Putting Your Hand To The Plow

"For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name's sake"  (Acts 9:16. NKJV).

Luke 9:62 says that we should not look back after embarking on our spiritual journey to follow Christ in discipleship.  We have counted the cost, considered the pros and cons, and made the irrevocable decision to go on to know the Lord in the school of Christ, come what may, through thick and thin, and let the chips fall where they may.  No turning back!  Don't even look back--remember Lot's wife!  We have to be willing to carry our cross, which pales in comparison to Christ's and since He didn't exempt Himself, we must be willing to follow Him to the end in discipleship, as we become more Christlike through adversity; since even Christ learned obedience through what He suffered.  

Christ did all he could to discourage halfhearted seekers and fans or groupies, He wanted serious students and worshipers, not admirers, who wouldn't get discouraged by hardship.  Christ was honest enough to warn us and didn't exempt Himself from hardship, adversity, and suffering.  Christ made several "hard sayings" that made several of his disciples turn back and no longer follow Him.

The point is that we don't want to have half-finished, derelict towers because we failed to count the cost and ended up not willing to pay the price of discipleship.  Salvation is free, but not cheap; easy-believism or cheap grace (which justifies the sin, not the sinner) is unbiblical and the only faith that will do is Lordship salvation, accepting Christ as Lord of all and submitting to His will for our lives. We don't submit part-way, for Christ demands our all and we need to be like Joshua and Caleb "who wholly followed  the LORD."

We should never resent adversity or trouble, for the Lord knows the way we take and when we have passed the test, we shall come forth as gold. "The LORD knows the way that I take, and when He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold." Job 23:12    Life is full of trouble as the spark flies upward, says Job 5:7. Job  14:1 says life is short and full of trouble.  Psalm 34:19 (ESV) says "many are the afflictions of the righteous."   

No one escapes life trouble-free, and we must learn some lessons the hard way because we didn't listen or pay attention.  In the end, we will be able to comfort those who suffer likewise and be able to say assuredly, that we've been there and done that!  The suffering we've endured is like feathers in our cap and we will be rewarded for suffering for the kingdom's sake and in the name of Jesus, especially if we are persecuted or suffer shame or martyrdom.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Bearing Burdens

Sometimes the burden gets too heavy to sustain and we must unload, as it were, or vent.  We all need someone to share our problems with because we cannot go through the maze of life alone.  We need to be part of a body or church family, and not be rogue believers or Lone Ranger Christians.  There are no lone wolves out there!  The body is meant to share burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ as they take requests in common to the Lord in prayer, both corporate and private.  No one can go it alone, no matter how strong your faith, you will find yourself going off course and in your own way ("All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way").  We receive comfort so that we can share it with others, and we go through adversity to be able to counsel others and guide them on the good and noble path of righteousness, like 2 Cor. 1:20 says--then we can say, "Been there, done that!"

Now we bear each other's burdens per Galatians 6:2, but each must carry his own load--we don't become freeloaders or moochers on others, refusing to work out of laziness!  God allows you to experience hardship so that you can comfort others and you will grow to become Christlike.  It's meant to be a team effort to strengthen the body because you never know who will be able to relate the most to any given burden.  In conclusion, let me stress that prayer support is vital and a loving way to bear a burden and to carry it to the throne room of the Father.  Intercession is our priestly duty and calling!   Soli Deo Gloria!

Headsup On Knowing Our God...

"He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." 2 Thess. 1:8

There is a world of difference 'twixt knowing about God and knowing God first-hand or having knowledge about God and of God.  We must turn our knowledge about God into the knowledge of God, though knowing about Him is a prerequisite to knowing Him.  Believing He exists or knowledge about Him doesn't satisfy--we yearn to have a relationship with Him and to know Him.  Why?  To know Him is to love Him and our mission is to know Him and make Him known!  Richard of Chichester said that he wanted to "know Him more clearly, follow Him more nearly, and love Him more dearly!"  What a challenge!  In knowing God we cannot define Him, put Him in a box, or limit Him in any way--He is infinite and we at finite and cannot grasp Him ("Canst thou by searching find out God?"--Job 11:7).  The only way to know God is not second-hand knowledge, but by a personal, divine encounter via an exercise of faith in the risen Christ.

