Grabbing Hold of God

Much of the contemporary church has lost its reverence for God. He is too often viewed as a sugar daddy, a sort of cosmic automatic teller machine. If we say the right words and punch in the right code, He is obligated to deliver what we want.

True prayer, according to pastor and acclaimed Bible expositor John MacArthur, often involves struggling and grappling with God, proving to Him the deepest concern of one’s heart. Prayer is to be a persistent, courageous struggle from which the believer may come away limping.

Virginia Stem Owens wrote the following about wrestling with God in earnest prayer. Her sentiments stand in marked contrast to the glib, self-centered prayers of our day:

Christians have always interpreted the splitting of the temple veil during the crucifixion as symbolic and the liberation from the mediated presence of God. Henceforth they were “free” to approach him directly which is almost like telling someone he is free to stick his head in the lion’s jaws for once you start praying there is no guarantee that you won’t find yourself before Pharaoh, shipwrecked on a desert island, or in a lion’s den.

 

This is no cosmic teddy bear we are cuddling up to. As one of the one children describes him in C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia, “he is not a tame lion.” Jacques Ellul is convinced that prayer for persons living in the technological age must be combat, and not just combat with the evil one, with one’s society, or even one’s divided self, though it is also all of these; it is combat with God. We too must struggle with him just as Jacob at Peniel where he earned his name Israel – “he who strives with God.” We too must prepare to say, “I will not let you go til you bless me.”

 

Consider Moses, again and again intervening between the Israelites and God’s wrath; Abraham praying for Sodom; the widow demanding justice of the unjust judge. But in this combat with God, Ellul cautions, we must be ready to bear the consequences … “Jacob’s thigh was pulled out of joint, and he went away lame. However, the most unusual experience will be God’s decision to put to work the person who cried to him …whoever wrestles with God in prayer puts his whole life at stake.”

 

Awful things happen to people who pray. Their plans are frequently disrupted. They end up in strange places. Abraham “went out, not knowing where he was to go” ... After Mary’s magnificent prayer at the annunciation, she finds herself the pariah of Nazareth society.

 

How tempting to up the stakes, making prayer merely another consumer product. How embarrassing to have to admit not only that prayer may get you into a prison, as it did Jeremiah, but also that while you’re moldering away in a miry pit there, you may have a long list of lamentations and unanswered questions to present to your Lord. How are we going to tell them they may end up lame and vagrant if they grasp hold of this God?

(“Prayer – Into the Lion’s Jaws,” Christianity Today, November 19, 1976. pp. 222-223, italics in the original)

 

What Would Jesus Post?

Evangelicalism today appeals to people on the basis of what they want. The contemporary church for decades has been more interested in meeting the needs of its members than urging them to follow the commands of Christ.

Neil Postman, a Jewish humanist from the 1980’s wrote a book entitled, “Amusing Ourselves to Death.” He felt back then that there was a tragic loss of serious thinking in Western civilization which he attributed to television. He could not have possibly imagined the big screen going to a small screen – from being a group experience and public experience to being an intimate, personal, private experience. 

The iPhone and other small screen devices enable every person to become a creator of his own private world. “It is a secret world,” explains pastor and acclaimed Bible expositor John MacArthur. “It is a secret world of preferences. It is a secret world of temptations. It is a secret world of relationships. It is a secret world that has a force and ubiquity that is unparalleled in human history. Unparalleled.”

The small screen is the most selfish necessity ever devised. Once, you had a phone to talk to someone. No more. Technology has put in the hand, and soon, on the ears and the nose, of everyone, the most constant, incessant, accessible, visual, private world of self-centered indulgence, temptation, and entertainment ever conceived.

“You choose everything,” MacArthur continues. “Choose your entertainment, and no one knows. You choose your music. You choose your relationships. You become God in your little world. And on your little screen, you create the world that you want. You are the creator of your own private universe.  And outside your own private cyberspace, and your Facebook friends, is the outer darkness of whatever and whomever you reject.”

Theologian Carl Trueman writes, “The language of friendship is hijacked and cheapened by the internet social networks. I don’t know what friendship is anymore.  The language of Facebook both reflects and encourages childishness. Childishness, he writes, “has become something of a textually transmitted disease.” 

A very astute comment by Trueman as the number one characteristic of a child is complete self-centeredness. He goes on to say that relationships play out in the disembodied world of the web. The latest statistics indicate that on average high school students look at a small screen nine hours a day. Nine hours. Trueman further writes, “Such are human amoebas, subsisting in a bizarre non-world that involves no risk to themselves, no giving of themselves to others, no true vulnerability, no commitment, no sacrifice, no real meaning, and no value.” 

Real fellowship cannot exist in a world of self-created avatars. It requires real persons.  Christianity is not an individual or private experience. We were not meant to live by ourselves in a world of isolation where we control everything without anyone else’s knowledge. That’s a recipe for disaster.

“The current trend is for people to create their own virtual world of virtual self,” observes MacArthur. “They recreate themselves as wonderfully as they would like themselves to be, and then project themselves that way. You can upload your self-creation into the Eden of the internet, the perfect you. Beautiful, indomitable, intelligent, wise, cool, self-actualized like some technological form of science. You can create a digitized self-projection of your idyllic design. I tweet, therefore I am.”

