Recently in the Guatemala news there was a report of a man who was shot to death near the Immigration office in Guatemala City. I was just there a couple of weeks ago and never thought that someone would be shot in this location because of all the people who are there. The news reported that the man who was killed had been working outside the Immigration office for many years helping people with their paperwork. They speculated that someone did not like his work and decided to hire assassins to take him out. A permanent solution to one problem but it also created a series of other problems.
Problems are a part of life. Someone once said there are no problems just people. Almost all of our problems are a result of relationship issues. How we confront our problems and deal with them will determine how we will grow as believers.
At times we wish we could just push a button and have our problems disappear. I watched an episode of Bonanza, an old television show our family watched every Sunday night that presented a very unique way to deal with problems. Here is one episode in which the Cartwright family and their hired hands went to San Francisco to celebrate. Unknown to them was a ship that needed workers and they worked in cooperation with a local drinking establishment to get people in a very unique way that was also used to solve problems people caused in the bar. In the scene we will watch one of the Cartwrights, Hos who was looking for their hired men as well as his father who had disappeared after going to the bar. He came searching for answers created a stir in the bar trying to solve the missing persons problem.
A very unique way to solve a problem at least for a short period of time. But life is not that easy, problems come to us and often require a lot of thought and energy to resolve them. We are always faced with choices in how we will resolve situations and problems we encounter. I want to look at three responses to problems tonight.
Denial
The easiest thing for many people is simply deny that there is a problem. It is easy for us to deny something that in our mind does not exist. At times we have blind spots in certain areas of our life. It may be a habit or attitude that we have that has become part of our behavior and we do it unconsciously and are really unaware of its effects on other people. We are unaware of our issues until someone brings them to our attention. Once we are made aware we have a decision to make and often we choose to deny we have a problem.
A friend of mine related how his dad would come home every day, sit in his chair and read the paper and no one could interrupt him or say anything to him. His dad did not realize how his behavior was shutting out his children and building a wall of separation between them. This went on for years and it was not until recently that when he was confronted with his past behaviors. His immediate reaction was to deny that he had done anything wrong. Awhile later he realized what he had been doing and he asked his children to forgive him. For years he was blinded to what he was really doing and I am sure he wishes he could relive those days. It took years for his children to get up enough courage to confront him with many of the behaviors that had driven them away from him. He was not a very approachable person and I am sure they thought it was not worth the effort to try to talk about something he would deny being a problem. Denial is often our first reaction when we are confronted by someone who points out a fault that we have. Denial is never a solution. It only serves to alienate people from you who perhaps love you and are trying to help you. For most of us this is our usual response when someone confronts us with an issue. Our pride keeps us from really listening and accepting what the other person is telling us. It is easy for us to deny what they are saying and discredit them stating that they do not know what they are talking about. We get offended perhaps by the way it was spoken to us or by the words they spoke and we become defensive. We quickly shut these people out. When we are confronted we need to be aware of the response of our heart. We may say the right words to the person confronting us but our heart is not in agreement with them. We placate them with words yet remain in denial of what they have said. Pay attention to what is really happening in your heart. The Holy Spirit is very good at bringing an uneasy feeling when we are in denial. There will be heaviness in our spirit that we must acknowledge.
Delay
A second reaction when confronted with a problem is to delay doing anything about it. We accept the fact that there is a problem but we do not want to do anything to confront it and do what needs to be done. Sometimes we think that given enough time it will go away or if we move away the problem will not follow us. Last year there was a young man around 30 years old who lived in Antigua and came to our coffee house when we had it in operation. He came to some of our meetings and seemed to want to get his life in order. We never really knew all of his past but one day he was in Central Park in Antigua when agents from Interpol arrested him in the park and brought him back to the USA to face charges for crimes he had committed. Rather than face his problems and taking care of cleaning up his record he decided to flee to Guatemala thinking it was a safe place and he would go unnoticed. Yet I am sure that in the back of his mind, he knew that he was delaying the inevitable. He eventually went to court and was convicted and given a 5 year sentence in jail. He was in the end relieved that he finally came to terms with his past even though it meant going to jail for awhile. The Bible is pretty clear when it states, “Be sure your sin will find you out.” (Numbers 32.23). The longer we delay the greater the level of anxiety builds in our heart. King David tried this tactic of delay. He thought he had his sin covered when he committed adultery with Bathsheba and she became pregnant. His secret did not remain a secret because God would not let him get away with what he had done. It was tearing David apart and God in his mercy sent Nathan the prophet to uncover the secret and help David get the healing he needed. Psalms 32 addresses the issue David had with his own sin and how it tormented him.
Psalms 32: 3-4
3While I kept silence, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long.
4For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.
The longer we delay the more misery we bring to our lives. It affects us spiritually, emotionally, and physically. There really is no benefit in delaying our confession. God waited patiently for David to come to him and admit his sin but David delayed and suffered for it.
Deal Truthfully
The final option is to deal truthfully with our problem by admitting it is a problem and seeking the forgiveness and help we need to get back on track. When Nathan confronted David, David knew he had to deal with his problem, admit his sin and receive God’s forgiveness.
Psalms 51
3For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
4Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment.
. Unconfessed sin is really a huge ball and chain that is attached to us. It hinders us from progressing and causes great pain. When we finally deal honestly and truthfully with our problem we set in motion the healing process. The healing begins with our relationship with God because all sin is an affront to God, David acknowledge that he had sinned against God first and foremost. Once this relationship is restored the next step is to rebuild the other relationships that have been damaged by our actions and attitudes. This can be a very difficult thing to do because you have to humble yourself and go to ask forgiveness and bring restitution to the people you have offended. We put ourselves at risk of being rejected, reviled and renounced when we do this. We cannot control the reaction or response of the offended person and we have to be prepared to receive this. It will be painful and it may be costly but it can also be the first steps in restoring a relationship built on honesty and transparency. When Christ talked to Zacchaeus the tax collector, who were known for taking more money than they should have from the people, his response was pretty amazing because he offered to repay anyone he had taken money from, four times as much as he had stolen.
8 Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” Luke 19:8.
Restitution and restoration must always be at our own expense and it may be costly but relationships and a clean conscience are more valuable than money. The word restoration means to set a broken bone back in place. This can be painful but when the bone heals it is stronger than when it was before it was broken.
When it comes to restoring a relationship we have to be willing to do what the other person asks of us. We really are in no position to demand anything from them. As long as what they ask of us is not excessive we have to be willing to submit ourselves to do what is necessary.
If we are willing to go through confession and restitution we can be used of God to teach other’s His ways.
Once David understood what God was trying to establish truth his life through dealing with his sin he submitted himself to God to receive the forgiveness, healing and restoration he needed.
6 You desire truth in the inward being;
therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and put a new and right spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from your presence,
and do not take your holy spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and sustain in me a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you
When he completed the restoration process, we will
Have a heart that seeks to be taught God’s wisdom
Have a heart that is clean before the Lord
Experience joy and gladness
Receive a clean heart and a right spirit
Enjoy intimacy with God through the Holy Spirit
Have a spirit that is willing to submit to God
When this is our experience then we can like David teach other sinners the ways of God so they could return to Him.
When we have been restored, God can take our failures and use them as teaching tools for others who are in the same situation or are on the verge of making the same errors we committed. Our testimony of restoration can be used to offer hope to others who are not walking in the freedom God wants them to experience.
God’s goal in revealing and dealing with sin is not punishment but restoration of our lives and our relationships. We can choose to deny the problem, delay our response or we can deal honestly and truthfully with what has been shown to us and begin the restoration process.
Let God have his way in your life when you encounter problems. Allow him access to your pain and he will bring more freedom than you could have imagined.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Knowing Christ
Knowing Christ
7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Phil 3:7-10
Paul wrote these words while he was imprisoned in Rome. He had no regrets regarding his life of service to the Lord. In the previous verses Paul recounted what his life was like as a religious zealout, a Hebrew of the Hebrews, the cream of the crop regarding what he thought it meant to be a True Jew. Paul understood that everything he tried to accomplish for God was truly a work of the flesh, it was his own efforts to be a righteous person according to the Law. Paul thought he had the perfect pedigree that is until he truly met Christ. When he understood who Christ was and what he had done for him, Paul changed his thoughts about his past life. Those things that were of value to him and others he counted them as a loss. They did not add value to his life but rather robbed him of having the true knowledge of Christ. The righteousness he thought he had gained through the works of his flesh did not accomplish the righteousness that can only be found through faith in Christ.
