Eagerly Waiting For The Return Of Christ

The writers of the Epistles have something in common. Most of them charged the New Testament Church to live in anticipation of the Lord’s Return.

The writer of Hebrews said, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 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 from sin, for salvation (Hebrews 9:27, 28, NKJV, emphasis added).

The reason of the first coming (first advent) of Christ is to “bear the sins of many” so that men need not be condemned in the Eternal Judgment. Christ will come again the second time for salvation to those whose sins are washed away by Christ’s atoning blood and those who are eagerly waiting for Him.

Notice that the return of Christ for salvation (final deliverance) is not for every Christian. There are conditions attached. It is only offered for Christians who live in anticipation of His coming again. To Christians who are eagerly waiting for Him.

Eagerly waiting for Him till He comes

The following Scriptures from various writers of the Epistles show that Christians must live in the anticipation of the Lord’s Return:

The Epistles of Paul

1. A Christian is to be found blameless when He comes.

“…. So that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 1:7, 8, NKJV, emphasis added).

Paul desires that the Christians in the Church at Corinth to exercise spiritual gifts and lead a blameless life while eagerly waiting for Christ’s return.

2. A Christian is to partake of the Lord’s Supper with the right attitude.

Regarding the institution of the Lord’s Supper Paul said to the Corinthians Christians:

“For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes” (1 Cor. 11:26, NKJV, emphasis added).

Christians need to picture the Lord’s Supper or the Holy Communion with the right perspective. In partaking of the Communion elements they are proclaiming and showing the Lord’s death until He comes.

Someone has said Christians need to remember, “There is no past but the Cross; no future but His coming”! In other words, the Christian has no past except the Cross. His past sins before the Cross have been forgotten. His future is in the Lord at His coming. There is no future for anyone if the Lord does not come again!

Notice that Jesus Himself had this in mind when He instituted the Lord’s Supper with His disciples:

“But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom” (Matt. 26:29, emphasis added).

The phrase, “until that day” indicates that day when the True Church as the Bride of Christ would be received to heaven. The phrase, “I drink it new with you” is His assurance to His true Church that the “new” wine he would drink with them would not be the “fruit of the vine” which represents His blood of the new covenant (Verse 28). It would be a new wine for rejoicing in His Kingdom.

3. Christians are to love one another while living a holy and blameless life.

Paul said to the Church of the Thessalonians:

“And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints” (1 Thess. 3:12, 13, emphasis added).

4. The whole personality (spirit, soul and body) of the Christian is to be sanctified by the God of peace Himself.

Paul said to the Church of the Thessalonians:

“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thess. 5:33, emphasis added).

5. A Christian is to be faithful, blameless and without spot in keeping the command of “Fight the good fight of faith”.

One of Paul’s instructions to Timothy was:

“I urged you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing” (1 Tim. 6:13, 14, emphasis added).

Notice that the phrase “Keep this commandment” refers to the command of “Fight the good fight of faith”. This is confirmed by the previous Verse (V. 12). Furthermore, Paul instructed Timothy to “pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness” (V.11). These are the virtues of a “spotless” and blameless life.

6. A crown of righteousness is promised to every Christian who loved His appearing.

Paul’s farewell words to Timothy are:

“Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on the Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Tim. 4:8, emphasis added).

Those who have loved His appearing are those who are eagerly wait for Him.

7. The “blessed hope” is for Christians who are holy – those who deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and live soberly and righteously.

Paul’s wrote to Titus, the Pastor of the Church at Crete:

“…teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, 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 2:12, 13, emphasis added).

The Epistle of James

“Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand” (James 5:7, 8, emphasis added).

Christians should be patient while waiting for the Lord’s return.

The First Epistle of Peter

“… who (you) are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ …” (1 Peter 1:5, 6, 7, emphasis added).

The Christian’s salvation will be revealed at the revelation of Jesus Christ. In the meantime his faith is being tested by fire. This testing is more precious than gold because the end result is praise, honor and glory given by the Judge!

The First Epistle of John

“And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming” (1 John 1:28, emphasis added).

To abide in Christ means to live a life dependence on Him, obey His Commands, imitate His examples and constantly exercise faith in Him. To abide in Him is to bear fruit of righteousness.

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me” (John 15:4).

The Return of Christ for His Bride

Jesus Christ is returning to a body of true Christians, His true Church, who are eagerly waiting for Him. As we have considered above, Church attendance and busy with Church activities does not show that the believer is eagerly waiting for the Lord’s return. The emphasis is on holy and blameless lifestyle. God seeks after holy conduct and godliness. God’s emphasis is on “being” and not on “doing”.

Peter’s farewell instruction to Christians is:

“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with g great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, ….” (2 Peter 3:10, 11, emphasis added).

The true Church of Jesus Christ is His Bride. This is how the apostle Paul depicted the Bride:

“… Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that the might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:25, 27, 28, emphasis added).

In other words, the qualifications for being the Bride of Christ are:

1. The Church that will be sanctified and cleansed by the Truth of God’s Word.

2. The Church that will be glorious – permeated by God’s glory.

3. The Church that will be holy.

4. The Church that will be without blemish and without blame.

The writer of Hebrews said:

"Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14).

Compare this verse with John 3:3 which says "unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom God", we see that holiness is part of the package deal of salvation.

Without holiness we will not see the Lord, let alone being His Bride!

All Things to All Men

Paul’s statement “All things to all men” comes from Paul’s first epistle to the Church in Corinth.

“….. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you” (1 Cor. 9:22, 23, NKJV, emphasis added).

It is unfortunate that the misinterpretation of Paul’s statement “All things to all men” has given rise to the notion that the Church must become like the world to win the world. Someone said that virtually every modern worldly attraction has a “Christian” counterpart. There are Christian heavy-metal rock bands, Christian casinos, Christian amusement parks, Christian dance clubs and even Christian nudist camps. Same sex marriages are also being solemnized in gay and lesbians Churches with gay pastors and ministers. The Church seems to give a seriously wrong message to the world that, what the world can offer unbelievers, the Church of Jesus Christ can offer them exactly what they want. No one needs to sacrifice anything. No one needs to deny himself, carry the cross to follow Jesus!

Where did Christians ever get the idea that we could win the world by imitating it? Is there a shred of Biblical justification for that kind of thinking?

Ironically, many Christian leaders usually cite the apostle Paul as someone who advocated adapting the Gospel to the tastes of his listeners. In other words, Paul compromised the truth of the Gospel to please his audience. He has also been accused by many Bible teachers of using his communication skill to “market” the Gospel according to the desire of the people he preached to in order to receive the response he sought.

Paul’s Uncompromising Ministry

First, let us study how Paul carried out his ministry as an apostle to the Jews and the Gentile.

Paul was not a man-pleaser

He wrote, “For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ” (Gal. 1:10, NKJV).

Paul was not a compromiser

Paul did not water-down or compromise his message to please people. He was utterly unwilling to try to remove the “offense” from the Gospel.

“And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why do I still suffer persecution? Then the offense of the cross has ceased” (Gal. 5:11).

What made Paul’s ministry effective was not “marketing” technique, but a stubborn devotion to the truth. Truth to him was something to be declared, not negotiated.

Paul was not ashamed of the Gospel

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation ….” (Romans 1:16).

Paul suffered for Christ

Paul was willing to suffer for Christ like all true ministers of Christ (2 Cor. 11:23 – 28). He did not back down in the face of opposition, persecution or rejection. He did not compromise with unbelievers or make friends with the enemies of God.

Paul’s Message was Non-negotiable

Paul’s ministry was in response to a divine mandate. God had called him and commissioned him. He was not a man-pleaser to accommodate his listeners for their response to the Gospel.

He wrote, “For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel” (1 Cor. 9:16)!

The fact that he was stoned, beaten with rods, received 39 stripes and imprisoned many times ought to demonstrate that he did not adapt God’s message to make it pleasing to his hearers!

Preaching the truth of God’s Word and the Gospel was so important to Paul that he gave two charges to Timothy, “a true son in faith” (1 Tim. 1:2) in his farewell message to him. Please read my previous two postings.

The first charge was that he should emulate him to “Preach the Word! Be ready in season and out of season” (2 Tim. 4:2).

The second charge was, “Be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Tim.4:5).

Paul’s reason to become “All things to all men”

Please read 1 Cor. 9:19 – 23). This passage of Scripture is too long to be quoted here.

