1 Timothy Chapter 6 - Part III

Last week we discussed how the bible shows us that contentment in ALL our circumstances is what we should striving for, not wealth.

1 Tim 6: 8-10 drives home the point even further:
"8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs."

Paul then exhorts Timothy to flee from all of these fleshly desires:

11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.

Now to be clear, there is a huge difference between God’s provision for our needs, and for our wants. Many times in scripture GOD says he will take care of our needs if we are faithful believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, but not our “wants” via some sense of entitlement due to some bad hermeneutic leading to a poor scriptural exegesis or simply because we put our faith in Christ and Tithe.
I need to state here in no uncertain terms that we have been a great beneficiary of God’s provision. As a family we make about half of what we did at the peak of our earning power but through his provision we are actually much better off. This has nothing to do with any prosperity doctrine, only GOD’s word and promise.

When dealing with people who follow prosperity teaching please handle them with care. I hear too many get angry when dealing with them. I believe that there are misguided believers among them so remember what James says:
James 1 :19-20
19 My dearly loved brothers, understand this: everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger, 20 for man's anger does not accomplish God's righteousness.
James 5:19-20
"19 My brothers, if any among you strays from the truth, and someone turns him back, 20 he should know that whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his life from death and cover a multitude of sins."

It is my earnest prayer that this series has helped somebody who has been struggling with some of the teachings of the Word of Faith and Prosperity gospels. I can say with certainty that there are different levels of these teachings going from one church body within this “ology” to the next. We also need to keep in mind that the mainline beliefs they hold are identical to “orthodox” Christianity. Some would argue we should not separate over non-essentials. I’ll leave that decision between you and the Holy Spirit.

Until the next time, may the LORD bless us and keep us, in Jesus name I pray.

1 Timothy Chapter 6 - Part II

Continuing with 1 Tim Chapter 6 this week we will look at verse 6-7.

6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. NIV

Many purveyors of the prosperity doctrine twist this statement or ignore it completely since it contradicts their assertion. The twisters say something to the effect “of course we must first be content with what we have before God can bless us with more!” Can you imagine such nonsense being taken seriously? Well, sad to say, it is taken seriously.

Hebrews 13: 5 says “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,
“Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you.” NIV
There is a huge difference between Gods provision and a doctrine that espouses entitlement and wealth. Hebrews 13:5 shows that the point is not even arguable.

Still not buying it? Try Phil 4:12 “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” NIV
Wow! Being content in EVERY Situation!!! What a concept!

Here is the Coup de Grace and this one is self explanatory :
2 Peter 2:3 “In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money. But God condemned them long ago, and their destruction will not be delayed.” NLT

I’ll close this study out next week but I want to warn you to be discerning about ALL that you hear on radio and see on T.V. from alleged Pastors, teachers who all come in the name of Jesus. This is the age of apostasy that the Bible warns us about. Believe nothing until you check out what you hear in its full context. Ripping a verse out of the bible and running with it as a stand alone truth is dangerous. Please be vigilant!

Video for this week, Jeremy Camp, "This Man"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_C_BBl6T2Jk&feature=related

Until the next time, may the LORD bless us and keep us, in Jesus name I pray.

1 Timothy Chapter 6

Pardon my silence over the past few weeks. I have been trying to be still, not striving, and trying to let the LORD lead on my journey through this life.

Today and over the coming weeks I wish to revisit 1 Timothy chapter 6. There are things going on the name of Christ that simply ignore what Paul is teaching Timothy in these passages. Let’s start at verse 3 and continue to verse 5:
1 Timothy 6:3-5

“3 If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, 4 they are conceited and understand nothing. They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions 5 and constant friction between people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.” NIV

There has been a movement afoot for some time now that teaches that if you are truly born again, that you should be prosperous. This teaching runs contrary to the above, particularly to verse 5. It out born out of materialism, the want for more and more stuff and this drive for stuff actually becomes the GOD that they worship which is idolatry. The worst part is that sincere believers start to question their salvation if they are not well off financially.
It is a satanic trap laid by the master of lies to ensnare even the most sincere believer and render them useless, which is what he wants.