Righteousness means to be in right standing with God. When you are in right standing with God you are accepted by him. The only way we can be acceptable before him is to be clothed with the righteousness of Christ. When Paul discovered this truth it set him free. That is why he called it the excellence of knowing Christ. He found the key to being righteous before God and it was through the work Christ did on the cross. Paul could now declare, “I am the righteousness of God in Christ.” This truth completely set him free from trying to fulfill the demands of the law. Paul lost everything he regarded in his past life as important. He lost his status among the Jewish leaders. He lost his position and all the entitlements that came with him. Muslims experience this same loss when they come to Christ. Many are completely rejected by the family and it is as though they have died and no longer exist. For some they may be killed because they have left Islam and their killing is justified in the Coran. Paul lost everything and was persecuted severely for following Christ. All the prestige he once felt was now counted as nothing because he found the knowledge of Christ. What Paul gained in knowing Christ far exceeded anything he had ever been given or ever would be given living as he had previously without Christ.
For Paul and for us as believers the greatest knowledge we can ever have is the knowledge of Christ. Everything else in life is secondary to knowing Christ. Our passion must be the same as Paul’s, to gain the knowledge of Christ and continue learning about him for all of our lives. Paul wrote in Colossians 2: 3 that in Christ “…in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge..” The more we seek to know Christ, the more knowledge and wisdom we will gain. It requires effort on our part to seek after Christ, to study the Scriptures and apply ourselves to the understanding we gain.
We live in a world that is full of information but what the world needs is a revelation of Christ because in Him is found all wisdom and knowledge. The enemy has been very successful in sidetracking people from knowing Christ through philosophies and other religions. Over ½ of the world is lost, separated from God and pursuing other gods. Many have made up their own religion based on good works or other ideas that will not make them righteous before God. Only Christ can make us righteous before God, acceptable to Him. If you are trusting in anything else you will be disappointed, you will not be accepted into the Kingdom of heaven.
The cry of Paul’s heart was “that I may know him.” I like how the Amplified Bible states it, “that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding [the wonders of his person] more strongly and clearly.” Knowing Christ comes progressively, we don’t understand all there is to know about him. He reveals new things to us about his Person as we continue to passionately pursue gaining knowledge of Him. Christ wants greater depth of our understanding of Him and greater intimacy as we gain more knowledge of Him. The more you know the better it gets and in Christ there is no end. We will never reach the point where we will know it all, we will constantly be exploring the wonders of Christ throughout eternity.
We have just begun our DTS and our goal is “To know Him (Christ) and make Him known.” The students have set aside these next 5 months of their lives to pursue this knowledge of Christ and take that knowledge and share it with a lost world.
I pray that this is the goal for each of us, to know Christ as he really is and for who he is. ..I pray that each of us will never settle for only partial knowledge of Christ, to be content where we are at and miss out on all the Christ has for us. Are you hungry for the knowledge of Christ? Are you passionately pursuing to know Him intimately and in greater depth? How is your spiritual appetite for the wisdom and knowledge that comes through Christ? There is no greater study to pursue than the study of God and Christ. All the other pursuits of knowledge in any area of life as exciting as they may be can never compare with knowing Christ. The earthly knowledge we gain will all pass away but the knowledge of Christ is eternal.
Paul not only wanted to know Christ but he also want to know, understand and experience the power of Christ displayed in his resurrection. Christ through his resurrection defeated the greatest power on earth, the power of death. Death brought finality to life and many people live in fear of death. Many people believe that once you die, it is over. There is nothing after physical death. Other religions teach that you will be reincarnated into another life form based on the life you lived on earth. Christ demonstrated to the world that the power of death was defeated when he rose from the grave. The resurrection power changes everything. If we are raised from the dead then this life on earth is temporal, death in the physical is only a transition to the eternal. The resurrection power of Christ is available to the believer today. There is nothing more powerful than the power to transform a life. We can see the power of God being demonstrated in the earth today through the signs, wonders and miracles that are happening. These miracles defy the laws of nature and are inexplicable. Healings are being reported where metal parts placed in the body are disappearing or the person is able to do things they never were nor should be able to do with the metal part in their body. These amazing miracles are nothing to be compared with the resurrection power that will one day transform this human body into a new heavenly body that will never get sick, never experience pain or suffering and will become an eternal body. This is real power and we get to experience it.
Paul also wanted to understand and participate in the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings. Paul already had experienced a great deal of suffering, physically, mentally and spiritually. He was not asking for a life of pleasure and ease but desired to live in conformity to the death of Christ. The servant is not above his master and if Christ was willing to suffer in the flesh, Paul was also willing to do the same for the sake of Christ. This is not a message that is popular among many believers today who want to experience just the blessings of the Christian life. To think about suffering for Christ is not on the radar screen, it is to be avoided. This attitude to me reflects that the person does not really understand the surpassing value of knowing Christ or the excellency of knowing Christ. Whatever suffering or persecution may come from following Christ is worth it if it will bring others to Christ and allow us to be a witness unto him. The thought of suffering or inconvenience or living at a lower standard of living to have the opportunity to share Christ with others is difficult for many believers to embrace yet desire. Paul was willing to go through many forms of suffering, knowing that Christ had suffered greatly for him. Christ's sufferings continued when Paul admittedly persecuted the church and for this Paul was very repentant. During WWII when decisions were made to invade enemy territory, one of the factors that was always given consideration is how many lives would be lost in the battle. It was inevitable; people were going to die from enemy fire or friendly fire. It was always a difficult decision for those in authority yet the prize they were trying to gain, the freedom of the people, was worth the expenditure of human life. Thousands of soldiers gave their lives for the freedom of people they did not know. We have something more valuable than earthly freedom. We must be willing to experience suffering and persecution so that others will come to know Christ.
The final frontier for missions is going to require people who are willing to suffer for Christ. The nations that are most resistant and militantly opposed to the Gospel will require people who are willing to suffer for the sake of Christ. It will require people like Paul who want to share in the sufferings of Christ. It will not be easy but it will be very rewarding because you will be one who has the privilege of bringing Christ to people who have never heard of him or have been given wrong information about him. Those who are willing to go, to be afflicted and suffer for the sake of Christ will experience him at a deeper level of intimacy and comfort. I read this poem that I think reflects the life of many believers who want a comfortable life.
Comfort me, Lord, and... pay my bills
Comfort me, Lord, and... cure my ills
Comfort me, Lord, and... remove my fears
Comfort me, Lord, and... dry my tears
Comfort me, Lord, and... increase my wealth
Comfort me, Lord, and... preserve my health
Comfort me, Lord, and... plead my case
Comfort me, Lord, and... enlarge my place
Comfort me, Lord, and... tell me "why?"
Comfort me, Lord, and... set me on high
Comfort me, Lord, and... do what I say
Comfort me, Lord, and... do it today
The Spirit listened as I uttered my mind
He said not a word as I pleaded and pined
And then He spoke in the language of conviction
Saying, "Comfort isn't comfort in the absence of affliction."
Are we really willing to go through affliction for Christ or do we just want to be comforted from the seemingly minor things in life that have consumed us?
Paul’s attitude and desire was to be conformed to Christ’s death. It was not that he had a death wish but rather that he was willing to pay whatever price that was required of him.
Paul was a seeker of the intimate and deep knowledge of Christ, not head knowledge but experiential knowledge of Christ. He was also sought to understand and experience the resurrection power of Christ and finally he was willing to share in the sufferings of Christ for the privilege of bringing the Gospel message to the lost.
Paul challenged the believers to follow him as he followed Christ. He pursued Christ with passion to know Him and serve Him. May the same be said of our lives.
7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Phil 3:7-10
Paul wrote these words while he was imprisoned in Rome. He had no regrets regarding his life of service to the Lord. In the previous verses Paul recounted what his life was like as a religious zealout, a Hebrew of the Hebrews, the cream of the crop regarding what he thought it meant to be a True Jew. Paul understood that everything he tried to accomplish for God was truly a work of the flesh, it was his own efforts to be a righteous person according to the Law. Paul thought he had the perfect pedigree that is until he truly met Christ. When he understood who Christ was and what he had done for him, Paul changed his thoughts about his past life. Those things that were of value to him and others he counted them as a loss. They did not add value to his life but rather robbed him of having the true knowledge of Christ. The righteousness he thought he had gained through the works of his flesh did not accomplish the righteousness that can only be found through faith in Christ.
