Staying Alive

There is no such thing as a worldly Christian, or some term it carnal Christian, as a class of believer. Christians can become carnal or worldly, but it doesn't last due, to divine pruning by God.  If we are without discipline we are not sons.  Christians who get soiled by this life are brought to repentance and do not enjoy being in a backslidden state.  Newsflash:  But God heals us of our backsliding (cf. Hos. 14:4).

Even Christians can have "spiritual dryness" which is temporary.  Any believer can experience Bible fatigue or writer's block.  We all can feel dispirited, uninspired, or unmotivated, but it doesn't last and we bounce out of it or rebound into the full privilege of fellowship.  We all must have trials or crises to determine what we are made of, and to give us the opportunity to become overcomers.  The Christian life is not about keeping up appearances, nor about being ideal, but being real--we all have vulnerabilities and we all fall short--no perfect people need apply to the church.  Our faith is more valuable than silver or gold and must be tested, because in the judgment, faith, not feelings, please God.

Christians are to walk worthy of the Lord and to practice holiness--for we are to share in the divine nature and to produce fruit--no fruit equals no faith!  We all worthy in Christ and there is no such thing as one Christian being holier than another--we are all in Christ and His holiness is imputed to us.  So much of our walk depends upon what we expose ourselves to because of the computer principle, GIGO (garbage in equals garbage out) applies!

When we walk in Christ and are in fellowship, we are alive, and it is possible to keep this relationship growing because that which is alive grows.  "When we walk in the light, even as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another..." (cf. 1 John 1:4).  That's why we have a living faith in a living God.  When encountering evil we face up to it and overcome it with good.  We need to keep our testimony from being jeopardized by our walk, and therefore must pursue holiness, as a way of life in our sanctification.

This means we walk in the light of eternity and not store up treasures on earth but look to our heavenly reward. We don't want our reward in this life (cf. Psalm 17:14).  We have nothing to fear in man and if we fear God we have nothing to fear.  Remember Noah:  "... Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation [ways], Noah walked with God" (Gen. 6:9, ESV).  Soli Deo Gloria!

Promoting Our Spiritual Health

"... [W]ork out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12, ESV).  

"We must pay the most careful attention ... lest we drift away," (cf. Heb. 2:1, NIV). 

This implicates a spiritual workout or making your salvation work by demonstrating it.  This entails cultivating your spiritual life by exercising it by developing the spiritual muscles.

There is a vast difference in requirements for the health of an animal and a plant, and even in the extreme case of a mushroom, which can sprout up overnight, and an oak tree which takes 60 years to mature.  There are over 11 million varieties of lifeforms on earth, and each one is a living miracle bearing the imprint and identification of God in unique DNA.  The Bible says that God cares for and nourishes every animal on earth.  He gives them their food in "due season."  We are to pay special attention to our spiritual health, which is far more vital than our physical health.  

Even exercise is good to a degree, but spiritual discipline is better for eternal value. Promoting spiritual health is much like promoting mental health--you concentrate on occupation with the therapeutic activities or things that have positive results,  rather than getting hung up trying to analyze yourself or figure yourself out.   It is paramount that we know God, not ourselves to commence our healing.

We all need spiritual check-ups by fellowshipping with other believers and going to church.  There are no spiritual Lone Rangers or lone wolves, nor are we rocks or islands, but we all are members of one body and need each other, no one person possessing all the gifts.  We are family, as they say.

Church provides us with a wake-up call to assess our spiritual health and to hone our spiritual gifts and gives us the opportunity to serve and to get our eyes off ourselves in love's expression through faith.  Our wake-up call is a self-exam, we don't go around judging each other, but become fruit inspectors, i.e., of our own fruit!   Church provides the chance to recharge, especially for those who don't have the spiritual support system that comes with Christian friends, family, and associates.  

We don't just go through the motions or memorize the Dance of the Pious to do this but engage in sincere, unfeigned worship.  This recharging doesn't happen instantaneously but is a process and we do see growth as a work in progress.  In celebrating the Lord's Supper we are reminded of what our covenant stands for and to examine ourselves on a regular basis, so as not to forget our mission and why we are here:  We are to be believers with a purpose.

The only true measure of faith is obedience and discipleship and following in Christ's steps are mandatory to growth.  We are to go on and never look back because as we turn from our former way of life (a turnaround), we turn to God and experience revival in the process; however, repentance is not a one-time act but a continual one of obedience as we grow in the grace and the knowledge of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

We all must experience growing pains and God never promised us a bed of roses:  Growth and walking with Christ means going forward, and backsliding happens when we fail to advance and continue on to know the Lord.  There is no treading water or holding your ground without progress--we lose our power due to negligence; we drift away from God, we don't turn from Him, that is why it's so necessary to be active in the body and not think you can survive solo.

In conclusion, we must take inventory of ourselves.  There are accepted and proven methodologies to ensure spiritual hygiene: regular corporate and private worship as a gyroscope of the soul;  daily Bible reading and exposure to be a thermometer of our walk; continuing in fellowship with brethren to keep us in touch and from wandering astray; keeping short accounts with God on failures and sins by confession; be constant in prayer (one of the acid tests of true spirituality); offering yourself totally to God's service; and finally, witnessing (as an act of obedience; the only way to keep your faith is to share it!).  Doing nothing is a catastrophe, just like not gardening and the weeds begin to take over; we need to show forth the works of salvation and do a spiritual workout to stay fit for the kingdom.   Soli Deo Gloria!

