Keep The Faith!

"If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all." Isaiah 7:9

This phrase has little spiritual value unless one is talking about the Christian faith which was "once and for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3, ESV).  We are to remain in the faith that God has given us or we apostatize from it!  Ephesians 4:5 says there is "one Lord, one faith, one baptism" and we should realize this: "How shall we escape if we neglect such great salvation?..." (Heb. 2:3, ESV). Man's estimation of man is that he is basically good and perfectible as an evolving animal heading toward inevitable utopia. But God's estimation of man is that he is totally depraved and as bad off as he can be--note he is utterly depraved or as bad as he can be, and there's a difference.  Our condition couldn't be any worse; God's salvation couldn't be any better!

Paul's aim was to teach "until we all attain to the unity of the faith..." (Eph. 4:13, ESV).  The motto of the British monarch is to be FD or "Defender of the Faith"--however, Prince Charles wants it to be changed to "defender of faith."  This is a far cry from the truth because faith doesn't save, only Christ saves; it is the object that saves.  When someone says, "Have faith!"  it is meaningless unless it is grounded in the truth--faith for its own sake is vain.  Faith doesn't save, Christ does!  

Jude exhorts us to "contend for the faith" in Jude 3 and this means sticking up for what you believe in and not compromising with the devil. However, there are some things we are to be tolerant of and there are areas of gray and disputable matters:  Augustine's dictum says, "In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity."  Essential doctrines are non-negotiable and must be accepted universally to be saved.  We should always withhold judgment and only judge heresy to keep the doctrine of the church pure.

Paul was glad in his swan song (2 Tim. 4:7, ESV) that he said: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."   There is the danger of error even among believers:  "O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you.  Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called 'knowledge,' for by professing it some have swerved from the faith"  (1 Tim. 6:20-21, ESV). He urges him:  "Fight the good fight of the faith...." (1 Tim. 6:12, ESV).

We are to examine ourselves regularly whether our faith is sound:  "Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith.  Test yourselves, [as at the Lord's Supper (1 Cor. 11:28)].   Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless indeed you fail to meet the test!"  (2 Cor. 13:5, ESV). We must be firm in the faith as our foundation:  "Rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as [we] were taught, abounding in thanksgiving"  (Col. 2:7, ESV).  There is always danger for a believer to go astray, as Paul warned in Col 1:23 (ESV):  "If indeed you continue in the faith...."  The Galatians were growing quite well until the leaven of legalism got into them and Paul wondered what happened.

The admonition that Peter gives in 2 Peter 2:1 (ESV) says, "But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction."  But there must be heresy to purify:  "For there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized" (1 Cor. 11:19, ESV). Remember that Jesus warned that before His coming there would be a great falling away of the faith and He asked if there would be faith on the earth (cf. Luke 18:8)

What faith are we stressing?  Mainly, our great salvation Reformed formula is "by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone," and also (the Five Onlys) to God alone be the glory, and by the authority of Scripture alone! The battle cry of the Reformation was, "Justification by faith alone!   Any perversion of this pure gospel that Scripture teaches is heresy and must be denounced!  Paul was "astonished that [they] are so quickly deserting him who called [them] in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel--not that there is one, but there are some who trouble [them] and want to distort the gospel of Christ." 

But even if [he] or an angel from heaven should preach to [them] a gospel contrary to the one [he] preached to [them], let him be accursed" (Gal. 1:6-8, ESV).  We dare not introduce the merits of man, nor works into the equation.  We must put our faith in Christ alone, not in the church, the clergy, the saints, angels, Mary, nor the Pope--they cannot save!   Soli Deo Gloria!

Focused Thinking

We need to get our thinking straightened out by the plumb line of Scripture!  I'm not just referring to our mental outlook, our worldview, our interpretation of reality and how God is relevant, but also that we need to think less of self and more of Christ and His kingdom's interests. There are two viewpoints to everything: The human viewpoint or way of thinking and outlook; and the divine interpretation or viewpoint relative to God's revealed Word.  We are jointly exhorted:  "Therefore, to gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 1:13, NKJV).

Why is this vital?  "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he..." (Proverbs 23:7, KJV). "You are not what you think you are, but what you think you are," they say.  Our minds need to be transformed into the right frame of mind relative to God's mind and we have been given the mind of Christ according to 1 Cor. 2:16.  There is only one way to do this:  "... [But] be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God..." (Rom. 12:2, ESV).

We cannot know God's will like men's, we must see the light!  We must know Him through faith.  It behooves us to pay attention until "... the day dawns and the morning star rises in [our]  hearts."  (2 Pet. 1:19, ESV).  Paul commands us:  "Brothers, do not be not children in your thinking.  Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature"  (1 Cor. 14:20, ESV).  Why be so concerned about thinking straight? 

