Friend Of Publicans And Sinners

"The righteous should choose his friends carefully, For the way of the wicked leads them astray" (Proverbs 12:26, NKJV--italics and boldface mine).

"...to depart from evil is understanding"  (Job 28:28, NASB).

"The fear of the LORD is to hate evil"  (cf. Proverbs 8:13).

"You must distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean" (cf. Lev. 10:10).

"A people without discernment will come to ruin"  (cf. Hosea 4:14).




Jesus was called the "friend of publicans and sinners" but did not say that of Himself ("You are my friends if you do what I command you," Jesus, in John 15:14, ESV), it was only assumed since He went where they were and was not afraid to get down and dirty with mankind. Jesus said that His friends were those who obey Him.  But it's the sinners who admit it that are closer to Him than those who think they're righteous   He was with them but did not condone their behavior, nor alter His mission to save man from sin.  He was not influenced by their sin, which is not something we can boast:  "Do not be deceived:  'Evil company corrupts good habits'" (1 Cor. 15:33, NKJV).  Note that He saved loved us before we were His friends.




Are we to justify our friendship with the world as being like Jesus?  He who is the friend of the world, is the enemy of God, according to James 4:4. If we spend most of our time with sinners and little of it with God's people, who will influence us the most?  Jesus could be exposed to sin and no corrupted by it because He is holy, but we are highly influenced by our surroundings and environment, not to mention the kind of people we choose to associate with.




We can not justify watching sinful programs that are indecent, lewd, suggestive, disgusting, and risque, because we are "friends of sinners" (like Jesus). Don't be like Demas who loved this present world and departed from the faith.  God has given us a discerning mind to know good and evil and we are to use it, to be wise as serpents, but innocent as doves.




You are what you think about.  It is also said that you're not what you think you are, but what you think you are. "Keep [guard] your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring [flow] the issues of life" (Proverbs 4:23, NKJV).  Be aware of the wiles of the devil and not ignorant (cf. 2 Cor. 2:11).  We are all vulnerable and susceptible to Satan's influence: He is the god of the media, entertainment world, academia, and even this world-system, and we are not to be influenced by this, but come out of it and be separate--that is what holiness is about.  "....without holiness shall no man see the Lord..."  (cf. Heb. 12:14).  We are to be cheerful that He overcame the world (cf. John 16:33).   He who walks with the wise will become wise, according to Solomon and a "companion of fools suffers harm."   Soli Deo Gloria!

Jesus Incognito

"[To] reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles.." (Galatians 1:16, NIV, emphasis added).

"Whatever you did, for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me" (Matthew 25:40, NIV, emphasis mine).

Jesus interposed His Father's will over His: "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house [about my Father's business]?" (Cf. Luke 2:49, NIV).

"... A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household" (Mark 6:4, ESV).

According to English legend, King Arthur would sneak among the common people, without his regalia, just to find out what they really thought and to get on the same page with empathy--Jesus did far more than that in humbling Himself to the point of death on a cross (cf. Philippians 2:7ff). We are to have this same mind in us, as was in Christ (cf. v. 5)! We should be aware of the fact that Jesus is loose and at large in our midst invisibly via the Holy Spirit residing in believers:

Jesus "came unto His own and His own received Him not," according to John 1:11; He was a man on a mission to seek and to save that which was lost (cf. Luke 19:10)--the lost sheep of the house of Israel, who had gone astray--He saw them as sheep without a shepherd. He didn't promote or advertise the fact that He was the Son of David or the Messiah, but He never denied it either. He was known to use figures of speech when preaching, so as to confuse the religious leaders, especially the party of the Pharisees.

They had to ask Him bluntly: "Are You the Messiah, or are we to look for another?" He didn't always beat around the bush, but spoke plainly, and not in parables to keep the secrets of the kingdom known only to the sheep, but many were not willing to accept Him for who He was. They called Him the son of Joseph, the prophet from Galilee, the carpenter, or as a snide remark: Mary's son, the Nazarene, even just the carpenter, or the teacher (rabbi).

Only once did He openly proclaim His rightful place as Messiah, and that was during the triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, as we call it now. It had been written that Israel would not see their messiah until they shouted, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD." The Pharisees were getting nervous about His popularity and were worried that if He were left alone, that the whole world would go after Him. They were worried about Job One, which was protecting their turf and influence over the people as their teachers and guides, but they did it out of jealousy and a jaundiced eye, which even Pilate saw at Jesus trial before him.

Jesus had foretold many times of His crucifixion and resurrection, but the disciples were dense and were clueless as to His real identity until they actually witnessed it on Easter morning. Peter had confessed Him to be the Son of the living God, but this was more of a theoretical interpretation than actual application, though they had worshiped Him on occasion, their basic attitude was, "What manner of man is this?" He gave signs, according to John's record, that He was God in the flesh, and His miracles were not helter-skelter, nor for personal gain, selfish motive, nor showy. To prove His identity beyond doubt, there was no biggie miracle that couldn't be denied, and even King Herod thought he'd get a show from Him like He was a clown or magician--but Jesus never did miracles on demand.

The Christian is likewise called to be Christ incognito: We are His mind to think Christlike thoughts; His heart to love others through; His voice to speak His message of love; His hands through which He can help others. As St. Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa) has said, "He has no hands but our hands, and no feet but our feet" to help others. Note that some Christians are known to take this to the extreme and get a messianic complex, which can border on mental illness or delusion. People often pray for Jesus to help them and don't realize that He uses believers to answer prayers and to fill in for Him incognito.