Righteousness means to be in right standing with God. When you are in right standing with God you are accepted by him. The only way we can be acceptable before him is to be clothed with the righteousness of Christ. When Paul discovered this truth it set him free. That is why he called it the excellence of knowing Christ. He found the key to being righteous before God and it was through the work Christ did on the cross. Paul could now declare, “I am the righteousness of God in Christ.” This truth completely set him free from trying to fulfill the demands of the law. Paul lost everything he regarded in his past life as important. He lost his status among the Jewish leaders. He lost his position and all the entitlements that came with him. Muslims experience this same loss when they come to Christ. Many are completely rejected by the family and it is as though they have died and no longer exist. For some they may be killed because they have left Islam and their killing is justified in the Coran. Paul lost everything and was persecuted severely for following Christ. All the prestige he once felt was now counted as nothing because he found the knowledge of Christ. What Paul gained in knowing Christ far exceeded anything he had ever been given or ever would be given living as he had previously without Christ.
For Paul and for us as believers the greatest knowledge we can ever have is the knowledge of Christ. Everything else in life is secondary to knowing Christ. Our passion must be the same as Paul’s, to gain the knowledge of Christ and continue learning about him for all of our lives. Paul wrote in Colossians 2: 3 that in Christ “…in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge..” The more we seek to know Christ, the more knowledge and wisdom we will gain. It requires effort on our part to seek after Christ, to study the Scriptures and apply ourselves to the understanding we gain.
We live in a world that is full of information but what the world needs is a revelation of Christ because in Him is found all wisdom and knowledge. The enemy has been very successful in sidetracking people from knowing Christ through philosophies and other religions. Over ½ of the world is lost, separated from God and pursuing other gods. Many have made up their own religion based on good works or other ideas that will not make them righteous before God. Only Christ can make us righteous before God, acceptable to Him. If you are trusting in anything else you will be disappointed, you will not be accepted into the Kingdom of heaven.
The cry of Paul’s heart was “that I may know him.” I like how the Amplified Bible states it, “that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding [the wonders of his person] more strongly and clearly.” Knowing Christ comes progressively, we don’t understand all there is to know about him. He reveals new things to us about his Person as we continue to passionately pursue gaining knowledge of Him. Christ wants greater depth of our understanding of Him and greater intimacy as we gain more knowledge of Him. The more you know the better it gets and in Christ there is no end. We will never reach the point where we will know it all, we will constantly be exploring the wonders of Christ throughout eternity.
We have just begun our DTS and our goal is “To know Him (Christ) and make Him known.” The students have set aside these next 5 months of their lives to pursue this knowledge of Christ and take that knowledge and share it with a lost world.
I pray that this is the goal for each of us, to know Christ as he really is and for who he is. ..I pray that each of us will never settle for only partial knowledge of Christ, to be content where we are at and miss out on all the Christ has for us. Are you hungry for the knowledge of Christ? Are you passionately pursuing to know Him intimately and in greater depth? How is your spiritual appetite for the wisdom and knowledge that comes through Christ? There is no greater study to pursue than the study of God and Christ. All the other pursuits of knowledge in any area of life as exciting as they may be can never compare with knowing Christ. The earthly knowledge we gain will all pass away but the knowledge of Christ is eternal.
Paul not only wanted to know Christ but he also want to know, understand and experience the power of Christ displayed in his resurrection. Christ through his resurrection defeated the greatest power on earth, the power of death. Death brought finality to life and many people live in fear of death. Many people believe that once you die, it is over. There is nothing after physical death. Other religions teach that you will be reincarnated into another life form based on the life you lived on earth. Christ demonstrated to the world that the power of death was defeated when he rose from the grave. The resurrection power changes everything. If we are raised from the dead then this life on earth is temporal, death in the physical is only a transition to the eternal. The resurrection power of Christ is available to the believer today. There is nothing more powerful than the power to transform a life. We can see the power of God being demonstrated in the earth today through the signs, wonders and miracles that are happening. These miracles defy the laws of nature and are inexplicable. Healings are being reported where metal parts placed in the body are disappearing or the person is able to do things they never were nor should be able to do with the metal part in their body. These amazing miracles are nothing to be compared with the resurrection power that will one day transform this human body into a new heavenly body that will never get sick, never experience pain or suffering and will become an eternal body. This is real power and we get to experience it.
Paul also wanted to understand and participate in the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings. Paul already had experienced a great deal of suffering, physically, mentally and spiritually. He was not asking for a life of pleasure and ease but desired to live in conformity to the death of Christ. The servant is not above his master and if Christ was willing to suffer in the flesh, Paul was also willing to do the same for the sake of Christ. This is not a message that is popular among many believers today who want to experience just the blessings of the Christian life. To think about suffering for Christ is not on the radar screen, it is to be avoided. This attitude to me reflects that the person does not really understand the surpassing value of knowing Christ or the excellency of knowing Christ. Whatever suffering or persecution may come from following Christ is worth it if it will bring others to Christ and allow us to be a witness unto him. The thought of suffering or inconvenience or living at a lower standard of living to have the opportunity to share Christ with others is difficult for many believers to embrace yet desire. Paul was willing to go through many forms of suffering, knowing that Christ had suffered greatly for him. Christ's sufferings continued when Paul admittedly persecuted the church and for this Paul was very repentant. During WWII when decisions were made to invade enemy territory, one of the factors that was always given consideration is how many lives would be lost in the battle. It was inevitable; people were going to die from enemy fire or friendly fire. It was always a difficult decision for those in authority yet the prize they were trying to gain, the freedom of the people, was worth the expenditure of human life. Thousands of soldiers gave their lives for the freedom of people they did not know. We have something more valuable than earthly freedom. We must be willing to experience suffering and persecution so that others will come to know Christ.
The final frontier for missions is going to require people who are willing to suffer for Christ. The nations that are most resistant and militantly opposed to the Gospel will require people who are willing to suffer for the sake of Christ. It will require people like Paul who want to share in the sufferings of Christ. It will not be easy but it will be very rewarding because you will be one who has the privilege of bringing Christ to people who have never heard of him or have been given wrong information about him. Those who are willing to go, to be afflicted and suffer for the sake of Christ will experience him at a deeper level of intimacy and comfort. I read this poem that I think reflects the life of many believers who want a comfortable life.
Comfort me, Lord, and... pay my bills
Comfort me, Lord, and... cure my ills
Comfort me, Lord, and... remove my fears
Comfort me, Lord, and... dry my tears
Comfort me, Lord, and... increase my wealth
Comfort me, Lord, and... preserve my health
Comfort me, Lord, and... plead my case
Comfort me, Lord, and... enlarge my place
Comfort me, Lord, and... tell me "why?"
Comfort me, Lord, and... set me on high
Comfort me, Lord, and... do what I say
Comfort me, Lord, and... do it today
The Spirit listened as I uttered my mind
He said not a word as I pleaded and pined
And then He spoke in the language of conviction
Saying, "Comfort isn't comfort in the absence of affliction."
Are we really willing to go through affliction for Christ or do we just want to be comforted from the seemingly minor things in life that have consumed us?
Paul’s attitude and desire was to be conformed to Christ’s death. It was not that he had a death wish but rather that he was willing to pay whatever price that was required of him.
Paul was a seeker of the intimate and deep knowledge of Christ, not head knowledge but experiential knowledge of Christ. He was also sought to understand and experience the resurrection power of Christ and finally he was willing to share in the sufferings of Christ for the privilege of bringing the Gospel message to the lost.
Paul challenged the believers to follow him as he followed Christ. He pursued Christ with passion to know Him and serve Him. May the same be said of our lives.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Honor all people
1 Peter 2:17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.
The words Peter wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit have been stirring in my heart. Especially the first words, “Honor all people.”
When Peter wrote these words the Christians in that day were being persecuted and were under fire. They were going through trials of their faith, much of which was being caused by people who hated and despised them. So when Peter wrote that the believers should honor all people, he was including those who were their enemies and persecutors as well as the governing authorities. All people means all people not just the ones we like, agree with or agree with us.
To honor someone means we give them value, we elevate them and esteem them. We can give honor to someone based on their position or office. If the President of Guatemala came into the room we would give honor to him because of his position of authority. We may have fear of the person because they have power over us to make our life miserable or more difficult. The authority may be benevolent and our motivation of honoring him is perhaps to get their approval for something we want or need. Our self preservation may kick in and influence our behavior. If a police officer pulls you over for speeding or some other infraction you will do whatever you can to show honor and respect for him or her because they have power over you. It is like a survival mechanism kicks in and you do what you need to do to escape what may happen to you. You will respond in a way to protect yourself and speak in a way that you hope will lessen the fine or get you off the hook. Our motive may be purely for self preservation and have nothing to do with truly honoring the police officer with a sincere heart. We put on our best behavior, our nicest voice, using terms of respect etc. to try to impress the officer and keep us from more trouble. And as soon as we are away from them we revert to our normal attitude toward them which may be good or bad. In this sense we are giving honor more to the position the person is in and the power he has over us rather than the personal worth or value of the person. Honoring the position of the person is not a bad thing but there is a deeper motivation for honor that I believe God wants us to practice in every relationship all the time.
