A Dysfunctional Personhood

Some well-meaning brothers gratuitously tell us to "get our act together."   It really hurt me when someone who knew me well told me that--touche--it hit home!   We don't have to get our act together to get saved, contrary to popular opinion.  We come as we are to God  ("Come as you are!  But don't stay that way!), because He accepts us with all our foibles, discrepancies, failures, idiosyncrasies, and weaknesses--the whole package!

It is common axioms that no one is perfect and to err is human, but few of us are willing to make this known publicly--we are just like Mark Twain quipped:  "Everybody is a moon; and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody," or like the double personas in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.  It is assumed by the present-day Secular-Humanist philosophy, which elevates or deifies man, and dethrones God, that we are basically good or inherently good--born innocent with a blank slate.  If we start off perfect how did the world get so depraved and why isn't there anyone perfect?

The fourth-century British monk Pelagius was one of the first heretics of Christendom and he believed that Adam's sin affected only him and that since God commands us to be perfect, we must have that inherent ability or the command doesn't make sense--why tell someone to do something he can't do? This doctrine of perfectionism or that we can attain unto it, was condemned at the Council of Carthage in AD 418, and even Rome sees it as a perversion of the gospel. It is been revived recently as "entire sanctification" or that we can reach a point in our walk that we no longer purposely sin or are "perfect,"  like it says in Matthew 5:48 to be "perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect."

It is assumed that some people are too bad to be saved or that they have gone too far. No one is beyond the reach of the grace of God. If you do the unforgivable sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit you simply are unconcerned about repentance and salvation. "For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Romans 10:13, ESV).  You can drown in 7 feet of water just as easily as 700 feet.  It just takes one sin to make a person deserving of hell and eternal damnation at the Great White Throne Judgment.  We must learn not to depend or rely on ourselves and stop trying to save ourselves.  The Secular Humanists proclaim that no deity will save them, so they must save themselves!

Well, this begs the question:  How bad off are we as unbelievers from being saved?  How far is a blind person from realizing the beauty of a Rembrandt, or simply the beauties of nature of-of mankind? How far removed is a deaf person from appreciating a Mozart or Beethoven symphony?  We are not as bad as we can be; you can always say that God grades on a curve and that you are better than Adolf Hitler or Saddam Hussein and think you have an edge, but this is false assurance because the plumb line or measure of standards is Jesus Christ Himself and we all fall short of His example of fulfilling all righteousness and living for us to prove it.  We are not as bad as we can be or what you would say "utterly depraved." However, we are as bad off as we can be or totally depraved.  Every part of our inner being is affected with evil and sin, and if sin were blue we'd be all blue--that includes our minds, wills, and affections or feelings-our complete soul.

We are dead spiritually to God and cannot communicate or have a relationship with Him, but must be reborn in the Spirit to become God's children and have fellowship with Him.  The point is that we are as bad off as we can be, but salvation is as great as can be and no one is too bad to be saved--it isn't that we are good enough to get saved, but that we are bad enough to need salvation.  According to C. S. Lewis:  We don't know how bad we are till we try to be good, and we can't be good till we know how bad we are (what a catch-22!).  Soli Deo Gloria!

Helping A Brother In Need

It is quite admirable to be able to notice a brother in need and be in the position to help out.  When you've done it to the least of Christ's brethren, you've done it unto Him (cf. Matt. 25:40).  The question Christ will ask at judgment is when you saw the naked did you clothe them, or the hungry did you feed them, etc. Paul said that "My God shall supply all your need..." (Philippians 4:19).  God doesn't promise to provide our felt needs or wants, just our needs.  Some need more than others, but the purpose is to do the will of God, not our will.  If you need it to do God's will, He will supply.

"Saint Theresa was going to build a convent with a sum the equivalent of twelve pence as her complete resources.  Someone said to her, 'Not even Saint Theresa can accomplish much with twelve pence.'  'True, she answered, 'but Saint Theresa and twelve pence and God can do anything.'" (anecdote quoted from William Barclay's The Letter to the Romans.)  The fact is that God has unlimited resources and we don't work for Buddha:  God has nothing against rich people or riches per se.  But when we are not rich toward God (see Luke 12:21 and the parable of the foolish tenant) it is foolish to put our trust in riches.  Our life does not consist in the abundance of our possessions, and we are to be content with what we have, and not be envious of what others have.

Greed is the driving force in modern society as a rule in a materialistic age, and some people who love money never seem to have enough and aren't satisfied no matter what.  They ask a millionaire how much would make him happy:  Just a little more!  They always want a more than they have, no matter how much they have.  We are all stewards of what God has assigned us and have different degrees of responsibility and are all accountable both in this life and at Judgment Day.  We also reap what we sow and it seems like the evil get rich and prosper, but the Bible says in Psalm 17:14 that it is because their reward or portion is in this life.  I would rather go to my reward when I pass on than leave my riches behind.