The culture of this is becoming more isolated, more narcissistic, more self-absorbed, more individualistic, more morally relative, more entitled. Deadly.

This might be tolerable and maybe understood if it stayed outside the church, but it doesn’t. According to MacArthur, the evangelical church has been trying to give the culture what it wants. And what is it that people want? “They want privacy,” he says, “They want convenience. They want low commitment. They want anonymity. They want unaccountability. And mostly, they want self-promotion and self-actualization. Church life is falling victim to this seductive self-design. People say, oh, it’s so hard to find a church. Well, of course. You have created the first church of my personal iTunes.  You’ve created your own music. You have your own playlist. You’ve created your own messengers. You know who you want to hear. You’ve created your own friends. You don’t feel comfortable at a church because you might run into an enemy.” 

And at the same time, there’s pressure from church growth experts saying, “What are you doing with social media? What are you doing with technology to help people know your church?” Of course the church has to embrace technology and social media on one level and use the tools for good – to connect and inform. But, as with everything, they can also be a source of isolation, disconnection, and ultimately temptation if not properly handled and monitored.

As a church body, we have to keep fellowship at the forefront. True, personal fellowship is the foundation of the church as underscored in the Book of Acts which details the early church and its ability to sustain its existence largely because of the strength of its fellowship. Everything about Christianity fights against privacy, and yet, we live in a world where privacy dominates. If we are not actively fighting against it than we are being pulled into it.

As ambassadors of Jesus Christ, it is our mandate to share his gospel – the forgiveness of sins at the cross of Calvary. It is a personal relationship that Christ beckons and then bids us to share with others. Fellowship at its essence.

The Gospel According to Jesus

Pope Benedict announced his resignation this past week. This is the first time a pope has resigned in nearly 600 years. The last pope to resign was Pope Gregory XII in 1415. He stepped down to end the “Great Western Schism” during which there were rival claims to the papal throne. In 1294, Pope Celestine V resigned after only five months, preferring the simple life of a monk to the majesty of being pope.

Benedict resigned because he felt he was too frail to adequately exercise the duties of the Petrine ministry. There are many conspiracy theories circulating – everything from blackmail to pressure from an outside homosexual contingent.

No matter the reason, the church believes the pope is the successor of Saint Peter whom, according to Roman Catholic teaching, Jesus named as the “shepherd” and “rock” of the Catholic Church. Also, according to Catholic dogma, it is the one true Church founded by Christ. Peter never bore the title of “pope”, which came into use three centuries later, but Catholics traditionally recognize him as the first pope.

Many Catholics are shocked by this news and are trying to make sense of it through the lens of their faith. A trying time.

I was raised Catholic and many of my family and friends are Catholic. I have to admit that I struggle when news like this surfaces. It is always challenging trying to figure out exactly what to say that is loving but also firm regarding the purity of the gospel message of Christ. And His message is simple - forgiveness of ones sins is available to anyone who puts their faith and trust in Him and His atoning work on the cross, see Romans 10:1-13.

While the Catholic Church does not deny the atoning work of Christ on the cross, it also teaches that in addition to Christ's sacrifice, a person must perform certain works to earn salvation. The words of the Council of Trent – convened to affirm and codify the teaching of the Catholic Church in response to the Reformation – clearly spell out the Catholic version of justification that still stands today. “Hence, to those who work well unto the end and trust in God, eternal life is to be offered, both as a grace mercifully promised to the sons of God through Christ Jesus, and as a reward promised by God himself, to be faithfully given to their good works and merits.” Salvation in the Catholic system is something you earn “by those very works which have been done in God, fully satisfied the divine law according to the state of this life and to have truly merited eternal life.”

John MacArthur has been writing a series of blogs to inform readers of the teachings of the Cathlolic Church and how they differ in relation to the gospel message of Christ. He says the following in regards to the Catholic teaching on how one obtains salvation, “It’s a completely foreign gospel, manufactured by the Catholic Church and able only to condemn, not save. No amount of repetitious prayers, veneration of the saints and other church relics, or masses attended can redeem a sinner’s soul. No priest has the power to forgive sins, and no indulgence bought and paid for can hold back the due punishment of those sins.”

Coincidently, the pastor of my church has been preaching through the Book of Galatians. The Apostle Paul penned this letter to a number of early Christian communities in the Roman province of Galatia in central Anatolia around 200 AD. At the beginning of the letter, Paul is principally concerned with the controversy surrounding Gentile Christians and the Mosaic Law in early Christianity. The Judaizers wanted to mix Jewish traditions with the gospel message, thereby, perverting the purity of it. Paul eloquently and fiercely defends the gospel even confronting the Apostle Peter for allowing the heresy to perpetuate. This text clearly shows that the Apostle Peter was not infallible in church matters as Catholic dogma not only teaches, but also believes is passed down to all future popes. This is why it is so important to always examine what the Scripture says and not rely on the traditions of men.