There's a correlation between our thinking and obedience:  Paul says, "We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5, ESV). We need to think godly and soberly, as well as live godly and soberly! As Peter says (1 Pet. 1:13, NIV):  "Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming."

Focused thinking is Christ-centered thinking since we have the mind of Christ, let us think like Christ would think and interpret our world accordingly.  A Christian's focused thought is in Christ:  "Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus..." (Philippians 2:5, ESV).  We have Christ's mind at our disposal and should think accordingly with a purpose!  Let's keep our eyes off ourselves and keeping them on Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith (cf. Heb. 12:2).  Distorted thinking comes when we view reality the way the world does and forget that we are Christians.  Sound mental health comes from sound thinking!

Finally, whatever is in line with Scripture is kosher thinking--meditation is the art of focused thinking, not emptying of the mind.  It behooves us to heed Paul's exhortation in Phil. 4:8 (ESV):  "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."  Soli Deo Gloria!

Moment Of Truth

Everyone has a defining moment in their lives that decides who they are--God knows, but we don't. Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane when he pleaded for another way and way out, but, nevertheless, He finally surrendered His will to the Father's plan and relinquished His life to His control completely, knowing the consequences of going to the cross on our behalf.  Jesus doesn't ask us to do anything He didn't do Himself, and carrying a cross for a crown someday was one of them.

Romans 12:1 (ESV) says that you must "present your  bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship."  Surrender is an ongoing discipline though and must be renewed as each day begins and we walk with the Lord all over again. We are to go from faith to faith and increase in our knowledge of God by our good deeds (cf. Col. 1:10).  We cannot say yes to God without first saying no to self, and ultimately the devil, too. Lordship salvation entails just that--living in surrendered relationship and being obedient to His revealed or preceptive will.  We all encounter a moment of truth, as it were, and have our "Garden of Gethsemane" moment.

Galatians 2:20 says that Paul is crucified with Christ, and he no longer lives, but Christ lives in him. Our life is not so much a changed life or new life, but an exchanged, surrendered, and relinquished life conformed to His will (cf. Romans 12:2).  We all need to prove the will of God through our lives. Jesus lived His life in submission to the Father in a subordinate role, temporarily setting aside His privileges of Deity, to save mankind, so that the Father could impute Christ's righteousness to our behalf and benefit those who had been insubordinate.  Christ was the vicarious offering and sacrifice to the Father fulfilling all His will

None of us would have come to the Father without being drawn. He compels us to come in [compelle intrarre in Latin] God as our Potter is able to make us in His image as we grow in grace from faith to faith.  We are simply clay in the Potter's hands that can be used for God's glory as vessels of honor.

But before the filling, comes the emptying!  Jesus said that we must take up our cross, deny ourselves, and follow Him (cf. Mark 8:34).   We must live our lives in His will mainly because the Father knows best, and has the best of intentions for us in a plan suited for us and our talents, time, opportunities, money, resources, and gifts.  But they cannot be used to God's glory without being surrendered to Him; God cannot pour His riches into hands already full;  we must forsake our own riches and give Christ ownership over all our blessings--we own nothing, but are just stewards of God's riches.

Romans 6 suggests three phases of faith going from knowing the truth, to reckoning on it, to yielding to it with our wills in obedience. Samuel told Saul that "to obey is better than sacrifice" and we must realize the truth that obedience and believing are correlated and interrelated (cf. Heb. 3:18-19; 4:6), as Dietrich Bonhoeffer said in his dictum: "Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes."  Our whole lives are a complete and total living, a sacrificial offering to the Lord in obedience and surrender to His will.

James Russell Lowell wrote, "Once to every man and nation, Comes the moment to decide, In the strife of Truth and Falsehood, For the good or evil side, Then it is the brave man chooses, While the coward stands aside."  Don't we see today's vacillating, wishy-washy, pragmatic politicians not concerned with what's right, but only what's convenient or expedient to fit their agenda?  There is no neutral ground, one must decide which side of the fence he sits on.  The most cowardly thing is to not make any stand, but to be a bystander and passively let evil takeover:  As Edmund Burke, a philosopher has said, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

Our relationship to the truth starts with a willingness to listen, understanding, acceptance, faith and trust, obedience, and culminates in love for the truth--a fruit of saving faith.  Soli Deo Gloria!

You Gotta Have Faith

You cannot have saving faith and keep it to yourself as if you're in God's secret service.  Romans 10:9 says we must confess Jesus as Lord.  James says in James 2:20 that faith without works is dead--dead faith cannot save (likewise, works without faith or done in the flesh cannot save per Isaiah 64:6).  Bona fide faith expresses itself in the real world of one's circle of influence. Furthermore, you cannot have saving faith without genuine obedience as Dietrich Bonhoeffer said in his dictum:  "Only he who believes is obedient, only he who is obedient believes."  As "a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith," (cf. Acts 6:7, ESV) so must we. You can distinguish them, but not separate them, because they go hand in hand and cooperate with each other.