The Gibraltar Of Christianity

"To them he presented himself alive after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God"  (Acts 1:3, ESV).
"Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers a one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep"  (1 Cor. 15:6, ESV).  

This is an apologetic for the resurrection of Christ and is included with worldview posts because acceptance or rejection affects one's interpretation of history, and whether he believes God intervenes in it or plays an active part (as Deists deny).  A so-called uniformitarian view holds that God if there is one, doesn't intervene in human affairs, nor cause any cataclysmic events.   As Ben Franklin said, "I have lived a long time and the longer I live the more convincing proofs I see that God governs in the affairs of men."  Believing in a supernatural God, and that with God nothing is impossible, settles the issue, for this is merely child's play for the almighty Creator of the universe and the one who holds all things together in His hands.

One's approach to interpreting history is affected because his philosophy biases him for or against the supernatural and how we can "know" historical events and verify them to our satisfaction.  It is not the denial of the miracle of the resurrection that is at stake, but the whole concept of their existence and possibility.  Denying the fact of miracles leads to the ultimate conclusion that there is no God, which cannot be proved (logicians know you cannot prove a universal negative!).

The crux of the Christian faith is its dependence on the resurrection of Christ to be the foundation and inception.  You must accept this fact or the whole faith is disemboweled.  The resurrection is the final proof that Christ's sacrifice was accepted, that there is a heaven to hope for and that Christ is the one and only Son of God.  This is the most crucial and vital fact of history--the most astonishing and fantastic fact--or it is the biggest and cruelest hoax ever perpetrated on mankind.  There is no middle ground; it is not a legend since there was not the time for it to develop till the gospels were written (probably before AD 70).  The historicity of Christ is beyond dispute by any reputable modern historian because it is vouched for by many secular forces as well as the internal testimony of the Word.

How do we know this as historical fact, though?  History, by its very nature, cannot be proved in a scientific manner (it's out of the realm of science because it's nonrepeatable).  How do we know that Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth?  There are no witnesses alive today to verify it, but we do have documentation that is credible, and trustworthy.  We must assess the veracity of the records and the dependability of the eye-witnesses--consummate, inveterate liars, and lunatics or madmen are not reliable witnesses, no matter the number.

However, in the case of Scripture, we have four noblemen who lived in the times of skepticism and persecution for their faith, and they have the character that one could believe. We can believe the records written because they give no evidence of rantings and ravings of madmen.  Simon Greenleaf, a prof at Harvard, and one of the world's foremost authorities on legal evidence became a believer in Christ by examining the evidence and announced that, if an unbiased jury were to hear it, they would proclaim the resurrection as historical fact.  There certainly isn't a lack of evidence to support it, one must have preconceived ideas or prejudices to deny it.  The heart of the matter is that it's a matter of the heart, and people feign intellectual problems as smokescreens to hide their moral rebellion and unwillingness to do God's will.

There is no way you can disprove it:  The opposite of the resurrection is not that people don't rise from the dead, but that God cannot raise the dead, specifically, that He cannot rise from the dead Himself.  All science can say is that people don't normally rise from the dead, all things being equal. There is no law that says so, it has just been observed that men normally die and conclusions were drawn.  Jesus predicted His resurrection and there is plenty of circumstantial evidence to verify it: The appearances of Christ to doubting apostles, who had to be convinced against their better judgment (Thomas said he wouldn't believe unless he could put his hand in Christ's side) and they had become disillusioned, reverting to their former way of life, such as fishing; the many eyewitnesses that were alive when the gospels were written that could've dispelled the belief--it would be like someone saying that FDR claimed to be the Son of God today; one famous lawyer (Frank Morrison, asked that pivotal question and wrote Who Moved the Stone? --it was guarded and heavy; one must account for the empty tomb and everyone knew where it was and could've checked it out; how do you explain the rise of the church that taught the resurrection, the martyrdom of thousands for the faith, when all they had to do to save their hide was deny this fact; the day of worship was changed from the Sabbath day to the Lord's day (and Jews practically had a fetish about this command); the grave clothes were undisturbed and this made an instant believer out of John, showing supernatural exit; and most convincing is the dramatic change in the lives of the apostles, going from timid and frightened to roaring lions for the faith.

The only way to dismantle Christianity is to disprove this historical fact and this has never been done, and cannot be done--it would raise more issues and questions than it solved--there's no legitimate evidence against it; only a preconceived notion that it's untrue brings doubt.

Note that the burden of proof falls on the party making the challenge that a document is not authentic or bogus:  Every document apparently ancient, coming from the proper repository or custody, and bearing on its face no evident marks of forgery, the law presumes to be genuine and devolves on the opposing party the burden of proving it to be otherwise"  (Professor, an expert on law and evidence, Simon Greenleaf of Harvard).  He also states:  "[That] the competence of the New Testament documents would be established in a  court of law." 

All the above are compelling, circumstantial evidence, and this kind of evidence is admissible in a court of law; however, no evidence can be conclusive in itself, but one must weigh it and go with the preponderance of the evidence--all the popular theories about how Christ didn't rise from the dead have been refuted and aren't believed seriously anymore by scholars (like that the disciples merely stole the body, and no one should believe the testimony of guards while they were asleep--this is not admissible evidence, and this tale circulated and the Jews believed it).  What is so compelling about the evidence and makes the gospel writers so credible?  They were willing to die for it and were in a position to know whether it was true--unlike radical Muslims dying for what they think is true--and people will gladly die for what they believe, but not for a known lie.

