"The Desire of All Nations shall come" (cf. Haggai 2:7).
"Preach the Word, be instant in season and out" (cf. 2 Tim. 4:2).
"Proclaim the message, persist in it whether it is convenient or not..." (2 Tim. 4:2, HCSB).
"... And how can they believe without hearing about Him? And how can they believe without a preacher? And how can they preach unless they are sent? ... " (Romans 10:14-15, HCSB).
"Where there is no vision, the people perish," (cf. Prov. 29:18, KJV). Our mission statement and vision from above should be to spread the word--the message of Christ. "We do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord," according to 2 Cor. 4:5. But we cannot preach the good without the bad! This is also called preaching law and gospel. Salvation is freedom from the yoke of the Law and put under a much easier yoke of God's will and Christ's yoke. We must get them lost first and make them realize their depravity and predicament before getting them saved! The discerning theologian can distinguish law and gospel in the Scriptures. Law is what God requires of us and how we measure up and fail; the gospel is what Jesus did and does for us and what we receive by grace. Jesus and John the Baptist both inaugurated their ministries: "Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand!" clearly Law and our duty to God. NB: Although repentance is demanded of us, it's a gift of God (cf. 2 Tim. 2:25; Acts 5:31; 11:18).
We must first be convicted of our sins before we can confess them! It's not our job to convict--that's the prerogative of the Holy Spirit who shall convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (cf John 16:13). No one is more lost or blind than the one who doesn't know his sin or realizes he's lost! Jesus told the Pharisees that because they said they could see, they were really blind; for He came to seek and to save the lost--the precondition for salvation is that we realize we don't qualify for it. In a play on words, we sue God for peace in His divine court! We are spiritually bankrupt and have no options but to repent and turn to God in faith! He dictates the terms and makes the rules.
Preaching is a bad news/good news announcement and preachers ought to know where the parishioners are spiritually and reach out to them in love, not over their heads, nor getting personal, nitpicking, pointing to or stressing any one sin over another as a hobbyhorse or agenda such as taking up a campaign against smoking. We aren't doing anyone any good by bypassing or skipping the bad news of sin, judgment, and hell but giving aid and comfort to the enemy and confirming people in their sins. Having false assurance is worse than no assurance. It's really an act of love to tell it like it is and to warn people of the wrath to come and that there's only one escape through Christ's blood.
We must not ignore the hard sayings of Jesus or the offensive truths that people don't feel comfortable with because the preacher not only can comfort the afflicted gut afflict the comfortable--false assurance is worse than no assurance. "Speak the truth in love!" (cf. Eph. 4:15). To preach the Word means to do it in love and honesty, not to water it down or domesticate it! We don't gloss over the truths that seem like a hard pill to swallow! Martin Luther said that the sinner doesn't see his sin, and it's the preacher's job to show it to him. Only when we know the whole truth are we able to appreciate the good news and put everything into a spiritual perspective.
In sum, Arthur W. Pink said, that "there some who say they are saved, even before they have any feeling that they are lost." We must see that the gospel must be preached clear enough to be rejected too; we must not preach easy-believism or cheap grace as Dietrich Bonhoeffer called it and offer salvation without repentance but realize that repentance and faith go hand in hand and can be distinguished by not separated--believing repentance or penitent faith--they cannot be divorced! Soli Deo Gloria!
To bridge the gap between so-called theologians and regular "students" of the Word and make polemics palatable. Contact me @ bloggerbro@outlook.com To search title keywords: title:example or label as label:example; or enter a keyword in search engine ATTN: SITE USING COOKIES!
About Me
- Karl Broberg
- I am a born-again Christian, who is Reformed, but also charismatic, spiritually speaking. (I do not speak in tongues, but I believe glossalalia is a bona fide gift not given to all, and not as great as prophecy, for example.) I have several years of college education but only completed a two-year degree. I was raised Lutheran and confirmed, but I didn't "find Christ" until I was in the Army and responded to a Billy Graham crusade in 1973. I was mentored or discipled by the Navigators in the army and upon discharge joined several evangelical, Bible-teaching churches. I was baptized as an infant, but believe in believer baptism, of which I was a partaker after my conversion experience. I believe in the "5 Onlys" of the reformation: sola fide (faith alone); sola Scriptura (Scripture alone); soli Christo (Christ alone), sola gratia (grace alone), and soli Deo gloria (to God alone be the glory). I affirm TULIP as defended in the Reformation.. I affirm most of The Westminster Confession of Faith, especially pertaining to Providence.
Friday, March 27, 2020
Sunday, March 15, 2020
Contending For The Faith...
"... And if someone asks you about your Christian hope, be ready to explain it," (cf. 1 Pet. 3:15).
"If you don't stand firm in your faith, then you will not stand at all" (Isaiah 7:9, HCSB).
"Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction. for the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear" (cf. 2 Tim. 4:2-3, NIV).
"TELL ME YOUR CERTAINTIES; I HAVE ENOUGH DOUBTS OF MY OWN!" -JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE
NB: I'm focusing on the essential doctrines that make up orthodox Christianity, not keeping one's faith in them unto salvation, nor faith in faith as if faith saves, when only Christ saves--it's the object of the faith that matters. The faith has been delineated in several creeds, but then again Christianity is not about believing a creed but knowing a Person.
Augustine's dictum to be on the same page as much as possible in the Spirit is appropriate for a day of sects and dissension or contention in the church: "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity." That's why the church body shouldn't be ignorant of its teaching and have a working knowledge of the doctrines of the particular church and even a refresher course might help to keep these things focused and in mind--what they stand for as a church with a church mission and statement--"Without vision the people perish," (cf. Prov. 29:18, KJV).
Paul had already condemned sectarian spirit by rebuking the carnal Corinthians for taking up partisan politics in the church: "I am for Paul; I am for Peter; I am for Apollos; I am for Christ." Nothing so divides a church like partisan politics, even government politics, because people have their own personal loyalties in these matters and some will die for them because they are invested in tribalism or that they only believe what their tribe tells them is true. In other words, they've closed their minds and won't even listen to plain facts that might change their minds. Socrates said that the first step to learning is to admit our ignorance; i.e., we cannot think we know it all or have a monopoly on the truth.
Now contending doesn't mean we are to be contentious! When the Reformation happened, contention arose because the Catholics declared tradition to be of equal authority as Scripture; therefore, the split became permanent by this Counter-Reformation at the Council of Trent in 1545-63. There is dialogue called godly controversy which is essential, and ungodly controversy that generates more heat than light and isn't worth the adrenaline. We must never forget that it's evil to sow discord among brethren and God hates it (cf. Proverbs 6:19). If we cannot live in peace we ought to separate and not cause dissension, a work of the flesh.
We all have our pride and some people will never admit they're wrong, admitting all people have a basic need to be right, but their religious faith is especially vulnerable to this. The cause of this chain of events may be church rivalry or a competitive spirit of when people tend to play the "let's compare" game (cf. 2 Cor. 10:12) and take sides, not realizing that all the members of the church body should be on the same side and even on the same page spiritually.
Paul said that he was engaged in declaring and affirming the gospel (cf. Phil 1:7), while Jude said he was contending for the faith or defending it (cf. Jude v. 3). There are certain nonnegotiables that we cannot compromise in our faith that make it orthodox faith and there are doctrines that are gray areas and open to discussion. Some doctrines are essential to orthodox Christianity such as the inerrancy of Scripture, the deity of Christ, and the Trinity. We ought to fight for our convictions in the sense of being able to defend them and stand up for what we believe, declaring and showing our true Christian colors and not standing on the sidelines, but we don't die for the doctrine of adult baptism where sincere believers disagree. We don't just want a faith we can live with but one we will die for.
Instead, we understand there are honest quarrels in the faith and we must stick to our guns and not compromise but keep the main thing the main thing and remember what's essential and that we have much more in common than we disagree on: we agree to disagree and carry on, going forward without being disagreeable, contentious, judgmental, or divisive: this may call a believer out of his comfort zone to serve where he disagrees with something but they must learn to do it love not because they on the same page on everything, for even mates or spouses don't agree on everything--we leave room for disagreement of opinion, noting that there's a place for opinion and then there's a place for church dogma or teaching.
There are gray areas per Romans 14:1: pick your battles! We ought to be in a church that we feel we can serve in and be in basic harmony and union with its teachings, fellowship can only happen where there's an agreement to base it on. Our fellowship ought to be based on the personhood or personage of Christ in the Spirit.
I have heard on good authority from Pastor Neil Johnson of my church that we ought to triage our spiritual disagreements. It is inevitable to disagree and we must be prepared. It is said that you hold opinions, but convictions hold you, and I know that we don't just want a faith we can live with but one we will die for. If we have nothing worth dying for, what's the point? That's like saying if you won't die for your convictions or integrity you may have none! It is said that we must be willing to die for Christ and our confession in Him, but fight for the faith that is essential for its teachings, and discuss and leave options to agree or disagree on gray areas (cf. Romans 14:1) where we are open-minded and willing to keep the door open to talk without being dogmatic. In other words, there's a time to build bridges and a time to erect walls!
Sometimes believers just come from different necks of the woods and need to get to know each other before they feel comfortable or at ease; but beware that we become too at ease in Zion that we become complacent and think we've "arrived," and don't need the body by becoming a solitary saint or spiritual Lone Ranger. No one in the body is a rock or island that is completely independent of the rest--we all need each other on some dimension or level and we are meant to complement each other just like a spouse does. When we keep our eyes focused on Jesus, we don't get sidetracked by issues anymore that don't matter in the grand scheme of things, but welcome the brother even if he errs and doesn't see the big picture or the whole truth as Priscilla and Aquilla took Apollos aside to straighten him out and teach him the Word of God more accurately (cf. Acts 18:25).
