An All-Time Salvation

I find myself astounded by the time sense of Isaiah 53 which describes the sin-bearing Messiah.

“He is despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” – Isaiah 53:3

This is in the present tense.  Jesus, today and for all time, is despised and rejected by men.  This will always be, adding much to the sadness and brokenness of God and Jesus Himself.  He is grieved by so many who reject His offer of life. 

“Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows … He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities.” – Isaiah 53:4-5

This is in the past tense.  Yet, Isaiah was written before Jesus walked on the earth.  From the beginning of creation, He was present to carry our sins and offer a way of salvation.

“By His stripes we are healed.” – Isaiah 53:5

This is in the present tense.  Because of His sacrifice and suffering, we are able to repent and be healed of our sin.

“He was oppressed and He was afflicted.” – Isaiah 53:7

This is past tense.  It happened some time ago, perhaps before the foundation of the world it was set.

“He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied.  By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities.” – Isaiah 53:11

This is future tense.  He shall see, shall justify, shall bear.  One could also consider this to be present tense.  It is ongoing and it is to come. 

I’m sure there is much to study in this passage in the original language.  However, as it seems to be translated, it is easy to conceive that Jesus has always been the sacrifice for man’s sinfulness.  From the beginning of all that we can know, He was there to be rejected by men and to suffer.  He has always and still deeply grieves over the sin of man and man’s rejection of life offered by the one true living God.  Yet, for those who do believe in Him, they are healed of their sin because He bears their sin.

This has always been and will always be.  It isn’t an old tale from 2,000 years ago.  It is the way the world will forever be until the new heaven and earth are beholden.

Silence is Persecuting

An unfortunate turn of events has happened in American society that affects the church.  A portion of the unbelieving culture is willing to purposely put themselves in a position that causes them persecution because they believe in their “cause”.  They consider going to jail for doing so a badge of honor.  Be clear, they consider their “cause” more worthy than your belief in God, in fact, they most often consider unjustly that your belief is what has made the problem for their “cause” to have to be.

But it should be considered, that for most of the last 2,000 years, it has always been believing Christians who were persecuted because they would not stop witnessing and testifying that Jesus is the Son of the Living God and He died and rose again for the sins of the world.  There are many written testimonies all the way back to the Apostles themselves who considered it an honor to be worthy to be persecuted for believing so undeniably in Jesus. 

Yet, today it is the opposite.  Now, I do believe the church is persecuted in a very non-obvious purposeful manner today and that those efforts are becoming more and more emboldened every day and more and more purposeful.  But, the absence of a believing church boldly standing with no apology on the written Word of God and testifying in the face of an ever-changing politically correct culture is simply not found in America.  Or, where that does exist, the other denominations or sects of the same denomination, attack it.  Thus, showing how irrelevant the church really is since, from the society view, “they” can’t even all agree. 

The whole purpose of persecution is to keep believers in Jesus as the Savior from sharing their faith.  That’s it.  There is no other purpose.  Persecution exists in either prison, death, or extreme torture to hope to cause other believers not yet in prison or being tortured to stop sharing their faith.  There is no other purpose for persecution.

Consider that today, in American society, those who are non-believers and opposed to the believing church want the exact same thing that those who persecute the church want.  They want Christians to stop sharing their faith and further, to stop living in accordance to the Bible’s written standard of right and wrong, good and evil.  The American mantra is believe what you want but keep it to yourself.  It is vital for today’s church to realize that this is a non-violent (so far) persecution.  If believers in America do not share their faith or live to the Godly standard, then they are living the way those who persecute believers want them to live.

Nik Ripken says in his book The Insanity of Obedience, “Just like persecution, the refusal to share the faith denies people access to Jesus.  It was a startling thought to realize that the persecutor’s use of violence to inhibit the faith and the believer’s refusal to speak openly of Jesus yield the same result.  In both cases, people are denied access to Jesus.”  He then further calls this out in how a believing Christian actions identify them.  “When [believing Christians] witness to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we identify with those in chains.  When we refuse to witness, we identify with those who place the chains on followers of Jesus.”