The reason that Paul became “all things to all men” is to advance the Gospel that all under his ministry might become partakers of the gift of salvation:

"Now this I do for the gospel's sake, that I may be partaker of it with you" (1 Cor. 9:23).

By becoming "all things to all men", Paul did the following for the purpose of wining souls:

1. Became a servant of all to win more souls.

Paul was a freeman (1 Cor. 9:1) and was under obligation to none. But, he chose to enslave himself to be servant of all so as to win more to Christ; that he might be the means of saving more souls.

Paul’s noble instance of self-denial and true greatness is in line with what Jesus said:

“If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all” (Mark 9:35, emphasis added).

Paul was describing not his willingness to sacrifice the gospel message, but his willingness to sacrifice himself to preach the message. Winning people to Christ was his only objective. In order to do that, Paul was willing give up all his rights and privileges, his position, his rank, his livelihood, his freedom and ultimately, even his life.

Paul would not modify the message to suit the world, but would behave so that he personally would never be an obstacle to anyone’s hearing and understanding the message of Christ. He was describing an attitude of personal sacrifice, not compromise. He would never alter the clear and confrontive call to repentance and faith.

2. To the Jew, Paul became like a Jew to win the Jews. To those who were under the Law (Moses Law), Paul became like a person under the Law to win those under the Law.

Paul was describing a selfless sacrifice of personal liberty. He willingly subjected himself to the law’s ritual requirements in order to win those who were under the Law. In other words, he adopted their customs. Notice Paul did not come under the Law to reach the unsaved but became “like one” under the Law. Whatever their ceremonial law dictated, he was willing to do. If it was important to abstain from eating pork, he abstained. If their sensibilities demanded that a certain feast be observed, he observed it. Why? Not to appease their pride or affirm their religion, but in order to open a door of opportunity for him to preach the uncompromised truth, so that he might win them to Christ.

3. To those who were not under the Law (Gentile), Paul became like a Gentile to win the Gentiles.

When Paul ministered to the Gentiles, he dropped all his Jewish (non-moral) traditions. When He was with the Gentiles he followed Gentile customs and culture insofar as it did not conflict with the law of Christ. He avoided needless offending the Gentiles.

When Paul was in Jerusalem, for example, he followed Jewish religious customs. He observed the feasts and Sabbaths, and he followed Jewish dietary laws. When he went to Antioch, however, he ate with the Gentiles, even though that violated his own tradition and upbringing.

Peter came to Antioch and also ate with the Gentiles, until some Judaizers showed up. Then Peter “withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision” (Gal. 2:12). Some other Jews also followed Peter. That was when Paul rebuked Peter to his face in front of others. Paul said Peter and those with him acted like hypocrites and were “not straightforward about the truth of the Gospel” (Gal. 2:14). In other words, Peter failed to be “all things to all men” like Paul.

4. To the weak (weak in faith), Paul became weak to win the weak.

“The weak” refers to immature believers who do not understand their liberty in Christ.

Paul said to the believers in Rome:

“Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things” (Romans 4:1).

“We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves” (Romans 15:1).

“One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observed it” (Romans 4:5, 6, emphasis added).

An appropriate example is the celebration of Christmas. A Christian who is strong in his faith knows that the Scripture does not say anything about Christmas celebration. In fact, you cannot find the word “Christmas” in the Bible. In other words, there is no Biblical basis for any Christian to celebrate Christmas. But, in the light of Paul’s statement, it is not wise to judge anyone who esteems Christmas day as a special day to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. It does not matter whether Jesus was actually born on Christmas day or not - provided it is true that the weak believer who observes Christmas day as a day of celebration, observes it to the Lord!

Paul was a freeman and was not governed by any law except the law and commands of Christ. Although he felt free to do things that other people’s conscience would not allow them to do, when he was with weaker brethrens he was careful not to violate their sensibilities. He adapted his behavior so as not to offend them. He yielded in love rather than risk offending a weaker brother.

Conclusion

Paul set himself in contrast with the compromising and men-pleasing preachers of God’s Word when he said:

“For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ” (2 Cor. 2:17, NKJV).

The compromiser sells a cheap gospel and tries to make it appealing by stripping away the offense of Christ. Paul simply wanted to keep himself from being an obstacle or a stumbling block to people’s conscience so that the unadulterated message could penetrate hearts and do its work. If people were offended by the message, Paul did not try to remove the offense of the Gospel or abolish the stumbling block of the cross, and he would not tolerate those who tried. God will not tolerate either!

All Who Are In Authority

The title of my message this week comes from Paul’s first letter to Timothy. To pray all who are in authority is an important charge and instruction given to Timothy in the proper administration and management of the local Church which Paul called God’s house (1 Tim. 3:15). Paul gave directions for the Church’s ministry of prayer:

“Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence” (1 Tim.2:1, 2, NKJV, emphasis added).

Notice the phrase “first of all” indicates that the first duty of Christians meeting together in regular fellowship is prayer. The four prayer activities are: supplications, prayers, intercessions and the giving of thanks. Paul further said that prayer is to be made “for all men” which means all people of the world, believers or unbelievers!

Paul’s instruction to Timothy agrees with the prophecy of Isaiah 56:7 where God says,

“For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations” (NKJV, emphasis added).

The word “nations” means “countries other than Israel”. In Scripture it means the Gentile nations other than Israel.

God is concerned with “all men” and “all people” and He expects His people to share His concerns. He specifically calls for prayers to be made to kings (rulers) and all who are in authority. The phrase “all who are in authority” usually indicates all those who are responsible for governing the nation – the government. The need to pray for the government is extremely important and I shall discuss in a separate message.

This message concerns the need of prayer for all Christians who are in authority. All Christians have authority because all of them are under the authority of God. In fact, every person on earth, a believer or unbeliever (whether he understands or not), has authority because everyone is under authority.

Since we are instructed to offer our prayers to all men we must include groups of people who are not involved in governing the nation but are also “in authority”.

Intrinsic authority and derived authority

There are two basic forms of authority – intrinsic authority and derived authority. Intrinsic authority means authority belonging to one’s nature; derived authority is given to one from another source. The Scripture says intrinsic authority belongs to God only:

“For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God” (Romans 13:1, NKJV).

Therefore every kind of authority other than that of God Himself is derived and therefore secondary to God’s power.

Jesus said to Pilate, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above” (John 19:11).

Pilate was not a believer, but whatever power (authority) he had came from God.

Examples of derived authority

Some of the important derived authority the Bible speaks about are: Christian or non-Christian civil governments (Rom. 13:1 – 7), employers (Eph. 6:5 – 9), angels (Luke 1:19, 20) and Satan (Luke 4:6).

Notice that the Bible (the Word of God) has derived authority. God gave authority to His own Word. But it is above every other kind of derived authority. The Bible is inspired by God (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Peter. 1:20 – 21; Heb. 4:12). It has divine power and authority. God did not give His Word to be read only, but to be believed and obey.

Every Christian has derived authority. This includes the authority of a father or mother (Eph. 6:1 – 4); Church ministers include elders, pastors, deacons and leaders have derived authority.

The writer of Hebrews said, “Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you” (Heb. 13:17, NIV, emphasis added).

Leaders in the Christian Church are accountable to God to watch over Church members. They are answerable to God in the day of judgement. In return, Church members should show them proper respect and to submit to their authority in the Church so that their leadership tasks will not be a burden. But their God-given tasks must be administered in accordance with the precepts of Christ. Church members' obligation to obedience does not, of course, extend to anything which is wrong by itself, or which would be a violation of conscience.

The most noble use of the leaders’ authority is for serving others. Since Jesus came to serve His disciples there is no reason why leaders of the Church would not serve Church members in the fear of God.

Jesus said to His disciples, “…. He who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Yet I am among you as the One who serves” (Luke 22:26, 27).

Men under Authority

Even Jesus Himself had no authority unless he was under the Authority of God. When Jesus was in submission to the Authority of God, He gained all the power and stature of God the Father.

Jesus said to the Jews, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner” (John 5:19, NKJV).

Jesus had authority in His Ministry because he was in complete submission to God the Father. Concerning Jesus the writer of Hebrews sums it up like this:

“During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission” (Hebrews 5:7, NIV, emphasis added).

Notice that without submission to God the Father's Authority even Jesus' prayer would not be heard! It follows that if Christians do not submit to the Authority of God their prayers will not be heard, let alone getting an answer from God!