When you've done it for the least of these His brethren, you've done it for Christ; for He said, "I was in prison and you visited Me, I was hungry and you fed me." We don't want to go to the other extreme and deny that Christ is at work through our brothers and sisters in the Lord, either. On the one hand people will want to know the gospel according to us, and on the other hand, we don't want to deny that the Lord Himself is at work through His children as vessels of honor: Just as Isaiah 26:12 (NIV) says: "... [All] that we have accomplished you have done for us." The King James Version renders it: "[For] thou hast wrought all our works in us."

The point is that not only are we Christ incognito, but we are to serve Christ as if He were incognito and undercover and at large! We are being renewed in the image of Christ, who is the replica, icon, or express image of God Himself. Christ is God with skin on, you might say, and we can put the gospel in shoe leather by living it out and making it real to others: Only when you love the gospel, long to make it known, and desire to live it out, do you actually believe it--it's not a matter of pure acquiescence, intellectual assent, or agreement. Those who have bowed to Christ are the ones He can use for vessels of honor and complete His mission, whose marching orders are given in the Great Commission--our raison d'etre or reason for being!

Our testimony must be for real, and not a masquerade, sham, nor facade; that is, we cannot be nominal Christians or believers in name only who have a bogus profession and no reality to back it up--there is a contrast between the reality of faith and the profession of faith and viva la difference! We represent Christ in our daily walk and people observe us and judge Him by our testimony and witness. We are Christ's ambassadors who have authority to speak in His name! "... We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God" (2 Cor. 5:20, ESV). When they see Christ in us, it has an impact on the unbeliever, because Christ becomes real to them lived out through us as a testimony that cannot be denied.

We can make Christ real by living up to our testimony and that means walking the walk, not just talking the talk. When they realize we are Christians they will watch our every step and judge our testimony to see if they are more righteous than us. But be glad that we have God's stamp of approval and He promises to use us for His glory as vessels of honor and "He leads us in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake." Remember the words of Paul in Colossians 1:27 saying, "Christ in you, the hope of glory." Finally, Paul says in 2 Cor. 13:5 (ESV, emphasis mine) a word of caution: "Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves,. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless indeed you fail to meet the test!


As believers, we know that Christ said He'd never leave us nor forsake us and that He'd be with us always, even to the end of the age (cf. Matt. 28:20). There is the promise that wherever two or three are gathered together in His name, that Christ is present incognito (cf. Matt. 18:20)! Our spiritual eyes are opened and we see Jesus as present in Spirit. The eyes of our heart are opened and we are to keep our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith (cf. Hebrews 12:2). "But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels..." (Heb. 2:9, ESV, emphasis mine).

Soli Deo Gloria!

Behold! Jesus At The Door

Is Jesus really knocking at the door of the heart of the unbeliever, as evangelists ostensibly quote Rev. 3:20 in their salvation formula?  This verse is addressed to the church of Laodicea, a so-called "lukewarm" fellowship, that had apparently no room in their hearts for Jesus. What is delineated by lukewarm is that Jesus didn't know where they stood spiritually; they wouldn't take a stand for Him and proclaim His name, but were sitting on the fence trying to remain neutral.  Jesus would rather mingle with people who are not believers (even publicans, sinners, and any so-called scum) than pretenders or hypocrites who feign belief.





God doesn't require perfect and complete faith, but sincere, unfeigned faith.  True faith is not ashamed to proclaim Jesus as Lord openly and to spread the good news.  True faith is contagious and people catch on and wonder what makes you different.  Jesus said that if you are not for Him, you are against Him, and that means lukewarm professors (and there is a difference between a profession of faith and reality of faith) are not believers and are in the same boat as unbelievers.




Jesus didn't say that if you're not for Him you are neutral or against Him!  But against Him without a doubt.  The problem with this church is that they had an outward show of religion, a memorizing of the Dance of the Pious, and no inward reality.  The true believer desires to live out His faith and to know Christ, as well as make Him known--possessing a burden for the Great Commission and the Great Commandment.




This verse applies to salvation, but it is not the whole equation.  The big picture is that you must believe in your heart and not have a story or head belief to be a genuine believer.  Faith is not mere mental assent or acquiescence!  Faith is something put into action, viz., knowledge and knowledge acted upon and demonstrated.  This church had not gone the route of loving Jesus with their whole heart and were only halfhearted followers, not having a vital fellowship and relationship with the Lord, which is what Christianity is all about--not a philosophy, but getting to know Jesus and how He thinks and fellowshipping with Him, the Father, and in the church.  Christ cannot open the door, the resident must and He desires true fellowship with us--the invitation is to all who hear His voice, and the sheep will hear His voice (cf. John 10:27).




In summation, saving faith is not believing merely in the Jesus of history, but in the one knocking at the door!  Someone has said:  Faith is not believing that there is a God, but in the God who is there!  Jesus must not be just born, but born in you!   Soli Deo Gloria!

Christ's Credentials

Was Christ who He said He was? The thrust of His teaching was self-centered, on the theme of His identity: "Who do men say, that I am?" This was the turning point of His ministry and Peter was inspired by the Father to accurately pinpoint that He was the promised One, the coming Messiah, who was to be the Son of the living God. To believe in Him was to believe in God the Father, and to reject Him was to reject His Father. He said, that the Father and He were One, that He is in the Father, and the Father is in Him. This was a shock to the religious Pharisees, who knew what He was saying and charged Him with blasphemy, saying that He was equal to the Father, calling Him Abba, or Dad.


Anyone can say that they are who they choose, but do they have the credentials: I mean the character that is consistent, that confirms, that doesn't belie the claim; the signs and wonders to accompany the claim and make it authentic that sets Him apart; the witnesses to verify that it is not on His own authority that He makes the claims.