The faith you have is the faith you show, because actions can, and usually, do, speak louder than words.  It has been said that faith isn't something you have, but something you do!  Faith has legs and is an action-implying word.  Because it is an abstract idea it needs to be illustrated and the whole chapter of Hebrews 11 is devoted to this to give us the idea, to follow in the steps of the heroes of the faith--like Abraham who ventured out in faith, not knowing where he was going.  He validated his faith and transformed it into a testimony and example for all of us as the father of all who has faith. Faith and action are interrelated and go hand in hand.

The measure of one's spirituality is not his emotions, ecstasies, experiences, or achievements, but his obedience.  However, we are not made right with God or saved by what we do, but by what we believe in the heart.  We are not saved by works, in other words, but unto works.  We are not saved by works, and not without them either, as the formula of the Reformers says:  "We are saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone."  

Works are no substitute for faith, but only evidence of it.  Paul and James complimented each other in their viewpoints and outlook: Paul would say, "I'll show you my works by my faith;"  and James would say, "I'll show you my faith by my works." We must translate our creeds into deeds.  Galatians 5:6 (NIV) says that "the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love"--we're judged by our works, not our faith.  Judge yourself by the amount of faith God has allotted you (Rom. 12:3).

The only true standard to measure faith by is obedience. Faith inevitably and invariably expresses itself.  Samuel said to Saul that "to obey is better than sacrifice [going through the motions of ritual]." Jesus became the "source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him" (cf. Hebrews 5:9, ESV). Lordship salvation connotes obedience and aligning your ways with God's will and getting with the program.

Faith starts with comprehension and understanding, moves on to acceptance, and progresses to trust. It involves knowledge of right doctrine (i.e., not heresy, but orthodox teaching), assent and agreement to it, and trust and devotion to it in faithfulness (faith and faithfulness are interrelated too).  We must believe with our whole being: Our hearts, minds, and wills, which implies submission to His will and loving Jesus with our heart and knowing Him with our minds. It isn't the amount of faith that saves, but the object of it--faith doesn't save, Christ does!

Faith is not being credulous or lending credence to something for no reason--faith doesn't believe despite the evidence but in spite of the consequences.  We have sound reasons to believe; we can even put our doubts aside and believe anyway because we don't need all the answers to take the leap of faith.  We can pray, "Lord I believe, help thou mine unbelief!" (Cf. Mark 9:24).  Faith is simple, not simplistic, childlike, not childish, they say,  Saving faith involves sincerity, loyalty, love, worship, faithfulness, and repentance.  

God doesn't ask us to believe for no sound reason or against the evidence.  It is based on historical, verifiable fact and compelling circumstantial evidence, not myth, hearsay, or fable.  God gives us a preponderance of the evidence which dictates faith.  Faith is not blind but the cure for it! People of faith have not kissed their brains goodbye, but their faith is defensible on the open marketplace of ideas.

Faith is the instrument means of salvation, it is not salvation--we don't put faith in faith and think that just having faith is the key, regardless of content, object, or sincerity.  We believe in our hearts because Jesus said they were "slow of heart to believe."  It is not head belief, in other words, but the heart of the matter is that it's a matter of the heart.  Faith is trust in the abstract and invisible, not tangible and visible.  

Faith without works is dead faith, and that kind of faith does not lead to salvation according to James. Even the demons believe in God, so there is a difference between believing in God and believing God. The Reformed formula of salvation is thus:  Saved by grace alone [no merit], by faith alone [not works], in Christ alone [not self-effort].  We rely on the Scripture alone as our authority in this and this all means that all the glory goes to God.

The flip side of faith is repentance (they go hand in hand and can be distinguished, but not separated, which means you cannot have saving faith if you don't repent and vice versa--repentance is also by the grace of God (cf. Acts 5:31; 11:18; 2 Tim. 2:25). There is no impenitent faith or genuine repentance without saving faith--they go hand in hand and can be distinguished, but not separated. 

What is a penitent heart but a turnaround from the inside out, an about-face, a U-turn, a 180-degree turn, coming clean, and owning up to your sin by turning from it towards God in faith; note that repentance is progressive and on-going just like our faith is, as we progress from faith to faith.  Soli Deo Gloria!

God's Complex Desires

God is a complicated Being that we cannot fully apprehend or put in a box, as if He were one-dimensional.  There's always more to God than we can apprehend!  Try not to think of Him as just a mean Judge, for example.  Muslims view God as being capricious, arbitrary, and whimsical; therefore they live their lives in fear of not doing enough good deeds to balance out or outweigh their bad ones.

