A Powerless Message

According to Romans 1:16 the Gospel of Christ is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. In Romans 10:14 the question is raised concerning how anyone can believe something they haven’t yet heard. Verse 15 then makes it clear that the responsibility for proclaiming the Gospel of peace falls on the evangelist.

Now we all know there is no end of controversy and discussion concerning the requirements, qualifications and preparation of the evangelist but how often today do we hear of the necessity of love in evangelism? 1st Corinthians 13 begins this way:

“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.”
(Vs. 1, KJV)

I can think of nothing sadder than the preacher whose heart has turned so cold that his words are never heard.

"good tidings of great joy"

"For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist." (2Jn 1:7 NASB)

"For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin." (Heb 4:15 NASB)

"By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God;" (1Jn 4:2 NASB)

What I don't have

Thanksgiving is an important holiday here in the states. It’s a time when families gather together and usually share fellowship and a great meal. If everyone is of the proper spirit it’s also a time to reflect on the goodness of God and His great providence. We should always be mindful of His greatest gift and sacrifice on the cross but let’s use this time wisely to also reflect on all of God’s blessings and gifts.

It is normal for me to take stock of the blessings God gives me, both spiritual and temporal, but today I’ve also considered His great blessings to me in the things He never allowed me to have. I’m so thankful my Great Provider knows me in the way that only my Creator could. I won’t go into details but suffice it to say that through the eye of faith I can see that if all that I had asked had been granted I would be a most miserable man today.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

May God continue to bless each of you this holiday season and I count each of you one of His great blessings to me.

Amazing

See this video hosted by youtube.

Behind Enemy Lines?

I was thinking...first my lungs were pretty clean. I had worked hard during my life to keep them that way. If someone wanted to ruin theirs by smoking, fine, but do so away from my unstained healthy lungs. But then...I thought...thought back to about two weeks ago. What's the use of having clean lungs if you can't lose them for the sake of other's?!! Saving this life and being self-righteous serves no one (as already said). So, I looked at this as an opportunity to lose my life in order that it might be saved. You only get one chance in life, why not hang out with drunks in a smoke filled bar watching rugby matches?

Gotta love this guy!

The Perfect Law of Love

My dear sister Rose has tagged me to "post [on] that verse or story of scripture which is important to you, which you find yourself re-visiting time after time." Rose has posted an excellent article that covers several topics including hypocrisy and you don’t want to miss it.

Immediately after I was saved I had a great desire to please God and knew I had to learn how so I set out to read the scriptures. I began at the beginning and read through Genesis and Exodus and started into Leviticus. One thing that was so obvious to me was the extreme detail and the absolute perfection required by the law. I considered how difficult it was going to be to live a life that would be pleasing to God but at the same time I knew that to attempt to do otherwise was to condemn myself to failure and misery. It’s hard to recall the specific details but at some point I decided to turn to the New Testament. I had not studied very long when I came upon these verses in the King James version:

Matthew 7

1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

And these:

Matthew 22:36-40

36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

My first thought then has remained with me to this day. I only have to learn to love God and others more perfectly. I have since learned this is only possible in and through Christ.

The bloggers I am tagging for this meme are:
Pastor Timothy
Brother Ron
The Fisherman
My Sweet Bride

I would have tagged Dorse but I stole his thunder. ;-)

My Own Prison

We should all just quit!

I mean it! I don’t know about you but since I started doing this I’ve had nothing but heartache and despair. My prayer life seems almost non-existent and fellowship has become an act; honestly it’s only a pretense. When I first started it all seemed so good. It seemed like the perfect solution to so many of the “problems” I saw but now it is the problem and it’s got to stop! I’m going to quit and I would strongly suggest you consider quitting too!

So what am I ranting about? It doesn’t matter. Really, it doesn’t. If there is anything that would cause you to sympathize with me in this then it doesn’t matter what it is, you should just quit it! Nothing is worth the loss of fellowship no matter what it is. Even if it seems that quitting it will cause all types of problems it is still better to quit than to continue to stray from fellowship with God and His children. God simply does not call us out of fellowship.

So now that we’ve decided to finally stop the insanity when should we do it? I say just as soon as we know what it is we should quit doing. We should never quit anything until we have faith that we’ve found what we're doing that is causing our problem. Most times what seems the obvious problem is not the problem at all but the point or place where the consequence of the problem has become obvious. Does the fact that no one seems to care obviously mean that you need new friends or could it be an indication you need to quit being so secretive about yourself and your struggles? Is your marriage really full of problems or is it filled with the consequence of all your problems?

How much?

If the measure of love is sacrifice then is it simply in what we are willing to do or not do or in what we actually endure?

"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God."

James 1:19-20 (KJV)

Who am I?

What value does self-image have in the life of a believer? Does it really matter who or what we think we are? Isn’t it just a bit self-centered to dwell on that? I think it certainly could be but I think our perception of ourselves is something we should constantly examine and be aware of. I would go so far as to say that maintaining a proper self-image is critical to maintaining a proper relationship with God and others.