Jesus claims were one of a kind: His character unique; His conduct unprecedented; His credentials unequaled; His works and signs unmatched! No one has ever surpassed or excelled, neither predecessor nor disciple, His qualifications and merits to deity. He is the one and only Son of God and we cannot compare Him to any mortal; even if we called Him Jesus the Great or the greatest man who ever lived, that would not do Him justice, nor satisfy us. We don't compare Him to others, nor contrast Him, for there is no equal in any category of personality--the greatest charismatic person who ever lived. You cannot add to His name, simply Jesus will do, for He is the Savior and His purpose is to save us from our sins, as it is written in Matt. 1:21.

He made the claim that He was God in the flesh and had the moral authority to do it, for He even challenged the authorities to find fault with Him and charge Him with sin--at His trial the only charge that stuck was political and not moral. The disciples, who were close to Him for three years (and normally familiarity breeds contempt), had the consensus that He committed no sin. ("In Him was no sin, " says 1 John 3:5; "committed no sin," in 1 Pet. 2:22; "had no sin," in 2 Cor. 5:21.)

The closer you get to Him, the more you realize you are a sinner, not Him! For instance, Peter confessed: "Depart from me, O Lord, for I am a sinner." The leaders of other faiths are flawed in character, yet Christ stands out as the model of perfect manliness and godliness. What they say is that He had no sin, He did no sin, He knew no sin! If He were one, He couldn't save sinners! His challenge was: "Can you prove Me guilty of sin?" This was the greatest sign or miracle!

There is circumstantial evidence that is compelling, and this is evidence that is admissible in a court of law, we have eyewitness accounts of His resurrection and many facts cannot be explained apart from believing He rose from the dead. The written records verify His life, secular and clerical--there is no doubt of His historicity, so you must come to terms with Him and not dismiss as fable, myth, or even legend. Psychiatrists have examined Him and find Him to be perfectly balanced and His sermons are not the rantings and ravings of a madman-quite the contrary--He is perfectly balanced and the ideal man, someone whom all of us can emulate. Even intellectuals have called Him the model of mankind, and someone to imitate. Even the testimony of the close disciples cannot be dismissed so easily.

What His enemies said: They tried to trap Him in His words and accuse Him of blasphemy and couldn't believe He associated with known sinners and publicans, their favorite command, the Sabbath, was the main thrust of their attacks, for they could not bear someone breaking the traditions of the elders, but Jesus called Himself the Lord of the Sabbath--mind-boggling to them. The way He came eating and drinking they accused Him of gluttony and of being a drunkard and that His religion was frivolous. They accused Him of having a demon, but He had authority to cast them out and said that Satan would not be divided against himself, casting demons out. Three unlikely enemies (Pilate, Judas, and the centurion) all concluded that He was innocent blood and righteous ("Truly this was the Son of God!").

Look at the way He taught: As one having authority (cf. Matt. 7:29). He never footnoted His sermons nor quoted the authorities: He didn't speak by authority, but with authority. His only source was Himself (what the Father told Him to say) and the Scripture. He illustrated His teachings with signs and wonders or miracles to do lessons and proof that He was the Son of God in the flesh: Like feeding the multitude to prove He's the bread of life or raising the dead to prove He's the resurrection and the life.

Now anyone can claim to be God, for instance, Father Divine did, but can you prove it: The ultimate proof of Christ's claim is His resurrection which has many infallible proofs (Acts 1:3) and is the one sign that sets Him apart as the incarnation of God, who demonstrated victory over death and hell. The prime difference between His claims and those of others is the caliber of His life and that He offered proof to verify it.

For instance, if I claimed to be born of a virgin, you might think I'm unbalanced, but if the caliber of my life demonstrated no sin, you might take me more seriously. Not only His sinless morality, but His witnesses of John the Baptist, the most popular prophet of the day, and the over 500 who say Him rose from the dead, even what His enemies conceded unbeknownst to them, and the signs of His miracles (for if He had performed none, He would have ended up a mere footnote in history), and if you take away these miracles His witness is not credible, but the teachings themselves are such sublime words that only God could have originated them.

He came teaching and preaching (practicing what He preached and preaching what He practiced) but He upset the whole religious apple cart (the establishment) and the Pharisees were jealous of His influence and power over the people. What can you say, but that there is no hypothesis that fits the facts better than the one that He is indeed the Son of God, who came to visit and save man, by becoming one of us. Soli Deo Gloria!

Who Does Jesus Think He Is?

"And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes"  (Mark 1:22, ESV).




"The officers answered, Never man spake like this man" (John 7:46, KJV), who reported to the authorities.  Jesus was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God (cf. John 10:33), even claiming that the Father and Him were one [in essence].  In one sense the triune God is a threesome or three (in one), but in another, it is a unity of one being with three persons in a relationship.  Elohim, the plural of God (El) is used by God in Genesis and God refers to Himself as a unity of one in Deut. 6:4, using the Hebrew echad, meaning one as in a cluster or unity.  They are one in Spirit and one in purpose and will, but three in self-distinction and personality.




Jesus didn't go around advertising that He was the Son of David, or the Son of God, though He never denied it (He was forced to confess it at His trial as the Son of the Blessed One). Note that with all due respect to the founders of all the other world religions, only Jesus claimed to be God (cf. John 8:58, says, "Before Abraham was, I AM" and  John 8:24 really says, "Unless you believe that I AM, you shall die in your sins" and in John 14:9 He says, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father"), and this is why the authorities despised and hated Him and were jealous of His powers and influence of the people--they knew what He was claiming!  "If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him..." (John 11:48, ESV).