Honoring people has to be base not on what they do or their behaviors but rather on who they are as persons created in the image of God. Because they are valued by God and are eternal souls created in God’s image and likeness, we are to give them honor. If we base honor on position and power we will give greater honor to a select group and overlook those who are less powerful or are considered marginal by society. James wrote about this problem in the church where people of wealth were given seats of honor while the poor were dishonored and made to sit down by the footstool, a lowly place. (James 2:1-6) Dishonoring the poor is practiced in many nations today. India has a caste system that is supposedly disbanded and not recognized by the government but in actuality it still exists among the people. There are still outcasts and untouchables who have little value other than doing all the dirty work the other classes will not do.
I visited the Potter’s House ministry at the dump in Guatemala City recently. They work with the children and parents who live and work in the dump. Both children and adults, 10,500 each day, are rummaging through the dump seeking for anything they can sell or recycle. Many people call them Scavengers but the Potter’s House calls them God’s treasures because they see the people through God’s eyes and not man’s. These people are every bit as valuable to God as anyone else. By calling them God’s Treasures, they are giving them the honor and respect that they deserve. It is so easy for us to use derogatory terms toward people we don’t like or who have some fatal flaws. He is a drunk. She is worthless. He is a mooch. She is a moron. We can all add words that we have used to label people based on their behavior. We may not have said these words to their face but nonetheless we have either thought them or spoken them to others. All these words and labels demean the other person and dishonor them for what God has made them.
We honor God’s creation also by recognizing the destiny God has for each person. We may look at a person’s past or their present situation and find it difficult to want to express honor. But if we look at that person based on the potential God has placed in them we can honor them for what they can become in Christ. I can honor them by supporting the design and purpose God has for their lives. We need to speak to that destiny, call it out, confirm it in the lives of people who are confused, lost and may not even be aware of what God has destined for them.
We can look at several stories in the Bible that bring out the importance of honor. One of the first displays of dishonor and honor involved Noah and his sons. Genesis 9:20-27
After the flood, Noah imbibed in a little too much wine and basically passed out in his tent. He had taken off all his clothes and was lying on the ground. Ham dishonored his father by looking on his nakedness while his brothers Shem and Japheth did the honorable thing and covered up their father without looking at him. Ham was quick to take advantage of his father who was in a state where he was not aware of what he had done. His disrespect for his father brought on a curse while the respect and honor shown by Shem and Japheth was rewarded with prosperity. They honored their father in spite of his condition while Ham exploited the situation. When people are at their weakest or displaying bad behavior do we show them honor or dishonor them by taking advantage of them or speaking evil against them? When we show honor to people at their weakest point we honor God and will be blessed.
Another incident of showing honor involved David when he was fleeing from Saul (1 Sam. 24:1-15). David had the opportunity to sneak up on Saul and put him to death while he was in the same cave as Saul. Saul was unaware of David’s presence while he relieved himself in the cave. David rejected the advice of his men to take advantage of the situation and kill Saul but instead he only cut off part of his garment. David did not want to kill Saul but he wanted him to know that he had spared his life and the piece of his garment would be a constant reminder to him. In this situation David had power over Saul and he could have used this power for his own benefit but he refused. We may look at David’s actions as justified, after all Saul had attempted to kill him on a couple of occasions and even then was in hot pursuit of David to put him to death. If anyone was justified in seeking revenge or relieving himself from all the trouble Saul brought it was David. Yet after David cut the garment he was convicted of his actions because he did not show honor to the man God had anointed as king of Israel. How many times have we felt justified in our actions of dishonoring another person because of what they have done to us? When we are offended, taken advantage of, had things stolen or destroyed by others, falsely accused or cursed by someone we can quickly justify a retaliatory response and feel like we have not done anything wrong because they deserved it! We have to guard our heart from acting or reacting with a spirit of revenge or justification and seek to demonstrate honor to those who have wronged us.
We are commanded by God to honor our parents.(Ex. 20:12) It comes with a reward of a long and good life. We honor our parents because they have given us life and brought us into the world. They created our lives and through them we have the opportunity to receive eternal life. Even if they were horrible, abusive, and negligent and perhaps rejected us or abandoned us, they were still used of God to bring us into existence. Our birth was part of God’s plan and our parents were instruments God used to bring us into existence. Through our physical birth, we have been given the privilege of knowing God and becoming one of His children who will dwell with Him for eternity. Your parents have given you an awesome, invaluable gift in spite of what they did or did not do for you. They should be honored because they gave you life. For many people this is a huge step to take because of the abuse that has happened and the pain that they carry in their hearts. I believe the healing process can begin when we take this first step of honoring our parents in spite of their failures.
In my life as a teenager I struggled with truly honoring my dad. He was a good provider for our family but he had some flaws that really affected me. I joined the US Army when I as 18 in part to get away from a home situation that was very hard on me. As difficult as Basic Training was, I was glad to be away from home and not have to deal with the things that were there. While in the military, I rededicated my life to Christ and began to really understand what it meant to have a personal relationship with Him. Through many people God placed in my life I began to see how I had not honored my dad as well as other people. God changed my heart toward my dad and when I returned home, I began to treat him with more honor and respect. There were still times of difficulty but I strived to always honor my dad and our relationship changed for the better. The last month of my dad’s life I was able to help care for him. We talked about things I had never addressed and I learned a lot about my dad. On the night he died in our home, I knelt down beside him as he lay dead on the bathroom floor and held his head in my lap and thanked God for the life of my dad and for the life he had given me. I regret that I had not shared those same words with my dad while he was alive and I encourage each of you to not wait to show honor to your parents and thank them for giving you life.
The Bible also commands us to show double honor to those who have ruled well and have given themselves to share the Word of God.
Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine. 1 Thes 5:17
And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem [honor] them very highly in love for their work’s sake. 1 Thes. 5:12, 13
It is an awesome privilege and responsibility to share the Word of God with others. It cannot be taken lightly thus the preparation time and constant study of the Word is imperative for the healthy growth of the church. Those who labor in this regard are to be given double honor because of the value and importance it plays in the life of the believer.
We are also to give honor to one another by giving preference to each other.
Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; Rom. 12:10
We show honor to others by giving preference to them. We prefer them over ourselves, we step aside and let them go first. I used to teach in a Christian school and when it was time to leave the class to go somewhere the students would line up at the door. It was always a race to see who would be first and often there was pushing and shoving to be the head of the line. Many times I would have the children do an about face which then made the last person in line the first as a way to teach them to not continue this behavior as it worked against them and did not show preference to others. We give preference to others when we allow them to go first to get what they need or when we allow them to do what they think is best instead of demanding our way. Some issues are worth fighting for but I think many things really have little significance in the grand scheme of life and by giving preference to the other person we promote unity among us. Some people have the “my way or the highway” mentality. They are so self centered that it is difficult or next to impossible for them to let others have their say or their way. These people get offended when their way is not followed. They have not learned how to give preference to others and they will constantly face opposition and create ill will until they make changes. Some people because of their personality may be shy and find it hard to vocalize their needs or desires. They need to be drawn out, invited to share and listened to or they will feel slighted or overlooked and may think they are being treated as second class citizens. When we give preference to them we honor them and acknowledge their ideas and contributions as being valuable.
We give preference to others by knowing what it is they like. As we get to know people, their likes and dislikes, we can give them the things that will bring joy and satisfaction. If I do not take time to get to know the other person I will not know what things they prefer. Sometimes it is not always possible to give people their preferences but when we can we need to make an effort to do so. It goes a long way in promoting good relationships and makes people feel that they are valued and honored for who they are. I remember going on a mission trip to Mexico with about 50 people. Feeding a group like that took a lot of planning and we could not cater to everyone’s preference. One lady who was on her first trip came through the line to get her food and when she was handed her piece of buttered bread, she commented, “I prefer to have my bread buttered on all four corners.” This was not a preference that we could accommodate at that moment and to be honest it torqed the cook who had been laboring for quite awhile to make a great meal for us. She did not say anything but you could have cooked an egg on her head. You can take a request like this and think that this person should just be grateful to have a nice hot meal and blow it off. Or the next time you butter the bread you could put it on all four corners as she preferred and show honor to her. It is a small thing but meaningful at least to that person.