They say that every challenge is an opportunity and every opportunity is a challenge! But sometimes we fail to live up to the challenge and take the easy way out and fall short of the goal; we don't want any wasted opportunities to win over our brothers in Christ by gently leading them to a knowledge of the truth, perchance God grant them repentance (cf. 2 Tim. 2:25). Today we have too much fanaticism and tribalism in the church whereas believers adhere to a "my-way-or-the-highway" mentality and are not willing to "cross the aisle" of church dogmatics to the point of being ultra sectarian or on the verge of being a cult where a church thinks they are right and everyone else is wrong because they have a monopoly on the truth: we must KEEP THE MAIN THING THE MAIN THING!
Note that the Ephesian church had its doctrines orthodox but had left their first love! If we do not have love, our doctrines matter little. We must prioritize our doctrines and realize that God loves all believers, not just those who are of us: the only one who can say that if they are not with Him they are against Him is Jesus. We ought to pick our battles and not fight over something that has little at stake or we have nothing to gain: some believers even quarrel about the meaning of words in Scripture (cf. 1 Tim. 6:4)! The man of God must not quarrel! (cf. 2 Tim. 2:24).
For some people it's difficult to admit they are wrong and to be humbled because of spiritual pride; let's beware lest we also become victims of our own spiritual pride! We must be willing to go in the direction of the facts and truth as revealed--in the Bible. Of all people, I have no right to condemn a believer of another church because of disagreement because I have been there and done that in my spiritual journey to know the Lord: we are all on the road to the Celestial City and are at different stages of maturity and I can see how God opened my eyes a little at a time to more accurate teachings.
We must learn to doubt our doubts and keep the faith! CAVEAT: Dr. Harry Ironside said there should be caution, "Beware lest we mistake our prejudices for our convictions." I see more of danger for those who don't know what they believe and are ill-prepared to defend their faith in the open marketplace of ideas or the public square and forum. In sum, it's much better to be at peace with our brethren than to just be right or orthodox--orthopraxy or ethics matter too. Soli Deo Gloria!
"If you don't stand firm in your faith, then you will not stand at all" (Isaiah 7:9, HCSB).
"Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction. for the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear" (cf. 2 Tim. 4:2-3, NIV).
"TELL ME YOUR CERTAINTIES; I HAVE ENOUGH DOUBTS OF MY OWN!" -JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE
NB: I'm focusing on the essential doctrines that make up orthodox Christianity, not keeping one's faith in them unto salvation, nor faith in faith as if faith saves, when only Christ saves--it's the object of the faith that matters. The faith has been delineated in several creeds, but then again Christianity is not about believing a creed but knowing a Person.
Augustine's dictum to be on the same page as much as possible in the Spirit is appropriate for a day of sects and dissension or contention in the church: "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity." That's why the church body shouldn't be ignorant of its teaching and have a working knowledge of the doctrines of the particular church and even a refresher course might help to keep these things focused and in mind--what they stand for as a church with a church mission and statement--"Without vision the people perish," (cf. Prov. 29:18, KJV).
Paul had already condemned sectarian spirit by rebuking the carnal Corinthians for taking up partisan politics in the church: "I am for Paul; I am for Peter; I am for Apollos; I am for Christ." Nothing so divides a church like partisan politics, even government politics, because people have their own personal loyalties in these matters and some will die for them because they are invested in tribalism or that they only believe what their tribe tells them is true. In other words, they've closed their minds and won't even listen to plain facts that might change their minds. Socrates said that the first step to learning is to admit our ignorance; i.e., we cannot think we know it all or have a monopoly on the truth.
Now contending doesn't mean we are to be contentious! When the Reformation happened, contention arose because the Catholics declared tradition to be of equal authority as Scripture; therefore, the split became permanent by this Counter-Reformation at the Council of Trent in 1545-63. There is dialogue called godly controversy which is essential, and ungodly controversy that generates more heat than light and isn't worth the adrenaline. We must never forget that it's evil to sow discord among brethren and God hates it (cf. Proverbs 6:19). If we cannot live in peace we ought to separate and not cause dissension, a work of the flesh.
We all have our pride and some people will never admit they're wrong, admitting all people have a basic need to be right, but their religious faith is especially vulnerable to this. The cause of this chain of events may be church rivalry or a competitive spirit of when people tend to play the "let's compare" game (cf. 2 Cor. 10:12) and take sides, not realizing that all the members of the church body should be on the same side and even on the same page spiritually.
Paul said that he was engaged in declaring and affirming the gospel (cf. Phil 1:7), while Jude said he was contending for the faith or defending it (cf. Jude v. 3). There are certain nonnegotiables that we cannot compromise in our faith that make it orthodox faith and there are doctrines that are gray areas and open to discussion. Some doctrines are essential to orthodox Christianity such as the inerrancy of Scripture, the deity of Christ, and the Trinity. We ought to fight for our convictions in the sense of being able to defend them and stand up for what we believe, declaring and showing our true Christian colors and not standing on the sidelines, but we don't die for the doctrine of adult baptism where sincere believers disagree. We don't just want a faith we can live with but one we will die for.
Instead, we understand there are honest quarrels in the faith and we must stick to our guns and not compromise but keep the main thing the main thing and remember what's essential and that we have much more in common than we disagree on: we agree to disagree and carry on, going forward without being disagreeable, contentious, judgmental, or divisive: this may call a believer out of his comfort zone to serve where he disagrees with something but they must learn to do it love not because they on the same page on everything, for even mates or spouses don't agree on everything--we leave room for disagreement of opinion, noting that there's a place for opinion and then there's a place for church dogma or teaching.
There are gray areas per Romans 14:1: pick your battles! We ought to be in a church that we feel we can serve in and be in basic harmony and union with its teachings, fellowship can only happen where there's an agreement to base it on. Our fellowship ought to be based on the personhood or personage of Christ in the Spirit.
I have heard on good authority from Pastor Neil Johnson of my church that we ought to triage our spiritual disagreements. It is inevitable to disagree and we must be prepared. It is said that you hold opinions, but convictions hold you, and I know that we don't just want a faith we can live with but one we will die for. If we have nothing worth dying for, what's the point? That's like saying if you won't die for your convictions or integrity you may have none! It is said that we must be willing to die for Christ and our confession in Him, but fight for the faith that is essential for its teachings, and discuss and leave options to agree or disagree on gray areas (cf. Romans 14:1) where we are open-minded and willing to keep the door open to talk without being dogmatic. In other words, there's a time to build bridges and a time to erect walls!
Sometimes believers just come from different necks of the woods and need to get to know each other before they feel comfortable or at ease; but beware that we become too at ease in Zion that we become complacent and think we've "arrived," and don't need the body by becoming a solitary saint or spiritual Lone Ranger. No one in the body is a rock or island that is completely independent of the rest--we all need each other on some dimension or level and we are meant to complement each other just like a spouse does. When we keep our eyes focused on Jesus, we don't get sidetracked by issues anymore that don't matter in the grand scheme of things, but welcome the brother even if he errs and doesn't see the big picture or the whole truth as Priscilla and Aquilla took Apollos aside to straighten him out and teach him the Word of God more accurately (cf. Acts 18:25).
They say that every challenge is an opportunity and every opportunity is a challenge! But sometimes we fail to live up to the challenge and take the easy way out and fall short of the goal; we don't want any wasted opportunities to win over our brothers in Christ by gently leading them to a knowledge of the truth, perchance God grant them repentance (cf. 2 Tim. 2:25). Today we have too much fanaticism and tribalism in the church whereas believers adhere to a "my-way-or-the-highway" mentality and are not willing to "cross the aisle" of church dogmatics to the point of being ultra sectarian or on the verge of being a cult where a church thinks they are right and everyone else is wrong because they have a monopoly on the truth: we must KEEP THE MAIN THING THE MAIN THING!
Note that the Ephesian church had its doctrines orthodox but had left their first love! If we do not have love, our doctrines matter little. We must prioritize our doctrines and realize that God loves all believers, not just those who are of us: the only one who can say that if they are not with Him they are against Him is Jesus. We ought to pick our battles and not fight over something that has little at stake or we have nothing to gain: some believers even quarrel about the meaning of words in Scripture (cf. 1 Tim. 6:4)! The man of God must not quarrel! (cf. 2 Tim. 2:24).
For some people it's difficult to admit they are wrong and to be humbled because of spiritual pride; let's beware lest we also become victims of our own spiritual pride! We must be willing to go in the direction of the facts and truth as revealed--in the Bible. Of all people, I have no right to condemn a believer of another church because of disagreement because I have been there and done that in my spiritual journey to know the Lord: we are all on the road to the Celestial City and are at different stages of maturity and I can see how God opened my eyes a little at a time to more accurate teachings.
We must learn to doubt our doubts and keep the faith! CAVEAT: Dr. Harry Ironside said there should be caution, "Beware lest we mistake our prejudices for our convictions." I see more of danger for those who don't know what they believe and are ill-prepared to defend their faith in the open marketplace of ideas or the public square and forum. In sum, it's much better to be at peace with our brethren than to just be right or orthodox--orthopraxy or ethics matter too. Soli Deo Gloria!
Monday, March 9, 2020
The Heart Of A Servant
Jesus is our Exemplar and we should learn to emulate His lifestyle and follow in His steps. "Jesus came not to be served, but to serve and give His life a ransom for all" (cf. Mark 10:45). We are no better than Him and are obliged to do no less. He raised the bar on ethics by His example and incentive. When asked who would be the greatest, He said the one who is the servant of all and humbles himself like a child (cf. Matt. 18:3). To be child-like in faith, not childish, that is.
Therefore, we are all called into the ministry in a sense because He used the word diakonos, deacon or servant in Koine. We have the ministry of reconciliation as Paul put it. This is a dog-eat-dog world where only the strong seem to survive but we are called to minister to the down and out and reach out to the untouchables, riff-raff, and so-called scum for the Lord's sake. The trouble with this world according to Lily Tomlin is that even if you win the rat-race, you're still a rat!