Finally, the integrity of the Scriptures is well-established and its reliability, authenticity, and faithful reproduction with utmost fidelity leaves no doubt that they have survived without being corrupted, as Islam claims.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Answering Prayer...

"For God may speak in one way, or in another, Yet man does not perceive it.  In a dream, in a vision of the night, When deep sleep falls upon men, While slumbering on their beds"  (Job 33:14-15, NKJV).  "I love the LORD, because He has heard My voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live"  (Psalm 116:1-2, NKJV).  "He is there and He is not silent."  (Francis A. Schaeffer, philosophical apologist)

Our problem is being spiritually hard of hearing and turning a deaf ear to God, failing to listen to what He does say to us, not that He doesn't speak clearly enough!  Prayer works and Satan laughs at our wisdom, mocks at our toil, but trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees (source unknown).  Lincoln is said to have said that he often went to his knees because he simply had nowhere else to go.  It isn't our posture, but our attitude and we are to work as if everything depends on us but pray as if everything depends on God.  We all have an innate potential, and, though our attempts may be feeble and anemic, they are not ineffectual.

Whenever you can't stand life, kneel, they say!  You really don't need a theology of prayer or another lecture on the subject, but just need to apply what you do know and just pray!  Don't ever get an inferiority complex or feel you are out of your league, God honors the humblest efforts, even from children.  Prayer is a muscle to exercise and the skill atrophies without constant and daily use.  The difficulties and trials of life are only meant to keep us on our knees!

A skeptic might wonder how God can hear everyone's prayer at once and possibly answer them simultaneously.  The reason we believe in prayer is not that we became convinced by argument or someone's testimony, as if second-hand; no, it's because God answers prayer and prayer works!  Billy Graham was asked how he knew God was alive:  "Yes, I'm sure because I talked to Him this morning."  This kind of postulation baffles the unbeliever who is skeptical about such mystical talk, that could be defined as a gut feeling, to a burning in the bosom, to hearing "a voice."  We don't necessarily assert that God is audible, visible, nor tangible to us, but He has revealed Himself in the person of Jesus Christ and God's pet peeve is that we don't seek Him out--He is overjoyed to reveal Himself to those who diligently seek Him (cf. Heb. 11:6).

On the other hand, just because God has put His Word into a book and revealed all we need to know, this doesn't preclude Him from speaking through any means He desires, even visions and dreams, which haven't been retired despite having the Bible--but this isn't normative and we are commanded to find God's will and the answers in the Word, because He has promised He will use that and has elevated and magnified the Word, which will not come back void (cf. Isa. 55:11), above all His name, fame, or reputation (cf. Psalm 138:2).


God's best gift to man is the Bible and He expects us to use it and depend on it, not just read it once and put it back on the shelf!  The Bible is a lifelong journey with God and has all we need to know for a fulfilling, abundant life in Christ.  In it, God speaks to us in sixty-five books, and we speak to God in one book (Psalms)!  Prayer is two-way and that means we must be prepared to listen to what God is saying and have the right mental attitude.  We need a thirsty soul, needy heart, willing spirit, an open mind; we must also be teachable, humble, and obedient to God!  It's not a matter of training or education that brings effective prayer and Bible reading (you don't have to know how to be a good reader, for example), but you must be in the right frame of mind and ready and expectant to hear from God--it is written clear enough that a child can understand its main message and get something out of it.  We are only responsible for what we do understand, so take that by faith and God will cause growth so you can understand the deeper truths later.  Mark Twain said that it's not the parts of the Bible that he doesn't understand that bother him, but those that he does understand!

God can hear prayer universally and simultaneously because He is miraculous and time is not of the essence for Him, who created the time-space continuum.  Time is merely a corollary of space and matter and if those two didn't exist, there would be no time.  Time stops in a black hole, by the way. God is outside time and can use it or manipulate it to conform to His will and desires.  He has all the time in the world to hear everyone's prayer, just like they are the only one praying at that time.  With God there is no such thing as time, which is irrelevant, He existed before time began or in eternity past.  God sees history as one episode a view, not in sequence as we do.  God had no beginning and will have no end because He is timeless and in another dimension, besides the four we live in (length, width, height, and time).  God never tells us to take our turn and never is too busy for us--He's always there, and Christianity is "about the God who is there" according to Francis Schaeffer.

Prayer can be explained away if one is so inclined, and you can always find some excuse not to believe; however, it becomes increasingly incredible to explain away countless prayers as coincidence.  The problem is not that our prayers don't get heard, but that we are not praying His will and also that we don't pray at all or even ask for what we want.  ("You have not because you ask not.")  God wants faith and will not force anyone to believe in prayer, but there is evidence if one is willing to believe, and prayer is only for the believer who has faith in Jesus name, not for some experiment to see if God is out there somewhere--we are not to test God!  (Hebrews 11:6, ESV, says, "..[For] whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.")  God doesn't have to prove Himself to anyone, but He is not anyone's debtor and will reward sincere seekers--He wants to hear from us more than we desire to fellowship with Him.

