Loose With The Facts

According to the Correspondence Theory of Truth delineated by John Locke, truth is what corresponds with reality or reports the facts concerning it.  
"A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still."  (Proverb)
"Truth forever on the scaffold; wrong forever on the throne."  (James Russell Lowell, 1844, The Present Crisis)
"All Truth is God's truth." (Augustine of Hippo).  "All truth meets at the top." (Thomas Aquinas)

We must not twist the truth to fit our theories, nor have preconceived notions of the truth but be honest, open-minded seekers for the unknown.  Evidence is the objective reality but isn't the whole picture and is only one argument for or against--it is neither conclusive nor always definite.  Evidence is vital because faith not based on evidence is blind faith!  Perfect certainty is not necessary for knowledge, for all knowledge is contingent and based on faith.  We go astray from the way of truth when we make up our own facts or evidence; we don't have a right to our own facts, but we have a right to our own opinions!  Facts must be undisputed and not subjective.  The truth is absolute and cannot be denied; it's not relative to a situation or person.

Christianity deals in facts and in the truth as well as history, which other religions don't.  The problem with some investigators into truth is that they have their minds made up and don't want to be confused with the facts, though we all tend to believe just the facts that fit our opinions.  No one ever gets convinced of something against their will.  For instance, scientists who espouse to evolution have ruled God out of the equation from the get-go, so how can they hope to be objective when they assume there is no God without there being any evidence for that conclusion.  They won't even admit to the possibility of God.  They don't know you cannot prove there is no God because you cannot prove a universal negative according to logic and philosophy.  Socrates was humble because he said that you will never find the truth if you won't admit you could be wrong!

The facts speak for themselves and you must be willing to go where they lead even if it's an uncomfortable conclusion.  We make theories based on fact, we don't force the facts nor twist them to fit our theories.  The problem today is that people are generally ignorant and gullible and believe everything they hear from their personal sources without questioning authority.  When someone listens to one primary source for information or news, they lose discernment.  When someone has that much of your confidence he's all the more able to get away with lying because you don't fact-check or even Google something.  We must all be suspicious and somewhat skeptical to what we hear from politicians for instance.

The two biggest problems in America are apathy and ignorance:  they don't know and they don't care!  America was only designed for an enlightened and informed electorate!  We need to keep God relevant!  When a society becomes wholly secularized and removes God from the public square and discourse the foundations of democracy are shattered and we lose our footings in a morality which will become lax.  When there is not transcendent, objective standard of right and wrong society gets corrupted and it's the job of the church to be salt and light and get society back on track to be a city on a hill.

There are basically five reasons people believe things:  authority figures say it's so; they want to believe it; their group believes it; they have a vested interest in believing it; they have always believed it--culture or tradition.  When you don't accept reality, which is what denying truth is, you will grasp at anything but the truth.  That is why Plato said that if we want to live in reality we must know what God is really like.

Right now we seem to be ruled by those who make the most noise and raise the most money, not according to debate on the issues and understanding where people are coming from; instead, there's polarization and lack of understanding. Politicians make allegations and charges without any evidence to support them, yet they persist because some will believe them (probably supporters).  We must adhere to a strict policy to a facts-based mindset because it's a known fact that where you start determines where you'll end up!  People must consider the consequences of being wrong as well as the validity of the source and track record of whom they believe.   In conclusion, we must stop just accepting news we agree with: a complete agreement is not always necessary; sometime we must agree to disagree without being disagreeable and find commonalities--we seek unity not uniformity.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Defining God's Love...

Love has been defined as doing what's in the best interest of another, and it doesn't necessitate the presence of emotion or passion but an attitude.  God's love is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit (cf. Rom. 5:5) and as believers, we desire to pass it on and express it in a brotherly manner.

The Bible says twice in 1 John 4 (vv. 8, 16) that "God is love."  I might add, "God is love, period."  That is God's essence and what defines Him.  He knows only how to be loving and wants to express it towards a stubborn, rebellious world.  That doesn't mean He doesn't get angry at sin but His love never wavers.  But man confuses this with the expression, "Love is God," which means that as long as love is involved, it's merited and approved by God.  Note that today's New Morality defines anything as right or moral that has a good motive--that one meant well or had the intention of a loving heart.  In God's economy, something is only right if the motive, the method, and the end result or goal is pure and right in God's eyes.

We truly don't limit love to God, for love is part of the image of God He has bestowed on us, but God is the One who delimits what it is.  Love is to be consistent with God's character and essence.  And God defines how we should express our love; for instance, hugs for brotherly love, discipline can be its expression for wrongdoing, and sex the expression of marital love.  There is the natural and unnatural expression of love:  love for children, parents, siblings, friends, and others not having sexual relations with is natural; however when there is pedophilia or lust of any kind, which is unnatural desire, it's not an appropriate expression of love.

Homosexuals believe they have a right to express their love their own way; however, no one has the right to do their own thing--which is the essence of sin. There's nothing wrong when a man loves a man, but when sex is involved it becomes perverted and wrong.  Sex is reserved for the marital state and its fulfillment can only be by God's design.  Any perversion of God's standards is breaking faith with the Designer.  God is no celestial killjoy just trying to stop us from having fun either, but this is for our own good and we are hard-wired this way and can only find true fulfillment and meaning following God's will.