Will you be a persecuter today or someone who could be persecuted?

Is Judging Wrong?

We live in a society that wants no judgment.  It is considered to be an act of undemocratic intolerance to judge someone’s actions.  This is the narrative of the LMNOP (or whatever the alphabet of letters it is) people and any supposedly minority group.  In today’s culture, they are very close to being correct simply because the American nation no longer has an objective standard by which to judge society.  These people who live under this notion have successfully discredited the objective standard of right and wrong so that all rules for successful society that lead to order are in question; then they fight against the actual police who work to successfully keep order in that society and discredit their ability to uphold a law; so they finally have a system that can no longer keep anyone accountable for their actions.  The result of all of this is that there is no judgment.

That is true, unless of course, you are opposed to all of that and you actually speak and act according to what is right and lawful and deem their actions as wrong for you to live by.  You are quickly judged by the very people who will scream in your face, picket your place of business, and deliberately ruin your life saying you shouldn’t judge right and wrong. 

If I take a step way back and look at all of this from 10,000 feet away, it’s a two-year-old throwing a tantrum because they can’t do what they want to do.  The only problem is, there are no adults, those in political charge joined the two-year-olds!  As a result, the two-year-olds are going to get what they want.  When that mindset rules, there will be dictators.  It will undue the very purpose of the writing in the Constitution.

Paul clearly teaches Christians that they are not to subject their affairs among one another to the judgment of the world.  But how are Christians to decide what to do with what non-believers do or with what other believers do?  Are they to judge?  Who should they hold accountable?  These should be spoken of together.  One is the law and one is the enforcement of the law.  Our society says they don’t want to be judged, but what they really don’t want is to be accountable.  They want to do what they want to do, and they demand you accept it and further demand that you think it is okay.

A Christian should know the following as it applies to judging and accountability: 1) God and God alone is good and therefore only He can decide (which He has done through His Word) what is right and what is wrong; 2) God and God alone knows the heart of any individual heart of a person; only He knows if a person believes in Jesus as His Son or doesn’t.

Let’s start with Jesus.  What did He say about judging?

Matthew 7:1-6

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?  How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?  You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

“Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.”

Every Christian should know that everyone will be judged.  In fact, Jesus teaches that all will come before the throne and He Himself will be that judge.  There is no exception to this.  Everyone who has ever lived or who is yet to live will have to stand before Jesus in judgment.  This means that He has all the authority to judge and only He knows each person’s heart.

This clearly means that no person, even the most righteous human on earth, has the authority or ability to judge another person or know what is in their heart regarding their belief in Jesus.  No one.  If we see the most vile person and deem that they don’t know Jesus as Savior, then we have severely overstepped our authority and knowledge.  Jesus said to us, do not judge. 

He then continued that we must look at our own sin and repent of it.  Until we do this, it is of no use to even offer to help someone else who is also in sin.  Then, don’t offer to help those in sin with that sin if they don’t repent first.  The wisdom of God’s Word is sacred, don’t expect those who have not repented to thrive in it as those who love the Lord do. 

Paul discusses believers judging one another.

Romans 14:10-13

You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister?  Or why do you treat them with contempt?  For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.  It is written:

“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before Me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’”

So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.

Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.

If a believer judges another believer as to whether they are an actual believer or not is a stumbling block or obstacle in that person’s path.  Believers, the same as non-believers, do not have the authority or knowledge to be able to judge another person’s eternity.  Every Christian should take particular heed to this as there are discussions of curses for those who are stumbling blocks to others as they journey toward God. 

More is written regarding judgment, but we will see that this no longer is judgment regarding a person’s eternal destiny, but towards their actions.

1 Corinthians 5:1-5

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife.  And you are proud!  Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this?  For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit.  As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus on the one who has been doing this.  So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.

This seems to be a contradiction.  We are not to judge, yet here the writer specifically says he has passed judgment.  How can that be?  Here the church of believers are to judge the actions of a fellow believer living in open sin without shame and remove them from the church.  He is to be given to his actions of sin and left in the care of that sin.  The hope is that when that sin takes hold as it is does to destroy man and move him away from God, then the man’s spirit will repent and he will return to God.  He will choose to follow after God rather than the sin when the sin causes destruction.  This is an amazing doctrine of accountability among God’s church that the church does not practice today. 

