Harvesting Trouble

"People are born for trouble as readily as sparks fly up from a fire"  (Job 5:7, NLT).
"...'I cried out to the LORD in my great trouble, and he answered me'" (Jonah 2:1, NLT). 
"For he does not enjoy hurting people or causing them sorrow"  (Lam. 3:33, NLT).
"For He does not afflict willingly
Or grieve the sons of men"  (Lam. 3:33, NASB).

Job's friends had the presupposition that he had sinned and deserved his suffering:  "My experience shows that those who plant trouble and cultivate evil will harvest the same"  (Job 4:8, NLT).  Don't ever assume that people are being punished by God for He is too deep to explain Himself, too wise to make a mistake, and too kind to be cruel.  One of Job's friends thought he was even getting less than he deserved; this hurt but it's true in the sense that all of us get less than our sins merit according to Psalm 103:10.  Jesus was honest enough to warn of life of trials and tribulations, much less adversity because it builds character and Christlikeness. He didn't exempt Himself from this and our crosses pale in comparison to His.  Life is short and full of trouble according to Job 14:1. But we must not become trouble-makers who generate adversity and are difficult to live with. 

Some people are firm believers in karma, but this cannot be true because Christ suffered more than anyone and didn't deserve it.  Troubles eventually do catch up to us and justice delayed is not justice denied--sometimes God's retribution is in the afterlife.  It seems like some people get away with murder but in the end, justice will prevail.  The question of why the innocent suffer (and Christ was innocent) or why do bad things happen to good people is basic.  There are no innocent people besides Jesus and no good people relatively speaking.

The question should be why do good things happen to bad people?  We all have our share of misfortune, adversity, suffering, calamity, trials, bad luck, and tragedy, but the experience is not what happens to you, but in you--it's what you do with the experience, because it's a challenge to grow better, or you will become bitter.  The same sun melts the butter, hardens the clay, the same hammer forges steel and breaks glass; however, the rain falls on the just and the unjust and the sun shines on the wicked as well as righteous; it becomes the time to do some soul-searching and find out where your faith is.

I do not like adversity, but it always brings a challenge and opportunity: you can see challenges in each opportunity and opportunities in each challenge.  We see good in contrast to evil and people doing good in bad times.  We have to orient ourselves to see the positive in events and not to become negative; our attitude is up to us and we choose it.  If you have the right attitude you can endure almost anything, with the wrong one you will faint in the day of adversity. Heed the words of the psalmist:  "Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory"  (Psalm 50:15, NLT).   Soli Deo Gloria!

You Died In Christ

"Here is a trustworthy saying:  If we died with him, we will also live with him"  (2 Tim. 2:11, NIV).
"...' If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me'"  (Mark 8:34, ESV).   
 "For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God"  (Col. 3:3, NASB).

It has been said that Christ didn't come to make bad people good, but dead people live!  Paul says in Ephesians that we were dead in trespasses and sins and He made us alive in Christ (cf. Eph. 2:5).  We have to die to sin to become a believer and exchange our life in the flesh for one in the Spirit. Missionary Jim Elliott was admonished not to go to a mission field because he "might die."  He replied that he had already died when he became a Christian.  Jesus did say that we have to die to self and deny ourselves to become disciples.  We know that we died because we have come to life!  "When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ..." (Col. 2:13, NIV).

Someone was polling people if they wanted to go to heaven.  He couldn't get any answers in the affirmative.  He later found out that they thought he meant right now.  It seems people are interested in heaven but are in no hurry to go there.  Paul was looking forward to heaven and knew his reward would be great:  life was Christ, but to die was gain.  The strength of testimony is its ability to put one's life on the line for it.  People won't die for something they don't have faith in.  And most people aren't willing to die or even live for any cause or person.  The witnesses in the tribulation "did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death," according to Rev. 12:11, (NIV).  You cannot be a disciple if you love your life more than Jesus, period.  Saying "Yes" to Jesus implicates saying "No" to self!

The Christian life is not so much a changed life, though that is a sign and the point of conversion, but the idea fulfilled is an exchanged or substituted life, in which Christ lives through you, as it is written:  "...which is Christ in you, the hope of glory," in Col. 1:27 (NIV).   Paul expresses this truth plainly in Gal. 2:20 (NIV) as follows:  "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God...[emphasis added]"  We must not so much as just imitate Christ or wonder what he would do, but let Him live through us doing His will as we walk in the Spirit by obedience.