Paul in writing to the church in Rome emphasized the need to honor every part of the body of Christ. Each part is important and the parts that seem to be weaker or less honorable need to be given more honor. The hidden people or the small people as BP has termed them need to be given more honor than those who get the most attention. We must recognize publicly the contributions of the people who are in the background who really are instrumental in making things happen. When I was in India I was treated with great honor. I was not used to this type of treatment and it was a little hard for me to receive it. Yet I knew that if I did not accept it I would offend the people who were honoring and preferring me. Everything that happened was made possible through the people who worked behind the scenes to organize the meetings and crusades. These are the people who need to be given special honor and recognition and the evangelist I went with made it a point to acknowledge them as well as all the people who had been praying for the crusade.
But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, Rom 12:20-23
Special honor is to be given to those who have endured hard times because of their faith in Christ.
Indeed we count them blessed [give great honor]who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. James 5:11
I had the honor of meeting Richard Wurmbrand who was known for all the torture he went through when he as a pastor in communist Russia. I read the book about his life called, “Tortured for his faith” and it has made a lasting impression on me. When he came to speak at my church, there was a great sense of honor for this man who endured unbelievable punishment. He has gone on to be with the Lord by the organization he founded called “Voice of the Martyrs” continues to bring awareness of the persecution of Christians that is happening throughout the world.
Another important area in which honor needs to be shown is the institution of marriage. The writer of Hebrews stressed “Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.” Heb 13:4
. It is not to be cheapened and dishonored through pre or extra marital sexual relations. It is a sacred and holy union between two people who have taken vows to honor and cherish each other for life. Marriage is under attack today, it is not being held in honor as a covenant between a man and a woman. Marriage is being redefined and has been extended to include same sex couples. Last week the news reported that same sex marriage has now been legalized in Argentina, the first Latin American country to do this. The marriage bed is being defiled and God will judge those who have robbed it of its sanctity.
Coupled with this is the admonition to husbands to give honor to the wife. Failure to honor her will hinder prayers being answered. God takes it seriously enough to not respond to the prayers of husbands who do not honor their wives. Someone once said you show honor to your wife by knowing what makes them tick and what ticks them off. Dwell with your wife with understanding. This is not mission impossible! It if was not possible it would not have been written in the Scriptures. Someone has said that it takes 20 years to learn how to love your wife and when you love your wife you understand how to honor her.
Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered. 1 Pt. 3:7
The final area of honor that Paul writes to the Corinthian church is to honor our body and spirit which are God’s property.
For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify [honor] God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. 1 Cor. 6:20
The city of Corinth was filled with prostitution. Men thought nothing of going to the temple prostitutes and having sex with them. In the Roman culture a wife was used to bear children and a prostitute was used to fulfill man’s sexual desires. Paul’s admonition to them was that this physical union was more than just a physical thing but it was the uniting of spirits. Our bodies and our spirit belong to God and we must take care of it and use it to bring honor to God. We can extend the meaning of this to also include how we take care of our bodies in what we eat, the rest we give it, and the physical exercise we do to keep it functioning properly. We make this part of our DTS because our bodies are an instrument that God uses for ministry and if we do not care for it properly we will be limited in our ministry.
God is a God of honor and it is evident in the relationship between the members of the Trinity. They each honor and glorify each other. Honor is an important part in the life of the believer and it must be given to all. We are to be a culture of honor to a world that seems to value dishonor. The challenge of showing honor comes to each one of us every day in our interactions with others and the thoughts we express in words or keep to ourselves. Seek ways you can demonstrate honor to all. Learn to give preference to others and value them for who they are and the divine destiny God has for them. Give special honor to your parents, to those who have suffered for their faith and to those who bring God’s word to you. Honor the institution of marriage as a sacred trust between a man and woman; don’t let anything or anyone strip it of its value. Husbands seek ways to show honor to your wife and value her as God does. Finally, honor God with your body and spirit by treating it with respect and care because it truly belongs to God
The words Peter wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit have been stirring in my heart. Especially the first words, “Honor all people.”
When Peter wrote these words the Christians in that day were being persecuted and were under fire. They were going through trials of their faith, much of which was being caused by people who hated and despised them. So when Peter wrote that the believers should honor all people, he was including those who were their enemies and persecutors as well as the governing authorities. All people means all people not just the ones we like, agree with or agree with us.
To honor someone means we give them value, we elevate them and esteem them. We can give honor to someone based on their position or office. If the President of Guatemala came into the room we would give honor to him because of his position of authority. We may have fear of the person because they have power over us to make our life miserable or more difficult. The authority may be benevolent and our motivation of honoring him is perhaps to get their approval for something we want or need. Our self preservation may kick in and influence our behavior. If a police officer pulls you over for speeding or some other infraction you will do whatever you can to show honor and respect for him or her because they have power over you. It is like a survival mechanism kicks in and you do what you need to do to escape what may happen to you. You will respond in a way to protect yourself and speak in a way that you hope will lessen the fine or get you off the hook. Our motive may be purely for self preservation and have nothing to do with truly honoring the police officer with a sincere heart. We put on our best behavior, our nicest voice, using terms of respect etc. to try to impress the officer and keep us from more trouble. And as soon as we are away from them we revert to our normal attitude toward them which may be good or bad. In this sense we are giving honor more to the position the person is in and the power he has over us rather than the personal worth or value of the person. Honoring the position of the person is not a bad thing but there is a deeper motivation for honor that I believe God wants us to practice in every relationship all the time.
Honoring people has to be base not on what they do or their behaviors but rather on who they are as persons created in the image of God. Because they are valued by God and are eternal souls created in God’s image and likeness, we are to give them honor. If we base honor on position and power we will give greater honor to a select group and overlook those who are less powerful or are considered marginal by society. James wrote about this problem in the church where people of wealth were given seats of honor while the poor were dishonored and made to sit down by the footstool, a lowly place. (James 2:1-6) Dishonoring the poor is practiced in many nations today. India has a caste system that is supposedly disbanded and not recognized by the government but in actuality it still exists among the people. There are still outcasts and untouchables who have little value other than doing all the dirty work the other classes will not do.
I visited the Potter’s House ministry at the dump in Guatemala City recently. They work with the children and parents who live and work in the dump. Both children and adults, 10,500 each day, are rummaging through the dump seeking for anything they can sell or recycle. Many people call them Scavengers but the Potter’s House calls them God’s treasures because they see the people through God’s eyes and not man’s. These people are every bit as valuable to God as anyone else. By calling them God’s Treasures, they are giving them the honor and respect that they deserve. It is so easy for us to use derogatory terms toward people we don’t like or who have some fatal flaws. He is a drunk. She is worthless. He is a mooch. She is a moron. We can all add words that we have used to label people based on their behavior. We may not have said these words to their face but nonetheless we have either thought them or spoken them to others. All these words and labels demean the other person and dishonor them for what God has made them.
We honor God’s creation also by recognizing the destiny God has for each person. We may look at a person’s past or their present situation and find it difficult to want to express honor. But if we look at that person based on the potential God has placed in them we can honor them for what they can become in Christ. I can honor them by supporting the design and purpose God has for their lives. We need to speak to that destiny, call it out, confirm it in the lives of people who are confused, lost and may not even be aware of what God has destined for them.
We can look at several stories in the Bible that bring out the importance of honor. One of the first displays of dishonor and honor involved Noah and his sons. Genesis 9:20-27
After the flood, Noah imbibed in a little too much wine and basically passed out in his tent. He had taken off all his clothes and was lying on the ground. Ham dishonored his father by looking on his nakedness while his brothers Shem and Japheth did the honorable thing and covered up their father without looking at him. Ham was quick to take advantage of his father who was in a state where he was not aware of what he had done. His disrespect for his father brought on a curse while the respect and honor shown by Shem and Japheth was rewarded with prosperity. They honored their father in spite of his condition while Ham exploited the situation. When people are at their weakest or displaying bad behavior do we show them honor or dishonor them by taking advantage of them or speaking evil against them? When we show honor to people at their weakest point we honor God and will be blessed.
Another incident of showing honor involved David when he was fleeing from Saul (1 Sam. 24:1-15). David had the opportunity to sneak up on Saul and put him to death while he was in the same cave as Saul. Saul was unaware of David’s presence while he relieved himself in the cave. David rejected the advice of his men to take advantage of the situation and kill Saul but instead he only cut off part of his garment. David did not want to kill Saul but he wanted him to know that he had spared his life and the piece of his garment would be a constant reminder to him. In this situation David had power over Saul and he could have used this power for his own benefit but he refused. We may look at David’s actions as justified, after all Saul had attempted to kill him on a couple of occasions and even then was in hot pursuit of David to put him to death. If anyone was justified in seeking revenge or relieving himself from all the trouble Saul brought it was David. Yet after David cut the garment he was convicted of his actions because he did not show honor to the man God had anointed as king of Israel. How many times have we felt justified in our actions of dishonoring another person because of what they have done to us? When we are offended, taken advantage of, had things stolen or destroyed by others, falsely accused or cursed by someone we can quickly justify a retaliatory response and feel like we have not done anything wrong because they deserved it! We have to guard our heart from acting or reacting with a spirit of revenge or justification and seek to demonstrate honor to those who have wronged us.