In the same chapter, Paul continues to write on this subject.

1 Corinthians 5:11-13

I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.

What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church?  Are you not to judge those inside?  God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.”

Can any of us imagine the controversy of expelling someone proclaiming to be saved but openly living in sin from the church?  It would be considered blasphemy today!  Yet, someone living in open sin in God’s house should be considered blasphemy!!  There is a real statement here regarding the actions of someone who is following closely to God and walking in His Spirit.  We may not like it, but there simply are actions that people will not do if they are walking in the Spirit of the Living God.  Believers are to be held accountable for those actions.  It does not matter if we like it or not.  Jesus speaks to this and Paul and John write that this is done to protect the church as a body.

James 2:12-13

Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Christian, be ever mindful that you will be judged by God’s Word.  Be merciful in how you associate with others because God has been merciful in providing Jesus for you.  God’s provision of mercy in overcoming the law is victory over the judgment on you.  Walk daily in this knowledge and apply it in your daily conversations and actions with other people.

James 4:11-12

Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another.  Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it.  When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.  There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?

As stated above, no one has the authority to save or destroy a soul except Jesus.  Everyone will be judged by Him.  Not only are we not to consider it internally within ourselves, but we are not to speak to one another about someone’s unknown commitment to Jesus.  This is between each person and Christ. 

In conclusion, we have no authority or ability to judge someone’s heart.  But we are expected to hold another believer accountable who refuses to live in accordance to God’s Word and we anxiously await and hope for their repentance.

Walk Wisely Towards the Lost

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.  Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. – Colossians 4:5-6 (NIV)

Like much of Biblical text, these verses are interpreted in different ways.  This is evidenced by reading the many versions of the Bible.  These two versions follow one another somewhat on this verse.

“Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside”.  Who is outside?  Those outside are those that are not a part of the church – non-believers.  This is a reference to the lost.  All people who do not believe in Jesus as the Son of God who was sent here to walk with man, live with man, then die for man and was resurrected into life and sits with God the Father today are “outside”.  Those who are His are being told to be wise in how you walk with them and how you act with them.  We are to be wise in how we interact with lost people.

“toward”.  I believe it is very important to not miss this word in this text.  We are to be wise in the way we act toward non-believers.  God’s people are to deliberately interact with non-believers!  This is intentional effort.  Christians should not lament their difficulties with working with the lost, but seek the opportunities, while they exist, to interact with the lost so they can be a witness to the one living Savior.

“Redeeming the time”.  Every moment with a lost person is important!  Why is it important?  Here is where I disagree with the main intent of the interpretation of The Message Bible which says “the goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation”.  This is not how I interpret the main intent of these verses.  The reason we must be wise in our time spent with a lost person is because every opportunity must be seized if it can be to bring the witness of the knowledge and reality of Jesus to them.  We must be wise in how we make the most of our opportunities.

“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”  Because we must make the most of our opportunities, it is most important that our speech is gracious and not full of venom as the world’s.  Our conversation must be a witness to grace and it must be sprinkled with worthy of tasting.  It should have the flavor of the gospel within it.  Our conversation should apply to everyone that we are able to have contact with.

Difficult People

²⁷ But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸ bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. ²⁹ To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. ³⁰ Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. ³¹ And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. – Luke 6:27-31

Everyone at some time or another has had to work with or be around a difficult person.  By difficult, I’m referring to a very selfish person who is argumentative, belligerent, flippant, or just rude.  I’m actually not referring to the teenagers in a home, although this fits many times.  For reasons unknown, except that they do not have the Spirit of the one true living God inside of them (or they aren’t listening to Him at the time), these people are difficult to be around and work beside.  The longer you are around them the more taxing it is on all your emotions and your patience gets shorter and shorter.  Eventually, if you aren’t constantly working to walk close to God you will become a person that is rude and build a solid emotional wall towards that person that no longer cares what happens to them but actually wants something to happen so that you will not have to be near them. 

