Store Disciple 8
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Why Study Anyway?
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that
needeth not to be ashamed,
rightly dividing the word of truth.
2 Timothy 2:15
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Paul wrote that to his protégé, but why do we need to study – the Bible that is? A few years ago a friend said, "Why do we need to study anyway? The message is simple, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." Quite true. Unfortunately for us, non-believers are seldom satisfied with such simple truths. They seem inclined to challenge and to ask questions such as: "You don’t really take the Bible literally do you?" or "Do you really think the world was created in just seven days?" Then there are those who inquire, "If the Bible says ‘Thou shall not kill,’ what about capital punishment and war? How do we answer the question, "Well, if all governments are ‘God given’ why did we fight Hitler, Mussolini and Hirohito?" "What about slavery, isn’t that wrong? Yet the Pilgrims had slaves and the Dutch Reformed Church condoned it in South Africa." "Just like those Mormons who still practice polygamy say, are wives really supposed to be obedient to their husbands?" Can Christians take an oath, swear on the Bible, have statues of Jesus, Mary, baby Jesus and other religious figures in their church. Should the cross be displayed there? Can science disprove religious beliefs – or prove them for that matter?
There are dozens, hundreds of thousands more questions that can and are asked. Are we prepared to answer them? We are supposed to be prepared to do so when confronted with questions of faith. That’s discipleship. That requires study. Even more fundamentally, are we to accept at face value what a preacher or Bible study teacher tells us on face value – just because they are in positions of authority and are credentialed? Is it true as Kenneth Copeland says that "Christians, by virtue of being Christians, have earned the right to health and financial prosperity?" Is Bishop T. D. Jakes statement that, "There is one God, Creator of all things, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in three Manifestations: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit" Biblically correct? This position is know as "Oneness Theology," "Sabellianism" or "modalism." Is his position on "baptismal regeneration" theologically sound? Yes, the Gospel is simple until people start asking questions. Then, it quickly becomes very complicated. Some authorities claim that there are 33,000 Protestant denominations in the world. True or not, it doesn’t take much looking to see that there are many different churches and denominations in our own towns and cities. Which one is correct? Which one most closely adheres to the Bible? Only study, prayer and the discernment provided by the Holy Spirit will tell.
In Paul’s letter to Timothy, he also tells Timothy to "rightly divide" the word of Truth. That phrase means much more than simply splitting it into chapters and verses. It means to, "teach the truth directly and correctly," much like what he writes to the saints at Corinth, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth. He didn’t want Timothy to "mangle and tear in pieces" Scriptures to mean what we want them to say, but rather to, "dissect its several parts, and search and look into the inside and bottom of it, for to find out every truth contained in it, and lay them open to others." As the notes in the Geneva Bible states, "adding nothing to it, neither deleting anything, neither mangling it, nor rending it apart, nor distorting it: but marking diligently what his hearers are able to bear, and what is fit to edifying." That’s "rightly dividing." That takes study, prayer and the guidance of the Holy Spirit who is available to anyone who honestly and sincerely puts forth the effort; who just as honestly and sincerely seeks His wisdom and direction.
Let us suppose that every Christian studied and showed himself approved, a workman that was not ashamed and who rightly dividing the word of truth, who knew the Scriptures and could discern the Truth. Would we have such moral questions as confronts this Nation today? Would there be problems of immorality as we have today – fraud in business dealings and government, cheating, theft, murder? Would our divorce rate be hovering at the 50% level with adultery and fornication taken for granted? Would heretical teaching from the pulpit be so profuse that one is in a quandary to separate what are God’s words from those of man? It may be that we would. It is certain we would be convicted of our deceitfulness.
For every one that doeth evil hateth the light,
neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. John 8:9
And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went
out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was
left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. John 8:46 Which of
you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not
believe me? John 16:8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world
of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: John 3:20
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Chukkim (Because He Said So)
And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet
cheweth not the cud, it is unclean unto you:
ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcase.
Deuteronomy 14:8
Return to the Discipleship Directory The Dietary Laws of the Jewish people (Kashrut) appear somewhat odd and cumbersome to those of us who are not Jewish. Some of them even seem foolish. How many of us would consider eating the socket of the hip, for example? Yet in Genesis 32:32, God tells the Jews exactly that: actually the KJV reads eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, but that’s what it means. They’re not supposed to eat raw meat or cook it in water or eat the meat of animals already dead. That can be fed to strangers or sold to foreigners. This passage also tells them not to cook baby goats in their mother’s milk. They continue, Leviticus instructs them, Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it. Deuteronomy explains why, because the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat. That raises as many questions as it answers. There are several that really don’t seem all that necessary. They are told not to eat any detestable thing as if they might. Further, all flying insects that swarm are unclean. Yuk!
Just as long as the list of things that can be eaten or must be avoided are the scholarly explanations as to why these laws existed. Popular among them is the argument that the Israelites were living a nomadic existence in extremely harsh desert country after their exodus from Egypt. Meat, particularly that of swine, spoils rapidly making it deadly to consume. Such would explain the mandate found in Exodus 12:9. But, do we really have to cook the "inner parts" as well?
Another popular explanation for the Dietary Laws is that it made it difficult for Israelites to sit down to dinner with Gentiles. Imagine the scene with a Jewish family about to eat supper at the home of some friendly Gentile neighbors. When the hostess brings in the main course consisting of a whole roasted hog complete with an apple in its mouth to the horror of their Jewish friends – and embarrassment when they bolt from the house. Think of the shock if they had been served some flying insects. As time went on and these elementary dietary laws were expanded upon to the point that they couldn’t eat any food cooked in utensils used to cook non-kosher food. That would really put a damper on things.
