Paul said: "And so it is written, the first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit" (1 Cor. 15:45, KJV, emphasis added).
The last Adam is Jesus (read my earlier message - "The Last Adam") and He is called "A Quickening Spirit." He is called a Quickening Spirit because He has divine vitality. We, who are His Church, His Body, ought to have divine vitality. Look around you and you will notice that most of the contemporary Local Churches lack divine vitality. They are like what John saw and recorded in the Book of Revelation, the Church in Sardis - a dead Church:
"These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: 'I know your works, and you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God. He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of life, but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels" (Revelation 3:1, 2, 5, NKJV, emphasis added).
The phrase, "but you are dead," means, dead spiritually. This is equivalent to saying that our profession of Christianity is mainly in name. If we continue to do the "dead" things that we are doing, God will blot out our names from the Book of life!
Recently a pastor made an unfortunate mistake as he conducted a funeral. Before him, in an open casket, lay the remains of the departed brother. Motioning toward the deceased and speaking in somber tones, the pastor said, "This corpse has been a member of my Church for more than ten years." You may be tempted to laugh. But, quite seriously and unknowingly, the pastor's statement is an accurate description of the spiritual condition of not only his Local Church, but many other Local Churches as well.
Sadly, the contemporary Church appears to be filled with spiritual corpses - those who lack divine vitality. They may attend Church regularly, even occasionally read their Bible and pray; they attend Cell Groups, prayer meetings and other Church activities, but they lack a real quality of spiritual life. They come short of what is required as committed Christians.
An innocent young girl was trying to describe her pastor's sermon to her parents, who had been unable to attend Church that Sunday morning: "I really can't remember much that our pastor preached," said the child, "But I think his text was - 'Many were cold and a few were frozen.'" Again, I do not think that description of the condition of the Local Church was a coincident. I believe God used that young girl to reveal the spiritual condition of the Church.
A call for Prayer
But praise God, a thaw (for those who ar frozen) is coming for those who would learn to pray in the energy and vitality of Jesus' Name - "A Quickening Spirit." We need to pray that the entire congregation repent of their sins. We need to pray that our Church is filled with the Holy Spirit and that we "walk in the Spirit so that we wll not fulfill the lust of the flesh" (Gal. 5:16). Without the anointing and the unction of the Holy Spirit (read my earlier message - "The Unction of the Holy One") we resort to our own wisdom and strength to do God's work in the Church of Jesus Christ. The result will certainly be disastrous.
Never trust man
There is a haunting phrase from the prophecies of Isaiah which captivates one's imagination:
Isaiah said: "Stop trusting in man, who has but a breath in his nostrils. Of what account is he" (Isaiah 2:22, NIV).
We must cease to confide in or trust in men. In the related passge a few verses back (11 ant 17), Isaiah said that the proud and lofty people would be brought low; that is, the kings, princes and nobles would be humbled. They, in whom the people had been accustomed to confide should show their insufficiency to afford protection. The strength, pride, and pomp of men's finest and best is ultimately destined for failure. and he called on the people to cease to put their reliance on any of the devices and refuges of men, implying that trust should be placed on the Lord only.
The phrase, "who has but a breath in his nostrils," means that man is weak and short-lived and has no control over his life. All his power exists only while he breathes, and his breath is in his nostrils. It may soon cease, and we should not confide in so frail and fragile a thing as the breath of man.
The psalmist said: "Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God" (Ps. 146:3 - 5, KJV).
Trust only the Lord
Let us read more of wht Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15: "And so it is written, the first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. the first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven" (1 Cor. 15:45 - 47, KJV).
Held in stark contrast are two races and two sources of sustained strength. First, is Adam's fallen race, a race at the created level sustained by the breathing of air. Second, is Christ's reborn race, a people at the redeemed level sustained by the breath of the Holy Spirit.
All of us experience the first resource. Since creation when - ".... (God) breathed into his (man's) nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul" (Gen. 2:7, KJV), we all have depended upon our respiratory systems for survival. If breathing is denied for more than a few minutes, it usually results in at least some deterioration of certain brain functions. If air is denied too long, death is imminent. We are all creatures "whose breath is in our nostrils." But there is an added dimension of living energy (life-sustaining "breath") available to all whom Jesus has redeemed.
Consider the account following Christ's resurrection when He came into the room where His disciples were hiding in fear. It is interesting to note one of His first actions. Now that the process of salvation, through Christ's death and resurrection, was completed, Jesus operated as Lord of their new order. The Bible says, "He breathed on them, and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit'" (John 20:22, NKJV). This is clearly a direct parallel of the first creation, when the Father had created man and then endured him with life-breath. Now a new creation has been made possible. The Son of God from heaven had become man's Redeemer and now is making possible man's recovery from the limits imposed upon him by reason of sin and man's devastating fall from his originally intended order. All that "the first Adam" could bequeath to his offspring has now been exceeded by everlasting life available only through "the Second Adam" - the Lord Jesus Christ. By reason of His resurrection, He now transmits a life-breath that gives spiritual vitality far beyond the limits of unredeemed man. Therefore, we trust only the Lord, the Second Adam.
Our help in "Perilous time"
The term, "Perilous time," means time of stress, danger and trial. In 2 Timothy 3, Paul lists 18 moral blemishes and ends with - "Having a form of godliness but denying its power" (2 Tim. 3:5, NKJV).
People tend to display external appearance of following the Bible doctrine and practice. They go to Church but they lack power and conviction which only the Holy Spirit can bring.
People become restless in this perilous time. Most of us have been pressed into action by haste-filled situation where we have had to run until breath was no longer available. We are always in a hurry, even without reason to do so. Winded, we stop, bending over to nurse the pain in our sides. Gasping for breath, chests heaving and lungs burning, we have reached our limit.
David knew what to do in distress and he went to seek God for comfort - "As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, while they continually say to me, where is your God" (Ps. 42:1 - 3, NKJV)?
Just like David, that is exactly where we should go - to the Lord!
The psalmist said: "Be still, and know that I am God; ..." (Ps. 46:10, NKJV).
In the context, the psalmist made God his refuge - "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, ..." (Ps. 46:1, 2).
In other words, God is for us as a place to which we may flee for safey; a sourse of strength for us in danger. The word "trouble" covers all that can come upon us which would give us anxiety or sorrow. Furthermore, if we fail to keep still we may miss hearing God's voice. We need Him all the time and He delights to speak to us all the time.
Our Lord is a quickening spirit - a revitalizing, breath-of-life-giving "resuscitator" of weary souls. When your spiritual breath rate seems too heavy and the pace impossible, it is probably a sign that you are functioning only with Adam's race, a race whose breath is in the nostrils. What we all need is "spirit-breath," and in Jesus' Name, our Quickening Spirit, is available.
Waiting on the Lord
Here is a remarkable promise of God: "Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint" (Isaiah 40:30, 31, emphasis added).
The phrase, "those who wait on the Lord," means, those who wait for His help, that is, to trust in Him and put their hope or confidence in Him. Although, in the context, it refers to those who were suffering a long and grievous captivity in Babylon, the promise is equally applicable to all who feel they are weak, feeble, guilty and helpless and who, in view of this put their trust in the Lord.
However, it does not imply inactivity, or want of personal exertion; it implies merely our hope of aid is in Him. No man can wait on the Lord in a proper manner who does not use the means which He has appointed for conveying to us His blessing. To wait on Him without using any means to obtain His aid, is to tempt Him; to expect miraculous interposition is unauthorized, and must meet with disappointment.
The promise of spiritual vitality is linked to waiting on the Lord. We are called to slow down in the Lord. Someone said, "Just walk on uninterruptedly and very quietly; if God makes you run, He will enlarge your heart."
While waiting on the Lord we need to pray in Jesus' Name, our Quickening Spirit. Our confidence in getting the right answer rests upon - "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit" (Proverbs 18:21).
In Jesus' Name we can speak death to whatever is robbing us of energy and vitality (whether be spiritual, physical, or material) while at the same time speaking life into situations or circumstances that need those same qualities. For example, we can speak death in Jesus' Name to resentment that may be destroying a marriage and life into the loving affection that once existed, even though it may seem to have long since disappeared.
Beyond that, praying in Jesus' Name, our Quickening Spirit, means using the power of His Name to awaken our own spirits in daily renewal.
The psalmist said: "Revive me, O Lord, for Your name's sake! For Your righteousness' sake bring my soul out of trouble" (Ps. 143:11).
Let us use Dwight L. Moody's Prayer:
"Use me then, my Savior, for whatever purpose, and in whatever way, You may require. Here is my poor heart, an empty vessel; fill it with Your grace. Here is my sinful and troubled soul; quicken it and refresh it with Your love. Take my heart for your abode; my mouth to spread abroad the glory of Your Name; my love and my powers, for the advancement of Your believing people; and never suffer the steadfastness and confidence of my faith to abate; so that at all times I may be enabled from the heart to say, "Jesus needs me, and I am His."
In conclusion, let me add another prayer of my own:
"Lord, I come today as a part of Your New Creation. I praise You for the newness into which You've ushered me - new joy, because You've fogiven me; new hope, because of Your promises to me; and new love, because You first loved me.
But Lord, I am also very conscious of the finite limits of my flesh. Though part of a New Creation, I am also a creature of Adam's race. Oftentimes my spirit is willing but my flesh is weak. And so I come to this day to receive Your inbreathing - the inflow of the life-breath of Your Spirit. You know how it was that You breathed into Adam long age, and the First Creation sprang to live. Now, O Lord - O life-giving, Quickening Spirit - breathe freshness and newness of life into me. Let Your Spirit refresh me at my points of weariness, and by Your Spirit strengthen me beyond my weakness. In Jesus's Name, Amen.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
The Kind of People we ought to be
Peter said: "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with the promise we are looking forward to new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness" (2 Peter 3:10 - 13, NIV, emphasis added).
As the time to the end is approaching, the key to success does not depent solely onl what we say or do, but what kind of people we are. We need to live holy and godly lives. We should feel that there is nothing permanent on the earth and that this is not our abiding home. Our great interest are in another world. We should be serious, humble and prayerful; and should make it our great object to be prepared for the solemn scenes through which we are soon to pass. A habitual contemplation of the truth, that all that we see is soon to pass away, would produce a most salutary effect on the mind. It would make us serious. It would repress ambition. It would lead us not to accumulate what must so soon be destroyed. It would prompt us to lay up our treasures in heaven. It would cause us to ask, with deep earnestness, whether we are prepared for these amazing scenes, should they suddenly burst upon us.
The true Christian does not dread the coming of the Day of the Lord. He looks forward to it as the period of his redemption, and would welcome, at any time, the return of the Lord and Savior. While he is willing to wait as long as it shall please God for the advent of His Redeemer, yet to Him the brightest prospect to his future is that hour when He shall come to take him to Himself.
The kind of Christian life we ought to live
In Revelation, John heard a lund voice saying in heaven: "They overcome him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death" (Rev. 12:11, NKJV, emphasis added).
What does it mean - "They did not love their lives to the death"?
I believe it means, for these people (the true Christians) it was more important to do the will of God than to stay alive. In other words, confronted by a situation in which to do the will of God would cost them their lives, that is the price they would pay, they would not look for any alternative way, any way out!
The word I choose to use to describe such Christians is "committed." Such Chrsitians are committed to obeying the Word of God and to doing the will of God regardless of the consequences for their own lives.
Chapter 9:21 - 24 of the Gospel according to Luke pictures an enthusiastic crowd following Jesus, excited by the miracles they have witnessed. But apparently Jesus is more interested in personal commitment than in that kind of enthusiasm:
"Then He said to them all, 'If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it" (Luke 9:23, 24).
The message of Jesus does not promise any easy way through life. On the contrary, in the Sermon on the Mount, He exhorted:
"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who finds it" (Matt. 7:13, 14, emphasis added).
I believe, if your picture of the Christian life does not include God's demands for sacrifice and a life laid down, you may need to question the "way" that you are traveling on. You may discover that you are on the broad, easy way that leads to destruction and not on the narrow, difficult way that leads to life. In the contemporary Church some ministries emphasize only the blessings and benefits of the Christian life and never speak about the conditions that we have to fulfill in order to obtain those blessings and benefits. Such ministries could be compared to a merchant who displays an attractive range of goods, but never attaches a price tag to any of them.
Paul's commitment to his calling
According to Galatians 2:7, God had committed to Paul the responsibility of bringing the Gospel to the "uncircumcised" - i.e. the whole Gentile world (read Acts 27 and 28). The key to this would be to establish a centre in the city of Rome. From there, many different channels would automatically carry the Gospel to the whole ancient world - channels of commerce, education, finance, governmental administration and natural social intercourse. Because of Paul's special calling, he was the person best qualified to establish such a centre in Rome.
Because of the significance of Paul's move to Rome, he encountered tremendous spiritual opposition on his journey there. I do not know if in Paul's day there was anything corresponding to the luxury cruises that are so popular today, but I do know that Paul was not on such a cruise. On the contrary, he was traveling on a freight ship as a prinsoner in chains. Furthermore, the ship was caught up in a storm so horrific that for two full weeks the people on board never caught a glimpse of the sun by day or of the moon and the stars by night.
Satan's challenges for Paul
Luke said: "But after long abstinence from food, then Paul stood in the midst of them and said, 'Men, you should have listened to me, and not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss. And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only the ship. For there stood by my this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve'" (Acts 27:21 - 23, emphasis added).
Paul used two phrases here to describe his relationship to God: "to whom I belong" and "whom I serve." In the economy of God's household, these two can never be separated. If we do not belong to God, we have no right to serve Him. There are no hirelings in God's household. On the other hand, we cannot belong to God if we are not available to Him for His service. God does not welcome to His household spoiled, self-indulgent egoists. They have no place in His Kingdom.
In His Kingdom, God has no place for hirelings. Those who serve in God's Kingdom do so because they are members of His household. This means that we cannot separate the two phrases Pual used to describe himself - "to whom I belong" and "whom I serve."
Eventually, the ship on which Paul and his companions were traveling was dashed against a rocky promontory and began to break up. This gave those on board an opportunity to escape to dry land.
Have you ever wondered: Was Paul in the will of God in this whole experience? I believe that Paul was fully in the will of God, and his whole journey to Rome was ordered by God. But satanic forces that feared the possible impact of Paul's ministry in Rome did everything in their power to destroy him befoe he could reach his destination. The storm that he encountered was not of purely natural original but was brought about by satanic forces in the heavenlies. It was similar to the supernatural storm that destroyed Job's sons and daughters (read Job 1:19).