Jesus usually used figures of speech, but He didn't always beat around the bush by indirect claims but spoke plainly enough for his disciples to recognize Him as the Messiah or Christ the Lord.  Peter confessed Him as the Son of God.  His favorite title for Himself was Son of Man (cf. Daniel 7:13), showing Him identifying with us as the Messiah, as this was a known messianic title from Daniel. George Gordon, Lord Byron said that "if ever man was God, or God man, Jesus Christ was both." He wasn't half God and half man, but the God-man (theanthropos in Greek), being all God and all man in one permanent incarnation or personification.  Some find it incredible to believe a man could become God or deified, but they can accept the historical fact of the incarnation when God became man! They besought Him to tell them plainly and He did, but they wouldn't listen or understand. John 12:37 says that even though he performed many signs, they would not (not could not) believe in Him.



The most striking aspect of His teaching and some just saw Him as a good teacher ("... Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God:  for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him"  (John 3:2, KJV). It is patronizing to think of Him only as a good teacher or moral leader or even martyr for a good cause--these are not valid options to consider concerning Him.  "You call Me Lord and teacher, and so I am."  He never prefaced His teachings with "thus saith the Lord" but directly said it as if speaking as God, not for God.  He didn't speak by authority, but with authority, and no man ever spoke so audaciously before; others would commonly quote the authorities, like renowned and learned teachers and Pharisees.  When He spoke it was not introduced by phrases like "It is said," but "I say unto you."  The critics would just mutter, 'Who does He think He is?"  In respect to His teaching:  "[F]or he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not their scribes"  (Matt. 7:29, ESV).



About calling Himself the Son of God and not denying it (John 1:49 says, "... Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel"), He pointed out that we are all sons of God in the sense of being His creatures and challenged them: who was David's Son? When He referred to Himself as the Son of Man, the Pharisees knew very well that this was a messianic title and just who He was claiming to be.  Indeed, the teachers and Pharisees got the message and weren't as clueless as they pretended--they even remembered that He predicted His resurrection, which the disciples didn't understand or anticipate.  Even Nicodemus, the so-called "teacher of Israel," didn't know where He was coming from at first, but after the encounter at night came over to sympathize with His cause, and took His side--even helping to anoint and bury Him.



Normally you don't believe someone who makes claims of deity or divinity which they can't substantiate (Father Divine of Philadelphia, now deceased, and Sun Myung Moon, founder of the Unification Church of Korea and whose followers are called Moonies, for instance), but Jesus' claims were consistent with his credentials and the witness of signs and wonders.  There have been numerous wannabes and would-be messianic figures, but they are easily dismissed.   If Jesus had been a devil, a madman, sincerely deceived teacher, or a liar, wouldn't the disciples had figured it out and had Him pegged after three years of close contact; familiarity normally breeds contempt!




People will die for what they believe is true, but these men were in a position to know the truth, fanatics and religious extremists aren't.  Napoleon thought he could conquer Europe, but languished on St. Helena in exile, reading and studying the Bible, contemplated Jesus:  "I know men, and I tell you Jesus was no mere man." When anyone considers the evidence the only credible hypothesis is that Jesus is the Son of God, but acknowledging this is not salvation, you must know Him, love Him, and follow Him as you trust in Him as Savior and submit to Him as Lord.




Other religious leaders are self-effacing, while Jesus was self-advancing or promoting and His teaching was self-centered.  You can take Buddha out of Buddhism and the faith remains intact, but Christ is what Christianity is all about; its essence is that Christ is God in the flesh!   Actually, the whole of Scripture is all about Jesus on every page and in every book.  It wasn't just Jesus who was His own witness: the Father and Holy Spirit gave approval of Him, and said, "This is My beloved Son...."




His miracles were really signs of His deity and were consistent, not helter-skelter, for prestige, personal gain, showy, fantastic, haphazard, capricious, without any reason, ostentatious, nor for personal gain or profit, but out of love as the motive to confirm faith.  He did everything that you would expect a God-man to do and was everything you'd expect Him to be.  I rest my case: there's no reason to doubt due to lack of evidence or irrationality.  If one is willing, God will authenticate the truth--He's no man's debtor--"seek and you will find" (cf. Matt. 7:7).




The conclusion of the matter is that anyone can make claims and do to be a somebody, and many have claimed to be Israel's Messiah, but their lives have to be consistent with their testimony and not belie it.  Jesus' life was of such caliber and moral uprightness that there is sufficient reason to believe he wasn't a deluded madman, lunatic, liar, or mistaken because he invariably practiced what He preached and preached what He practiced.  Usually, familiarity breeds contempt, but not in this case, the disciples recognized His holiness and no one could convict Him of sin or convince Him of it, they verified in their writings that He was without sin.  One disciple says to Christ:  "Depart from me, O Lord, for I am a sinful man."




They willingly verified and proved the veracity of their witness to His resurrection by the sacrifice of their lives in martyrdom--people don't normally lie when threatened with death.  Just like Elvis impersonators are easy to spot, it is easy to realize that Jesus will never be surpassed or equaled (neither by predecessor nor by disciple nor by wannabe nor even rival).  You don't compare others with Him, but you contrast them with Christ.




Fanatics and religious extremists will die for what they believe is true, but they are not in a position to know the truth, as the disciples were, and they died to prove their veracity concerning their witness of the resurrection and the risen Jesus.   You don't normally believe someone was born of a virgin either (Buddha claimed his father was a white elephant and Alexander the Great and Augustus Caesar claimed their fathers were serpents!), but if they lived like Jesus there would be ample reason to believe it. Soli Deo Gloria! 

A Bona Fide Savior

We don't worship a martyr for a good cause, or a good teacher of moral principles, nor even a great example or role model of how to live life to the full, but a risen Savior who gives us a real hope of heaven and even a more abundant and fulfilling life in the here and now, which we learn to live in light of eternity as God's will is revealed to us through Scripture.