God's desires and wants are not like man's, who goes primarily by emotion, instinct, passion, lust, or even hormones; God's will is at play too, and to Him, that is the paramount deciding factor in what happens.  God's Plan A is taking place without anyone able to thwart it or force God into Plan B.  It is written:  "... As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand" (Isaiah 14:24, ESV); and again, "For the LORD of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it?  His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?"  (Isaiah 14:27).  God knew that Adam and Eve would sin and this was all in His plan too, but that doesn't mean He desired it--it was necessitated.  

John Wycliffe's tenet is that "all things come to pass of necessity."  Also, Ephesians 1:11 says that God works all things according to the counsel of His will. Yes, He sovereignly directs, disposes, and governs all creatures, actions, and things (from The Westminster Confession, 1646) as the causa prima or sole primary cause of the universe (got the ball rolling as unmoved mover).  NB:  God's name I AM can be translated, "I cause to be."

God is using us for His purposes.  Today's common secular worldviews deny that anything has a purpose, which is a dirty or forbidden concept to them who deny this concept known as teleology. All nature teaches that God has a purpose for everything if you examine it with an open mind.  I refer to the Anthropic Principle that says everything was designed for human habitation.  We are called according to His purposes (cf. Romans 8:28). When David "had fulfilled God's purpose" the Lord took him.

However, God doesn't cause evil (He uses evil ones to do it), but uses and allows evil to His glory (Psalm 76:10 says, "Surely your wrath against mankind brings you praise..." in the NIV, and in the ESV it says, "Surely the wrath of man shall praise you....").  "The LORD works out everything to its proper end--even the wicked for a day of disaster"  (Proverbs 16:4, NIV). Ecclesiastes 3:1 says "there is a time and purpose for every event under the sun." God makes everything beautiful in His time. Eccl. 3:11

Evil wouldn't exist if it didn't glorify Him in the end.  God was not defeated by Satan and had to come up with some salvation plan to rescue man. Man usually does according to the natural inclination of his evil desires, but God has the power to restrain Himself, so as not to sacrifice His glory.  "... But He does according to His will in the host of heaven....  And no one can ward off His hand Or say to Him, 'What have You done?'" (Daniel 4:35, NASB). "But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases" (Psalm 115:3, NASB).

His justice is just as important to demonstrate as His grace and mercy; both will be brought forth. A good judge doesn't "desire" to send people to the death chambers when he metes out justice but is committed to doing the right thing.  A judge can't be "soft," but he still desires to render justice as well as mercy.  Thus, God gives everyone a chance to be saved, though He is not obligated to woo everyone (cf. John 6:44, 65), not necessarily the same amount of wooing to anyone, but no one has an excuse at Judgment Day (cf. Rom. 1:20).   "Yet he did not leave himself without witness..." (Acts 14:17,  ESV).    Caveat:  "Note then the kindness and severity of God..." (Romans 11:22, ESV).

1 Timothy 2:4 says that God desires all to be saved and in some versions, it says "wants all." 2 Peter 3:9 says God wants everyone to come to repentance yet in 2 Tim. 2:25 it says "if perchance God will grant them repentance" (repentance is by the grace of God, just like its flip side faith is).  Acts 11:18 says that God has even granted to the Gentiles the repentance unto life (it's a gift, God is under no obligation or it would be by justice).   It is God's preceptive will (what God's Word reveals to us as right and wrong) that no one perishes because He commands all to repent, yet His decreed will is that some receive His mercy and some His justice for the sake of His ultimate glory.  

Ezekiel 33:11 assures us that God takes "no pleasure in the death of the wicked."  They have only themselves to blame for their rejection of His love (sin is basically "the refusal of the love of God," according to Dr. Karl Menninger).  They made the condemning choice themselves and are culpable for it. They rejected God, but we all rejected God and chose self over Him in Adam, and none of us would have sought Christ had we not been wooed and sought out by the Holy Spirit (cf. John 6:44, 65).

God reserves the right to have mercy on whom He will have mercy and harden whom He will (cf. Romans 9:18).  We didn't choose Him as Jesus said in John 15:16, but He chose us ("Many are called but few are chosen" per Matt. 22:14).  In view of election, no one can say that they were just on the wrong list because God doesn't make anyone deny Him or reject Him against their free will.  (What this means is that God doesn't make anyone do anything he doesn't want to do, and in that sense we are free to act on our desires--but God made our nature the way it is (e.g., melancholy, choleric, sanguine, impetuous, etc., and we act according to our God-given nature!)