I wish I could say that Paul’s letter ended this type of attack on the gospel, but sadly, it has only grown worse as the powers of the kingdom of darkness continue to distort it. The Catholic Church, along with any other religion that tells a person they have to do something to earn salvation is preaching a foreign gospel. And this really is the crux of the matter. I often tell my family and friends who are Catholic that in the end all that will matter is what you believe about the person and ministry of Jesus Christ. The Bible clearly states that Jesus was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, and died on the cross at Calvary to pay for the sins of mankind. He rose on the third day and ascended into heaven and promises all those that trust in Him and His finished work on the cross that they too will also one day rise from the dead and be eternally present with God.

Ephesians 2:8-9 unequivocally states that man can do nothing to earn God's favor for it is “by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” This is our message. We must hold fast to it, preach it to others as well as to ourselves, but most importantly, live it.

We inhabit a world that is very dark and only grows dimmer with every law that is passed that legalizes another sin. Christ told us that He is the Light of the world (John 8:12). As His followers, we carry that light to others. If you have people in your life that are Catholic this is the perfect time to share the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ in love. Right now they are searching for answers. Don’t let Rome be the ones feeding them more lies about how to get heaven. The most precious message we possess is the gospel of grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. Share it today.
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“It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians, not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ!” - Patrick Henry

The Poor Rich Church

This past week I had spent some time contemplating suffering and its purpose. While the Scripture discusses at length why believers suffer and also speaks of suffering as part of God’s will, I found myself drawn to the Book of Revelation chapter two and the little church of Smyrna. If you not familiar with this church, you may recall that the second and third chapters of Revelation include the seven letters to the seven churches of Asia Minor. Smyrna is the second church that is mentioned and the following passage is all we know of this church and its relationship to the Lord:

“And to the angel, or the messenger, from the church in Smyrna write: the First and the Last who was dead and has come to life says this: I know your tribulation and your poverty but you are rich and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not but are a synagogue of Satan, do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison that you may be tested and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches, he who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.”

Only four sentences, but yet so deep in spiritual truth and application. It is important to remember that Smyrna, like the other six churches, is a literal place and these letters were given by the Lord Jesus Christ through the pen of the Apostle John on the isle of Patmos about 96 A.D. We can gather that life for this little church was dangerous for a number of reasons, not the least of which was if you failed to acknowledge Caesar as Lord, you could lose your life. They were also surrounded by pagan worship of many different kinds. But their main source of suffering came from the Jews who were persecuting them for their faith. Jesus actually calls these Jews, “the synagogue of Satan.” Pretty powerful statement. These Jews were persecuting the Christians much the same way the Apostle Paul was before his conversion on the Damascus road.

According to John MacArthur, the Jews had many reasons to inflict punishment on the Christians, “they slandered them for cannibalism, saying they eat flesh and drink blood. They slandered them for lust and immorality because they greeted one another with a holy kiss and held love feasts. They slandered them for home wrecking because one member of a home became a Christian and it brought a sword into the household. They slandered them for atheism because they rejected the worship of emperors and the deities of Rome. They slandered them for rebellion and political disloyalty because they said this is tantamount to mutiny. And the Jews wanting to destroy Christian faith went to the Romans to report the Christians, that they might lose their lives.”

So here you have this picture of a church that is being attacked from all sides by the government and the religious groups around them but the Lord has such precious words for them, doesn’t He? He tells them that He knows them. He knows them! And he sees their tribulation and although they are poor and have been ravaged by these Jewish persecutors, he calls them rich. Why? Because they are so rich spiritually. They have not lost their first love like the church at Ephesus; they are not lukewarm like the Laodiceans. They are the poor rich church because they have what is most important – a right relationship to Christ in the midst of such intense suffering. They had holiness, they had love, they had unity, they had peace and most of all they had a sympathetic Savior telling them that He has seen their suffering and their response and He is ready to reward them with the crown of life.

So what does he tell them after all this? They will suffer more. My first reaction after reading this is why? Haven’t they suffered enough? But Satan is always trying to destroy saving faith. And God is always proving to him and to us that saving faith cannot be destroyed. For whatever reason as a race of people, we seem to listen best and trust the most when we are suffering. I think God often says you will suffer so you can see the power of the One that you have trusted in.

This begs the question, are we overcomers? What is our response to suffering? What is our true relationship to our Lord and Savior? The answers to these questions have eternal consequences.

The Safety of the Faithful

This past week I have been studying Psalm 4. It was written by David and it speaks of the reality of finding such peace in God’s presence that even when torn by physical and emotional pain, a person may still have restful sleep.

As I pondered this concept, I was reminded of a statement that Kay Arthur wrote in one of her books that dealt with the topic of why Christians suffer. She had said that Christians would do well to have the word “eternity” stamped on the inside of their eyelids in order to keep the proper perspective of life and all of its trials and tribulations. In reading Psalm 4, David sees past the temporal, past his enemies, past those that love only the good the world has to offer, and he rests in His God who makes him dwell in safety. What a marvelous spiritual truth to allow to captivate our lives and thoughts.