In summation, if we feel estranged from God and He seems MIA, it is not God who moved, but us--we are to be blamed for the alienation: "Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear, but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear"  (Isaiah 59:1-2, ESV). However, if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse us (cf. 1 John 1:9).  Don't feel alone if God seems distant; even Job pondered:  "Oh, that I knew where I might find him, that I might come even to his seat!" (Job 23:3, ESV).   Soli Deo Gloria!

Awake,O Sleeper!

"Wake up, and strengthen what remains...."  (from Revelation 3:2, ESV, emphasis added).
"Arise, shine, for your light, has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you..."  (Isa. 60:1, ESV).
"... The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed' (Rom. 13:11, NIV).
"... The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed" (Rom. 13:11, NIV)

God is able to bring everything into a light and wake up the spiritually lukewarm and those who are lackadaisical by the power of the Word, which is alive and active, and able to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart (cf. Heb. 4:12).  We don't hide anything from God (cf. Psalm 90:8, ESV: "You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence."  God sees in the dark and nothing is hidden from his countenance.  Jesus sees through the veneer of our facade and knows the real person that we are, even if we don't (Psalm 139:23,24, ESV:  "Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!  And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!").

Paul urges the Ephesians (5:14, ESV) to arise from their spiritual slumber and death:  "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."  We all get our wake-up calls in due time and need the motivation to do the Lord's work by finding our spiritual identity (who we are in the Lord and what is our gift?).  This pertains to a spiritual wake-up call not one of physical exhaustion or even of sloth.  God calls us to do His work and we all have meaningful tasks to fulfill if we do it in the Spirit.  "Whatever you do, do to the glory of God"  (cf. 1 Cor. 10:31).

I'm not talking about the used-up, seasoned believer who occasionally falls asleep during a sermon that he doesn't relate to or understand, but one who fails to see what he's on earth to do in the name of the Lord.  We need to be mission and ministry-oriented and serve with a purpose to achieve God's will.  God didn't come to make bad men good, it is said, but dead men alive (those who know and fellowship with God!).  "God speaks once, yea twice, and man does not notice or hear it" (cf. Job 33:14)!   

We need to be energized, kindled, and equipped by the Holy Spirit (not lukewarm, apathetic, nor ignorant),  and not try to accomplish God's will in the power of the flesh: I'm not against good deeds, just those done in the energy of the flesh! In summation, even believers can become hard-of-hearing spiritually and turn a deaf ear to God.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Spiritual Complacency

As Peter says, "And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in hour hearts" (2 Pet. 1:19, NKJV, emphasis added).  It is easy to fall into a spiritual rut and rest on your laurels, thinking you've arrived or made it; however, Paul says to Philippians (3:12, NKJV):  "Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected...."   However, we are all works in progress and cannot claim spiritual perfection or complete sanctification, which will only take place in glory. As the psalmist said, in Psalm 119:9 (ESV):  "I have seen a limit of all perfection...."  We will never overcome all sin: in time:  "Who can say, 'I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin?'"  By analogy:  No one is so destitute as one who thinks he's wealthy and isn't.

We don't have permission to live in the flesh, but the power to live in the Spirit!  We have the security of our salvation, but not of spiritual growth, since that is a cooperative or synergistic effort--some infants in Christ never seem to grow up and become mature in Christ, only feeding on the milk of the Word. We are never to get lax spiritually, and lackadaisical in our spiritual ambition.  It is wrong to get comfortable and take it easy, living a life of undisciplined spiritual luxury.  The backslider in heart needs to heed God's correction and realize that God can heal him, but his downfall has been his sin (cf. Hos. 14:1).  Jesus is looking for "overcomers" to reign with Him and this life is merely a dress rehearsal or tryout for eternity.

We are soldiers, who are to live a spiritually disciplined life, not getting entangled in the affairs of the world.  There is one main plumb line to measure us by the Word of God--our standard is perfection, but our test is direction, as we strive to become "perfect, even as our heavenly Father is perfect (Matt. 5:48).  It is always tempting to take the easy path of least resistance and go with the flow or follow the crowd instead of obeying the Lord.  Amos 6:1 (NKJV) says, "Woe to you who are at ease in Zion...."  (The book denounces luxurious living and general complacency of God's people.)  Woe unto those who are in great need and don't realize it:  Martin Luther said that the sinner doesn't know his own sin, and it's our job to show it to him.

The Christian life is a marathon and not a sprint to be run, a battle to be fought, a crown to be won; and we should realize that we can be disqualified, even if we've preached to others per 1 Cor. 9:27 (NKJV):  But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified." We ought to take the spiritual conflict seriously, and endeavor to continue fighting the good fight; woe unto us when our relationship with Christ degenerates into a perfunctory one lacking zeal--though zeal without knowledge is not good, we need to do our work heartily, as unto the Lord.  It is necessary to learn the doctrines of the Bible for growth and maturity, but not sufficient--we need to apply what we know and live out the Word, not just appreciate it.

The Bible-believing or preaching church isn't complete unless they are completing the Great Commission and get their members active in fulfilling it, so the church doesn't just become a place to hang out once a week and catch up on the latest gossip with friends--having a social function.  Bible doctrine is good, but it can leave a person cold if not applicable or put to work.  When we just have an intellectual interest in the Bible and don't love it as the Word of God, Jesus sees through the veneer and we learn in vain, for mere academic reasons.  I don't know of any church that Jesus rebuked for being inadequate in doctrine or impure, or not as orthodox as they should be, but to those who didn't apply what they did know were culpable.

