i12go4God

Smooth Talkers Need Not Apply
There are some smooth talkers that it seems could sell people anything. There are also some who can give a speech so moving that people run to join their cause. But when preaching, is that what God is looking for? Is He looking for the most gifted speakers or the most persuasive salesmen? Let’s see what the Apostle Paul said about his own preaching strategy.

And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God. (1 Corinthians 2:1-5 NASB)

Paul first says he did not come as a gifted speaker or philosopher. Paul was not an uneducated man, either. He was a scholar in his own right, and could have overwhelmed his audiences with the depth of his knowledge. But rather than give into the temptation to do so, he purposely avoided it. His message was simply about Jesus Christ and his crucifixion for our sins. He would rather be seen as weak and foolish than as a gifted orator.
Why? The focus had to be kept on Christ. How many sermon series being preached around the American church today are on things other than Jesus? Oh, He may get a cursory mention but Jesus is not the central focus of the teaching. The message is on how we can be happy, or prosperous, or successful. The message is a WIIFM statement (what’s in it for me) rather than centering our thoughts and actions on Jesus and what HE wants.

But what about the demonstration of the Spirit and power of God?

God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will. (Hebrews 2:4 NASB)

But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. (2 Peter 1:20, 21 NASB)

While the signs and wonders of the Apostles were necessary for Showing that the message was from God, that message is now here for us. The power of the Spirit is demonstrated by the ability of the Bible to convict sinners and draw them to Jesus.

When we preach with the mission of drawing people to the person of Jesus Christ, and we use the Word of God to do so, the message has inherent power. That power will so draw people to Jesus that they will not be dissuaded by a worldly philosophy. A man with an experience is never at the mercy of a man with an argument. And their faith will be based on the Word of God, and not the preacher.

What is needed is a generation of preachers who are so in love with Jesus Christ that they can’t stop talking about him. Preachers who will draw their messages from the pure spring of living water found in the Bible, unadulterated by human philosophy and the wisdom of men. They will be men of power that can be mightily used of God to win their generation for Christ. The world can keep its smooth talkers and silver tongued orators. We want men to know nothing and long for nothing more, than the person of Jesus.

First of all, what I am writing is not some new revelation from God. This is a non-prophet blog. 🙂 But I have had this nagging feeling. It’s something that I started doing awhile ago and thought I would share it. No, you are not disobeying God by not doing it, too!
I am not certain of what lies ahead for American Christians. Whether persecution will be our lot or we continue to worship and spread the Good News (Gospel) freely. But here is what I am doing because of that uneasy gut feeling, and you might want to do it, too. Or you might not.

Start collecting Bibles. By that I don’t mean get a stack of printed Bibles, although it is always nice to have them to give away. I mean every format you can get. Save CDs, DVD, flash drives, and any electronic medium that can be used to transmit over the internet. We do not know when the Bible may be labelled as “hate speech” and banned or restricted.
Gather up good, solid, biblical teaching on any of the above mediums. If we are forced to be in hiding and/or in small house fellowships, good teaching may be hard to find. Its best to already have it so that your spiritual diet can be well rounded.
Find and keep song books. They can be the old hymns, choruses, or whatever. PDF files may be best. But be prepared to sing them acapella. You won’t want to be using music that will be loud enough to get you discovered if you must worship in secret. Even musical CDs and mp3 files are good, but make sure you have headphones for them.

And I would have a few blank books around for keeping a record of what happened to and through God’s people when times get tough. You never know who, generations from now, will be encouraged by them.
Again, this is not some dire prophecy, but rather emergency preparedness. If nothing happens, you will still have a valuable library of sound teaching that you can transmit to brothers and sisters in Christ around the world. So it’s a win-win proposition!

There is nothing wrong with a chainsaw. In and of itself it is a benign thing, and in the hands of a skilled laborer, they can be a very useful tool! But we don’t give them to toddlers. To do so would be grounds for arrest. Why? Because a chainsaw is a powerful tool that can also be destructive and even lethal in the hands of one who cannot handle its force and does not know how to properly use it!

With that in mind, I want to briefly discuss some things that God does not permit for humans, but has kept as a prerogative for Himself.