It is also worth pointing out that throughout the Psalm David repeatedly refers to the righteousness and holiness of God. In verse 3 he states, “But know that the Lord has set apart for Himself him who is godly; The Lord will hear when I call to Him.” Many people call out to God for help, especially during difficult trials but notice that God hears those that are righteousness. This calls to mind James 5:16, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

God hears those that have made a decision to follow Him and forsake sin. And this really gets to the heart of the issue. God is first and foremost concerned with our sin not our circumstances. On the cross, Jesus defeated sin and its power to have dominion in our lives. God expects His people before they even call out to Him, to be leading lives separate from the world. This does not mean we are perfect by any means, but as John MacArthur likes to say, “It is the direction of our lives not the perfection.” If our lives show a pattern of worldliness in thought, deed, and action than how can God work His goodness and blessing into our lives?

David was able to pillow his head at night and say, “I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety” because in his life he was “offering sacrifices of righteousness to the Lord.” In fact, it was David in Psalm 51 who said about God, “For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart - These, O God, You will not despise.”

I think often as Christians, we can come to God with our requests and expect Him to fulfill them based on our terms. I try to remind myself that every time when I begin to pray to first confess sin and asked to be cleansed because if we are not seeking to be holy first than all else really does not matter. We serve a holy and just God who tells us in Matthew 5:48 that He is perfect and His desire is for His people to be perfect.

God wants us saved, sanctified, and filled with His Spirit. The circumstances of life are a distant second to this objective. This is not to say that God is not interested in our day-to-day lives and struggles. On the contrary, He tells us to bring our requests to Him, but if we are not seeking to become like Him than why would we expect Him to hear us?

"For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." (Romans 8:6)

Christianity Characterized in a Word

During this past week I have been studying Biblical love. Most people know 1 John 4:8 “God is love” and the fact that Jesus commanded us to love our enemies. In addition, many people are familiar with portions of 1 Corinthians chapter 13, also known as the great love chapter of the Bible, as it is often quoted during marriage ceremonies.

But what does Biblical love look like in action?

I believe one of the best examples in Scripture that pictures the type of love Jesus has for His children is found in the life of the Disciple John. He is referred to as the disciple Jesus loved and it is said of him that he loved Jesus. This of course begs the question - did the other disciples not love Jesus? Or did John simply love him more?

According to John MacArthur, when we read John’s gospel account, “we enter into the most sacred holy place of all, the holy of holies and we see God in person, God in flesh. And so the fourth gospel is the gospel of all gospels. It is the holy of holies of the New Testament. It is almost as if we ought to take off our shoes for we stand on holy ground as we approach this gospel because it presents in the most magnificent glory the deity of Jesus Christ. It talks about His humanity, it talks about His servant hood, it talks about His kingship, but it presents primarily His deity. It is behold your God that John is trying to get across.”

It would seem based on John’s writings that he had an intimate knowledge of Jesus unlike anyone else. Of course, John was the only disciple at the cross. Even Peter who when told that Jesus would suffer many things and be killed, bolded declared, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” (Matthew 16:22)  We also remember that when the Lord was carrying His cross to Calvary, Peter was busy denying Him three times.

But John was there, wasn’t he? He was at the cross as Jesus told him to take care of His mother. John, unlike the other disciples, was not fearful of losing his life or ashamed to be associated with Jesus because he loved him. Because he LOVED Him. Love compelled John to follow the Savior anywhere – even to the cross. And as a result of this great love, when John was isolated on the island of Patmos for his faith, cut off from civilization on that small, deserted island. Shut off from everyone. He was shut up to God and there received the most extensive revelation of future events ever shown to any writer in the New Testament.

Unfortunately in today’s word, love is associated with a feeling or an emotion. The Greek language, which is the language of the New Testament, uses two different words to describe and define love. The most commonly used Greek word translated “love” in the New Testament is “agape.” This love is represented by God's love for us. It is a non-partial, sacrificial love probably best exemplified by God's provision for our rebellion as found, by no coincidence, in the Gospel of John chapter three, verse 16, “For God so loved (agape) the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”

In contrast, our love is usually conditional and based upon how other people behave toward us. The Greek word “phileo” defines this kind of love, often translated “brotherly love.” Phileo is an emotional kind of love. It is something that can be experienced by both believers and non-believers. This is in contrast to agape, which is love extended through the Holy Spirit and requires a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. This kind of love gives and sacrifices expecting nothing back in return.

As we walk with the Lord and become conformed to His image, agape love should be apparent in our life. It is this type of love that makes the world sit up and take notice because it is only possessed by believers. It is agape love in action that magnifies the message of the gospel for it is the very center of it – God loving us while we were yet sinners! It is a statement we should never get over. It is a love we should never get over. And it should compel us to follow the Savior, as it did John, all the way to the cross.

"Every Christian would agree that a man's spiritual health is exactly proportional to his love for God." - C. S. Lewis

The Marriage/Jesus Relationship

Last week I had written a blog about humility as the Lord has been teaching me quite a bit on this subject recently. In fact, just the other day I heard John MacArthur say on the radio that the only people that are able to forgive are humble people. This statement could not be any truer. Forgiveness is impossible if a heart is full of pride. Actually, I would go as far as to say that it is impossible to please God in our daily walk if humility does not permeate our lives and attitude.