Knowledge does "puff up" and we all have knowledge or reason to be arrogant, if we let our so-called knowledge go to our head (it should be cause for humility), but we must realize that the important thing and the aim of our profession is love of God and each other, not to increase head knowledge--as some merely have an intellectual assent or the gospel merely in their heads, not their hearts.  Billy Graham says, "A vague knowledge that He exists will not satisfy ... We yearn for a relationship with Him."  We must realize that to know Him is to love Him, not just to acknowledge the facts about Him.  

The real fulfillment is in knowing Him (cf. John 17:3) as Lord and Savior, not just becoming educated or informed about Him.  We don't learn for the sake of knowledge, and it is not an end in itself, but we must take action and apply what we know and make it real in our relationships with others--just why do we want to know?  We need knowledge turned into wisdom or its right application.

Only the Bible tells it like it is:  God's nature and ours--it's our lifeline to reality! As a precaution: We should know ourselves and our weaknesses because the devil sure does and takes advantage of his knowledge (cf. 1 Pet. 5:8, ESV:  "... Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." My final admonition is to be ever vigilant and not to look back after putting your hand to the plow, but keep your eyes on Jesus and the prize that we can gain as motivation. Soli Deo Gloria!

Your Best Life Now?

"He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf doesn't not whither.  In all that he does, he prospers"  (Psalm 1:3, ESV).  

This is the title of a best-selling book by a well-known televangelist, Joel Osteen, touting the benefits of being a believer, who only has to cash in on his spiritual lottery ticket to find prosperity, as he sees it--to suit his whims.  God is indeed good to some in all ways, and good to all in some ways, but not good to all in all ways, including believers (cf. Psalm 145:9).  We are to be faithful to what God has called us to and put God in charge of the so-called success.

With God, little, with His blessing, is much.  The spirit that we offer our lives to Him is what matters--as Mother Teresa of Calcutta said, "True holiness consists in doing the will of God with a smile."  She also said that it is not what we do, but how much love we put into it that matters! Prosperity theology is a heresy that the modern church has fallen for, and the test of this is that if you cannot preach that gospel to everyone, it is a false gospel.  There are martyrs in China who are not leading prosperous lives, yet they wouldn't give up their crowns for worldly success any day--how does this teaching apply to them?  God will prosper us as we do His will, and this means being in His will (which is always the safest place to be).

Do you really want your best life now, as some have their reward or portion in this life, according to Psalm 17:14, or would you want to make an eternal investment that will outlast the consequences of this world? Every day we strike a chord that will vibrate for eternity, and the most important thing we can do is make an impact that will outlast us, by investing in something bigger than ourselves.


The telltale sign of believers is not income, real estate, 401(k)s, vehicles, nor profession, but the love of the brethren, per John 13:35: Mother Teresa of Calcutta (recipient of the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize) said that God has called us to faithfulness, not success. We can be assured that if we are faithful in little, we will be faithful in much, according to Jesus--as this life is but a trial run, dress rehearsal, or tryout for eternity. Jesus said that you shall know them by their love, not their possessions, or success by any standards.

Joshua 1:8 promises to make our way prosperous and to give success, if we are faithful to the Word; however, people misconstrue what success and prosperity are.  God will ensure that we will succeed in doing His will, that He has called us to do and He will bless us with all spiritual blessings in Christ, even partaking of the divine nature.  Don't be fooled by the world's standards of success and prosperity, like he who dies with the most toys wins or achieving the so-called American dream!  The Bible warns against materialism and that we cannot serve God and Mammon.  Jesus said not to store up treasures on earth.  We are to make eternal investments in heaven by giving according to, and in proportion with, the blessings we share from are granted by God.

Some seekers are searching for the benefits, but not the Benefactor, and only want God in their lives for what they can get out of Him.  God will take care of all our needs, though some confuse needs with felt needs or wants.  David prayed, "The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want [be in want]." God's chief aim is to fashion us after the image of Christ, not to make us balanced, well-adjusted, happy, and secure individuals.  We need to live in light of eternity and not be so focused on the temporal!

If we have God, we have all we need, even if the crops fail:  It happened in Habakkuk 3:18 (ESV), which says, "Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will take joy in the God of my salvation."  3 John 2 (ESV, emphasis added) says, "Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul."  God seeks to use us as vessels of honor and that is what we are here to do:  Being His feet, hands, voice, and ears to a needy world.  The really successful believer is one who bears the image of Christ and God can use for His glory like Paul said in Romans 15:18 (NIV): "I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me...."  This is reiterated by Isaiah, saying that all that we have accomplished, He has done through us (cf. Is. 26:12).

Newsflash:  God isn't out to guarantee anyone's happiness or financial benefit, but to sanctify us after the image of His Son and to use us for His glory:  "The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever"  (The Westminster Shorter Catechism, cf. Isaiah 43:7).  Some believers just want to be happy, which depends on happenings, while we are commanded to rejoice in the Lord and cultivate the fruit of the Spirit, which includes joy.

We all have a cross to bear and when we finish the work God has given us, we will be checking out into our heavenly destination:  "For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption"  (Acts 13:36, ESV).  Our crosses pale in comparison to His, but God saves no one without sanctifying them.  Jesus said that we must take up our cross and follow Him, and to "count the cost," as this is what we signed up for and it comes with the territory--there's no guarantee of a bed of roses or an easy life, but "through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God"  (cf. Acts 14:22).