But we don't want a world of the survival of the fittest or the law of the jungle with no mercy or relief organizations to aid those in need If only the strong survive, how did they arrive? We must recognize that Christianity is counter-cultural and we stand opposed to the world's way of reckoning, even success has a new meaning. In God's economy, we're all weak and we are to bear one another's burdens and to comfort those in need. No one is a rock in need of no one; we're all products of God, our DNA, our nurture, and nature which is sinful.
When George Whitefield saw a condemned man go to the gallows, he said, "There but for the grace of God, go I." Paul reiterated this by saying, "I am what I am by the grace of God (cf. 1 Cor. 15:10). We are to have the same humility and not see ourselves as an elite in this world but as the recipients of grace that we don't deserve. God shed His grace on us! When we've been touched by grace and it's changed our lives, we want to pass it on and spread the word because this is what makes our faith and God unique from all other religions.
Our success is not how many servants we have, but how many we serve! We serve by virtue of having a spiritual gift and venturing out of our comfort zone to serve (and this is how we discover it) We need to make an impact and not just an impression. (Our righteousness is God's gift to us! per Isaiah 45:24; Hosea 14:8; Rom. 15:18) That is, it's not so easy to make a difference for Christ. And the only happy people are those who've learned to serve, according to Albert Schweitzer, and this is the right mindset for us as well. As Bob Dylan said, "You've gotta serve somebody."
The servant is in a win-win situation with God because the reward is not only in the doing itself, having its own reward, but in the receiving of a great and precious reward that won't fade away. We're in a no-lose situation! The emphasis is on our deeds, not our confession, because there are many nominal Christians or ones who are believers in name only paying lip service, and we are to live out our faith by giving it away and showing it to the world via our deeds, letting our light shine.
We must recognize Jesus being humble enough to become one of us, getting down and dirty with us, to identify with our issues and problems, even experiencing the O.J.T. of real life, Reality 101. Jesus feels our pain and relates to us, having been "tempted in all ways like us, yet without sin" (cf. Heb. 4:15). Jesus has been there and done that, thank God! So John the Baptist summed it up very well: "He must increase, but I must decrease" (cf. John 1:29). We see this interpreted as being that the way up is down in God's economy! Soli Deo Gloria!
Therefore, we are all called into the ministry in a sense because He used the word diakonos, deacon or servant in Koine. We have the ministry of reconciliation as Paul put it. This is a dog-eat-dog world where only the strong seem to survive but we are called to minister to the down and out and reach out to the untouchables, riff-raff, and so-called scum for the Lord's sake. The trouble with this world according to Lily Tomlin is that even if you win the rat-race, you're still a rat!
But we don't want a world of the survival of the fittest or the law of the jungle with no mercy or relief organizations to aid those in need If only the strong survive, how did they arrive? We must recognize that Christianity is counter-cultural and we stand opposed to the world's way of reckoning, even success has a new meaning. In God's economy, we're all weak and we are to bear one another's burdens and to comfort those in need. No one is a rock in need of no one; we're all products of God, our DNA, our nurture, and nature which is sinful.
When George Whitefield saw a condemned man go to the gallows, he said, "There but for the grace of God, go I." Paul reiterated this by saying, "I am what I am by the grace of God (cf. 1 Cor. 15:10). We are to have the same humility and not see ourselves as an elite in this world but as the recipients of grace that we don't deserve. God shed His grace on us! When we've been touched by grace and it's changed our lives, we want to pass it on and spread the word because this is what makes our faith and God unique from all other religions.
Our success is not how many servants we have, but how many we serve! We serve by virtue of having a spiritual gift and venturing out of our comfort zone to serve (and this is how we discover it) We need to make an impact and not just an impression. (Our righteousness is God's gift to us! per Isaiah 45:24; Hosea 14:8; Rom. 15:18) That is, it's not so easy to make a difference for Christ. And the only happy people are those who've learned to serve, according to Albert Schweitzer, and this is the right mindset for us as well. As Bob Dylan said, "You've gotta serve somebody."
The servant is in a win-win situation with God because the reward is not only in the doing itself, having its own reward, but in the receiving of a great and precious reward that won't fade away. We're in a no-lose situation! The emphasis is on our deeds, not our confession, because there are many nominal Christians or ones who are believers in name only paying lip service, and we are to live out our faith by giving it away and showing it to the world via our deeds, letting our light shine.
We must recognize Jesus being humble enough to become one of us, getting down and dirty with us, to identify with our issues and problems, even experiencing the O.J.T. of real life, Reality 101. Jesus feels our pain and relates to us, having been "tempted in all ways like us, yet without sin" (cf. Heb. 4:15). Jesus has been there and done that, thank God! So John the Baptist summed it up very well: "He must increase, but I must decrease" (cf. John 1:29). We see this interpreted as being that the way up is down in God's economy! Soli Deo Gloria!
Friday, March 6, 2020
Defender Of Faith...
The UK's crown prince has a notion to change the motto of the sovereign from F.D. or, defender of THE faith, to defender of faith! Instead of keeping the faith, it's keeping faith per se! This disembowels the theology of the church because faith doesn't save, Christ does! It's the object that matters, not the amount. People can be sincerely wrong! In other words, we don't have faith in faith but faith in Christ, even if it's mustard-seed-like. Faith is seen as the channel that acquires it, grace the source that applies it, and Christ the means that accomplished it.
Faith is an abstract word that can more easily be seen than described. People who observe us may proclaim: "Now that's what I call faith!" That's because true faith expresses itself, it has a testimony to share! I'd rather exercise it any day than know its definition! We see someone's faith by their deeds, not because they tell us they have faith. Abraham was counted faithful because he obeyed. We must be obedient to the faith (cf. Acts 6:7; Romans 1:5; 16:26; 2 Thess. 1:8). That implies there's no easy-believism and justifies lordship salvation.
Samuel told Saul, "To obey is better than sacrifice" (cf. 1 Sam. 15:22). Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, "Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes." They are linked and the only test of faith is obedience, not ecstasy, religious experiences or highs, visions, or dreams, or private messages from God. God doesn't want our achievements either, but our obedience! Faith is the way to offer ourselves up as living sacrifices--We are not called to martyrdom and the more we suffer doesn't mean we are holier. Therefore, "stand firm in the faith" (cf. Isaiah 7:9, HCSB). As believers, we are primarily people "on a mission."
What is faith then? It is the gift of God that opens our hearts when the Spirit woos and quickens our spirit. "This is the work of God, that you believe..." It is composed of Fiducia, Assensus, and Notatia in Latin, and therefore it has a volitional, emotive, and cognitive element. The elements are confidence, trust, and knowledge. We must believe the right creed concerning Christ without heresy. But spreading the Word or the gospel message isn't disseminating a creed but presenting a Person.
We trust God with confidence and faithfulness as we proceed from faith to faith or grow in it. As we are saved by faith, so ought we to continue in it (cf. Col. 2:6). We progress in maturity from one faith to another (cf. Romans 1:17). We may get a spiritual encounter that makes us "high" on the mountaintop but God won't leave us there, He tests our renewed faith as if by fire because it's more precious than silver or gold. Do we walk by faith or by sight (cf. 2 Cor. 5:7)? Once we have it we realize faith goes beyond reason, not against it.
Saving faith is not storybook faith or mere head belief, but in the heart; it's not childish, but childlike, not simplistic, but simple! Faith is not gullibility and doesn't commit intellectual suicide, but is based on evidence and sound reasoning, and intellectual integrity. We are not called to believe despite the evidence nor to be irrational. We have good, sound reason to believe and should defend the faith as Jude called it to contend for the faith (cf. Jude 3). Faith without evidence or knowing why is blind faith!
Dead faith doesn't save, we must desire to live it out (cf. Romans 7:18) and show it to the world--to give it away! Works validate faith and without them faith is suspect. We are not saved by works, though; but not without them either! The formula of the Reformers was that we are "saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone." CAVEAT: Faith that is easy isn't worth much; there must struggle to give it merit--it's a choice a decision of the will.
There are two vital, juxtaposed factors to faith we must never forget: faithfulness and repentance. Faith and faithfulness go together and one can distinguish them but not separate them, likewise with repentance--don't divorce them. Therefore they say there is no genuine repentance without saving faith and vice versa, or we come to God by penitent faith and/or believing repentance. Soli Deo Gloria!
Faith is an abstract word that can more easily be seen than described. People who observe us may proclaim: "Now that's what I call faith!" That's because true faith expresses itself, it has a testimony to share! I'd rather exercise it any day than know its definition! We see someone's faith by their deeds, not because they tell us they have faith. Abraham was counted faithful because he obeyed. We must be obedient to the faith (cf. Acts 6:7; Romans 1:5; 16:26; 2 Thess. 1:8). That implies there's no easy-believism and justifies lordship salvation.
Samuel told Saul, "To obey is better than sacrifice" (cf. 1 Sam. 15:22). Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, "Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes." They are linked and the only test of faith is obedience, not ecstasy, religious experiences or highs, visions, or dreams, or private messages from God. God doesn't want our achievements either, but our obedience! Faith is the way to offer ourselves up as living sacrifices--We are not called to martyrdom and the more we suffer doesn't mean we are holier. Therefore, "stand firm in the faith" (cf. Isaiah 7:9, HCSB). As believers, we are primarily people "on a mission."
What is faith then? It is the gift of God that opens our hearts when the Spirit woos and quickens our spirit. "This is the work of God, that you believe..." It is composed of Fiducia, Assensus, and Notatia in Latin, and therefore it has a volitional, emotive, and cognitive element. The elements are confidence, trust, and knowledge. We must believe the right creed concerning Christ without heresy. But spreading the Word or the gospel message isn't disseminating a creed but presenting a Person.
We trust God with confidence and faithfulness as we proceed from faith to faith or grow in it. As we are saved by faith, so ought we to continue in it (cf. Col. 2:6). We progress in maturity from one faith to another (cf. Romans 1:17). We may get a spiritual encounter that makes us "high" on the mountaintop but God won't leave us there, He tests our renewed faith as if by fire because it's more precious than silver or gold. Do we walk by faith or by sight (cf. 2 Cor. 5:7)? Once we have it we realize faith goes beyond reason, not against it.