Remember this, Jesus taught about spiritual things, the people who were listening often mistook his teaching as for the physical. “unless one is born again”, “ I am the bread of life”, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Or “more abundantly” is the translation the teachers of this error like to emphasize.
All these statements of the LORD the hearer commonly mistook as teaching about the physical, that were intended as spiritual teaching. This error is still prevalent today.
Remember this,  when a teaching you hear contradicts anything in the Bible the teaching is in error. People who grew up on these erroneous teachings will go to the grave defending them so it is best to broach these things cautiously, with agape love, and not rail against the error. Pray that their eyes be opened, that they heed the full council of God and learn to recognize and avoid error.

More next week.

Video for this week: Tenth Avenue North "By Your Side"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHgNCj4DU_M

Until next time, may the LORD bless us and keep us, in Jesus name I pray.

Seeker Sensitive Movement?

First off, all churches within the body of Christ should be seeker sensitive, looking to save the lost, bring them into a place to hear the Gospel. I don’t have an issue with churches using technology, media, music, etc to draw in the lost as long as the Gospel is preached within that body of believers. What I have a problem with is the use of course language that has become prevalent within this “movement”, the “Sermon Series” that doesn’t use much scripture or no scripture, the tawdry appeal to emotions, to the flesh, in order to build up a congregation numerically, which is yet another way of building up a “Jesus Business” as opposed to going about doing the business of Jesus. A lot of the shenanigans that go on in some of these churches do nothing to build up the body of Christ, and in many cases do more harm than good. Worse yet, it has nothing to do with the Gospel.

EPH 5 3-4
“But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.” NIV

There are varying degrees of the nonsense highlighted above going on in the name of Christ these days. Be alert, be aware of the difference between a body of church goers and a body of believers. Stay in the Word, read it daily, stay in prayer and ask for discernment. It is way too easy to get fooled these days.

Until the next time, may the LORD bless us and keep us, in Jesus name I pray.

Looking to be Blessed? First Count Your Blessings

How many of us are always looking for blessings from the LORD, pray for them constantly but never once take an inventory of the blessings we have already received? How can GOD continue to bless us if we never thank him for the blessings he has already bestowed on us and that we be content with his provision?

Hebrews 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,
“Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you.”

While many people constantly quote Phil 4:13 “ I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” I rarely hear the preceding verses quoted
“11b….for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”

Think about what GOD has done for you, the most important being the free gift of salvation, eternal life through his son Jesus Christ: All else pales in comparison.

Song of the week: Matthew West Strong Enough
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8JsRxVczmQ

Until the next time, may the LORD bless us and keep us, in Jesus name I pray.

Assurance – How We Know We Have Eternal Life

Regardless of denomination, “ology” or “ism’, one thing many struggle with is
assurance, knowing you are saved and have eternal life.

Take comfort in the following:

1 John 2:12
“I write to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.”

1 John 5:13
“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

1 John 5: 20
"We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true--even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life."

Romans 8:1
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”

And the clincher, probably the most used verse in the New Testament:

John 3:16
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

There are many more but these should help put your mind at ease. If you are not saved and are reading this, here are a few just for you:

Romans 10:9
“That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

If for some reason you think you are not worthy, worthy has nothing to do with anything.
Romans 3:23
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”.


Romans 5:8
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 10: 11-13
“As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Anyone means just that, anyone. Everyone means just that, everyone. Whoever believes means exactly that. This means YOU!!!!!

Video of the week, Jeremy Camp - The Way:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9q6o4sbndVE&ob=av2e

Until the next time, may the LORD bless us and keep us, in Jesus name I pray.

God Helps Those Who Help Themselves – Really?

How often have we heard this old saw? Well it’s not true as it is not what the Bible teaches. The Bible teaches that God helps those who cannot help themselves and helps them until they can help themselves. Don’t think so? Am I upsetting you?
Consider this then:

Galatians 6:2-5
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3If anyone thinks he is something when he is
nothing, he deceives himself. 4Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, 5for each one should carry his own load.
NIV
So then, as believers we should be helping others until they can ‘carry their own load’, and while doing so we are fulfilling the law of Christ. What is the Law of Christ? How about this:

Mark 12 : 30-31
30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” NIV

How many examples are in the Gospels where Jesus talks about or exemplifies love of neighbor? Well how about the biggest example, Christ going to the cross for you and for me so that we can be released from our sin burden, freeing us forever.

Think about it; meditate on it; be grateful for it.