1. Vengeance– We do not have the authority from God to take vengeance out on someone else. If for no other reason, the vengeance and wrath that was our just punishment was placed upon Jesus at the cross. How dare we turn and take vengeance on another because we think they deserve it!
“Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” says the Lord.” (Romans 12:19 NASB)

2. Jealousy – jealousy is a powerful emotion that can instantly turn a loving companion into a murderer. We become jealous when we believe that someone is about to take someone from us that we love, or are betrayed by someone dear to us who rejects us for someone else. God, on the other hand, is jealous for us, not of us. His jealousy is kindled against those that would steal us away from Him because He knows that it will be for our destruction. He will not tolerate those who try to lure away His beloved children with false promises and lies about the character of God.
“for thou shalt worship no other god: for Jehovah, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:” (Exodus 34:14 ASV)

3. Judgment – While there are certain things we are commanded to judge, such as false teaching or our hearts, we are not authorized to take upon ourselves the role of judge of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). God alone has the authority to judge anyone’s final and eternal condition. The farthest He has delegated that authority is to the Son. (John 5:22, 27)

There may be others that I have missed, but my point is this: we must be careful not to take upon ourselves that with is the sole prerogative of the Almighty God. It is enough to judge ourselves by the Word of Christ and to jealously guard our heart. And leave wrath in the hands of the only One who is equipped to handle it!

“Watch over your heart with all diligence,
For from it flow the springs of life.” (Proverbs 4:23 NASB)

“He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.” (John 12:48 NASB)

“For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.” (2 Thessalonians 1:6-8 NASB)

Have you ever wondered why people in Australia don’t realize that they are upside down?

Seriously though, our society has been exposed and desensitized to upside down thinking that it is now perceived as “normal” instead of wrong. In Acts, Paul and Silas encountered a crowd at Thessalonica that was upside down in its thinking.

⁵ But the Jews who were not persuaded, becoming envious,took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. ⁶ But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too. ⁷ Jason has harbored them, and these are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king—Jesus.” ⁸ And they troubled the crowd and the rulers of the city when they heard these things (Acts 17:5-8 NKJV)

They were accused of turning the world upside down because they advocated worship of a power higher than the human government. But in reality, the only way to keep human governments from becoming tyrannical is for there to be a higher power for them to answer to, and to have individual rights endowed by our Creator instead of the state. But the question that arises is this. Is there a point at which national pride becomes idolatry?

I submit to you that this happens when we substitute being salt and light for “my country, right or wrong.” When the first question out of our mouths is “is it legal” instead of “is it right” then we are on the slippery slope from being a nation whose God is the Lord to moral relativism and idolatry. We must not allow societal norms to dictate what is right and wrong.

God said it this way through the prophet Isaiah:

²⁰ Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

²¹ Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes,
And prudent in their own sight!

²² Woe to men mighty at drinking wine,
Woe to men valiant for mixing intoxicating drink,
²³ Who justify the wicked for a bribe,
And take away justice from the righteous man!

(Isaiah 5:20-23)

Does this sound like a description of our nation? If we cease to proclaim God’s standard of righteousness so that we won’t offend anyone, we betray our nation and their blood will be on our hands at the judgment! Are we any less idolatrous when we chant “USA, USA, USA” when our country is guilty of so many national sins that the Philippians in Acts 16 who were shouting for two hours “great is Artemis of the Ephesians”? It is okay to love your country, but it is not okay to make that country an object of worship. For those who shout “USA, USA, USA”; would you be as publicly vocal in shouting “Jesus is Lord”, “Christ is Risen” or “repent and obey the Gospel”?

While we are happy to support our society and our government when they do that which is right, we are obligated by our Master and Lord to withhold that support when those same institutions do what is evil in His sight!

¹³ “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. ¹⁴ Because^[a] narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. (Matthew 7:13)

We cannot follow the east road to destruction, but must follow the narrow way (the high way) to life. Love dictates that we also point others to that way as well. It’s time to get off of broad way and onto the highway! It’s time to shout “Hey USA, Jesus is Lord. Hey USA, Christ is Risen. Hey USA, repent and obey the Gospel!”

Wanted: Dead & Alive!

No, that is what I meant to say. God is calling us to be in Christ, and to get there we have to be dead AND alive. What do I mean by that statement? Glad you asked. But what I would like to do is let the scriptures speak for themselves, with just a paragraph title.

We must be dead to sin and alive to righteousness.
“Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 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 in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.” (Romans 6:3-8 NIV)

For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. (Colossians 3:3-5 NIV)

We must be dead to our will and alive to do His will.
“For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:19, 20 NIV)

We must die to our old life and be born again to a new life.
Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. (John 3:3-5 NIV)

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. (2 Corinthians 5:17 NASB)

having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. (Colossians 2:12-14 NASB)

Have you ever eaten milk-fed veal? I personally do not eat it because of how it is made. Once the calf is born, it is restrained on the floor so that it cannot move. It is then fed nothing but milk for its entire life. After all of this, it is butchered and sold. I am not writing this as a condemnation of veal (although I could), but instead to ask a question. Are you spiritual veal? Here is what that would look like.

After the new birth, they choose to remain inactive. Whether this is through fear or a lack of conviction, they never get busy with the obedience that their faith was designed to produce. By keeping themselves weighed down, the never develop their spiritual muscles.