God promises to meet all our needs in doing His will, according to 2 Cor. 9:8, that makes a promise to claim concerning God's provision.   Again:  "But my God shall supply all your need..." (cf. Philippians 4:19).  In the final analysis, it is said, "Adversity, discipline, suffering, and trials inevitably come to all Christians, but Christ didn't exempt Himself from them."  It is the bumps in the road that shape character:  The same sun hardens the clay, melts the butter!  Soli Deo Gloria!

Who's Holier Than Whom?

"Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding"  (2 Corinthians 10:12, ESV).

God rebuked Israel for having the so-called "holier-than-thou" attitude in Isaiah 65:5.  The right frame of mind is "such were some of you..." (1 Cor. 6:11, ESV).  George Whitefield saw condemned men sent to the gallows are remarked:  "There but for the grace of God, go I."  We see this haughty and complacent phenomenon today in "holiness" churches, such as the Neo-Pentecostal and Methodist, that teach "entire sanctification," or that a second salvation experience renders a believer incapable of "willful sin" or even destroys the sin nature, rendering him "holy."

It is true that Scripture does say that "without holiness, no man shall see the Lord," but all Christians are holy--there are no degrees of holiness this side of eternity, and it is not by grading on the curve, but a pass/fail basis that God uses. "Since it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy'" (1 Pet. 1:16, ESV). Sometimes saints are referred to as "pious" and this is a reflection of our devotion to God, whose prime attribute, and the one that best describes Him is holiness (Isaiah 6:3, ESV, boldface added:  "... Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts").

There is no caste system in the faith--no elite or clergy, as opposed to laity--we're all ministers of reconciliation and messengers of the gospel.  We are all "one in Christ" and no part of the body has a right to deny the need for another part--it's not what gift you have, so much as the spirit you use it in.

(The sum total of God's attributes is His holiness and it's defined as "otherness," purity, or being set apart for service, like silverware set apart for special occasions. God's holiness is the attribute of attributes and regulates all the attributes.)

What is our righteousness then?  It is as filthy rags according to Isaiah 64:6 and, like the wind, our sins sweep us away.  Our righteousness and holiness are extrinsic and the gift of God, not our own working--we have nothing to boast of; our righteousness is God's gift to us, not our gift to Him.  We have no inherent worth or righteousness, that we can offer God and it is entirely imputed to us by Christ on our behalf, by virtue of the atonement on the cross, which enabled the Father to be both just and the justifier.


There is no "second work of grace" to seek, once saved, and believing one is entirely sanctified leads to an inflated opinion of one's achievements.  Martin Luther taught that the believer is at the same time just, and a sinner (cf. Gal. 2:17).  Proverbs 20:9 destroys the premise of sinlessness:  "Who can say, 'I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin?'" At salvation we are justified and declared righteous, not made righteous--in God's eyes, we are sinless. There are no saints walking around who have overcome their sin nature and don't sin willfully.  Our righteousness is imputed, not actual. Don't overestimate your spirituality, because there are no shortcuts or easy roads to sanctification, apart from growing in Christ.


We must look into the matter of what holiness is:  Christianity isn't a catalog of rules; neither is it legalism and adhering to certain taboos or rules, or lists of dos and don'ts; neither is it a philosophy or collection of religious ideas; it is not giving up something for God to make you feel superior or smug, either. When you dedicate your life to Christ (He wants you, not something you have, as we present ourselves to Him), and then you become holy, because holiness means being set apart for the service of something.  All believers are vessels of honor and set apart for God's service.  Holiness is essentially manifest in sanctification, and we cannot be saved apart from also being sanctified--a growing process from the point of salvation.


We are to accept all believers, regarding each other as better than ourselves, and to have an attitude that is humble and not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought. The business of the Christian life is the pursuit of experiential holiness or of becoming more conformed to the image of Christ--letting our minds become transformed and renewed.  We cannot reach a state of perfection, and perfectionism, as taught by Methodists, is erroneous.  John did say that a Christian cannot sin, but he meant to continue in its practice without conviction and discipline--because God corrects his wayward children per Hebrews 12:5-7.

There is a limit as to how sanctified we can become because our ultimate sanctification is in our glorified state in heaven--even Paul didn't claim to have attained unto it yet (cf. Philippians 3:12, ESV:  "Not that I have already attained this or am already perfect...."   The psalmist in Psalm 119:96 says that he had seen the "limit of all perfection" (ESV). This is interpreted to imply that no one's perfect and to err is human, as the cliches go. We have no right to judge or look down on our brother because "to his own Master he stands or falls." We are all "works in progress," and we must ask people to be patient with us because God isn't finished with us yet--we may even be cantankerous, but how much more we would be without Christ!  We are not what we ought to be, but thank God, we are not what we used to be!

We are not to get into the "let's compare" mindset and to "look unto Jesus, the Author, and Finisher of our faith." We all look like saints compared to Saddam Hussein or Adolf Hitler, but perfection (Christ himself) is the standard, and direction is the test: "Be ye perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect"  (cf. Matt. 5:48).  Note well that God is the moral center of the universe, and it's unwise to play the "let's compare" game.  Being in Christ we are holy positionally, and only God is holier than us by virtue of His very divine nature!   We share in His holiness--we have none of our own!  Only in achieving this God-given state of holiness do we solve the problem of our sin nature and find the way out of our dilemma.  It would be vain to hand us a set of rules or guidelines to adhere to--we couldn't keep them--what we need is a Savior to change our nature, not a lecture to make us feel guilty.   Soli Deo Gloria!