Although it is true that it does no good to help some people because they are irresponsible and will spend it unwisely if you give a beggar on skid row a dollar, he will buy a bottle of wine and if you offer to take him to a restaurant to get fed, he will decline.  Helping someone in need isn't just financial, it may be of your time because everyone knows the cliche that love is spelled T-I-M-E. When absentee fathers don't spend any time with their children no wonder they grow into delinquents and live maladjusted lives searching for an identity.

Each person should decide in his own heart how much he is to give and be faithful to that, and not feel that he must give of his money--it is completely voluntary for the Christian and not to be "under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver" (cf. 2 Cor. 9:7).  The church's responsibility is to use some of the money to give to those in need, to help the poor, and make good use of their resources. "The point is this:  whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly..." (2 Cor. 9:6, ESV).  Tithing can be seen as a test of generosity, a principle of stewardship, and a sign of faith giving back to God some of His blessings to us-- but it is not a mandate for Christians--not mentioned in any epistle as imperative.          Soli Deo Gloria! 

What Destroys A Church

Nothing destroys a church like problems within party politics!  The Corinthians, for example, were on the verge of a church split and Paul begged them to get along.  Some quarrels are not worth the adrenaline and you don't have anything material to gain in the struggle:  like Gen. George S. Patton's book Patton's Principles:  A Handbook for Managers Who Mean It, where he posits that you should pick your battles; some just generate more heat than light!   Don't fight and quarrel (and the servant of God must not quarrel according to 2 Timothy 2) over non-issues that have to vital doctrinal significance!  Remember, above all Saint Augustine's dictum:  "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity."

A true believer, who belongs to the universal and catholic church of Christ should be in fellowship with all members of the family worldwide, and not just his own sect or denomination or party or even clique.  What this boils down to is the tendency to judge and criticize and Paul warns against both of these weaknesses of man.  It has always been from within that the enemy makes the most inroads:  domestic terrorists, the syndicate or organized crime, traitors, double agents, spies, and even ourselves as Pogo said, "We have met the enemy, and he is us."  John said, that the enemy is the world, the flesh, and the devil--that is our carnal nature or old man is working against God's will and is always present to defeat us and take away our victory.

Sometimes we can't agree on a leader, and we must realize that the only true leader is Christ, the only head of the church, who acts through the entire body of Christ, where no member can despise another.  Sometimes it is the leader's fault for not mediating because often the buck stops there!  If we can't agree on a leader like the Corinthians, then maybe we can agree on an arbiter like when they chose Paul to settle their dysfunctional family feud. As you may know, many families are very dysfunctional and as a body in Christ we are family, so there are likely to be jealousies, competitions, rivalries, contentions, etc., in the body, as sure as there is sibling rivalry and similar problematic relational situations.  There may be some member who has a gift of wisdom and experience to settle a matter and be a daysman, middleman, or mediator in the dispute.  We are all called to a ministry of reconciliation and to represent Christ to the world.

In sum, we can learn to walk hand-in-hand or to be in fellowship, without seeing eye-to-eye or agreeing on everything.  There has to be room for disagreement (no one has a monopoly on wisdom and is infallible--not even the Pope) and we must learn to disagree without being disagreeable, contentious, argumentative, judgmental, or divisive.  The reason we should strive for unity is because God is a unity or a union of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit--they are one in essences and will ("I am in the Father and the Father is in Me.") and there is no conflict in the Godhead--division is against the nature of God and we should be aware of red flag issues and not go there if it is likely to upset people--they must be ready for the meat of the Word before it is fed.  "[To equip the saints] until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood" (Ephesians 4:13, ESV).  Finally, Ephesians 4:3 (ESV) says:  "[I urge you to be] eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."   Soli Deo Gloria!

Do You Really Love God?...

"Jesus answered, ... AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH"  (Mark 12:29-30, NASB).

You don't have to do this to get saved, it is just a template of your agenda for life and to see what direction you are going.  In other words, as Jesus commanded us to be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect, the test is the direction we are going, not the measure of our achievement.  Faith is never static (staying in one place) or stagnant (not growing or wasting away) either, you are either losing ground and backsliding or you are growing in the faith by an obedient life and moving ahead in becoming more Christlike and increasing in reflecting His glory and partaking of the divine essence (cf. 2 Pet. 1:4; 2 Cor. 3:18).  We can't stand still in our relationship and just be complacent to be saved and nonchalant about what rewards we get; you are either a first-class and world-class Christian or a worldly and carnal Christian losing ground spiritually--no one treads water!