Living in a harsh desert climate under primitive circumstances would certainly call for careful consideration of what one ate and how it was prepared. Such an argument for the Laws seems reasonable and prudent. After all, what doctors there were like hospitals, if there were any, were hundreds of miles away in enemy territory. If under these sparse conditions, the some 2 million or so assembled people started eating their camels, they’d be eating about the only means of available transportation. Obviously, the Kashrut would make social dining with non-Jews (Gentiles) rather difficult and, therefore, increase their isolation from other peoples along with their customs and gods. Is that it, the dietary laws helped preserve Jewish unity and identity? Does that explain it – primitive health regulations and obstacles to social interaction? If so, they aren’t very good reasons for keeping the Kasher (good and fit) laws today. We’ve got sanitation, refrigeration, doctors and hospitals, and intermarriage all over the place. Besides, how may Jews and non-Jews are into eating rats and snakes? In contrast, why should Jews deny themselves the luxuries of dining on crab, lobster, octopus, and grasshoppers just because they were forbidden and used to spoil in the desert heat? Then, there’s the matter of missing out on having cheeseburgers and milkshakes together, chicken cordon bleu or wiener schnitzel.
Orthodox Jews reject these explanations for the Dietary Laws out of hand. There is one reason, and only one reason for following the Laws of Kashrut, "The short answer to why we observe these laws is: because the Torah says so. The Torah does not specify any reason for these laws, and for a Torah-observant, traditional Jew, there is no need for any other reason. Some have suggested that the laws of Kashrut fall into the category of ‘chukkim,’ laws for which there is no reason. We show our obedience to G-d by following these laws even though we do not know the reason." Amen! There is a lesson worth remembering. Respectfully, may we add that "blind obedience" also honors and glorifies G-d? Next, we will take up the story of Creation found in Genesis, the miracles of the Bible and the theory of dispensationalism.
In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good. Genesis 1:1-4
A Narrow
Path
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way,
which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Matthew 7:14
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There isn’t a more poignant testimony to the power of Jesus’ saving grace in a person’s life than when he lays it down. It comes in the form of how survivors respond to the person’s death. No one takes a loved one to his grave without deep sadness sorrow and grief. To say otherwise is an admission that he really wasn’t a central part of our lives. The deceased is no longer at home, around the dinner table, snoring in bed beside us, sitting in a favorite chair reading the paper or watching TV. No longer someone with whom we may talk even argue. If we don’t miss them, we didn’t value their company. That narrow path leading to the grave is a decisively telling walk. Some choose to call the grave the "final resting place." It isn’t in the least bit by any stretch of the imagination, under any circumstances. It is decidedly temporary.
It is this temporary nature of the grave that gives death such a powerful testimony. Here, we confront human mortality "up front and personal" in a most disconcerting way. Regardless of how often we have walked this walk accompanying a friend or loved one to the grave, death becomes inescapably personal. If the funeral service does not do it, if the trip to the cemetery does not do it, the casket being lowered into the grave certainly will force contemplation on our mortality. And then the big question, "what happens to our friend/loved one now, where does he/she go from here? Or to phrase the question in the words of a lyricist, "Is That All There Is?" Is the grave the end of it all? If so, if life is temporary, Shakespeare was right, "it is an empty shell full of sound and fury signifying nothing." If it isn’t, where is that "dearly departed" now? These are haunting question demanding an answer. No, these are questions that will be answered.
With good reason, some pastors regard funerals as an excellent opportunity to tell the story of Jesus and what life beyond the grave is like with Him. Invariably they answer the question that the grave in not the end but just a "dress rehearsal for eternity" and, with out saying so directly, that one will spend eternity in heaven or in hell. Those are the only two choices. Isn’t it too bad that it takes a funeral for a pastor to preach such an essential service? For the unsaved dead, it comes too late.
One thing is certain, there is a qualitative difference in the grief Christians and non-Christians experience. Christians grieve over the physical presence of a loved one in their lives. They will miss them. But as that last hymn is sung or when the casket is lowered into the grave, they know with certainty born of an incorruptible faith in Jesus the Christ where their loved one is at that very moment – assuming he/she is a Christian as well. For non-Christians, or for those Christians who must say goodbye to a non-Christian, the grief accompanying a familiar face in their day to day is tinged with plight of where they are if they are anywhere. Rest assured, non-Christians or Christian friends of non-Christians are asking themselves "is that all there is?" Considering the options, heaven or hell, they may wish that it is, knowing full well it isn’t. This is a decisive moment. We all know, there is life after death, life beyond the grave, even the staunchest atheist. We Christians know the answer to this, O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
We who are Christian also know that to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. The body stays in the grave, the spirit and soul of the person is never in that place. The comfort of knowing the "sting" of death and victory over the grave for believers is unmistakable in their disposition and manner throughout the funeral and burial. We are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord. We know that death has freed them from their bodily prison, from worldly cares, pain and suffering. They aren’t "at rest," they are with the Lord.
For non-believers, the level of grief is overwhelming. They don’t know but what that cold lonely chamber of death is all that there is. The questions come and the answers are not pleasant. For believers to bury a non-believing loved one/friend is nearly unbearable. What could have been cannot be. My, what suffering and remorse that brings. A loved one has been permitted to use the wide gate, walk the broad way and now see the final destruction that has brought. They followed the well-traveled path. Maybe they were with us on our last trip to Vegas. Works may not get us into heaven. The lack of them may keep our "neighbor" out. Jesus wasn’t referring to a flashlight when He said, Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. How will we grieve?