My song of the week:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mmgV6mPvb0
Until the next time, mya the LORD bless us and keep us, in Jesus name I pray.

At our Core – Do We Still Have Work To Do?

If there one major point I have tired to make over the past few weeks it is the fact that we can add nothing to the finished work of Christ, that Jesus paid it all.
Back in the first century many of the first Christians came to faith in Christ with no knowledge real in depth knowledge of scripture. Al they knew about was Jesus’s death on the cross and bodily resurrection. I dare anyone to tell me that they weren’t saved just because of their lack of knowledge of a particular “ology” or “ism” that came later.
They new nothing about predestination, limited atonement, 7 sacraments, prosperity, or other doctrines of men.
They knew only this, the core of our faith is the cross of Christ and his resurrection. On the cross with His arms spread wide in effect saying:

"Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life. NIV
Rev:22:17

The core of our faith is the resurrection, without which we would have nothing and our faith is useless.
1 Cor 15:17
"And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins" NIV

This is pretty much all the early Christians knew and understood. It was all they needed as it is the essential, core part of Christianity.
Romans 10:9
"That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." NIV

There is nothing else you need to do to be saved. You don’t need to work, but the Holy Spirit will draw you to serve where you are needed. Putting your faith in motion is very different than working for your salvation, period, end of story.

Here is my video of the week, as usual I request that you listen closely to the lyrics:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0QeT4xI2yA

Until the next time, may the LORD bless us and keep us, in Jesus name I pary.

Christianity At Our Core - Imputation

All Bible believing Christians should be aware of the Doctrine Imputation and what it means. For those who don’t know it means that Christ took all of our sins to the cross, he became sin, so that when we put our trust in him as Lord and Savior our sins are removed and in turn we become his righteousness. This was at the heart of the Protestant Reformation.
Roman Catholics consider this to be heresy and certain liberal theologians choke on this doctrine as well. They believe that Christ plus works leads to salvation, that the finished work of Christ was not enough. REALLY?????

Consider this:
2 Corinthinans 5:21 “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” NIV

For those who deny imputation given this scripture can only do so through mental gymnastics and scripture twisting, good luck with that. Try to explain away Romans 5:18,19 while you are at it:

“Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.” NIV

Anyway you cut it, any term you call it, the bottom line is Christ paid it all, we can do nothing to add to our righteousness, or pay anything extra toward our salvation.

Lets end this here, once and for all with Eph 2: 8,9:

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.”

The only work we are required to do is receive Christ as Lord and Savior.

Acts 16: 29-31
“The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” NIV

When the modern day Pharisees say "now you must do this", "and now you must do that", sit them down and show them these scriptures. The odds are they never read them or have closed their minds to understanding, instead placing their faith in some “ology” or “ism” rather than the finished work of Jesus Christ.
Then, pray for them.

Video of the week which follows today's discussion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcSnYTjHmiY

Until next time, may the LORD bless us and keep us, In Jesus name I pray.

At Our Core – Beware of Legalism Part II

I’m sorry for the silence. For some reason I have had writers block the past few weeks.

This week I want to discuss briefly the sanctification process. This is typically the long, slow, lifelong process of being molded into the image of Christ . Some of us progress faster than others, there is no shame as long as the process is in a forward direction.. Don’t compare yourselves to others or let anybody intimidate you into doing things you are not called to do. The “thou shalts” of church people or of a controlling elder or pastor is typical “people stuff”, legalism in the form of religion. We need to be wary and gain discernment as we struggle during our walk.

On the other hand, let us revisit James again:

James 2: 17
"In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." NIV

James is not saying if you are not working you are not saved. This is instead a plea to put your faith in motion. You shouldn’t just sit on your faith.
As you progress in your sanctification process you will know what you should be doing to help forward the Gospel message. Don’t let anybody pressure you with statements like “ you really need to stretch yourself”, or “ If you are comfortable you are not progressing”, and the worst is, “what do you mean you won’t do …..?” “Are you truly saved?”. Yep, that is the spirit of Pharisee in all it’s gory glory when you are confronted with this kind of garbage.