In His divine wisdom, God sometimes permits His servants who are doing His will to be exposed to the malice and rage of Satan. In this way, they get insight not only into the true nature of the forces that are opposing them, but also into their personal need for persistent vigilance.
Peter said: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lions, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8).
It would be a frightening experience to encounter a hungry lion in search of prey! The Bible never instills fear into us, but, on the other hand, it never encourages us to underestimate the power and the ferocity of our satanic opponents.
After the shipwreck Satan had one more challenge. The people who had escaped safety to land began to collect fuel for fire. Paul did not merely stand on one side waiting for others to get their hands dirty; he was among the first to start gathering fuel. Satan used this as an opportunity to make one final attempt to destroy Paul.
"But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat, and fastened on his hand. So when the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, 'No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, thought he has escaped the sea, yet justice does not allow to live.' But he shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm" (Acts 28:3 - 5).
Out of all 276 people (Acts 27:37), why did the viper choose Paul as its victim? Was there some supernatural intelligence operating through that viper? Behind this was Satan of course!
But Paul was full of the Holy Spirit. He did not feel the need to pray or to speak in tongues. To the amazement of the local islanders who knew how deadly a viper's bite was, Paul simply shook the snake off into the fire and went on gathering fuel.
The secret of Paul's victorious life
What was the secret of Paul's victorious life? He himself explained in 2 Timothy.
"For this reason i also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day" (2 Tim. 1:12, emphasis added).
The secret of Paul's victorious living is summed up in that one word - "committed." He was totally at God's disposal - He believed and yielded to God completely.
In Philippians 3 he stated the supreme ambition of his life:
"Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but on thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead. I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3: 13, 14).
Salvation and Holiness
In some section of the contemporary Church, an unscriptural separation has been introduced between salvation and holiness by careless pastors or teachers of the Word. Holiness is represented as being a kind of optional "add-on" to a package deal salvation. This is an unscriptural attitude toward holiness.
The writer of Hebrews said: "Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord" (Heb. 12:14).
Paul said: "Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Cor. 7:1, emphasis added).
The phrase, "these promises" refers to previous three verses - 2 Cor. 6:16 - 18):
"I (God) will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty".
Obviously, these are wonderful promises of God for people who pursue holiness. And without holiness on one will see the Lord - no salvation. Therefore, acheiving personal holiness is not something that God will do for us. It is something that God offers us the grace to to for ourselves! It cannot be separated from the fear of God. It is the logical outworking of our personal commitment to Jesus and an essential condition of the victory over Satan that God has promised us. Paul knew what holiness meant.
Conclusion
The last two verse of Acts give a wonderful picture of the victory that concluded Paul's tempestuous journey.
"Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him" (Acts 28:30, 31).
An appropriate comment would surely be: "Mission accomplished!" The Gospel for the Gentile has been established in the city that dominated the whole Gentile world - Rome!
Paul, being a person who "did not love his life to the death," is the kind of people we ought to be.
As the time to the end is approaching, the key to success does not depent solely onl what we say or do, but what kind of people we are. We need to live holy and godly lives. We should feel that there is nothing permanent on the earth and that this is not our abiding home. Our great interest are in another world. We should be serious, humble and prayerful; and should make it our great object to be prepared for the solemn scenes through which we are soon to pass. A habitual contemplation of the truth, that all that we see is soon to pass away, would produce a most salutary effect on the mind. It would make us serious. It would repress ambition. It would lead us not to accumulate what must so soon be destroyed. It would prompt us to lay up our treasures in heaven. It would cause us to ask, with deep earnestness, whether we are prepared for these amazing scenes, should they suddenly burst upon us.
The true Christian does not dread the coming of the Day of the Lord. He looks forward to it as the period of his redemption, and would welcome, at any time, the return of the Lord and Savior. While he is willing to wait as long as it shall please God for the advent of His Redeemer, yet to Him the brightest prospect to his future is that hour when He shall come to take him to Himself.
The kind of Christian life we ought to live
In Revelation, John heard a lund voice saying in heaven: "They overcome him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death" (Rev. 12:11, NKJV, emphasis added).
What does it mean - "They did not love their lives to the death"?
I believe it means, for these people (the true Christians) it was more important to do the will of God than to stay alive. In other words, confronted by a situation in which to do the will of God would cost them their lives, that is the price they would pay, they would not look for any alternative way, any way out!
The word I choose to use to describe such Christians is "committed." Such Chrsitians are committed to obeying the Word of God and to doing the will of God regardless of the consequences for their own lives.
Chapter 9:21 - 24 of the Gospel according to Luke pictures an enthusiastic crowd following Jesus, excited by the miracles they have witnessed. But apparently Jesus is more interested in personal commitment than in that kind of enthusiasm:
"Then He said to them all, 'If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it" (Luke 9:23, 24).
The message of Jesus does not promise any easy way through life. On the contrary, in the Sermon on the Mount, He exhorted:
"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who finds it" (Matt. 7:13, 14, emphasis added).
I believe, if your picture of the Christian life does not include God's demands for sacrifice and a life laid down, you may need to question the "way" that you are traveling on. You may discover that you are on the broad, easy way that leads to destruction and not on the narrow, difficult way that leads to life. In the contemporary Church some ministries emphasize only the blessings and benefits of the Christian life and never speak about the conditions that we have to fulfill in order to obtain those blessings and benefits. Such ministries could be compared to a merchant who displays an attractive range of goods, but never attaches a price tag to any of them.
Paul's commitment to his calling
According to Galatians 2:7, God had committed to Paul the responsibility of bringing the Gospel to the "uncircumcised" - i.e. the whole Gentile world (read Acts 27 and 28). The key to this would be to establish a centre in the city of Rome. From there, many different channels would automatically carry the Gospel to the whole ancient world - channels of commerce, education, finance, governmental administration and natural social intercourse. Because of Paul's special calling, he was the person best qualified to establish such a centre in Rome.
Because of the significance of Paul's move to Rome, he encountered tremendous spiritual opposition on his journey there. I do not know if in Paul's day there was anything corresponding to the luxury cruises that are so popular today, but I do know that Paul was not on such a cruise. On the contrary, he was traveling on a freight ship as a prinsoner in chains. Furthermore, the ship was caught up in a storm so horrific that for two full weeks the people on board never caught a glimpse of the sun by day or of the moon and the stars by night.
Satan's challenges for Paul
Luke said: "But after long abstinence from food, then Paul stood in the midst of them and said, 'Men, you should have listened to me, and not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss. And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only the ship. For there stood by my this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve'" (Acts 27:21 - 23, emphasis added).
Paul used two phrases here to describe his relationship to God: "to whom I belong" and "whom I serve." In the economy of God's household, these two can never be separated. If we do not belong to God, we have no right to serve Him. There are no hirelings in God's household. On the other hand, we cannot belong to God if we are not available to Him for His service. God does not welcome to His household spoiled, self-indulgent egoists. They have no place in His Kingdom.
In His Kingdom, God has no place for hirelings. Those who serve in God's Kingdom do so because they are members of His household. This means that we cannot separate the two phrases Pual used to describe himself - "to whom I belong" and "whom I serve."
Eventually, the ship on which Paul and his companions were traveling was dashed against a rocky promontory and began to break up. This gave those on board an opportunity to escape to dry land.
Have you ever wondered: Was Paul in the will of God in this whole experience? I believe that Paul was fully in the will of God, and his whole journey to Rome was ordered by God. But satanic forces that feared the possible impact of Paul's ministry in Rome did everything in their power to destroy him befoe he could reach his destination. The storm that he encountered was not of purely natural original but was brought about by satanic forces in the heavenlies. It was similar to the supernatural storm that destroyed Job's sons and daughters (read Job 1:19).
In His divine wisdom, God sometimes permits His servants who are doing His will to be exposed to the malice and rage of Satan. In this way, they get insight not only into the true nature of the forces that are opposing them, but also into their personal need for persistent vigilance.
Peter said: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lions, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8).
It would be a frightening experience to encounter a hungry lion in search of prey! The Bible never instills fear into us, but, on the other hand, it never encourages us to underestimate the power and the ferocity of our satanic opponents.
After the shipwreck Satan had one more challenge. The people who had escaped safety to land began to collect fuel for fire. Paul did not merely stand on one side waiting for others to get their hands dirty; he was among the first to start gathering fuel. Satan used this as an opportunity to make one final attempt to destroy Paul.
"But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat, and fastened on his hand. So when the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, 'No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, thought he has escaped the sea, yet justice does not allow to live.' But he shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm" (Acts 28:3 - 5).
Out of all 276 people (Acts 27:37), why did the viper choose Paul as its victim? Was there some supernatural intelligence operating through that viper? Behind this was Satan of course!
But Paul was full of the Holy Spirit. He did not feel the need to pray or to speak in tongues. To the amazement of the local islanders who knew how deadly a viper's bite was, Paul simply shook the snake off into the fire and went on gathering fuel.
The secret of Paul's victorious life
What was the secret of Paul's victorious life? He himself explained in 2 Timothy.
"For this reason i also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day" (2 Tim. 1:12, emphasis added).
The secret of Paul's victorious living is summed up in that one word - "committed." He was totally at God's disposal - He believed and yielded to God completely.
In Philippians 3 he stated the supreme ambition of his life:
"Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but on thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead. I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3: 13, 14).
Salvation and Holiness
In some section of the contemporary Church, an unscriptural separation has been introduced between salvation and holiness by careless pastors or teachers of the Word. Holiness is represented as being a kind of optional "add-on" to a package deal salvation. This is an unscriptural attitude toward holiness.
The writer of Hebrews said: "Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord" (Heb. 12:14).
Paul said: "Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Cor. 7:1, emphasis added).
The phrase, "these promises" refers to previous three verses - 2 Cor. 6:16 - 18):
"I (God) will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty".
Obviously, these are wonderful promises of God for people who pursue holiness. And without holiness on one will see the Lord - no salvation. Therefore, acheiving personal holiness is not something that God will do for us. It is something that God offers us the grace to to for ourselves! It cannot be separated from the fear of God. It is the logical outworking of our personal commitment to Jesus and an essential condition of the victory over Satan that God has promised us. Paul knew what holiness meant.
Conclusion
The last two verse of Acts give a wonderful picture of the victory that concluded Paul's tempestuous journey.
"Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him" (Acts 28:30, 31).
An appropriate comment would surely be: "Mission accomplished!" The Gospel for the Gentile has been established in the city that dominated the whole Gentile world - Rome!
Paul, being a person who "did not love his life to the death," is the kind of people we ought to be.
Tuesday, March 02, 2010
Public Ministry and Personal Lives
Very often Christians are impressed by speakers who have "great" public ministry. They heal the sick and cast out demons and work all forms of miracles in Jesus' Name. Very often we are blinded by eloquent speakers and named them as great men of God who have strings of credentials. We welcome them to speak in our Church with opened arms. But one thing we often forget to do. We need to look into the personal lives of all speakers before we invite them to speak in our Church. This is not only a wise thing to do, but also Scriptural.
In Luke 13:24 - 27 Jesus addressed the question - are there few who are saved?
Jesus said: "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open for us.' And He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know you, where you are from,' then you will begin to say. 'We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.' But He will say, 'I tell you I do not know you where you are from. Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity.'" (NKJV, emphasis added)
At the close of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave a similar warning: "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you, depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'" (Matt. 7:21 -23, NKJV, emphasis added)
Personally, I do not believe that the people who made these claims of working miracles were lying. They had actually done what they claimed. But being able to prophesy, cast out demons and work wonders does not necessarily prove that a person is one of God's elect.
In the Lord's answer to these people, there is one significant phrase that occurred three times - "I do not know you ... I do not know you ... I never knew you." They had never been on the list of God's elect. From His perspective in eternity, He had looked below their public ministry into their personal lives. He had searched for the nature of Jesus, the nature of the Lamb, manifested in meekness and purity and holiness. But in vain!
Outwordly, these miracle workers had busy serving the Lord, but in their innermost character God had discerned something described as "lawlessness" or "workers of iniquity." This expressed itself in attitudes such as pride, arrogance, self-seeking, covetousness, personal ambition. For such, He had no place reserved in heaven. There is one unvarying requirement of God that runs through the whole Bible - "... without holiness no one will see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14).
Endurance and Salvation
In His "end-time" discourse (Matthew 24), Jesus revealed another mark which characterizes God's elect - endurance. He gave a brief but vivid picture of the period leading up to the close of the present age (the Church Age).
Jesus said: "Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. ... All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake (verse 9) ... Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved" (Matt. 24:4 - 13, emphasis added).
The phrase, "All these are the beginning of sorrows" was Jesus' description of a "birth pangs" or "labor pains" because they climax in the birth of God's Kingdom on earth. He warned His disciples that they will be subjected to progressively increasing presures.
Notice that the phrase, "He who endures to the end shall be saved" in Greek is more precise - "He who has endured to the end will be saved." In other word, enduring to the end is a requirement for salvation. Only those who have endured will qualify.
It is important to acknowledge that Christians in many parts of the world are already being subjected to tests of this kind. All the things that Jesus spoke about in Matthew 24:9 - 13 have actually been happening, and continue to happen, to Christians in communist lands, such as China and in many Muslim nations. Christians in the Western nations in this century have, for the most part, been exempted from test of this kind, but there is no guarantee that this will continue.
Divine purpose of endurance and tests
There is a divine purpose behind these tests, to which both Jews and Christians are being subjected. As the present age draws to a close, God intends to bring forth a people for His name, who will be fit to share His Kingdom throughout eternity. Therefore He will not spare His people any test that is needed to produce the kind of commitment and character that He requires. The same period of testing that faces Israel likewise faces the Church.
This is not a time, therefore, for Christians to stand back and say, "Let the Jews go through it; they deserve it." Rather, all of us - whether Jews or Christians - need to ask ourselves: are we prepared to go through what it will take to make us what God intends us to be? For those who make the right response, the end result will be a people pleasing to God, fit to share His glory.
Importance of blameless personal life of a minister
Recently a Local Church pastor invited Rev. Daniel Leo (not his real name), a retired pastor, as a special guest speaker to preach in a worship service. He was introduced with an impressive string of credentials published in the Church Bulletin - Graduated from a Bible College in a foreign country. He served as a pastor, a seminar speaker, itinerant speaker/evangelist and the like. He was a director in many sections of a denominational Church and so on ... But the pastor who invited him does not know his personal background. He only knows him as a "highly qualified" itinerant speaker - a deception in my opinion.
