he is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. Our portion is in the Lord, not in this life.  The world has their reward in this life with all the devil has to offer and the comforts of this world. So what's the big deal then and why should we follow Christ?  We have our souls to lose and eternity to gain while we have eternal reward and blessing in heaven, not suffering and punishment in hell. In some parts of the world, conversion may cost one his family or his life, so we should be thankful for the freedom of religion in our nation.

But Paul did say that all those who desire to live godly in Christ will be persecuted--try going against the grain and the popular world's ideas, or the current culture.  Christianity is indeed counter-cultural and we must be willing to stand up for right and vehemently oppose evil, flying our Christian colors and declaring openly where we stand and not on the sidelines but daring to be for Christ even if the world opposes us.  There is no neutral territory with the believer; he's either for or against Christ, being in the world but not of it.

But prosperity theology is heresy because we don't want our "best life now," but to reap our reward in heaven when Christ crowns us, but no cross equals no crown. We shall be compensated for all the suffering we've had in Christ as we fulfill His sufferings for the sake of the Name.  But too many still think that wealth is a sign of God's sure blessing (sometimes God does give wealth, but it's not guaranteed).  If our riches increase, though, we ought not to put our faith in them!  It 's the poor that are blessed with rich faith because they have learned to rely on the Lord.    The best opportunity to find out that the only thing you need is God, is to have only God and lose everything else: then one realizes the necessity and the sufficiency of Christ. 

The reward we look forward to in the Celestial City is to know Jesus, seeing the beatific vision and the membership in God's family.  We will find out that some who are last will be first and status in this life doesn't amount to anything in the next.  It's faithfulness that we are called to, not success.  Religion is what makes us strive for human achievement, not God's blessing. God doesn't want our accomplishments but our obedience and most of all He wants us--our hearts.  Soli Deo Gloria! 

Salvation Isn't Jesus Plus ...! ...

We cannot add anything to God's grace in our salvation:  it's not Jesus plus keeping the Law, or Jesus plus doing good works, or Jesus plus tithing, or Jesus plus going to church, or Jesus plus being a success.  Jesus isn't just necessary but also sufficient!  There is never anything we can add to God's grace, improve upon it, earn it, pay it back,  deserve it, or lose it once we have it.  We must come to the realization that Jesus is enough for us and seek our treasures in heaven.  When we realize that, we've laid possession of Jesus in our hearts, not just our minds.  We don't want Him as an idea, but as a Person.

John warned us not to love the world, for if we do we lose a taste or desire for heavenly things. I's simple math that the more room we have in our hearts for the things of the world, the less room for Jesus and the spiritual delights of knowing Him.   We ought to store up our treasures in heaven and be able to possess our possessions or manage our blessings or wealth. This means they cannot control us or become idols that can rob us of God's blessing.  For where our treasure is, there our heart will be also.

Those who trust in wealth are never satisfied and always seeking just a little more.  True philanthropy is rare among the rich and powerful.  They usually are seeking the applause of men because of the insecurities of their final destiny.  We are not to live for today and be just be consumers either like the Epicureans who said, "Eat, drink, and be merry [for tomorrow we die!]."  Or today, as they say, "Grab all the gusto you can, for you only go around once."  One key way to see how much we love our wealth is how tightly we hold unto it and we refuse to render to God that which is God's.  We are only robbing ourselves because the riches of the kingdom of God are greater than the world can offer. "Freely you have received, freely give" (cf. Matt. 10:18).

Some people may wonder who can be saved if it's difficult for rich people to enter the kingdom of God. With God all things are possible though and He can transform the hardest and most stubborn of hearts.  We must realize that Christ offers the road of sacrifice not very popular with the world's mindset.   For instance, the world sees money, power or influence, and morality or good works as a sure ticket to heaven or pass out of hell.  They may compare themselves with others and feel superior but they may inwardly wonder how much is enough and are never quite sure of their salvation as the rich young ruler needed to ask Christ what he must DO.

But people are addicted to doing something for their salvation and have a works mindset.  If we had to swim a mile, we'd all be at the beaches.  Believe me, if we had to do anything or if there was just one rule to keep, we'd blow it!  It's no use giving us rules to keep; we cannot keep them--look at Adam and Eve.   But God sees the heart and motive behind every deed and says that they all amount to trash in His sight and do not qualify as good works.  All our righteousness is the gift of God and our gift to Him (cf. Isaiah 45:24).

People are good works-driven, even karma-oriented, and play the "let's compare" game, even commending themselves among themselves (cf. 2 Cor. 10:12) when they see someone worse off than them.  We must understand that salvation is free but not cheap; it costs everything we have, meaning full surrender to God's economy. We must be warned that Christ cautioned us to "count the cost."  That doesn't mean that there's a special blessing in poverty per se nor in poverty vows, nor in a martyrdom complex, thinking that the more we give to God or the more we suffer, the holier we are.  We will indeed be blessed for every sacrifice but salvation isn't by asceticism either.  God wants to bless us in this life too but that blessing isn't necessarily in materialism. God blesses our endeavors as we do His will!   In sum, we must embrace the theology that Jesus is enough for us and He will supply all our legitimate needs for His will.  Soli Deo Gloria!  