We are not to define ourselves or who we are by our sexual identity either.  Saying "I was born this way," or "I am just who I am," or "You must accept me," all are misleading and fail the truth test. They are implying that God made a mistake and made other expressions of sex besides in the marriage of a man and a woman, as Jesus endorsed.  God made man male and female and defined two states of bliss:  marriage and celibacy.  There is no excuse in saying we are born this way because we are all born sinners and must confess and repent of our sins, even heterosexual ones such as adultery and fornication and sexual immorality of any kind.  We cannot say that we just cannot help ourselves any more than a liar saying he cannot help but lie and is therefore justified, or a rapist in raping.

Another thing about transcendent law or objective, moral law is that it never changes:  what Moses said was wrong is still valid and times may change but morals don't in God's economy.  Common law is usually based on historical precedent such as the Bible.  Just because a society has accepted something as moral, doesn't mean God has put His stamp of approval on it when it's condemned in Scripture.  The Bible deals in absolutes and there is no changing His mind on the issues from the giving of the Law.

Such expressions as "love is love," "make love, not war," and "free love" are not biblical and against the Christian worldview that love is a gift of God to be cherished and nurtured in the state of matrimony in its sexual expression.  We wouldn't have known love had not God sent His Son and the point is that we didn't love Him but He loved us!  If we love not we know not God for God is love and He who loves fulfills the law for there is no law against love.

We must never accuse God or the Bible of being wrong and leave the applications and definitions of love to man.  The Bible was not written by merely fallible authors but was God-breathed or inspired by God.  People think they are in a position to judge God, but don't realize that on Judgment Day they will be the ones judged by God. We are not His judge, He is our judge!   In sum, to oppose God's definition of love is a form of hatred, and should be called a hate crime; i.e., not to oppose man's convention, traditions, or laws; God's not against love, just how it's expressed within the boundaries and rules He has made.       Soli Deo Gloria!

Answering Life's Ultimate Questions

All worldviews attempt to answer the ultimate questions of life: where did we come from? how did we get here? why are we here? where will we end up? what makes life worth living? Mankind has always asked these challenging questions. This is where religion came on the scene, for God has put eternity in our hearts from the beginning and man has always wondered about life after death, as the ultimate issue and the big question. All religions and worldviews attempt to give satisfying answers to these questions and to "save" mankind. Some people think religion is just escapism or a crutch, but secular people have crutches too and just put their faith in science that it has the answer or can find them.

Everyone is a person of faith! It just depends on what your presupposition is, i.e., it's not a matter of faith versus reason, but what you are willing to accept as truth to begin with. We must begin with God and explain our worldview, not start with some interpretative framework and explain away God--for where you begin usually determines where you will end up; even Darwin pondered, "Would you trust the convictions of a monkey's mind?" It has been said that if you teach a man he's an animal that he'll act like one; some men want to believe they are animals so they can have the morals of one.

Man is not an animal in the sense that he seeks the reason for being, meaning, purpose, and understanding in life--we wonder "why" and contemplate ourselves. We not only know things but know that we know and ponder why we know it and what we can know even how we know things. In other words, man is a natural philosopher, while animals don't wonder or think about the bigger issues in life besides their basic needs. Even having an education, a higher standard of living, and freedom, man can be empty inside. Man needs fulfillment and relationships, for we are a social, spiritual, creative, communicative, musical, moral, rational creature and have personalities that relate to others on a personal level, giving man the unique ability to know and relate to one another.

Science can indeed give us the "know-how," but it cannot help us with the "know-why" of life, it cannot give us purpose in life and hope for the future, nor satisfy our longings for truth, identity, impact, importance, guidance, and meaning in life--animals have no such need. Do animals wonder who they are and try to find themselves or get in touch with themselves? Only man wastes time by worrying about the future and regretting the past. Man is by nature a religious being too, and if he doesn't worship God he'll worship something or someone else; on the other hand, no one has ever observed a monkey building a chapel outside of The Planet of the Apes!

It is my premise that Christianity answers these questions better and fuller than any religion or secular worldview. There is a harmony, coherence, and unity in the Christian worldview that lines up with the Bible as the authority. Christianity outshines all other worldviews in reasonableness, personal experience, and foundation in fact and history. The Bible is the foundation upon which the faith stands. Every worldview must have some authority or "scripture," and the Bible is the highest standard attained by man and it's self-attesting. It appeals to no authority higher than itself for proof and proves itself. This is not circular reasoning to say we believe the Bible is the highest authority because it claims to be, because God has the authority to speak through His Word and if He appealed to anything else or we did, like science or history, God would be taking a backseat to them and not be the ultimate authority figure.

Secularism believes that everything has a natural cause and can be explained naturally--there's no place nor need for miracles! The supernatural is ruled out from the get-go and doesn't enter the equation. Only the strong survive in this dog-eat-dog world of survival of the fittest and the law of the jungle--the real rat race. We are just all lucky to be here due to some great cosmic accident eons ago. They offer no explanation for life and their origin-of-life experiments fail to come off, and they must see the cosmos and life as mere givens, and unexplainable phenomena.