We must realize we are lost before Jesus can find us, for He came to seek and to save those who are lost (cf. Matt. 18:10; Luke 19:10). That's why a good rule of thumb for evangelistic outreach is to get them lost first! We are not to reach out with an easy-believism that downplays the importance of taking up our cross and following Him, as we learn to deny ourselves. It's also called cheap grace that doesn't point out the cross to bear only justifies the sin, not the sinner. Salvation is not cheap at all, but costs us everything--it's free, but paradoxically it's at the cost of ownership of our lives as we follow Him as Lord of our life.

It has been said wisely that, the more we realize what a sinner we are, the more real of a Savior Christ becomes. Also, the closer you get to Christ, the more aware and convicted you become of your own shortcomings, failures, and sins. William Jay of Bath said that he is a great sinner, and Christ is a great Savior!

The gospels are not bios of Christ and do not attempt to describe Him, but to make Him known. That's the difference: We can know our God personally--a facet of God denied by Islam and Eastern faiths. In other words, God gets personal with us and is a personality to get to know through His residence in our hearts. The purpose of Jesus becoming manifest to the world was to save us, because that was our problem, and we were lost in sin and needed forgiveness and justification. Jesus didn't come to educate us or enlighten us, but to open our spiritual eyes, and not to tell us what creed to believe, but to change our lives by residing in our hearts in personal union and fellowship.

Our salvation differs from Eastern tradition because it's not just learning a code of conduct, rules to live by, good advice, nor a collection of wise sayings to ponder, but is a restoration of our relationship with God. The religions of the world believe in a creed, Christians believe in a person! We don't need another to-do list, list of taboos, or prohibitions to refrain from legalistically. God teaches us right from wrong and writes His law in our hearts so that we need no one to order us to do the right thing. Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to anoint and teach us so that we can go directly to the Bible and read God's Word for us and speaking to us.

The reason Jesus is a Savior is because He is in the business of changing and transforming lives. We learn an exchanged life in Christ with Jesus living through us! If all you want to do is to improve your behavior, or kick a habit, or reform your vices, any religion will do, but if you want to know God, Christianity is the only one the foots the bill and can satisfy; merely acknowledging Him for who He is doesn't satisfy, we must surrender to Him and trust Him implicitly and unconditionally. Yes, it might cost something to follow Jesus, but it costs more not to! The whole beauty of our faith is that it rests in the power of God and not our own wisdom (cf. 1 Thess. 1:5; 1 Cor. 2:4-5)!

One pertinent promise to believers is that God promises that they will not be dissatisfied or disappointed in Christ (cf. Isa. 28:16; Rom. 10:11)--it's the way to the more abundant life Christ promised in John 10:10. Walking in the Spirit, or with the Lord is a joy to transform and once you've experienced it, you want to pass it on! One thing about the real McCoy of a genuine follower of Christ is that you can discern they have been with Jesus because it's apparent and cannot be denied because the Spirit will be irresistible and noticeable. The Christian soon finds out that if he has Christ, he has all he needs and all that is necessary for a fulfilled life that has purpose and meaning.


All religions will tell you some moral principles and virtues, but everyone falls short because the real problem is man's sin, and only Christ gives us the power to overcome it and defeat it victoriously--we are not all on our own to find our own enlightenment or to reform ourselves by our own efforts and strength. Christ is the threefold Savior: As Prophet, He saves us from the ignorance of sin; as Priest from the guilt of sin; as King from the dominion of sin! Yes, Jesus saved us--He did; He keeps us--He does; He's coming for us--He will! Jesus was more than just another teacher or prophet--the Law did come through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus (cf. John 1:17). He is the very personification of truth itself (cf. John 14:6), and all who are of the truth hear His voice (cf. John 18:37).

There is a world of difference between putting a new suit on the man, and putting a new man in the suit! This is shown just as Paul said in 2 Cor. 5:17 (NLT): "This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" A point in fact: Jesus isn't looking for sidekicks, admirers, groupies, fans, nor buddies, but worshipers, lovers, and devoted servants who trust Him to take the pilgrimage with Him as their Pilot or Captain, going wherever He leads, following in His steps.

We must reverence Him for who He is, not just patronize Him with human respect or homage as a great leader, teacher, or example. We must not only believe that He lived and died on a cross, but did so for us and is alive today! The whole summation of Christian ethics is summed up in following Him, and this means a surrender to His lordship and ownership of our lives, there's no accepting Him part way or conditionally--He demands unconditional surrender, as it were; in the final analysis, obedience is the only measure of faith! Genuine believers walk the walk and talk the talk, their profession is not bogus, but is demonstrated by a life of good works as proof (cf. Titus 1:16).

Of all the major world religions, you can remove its founder and still have the religion remain intact; i.e., Islam doesn't need Muhammad, nor Buddhism need Buddha--it's merely a collection of teachings and philosophy. However, if you remove Christ from Christianity you disembowel it and there is nothing left--Christianity is Christ, and all else is circumference, it's been described by John Stott. That's because Christianity is not a creed nor a code, but a relationship--this is not just a cliche, but a deeper truth to be recognized personally. In short, salvation is but the establishment of a personal and family relationship with the person of God; while the only proof of salvation is fruit (cf. Matt. 7:16, 20)! We are saved to become a blessing (cf. Zech. 8:13).

We need to be set free! "People are slaves to whatever has mastered them" (cf. 2 Pet. 2:19). Paul says in Romans 6:16 (NLT): "Don't you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living." We are meant to stand fast in our liberty and not become slaves again (cf. Gal. 5:1). Acts 13:39 (NIV): "Through him, everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses."