I got to know this person (Rev. Daniel Leo) when I was in a Local Church where he served as a pastor. In fact I was already a member of this Church fof about 10 years before he came. Being a member of the Local Church Board I was concerned about members not coming regularly to Church. And so I took time to bring this new pastor to visit some of these members. The first member we visited was a doctor's wife (I just call her SC) whose husband was not a believer. SC was a part time educationist who worked from home. She was a member of this Local Church for more than 15 years (much longer that me) but only came to Church twice a year - Easter Sunrise Service and Christmas Eve Midnight Service. When she saw us, she was extremely apologetic and promised she would begin to attend the Sunday Church Service in two weeks' time. In fact she turned up the following Sunday morning.
The pastor was of course delighted and within a month she took my place in the Local Church Board and was appointed a song leader. By the way she has a good voice. One thing leads to another, and before long, SC became a regular visitor to the parsonage. During that time the pastor's wife had terminal cancer of the lung. SC brought her maid with her to help to do the house chores. Instead of loving, helping and being attentive to her wife and praying for her (who was very weak), the pastor took the opportunity to commit adultery with SC! In fact they were soon caught red-handed by some senior Church members. To make the long story short, the pastor's wife soon died. Members of the Local Church then complained to the Head Office and almost immediately, the pastor was transferred away. Subsequently, SC divorced her husband and married the pastor. The busband of SC soon married again but had died of cancer of the nose within a short period of time. How sad and tragic!
Before the pastor was transferred away with his new wife, he lied to his fellow pastors (in a farewell dinner) in the same city that the Head Office wanted to send him overseas to enhance his music ministry. Of course that was not true. The truth is, he was sent to pastor a small Church in another city.
In my opinion, this pastor's lurid personal life discredited he "calling" as a minister of the Gospel!
What went wrong Biblically?
The shamful things committed by Pastor Daniel Leo, are forbidden by the Word of God - Adultery, divorce and lying.
1. Adultery - Willful sexual intercourse with someone other than one's husband or wife. Jesus expanded the meaning of adultery to include the cultivation of lust: "... who ever looks a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matt. 5:28).
In the Ten Commandments, God emphatically prohibited adultery when He said: "You shall not commit adultery" (Ex. 20:14). Under the Mosaic Law, when a couple was caught in the act of adutery, both parties were to be killed (Deut. 22:22).
Pastor Daniel Leo was not walking in the Spirit, but walking in the flesh:
Paul said: "Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the last of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Sprit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do no do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornicaltion, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outburst of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God" (Gal. 5:16 - 21, emphasis added).
Notice that Paul listed 17 works of the flesh of which "adultery" is numbered first among others. According to Paul those who commit adultery (and other works of the flesh) will not inherit the kingdom of God!
If you invite Pastor Daniel Leo to preach in your Church, you are actually inviting a person who will not inherit the kingdom of God to speak to Christians!
2. Divorce - The legal dissolution of a marriage. The divine ideal for marriage is a lifelong bond that unites husband and wife in a "one flesh" relationship.
Jesus said: "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate" (Matt. 19:4 - 6).
In Matthew, Jesus said: "... whoever divorces his wife for any reason except for sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery" (Matt. 5:32).
In Luke, Jesus said: "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery" (Luke 16:18).
In Mark, Jesus said: "And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery" (Mark 10:12).
According to what Jesus said, and from the standpoint of what pastor Daniel Leo and SC did, it is clear that both of them committed adultery, except that pastor Daneil Leo committed adultery on two counts - one, committed adultery while his wife was still alive; two, committed adultery with a woman divorced from her husband!
It is true that pastor Daniel Leo did not divorce his wife while she was still alive, but SC, his new wife did divorce her husband. Shouldn't the pastor, who knows the Bible, pointed to SC the sin of divorce? There are two possible reasons - one, willful deception or he wasn't sure what the Scripture said!
Another case of a pastor's divorce
It is reported by "Ministry News" that Benny Hinn's wife, Suzanne filed for divorce on Feb. 1, 2010. The divorce papers cited "irreconcilable differences" with the famous healing evangelist. Pastor Benny Hinn and his immediate family were shocked and saddened to learn of this news without any previous notice. The couple has been married for more than 30 years. Although Pastor Hinn has faithfully endeavored to bring healing to their relationship, those efforts failed and were met with the petition for divorce that was filed without notice.
My comment is - you would think that Benny Hinn's wife understood what the Bible says about divorce. If not, wouldn't Benny point out to her even if she refused to listen?
3. Lying - In its very essence, a lie is any statement or act designed to deceive another person. The motivation for most lying is a desire either to hurt the one whom the lie is directed (Gen. 3:1 - 13; Romans 3:13) or to protect onself, usually out of fear or pride (Matt. 26 - 75; Acts 5:1 - 11).
On the other hand, it is possible to be truthful with the intention of hurting another person. The Bible teaches believers to be truthful in love (Eph. 4:24).
The punishment to be meted out to liars is of the severest kind. They are positively and absolutely excluded from heaven (Rev. 21:27; Rev. 22:15), and those who are guilty of this sin are cast into the Lake of fire:
"But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars whall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstones, which is the second death" (Rev. 21:8, emphasis added).
Notice that "all liars" means "liars of all description." Notice also that liars and murderers receive the same penalty!
The psalmist said: "You shall destroy those who speak falsehood; the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man" (Ps. 5:6).
Solomon said: "A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who speaks lies will not escape" (Pro. 19:5).
Conclusion
It is imperative that we examine the personal lives of preachers before we invite them to speak in our Local Church. Preachers' personal lives reflect their credibility in Christian ministry.
In Luke 13:24 - 27 Jesus addressed the question - are there few who are saved?
Jesus said: "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open for us.' And He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know you, where you are from,' then you will begin to say. 'We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.' But He will say, 'I tell you I do not know you where you are from. Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity.'" (NKJV, emphasis added)
At the close of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave a similar warning: "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you, depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'" (Matt. 7:21 -23, NKJV, emphasis added)
Personally, I do not believe that the people who made these claims of working miracles were lying. They had actually done what they claimed. But being able to prophesy, cast out demons and work wonders does not necessarily prove that a person is one of God's elect.
In the Lord's answer to these people, there is one significant phrase that occurred three times - "I do not know you ... I do not know you ... I never knew you." They had never been on the list of God's elect. From His perspective in eternity, He had looked below their public ministry into their personal lives. He had searched for the nature of Jesus, the nature of the Lamb, manifested in meekness and purity and holiness. But in vain!
Outwordly, these miracle workers had busy serving the Lord, but in their innermost character God had discerned something described as "lawlessness" or "workers of iniquity." This expressed itself in attitudes such as pride, arrogance, self-seeking, covetousness, personal ambition. For such, He had no place reserved in heaven. There is one unvarying requirement of God that runs through the whole Bible - "... without holiness no one will see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14).
Endurance and Salvation
In His "end-time" discourse (Matthew 24), Jesus revealed another mark which characterizes God's elect - endurance. He gave a brief but vivid picture of the period leading up to the close of the present age (the Church Age).
Jesus said: "Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. ... All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake (verse 9) ... Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved" (Matt. 24:4 - 13, emphasis added).
The phrase, "All these are the beginning of sorrows" was Jesus' description of a "birth pangs" or "labor pains" because they climax in the birth of God's Kingdom on earth. He warned His disciples that they will be subjected to progressively increasing presures.
Notice that the phrase, "He who endures to the end shall be saved" in Greek is more precise - "He who has endured to the end will be saved." In other word, enduring to the end is a requirement for salvation. Only those who have endured will qualify.
It is important to acknowledge that Christians in many parts of the world are already being subjected to tests of this kind. All the things that Jesus spoke about in Matthew 24:9 - 13 have actually been happening, and continue to happen, to Christians in communist lands, such as China and in many Muslim nations. Christians in the Western nations in this century have, for the most part, been exempted from test of this kind, but there is no guarantee that this will continue.
Divine purpose of endurance and tests
There is a divine purpose behind these tests, to which both Jews and Christians are being subjected. As the present age draws to a close, God intends to bring forth a people for His name, who will be fit to share His Kingdom throughout eternity. Therefore He will not spare His people any test that is needed to produce the kind of commitment and character that He requires. The same period of testing that faces Israel likewise faces the Church.
This is not a time, therefore, for Christians to stand back and say, "Let the Jews go through it; they deserve it." Rather, all of us - whether Jews or Christians - need to ask ourselves: are we prepared to go through what it will take to make us what God intends us to be? For those who make the right response, the end result will be a people pleasing to God, fit to share His glory.
Importance of blameless personal life of a minister
Recently a Local Church pastor invited Rev. Daniel Leo (not his real name), a retired pastor, as a special guest speaker to preach in a worship service. He was introduced with an impressive string of credentials published in the Church Bulletin - Graduated from a Bible College in a foreign country. He served as a pastor, a seminar speaker, itinerant speaker/evangelist and the like. He was a director in many sections of a denominational Church and so on ... But the pastor who invited him does not know his personal background. He only knows him as a "highly qualified" itinerant speaker - a deception in my opinion.
I got to know this person (Rev. Daniel Leo) when I was in a Local Church where he served as a pastor. In fact I was already a member of this Church fof about 10 years before he came. Being a member of the Local Church Board I was concerned about members not coming regularly to Church. And so I took time to bring this new pastor to visit some of these members. The first member we visited was a doctor's wife (I just call her SC) whose husband was not a believer. SC was a part time educationist who worked from home. She was a member of this Local Church for more than 15 years (much longer that me) but only came to Church twice a year - Easter Sunrise Service and Christmas Eve Midnight Service. When she saw us, she was extremely apologetic and promised she would begin to attend the Sunday Church Service in two weeks' time. In fact she turned up the following Sunday morning.
The pastor was of course delighted and within a month she took my place in the Local Church Board and was appointed a song leader. By the way she has a good voice. One thing leads to another, and before long, SC became a regular visitor to the parsonage. During that time the pastor's wife had terminal cancer of the lung. SC brought her maid with her to help to do the house chores. Instead of loving, helping and being attentive to her wife and praying for her (who was very weak), the pastor took the opportunity to commit adultery with SC! In fact they were soon caught red-handed by some senior Church members. To make the long story short, the pastor's wife soon died. Members of the Local Church then complained to the Head Office and almost immediately, the pastor was transferred away. Subsequently, SC divorced her husband and married the pastor. The busband of SC soon married again but had died of cancer of the nose within a short period of time. How sad and tragic!
Before the pastor was transferred away with his new wife, he lied to his fellow pastors (in a farewell dinner) in the same city that the Head Office wanted to send him overseas to enhance his music ministry. Of course that was not true. The truth is, he was sent to pastor a small Church in another city.
In my opinion, this pastor's lurid personal life discredited he "calling" as a minister of the Gospel!
What went wrong Biblically?
The shamful things committed by Pastor Daniel Leo, are forbidden by the Word of God - Adultery, divorce and lying.
1. Adultery - Willful sexual intercourse with someone other than one's husband or wife. Jesus expanded the meaning of adultery to include the cultivation of lust: "... who ever looks a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matt. 5:28).
In the Ten Commandments, God emphatically prohibited adultery when He said: "You shall not commit adultery" (Ex. 20:14). Under the Mosaic Law, when a couple was caught in the act of adutery, both parties were to be killed (Deut. 22:22).
Pastor Daniel Leo was not walking in the Spirit, but walking in the flesh:
Paul said: "Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the last of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Sprit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do no do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornicaltion, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outburst of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God" (Gal. 5:16 - 21, emphasis added).
Notice that Paul listed 17 works of the flesh of which "adultery" is numbered first among others. According to Paul those who commit adultery (and other works of the flesh) will not inherit the kingdom of God!
If you invite Pastor Daniel Leo to preach in your Church, you are actually inviting a person who will not inherit the kingdom of God to speak to Christians!
2. Divorce - The legal dissolution of a marriage. The divine ideal for marriage is a lifelong bond that unites husband and wife in a "one flesh" relationship.
Jesus said: "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate" (Matt. 19:4 - 6).
In Matthew, Jesus said: "... whoever divorces his wife for any reason except for sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery" (Matt. 5:32).
In Luke, Jesus said: "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery" (Luke 16:18).
In Mark, Jesus said: "And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery" (Mark 10:12).
According to what Jesus said, and from the standpoint of what pastor Daniel Leo and SC did, it is clear that both of them committed adultery, except that pastor Daneil Leo committed adultery on two counts - one, committed adultery while his wife was still alive; two, committed adultery with a woman divorced from her husband!
It is true that pastor Daniel Leo did not divorce his wife while she was still alive, but SC, his new wife did divorce her husband. Shouldn't the pastor, who knows the Bible, pointed to SC the sin of divorce? There are two possible reasons - one, willful deception or he wasn't sure what the Scripture said!
Another case of a pastor's divorce
It is reported by "Ministry News" that Benny Hinn's wife, Suzanne filed for divorce on Feb. 1, 2010. The divorce papers cited "irreconcilable differences" with the famous healing evangelist. Pastor Benny Hinn and his immediate family were shocked and saddened to learn of this news without any previous notice. The couple has been married for more than 30 years. Although Pastor Hinn has faithfully endeavored to bring healing to their relationship, those efforts failed and were met with the petition for divorce that was filed without notice.
My comment is - you would think that Benny Hinn's wife understood what the Bible says about divorce. If not, wouldn't Benny point out to her even if she refused to listen?
3. Lying - In its very essence, a lie is any statement or act designed to deceive another person. The motivation for most lying is a desire either to hurt the one whom the lie is directed (Gen. 3:1 - 13; Romans 3:13) or to protect onself, usually out of fear or pride (Matt. 26 - 75; Acts 5:1 - 11).
On the other hand, it is possible to be truthful with the intention of hurting another person. The Bible teaches believers to be truthful in love (Eph. 4:24).
The punishment to be meted out to liars is of the severest kind. They are positively and absolutely excluded from heaven (Rev. 21:27; Rev. 22:15), and those who are guilty of this sin are cast into the Lake of fire:
"But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars whall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstones, which is the second death" (Rev. 21:8, emphasis added).
Notice that "all liars" means "liars of all description." Notice also that liars and murderers receive the same penalty!
The psalmist said: "You shall destroy those who speak falsehood; the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man" (Ps. 5:6).
Solomon said: "A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who speaks lies will not escape" (Pro. 19:5).