We must die to self, and this doesn't mean denying ourselves certain things such as candy that have no inherent evil, but denying the "me" in ourselves (our ego), i.e., living selfishly for self. Jesus wasn't looking for sidekicks nor admirers, but devoted disciples who counted the cost!  Living for Christ is the only way to live and we must orient our whole life to reflect Christ's will.  We must count ourselves dead to sin, but alive to Christ as Paul says in Romans 6:11.  Should we, who have died to sin, live in anymore in it?  We have been freed from sin's dominion and are no longer its slave; we are not free to live in sin but to live in God's will.  When we do sin we show our slavery, not our freedom.  We're not free to live in the flesh but empowered to live in the Spirit.  We need a faith we'll die for, not one we can live with!

In summation and practicality, what do we need to know?  We crucified our old sin nature at salvation and exchanged our life of sin for a life in Christ, and the only way we will be joyful as believers is in being in His will and in seeking Christ.  The closer we are to Him the more fulfilled we are, and the believer in sin is very miserable and needs to know that his life is in Christ, not the world and what it has to offer--the more we are filled with the things of the world, the less room we have for Christ.

Dying to self is not a one-time act, but a progressive venture in Christ.  That is why it is written in Isaiah 55:6 (ESV): "Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near."  David sought the LORD often according to Psalm 27:8 (ESV): "You have said, 'Seek my face.' My heart says to you, 'Your face LORD, do I seek.'"  Soli Deo Gloria!

Going Rogue

 "I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me; I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me..."  (Isaiah 65:1, ESV).  

There comes a time in our spiritual journey that we leave the bosom of the family and go on to maturity and search things out for ourselves, whether they are true and even work.  Our pilgrimage commences at this point of venturing out in faith as Abraham did to his call from God from Ur of the Chaldeans.  Children ultimately grow up and launch out into the world at large to fend for themselves voluntarily and gratefully, if not expectantly; likewise, we all need to test our wings and go on to find our ourselves spiritually speaking.  Just why are we here?  Where are we going?  What difference do I make?  What is my impact and do I matter?

These types of queries cannot be addressed when one is in a place of security without, but needs a bit of a challenge or push to find faith--if we never take this leap of faith, we will never find Christ as our personal Savior.  The church and family can do a lot to prepare us, but life is bigger than this, and to venture out on the day of independence; but woe is us if we are unprepared and find ourselves alone fighting the Anfectung or onslaught of Satan, who has targeted us in order to neutralize our faith--i.e., exposure to secular philosophy in academia.

There's nothing wrong with a bit of rebellion if one never loses track of who is ultimately in charge.  Keep your eyes on Jesus and wherever you go you will not be alone.  We are to question authority but recognize and respect it too. "When you pass through the rivers, I will be with you," says Isaiah 43:2.  We all need to fight our own battles or at least be prepared to and know that it comes with the territory.  When we are sure of our salvation, and this is a command, not just to satisfy idle curiosity, we can dare to be different, and most of all, dare to make a difference.  This implies we have a thick skin and know who we are, having strong faith that is not dependent on what others tell us, good or bad.  The strongest faith is in the Word of God and knowing our spiritual birth certificate, or favorite verse of assurance will keep us adrift or afloat during the flood.

The strong faith of the church father Athanasius was that, if the whole world was for Pelagius, he'd be contra mundum, or against the world!  We cannot base our assurance on what the people say and especially what our friends say, but must rely solely upon the Word as sola Scriptura or (the Scripture alone--one of the battle cries of the Reformation). Don't take anyone's word for it, but God's!  There comes a time when we are called to be a Daniel and stand alone, or take notice of the authorities and establishment and seek to reform it--there's always room for improvement, and even the church is meant to be semper reformanda or always in reformation.

No believer can survive alone without the aid of the church body--sheep need a shepherd, and some believers seem to forsake the assembly together of themselves (cf. Heb. 10:25) and go astray as a result.  We all need regular spiritual checkups and must get our spiritual batteries charged too by the body working and meeting together.  Our gifts are for the well being of the body, not just for our selfish or personal use.

Some believers are really out on a limb, so to speak, and know they are on dangerous or doubtful territory and need to be brought back into the fold--believers acting or living like goats jeopardize their testimony and this is not God's design.  They need to get connected and stay focused on Jesus, so as not to go their own way and do their own thing.  "All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way,..." says Isaiah 53:6, ESV. Christians are not meant to just look out for number one, but to meet the needs of the body--each others' needs.  We don't want to be like the Israelites in Judges 21:25, who had no king, and everyone "did what right in his own eyes."

The lesson is to get connected, to find your niche or spiritual gift, to strike some chord that will last to eternity, to invest your life in some divine mission that will outlast it, to resonate with those in your circle of friends or sphere of influence.  Church, as Christ's institution, is the vehicle and M.O. to propel to maturity and to exercise your gift, and this is where we get the motivation, fellowship, an opportunity to serve and to do its mission:  The Great Commission.  No one going rogue can do this, for this is a group activity and effort, and one must be in tune with the body and accountable to those within.