What does this command mean when it says to love God?  Everyone has a strong suit or forte that they feel they can trump others on and compare themselves with themselves (2 Cor. 12:12 says this is unwise) and feel a cut above others in this category or department. You can say:  "I can see why you like to sing, you're so good at it."  And to answer:  "I can see why you like to write, you're so good at it."  We are all different!  One brother may say:  "I think you need to show more feeling."  In reply, the other says:  "I think you need to use your mind more and get your thinking straightened out!" It is vain to judge one another because we are all works in progress and under the auspices of God. All love is sacrificial as the supreme example of God so loving the world that He gave His only Son: You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.  We give of our minds, hearts, wills, and strength as we have the opportunity and responsibility for the same.  Bear in mind:  We are all merely stewards of the blessings of God and will be held accountable for what we did in the body.

For instance, loving with all your mind means to learn how to think and to think with discernment and wisdom and devote it to God's will, and not be foolish like the Proverbs warn against; we are not to go by feeling but to think before we speak and act.  We should also do our best to achieve whatever intellectual capacity we are called to fulfill or to complete our calling (apathy and ignorance are taboo).  To think with a divine rather than human viewpoint and worldview is part of this mindset. Focus your mind on Christ: "You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you" (Isaiah 26:3, ESV); "Let this mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus."   Do you just settle for a job halfway and being "good enough" to your low standards?

Feelings, affections, or the heart come after obedience and faith and is not the engine but the caboose of the metaphorical train. They used to say in the '60's that if it feels good, do it!  This is a recipe for disaster. Don't go by feelings, but the facts of the Word of God, because they come and go and are like a see-saw with its ups and downs--you must keep the faith!  Christians on fire for the Lord are contagious--get to know some!  We love God with our affections or heart by going with our feelings and not inhibiting them but feeling what God feels about tragedy and evil in the world.  You must seek God with all your heart to find Him, and believe with your heart to be saved (in other words, you will fall in love with Jesus).

Do you have compassion for the things of God and feel what God feels and love the things God loves, as well as hate the things God hates?  Do you enjoy the emotional lift of worship as the Holy Spirit stirs your spirit and delight in heavenly things (some people would not like heaven because that's what will happen there!)?  Psalm 16:11 comes to mind: "You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."  Nehemiah 8:10 says that the "joy of the LORD is your strength."  Don't ever lose that joy--Jesus says no man can take it from you (cf. Phil. 4:4).   Don't be discouraged that you aren't as excited, ecstatic, or euphoric as other more mature believers who have fallen in love with Jesus, because they don't have more of the Spirit, the Spirit just has more of them!

We must also surrender all of our soul or all of our being (intellect, affection, and will) to be saved. This equates obedience with faith (Dietrich Bonhoeffer said that only he who believes is obedient, and only he who is obedient believes--they are correlated and the flip side of each other and cannot be separated, though we do distinguish them--they go hand in hand.  "Do not be foolish, but understand the will of the Lord"  (Ephesians 5:7).  We must be willing to pick up our cross and follow Him to the death, if need be, and make His will our will in a constant prayer of relinquishment ("Thy will be done," which is the greatest of prayers, that even Jesus prayed). Being ignorant of the will of God is a sign you are not willing to do it, because God will reveal it to you as you are ready for it and can handle it, but never more than we need to know--no one knows the will of God for their whole life as a laid-out plan, because we don't know what God is going to end up doing with us.

The problem most believers have is that they know the right thing to do and God's will, but don't have the will power or discipline to do it, (Ovid said, "I see the better things, and I approve them, but I follow the worse").  Paul realized in Romans 7:24 that he couldn't please God in his own power ("Who will deliver me from the body of this death?"), but thanked Christ for giving him the power--we cannot complete the yoke of the Law of Moses as the Jews couldn't either, but the yoke of the will of God is what we have in the New Covenant and Jesus said, "My yoke is easy, and my burden is light."  God gives us tasks according to our ability and the place we are at and the level of maturity and we prove to have--we must grow up and take on the task given us and not remain infants in Christ forever living a carnal life and not as spiritual.

Finally, we must also surrender our strength to God and love with all our natural ability and physical stamina and athletic or coordinated prowess.  We are not to exalt our body, thinking it is the most important thing to center our life around and become fitness or health freaks living an unbalanced life at the expense of other areas and faculties.  On the other hand, we are not to despise our body and misuse it, but see it as a temple of the Holy Spirit and a trust or responsibility to maintain.  Ignoring health issues is a bad sign and a violation of our responsibility and duty to God as His creatures and children.  We are endowed by God and should be faithful to fulfill our individual gift or gifts.  Some are stronger and better endowed as they say by nature, and just like other talents or gifts, are more responsible to complete that calling.