God decreed that His sheep would be saved, and He does everything to make sure it happens, while He lets the lost go their own way, of their free will, and reject Him.  Whenever God doesn't intervene a person is lost. Jesus said in John 15:5 that apart from Him we can do nothing, and this includes coming to Him.  This doctrine is called preterition and means God simply passes over the non-elect and doesn't choose to save them. The elect receive grace and mercy, the non-elect receive justice.  

Salvation is not a right and no one deserves to be saved or it would be justice and not mercy.  God can save anyone He wills and condemn anyone He wills and, as the Potter, can make either vessels of honor or vessels of dishonor as He wills.  God's glory is at stake. We don't know why God chose us, but it was "according to the good pleasure of His will." (Eph. 1:5). 

What is the logical conclusion and application of the subject at hand?  We should not wish people should go to hell or curse them to go there. Even some atheists sometimes wish there was a hell to send their enemies. We don't know who the elect are and must give everyone equal opportunity as far as we are concerned without bias or unfairness. We are to copy, emulate, or mimic this attitude of loving people into the kingdom, not arguing them in--you can win the argument and lose the seeker. 

God is uniquely able to separate His desires from His will and act in the best interest of His glory, which is His overall objective.  He takes "no pleasure in the death of the wicked " (cf. Ezek. 33:11, NIV) and desires [wants] all to be saved (cf. 1 Tim. 2:4), but it is not His will.  "Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him [the good pleasure of His will]" (Psalm 115:3, NIV).  We are limited and must learn to trust God for the outcome that He knows best, and our work is not in vain in the Lord (cf. 1 Cor. 15:58).    Soli Deo Gloria!

Importunate Prayer

In Luke 18:1 Jesus tells us we ought always to pray, and not to give up.  Jesus said to keep on asking, keep on seeking, and keep on knocking in Matt. 7:7.  Cotton Mather prayed for 20 years for revival, and the year he died the Great Awakening took place. William Wilberforce fought slavery in the British Empire for 50 years and it didn't happen till he was on deathbed. God has ordained that His plans be executed through prayer with us being partners by grace. Some feel it is vain to pray because God is sovereign and can work without us, but God has ordained that prayer be the means to His ends and to work through prayer blessing us with the privilege to be His partners. Paul says in Philippians 4:6 that we should "not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."   What this means, it has been said, is that we should worry about nothing, pray about anything, and thank about everything!


Gratitude puts us in the right frame of mind and receptive to God's will--it is the fuel and stimulus to pray.  In Colossians 4:2 God says to be watchful (looking for opportunities and needs) and thankful (for answers) in prayer.  Psalm 100:4 says to "enter His gates with thanksgiving."  God expects us to keep on praying and this implies not only when we feel like it.  When we don't feel like it, we should pray the hardest.  "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much" (James 5:16, KJV). Don't worry about being articulate:  None of us knows how to pray as we ought, but the Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf (cf. Rom. 8:27).

The problem with most people is that when things are going well they feel they don't need prayer, and when they go bad, they feel the situation is hopeless.  We are to pray as if everything depends on God and work as if everything depends on us.  The Bible does teach both the sovereignty of God and the efficacy of prayer--prayer does work (however, it takes faith and usually the answers can be explained away if one is inclined), but it isn't something we do just because it works(e.g., TM, yoga)--many things work that aren't true!  We are to pray at all times in the Spirit and that means God can put a roadblock in our way if we have unconfessed sin ("If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened, " says Psalm 66:18, NIV).  Proper protocol or etiquette is to the Father, in the name of the Son, in [the power of] the Spirit.

We have to learn to stop getting carried away by emotion, sentiment, or wearing our faith on our sleeves, and walk in faith, which pleases God (cf. Heb. 11:6) or we open the door to mysticism. But note that "heart without words is better than words without heart"--the Holy Spirit is able to intercede on our behalf and put it into words.  "And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person ..." (James 5:15, NIV). Remember "Elijah was a human being, even as we are [of like nature, in one version].  He earnestly prayed that it would not rain..."  (James 5:17, NIV). That means he didn't give up and wouldn't take no for an answer, because he had faith it was God's will, and God does promise to answer all prayer according to His will (cf. 1 John 5:14).  Elijah even got depressed after his spiritual high from his victory on Mount Carmel against the false prophets.  The key to focus on is that we don't pray to get our will done in heaven, it has been said, but God's will done on earth.