With that being said, David Jeremiah has been preaching a series of messages on the Book Song of Solomon. His main theme is marriage, love, and sex as you might suspect if you have ever read the Song of Solomon.

As a quick overview, Song of Solomon has two primary characters or narrators. There is a woman called the Shulamite and a man who is King Solomon. It is a poem that moves the reader from the couple’s courtship to marriage to consummation. Its imagery is powerful and its lyrical content is beautiful.

While there are many wonderful spiritual jewels contained in this short book on marriage and love, I wanted to focus on the one thing that I think makes a marriage all that it is intended to be from God’s point of view. This critical aspect is the relationship of the wife and husband to Jesus Christ. I realize this may seem elementary but as I look at my own marriage, I have come to realize over the years that the most important facet to my overall happiness and contentment is based upon my relationship to the Lord and my husband’s relationship to the Lord. For you see if either my relationship or my husband’s relationship with the Lord is not where it should be then we will not treat each other as the Lord has intended and the Lord says our prayers will be hindered as a result (1 Peter 3:7).

As I mentioned previously, humility is the foundation for all other virtues to flourish in the life of the believer and this is also true in marriage and all of life’s relationships. It is so easy to be offended, isn’t it? Whether it is our spouse, our kids, a co-worker, or a friend. I have found in my own walk that the closer I am to the Lord, the less offenses bother me and the more I am able to focus on the things that the Lord says are most important – loving Him with my heart, mind, and soul and loving my neighbor as myself. It is within the servant’s attitude that we find the abundant life, but so often it is hard to not put ourselves first in everything.

Marriage by nature puts us into subjection to another person as 1 Corinthians 7:4 states, “The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.” Pretty powerful text. But if we are to truly live it then we need to be at the cross daily, realizing who we are before Christ. Otherwise our marriage will begin to come apart at the seams.

It is staggering to think that we have such power when it comes to our spouses but we do. We can either use that inherit power to build them up or tear them down. On this note, a couple of years ago, I heard a speaker at a marriage conference say that God has given us our spouses in order to mold us into the image of His Son. He said this in reference to all the annoying things that we dislike about our spouses that we wish they would change. While the audience chuckled, his point was valid in that the Lord always has the same purpose for us in life as His children and that is to bring us into greater conformity to His Son. What better person to use to accomplish this task than our spouse whom we live with and interact with every day?

My hope and prayer is that my own testimony before the Lord would be an encouragement to my husband in His walk and vice versa. Please feel free to comment to let me know how the Lord is shaping you into a picture of His Son in your relationships.

Choosing the Good Part in 2011

As we approach another new year many people reflect on the year that has passed and make resolutions for the upcoming year. Several years ago my pastor had a wonderful suggestion regarding resolutions that I have incorporated into my life which I wanted to share as it has been a tremendous blessing. He said instead of making lists of things you will and won’t do, ask the Lord to help you develop one of the fruits of the Spirit in your life. The fruits of the Spirit are found in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”

Of course, each one of these fruits would require several blog posts to detail accurately in terms of all they entail and all that the Lord would have us become. Given this, I wanted to suggest that you read a series of messages by John MacArthur on the fruits of the Spirit so you can understand what to pray for as you seek to have the Lord manifest His Spirit in your life. The link I have included is to his Website. In the search field type in “Galatians vol 02” and read or listen to the last two messages and then type in “Galatians vol 03” and read or listen to the first two messages and you will have a thorough understanding of the fruits of the Spirit and how to practically walk in the Spirit.

I have found over the years that as I have sincerely approached the Lord and sought to demonstrate a particular fruit, the Lord has brought circumstances into my life that has allowed me to shape my life toward that virtue. I will admit that this is not easy. Be prepared that if you ask for patience, the Lord will bring about events that will try your patience but take heart in the fact that in addition to molding you into a more patient person, the Lord will also show you the beauty of that fruit and how it ministers to others. As John MacArthur says, “The contrast [in the book of Galatians] is between legalism and living a Spirit filled life or walking by the Holy Spirit. The believer does not need to live legalistically under a code of written law, under a system of ceremonial routine and ritual, he can simply walk by the Holy Spirit indwelling him and fulfill what God always intended for man in terms of holiness….The more legalism you apply to your Christian life, the more you choke the Holy Spirit. Because what you're doing is you're eliminating the necessity of His ministry. Plus you're creating a sort of a spiritual hypocrisy. Jesus said if the Son shall set you free you shall be free for real. Leave it at that. And allow the Spirit of God to produce the works of holiness as you simply walk by the Spirit.”

I realize that the above quote is quite a large concept to get your head around, especially if you are a new Christian so please take the time to read his messages as he will go on to explain each concept he introduces more thoroughly.

I have found in my own life that I am no longer interested in behavior modification which is largely dependent on me and my list of do’s and don’ts which typically make up a new year’s resolution list. I am more interested now in serving the Lord wholeheartedly and committed to living in obedience to Him as that is where the abundant life is found – in Him.