It seems that the methods we use to gain a perspective of ourselves will have a great bearing on the outcome. We can ask ourselves the question, “Who am I compared to you?” or we could ask, “Who am I to you?” Perhaps even better we might ask, “Who am I to God in Christ?” At the very least I suspect we agree that our perspective should be relative concerning God and others but should we ever make a comparative assessment? Would you consider it wise to ask, “Who am I compared to who God wants me to be”?

I suppose there are many questions we must answer for ourselves in this life and I consider the first and foremost to be, “Who is God”. I believe that the answer to this is found only in Christ and I think we should constantly strive to know the answer by endeavoring to learn more of Him each day.

I guess the only other thing that I would really want to know is, “Who are you?” Only you can answer that. ;-)

Through the Looking Glass

If your view of the Church can be made without a mirror you may need to reexamine your position.

Avoiding Offense

Anyone who’s ever dared to discuss their personal beliefs with another has likely found they’ve either offended the other person or is offended by the personal convictions held by that person. I could attempt to explain the intricacies that result in this circumstance but simply understanding the problem doesn’t solve it and the mental and verbal gymnastics required to avoid it would also require certain gifts that seem granted to a precious few. So how can we learn to avoid offending others? Let me first ask why would you even want to?

What purpose is served by avoiding offensive language and behavior? On the surface you might say that it helps to maintain a healthy relationship but is that really the case? Let’s say you, for one reason or another, are attempting to befriend another person. What does it mean to you to be their friend? Does it mean you always make that person feel good? Does it mean you are always encouraging? Yes you say? Even when their stated intent would seem to harm your friend or another? Well of course not! In that instance you would want nothing less than to completely discourage them in their effort and persuade them to question the beliefs behind their intended action. Do you think they might be offended by your inference on their judgment? You can bet they will and you can rest assured your effort on their behalf will not go unpunished. I think most of us would believe our offensiveness is warranted. Those of us who love would accept whatever punishment is inflicted on us if it insures the welfare of another. There could even be times that the person in question would severe all ties and withdraw all hope of reconciliation. Is it worth it even then? If you consider the alternative and can conclude that the relationship is still healthy then I suppose you might say no but if you find it untenable to “help those that hurt” then you will find no other option.

No fair you say! Why should I suffer for loving and caring for others? Why can’t my love and care be appreciated and not punished? The scripture replies, “the disciple is not above his master nor the servant above his lord” (Mat 10:23,24). The truth is we should expect to offend others and yet this can never be our defense. If our offense has behind it any other motive than a sincere desire for the welfare and well being of another then it is not love but pride and our fall is close behind it. Having examined your life can you honestly say that your pride has never caused an offense? I wish I could say it were so but I know the truth and I suspect you could even read through this blog and at least find enough evidence to suspect, if not convict me.

With this understanding I’m left wondering the merit in attempting to avoid an offense. I suspect my considerations would be better given toward insuring my motives are always love, hope and faith and never for the sake of my pride and if I offend by reason of ignorance then let me be quick to confess it and seek forgiveness and not justification.

Where do we stand?

If I question your beliefs does that mean I’m attacking you? Does it make you want to attack me?

If I doubt your interpretation or understanding do you think I consider you less of a person? Do you consider me less a person?

If you are right and I am wrong does that mean I am evil? Does it mean you are good?

If I don’t agree with you does that mean I hate you? Do you hate me?

If I agree with others who disagree with you are we out to get you? Are you out to get us?

Am I your brother by virtue of the spirit birth? Am I your enemy by virtue of my understanding?

Do you love your brother? Do you love your enemy?

Should I fear you? Should you fear me?

Does your faith move your mountain?

For the better part of two years I have discussed and debated theology with those here that I am persuaded are not only my brethren in Christ, but also my better in intelligence, ability and training. I have been open and honest in all the things that I am confident in but until recently I never attempted to articulate my present understanding of what my dear friend Pastor Timothy referred to as “kc’s mountain of theology”. Now if after being exposed to a portion of that mountain you do not feel you can place any trust in it then let me assure you that makes at least two of us.

You see I’ve watched God’s word rain down on that mountain and wash it down to the foundation on more than one occasion. I have carried bucket after bucket up that hill only to find nothing at all to keep it in place. I’ve watched the mountain shift back and forth during the earthquakes of my studies and the tremors of our debates and so no, I don’t trust in my understanding but to be totally honest, I trust even less in yours and especially in your philosophy. The truth is that the only thing I have found unmovable in all of this is our knowledge of Christ Jesus, the Son of God. This is our foundation and it has never moved. This knowledge came not by reason of understanding or through any natural experience but by God’s grace alone. I have no doubt at all it cannot be shaken but by Him.

Still my beliefs are based on my reasoning and understanding of the teachings of Christ and the Apostles as related in the scripture and I trust yours are too. I listen hard to all you offer as you detail every aspect of your system and philosophy. I try hard to see if you really possess a better understanding of God and His grace on any point. I measure every word against the scripture and against my own experience and give you all of my questions and doubts for open rebuttal and refutation. I do not expect perfection from you, only openness and honesty and in that you have not disappointed. I can only offer the same.