The general spiritual principle is that only when you are under the authority of God can you exercise the authority of His Kingdom. This principle can be extended to authority in general – a person has no authority unless he is under authority. Any person (Christian or an unbeliever) has authority if he is under authority.

This principle is illustrated in the healing of a Centurion’s Servant. The Centurion, although an unbeliever, understood the power of authority in Jesus. He saw beyond Jesus to the power and authority of God. This was not difficult for him to understand, for he was in a similar position with regard to the power of the Roman Empire. When he spoke to the soldiers under his command, they knew that the whole authority of the Roman Empire was behind him.

He said to Jesus, “But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me” (Matt. 8:8, 9, emphasis added).

By saying “I also am a man under authority” indicates that the centurion had seen Jesus who Himself was subject to the intrinsic Authority of God.

Praying for all who are in authority

This message concerns the need of Christian believers to pray for all who are in authority. Paul’s instruction for believers to pray for all who are in authority means Christians are to pray for one another.

We have no problem with the common situation where we see Pastors praying for Church members and fathers praying for their family members. But, what about the reverse order? Is it scriptural to have Church members praying for Pastors, wives praying for their husbands and children praying for their fathers?

The writer of Hebrews said, “Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct” (Heb. 13:7, emphasis added).

There are actually two ways of interpreting the above verse. One way is that, Christians must bring to remembrance and imitate the faith of those Christian leaders who have taught them the Scripture.

Another way which I choose to follow is: Christians are to pray for those who exercise authority over them and have spoken the Word of God to them. We are to imitate their faith and good conduct.

The Greek word for “remember” is “mnemoneuo” meaning “make mention or be mindful in prayers”.

“Those who rule over you” means “those who exercise authority over you”. The chain of authority includes: “Elders over Pastors”, “Pastors over Church members”, “Husbands over wives” and “Father over children” and so on.

In other words, according to the Scripture, Pastors should pray for their Elders, Church members should pray for their Pastors, wives should pray for their husbands and children should pray for their fathers and so on.

Anyone who teaches Scripture needs prayer. Most Christians believe it is good for a Christian father to teach his wife and children the Word and God. Therefore, fathers need prayers from the members of their households. It is the expected duty of Pastors to teach the members of the congregation the Word of God in faith. Therefore, Pastors need Church members' prayer. Pastors, being in the frontline of authority (in the Local Church) are usual targets for Satan (the god of this age). We need to pray against deceptions, unbiblical doctrines, spiritual attacks, bad health and sicknesses and so on.

Any Pastor or Elder (including the head of a Christian denomination) who thinks he needs no prayer from Church members is unwise.

Here are some consequences:

1. Recently, it was reported that a group of renowned evangelical Pastor, Bible teachers, book writers came together to endorse an unbiblical theology called the “Dual covenant theology”. They believe that the Jews are automatically saved. They have a “special relationship with God” through revelation at Sinai. They will be welcomed into Heaven even if they deny Jesus as the Messiah. Therefore, it is a waste of time to evangelize the Jew!

We do not condemn but we need to pray for these Christian leaders who are obviously deceived.


2. The spirit of "humanism" is slowly creeping into the ministries of the Church of Jesus Christ. Human rights, equal roles of men and women in the Church, feminism, rights of abortions, right of total freedom for children, right of gay marriages and so on. New Age and New World Order theologies are also based on the teaching of humanism. Many Bible teachers and Pastors are using "christianized" motivational books based on psychology, philosophy and humanism theology to teach their followers how to be effective Church leaders.

I believe humanism is the spirit of the Antichrist. The "gospel" of the Antichrist is humanism. God helping me I intend to post a message soon.

Paul’s prophesy about the “last days”, many would not give heed to sound doctrine (2 Tim. 4:3) is being fulfilled now!

Do The Work Of An Evangelist

Paul’s Second Epistle to Timothy is an extremely important farewell message to Timothy and to all Christians. He gave Timothy two charges. The first one was “Preach the Word” (2 Tim. 3:2) which I shared last week. The second one was “Do the work of an evangelist” (2 Tim. 3:5) – my message this week

Paul was a type of Christ to Timothy

I am using Typology to compare the ministry of Paul to that of Christ. When I say Paul is a type of Christ I am saying that there are certain aspects in Paul's life that portray the life and ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Christ’s last command to His disciples was:

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19, 20, NKJV, emphasis added).

Paul’s last charge to Timothy was:

“But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Tim. 4:5, NKJV, emphasis added).

Notice the parallel truth concerning the calling of Christ and calling of Paul to their respective disciples/servants. Both Christ’s and Paul’s command was “Preach the Gospel” – the work of an evangelist. This is the same command for all Christians – even to the end of the age! When we do the work of an evangelist Christ promised to be with us just as He was with Timothy.

As Christians (disciples of Christ) and especially as pastors, we must also heed the advice of Paul to Timothy. Notice that there are four imperatives in 2 Tim. 4:5:

1. Watchful in all things

In the epistles of Paul and Peter the idea of watchfulness and alertness is stressed.

“Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober” (1 Thess. 5:6).

“Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong” (1 Cor. 16:13).

“But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers” (1 Peter 4:7).

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

We must be vigilant against error and against sin; watch our work, watch against the temptations of Satan; prayerful and watch over the souls of those who are committed to our charge.

2. Endure afflictions

Christians and ministers are expected to endure afflictions in the discharge of their duty faithfully:

“You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Tim. 2:3).

“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Tim. 3:12).

An example of Paul’s suffering for the gospel is:

“… for which (the gospel) I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained” (2 Tim 2:9).

“… But share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God” (2 Tim. 1:8).

But the Lord delivered Paul from all his afflictions and persecutions:

“Persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me …. And out of them all the Lord delivered me” (2 Tim. 3:11).

3. Do the work of an evangelist

“Evangelist” is one of the five ministry gifts given to the Church (Eph. 4:11). Not every minister or Christian holds the office of the evangelist which is a special calling. But, every Christian, as a disciple of Christ, must do the work of an evangelist.

The word “evangelist” comes from the Greek word, “euaggelistes” which means, “a preacher of the gospel” or “one appointed to proclaim the glad tidings of salvation”.

Timothy at one time was Paul’s traveling companion and both of them were doing the work of evangelists. Later on Paul planted a Church in Ephesus and he stationed Timothy at Ephesus to be the Pastor. Paul wrote to Timothy two epistles known as the Pastoral Epistles when he served as the Pastor there. Paul charged Timothy to carry on and do the work of an evangelist besides his pastoral duties.

4. Fulfill your ministry

Paul’s final advice to Timothy was “Fulfill your ministry”. One way of fulfilling the pastoral ministry is to do the work of an evangelist. At the same time Timothy needs to be a good example to his own Church members:

“Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Tim. 4:12).

Paul also encouraged Timothy to reach out beyond the comfort level of his own flock and boldly proclaim the Gospel to unbelievers outside. Timothy must do it all, leave nothing undone but to accomplish every God-given task and ministry.

Paul set himself as an example for Timothy to follow:

“But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24, emphasis added).

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:7, emphasis added).

Our race is not finished until we have fulfilled our ministry.

The reward is, “Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not me only but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Tim. 4:8, emphasis added).

God’s condition for us to receive the “Crown of righteousness” is to “love His appearing”. This means Christians must look forward to the second coming of Christ. In other words, the promise of the "Crown of righteousness" is for all Christians who are “looking for and hastening the coming of the day God ….” (2 Peter 3:12).

The Scriptural way to hasten the second coming of Christ is found in Matthew 24:

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Matt. 24:14).

To preach the Gospel of the Kingdom to all the world is God’s mandate for all Christians – everyone must do the work of an evangelist!

Timothy’s strengths and weaknesses

Some Christians might think that Timothy was such a unique person that not many can carry out the tasks like he did. But he has his fare share of strong and weak traits.

Strong traits

Timothy’s strongest traits were his sensitivity, affection and loyalty. Paul commended him to the Philippians as one person with “proven character”.

“But you know his proven character, that as a son with his father he served with me in the gospel” (Phil. 2:22, emphasis added).

Weak traits

Paul’s warning to Timothy, “Be strong in the grace that is in Jesus Christ” (2 Tim 2:1) suggests he suffered from timidity and fearfulness (1 Cor. 16:10 – 12; 2 Tim.1:17). There is also some indication that he suffered bodily infirmities (1 Tim 5:23) and perhaps youthful lusts (2 Tim. 2:22).