Prayer is not a blank check or carte blanche but has conditions like being in Christ's name, having no unconfessed sin, according to God's will, having the Word in us, abiding in Christ, and being in faith. When we pray we gain access or entree into the throne room of God and step into another dimension (cf. Heb. 4:16). Saying "Thy will be done" is not a cop-out or sign of lack of faith.  Saying Amen is a word of affirmation and faith that God's will be done.  The finest prayer is of relinquishment like Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane, saying, "Nevertheless, not as I will, but thy will be done."  Prayer doesn't change God, it changes us!  Prayer is a muscle that strengthens with use.  The problem is that our prayer life can become anemic and undisciplined, even though prayer is commanded. The reward and aim of prayer is prayer and enjoying God as Asaph says, "But for me it is good to be near God..." (Psalm 73:28, NIV).  We need the exhortation of the sons of Korah: "Be still and know I am God" from Psalm 46:10 (ESV). Psalm 16 (ESV) says it tellingly:  "... In your presence is fullness of joy, at your right hand, are pleasures forevermore."

It is good to be plainspoken with God and not try to articulate in order to impress Him with Elizabethan English or eloquence.  Mean it when you say "Amen" because that seals the deal and shows your faith--it's not some magic word or formula we tack on for good measure.  Prayer is communion or dialogue with God and is meant to be two-way.  Most people don't listen and Job says that God does speak to us: "Indeed God speaks once, Or twice, yet no one notices it.  In a dream, a vision of the night, When sound sleep falls on men, While they slumber in their beds..." (Job 33:14-15, NIV). Don't become hard-of-hearing spiritually!  God has not retired these alternate means of communication besides the Word.

God does answer prayer: "Call unto me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me" (Psalm 50:15, KJV).  "And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear"  (Isaiah 65:24, KJV). Jeremiah 33:3 (KJV) says, " Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not."  Prayer doesn't waste our time; in fact, it is the great time-saver because our time is in God's hands (cf. Psalm 31:15).  Martin Luther prayed for 2 hours to begin each day, and if he was busy he prayed more. John Wesley was known to devote full days to prayer.  To be effective it is said we are not "overcoming His reluctance, but laying hold of His willingness." We all have an innate potential to be realized and shouldn't let it lie dormant and atrophy by lack of use or neglect.  Philosophical apologist Francis Schaeffer said that "He is there and He is not silent."  "Christianity is about the God who is there;" all we need to do is to enroll in the school of prayer as our privilege--we get to pray!


Posture is not as vital as an attitude of reverence, humility, and sincerity--inner posture.  Lincoln said that often he went to his knees simply because he had no place else to go.  It is said, "If you can't stand life, kneel!" Lincoln also said that crises have kept him on his knees. It has been said that Satan laughs at our wisdom, mocks at our labor, but trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees. Just pray in the Spirit and leave posture to God.  There's no gesture that will impress God (it benefits us, not God), any posture must come from the heart and not just be an outward show of religiosity or legalism.

A word of encouragement: There is no problem too small or too big for God--all things are small to Him and His love cares about all of them and nothing is a match for His omnipotence.  God says, "... [Is] there anything too hard for me" in Jeremiah 32:27, KJV).  Prayer should never be a last resort, but the first line of defense or request.  He never turns a deaf ear to us but is disposed to answer our petitions. "Let us, therefore, come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need"  (Hebrews 4:16, KJV).  If someone says, "All I can do is pray," tell him that that is a high calling!

In summation, some say that prayer is the litmus or acid test of our relationship with God and that prayer is where the action is!    Soli Deo Gloria!

Acquaintance With God

"Acquaint now thyself with Him and be at peace, and thereby good shall come unto thee"  (Job 22:21, KJV). 

The ESV says "agree with him" and the NIV says to "submit to him."  There is always difficulty in finding common ground or commonality, and agreeing on everything or every issue; we are not always on the same page or in sync--the more issues, the less likely the unity of everything. But what is vital is an understanding that you can walk hand-in-hand without necessarily seeing eye-to-eye on all the issues.  Amos 3:3 asks "how two can walk together unless they are agreed."  Even spouses don't always agree, especially after the honeymoon is over, much less two casual friends or acquaintances.  

Fellowship is when two fellows are "in the same ship" so to speak and have harmony, communication, and get along. But sometimes we go out on a limb and venture into new territory or another unfamiliar turf that is risky. If two agree on everything, one of them is not necessary and they cannot sharpen each other's wits.  "Iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend" (Proverbs 27:17, KJV).

The better acquainted we know someone and their stands, the better prospect of friendship and mutual edification and support, once we find out we need each other and have different strengths or gifts to share.  Jesus said that if we are not for Him we are against Him and He who does not gather scatters!  There does come a moment of truth and a defining moment in our lives when we find out the truth about ourselves and what kind of person we are.

There has to be friction, adversity, or trial of some kind to do this--it's no bed of roses traveling this spiritual journey and Christ didn't exempt Himself from the common sufferings of mankind, but at least He was honest enough to tell us we would have friction or bumps along the road less traveled.  We cannot say to our friends that if they don't agree with us they are our enemies like Jesus can--we are not infallible!