God's pet peeve is that man doesn't know Him and those who don't know Him are condemned.  "Three is no faithfulness, no love, no knowledge of God in the land." (cf. Hosea 4:6).  The problem with man is that he rejects what he does know and isn't grateful, but worships the creation, not the creator! The benefits, not the Benefactor!   Knowing God is eternal life and it is imperative that God knows us or we will be condemned:  "I never knew you...."  Knowing God boggles the mind, enlarges the intellect, expands our thinking, and blows us away.  Daniel says that "those who know their God shall be strong and do exploits"  (cf. Dan. 11:32).  It is possible to have an intimate acquaintance with the Almighty through daily devotion to prayer and Bible reading.

It isn't how big your faith is, but how big your God is!  Some have a God who is too human, and their God is thus too small--an inadequate vision or view of God is idolatry.   Don't underestimate the Almighty or put Him in a box to fit your dimensions or definitions like thinking of Him as the Great Mathematician, Mean Judge, Man Upstairs, Father Time, or Great Artist, or even God is like you! "With whom then will you compare God? To what image will you liken Him?" Isaiah 40:18

No one is like God and we cannot compare Him to anyone--we don't talk in comparatives or superlatives, but contrast Him.  The good thing is that we are in His image (the imago Dei) and because we are persons with a personality just like God has and we can relate to Him and form friendships and relationships.  But take it all by faith--you'll never figure God out because you're finite and He's infinite (the finite cannot grasp, the infinite goes the maxim).

God's fingerprints or imprints are everywhere and He is always with us.  Christianity is about the God who is there and He is not silent but invites us to know Him personally.  All that we need to know of God's nature and personality is given us in the person of Christ--God with skin on!  Though we are inadequate in describing Him, we are commanded to make Him known! The Bible never proves God but assumes Him and makes Him known!  We cannot know God exhaustively, but truly, for eternal life is to know God (cf. John 17:3).     Soli Deo Gloria!

Confronting Atheists

"Two things amaze me:  the starry skies above and the moral law within."  (Immanuel Kant)

A word to the wise is sufficient:  You cannot rationalize God nor conclusively prove His existence, though you can show evidence and facts leading in that direction--it will take a step of faith to know Him--"Taste and see that the LORD is good" (cf. Psalm 34:8).  However, God has entered history in the person of Christ and proved it by His resurrection; but history is by its very nature nonrepeatable!  Note also that you cannot argue someone into the kingdom and infidels are seldom convinced by argument.   They have feigned intellectual problems which are a smokescreen to hide their moral rebellion, in which they don't want to be accountable to God for their lifestyle--it's a matter of the heart, not the mind!

Atheists think they have you cornered without any recourse of logic when they flatly deny there is a God, by saying simply, "I don't believe in God!"  Something can be true whether believed or not--their denial doesn't alter reality.  They have no way of defending their position any more than any other universal negative, which is impossible to disprove, like saying there are no little green men.  Only God knows all and is everywhere and can make such a claim.  Atheism is a bankrupt philosophy and has no basis in fact--if he asks you to prove God, just retort that he cannot disprove Him either--both sides require faith, it just depends on which set of presuppositions you are willing to have as your starting point.

Everyone has faith, but faith in God is God-given, not achieved and not everyone has this gift, but if they seek after God He will make Himself known to the sincere, but not to the triflers.  The atheist has to realize there is objective as well as subjective truth, and that God fits in the category of absolute truth, and it doesn't matter whether you accept it or not, it's true for everyone and for all time, everywhere; as for me, I don't have enough faith to be an atheist!