We are commanded by God to honor our parents.(Ex. 20:12) It comes with a reward of a long and good life. We honor our parents because they have given us life and brought us into the world. They created our lives and through them we have the opportunity to receive eternal life. Even if they were horrible, abusive, and negligent and perhaps rejected us or abandoned us, they were still used of God to bring us into existence. Our birth was part of God’s plan and our parents were instruments God used to bring us into existence. Through our physical birth, we have been given the privilege of knowing God and becoming one of His children who will dwell with Him for eternity. Your parents have given you an awesome, invaluable gift in spite of what they did or did not do for you. They should be honored because they gave you life. For many people this is a huge step to take because of the abuse that has happened and the pain that they carry in their hearts. I believe the healing process can begin when we take this first step of honoring our parents in spite of their failures.
In my life as a teenager I struggled with truly honoring my dad. He was a good provider for our family but he had some flaws that really affected me. I joined the US Army when I as 18 in part to get away from a home situation that was very hard on me. As difficult as Basic Training was, I was glad to be away from home and not have to deal with the things that were there. While in the military, I rededicated my life to Christ and began to really understand what it meant to have a personal relationship with Him. Through many people God placed in my life I began to see how I had not honored my dad as well as other people. God changed my heart toward my dad and when I returned home, I began to treat him with more honor and respect. There were still times of difficulty but I strived to always honor my dad and our relationship changed for the better. The last month of my dad’s life I was able to help care for him. We talked about things I had never addressed and I learned a lot about my dad. On the night he died in our home, I knelt down beside him as he lay dead on the bathroom floor and held his head in my lap and thanked God for the life of my dad and for the life he had given me. I regret that I had not shared those same words with my dad while he was alive and I encourage each of you to not wait to show honor to your parents and thank them for giving you life.
The Bible also commands us to show double honor to those who have ruled well and have given themselves to share the Word of God.
Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine. 1 Thes 5:17
And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem [honor] them very highly in love for their work’s sake. 1 Thes. 5:12, 13
It is an awesome privilege and responsibility to share the Word of God with others. It cannot be taken lightly thus the preparation time and constant study of the Word is imperative for the healthy growth of the church. Those who labor in this regard are to be given double honor because of the value and importance it plays in the life of the believer.
We are also to give honor to one another by giving preference to each other.
Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; Rom. 12:10
We show honor to others by giving preference to them. We prefer them over ourselves, we step aside and let them go first. I used to teach in a Christian school and when it was time to leave the class to go somewhere the students would line up at the door. It was always a race to see who would be first and often there was pushing and shoving to be the head of the line. Many times I would have the children do an about face which then made the last person in line the first as a way to teach them to not continue this behavior as it worked against them and did not show preference to others. We give preference to others when we allow them to go first to get what they need or when we allow them to do what they think is best instead of demanding our way. Some issues are worth fighting for but I think many things really have little significance in the grand scheme of life and by giving preference to the other person we promote unity among us. Some people have the “my way or the highway” mentality. They are so self centered that it is difficult or next to impossible for them to let others have their say or their way. These people get offended when their way is not followed. They have not learned how to give preference to others and they will constantly face opposition and create ill will until they make changes. Some people because of their personality may be shy and find it hard to vocalize their needs or desires. They need to be drawn out, invited to share and listened to or they will feel slighted or overlooked and may think they are being treated as second class citizens. When we give preference to them we honor them and acknowledge their ideas and contributions as being valuable.
We give preference to others by knowing what it is they like. As we get to know people, their likes and dislikes, we can give them the things that will bring joy and satisfaction. If I do not take time to get to know the other person I will not know what things they prefer. Sometimes it is not always possible to give people their preferences but when we can we need to make an effort to do so. It goes a long way in promoting good relationships and makes people feel that they are valued and honored for who they are. I remember going on a mission trip to Mexico with about 50 people. Feeding a group like that took a lot of planning and we could not cater to everyone’s preference. One lady who was on her first trip came through the line to get her food and when she was handed her piece of buttered bread, she commented, “I prefer to have my bread buttered on all four corners.” This was not a preference that we could accommodate at that moment and to be honest it torqed the cook who had been laboring for quite awhile to make a great meal for us. She did not say anything but you could have cooked an egg on her head. You can take a request like this and think that this person should just be grateful to have a nice hot meal and blow it off. Or the next time you butter the bread you could put it on all four corners as she preferred and show honor to her. It is a small thing but meaningful at least to that person.
Paul in writing to the church in Rome emphasized the need to honor every part of the body of Christ. Each part is important and the parts that seem to be weaker or less honorable need to be given more honor. The hidden people or the small people as BP has termed them need to be given more honor than those who get the most attention. We must recognize publicly the contributions of the people who are in the background who really are instrumental in making things happen. When I was in India I was treated with great honor. I was not used to this type of treatment and it was a little hard for me to receive it. Yet I knew that if I did not accept it I would offend the people who were honoring and preferring me. Everything that happened was made possible through the people who worked behind the scenes to organize the meetings and crusades. These are the people who need to be given special honor and recognition and the evangelist I went with made it a point to acknowledge them as well as all the people who had been praying for the crusade.
But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, Rom 12:20-23
Special honor is to be given to those who have endured hard times because of their faith in Christ.
Indeed we count them blessed [give great honor]who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. James 5:11
I had the honor of meeting Richard Wurmbrand who was known for all the torture he went through when he as a pastor in communist Russia. I read the book about his life called, “Tortured for his faith” and it has made a lasting impression on me. When he came to speak at my church, there was a great sense of honor for this man who endured unbelievable punishment. He has gone on to be with the Lord by the organization he founded called “Voice of the Martyrs” continues to bring awareness of the persecution of Christians that is happening throughout the world.
Another important area in which honor needs to be shown is the institution of marriage. The writer of Hebrews stressed “Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.” Heb 13:4
. It is not to be cheapened and dishonored through pre or extra marital sexual relations. It is a sacred and holy union between two people who have taken vows to honor and cherish each other for life. Marriage is under attack today, it is not being held in honor as a covenant between a man and a woman. Marriage is being redefined and has been extended to include same sex couples. Last week the news reported that same sex marriage has now been legalized in Argentina, the first Latin American country to do this. The marriage bed is being defiled and God will judge those who have robbed it of its sanctity.
Coupled with this is the admonition to husbands to give honor to the wife. Failure to honor her will hinder prayers being answered. God takes it seriously enough to not respond to the prayers of husbands who do not honor their wives. Someone once said you show honor to your wife by knowing what makes them tick and what ticks them off. Dwell with your wife with understanding. This is not mission impossible! It if was not possible it would not have been written in the Scriptures. Someone has said that it takes 20 years to learn how to love your wife and when you love your wife you understand how to honor her.
Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered. 1 Pt. 3:7
The final area of honor that Paul writes to the Corinthian church is to honor our body and spirit which are God’s property.
For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify [honor] God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. 1 Cor. 6:20
The city of Corinth was filled with prostitution. Men thought nothing of going to the temple prostitutes and having sex with them. In the Roman culture a wife was used to bear children and a prostitute was used to fulfill man’s sexual desires. Paul’s admonition to them was that this physical union was more than just a physical thing but it was the uniting of spirits. Our bodies and our spirit belong to God and we must take care of it and use it to bring honor to God. We can extend the meaning of this to also include how we take care of our bodies in what we eat, the rest we give it, and the physical exercise we do to keep it functioning properly. We make this part of our DTS because our bodies are an instrument that God uses for ministry and if we do not care for it properly we will be limited in our ministry.
God is a God of honor and it is evident in the relationship between the members of the Trinity. They each honor and glorify each other. Honor is an important part in the life of the believer and it must be given to all. We are to be a culture of honor to a world that seems to value dishonor. The challenge of showing honor comes to each one of us every day in our interactions with others and the thoughts we express in words or keep to ourselves. Seek ways you can demonstrate honor to all. Learn to give preference to others and value them for who they are and the divine destiny God has for them. Give special honor to your parents, to those who have suffered for their faith and to those who bring God’s word to you. Honor the institution of marriage as a sacred trust between a man and woman; don’t let anything or anyone strip it of its value. Husbands seek ways to show honor to your wife and value her as God does. Finally, honor God with your body and spirit by treating it with respect and care because it truly belongs to God
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Communication with God
Apple has just introduced the new 4G I phone. I do not know much about these phones as I do not own one but my friends have them and they are pretty amazing. You can spend a lot of time playing with all the gadgets and applications available. However shortly after the new phone was introduced people noticed that the phone itself did not work properly, receptivity dropped dramatically when the phone was held a certain way which was the way most people hold the phone when making or receiving a call. If you placed your hand on the edges of the phone you were interfering with the antennae and consequently hindering the reception and communication ability. Some have called this the “death grip.” I thought about this in terms of our relationship with God and how we can be hindering communication with him by things we do. I think all of us want to have clear communication with God. We want to be heard and hear Him when He speaks to us but often we do things that will hinder two-way communication.