Saving faith is not storybook faith or mere head belief, but in the heart; it's not childish, but childlike, not simplistic, but simple! Faith is not gullibility and doesn't commit intellectual suicide, but is based on evidence and sound reasoning, and intellectual integrity. We are not called to believe despite the evidence nor to be irrational. We have good, sound reason to believe and should defend the faith as Jude called it to contend for the faith (cf. Jude 3). Faith without evidence or knowing why is blind faith!
Dead faith doesn't save, we must desire to live it out (cf. Romans 7:18) and show it to the world--to give it away! Works validate faith and without them faith is suspect. We are not saved by works, though; but not without them either! The formula of the Reformers was that we are "saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone." CAVEAT: Faith that is easy isn't worth much; there must struggle to give it merit--it's a choice a decision of the will.
There are two vital, juxtaposed factors to faith we must never forget: faithfulness and repentance. Faith and faithfulness go together and one can distinguish them but not separate them, likewise with repentance--don't divorce them. Therefore they say there is no genuine repentance without saving faith and vice versa, or we come to God by penitent faith and/or believing repentance. Soli Deo Gloria!
Sunday, February 23, 2020
My Theology On Prayer...
"He told them a parable on the need for them to pray always and not to be discouraged" (Luke 18:1, HCSB).
We don't need to understand all the intricacies of correct prayer etiquette, format, or go by some template to pray effectively; what we do need is faith in God's will and to walk with Him in fellowship--unconfessed sins block prayer. The better we apprehend God's will, the more we can accomplish with God.--that's the key. Some people are too inclined to posture out of religiosity and don't realize that we can pray with ease standing on our heads if we so desire. But there may happen a crisis that may force us to our knees in humility.
We must realize God sees the heart and our motives in prayer too. It's much better to have a heart and not be able to articulate it than to be fluent and not have a passion for one's prayer life. Men seem to not be able to overlook the semblance of prayer and the verbiage, but God is able to translate our feeble utterings into divine words on our behalf. In other words, it's not so much how we address and approach God, as to how sincere we are and the faith we express.
What I'm saying is that there is no prefabricated M.O. or theology on prayer, in that if you know all the answers, it entitles us to answered prayer. God isn't going to give us a blank check if we pray in a certain methodology. We can be right and dead wrong in our hearts; for instance, praying to the Lord means we ought to own Him as our Lord and not be paying lip service. The Pharisees were known for being showoffs with long prayers and praying that others may see--flaunting it in public--they might've prayed correctly.
But the true prayer warrior prays in his prayer closet or sanctuary where there are no witnesses but God. The measure of prayer is how effectual it is in achieving God's will, not our own felt-needs. We don't come to God with a wish list as if He were Santa or a genie at our disposal. The closer we get to God, the more we see prayer as an experience with God, gaining entree into His throne room and into God's dimension, and then realizing the purpose of prayer is prayer!
James 5:16 says that the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man accomplishes much. This is so and we ought to not trust so much in our own righteousness in times of need but seek out the aid of the body of Christ. The best of us aren't too proud to ask for prayer. There is a direct correlation between results and righteousness. But note that our righteousness is God's gift to us and not our gift to God. We don't need a sermon on prayer, a lecture, or to read another book on prayer as much as we need to pray and exercise its muscle in our discipline--we need practice what we do know and not be critical or judgmental of other's or too introspective of ourselves.
There is proper prayer etiquette if one wishes to be nit-picky: Ephesians 2:18 says to pray to the Father, in the name of the Son, in the power of the Spirit. But that doesn't mean other prayers aren't heard, for God hears all His children. Actually, all members of the triune God are and ought to be involved. Jude 21 says to pray in the Spirit--practicing God's presence is paramount. I have witnessed many types of prayer from attending many churches in my spiritual journey and pilgrimage and have witnessed prayers being answered that I wouldn't pray or not done according to the template of the Lord's prayer: Our heavenly Father...
Jesus did say we can ask anything in His name and that is the key, but we must have faith and not be double-minded. Merely saying the wording "in Jesus' name" is no magic formula or guarantee of being heard (neither it is an excuse for unanswered prayer), for it means we are praying His will and seeking His glory, not ours. Most unanswered prayer may be due to just not continuing in prayer and giving up, taking a "No" too readily. But we ought not to ever pray amiss for our own selfish desires and not God's will. Find your voice, be real, know your genre or even the key that fits your talents: You cannot sing the blues from the back of a limo. As an illustration, there's no prefabricated prayer for salvation, God must judge the heart.
Finally, prayer is a litmus test of our faith and heart, not of our indoctrination; that is, when we feel least like praying, we should pray all the more. Soli Deo Gloria!
We don't need to understand all the intricacies of correct prayer etiquette, format, or go by some template to pray effectively; what we do need is faith in God's will and to walk with Him in fellowship--unconfessed sins block prayer. The better we apprehend God's will, the more we can accomplish with God.--that's the key. Some people are too inclined to posture out of religiosity and don't realize that we can pray with ease standing on our heads if we so desire. But there may happen a crisis that may force us to our knees in humility.
We must realize God sees the heart and our motives in prayer too. It's much better to have a heart and not be able to articulate it than to be fluent and not have a passion for one's prayer life. Men seem to not be able to overlook the semblance of prayer and the verbiage, but God is able to translate our feeble utterings into divine words on our behalf. In other words, it's not so much how we address and approach God, as to how sincere we are and the faith we express.
What I'm saying is that there is no prefabricated M.O. or theology on prayer, in that if you know all the answers, it entitles us to answered prayer. God isn't going to give us a blank check if we pray in a certain methodology. We can be right and dead wrong in our hearts; for instance, praying to the Lord means we ought to own Him as our Lord and not be paying lip service. The Pharisees were known for being showoffs with long prayers and praying that others may see--flaunting it in public--they might've prayed correctly.
But the true prayer warrior prays in his prayer closet or sanctuary where there are no witnesses but God. The measure of prayer is how effectual it is in achieving God's will, not our own felt-needs. We don't come to God with a wish list as if He were Santa or a genie at our disposal. The closer we get to God, the more we see prayer as an experience with God, gaining entree into His throne room and into God's dimension, and then realizing the purpose of prayer is prayer!
James 5:16 says that the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man accomplishes much. This is so and we ought to not trust so much in our own righteousness in times of need but seek out the aid of the body of Christ. The best of us aren't too proud to ask for prayer. There is a direct correlation between results and righteousness. But note that our righteousness is God's gift to us and not our gift to God. We don't need a sermon on prayer, a lecture, or to read another book on prayer as much as we need to pray and exercise its muscle in our discipline--we need practice what we do know and not be critical or judgmental of other's or too introspective of ourselves.
There is proper prayer etiquette if one wishes to be nit-picky: Ephesians 2:18 says to pray to the Father, in the name of the Son, in the power of the Spirit. But that doesn't mean other prayers aren't heard, for God hears all His children. Actually, all members of the triune God are and ought to be involved. Jude 21 says to pray in the Spirit--practicing God's presence is paramount. I have witnessed many types of prayer from attending many churches in my spiritual journey and pilgrimage and have witnessed prayers being answered that I wouldn't pray or not done according to the template of the Lord's prayer: Our heavenly Father...
Jesus did say we can ask anything in His name and that is the key, but we must have faith and not be double-minded. Merely saying the wording "in Jesus' name" is no magic formula or guarantee of being heard (neither it is an excuse for unanswered prayer), for it means we are praying His will and seeking His glory, not ours. Most unanswered prayer may be due to just not continuing in prayer and giving up, taking a "No" too readily. But we ought not to ever pray amiss for our own selfish desires and not God's will. Find your voice, be real, know your genre or even the key that fits your talents: You cannot sing the blues from the back of a limo. As an illustration, there's no prefabricated prayer for salvation, God must judge the heart.
Finally, prayer is a litmus test of our faith and heart, not of our indoctrination; that is, when we feel least like praying, we should pray all the more. Soli Deo Gloria!
Who Do You Say That I Am? ...
"My heart says of you, 'Seek his face!' Your face, LORD, I will seek. Do not hide your face from me, ..." (Psalm 27:8-9, NIV). "That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from any one of us" (Acts 17:27, KJV).
Peter is known for answering this in saying Christ, the Son of God, the Messiah to come, is not just some great leader, prophet, or teacher--which doesn't do Him justice. He was right in his confession, but Christ wasn't right with him quite yet, and Peter had a lot to learn before he could own Him as Lord. Christ was nigh to his lips but not tied to Christ's will as of yet, seeing the purpose for his calling as an apostle. He wasn't aware of what he was getting into. Of course, we have the vantage point of the full counsel of God to put this into perspective.
But Peter was of the inner circle with James and John, Christ's bosom buddies, and witnessed the glory of Christ and heard the witness of the Father, Moses, and Elijah on the mount of transfiguration. Besides, the three that bear witness are the Spirit, the water, and the blood and these three are in agreement (cf. 1 John 5:7).
It is said that we perceive His deity by His character and personal credentials: in that, He committed no sin; in His signs or miracles that bore witness with purpose; and in the testimony of the prophets being fulfilled. Normally we don't believe people claiming deity (and He made claims like no other man and spoke like no other), but when someone lives like Jesus did and makes this kind of impact we tend to believe His virgin birth and resurrection are consistent with it ad confirm it. After all, the miracle of the resurrection proves His deity once and for all.
Hezekiah had to destroy the "Nehushtan" or the "bronze serpent" that the people of Israel had begun to worship because he saw it had become a fetish and idol. We must focus on Christ to see His glory and not get sidetracked or major on minors. Glory naturally exudes from Him and the good news for us is that we can share in it and reflect His glory to others. We worship "the God who is there" and glory is a sign of His presence. In other words, it doesn't matter what we think of the king or of the president, but only what we think of Christ concerning our souls--we must keep the main thing the main thing. Even Moses reflected God's glory too in coming down from Mount Sinai he hid his face from the people.