The only way to be set free is in Christ: "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8:36, NIV). We no longer live in bondage to our old sin nature nor the yoke of the Law. We do not have the freedom to live in the flesh, but the power to live in the Spirit! We are no longer subject to the power of the Law: "For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace" (Romans 6:14, NIV). Soli Deo Gloria!

The Kenosis Of Christ

The title refers to the "emptying" of Jesus (the kenosis in Koine or common, "vulgar" Greek) or when He "made Himself of no reputation," NKJV, in the sense of laying aside His glory and independent usage of divinity, as He functioned as a man with all the limitations that go with it.  Christ never stopped being God, nor did He lose His powers as God, but only did what the Father told Him to do, following the interposed will of the Father.  Philippians 2:7 (NLT) says, "Instead, he gave up his divine privileges...." Christ's glory is that He laid aside all His glory and humbled Himself, even to the death on a cross as a criminal.



Some may object to this ignominious death, (thinking that it's repugnant to have Christ "defeated" by man) but it was the pleasure of the Father to judge sin in this manner.  We all ought to learn a lesson in humility following His example.  Just to make a point about true service, Christ took a towel and washed the disciples feet, and they were all taken aback, Peter even objected, thinking this was not fit the Lord's dignity.  When Christ said that we also ought to wash each others' feet, we get the lesson that, in God's economy, the way up is down just like John the Baptist said, "He must increase, but I must decrease"  (cf. John 3:30).



Peter failed to see Christ as the servant of the Lord and that greatness is in how many people you serve, not how many serve you.  Christ himself said that he came, "not to be served, but to serve and to give [His] life a ransom for many" (cf. Mark 10:45).  This gesture of foot-washing showed that we must be willing to humble ourselves, for humility comes before exaltation.  There is no caste system nor a superstar believer in the body, but all are "one in Christ" (cf. Col. 3:11; Gal. 3:28; 1 Cor. 12:13).  There are no "untouchables" and neither is anyone beyond redemption.




All believers are called to become  the servants of Christ; at the bema (or Judgment Seat of Christ) we all look forward to hearing Christ pronounce:  "Well done, thou good and faithful servant...."  Albert Schweitzer was right:  "The only happy people are those who have learned how to serve."   I call this humiliation of ourselves in Christ's service as the "order of the towel," and the question should not be how high we can aim, but how low we can go--nothing is literally "beneath" the believer.  Whosoever humbles himself as a child shall be great in God's kingdom (cf. Matt. 18:4).   Service is the keynote of Christ's ministry, for He went about doing good (cf. Acts 10:38).   Soli Deo Gloria! 

Following Christ

Just "as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, so walk in Him [as Lord!]" (cf. Col. 2:6). We are to walk in fellowship and in the truth, as "the truth is in Jesus" (cf. Eph. 4:11). The whole concept of our ethics in Christ is to follow Christ in discipleship, taking up our cross we bear, deny ourselves, and follow on to know Him as Lord and Savior. We are to follow the example of pious believers and teachers and consider the outcome of their faith. The faith is not so much imitation as inhabitation! We turn over a relinquished life at salvation, live an exchanged life, and enjoy a substituted life while we surrender constantly to His will, and walk in fellowship. The Christian life is not knowing a creed, but a person.

We don't need to get educated or enlightened but transformed by the Word's power to change lives. We shall know the truth that shall set us free, by growing in Christ and believing God, not just believing in God. Abraham believed God and it was counted unto righteousness! Lots of believers think some saints have a surplus of the Spirit or a monopoly on His grace, but all Christians are anointed and have the fullness of the Spirit. It's not how much of the Spirit we have, but how much of us the Spirit has. No one has cornered the market on the gifts of the Spirit and doesn't need the body to complete the ministry and mission of the church.

Two believers can walk arm-in-arm without seeing eye-to-eye on every issue! It is important to look for commonalities, instead of division and areas of dispute. No one can follow Christ solo or as a spiritual Lone Ranger or lone wolf! All Christians are under authority through the body of Christ and no one has the right to throw his weight around or lord it over the flock. The body is in it together and must learn to interact and grow as a body corporately, as well as individually.

Do good deeds in the Spirit (we are a people "zealous of good deeds" per Titus 1:16), and not because you're a do-gooder or trying to gain the approbation of God by good behavior. The whole summation and goal of discipleship is to follow Christ--to know Him and make Him known in a relationship of love. The Christian walk is a matter of faith, but anyone can say he has faith, but faith isn't something you have as much as you see in action: Paul would say I'll show you my works by faith, and James would say I'll show you faith by works. Paul said to the Galatians that the only thing that counts is "faith expressing itself through love" (cf. Gal. 5:6, NIV).

The only test of faith is obedience per Heb. 3:18-19! Oswald Chambers said that the value of spiritual life isn't measured by ecstasies, but by obedience; Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, "Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes." They are correlated and go hand in hand, not to be divorced. Faith without works is a guise and not the real thing, but a dead faith that cannot save; the Reformers taught the formula: "We are saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone."

We must validate our faith by a Christian testimony and life of good works (we are saved unto good works, not because of them). We are not saved by works, but not without them either--our faith is manifest only in obedience, for Christ said that, if you love Him, you will obey Him (cf. John 14:21).

Soli Deo Gloria!

Things Go Better With Jesus

"The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever."--John Piper's rendition of the tradition in the Westminster Shorter Catechism

"Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings..." (Romans 5:3, NIV).

"... [T]hrough many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22, ESV).
"... During the time that he sought the LORD, God gave him success," (cf. 2 Chron. 26:5).