“but refuse profane and old wives’ fables. And exercise thyself unto godliness: for bodily exercise is profitable for a little; but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life which now is, and of that which is to come.” (1 Timothy 4:7, 8 ASV)
We must exercise ourselves to godliness. The time to develop spiritual strength is before trials come. In the middle of a spiritual battle is not the time to begin getting ready.

We also need to have the proper diet. Veal calves are fed nothing but milk, which makes the meat very soft and light. But it means that the muscles never get what they need for further development. The Hebrew writer put it this way:

“For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.” (Hebrews 5:12-14 NASB)

While it is important that when we are new Christians we “as newborn babes, long for the spiritual milk which is without guile, that ye may grow thereby unto salvation;” (1 Peter 2:2 ASV) we cannot stay that way! Just as it is necessary for a baby’s diet to change while growing, we must take in nourishment appropriate to our spiritual age.

So is being spiritual veal a big deal? I mean, does it really matter? YES!
The devil is prowling about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, (1 Peter 5:8) and a weak veal Christian is likely to be exhausted and fall away. Do not be deceived. Satan wants you dead and being spiritual veal makes it easier for him.

And since we are engaged in a spiritual battle, your fellow soldiers need you to be strong. A weakened veal Christian makes those around him or her more vulnerable to attacks of the enemy.
“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” (Ephesians 6:13 NIV)

It is with much humility that we approach the book of Revelation. There are a multitude of reasons not to take many dogmatic positions here, not the least of which is that I want to reserve the right to modify or change my conclusions later on! And of course, Acts 17:11 always applies, so do your own research, too!
With that being said, I do believe that there is an erroneous teaching concerning the implications of Revelation 1:1 and the word “shortly” as it regards the timeframe for the events to follow in the next 22 chapters. What is being asserted is that, since it deals with things that must “shortly take place” then everything in that follows, with the possible exception of chapters 21 & 22 where it describes the church’s final state in Heaven, was to happen in the lifetime of the original recipients. This would, according to such expositors, mean that everything has already taken place. I have some problems with that.
First problem: the Greek word for shortly is “ἐν τάχει” which also can mean quickly. That would imply that when the things in this book start to happen, they will happen swiftly. That is the direction I lean because Jesus, the author of the book, neatly uses this same word in chapter 22, where in context everything is wrapped up and we are in the eternal state.
And he said unto me, These words are faithful and true: and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angels to show unto his servants the things which must shortly come to pass…
And he saith unto me, Seal not up the words of the prophecy of this book; for the time is at hand…
Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to render to each man according as his work is. (Revelation 22:6, 10, 12 ASV)

While many of the events of the first three chapters certainly did happen in the first or early second centuries, the fact that John is given this same word to use when describing a state which is still in the future for the saved means we can’t use verse 1:1 to categorically say that everything in the book was fulfilled in that time period. It just means that events will transpire rapidly when they finally do happen.

What is implied for us is that when these events happen, it will be too late to get ready for them. So no matter what your view of End Times prophecy, one question needs to be answered NOW — are you ready? Is your soul prepared for the return of the Lord? Or have you put it off and are walking dangerously unprepared to meet your God? Now is the time to prepare for eternity, for you know not when you shall enter it. Do not delay! Now is the day of salvation! Listen to the Gospel message, believe it, repent of your sins, confess that Jesus is the Son of God who died for you and was resurrected, and appropriate that saving work in the waters of baptism. Behold, do it quickly!

“Why?”
It’s a question that leaps to the forefront of our thinking when we are confronted with a situation of pain and anguish. Especially when that situation involves the loss of a child. It’s difficult enough to bury your parents, but in the back of our minds we always knew we would someday. But it is totally unnatural to bury a child. There is a level of pain involved that never completely leaves us during this lifetime. We learn to cope and work through the pain, but the empty spot in our souls remains.
The songwriter Dana put it this way in a song about how Mary felt watching Jesus’ death:
I rocked him as a baby
I fed him as a child
I heard him call my name out in the night
I helped him take his first step
I cried when I heard his first words
I wish they all could see through a Mother’s eyes

There is no pain as acutely intense as that what a parent feels at the loss of their child. But our Heavenly Father knows how we feel at such a time, because he watched as his Son was illegally tried, falsely accused, and brutally murdered.

But we must never, not even for a little bit, think that the presence of pain is the absence of God. Jesus went to Bethany to comfort Martha and Mary after the death of their brother Lazarus. He came and wept with them, even though he knew he was going to resurrect Lazarus!
In Romans, Paul instructed Christians this way:
Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. (Romans 12:15 NASB)

When ministering to someone who has lost a loved one, especially a child, there is nothing you can do or say that will make it all better. The Holy Spirit is the Comforter, and will accomplish His mission. But sometimes it is very comforting to have someone who is there to weep with you, like Paul said to do. That is even more meaningful if you have been through a similar loss in your past.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. (2 Corinthians 1:3, 4 NASB)

If you have suffered a loss in the past, don’t keep the comfort that was given to you all to yourself. Pass it on to another one who is suffering. Make sure they know that they are not alone. Just “be there” for them and take care of details so they can focus on the grieving process.