This is not the lesson Jesus taught His disciples.  He did not teach us to not care about others.  He did not teach us to hope something happens to them for our benefit.  He did not teach us to be rude to others.  He did not teach us to build an emotional wall that isolates that person from our being.  If the Spirit of God is within us and we build a wall that shields others from us, how will they see Jesus?

I will concede that there are some relationships that a Christian should opt out of.  If being near someone constantly erodes your ability to maintain a close walk with God, then steps should be taken to limit the interactions with that person or people.  Only a foolish person would consider that a human relationship that might cost you a closer walk with God would be more important than that relationship with God.  There is no comparison between anything in this physical world and the value of our bonds to the heavenly world.

Personally, I am currently working with someone who does not listen to complete instruction because they believe that their way is best.  He has good ideas, but rather than take time to explain them and have the conversation, he just does what he thinks he should.  He works at a meticulously slow pace.  When he completes a task, it is a very good work, but he spends too much time pilfering around looking at his phone and taking smoke breaks.  He is less than honest on the amount of time doing the task seemingly in a way that takes advantage for him and his pay.  If others point out missing or needed supplies, he quickly blames others for any error.  Worst of all, when everyone jumps in to help and work long hours to do so, he is not overcome with gratitude, but often leaving during those late hours for personal hobbies.

I want what is best for this person.  I see potential in what he could do if he would apply his best to his time and to those around him.  However, I am not responsible for what he does and for what he refuses to learn.  I am not responsible for his attitude.  I AM responsible for mine.  I am to do good to those “who spitefully use you”. 

“Submit yourselves to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” – James 4:7

My job now is to confront this person with their actions: dishonesty, not generous, selfish, not working diligently as unto the Lord, concern for others.  Everywhere there is accountability in life.  I do not like being the guy who calls others into it.  My experience is they always react negatively and do not fall into repentance as God calls us to do.  But to do less is to not love him at all.

Jesus showed His love for us through sacrifice first and then in accountable confrontations intended to draw us closer to Him.  We must learn to do the same with those we are in contact with, so that we might lead them closer to God, even if they reject us at that time.  

Pray, dear Christian, that you will have patience and most of all love for those who are difficult to bear.  Endeavor to walk close with God during those times and let Him lead you as you must be alongside such people.

Death and Heavenly Realms

We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.  For if we have been united with Him like this in His death, we will certainly also be raised to life as He was. – Romans 6:4-5

We, that is, believing Christians, were buried as Christ was.  Who we are as a human, borne with a sinful nature, have died to being ruled by those sins.  Just as Christ died and rose again, we also can live a new life as a person no longer ruled by our sinful nature.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come! – 2 Corinthians 5:17

Too often I see Christians who are in a terrible battle of trust.  They don’t know if they can trust the new nature completely.  The old nature is pulling so hard and it is at least comfortable, even if it caused so much pain.  Everyone I know has some aspect of this battle within them.  They are struggling with some small or large area of their active or thought life.  Can they submit all to God and trust Him completely?  Will he take those things they love away?  So much risk is assumed.

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus – Ephesians 2:6

But what a reward!  Christ willingly takes our sin, the weight of all we’ve done wrong upon Himself.  And still we have doubts!  And, He raises us up with Christ to be with Him in the heavenly realms.  We are never left to ourselves.  He takes us with Him to be with Him.  He comes to us, cleans us up, then takes our hand to be with us.  There is no risk.  He can be trusted with all that we are and we can confidently know that there is nothing we value that is of any importance by comparison to this heavenly reward of companionship with our Messiah, our Savior. 

Allow yourself to mentally go through your Baptism again today.  Die to your sins by giving them willfully to Jesus.  He has already died and rose again to defeat the purpose of sin.  Rise with Him to His heavenly places by letting His Spirit dominate your heart today.

The Love of Open Rebuke

Better is open rebuke than hidden love.

Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.