And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. Luke 23:43
Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel: 2 Timothy 2:8
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So often preachers selling Christianity will cite this passage for Paul’s letter to Timothy. Truly it is a gigantic selling point speaking as it does of His sacrificial death which forgave our sins. As well as His resurrection that unquestionably gives believers the promise of a heavenly intercessor while we live out this live. And, not to be left out, the promise of our own resurrection into an eternal life in the Heavenly Kingdom. In much the same way they use Philippians 1:6, he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion as a confidence builder, intimating that we cannot fail, along with the passage from Romans 8:31, If God is for us, who can be against us strongly suggesting the same thing. Truly these are indescribable treasures that are beyond all measure; beyond human comprehension. Agreeably, these things are excellent “benefits” of being Christian. In such promises, God reveals His “paternal character” toward His adopted children.
Scripture can be used as positive sales pitches for Christianity. As a matter of fact, an entire movement (Prosperity Theology) has sprung up in the last century that does exactly that. It has been instrumental in the mega-church phenomenon. For example, Matthew 14:17 can be interpreted to mean, “God will take your faith in Him and turn it into the provision you need!” And, Romans 5:5 can be taken to mean, “If you believe with all your heart that God has something great around the corner for you, then hope will take over.” Romans 8:38-39 can be translated as meaning “As you allow Him to flood you with His love, your faith will be ignited, and you’ll be empowered to live the abundant life He has for you!” Philippians 4:8 can mean “You will be filled with His peace and victory, and you’ll see every dream and desire in your heart come to pass.” Galatians 3:13 can be taken as, “When you declare what He says about you, you will move forward into the life of blessing He has for you!” (quotes taken from Today’s Word with Joel Osteen) Not to pick on Rev. Osteen alone, there is an illustrious group “preaching” the same doctrine the likes of which are Kenneth Copeland, Marilyn Hickey, Benny Hinn, Jim Bakker, Creflo Dollar, Kenneth Hagin, Frederick Price among others.
At one point as Jesus was preaching and His mother and brothers who were in the crowd. When He was told of their presence, His response was, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it. Accordingly, we may infer that there are those calling themselves Christians who are only hearers and there are those who are doers. There are those who sit in the pews Sunday after Sunday with little effect and those who make the effort to apply the Gospel to their lives. Of the latter, there are those who do so out of a sense of gain. They too are expecting rewards. Such are the “prosperity Christians.” Not too far removed are those who are also looking for rewards, but of a different sort. Theirs might be considered of a “spiritual nature” since they are looking to be rewarded in the hereafter with larger mansions and greater glory.
When was the last time a preacher spoke on the Book of James? His writings aren’t very popular now days because of what many regard as the heresy of “works.” He does write that “faith without works is dead.” Heaven forbid, we don’t want any of what so many consider heresy. But, it is sort-of the “other shoe.” You see, it wasn’t just James who wrote about being doers, Jesus the Christ did too. The passage is fairly well known, Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Shall we disregard Him as well? Among the doers are those who strive, who struggle, to live Christ-like lives realizing the impossibility of such efforts but, nonetheless strive to follow His precepts. Their motivation is not the expectation of rewards, but gratitude. Gratitude for what He has done – His humiliation; His crucifixion. These few folks are doers of the Word for just one reason, to magnify the Lord. Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord. Would that we all could so confess. Just so there is no mistake, “magnify the Lord” means, “ascribing greatness to him, even all the perfections of the Deity, and praising him on account of them; and also declaring and speaking well of his many and mighty works of power, goodness, grace, and mercy, and giving him the glory.” HE IS! Amen
For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is
like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway
forgetteth what manner of man he was
James 1:23-24
Imagine The Shape We’re In
Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not
to send peace, but a sword.
Matthew 10:34
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If, in this Nation of ours, those who believe
Scripture is the infallible Word of God are considered by many to be
prejudiced, intolerant, prejudiced, bigoted and reactionary what does that
say for us? What has brought us to the point that increasing numbers of
American Christians and non-Christians alike regard those who take the Bible
literally as “right-wing fundamentalists?”
Not just non-believers, but increasingly, churches, pastors and “ordinary” Christians are referring to Christmas as the “holiday season,” and the Christmas tree as the “holiday tree.” Ed Stetzer, director of LifeWay Research is quoted as saying, “The focus on peace and giving gifts allows you to safely focus on nice things instead of the idea that God sent his son Jesus to be Christ, who dies on a cross. It's human nature to want to take the 'nice' without the 'truth.' " This is only the tip of the iceberg, but it’s quite an iceberg. According to a recent survey by The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, “a majority of American Christians believe that at least some non-Christian faiths can lead to eternal life.” What has happened to us as individuals and as a nation to bring us to this point? We have lost our “Christian Tone.”
The intent of all this “holiday” stuff is to be “politically correct” and thus avoid the slings and arrows of outrage and criticism to which we Christians should be saying “bah humbug!” Increasingly Christians seem to have embraced the Rodney King slogan, “Can’t we all just get along.” Fittingly, there is even a “contemporary” Christian (?) CD by that title. Well, if it means compromising our Christian faith, the answer is a resounding no. No one challenges the truth of the idea that we should love, accepting ideas and actions regardless of how outrageously immoral they might be. After all, aren’t we commanded to love one another, especially our enemies? What most don’t seem to notice is this says nothing about our enemies loving us. Nor does Jesus the Christ even so much as intimate that we should compromise our principles as an expression of such love. In Revelation, He told the saints at Laodicea, I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. That doesn’t sound very compromising now does it? How shall we be judged – as not “dead” but hardly alive in the Spirit? Is He about to spew us out of His mouth? We fail to make the distinction between loving others and capitulating to their immorality. Actually, one could well argue that not pointing out those things in the behavior of others standing in the way of their salvation is not loving at all. The only way we could think so is if, we thought condemning someone to eternal damnation is love – hardly.