I also covered Sanctification a little bit last year: Please see the blog entries here:

http://thealterofgod.blogspot.com/2010/06/my-sanctification-walk-sound-familiar.html
http://thealterofgod.blogspot.com/2010/06/sanctification-walk-part-ii.html

Remember this, while the road may be narrow, it is not impossible. When you go through trials don’t let the Pharisees question your salvation. Instead remember the words of Jesus:

John 16:33
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." NIV

Yes, we will have trouble. Sorry, God is all about building character, the Bible is full of examples. So, don’t let anybody question your salvation when you have problems or struggle, instead take heart in knowledge that Christ has overcome the world.

Until the next time, may the LORD Bless us and keep us, in Jesus name I pray.

Christanity At Our Core - Beware of Legalism

Unfortunately the spirit of Pharisee is alive and prevalent to this very day.
I implore my brothers and sisters to focus on Christ and the core of our faith so that you will be well grounded and will not have any problems wading through all of the “ologies” and “isms” of men.
There are many who come to salvation who are told they still have work to do or are told that “now you have to do,,,,” or that “now you should be doing…..” . Run from those who say you must do, have to do, or should do anything else other than receiving Christ as savior.
There are misguided theologies that teach “faith without works is dead” meaning one is not saved unless they work. It appears to me that is not what James is saying here:

James 2: 17
"In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."

Whenever you run into this scripture twisting, run for the hills and find someplace else to attend. Lifting verses out of context to create a pretext is dangerous. Always use scripture to resolve scripture. For example:

Eph 2: 8-9
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

We are saved by grace, not works. James implores us to put our faith in motion and does not say that we have to work to be saved. The difference is HUGE. Paul in Ephesians drives this point home.

Look to the words of Christ to see the only real work required for salvation:

John 6 28:29
Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”
29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
John 3:16
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

So, if we do the following it means game, set, match as we are justified before our living GOD and our salvation is secure:

Romans 10: 9
That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
Don’t let anybody sell you on anything different and don’t let anybody confuse Justification with Sanctification which has been at the root of discourse since the reformation.

None of these statements are meant to imply that we should rest on our “Blessed Assurance” and do nothing. Au contraire! As James implored, put your faith in motion.
Listen to the words in this song by Josh Wilson, my video of the week, as preparation for next weeks message:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6B1Lv8k5pEc

Until then, may the LORD bless us and keep us, in Jesus name I pray.

Christianity At Our Core – Good Friday

Today is the day we commemorate the death of our Lord and Savior. As Dr. J Vernon McGee would say “this is where the rubber meets the road, where our faith gets it traction so to speak”, it’s the day we look squarely at the core of our faith. This is the day Jesus was born for, this is what he came for, to carry our sins to the cross so that we will become his righteousness, a sin covering that allows us to come before Holy God.

2 Corinthians 5:21
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Today is only the beginning. Sunday is the day we commemorate the resurrection, when Jesus rose from the dead. Without these two events our faith is in vain.
1 Cor 15:17
And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.

Let us take time this weekend to meditate and reflect on these events which is THE core of our faith. The “ologies” and “isms”, the traditions of men, the edicts of the religious, the rantings of the self righteous, have no meaning and no impact, only the cross of Christ and his glorious resurrection, THE GOSPEL, has impact.

This is from a song most recently done by Casting Crowns that was originally an old Hymn from the Presbyterian Hymnal that sums up very well what this weekend, what our faith is all about.

Living he Loved Me
Dying he saved me
Buried He carried my
My sins far away
Rising he justified, Freed me forever
One day he's coming o Glorious day

Until the next time, May the LORD bless us and keep us, In Jesus name I pray.

Christianity – At our Core Part II – Overwhelming Proof

Many times we will be asked why Christians believe that Christ rose from the dead. It’s an absurdity they say, a fairy tale, no one has ever risen from the dead. How can we possibly, 2000 years later, still believe this core truth? It’s quite really simple when you think about it. It comes down to human nature and the fact that nobody dies for a lie.

All of the Apostles were martyred with the possible exception of John. Stephen was the first recorded martyr of the church. (Acts 7). What did he witness that convicted him to point of being stoned to death? The resurrection? He could have been one of the many to witness Christ after the resurrection, or even could have been one of the followers endowed by the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. Nobody knows for sure but what we do know he was executed, stoned to death for his beliefs. If any of these people were lying do you think for one moment that they would have recanted? Yes, they would have, the moment torture started. Not one did!