Denying God is like denying there's a designer when you see a design, or a creator when you see a creation, or an artist when you see art, or an orderer when you see order, or a planer when you see a plan or purpose.  Purpose is a dirty word to the atheist, who refuses to see a purpose in living and in creation--everything is one big fluke of nature.   If I said I don't believe in air because I don't see it, you'd think I was crazy, because you can see what it does!  People often wonder where is God when they should be wondering where isn't God.  They ask why there is evil if God is good when they should be asking why there's so much good if there isn't a God.  And why doesn't God stamp evil out if He is good?  None of us would be left!

There are many reasons to believe in God:  The law of causality or of cause and effect, i.e., the First Cause or Unmoved Mover; the teleological nature or purpose of the cosmos; the Anthropic Principle is seen on earth, whereby it is perfectly suited for man, often called the fine-tuned universe;  over 2,000 predictive prophecies that were fulfilled; changed hearts upon conversion and knowing Him; the moral code within man's conscience, which shows God cares a lot about right and wrong; the resurrection of Christ which was either the biggest hoax and fake news event in history, or its most wonderful blessing; the answer to the beginning of the cosmos in having a Beginner; the movement of history according to God's plan heading toward a consummation in Christ, which will be fulfilled in Revelation's prophecies; the movement and experience of the Holy Spirit and miracles He brings about; and answers to questions like the origin of life which science cannot measure.

You cannot use science to prove or disprove God any more than using a Geiger Counter to measure voltage.  You can't put God in a test tube!  There is no laboratory condition to make a scientific experiment for God either and thus the scientific method is wholly inappropriate and inadequate.  Believing in God is a matter of faith, not knowledge, and this is what pleases God--faith.  This is ultimately a philosophical question because it's out of the domain of scientific endeavor.   We are meant to walk by faith, not by sight and all must take the leap of faith to get to know Him personally.

Denial of God is a wholly irrational proposition, and anyone would see this unless he had the prejudice that there is no God already in his mind and has a closed mind--you must be willing to go where the facts and evidence lead to ever arrive at truth!  Only believing in God can satisfy a needy heart as Pascal said, "There's a God-shaped vacuum in our heart only God can fill."  Augustine also said likewise that our hearts are restless till they find their rest in God!   Remember in conclusion that there is no ultimate intellectual conflict--the battle is in the heart and the heart of the matter is that it's a matter of the heart as it is written:  "The fool has said in his heart, There is no God..." (cf. Ps. 14:1). In other words, they are in a state of moral rebellion against God and His Law.

The Bible never apologizes for its assumption of God, making no effort at proof.  People know it but they suppress it or muffle it.  The problem is that God hides Himself and must be sought diligently to be found.  Though God is neither visible, tangible, nor audible, He can be experienced and known.  The point to ponder is that all knowledge begins in faith; It's not a matter of faith vs. reason, but which set of presuppositions you start with via faith.  Faith in science is still faith! Evolution is touted as the inescapable fact that is the key to all knowledge--the Bible says the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; nevertheless, today's militant atheists are dedicated to eradicating Christianity from the open marketplace of ideas and any mention of Him in the public forum--they not only deny God's existence, they are anti-God and are radicalized to promote atheism.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Why I Affirm Eternal Security

 Dated May 1999 @ Discovery Church, Hastings, MN 55033

In spite of the fact that I believe in the assurance of one's salvation, I do not want to give either false assurance or a sense of insecurity.  The apostolic injunction to make one's calling and election sure is to be noted (cf. 2 Pet. 1:10) and only after one is confident of his salvation and has made his decision for Christ to accept Him personally and believes in his heart does he have a right to speculate about whether he can lose his salvation.  The question is raised by those who base their assurance on subjective experience rather than on the Word of God.

Some people claim to have been saved over and over again and have made countless dedications and re-dedications or commitments.  At a recent "Arise with the Guys" evangelical outreach featuring Tony Dungee et al., a few hundred were "first-time: decisions.  God makes it clear that He wants us to know for sure that we are saved and John says in 1 John 5:13 that He wants those who believe in the name of the Son of God that they may know that they have eternal life.