In their view, everything is an infinite series of finite, efficient causes and there was no First Cause, which they refuse to accept as possible and necessary because it sounds too much like God. But students of logic, science, philosophy, and mathematics know that an infinite series of causes is impossible--there must be a first cause! This is called the impossibility of crossing infinity. But they have no room for God in their equation and will not let a Divine Foot in the door, thinking that religion is a neurosis or delusion, a crutch for the weak. Much more they refuse to accept the spiritual dimension of life--everything is material and made up of matter and energy, without any spirit or Ultimate Mind behind it. For instance, the brain is just a cog of machines, made up of electronic circuits, and the mind doesn't exist independently of it, just another name for the brain. We have, therefore, no soul and no spirit worth saving.

The meaning of the cosmos hangs on which came first and which has precedence: mind or matter. Either one or the other preceded: In the beginning ultimate mind; in the beginning ultimate matter. The Bible starts out: "In the beginning God..." John elaborates as "In the beginning was the Word..." The Logos here referred to is the "expressed thought of God." Either mind created matter or mind evolved from matter--there's no other option. It's impossible for there to be nothing in the beginning, for "out of nothing, nothing comes." goes the axiom: ex nihilo, nihil fit.


Cosmologists now reckon a beginning to time, as the Bible has always predicated (cf. 2 Tim. 1:9; Tit. 1:2). Time, being the corollary of space and matter, didn't always exist, and God must be outside of the time-space continuum to be the First Cause and get the ball rolling (something timeless created time!). What or who fired the shot of the Big Bang, who banged the Bang? According to Newton's law of inertia, how did motion begin?  An object at rest tends to stay at rest, begging the question of the first motion.  We conclude that there must be someone behind the cosmos who is responsible and intelligent and programmed the universal constants, called the Anthropic Principle or the fine-tuning of the universe.

All worldviews aim to save the world too and to make a brighter future for posterity. Christians don't believe we can save society and do not attempt to save man through politics. Most secularists are highly utopian and believe man is capable of perfection and therefore so is society. But this kind of dreaming is pie in the sky and gives false hopes, like believing someday man will know how to become immortal. There are those who freeze their bodies in hope of man someday figuring out how to thaw it out and revive it. 

In the meantime, all members of the worldviews attempt to better themselves and their world and make it better for succeeding generations. Doing good works is a part of every worldview, it's the motivation that differs: Christians do it out of gratitude and love for God and others, while other worldviews want to earn their way to salvation or just make themselves feel good, because of their unresolved guilt. Soli Deo Gloria!

Why Is There So Much Evil?...

"The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time" (Gen. 6:5, NIV).  
"The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.  Who can understand it?" (Jer. 17:9, NIV). 
"As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today" (Gen. 50:20, ESV). 

Evil is not the opposite of good, but its perversion or deprivation--evil couldn't exist in its own right unless good did.  In the beginning, there was no evil in the world. There is no such thing as a struggle in life between yin and yang like Eastern mystics believe.  God created everything and said it was good!  But He also created the possibility of evil.  For if evil had not been possible, there would be no way to see good in contrast.  We see good in light of evil and shouldn't ask where's God, but where isn't God and where's the church.  God did something about evil; He made you and me!  He created us for such a time as this and we must let our light shine in the darkness and it shall not be put out or extinguished.  John Donne said, "Don't ask for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee."  Evil gives us the opportunity to overcome it with good and to bring glory to God with victory in Jesus' name.

There is a very good reason why evil must exist:  different people respond to the same event in different ways--one becomes better and one bitter!  The same sun hardens the clay, melts the butter!  The same knife can cut butter and be used in war.  If evil didn't exist, how would we know if we would choose God for ourselves?  There so much evil now because God knows how to turn it into good and sees a silver lining behind every cloud.  God works the wrath of man to His glory and there is so much of it to work with--but God doesn't allow anything that doesn't fit His ultimate purpose (cf. Psa. 76:10).  We must never question God's wisdom and blame Him for our problems.

God could stamp out evil in the world with one stroke, but you and I wouldn't be here, for everyone has some evil inherent, for man is a totally depraved being in need of salvation.  Who is it that would determine just how much evil is to be tolerated, if not God?  We must trust God who is too deep to explain Himself, too wise to make a mistake, and too kind to be cruel.  Job wondered why God was getting on his case because he saw himself as righteous.  His error was that he was self-righteous!  We all deserve far worse from God than we receive at His hand--God tempers His justice with mercy and remembers mercy in His wrath (cf. Hab. 3:2).

Instead of charging God with error we should thank Him for His mercy and grace--We don't get what we deserve and get what we don't deserve!  God is good to all in some ways and to some in all ways who are doubly blessed (cf. Psalm 145:9). But God's common grace extends to all and He calls all men to repent, but most men don't see their sins.

There are no easy answers to evil in the world and no religion has a complete answer but leaves room for faith to come into play.  God isn't accountable to us, but we to Him and He doesn't have to explain Himself.  A lot of evil we experience is of our own doing as we reap what we sow, some sow the wind and reap the whirlwind even.  A man ruins his life and then blames the Lord (cf. Prov. 19:3), but when he's successful he gives himself all the credit!  We must rest in faith that God allows evil to happen according to His providence and has a purpose for everything, even the wicked for the day of evil (cf. Prov. 16:4).  According to Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, sometimes referred to as the best of all possible worlds in which evil is minimized and goodness maximized, God cannot make a world with men having the ability to choose evil if they will, without some choosing it to their damnation!