Conclusion
It is imperative that we examine the personal lives of preachers before we invite them to speak in our Local Church. Preachers' personal lives reflect their credibility in Christian ministry.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Self and God
What could be wrong with the complete freedom that Eve sought to fulfill her desires? After all isn't freedom essential to love? The trouble is, in exercising her freedom Eve showed no love whatsoever either for Adam or God. Genuine love, made possible by freedom of choice, providentially carries within itself that which holds the reins on the freedom it requires. In contrast, "free love" destroys both freedom and love.
The law could never make us good. It could only tempt us, as Paul pointed out, to do what it forbids:
"What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I woul not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, 'You shall not covet.' But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produce in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead. I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me. Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good" (Romans 7:1 - 11, NKJV).
Love alone is able to restrict our conduct and even cause us to fulfill the law:
"Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law" (Romans 13:10).
Genuine Divine Love
Listen to Paul's beautiful description of genuine divine love:
"Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks now evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoice in truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away" (1 Cor. 13:4 - 8, emphasis added).
Love forgets self and abandons self-interest in order to please the one who is loved. How incongruous, then, is the term "self-love?" Where demands are made for self and complaints are voiced of not being treated fairly or not being "responded to," one may be absolutely certain that true divine love is not present, for love "does not seek its own." Our fallen hearts are not capable of such divine love. it can only be ours through the transformation of the new birth and the empowering of the Holy Spirit. But, even in the average Local Church, many so-called Christians (including some pastors) are transformed by the new birth, but few are empowered by the Holy Spirit. Why? Because of the love of self!
Love of self or Love of God
Affectionate feelings and deep passions do not necessarily spring from genuine love. The words, "I love you," from the lips of a couple "deeply fallen in love," though spoken with fervor, too often mean "I love me and I want you!" Beware, for lust habitually masquerades as love and had deceived multitudes. When the mask at last has slipped, as it eventually does, the horrible truth is revealed - but so often too late!
Where love's restrictions are not observed and self is not denied so that God can reign supreme, there is no love, no matter how eloquently it may be professed. Satan, being incapable of genuine love, knows not the difference between love and lust. Those who follow him become similarly blinded by their own sensual appetites. Self seeks nothing but its own desires and will protest its fervent and loyal affection to gain satisfaction for its cravings.
True love has no higher joy than pleasing the one who is loved. Jesus gave us the secret of victory in the Christian life:
Jesus said: "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him. If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me" (John 14:21, 23, 24).
Love delights in obeying God - and in so doing brings blessing to those on earth who are loved as well.
It cannot be emphasized enough that the battle of the ages which began with Satan's rebellion now rages in every human heart. The conflict is between self and God. It is whom one love, self or God, that determines one's behavior. The crucial choice each one of us faces many times a day, is whether to love and serve self or to love and serve God. That conflict needs to be settled once and for all so that we are no longer double-minded.
Self-love, which is the very heart of Satan's rebellion, is the partner of lust. The "love" it gives exists only in order to satisfy its own needs by getting something in return. It cannot exist side-by-side with the love for God, which must be selfless. One cannot be devoted to God and at the same time be devoted to serving and pleasing oneself, which is what it means to love self. In order to be His followers, Jesus said we must deny this loyalty to and love of ourselves. We must give ourselves to God and others as He gave Himself for us. Even love between husband and wife, parent and child, neighbors and friends, must be selfless or it is not genuine.
While Satan was the originator of evil in the universe at large, it was Adam and Eve who introduced it to this earth. Eve was deceived, but Adam was not (1 Timothy 2:14). However, in God's eyes, his sin was worse than Eve's - he disobeyed God knowingly, and quite likely because he didn't want to be separated from his wife. Together, they were separated from God, a spiritual death into which we, as their offspring, are all born:
Paul said: "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned" (Romans 5:12).
Depravity and the Power of Choice
The many similarities of Lucifer's rebellion and fall which we find in the case of Adam and Eve are, of course, no coincidence. As it was with Lucifer, so with Adam and Eve (and with us as well). There was no "explanation" - and thus no excuse - for their willful and rebellious disobedience. Evil remains a mystey, hidden in the depths of the human heart where it was nourished by Satan. The power of choice was part of the image of God in which we were created, and it opened the door to both love and evil.
That Adam and Eve had the power to make a genuine choice is evident from the fact that God commanded them not to eat of "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" (Genesis 2:17) and held them accountable when they disobeyed. That their offspring, though depraved and enslaved by sin, still have the moral capacity to choose either good or evil is evident by God's continued appeals to mankind to obey Him: "Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve" (Joshua 24:15).
Paul, being a natural man, declared: "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find" (Romans 7:18).
He went on to explain that he lacked the power to put his good desires into practice. It was not the ability to choose to do good that was lacking, but the power to perform.
Obedience is a conscious choice that man has the capacity for, and must make from his heart. Disobedience is the choice of not to obey. There is no denying that choice is essential to our humanity as God made us. There is no denying that God gave each one of us a conscience on which He wrote His laws:
Paul said: ".... when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them ..." (Romans 2:14, 15, emphasis added).
Because of our conscience, we have the capacity to choose what is right and to resist what is wrong and we do so in varying degree. In other words, not every person engages in evil to the maximum. Because of this fact, "total depravity" of the natural man does not exist. We are all depraved, but we are not all Hitler. We are immoral creatures, but each of us resists much immorality while falling prey to some. Not everyone has robbed, raped, or murdered. Most of humanity has perhaps never even been tempted to commit such heinous crimes. If we were totally depraved, however, all of us would pursue evil without any restraint.
The Mystery of Evil and the Denial of Self
Adam and Eve were perfect creatures made by God in His image to glorify Him. Lucifer, too, was "perfect in his way from the day he was created" (Ezekiel 28:15). How is it possible that perfect beings living in the paradise of God's presence could rebel against the God who had made them, who had only loved and cared for and given them every benefit His wisdom could devise? It seems inconceivable! That evil could arise in such creatures and under such circumstances points to the mystery of evil that dwells in each of our hearts!
The central role played by the love of self in man's rebellion against God is the reason for Christ's unequivocal command that we must deny self:
"If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me" (Matt. 16:24). Read also Mark 8:24; Luke 9:23.
Someone said, to deny oneself means to say no to oneself. This self which must be denied, if we are to cease following Satan and become the followers of Christ, had its awful birth in the Garden of Eden. Eve's disobedience was motivated by her love of self, which produced and satisfied selfish desires.
The Cult of Self
Satan's claim that he alone had the correct interpretation of what God had said is the foundation of every cult. Those who join a cult do so because its perverted interpretation of Scripture appeals to them. Appealing, too, is the fact that its leader decides and dictates what each member should believe and do. Cultists mistakenly imagine that by submission to such absolute authority, whether guru, pastor or pope, they can escape personal responsibility of God. Self-interest motivates the members of any cult. Whoever truly loves and seeks God, however, will be delivered from self-deception.
Not so in the case of Eve. She had found a religious leader (the serpent) whose new interpretation of what God had said was exactly what she wanted to hear. God had forbidden the pair to eat the fruit of one particular tree and had warned that disobedience would bring death. The serpent dismissed God's warnings as restrictive and narow-minded and assured Eve that liberation from such dogmatic authoritarianism would bring glorious self-fulfillment. It would even turn her into a god.
Eve chose to put self ahead of God. There can be no doubt that she loved self instead of God. But is self-love wrong? After all, Christ did say: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matt. 22:39). True, but He was not commanding self-love; He was correcting it! His command proves that we innately do love ourselves.
The fact is that we all innately love ourselves - and far too much. That sentiment has been inherited from Adam and Even and has firm roots deep within us all. Do we not lavish attention upon ourselves? Is not self-preservation and self-protection our primary instinct? We zealously clothe and feed and comfort and care for ourselves. Christ was simply saying, "Give some of the attention and care to your neighbor that you squander upon yourself!"
The Image of God and Divine Remedy
We are created in the image of God. "Image," immediately brings to mind a mirror. Interestingly enough, a mirror's only purpose is to reflect an image of something other than itself.
If there is something defective about its image, the mirror needs two remedies:
1. To be cleaned so that nothing of self interferes.
2. To be restored to a right relationship with the one whose image it was designed to reflect.
Having been seduced by Satan, our natural bent is to try to develop God's image in which we were made from within self. But such effort can only destroy God's image that we are to reflect. So, what is the real remedy for us? God wants our repentance and then we'll receive His forgiveness.
In love, God desired to forgive these rebels (all of us) and restore them to Himself. It would, however take more than a bookkeeping entry in heaven. Both love and justice demanded that the full penalty for sin be paid. As finite beings we could never pay that penalty, but would have been separated for eternity from God. By God's grace, Christ, who is both God and man and thus both sinless and infinite, bore the consequences of our sin. As a free gift, He offers full pardon and eternal life to all who will admit their sin and accept his pament of the penalty in their place. How unsearchable is the wisdom of God!
Many parents fail to follow God's example when their children disobey. They back away from discipline, and the child never learns the serious consequences of rebellion. Failure to discipline shows a lack of love, encourages the self-will that dwells in every heart, and courts increasing disaster!
The law could never make us good. It could only tempt us, as Paul pointed out, to do what it forbids:
"What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I woul not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, 'You shall not covet.' But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produce in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead. I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me. Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good" (Romans 7:1 - 11, NKJV).
Love alone is able to restrict our conduct and even cause us to fulfill the law:
"Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law" (Romans 13:10).
Genuine Divine Love
Listen to Paul's beautiful description of genuine divine love:
"Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks now evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoice in truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away" (1 Cor. 13:4 - 8, emphasis added).
Love forgets self and abandons self-interest in order to please the one who is loved. How incongruous, then, is the term "self-love?" Where demands are made for self and complaints are voiced of not being treated fairly or not being "responded to," one may be absolutely certain that true divine love is not present, for love "does not seek its own." Our fallen hearts are not capable of such divine love. it can only be ours through the transformation of the new birth and the empowering of the Holy Spirit. But, even in the average Local Church, many so-called Christians (including some pastors) are transformed by the new birth, but few are empowered by the Holy Spirit. Why? Because of the love of self!
Love of self or Love of God
Affectionate feelings and deep passions do not necessarily spring from genuine love. The words, "I love you," from the lips of a couple "deeply fallen in love," though spoken with fervor, too often mean "I love me and I want you!" Beware, for lust habitually masquerades as love and had deceived multitudes. When the mask at last has slipped, as it eventually does, the horrible truth is revealed - but so often too late!
Where love's restrictions are not observed and self is not denied so that God can reign supreme, there is no love, no matter how eloquently it may be professed. Satan, being incapable of genuine love, knows not the difference between love and lust. Those who follow him become similarly blinded by their own sensual appetites. Self seeks nothing but its own desires and will protest its fervent and loyal affection to gain satisfaction for its cravings.
True love has no higher joy than pleasing the one who is loved. Jesus gave us the secret of victory in the Christian life:
Jesus said: "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him. If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me" (John 14:21, 23, 24).
Love delights in obeying God - and in so doing brings blessing to those on earth who are loved as well.
It cannot be emphasized enough that the battle of the ages which began with Satan's rebellion now rages in every human heart. The conflict is between self and God. It is whom one love, self or God, that determines one's behavior. The crucial choice each one of us faces many times a day, is whether to love and serve self or to love and serve God. That conflict needs to be settled once and for all so that we are no longer double-minded.
Self-love, which is the very heart of Satan's rebellion, is the partner of lust. The "love" it gives exists only in order to satisfy its own needs by getting something in return. It cannot exist side-by-side with the love for God, which must be selfless. One cannot be devoted to God and at the same time be devoted to serving and pleasing oneself, which is what it means to love self. In order to be His followers, Jesus said we must deny this loyalty to and love of ourselves. We must give ourselves to God and others as He gave Himself for us. Even love between husband and wife, parent and child, neighbors and friends, must be selfless or it is not genuine.
While Satan was the originator of evil in the universe at large, it was Adam and Eve who introduced it to this earth. Eve was deceived, but Adam was not (1 Timothy 2:14). However, in God's eyes, his sin was worse than Eve's - he disobeyed God knowingly, and quite likely because he didn't want to be separated from his wife. Together, they were separated from God, a spiritual death into which we, as their offspring, are all born:
Paul said: "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned" (Romans 5:12).
Depravity and the Power of Choice
The many similarities of Lucifer's rebellion and fall which we find in the case of Adam and Eve are, of course, no coincidence. As it was with Lucifer, so with Adam and Eve (and with us as well). There was no "explanation" - and thus no excuse - for their willful and rebellious disobedience. Evil remains a mystey, hidden in the depths of the human heart where it was nourished by Satan. The power of choice was part of the image of God in which we were created, and it opened the door to both love and evil.
That Adam and Eve had the power to make a genuine choice is evident from the fact that God commanded them not to eat of "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" (Genesis 2:17) and held them accountable when they disobeyed. That their offspring, though depraved and enslaved by sin, still have the moral capacity to choose either good or evil is evident by God's continued appeals to mankind to obey Him: "Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve" (Joshua 24:15).
Paul, being a natural man, declared: "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find" (Romans 7:18).
He went on to explain that he lacked the power to put his good desires into practice. It was not the ability to choose to do good that was lacking, but the power to perform.
Obedience is a conscious choice that man has the capacity for, and must make from his heart. Disobedience is the choice of not to obey. There is no denying that choice is essential to our humanity as God made us. There is no denying that God gave each one of us a conscience on which He wrote His laws:
Paul said: ".... when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them ..." (Romans 2:14, 15, emphasis added).
Because of our conscience, we have the capacity to choose what is right and to resist what is wrong and we do so in varying degree. In other words, not every person engages in evil to the maximum. Because of this fact, "total depravity" of the natural man does not exist. We are all depraved, but we are not all Hitler. We are immoral creatures, but each of us resists much immorality while falling prey to some. Not everyone has robbed, raped, or murdered. Most of humanity has perhaps never even been tempted to commit such heinous crimes. If we were totally depraved, however, all of us would pursue evil without any restraint.
The Mystery of Evil and the Denial of Self
Adam and Eve were perfect creatures made by God in His image to glorify Him. Lucifer, too, was "perfect in his way from the day he was created" (Ezekiel 28:15). How is it possible that perfect beings living in the paradise of God's presence could rebel against the God who had made them, who had only loved and cared for and given them every benefit His wisdom could devise? It seems inconceivable! That evil could arise in such creatures and under such circumstances points to the mystery of evil that dwells in each of our hearts!
The central role played by the love of self in man's rebellion against God is the reason for Christ's unequivocal command that we must deny self:
"If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me" (Matt. 16:24). Read also Mark 8:24; Luke 9:23.