If you decide to ask the Lord to help you live out a specific fruit of the Spirit, please comment and let me know all the Lord is teaching you. I would also like to pray for you as well.

Precious Things Are Saved Only by Sacrifice

During the past two years the Lord has taught me much about sacrifice. Sadly, in today’s “me first” society, sacrifice has lost its true meaning. Most think of it only in terms of sacrificing one thing in order to attain something bigger or better. We gladly sacrifice a little here or a little there as long as we are sure the outcome will be in our favor. But true sacrifice, the kind that fuels the passion of the soul, has no such expectations.

The abundant life that Jesus offers is one that is based on sacrifice, but of course this message is not one that today’s world wants to hear much less live by. Jesus said that you would know His disciples by their love one toward another. He continually admonished His followers to love their neighbor as themselves and to even love their enemies. He lived the life of a servant and told His disciples when they asked Him who would be the greatest in His kingdom that “if anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all” (Mark 9:35).

So, it is no wonder that the apostle Paul tells us in Romans 12:1-2 to present ourselves as a living sacrifice to God. We can conclude then that the key to spiritual victory is not getting all you can get, but giving all you have. Many people flock into churches and seek spiritual experiences to get more of God when the issue is not what they need to GET but what they need to GIVE.

I don’t pretend that this is easy but as John MacArthur has skillfully said, “This [presenting ourselves as a living sacrifice] is absolutely necessary if we are ever to know the fullness of the blessing of God and be able to render to him the service that is due to Him and bring Him glory. Most Christians never really come to that place fully. They flirt with the world, they flirt with the flesh. They flirt with their own personal indulgences and desires. They become victims of the philosophy and psychology of the world around them. They buy into the world's bag. They entertain themselves with the world's mode of entertainment. They think along the lines the world thinks. And so they never really come to the place of total commitment that is discussed in these two verses and therefore they forfeit the fullness of the blessing that God would have for them.”

I think for many of us we meet a need here or help someone over there and we feel pretty good but God is asking for our mind, body, and soul. When He is in possession of us than we are most suited to serve others as He did and experience His full blessing in our lives. In other words, if our vertical relationship with God is where it should be than our horizontal relationships with others will also be in harmony.

I think so often we have this backwards. We work on our horizontal relationships in our own power and then feel like a failure and wonder why our walk has become a burden when the key from the start is to fill up on God and let his power flow through us. Of course, this takes much sacrifice, doesn’t it? It means turning off the TV, the radio, the computer, and communing with the Living God in His Word and in prayer.

What is even more frustrating is that when I have truly committed myself to the Lord my Christian life feels effortless and full of joy but soon, for whatever reason, I revert back to doing things myself and in my own power and soon the drudgery resurfaces.

I think it is important as we seek to know God more and to glorify Him within our lives to remember that anything worth having, anything that truly endures is always attained by sacrifice and the Lord is asking us to be a living sacrifice unto Him. Surely, this is not too much to ask by the One who sacrificed His own life for us so we may obtain eternal life.

“The Christian life is never measured in success but in sacrifice.” – Leonard Ravenhill

A Beloved Portrait

The women’s Bible study group that I attend is embarking on a study in the gospel of John. We are using John MacArthur's study guide to aid us in our exploration of this glorious gospel account.

As you may already be aware, the gospel of John is the fourth gospel contained in the New Testament. Many people have asked over the years why there are four different gospels and not one composite. The answer is simple – each gospel presents a different depiction of Christ. In Matthew, for example, Jesus Christ is presented as the promised king and Messiah of Israel. Mark, on the other hand, portrays Christ as a servant/prophet and focuses a large portion of his account on Christ’s miracles. And when you come to Luke's gospel, Christ is described as the perfect man walking among the people of the world. Luke has a special focus on Christ’s humanity.

As we begin to investigage John’s account, we learn that his intent is to present Jesus Christ as the Son of God. This is the burden of John’s message as he states in 20:31, “These things are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that believing you might have life through His name.”

According to John MacArthur, when we come to the gospel of John, “we enter into the most sacred holy place of all, the holy of holies and we see God in person, God in flesh. And so the fourth gospel is the gospel of all gospels. It is the holy of holies of the New Testament. It is almost as if we ought to take off our shoes for we stand on holy ground as we approach this gospel because it presents in the most magnificent glory the deity of Jesus Christ. It talks about His humanity, it talks about His servant hood, it talks about His kingship, but it presents primarily His deity. It is behold your God that John is trying to get across.”

I must confess that even though I have been a Christian for more than 20 years, I realize that my own understanding of Christ is limited because I have not spent nearly enough time getting to know Him. As one woman said during our first meeting last night, “I want to know and understand Jesus beyond just my salvation.” And that really is the crux of our study. As Christians we are in a personal relationship with Jesus. We are not His followers because of what He can give or do for us but because of who He is.