Let me clear up something: No one can say they have obeyed this command! We aren't saved by loving Jesus, but by faith in Christ:  We are saved solely by grace (no merit of our own) through the gift of faith that is God's gift, but our act, and we must do something with it and take the leap of faith, and it must be directed in Christ alone as the object (it is the object of faith that saves, not the amount of faith or just faith per se, which would be faith in faith). We can be sincerely wrong, (sincerity is necessary, but not sufficient) sincerity is vital but it only opens the door to an opportunity to respond and answer the call of God and believe in our hearts.  The whole person must be involved to be saved: Intellect with the right knowledge or doctrine, emotions or affections of our heart, and the will as we endeavor and resolve to obey God and follow on to know the Lord and to be a disciple or learner of Christ.  No one has ever followed the Greatest Commandment to love God with their whole personhood and being; we must accept the gift of salvation by faith and realize our utter bankruptcy before God that we aren't good enough to be saved, but that we are bad enough to need salvation.

In summation, no one can brag before God that he has complied with this commandment but must rely on the grace of God for salvation, and strive to complete as loving children who want to do God's will as our duty as creatures and children.  Just because you are good at one aspect of loving God doesn't mean you can pull rank and start forcing compliance to your standards or rules and be in your image--Christ is the only image of God and we are all works in progress and none of us can say that the have "arrived" or is perfect or God is finished with them.  "I do not claim to have laid a hold of it yet," as Paul said to the Philippians 3:12-13.  But rest assured:  God finishes what He starts as Philippians 1:6 (ESV) proclaims:  "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."  Soli Deo Gloria!

Is The Pope Catholic?

This seems like a proverbial and unambiguous or obvious question, but is it?  What do I mean by "catholic?"  The word denotes being universal in application (all true believers) and specifically to the Roman Catholic Church denomination of Christianity.  Roman Catholicism does not refer to a sect or cult, but a bona fide division of our faith like the Orthodox and so-called Protestant schisms. This means you can be a true Christian in either denomination or division of Christianity, but that doesn't mean because you adhere to one that you are automatically a Christian.  Catholics, as a rule, don't believe Protestants are saved; while Protestants believe some Catholics are saved--they just don't accept their soteriology or dogma of salvation that all Protestants subscribe to (salvation by grace through faith).  So this begs the question, "Which denomination is sectarian?"

By Reformed tradition and interpretation of the doctrines of salvation, and Martin Luther was excommunicated for his faith, Catholics do not have saving faith by definition because they regard "merit" and see faith as a work and not a gift--we are not saved by works. In effect, they save themselves.  Catholics officially believe you are saved "through the Church," obeying the teachings of the Church, and accepting their dogma without question. It is solely the responsibility of clerics to interpret Scripture, though the parishioner can read it.

The Pope is allegedly the Supreme Pontiff of the universal church and the vicar of Christ on earth, who speaks ex-cathedra when pronouncing from St. Peter's chair--this is known as pontificating, and it is infallible or without error (he claims to be speaking for Christ.)  (Catholics have a lot of faith in the Pope and priests--you must trust Christ alone to be saved because it is the object that saves, not the faith--they have misdirected faith--in the wrong person.)

Catholic (small c) denotes the general and universal church at large of true believers (the Nicene Creed says there is "one holy and apostolic catholic church") if you go by definition and not what the Church says; therefore, the Pope must know Christ to be catholic. He can be "Catholic" and not catholic, catholic and not Catholic,  and even Catholic and catholic.  Christian by definition can be any denomination, is really universal terminology and is nonsectarian--sectarian spirit is sin according to Paul, because "Christ is not divided."  (We shouldn't squabble over leadership.)

We should be "one in Spirit" (cf. Eph. 4:3) with all believers and not find differences but commonalities and be able to walk hand in hand without seeing eye to eye on every issue. True Christians are able to have fellowship with other believers around the world and across denominational lines if they know the Lord, regardless of sectarian bias or affiliation.  There is no fellowship with an unbeliever.  There is a time to be nondenominational and a time to stick to your guns and be faithful to your creed.  But note: Christianity is not a creed, but a relationship! But we have to turn our creeds into deeds and make good on our faith because true saving and obedient faith is a fruitful faith--we are known by our love producing good deeds.

"Woe unto you when all men speak well of you," Jesus said.  (They all thought well of the Pharisees!)  I don't know of anyone more popular in the world and that has more friends than the Pope, who tries to be everyone's friend and peacemaker.  If you think the Pope is a Christian, then you may be a Catholic at heart--there are many Catholics who disagree with him!  A former Pope made a "mecca" to Fatima to place something on the statue of the Virgin Mary, thanking her for saving him from assassination.  What he stands for is anti-Christian because he exalts himself to a position only God is worthy of and will bear his judgment on the Last Day.

Because his judgment tarries and we don't see it, doesn't mean it isn't a sure thing.  But he deceives many and God is patient for His elects' sake because they believe in Him in spite of being Catholic, not because they are Catholic.  To be specific: The Catholic way or following the Pope is the road of good intentions leading to hell.  Ever since the Council of Trent (1546) justification through faith alone has been anathema (cursed)--their misdirected faith in the Church won't save if they are converted solely to the program as do-gooders--granting false assurance.