Saul of Tarsus, later known as Paul the apostle was a mass murderer of members of the early church prior to his conversion. Christ appeared to him on the road to Damascus and he wrote much of the New Testament in the form of letters(epistles) that much church doctrine is derived from. Do you really think he went through years of torture and torment and eventually died for a lie? How about his testimony about Stephen?
Acts 22 19-20: “‘Lord,’ I replied, ‘these people know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison and beat those who believe in you. And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him." NIV
These are undeniable witnesses.
How rapidly the church grew in spite of the persecution it was under, that it grew under the point of the sword, not at the point of the sword, i.e it wasn't forced, is another stunning testimony to the validity of our faith.

Think about it, pray about it and take heart, for our faith is based on something that is well documented by biblical and extra-biblical sources; the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

My video of the week: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-w6YG2NZguc

Until the next time, may the LORD bless us and keep us, in Jesus Name I pray

Christianity - At Our Core

With Easter Sunday coming upon us I was led to meditate and write about the core of my faith, our faith, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ our LORD.

Echoing this core truth somewhere along the line Charles H Spurgeon was asked about his theology and he summed it up in four words “Christ died for me” .

Paul goes deeper here:

1 Cor 15: 12-14
But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.

It is really simple, if Christ did not die for our sins and did not rise three days later our faith is empty, void of any meaning. Worse yet, Paul follows this up with:

1 Cor 15: 15-19
More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.


You see, for all of the man made “ologies” and “isms” based on secondary and tertiary issues, if Christ did not die and did not rise our faith is null and void.
So the next time somebody tells you that your faith isn’t strong enough, or that God pre-selected who would be saved, or that you can lose your salvation, ask them what that has to do with the core of our faith.

You see, the very core of our faith, of our salvation rests here:

Romans 10: 9
That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

It’s really pretty basic; simple; beautiful; perfect.

Here is an Easter Song if there ever was one. Meditate on this, it goes right to the core:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xODpgyqGCYM

Until the next time, may the LORD bless us and keep us, in Jesus name I pray.

A Shameful Dispute Among the Brethren - Hold Your Tongue Part II

I only became aware of this the other day. Two Christian brothers of some notoriety are having a public dispute. One is a young up and coming Pastor of what has grown into a mega church, the other is a brother with a TV and Radio show that has a following among the orthodoxy. It is pretty shameful what is going on between the two of them,
The orthodox brother decries the use of modern music and marketing devices he claims have no place in growing a church. The young Pastor accuses the orthodox brother of being a Pharisee and defends himself by saying one does not gain converts by ignoring perceived cultural norms but by turning the evil of said cultural norms to good use. God has done that for eons, just read the Bible for examples.

Their debate has nothing to do with the true Gospel. It is nothing but a clash of egos and they both need to check themselves.

There are differing styles of ministry that the Holy Spirit uses equally to attract the lost. We need to constantly remind ourselves of this. If the true Gospel is being preached once the folks get inside a church how they got there is not very important. If some folks keep coming back because of the music, the style of preaching, the different forms of worship, what does it matter as long as all is biblical and the Gospel is going out to all who want to and need to hear it?

I found it ironic that the (hyper?) orthodox brother was explaining how the Christian walk is a balancing act; that we all have to walk a fine line between grace abuse and legalism while he himself by his tone and pointing his bony finger was being an example of the very legalism he was decrying.
The young brother on the other hand needs to mind his temper. His anger was apparent and his sharp tongue and ill chosen words will win no new converts.

Here is the real problem: Non-believers witness this behavior and reject Christ because of it.

With all that is going on in the church these days I constantly find myself going back to this verse:

James 3: 8

“… no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison.” NLT

We need to check ourselves constantly or we will become instruments of Satan instead of a force for good used by the Holy Spirit.

Until the next time, May the LORD bless us and Keep us, in Jesus name I pray.

Hold Your Tongue - Proverbs 18: 21

Proverbs 18: 21
I like the New Living Translation rendering as it is very clear :

“The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.”

Ohhhhhh YEAH! For those who just love to gossip, ponder that one for a while.