In the final analysis, don't ever go it alone without a contact person or group to stay in tune with.  Keep in touch, as if with your own flesh and blood, and remember, your church family is meant to be as close as a real family and to give you spiritual as well as family ties! There's no place for spiritual Lone Rangers or lone wolves in God's plan--get with the program, as they say! In sum, the safest place to be is UNDER AUTHORITY!   Soli Deo Gloria! 

THE BIBLE...

REVEALS THE MIND OF GOD, THE STATE OF MAN, THE WAY OF SALVATION, THE DOOM OF SINNERS, AND THE HAPPINESS OF BELIEVERS.   ITS DOCTRINES ARE HOLY, ITS PRECEPTS BINDING, ITS HISTORIES ARE TRUE, ITS DECISIONS ARE IMMUTABLE READ IT TO BE WISE, BELIEVE IT TO BE SAVED, AND PRACTICE IT TO BE HOLY.  IT CONTAINS LIGHT TO DIRECT YOU, FOOD TO SUPPORT YOU, AND COMFORT TO CHEER YOU.

IT IS THE TRAVELER'S MAP, THE PILGRIM'S STAFF, THE PILOT'S COMPASS, THE SOLDIER'S SWORD, AND THE CHRISTIAN'S CHARTER.  HERE. HEAVEN IS OPENED AND THE GATES OF HELL DISCLOSED.  CHRIST IS ITS GRAND SUBJECT, OUR GOOD IS ITS DESIGN, THE GLORY OF GOD ITS END.

IT SHOULD FILL YOUR MEMORY, RULE YOUR HEART, AND GUIDE YOUR FEET.  READ IT SLOWLY, FREQUENTLY, AND PRAYERFULLY.  IT IS GIVEN IN LIFE AND WILL BE OPENED IN THE JUDGMENT, AND WILL BE REMEMBERED FOREVER.  IT INVOLVES THE HIGHEST RESPONSIBILITY, WILL REWARD THE GREATEST LABOR, AND WILL CONDEMN ALL THOSE WHO TRIFLE WITH ITS SACRED CONTENTS.

OWNED, IT IS RICHES,; STUDIED, IT IS WISDOM; TRUSTED, IT IS SALVATION; LOVED, IT IS CHARACTER; AND OBEYED, IT IS POWER.  --AUTHOR UNKNOWN.

Throw In The Towel

"Therefore repent and turn back, that your sins may be wiped out so that seasons of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord"  (Acts 3:19, HCSB).

Some people need to have a mental collapse like King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel who became like a beast eating grass before he repented and came to his right mind after acknowledging God's sovereignty.  Sometimes we do need to come to an end of ourselves and be humbled by God before we are willing to eat our humble pie.  But repentance is more than being sorry, it is settling the score and making amends or wrongs right.  "Godly sorrow leads to repentance without regret," according to 2 Cor. 7:1.  Repentance is merely doing a 180 or an about-face.  Some see it as a U-turn.  Repentance involves turning from sin toward God, and it must be validated by fruit.  Acts 26:20 says to bring forth fruit worthy of repentance.

Salvation itself is seen as repentance or faith, depending on the angle you see.  Actually, it is through penitent faith or believing repentance.  They go hand in hand and are complementary; you can distinguish but not separate them.  We all must come clean in God's eyes and not try to justify ourselves or hide our sins.  We call a spade a spade and that means confessing them as God calls the shots.  In the process, we own up to our wrongdoing and throw ourselves on the mercy of God as a prerequisite to salvation.

 In the Old Testament, the world was often substituted with the word "return."  Job repented upon seeing God in Job 42:6, saying:  "I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes."  True repentance only comes from genuine saving faith, and genuine faith comes only with true repentance.  True repentance is a change from the inside out and is a radicalized shift of heart, mind, and will modification.

Repentance is a mandate or imperative and God commands all men everywhere to repent (cf. Acts 17:30) as a progressive or ongoing activity, as well as a one-time turning from sin to Christ.  We must renounce or repudiate sin in our lives and decide to follow Jesus and commit our lives to Him.  We cannot do it halfway but must be sincere in faith.  We don't just change our opinions, but the entire direction of our life.   Repentance is not "fire insurance" or a ticket out of hell, but complimentary to saving, genuine faith in Christ as Lord and Savior.  When we prove it by our subsequent deeds we are finally good to go!   Soli Deo Gloria!