Normally, Christ hid His glory. But someday we shall all see Him as He is. This vision of Christ showed that Christ is the light of the world and doesn't reflect the glory of God, but is the glory of God in His own right. In His light we see light! He lights all who come to Him. Jesus had to make this point to disclose Himself fully, for it didn't matter what they thought of the leaders of the Jews, the Pharisees or Sadducees, nor even Herod, but what they made of Jesus would determine their eternal fate. They had to come to the realization to preach Jesus and stay focused on Him: knowing it's all about Jesus! Everyone had to come to their own climactic decision and decide for themselves who Jesus is. We recognize Jesus due to His glory and from then on should have known that everything Jesus does is full of grace, truth, glory, and purpose.
Richard of Chichester quipped quite pertinently that we should know Christ more clearly, love Him more dearly, and follow Him more nearly. Indeed, Jesus' reputation preceded Him and everyone knew that He went about preaching the good news and doing good deeds, including healing the sick, but Jesus didn't want to be known as a miracle worker or a healer but as our Savior. Note that Jesus had done works to bear witness of His deity and told the people to believe in Him for His very works' sake. We may know Him as the Lord Jesus Christ, whereas "Lord" refers to His exalted position, "Jesus" to His purpose to save us, and "Christ" as to His promise as the anointed One. There is no other name by which we can be saved and we must bow to, and Jesus is the one who claimed to be the only way Himself (cf. Acts 4:12; John 14:6).
Even though the disciples had this mountaintop experience, the life for the believer wasn't going to be that way, walking on cloud nine or in the memory or glow of some spiritual experience. We need to learn from Reality 101 and apply our faith, turning creeds into deeds, living it out--not just professing it. Our daily walk needs to be renewed daily and every day we must surrender to His will and renew our faith as we progress from faith to faith and from glory to glory.
We all must have some comfort zone to retreat to, some inner sanctum, or prayer closet that we can find God in private retreat--it's something to be privatized, not flaunted or publicized. I like what Francis Schaeffer said, "God is there and He is not silent." We must not be ashamed of Christ, but we don't wear our religion on our sleeves either. Wearing crosses as a chic accessory or fashion item doesn't do His glory justice nor even our testimony.
In sum, seeking the face of the LORD (cf. Psalm 40:8) is the "main business of the Christian life" (Jonathan Edwards), and "begins at salvation" (R. C. Sproul). "... [I]n thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore" (cf. Psalm 16:11, KJV)). Soli Deo Gloria!
Peter is known for answering this in saying Christ, the Son of God, the Messiah to come, is not just some great leader, prophet, or teacher--which doesn't do Him justice. He was right in his confession, but Christ wasn't right with him quite yet, and Peter had a lot to learn before he could own Him as Lord. Christ was nigh to his lips but not tied to Christ's will as of yet, seeing the purpose for his calling as an apostle. He wasn't aware of what he was getting into. Of course, we have the vantage point of the full counsel of God to put this into perspective.
But Peter was of the inner circle with James and John, Christ's bosom buddies, and witnessed the glory of Christ and heard the witness of the Father, Moses, and Elijah on the mount of transfiguration. Besides, the three that bear witness are the Spirit, the water, and the blood and these three are in agreement (cf. 1 John 5:7).
It is said that we perceive His deity by His character and personal credentials: in that, He committed no sin; in His signs or miracles that bore witness with purpose; and in the testimony of the prophets being fulfilled. Normally we don't believe people claiming deity (and He made claims like no other man and spoke like no other), but when someone lives like Jesus did and makes this kind of impact we tend to believe His virgin birth and resurrection are consistent with it ad confirm it. After all, the miracle of the resurrection proves His deity once and for all.
Hezekiah had to destroy the "Nehushtan" or the "bronze serpent" that the people of Israel had begun to worship because he saw it had become a fetish and idol. We must focus on Christ to see His glory and not get sidetracked or major on minors. Glory naturally exudes from Him and the good news for us is that we can share in it and reflect His glory to others. We worship "the God who is there" and glory is a sign of His presence. In other words, it doesn't matter what we think of the king or of the president, but only what we think of Christ concerning our souls--we must keep the main thing the main thing. Even Moses reflected God's glory too in coming down from Mount Sinai he hid his face from the people.
Normally, Christ hid His glory. But someday we shall all see Him as He is. This vision of Christ showed that Christ is the light of the world and doesn't reflect the glory of God, but is the glory of God in His own right. In His light we see light! He lights all who come to Him. Jesus had to make this point to disclose Himself fully, for it didn't matter what they thought of the leaders of the Jews, the Pharisees or Sadducees, nor even Herod, but what they made of Jesus would determine their eternal fate. They had to come to the realization to preach Jesus and stay focused on Him: knowing it's all about Jesus! Everyone had to come to their own climactic decision and decide for themselves who Jesus is. We recognize Jesus due to His glory and from then on should have known that everything Jesus does is full of grace, truth, glory, and purpose.
Richard of Chichester quipped quite pertinently that we should know Christ more clearly, love Him more dearly, and follow Him more nearly. Indeed, Jesus' reputation preceded Him and everyone knew that He went about preaching the good news and doing good deeds, including healing the sick, but Jesus didn't want to be known as a miracle worker or a healer but as our Savior. Note that Jesus had done works to bear witness of His deity and told the people to believe in Him for His very works' sake. We may know Him as the Lord Jesus Christ, whereas "Lord" refers to His exalted position, "Jesus" to His purpose to save us, and "Christ" as to His promise as the anointed One. There is no other name by which we can be saved and we must bow to, and Jesus is the one who claimed to be the only way Himself (cf. Acts 4:12; John 14:6).
Even though the disciples had this mountaintop experience, the life for the believer wasn't going to be that way, walking on cloud nine or in the memory or glow of some spiritual experience. We need to learn from Reality 101 and apply our faith, turning creeds into deeds, living it out--not just professing it. Our daily walk needs to be renewed daily and every day we must surrender to His will and renew our faith as we progress from faith to faith and from glory to glory.
We all must have some comfort zone to retreat to, some inner sanctum, or prayer closet that we can find God in private retreat--it's something to be privatized, not flaunted or publicized. I like what Francis Schaeffer said, "God is there and He is not silent." We must not be ashamed of Christ, but we don't wear our religion on our sleeves either. Wearing crosses as a chic accessory or fashion item doesn't do His glory justice nor even our testimony.
In sum, seeking the face of the LORD (cf. Psalm 40:8) is the "main business of the Christian life" (Jonathan Edwards), and "begins at salvation" (R. C. Sproul). "... [I]n thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore" (cf. Psalm 16:11, KJV)). Soli Deo Gloria!
Sunday, February 16, 2020
To Gain What We Cannot Lose...
Martyred missionary Jim Elliot is known for his famous line: "He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose." Our very souls are at stake and the chips are high-- an eternity in focus. What will pass away is not worth holding to in perspective. Even Jesus didn't cling to His life but for the joy set before Him, endured the cross and despised the shame! We are all called to take up our own cross or its burden that is given to us for Christ's sake--but He didn't ask us to do anything He didn't do and nothing He won't be with us in--He was honest enough to warn us of the cost of following Him and to count it. Remember, Jim would tell you that you've got nothing to lose but infinity to gain by trusting in the Lord. It is said that he was warned he could die going to the jungles, but he only replied," I died years ago when I accepted Christ."
It may be as simple as re-prioritizing our lives, or as involved as sacrificing or laying down our lives--we all have a mission and calling from God that is suited for us in God's perfect will. Winston Churchill offered no easy road to victory over the Nazis and warned of "blood, toil, sweat, and tears," ahead for the UK. Likewise, Jesus doesn't want mere lip service but wholehearted, devoted followers that are gung-ho for Job One--the Great Commission, not lukewarm hypocrites.
When Jesus is our number one priority, all else fades in respective significance and we can say goodbye to self and live solely for Him, not-self. We can relate to Jesus and identify with His cross. We become new creatures in Christ and have a new identity. But somehow the problems we now face seem small because when the one giving orders is our Helper and Advocate, helping us do His will, it is no longer a burden we cannot bear. The same God who got us to the climactic situation is the same one who will get us through it.
So what is a disciple then? He meant we are to deny ourselves (cf. Mark 8:34), not asceticism, but who we are as a person--our identity is in Christ. We die to self and fully relate to Christ for our identity--saying farewell to the old man and welcome o the new man created in Christ's image. It's not a matter of denying ourselves "things" nor of having low self-esteem, but of giving Christ first place in our lives. It's not necessarily privation, but we cheerfully take the road less traveled for the sake of the Name. We get true humility: not thinking less of ourselves, but of ourselves less!
Jesus went on further to elaborate that discipleship involved taking up our cross: we must be willing to follow Christ wherever He leads, even to the point of death obediently and cheerful as martyrs. We are willing to go all the way cheerfully on our assignment from God in an act of faith, fulfilling our calling of God's purpose. God doesn't call us to suicide missions with no purpose, and don't get the impression that salvation is by martyrdom, that the more we suffer, the greater Christians we are or our reward, but we must be willing to lay down our lives in faith despising the temporary rewards of this life; our belief in God is not mere lip service but a witness to others to show them how it affects our lives.
We are to go on to "follow Him" (cf. Mark 8:34) or be willing to go wherever He leads. I like to say that we should be willing to go anywhere as long as it's forward; we should never stand still in our faith or tread water but progress from faith to faith! Faith marches forward and doesn't balk or stand still! We say that the summation of Christian ethics is to follow Christ and this is the full application of our faith--it's not just a profession but a mission to complete--some merely make a profession of faith but don't live it out with their lives and belie their testimony.