The Order Of The Towel

"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men"  (Phil. 2:5-7, NKJV, boldface added).

"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many"  (Mark 10:45, NKJV, boldface added).

"Then you shall again discern
Between the righteous and the
wicked,
Between one who serves God
And one who does not serve
Him"  (Malachi 3:18, NKJV, boldface added).

When Jesus took up the towel in the Upper Room to wash the disciple's feet, they were taken aback at his servile act that set a new precedent, because Jesus was asking them to do likewise with each other--i.e., not to think that it's about you, and be willing to humble yourself in service one to another to meet their needs (foot-washing was considered the work of slaves, yet Jesus did it; how much more us!).  Jesus said that he who humbles himself like a child will be considered greatest in His kingdom. We must have the idea of John the Baptist, who said, "He must increase, but I must decrease."  The important thing to consider in service is that the way up is down in God's economy!  It is an honor to humble yourself and to esteem others more highly than yourself--some people are egotistical and all they think about is themselves; humility is not thinking less of yourself, or having low self-esteem, but not thinking of yourself at all!

Only Moses and Jesus were called humble or meek in the Bible, that's how rare true humility is--once we think we've got it, we lose it! Serving others takes a mindset like Jesus to see needs that you can fulfill and you are suited for--the hallmark of our testimony should be one of service and dedication to the needs of others.  They say:  See a need and fulfill it!  Who is the neighbor that the good Samaritan helped on the road to Jericho, but someone we meet in our path that we can help?  Mother Teresa of Calcutta said that true humility is doing the will of God with a smile. Albert Schweitzer said that only really happy people are those who've learned to serve others. Your Christian life begins once you enlist in His service and go to work as a servant.

True happiness is getting your eyes off of yourself, as it is said:  Look at the world and be distressed, look at yourself and be depressed, look at Jesus and be at rest!  Once you've experienced the love of Jesus, you want to pass it on!  They have this "pay it forward" tradition, where you pay for another person out of a random act of kindness--this is one way of reaching out to those in need and even changing life of a person who may be having a bad day.

True service must be voluntary and not mandatory or obligatory.  We are indebted to God with a debt we can never pay back and we should have the same godly attitude towards others--to be willing to oblige them; since it's better that they will owe a debt of gratitude to you, that they can't repay!  That's why Jesus said, "It's more blessed to give than to receive" in Acts 20:35.  We should be known as ministers of kindness to those in need to demonstrate the love of Jesus in us for the world to see--that's why we are lights in this dark world.

God will reward us for faithfulness (we are not necessarily called to success, which is His option) and never forget even giving a cup of cold water in Jesus' name will not lose its reward.  "For God is not so unjust as to overlook your work and the love that you showed for his sake in serving the saints, as you still do," (Heb. 6:10, ESV).  Remember, he who is faithful in little shall be faithful in much!  God sees and keeps track of our work done as vessels of honor in His name.  He rewards us for what He accomplishes through us (cf. Isa. 26:12).  "But you, take courage!  Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded,"  (2 Chronicles 15:7, ESV).  God is no man's debtor and will make sure that we are rewarded better than we deserve.

We have to live in light of eternity, because our reward may not be in this life:  "And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised,"  (Heb. 11:39, ESV). What is the faith that pleases God?  And without faith, it is impossible to please God.  We must "believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him,"  (Heb. 11:6, ESV).  What He's done for others, He will do for you, because He's still in the resurrection business and Jesus changes lives.  Remember what Jesus said to Thyatira, "I know your good deeds."

There are a few pointers in serving:  Our motive must be love out of a pure heart and not for self-aggrandizement; it must be done in faith believing God will reward you, whether man does or not; you must persevere and not give up, but remain faithful to what God has called you to do. Sometimes it may cost us something, but we should consider the cost before going on the journey.

The non-serving Christian is a contradiction in terms and we all have a calling and will find it if we go on to know the Lord.  We are not slaves of our neighbor but have a servant's heart.  Slaves are owned by someone and servants just do service for others.  Jesus is our Master and we are His slaves and He has enlisted us in the service of each other.  We are to know the Scripture "that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work"  (2 Tim. 3:17, ESV).  We all have a testimony to protect and must not jeopardize it by not practicing what we preach:   "They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works..."  (Titus 1:16, ESV).


The reward of our service is eternal and we don't want to lose out.  Our works will be tested for their eternal value, whether they are wood, hay, and stubble, or silver and gold.  Only the valuable metals will stand the heat of the fire's test.  It's true some believers may end up with no reward--for they never did anything in the Lord's name, but only for their own glory and fame, power, or fortune. The test of a man is how he responds to praise, and we are not to serve for the praise of man, but the approval of God, not as people-pleasers.