Lukewarm Profession

 "I will give them a heart to know Me, for I am the LORD; and they will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with their whole heart" (Jer. 24:7, NASB). 
 "And I will give you a new heart, ad a new spirit I will put within you.  And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.  And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules"  (Ezek. 36:26-27, ESV).

There is a vast difference between the reality of faith and the profession of faith.  Jesus said there would be many who will say on the Day of Judgment, "Lord, Lord...."  But He never knew them! They trusted in their works, not in Christ!   Lukewarm water has no medicinal or marketable value and is good for nothing:  Jesus compared this to the believers at the apostate church of Laodicea, whom He rebuked and charged with being lukewarm.

There is no such thing as a lukewarm Christian, but there are lukewarm believers, who profess but don't have a living, growing relationship with the living God.  Jesus knows where believers stand, for they have made a stand for Him and Jesus is able to keep them in the Father's hands securely.   But there are many in the church who are like Judas, who merely go through the motions and talk the talk like believers, but haven't had a change of heart to follow on to know Him.

Some Christians need revival and have gone astray like lost sheep, but they still have a permanent relationship with the Lord.  Jesus will never spew them out of His mouth, but they may need to get reacquainted with the Lord and to walk closer to Him.  We don't become Christians merely by asking Jesus to come into our hearts, but by penitent faith.  When you accuse someone of being lukewarm, you are denying that he is saved.

Being out of fellowship is not to be equated with being lukewarm, for then many would flirt with that danger repeatedly. Some need to grow up and learn the basics and how to walk in the Spirit, so that they will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.  If anyone loves the world, John says in 1 John 2:15, the love of the Father is not in him.  Even when a believer is out of fellowship, he never loses that love for Jesus deep down and knows something is not right.

The whole point of Christianity is that it's a relationship (or a walk) with Christ (not just a cliche) and this means progressing from a knowledge of a creed to a knowledge of a person!  You can be converted to the program and even be a do-gooder in the eyes of the church and still not be converted in the heart, though you profess the right dogma.  Those who are lukewarm are merely pretenders to the faith and a Christian is one who has a "sincere faith" and knows the Lord!

One needs to possess faith, not just profess it.  The "lukewarm" professor referred to in Revelation is not the same one that may be "halfhearted," and needs to get over spiritual complacency, laxity, or self-satisfaction and learn to grow in Christ; this is using two metaphors against each other and pitting one text against another. You cannot be a halfhearted or carnal Christian as a category of the believer--there's no such person, though they can be halfhearted or carnal at times.  He's not asking us to get more enthusiastic but to be filled with the Spirit as Christ lives in us.  There are no "lukewarm" genuine believers, such as referred to in Revelation, that are in danger of being spewed out of Christ's mouth or cast into hell--these are people who make a profession of faith but have no inward reality or relationship.

Nothing done in the Lord is in vain, and these "believers" are doing their works in the power of the flesh, not the Spirit.  Christ is merely comparing lukewarm water to that which is useless like the works done in the flesh.  He is not merely admonishing them to get more excited or put more zeal into their works, but to let Christ work through them as He lives in their hearts.  The Christian life is not an imitation--for the unbeliever can do that--but primarily inhabitation, whereby Christ lives in us and about the relinquished, surrendered, exchanged, and yielded life in Christ.  The backslidden Christian is never happy and this doesn't refer to him.

We tend to think that emotionalism or sentimentality is the key and those who are emotional have the edge, while stoics are somewhat retarded spiritually.  The litmus test of spirituality is not how we wear our feelings on our sleeves, nor our ecstasies, but our obedience.  Jesus said that if we love God we will obey Him. Samuel told Saul in 1 Sam. 15:22, NKJV:  "...Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams."  Bonhoeffer said, "Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes." 

We are to love God, but the test of love is obedience.  You cannot judge believers by their emotional state; only God sees the heart and whether it's in the right place.  We are not saved by emotionalism, intellectualism, nor legalism--nothing we feel, think, nor do--but by an act of faith, which anyone can carry out.  Faith in Christ is what gratifies God: "Now without faith, it is impossible to please God..."  (Heb. 11:6, HCSB).

In sum, Christ would rather have relationships with those who don't know Him and are honest about it, and with those who do know Him, but not with those who pretend to know Him; for He doesn't know where they stand and whom they will serve.  As it says of those who refuse to stand up for the truth in Jeremiah 9:3, don't be neutral but confess Christ unashamedly.   Take a stand, stand up for Jesus, show your Christian colors--dare to be a Daniel, who stood alone!  Soli Deo Gloria!