Our discussions have left me fully convinced that there truly is a system of theology but even more they’ve convinced me that neither you nor I will comprehend it fully in this life. Once more I propose we pursue it together without fear of ridicule or reprisal. If you find that your faith leaves your mountain no longer being shaped by The Creator but has caused it instead to become a volcano only spewing hot lava and ash then I beg you please pray for the rain to quench the fire before it destroys all that is set before you.

The Promise

"I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. "

"In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. "

"Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven."

Love’s Limits – Life’s Constant Multiple Choice

Love means there’s no limit I won’t go to in order to please…

A. myself
B. God
C. others

Love means there’s no limit I won’t got to in order to do…

A. what others need me to do
B. what God wants me to do
C. A & B (or
A is B?)

Love means there’s no limit I won’t go to in order to prove I’m right…

A. to others
B. about others
C. before God for Christ’ sake

God set no limit to His love for us, even in sparing not His only begotten Son. The options listed for each of the items above illustrate some of the typical attitudes that we confront in ourselves daily. Are we really predisposed to gravitate toward one option more so than another? I would say most definitely but does that necessarily mean that we must act as we are predisposed to do?

I am persuaded, as scripture declares, that God has established our boundaries. I am also persuaded that within those boundaries are choices He sets before us. We must all accept the limits that God has established. We have no choice in that. Our predispositions, our weaknesses and tendencies all work against us but within those limits we must still find love’s boundaries and through faith seek the grace necessary to insure that we stay within them. This is the narrow way and we must find it ourselves. God will not force it upon us. Once we find that way we must set no limit to our efforts to remain on the path, knowing that few ever do.

Eternal Life

One of the greatest blessings that God bestows upon believers is the promise of eternal life. Physical life is wrought in the flesh resulting in a natural birth and a temporal life but the conception of God’s grace through faith in Christ will result a spirit birth and an eternal life.

This life is not dependant on any future point in time and in fact is independent of all future events including, and especially, physical death. It is nothing less than a life that will never end. It comprises the whole future of the redeemed but it is the same life in Christ that all believers exist in here on earth. Many have distorted the promise of life to indicate a future moment when we “go to heaven” but this perversion miserably fails to relate the full extent of the promise and God’s amazing grace. Others relate eternal life to the resurrection but even this event is reserved for those who are already alive with Christ. Eternal life belongs to those who believe the testimony of God’s Spirit concerning His Son Jesus Christ and is not only their eternal hope but is also their present possession. Eternal life exist only in Christ and what other existence there may be apart from Him is only temporal.

God has promised those that believe a life without end and the certainty of this life lies in the certainty of His Word. Some may doubt and consider eternal life dependent on something other than God’s promise. If this were the case then God’s promise would be void. If we claim that eternal life can be lost then, by definition, it is not eternal at all but we know God’s Word is true.

The fact that we will never die does not insure that we will all share the same quality of life. The quality of our life in Christ, both now and in the future, is determined by our faithfulness. While our life is made certain by virtue of God’s Word, our faith is made certain through obedience. If we choose to be disobedient and our faith becomes dead then our life will be empty and void. It is even possible that we could forget that we were ever forgiven. The fullness of our life in Christ is directly proportionate to the degree in which we crucify our flesh and immerse ourselves in Him. We cannot fully enjoy eternal life until we are in a sinless state with even our body being transformed into His likeness.

Wonderful People

I would rather contend with you for days than find rest in the peace of the careless. You are always so stubborn and sometimes so rude and careless with your words that it almost hides the love we share but it makes no difference in my preference. I can’t help but find comfort in a love that won’t leave me ignorant.

You would never leave me without the truth as so many are pleased to do. You listen to me and then willingly sacrifice your own peace and comfort to fill my need and for that I am eternally grateful. Even when I reject and refuse your help you don’t neglect me. You pray for me.

You ask for us both patience and wisdom and seek for me an understanding that can only come from above. You ask these things and much more. You press for all my needs and ask His greatest blessings on me. You desire only the best for me, in spite of my ignorance. Your love inspires me to be more like Him.

You really are the most wonderful people on earth and I know you are my true brothers and sisters.

Let us never forget...

He remembers.

An Important Distinction

Does it bother you to see where you’re wrong? Is it difficult for you to accept that your understanding is dim and that, though well intentioned, you’ve missed the mark in many ways? Well as much as I hate to see it I do realize it is nothing less than a wonderful blessing from God and I confess that God has blessed me greatly this week. ;-)

The Preacher has offered an excellent series of articles on “light” and his most recent installment brought to light (yes, that is an intended pun) a fallacy in my understanding that has cleared up much controversy for me concerning the fellowship of believers. Many have tried to point me in the right direction (thanks Beth and Antonio) but I failed to make an important distinction that has altered my perception greatly.

While his article encompasses much more, Gordon points out the difference between our relationships and our fellowship as believers. This realization will likely alter only one word of my admonition to believers who fail to love others because of doctrinal differences but it will help me more clearly identify the scriptural means and necessity of developing or restoring fellowship through our relationships. I now have a loftier perception of fellowship and place even more value on developing and maintaining healthy relationships with other believers.

Thanks Preacher. ;-)