Many people come to Jesus for what He can give and the scripture warns us that there would be a day coming when people would mistake gain for godliness (1 Timothy 6:5). I believe we are living in those days, especially in America. So much of what the church focuses on is what we can get from Christ instead of what is already ours in Him. So often the temporal cares of this world distract us from the one message God is always trying to get across – I am enough. Truly, He is enough.

I hope you will join me over the next few months as I study the gospel of John. Please feel free to comment and let me know what you are learning about Jesus.

“I know men and I tell you that Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between Him and every other person in the world there is no possible term of comparison. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have founded empires. But on what did we rest the creation of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded His empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die for Him.” – Napoleon

How to Pray

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been discussing prayer and how it has been the primary catalyst that has spawned every revival throughout history. I have also touched on the power of prayer in the life of the believer.

This week, I wanted to spend some time discussing how to pray or what we should be saying to God when we are alone in our prayer closet. Do not feel embarrassed or ashamed if you have come to this blog without a good understanding of how to pray. Many have asked this same question, including the apostles in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 6. Jesus responded by giving them the Lord’s Prayer, which is also known as the “Our Father.”

This prayer that Jesus shared was not meant to be a ritualistic saying that would be recited verbatim daily to God but was given as the pattern for our prayer life. God Himself has said that He is not interested in the vain repetition of words (Matthew 6:7) but in our heart attitude toward Him when we pray.

John MacArthur has a wonderful series of messages on the Lord’s Prayer in which he breaks down the prayer line by line and explains how to incorporate each wonderful truth into your prayer life. I would highly recommend you spend some time reading these messages so you can better understand how the Lord Himself told us to approach the throne room of God.

I also wanted to mention that prayer by nature is designed to bring us into the presence of the Living God that we may be transformed by Him. Prayer should never be approached with the thought that God is some type of sugar daddy waiting to give us every want and desire as some so called Christian movements would have you to believe.

Even a cursory reading of the Bible will reveal that when God’s people prayed, they most often reminded God of His words and promises to His people. Very rarely do you find a man or woman of God in the Bible praying anything that was not somehow related to God's Word or nature. And this is why the relationship between prayer and God’s Word is so critical. The Word of God enables us to know the mind of God which then transforms our prayers into petitions that are in accordance with His will.

I have often thought of how many prayers God hears on a daily basis from unbelievers asking for protection, healing, finances, etc. While God does answer these requests at times from non-believers, he is not obligated to answer them. He is, however, obligated by His very Word to answer believers when they pray.

It is God Himself who has set up the institution of prayer. It is Him who commands us to pray unceasingly, fervently, and earnestly for all things. E.M. Bounds states in his book, The Weapon of Prayer, “Prayer puts God’s work in His hands, and keeps it there. It looks to Him constantly and depends on Him implicitly to further His own cause. Prayer is but faith resting in, acting with, and leaning on and obeying God. This is why God loves it so well, why He puts all power into its hands, and why He so highly esteems men of prayer.”

I truly believe the way to have a more fruitful prayer life is to immerse yourself in the Word of God. The two just cannot be divorced from each other. If you are trying to figure out where to begin, I would suggest you start with the Book of Psalms which is found in the Old Testament. The Psalms are songs and prayers to God. I often pray them myself to God when I find that I do not have any words of my own. Psalms 23 and 91 are wonderful Psalms that speak of God’s protection and sovereignty.

You could also read the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John found at the beginning of the New Testament) if you want to know Jesus’ words so you can remember and recall them when you are praying. The more you know God’s Word, the more you will be able to effectively pray for God’s will in all things.

Please feel free to comment to let me know how your prayer life is progressing. I hope and pray that these last few blogs on prayer have been a blessing.

Great Forgiveness, Great Love

In the seventh chapter of the gospel of Luke we read about a woman in verses 36-50 who came to Jesus as a sinner and left His presence transformed. This story is familiar to most people with even just a cursory knowledge of the Bible because the story is so poignant in its presentation.

It is important to note that the woman in this passage is not named. She is a prostitute who is well known in the town because of her profession. She hears that Jesus will be at Simon’s house. Simon is a Pharisee (a member of an ancient Jewish sect that emphasized strict interpretation and observance of the Mosaic law in both its oral and written form) who invited Jesus to his house to determine if He was truly the promised Messiah or a prophet.

The narrative indicates that the woman came into the house quietly and relatively unnoticed. She also came with a purpose – to anoint Jesus with her perfume. Given her trade as a prostitute, she would have had perfume in her possession but the kind of perfume that's indicated here is not cheap oil but a costly perfume. It's in an alabaster container. An alabaster container specifically was quarried and carved in Egypt. It was a refined kind of marble that would be made into this alabaster container and filled with a very costly perfume and then plugged shut to keep the fragrance from evaporating.

This woman had come to anoint Jesus’ head but upon seeing Him, she begins to cry. As she stands there, her crying turns to weeping. She is flooded with her sinfulness in the presence of Jesus. She lets loose with what Luther called "heart water." Her tears become uncontrollable and as she looks down she sees Jesus’ feet have not been washed, which was the customary practice in those days when a guest enters a house.