In Chapter 10 of Matthew, Jesus commissions his disciples and advises them on how to conduct themselves and what to expect as His delegates to the world. He tells us, Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. A little later, He tells us, And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved us. The contempt and hatred for those who hold firm to the Gospel should be expected, should it not? Does He counsel us to capitulate? Earlier, he suggested we become like snakes, not chameleons. And, in verse 15 He says about those who reject the Gospel, Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment. What of those who reject the Word, are they still loved? In all probably they are. But they will, nonetheless, be judged more harshly than the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha – and we know about them, don’t we? Those people, those homes and cities that turn us aside and spit upon us and curse us, are we to apologize for our harshness, recant the message and take another, less threatening approach? Well Jesus says, And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. Now that doesn’t sound like just getting along at any price does it?
By the way, we are every bit as much His disciples to the world as were the Apostles. No, thank God, not just the “ordained” bunch that has led the parade of compromised principles, but every believer worthy of the name “Christian.” Those who question what that means are in sad shape indeed. And, we don’t, like Paul, have to go junketing all over the place to be His apostles – there is only one Apostle and High Priest. The reason this Truth is so often ignored is that it would require us to get out of our “snooze- pew-comfort-zone,” wake up in the faith and become “spiritually fit.” That involves a lot more than volunteering for “church” functions as helpful as that might be.
Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling,
consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus:
Hebrews 3:1
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Inert
(Poor As Church Mice)
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers
only, deceiving your own selves.
James 1:22
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Silently, silently they sit; quietly waiting as if they were church mice. As unobtrusive, inoffensive and uninvolved as can possibly be, they simply sit like so much vegetation covering the pews. Never questioning, never doubting, never challenging, always accepting with glad acclimation whatever belches forth from the pulpit as if it were the unvarnished gospel spoken from Heaven on high. Enthralled with the preacher, enamored with his appealing personality like so many groupies, they sit silently, respectfully until time to applaud his calculated performance. To call them sponges might be a bit unfair to sponges, but their limitless capacity to absorb copious amounts of the pabulum being spewed forth is reminiscent of a sopping sponge.
Sadly, the above description fits too many Christians. What is even more depressing is that it is tacitly encouraged by just as many pastors. The more passive the congregation, the less care and effort he has to put into accurately and correctly represent the Gospel. It works well for all; the congregation can pretend to be Christians and the Pastor can pretend to be preaching the Word. One takes forty winks while the other hoodwinks. Furthermore, his chicanery can accomplish great things just as long as the congregation remains passive and lifeless. He can delude them into believing that worldliness is next to Godliness – being of the world and in the world. That’s comfortable for them because fame, fortune and power are the ambitions they have been taught to admire and aspire to all their lives. They can be led to believe just about anything because they don’t know the Truth and are, therefore, subject to whatever whims and fancies are popular for the day.
Common, ordinary, everyday
knowledge is a dangerous, unsettling thing in itself. It destroys myths and
prejudices. In so doing, it forces us to look at things in a new light and
requires us to do things differently. Habits are comfortable because we
don’t have to think about what we are doing – responses to situations are
automatic. So, there we sit, comfortable in our pews, undisturbed by the
truth. We sit where we sat before; sing the hymns we’ve sung before; (so
many times we’ve sung them and still don’t know them) hear the sermons we’ve
heard before. Ho hum, life is good. And, it’s good to have a personal
servant oops, savior to wait upon our every command and
fulfill our every desire and wish. Life is good. Who could ask for anything
more?
Once there was a college professor who had taught the same subject the same way for so many years that she had laminated her lecture materials. All went well until students noticed inexplicable gaps started appearing in their notes. Then, it was discovered the professor’s laminated notes were sticking together causing her to skip over whole sections of required material. Unfortunate for her, the student weren’t lifeless dolts; instead they were earnestly seeking knowledge they hoped would change the world. Now, the knowledge they were attempting to acquire was human and, as such, couldn’t do much to bring about a worldly transformation as they were seeking to do. However, they were trying; they were motivated.
But that was college. Let’s get back to church where knowledge of the Gospel Truth could transform the world if everyone weren’t zombies. "Oh well, we’ll just wait for the Second Coming. Pastor Dullard had a good series on that last week. As I remember, I think He told us our salvation was assured and all we had to do was tithe and wait for the coming of the Lord. Wake me when He gets here." That’s the attitude of too many Christians and too many congregations. Add to that the fact that for too many being a "pastor," a "minister" is a profession, a career, instead of a calling and we have a bunch of poor church mice. Sure, they attend "church" on a regular basis, hardly miss a Sunday. They go to Sunday School, attend Bible Study classes and volunteer as greeters. Just like church mice, they’re seen everywhere; in every "nook and cranny" of church functions, but they are as poor as poor can be. Not in resources; finances, but in spirit – in
holiness.For these inert mice and those who teach them, the Gospel story ends with Christ’s resurrection from the tomb. There, in that "final act," our faith is justified and our victory over death assured. So we are told. Beyond that, there is nothing to be concerned. So, we just sit and wait. To go further, if the preacher were to turn just one more page, we would be required to do something. What’s on that other page? It’s the account of His Ascension. It’s about our transformation from "
disciples" to "apostles." It’s about the Holy Spirit, Spiritual Gifts, about our going into all the world as His representative; about our becoming alive and rich in the Spirit.Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you
. John 16:7
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My, How Time Flies
And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon
Revelation 16:16Return to the Discipleship Directory
There are so many pundits claiming to be able to decipher the clues in the Bible and, from them, determine Armageddon. They are concerned about tomorrow when they should be looking after today. Shortly to follow that final battle with evil is the, to be anticipated, Second Coming of Jesus the Christ; an event all Christians greatly anticipate. Yet it is still in the future – how far, no one knows. And Scripture makes it clear that we are not to speculate. Rather, we are told,
Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. In discussing this passage, John Gill writes, "every day's trouble is enough, and should not be needlessly added to, by an over concern what shall be done for tomorrow." A wise person could not help but agree. Besides, all our tomorrows are in God’s quite capable hands. The foolish anticipate the wise are prepared.Many things tell us how rapidly time passes. Seemingly before we finish celebrating New Years, it’s Christmas again. Youth transitions into senility in the twinkling of an eye. The delusion of the endlessness of time clouds our vision and leads us into the vacuum of procrastination. We explain our delay, we have other, more immediate things to be concerned about affecting the way we live – quality of life issues. Isn’t that what we’re supposed to focus on – today? And, how many preachers talk about "hell-fire and damnation" topics these days. Instead they’re telling us that "God's will for your life, for my life, and for all the people in the world is that we may all have an abundant level of life." And they’re backing it up with
Scripture. They go so far as to tell us, "We have to get rid of traditional religious thinking that say’s that poverty is a blessing as it say in 2 Corinthian 9:8. That sort of poverty stuff is what fundamentalists believe." They’re saying, "May God deliver us from hypocritical teachings on the blessing of poverty and such." If they’re not concerned, why should we be? Besides all of this stuff seems pretty one-sided, even opinionated doesn’t it?Also confusing our sense of time are those preachers sermonizing on "social problems" like AIDS, global warming, civil rights, the inner city, race relations, immigration, health care stem-cell research, human trafficking, They’re telling us that these things are what we should be concerned about – today, not tomorrow. They call it, "
a Theology of Social Responsibility – Making an impact in the real world." Going right along with the theme of "fixing this world’s problems, they’re preaching about "relevancy." Despite warnings "to Resist a shift in your ministry that focuses on Man’s Need," that is exactly what we’re hearing in church – focuses on man’s needs. "Today," they tell us, "God is cast in the role of a cosmic need-meeter! Some believe that God exists to meet man’s spiritual needs; such a concept is warped!" He is certainly accustomed to the "Santa Clause" modern Christians have imposed upon Him, but the suggestion that He exists to meet any needs of man shows a complete misunderstanding, if not an intentional distortion, of the GospelKeep in mind, while all of this fluff is taking up our time and occupying our attention, it is flying by for all of us including those who are unsaved. Imagine the shock and surprise for those church attendees who thought they’re good deeds for the poor, sick and down trodden would get them an extra special seat at Christ’s table in heaven only to realize they haven’t even been invited to the banquet. So, as the saying goes, we "put off until tomorrow what should be done today" convinced that our tomorrows are endless. What should we be looking after today? After all, we’re prepared; we have our "eternal life assurance policy" paid in full for us by our benefactor, Jesus the Christ. What more is there to be concerned about? Our future is certain in spite of that lingering phobia over that Scriptural passage that says something about,
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. But we’re pretty sure our policy is fire-proof.While we’re out trying to justify this world, let us pray wasting our time has not condemned loved ones, friends and neighbors to hell. For surely that will be the case if in some way we do not convey the message of Jesus saving grace to them. Is that enough? Is that all we need be concerned about? Have we noticed that the policy does not cover family members? You know spouse and kids. What about relatives – mom and dad, the in-laws, aunts/uncles, cousins? Then, there are our friends and neighbors. Is their future insured? Do they have an "eternal life assurance policy?" Oh, they’re not really our concern. They’ll just have to look assure their own future. After all,
Am I my brother's keeper? Well, whatever, we’ll get after that tomorrow. As if our tomorrows are assured. Our eternity may be but, procrastination on our part may endanger that of others.These shall make
war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of
lords,
and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and
faithful.
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Discernment
But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age,
even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to
discern both good and evil.
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Discernment comes in a variety of forms in the Greek of the New Testament Gospel. It can mean to discriminate, determine, to oppose, strive with, dispute, and contend (Diakrino). That form is used 18 times. As "Diakrisis," it implies distinguishing and judging. This is the form found in the opening and closing Scriptures quoted in this writing. But Dokimazo, another form used 21 times can mean to test, examine, prove, scrutinize, to recognize as genuine, to approve or to deem worthy. A final form, Anakrino, means to examine or to judge, to sift, question. It also can imply an interrogation or sifting through the evidence almost in a "forensic sense." Of the 8 times this is used in 1 Corinthians alone, probably the most well recognized passage is, But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned (v.14).
Therefore, when Paul speaks of discerning spirits as he does in 1 Corinthians 12:10, he means we are distinguishing, judging or disputing. In this case, those with this gift can "distinguish the Spirit of God from the lying spirits in men." So also in Hebrews 5:14, distinguishing "between moral good and evil, and the worse and better state of the church, and between law and Gospel, so between the doctrines of Christ, and the doctrines of men." In, 1Corinthians 6:5, 11:31 and 14:29 "Diakrino" (discern) is translated as "judge; while 11:29 is translated as "discern." To discern is to judge. The discernment (Anakrino) found in Acts 4:9, 12:19, 24:8 and 28:12 as well as in 1 Corinthians 9:3 is to examine. Discernment is to judge and examine. However, that which we discern (judge, examine, dispute and contend with) is not as ordinary people, but through the infusion of the Holy Spirit we, as the Word of God, are discerners of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Remember the account of Ananias and Sapphira and how they lied about how much they got for some property they sold? Peter called them to task on the matter. He was able to discern their deceitfulness. Acts 5:1-10. He also knew that the heart of Simon, the sorcerer, in spite of his professions of faith in God and the power of his preaching that persuaded many people he was a great man of God, (Acts 8:9-10) was not right in the sight of God. Through Peter’s power of discernment, he was able to distinguish between sound and unsound doctrine not withstanding a preacher’s power of persuasion and popularity with the people. Peter told Simon, For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.