God always makes it up to us for the evil done us and rewards us for the days the locust has eaten (cf. Psalm 90:15; Joel 2:25).  We never come out losers with God on our side and always with us. Jesus expects nothing more from us He didn't do:  all sufferings, trials, afflictions, tests must inevitably come but our crosses pale in comparison to His.   In the final analysis, we must view evil in our lives as a test of faith and God doesn't allow any evil that isn't Father-filtered and He has a purpose for it--"All things work together for good to them who love God..."

NB:  The world is not as evil as it can be for God's grace is at work always restraining it lest it gets out of hand.  We live in the day of grace when God is keeping the door open to the gospel and not judgment.  Someday God will judge the world and make His wrath known.     FINAL THOUGHT:  MAYBE WE SHOULD ASK: "WHY IS THERE SO MUCH GOOD?"     Soli Deo Gloria!

By God's Design

When we break faith with our Designer or Creator, we lose our faith and end up going our own way and doing our own thing (cf. Isa. 53:6, ESV, which says, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned-- every one--to his own way...")--one definition of sin's essence.  The Bible states "woe to him who strives with his Maker "(cf. Isa. 45:9).  God didn't make the rules for sexuality to be mean or to spoil our fun, as some kind of a cosmic killjoy, but that's what's best for us and we sin against ourselves when we commit sexual immorality.   We are all capable of doing what's unnatural and inappropriate things and inventing new ways to do evil (cf. Romans 1:27-30). 

Now, homosexuality is not to be singled out as the worst possible evil or sin committed, for we must see it in God's eye; He loves the sinner, yet hates the sin.  It is at variance with Scripture and some Christians don't hold a biblical worldview, thinking it's just progressed to accept gay marriage.  The Bible teaches absolute morality, and His perfect, holy, divine standards have not and will not change with time--they're not relative in any way.

People who say that God mentions it as abominable must also realize other sins are in the same boat and worthy of the same condemnation that they don't denounce.  Often it's the other guy's sin that offends us, not our own.   All sin angers God because it goes against His divine nature.  We were originally in God's image and meant to bring glory to Him, and this is contrary to God's intention of the union of a man and a woman in marriage.  He did this on purpose so that they can complete each other and fit together as one.  Homosexuality is not God's best for man and offends Him, as does all sin. It isn't sin just because God doesn't like it--it is degrading and shameful as well as unnatural, going contrary to His nature which is holy.

We must be careful not to concentrate on any one sin that offends us and miss the forest for the trees, not seeing the big picture.  Legalists see sins, not sin and our problem is our old sin nature, which manifests its weakness differently.  We must not signal out homosexuality and lose focus or go on some campaign against the sinners.  Our mission is to preach the gospel to them and let God do a work of grace in changing their lives.  

God can heal or cure someone of this sin, just like any sin (cf. 1 Cor. 6:11).  Some claim they were born this way and they didn't have any choice--but isn't the sin nature's essence the act of choosing self over God and rebelling against His plan, of declaring one's independence from God?  When they ask if it's nature or nurture, it's almost always neither, but a choice. Even if people were born homosexual they still have no excuse to sin, no more than a heterosexual has the excuse to rape or commit fornication.

The point is that we are all in rebellion against God and in need of repentance--forgiveness for what we've done and deliverance from what we are.  Repentance is the gift of God that changes our attitude and heart from the inside out.  The Bible makes it clear that the church is only to judge those inside and let God judge the outsider (cf. 1 Cor. 5:12-13).  The problem with homosexuals is not as much their sin, but their lack of repentance from sin in general and not believing in Christ, who can save them (cf. 1 Cor. 6: 11, ESV, says:  "And such were some of you...")--God will change no one who loves his sin and desires no change.  God changes us from the inside out, He doesn't just tell us to reform ourselves. 

CAVEAT:  BEWARE LEST WE JUSTIFY THE SIN, NOT THE SINNER!    Soli Deo Gloria!

Do You Want To Have The Power?

"The greatness of a man's power is in the measure of his surrender." --William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army
"One thing God has spoken, two things I have heard:  'Power belongs to you, God'" (Psalm 62:11, NIV).
"His wisdom is profound, his power is vast..." (Job 9:4, NIV).
NB:  As Daniel 2:20, NIV, says, "... wisdom and power are his" so we must distinguish but never separate these two:  wisdom without power is pathetic; power without wisdom is frightening!  
"[H]aving a form of godliness but denying its power.  Have nothing to do with such people" (2 Tim. 3:5, NIV).  ALL EMPHASIS MINE.

Power is different strokes for different folks, as they say!  To some, it's knowledge or expertise (for even Sir Francis Bacon said, reiterating Prov. 24:5, "Knowledge is power").  Knowledge, falsely-so-called, sure isn't though!  To some it's money if they had the money they'd know how to use it to change the world; i.e., enough money.  To some, it's the power of music, all genres, or rather the power music holds over them--to arouse emotion, to relax, to put in a mood.  To others, the only power that counts is political or what can be exerted in an authoritarian or despotic manner to deny people their basic rights, liberty, and justice.

Sometimes husbands abuse their wives in the name of power or employees exploit workers.  Some religious extremists hijack their faith and do evil in its name; i.e., ISIS and the Taliban.  To religious fanatics (and even Christians were once guilty), they use power to force conversion in some cases or convert through a program of meditations, horoscopes, palm reading, yoga, TM, or other religious rituals and exercises.