Someone said, to deny oneself means to say no to oneself. This self which must be denied, if we are to cease following Satan and become the followers of Christ, had its awful birth in the Garden of Eden. Eve's disobedience was motivated by her love of self, which produced and satisfied selfish desires.
The Cult of Self
Satan's claim that he alone had the correct interpretation of what God had said is the foundation of every cult. Those who join a cult do so because its perverted interpretation of Scripture appeals to them. Appealing, too, is the fact that its leader decides and dictates what each member should believe and do. Cultists mistakenly imagine that by submission to such absolute authority, whether guru, pastor or pope, they can escape personal responsibility of God. Self-interest motivates the members of any cult. Whoever truly loves and seeks God, however, will be delivered from self-deception.
Not so in the case of Eve. She had found a religious leader (the serpent) whose new interpretation of what God had said was exactly what she wanted to hear. God had forbidden the pair to eat the fruit of one particular tree and had warned that disobedience would bring death. The serpent dismissed God's warnings as restrictive and narow-minded and assured Eve that liberation from such dogmatic authoritarianism would bring glorious self-fulfillment. It would even turn her into a god.
Eve chose to put self ahead of God. There can be no doubt that she loved self instead of God. But is self-love wrong? After all, Christ did say: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matt. 22:39). True, but He was not commanding self-love; He was correcting it! His command proves that we innately do love ourselves.
The fact is that we all innately love ourselves - and far too much. That sentiment has been inherited from Adam and Even and has firm roots deep within us all. Do we not lavish attention upon ourselves? Is not self-preservation and self-protection our primary instinct? We zealously clothe and feed and comfort and care for ourselves. Christ was simply saying, "Give some of the attention and care to your neighbor that you squander upon yourself!"
The Image of God and Divine Remedy
We are created in the image of God. "Image," immediately brings to mind a mirror. Interestingly enough, a mirror's only purpose is to reflect an image of something other than itself.
If there is something defective about its image, the mirror needs two remedies:
1. To be cleaned so that nothing of self interferes.
2. To be restored to a right relationship with the one whose image it was designed to reflect.
Having been seduced by Satan, our natural bent is to try to develop God's image in which we were made from within self. But such effort can only destroy God's image that we are to reflect. So, what is the real remedy for us? God wants our repentance and then we'll receive His forgiveness.
In love, God desired to forgive these rebels (all of us) and restore them to Himself. It would, however take more than a bookkeeping entry in heaven. Both love and justice demanded that the full penalty for sin be paid. As finite beings we could never pay that penalty, but would have been separated for eternity from God. By God's grace, Christ, who is both God and man and thus both sinless and infinite, bore the consequences of our sin. As a free gift, He offers full pardon and eternal life to all who will admit their sin and accept his pament of the penalty in their place. How unsearchable is the wisdom of God!
Many parents fail to follow God's example when their children disobey. They back away from discipline, and the child never learns the serious consequences of rebellion. Failure to discipline shows a lack of love, encourages the self-will that dwells in every heart, and courts increasing disaster!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Imminent Pre-tribulation Rapture
Many Bible teachers are still arguing about the Rapture of the Church. Is it going to be a pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation or post-tribulation Rapture? Let us search the Scripture and then look from the standpoint of God's love and wisdom and logic.
Biblical proofs of a Pre-tribulation Rapture
There are several proofs that the true Church will not pass through the Great Tribulation:
First proof
As true Christians, we are in Christ, we cannot be judged a second time. Our sins were judged at the cross of Calvary, borne by the sinless Savior. By offering His own body as a sacrifice, He made all who believe in Him justified and righteous before God.
The Great Tribulation is a seven-year period of the most dreadful nature that will come to those wicked people who rebelled against God and forsook the path of faith. If the Church were to pass through it, we would undergo a second judgment, as if Jesus' sacrifice were not sufficient to justify us, and that is impossible. Therefore the Holy Spirit will translate the Church before the Great Tribulation.
Second proof
We see a pattern of what will happen in the stories of Noah and Sodom and Gomorrah. Let us look first at the time of Noah (Gen 6 - 8).
Following Noah's repeated cry that God would judge the world, the flood finally came and lasted forty days and forty nights. Just before that, however, He caused the eight members of Noah's family to enter the ark and escape the flood. Then came God's judgment.
Jesus said: "But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be" (Matt. 24:37, NKJV).
God let Noah and his family escaped the flood by taking refuge in the ark before He judged the world. How much more will He make a way of escape from the Great Tribulation for those whom Jesus Christ bought with the price of His own blood and sealed with the Holy Spirit? It would be contrary to God's nature for Him to make no difference between His saints and the rest of the world, judging us the same as He judges them. A pre-tribulation Rapture is therefore, imperative.
Actually, both Noah and those who rejected his preaching were taken away. Noah and his family were taken away by the ark, borne up on the water (a picture, though not a perfect one, of the Rapture), and the wicked were taken away to death by the flood-waters of judgment.
Consider also Sodom and Gomorrah. Though Lot lived there by his own free will, yet God, knowing him to be a righteous man, spared the lives of Lot and his family when He rained down judgment. Lot and his family were taken out of Sodom by the angels (a type of Rapture), and after their departure to safety, God's judgment fell (a type of the Great Tribulation). Not until angels had led them safely away did He loose the fire and brimstones (Gen. 19:15 - 29). The pre-tribulation Rapture could not be depicted more accurately.
Thus God rescues those whom He has chosen and who have trusted in Him by faith. And so shall we who have been justified by the precious blood of Jesus escape the Great Tribulation.
Third proof
The fact that the Church is mentioned often in Revelation 1 - 3, but not once in Chapters 4 - 19, also suggests it will not pass through the Great Tribulation. If we were going to endure it, we would surely find references to the Church in those chapters. The word "saint" is used often, however, in those chapters. It may refer to people who become Chrsitians ofter the Rapture. At least by its silence, then, this portion of Revelation strongly suggests the Church will no pass through the Great Tribulation.
Forth proof
Jesus Himself indicated the Church will not pass through the Great Tribulation in Luke 21:
Jesus said: "But take heed to yourselves; lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and care of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man" (Luke 21:34 - 36).
Did Jesus say we should make preparation to pass through all the things that will happen to us? No. He said we must watch and pray so that we may escape all the things that will happen and to stand before Him.
Fifth proof
Paul said: "Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming" (2 Thess. 2:3 - 8, emphasis added).
Here are some statements of truth:
1. The "Day" is the Rapture of the Church. It will only come after the "falling away" (the great apostasy) of the Church and the Antichrist is revealed (made manifest).
2. The man of sin or the son of perdition is the Antichrist. He will exalt himself above God.
3. The Church, being "a dwelling place of God in the Spirit" (Eph. 2:22), is restraining the revelation of the Antichrist. God, the Holy Spirit is present in this world in a unique way that was not true before the Church was formed nor will be so after Church is removed in the Rapture. When the Church is taken to heaven, that special presence of the Holy Spirit will also be removed, though He will be here as God omnipresent as He eternally is throughout the entire universe. When the Church is taken out of the way (by Rapture), the Antichrist will be revealed. The period of reign of the Antichrist is the period of the Great Tribulation.
4. The Lord will destroy the Antichrist with the brightness of His coming - the Second Coming of Christ. This comes after the Rapture. Again this indicates that the Rapture comes before the Great Tribulation.
Sixth proof
In Revelation 19:14 - "And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses," we find Christ coming to earth with His armies at Armageddon to rescue Israel. Further description is in Ezekiel 38 and 39 and Zechariah 12 - 14. The bride of Christ is also clothed in fine linen (Rev. 19:8). So, there is every reason to believe that she, and the saints of all ages, comprises at least a large part of these armies. The bride and these saints of all ages could hardly be part of the armies in heaven had they never been to heaven. Nor could they accompany Christ from heaven had they not been taken up there previously. Again we find compelling evidence that the Rapture of the Church must take place some time prior to Armageddon.
The Rapture and the Second Coming are two separate events
The Rapture and the Second Coming are two distinct events - one occuring at the beginning and the other at the end of Daniel's seventieth week (Daniel Chapter 9). Christ must first of all come for His saints to rapture them to heaven, or He could never come with His saints from heaven to rescue Israel at Armageddon.
The Rapture will occur when least expected; the Second Coming takes place only after all the signs have been given and everyone should know that Christ is about to return in glory and power. The Rapture comes in the midst of peace (1 Thess. 5:3); the Second Coming in the midst of war (Rev. 19:11 - 21). One simply cannot put into one time frame and one event the mutually exclusive statements made in the New Testament Rapture and the Second Coming.
Many Christians fail to understand there are still two comings of Christ after His resurrection. It is true that both the Old Testament and the New Testament do not explicitly say so. But the conclusion was inescapable. The Messiah was not only going to reign, He was going to be killed. One could not put into one time frame and one event what the Old Testament said about the coming of the Messiah. Failure to understand the two comings cause multitudes to reject Jesus.
The same is true today: There are many who call themselves Christians who will end up following the Antichrist, thinking he is Christ. The reason for their confusion is basically the same as it was the first time Christ came. They will be focusing upon and even seeking to build an earthly kingdom and will be taken to heaven. Failure to understand the Rapture and the Second Coming are two different events separated by seven years lies at the heart of this confusion.
That these are two distinct events is also clear from Christ's own words: "In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and recieve you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also" (John 14:2, 3).
Paul said: "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord" (1 Thess. 4:16, 17).
That is what the Rapture is all about - Christ catching up His bride to present her to His Father. The Second Coming has an entirely different purpose - to rescue Israel in the midst of Armageddon and to destroy the Antichrist and his evil world empire.
More on the Rapture
Let us study more about the Rapture. Paul sid: "Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed - in a moment, in the twinkling of and eye, at the last rumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed" (1 Cor. 15:51. 52).
We will soon depart from this old world of sin and sorrow! One glad day all true Christians will be caught up bodily and alive into heaven! The souls and spirits of those who had previously died believing in Christ, having been consciously with Him in the interim, will come with their Lord from heaven to rejoin their glorious resurrected bodies. Those alive at the time of His return, their bodies instantly transformed as will, will be caught up together with the saints of all ages to meet Christ somewhere above planet earth. From there He will personally escort this innumerable throng into the presence of His Father in heaven, as He promised.
The Church and the Antichrist cannot coexist on earth
The true Church would not tolerate the Antichrist for a moment. She would expose his identity, prove it from the Scripture, and oppose him. She would actively warn others and stand solidly in the way of the Antichrist and his diabolical machinations. Satan's plans through the Antichrist cannot go forward until the Church has been removed.
Furthermore, if the Church were persent during the Great Tribulation, she would be wiped out by the Antichrist. But that would not be allowed by God. He who protects the Church, who said: "The gates of Hades shall not prevail against it" (Matt. 16:18), is the same One who gives the Antichrist the power to "make war with the saints and to overcome them" (Rev. 13:17).
The only way both to protect the Church and allow the Antichrist to kill all the remaining saints is to remove the Church. The remaining saints who are killed by the Antichrist are those who have previously rejected the truth but become believers in Christ during the Great Tribulation. They pay for their faith with their blood (Rev. 6:9 - 11; 7:14).
A post-tribulation or mid-tribulation Rapture would be a classic nonevent. There would be few if any believers in Christ to take to heaven. They would all have been killed, for such is the fate of those who refuse to take the mark of the beast (Antichrist) and worship his image. Submission to the Antichrist is the only way to stay alive during the Great Tribulation. For those, however, who take the mark of the beast and worship his image there is an even worse fate (Rev. 14:9 -11).
Finally, a post-tribulation or mid- tribulation Rapture removes an essential factor involved in the Rapture - Imminency. The Bible teaches that Christ could have come at any time in history. There is nothing to prevent Him from coming at this very moment!
Biblical proofs of a Pre-tribulation Rapture
There are several proofs that the true Church will not pass through the Great Tribulation:
First proof
As true Christians, we are in Christ, we cannot be judged a second time. Our sins were judged at the cross of Calvary, borne by the sinless Savior. By offering His own body as a sacrifice, He made all who believe in Him justified and righteous before God.
The Great Tribulation is a seven-year period of the most dreadful nature that will come to those wicked people who rebelled against God and forsook the path of faith. If the Church were to pass through it, we would undergo a second judgment, as if Jesus' sacrifice were not sufficient to justify us, and that is impossible. Therefore the Holy Spirit will translate the Church before the Great Tribulation.
Second proof
We see a pattern of what will happen in the stories of Noah and Sodom and Gomorrah. Let us look first at the time of Noah (Gen 6 - 8).
Following Noah's repeated cry that God would judge the world, the flood finally came and lasted forty days and forty nights. Just before that, however, He caused the eight members of Noah's family to enter the ark and escape the flood. Then came God's judgment.
Jesus said: "But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be" (Matt. 24:37, NKJV).
God let Noah and his family escaped the flood by taking refuge in the ark before He judged the world. How much more will He make a way of escape from the Great Tribulation for those whom Jesus Christ bought with the price of His own blood and sealed with the Holy Spirit? It would be contrary to God's nature for Him to make no difference between His saints and the rest of the world, judging us the same as He judges them. A pre-tribulation Rapture is therefore, imperative.
Actually, both Noah and those who rejected his preaching were taken away. Noah and his family were taken away by the ark, borne up on the water (a picture, though not a perfect one, of the Rapture), and the wicked were taken away to death by the flood-waters of judgment.
Consider also Sodom and Gomorrah. Though Lot lived there by his own free will, yet God, knowing him to be a righteous man, spared the lives of Lot and his family when He rained down judgment. Lot and his family were taken out of Sodom by the angels (a type of Rapture), and after their departure to safety, God's judgment fell (a type of the Great Tribulation). Not until angels had led them safely away did He loose the fire and brimstones (Gen. 19:15 - 29). The pre-tribulation Rapture could not be depicted more accurately.
Thus God rescues those whom He has chosen and who have trusted in Him by faith. And so shall we who have been justified by the precious blood of Jesus escape the Great Tribulation.
Third proof
The fact that the Church is mentioned often in Revelation 1 - 3, but not once in Chapters 4 - 19, also suggests it will not pass through the Great Tribulation. If we were going to endure it, we would surely find references to the Church in those chapters. The word "saint" is used often, however, in those chapters. It may refer to people who become Chrsitians ofter the Rapture. At least by its silence, then, this portion of Revelation strongly suggests the Church will no pass through the Great Tribulation.