Sometimes arguments generate more heat than light and are not worth the adrenaline   and we need to choose our fights wisely; sometimes there is nothing to be gained but pride!  We need to leave room for a charitable relationship and matters of a questionable or doubtful answer. As Augustine said in his famous dictum: "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity."  

Let's remember the admonition to agree without being disagreeable, and to agree to disagree (but keep an open mind because you could be wrong). Unless you admit you could be wrong, you'll never arrive at the truth.  There is no room for neutral territory in the Christian life--we must take stands and show our Christian colors (faith is not believing in spite of the evidence, but despite the consequences).  If we refuse to listen to the evidence because we have our minds made up, we will never arrive at the truth or know Him who is the Truth with a capital T.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Flaunting Your Religion...

We are not to wear our religion on our sleeves, as an advertisement so to speak, hoping to arouse witness or opportunity to share our testimony; however, God is the only one to open doors and when He does, no one can close it.  Don't force the door open; He opens the door no one can close, too (cf. Isa. 22:22).   It is not a good idea to see oneself as the representative of Christendom, self-appointed, so-to-speak, and forcing your opinions on others unwilling to hear them.  Daniel neither flaunted his religion--it was no secret either--neither did he privatize it to the point that he was ashamed, but was always ready to be a witness when God makes all things beautiful in His time.

Paul felt three things:  He was indebted to preach; he was eager to preach; and he was unashamed to preach (cf. Romans 1:14-16).  Why? Because he realized the power of the gospel message and that if you can get your message around to that subject and make a beeline for the gospel itself (how God solved the sin problem through the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ), then the Holy Spirit can convict (cf. John 16:8-11) a person of their sins and of the truth of the Word and testimony of Christ--this is where the power is!

We are not to parade our spirituality as the Pharisees did, who loved to stand in the streets and have their long prayers heard and wear clothes that looked "spiritual."  Our religiosity should be a private manner and when we pray it should be in our prayer closet.  However, Jesus said to let your good works be seen by men, that they may glorify your Father in heaven. Jesus said (Matt. 6:1) not to practice our righteousness before men, to be seen by men (then we've had our reward).

Personally, I have discovered that, once unbelievers find out you are a Christian, they dog your every step, hold you up to intense scrutiny, judge you, gossip about you, and you are always living in a glass house, as it were, exposed and under their radar.  Be ready to follow Jesus and bear your cross once your testimony is known--you don't know where it'll lead, even having dire results (faith is not despite the evidence, but ins spite of the consequences).  

We must all be willing to confess Jesus before men (cf. Matt. 10:32) and make our faith known publicly--there is no secret service in the Christianity, nor spiritual lone rangers who have no ties to the body--we must be willing to show our Christian colors and prove ourselves worthy to suffer for His sake, and this means taking stands and even risking a political stance and standing up for Jesus, not standing on the sidelines, losing by default or neglect--conceding everything away on the open marketplace of ideas!

The Bible exhorts us to "Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear" (1 Pet. 3:15, KJV).  Depend on the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God to do it's convicting (cf. John 16:8ff)--we cannot do this, but only God can.  If we can't defend our faith we merely confirm unbelievers in their unbelief and miss an opportunity, of which we will give account for.   Jude 3 exhorts all believers to "earnestly contend for the faith," and this implies studying "to present oneself approved unto God, a workman who does not need to be ashamed... (cf. 2 Tim. 2:15, NASB)."

Sometimes a celebrity or public personage announces that he or she is a Christian and even that they are proud of it.  Jesus may get a bad rap if the person seems hypocritical and doesn't live up to his talk and there is no discrepancy.  He simply hasn't yet earned the right to speak up and should not make himself the spotlight or an issue.  One dubious politico recently said, "I'm proud to be a Christian" in the press; this came as a shock to many evangelical, conservative, and fundamental believers.  Too premature of a witness may jeopardize a testimony when one's character belies or contradicts what one says.  

No one deserves to be the incarnation of Christendom and the universal witness for Him as the representative of Christ on earth, or Head of the Church; we are mere ambassadors of Christ!    Finally, a word to the wise should be sufficient with this caveat:  We will be judged by our witness--the faith you have is the faith you show!   Soli Deo Gloria!

Prerequisite For Learning

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction" (Proverbs 1:7, ESV).
"To begin learning you must admit your ignorance."  --Socrates

"Uncertainty is the prerequisite for learning and often its result."  (Author Unknown). 

We pray to God to open the eyes of our heart and enlighten us, as the illuminating ministry of the Holy Spirit to believers only.  Jesus praised the Father that these things were hidden from the "wise and understanding and revealed them to children" (cf. Matt. 11:25, ESV).