The Newest Thing

Today's church is not really growing, in fact, it is in a state of decline, and what is happening is just a relocation of the saved from dying churches to ones tuned into the newest thing.  We refer to this as The Church Of What's Happening Now!  You may even find coffee bars selling lattes, and bookstores!   They may also be into self-promotion, marketing their ministry on the media and the church may be built upon one personality who has a reputation and this is akin to being a personality cult--especially if the pastor is "in charge"  of the one-man show.

Many churches are reverting to Catholicism in that the members don't search things out in a Berean style (cf. Acts 17:11), and accept the "authority" of the preacher much like the "cult of death" (i.e., The People's Temple) did to Jim Jones, who was said to speak the Word of God, so that you didn't even need a Bible in church anymore. What happened to the words of Martin Luther:  "I dissent, I disagree, I protest?"

Why do you think we have church history to study?  But to avoid the same mistakes and to build on the past, and also to keep that which is good (i.e., 1 Thess. 5:21, ESV, says, "[But] test everything, hold fast what is good").  A vibrant, living, and growing church have members who exercise their spiritual gifts and no one is self-sufficient or even thinks they don't need the body.  The Reformers said that the church was to be Semper reformanda, or always reforming (there's always room for improvement).  Our mindset never should alter from this focus of reformation.  We should never think we've arrived, but we are to preserve the better part.

The church has been known to turn a deaf ear to what's going on politically, and the converse, to get overly involved in partisanship.  The Bible is not a manual for government reform, but Christians should have a biblical worldview and not any secular one.  When you leave God out of the reckoning disaster is sure to follow suit.  Remember, the German church turned a deaf ear to Hitler and didn't stick up for right and morality while they had the chance.  The church is the salt and light of the nation and God uses it to dispense His grace.  You can say a lot of things about the Roman Catholic Church, but they are more involved in outreach and dispensing mercy and good deeds than any other church.  We are not just to minister to the spirit, but to the soul and body as well.  Christ has no hands but ours to reach out to a lost world.

In the modern church, we see many who are "holier-than-thou" and have forgotten what it's like to have a relationship with Jesus.  The only solution is to get into the Word and see themselves for who they are and repent.  Yes, repentance is not a one-time event, but progressive and we are to live in a state of repentance, just like we live in a state of faith.  Living by faith and walking by faith is the only way to grow in Christ.  We must keep our eyes on Jesus and to get reacquainted with Him on a personal basis.  Even seasoned believers can grow distant and become estranged.

That's why we all need the body to give us regular spiritual checkups and to stay in sync with Christ.   No one is an island, a lone wolf, spiritual Lone Ranger, or a rock in God's eyes--we are all members one of another.   Remember, one doesn't defect from Christ as a believer, but gradually slips away and before you know it, he's backslidden.  As an example, he doesn't rebel against the church, but misses on occasion and gradually comes to the conclusion he can get along without it.  "[Not] neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some..." (Heb. 10:25, ESV).

Today's mainstream Protestants are becoming apostate, buying into all the liberal worldview and agenda, even some are known as the Christian left, as opposed to the evangelical right.  The evangelicals are soon becoming outnumbered and few truly independent churches exist.  It is increasingly difficult to find a vibrant, growing fundamentalist church.  Members are transferring from one church to another, and the net effect is zero on the church at large.  Christendom is having little impact on the world because the world is having so much effect on the church.

This is where spiritual self-sufficiency or complacency gets a hold on a believer who falls away from fellowship--and this is precisely what Christ wants of us--us--i.e., to have fellowship with us.  But we must open the door--Christians are the ones who've opened the door!  There are believers who are out of fellowship, living in disobedience, but Jesus loves them and the proof of that is His discipline and rebuke. The verse in Revelation 3:20 primarily refers to unbelievers who need to repent and let Christ reign in their hearts, but it can be applied to believers to help them find the locus of their disillusionment or disenchantment with the church and with Christ.   Soli Deo Gloria!  

Throwing Down The Gauntlet On Homophobia

 "But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, ... not to eat with such a person [shun]"  (1 Cor. 5:11, NKJV). 
"For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside?  Do you not judge those who are inside?  But those who are outside God judges.  Therefore 'put away from yourselves the evil person'" (1 Cor. 5:12-13, NKJV).  
"Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?  Do not be deceived.  Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites ... And such were some of you.  But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God"  (1 Cor. 6:9,11, NKJV). 
 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation:  old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new"  (2 Cor. 5:17, NKJV).  
"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad" (2 Cor. 5:10, NKV).