The Scriptures are very clear that God does communicate in a personal way and he wants to communicate with each of his children. He is a relational God and relationships that lack communication are not very satisfying. You can track through the Old and New Testament and find numerous verses that verify that God does speak to his people.
God spoke directly to Adam and Eve in the garden (Gen 2,3)
God spoke to Abram and called him to leave his homeland (Gen 12)
God spoke to Moses face to face (Numbers 12)
God spoke to young Samuel (1 Sam. 3)
In the life of Jesus, he spoke to his Father and only did what his Father told him to do (John 6)
God’s desire as a Father is to establish regular and meaningful communication with his children. This is normal in human relationship unless there has been something that has gone wrong in the relationship. Floyd McClung wrote about a young man he met in Afghanistan that grew up in a very dysfunctional and hostile home environment.
I'll never forget the time Steve asked me if I wanted to know the happiest day of his life. Little did I realize the shock awaiting me as I expressed my eagerness to know more about this young man who until that time had remained closed, and unwilling to talk about himself or engage in normal conversation. The locked-in pain and hostility seemed to explode in a torrent of anger: 'I'll tell you the happiest day of my life,' said Steve with a strange smile on his face. 'It was my eleventh birthday and both my parents were killed in a car accident!'
I could hardly believe what I was hearing as Steve rushed on. 'They told me every day of my life that they hated me and didn't want me. My father resented me, and my mother continually reminded me that I was an accident. They didn't plan on me coming along, and didn't want me either. I'm glad they're dead!' (The Father heart of God)
Someone like Steve would find it difficult to believe in a father who loved him and wanted to establish a relationship with him that involved healthy communication. For many people the first step in establishing communication with God is just believing that he truly loves them and wants to talk with them.
As I have been studying more about Islam one of the main differences between Christianity and Islam is the view of God as a relational God. This is lacking in Islam and to many people it becomes just a series of rules to follow to make sure you are doing the right things to please Allah. The disciplines and ritual along with all the rules and regulations that you are to follow replace any personal intimate relationship with God. You are told what to do and how to do it and to many people this is a lot simpler than establishing a relationship that has real communication with God.
If you have any doubts about God’s desire to establish a relationship with you based in his love for you and desire to communicate with you individually, you need to deal with this as it will always be a hindrance to you.
A second barrier to communication is disobedience to the Lord. I think of Saul when he was King of Israel and how he was hindered in his communication with God through his willful disobedience. His disobedience caused God’s prophet and main spokesperson, Samuel to abandon him. Saul who did not listen and obey the voice of God’s prophet was now left on his own which is how he was conducting himself anyway. God gave him what he wanted. In Saul’s situation it led to disaster and ultimately he was so desperate to receive advice that he sought a medium who contacted the spirit world and was able to communicate with the spirit of the deceased Samuel. Using mediums was forbidden by God and explicitly stated in the commandments God gave to Moses. But it did not matter to Saul. He was so desperate that he resorted to this form of guidance.
1Sa 28:3-18 Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had put the mediums and the necromancers out of the land. The Philistines assembled and came and encamped at Shunem. And Saul gathered all Israel, and they encamped at Gilboa. When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets. Then Saul said to his servants, "Seek out for me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her." And his servants said to him, "Behold, there is a medium at En-dor." So Saul disguised himself and put on other garments and went, he and two men with him. And they came to the woman by night. And he said, "Divine for me by a spirit and bring up for me whomever I shall name to you." The woman said to him, "Surely you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and the necromancers from the land. Why then are you laying a trap for my life to bring about my death?" But Saul swore to her by the LORD, "As the LORD lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing." Then the woman said, "Whom shall I bring up for you?" He said, "Bring up Samuel for me." When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman said to Saul, "Why have you deceived me? You are Saul." The king said to her, "Do not be afraid. What do you see?" And the woman said to Saul, "I see a god coming up out of the earth." He said to her, "What is his appearance?" And she said, "An old man is coming up, and he is wrapped in a robe." And Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground and paid homage. Then Samuel said to Saul, "Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?" Saul answered, "I am in great distress, for the Philistines are warring against me, and God has turned away from me and answers me no more, either by prophets or by dreams. Therefore I have summoned you to tell me what I shall do." And Samuel said, "Why then do you ask me, since the LORD has turned from you and become your enemy? The LORD has done to you as he spoke by me, for the LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David. Because you did not obey the voice of the LORD and did not carry out his fierce wrath against Amalek, therefore the LORD has done this thing to you this day.
God does not want us to consult with mediums for advice; he wants to communicate directly with us through his Holy Spirit and through his Word. When people seek to use other means such as mediums, fortune tellers, tarot card readers, palm readers, psychics and other forms of communication they expose themselves to the demonic realm and cut themselves off from receiving communication from God.
Our disobedience to what God has made clear to us to do or not do, is a major hindrance to receiving further communication from God. When we willfully reject what he has asked of us, we take ourselves out of the communication link with God.
Isa 59:1 Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; Isa 59:2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
If you feel confused or feel like God is not communicating with you, one of the first things you need to do is check your heart and your daily walk with the Lord to see if you are living in disobedience. David felt a heaviness and separation from God after his sin with Bathsheba.
Psa 32:2-4 Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah
Our sin will hinder our communication with God just as it hinders our communication with people. All of us have experienced this when we have sinned against another person. Our communication is hindered until we get our relationship right with the person we have offended. Restoration will occur when we humble ourselves and have a contrite heart to ask for forgiveness. Once we are forgiven the communication link is restored. We also need to forgive others who have offended us. If we harbor unforgiveness we are putting up a barrier because it is another form of sin. Forgiveness is releasing a person from the punishment they deserve but it also releases us from carrying the burden of our pain and hurt they caused. When we truly forgive we are set free and the communication link to God is restored.
Our communication can also be hindered by outside and inside interference. Even though the signal may be clear if there are outside noises competing with your attention, you will not hear properly. I have a slight hearing loss and certain tones are very difficult for me to hear and this becomes even a more pronounced problem when there are other noises in the background. It is hard for me to hear what is being said and I often have to get closer to the person or get away from the noise in order to hear what they are saying. In our communication with God we face the same issue. We are hindered from hearing God’s voice when we allow other voices to compete with him or distract us from focusing on hearing his voice. We have to be able to shut off the voices within our head as well as the voices and noise from the outside to accurately hear what God is saying to us. When Jesus wanted to hear from his father he got alone, away from the disciples and crowd so he could focus his attention on his father. We live in a day when there are so many distractions that it is hard to focus. You can be receiving so much information at one time that it is hard to focus unless you shut off the source of input. Quiet your heart and mind so you can focus on hearing and remove all the things that can be a distraction when you want to communicate with God. Get alone, get in a quiet place and enjoy uninterrupted communication with God. All of us need to do this on a daily basis and if you are not spending time alone with God you are hindering receiving the communication he wants to have with you. God can and does speak to us outside of this time but we still need to get alone daily with him. When we spend time alone with God our spiritual reception will be fine tuned and we will recognize how God speaks to us and when we are in those times of busyness and distractions we will be better able to recognize when God is speaking to our spirit.
Another hindrance to hearing God’s voice can be physical problems and sickness.
Ill health and physical wellbeing affect our ability to hear God clearly. Tiredness, anxiety, headaches, chronic fatigue and depression cause a dullness or fogginess so that God's voice cannot easily be heard clearly. Some illnesses include the hearing of voices so that it is hard for people to hear God's voice at times.
Joy Dawson has been a teacher with YWAM for many years and I recommend reading any material she has written. She is one woman who hears from God because she takes time to wait upon the Lord. She suggests some very practical principles for hearing God’s voice and these are principles YWAM uses during intercessory prayer.
First, expect God to speak to you and thank him in advance. Communicate with God with an expectation that God is going to speak to you. Thank God in advance for what he is going to do to communicate with you.
