Religion

Saturday, June 26, 2010

God’s Litmus Test

I have been immersed in prophecy for quite some time and was recently studying Matthew 25:31-46. This passage speaks about Jesus’ second coming when he will divide the believers (sheep) from the unbelievers (goats). As I began to look at this text more closely, God’s barometer for faithfulness is not what most Christians would imagine.

Many of us, myself included, get caught up at times in the rituals of Christianity. We have organized our life to ensure we have time in the Word, time in prayer, time for church. But as we come to Matthew 25, Jesus tells His followers that the faith they placed in Him was demonstrated practically in their lives as they ministered to people’s needs. He never mentions what a devout Christian they were in terms of how often they attended church, Bible studies, or revival meetings, but instead focuses on how they loved and met the needs of others.

It is interesting to also notice that Jesus commends them for their service to the brethren or fellow believers. He tells them that when they ministered to the needs of other believers, they had ministered directly to Him. Given the Holy Spirit resides within each believer, Jesus Himself was affected every time one of these people helped their fellow brother or sister in Christ. This is a powerful thought, isn’t it? I Corinthians 6:17 states, “He that is joined to the Lord is one spirit." Galatians 2:20 says, “Nevertheless, I live yet Christ lives in me.” This theme of Christ residing within in us through the Holy Spirit is emphasized over and over again in the New Testament. Therefore, we can conclude that what is done to me as a Christian is done to Christ and what I do to another believer is also done to Him.

I also wanted to mention, lest anyone believe salvation is attained by good works, that the deeds these people performed did not impart righteousness to them. They already had God’s imputed righteousness through Jesus Christ which is made clear in the preceding verse (34), “Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” They have already been blessed by the Father. They are heirs of the Kingdom because of Christ’s sacrifice on their behalf. The good deeds that are described in the following verses (35-36) are just a description of the kindness that flowed out of them during the daily routine of life. It is these very acts that reveal their genuine salvation.

And the acts that are commended are not earth shattering in nature, are they? Christ speaks of giving water to the thirsty, food to the hungry, clothes to the naked, shelter to a stranger, and visiting the sick, lonely or imprisoned. These are acts we all can do regularly in the normal course of life no matter our status, education, or geographical location. Christ did not say, “When you founded a church, surrendered to the missionary field, or built a school, you did these things to me.” He said a cup of water given to someone in need was given to Him. What an amazing thought - a cup of water, some food, a bag of clothes, shelter for a stranger, time spent with the sick or lonely. These are the demonstrable acts of a life that is completely lost in Christ.

So, this brings us to the most important question, what are we doing to minister to the brethren? Are we doing something? Anything? You know, I have had many Christians tell me over the years that they find it easier to minister to unbelievers because there is no expectation or judgment on their part. What a tragic statement in light of Jesus’ words in Matthew. The Lord never promised the walk would be easy which is why the Scriptures tell us to not forsake the gathering of ourselves together (Hebrews 10:24-25) and to encourage, exhort, and rebuke one another (Titus 2:15). It is precisely because the walk is not easy that we must minister one to another.

So often in the Bible we read how the disciples, especially Paul was discouraged by fellow believers that he himself had led to the Lord. But Paul never quit or lost hope because his focus was always on who he was ultimately serving – Christ. I believe that is the whole key to this passage. These people had the love of God in them that overflowed one to another. Now notice their humble response to Jesus as they ask, “Lord, when did we do these things to you?” They did not say, “Thanks Lord, we already know how great we are.” But that is the mark of true servanthood, isn’t it? It is a completely selfless love that never begs to be noticed or requited. Such is the love of Christ and it is the ultimate litmus test for everyone that claims His name.

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” – John 13:34-35

Monday, June 21, 2010

Salvation Signified in a Name

For the past six months I have been listening to David Jeremiah’s radio series on the Book of Revelation. This past week he preached on Revelation chapter 19 which details the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. It may surprise you to know that there are more than 700 different names for Jesus in the Bible! The number is staggering at first glance, but as we come to the Marriage Supper it is interesting to notice that Jesus refers to Himself as the Lamb. He could have chosen 699 other names but He chose this one. Why? David Jeremiah believes He selected this name because it is how every believer comes to know Jesus at first introduction.