Leviticus 18:22 makes it clear that homosexuality is an abomination to the Lord ("detestable" in the NIV).  This sin is not listed in Proverbs 6:16-17 as one of the seven sins that God hates and are detestable to Him, though. " ...[Men] who have sex with men" ... "will not inherit the kingdom of God" period, according to Paul in 1 Cor. 6:9-11 (NIV).  Note:  the ESV (emphasis added) says, "those who practice homosexuality... shall not inherit the kingdom of God."  This means it cannot be their way of life or lifestyle, just like a kleptomaniac may steal on occasion, and confess it, but he isn't practicing it; likewise, the way John says in 1 John that the believer doesn't "practice sin."  Lapses are possible, and even relapses, but victory is ultimate and they will be justified, sanctified, and washed. We must acknowledge sin as a sickness that infects the soul as a virus and can be cured.  No one has the right to do what comes natural--we're all sick in sin and sinners by nature, by birth, and by choice.  "We are not sinners because we sin, but we sin because we are sinners," as it's been said by theologians!

My point of view is that homosexuality is not a genetic trait passed down by DNA (we are not pawns of our genes), but a character trait acquired by choice and indulgence--the nature you nourish tend to flourish--they must be put under control and not exercised at will.  God did make us the way we are, but we are still responsible for our flaws and cannot blame God or cast any slurs on His creatures, which He made us in the mage of God to have a relationship with Him--we don't have a license to sin. God's intention in the garden was Adam and Eve, and not two men or two women, but they were each others' perfect partner and the union was meant for procreation and fulfillment in each other.

When you indulge a sin, its grip becomes greater and you become enslaved to it.  The psalmist prayed, "Let no sin have dominion over me" in Psalm 119:133, (italics added) ESV, "Keep steady my steps according to your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me."  David prays, "Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me!..."  (Psalm 19:13, ESV, italics added).  We must bear in mind that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of heaven, but also that there is no condemnation for those who in Christ (cf. 1 Cor. 6:9; Rom. 8:1).

Due to Adam's fall, we inherited an old sin nature, but we are no longer under its dominion in Christ--we are set free from the power of sin as redeemed believers.  Everyone's sin nature inclines them differently and he must not let it get the best of him.  "For sin shall have no dominion over you, for you are not under law, but under grace"  (cf. Romans 6:14).  This implies we are accountable and cannot blame God.

If you look at the nature of sin, you will get the drift of Scripture:  Going contrary to God's design; He designed marriage as the only outlet for sex, and only between one man and one woman to become "one flesh" until death.  God is a God of design and the argument from design is one of the proofs of God, to not see that it is unnatural for a homosexual union is to go against nature as Paul states in Romans 1.  Biblical sexuality is only to be celebrated in the holy reins of matrimony.  God hates and condemns all perversion and no pervert will enter the kingdom of heaven.

But there is a difference between a desire and following through.  One may be inclined in an unnatural way and keep himself under control and not sin; he may say that he was born that way and that justifies his sin, but the heterosexual single person who lives in lust is in the same dilemma and must refrain likewise. The Bible recognizes no natural state of man to be perverted, but sin is a choice and we are responsible for our character. The gospel is for all, though, and Christ is the Healer who can bring anyone into the confines of normalcy. Just like there are reformed drunks and thieves, there are reformed gays. We should, therefore, not be homophobes, but welcome them and realize they can be saved just as well as the drunkard, the thief, the fornicator, or even the murderer!  There will be plenty of reformed criminals in heaven.  "But such were some of you.." (cf. 1 Cor. 6:11).

The homosexual is admonished to restrain from the practice of all sins, and this is just the one that easily besets him. God doesn't want any sin to overcome us or be domineering.  The church has no right to exclude a class of people or to discriminate, but to present the gospel and see its amazing power to change lives (whether all at once or over time).

We must address the problem of our society recognizing gay marriage and thinking this is a "right." The Supreme Court has sanctioned it, but it is not a God-given right to be perverted and God doesn't recognize such marriages, but they are living in adultery and sin and will be judged.  Rights are conferred from God, not the State, which only recognizes God-given rights.  They cannot say that they are wired differently because the Bible's list of sin gives no one an excuse.  The State has overstepped its bounds by legitimizing and normalizing gay marriage and society at large will be judged.  God is the ultimate law of the land, not the Constitution! Our leaders have God to answer to; The point is that being legal doesn't always mean being moral.

We outlaw child molestation, bestiality, and, until recently, sodomy was even outlawed; why do we seem to think that moral standards change with the times?   Everyone has a sexual appetite and he is expected to celebrate it within the bounds of legal marriage. Homosexuality is not an alternate lifestyle according to the Bible but is condemned and the truth of the matter is that we shouldn't hide from this fact--we need to call a spade a spade and not gloss over sins by calling them by another name that is less offensive.  We all have the sex drive, and are expected to master it as God said to Cain  (cf. Gen. 4:7):  "Sin wants to destroy you, but don't let it."