-          Proverbs 27:5-6

These two verses are directly opposed to our culture today.  Our society will quickly tell you that if you oppose somone’s lifestyle or actions you don’t love them.  In fact, all a person has to say is they are doing what makes them happy in life.  Our current society has placed such a high value on that goal of life that all moral and responsible actions are immediately moved as completely unimportant relative to a person doing what makes them happy.

These verses tell us that an open confrontation, a rebuke of your actions, is better than someone who loves you but does nothing.  In fact, the verse describes such a love as hidden, unseen.  If someone loves you but never does a single thing towards you from that love, does that love have any value?  Doesn’t it actually oppose the character of love to do nothing for someone you love?  This verse says that the one who openly rebukes your behavior and actions is the one who is loving you and this is better love.

The next verse then discusses the wounds received from such an open confrontation or rebuke.  Undoubtedly, if a friend confronts your behavior or action you will be emotionally wounded.  The Word of God tells us here that such a wound from a friend (who loves you as discussed in the verse preceding) can be trusted.  Your friend’s accountability might have hurt your feelings, it might have seemed to be against you, but you can trust it because it comes from your friend who is not hiding their love for you.  Further, an enemy would not only not confront you, but would send you “kiss” after “kiss” to tell you how good you are (and how bad your friend is) in your sinful actions.

Ephesians 4:15 tells us Christians to “speak truth in love.”  This does not mean that we love others with compliments in their sin.  We do not take a sympathetic view of their sin.  We should not be fearful of offending; I can tell you from experience it is a rare human being that isn’t offended when confronted about an action they are taking that they want to do that they’ve reasoned as being good for them, even if the Word of God specifically says the opposite.  We ask if they believe in Jesus and want to follow Him.  If yes, then we point out what the Word of God says and try to compel them to repent, turn away, in the direction or actions they are taking and start steps towards that Word.  Ultimately, their argument is with God, not you.

It is imperative that Christians love one another in this way.  There must be accountability again in the Christian family, community, and church.  Otherwise, we do not love each other, and the world will not know we are of disciples of Jesus.

By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another. – John 13:35

The Falling Away

Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first – 2 Thessalonians 2:3

The “Day” described here is the day that Jesus returns.  This section of this chapter in 2 Thessalonians is described in many Bibles as “The Great Apostasy”.  The translated term “falling away” comes from the Greek word apostasia which can be translated from apo, meaning to depart from, and stasis, meaning the stand or state of.  One can translate then that the falling away is a departing from the stand of faith or the stand of the Word of God.  One can also translate that the falling away is a departing from the state of something, such as the state of being of God.  This would be a departing from the state of being created by God. 

But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God – 2 Timothy 3:1-4

To fall away from being a creation of God means that everything about you as you were born is in question.  Your gender: males will depart from their stasis or state of manhood, women will depart from their stasis or state of womanhood, fathers from their state of fatherhood , mothers from their state of motherhood, and humans from the state of humanity (life has less value).

Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world – Philippians 2:14-15

That age will see a departure from the Word of God.  This means those who know Jesus must hold onto His Word with much more conviction, certainty, and steadfastness.  The effort will have to be intentional and it won’t be convenient. 

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. – Ephesians 6:13

Today, let us be careful not to be falling away.  Let us be watchful for our stand on the Word of God and for our knowledge of being precious created sons and daughters of the Most High God.  Created in His image according to His good will and for His good purpose.

A Stacked Court

If God is for us, who can be against us?  He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?  Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect?  It is God who justifies.  Who is he who condemns?  It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. – Romans 8:31b-34

Imagine you are in a courtroom and there is a judge, an accuser, and your defense attorney.  Your fate rest in the hands of how well your defense attorney represents you and then the judge’s ruling.  Here in America, I have seen many times that the quality of that defense attorney means a lot regarding your probability of getting a fair judgment.

Now, imagine that the judge and your defense attorney … is the same person.  The accuser makes his claims against you, but your defense attorney is the judge!  What do you think your chances are of getting a fair judgment?  Very good I would say!  This is a stacked court in your favor.  In fact, I would say the case is closed and there is no argument.  There is no trial.  It was over before it began.