To Christians though, power is knowing the Lord and being filled with the Spirit, to know Christ and the power of His resurrection (cf. Phil. 3:10).  There is even power to change our personalities!  Jesus said that the power would descend on us to evangelize the world and we cannot do this in our own power but must learn to abide in Christ.  The thing about our power is that it doesn't come from a force, but a person who loves us--a personality.  Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi wouldn't tell Luke Skywalker that the Force loves him!  A Force cannot love!   Remember, that force had a dark side; yet God is light and in Him is no darkness.  Yet tapping into this love is great power--we overcome evil with good and love is stronger than hate.  And this is what's available to all believers if they submit to the Lord and be filled.  There is so much untapped power out their from believers who haven't learned to avail themselves of God's power in the Spirit.

Today, we must beware of unchecked political power and the drive and lust to achieve it.  As Lord Acton's adage says:  "Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely."  Plutarch also wondered:  "Who shall govern the governor?"   (Power can go to one's head!)  The divine right of kings is not unlimited, but to be checked by the courts and under a system of laws and a constitution to be moral.  The thing about power in all secular forms: it never satisfied but only gives an appetite for more power.  Only as believers in Christ can we be content to know the transforming power of God in our life and it's energy to overcome spiritual inertia.  Once you've experienced it, you want to pass it on and share it with others.  The world can never know this contentment and inner joy.   

Finally, as believers, we are transferred several things upon salvation:  peace of God, in our lives as well as peace with God; pardon from all our sins--past, present, and future; purpose for living as we devote our lives to God's kingdom, will, and glory; and also the power to change because Jesus is in the business of changing lives, and overcome sin, which is so dramatic it's a transformation or miracle in itself. 

CAVEAT:  IT WON'T ALL COME AT ONCE, THE FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT MUST BE GROWN AND WE MUST LEARN TO AVAIL OURSELVES OF THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN DOING GOD'S WILL.                 Soli Deo Gloria!

The Still, Small Voice

"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, Then He opens the ears of men And seals their instruction" (Job 33:14-16, NKJV).  

"[W]ho carries out the words of his servants and fulfills the predictions of his messengers..." (Isa. 44:26, NIV).   

"[W]ho confirms the word of his servant and fulfills the counsel of his messengers..." (Isa. 44:26, ESV). 

 "'And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people, Your sons and daughters will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions'" (Joel 2:28, NIV).  

"God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world."  --C. S. Lewis

Jesus is saying to us in His message to the seven churches:  "Is there anyone out there listening?"  Just as He says in John 10:27, NIV,  as follows:  "My sheep listen to [or hear] my voice; I know them, and they follow me."  God wants to be heard when He speaks.  ALL EMPHASIS MINE.

The starting point is to listen to the preaching of the Word and find salvation.  "For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe" (1 Cor. 1:21, NIV).  God's charge to Israel known as the Shema in Deut. 6:4 meant to hear!  Even men of learning need heed prophetic utterances:  "...' Hear my words, you wise men; listen to me, you mean of learning.  For the ear tests words as the tongue tastes food.  ... 'If you have understanding, hear this, listen to what I say" (Job 34:2-3, 16, NIV).

WE MUST DEVELOP A TASTE FOR GOD'S VOICE BY READING THE WORD AND HEARKENING UNTO PREACHING. "'... Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD?  Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed [or hearken] than the fat of rams" (1 Sam. 15:22, NKJV).

"God moves in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform." (cf. Isaiah 45:15).   So goes the famed hymn by William Cowper.  Elijah was desperate to hear from the Lord and in a cave heard an earthquake, but God was not in the earthquake, nor in the wind, nor in the fire, but in a gentle whisper or still, small voice of the Spirit that he couldn't mistake--when God speaks to you, you know it and can quote it verbatim.  One thing we all need is to be sensitive to the leading of the Spirit to know the will of God.  Balaam had to be spoken to by a donkey before his ears were sensitive to God--see how spiritually hard of hearing we can become?

All Christians could use a spiritual wake-up call to get with the program and back in line and on track with the will of God.  We have all gone our own way and astray at times and need accountability and repentance.  Our ears become insensitive to the spiritual the more we pay attention to the mundane and secular and without putting God in His rightful place.  Our spiritual ears have muscles just like our lips do that pray and they can become atrophied and dull of hearing to God by misuse or lack of use.  We all could use some sensitivity training here!  Practice makes perfect: a lifetime of ignoring God will not make it easy to hear from God.

But we must beware lest we become too mystical and listen to the inner voice even if it doesn't line up with Scripture. You have to draw the line somewhere or strike a balance between listening to the still, small voice and heeding the Word and not getting mystical.  New Age people believe in listening to the God within--but how do they know it's God?   The Quakers are highly mystical, claiming that you should put primary emphasis on your "inner light" or what God says to you, as opposed to good, sound doctrine or preaching.  Why should I trust someone else's "inner light?"  The Mormons believe they have heard from God solely based on feeling a "burning in the bosom." 

Note that God doesn't just focus on our feeling, but uses our intellect and willingness to hear from Him.  Mystics are so confident that God has told them something He hasn't told others and many heresies have been founded by them, and mysticism is also an error of believers who don't rely on Scripture as their sole rule of our faith.  If God says something it will be verified and confirmed (cf. Isa. 44:26)!