Scripture nowhere warrants a civil right to live any way that seems natural but commands righteous and holy living.  The whole purpose of government is to restrain evil and sin and to maintain civil order and upright institutions which are the foundations of society.  As Psalm 11:3 (NIV) says, "When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?"  Finally, as Martin Luther said (paraphrased), we cannot control what enters our mind, but we decide what to dwell on and let our imagination get carried away with or fixated on.  Therefore, people who feel so inclined are no different than Christians who are battling other sins and need to overcome them!

The conclusion of the matter is stated in Numbers 32:23 (ESV) as follows:  "... [A]nd be sure your sin will find you out." Sin can be understood as anything not according to God's plan or will.   Caveat:  we reap what we sow (cf. Gal. 6:7) and if we sow the flesh, it will destroy us.  Therefore, Gal. 5:16 (ESV) expresses it:  "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh."   Soli Deo Gloria!

GODISNOWHERE!

"I permitted Myself to be sought by those who did not ask for Me; I permitted Myself to be found by those who did not seek Me..." (Isaiah 65:1, NASB)
"Sow with a view to righteousness, Reap in accordance with kindness; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the LORD Until He comes to rain righteousness on you" (Hosea 10:12, NASB).  
"What can be seen on earth indicates neither the total absence of God nor his manifest presence, but rather the presence of a hidden God."  (Blaise Pascal, French mathematician/philosopher).


Reread that title and realize it can be deciphered two ways:  God is now here; God is nowhere. Probably you may preconceive your own interpretation due to prejudice! The query shouldn't be, "Where is God?" but, "Where isn't God?"  The truth is that God is everywhere, even in Hades (though not in His compassion, but only justice).  When we are looking for God, it is not He who moved, but we moved!  We cannot escape the presence of God, as David prays in Psalm 139.

We are commanded to look for God and to search Him out at His invitation:  "You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart" (Jer. 29:13, NASB).  We are to seek Him while He may be found in Isaiah 55:6 and to find Him while He is near!  When you find God, you realize He was there all the time!  Mention His name and have a sincere, expectant, and obedient heart.

"Truly, You are a God who hides Himself,..." (Isaiah 45:15, NASB).  Job had reason to wonder: "Oh that I knew where I might find Him,..." (Job 23:2, NASB). Sometimes God seems MIA or missing in action, but He is there, and it's likely our sins have built a chasm from fellowship or a breach of our relationship due to the cleavage from our unconfessed sin.  Psalm 66:18, NASB says it eloquently: "If I regard wickedness in my heart, The Lord will not hear." Sometimes God is playing a low profile and doesn't want to be so obvious:  "How long, O LORD?  Will You hide Yourself forever? ..." (Psalm 89:46, NASB).

Yes, the whereabouts of God isn't meant to be a mystery, but He is available to all who call upon His name in penitent, sincere, obedient faith.  Sometimes it seems to others that God has forsaken us, but Jesus promised He never would do that even to the end of the age He would be with us--don't let it get to you if they taunt you saying, "Where is this God of yours?" Because we know He is always here, they are just blind and are turning a deaf ear; only the saved see the kingdom of God and if they want their eyes opened they must repent and believe in Jesus.

God doesn't deal in triflers, and His pet peeve is that people aren't seeking (cf. Rom. 3:11). God is more ready to authenticate Himself to you than you are prepared to meet Him!  "Prepare to meet thy God," He says in Amos 4:12.  Pascal said he wouldn't have found God, had He not searched for him. Everyone has their chance, you might say, and the world has never been without witness (cf. Acts 14:17).  As Christians, we have it better than the Old Testament saints because the Lord dwells within us and whenever two or three are gathered together in His name, there is a special blessing of His divine presence.

Finding God isn't so much as to go where God is, like to church expecting He'd have to be there; it's an individual thing, and if you know the Lord you will indeed find Him.  But the Hound of Heaven pursues us and like a Good Shepherd is constantly seeking out the lost sheep (the believer who has lost his way).  Because of God's transcendence, He fills the cosmos, and because of His immanence, He is also nearby to aid us in our troubles and bless us.  "'Am I a God who is near,' declares the LORD, 'And not a God far off? ... Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?' declares the LORD"  (Jer. 23:23-24, NASB).  God is irrespective of the time/space continuum and location is no object to Him because He is Spirit and not material like us who have bodies to limit us--Jesus is both Spirit and body in His incarnation.  Some believers will be known by saying regretfully, "He was there all the time, and I knew it not!"