Augustine of Hippo said that we believe in order to understand and all knowledge begins in faith:  We must start somewhere with some proposition that we cannot prove--it is not a matter of faith vs. reason or facts vs. theory, but which set of presuppositions you are willing to accept and/or whose authority you accept. Most of what we have learned has been by accepting the authority of the mentor or teacher.

It has been said that education is going from an unconscious to a conscious awareness of your ignorance.  Plato wrote that Socrates said that to begin learning you must admit your ignorance. To learn you must be teachable:  Having a receptive attitude, a willing spirit, an open mind, an obedient and needy heart, and readiness to apply what you learn in expectation of learning in humility of mind and a spirit reverent of the Word.  

We can learn from anyone, not just professors--God can speak to you through any member of the body of Christ, even a child as Augustine professed. We are exhorted to edify one another in Christ. We don't have to agree on everything either to be used by God in the edification of each other--God will ultimately lead us in the right direction if we trust Him.  The question is: Are you listening because God is teaching? The requisite for learning is not having a high IQ, being worldly-wise or savvy, sophisticated, or scholarly, but having the right mindset or frame of mind. Spiritual truth can only be learned in spiritual manners.

We will never arrive at the truth if we think we've already arrived!  We must be willing to admit that even we could be wrong!  It is not enjoyable to be wrong, but everyone needs to stand corrected at some time.  No one has a monopoly on knowledge or knows all the truth, and no one can speak ex-cathedra or pontificate for the body at large.  We don't have popes who are the vicar of Christ on earth!

The eye cannot say to the ear that he has no need of him because all members must coordinate their efforts together and work in harmony and unison (stressing unity, not uniformity).  If someone refused to admit that he could be in error or misinformed, that person thinks he knows it all, and no one likes a know-it-all!  Knowledge tends to puff up according to 1 Cor. 8:1 and we must learn to apply what we know or it is merely theory and truth gone to seed.  We don't seek knowledge for its own sake or as an end in itself, but as a means to an end.

Knowledge can be dangerous!  You can know just enough to misuse it and misapply it. Many students of the Word know enough to be dangerous:  They haven't learned they shouldn't be quarrelsome, divisive, argumentative, contentious, or judgmental when people disagree.  We must learn to agree to disagree without being disagreeable and find common ground to keep in fellowship. 

Some people are only half-educated and think they know all the answers.  The more educated you get, the more you realize the need to be educated and you realize that God puts no premium on ignorance (which is not a virtue). Contrary to popular opinion, ignorance is not bliss!  We will be judged for willful ignorance or knowledge that we had the opportunity to know and refused (missed opportunities, etc.).   Soli Deo Gloria!

What Seems Like Bigotry

"The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10, NASB). [Jesus came for the riffraff, the scum, the outcast, the ragamuffin, and even the flagrant public sinners!]
"This man receives sinners, and eats with them" (Luke 15:2, NASB).

Some Christians give Christ a bad rap by their homophobia and hatred of the LGBT community. They believe these people are "perverts" and their sins should be outlawed.  I do not believe in legislating morality or criminalizing people with "sin laws."  Laws are only what the general public believes is wrong and we must not forget that legality is not morality.  The big issue confronting the public today is of transgender people using the restroom of their inclination, whether it is the same as their birth sex or not.  Imposing Christian "Shari'ah law" on the unbeliever is a violation of rights as equal citizens.  This is not a "Christian" nation (it is secular) and we cannot usher in the millennium by legislation, executive order, or court order--Jesus will when He comes in glory.  We live in a multicultural nation with many religions that all have equal protection under the law to worship according to their own conscience as long as it doesn't break established law.  It is true that many of our forefathers were Christian, but the "times, they are a-changin'," according to Bob Dylan.

This type of bias affects other areas of our culture as well:  Some people refuse to accept mentally ill, handicapped, or disabled individuals.  It seems like they believe it will rub off on them, like the Pharisees wondering why Jesus ate with publicans and sinners and touched the unclean lepers. Mother Teresa of Calcutta was only allowed to minister to the "untouchables" of the Indian caste system.  We are called to reach out to people and build bridges, not tear them down.  It doesn't mean you share in their sin because you associate with them (guilt by association).

The problem with some Christians is that they are legalists:  They see sins, and not sin!  The problem is not that people drink, lie, steal, cheat, fornicate, or gamble, but that they have a sin nature that Christ can deliver them from.  We all must repent of our sins and be restored to a relationship with God so we can overcome our sins.  We all have a dark side that is exposed to no one like the moon and all our righteousness is as filthy rags (cf. Isa. 64:6).   We are in no position to judge because we all have "feet of clay" and must say:  "There but for the grace of God, go I," as George Whitefield said when he saw a man go to the gallows.  Soli Deo Gloria!