We read the Bible through the illuminating ministry of the Spirit and are convicted by its message to apply to us personally and this is when we can have an "Aha!" moment with Scripture or some would call an existential experience or epiphany like Psalm 119:162, NIV, says, "I rejoice in your promise like one who finds great spoil [treasure]."  We can treasure the Word more than our necessary food according to Job 23:12. "Thy words were found and I did eat them, and thy word was unto me the rejoicing and joy of mine heart .... " (cf. Jer. 15:16).  

Remember, a conviction is the work of the Holy Spirit and God honors His Word and it will not come back void (cf. Isa. 55:10-11).  We should always read the Bible until we actually feel God speaking to us and not just for academic reasons or to fill a regimen or duty to God.  All of us can have a genuine existential encounter with the Word!   The point about being convicted is that we must heed the Spirit's voice and listen as well as take action--if we ignore conviction then it becomes more difficult to hear God the next time and we can become spiritually hard of hearing.

Jesus addressed the seven churches in the book of Revelation each with a common phrase regarding the voice of God:  "Let him who has an ear to hear what the Spirit says to the churches...."  We can learn from all the churches!  God has a special, personal message to each church or body of Christ and tailors it for them, but we must use the ears God has given us and not turn a deaf ear to the gospel message nor any Spirit-inspired one.  This verse is speaking of our spiritual ears and sensitivity to the leading of the Spirit.  What the Spirit says to one church may also be applicable to other churches, for there is no one-size-fits-all church and believers may be hard-wired differently according to the makeup of their church.

We must listen attentively to God because He can speak volumes in many ways: dreams, visions, signs, word of mouth, sermons, even the voice of a child.  However, God has promised that He will always speak through the Word, though He hasn't retired dreams, visions, nor signs.  That's why it's so important that sermons be Bible-based and refer to it as the primary text, for God has given us His Word that it will not come back void and will accomplish that which He desires (cf. Isa. 55:10-11, Jer. 1:12).  When we refuse light, light is withdrawn (cf. Hos. 5:6).  Our spiritual ears can become calloused by ignoring God and not obeying what He does tell us plainly.

In sum, the key to hearing from God is to know God and walk in the Spirit with our spiritual antennae sensitized to anything the Lord might say and take heed or listen up, because the better we know someone the better our communication:   What we don't want is a failure to communicate!  Sometimes hearing from God may seem like a hunch or premonition or feeling that you feel inclined towards--God is in charge of this too, but it must be biblical and we shouldn't just go by feelings.

I know of a missionary who heard God say out of the blue, "Go to Mexico!" He wasn't hesitant, but obedient to the heavenly calling and went directly to Mexico without further ado. I believe prophecy is a bona fide spiritual gift and God tells "prophets" messages of exhortation (in agreement with Scripture) to the local church and for edifying of the body. Many Christians claim to be "in touch" with God audibly in the sense of even hearing His voice on occasion, and they seem to have no doubt that it is Him speaking. They are not just having a "hunch" or "getting an impression," but can quote God verbatim (if they can't quote God verbatim something is wrong!).

As for most of us, we have to rely on getting an occasion goose bump or "Aha!" moment in the Word to feel or sense His guidance. God has given us this 6th sense known as faith. David was "a man after God's own heart" who heard God's voice but also depended on the prophet Nathan and others to give him messages from the Lord, and yet he is not any less of a man of God. When God speaks directly to an individual that isn't necessarily meant to be a new revelation or prophecy, it is called "personal address" by theologians. Though we have the Holy Writ, this doesn't preclude God's audible voice today.

But when Christians rely on hunches or inner voices it gives rise to "fanaticism," as portrayed by Hannah Whitall Smith, the commonsensical Quaker writer. Even though God can speak through the air vents, it is better to seek His voice in His Word.

NB:  Jesus is knocking at the door of our heart seeking fellowship and promises that if any man hears His voice, He will come in and commune (cf. Rev. 3:20). Jesus said, "My sheep hear My voice and I know them and they follow Me."  John 10:27  And  "He who is of the truth hears My voice." John 18:37  It is not normative to hear "voices," but he who is spiritual can discern God's message to him in divers manners.  He is in God's wavelength and in tune with the Spirit. 

CAVEATS:  WE NEVER SHOULD INTERPRET THE BIBLE ACCORDING TO SOMEONE'S PERSONAL MESSAGE FROM GOD, BUT THE MESSAGE IN LIGHT OF THE BIBLE TO SEE IF IT LINES UP WITH SOUND TEACHING.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE BIBLICALLY SAVVY OR A SCHOLAR TO HEAR FROM GOD; 
JUST HAVE A NEEDY HEART, WILLING SPIRIT, AND OPEN MIND!   ALSO, IF GOD IS GOING TO MAKE A MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT OR MESSAGE, HE WILL VERIFY AND CONFIRM IT (CF. ISA. 44:26). 
 AND DON'T APPLY YOUR PERSONAL HUNCHES TO SOMEONE ELSE! NOR EXPECT THEM TO OBEY THEM.   Soli Deo Gloria!

In God's Economy

"... God, be merciful to me the sinner" (cf. Luke 18:13, emphasis mine).  