She kneels down and lets her tears wash Jesus’ feet. It is important to notice here just how much this woman is crying. Can you see the picture of the broken sinner at the feet of the One who can forgive? Here is this woman, sitting at Jesus’ feet in the house of a Pharisee expressing her gratitude for His forgiveness and she can’t stop weeping. She then lets down her hair to dry his feet because she has no towel. She was manifesting a kind of heartfelt, humble and shameless affection by her actions.

Once His feet were clean, it says she was kissing His feet. John MacArthur says the Greek word used for “kiss” here is “kataphileo” and it is an intense word. It is used in Luke 15:20 of the father's kisses when the prodigal son came home and he fell on his neck and kept embracing and kissing him. It isn't necessarily limited to the lips – it's a clinging, a tight embrace. It is the idea of an intense hug. The text says she continuingly kisses and hugs His feet. What an amazing picture of the outward expression of heartfelt and genuine gratitude.

Of course, Simon and the rest of the guests were disgusted by the woman’s actions given she was a prostitute. Simon actually states that if Jesus was truly a prophet, He would have known that a prostitute was touching Him and would have sent her out. Jesus uses this opportunity to explain to Simon and the rest of the house guests who were also most likely stunned by this event, how a person who is forgiven much, loves much. I do not believe there is another example in the Bible of a person whom Jesus says “she loved much” other than this woman. That is how powerful her display of emotion was in that room. She was literally bursting with love because of all she had been forgiven.

This story also echoes Jesus’ earlier teaching that He came to save sinners much in the same way a doctor comes to heal the sick (Mark 2:17). As you can imagine, Simon and the other Pharisees had a tough time grasping this truth because they believed they were holy before God and that “outward” sinners such as this woman have no place in God’s kingdom. This may have been one of the simplest truths that was the hardest for Jesus to convey because it hits the issue of pride and self-righteousness. Jesus was never a respector of persons in His ministry. He ministered to those who needed His forgiveness and truth be told, we all need His forgiveness. We may not be prostitutes but all of us have sinned much and need much forgiveness.

Have you come to Christ in faith and embraced Him and experienced this powerful and total transformation of forgiveness so that you're literally filled with joy and gratitude and love? Every Christian should be marked by that type of love because this is the defining attribute of a life that has been lost in Christ. At the very heart of the gospel is forgiveness. It is the single most important virtue because it is the very essence of all that we believe as professing Christians and enables us to forgive others. If you have not already, please come today to the feet of Jesus and let His forgiveness wash over you.

“Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heal that has crushed it.” - Mark Twain

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

Enter Thou into the Joy of Thy Lord

The folks at Vitacost, an online vitamin store, sent me a newsletter this week that mentioned a recent study about the value of happiness to one’s health. According to researchers from Columbia University, “people who are enthusiastic and content are less likely to develop heart disease than less happy people.” I am sure your reaction to this statement was the same as mine – do we really need a study to tell us this? But in thinking about this further, while we all agree that happiness makes for a better life, how does one actually attain happiness? And once attained, how do we hold on to it?

The Bible has much to say on the subject of happiness or joy. Joy is actually the stronger and more spiritually dynamic of the two emotions because happiness is a response to circumstance, whereas joy is a confidence built on relationship. It may surprise you to know that the word “joy” is mentioned 244 times in the Bible! I believe it is the Lord’s desire that all his creatures attain and remain in a state of joy.

According to John MacArthur, joy is a gift from God to those who believe the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is being produced in them by the Holy Spirit because they receive and obey the Word of God while experiencing trials and keeping their hope fixed on the glory which is to come. True joy is an unwavering constant in a Spirit-filled life. It is not produced by a bed of roses experience of tranquility, peace, comfort and safety. It is produced by the presence of God and His Holy Spirit, even if you're sitting in prison waiting for possible news about your execution, as Paul was when he wrote his great letter of joy to the Philippians. Paul had joy as the result of his eternal relationship with the Living God through Jesus Christ and the ministry of the Holy Spirit within him. And because Paul was so near to God, he was full of joy.

Based on this we can conclude that circumstances are not a factor when it comes to experiencing joy. Isn’t this a wonderful truth!? To know for certain that no matter what is going in your life you can still have joy because it is your nearness to God that determines its level - not your bank account, marriage relationship or health status.

Paul was filled with joy in spite of his situation. I truly get this. I understand how you can be unhappy with your circumstances and not be depressed because your heart is filled with joy in your relationship to God. You know deep within that despite the turmoil going on outside that God's there and that He loves you, and that because of His gift of salvation you have no guilt in your conscience before Him. That is true joy, and I might add a joy that the world in all its pleasures simply cannot offer; and it is also a joy that the world cannot take away.

How's the joy in your heart today? If you do not have the joy described above, you can have it today. Right now. It all begins with the Lord and confessing sin to the One who has the power to save and the power to bestow true joy, “If you 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… More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation” (Romans 10:9-10; 5:11).

"I heard the voice of Jesus say,
Come unto me and rest;
Lay down, thou weary one,
Lay down Thy head upon my breast.
I came to Jesus as I was,
Weary, and worn, and sad;
I found in him a resting-place,
And he has made me glad."

-Horatius Bonar