The Greek philosophical goals to know God and to know thyself apply since they go together. We must have no delusions about reality and realize we are lost without Him. We cannot follow Christ if we do not know Him, and we must believe in Him for who He is and realize what we are in truth as persons.
That's why broad is the way that leads to damnation because it's the easy way of least resistance, and usually a cop-out. When we suffer for the sake of the Name, we enter into the fellowship of suffering (cf. Phil. 3:10), gaining eternal reward that we cannot forfeit. This is the ultimate future investment--not a 401(k). We must always have the perspective that this world is passing away and everything here is fleeting, knowing the brevity of life and how short our time is to do God's will, and only what's done for Christ will last and be rewarded.
But most people are short-sighted and don't see the music that vibrates for eternity when we do things in God's name, making a difference for Christ's kingdom. If we only could realize the impact our lives have, we would not lose heart and our attitude would be changed, as they say in the movie "It's a Wonderful Life." A true disciple is a fully dedicated follower of Christ who stays the course and doesn't give up and goes all the way with the Lord through thick and thin.
When the chips are down, he doesn't lose faith but grows by adversity in fortitude and grit. All in all, we must acknowledge some who boast of great faith or even are pretenders of it, but we are not judged by our faith! We are judged by what we did with it; namely, our works (cf. Rom 2:6; Psalm 62:12; Prov. 24:12). ("to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you" (1 Pet. 1:4, KJV). Soli Deo Gloria!
It may be as simple as re-prioritizing our lives, or as involved as sacrificing or laying down our lives--we all have a mission and calling from God that is suited for us in God's perfect will. Winston Churchill offered no easy road to victory over the Nazis and warned of "blood, toil, sweat, and tears," ahead for the UK. Likewise, Jesus doesn't want mere lip service but wholehearted, devoted followers that are gung-ho for Job One--the Great Commission, not lukewarm hypocrites.
When Jesus is our number one priority, all else fades in respective significance and we can say goodbye to self and live solely for Him, not-self. We can relate to Jesus and identify with His cross. We become new creatures in Christ and have a new identity. But somehow the problems we now face seem small because when the one giving orders is our Helper and Advocate, helping us do His will, it is no longer a burden we cannot bear. The same God who got us to the climactic situation is the same one who will get us through it.
So what is a disciple then? He meant we are to deny ourselves (cf. Mark 8:34), not asceticism, but who we are as a person--our identity is in Christ. We die to self and fully relate to Christ for our identity--saying farewell to the old man and welcome o the new man created in Christ's image. It's not a matter of denying ourselves "things" nor of having low self-esteem, but of giving Christ first place in our lives. It's not necessarily privation, but we cheerfully take the road less traveled for the sake of the Name. We get true humility: not thinking less of ourselves, but of ourselves less!
Jesus went on further to elaborate that discipleship involved taking up our cross: we must be willing to follow Christ wherever He leads, even to the point of death obediently and cheerful as martyrs. We are willing to go all the way cheerfully on our assignment from God in an act of faith, fulfilling our calling of God's purpose. God doesn't call us to suicide missions with no purpose, and don't get the impression that salvation is by martyrdom, that the more we suffer, the greater Christians we are or our reward, but we must be willing to lay down our lives in faith despising the temporary rewards of this life; our belief in God is not mere lip service but a witness to others to show them how it affects our lives.
We are to go on to "follow Him" (cf. Mark 8:34) or be willing to go wherever He leads. I like to say that we should be willing to go anywhere as long as it's forward; we should never stand still in our faith or tread water but progress from faith to faith! Faith marches forward and doesn't balk or stand still! We say that the summation of Christian ethics is to follow Christ and this is the full application of our faith--it's not just a profession but a mission to complete--some merely make a profession of faith but don't live it out with their lives and belie their testimony.
The Greek philosophical goals to know God and to know thyself apply since they go together. We must have no delusions about reality and realize we are lost without Him. We cannot follow Christ if we do not know Him, and we must believe in Him for who He is and realize what we are in truth as persons.
That's why broad is the way that leads to damnation because it's the easy way of least resistance, and usually a cop-out. When we suffer for the sake of the Name, we enter into the fellowship of suffering (cf. Phil. 3:10), gaining eternal reward that we cannot forfeit. This is the ultimate future investment--not a 401(k). We must always have the perspective that this world is passing away and everything here is fleeting, knowing the brevity of life and how short our time is to do God's will, and only what's done for Christ will last and be rewarded.
But most people are short-sighted and don't see the music that vibrates for eternity when we do things in God's name, making a difference for Christ's kingdom. If we only could realize the impact our lives have, we would not lose heart and our attitude would be changed, as they say in the movie "It's a Wonderful Life." A true disciple is a fully dedicated follower of Christ who stays the course and doesn't give up and goes all the way with the Lord through thick and thin.
When the chips are down, he doesn't lose faith but grows by adversity in fortitude and grit. All in all, we must acknowledge some who boast of great faith or even are pretenders of it, but we are not judged by our faith! We are judged by what we did with it; namely, our works (cf. Rom 2:6; Psalm 62:12; Prov. 24:12). ("to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you" (1 Pet. 1:4, KJV). Soli Deo Gloria!
Friday, February 14, 2020
The Battle Is The Lord's
"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8:36, NIV).
HOW'S THE BATTLE? We are engaged in great angelic conflict in which we have no chance of coming clean without God's help using the military armor of God. We sin over and over again to be forgiven over and over again, sometimes for the same old sins (we certainly don't want new ones to worry about). Sin is like the smoking habit: it enslaves us and alienates us from others. People don't accept smokers as being "good" or polite company, especially when they light up without permission or even in your face. Cigarettes can become a god or crutch just like our bellies!
"People are enslaved by whatever defeats them," (cf. 2 Peter 2:19, HCSB). [Smokes!] Alcohol can be a god but people can become addicted for life as a crutch because they haven't learned to lean on God and trust in Him in times of need, knowing "the central neurosis of man is emptiness"--Carl Gustaf Jung. They need therapy! NB: "You belong to the power you choose to obey," (Rom. 6:16, HCSB). We are bad, but not too bad to be saved!
That's why the first step in recovery is admitting slavery; that you cannot overcome it by yourself and need a "higher power," or a buddy. It wants to destroy us but we must not let it (cf. Gen. 4:7). Most men look for some outlet to let off steam, whether in escapism or in fantasies. They won't admit they "cannot see clearly," or they are clueless. Drugs seem to offer temporary solutions/fixes but the long-term effects aren't worth it and make one worse off. We must realize how bad we are to be good, and we don't realize how bad we are till we've tried to be good (a catch-22).
We must realize that our lives our not our own and God has first dibs on our bodies because He owns them. In God's economy, we must surrender daily; it's not a one-time event done at salvation, but a progressive one never to end. We are to be continually filled with the Spirit (cf. Eph. 5:18) to live the Christian life, not just have the filling we all received upon salvation as evidence of our initiation into the body of Christ.
When we get saved, we engage in the mop-up effort to defeat Satan, who's already doomed because of Christ's victory at the cross. We cannot do this alone but need the body of Christ and must not become solitary saints thinking we can defeat the enemy on our own. This battle is a joint effort of the body of Christ where everyone has a ministry and mission to complete in God's plan for their lives. That's where the ministry of the local church comes in to equip the saints. Hezekiah felt overwhelmed by his enemies and was reassured that the battle is the Lord's (cf. 2 Chron. 20:15)! God is on our side, He is fighting for us, and He is using us!
The good thing about our so-called slavery to sin is that where sin abounded, grace abounded all the more, as John Bunyan wrote, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, to describe his testimony and his self-estimation. We must also realize God's grace is not only necessary for us for but we can do nothing without it, but that it's sufficient--we cannot merit it nor add to it nor subtract from it. Grace means that you don't deserve it!
We don't believe in Jesus and try to be good! We're a new creation (cf. 2 Cor. 5:17). We don't try, we trust because it must be Christ who changes us, not us turning over a new leaf or making a New Year's resolution, or an AA pledge. God's grace to us is infinite and we cannot exhaust it, He never gives up on us but we can give up on Him! We are the ultimate works in progress that God isn't finished with yet (cf. Phil. 1:6).
We all have failed the Lord and must realize that we can come clean by confessing our known sins, keeping a short account with God (cf. 1 John 1:9). Prov. 28:13 says that if we confess and forsake them we shall find mercy and if we hide them we will not prosper! But if we have unconfessed sin our prayers are hindered and blocked due to us being out of fellowship and in need of restoration or reconciliation (cf. Psa. 66:18; Isa. 59:2). We are to examine ourselves periodically for the sake of fellowship with the body of Christ at least during the Lord's Supper celebration (cf. 1 Cor. 11:28) and we should always examine our hearts to see if it's really Christ living there (cf. 2 Cor. 13:5).
We must be in awe of God's economy because the way to be filled is first to be emptied! The more readily we confess, the easier filled. As we get closer to God, the more we see our flaws and shortcomings, especially "laying aside every weight, and the sin which easily besets us" (cf. Heb. 12:1, KJV). "Love covers a multitude of sins" (cf. 1 Pet. 4:8, HCSB). NB: But "the mass of men live lives of quiet desperation." --Henry David Thoreau
All in all, we must give God some credit for delivering us from ourselves, for we are our own worst enemy. It's not just you and I, that's the way it is and ought to be--to rely on God--we don't try, we trust! In summation, the way to change our lives is by full surrender and to have a change of heart, (will, attitude, and understanding of our sins)--renouncing them and coming clean. Soli Deo Gloria!
"The battle is the LORD's," (cf. 2 Chron. 20:15).
HOW'S THE BATTLE? We are engaged in great angelic conflict in which we have no chance of coming clean without God's help using the military armor of God. We sin over and over again to be forgiven over and over again, sometimes for the same old sins (we certainly don't want new ones to worry about). Sin is like the smoking habit: it enslaves us and alienates us from others. People don't accept smokers as being "good" or polite company, especially when they light up without permission or even in your face. Cigarettes can become a god or crutch just like our bellies!