They say that love is the test and we shall "know them by their love."  You must believe right (orthodoxy) as well as act right (orthopraxy).  Love is not God, God is love.  "Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love;"  "Whoever loves has been born of God, for God is love."  (1 John 4:7-8, ESV).  Do not be deceived!  Don't say, "Oh he is such a lover; he must be saved."  (Love without faith, as well as, faith without love is nothing.)   This is how we shall know the brethren who believe the right creed from impostors or charlatans who claim faith and don't love. What it implies is that we shall not know solely by their creed, possessions, or testimony.  Love must be the main ingredient and without it we don't have salvation, regardless of faith.  Just having love per se doesn't prove salvation, it's just a sign to notice.


(Now, I am aware that you cannot judge whether a person has saving faith (only God sees the heart), Catholics freely admit to believing a creed contrary to grace and grace orientation--their salvation is a cooperative venture between us and God known as synergism, while "salvation is of the Lord" according to Jonah 2:9 and is monergistic or God's work only.  How important is grace?  It is the one thing that  distinguishes Christianity from religion and Catholicism, (Catholics do believe that grace is necessary, just not sufficient and must be improved upon by merit) and by definition, Catholicism is legalism (mixing works with faith), not Christianity, ergo the Pope is not catholic at heart but sectarian. What is religion?  Its main effort is to reach God, is the best man can do.  The Catholic dogma--a creed that is contrary to sound doctrine- is a do-it-yourself proposition of merit; Christianity is God reaching down to man, the best God can do and gives God the credit or glory (Soli Deo Gloria!) and we get none. Beware of the sin of Diotrephes, who liked to be number one and put himself first!  Ego problems! Only Christ is the Head of His Body.)

The question also arises as to whether a "sincere" Catholic is saved.  God says that ignorance is never an excuse because we all have His Word as a witness of the truth and are responsible to know it.   Sincerity is important, but it is not everything--you can be sincerely wrong.   Many Catholics have misdirected zeal without knowledge (cf. Rom. 10:2) and faith in the wrong object, which should only be Christ. Having faith in Christ and a combination of someone or something else (like the Mass) is not saving faith.  One must wonder whether they know the Lord or not.

To clear something up the Reformed teaching is that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone and that God alone gets the glory--"Salvation is of the Lord" (per Jonah 2:9 is their stand). Catholicism adds works to faith and merit to grace, teaching that they are necessary, but not sufficient and must be improved upon with our cooperation with God, helping Him out, as it were.  Grace is not only necessary but wholly sufficient and needs no aid on our part to participate. Faith doesn't save, no matter how great it is, but the object saves (i.e., Jesus Christ).  What one doesn't usually hear is that Paul was angry at the Galatians for teaching "another gospel" and pronounced a curse on them--this is what Catholics are doing, as they change Paul's doctrine to suit their traditions, ideas, and notions.    Soli Deo Gloria!

Is Talk Cheap?

The Romans were practical people who believed talk was cheap and actions are what matter because sometimes actions do speak louder than words.  Did not Pilate ask Jesus, "What did you do?" and not "What did you say?"  If we don't make good on our talk it is cheap and we lose the validity of our testimony.  Most people that believe talk is cheap are those who don't know how to talk or haven't acquired the skill to converse intelligibly.  It is a matter of mutuality or give and take, listening and talking because there are times when listening is a better skill and more valuable than speaking.  We may need someone to listen to us at times of need and God can give us a word of encouragement, and it is a gift to be able to speak a word in season and to know how to comfort someone in their loss.

Talk can be therapeutic, too.  People that have problems need to talk them out and resolve personal issues together with other peers or trusted counselors.  To give someone the silent treatment is one of the cruelest forms of punishment because it cuts him off from communication and fellowship. All believers need the fellowship of their brethren and no one is a rock or island in need of no friends. Like the song by The Beatles, "I Get Along With A Little Help By My Friends."  People who need people, it is said in another song, are the happiest people.   Personally, I can testify that there have been periods in my life when I just wanted "talk therapy" and needed to talk out my problems and to get some empathy or sympathy.  I have been to the point of such loneliness that I was desperate to talk to even anyone.

We relate to one another by communicating not by doing works, which are a validation of our witness, and show that our faith is real.   Like Paul would say, "I will show you my good deeds by my faith," and James would say, "I will show you my faith by my good deeds."  They go together and can be distinguished, but not separated--you cannot have one without the other and works and faith are each other's flip side.  One work we are commanded to do is to witness of our conversion and of the gospel message and this is via words, not actions, through our actions prove our witness is real to us and show the gospel in shoe leather.