Summary of Paul’s Instruction to Timothy

In his two rather short epistles to Timothy Paul had given him a lot of instructions and commands. We can sum them up in five categories:

1. To be faithful in his preaching of Biblical truth.

2. To be bold in exposing and refuting error.

3. To be an example of godliness to the flock.

4. To be diligent and work hard in the ministry.

5. To be willing to suffer hardship and persecution in his service for the Lord.

Paul said nothing about:

1. How people might respond to his ministry method.

2. How to be successful in building mega-churches.

3. Timothy must attend a Bible Seminary for training or coaching before he could be officially ordained as a pastor and allowed to preach.

Paul himself was personally trained by Gamaliel, an extremely strict teacher of the Old Testament laws (Acts 22:3). But, Paul counted “all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus …” (Phil. 3:8). To Paul the Holy Spirit is a far better teacher.

Notice that Paul would not instruct Timothy to do anything he himself had not done. He led Timothy by examples. He did not instruct Timothy to "do as I say and not as I have done". In other words, Paul was a perfect mentor and counsellor for Timothy. Above all, Paul was a perfect personal coach to young Timothy by helping him to develop further his "proven charcacter" and his spiritual gifts. Paul coached Timothy to pursue excellence and not to seek external success. Timothy must know that external criteria such as affluence, numbers, money, or positive response have never been the biblical measure of success in ministry. Paul's emphasis was on commitment and not external success.

Conclusion

An interesting question is, was Timothy faithful in following Paul’s counsel? As far as we know from the Scripture we heard nothing about Timothy replying Paul’s epistles. But, I notice an obscure little verse at the end of the Epistle to the Hebrews:

“Know that our brother Timothy has been set free, with whom I shall see you if he comes shortly” (Hebrews 13:23, NKJV, emphasis added).

The writer of Hebrews (very likely Paul) obviously knew Timothy well. He told the Hebrew Christians that Timothy had been “set free” or “released”. Released from what? The Greek word used in this verse suggests that Timothy had been released from prison. From this inference we are confident to come to the conclusion that when suffering came, Timothy endured it. He did not compromise. He did not try to please men, especially his captors. Just like his mentor, the apostle Paul, he remained faithful, even though it evidently meant imprisonment!

Preach The Word!

Paul wrote to Timothy regarding his duty as a Pastor:

"I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth ......" (2 Tim. 4:1 - 4, NKJV, emphasis added).

Here are some important things to take note of:

1. Notice the solemnity of the charge. It is given in the presence of God and Jesus Christ, in the light of the fact that Christ will judge the living and the dead and in view of His appearing in His Kingdom.

2. The charge is to preach the Word. There is a pressing need and sense of urgency to preach the Word (including the Gospel). The reference to the fact that Jesus will judge the living and the dead indicates the preacher will answer to the Lord for the messages he preaches. It is the preacher's task to preach the Word at all times whether it is convenient or inconvenient to do so. The Word must be preached not only at the appointed time or appointed place in a Church service. The Word must be preached whenever there is still someone willing to hear!

3. A time will come when self-pleasing Christian rebels will no longer endure sound doctrine. They will be looking for preachers who are willing to preach sermons they like to hear and not what they need to hear. It is a warning that not all will receive the truth. Nevertheless, in spite of opposition and criticism, the charge is to preach of Word of God. Paul's charge is not for Timothy alone but for all true Christians - ordained or unordained pastors, full time workers, all preachers and ministers of God's Word.

Sound Teaching of God's Word

The above verses of Scripture are prophetic. In fact Paul's prophecy regarding Christians turning away from hearing the truth of God's Word is being fulfilled now. The fact that sound doctrine needs endurance to accept shows that only unsound man-pleasing doctrine is welcomed! This is the reason why it is extremely difficult to hear uncompromised sound teaching of the Scripture in an average Local Church today.

Notice that when Paul instructed Timothy to preach the Word, he meant exactly that - The Word, the pure and unadulterated Word of God. Timothy must not preach any other things except the truth of God's Word. He must not preach human philosophy, political ideologies, Church politics, denominational preferences or even elaborate doubtful theology.

It was never in the mind of Paul that Timothy has the liberty to abuse God's Word. No preacher or pastor is given the liberty to preach man's "purpose driven" interpretation of the Word which is watered-down and tailored to gratify the itching ears of men to entice them to fill up every pew of the Local Church every Sunday morning.

The Effectiveness of God's Word

Christian ministers need to be reminded of what the Scripture says about the effectiveness of God's Word:

God said, "So shall My word be that goes forth from My mounth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it" (Isaiah 55:11, NKJV).

"Is not My word like a fire?" says the Lord, "and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces" (Jeremiah 23:29)?

The writer of Hebrews said, "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints an marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12).

There is tremendous power in the preached Word of God. Its results are guaranteed. It will not return empty. It will accomplish God's purpose and pleasure. It is like a sharp sword that pierces to the innermost recesses of the human personality and lays bare the secrets of men's hearts and minds.

The same cannot be said about the preaching of man's words or man's compromising interpretation of God's Word!

The Effectiveness of Paul's Ministry

As far as preaching the Word is concerned Paul would never compromise. Acts 19:8 - 10 is an example of the power of the preached Word of God from Paul's ministry in Ephesus:

"And he went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading concerning the things of the kingdom of God" (Acts 19:8).

Read the rest of the verses you'll notice that Paul not only preached the Word in the synagogue for three months but also taught certain disciples daily for two years, intensely and continuously. The result was:

"God did extraordinary miracles through Paul" (Acts 19:11, NIV, emphasis added).

Notice the phrase "extraordinary miracles". This implies that some miracles were ordinary, but the ones that happened here in Ephesus were extraordinary!

In how many of our Churches today do we have even ordinary miracles, let alone extraordinary miracles? Why? The difference between Paul and preachers of today is - Paul did not compromise the truth of God's Word in his preaching, but we do!

What happened to Paul confirms the statement made by Mark:

"And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs" (Mark 16:20, NKJV).

God does not confirm human theories or philosophy or man's gospel. He will, however, confirm His Word.

The Truth of God's Word

The psalmist David understood the truth and authority of God's Word:

"Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven" (Ps. 119:89).

Here David emphasizes that the Bible is not the product of time but of eternity. It contains the eternal mind and full counsel of God, formed before the beginning of time or the foundation of the world. Out of eternity it has been projected through human channels into this world of time. God desires obedient, usable and teachable human channels so that the mind and counsel of God revealed through the Scripture, by preaching, will still stand unmoved and unchanged.

The same thought is expressed by Christ Himself, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away" (Matt. 24:35).

Again, David said, "The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever" (Ps. 119:160).

In other words, the Bible is true from Genesis 1:1 right on through to the very last verse of Revelation.

The Word must be Preached without Compromise

The preacher's task is to proclaim the Scripture accurately without compromise and give sense of it and nothing else. We are human channels that God uses to "Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching" (2 Tim. 4:2).

Preaching the Word is not always easy. The message of the cross is far from man-pleasing but is often offensive. Christ Himself is a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence (Romans 9:33; 1 Peter 2:8). The message of the cross is a stumbling block to some, and mere foolishness to others:

"But we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God" (1 Cor. 1:23, 24).

Notice that salvation belongs to the Lord. Salvation is a call of God rather than the choice of man:

Paul said to the Corinthians Church, "God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord" (1 Cor. 1:9, emphasis added).

A Christian is someone who is called into the fellowship of Jesus Christ. But, he has the freewill to response or not to response to the call of God. If he responses to the call then he is saved. Otherwise he is not a Christian.

Furthermore, Paul said, "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase" (1 Cor. 3:6).

In other words, some of us plant and some of us water, but it is God who gives the increase - the increase of saved persons. A pastor might be able to increase the number of Church members, but only God has the power to increase the number of saved persons as Church members! For example, a pastor can start a "church" solely for homosexuals and he would have no difficulty in getting members. Homosexuals would have the best of both "worlds"!

A preacher's mandate is to preach the Word; whether the hearer of the Gospel is finally saved or not is not his problem:

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek" (Romans 1:16, emphasis added).

Paul was not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ. But, preachers who compromise the truth of God's Word are ashamed of the Gospel. These preachers think they know better than God; they think the Gospel is too unacceptable to the natural man and needs to be watered-down to please men. To them, God is too harsh in His Word. Consequently, they fail to exercise the power of God to salvation. Consequently, their hearer's salvation might not be genuine.