Jesus' name is called Immanuel and that is to mean that God is with us and when we have the resident Spirit of Christ indwelling us we never have to lose track of where God is--He will never leave us nor forsake us and will abide with us in a personal sense. We have all the tools necessary to find God, the Word, the Church, the abiding Spirit; so we have no excuse not to be filled with His Spirit and to know Him privately and personally.  Only in our faith do we claim the potential to know God and that God is personal.  "Acquaint now thyself with him and be at peace..." (Job 22:21, KJV); "Yield now and be at peace with Him; Thereby good will come to you" (Job 22:21, NASB).

To level with you, most believers are not moved by the Holy Spirit, nor have the discernment to awaken to His presence, simply because they have too much of the world's spirit within them and God cannot fill a space already full!  Before filling, in God's economy, comes emptying!   In sum, it is a boggling affair to know the Lord and to put things into that perspective.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Differing Functions

"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 not wise"  (2 Cor. 10:12, ESV).
"...We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done" (Luke 17:10, NASB).

We are all "members, one of another," and individually too, as God preserves our personality and works with what we have to make us different one from another (cf. Romans 12:4).  There is no "one-size-fits-all" method of serving the body, but everyone must find their domain of service and praise God accordingly, for it doesn't matter the gift, but the spirit in which it is used.  Everyone fits in someway! Like Mother Teresa, the ultimate caregiver, said, "It doesn't matter what you do, but how much love you put into it!" Galatians 5:6, NIV, says that "all that matters is faith working through love."  We all are built differently and should be faithful to the faculties, inclinations, and turfs we have been granted.

And so we are not to compare ourselves one with another and think we are meant to be clones of each other--even children are individuals with a personality and gift all their own.  We do not all have the same function and are built differently, to relate to Christ's body as He sees fit--actually, it's the Holy Spirit who assigns gifts to each of us individually.  Paul goes on to say that one who leads, should do so in zeal accordingly.  We all are given a measure of faith (cf. Romans 12:3) and are required to make good on it and bring forth fruit as its byproduct.  Jesus has a lot invested in us, and likewise, we are to venture to take stock of how much we have invested in others and be faithful.  We are not going to be rewarded according to our faith, but according to its byproduct, our good deeds, according to Romans 2:6.

There can be jealousy and factions in the body if the members are maladjusted or trying to do something they aren't designed for--this is the ultimate in frustration and can lead to discouragement.  Never are we to let it go to our head that we are a cut above other believers by having a superior gift, and they are but poor specimens, because of whom much is given, much is required (cf. Luke 12:48). Some members are highly affectionate and demonstrative in emotional appeal and sentiment as part of their disposition; while others are naturally stoical and inhibited, maybe because they haven't gotten out of their shell yet or realize their potential.

Cultures vary quite a lot on the amount of touch permitted or approved.  I know I wouldn't like it if some man walked up to me and gave me a kiss!   We are free to love Jesus as we know how and we don't have to be someone else or try to pretend affection or have an affectation--love must be genuine. Natural affection is suited best to the body and believers need to just be themselves--God can and will change people over time, but it's not to be under duress or coerced.

People are wired differently; some are natural servants and helpers, and see ways to help and be of service; others are born leaders and know how to take charge and show it convincingly.  The point is that we are not to think we have a superior gift, though some have more responsibilities, and some have higher callings (but there's no caste system in the body) like missions, evangelism, and ministry, but the body is to fit together in unity to fulfill the Great Commission. Romans 12:3 says, "For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned."

When you look at the story of Mary and practical Martha, and how Jesus rebuked her in that Mary had "chosen the better part" (to express her love and devotion), and it "will not be taken from her." It is obvious that Jesus wants us and not our service--He wants to be with us in fellowship, taking time to be holy.  I have heard it said that He doesn't want our achievements, but our obedience. The obedience demanded is love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith (cf. 1 Tim. 1:5), which is the fulfillment of the Law of Moses as Paul said in Rom. 13:10. What does He require, but to love Him and to love our neighbor--especially our brethren in Christ?

We can show love in many ways:  e.g., giving and receiving gifts; words of affirmation; quality time spent; physical touch and gesture; and by acts of service and devotion.  In short, we are all unique persons in Christ and express our love in many ways or all ways, but certainly in some way!  I believe there is no one certain way of expressing love that trumps the others, they are all subject to the personality of the giver and recipient.   We need to see how God has equipped us and serve Him accordingly.  At the Judgment Seat of Christ, we can joyfully hope to hear that we are good and faithful servants, and have done that which was required.   In sum, what Jesus wants is you, so be yourself--you're not fooling anyone!    Soli Deo Gloria!