Talk can be cheap if it isn't backed up by a testimony that isn't jeopardized and is without hypocrisy. It can be empty talk that has no inner meaning or edifying or redeeming value to the listener. Some people know how to talk so well that their talk is their profession and they heard no matter the season because they have proved themselves or have the training and experience to back it up. We all want to hear from someone who has been there and done that or has learned through the school of hard knocks and has a story.  A person with a message to relate will always find hearers.

We earn the right to be heard and no one is obligated to listen to us if we haven't earned this privilege.  People who are good talkers have learned to be good listeners first and have often learned the hard way and not just through books.  Scholars don't necessarily have all the answers either; it is a matter of knowing God and having the gift of wisdom that He alone can bestow.   Soli Deo Gloria!  

Poor Follow-through

You can have the best of intentions, but if you don't make good on them,  they are only gestures and not worth recompense.  Sincerity is necessary, but it is not sufficient, you must practice the truth as well as know it;  this is known as orthopraxy vs. orthodoxy (right conduct and right creed).  We can all be in danger of being more empty talk and promise and less delivery of the goods. Intentions don't count without making good on them.

Some just preach or talk about what people want to hear and to please their itching ears and try to water down the truth and make it more palatable, instead of telling it like it is.  The truth can knock you out of your comfort zone, wake you up from your dogmatic slumber, and upset the applecart. Jesus was known for challenging authority and being "anti-establishment" and to invade the turf of the Pharisees so that they were jealous of His influence.

Sometimes we can tend to be all heart and not have the follow-through to apply what we feel or get convicted of--it is just sentiment.  We are to follow the Lord with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind; this means our whole person and ability, talent, time, gifts, and resources that we are stewards of and are accountable for.  Following God begins in the heart but we must graduate and go on to know the Lord and follow Him in obedience to His commands.

We must never jeopardize our testimony by not living up to our creed; we must turn it into deeds and make it our own to God's glory, for which we are saved. We tend to agree with each other in principle, but fail to carry it out in practice as a reality and testimony to others, making us look like hypocrites who don't practice what we preach.  I can't stress enough the value of going the "extra mile" and putting in the extra effort to please God to the best of our ability, and do the best job we can for the Lord ("Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord, and not unto men," quoting Colossians 3:23).   Soli Deo Gloria!

Knowledge Has Its Place

"...knowledge puffs up, but love edifies"  (1 Cor. 8:1b).

Does this mean that knowledge is inappropriate?  Why do we pursue knowledge anyway?  Do we just have a desire to be smarter than everyone or to have all the answers?  Knowledge is indeed a byproduct of knowing the Lord and being obedient in the faith by discipleship and application.  We should never pursue it for its own sake because it is merely a means to an end, and not the end itself--we must always ask ourselves why we are learning something and what our inner or ulterior motives are.  We can't all be scholars (and some don't even know the Lord to their shame, like the Pharisees), but there is a need for them in the body and they have their function.  We can't all be theologians who organize Bible teaching (doctrine just means teaching pertinent to a subject), but there is a need for them to defend the Bible (polemics) just like we need apologists to defend the faith.  We are all basically theologians, it just varies how good of a one we are--they are not just Christians good at theology, i.e., we all have a viewpoint or interpretation of Scripture that biases us, and no one is impartial completely, except God, who alone is objective in toto.

When teaching others, we want to aim to disciple them, not educate them, and that means to lead them on to a personal relationship with and knowledge of the Lord through Bible application--and no sermon or teaching is complete without making application, or it is just theory without practice or just something to talk about and not do something about.  We should be stirred to do something new by way of application that we wouldn't normally do.  The tendency for some students of the Word is to become intoxicated with the deeper truths of the Bible that they forget or neglect the basics of the Word or feel they have outgrown the milk of the Word, just because they can digest the solid food. We must restrain our natural curiosity and not just study for curiosity sake, but for a yearning for the things of God and a genuine thirst for the Word itself.

We need to pass the baton to the next generation what we have learned so they won't make the same mistakes!  A good teacher doesn't balk at teaching the whole counsel of God to the best of his ability and training and doesn't just have a personal agenda and motive to convert them to his way of thinking or interpretation.  There is a big danger in getting a big head and having too high an opinion of yourself when you have increased in knowledge without application.  The goal of the teacher should be to make the student independent of his teaching so he can in turn disciple others and the cycle continues.