The kingdom of God differentiates itself from the ways of the world in manifold ways.  They say you should stick up for yourself and defend yourself at all cost, and bully your way to the top of the dog-eat-dog world, but in God's economy the way up is down, just as John predicated, seeing Jesus:  "He must increase, but I must decrease," (cf. John 3:30, ESV).   The question is not how high we can aspire to and how high our dreams or aims are, but how low can we go in Christ's name--can we share in His humiliation? The world measures a man by how many people serve him, but God does by how many men he serves. 

Faith alone pleases God and it's given, not achieved; however, we must put it into practice! NB:  In God's economy, there's purpose and design, and everything is done in a "fitting and orderly way" [or decently and in order] (cf. 1 Cor. 14:40).  As is said, it is in giving that we receive, and in dying we live!  In admitting our failures, we find success.  As Socrates said, that we must first admit our ignorance to begin learning.  In humbling ourselves, we're exalted.  It seems like God's economy is antithetical and a paradox.

The ironic thing about the rat race, according to Lily Tomlin, is that even if you win it, you're still a rat!  And who wants to be the top dog who wins in the law of the jungle and the survival of the fittest by applying the Iron Rule when the leadership class eventually develops.  These social Darwinist theories don't jibe with Christian dogma and in God's economy the weak are taken care of by God and the job of the mighty and noble is to look out for the destitute and needy--the less fortunate, for God made the rich as well as the poor and it's an insult to our Maker to despise anyone in God's image.  We may not have a social gospel to preach but the Christian social commission to aid the needy has not been rescinded.   In the ways of the world, one learns to brownnose and curry favor by flattery and bribery--saying just the right things to gain approbation.  Even lying is a way of gaining an edge and advantage over one's competition or political opponent--what politician is known for being aboveboard nowadays?

Also, in God's economy (spiritually speaking), emptying comes before filling; i.e., we must confess our sins and seek the filling of the Holy Spirit--it's not a given regardless of our conduct and behavior.  To meditate on Christ, we must forget about ourselves!  When we look at Christ all else fades in comparison. We must walk the walk, not just talk the talk (being sensitive to the presence of God and the Spirit) and practice what we all preach or profess in Christ's name, not to be nominal Christians in name only.  Ethics or praxeology (right behavior) is the practice of our orthodoxy (right belief).  How can you find yourself in God, but by losing yourself?  We find out that we must die to our dreams and then our meaning in life is hidden with Christ in God according to Colossians 3:2 as quoted in paraphrase; i.e., we die to self in order to live and lose our life to find it!  Most people don't know that it's not about them and it doesn't occur to them to get their eyes off themselves and to stop focusing on self and living selfishly.

In God's economy, we never make a real sacrifice--Christ made an infinite one for us.  Whatever we do we are rewarded for and God makes up for bad or hard times with equal good times and blessings. We never come out the loser in God's economy. He is on our side--we cannot lose; He believes in us--our situation is never hopeless; He is with us--we are never alone.  Jesus paid the price and the battle is already won through His work.

Also, in God's economy, it pays to give and it is in blessing others that we are blessed in return.  We can never out-give God and this is a true test of our faith to see if we will trust Him for His daily bread or provision.  In God's economy, He promises to meet all our needs, but not our felt needs or wants.  He promises to withhold nothing good, but that isn't the same as having everything, for some people, are doubly blessed, but all are blessed--for God is good to all in some ways, and to some in all ways, and everything in the continuum.  There are so many resources God entrusts to our accountability and we have made stewards over, such as time, talents, gifts, ambitions, property, relationships, opportunities, testimony, witness, and hobbies or pastimes, and so forth.  Let us all seek to be a blessing, for this is the very purpose of our calling and salvation that brings God glory (cf. Zech. 8:13; Isa. 43:7).

But it's a bleak outlook with no real hope in a belief system without God in the equation or economy!  Remember, the greatest in the kingdom of God is the one who can humble himself as a child (cf. Matt. 18:3), not exalt himself, for whosoever exalts himself shall be humbled and whosoever humbles himself shall be exalted.   For God "resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (cf. James 4:6).  We share in His glory and will be glorified in heaven because He has given us this moral compass and code to share as examples of Christ to the world as we are the feet to go where needed, the voice to speak for Him, the heart to share His love, and the hands to help those in need.

On the other hand, the Eastern faiths believe in karma and don't want to interfere with anyone's karma--Christians alone are known for their charity and good deeds as well as noble social movements and reforms in Christ's name.  We must stop thinking like the world, which is so pragmatic (the ends justify the means and only results, not truth matter) and practical (how it works for us), and they think something is true because it works (a la yoga as faith, not an exercise, TM, meditation, horoscopes, et al.), but Christianity works because it's true--just the opposite (but we must find out for ourselves--as they say the proof of the pudding is in the eating--and "taste and see that the Lord is good" according to Psalm 34:8; 1 Pet. 2:3!).

In God's economy, salvation is free but not cheap--it will cost you everything (surrender of the ownership of your life)--you can never pay it back, you don't deserve it, and cannot earn it because it's grace.  When we realize that life comes from death and the old can be reborn, our eyes are on their way to enlightenment and our souls to regeneration. NB:  Christ is not against our works, just ones done in the flesh!