Why Preachers compromise the Truth of God's Word?

"God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:24).

Our God-given ministry is a form of worship to God. Therefore, our ministry must be in spirit and in truth. We cannot serve God effectively with our soul and body unless we are led by the Spirit of God through our regenerated spirit. Please refer to my earlier postings regarding the functions of the Spirit, Soul and Body of the redeemed man.

Paul's ministry was powerful, successful and found pleasing to God because he served God with his spirit.

"For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, ....." (Romans 1:9, emphasis added).

We need to emulate Paul and cease to serve God with our soul (emotion, feelings and sentiment). If we minister with our feelings and emotion we might fear and feel threatened when the Church is not growing and members start to leave. We might imagine, with fear, that we have been preaching messages they would not like to hear. We then come to the conclusion that it is impossible to minister without compromising the Truth of God's Word. That is how we are persuaded to please men.

A Preacher of the Word must not please men

Paul said, "God has not given us the spirit of fear" (2 Tim. 1:7).

Paul also said, "For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ" (Gal. 1:10).

The word "now" is used here to contrast between Paul's present and former purpose of life. Before he was converted Paul pleased the high priest by persecuting Christians (Acts 9:1, 2). But now Paul would not please men, for if he still does, he would not be a true Christian (bondservant of Christ)!

Again Paul emphasized, "But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts" (1 Thess. 4:4, emphasis added).

According to Paul those who are entrusted with the gospel should not please men but God. The truth is any preacher who pleases men cannot please God at the same time - it is mutually exclusive. Furthermore God is constantly testing what is in our hearts! He is testing our obedience to preach His Word without compromise!

Possible Consequences of Compromising the Truth of God's Word

1. Fear of men

"But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers ..... shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death" (Rev. 21:8, KJV, emphasis added).

Heading the list of those who are destined to taste the second death are the "fearful"!

2. Failing to do God's Will

At the close of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave this 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" (Matt. 7:21, NKJV, emphasis added).

To compromise the Truth of God's Word in our preaching is NOT the will of God!

The Healing of Our Land

In Scripture the word "land" means more than an area of ground that we build our houses on or that we walk on. "Land" in ancient Hebrew is "erets" which means earth, world, country, nation, field and wilderness etc. Broadly speaking, it means everything concerning a country or a nation - People, government, the business world, homes, schools, universities, religious institutions and local Churches etc.

This message concerns the need of healing of every area listed above. All calamities and disasters, except those from trials (James 1:2 - 3) are brought about by the sins of humanity. The judgment of God came upon Israel because of their turning away from their God and served other gods:

"You or your sons at all turn from following Me, and do not keep My commandments and My statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them" (1 Kings 9:6).

The Judgment of God upon Israel at the Time of Solomon

The Lord appeared to Solomon after the completion of the temple:

"When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people ....." (2 Chronicles 7:13, NKJV).

The list of God's judgment includes - Withholding of rain, sending locust to devour the land and sending pestilence among the Israelites.

God's Promises for Israel and the Church

The next verse is God's remedy for these calamitites:

"If My people who are called by My name will humble 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 Chronicles 7:14, NKJV, emphasis added).

Notice that God spoke to His Covenant people in the Old Testament - "My people who are called by My name". The above verse also applies to the Church, His New Covenant people, the Christians - All Christians are also called by His Name. Therefore, this promise applies to you and me as Christians. It is a Covenant promise to all God's people throughout all generations. Like all Covenants of God to His people this Covenant will neither fail nor go out of date.

The above verse says that God requires us to do four things. Then, if we do the four things He will do three things. If we do our part God promises to hear our prayer, to forgive our sin and to heal our land. Notice that God is not obliged to hear all our prayers in the sense of responding to them with His answers. God says if we meet His conditions then He will hear and respond to our prayer and forgive our sins. We need to understand that what stand between God and God's intervention in our land is not the sins of the unbelievers. Christians are largely accountable for the judgment of God upon our land. The third thing that God will do is to heal our land.

By just looking at the conditions of the land with all the problems and calamities we are now facing, surely we all agree that our land needs healing. All one needs to do is to read today's newspapers in any country he'll know what I mean.

There are problems in every area of humanity - Political, social, economical as well as problems related to religious beliefs. Religious beliefs and their sensitivities give rise to wars and rumors of wars. Then there are disasters everywhere, landslides, mudslides, mines disasters, planes and train crashes, earthquakes and hurricanes of immence magnitude. Then there are pestilence and strange diseases like the bird flu spreading quickly in many countries. Then there is the breakdown of human character. The movies industry glorifies and promotes homosexual activities, with directors and producers of such movies get the highest awards! What about the sins in the Christian Church? - "men of God" commit adultery and sexual sins; gay and lesbian "churches" pastored by gay and lesbian "pastors" are mushrooming; same sex marriage, rape, sodomy and abortion and divorce become a common life-style among "christians" in some countries. All these degrading activities are forbidden according to the Scripture (Romans 1:18 - 32 and many other passages).

God's Conditions for Healing of our Land

Let us study the four conditions listed in 2 Chronicles 7:14.

1. To humble ourselves

All through the Scripture whenever God talks about humility He places the responsibility upon us. Usually God does not make us humble except when we exalt ourselves (Matthew 23:12). We have to humble ourselves.

An angel of God spoke to Daniel, "Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words" (Daniel 10:12, emphasis added).

Daniel's prayer was heard because he humbled himself. The angel of God brought Daniel God's answer. This is the reason why "to humble ourselves" is God's first condition. Our prayer might not be heard unless we humble ourselves.

David combined fasting with prayer. Through fasting he humbled his soul and made his prayer more intense and more effective:

"I humbled myself with fasting; and my prayer would return to my own heart" (Psalm 35:13, emphasis added).

I believe the main reason why we need to humble our soul (or ourselves) is because of our ego - a part of our un-crucified Adamic nature. It is the self-exerting demanding part of the soul that always says I want, give me this, help me, bless me, and other things that we selfishly desired. It is the things in us that make us self-centered. This places a barrier between us and the Almighty God and we will not be able to maintain a right relationship with Him. Because of this our prayers are hindered. We need to humble our soul and bring it to subjection by the Spirit of God (1 Cor. 9:27).

2. To Pray

The second thing that God requires us to do is to pray. Notice that this comes after we have put our pride and ego under subjection. Someone has said, "We can't feel proud when we are on our knees"!

We pray out of humility, out of a broken spirit, out of a humble dependence upon God, out of the acknowledgement that we need God desperately to help us. If He does not come to our help there is no other source of help that can meet our needs.

God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). That is why to humble ourselves must come first before we cry out to God. God will not hear our prayer if we pray out of arrogance, self-righteousness and self-sufficiency - like the Pharisees!

Paul said, "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks to be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:1 - 4, emphasis added).

The first thing that we do when we come together (in a Church) to pray, is to pray for all men (believers and unbelievers), and for the government (all who are in authority). When we pray for a good government we are praying according to the will of God. If we know that what we are praying for is according to God's will, then we have the faith to claim it (1 John 5:14, 15). With a good government much of the crime, corruptive practices, evil and lawlessness in our country would be suppressed and healed.

3. To Seek His Face

The third thing that God requires us to do is to seek His face. To seek the Lord is much more than going to attend a prayer meeting for an hour or two. To seek the Lord's face is to seek Him diligently (Hebrews 11:6). Usually in a Church prayer meeting we seek things from God under the pretense of seeking God. When we are sick, we seek healing from God. When hard financial times hit, we seek money from God. When we are desperate we even bargain with God and say something like this, "Lord, if you'll help me in this situation I promise to attend every Church prayer meeting!" When our Church is in crisis and faces with serious problems we hold special prayer meetings to ask God to solve our problems not admitting that very often we are the problems in the Church!

The one who truly seeks God expects only one thing - God! He is looking for God and not just the things God may give him. The prayer of his life is, "God, I just want You!"

Thus said the Lord, "Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon him while He is near" (Isaiah 55:6).

Yes, the Lord is near, but before we can seek the Lord diligently, we need to break up the fallow ground of our hearts. We need to cleanse our hearts from "weeds" and "thorns" (from corruption, lust and all unrighteousness) so that the Lord can sow righteousness. God's righteousness can't be sown on hard grounds. We need to have a broken and contrite spirit.

"Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap in mercy; break up you fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, till He comes and rains righteousness on you" (Hosea 10:12, emphasis added).

One of the ways we can do to break up the fallow ground is by fasting. We seek the Lord until He comes - until there is a definite and a specific response from God. Until He visits us, we see His arms stretch forth and we see definite evidence that God is moving to answer our prayer!

4. To turn from our wicked ways

The forth thing that God requires us to do is to turn from our wicked ways. Some of us might think that we have no wicked ways; we lead a blameless life and we go to Church regularly and give our offerings to God like all good Christians do. We love our Church and obey our elders, pastors and leaders and never cause any trouble. We never rock "the boat"!

In my mind there are at least three possible forms of wickedness - sin of omission, un-forgiveness and unproductiveness.

1. The sin of omission is the sin of failing to do the right thing when it is within our knowledge and means to do so.

"Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin" (James 4:17).

2. Another form of wickedness is un-forgiveness. The parable of the unforgiving servant is a good example of a servant who would not forgive his fellow servant (Matt. 18:23 - 35). A servant owed his master a large sum of money. But this servant was unable to pay his debt. So, the master had compassion and forgave him his debt. However, this servant would not forgive his fellow servant who also owed him some money. Then the master said to this unforgiving servant:

"You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant just as I had pity on you" (Matt. 18:32, 33, emphasis added)?

3. In God's sight an unproductive and lazy person is also a wicked person. In the parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14 - 30) a man said to the servant who had received one talent:

"You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I had not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest" (Matt. 25:26, 27, emphasis added).

I might add that we can do all the "right" things in Christ and if we are too lazy to pray and fail to "deposit" our prayer on a regular basis, we are considered wicked!

Conclusion

In my opinion, all Christians should take God's challenge to do all the four things demanded by God - to humble ourselves, to pray, to seek His face and to turn from our wicked ways. We must take God at His Word by faith. It is interesting to see if God would hear from heaven, forgive our sins and heal our land or not - even in these end-time hours.

I believe He would - because of His promises:

"God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good" (Numbers 23:19)?

"Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it" (Isaiah 46:11).

Salted with Salt and Salted with Fire

Believers are called to be the salt of the earth. But, in order to be the salt of the earth the believer has to be salted with salt and salted with fire.

Jesus is speaking to Christians (believers) just as He had spoken to His disciples (also believers) when He preached to them the Sermon on the Mount:

"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men" (Matthew 5:13, NKJV, emphasis added).

Jesus compares our function on the earth to that of salt. First of all, salt gives flavor. Food which by itself alone is unappetizing becomes tasty and acceptable when seasoned with salt. As Christians, our function is to give flavor to the earth. The One who enjoys this flavor is God! Our presence makes the earth acceptable to God. The earth is not acceptable to God because the "god of this age" (2 Cor. 4:4) has dominion in this world since Adam's fall. Our presence commends the earth to God's mercy. Without us, there would be nothing to make the earth acceptable to God. But because we are here, God continues to deal with the earth in grace and mercy rather than in wrath and judgment. It is our presence that makes the difference.

Suppose we as Christians, fail to fulfill our responsibility as the salt of the earth, then we are like what Jesus said, "Good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men" (Matt. 5:13).

In my opinion, what Jesus said, "Good for nothing" and "Being thrown out (rejected by God)" to Christians constitutes the most severe condemnation! Futhermore, we shall be trampled underfoot by men! Men become the instruments of God's judgment upon the saltless, apostate Church. If we as the Church fail to fold back the forces of evil and wickedness, our judgment is to be handed over to those very forces that cause men to trample the Christians!

Important Functions of Salt

1. Salt gives flavor

As described above salt literally adds taste and flavor to food that of itself is unsavory, making it more palatable.

2. Salt preserves and restrains the Process of Corruption

The second function of salt in relation to food is to restrain the process of corruption. In the days before artificial refrigeration, sailors who took meat on long voyages used salt as a preservative. The process of corruption was already at work before the meat was salted. Salting did not abolish the corruption, but it held it in check for the duration of the voyage, so that the sailors could continue to eat the meat long after it would otherwise have become inedible.

Figuratively speaking, the true Christians' presence on the earth as Christ's ambassadors operates like the salt in the meat. The process of corruption due to sin is already at work. This is manifested in every area of human activity - moral, religious, social, economical and political. We cannot abolish the corruption which is already there, but we can hold it in check long enough for God's purposes of grace and mercy to be fully worked out. Then, when our influence is no longer felt, corruption will come to its climax, and the result will be total degradation. When the true Christians lose their saltiness or when they are no longer here on earth - when Jesus comes for His bride (1 Thess. 4:14 - 17), then the Antichrist, the man of lawlessness or the man of sin, will make his appearance!

The Salting Process

Jesus spoke to His disciples, "For everyone shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt" (Mark 9:49, KJV, emphasis added).

Notice that "everyone" refers to both the genuine believer and Jesus' foe. "Every sacrifice" refers to the genuine believer only.

Let us study this verse one part at a time.

1. "Everyone shall be salted with fire"

We have to look into the context of Mark 9:49. Jesus was speaking to His disciples who believed Him. He was warning them about offences - To stumble those who believe in Him, and to sin with one's hand, foot or eye. Christ's message is that unless we submit ourselves to the purging process by fire (salted with fire) in this life we will have to suffer the unquenchable fire of hell one day - where "Their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched" (Mark 9:44, 46 or 48 repeated three times)!

This is a solemn warning to genuine Christians and backslidden Christians. The reason why it is better for us to cut off offending members of the body is that, the work of everyone shall be tried (seasoned or salted) with fire.

Notice that Jesus was using a figurative method of teaching. He was using the hyperbole. The purpose of the hyperbole is to create an impact on those who are reading or listening. Hyperbole is an exaggeration. Jesus was using the hyperbolic style to bring home the point on how we should regard offenses, and offending characteristics in our lives.

There are two types of fire:

To the genuine Christians the purging fire is "The Refiner's fire" (Mal 3:3) and "Baptism with the Holy Spirit and with fire" (Matt 3:11). To the backslidden or sinning Christians God is "A consuming fire" (Heb. 12:29).

"Consuming Fire"

"The sinners in Zion are terrified; trembling grips the godless: Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire? Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning" (Isaiah 33:14, NIV, emphasis added)?

In Old Testament Scripture "Zion" speaks of the Church. Isaiah was speaking about the impending Judgment of the "sinners", "godless", "backsliders" and "hypocrites" in the Church.

God desires purity only fire can bring. Therefore, even for the ungodly, who nevertheless shall be imperishable in their doom (salt symbolizes preservation from decay), but purging out only the dross from His people.

"Each one's work will become clear; it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire" (1 Cor. 3:13 - 15, NKJV, eimphasis added).

Notice that Paul was talking about the judgment of Christians for rewards. Fire is an agent for judgment of the Christian's work.

"Baptism with the Holy Spirit and with Fire"

The phrase "He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire" appears in both the Gospel according to Matthew (Matt. 3:11) and Luke (Luke 3:16).

John foretold the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2):

"When the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them" (Acts 2:1 - 3, emphasis added).

The fire speaks of the refining fire to consume the "dross" in the believers to kindle their hearts with divine fire and impart to them with divine love and zeal to serve God. It also gives them power to bear witness to the unbelieving world (Acts 1:8).

It is not Biblical to think of two separate baptisms. A renowned Bible teacher has said, "the baptism with the Holy Spirit is for the Church Age and the baptism with fire is for the Kingdom Age". This teaching is not supported by Scripture.

The Scripture reveals that many other divine manifestations were associated with fire. Here are two examples:

1. The Angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush (Exodus 3:2).

2. The Lord descended on Mount Sinai in fire (Exodus 19:20).

The appearance of fire is an indication of God's presence. Therefore we can paraphrase "Baptism with the Holy Spirit and with fire" as "Baptism with the Holy Spirit and with divine presence of God".

2. "Every sacrifice shall be salted with salt"

The righteous (genuine Christians) can withstand the fire, for it is part of their present salting as "a living sacrifice" for the serving God (ministry).

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service" (Romans 12:1, emphasis added).

Every sacrifice shall be salted with salt; therefore every Christian, being a living sacrifice shall be salted with salt. Salt prepares a Christian for ministry. A salted ministry is God's desire! An unsalted ministry will not bear fruit.

Jesus said, "Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in youselves, and have peace with one another" (Mark 9:50, emphasis added).