The Pharisees knew a lot about the Scriptures and didn't know the Author and so they couldn't interpret it; they just had religiosity and customs to pass on.  They had in effect externalized religion and thought that going through the motions was all that mattered.  This is called "memorizing the dance of the pious."  It is formalism without any heart involved or what Jesus called being lukewarm in Revelation 3:19.  We don't want to be like the debaters who made it their way of life to just talk about the latest ideas or theories, but be doers of the Word, and not merely hearers (even if we gladly hear it).  Everyone doesn't have the same mental capacity and to whom much is given much is required, so we are not to hold everyone to the same standard, but let God be the judge.c

We also don't want to be hypocrites like the Pharisees who didn't practice what they preached either (Jesus said to listen to them, but don't imitate them). The more eager we are to learn and the more we apply it and pass on to others, the more God will reveal to us--but it is always a byproduct and we are not to compare ourselves with ourselves.   Remember that the Hebrews went into captivity because of their ignorance to their shame ("My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge..," says Hosea 4:6a).

We don't want to know "about the Bible" but to know the Author of the Bible and use our knowledge constructively and to edify others. Knowledge is a spiritual gift and some believers are simply gifted with more of it, and we are not to hold everyone to the same standard.  They can become serious students of the Word to detect error and heresy and to pass on sound doctrine.

Note also that knowledge can be dangerous, especially when one gets an exclusive mindset thinking he is right and everyone else wrong and gets highly sectarian and dogmatic on nonessential doctrine. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing and a half-educated person can do more damage than an uneducated one.  Always bear in mind Augustine's dictum:  "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity."

In conclusion, don't fall under the delusion that ignorance is bliss, because knowledge is power according to Blaise Pascal and Proverbs 24:5 (ESV):  "...and a man of knowledge enhances his might"; however, anyone who thinks he knows it all or knows some secret others don't (like the Gnostics who thought they were in "the know" and clued in above others and they had the secret to salvation), doesn't yet know as he ought to know, because no one has a monopoly on wisdom, or inside track, revelation, or knowledge.  Soli Deo Gloria!

The Sun That Melts The Butter Hardens The Clay

We must never forget our Maker and that we are just clay in the Great Potter's hands to use us for His purposes--God will fulfill His purpose for you, with or without your cooperation because He is sovereign and is Lord of all, whether we accept it or not; it is just a matter of our enjoyment and glorification that matters. "...as I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand" (Isaiah 14:24).  We are always to be prepared to meet our Maker says Amos 4:12.  God doesn't have a Plan B or other emergency exit, backup strategy, or alternate route to take--it's up to us!

We must never forget that adversity, suffering, testing, tribulation, heartbreak, ordeals, tragedy, crisis,  trouble, and trials will come to all believers and Christ didn't even exempt himself from them!   Our crosses pale in comparison to His!  He is our exemplar and we need to bear the cross and follow Jesus as part of what we signed up for.  It is our crucible and God knows as Job says, "The LORD knows that way that I take when He has tried me I shall come forth as gold."  God never promised us a bed of roses and we must acknowledge that without a cross there is no crown.  If we have a "why?" to our suffering and see Jesus with us, we can bear almost anything!  There is a place for negative stress, even a psychiatrist will admit that--if we have an easy life we become soft.  Don't pray for an easy going life, but to be made strong!  "Been there, done that!"  Knowing the "why," we can bear any "how."

It is the crises of our daily grind that molds our character to become more Christlike and God does it for our own good, as a parent disciplines a child he loves.  God has good intentions: "Behold, the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope"  (Jer. 29:11, ESV).  Some of us learn only from the school of hard knocks, while the wisest ones learn from Scripture and take God at His Word.  We don't want to learn life's lessons the hard way.  It is pruning and not a punishment that God uses to develop our character. God punished Jesus for our sins, and we are not punished for them too.  (It has been said that experience is what happens in you, not to you.)  Suffering is par for the course.

We have a will to exercise according to our desires at the moment, but God is in charge of the circumstances.  God made our natures that sanguine, melancholy, impetuous, impulsive, introverted, happy-go-lucky, ad infinitum, and we act accordingly. We are not the captains of our souls nor the masters of our fate. God knows how to manipulate and orchestrate events to get His will done and can change our minds; for instance, it may have been your notion to never get married, but you discovered God had other plans!   If a man can change a ladies mind, certainly God can.  "I do not like crises, but I like the opportunities they afford"  (Lord Reith).

The flip side of butter being melted by the same sun is being hardened like clay.  We can become bitter or better as they say.  Habakkuk experienced the worst of experiences when he seemed to have lost all but made a hymn to the joy that he still had God and if we have Him we have all we really need--sometimes we have to get to the end of ourselves or lose everything to discover this:  "Behold the goodness and severity of God" (cf. Rom. 11:22).   His confession was simply:  "Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation" (Hab. 3:18).  Note that God reserves the right to have mercy on whom He will have mercy and to harden [i.e., judicial hardening] whom He will harden (cf. Rom. 9:18).  Remember what God did to Pharaoh and know that God can do the same today.