Although this scripture has been misused by some through the years to pump up a false theology, the meaning is clear. It has nothing to do with the ability to create or destroy life in a literal sense but rather how our words can build or destroy a persons character, reputation, or even their livelihood. As Christ followers we need to watch our words.
Jesus said in Matt 12:37:

“The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you." NLT

The tongue can be the instrument of a great deal of good, or of a great deal of evil. Here are a few more gems from Proverbs on holding our tongues and watching our words:

Proverbs 10:19
"Too much talk leads to sin. Be sensible and keep your mouth shut". NLT

Proverbs 13:2 -3
"Wise words will win you a good meal, but treacherous people have an appetite for violence.
Those who control their tongue will have a long life; opening your mouth can ruin everything".

Proverbs 21:23
"He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity".

And the Coup de grace on the tongue, James 3: 7-8

7) All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, 8) but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

Stay away from church gossips; they are the deadliest of all. There is nothing worse that overbearing self righteous church people that are given to gossip. It does more to destroy the gospel message than anything else I can think of.
One thing about the church I attend now, gossip is not a major issue and I thank God for it.

Until the next time, may the LORD bless us and keep us, in Jesus name I pray.

Expanding on the Basics - True Repentance True Salvation – Part IV

To quickly summarize the first three parts of this series, our self examination should focus on direction, not perfection. We should be quickly convicted when we mess up and should be putting forth effort to improve. To be clear, the effort has nothing to do with gaining salvation, Christ did that for us, it only has to do with moving forward.

There is another aspect of this topic we need to think about and that is how we can assure ourselves that salvation is truly ours? "Blessed Assurance" some old timers call it.
So how do we assure ourselves of our eternal destination?
We put our faith and trust in the word of God, that it is true.

1 John 5:13
13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. NIV

I could spend many weeks on this topic but instead I suggest that you read and study
1 John and 2 John. These letters are loaded with indicators of where you stand.
Remember, it is about direction, not perfection. If you hit on most of the major points in these epistles, not necessarily all of them, you are in good shape.

The path may be narrow but it is not impossible.

Until the next time, may the LORD bless us and keep us, in Jesus name I pray.

True Repentance True Salvation – Part III

There are those that struggle with their faith for a season for various reasons. When they return they may be experience some doubt, sometimes contributed to unwittingly by brothers and sisters.
“Oh, I walked away for awhile and my Pastor said those who waked away weren’t truly saved”.
While there are cases where somebody has a conversion experience ,burns brightly for a time and then walks away and never returns, there are many that have struggled for a time but always return. Take comfort in the knowledge that our walk isn’t perfect. While we are trapped in the flesh we can never be(perfect). If our general direction is moving ahead, no matter how slowly, be assured that you are saved..
What I am trying to get to is what Theologians call “progressive sanctification” .
Gal 5:19-23
19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. NIV

We commit fewer and fewer of the sins listed above (Gal 5: 19-21) and display more of the fruit of the spirit (Gal 5: 22-23) as we progress through our sanctification walk.
I like to think that many of those who worry about their salvation, are, by that very concern, showing that they are saved. Again, don’t look for perfection, look for direction.
Next week I hope to wrap this up by studying what the bible says in regard to eternal assurance.

Until then, may the LORD bless us and keep us, in Jesus name I pray.

Expanding on the Basics – True Repentance: True Salvation Part II

Last week we left off with 2 Corinthians 7: 8-11

8 Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— 9 yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. 10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 11 See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.

A sign of our salvation is our turning away from sin and our feeling of true regret when we fail and sin again. The Holy Spirit living in us convicts us instantly when we do sin. We feel the godly sorrow and hate what we have done and we become eager to clear ourselves.

For some this is a process that takes time. It is part of our salvation walk. If you are struggling and feel you have failed, you may in fact have not failed at all but are continuing to grow. Remember the growing pains of your youth? Well, this process is very similar.

There are those that think this view is palp, that people need to be confronted and not soothed, be hit over the head with scripture, not walked through scripture and discuss their sin issues with love. This kind of overbearing self righteous attitude is devoid of love. Ironically, love is another sign of the saved. There is a balance that needs to be struck between “tough love”, which too many enjoy dishing out, and exhortation, building people up to better face their challenges.

Think about this from I Corinthians 13:

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails………

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Are you striving to reflect these virtues? If you are, it is another sign of salvation.

More to come next week.

Until the next time, may the LORD bless us and keep us, in Jesus name I pray.