Paul writes that every Christian is given gifts of the Spirit for the benefit of the Christian community. As for discernment, it’s purpose is to enable those with the gift to "distinguish the Spirit of God from the lying spirits in men." Others say it allows us to distinguish between "the evil spirit, or unaided human spirit" and the Word of God. To others it is, "the supernatural ability to discern a person's spiritual character and the source of his actions and messages, such as from the Holy Spirit, demon spirits, the human spirit or from the flesh." Each reflects an important characteristic of the gift of discernment. But, perhaps it is Wesley who puts it best saying it helps us determine, "Whether men be of an upright spirit or not; whether they have natural or supernatural gifts for offices in the church; and whether they who profess to speak by inspiration speak from a divine, a natural, or a diabolical spirit." It, not doctrine or ritual, will preserve the Gospel through the centuries, across cultural lines and diverse languages. It is THE school of theology beyond which none other is needed.
There are those who argue the charismatic gifts (Wisdom, Knowledge, Discernment, Prophecy, Tongues, Interpretation, Faith, Healing and Miracles) faded away after the apostolic era. If we look at the condition of the "church" today, one could well agree that it has, but it need not. To the degree it has been set aside in favor of doctrine and ritual is the degree to which we do not seek nor encourage them; instead we favor human ways; human titles and degrees in their place. It is our responsibility to discover, develop and use those gifts God has entrusted to us. The atmosphere of separateness and individuality that permeates the "church" today is heretical. Each is bound to the other. Each has a duty and a role to fulfill dictated by the gift(s) entrusted to them. Refusing to do so hampers our growth and that of others. We are the church; we are its workers. What we don’t do is left undone or done poorly and in error. Our failures diminish His work given to His people to perform. Ancient Israel is a clarion call to all who fail to see their role in building the Kingdom.
to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: 1 Corinthians 12:10
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The Good Life
Beloved, I wish above all things
that thou mayest prosper and be in health,
even as thy soul prospereth.
3 John 1:2
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Surely God wants the "good life" for us. Otherwise, He would not have sacrificed His
only begotten son that we might have eternal life. It is ours the moment we accept Jesus the Christ as our Lord and Savior. Although the phrase is not to be found in any of 27 versions of the Bible, we may rest assured that it is part of our inheritance as members of the family of God. That assurance is expressed in Ephesians 2:19 among other places. We have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. An adoption which some have written, "exceeds all others, is incorruptible, undefiled, and fades not away; and lies among the saints in light." Above all others, we have been chosen out of the world. Jesus calls us His friends. What greater treasures could one possibly ask for than to be considered a friend of Jesus and included as part of the family of God?However, there are those who consider such blessings insufficient. They believe that Health and wealth in this life are signs of God's favor. Much like those Christians who believe they can work their way to heaven, these folks believe that one of God's top priorities is to shower blessings on Christians in this existence. Their basic belief is that "wealth and power are rewards for pious Christians." They believe
the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ provide Christians with the ability to live in total victory, financial prosperity, and perfect health. This prayer of Paul’s, And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, along with the verse from John, cited above are two verses often used by the preachers of what is known as "the Positive Confession, Word of Faith, health, wealth and prosperity doctrines" to justify their teachings. Some proclaim that "gold, gold dust, and gems will sometimes appear" in their meetings or to individuals. They believe that this is so because, "the world will come to Jesus when they see the glory, honor and promotion that god bestows on us." In stark contrast is what Jesus taught us, A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. Notice this commandment tells us to love our brothers and sisters in Christ, a simple lesson we seldom see being kept. This is how we are to evangelize. This is our missionary journey.That the philosophy of worldliness with gold dripping off ones fingertips and diamonds falling from the skies resonates with the American public is witnessed by the popularity of its advocates; the likes of
Che Ahn, Joel Osteen, T.D. Jakes, Joyce Meyer, Benny Hinn, Paula White, Creflo Dollar and dozens more – all with mega-churches or mega ministries. Unfortunately, "Spoiled-brat Christianity" isn’t limited just to the "positive confession," "word-faith" crowd. It is rampant in so much of Christendom that one would be hard pressed to find the exception. All one has to do is listen to just about any prayer, private or public, laced with "I need," "gimmies," and "I wannas," " do this for me," to realize this. It isn’t that we’ve forgotten Jesus’ lesson on the lilies of the field. It’s not enough; not good enough for us. What did He say to us on that occasion, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.It isn’t convenient for us to remember that all of the apostles were martyred with the exception of John; that Jesus tells us the world will hate us and that this hatred is evidence of our being His disciples. We choose to forget that
He said, Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. When are we going to get beyond the "I-centered" nature of contemporary Christianity and return to what it should be? When are we going to stop trying to befriend the world and stop emulating it’s excesses? By the blood of Jesus the Christ we have been saved. That is worth more than all the wealth, power and fame this corrupt world could possibly offer. Aren’t we admonished, Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal? Yet we seem bent upon doing so. We are even told that our earthly treasures will be a witness against us and still we persist when the good life we so desperately seek is already ours – safe and secure with the Godly Deposit Insurance Corporation. Shouldn’t we be at least a little grateful for all He has done for us? Thank you God; thank you Jesus. Amen
If ye were of the world,
the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world,
but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth
you
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So when Jesus heard these things, He said
to him, "You still lack one thing.
Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have
treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."