"If I were to ask you why you have believed in Christ, why you have become Christians, every man will answer truly, 'For the sake of happiness.'"--Saint Augustine, Bishop of Hippo.

Jesus did indeed promise life to the fullest (to the max), but not in the way the world would interpret it. Some have imagined it as a book has been written, Your Best Life Now, but this is short-sighted and misses the mark to which we are called--it has been granted unto us that we suffer for His namesake (cf. Phil. 1:29). Suffering is our badge of honor and he who best can suffer best can do. Jesus promised that we could have a life and life more abundant if we seek first the kingdom of heaven "all these things will be added" unto us according to Matt. 6:33.

Some say that all they want in life is to be happy, and Blaise Pascal said this is not unreasonable for anyone to seek ("All men seek happiness"), but we cannot be happy nor fulfilled out of the will of God or if we miss our calling. John Piper writes of Christian hedonism and this is true when one lives his life according to the way it was meant, not fighting God's will but getting with the program and learning to give Him the glory, seeking joy in the Lord. When we learn we are designed for worshiping God we will find our joy in the Lord in so doing. Indeed, "for the joy of the LORD is [our] strength" (cf. Neh. 8:10, NIV) and we are to rejoice always. When our eyes are properly focused on Christ and not on ourselves, things look cheerful and joyful.

The big difference in Christians though is that their happiness isn't selfish nor focused in this life, but looks to eternity and not the here and now or the secular. The world seeks its fulfillment in education, the standard of living, liberty, and even the American way or in achieving the so-called American dream. But true fulfillment only resides in knowing Christ and having a living relationship with Him. The Christian life is not Jesus plus TM or Jesus plus yoga, and so forth, but merely: Jesus in us! We don't add Jesus to our life like some additive, but seek a substituted, exchanged, surrendered, and relinquished life in Him as Lord of our lives because He owns us.

We are designed for worship (as Dostoevsky said that if we don't worship God we'll worship something or someone else because we are made to worship), and bringing God glory and nothing else will fill the void but God, as Augustine said, "You make us for Yourself, and our hearts find no peace until they rest in You." Blaise Pascal said that there is a vacuum or God-shaped blank in us that only God can fill.

Too many people want to add Jesus to their life rather than give their life to Jesus--He's no additive, but the Lord and will not save them in any other capacity. Christians have an abundant life, but this is not to be interpreted that it's God's will for all believers to be successful in the eyes of the world nor to achieve great riches, power, or fame.

One of the great mysteries in life is why the wicked prosper, but their portion is in this life (cf. Psalm 17:14), and ours in the glory. God does indeed bless us in our endeavors but the results are up to him; we are to be faithful and leave the success to God. Knowing Mother Teresa said that God calls us to faithfulness, not success per se. We need to avoid the formulae of success the world offers and seek our fulfillment in serving Christ.

We don't just try Jesus and see if He works for us, but give our lives to Him unconditionally. Christ did all He could to discourage halfhearted, casual admirers and followers because they didn't know what they were getting into with all the trials, tribulations, sufferings, and even chastisement Christians must learn to endure for the sake of the cross and being conformed to His image. We don't give Jesus a trial run and see if He works, on the other hand, we must consider the cost of discipleship and make a commitment. Discipleship involves discipline, endurance, faithfulness, and commitment and the road isn't easy--Christ never promised a bed of roses!

We don't fit Christ into our schedules and plans, but make no plans without His consent and learn to do His will and walk in the Spirit in fellowship with Him. A good encouraging word is that if He got you to it, He'll get you through it. We are never alone, nor overwhelmed by our troubles (cf. Isaiah 43:2). We must not reduce the Christian life to a formula, a philosophy, or a creed, but it's all about knowing the Lord and proving it. Yes, the Christian life is not hard, it's impossible, it's been put, and we can do nothing without God's power ("... 'Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty...", Zech. 4:6, NIV). Jesus Himself said, "...apart from me you can do nothing" (cf. John 15:5, NIV).

Christ was honest enough to forewarn us of future affliction, discipline, suffering, adversity, trials, and tribulations for His name's sake, and He asks us to do nothing He didn't do Himself, while our crosses pale in comparison to His (and He didn't exempt Himself from any adversity). This is Reality 101 and it's inevitable. There is no crown without a cross to bear and we must daily take up our cross and follow Him (cf. Mark 8:34,35; Matt. 16:24) wherever He leads with a walk of faith, not sight, for we don't always know what's ahead, but that Christ is with us all the way.

It's not all about "cashing in on your spiritual lottery ticket," nor storing up treasures on earth, but in looking for a future reward in heaven. We live in light of eternity! In the final analysis, Jesus is not something we add to our lives, but someone we make our lives, which are defined by Him and His will for us, realizing that life makes no sense without Him--as some people try to do and are merely existing, not living, it's been well put. Soli Deo Gloria!

Fixing Our Eyes On Jesus

"I pray that the eyes of our heart may be enlightened..." (Eph. 1:18, NIV).
"Open my eyes that I may see..." (Psalm 119:18, NIV).

The Greeks came to the disciples inquiring: But we would see Jesus! It's not a matter of having some religious or spiritual encounter that lets you behold Christ clearly and meaningfully, but a life of obedience, not ecstasy, vision, or experience! Remember what Jesus told Thomas: Blessed are those who haven't seen! The point is that Jesus opens the eyes of the blind. But Christians all have the ability to see Christ at work in the world, the church, their brethren, and even themselves if they persist in growing in the faith. It is vital to know that Satan will trip us up with a temptation to test us at our weak points and vulnerabilities. And we must realize that he is like" a devouring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (cf. 1 Pet. 5:8)!