Just as food without salt is not acceptable to man, a "living sacrifice" (Christian) without salt shall not be acceptable to God. When we are salted we have peace with one another. For example, our prayers offered without "peace" of heart on behalf of our fellow men are savorless (saltless) to God if we are without salt in ourselves!

Paul said, "Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one" (Col. 4:5, 6, emphasis added).

In other words, when we share the Gospel to unbelievers (those who are outside) we must walk in wisdom and we must "be salted" so that our speech will be salted with salt and with grace to our hearers.

"Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers" (Eph. 4:29. emphasis added).

I believe a salted life is the only basis for Christian ministry.

The Covenant of Salt

The Covenant of Salt is an expression of an everlasting Covenant. Salt with its preservative nature speaks of the binding agreement between two parties. The close connection between salt and covenant-making may be seen when people in the Arab world shared a sacrficial meal (salt was always present) together to seal their friendship and agreement on some important issues.

A covenant of Salt is simply an everlasting covenant whose efficacy will always remain. Covenants made between men, in general, are fragile, delicate and vulnerable. They can be violated and broken. But when God makes a covenant with men, because He is the Lord and He never changes, His covenant is called a "Covenant of Salt".

God's people's offerings to God are given under the "Covenant of Salt":

"All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer to the Lord, I have given to you and your sons and daughters with you as an ordinance forever; it is a covenant of salt forever before the Lord with you and your descendants with you" (Numbers 18:19, emphasis added).

David received his kingdom forever from the Lord by a Covenant of Salt:

"Should you not know that the Lord God of Israel gave the dominion over Israel to David forever, to him and his sons, by a covenant of salt" (2 Chron. 13:5, emphasis added)?

Under the New Covenant of Salt believers are the children of God in His Kingdom forever!

"But as many as received Him to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believed in His name" (John 1:12, NKJV, emphasis added).

The New Wine

My message last week was about wilderness in the Christian Walk. This message is about the on-going changes in our walk with Him when we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. Please read last week's message first.

As we walk in obedience to Him we'll soon discover that wilderness is also where God is about to bring forth a fresh move of His Spirit. All through Scripture, the new wine speaks of God's presence in the life of His people. New wine and oil speak of the new anointing and the fresh move of God's Spirit.

The Lord said to His people, "Behold, I will send you grain and new wine and oil, and you will be satisfied by them; I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations" (Joel 2:19, NKJV, emphasis added).

God uses the new wine and oil to bring about changes in the life of His people. They will be satisfied with the presence of Lord and the new move of the Holy Spirit. Unless His people will not resist changes and willing to flow will His Spirit they will remain in the wilderness and miss what God has provided for them.

The Lord said, "Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert" (Isaiah 43:18, 19, emphasis addeed).

Notice that "wilderness" speaks of dryness or darkness and "rivers" speaks of the "the rivers of Living Water" which is the Holy Spirit. God admonished His people not to cling on to the old things (old wine) but to move on and enjoy the new wine.

Paul said, "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Cor. 3:18, emphasis added).

In order to know Him and be obedient to Him we must change or be transformed "from glory to glory" to the image of Him in our walk with Him. Divine changes bring us closer to Him.

Religious spirit resists change

Human, by nature resists change because it affects our comfort level. Once our life patterns are established it becomes very uncomfortable to move outside this set life-style. This happens more apparent in the area of religion. Religious strongholds and traditions are formed early in a Christian's Church life. Some traditons are good, but when a believer responds merely from his emotion (part of his soul) and not from his regenerated spirit, then he is going through lifeless motion. He must let his spirit yield to the Spirit of God without the hindrance of his emotion and feelings. A believer who has a religious spirit is one who has an outward form of godliness (2 Tim. 3:5), holding fast to what God had done before, while resisting what God is doing presently.
The Pharisees and Scribes

In Jesus' time, the people who resisted change were the Pharisees, Scribes and other religious leaders. They boasted that they were Abraham's Children and sons of the covenant. They claimed to be disciples of Moses; holding fast to what God did according to their understanding of the Old Testament Scripture, but resisted Jesus, the Son of God standing in their midst. They were zealous for their traditions and manner of worship. They would reject anything that was not done according their way.

However, when Jesus came He challenged every area of their comfort, complacency and stability. He made it clear to them that they could not put God in their box, and instead they have to fit in His. They resisted this change and clung to their traditions.

Jesus said, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees" and called them hypocrites, eight time in Matthew and six times in Luke.

Their religious spirit resulted in prejudice and, eventually, hatred and betrayal if it is not checked. This was exactly what happened in Jesus' time and has happened throughout Church History and is happening now.

Wilderness before great Ministry

God leads a person to the wilderness to prepare him for ministry. This truth is seen in the life and ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ, the Son of God and other great men of God.

John the Baptist

All that we know of the period between the time he was named "John" by his father and the beginning of his ministry is contain in a single verse of Scripture:

"So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel" (Luke 1:80, NKJV).

It was in the wilderness (deserts) that God prepared John and subsequently called him; not in any accepted "Bible school" of his day where the scribes and Pharisees went. God knew religious school would not help anyone chosen to prepare the way for the Lord!

"The word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. And he went into all the regions around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins" (Luke 3:2, 3, emphasis added).

All the land of Judea and those from Jerusalem went out to John to hear the word of the Lord. A new move of the Spirit was beginning to blow, across the wilderness, and not in the religious places. Those who were fed up with the religious hypocrisy and traditions went out to John, with hearts willing to change in preparation for the appearing of God's Son.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God

Before Jesus began His public Ministry He sought baptism at the hand of John the Baptist in river Jordan. Even though John protested this, Jesus said He must identify Himself with those whom He came to redeem (Matt. 3:15).

It was necessary for Jesus' ministry to come forth with the anointing and power of the Holy Spirit:

"It also came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him ...." (Luke 3:21, 22).

Jesus was then filled with the Spirit and was immediately led into the wilderness. The Scripture is very clear that when Jesus was led into the wilderness, He was filled with the Spirit, but after the forty days of testing and temptation, He returned from the wilderness in the power of the Spirit to start His Ministry.

Abraham in the wilderness

Between the first time God made a Covenant with Abraham, and the time the promised son, Isaac was born, Abraham was in the wilderness for about 25 years.

Moses in the wilderness

Moses was forty years old when he decided to visit his fellow Israelites. He went into exile for 40 years in the land of Midian in the desert (wilderness) between Egypt and Canaan before God appeared and called him from within the burning bush.

New Wine in new Wineskins

At the beginning of Jesus' ministry, the disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus and said to Him:

"Why do the disciples of John fast often and make prayer, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink" (Luke 5:33)?

The men were fasting because John was in prison. Their fasting and prayers were outward signs of mourning because their master had been taken away from them. They had not made the transition or change from the ministry of John to the ministry of Jesus. They failed to move on from the old to the new - what the Spirit of God was doing. Religious spirits caused them to hold on to the old methods of worship and ministry. They resisted the change brought about by Jesus even though John, their leader declared:

"He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30).

Jesus said to them, "Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them then they will fast in those days" (Luke 5:34, 35).

Notice that Jesus' Words were prophetic. Jesus is the Bridegroom of His bride, the true Church of Jesus Christ. His disciples during His time were not the Bride but the friends of the Bridegroom. Fasting from food, which brings a believer into a position to hear easily what God (or Jesus) is saying, and prayers, were obviously not needed while Jesus was with His disciples. They could ask Jesus face to face for their needs. But, when Jesus was taken away from them, they would need to fast and ask the Father in Jesus' Name (John 14:13, 14).

Then Jesus spoke a parabel to John's and the Pharisees' disciples:

".... And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined. But new wine must put into new wineskins, and both are preserved" (Luke 5:36 - 38).

Jesus was saying you cannot put new wine, which is a fresh move of God's spirit, into old wineskins (old vessels).

In Jesus' time wine vessels were made of sheepskin. When the wine was put into the wineskins the skins were flexible and pliable. They stretched easily and would yield without resistance. But, if the old wine was pured out, the old wineskins quickly became dry and it would not be able to take in new wine because the old wineskins had become brittle and hard. And due to the fermentation process of the new wine it would burst the old wineskins. Therefore new wine requires new wineskins.

This parable speaks of the new teaching of Christ, the Gospel of the Kingdom which could not be contained within the forms of the Law, but must be expressed in a new way. A flesh revelation had come in Christ, which demanded a different form of worship.