Luke 18:22
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Appropriately enough, the 1956 hit song, "Let the Good Time Roll," was recorded, among a number of other recording stars, by the Righteous Brothers. If we took the last verse of this hit tune and changed a few words, we’d have a synopsis of what most post-modern "Christians" believe: "Come on Jesus let the good times roll; Come on Jesus thrill my soul; Come on Jesus let the good times roll;. Roll my whole life long." The beat would appropriate for today’s "worship" services too. That was the problem with the "faith" the author of Losing My Religion, William Lobdell was taught to expect. It was a "good times faith" – "dear Lord, gimmie this and gimmie that. It was, like so much of the rest of so-called Christ followers, an I-centered faith." Not surprisingly, it’s an increasingly central theme of "Christianity" in the age of church marketing and those "seeker churches" attempting to fill their pews with watered- down sermons that emphasize the "good life." Heaven’s to murgatroyd, we don’t want to hear any preaching on Luke 18:22, it might frighten some seeker right out of coming back to church and becoming a tithing member – as if there were any other category of "membership." Come to think of it such talk would scare the pants off many so-called devout Christians today. No, no, preaching has got to be about making the "good times better and better and lasting longer and longer. The "good times," the Way for Christians, is storing up treasures for ourselves on earth for where our treasure is there we want to stay. After all, Scripture tell us to use worldly wealth to gain friend. We are to be rich so that we can be generous to the "church" – that’s Scriptural too. So what happens when the good times never happen or stop rolling, when tragedy strikes? "Fair weather Christians" fold up their tents and go home; that’s what.
Many think that "blab-it-and-grab-it Christianity" is restricted to what has been called the "Prosperity gospel" – in quotes because it has nothing remotely related to The Gospel. Prior to this aberration, there were the teachings of Norman Vincent Peale which was an attempt to bring psychotherapy into the doctrines of Christianity. How close the philosophies of "blab-it-and-grab-it" and "positive thinking" are is well represented by this statement from an adherent of the latter, "What we say and think makes a difference in our life. Our words are the keys to abundant life. Unlock the door to your life of abundance by keeping a watch on what you say and think." So, according to positive thinking, repeating such phrases as, "I am a winner," "I am the healed of the Lord," "I walk in righteousness in Jesus Christ," "I am a champion," "will bring about great changes in your life." Evidently, Joel Osteen took that last phrase to heart and has built it into a vast fortune for himself. But, all we need to do to see how extensive this view of "Christianity" has become is to listen to listen to practically any prayer offered in just about any church. What we hear is the requests for healing, wisdom, peace, consolation for those who have lost their homes, for the country and its leaders. The list is nearly endless with the only consistent thread being that they are prayers for this or that or the other. Most may be lumped together and summarized by the statement "let the good times continue to roll." Stop, listen and agree.
Often, this endless litany of "iwanna," "gimmie" prayers does not produce the desired consequence resulting in a theological explanation for the short fall. It usually assumes the form of "God always answers prayers but according to His will and His timing." So bolstered we continue with our misguided attempts to make God something of a supernatural Santa Claus without even considering the proposition that our prayer life reflects such a self-centered worldliness that it is repulsive to Him. Maybe instead of excuses for what appear to be God’s indifference, we ought to reconsider our ambitions and our prayer life. First, to consider in this revamping is to whom we are addressing our prayers just as much of the demands we place before Him.
Let us remember that our prayers
are addressed to God, the creator of all things who determined to send his
Son, Jesus, into the world to become the Christ for the sole purpose of
reconciling the entire human race to Him. Remember also that this repair was
due to our direct and intentional disobedience of His commands. And remember
that Jesus, the Son of the Most High did set aside His divinity to become a
human sacrifice. As a mortal, He was rejected, cursed, spat upon and finally
murdered in the most brutal way ever conceived by the human intellect. His
sacrifice, however, was sufficient to reconcile all of those who publically
admit what it was He did. Thus for those who do, an eternity awaits them in
heaven instead of in hell. Considering all of this, what does one suppose
would be the life-style and the prayers that would best recognize all that
God has done for us? How about, "Thank you Father for the sacrifice of Your
Son for our salvation and all that You do for us." Amen!
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Matthew 6:9-13
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The conversion of Saint Paul (1690), by Luca Giordano (1634 - 1705).
Paul, The Archetypical Conversion
And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him,
Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
Acts 9:4
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We remember the story. Paul was on his way to Damascus to continue his violent persecution of Jesus’ disciples. His anger and fury against them must have been all consuming for Scripture describes him as
breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord. Now, that’s really venomous. Let’s just suppose Saul (Paul) had died at that moment. Imagine that the bright light that suddenly surrounded him was an avenging angel rendering justice to all of those saints whom he had already stoned to death or imprisoned. What would have been his eternal fate? Oh, well, as we emerge, we shouldn’t want to judge the man. Heavens no! We need further conversation about this matter of judging people. Do we really? Well, fortunately that bright light surrounding him wasn’t such a milk-toast or an avenging angel. Either such scenario would have sealed his eternal damnation. Instead, it was the Lord, Jesus the Christ Himself.Could anyone be more unworthy of the gift of salvation than Saul of Tarsus? He didn’t just ignore Christ-ianity, laugh at it, scoff at it, he was present, and by some interpretations, participated in
the murder of Steven. He had the followers of Jesus imprisoned and sentenced to death. Steven may have been the first martyr, but Acts 8:3 reports that Paul was responsible for dragging men and women from their homes and imprisoning them. By his own account, he wasted the church of God (wasted is also translated as destroyed) and made murderous threats against it. As we know, he was on the road to Damascus with an extradition order from the High Priest, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. The first verse of Acts 9 is even more severe, he was breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples. As John Gill notes, he was full of "rage, wrath, malice, envy, against them.Please notice; through no effort of his, quite to the contrary, Paul’s salvation was at hand that day in his trip to Damascus. Here was an erudite man, a promising leader of the "church," trained by one of the best Biblical scholars of his time, whose every fiber raged against the teachings of Jesus. Yet He, Jesus, stepped down onto that road, and saved him. This is positively essential to understand. Paul, the religious scholar was convinced that Christ-ianity was an evil thing. His intellect, his studies, everything about him convinced him of this – of this he was certain. He hadn’t spent his time as a student studying this Jesus fellow and His claim to be the Messiah. To the contrary, everything he had learned, everything he believed, told him this guy and his moronic followers were dead wrong. His doctoral dissertation would have been headed "A Case Against Christ." Lee Strobel he was not. Yet, in the twinkling of an eye, as it were, against his will and everything he believed in and held sacred, he became one of the most devout followers and advocated of Jesus the Christ in recorded history. Seventeen of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament, authored by him; the fact that Luke was his close friend, travel companion, confidant, and doctor, are sufficient proof of that.