We must distinguish between conjecture and certainty.  I am not an expert in epistemology, but we cannot know in an absolute sense anything that requires faith, but here is a faith-knowledge that is "the assurance of things hoped for."  There is no certainty in religion and in a works religion, you can never know for sure.  Charles Swindoll says that one can never say how much works is enough or how little is enough to lose it.  Ignorance is not bliss!  God wants us to be in the know.  Swindoll says we should know the "value of knowing the scoop!"  If we can lose our salvation then we really cannot know for sure but only hope.  God doesn't want us to say:  "Well, I hope I go to heaven!"

Our salvation cannot be forfeited, to put it bluntly.  To state the doctrine in plain terminology:  "Once saved, always saved!"  A cute way of affirming that apostasy is never the lot of the believer is to say that "if you have it, you never lose it; if you lose it, you never had it!"  The Calvinists referred to the doctrine as "perseverance."  This is more correctly termed "preservation" because God really preserves us more than we keep ourselves. Note that God doesn't give us permission to give up and go back in to sin (cf. Romans 6:1).

The doctrine is commonly called "eternal security." and I do not have this as my hidden agenda, but I see this as vitally important to the understanding of soteriology.  One will never really grow until he has ascertained his salvation and rests in the faith and accepts Christ's work on his behalf as "finished" and a done-deal. If our salvation was not a continuity, we could not be certain as to whether we were saved. By definition of the term "eternal life" we must assume that one's life cannot be terminated and is not "temporary salvation" but "everlasting salvation  (cf. Heb. 5:9; 9:12).

There are extremes in the spectrum.   For instance, the antinomians believe that you can do anything you want to as long as you simply believe.  The legalists believe that you have to do this or do that plus believe and they are adding to the work of Christ and not believing in grace alone, faith alone, and Christ alone.  The Quietists believe we should "let go" and "let God" and deny any cooperation in our sanctification, the Pietists like the Amish believe in the exertion of human will-power and effort to sanctify and do not become grace-oriented.

I deem this doctrine important because I first started to understand the Scriptures after I comprehended God's grace.  I had been confirmed a Lutheran, had rededicated myself at a Billy Graham Crusade, but I never had assurance.  In the Army, I met up with some Navigators (a parachurch organization) and God led in the right direction.

Catholics, I found out, deny assurance, as well as security and call it the sin of presumption.  They say you cannot know for sure unless you have a special divine revelation to that effect.  I am told that this is the born-again experience, if you will, and would agree to that.  Catholics believe in sacramental theology and divide sins into mortal and venial categories.  Some sins are egregious enough to kill the grace of justification and one must do penance to be restored.  "Penance is the second plank of salvation for those who have made shipwreck of the faith," according to R.C. Sproul.  Man is "incurably addicted to doing something to get saved"; however, Christianity is about receiving a gift not earning merit.  We are saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone, the Reformers affirmed.  We receive salvation, we don't earn or deserve it.

Assurance is necessary for our "well-being" but one doesn't necessarily have assurance as a fruit of conversion or of the Holy Spirit.  It is not of the essence of faith since sometimes doubt and faith coexist and assurance is intermittent, not frozen in concrete, so to speak.  God doesn't require perfect faith, but sincere and unfeigned faith.  Assurance is not a sin but duty and it is the link to our sanctification.  Growth results from this awareness.  But let's not be subjective and base our assurance on some past experience, such as raising our hands or walking to an altar.  Let's base our assurance on the Word of God, which is objective and reliable and performs its work in us who believe.  True assurance is based on the Word of God coupled with the testimony of the Holy Spirit--that's why we must search our hearts and examine our fruit.