"People are enslaved by whatever defeats them," (cf. 2 Peter 2:19, HCSB). [Smokes!] Alcohol can be a god but people can become addicted for life as a crutch because they haven't learned to lean on God and trust in Him in times of need, knowing "the central neurosis of man is emptiness"--Carl Gustaf Jung. They need therapy! NB: "You belong to the power you choose to obey," (Rom. 6:16, HCSB). We are bad, but not too bad to be saved!
That's why the first step in recovery is admitting slavery; that you cannot overcome it by yourself and need a "higher power," or a buddy. It wants to destroy us but we must not let it (cf. Gen. 4:7). Most men look for some outlet to let off steam, whether in escapism or in fantasies. They won't admit they "cannot see clearly," or they are clueless. Drugs seem to offer temporary solutions/fixes but the long-term effects aren't worth it and make one worse off. We must realize how bad we are to be good, and we don't realize how bad we are till we've tried to be good (a catch-22).
We must realize that our lives our not our own and God has first dibs on our bodies because He owns them. In God's economy, we must surrender daily; it's not a one-time event done at salvation, but a progressive one never to end. We are to be continually filled with the Spirit (cf. Eph. 5:18) to live the Christian life, not just have the filling we all received upon salvation as evidence of our initiation into the body of Christ.
When we get saved, we engage in the mop-up effort to defeat Satan, who's already doomed because of Christ's victory at the cross. We cannot do this alone but need the body of Christ and must not become solitary saints thinking we can defeat the enemy on our own. This battle is a joint effort of the body of Christ where everyone has a ministry and mission to complete in God's plan for their lives. That's where the ministry of the local church comes in to equip the saints. Hezekiah felt overwhelmed by his enemies and was reassured that the battle is the Lord's (cf. 2 Chron. 20:15)! God is on our side, He is fighting for us, and He is using us!
The good thing about our so-called slavery to sin is that where sin abounded, grace abounded all the more, as John Bunyan wrote, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, to describe his testimony and his self-estimation. We must also realize God's grace is not only necessary for us for but we can do nothing without it, but that it's sufficient--we cannot merit it nor add to it nor subtract from it. Grace means that you don't deserve it!
We don't believe in Jesus and try to be good! We're a new creation (cf. 2 Cor. 5:17). We don't try, we trust because it must be Christ who changes us, not us turning over a new leaf or making a New Year's resolution, or an AA pledge. God's grace to us is infinite and we cannot exhaust it, He never gives up on us but we can give up on Him! We are the ultimate works in progress that God isn't finished with yet (cf. Phil. 1:6).
We all have failed the Lord and must realize that we can come clean by confessing our known sins, keeping a short account with God (cf. 1 John 1:9). Prov. 28:13 says that if we confess and forsake them we shall find mercy and if we hide them we will not prosper! But if we have unconfessed sin our prayers are hindered and blocked due to us being out of fellowship and in need of restoration or reconciliation (cf. Psa. 66:18; Isa. 59:2). We are to examine ourselves periodically for the sake of fellowship with the body of Christ at least during the Lord's Supper celebration (cf. 1 Cor. 11:28) and we should always examine our hearts to see if it's really Christ living there (cf. 2 Cor. 13:5).
We must be in awe of God's economy because the way to be filled is first to be emptied! The more readily we confess, the easier filled. As we get closer to God, the more we see our flaws and shortcomings, especially "laying aside every weight, and the sin which easily besets us" (cf. Heb. 12:1, KJV). "Love covers a multitude of sins" (cf. 1 Pet. 4:8, HCSB). NB: But "the mass of men live lives of quiet desperation." --Henry David Thoreau
All in all, we must give God some credit for delivering us from ourselves, for we are our own worst enemy. It's not just you and I, that's the way it is and ought to be--to rely on God--we don't try, we trust! In summation, the way to change our lives is by full surrender and to have a change of heart, (will, attitude, and understanding of our sins)--renouncing them and coming clean. Soli Deo Gloria!
Sunday, February 9, 2020
How Shall We Then Live?...
"And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God" (Romans 12:2, KJV).
Francis Schaeffer wrote a book by this title too, showing its importance. The question we all must answer: "How shall we live in light of eternity?" Jesus didn't tell us to close shop and stop working to wait till He comes but Matthew Henry said that we should live each day as if it's our last! Jesus told us to occupy till [He] comes and be ready! But we are to be ready and watch for Christ's coming and live our life to have maximum impact on eternity. We aren't seeking to be remembered but to be obedient.
Francis Schaeffer wrote a book by this title too, showing its importance. The question we all must answer: "How shall we live in light of eternity?" Jesus didn't tell us to close shop and stop working to wait till He comes but Matthew Henry said that we should live each day as if it's our last! Jesus told us to occupy till [He] comes and be ready! But we are to be ready and watch for Christ's coming and live our life to have maximum impact on eternity. We aren't seeking to be remembered but to be obedient.
We see eternal results in everything; all we do strikes a chord that will vibrate for eternity. Everything will either be rewarded or not, and in time we can be disciplined for what we do if not in God's will. Paul said that to him "to die is gain" not as a death wish but he meant that he saw eternity in a better light than imagined ("what no human mind has conceived"). He only said this because he had a clear concept of heaven with no misconceptions or delusions to live the good life.
Living in light of eternity inspires us to do good deeds and to have a good testimony to the world at large so they get saved as a result. It helps us in our trials, seeing that they are only temporal and serve an eternal purpose. In short, we become purpose-driven. We prove and validate our faith by our deeds--the faith we have is the faith we show and authenticate. The more we see Jesus coming soon, the more eager we will be to show our faith also because we will see the urgency of the Great Commission relative to our personal lives. We will want to pass it on and become contagious Christians. We will be eager to make others ready and to stop living for the moment and the here and now. What we look forward to affects our worldview and how we interpret life in general. When the "Desire of all nations" (cf. Haggai 2:7) comes at His Parousia, we will be transformed to become like Him, but we can have a taste of the good things to come now: "Taste and see that the LORD is good." But now we can see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living (cf. Psalm 27:13, KJV).
We are simply pilgrims, aliens, foreigners, and even strangers in this life and to the world, and passing through, not meant to make ourselves at home here--we don't belong here! But God has a place for us in His plan. God has an eternal purpose for our lives that He will fulfill and not give up on us. We are on a spiritual journey too, growing in our relationship with Christ--Reality 101. We should not cling to our mundane lives but see that our spiritual lives take precedence; however, we do not live with our heads in the clouds nor on cloud nine. What matters is how our relationship with Christ is growing. It is wrong to think that we should live as if we go around once and should grab all the gusto we can. We must have an eternal bucket list that involves our beatific vision of God in glory.
Having a true focus on Christ, keeping our eyes on Jesus orients our life and sets the priorities to have spiritual value. However, we ought not to be so heavenly minded we are no earthly good. We must not be known as mere secluded saints but actively involved in the real world. We can enjoy this life, but without sin, and thank God for the blessings that it gives to all in common grace. We can enjoy life to the max as Jesus promised: "I am come that they may have life, and have it to the full [more abundant life]" (John 10:10, NIV). On the other hand, we ought not to "love the world nor the things of the world" because the more we do, the less room we'll have in our hearts to satisfy our spiritual appetites to enjoy all the good things He gives us richly as blessing for stewardship (cf 1 Tim. 6:17).
The good life has universally been defined as an ethical one: our duty to God and mankind. We do this by loving God with all our hearts and our neighbor as ourselves as exemplified in the parable of the Good Samaritan. "Mankind, He has told you what is good and what it is the LORD requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8, HCSB). This is achieved by a true sense of "oughtness." Knowing and believing right doctrine or having one's thinking straightened out is orthodoxy while living right and practicing what one believes and applying it is orthopraxy--both are necessary for the good life (which is not achieving the American dream!).
In the final analysis, when our lives are given their final audit and we go one-on-one with our Maker to face God in the Bema or Judgment Seat, we must ask ourselves whether we are faithful stewards to the blessings God has given us and whether we used them to have an impact. We all will pass on some legacy and people will tend to judge our lives, but what matters most is what Christ sees in us. He isn't going to ask us about our achievements but our obedience and we will realize that success doesn't matter to God because it belongs to Him anyway (cf. Deut. 8:18), but what matters is our call to faithfulness. Praise the Lord, life is good! Soli Deo Gloria!
Living in light of eternity inspires us to do good deeds and to have a good testimony to the world at large so they get saved as a result. It helps us in our trials, seeing that they are only temporal and serve an eternal purpose. In short, we become purpose-driven. We prove and validate our faith by our deeds--the faith we have is the faith we show and authenticate. The more we see Jesus coming soon, the more eager we will be to show our faith also because we will see the urgency of the Great Commission relative to our personal lives. We will want to pass it on and become contagious Christians. We will be eager to make others ready and to stop living for the moment and the here and now. What we look forward to affects our worldview and how we interpret life in general. When the "Desire of all nations" (cf. Haggai 2:7) comes at His Parousia, we will be transformed to become like Him, but we can have a taste of the good things to come now: "Taste and see that the LORD is good." But now we can see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living (cf. Psalm 27:13, KJV).
We are simply pilgrims, aliens, foreigners, and even strangers in this life and to the world, and passing through, not meant to make ourselves at home here--we don't belong here! But God has a place for us in His plan. God has an eternal purpose for our lives that He will fulfill and not give up on us. We are on a spiritual journey too, growing in our relationship with Christ--Reality 101. We should not cling to our mundane lives but see that our spiritual lives take precedence; however, we do not live with our heads in the clouds nor on cloud nine. What matters is how our relationship with Christ is growing. It is wrong to think that we should live as if we go around once and should grab all the gusto we can. We must have an eternal bucket list that involves our beatific vision of God in glory.