This last scenario is what Paul is describing.  Who can be against us?  Who can bring a charge against us?  God has justified us, so who can condemn us?  Our judge is our defense attorney.  There is no trial and no accusations, no condemnation.  The guilt is over; the judgment is gone.  It is forever settled!

Christian, have you sincerely repented of your sins today?  If not, would you drop your pride over some item that you believe God should allow you to do in your life and turn back to His Word? 

Dear Christian, are you carrying a heavy load of guilt today?  Perhaps you’ve repented, but you just can’t overcome the stain on your conscious.  Will you drop that load and step into your freedom from condemnation offered by your Judge and Defense Attorney, Jesus our Savior?

Of all peoples, Christians should be the most joyous and peaceful, resting well upon their knowledge of the truth, that their God neither holds their sins against them or is willing that they should perish in bondage.  Your sins are forgiven.  Through Jesus your charges are dropped.  You are free.

The Declining Church - More Why

In a conversation with a small group on this subject a few more observations were made about possible factors that relate to the declining church.

1.  No Time for False Advertising

In one conversation I was reading regarding why more millennials don’t come to church, one millennial writer said, “Having been advertised to our whole lives, we millennials have highly sensitive BS meters.”  I think this extends beyond millennials to everyone under 50, maybe 55.  Everyone who has been a part of the media revolution has been advertised their whole life.  I remember a story by my American History teacher in high school (I graduated in 1987).  He said on a trip with a group of students they got stuck in an airport.  While they endured the long wait and boredom, since it was before smart phones, they started to sing songs together.  But the only songs everyone in the group knew as a group were commercial jingles. 

Everyone has been advertised to so relentlessly that they are looking quickly to see what it is that you want from them.  This means a church better be what they advertise.  Don’t advertise you are open to everyone if it is obvious to a guest that everyone is not welcome.  Don’t advertise you believe and follow the Word of God if you only follow the parts you like.  If someone who has been advertised to takes the time to come to church and sees something false, you can be sure they are not just put off, they are insulted at the waste of their time.  Their inclination is to immediately leave and most definitely to stop listening.

The old adage, “People don’t care about what you know until they know that you care” rings more true today than ever.  It is personal touches of caring that exhibits the hand of God from the church.  It is personal testimonies and witnesses of God’s touch in our lives that must be shared.  If the church wants people to believe its message, it needs to be believable.

2.  No Power in the Church

The church is intended to be God's Body on the earth, the Body of Christ. This means one intention of the church is to do the will of God as His physical hands and feet.  To say that the church is merely a meeting of like-minded saved people isn’t really enough.   The church should be more than this.  We were made with the view of having dominion over God’s enemy, so the church needs to be the ones who carry out God’s authority on the earth.  This means that they need to be subject to His authority in every way.  

For the Church to be built up, the members of the church need to come under His authority as the head to be in His kingdom.  So, if you have Christians in the church who refuse to be under God’s authority and are their own head, then Christ will probably struggle or simply refuse to build that church.  Ephesians 4:15-16 says ”We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love.” (MSG).

If the world doesn't see the power of God in the lives of those who profess to be Christian where is the attraction and what is the point?  Why join a church or follow a church that demands time when those people are almost exactly like you now?

In Acts chapter 5, the apostles are jailed for preaching and healing.  An angel sets them free and instructs them to go and preach again, even though the high priest has told them not to.  When they find them not in the jail and in the temple preaching they bring them to their courts accusing them of breaking their orders.  Peter replies, "We must obey God rather than human beings! The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging Him on a cross. God exalted Him to His own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him."  Then a wise teacher named Gamaliel spoke.

"Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men.  Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing.  After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God."

Today, too many churches are doing their own purpose and their activities from their own origin and they are failing.  The church needs to learn again how to listen for God's direction, then to unapologetically, with no fear of persecution or what is proper in society, and with a complete belief in the Message of God, do what He purposes for them to do in His power.