Forth proof
Jesus Himself indicated the Church will not pass through the Great Tribulation in Luke 21:
Jesus said: "But take heed to yourselves; lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and care of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man" (Luke 21:34 - 36).
Did Jesus say we should make preparation to pass through all the things that will happen to us? No. He said we must watch and pray so that we may escape all the things that will happen and to stand before Him.
Fifth proof
Paul said: "Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming" (2 Thess. 2:3 - 8, emphasis added).
Here are some statements of truth:
1. The "Day" is the Rapture of the Church. It will only come after the "falling away" (the great apostasy) of the Church and the Antichrist is revealed (made manifest).
2. The man of sin or the son of perdition is the Antichrist. He will exalt himself above God.
3. The Church, being "a dwelling place of God in the Spirit" (Eph. 2:22), is restraining the revelation of the Antichrist. God, the Holy Spirit is present in this world in a unique way that was not true before the Church was formed nor will be so after Church is removed in the Rapture. When the Church is taken to heaven, that special presence of the Holy Spirit will also be removed, though He will be here as God omnipresent as He eternally is throughout the entire universe. When the Church is taken out of the way (by Rapture), the Antichrist will be revealed. The period of reign of the Antichrist is the period of the Great Tribulation.
4. The Lord will destroy the Antichrist with the brightness of His coming - the Second Coming of Christ. This comes after the Rapture. Again this indicates that the Rapture comes before the Great Tribulation.
Sixth proof
In Revelation 19:14 - "And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses," we find Christ coming to earth with His armies at Armageddon to rescue Israel. Further description is in Ezekiel 38 and 39 and Zechariah 12 - 14. The bride of Christ is also clothed in fine linen (Rev. 19:8). So, there is every reason to believe that she, and the saints of all ages, comprises at least a large part of these armies. The bride and these saints of all ages could hardly be part of the armies in heaven had they never been to heaven. Nor could they accompany Christ from heaven had they not been taken up there previously. Again we find compelling evidence that the Rapture of the Church must take place some time prior to Armageddon.
The Rapture and the Second Coming are two separate events
The Rapture and the Second Coming are two distinct events - one occuring at the beginning and the other at the end of Daniel's seventieth week (Daniel Chapter 9). Christ must first of all come for His saints to rapture them to heaven, or He could never come with His saints from heaven to rescue Israel at Armageddon.
The Rapture will occur when least expected; the Second Coming takes place only after all the signs have been given and everyone should know that Christ is about to return in glory and power. The Rapture comes in the midst of peace (1 Thess. 5:3); the Second Coming in the midst of war (Rev. 19:11 - 21). One simply cannot put into one time frame and one event the mutually exclusive statements made in the New Testament Rapture and the Second Coming.
Many Christians fail to understand there are still two comings of Christ after His resurrection. It is true that both the Old Testament and the New Testament do not explicitly say so. But the conclusion was inescapable. The Messiah was not only going to reign, He was going to be killed. One could not put into one time frame and one event what the Old Testament said about the coming of the Messiah. Failure to understand the two comings cause multitudes to reject Jesus.
The same is true today: There are many who call themselves Christians who will end up following the Antichrist, thinking he is Christ. The reason for their confusion is basically the same as it was the first time Christ came. They will be focusing upon and even seeking to build an earthly kingdom and will be taken to heaven. Failure to understand the Rapture and the Second Coming are two different events separated by seven years lies at the heart of this confusion.
That these are two distinct events is also clear from Christ's own words: "In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and recieve you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also" (John 14:2, 3).
Paul said: "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord" (1 Thess. 4:16, 17).
That is what the Rapture is all about - Christ catching up His bride to present her to His Father. The Second Coming has an entirely different purpose - to rescue Israel in the midst of Armageddon and to destroy the Antichrist and his evil world empire.
More on the Rapture
Let us study more about the Rapture. Paul sid: "Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed - in a moment, in the twinkling of and eye, at the last rumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed" (1 Cor. 15:51. 52).
We will soon depart from this old world of sin and sorrow! One glad day all true Christians will be caught up bodily and alive into heaven! The souls and spirits of those who had previously died believing in Christ, having been consciously with Him in the interim, will come with their Lord from heaven to rejoin their glorious resurrected bodies. Those alive at the time of His return, their bodies instantly transformed as will, will be caught up together with the saints of all ages to meet Christ somewhere above planet earth. From there He will personally escort this innumerable throng into the presence of His Father in heaven, as He promised.
The Church and the Antichrist cannot coexist on earth
The true Church would not tolerate the Antichrist for a moment. She would expose his identity, prove it from the Scripture, and oppose him. She would actively warn others and stand solidly in the way of the Antichrist and his diabolical machinations. Satan's plans through the Antichrist cannot go forward until the Church has been removed.
Furthermore, if the Church were persent during the Great Tribulation, she would be wiped out by the Antichrist. But that would not be allowed by God. He who protects the Church, who said: "The gates of Hades shall not prevail against it" (Matt. 16:18), is the same One who gives the Antichrist the power to "make war with the saints and to overcome them" (Rev. 13:17).
The only way both to protect the Church and allow the Antichrist to kill all the remaining saints is to remove the Church. The remaining saints who are killed by the Antichrist are those who have previously rejected the truth but become believers in Christ during the Great Tribulation. They pay for their faith with their blood (Rev. 6:9 - 11; 7:14).
A post-tribulation or mid-tribulation Rapture would be a classic nonevent. There would be few if any believers in Christ to take to heaven. They would all have been killed, for such is the fate of those who refuse to take the mark of the beast (Antichrist) and worship his image. Submission to the Antichrist is the only way to stay alive during the Great Tribulation. For those, however, who take the mark of the beast and worship his image there is an even worse fate (Rev. 14:9 -11).
Finally, a post-tribulation or mid- tribulation Rapture removes an essential factor involved in the Rapture - Imminency. The Bible teaches that Christ could have come at any time in history. There is nothing to prevent Him from coming at this very moment!
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
That which cannot be shaken
We are living in an exciting time. Everything seems to be moving at a rapid pace. Local Churches are preaching end-time messages. Church members are urged to study the last Book of the Bible - Revelation. A pastor said the more times you read Revelation, the more you will be blessed. The blessings you are going to recieve is proportionate to the number of times you read. So why not do nothing else but continuely read Revelation? Of course this is not true. Even people of the secular world are talking about the end of the world. Even Hollywood comes out with a movie recently concerning the year 2012. To many people the end of the world comes in 2012. Of course there is no Biblical basis. Search the internet and you will be amazed to read about what the people of the world and so-called Christians are talking about. There is nothing but total confusion. But God is in full control! While the whole world is worrying about the immediate future, Chrisitians are called to wait eagerly for the coming of their Lord:
The writer of Hebrews said: "... so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart form sin, for salvation" (Heb. 9:28, NKJV, emphasis added).
Paul said: "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able to subdue all things to Himself" (Phil. 3:20, NKJV, emphasis added).
Paul also said: "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lust, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:11 - 13, emphasis added).
Notice that, while "eagerly" waiting for the coming of our Lord, we need to live a godly and sober life - "denying ungodlness and worldly lust."
True Christians who will be the Bride of Christ are eagerly waiting for Lord Jesus Christ who will take His Bride very soon (Please refer to many of my measages concerning the Bride of Christ.) But, before that time comes, God is in the midst of shaking all things.
The Kingdom of God cannot be shaken
The writer of Hebrews said: "See that you do not refuse the one who is speaking; for if they did not escape when they refused the one who warned them on earth, how much less will we escape if we reject the one who warns from heaven! At that time his voice shook the earth; but now he has promised, 'Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heaven.' The phrase, 'Yet once more.' indicates the removal of what is shaken - that is, created things - so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, by which we offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe, for indeed our God is a consuming fire" (Heb. 12:25 - 28, NRSV, emphasis added).
Here are some statements of truth:
1. God is shaking both earth and heaven.
2. The purpose of shaking is to remove things that can be shaken, so that only things that cannot be shaken may remain. Things cannot be shaken are the things of God and His Kingdom.
3. God is removing all things and all kingdoms created by men. The writer is contrasting things created by men, which are temporal and all things created God which are eternal.
4. The Kingdom of God, which cannot be shaken, remains. The Kingdom of God is permanent, unchanging and eternal in nature and no power of earth or hell can destroy it.
5. Because of the above facts, we need to fear and give reverence to God - He is a consuming fire!
God is shaking the Church
Ideally, the Church of Jesus Christ, being the Body of Christ, cannot be shaken. The reason being - the Kingdom of God is in the true Church and also in individual Christian believers that make up the Body of Christ. Similarly, the true Church is the temple of the Holy Spirit and so are individual believers the temple of the Holy Spirit. But God is shaking the Local Church to find out whether it is built by man or God. Our God is a just and awesome God. If the Church can stand the shaking, not only God is please, but also the Church will come out stronger.
Jesus said to Peter: "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it" (Matt. 16:18).
Notice that the Church belongs to Christ, and is built by Him. It is not built by Peter or any other man, It is built by the Rock - the divine revelation (the petra) and confession given to Peter. The Rock is Christ Himself (Isaiah 28:16). The confeasion given by Peter was - "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matt. 16:16). The gates of Hades shall not prevail against the Church that is built by Christ. In other words, the true Church will not be overcome by the enemies. This is a promise that has been remarkably fulfilled.
Look around you and you will see that many so-called local churches are built by men who called themselves pastors. These men are building their own kingdoms. God has nothing to do with such churches. This type of man-built churches will be shaken and found wanting.
A mega man-built local church that has been shaken
The leadership of a well known mega Church has been accused of mismagement of funds. A group of church members (about 300 of them) who called themselves "a transparency group" is demanding for accountability and transparency over the use of church funds from the Church Board of deacons led by the Senior Pastor. This group even lodged a police report over that matters. The feud between this group and the Church Board are trading accusations over various issues. This has been reported by a local newspapers.
The disagreement, among others, includes the rising construction costs of a Church Convention Centre. This group of church members alleged that there is a transfer of substantial funds from the Church into the accounts of the personal ministry headed by the Senior Pastor without members' knowledge. In other words, the Senior Pastor is accused of channeling the money for his personal use. As a result of this shaking, the following things happen:
1. Dwindling congregation at the Church.
2. Resignation of a deacon.
3. Financial disaster - not enough funds to complete the Convention Centre.
4. Bad testimonies.
Obviously there are many unbiblical practices here. Let me just mention three here:
1. The Senior Pastor has not been given a chance to explain.
2. Making a police report over seemingly misappropriate of Church funds is not the way to solve Church problems. The right way is come to God, seek His face and pray.
"If My people who are called by My name will himble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land" (2 Chron. 7:14).
Notice that the healing of the land is closely related to the healing of the Church.
3. The leadership of the Church is running the Church using world system - forbidden by the Scripture.
Whether the Senior Pastor is guilty or not is not the issue. Only God knows his heart. But one thing is certain - the leadership of the Church has grieved the Holy Spirit!
Paul said: "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you" (Eph. 4:30 - 32).
Nothing can be clearer!
Covering of sins
Since the main Church has been shaken, should the pastors of other small Churches of the same denomination cover the sins of the main Church and keep quiet about it? Shouldn't they let other congregations know about it and to bring it to the Lord in prayer in Church prayer meetings? It is true to talk about it is gossip. But to pray for those involved is restoration.
Paul said: "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light" (Eph. 5:8 - 13, emphasis added).
Paul said to Timothy: "Do not receive an accusation against an elder execpt from two or three witnesses. Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear" (1 Tim. 5:8 - 13, emphasis added).
The Scripture is very clear. As Christians, we are light in the Lord and therefore we must walk as children of light. It follows that we must expose any hidden sins of darkness. We must rebuke believers (pastors and elders included) in the presence of others so that all other believers may fear. The word "rebuke" denotes to reprove or to reprehend. It means that there should be a public statement of the nature of the offence, and such a censure as the case demanded. It extends to only spiritual censures. There is no power given to the Church of inflecting any form of punishment.
Peter said: "But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. And above all things have fervent love for one another, for 'love will cover a multitude of sins'" (1 Peter 4:7, 8, emphasis added).
Seeing that the Lord is coming soon, we need to watch and pray. We need to love one another fervently to the extent that we pray for one another so that everyone will turn away from sinning.
James said: "Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins" (James 5:19, 20).
There is an apparent paradox in the above passages of Scripture. We need to understand that "covering of sins" does not mean condoning sins. It means, despite our brother's sin, we forgive him and pray for his restoration. By doing so, our brother, although he knows that he was wrong, is convicted of his sins and he is likely to repent.
Pastors in the eyes of Jesus
Let us study the introductory Chapter (Chapter One) of the Book of Revelation (I am using the KJV). In this Chapter you can see nine pictures of Jesus. And, from the "great voice" (Verse 10) that John heard, we can infer the importance of pastors in the eyes of our Lord Jesus. Let us look at the nine pictures of Jesus (nine is a number of completeness, finality and fulness):
1. Jesus was "like unto the Son of man," clothed with a long garment (Verse 13). This speaks of Jesus being the High Priest of His people.
2. Jesus was "girt about the paps with a golden girdle." In Bible times a golden girdle was worn only by the king. Thus, the girdle around Jesus' chest symbolizes His positon as the King of kings.
3. "His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow" (Verse 14). That means Jesus is not only pure and righteous, but also omniscient. White hair usually means one has reached the hightest point of wisdom of life. "The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness" (Proverbs 16:31).
4. Jesus' "eyes were as a flame of fire" (Verse 14). It speaks of judgment of Jesus - His eyes are able to penetrate the corrupt thinking we may have in our minds.
5. Jesus' "feet (were) like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace" (Verse 15). Brass, throughout the Bible implies judgment.
6. Jesus' voice was "as the sound of many waters" (Verse 15). That is the voice of none other than the Creator, who speaks to us, to His creation, with the same voice He used in the days of creation.
7. Jesus "had in His right hand seven stars" (Verse 16). I will try to expound this later.
8. "Out of His (Jesus') mouth went a sharp two edged sword" (Verse 16). The Word that proceeds out of the mouth of Jesus Christ is indeed a sword (Heb. 4:12). The Word is a surgical knife God uses to save our lives.
9. Jesus' countenance (face) "was as the sun shineth in his strength" (Verse 16). The full strength of sunshine means overflowing vitality. Whoever comes to Jesus will receive the shining light that radiates from His face and will be filled with the joy of the Lord to the fullest.