Releasing Our Inner Child

Pop psychologists urge us to release our inner child or not to inhibit our child-like nature.  Too many of us are stuck in the adult mode of existence and have forgotten what it's like to be a child much less relate to one and communicate or level with them. Jesus' own disciples rebuked the crowds for bringing their children to be blessed by Jesus, thinking that was a waste of time or effort.  But Jesus rebuked them for their interference in God's plan and thinking they knew better and their agenda would be acceptable in God's eyes.  The thing is is that in God's economy there are many paradoxes and we must all become children to become born into God's family.

There aren't too many qualifications for entering the kingdom of God, the primary one being that we realize we aren't qualified, but we must be like a child in many ways and Jesus used children as an object lesson to teach the disciple a lesson on salvation. You must realize, that in Jesus' day, children had no rights and were not respected and also didn't have a long life expectancy with a high infant mortality rate. It's the same with believers because we get no respect and also may have a high mortality rate in a sense.

But by way of analogy, let's look at some of the traits of children that Christ must've admired.  Firstly, they are humble and not arrogant, they don't think they know it all and ask questions.  Secondly, they are dependent and know it and trust their parents to meet their needs.  Thirdly, they forgive and accept forgiveness easily because they don't keep score.  Fourthly, they are vulnerable and look to their parents for support.  Fifthly, they are filled with awe and wonder and are impressed with simple things, whereas adults are blase about the space shuttle and modern ingenuity.

We may be impressed with our latest smartphones and modern technology but not so with spiritual things, but even the simplest Bible stories captivate children.  Sixthly, they are without prejudice or bias and accept people for their human dignity. Seventhly, they have that inner joy of life that is lost in adulthood, few of them are depressed about their lives.

Now God breaks us for a reason, to make us outgrow our childishness and to grow up and learn to depend on God.  It is only broken people or contrite ones that can be forgiven.  As long as we have no convictions or guilty feelings we don't qualify for salvation for He came to seek and to save not the righteous but sinners. Children outgrow their childishness but some adults never outgrow their childish faith and insecurities.

We must not think God has to abide by our visions and we don't bring our plans to Him for approval but seek His will and plan and to obey it.  When we are born again we become children of God and can see life from a new perspective and vision that the world sees not because we have the inner Spirit and the mind of Christ.    Soli Deo Gloria!

Trusting In Gods Will

"But I count my life of no value to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry given me by the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of God's grace."  (Acts 20:24, HCSB).  
"But nothing, not even my life, is more important than my completing my mission..." (Acts 20:24, CEB). 
"For David, after serving his own generation in God's plan, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and decayed"  (Acts 13:36, HCSB).

"There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand," (cf. Prov. 19:21). 

We all have had come to forks in the road and wondered which way to go.  In fact, if we don't care where we end up, it doesn't matter which road we take, we'll end up somewhere for sure!  But God's will doesn't work like that: either we are in or out of it and the safest place to be is right there in the middle of God's plan for our lives.  Jesus knew this too and from the time of His youth He sensed His divine calling to be about His Father's business and superimposed that will on His, as His motto of life became "Thy will be done!"  He taught us as disciples to pray likewise and to follow in His steps.  The temptation comes to do things our way, and that is the epitome of sin--doing our own thing, that we stop trusting God and try to save ourselves by our own efforts.  But we must trust and rely solely on Jesus for salvation and not on the energy of the flesh or our own willpower.

Jesus faced a dilemma in His life when He was faced with the temptation to do things His way or the Father's way--in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Finally, in total relinquishment, He prayed, "Nevertheless, not as I will but thy will be done."  He could've decided to avoid the draft of the Father to be our Savior and just saved Himself and He'd still be God, but we would be lost sinners.  It's good He chose to die on our behalf instead of avoiding the Via Dolorosa and its crucible.  But we are to follow in His steps and to take up our cross and die to self too.  We are to live for God's will not ourselves.

We should always be assured that God knows best and also that God didn't answer some of our prayers.  He knows how to run our lives better than anyone of us and we ought to give Him full ownership.  We can be assured that Jesus knew the trials of facing these kinds of dilemmas and that the only way we can avoid regrets is to trust God with all our hearts and not lean unto our own understanding (per Prov. 3:5-6).   We have no better idea than God and His plan for us is that which is perfect and good for us.  We are to fulfill God's purpose for us and realize His will in all our ways.

The life lived for self is filled with regret, insecurity, and worry because there's no place for trusting God. "He will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee because he trusteth in thee" (cf. Isaiah 26:3).  God wants our faith to be tested in the crucible of fire to make sure it's genuine, saving faith and faith isn't worth much if it's easy!  God cannot force faith either and have it worth anything because that isn't real faith, but coercion or determinism.

For this reason, God makes faith a gift of grace and elects us to believe by grace; it's not because of merit or wisdom we have it but we believe through grace (cf. Acts 18:27). Even if salvation were by wisdom or intelligence, God is the One who makes one wise or intelligent--you cannot escape grace. "Grace reigns through righteousness" (cf. Romans 5:21).    It has been granted unto us to believe; i.e., it's a privilege!  (cf. Phil. 1:29).  It's the work of God (cf. John 6:29). God works in us both to do and to will of His good pleasure (cf. Phil. 2:13).

But we can rest assured that Jesus went through every type of trial for us and we don't experience anything unique that He cannot relate to us with as a human (cf. Heb. 2:18).  "[B]ecause we don't have a high priest who can't sympathize with our weaknesses but instead one who was tempted in every way that we are, except without sin (Heb. 4:15, CEB).     Soli Deo Gloria!