As I thought about this concept over the past several days, it may be the most plausible explanation I have heard on this subject. For you see when we first encounter Jesus personally it is as the Lamb slain for our sins. Although He is also Creator of the universe, the Prince of Peace, the Bread of Life and the True Vine, if we do not know Him first as our sacrificial Lamb, the other names hold no significance. In fact, I would suggest that it would be impossible to know Jesus by His other names unless He is our Lamb first.

The Biblical significance of the title is rendered in the context of earlier lamb symbolism contained in the Old Testament. It was the blood of a lamb in Exodus 12 that protected and saved the Israelites during the first Passover. This link is made explicit in 1 Corinthians 5:7 as Paul declares Christians are saved by Christ as their true paschal lamb. It is also worth noting that the first words John the Baptist utters upon seeing Jesus is, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).

So, it is not hard to understand why this title is the one Jesus uses at the Marriage Supper which will take place at the end of the seven year Tribulation period just prior to Christ’s return to the earth to rule with His saints for 1,000 years. It is here that all believers will be ushered into a love feast with their Messiah. It will be a glorious consummation beyond the comprehension of the human mind. The Lamb will sit down to eat with those His blood has redeemed.

What a tremendous picture to contemplate! What a divine reality to allow to permeate our minds and shape our daily walk. He is first and foremost our Lamb and He will be our Lamb when we sit at His table.

Do you know the Lamb? If not, you can know Him today. It is no coincidence that the name Jesus means “God saves.” This was His mission when he came to earth – to save sinners. Romans 10:9-10 declares that if a person shall “confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

Please do not delay your decision one more day. The Lamb is waiting to be your eternal Passover.

“From Heaven He came and sought her to be His holy bride; With His own blood He bought her, and for her life He died.” - Samuel J. Stone

Monday, June 14, 2010

Representing the Redeemer

Heinrich Heine, a 19th century German philosopher said, “Show me your redeemed life and I might be inclined to believe in your Redeemer.”

The impetus behind his statement is fair to each and every one of us that claims the name of Christ. But what does a redeemed life look like?

The great commission as stated by Jesus Himself was for each of us to go into the world and preach the gospel to every creature. But just speaking the gospel without a demonstrable effect in our lives leaves our words empty and meaningless.

Jonathan Edwards once said, “There are plenty of people who have false affections for self-interest, but the saved have true and deep affections. They are marked by a holy life manifested in a holy love. They love God, they love Christ, they thus are pursuing the fulfillment of the greatest commandment, to love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength.”

This sounds simple on the surface but a life that belongs to Christ continually displays a selfless love that makes the world sit up and take notice. The world will always respect us if we pursue it, and it will not take offense if we openly reject it based on anger or disillusionment, but it will hate us if we simply take no notice of its priorities, values, or affections. Such is a life that is lost in Christ. It is a radical departure from the norm.

At the core a Christian is a lover of Christ and His cross. This fact alone is generally repulsive to the world who comprehend the meaning of the cross in a variety of ways. Some see it as a symbol of a humiliating execution. Others view it as a picture of a pitiful man who claimed to be God but died as a criminal. For others it represents a denial of all the sensual pleasures they enjoy in life. And some simply perceive it as a piece of jewelry to be displayed around one’s neck. For the Christian, however, the cross is not only the symbol of our salvation, it is the blueprint for our lives. It is at the cross that we understand unconditional love, the true cost of sin and its ultimate defeat.

Quite simply, the redeemed life will appear as the countercultural lifestyle. Our dependence on God, willful forsaking of sin, and obedience to the gospel are the marks of a life changed by Jesus Christ Himself. But the truth is a redeemed life on display will not draw the world in as Heine presupposes because it is the very antithesis of the world system. It is also the opposite of the prosperity gospel that is prevalent today which promises a life of riches and success in return for one’s belief in Jesus.

The sad fact is people only want the idea of the redeemed life on the basis that it has no cost. They want Christ and His love but they don’t want to let go of anything. Jesus said that He would be our provision but on the condition that we seek His kingdom and righteousness first (Matthew 6:33).