Expanding on the Basics- True Repentance: True Salvation. Part 1

One of the most well known scriptures is John 3:16:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”. NIV

This is as basic as it gets so in light of this scripture how do we recognize when we have been truly saved? Let’s start by looking a little further along in John 3 starting at verse 19:

19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. “ NIV

In summary Jesus is telling us that people love sin and won’t repent, won’t turn away from their sinful lives.

Let’s be honest, for the most part sin is fun. It is easy to fall into sinful ways and not even be aware of it we are having such a good time! Put plainly, people love darkness(sin) and they reject the light (Christ).

A couple of weeks ago I wrote in the “Judge not” series that in full context Jesus was calling for self examination to remove the beam(our sin) from our own eye so that we may see clearly to remove the speck(sin) from a fellow believer’s eye. This discussion is a natural follow up.

So, how do we know we are truly saved? Start here with these questions:
Do we hate our sin?
Do we try to avoid sin?
Are we instantly convicted when we fail?

So we now ask: What does true repentance look like?
2 Corinthians 7 : 8-11

8 Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— 9 yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. 10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 11 See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.
NIV

Think about it, meditate on it, and we will flesh this out next week.

Until then, may the LORD bless us and keep us, in Jesus name I pray.

Answered Prayers - Waiting on the Lord

This message is deeply personal. I thought I would put it out there in case somebody needed to hear it.
I had a very tough year last year. My health was in continuous decline and nobody could tell me why. I hadn’t been right for years. I suffered from extreme fatigue; I had no stamina, had difficulty focusing and staying on task, and had several migraines a week.
I prayed for years for relief and never received any..
Then last June I was really in trouble. I had lost 20 pounds from the beginning of the year and was horribly weak. I had zero stamina. I would vacuum the rugs and afterwards would have to sleep for two hours I was so exhausted. I tried to schedule an appointment with my family doctor but he happened to be on vacation but the head of his group was available immediately so I went to see him. It appeared to him that given my history of IBS that I may have Crones Disease. I went for blood work and batteries of tests were scheduled. When the blood work came back they had the answer. I was diagnosed with CLL: Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia.
When I received the call this Doctor had already arranged for a former student of his who is a hematologist/oncologist to see me. I tell you that getting that call was like getting hit in the head with a baseball bat. I half heard what he was telling me but I gathered myself enough to get down to see his former student.
I was told it was the Chronic form of Leukemia and that it is a very slow progressing cancer. I was also told that while it is not curable, it is very treatable. I was still at stage zero and no treatment was required right away. CT scans showed my spleen and liver were enlarged but not beyond what is ‘normal;’ for my condition.
During the intervening months we had gathered my medical records and discovered that I had CLL from at least late 2005. The blood work I had done then indicated I had it but it was missed. We found another test from late 2006 where it was evident but not diagnosed.
Fast forward to last November: My condition and blood work started going downhill. My spleen had enlarged and treatment was now required.
I just finished treatment at the end of December and my follow up exams show my blood work much improved. The lymph count and percentage is still high but the rest of the CBC was normal or just a tad on the high side. My spleen is back to normal size but the fatigue lingers. It’s not as bad as it was. I can at least vacuum without collapsing but I still cannot work a full day, never mind a 40 hour week.
People with my condition live a fairly long time. Survival ranges out as long as 25 years but with all the new treatments available my chances for a normal life span are good.
Regardless, God is in charge and he will determine the outcome of all of this.
I have in the meantime learned what it means to walk by faith, not by sight. I have been through the deepest valley, climbed the highest mountain and faced down the largest giant. I learned what it means to wait on the Lord(I'm still learning). I prayed and prayed for years but in HIS time I received the answer.
I also learned what a movement of the spirit looked like. The whole series of events that led to my diagnosis and treatment could have been nothing else but the hand of God. Sometimes God allows things to happen, trials to take place.

Be aware of this when things get tough:

Romans 8:28
“All things work together for good for those who love the LORD and are called according to his purpose”

He is always there, always with us as believers:
Isaiah 43:2
"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze."

Until the next time, may the LORD bless us and keep us, in Jesus name I pray.

Judge Not… Part III

In the last couple of weeks we looked at Matthew 7: 1-5 and established that the imperative “Judge not..” was given to believers. Last week I ended by stating that the example given my Christ of 'removing the Plank out from our own eye so that we can see clearly' was a call for self examination.
Let’s now take this a step further.