This is symbolic to the Christian walk. We must be willing to change with the flesh move of the Holy Spirit from time to time. Christians must be sensitive and flow with the new anointing and new move of the Holy Spirit. Christians who become rigid and inflexible are people who stop seeking God. They are the old wineskins with rigid methods of ministry, worship, prayers and doctrine etc. They are set in the formula that they themselves have devised from previous experiences. They stay in the wilderness and miss experiencing the the New Wine!

The Lord is in the last stage of preparing His Bride. He is pouring out the old wine and replacing it with the new wine. He expects us to be the new wineskins prepared for the new wine. Otherwise, we shall remain as friends of the Bridegroom and miss being the Bride!

True Christians need the New Wine as they journey from the Church age to the Kingdom age!

Wilderness in the Christian's Spiritual Journey

When a Christian runs away from the Lord we say he backslides. But when the Lord "runs" away from a Christian we say he is in the "wilderness" experience. A backslider says, "I don't need you Lord". But a Christian in the wilderness cries out to the Lord, "Lord, where are You". Backsliding is undesirable but wilderness is unavoidable.

God's Purpose for the Wilderness

God would not do anything without a purpose, both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. It is good for us to study the Scripture to find out the purposes of God. God, being the Lord of all things, is in control of everything that happens to his people and around His people. There are reasons why He allows His people to experience wilderness, darkness, dryness and dullness in their walk with Him.

Israel in the Wilderness

According to Paul, Christians can learn from the things happened Israel in their wilderness experiences recorded in the writing of Moses:

"These things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our instruction, ...." (1 Cor. 10:11, NKJV).

Israel's ignorance of God's nature and character caused them to act wickedly, and what was to have been a brief wilderness journey became a lifetime experience. Wilderness was a time of testing for Israel.

God spoke to Israel through Moses:

"And you shall remember the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not" (Deu. 8:2).

The purpose of the testing was to humble Israel and to find out whether they were obedient to the Lord or not.

In the time of testing the Lord caused Israel to hunger for the good things of Egypt - meat, fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, garlic and onions (Numbers 11:4 - 6). He did not give them the things their flesh wanted. He only gave them what their flesh needed (Deu. 8:3).

The Lord said further that by this testing Israel would know in their heart that as a man chastens his son, so the Lord their God chastened them (Deu. 8:5).

Israel remembered what they had left behind in Egypt (speaks of the world sytem). Their condition in Egypt, even with its bondage, appeared to be preferable to the wilderness into which God had led them.

Israel began to murmur and cried out to the Lord for meat. The result was:

"And He (God) gave them their request, so they ate (meat - quail) and were well filled, for He gave them their own desire. They were not deprived of their craving; but (He) sent leanness into their soul" (Psalms 106:15; 78:29, 30, NKJV, emphasis added).

Israel paid a high price for what they wanted. With the meat came "leanness of soul". This leanness made them unfit to endure, unable to pass God's test, and ultimately, they never entered His promised land. The sin was not in the crying out for meat, but what that request represented - the desire for the former things, things the world system provided.

The Church in the Wilderness

All true Christians go through a period of wilderness experience in at least one stage of their Spiritual Journey. Christians are now living in the last of the last days. God wants His people to understand the times and seasons so that we are prepared to depend on Him for His harvest.

"To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven: ..."(Eccl. 3:1).

Jesus rebuked the multitudes for failing to discern the time, "Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time" (Luke 12:56)?

Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament foretold the advent (first coming) of Jesus the Lord who is like a Refiner's Fire (Malachi 3:2).

"He (the Lord) will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness" (Malachi 3:3, emphasis added).

Notice that the "sons of Levi" foreshadows the "the royal priesthood" (1 Peter 2:9), which is the Church. God desires to purify Christians and to prepare them as "an offering in righteousness" - a generation of believers that walk right with Him.

Jesus is coming back for a Church that is pure, without spot, or any such impurity (Eph. 5:27), a Church whose heart is unpolluted with the world's system - fit to be His Bride.

The Refiner's Fire

What is the fire He uses to refine Christians? The answer is found in the following passage:

"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:6, 7, emphasis added).

The reason God wants to refine His people is that, He considers the genuineness of our faith, while waiting for the second coming of Jesus, is much more precious that gold that perishes. The fire God uses for refining our faith is various trials and tribulations. Once we are refined the world will see the character of Christ in us!

In Isaiah the need of refining is amplified to a greater degree:

"Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. For My own sake, for My own sake, I will do it; for how should My name be profaned? And I will not give My glory to another" (Isaiah 48:10, 11).

The fire in God's furnace is not a literal physical fire that refines silver, but the intense heat of our trials which separates the precious from the vile. it is for His Name sake (mentioned twice) that our character conforms to the Character of Christ after the refining process.

That is the reason why Christians must be joyful when they fall into various trials:

"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing" (James 1:2, 3, emphasis added).

It is not easy be joyfull in the time of trials. But the Scripture says, "Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10). Joy is a spiritual force that gives us strength to endure afflictions and trials. The various trials could be persecution, temptations, calamities and crises of any kind. Notice that "patience" is part of the fruit of the Spirit. Notice also that James' writing is in agreement with Paul's:

"We also glory in tributlations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope" (Romans 5:3, 4).

Once again Christ-like character is the goal of the Refiner's Fire!

Crises bring Christians closer to Christ

I believe God is going to let crises come. Crises do not tell us what we have but what we don't have. Crises reveal our weaknesses, our emptiness and how much we need Him. He is going to test our Christianity and He is going to test our faith in Him. He lets crises mount in our life until we feel like we are in utter despair. He sometimes begins to deal with us by withdrawing Himself from us. He is still there, but He is just not letting our emotions feel He is not there. That is why we must learn to live by our spirit instead of by our emotion (part of our soul). He wants us to live by faith of the son of God that is within us - it is His faith and not our wavering faith. He wants us to live by faith and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7) for the "just shall live by faith" (Heb. 10:38).

Crises come into our life to move us into Christ. He, being the Head of the Church, is not happy with our religious Church activities, our self-willed routine. He wants our carnal nature brought to surrender by the cross. He wants us to walk in the Spirit so that we shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh (Gal. 5:16).

In a crisis we are broken enough to be totally dependent upon Him and He begins to teach us His way. Sometimes He will let us come to the end of ourselves to cry out to Him, "Why God, why me God?". Not all of us take the same route to Calvary. Some of us take a longer way than others because of our fleshly nature, our stubbornness and our rebellions.

Remember the prodigal son (Luke 15:11 - 24). The Lord knew, the father knew, what he wanted with his inheritance. He knew he would spend it riotously, but his father gave it to him anyway even though he knew it would only be to his harm. He had to let him come to the end of himself, to have his carnal nature crucified, before the Father could trust him with the rich provisions of His grace.

Wilderness and Unanswered Prayer

Unanswered prayer does not mean we do not get what we asked God for in our prayer. This is not the real problem. The real problem is sometimes we don't get a reply from God!

There are many ways by which God might answer my prayer. I could be in a situation that I am quite convinced that I want something and I ask for it. The answer God gives me could be, "No you can't have it, it's not good for you", or His answer could be, "Wait, the time is not ready". But that is not the real problem because there have been an answer and I know for certain that God heard my prayer. The real problem is, when the heaven seems like brass and I feel God is not listening and I am not getting through to Him! God deliberately chooses not to reply me. This is what I mean wilderness in my prayer life.

The Lord allows me to experience this wilderness in my prayer life because he wants me to learn not to be complacent and take for granted the answered prayers. He wants me to increase my prayer effort and to move up in the "School" of prayer. He seems to say:

"Try a bit harder, I want you to grow, I want you to mature, plead a bit more. I'm going to hold back because I want you to grow in the School of Prayer and I want you to be a strong pray-er. Do not take my presence and blessing of answered prayers for granted. Put more effort in your prayer life and never give up. I want you to love Me for My own sake and I want you to seek me whether I'm there or not. I want you to learn!"

Our response to God should be:

"Yes Lord, whether I hear from You or not I have decided to go on through this wilderness experience, this season of darkness and dryness, this season of waiting and hoping. Thank you Lord for teaching me something very precious".

At the far end of the dark tunnel of wilderness, seasons of trials and tribulations is the dawn of God. The God who gave Israel, in the days of their wilderness experience, the Promised Land is the same God who gives His Church a Land of Promises!