Having a true focus on Christ, keeping our eyes on Jesus orients our life and sets the priorities to have spiritual value. However, we ought not to be so heavenly minded we are no earthly good. We must not be known as mere secluded saints but actively involved in the real world. We can enjoy this life, but without sin, and thank God for the blessings that it gives to all in common grace. We can enjoy life to the max as Jesus promised: "I am come that they may have life, and have it to the full [more abundant life]" (John 10:10, NIV). On the other hand, we ought not to "love the world nor the things of the world" because the more we do, the less room we'll have in our hearts to satisfy our spiritual appetites to enjoy all the good things He gives us richly as blessing for stewardship (cf 1 Tim. 6:17).
The good life has universally been defined as an ethical one: our duty to God and mankind. We do this by loving God with all our hearts and our neighbor as ourselves as exemplified in the parable of the Good Samaritan. "Mankind, He has told you what is good and what it is the LORD requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8, HCSB). This is achieved by a true sense of "oughtness." Knowing and believing right doctrine or having one's thinking straightened out is orthodoxy while living right and practicing what one believes and applying it is orthopraxy--both are necessary for the good life (which is not achieving the American dream!).
In the final analysis, when our lives are given their final audit and we go one-on-one with our Maker to face God in the Bema or Judgment Seat, we must ask ourselves whether we are faithful stewards to the blessings God has given us and whether we used them to have an impact. We all will pass on some legacy and people will tend to judge our lives, but what matters most is what Christ sees in us. He isn't going to ask us about our achievements but our obedience and we will realize that success doesn't matter to God because it belongs to Him anyway (cf. Deut. 8:18), but what matters is our call to faithfulness. Praise the Lord, life is good! Soli Deo Gloria!
Saturday, February 8, 2020
Finding Meaning In Suffering...
PERTINENT VERSES FOR REFERENCE:
"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds" (Psalm 147:3, NIV).
"In their affliction they will seek Me early" (cf. Hosea 5:15).
"Come unto me all ye who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28, KJV).
"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory which shall be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18, NKJV).
"For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him" (Phil. 1:29, NIV).
"Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word" (Psalm 119:67, NIV).
"But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold" (Job 23:10, NIV).
"But by means of their suffering, he rescues those who suffer. For he gets their attention through adversity" (Job 36:15, NLT.
"He makes these things happen either to punish people or to show his unfailing love" (Job 37:13, NLT).
As Christians, we believe God has a purpose for everything, even our suffering (cf. Prov. 16:4). It can be used to get our attention (cf. Job 36:15 above) or to even discipline us when we won't learn any other way and are wayward and don't heed the Word. C. S. Lewis said that God shouts at us in our pains, it's God's megaphone to rouse a deaf world. Sometimes we turn a deaf ear to God and become hard-of-hearing spiritually and need this little special attention-getting device.
But we know that "many are the afflictions of the righteous," but God always delivers us (cf. Psalm 34:19). And that God is a "very present help in trouble" (cf. Psalm 46:1). It's an honor to suffer for the sake of the Name, to be worthy, for which we will be rewarded, remembering that experience is not what happens to us, but in us, according to psychiatrist Dr. Viktor Frankl, himself a victim of Nazi atrocities. We're fulfilling the sufferings of Christ (cf. Col. 1:24).
Paul was joyful to suffer and he probably suffered more than any believer of his day that it was part of the fellowship of suffering (cf. Phil. 3:10) or a red badge of courage, or even a Medal of Honor, or Purple Heart to wear with dignity (cf. Phil. 3:10). But all in all, only in Christ do we find meaning and purpose in our sufferings and trials and can grow by them. No religion has a complete explanation for suffering but we believe in the Suffering Servant who learned obedience by what He suffered on our behalf. Christ didn't exempt Himself from any adversity and was honest enough to warn us to count the cost of following Him and to bear our cross--no cross, no crown. Remember: Jesus feels our pains and we couldn't believe in a God who couldn't.
Christ doesn't ask us to do anything that He didn't do or expect of Himself and it all comes with the territory we signed up for a part of Reality 101, THE DIVINE CURRICULUM, as a believer, matriculated in Christ's school. As believers, we enroll in a ministry of Suffering 101; rejoice in it as Paul did in prison: "Rejoice in the Lord always." "... [B]ut we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience" (Romans 5:3, KJV). Why? Because they give the opportunity for good and to show the testimony of Jesus and our grit. God doesn't willingly afflict the children of men (cf. Lam. 3:33).
Job was the example par excellence of suffering in the Bible where God gave him a crucible that tested his faith to the utmost, and he passed and didn't give up even his own integrity. This story shows that not all suffering is due to sin or because we deserve it, but also that we shouldn't judge another who is experiencing a trial. For it's in adversity that our character grows, not in our good times; show me someone who's never had any troubles, and I'll show you a person without character.
"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds" (Psalm 147:3, NIV).
"In their affliction they will seek Me early" (cf. Hosea 5:15).
"Come unto me all ye who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28, KJV).
"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory which shall be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18, NKJV).
"For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him" (Phil. 1:29, NIV).
"Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word" (Psalm 119:67, NIV).
"But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold" (Job 23:10, NIV).
"But by means of their suffering, he rescues those who suffer. For he gets their attention through adversity" (Job 36:15, NLT.
"He makes these things happen either to punish people or to show his unfailing love" (Job 37:13, NLT).
"It is through much tribulation that we enter the kingdom of God," (cf. Acts 14:22).
"Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all," (cf. Psalm 34:19).
"For it is through much affliction that we enter the kingdom of God." Acts 14:22
As Christians, we believe God has a purpose for everything, even our suffering (cf. Prov. 16:4). It can be used to get our attention (cf. Job 36:15 above) or to even discipline us when we won't learn any other way and are wayward and don't heed the Word. C. S. Lewis said that God shouts at us in our pains, it's God's megaphone to rouse a deaf world. Sometimes we turn a deaf ear to God and become hard-of-hearing spiritually and need this little special attention-getting device.
But we know that "many are the afflictions of the righteous," but God always delivers us (cf. Psalm 34:19). And that God is a "very present help in trouble" (cf. Psalm 46:1). It's an honor to suffer for the sake of the Name, to be worthy, for which we will be rewarded, remembering that experience is not what happens to us, but in us, according to psychiatrist Dr. Viktor Frankl, himself a victim of Nazi atrocities. We're fulfilling the sufferings of Christ (cf. Col. 1:24).
Paul was joyful to suffer and he probably suffered more than any believer of his day that it was part of the fellowship of suffering (cf. Phil. 3:10) or a red badge of courage, or even a Medal of Honor, or Purple Heart to wear with dignity (cf. Phil. 3:10). But all in all, only in Christ do we find meaning and purpose in our sufferings and trials and can grow by them. No religion has a complete explanation for suffering but we believe in the Suffering Servant who learned obedience by what He suffered on our behalf. Christ didn't exempt Himself from any adversity and was honest enough to warn us to count the cost of following Him and to bear our cross--no cross, no crown. Remember: Jesus feels our pains and we couldn't believe in a God who couldn't.
Christ doesn't ask us to do anything that He didn't do or expect of Himself and it all comes with the territory we signed up for a part of Reality 101, THE DIVINE CURRICULUM, as a believer, matriculated in Christ's school. As believers, we enroll in a ministry of Suffering 101; rejoice in it as Paul did in prison: "Rejoice in the Lord always." "... [B]ut we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience" (Romans 5:3, KJV). Why? Because they give the opportunity for good and to show the testimony of Jesus and our grit. God doesn't willingly afflict the children of men (cf. Lam. 3:33).
Job was the example par excellence of suffering in the Bible where God gave him a crucible that tested his faith to the utmost, and he passed and didn't give up even his own integrity. This story shows that not all suffering is due to sin or because we deserve it, but also that we shouldn't judge another who is experiencing a trial. For it's in adversity that our character grows, not in our good times; show me someone who's never had any troubles, and I'll show you a person without character.
We don't pray for an easy life but a strong character. God frowns on those "at ease in Zion," living the easy life or as idle rich. But God knows our breaking point and we can trust Him to lead us through what He leads us to, just as we pass through the waters, He'll be with us (cf. Isa. 43:2).
In Eastern thought, suffering is due to bad karma and we shouldn't interfere with one's karma when they suffer. There is no place for charity, relief organizations, and lending aid to those in need and less fortunate, "untouchables," or those "down on their luck." We must always realize that God gives us trials to strengthen us so that we may strengthen others in their trials: "Been there and done that!" We comfort others with our comfort.
We are capable of enduring any trial as long as we have hope, and there is hope in Christ, but without hope, there's nothing but despair that overwhelms us. Thus, the more purpose-driven we become in our suffering, the more we can endure and we can see God at work in our lives through it all, for we are assured He is with us all the way to the end for "... he will be our guide even unto death" (cf. Psalm 48:14, KJV).
In sum, we must accept these trials with the blessings of God and realize that no cross means no crown! "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but He delivereth him out of the all" (Psalm 34:19). It is written in Acts 14:22 that "through many trials, we enter the kingdom of heaven." Soli Deo Gloria!
In Eastern thought, suffering is due to bad karma and we shouldn't interfere with one's karma when they suffer. There is no place for charity, relief organizations, and lending aid to those in need and less fortunate, "untouchables," or those "down on their luck." We must always realize that God gives us trials to strengthen us so that we may strengthen others in their trials: "Been there and done that!" We comfort others with our comfort.
We are capable of enduring any trial as long as we have hope, and there is hope in Christ, but without hope, there's nothing but despair that overwhelms us. Thus, the more purpose-driven we become in our suffering, the more we can endure and we can see God at work in our lives through it all, for we are assured He is with us all the way to the end for "... he will be our guide even unto death" (cf. Psalm 48:14, KJV).
In sum, we must accept these trials with the blessings of God and realize that no cross means no crown! "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but He delivereth him out of the all" (Psalm 34:19). It is written in Acts 14:22 that "through many trials, we enter the kingdom of heaven." Soli Deo Gloria!
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