Matt 7: 6 “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. " NIV

WOW! So after Jesus gives the imperative not to judge your brothers (or fellow believers) he makes a moral judgment telling whom to give the gospel message to. To those that don't study this is a major contradiction, to those that do study it is clear that the imperative “Don’t judge” applies to believers, not unbelievers, and is in fact a call to all to clean up their own act before noting somebody else’s faults. When one understands that this whole section of scripture is a call to believers for self examination, we remove any tension or contradiction. In the culture of the days of Jesus, this was understood, so this is a case where knowledge of cultural context is important.

We are called upon daily to make moral judgments. Keep in mind though, before confronting a brother or sister with their sin, we must examine ourselves first before we run our mouths.
Remember what James wrote:

James 3 7-8
7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, 8 but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. NIV

The next time somebody rails to you about being judgmental and uses “Whatever happened to “Judge not lest you be judged…” “you Christians are just a bunch of hypocrites”, you now know the answer.

The best way to attain this lofty goal of self examination and daily repentance is to be in fellowship and to read the word everyday. Use the “One Year Bible” as a guide. I have done this year after year and I keep learning more and more every time through. I have said it before and I’ll say it again, there is an eternity of knowledge in the bible and we have only a lifetime to learn what we can.

Until next the next time, may the LORD bless us and keep us, in Jesus name I pray.

Judge Not….Part II

Last week I tried to establish the point that the Sermon on the Mount was addressed to his disciples, that Matt 7 1-6 was part of the Sermon on the Mount and that the imperative “Do not judge” was specific to his disciples (believers).

Also important in understanding that this section of scripture applies to believers is Matt 7 verses 3 – 5:
3 “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? 4 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? 5 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.” NIV

To reiterate the point made last week, Jesus uses the term “brothers”, meaning fellow believers.

Let’s attempt to flesh out the concept behind these verses out a bit by using a personal example.

How often have you encountered somebody quick to accuse or gossip about one of your failings and yet had some major failings of their own?
I had a conversation with a relative not that long ago, who got all self righteous when he bragged that when he was first saved the first major change was that he quit cursing. As for me, it is still a thorn in my flesh, but I am well aware of this and I let him know I was aware of the problem. Regardless, he kept railing at me as if he didn’t believe I was saved simply because of my occasional slip up. The problem really is that this male relative is a notorious womanizer who has had many wives and continues his adulterous behavior to this day. He bemoaned the speck in my eye in a haughty self- righteous way yet he would bowl people over with the beam in his eye every time he changed direction. He struggles to remove that beam in his eye to this very day.

When you think about it many of us have a problem seeing our own faults. So one of the things we can say is that Jesus is calling believers to be better examples to the world. But how do we do this when we have trouble seeing our own faults?
Through self examination to remove "the plank from your own eye so you can see clearly...."

Think about that for now, there will more on this next week as we have just scratched the surface. I will attempt to put a bow on this then when we will look at Matt 7: 6

Until the next time, may the LORD bless us and keep us, in Jesus name I pray.

Judge Not......

One of the most used and most misunderstood passages of scripture is Matthew 7: 1-5.
It is often used by unbelievers to decry the hypocrisy of Christians, yet, by them criticizing Christians, they are being judgmental themselves. Oh the irony, but they speak from ignorance as most of them have probably never even opened a Bible.

Matthew 7: 1-5
1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
3 “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? 4 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? 5 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. NIV

Let’s start from the beginning. Matthew 7 is part of The Sermon on the Mount and it was addressed to believers. Yes, that is correct, his disciples.

Matt 5:1-2
1 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them." NIV

Also notice in Matt 7: 3 Jesus talks about people who judge their brothers(other believers) “Why do you look at the at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye”.
So, one can conclude that Jesus was discussing judging other believers. There is no doubt that we need to make moral judgments on a daily basis so where else could the Lord have been heading?
This is a lot to take in and it will take several weeks to flesh this out so bear with me. In the meantime, go back and read the Sermon on the Mount and meditate on these passages and see where the Lord leads you. If you are reading the ONE YEAR BIBLE, and I suggest that everybody do, you are in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount right now. Compare it to what I lay out over the next few weeks and then we will discuss it.

Until the next time: May the LORD Bless us and keep us, in Jesus name I pray.