This doctrine wasn't really articulated by Augustine but really developed in the Reformation.  It was developed at the Synod of Dort  (ca. 1618-1619) and Calvinists and Arminians took issue at it against each other immediately.  Even though Jacob Arminius wouldn't go so far as to say that one could lose his salvation the Arminians objected.  The Wesleyans and Lutherans followed suit.  The Lutherans made salvation contingent upon continued faith.  The doctrine was articulated in The Westminster Confession, ca 1646, which is very eloquent.  It must be noted that assurance and security go hand in hand and if you deny one, you must deny the other to be consistent.

Now the question arises about those who apostatize:   First John 2:19 makes it clear that some commit apostasy or fall away, but those were "not of us."  Some so-called people profess faith but later repudiate it and do not endure.  They are like the seed that doesn't take root.  Some people make lip service to Christ and honor him with their lips, but their hearts are far away.  The believer can fall but not absolutely.  His fall is only temporary.  Jesus prays that our faith will not fail. Some are saved "as if by fire" or by the skin of their teeth, but they do make it, even if they get no reward or lose reward. There is a sin unto death as punishment, but no sin unto hell.  To sum it up:  their departure manifested their true state, but we shall be kept in the Father's hands.  Jesus said, "He that comes to me I will in no wise cast out."

There are many inferential proofs that make it clear that salvation is eternal and permanent.  King David never lost his salvation but only prayed for the joy to return. We can grieve the Holy Spirit and lose our joy, but not the Holy Spirit, which will never be taken away from us. The Holy Spirit is the "earnest of our inheritance and is given a "pledge' and "seal."  God is the ultimate Promise Keeper.  Salvation is a covenant and God will not renege.  We are adopted as children and cannot be un-born.  We are His sheep and Christ will not lose any of  His sheep.  We are born of "imperishable seed" and "salvation is of the Lord" (not of our efforts). Our salvation doesn't depend upon our free will but on God's immutable decrees. "We are born, not of the will of the flesh, nor the will of man [cf. John 1:13]."  "It is not of him that runneth, nor of him that willeth, but of God, who shows mercy [cf. Rom. 9:16]."

The objections to this doctrine are that it leads to indolence, smugness, complacency, and false assurance or license to sin.  But only when one realizes the grace of God and has experienced the peace of God can he have the good works."  "For we are created unto good works."  We are His handiwork and He is the Potter, while we are the clay.  Some think the doctrine violates Scripture.  They usually point to Judas or Saul and make false conclusions.   The Bible never says Saul lost his salvation, and never says Judas was saved.  "He that endures to the end shall be saved is not a proviso, but a veiled promise of endurance.

I agree with Martin Luther that we should base our doctrine on the Bible and not on some experts or scholars. The Reformation cry was "Sola Scriptura" or Scripture alone.  If one doesn't realize salvation he can lose orientation, therefore we need the helmet of salvation for battle.  Moreover, we are to "work out our salvation with fear and trembling" and this implies a spiritual workout to prove it and make it real.  Some of us really need a spiritual workout.     Soli Deo Gloria!

A Man For All Seasons

We need another Sir Thomas More, who stood up against King Henry VIII when he sought divorce and was known as the man for all seasons.  Paul said that he became all things to all people that he might save some.  We don't all have the kind of versatility these two had, but God can use us with the blessings and talents He has bestowed on us. We are mere stewards and will be held accountable.  In witnessing, for instance, some people are called to witness to a far different makeup of people than the average Joe.

Some people can only be reached by the like of us, and God has put them in our path and sphere of influence for a reason.  We don't witness, so much as to be witnesses; our lives speak volumes and often actions speak louder than words.  Augustine said to witness and if necessary use words.   People read us like a book and if they know we're saved, they are relentless.  We cannot be all things to all people and must find our niche in the crowds we hang around with.  Paul was good with the intellectual types of Mars Hill, Philip, the evangelist, was at home with the more common folk.  Peter was the apostle to the Jews, while Paul to the Gentiles, and for good reason--we are all wired differently and are meant to be a message to a certain element of society.