Caveat:  Believers must not become converted to the program instead of to Christ, becoming essentially mere do-gooders who put their faith in their deeds--that's why some will say, "...' Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'" (Matt. 7:22, NKJV). The smallest of good deeds done in the Lord's name will be rewarded if done in faith! God sees the motive of the heart, while a man looks upon the appearance. Jesus said that only he who does the will of His Father in heaven will enter the kingdom of heaven (cf. Matt. 7:21). Do we want the applause of man or the approbation of God?  I am not against good deeds; however, there's no lasting reward to deeds done in the power of the flesh. The Lord will say to some that they've had their reward.

What is the raison d'etre for service-orientation?  The true measure of a man's greatness is not how many people serve him, but how many people he serves.  We must realize that we are all but servants in God's eyes, and the best commendation we can hope for at the bema (which is the Judgment Seat of Christ) is this: "Well done, thou good and faithful servant!" Hence, it is a privilege just be used by God and we must realize that "[God] has [done] for us all our works" (Isa. 26:12, ESV).

Paul was not braggadocious, but he did say, "I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me..." (Rom. 15:18, NIV).  Newsflash: God's economy is a service-oriented economy.  Get the right attitude:  As Jesus said, "...' Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me'" (Matt. 25:40, NKJV).  In sum, to attribute to someone a genuine servant's heart is probably the greatest of accolades.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Evolution Of Faith

The so-called "Great Quest" (as Billy Graham calls it) commences when one realizes his life is a vacuum and void of meaning and purpose, and he is searching for answers (sometimes one seeks the benefits and not the Benefactor, though).   Only God can fill this emptiness that man has and one has to want answers and to believe--no amount of evidence will convince one who is unwilling or just doesn't want to believe. The inception of faith is when one is willing to listen, whether initially agreeing or not, and to not turn a deaf ear to the gospel message--this is receptivity.

Faith grows as one understands the message due to enlightenment by the power of the ministry of the Holy Spirit, who is at work in the heart. One then agrees with the message intellectually or acquiesces, and the Roman Catholic Church stops here, as to its definition of faith--this is the step to acceptance of Christ.  But there must be a surrender of the will and willingness to obey.

The person has to want to believe in his heart for God to reveal His will and that person can come to Christ as he is, but he will not stay that way. A changed life is the only validation of salvation.  One must accept Christ as He is and that means in His lordship, not just head belief. Believing in the heart changes you from the inside out and involves a penitent faith and turning from the old ways and decided to follow on to know the Lord in discipleship--following Him.

Faith consists of knowledge of the true gospel message, assent to its validity and appropriateness, and trust and reliance on its precepts. We must trust in the person and work of Christ.  That is, that He is the unique one and only Son of God, the God-man and that He accomplished our salvation in toto, on the cross, when He pronounced, "It is finished."  It's a done deal and we accept it as a gift, not doing any pre-salvation work to qualify us for grace--it would be justice if then, but we do not earn it, nor do we deserve it, and we can never pay it back--we're forever in God's debt.  We were debtors who couldn't pay our debts.  The qualification for salvation is to realize our state of being unqualified!

Saving faith commences when one can unashamedly confess Christ openly before man, for if we are ashamed of Him, He will not confess us to the Father--Christ condemns the lukewarm pretender who stays neutral and doesn't make his stand known--it is better to be wrong than neutral, for then Christ can have something to work with.  But this is not all:  we must progress to a serving faith, which is when we begin to truly follow Him as Lord and Savior.  When we are mature we truly have a living relationship and fellowship with our Savior and own Him as our personal Lord.  We must be willing to speak out for Christ as his mouthpiece and as ambassadors of reconciliation because He has no voice through which to speak but ours.  Note that genuine faith is a living faith that grows and is not stagnate, static, nor inert.  It progresses from giving up, to surrender, to commitment. 

The mature Christian serves Christ through his spiritual gift and is both mission-oriented towards non-believers and ministry-oriented towards believers.  A non-serving Christian is a contradiction in terms.  The mature Christian life is one of faithfulness, not success in the eyes of the world--neither worldly success nor lack of it is a calling card of a believer.  The key is to attempt great things for God, but expect even greater things from Him--it's not what you do for God that counts, but what He does for you.  All the works we do are simply God working through us as vessels of honor ("... [You] have done for us all our works," according to Isa. 26:12, ESV).  Thank the Lord that we are not called to success, but to faithfulness, according to Mother Teresa of Calcutta (now canonized).

Faith is simply knowledge put to work and we don't achieve it, we receive it!  Faith must be seen and visible to be real, because the heroes of faith were men of action.  Anyone can say he has faith, but it must be demonstrated to be real.  Faith and works can be distinguished, but never separated:  James would say, "I'll show you my faith by my works," while Paul would say, "I'll show you my works by my faith."  If you don't have good works, your faith is suspect; however, works are no substitute for faith.  We are not saved by works, but unto works, which are foreordained (cf. Eph. 2:10).  We are not saved by works, but not without them either, because James said that faith without works is dead, and that kind of faith cannot save: the formula of the Reformers was that we are "saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone."

In summation, faith isn't necessarily something you have, but something you show; it is seen! It is said we must turn our creed into deeds. Works confirm our profession, or it is a bogus profession and we are Christians in name only or nominal believers--there's a difference between the profession of faith and the reality of faith.  Bonhoeffer said that "only he who believes is obedient, and only he who is obedient believes"--true faith manifests itself in obedience only!  It has been wisely said, that "faith is not believing despite the evidence, but obeying despite the consequences!"  The purpose of faith is to produce fruit:  No fruit, no faith, period!  Soli Deo Gloria!