The Seven stars in the right hand of Jesus
Now, what are the seven stars held by Jesus in His right hand? I believe the seven stars signify the seven pastors of the the seven Churches in Asia Minor. From this Verse (16) we can understanding how close pastors are to the Heart of Jesus Christ. Their position is immensely honorable and high before Him. But, pastors who entered the ministry without a divine calling - perhaps through the influence of their parents, relatives or friends - are not the stars laid upon His palm. They are fallen stars. Those who pastor only for a profession, establish numerous churches that follow a secular direction will not please the Lord. Those who follow these pastors are let down a side path, not established by Him. I believe the person who pastors the mega man-built church that I mentioned earlier is a "fallen star!"
The writer of Hebrews said: "... so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart form sin, for salvation" (Heb. 9:28, NKJV, emphasis added).
Paul said: "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able to subdue all things to Himself" (Phil. 3:20, NKJV, emphasis added).
Paul also said: "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lust, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:11 - 13, emphasis added).
Notice that, while "eagerly" waiting for the coming of our Lord, we need to live a godly and sober life - "denying ungodlness and worldly lust."
True Christians who will be the Bride of Christ are eagerly waiting for Lord Jesus Christ who will take His Bride very soon (Please refer to many of my measages concerning the Bride of Christ.) But, before that time comes, God is in the midst of shaking all things.
The Kingdom of God cannot be shaken
The writer of Hebrews said: "See that you do not refuse the one who is speaking; for if they did not escape when they refused the one who warned them on earth, how much less will we escape if we reject the one who warns from heaven! At that time his voice shook the earth; but now he has promised, 'Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heaven.' The phrase, 'Yet once more.' indicates the removal of what is shaken - that is, created things - so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, by which we offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe, for indeed our God is a consuming fire" (Heb. 12:25 - 28, NRSV, emphasis added).
Here are some statements of truth:
1. God is shaking both earth and heaven.
2. The purpose of shaking is to remove things that can be shaken, so that only things that cannot be shaken may remain. Things cannot be shaken are the things of God and His Kingdom.
3. God is removing all things and all kingdoms created by men. The writer is contrasting things created by men, which are temporal and all things created God which are eternal.
4. The Kingdom of God, which cannot be shaken, remains. The Kingdom of God is permanent, unchanging and eternal in nature and no power of earth or hell can destroy it.
5. Because of the above facts, we need to fear and give reverence to God - He is a consuming fire!
God is shaking the Church
Ideally, the Church of Jesus Christ, being the Body of Christ, cannot be shaken. The reason being - the Kingdom of God is in the true Church and also in individual Christian believers that make up the Body of Christ. Similarly, the true Church is the temple of the Holy Spirit and so are individual believers the temple of the Holy Spirit. But God is shaking the Local Church to find out whether it is built by man or God. Our God is a just and awesome God. If the Church can stand the shaking, not only God is please, but also the Church will come out stronger.
Jesus said to Peter: "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it" (Matt. 16:18).
Notice that the Church belongs to Christ, and is built by Him. It is not built by Peter or any other man, It is built by the Rock - the divine revelation (the petra) and confession given to Peter. The Rock is Christ Himself (Isaiah 28:16). The confeasion given by Peter was - "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matt. 16:16). The gates of Hades shall not prevail against the Church that is built by Christ. In other words, the true Church will not be overcome by the enemies. This is a promise that has been remarkably fulfilled.
Look around you and you will see that many so-called local churches are built by men who called themselves pastors. These men are building their own kingdoms. God has nothing to do with such churches. This type of man-built churches will be shaken and found wanting.
A mega man-built local church that has been shaken
The leadership of a well known mega Church has been accused of mismagement of funds. A group of church members (about 300 of them) who called themselves "a transparency group" is demanding for accountability and transparency over the use of church funds from the Church Board of deacons led by the Senior Pastor. This group even lodged a police report over that matters. The feud between this group and the Church Board are trading accusations over various issues. This has been reported by a local newspapers.
The disagreement, among others, includes the rising construction costs of a Church Convention Centre. This group of church members alleged that there is a transfer of substantial funds from the Church into the accounts of the personal ministry headed by the Senior Pastor without members' knowledge. In other words, the Senior Pastor is accused of channeling the money for his personal use. As a result of this shaking, the following things happen:
1. Dwindling congregation at the Church.
2. Resignation of a deacon.
3. Financial disaster - not enough funds to complete the Convention Centre.
4. Bad testimonies.
Obviously there are many unbiblical practices here. Let me just mention three here:
1. The Senior Pastor has not been given a chance to explain.
2. Making a police report over seemingly misappropriate of Church funds is not the way to solve Church problems. The right way is come to God, seek His face and pray.
"If My people who are called by My name will himble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land" (2 Chron. 7:14).
Notice that the healing of the land is closely related to the healing of the Church.
3. The leadership of the Church is running the Church using world system - forbidden by the Scripture.
Whether the Senior Pastor is guilty or not is not the issue. Only God knows his heart. But one thing is certain - the leadership of the Church has grieved the Holy Spirit!
Paul said: "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you" (Eph. 4:30 - 32).
Nothing can be clearer!
Covering of sins
Since the main Church has been shaken, should the pastors of other small Churches of the same denomination cover the sins of the main Church and keep quiet about it? Shouldn't they let other congregations know about it and to bring it to the Lord in prayer in Church prayer meetings? It is true to talk about it is gossip. But to pray for those involved is restoration.
Paul said: "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light" (Eph. 5:8 - 13, emphasis added).
Paul said to Timothy: "Do not receive an accusation against an elder execpt from two or three witnesses. Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear" (1 Tim. 5:8 - 13, emphasis added).
The Scripture is very clear. As Christians, we are light in the Lord and therefore we must walk as children of light. It follows that we must expose any hidden sins of darkness. We must rebuke believers (pastors and elders included) in the presence of others so that all other believers may fear. The word "rebuke" denotes to reprove or to reprehend. It means that there should be a public statement of the nature of the offence, and such a censure as the case demanded. It extends to only spiritual censures. There is no power given to the Church of inflecting any form of punishment.
Peter said: "But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. And above all things have fervent love for one another, for 'love will cover a multitude of sins'" (1 Peter 4:7, 8, emphasis added).
Seeing that the Lord is coming soon, we need to watch and pray. We need to love one another fervently to the extent that we pray for one another so that everyone will turn away from sinning.
James said: "Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins" (James 5:19, 20).
There is an apparent paradox in the above passages of Scripture. We need to understand that "covering of sins" does not mean condoning sins. It means, despite our brother's sin, we forgive him and pray for his restoration. By doing so, our brother, although he knows that he was wrong, is convicted of his sins and he is likely to repent.
Pastors in the eyes of Jesus
Let us study the introductory Chapter (Chapter One) of the Book of Revelation (I am using the KJV). In this Chapter you can see nine pictures of Jesus. And, from the "great voice" (Verse 10) that John heard, we can infer the importance of pastors in the eyes of our Lord Jesus. Let us look at the nine pictures of Jesus (nine is a number of completeness, finality and fulness):
1. Jesus was "like unto the Son of man," clothed with a long garment (Verse 13). This speaks of Jesus being the High Priest of His people.
2. Jesus was "girt about the paps with a golden girdle." In Bible times a golden girdle was worn only by the king. Thus, the girdle around Jesus' chest symbolizes His positon as the King of kings.
3. "His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow" (Verse 14). That means Jesus is not only pure and righteous, but also omniscient. White hair usually means one has reached the hightest point of wisdom of life. "The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness" (Proverbs 16:31).
4. Jesus' "eyes were as a flame of fire" (Verse 14). It speaks of judgment of Jesus - His eyes are able to penetrate the corrupt thinking we may have in our minds.
5. Jesus' "feet (were) like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace" (Verse 15). Brass, throughout the Bible implies judgment.
6. Jesus' voice was "as the sound of many waters" (Verse 15). That is the voice of none other than the Creator, who speaks to us, to His creation, with the same voice He used in the days of creation.
7. Jesus "had in His right hand seven stars" (Verse 16). I will try to expound this later.
8. "Out of His (Jesus') mouth went a sharp two edged sword" (Verse 16). The Word that proceeds out of the mouth of Jesus Christ is indeed a sword (Heb. 4:12). The Word is a surgical knife God uses to save our lives.
9. Jesus' countenance (face) "was as the sun shineth in his strength" (Verse 16). The full strength of sunshine means overflowing vitality. Whoever comes to Jesus will receive the shining light that radiates from His face and will be filled with the joy of the Lord to the fullest.
The Seven stars in the right hand of Jesus
Now, what are the seven stars held by Jesus in His right hand? I believe the seven stars signify the seven pastors of the the seven Churches in Asia Minor. From this Verse (16) we can understanding how close pastors are to the Heart of Jesus Christ. Their position is immensely honorable and high before Him. But, pastors who entered the ministry without a divine calling - perhaps through the influence of their parents, relatives or friends - are not the stars laid upon His palm. They are fallen stars. Those who pastor only for a profession, establish numerous churches that follow a secular direction will not please the Lord. Those who follow these pastors are let down a side path, not established by Him. I believe the person who pastors the mega man-built church that I mentioned earlier is a "fallen star!"
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Breaking free from Sinful Habits
Ronnie (not his real name) is an alcoholic. As hard as he tried, nothing seemed effective in bringing his drinking problem under control. Then he accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. Knowing that, as a Christian, he needed to give up his old lifestyle, he sincerely repented and asked the Lord to help him overcome his addiction. His prayer was answered and Ronnie stopped drinking! His entire life began to improve. Grateful for the things God had done for him, Ronnie freely witnessed to others about the grace and power of Jesus Christ. He began with an excellent start - but then he made a dangerous mistake.
Ronnie decided that the best way to reach his non-Christian friends with the Gospel was to meet them on their home territory. He began to go regulary to all his old hangouts (bars, of course!), so his former drinking buddies could see for themselves how much he had changed. His friends did not understand why he wouldn't give in and have a beer with them. They pressured him mercilessly. Ronnie remained strong for several weeks, but he begain to rationalize, "It can't hurt to have just one beer as long as I don't get drunk. I'm sure God wouldn't mind." One compromise led quickly to the next, and soon Ronnie was trapped again in his previous drunken condition.
"What happened?" Ronnie wondered, "I thought God would protect me and give me power to overcome temptation. I was serving Him faithfully, taking His message to my friends so that they could get their lives together - now I'm back where I started. I feel terrible about being so hypocritical. But where was God's help during this time?"
Where was God all that time? Right there! He was beside Ronnie every moment, and His Will pertaining to drunkenness was clearly stated in the Bible Ronnie was carrying around. But he stopped looking to God for help in conquering his drinking habit, and so he stumbled. The key to victory over sinful habits is plainly given in the Word of God. Tragically, Ronnie didn't seek it out.
A familiar story? Sinful habit come in many forms. It can be drug addiction, smoking addiction, pornography addiction, adultery, fornication, uncleanness and lewdness and they are all the works of the flesh (Galations 5:19 - 21). Does this mean Ronnie wasn't born again? No, it means that he stopped too soon. Like those who receive Jesus as Savior and never take another step, Ronnie stopped in his tracks and tried to live off the strength of one experience. The sad fact is that many new believers, as well as many old-timers in Christ, have never learned to overcome their habitual sins.
Laying aside every weigh (encumbrance)
The writer of Hebrews said: "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:1, 2, NKJV, emphasis added).
Here are some statements of truth:
1. The phrase, "A cloud of witnesses" refers to those "heroes of faith"mentioned in Hebrews 11. They have borne testimony of the Truth. In fact not all these witnesses are mentioned. The number is so great that they seem to be a cloud. They are like spectators in a vast arena, watch us progress in the course of faith.
2. As applied to the Christian, the phrase, "Let us lay aside every weight" means that we should remove all which would obstruct our progress in the Christian course. Thus it is fair to apply it to whatever would be an impediment in our effort to win the crown of life. These weights or encumbrances are not the same for all Christians. They can be pride, vanity, worldliness, violent temper, corrupt imagination, hard and insensible heart and improper and unholy attachment.
3. The phrase, "The sin which so easily ensnares us" means that because it is so easy to go back to our former conduct, we sin against God when we give in to temptation. The sin that ensnares us (catch us off guard) can be pride, selfish ambition or other similar sins that unbelievers indulge in.
4. The Christian lif is a race of endurance (or perseverance) that is set before us. We are to run the race without allowing ourselves to be hindered by any obstruction. We need to focus upon Jesus, the source of our faith, at all time or we will not succeed.
Notice that like many other born-again Christians, Ronnie failed to lay aside every encumbrance in his walk with God.
Victory over sinful habits
"Habits" can be defined as learned patterns of behavior that can either be helpful or destructive. They develop as we respond to something physically, mentally, or emotionally a number of times. When we form habits, we lock ourselves into certain response patterns that tend to resist change. Most research suggests that the brain never really forgets a habit, although it may drop out of dominance through lack of use or by being replaced by a stronger one.
We must admit that sinful habits are difficult to ovecome because, after awhile, we begin to perform these behaviours authomaticlly, with little preceding thought. I have noticeed that unless I become angry at a particular habit that is holding me bondage, I have a difficult time shaking loose from it. When we become angry at our sin, we are motivated to channel our attention in one direction - solving the problem.
The psalmist said: "I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall never cling to me" (Ps. 101:3).
The writer of Hebrews said: "You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions" (Heb. 1:9, emphasis added).
"Loving righteousness and hate lawlessness and wickedness" is the key to victory over sinful habits. Although it may take time to form new habit patterns to replace the old ones, by uniting our will with God's Will, the Holy Spirit is free to work in our heart to bring forth the desired change.
We need to agree with Paul when he says: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Phil. 4:13).
Therefore no one can hide behind the "I can't help it" excuse!
Our union with Christ
The apostle Paul said many things that lead to our union with Christ:
We have put off the "old man" and put on the "new man"
Paul said: "... that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lust, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteous and holiness" (Eph. 4:22 - 24, emphasis added).
The "old man" refers to our basic nature (outside of Christ) that is bend toward selfishness, covetousness, arrogance and the like. The imagery that Paul was using in the above verses was taken from putting on or taking off a garment. But he was not speaking of a superficial change in a believer's life or a so-called conversion experience that is external only. The aorist tense of the origianl Greek suggests a permanent laying aside of the old garment - never to be worn again!
Thus, Paul was challenging the Ephesian Church to become permanently severed from the dominion of sin by actively "putting on" the qualities of Christ, which he described as a new self. As long as they hung onto their old way of life instead of relinquishing it to Jesus, they would continue to fall prey to their own lusts of deceit (Eph. 4:22). Paul exhorts them to diligently pursue the only avenue that would lead to victory - making a "clean break" from the corrupt nature that held them captive.