As Christians with the Spirit within, we have an advantage over those who actually did see Jesus in the flesh and may have become biased, calloused, or blinded to the Spirit. We don't have to go to and fro seeking Jesus' teaching and presence but have the power at work within--which is a much greater blessing and comfort. We are exhorted to walk by faith and not by sight, and if we do we'll see Christ by faith! To be a person who thinks clearly with our thinking straightened out, we must see (Christ) clearly (i.e., by faith). As the Christian sees Jesus from page to page throughout the Bible like a scarlet thread of His theme in action, that the whole of Scripture is about Him.

Peter walked on water as long as he kept his focus on Jesus, but the second he was overcome with the situation at hand and got his eyes off Jesus he began to sink. Suddenly he realized he needed the intervention of his Savior and uttered the simple words of salvation: Lord, save me! We all need to realize that we are in over our heads in this life and need Jesus in order to cope with the mundane. The distracted mind is no fertile territory for the seed of the Word of God to germinate.

It has been said that the faith the grain of a mustard seed can move mountains; likewise, we can have faith to move mountains in Christ, figuratively speaking. William Carey said that we ought to "Expect Great Things From God; Attempt Great Things for God!' It's not how big our faith, in other words, but the size of our God, who can work the impossible on our behalf. The clearer our perception of Jesus, the closer we can walk with the Lord and be of benefit to the kingdom. Too often the cares of this world smother our spiritual life and we lose focus from keeping the main thing the main thing. We don't want to major in minors, or become legalists! Each of us has a part to do in the Great Commission and can learn from each other doing their part.

The more we learn of Jesus and see Him spiritually at work, the more proficient we are at accomplishing His work. The Great Commission will one day be The Great Completion (by the corporate body of Christ working in unity). Yes, they say that we can walk on water if we have faith, or that someone has the faith to walk on water. This applies to everyone and not just to a spiritual elite, for there is no room for a class system in Christ--we are all one in Christ.

I read a book once called The Jesus I Never Knew by Philip Yancey that was a description of the Bible's doctrine of Christ. The point: one can never adequately describe Jesus, but you can know Him personally! And we must learn to focus on Christ in the mundane and everyday and down to earth, not just in a book. Each of us is a gospel in shoe leather and has a story to tell or a gift to give. We don't want Jesus to be just in our head or what's called story faith or head knowledge but have first-hand experience one-on-one with our Lord that we have something to share and pass along to others of our encounter with the Lord.

We are to walk hand in hand with our Lord through all the ups and downs, through thick and thin, to realize the presence of our Lord and being able [to see Him more clearly,] "to know Him more clearly, to follow Him more nearly, and to love Him more dearly"  (cf. Richard of Chichester). You don't just need a book to know Jesus, you need Jesus! Jesus is as close as the mention of His name! However, the temptation is to get enamored with the intellectual aspect of the faith and not to apply what we know. And the Bible wasn't written to describe Jesus, but to make Him known.

Our faith is not a creed to believe or even song to sing, but a relationship and person to know in the here and now with vibrations throughout eternity.   Religions are creeds to believe but Christianity is a Person to know!  We don't need to get informed, but transformed, and to know our Lord, if we are to walk with Him. We get to know the Spirit at work in our hearts and grow in the faith as we increase in our experiential knowledge of Jesus as our Lord and Savior. "But we do see Jesus..." (cf. Heb. 2:9). God is with us through the indwelling Spirit. The disciples longed to see the Father, thinking it would suffice, but Jesus reassured them He is all they need.

We are not boasting of visions and dreams or visitations, but we see Christ at work in the world in the here and now through each other. Do you see just evil in the world, or do you see the good overcoming evil? Paul said that it was "Christ in you, the hope of glory..." (cf. Col. 1:27), meaning that we live an inhabited life, not just an imitating one. Our walk is a substituted, transforming, relinquished, and surrendered one--"I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me..." (cf. Gal. 2:20).


We ought to be so preoccupied with our Lord in all we do that he is the center of our life and our treasure is in Him that it shows to the point of being a testimony and a light in the dark if we are Jesus freaks or fanatics to some or even "out of our mind" (cf. 2 Cor. 5:13) it's for Christ's sake, that would be a compliment, as long as we don't live in ignorance of sound doctrine, having a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge (cf. Rom. 10:2, Prov. 19:2) Colossians 3:2, NIV, says: "For you died., and your life is now hidden with Christ in God."

We are the hands to do Christ's work, the heart to show Christ's love, and the voices through which Christ speaks to a lost world that doesn't realize He's for real and works in us. We shouldn't be saying that we see the devil at work in the world and ask "why?" but Jesus at work through the church and ask "why not?" As the hymn by William Cowper goes: "God works in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform."(Cf. Isa. 45:15, NLT).

The faith we have is the faith we show--we must learn to become contagious Christians because of our fixation on the Lord, though we are not fanatics who have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge, because the clearer our vision of Christ, the more useful in the mission to the world and ministry in the church, as it becomes obvious that we have been in the presence of Jesus!

Bear in mind that to see Jesus with our physical eyes may not do any good spiritually, we must behold him with our spiritual eyes and not only with our intellect but with our whole heart. We need a real-life personal encounter with God that will change us from the inside out so that we can walk with Christ through faith. To see Jesus is to know Him and to know Him is to love Him.

In sum, let's follow on to know the Lord (cf. Hos. 6:3).   Again, as Richard of Chichester said, "To know Him more clearly, to follow Him more nearly, to love Him more dearly."

CAVEAT: TO THE PERSON WHO DOES NOT SEE, HE SHOULD ASK HIMSELF: WHERE IS HIS HEART? Jesus Himself said that the person who is really blind is the person who thinks he sees and doesn't. Soli Deo Gloria!