We must never say that God wants us to witness to the power elite of the universities, and to be remiss of our duty to the common man, just like a person with the gift of teaching cannot say that he can't help out because he doesn't have the gift of helps--we have a primary gift and way God uses us, but we need to be ready and prepared to be used any way that is necessary for the moment.  It isn't any one believer's job to save the world, but he must certainly find out his gift and how God blesses his endeavors.  Soli Deo Gloria! 

Perfect Gifts

"Every generous act and every perfect gift is from above..."  (James 1:17, HCSB).

Christ did all He could to discourage halfhearted followers who were more fans and groupies than worshipers and disciples.  He wasn't trying to win a popularity contest and in His economy quality outranks quantity.  He constantly admonished them to count the cost--yes salvation is costs, but it costs  more not to be saved!  Grace is free, but not cheap; the Lord demands our all, He doesn't want our achievements, but our obedience--in short, He wants us and all we are.

But He freely gives us all things to enjoy (cf. 1 Tim. 6:17), and the only way He can pour His riches into our hands s if they are empty.  In God's economy emptying comes before filling.  We don't think our lives are anything to be compared to what we gain in Christ:  to live is Christ, to die is gain!  The only condition we need to come to Christ is a bankrupt soul that has stopped trying to save itself and started to trust in Christ.

Yes, salvation is an expensive proposition, but it's worth it!  We offer ourselves as living sacrifices only to receive ourselves back, renewed in the image of Christ.  He wants to change our way of thinking and a whole outlook on life itself.  Yes, we must come to full, absolute surrender to Christ per Rom. 12:1 and also must keep on yielding our will to His.  The motto of our lives becomes:  "Thy will be done!"  We don't come to God on our terms, but His, because He is sovereign and we cannot dictate conditions to God.   We all have a throne of our heart and must give it up to Christ's rule so that we are no longer living for ourselves, but for Him. This is not the easiest life, no bed of roses or rose garden, but it's the most rewarding and best life--the more abundant life.

All that God gave us is only stewardship and we will be held accountable for it.  This includes our wealth, time, resources, talents, gifts, skills, plans, children, future, intelligence, opportunities, and especially our faith, which is given, not achieved, and we are to put it to work and sow seeds and cultivate fruit--no fruit, no faith.  In fact, Paul said, "Who makes you to differ?  What do you have that you didn't receive?" (Cf. 1 Cor. 4:7).  When we are faithful in our stewardship, God blesses us and we bear more fruit, because He who is faithful in little, shall be faithful in much. We must come to the realization that all we own and possess belongs ultimately to God (Psalm 24:1 says the earth and the fullness thereof belongs to Him).

All we are is stewards; even our righteousness is God's gift to us, not our gift to God.  Actually, we don't own anything, and only in Christ can we learn not to be materialistic and we can truly "possess our possessions" per Obadiah 17.  The world has alluring things to offer, but it can only offer things, love cannot be purchased nor and is immeasurable--you cannot ask for two pounds of love!

Christ can demand all because He gave all and our crosses pale in comparison to His, and He isn't asking us to give up anything He didn't.  He gave up His throne and the independent prerogatives of His deity to save us, suffering all the shame and pain on our behalf--all He asks of us doesn't compare and we can be sure that He meant it when He said in Matt. 11:28, ESV, "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."   We have to stop making demands on God and trying to get our way--He knows best.  Our very lives are not our own anymore, but a living sacrifice--He wants us to live for Him by the power of the Holy Spirit in us.

All the rules that God ordains are for our own good and not to keep us from enjoying ourselves--God isn't a Cosmic Killjoy trying to keep us from having fun.  The rules that applied for Moses apply today, because moral principles are timeless and based on God's character and, therefore, do not ever change--we don't change our values with the times or the whims of society.  And so we must realize that God's rules are the best rules and we function best in accord with them--the Bible is our Owner's Manual.  God demands exclusive loyalty and will not tolerate any competition because He's a jealous God and anything that comes between you and God is idolatry.   Soli Deo Gloria!

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!