AS

Be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. – Ephesians 5:1-2

As obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” – 1 Peter 1:14-16

How is it that God has instructed us, those who proclaim in faith to be Christian, to walk as He walked and to be holy as He is holy? I find it most confusing to imagine that the God who knows my innermost thoughts, feelings, and my own sinful actions would consider making such a request. Certainly He, above all others, knows that this instruction is impossible. I know the evil man that I am, and so does God.

In Ephesians, God is instructing us to be imitators of Him, to walk as He walked when He walked here on the earth in physical form. I understand, at least partially, what is meant when He says to imitate Him because how to do this is described in the verses before and after these. But is God really asking me to walk as He walked and do what He did? While I might want to try, I am more willing to just give up and start believing in something realistic.

Then in 1 Peter God is instructing us to be holy as He is holy even unto this day. Really? God wants me to be completely set apart from this world and all that is in it and be completely Godly. Yeah, okay God. You know what? Good luck with that. I’m going to move on and just try to enjoy the days I have left rather than pursue an obvious impossible request and just end up being a pious unrealistic person just like the Pharisees were.

With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. – Matthew 19:26

1 Thessalonians 3:12-13 says “and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness”. There in this verse is the “how” of living the as. “The Lord make you … abound in love” ….[why?] … “so that He may establish your heart blameless in holiness.” The Lord enables us, through Christ, to love correctly and in the practice of that perfect love that is only available through Jesus, we can be holy.

In other words, we can be holy because He is holy who lives in us and then, through us. He lives into our actions, so we can walk as He walked and imitate Himself. Even more, one day we will give up these physical bodies and living on this planet and we will live in our spiritual selves and be where He is.

God doesn’t always name us for as we are now, but for as we will be. When the angel Gabriel called upon Gideon as a brave leader of an army, he was certainly not one … yet. Gabriel called him one because that is who he would become for God and the nation of Israel.

Perhaps, like me, you know all the things you aren’t as you compare yourself in your walk with how Jesus walked. And you know all the ways you aren’t holy as you compare yourself to His holiness. Yet, God called us to walk as He walked and to be holy as He is holy. You aren’t an impossible person that can’t be healed. God would not instruct us to do something or be a part of something that couldn’t be done. He instructed us to do so as a Father wants the best for his beloved children and He sees you for what you will become. He is what is best for us; He living in us draws us closer to Him; and He walking as He walked and being holy as He is holy is the only way the impossible can become possible.

My Beloved is Mine

My Beloved is mine and I am His.

                – Song of Solomon 2:16

One of essences of true love is to know that the one you love is yours.  This tears down doubts; it tears down fears; it tears down worry.  There is emotional security in knowing that the one you love is truly and always yours.

We fail too often to realize that the God we are to love is ours.  That Jesus who lived, died on a cross, and is resurrected is ours.  Because He is ours, we are His.  The more I realize that He lived and died for me, and the more you realize that He lived and died for you, the more we will become His. 

I wonder today if we are capable of accepting the idea that He is ours.  We are so conditioned to understand that God is so vast, so enormous, so powerful that we are barely worth noticing by comparison.  Yet, if we were the only sinning human on the planet, He would have lived, died, and resurrected just for us.  He is ours if we will accept Him.  He is yours; He is mine; and He is always there.  He will never leave us; He will never fail us; and He is always for us.  Nothing can remove you from the One who loves you forever.  My God is always mine and I am always His.

When we are able to open our heart and accept this, following Him is not work or impossible.  Serving someone that you love with all your heart is never a chore.  When we love ourselves more than the one we are serving, it is a chore and that work will create strife and bitterness.  But when we serve someone we love with all our heart, it is a joy and we even try to think of what else we can do to love them more fully!

Do you doubt God today?  Does doing “the right thing” according to His Word hurt you today?  Find His love and know that He is yours so that you can become His.  Let that love tear away your doubts and make serving Him and those He loves a joy in your life. 

Does the person you love today know that you are theirs?  Open your heart and let them know that they have all of it.  Let that tear down any doubts and fears between you.  In so doing they will become yours.

I am my Beloved’s and my Beloved is mine.

 – Song of Solomon 6:3