God is in control of the hearts of kings to make them do His will according to Proverbs 21:1 (ESV) which says:  "The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD, he turns it wherever he will."   God leaves nothing to chance--Albert Einstein noticed that "God doesn't play dice with the universe."  It is equally said that God doesn't leave one out of His control and that there is not one maverick molecule in the universe.  God doesn't just reign like the British monarch, but actually rules over all ("For kingship belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations," says Psalm 22:28 and in Isaiah 40 God says the nations are but a "drop in the bucket" to Him.)

Let me add that God works on us to the very end and doesn't give up, we are always a work in progress and won't be glorified in this life, which is only a training ground, a test station, or proving grounds for glory.  You may ask the silversmith when he is done refining the silver:  when he sees himself in it!   The sculptor takes away everything that doesn't look like his subject--his icons!   Soli Deo Gloria!

Go Ye Therefore ....

Those are words out of the Great Commission of our King in Matthew 28:19-20, and it is given to the church universal and local to be fulfilled as a body working in Christ using the various gifts of the Spirit, and each doing his or her part as God gives the opportunity. Our marching orders, as it were, are reiterated by the way in all three synoptic gospels and in Acts.   Many Christians think that when it says "Go ye therefore and make disciples..." it means that they have to go somewhere. Some don't want to become Christians because they think God will send them to Africa.  An apostle is actually a "sent one" and some of us are fighting on the home front.  Actually, in the Greek, it means "as you are going" make disciples!  

This means that we surrender our everyday life to a commitment to look for each opportunity God gives an open door that we can utilize.  Or you could say as we are going about our daily activities.  We are to be busy doing everything in the name of the Lord and to His glory in our daily tasks and routines.  We need to "practice the presence of God," as the sixteenth-century, humble, Carmelite monk in a French monastery named  Brother Lawrence, called it, and just be sensitive to His promptings and leading--seize the day and don't regret a lost opportunity.

To whom much is given, much is required (cf. Luke 12:48); therefore no one is overwhelmed and in a position, he cannot bear or get a handle on or grip on.   Before we talk to someone about the Lord, it is advisable to talk to the Lord about the person.  The Great Commission, it has been said, is not an option to be considered, or The Great Suggestion, but a command to be obeyed.  God gives no suggestions in Scripture and this is not the Great Suggestion, as some are deluded to believe.  The Great Commission was important enough to be at the conclusion of each synoptic gospel  (Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:47 and in Acts 1:8).  The book of Acts begins with the command to go into all the parts of the earth with the gospel as witnesses.  Jesus said that as soon as the gospel had been preached to every nation He would return.

"Go ye therefore and make disciples" means evangelism, and we must all have a mission and vision for the future ("For without a vision, the people perish," says Proverbs 29:18).  "Baptizing them" means to bring them into the fellowship of the body and accept them--giving them the "right hand of fellowship." Baptism is the initiation whereby we proclaim publicly our faith.  "Teaching them" entails discipleship; this never ends either.  Follow-up is too often forgotten in today's church--getting them saved is only the beginning.   I have heard it said that a great Christian has a great commitment to the Great Commission.

The message we preach (per 1 Cor. 2:2 is "Christ, and Christ crucified") is to be the gospel message about Jesus--that God settled the sin nature and personal sins question once and for all by the death, burial, and resurrection of His Son. The sin question's remedy is justification by the blood and the fact that we have sin natures is delivered by the cross of Christ. Saved from the penalty of sin and delivered from the power of sin!  The way of salvation should be simple and straightforward:  We are saved by grace alone (no merit involved); through faith alone (faith as a gift and no works involved); and in Christ alone (not in the leadership or church dogma or even yourself).

Christianity is more than dogma or creed to be believed; it is a lifestyle and relationship with the living Christ and we are to "work out our salvation with fear and trembling" (get a spiritual workout). We cannot work for our salvation--we show works as proof of it (we are not saved by works, and not without them either--dead faith--without works--doesn't save).  We are not saved by works, but unto (i.e., foreordained) works ("For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto [for the purpose of] good works...").  (James 2:17 says:  "Faith without works is dead".)  The Reformed formula was:  "Saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone [without works]."

The gospel is profound, yet not too difficult for the child to understand.  It put to shame the wisdom of this world.  Paul said he got his gospel from Jesus Himself and Romans is the most complete dissertation on salvation in the Bible--a compendium on the subject.  When we get a handle on the gospel message we can share it and leave the results to God. We all need to pray for doors to open and for the right words to use; even Paul did!  Don't be a bystander or stand on the sidelines;  do your part because no gift is insignificant, even waiting on tables like Philip and Stephen did.  What is most effective is when we make our message our own and give a testimony that cannot be refuted:  "I was blind, but now I see." Let us proclaim with Paul in Romans 1:14-16:  I am a debtor, I am ready, and I am not ashamed! We cannot always choose our place of service but must learn to bloom where we are planted and be a sower of the Word.  Soli Deo Gloria!