We are crucified with Christ
Paul said: "For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in Glory. Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleaness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry" (Col. 3:3 - 5).
In Galations, Paul continued along this line: "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ live in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Gal. 2:20).
These verse make it clear that God's goal goes beyond just improving our outward appearance; He desires to do a work of transfomation deep within us. Many people are struggling to gain a sense of consistency in their Christian experience and to escape the paralyzing effects of their past. They fail to realize the sufficiency of Christ's work on our behalf. And they fail to live in an ongoing awareness of the crucifizion of our old selves with Him. The cross of Christ not only provides cleansing for your sins and my sins, but it is also the means for us to gain freedom from the ungodly domination of our sinful nature.
We are in Christ Jesus
Paul said: "But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God - and righteousness and sanctification and redemption" (1 Cor. 1:30, emphasis adde).
The term, "in Christ Jesus" fills the New Testament and is particularly prevalent in Paul's writings. By placing our faith in Jesus, we become "united with" or "identified with" His work on our behalf - "He who is joined to the Lord become one spirit with Him" (1 Cor. 6:17).
Therefore, when Jesus died on the cross, we who are one with Him also died. In other works, our old selves, spiritually speaking, were nailed to the cross, and by this great act, God delivered us from the very power of sin. He struck a deathblow to our old nature by crucifying it in the eternal sacrifice of Christ.
But that is not all the our Lord has done for us. When Christ was raised from the dead, we too were raised to "newness of life," having had His resurrection life imparted to us (Romans 6:4; Col. 2:12). We have been given a new nature that not only wants to do God's Will, but is fully capable of doing it (2 Cor. 5:17; 1 John 3:1 - 10)! The death to our old nature has allowed for the replacement of our human frailty with the power of Christ's dynamic life! By living out of what we are "in Him," we have the capacity to turn away from sinful temptations and walk in all that God wants for our lives.
Our problem is that we often remain oblivious to His guidance and fail to trust in His sovereignty over all the circumstances we encounter. Yet there is no obstacle too great, no situation too big for us who are in Christ to handle. He, who has all the power and authority in the universe, has made it available to us in the mighty infilling of the Holy Spirit. Upon His ascension, jesus baptized His disciples in the Holy Spirit, and this divine enabling is still vital for our Christian lives today (Acts 1:4 - 8; 2:38, 39).
Recognizing the completeness of Christ's work and its implications for our lives is very important, but the Word of God takes us on step further:
Paul said: "Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh" (Gal. 5:1). The moment -by-moment influence of the Spirit helps us to "catch ourselves" when temptation to sin arrives, and give us the strength to overcome it.
True Biblical repentance
God has called us to walk in a clear conscience before Him. This means that as soon as we recognize that we have erred in our thoughts and actions, we must confess our sin to God and repent from all that is unpleasing to Him (1 John 1:9, 10). True Biblical repentance always leads to the assurance that we have no existing barriers between ourselves and God. It is accompanied by the joy of restored relationship, the joy of the prodigal son coming back to the Father's waiting arms (Luke 15:11 - 32). Repentance is more than a one-time event upon our conversion to Christ - it is an ongoing activity that needs to occur whenever we become aware that we have sinned.
Therefore, when the Holy Spirit speaks to us and our conscience informs us that we have erred, we must make a decision. We can either repent and obey the Lord and receive the joy of knowning His complete acceptance. Or, we can give the Devil an opportunity to gain a foothold in our lives (Eph. 4:27). Like Ronnie, some Christians foolishly flirt with temptation by getting as close to it as they can without "really sinning" - according to their own fleshly judgment. They are asking for trouble!
Paul warns us: "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts" (Romans 13:14).
If we are honest with ourselves, we are usually aware of the areas in our lives that are the most vulnerable to sin. When we determine that we have an Achilles heel in some area, we can then take preventive measures, carefully guarding the entrance-way of our heart from wrong influences. Our conscience, renewed by the truth of God's Word, can be an invaluable help to us, since it alerts us to improper motives and attitudes even before they are expressed in outward sin.
Perhaps you, like Ronnie, are struggling today in your Christian experience. You may have come to Jesus with a distorted understanding of of what the Gospel is all about. This could be the reason you are not currently experiencing the abundant life that Jesus promised (John 10:10). The good news of the Gospel is that we can come to Christ and die to those things that have held us in bondage - sin, self-righteousness, and the evil world system!
Coming to Christ means an end to life on our terms. It means complete surrender of ourselves to Him! Through relying on His Spirit, we can say "no" to sin in our lives. We are delivered from constant guilt and frustration over uncontrolled thoughts and actions. The tyranny of sinning and sinning again will come to a decisive end and we become free of the encumbrances that hinder our Christian growth. We learn to live victory!
Ronnie decided that the best way to reach his non-Christian friends with the Gospel was to meet them on their home territory. He began to go regulary to all his old hangouts (bars, of course!), so his former drinking buddies could see for themselves how much he had changed. His friends did not understand why he wouldn't give in and have a beer with them. They pressured him mercilessly. Ronnie remained strong for several weeks, but he begain to rationalize, "It can't hurt to have just one beer as long as I don't get drunk. I'm sure God wouldn't mind." One compromise led quickly to the next, and soon Ronnie was trapped again in his previous drunken condition.
"What happened?" Ronnie wondered, "I thought God would protect me and give me power to overcome temptation. I was serving Him faithfully, taking His message to my friends so that they could get their lives together - now I'm back where I started. I feel terrible about being so hypocritical. But where was God's help during this time?"
Where was God all that time? Right there! He was beside Ronnie every moment, and His Will pertaining to drunkenness was clearly stated in the Bible Ronnie was carrying around. But he stopped looking to God for help in conquering his drinking habit, and so he stumbled. The key to victory over sinful habits is plainly given in the Word of God. Tragically, Ronnie didn't seek it out.
A familiar story? Sinful habit come in many forms. It can be drug addiction, smoking addiction, pornography addiction, adultery, fornication, uncleanness and lewdness and they are all the works of the flesh (Galations 5:19 - 21). Does this mean Ronnie wasn't born again? No, it means that he stopped too soon. Like those who receive Jesus as Savior and never take another step, Ronnie stopped in his tracks and tried to live off the strength of one experience. The sad fact is that many new believers, as well as many old-timers in Christ, have never learned to overcome their habitual sins.
Laying aside every weigh (encumbrance)
The writer of Hebrews said: "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:1, 2, NKJV, emphasis added).
Here are some statements of truth:
1. The phrase, "A cloud of witnesses" refers to those "heroes of faith"mentioned in Hebrews 11. They have borne testimony of the Truth. In fact not all these witnesses are mentioned. The number is so great that they seem to be a cloud. They are like spectators in a vast arena, watch us progress in the course of faith.
2. As applied to the Christian, the phrase, "Let us lay aside every weight" means that we should remove all which would obstruct our progress in the Christian course. Thus it is fair to apply it to whatever would be an impediment in our effort to win the crown of life. These weights or encumbrances are not the same for all Christians. They can be pride, vanity, worldliness, violent temper, corrupt imagination, hard and insensible heart and improper and unholy attachment.
3. The phrase, "The sin which so easily ensnares us" means that because it is so easy to go back to our former conduct, we sin against God when we give in to temptation. The sin that ensnares us (catch us off guard) can be pride, selfish ambition or other similar sins that unbelievers indulge in.
4. The Christian lif is a race of endurance (or perseverance) that is set before us. We are to run the race without allowing ourselves to be hindered by any obstruction. We need to focus upon Jesus, the source of our faith, at all time or we will not succeed.
Notice that like many other born-again Christians, Ronnie failed to lay aside every encumbrance in his walk with God.
Victory over sinful habits
"Habits" can be defined as learned patterns of behavior that can either be helpful or destructive. They develop as we respond to something physically, mentally, or emotionally a number of times. When we form habits, we lock ourselves into certain response patterns that tend to resist change. Most research suggests that the brain never really forgets a habit, although it may drop out of dominance through lack of use or by being replaced by a stronger one.
We must admit that sinful habits are difficult to ovecome because, after awhile, we begin to perform these behaviours authomaticlly, with little preceding thought. I have noticeed that unless I become angry at a particular habit that is holding me bondage, I have a difficult time shaking loose from it. When we become angry at our sin, we are motivated to channel our attention in one direction - solving the problem.
The psalmist said: "I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall never cling to me" (Ps. 101:3).
The writer of Hebrews said: "You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions" (Heb. 1:9, emphasis added).
"Loving righteousness and hate lawlessness and wickedness" is the key to victory over sinful habits. Although it may take time to form new habit patterns to replace the old ones, by uniting our will with God's Will, the Holy Spirit is free to work in our heart to bring forth the desired change.
We need to agree with Paul when he says: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Phil. 4:13).
Therefore no one can hide behind the "I can't help it" excuse!
Our union with Christ
The apostle Paul said many things that lead to our union with Christ:
We have put off the "old man" and put on the "new man"
Paul said: "... that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lust, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteous and holiness" (Eph. 4:22 - 24, emphasis added).
The "old man" refers to our basic nature (outside of Christ) that is bend toward selfishness, covetousness, arrogance and the like. The imagery that Paul was using in the above verses was taken from putting on or taking off a garment. But he was not speaking of a superficial change in a believer's life or a so-called conversion experience that is external only. The aorist tense of the origianl Greek suggests a permanent laying aside of the old garment - never to be worn again!
Thus, Paul was challenging the Ephesian Church to become permanently severed from the dominion of sin by actively "putting on" the qualities of Christ, which he described as a new self. As long as they hung onto their old way of life instead of relinquishing it to Jesus, they would continue to fall prey to their own lusts of deceit (Eph. 4:22). Paul exhorts them to diligently pursue the only avenue that would lead to victory - making a "clean break" from the corrupt nature that held them captive.
We are crucified with Christ
Paul said: "For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in Glory. Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleaness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry" (Col. 3:3 - 5).
In Galations, Paul continued along this line: "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ live in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Gal. 2:20).
These verse make it clear that God's goal goes beyond just improving our outward appearance; He desires to do a work of transfomation deep within us. Many people are struggling to gain a sense of consistency in their Christian experience and to escape the paralyzing effects of their past. They fail to realize the sufficiency of Christ's work on our behalf. And they fail to live in an ongoing awareness of the crucifizion of our old selves with Him. The cross of Christ not only provides cleansing for your sins and my sins, but it is also the means for us to gain freedom from the ungodly domination of our sinful nature.
We are in Christ Jesus
Paul said: "But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God - and righteousness and sanctification and redemption" (1 Cor. 1:30, emphasis adde).
The term, "in Christ Jesus" fills the New Testament and is particularly prevalent in Paul's writings. By placing our faith in Jesus, we become "united with" or "identified with" His work on our behalf - "He who is joined to the Lord become one spirit with Him" (1 Cor. 6:17).
Therefore, when Jesus died on the cross, we who are one with Him also died. In other works, our old selves, spiritually speaking, were nailed to the cross, and by this great act, God delivered us from the very power of sin. He struck a deathblow to our old nature by crucifying it in the eternal sacrifice of Christ.
But that is not all the our Lord has done for us. When Christ was raised from the dead, we too were raised to "newness of life," having had His resurrection life imparted to us (Romans 6:4; Col. 2:12). We have been given a new nature that not only wants to do God's Will, but is fully capable of doing it (2 Cor. 5:17; 1 John 3:1 - 10)! The death to our old nature has allowed for the replacement of our human frailty with the power of Christ's dynamic life! By living out of what we are "in Him," we have the capacity to turn away from sinful temptations and walk in all that God wants for our lives.
Our problem is that we often remain oblivious to His guidance and fail to trust in His sovereignty over all the circumstances we encounter. Yet there is no obstacle too great, no situation too big for us who are in Christ to handle. He, who has all the power and authority in the universe, has made it available to us in the mighty infilling of the Holy Spirit. Upon His ascension, jesus baptized His disciples in the Holy Spirit, and this divine enabling is still vital for our Christian lives today (Acts 1:4 - 8; 2:38, 39).
Recognizing the completeness of Christ's work and its implications for our lives is very important, but the Word of God takes us on step further:
Paul said: "Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh" (Gal. 5:1). The moment -by-moment influence of the Spirit helps us to "catch ourselves" when temptation to sin arrives, and give us the strength to overcome it.
True Biblical repentance
God has called us to walk in a clear conscience before Him. This means that as soon as we recognize that we have erred in our thoughts and actions, we must confess our sin to God and repent from all that is unpleasing to Him (1 John 1:9, 10). True Biblical repentance always leads to the assurance that we have no existing barriers between ourselves and God. It is accompanied by the joy of restored relationship, the joy of the prodigal son coming back to the Father's waiting arms (Luke 15:11 - 32). Repentance is more than a one-time event upon our conversion to Christ - it is an ongoing activity that needs to occur whenever we become aware that we have sinned.
Therefore, when the Holy Spirit speaks to us and our conscience informs us that we have erred, we must make a decision. We can either repent and obey the Lord and receive the joy of knowning His complete acceptance. Or, we can give the Devil an opportunity to gain a foothold in our lives (Eph. 4:27). Like Ronnie, some Christians foolishly flirt with temptation by getting as close to it as they can without "really sinning" - according to their own fleshly judgment. They are asking for trouble!
Paul warns us: "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts" (Romans 13:14).
If we are honest with ourselves, we are usually aware of the areas in our lives that are the most vulnerable to sin. When we determine that we have an Achilles heel in some area, we can then take preventive measures, carefully guarding the entrance-way of our heart from wrong influences. Our conscience, renewed by the truth of God's Word, can be an invaluable help to us, since it alerts us to improper motives and attitudes even before they are expressed in outward sin.
Perhaps you, like Ronnie, are struggling today in your Christian experience. You may have come to Jesus with a distorted understanding of of what the Gospel is all about. This could be the reason you are not currently experiencing the abundant life that Jesus promised (John 10:10). The good news of the Gospel is that we can come to Christ and die to those things that have held us in bondage - sin, self-righteousness, and the evil world system!
Coming to Christ means an end to life on our terms. It means complete surrender of ourselves to Him! Through relying on His Spirit, we can say "no" to sin in our lives. We are delivered from constant guilt and frustration over uncontrolled thoughts and actions. The tyranny of sinning and sinning again will come to a decisive end and we become free of the encumbrances that hinder our Christian growth. We learn to live victory!
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