The sun will shine again, and life will go on. Know that you are not alone for you have brothers and sisters in Christ, and most of all, you are under the care of the Comforter. And when you feel like you have hit bottom, you are resting upon God!
“The eternal God is a dwelling place,
And underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deuteronomy 33:27a NASB)

In memory of Sarah Elizabeth Reeves

How do you feel about your personal sins. Are some of them not too bad? Are there some we have given up on trying to totally weed out of our lives, and have just learned to keep secret? Are there some that, if anyone else knew about them, we would die of shame? Or are you rooting every sin in your life and gaining victory over it?

In the Gospel According to John, there is the familiar account of the woman caught in adultery. Unfortunately, it is too familiar to us and we are tempted to skim over it, sure that we have gleaned all that we could out of it. But take another look and see if there may be more there for us today.

Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say? This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first. And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you? She said, No one, Lord. And Jesus said to her, Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more. (John 8:2-11 NKJV)

There are two sets of people addressed by Jesus here. The first are the scribes and Pharisees. The interrupt Jesus while he is teaching and cast her down on front of him. One wonders how a woman can be in the act of adultery and yet be alone. Ever wonder where the man who was also guilty? And how were they able, as religious leaders, to catch them in the act? I am just speculating, but I think the man was one of the scribes or Pharisees and they were covering this up for him. By trying to get Jesus to condemn her, they could kill the only witness and trap Jesus at the same time. In their eyes, it was a win-win proposition.

Jesus ignores them because he knows that she is already condemned, but that he would soon pay for her sin while shedding his blood on the cross. But rather than get into an intellectual debate with the religious scholars, he goes around there intellect and heads straight for their consciences. He forces them to reflect on their own sinfullness instead of that of the woman. And that is the initial reaction we should have as well when we hear about the sins of another. We have to remember that we, too, have sinned and deserve to condemned. The weight of their guilt becomes too heavy, and they can no longer hold their stones, and file away by age group — those with a lifetime of sin, followed by those just getting started.

The other me who is addressed is the woman caught in adultery and asks where her accusers are. That is just what he does when our sins are remitted at baptism. Satan, whose very name means “slanderer and accuser” has nothing with which to rail against us, for the blood of Christ has cleansed us from all sin. And based on the penalty that he would soon pay for her, he lets her leave. But he doesn’t just leave it at that. Unlike the religious leaders, she was already aware of her sinful state. Jesus tells her to go and sin no more. Implied in the original Greek is that he means to go and not do this sin any more. In effect, he tells her to repent. Forgiveness is not just a “get out of jail free” card. Change is expected. Not in order to be forgiven, but because we have been forgiven. That’s why he says it last, so she won’t think that her forgiveness must be earned.

We also, according to 1 John 1:9, can walk in a continually cleansed relationship with God. But that is not so that we can sin without consequence (see Romans 6), but so that we can start a fresh walk of obedience without condemnation from our past hanging over us.

So about those sins we spoke of at the beginning. Let’s get them taken care of at the feet of our Savior and go on with God!

A very common teaching today is that no one can come to God without being acted upon by the Holy Spirit. It is taught that this action of the Spirit happens independent of human cooperation, and causes the sinner to be able to understand spiritual things and seek after God. Where do such doctrines come from? Let’s look at a few verses that seem to support this position.

No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘AND THEY SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT OF GOD.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me. (John 6:44, 45 NASB)

But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:14-16 NASB)

If we just consider those passages, then the direct action teaching seems pretty solidly rooted in Scripture. But the problem is this; those are not the only verses on the subject, and we need to consider everything that has been revealed in the Word before coming to a conclusion.

If we agree that faith is required to please God, then we need to determine how faith is obtained. Paul said in Romans 10,

How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!” However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, “LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. (Romans 10:14-17 NASB)

Notice that the verse does not say that faith comes by election, but by hearing the Word of Christ. Paul confirms this when addressing the Galatians.

“This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?” (Galatians 3:2 NASB)

From these two verses we can see that faith comes when a sinner hears the Word of Christ. This is also true because the Word of God is not a dead letter. It has inherent spiritual power within it.

“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12 NASB)

The Word of God, empowered by the Spirit in cooperation with faith growing in those who receive it, has the power to draw men to Christ and renew the mind. This is not limited to the salvation experience. This faith building and renewing of our minds is a lifelong journey of growth in the things of God.

So it is not a sovereign Divine act that enables sinners to come to God. It is, rather, a Divine cooperation with the Spirit that results in salvation.