According to John MacArthur, the distinguishing mark of a true believer is “not the love for the things of the world but a consuming love for God that’s borne out of the testimony of Scripture. Salvation is a regeneration. It is a real transformation, turning a person from loving self to loving God, from pride to humility, from the reigning power of sin to the reigning power of righteousness. That’s the bottom line. A holy life is the chief sign of grace.”

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” - I Corinthians 1:18, 22-25

Monday, June 7, 2010

Only One Thing Is Needful: Choosing the Good Part

Over the past few weeks I have been thinking about how God desires to meet our most crucial need. It is a need that we seldom contemplate as so often our prayer life is laden with petitions to have temporal needs satisfied and frequently we are discouraged with how God chooses to answer or not answer our requests. Perhaps the very things we are asking for are not the things that God most wants to give us.

When examining the Scriptures it is hard not to notice that when Jesus intervened in a life, a need was not just met, or a prayer answered, but a life was changed. Jesus did not just perform miracles for the sake of alleviating some discomfort or ailment but to display his love. It was Jesus’ love that motivated his acts of healing the sick, feeding the hungry, and resurrecting the dead. For you see everything Jesus did was to give people what they really needed – Him. In fact, every circumstance that comes into a person’s life whether they are a believer or not is designed by God for the sole person of bringing that individual to Him. It is God’s will that no one perish (John 3:16) and it is in Him alone that we find perfect peace (Philippians 4:7). The Bible itself is the divine communicating with man. Every book details God’s action toward man, not man toward God. It is God who is reaching down to man continually to bring man to Himself.

The greatest blessing God can bestow is not helping us pay a bill, fix a broken relationship, or heal our wounded bodies, but to give us a new revelation of Himself. It is interesting to notice that the one thing that Moses asked for when he was commissioned by God to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt and into the Promised Land was a greater revelation of God’s glory (Exodus 33:18). He did not ask for strength, provisions, or more men. He asked for God Himself. Moses acutely understood what we so easily miss at times. Nothing is impossible for God (Luke 1:37). As God reveals Himself to us, we truly receive everything we have ever sought but so often we get caught up in the circumstances of life and miss God’s still, small voice that is trying to speak to us of His great glory. It is no wonder that when Moses met with God on Mount Sinai his face shone so brightly that he had to wear a veil. Such is the effect of a personal encounter with the Living God.

When this truth permeates our life, our prayer life will change. We will begin to pray for spiritual growth, discernment, and obedience instead of the next promotion, new house, or lavish vacation. We will no longer look toward Wall Street as the barometer of economic certainty but toward the Cross of Calvary. For it is at the Cross that we find what we truly need – unconditional, unfathomable, incomprehensible love. It is here on the hill of Golgotha that we discover our Savior, our Redeemer, our Blessed Hope and are able to join in unison with the Apostle John as he closes the Book of Revelation with the following plea, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”

“God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.” - St. Augustine

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

The Fellowship of the Unashamed

Recently, I was reading a book on the love of Christ and how it is the very foundation for radical discipleship. Within the book, I read a gripping letter from a young pastor in Zimbabwe, Africa, that was discovered following his martyrdom for his faith in Jesus Christ. I quote his letter verbatim:

I’m part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have the Holy Spirit’s power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made – I’m a disciple of His. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I’ m finished and done with low living, sight walking, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, worldly talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, am lifted by prayer, and I labor with power.

My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way rough, my companions are few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the enemy, pander at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won’t give up, shut up, let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, preached up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till he comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till he stops me. And, when he comes for his own, he will have no problem recognizing me…my banner will be clear!


This may be the most powerful letter I have ever read on what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Even a casual reading of the Scriptures will reveal that the person closest to the heart of Jesus Christ is not the who knows the most, prays the most, or holds the most important position or title. It is the one who loves the most. For you see, Jesus Christ by His very birth, ministry, death and resurrection has transformed His followers into imitators of His great love. I would go as far to say that it is impossible to say one is a Christian if Christ's love is not readily apparent, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).

Let all of us continually seek the cross of Christ, humbling ourselves on Calvary, basking in His great love that we may take our fill and pour it out to each and every soul that crosses our path.

“However holy or Christ-like a Christian may become, he/she is still in the condition of 'being changed.'" - John R. W. Stott