A FINAL WORD TO THE WISE:  IN GOD'S ECONOMY SUFFERING BRINGS CHARACTER AND CROSSES BRINGS CROWNS.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Doing A Great Work I

"...'I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down.   Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?''"  (Neh. 6:3, NIV). 
"But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded" (2 Chron. 15:7, NIV).  
It's all in a nutshell by a sermon William Carey preached, titled "Expect Great Things From God, Attempt Great Things for God."  

Mother Teresa of Calcutta said that we don't do great things, just little things with great love.  It's not our achievements that God is pleased with, but our faithfulness.  Mother Teresa also said that God doesn't call us to success, but to faithfulness.  Indeed, he who is faithful in little will be faithful in much as Jesus said.  We are all to give an account of our stewardship and will be rewarded according to our works--not our faith.  Jesus said that He had finished the work God gave Him and was ready to enter His glory in John 17:4.  Nehemiah boasted that he was engaged in "a great work" for the Lord and wouldn't be interrupted.  Jeremiah warns against doing the Lord's work with slackness (cf. Jer. 48:10)!

Some people are performance-oriented and will say at Judgment Day that they did great works in the Lord's name, even casting out demons; however, their faith was in their works, not the Lord!  Misplaced faith, though big, doesn't save--it's the object that matters.  All achievements are eventually outdone and eclipsed, all records will be broken, all reputations will fade, all tributes will be forgotten, and trophies will be lost or decayed, but what we do in the Lord's name in His power (that are ordained for us to do per Eph. 2:10) will not go unnoticed nor unrewarded.  These good deeds will not be in vain.  Isaiah said in Isa. 49:4, NIV, "But I said, 'I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing at all.  Yet what is due me is in the LORD's hand, and my reward is with my God.'"  Paul said in 1 Cor. 15:58, NIV, "...Let nothing move you.  Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."

There has been much evil done in the Lord's name (the Catholic Inquisition, the Salem witch hunts, the Crusades, and the Thirty-Years War et al.) but what is done in the Lord means in the right spirit and in the power of the Spirit.   I'm not against good works, just those done in the power of the flesh.   

In the final analysis, no one will be able to boast of his works that God did through him but will give glory to God for being a vessel of honor, as Paul said in Romans 15:18, KJV,  that he would not "dare to speak of any of those things Christ hath not wrought by [him]..." or venture to mention anything but what God accomplished through him."  In sum, we're all "doing a great work," if it's done in the Lord, and we ought not to belittle anyone's task or gift for without Christ we can do nothing (cf. John 15:5).          Soli Deo Gloria!

Doesn't Sincerity Matter?...

Sincerity does enter into the equation of one's salvation, but it's not everything.  One must be sincere in order to secure the grace of God in order to find God with all one's heart, but one can be sincerely wrong!  The Jews of Paul's day were ever so sincere, but they had a zeal for God but not according to knowledge (cf. Prov. 19:2; Rom. 10:2).  Zeal isn't the only measure of spiritual success, for God isn't asking for our success and achievements, but our faithfulness.  He wants us, not our works. 

On the contrary, God condemns a slack attitude in serving the Lord--we are to do it with all our might.  In measuring the value of our deeds God looks at the motive, not just the means and the end result.  Today's pragmatists are only concerned with the consequences; the end justifies the means!  Today's current New Morality says that all that matters is one's motive: they mean good, or as long as it's done in love is all that matters.

God raised the bar on morality, internalizing it:  we must have pure intentions and seek God's will and do it in God's way, not our way.  The song is sung by Frank Sinatra says, "I did it my way," which is misleading at best.  Today one may be deceived by the cults and their zeal for God--but it's not according to knowledge but done in ignorance. God does hold us accountable for what we should know and had the opportunity to know but refused--ignorance is not an excuse, at least willful ignorance, and it's certainly not bliss.  God's pet peeve with man is his ignorance and this is his downfall into sin by which he is deceived by Satan the liar and deceiver; "... therefore a people without understanding shall come to ruin." (cf. Hosea 4:14). "...I do not want you to be uninformed." (cf. 1 Cor. 12:1). 

Yes, sincerity matters because of it and this excuses no one from being right. No one has an excuse before God but will give an account of himself (cf. Rom. 14:10).   But most important is not whether all our doctrines are impeccably correct but the condition of our hearts, they must be in the right place!  All of the resources, opportunities, talents, gifts, time, energy, and relationships God has given us will measure our sincerity.  God must change our heart, intellect, and volition and this is no less than a miracle of transformation from the inside out.  We must not be fooled by blind ambition or zeal!  We must focus on the big picture and see things from God's perspective because of the illumination of the Holy Spirit working in the Word.

It's not the amount of faith that saves, nor faith itself, but the object of faith which is in Christ that saves--we don't have faith in faith and are not defenders of faith per se, but defenders of the faith and must contend for it as commanded.   In the final analysis, God doesn't demand perfect faith for salvation, but sincere, unfeigned faith (cf. 1 Tim. 1:5; 2 Tim. 1:5) not as the hypocrites who only had faith for show and to boast; in other words, nobody's faith is perfect but falls somewhere in the certitude continuum from unbelief to absolute knowledge-- there are degrees of certainty and faith.  In sum, Paul said, "I would not have you ignorant," (cf. 1 Cor. 12:1).         Soli Deo Gloria!