That’s the next point in this paradigm for salvation Paul provides. Not only was he saved against his will and every fiber of his being but, once saved, he did something – actually, a lot. There’s a beautiful hymn with lyrics that say, "was blind, but now I see." Truly amazing grace. That was Paul and the rest of us. Now that he saw, in the face of physical infirmity and being subjected to persecution himself, he persisted with a lifetime of dedicated service to our Lord. Should we do any less? Imagine what the world would be like if, after his salvation, he just sat back and relaxed. Now, his future as a Rabbi or a Priest, was gone, but he could probably have made a good living as a tent maker especially if he had moved to Corinth. What if he had satisfied his "calling" by going to "church" on Sunday and sponged up what might have been the sermons of Peter or one of the other Apostles never to do anything with such knowledge. What if he had been satisfied with his tent and sail business and worked at it on Sunday and thus unable to go to church at all. But, he did pray for blessings of health (especially to have his eyes healed) and for God to prosper him and his partners (
Aquila and Priscilla) in their Corinthian tent making business. Let’s just say for all intents and purposes it ended with his "conversion" experience there, somewhere on the weeklong 135 miles of road between Jerusalem and Damascus and we never heard from or about Paul again. Wouldn’t that typical?Paul didn’t do that. Instead, he busied himself learning about Jesus and, by some accounts, was tutored by Him for some three years becoming one of the leading proponents and evangelists of his time. He was saved through no effort of his own. He studied the Word and it transformed his life. Through him, thousands of millions have found the Lord. His justification and sanctification are models we all should strive to follow.
If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified,
and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work. 2 Timothy 2:21
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A Strong and Steady
Faith
For now we
see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face:
now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
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We must constantly remember that we are finite beings living in a corruptible, finite world trying to discern a perfect Kingdom and a God who is incorruptible and infinite. True, we are separated from other animals because we are "God-breathed," but we are still flawed animals living in the confines of an imperfect world. It is more correct than not to describe ourselves as foundering in a cesspool when compare this existence with that to come. When Paul writes that we see through a glass darkly, we need to understand how really very distorted our view of reality really is. The "glass" he was referring to was a "mirror" rather than a window. And, in that day, mirrors (
esoptron) were made from polished brass, steel or some other metal capable of receiving a high polish, not the refined mirrors we possess. But, even if they were such excellent reflectors, the eye (and other senses) is not. It, all our senses, is incapable of "seeing" God (other than by miraculous intervention). Furthermore, the interpreter of sensory information, the human brain, is incapable of knowing God. That is yet to come. When we turn to the "darkly" (ainigma) in the passage, we are further jolted into awareness of our incompetence of knowing God on our own through our efforts. The Ainigma that is translated "darkly," signifies obscurity. What Paul is saying is we see spiritual things in an enigmatic, unfathomable way just as we try to squeeze the infinite, eternal into our finite temporal understanding.Instead of accepting our limited capacity to comprehend an infinite, all knowing God, we take great pride in our great intellectual accomplishments, our "sciences," and dare to challenge an infinite, all-knowing, all-seeing God with our puny efforts. A number of times the Bible tells us not to be wise in our own eyes (
Proverbs 3:7) or to glory in human wisdom (Jeremiah 9:23). Paul writes that the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God; and if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing. One would think that these would be sufficient warning. Yet we persist with the arrogance of a gnat and a world-view as long as the life-span of a mayfly. Instead, we are pumped up with our vast store of scientific evidence without regard to the fact that our knowledge (and one of the basic assumptions of science) of the universe is limited by what we can observe with our "natural senses." Therefore, if you can’t see it, hear it, smell it, taste it or feel it, you can’t study it scientifically. Most of us learned that little phrase in our first high-school "science" class. What we didn’t learn was the unreliability of this "sensory-based knowledge," the very foundation of science. To further compound the problem, our sensory information is subject to considerable error. Our senses rarely, if ever, tell us the truth as demonstrated by illusions (look at some). More often than not, we see what we want to see. It’s a simple case of "garbage in, garbage out."Some scientists proclaim that science and faith are not in opposition to one another. But on closer examination, they invariably diminish faith in favor of reason. Nothing is more illustrative of this than "intellectual" treatments of the account of creation found in Genesis. For example, according to some scientific scholars, the word "day" (yowm) in Genesis 1:5 is actually "a space of time an age; time or period (
without any reference to solar days)" – that is a 24 hour day. Thus, they contend, there is no disagreement between the proven scientific fact that the earth is millions of years old and Christian Scripture – the earth was created over millions of years. Indeed, yowm does have a range of meanings as do most words in virtually every language. Science triumphs again! Well, not exactly. If we believe that the origin of ALL Scripture is theopneustos, divinely breathed, how do we account for such a grievous oversight? Didn’t God understand the nuances of Greek? If such grievous mistakes in translation have been made some hundreds of years ago, why hasn’t He stepped up to correct them? Was He unaware or is He intentionally deceiving us?Against this cloud of doubt designed to destroy our faith, we have this assurance,
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Cor 4:18 as through a mirror darkly. Isn’t it just as reasonable to ask why God took so long to create the universe – why seven whole days? Could He not have done so in 1 ten millionth of a nano second if He so choose? In fact, isn’t He capable of doing whatever He pleases, whenever He pleases, however He pleases? If we think not, aren’t we one of the chorus called "Oh ye of little faith?(For we walk by faith, not by sight :)
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Proverbs 3:5
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