Secondly, Take authority over the voice of the enemy and his demonic forces. We can command him to be silent and not interrupt our time with the Lord. God has given us authority and we must exercise it so the enemy cannot have entrance. The enemy will try to put wrong thoughts into our minds. He will bring up things that have no bearing on what we are doing in order to distract us. He is often forceful and impatient and there is no peace when he speaks but rather we feel agitated.
The third thing is to silence our own human voice, our own desires of what we want to hear or see done. We can come to God with our agenda of things we want to tell him but we must be willing to lay these down so we can hear what God wants to speak to us. We simply state that we are dying to our desires, emptying ourselves of our thoughts and demands on God so we can have free and clear communication with him.
The fourth area is one we have already mentioned and that is to make sure we have no unconfessed sin that will hinder our communication.
Fifthly, After we have done these things, we can expect God to speak to us as we wait upon him.
God can speak to us in a variety of ways such as:
Bringing to mind a particular Bible verse or simply giving us a reference to look up.
Giving us a mental picture or an image.
We may have a vision presented to us.
Speaking a word or phrase to our mind.
Giving us an impression in our mind, a thought that comes to us that we may or may not understand.
A physical sensation. You may have pain in a certain area of your body or a cold or hot feeling.
Learning to hear and recognize God’s voice takes time to develop. Don’t be discouraged if you are not hearing like you think you should. I am constantly asking God to help me hear clearly.
How can we test what we hear to be sure that it is really God?
Here are some tests that will help us evaluate what we are hearing.
Does it correspond with what you read in the Bible?
Is it consistent with the character of Jesus?
Will its application bring peace and encouragement, or will it produce strife?
Does it sit well on my spirit?
Do other people or circumstances confirm what you are hearing?
Does it lead to life or death - in the widest sense of these terms?
Does it cause me to feel the "anointing" of the Spirit (a very subjective test, but useful with experience)?
God has communicated very clearly to us through his Word and he has given us the Holy Spirit who is commissioned to teach us and lead us into all truth. We can be confident that God will communicate clearly to us because it is his desire to do so. As we eliminate the hindrances and understand how God speaks to us we will begin to enjoy a deeper and more intimate relationship with him.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Deception
My roommate in Bible school told of a situation that happened to a family living in the Boston area in the late 70’s. One day their car was stolen from in front of their home but was returned later with an apologetic note on windshield explaining that they needed to use the car for an emergency and tickets to the Boston Bruins hockey game. At this time the Boston Bruins were the hottest hockey team in the NHL so tickets to their home games were at a premium. The family was upset that their car had been stolen yet found it easy to forgive the thieves when the note and tickets were given to them. A kind hearted thief is what they thought they were dealing with. They went to the hockey game and enjoyed it and when they came home they found their house had been robbed of almost everything!!! The thieves had returned, knowing that no one would be home.
Thieves and con artists always try to take advantage of the good will of people. They know how to present themselves in a way that is easy for the average person to be deceived. Deception is one of the primary tools the enemy, Satan, uses to get at God’s people. He began using this tactic immediately with Adam and Eve in the garden when he deceived them into believing that they would be like God if they ate of the forbidden fruit. Jesus said that Satan was a liar from the beginning (John 8:44). It seems that the enemy is increasing his deception in these days when times are difficult for many people and they are looking for easy, quick solutions to their problems.
We often let our guard down and don’t check things out thoroughly before we make decisions when we are under pressure and all too often get burned in a bad deal. In our time of need we can misinterpret what seems to be an answer to our situation when in reality it is a ploy of the enemy to rip us off. As believers we want to be trusting of people, that they have good intentions and really want to help but the enemy uses this against us as well. Recently in the missionary community a couple advertized the availability of a rental van for a reasonable price with the stipulation that half of the money be deposited prior to the date of renting to secure the vehicle. It all sounded legitimate until there was no further communication with the couple after the deposit was made. The enemy is sly and he takes advantage of our needs by setting up false ways to meet them. We have to be careful, to be wise as serpents, to be sober and alert, to check out the spirit of the person, to obey the check we feel in our spirit when something is happening that does not sit well with us.
Last week I felt impressed to check my bank account on line. I discovered that the day before someone had used my credit card to make 2 purchases. I immediately called my bank to cancel the card and request reimbursement for unauthorized purchases. I thank God for giving me the idea to check my account and realize it was the Holy Spirit working in me that alerted me to the situation.
We have to be especially careful in these days to do what we know to do to protect what God has given us materially and spiritually. The enemy will try to rob, kill and destroy. He has a host of demons as well as people who are under his control that are more than willing to carry out his mission. It is his mission and you and I are his primary targets. He wants to take us out because he knows that we a threat to him.
God does not want us to walk around in a state of fear and paranoia but we do need to be aware of what is happening around us and be prepared to take action. Physical or material things that are robbed can easily be replaced but the attacks on our beliefs are more devastating and can have life long implications. I believe the enemy wants more than anything to destroy our Christian beliefs and replace them with lies, doubts and fear. How can we stand against his attacks so that we do not fall prey to his deceptions?
The first line of attack of the enemy is the character and nature of God. Satan attacked the character and nature of God in his temptation of Adam and Eve. He made them question the nature of God’s goodness and that God lied to them and did not have their best interests in mind. They were being short changed by God, he was holding back something they should have. This was the thought he communicated to them. Both of them should have responded to the temptation by stating that God was good and they did not need anything beyond what he had made available to them especially when it was something that he had specifically forbidden. God by his nature is good and all that he does and will ever do for us is always for our good. He has no evil in him and no intention of ever doing anything that will harm us. All of his commands are always for our best. His restrictions are based on his infinite knowledge of what will happen to us if we do not obey them. It is his goodness and love for us that causes him to warn us of the consequences of our action. He is never cheating us out of anything but is always doing what will be in our best interests and brings us the most joy and satisfaction in life. The enemy always wants to take something good and find ways for us to experience it using ways that God has not sanctioned. We can see many examples of this in how people live today. One area is relationships with the opposite sex. Marrying the wrong person is one of tactics of the enemy to make you less effective in your witness for the Lord. It also almost always guarantees problems because of the differences in beliefs. Marriage has enough adjustments just with the differences in male and female and to add even more problems with belief systems will often push a couple over the edge. Marry well, find a mate who is equally yoked, responsible, faithful, committed to you and most of all committed to the Lord. A great temptation and lie of the enemy today is that sex outside of marriage is not a problem. Sex before marriage is prevalent but has profoundly negative results spiritually, emotionally, physically and socially. It destroys the intimacy that God intended a married couple to experience. Even among married couples fidelity to one’s spouse is not important. Your pleasure is more important than your commitment to God’s word and your commitment to your marriage vows. Many people are choosing to live together without being legally married. In Sweden statistics show that 80% of the children are born to couples who are not married. Many would say that the legal piece of paper does not mean anything but that is a lie. It serves to bind a couple together and is a foundation that must be established in order for a true relationship to be built. Many do not honor the legal commitment yet it does serve both a spiritual and legal purpose. Another area regarding relationships is how quickly couples will break up in search for the perfect mate. A friend wrote me recently and said her niece was on her 7th marriage. I am not sure what happened in the previous 6 but something is not right in her selection process or she has some major flaws that need to be addressed. The lie of the enemy is that there is always someone better for you and it is in your best interests to leave your present relationship to find the one that will truly satisfy you. God’s intention was for marriage to be forever because he knew that this would be the best for all parties involved including the children. Marriage is God’s gift to mankind; it is something very good when couples honor their commitments to each other and to God. But mankind has diminished its value and in many cases has discarded it as something unnecessary. God by his nature is faithful and we can all be thankful that he does not abandon us or view us as disposable or replaceable. Our relationship with others must reflect how God relates to us in all of his goodness. When we truly know God’s character and nature, we can accept what he has commanded us to do and demonstrated through Christ’s example as they way we should live and relate to one another. To know God is our first and most important pursuit in our life. We must be filled with the knowledge of God so we will know his ways, his thoughts. Col 1:9,10
9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God
Are you seeking to know him through his word and through good teaching? If not you are setting yourself up to be deceived by the lies of the enemy because you have nothing in your belief system that will act as a shield of protection to identify the lies. It is critical that you have solid, unshakeable beliefs that accurately reflect the character and nature of God. This is our most important line of defense because it gives us a basis upon which we can examine every philosophy and belief system that is presented. Many people base their actions on their feelings instead of their beliefs. We have to apply our minds to seek and know the truth about God or we will fall into the deceptions of the enemy.
This leads to the second deception of the enemy that is propagated among many people. This deception is that it does not matter what you believe about God, what religion you chose to believe as they all lead to God. The destination is the same, but the road to get there is different. Truth is relative, what you believe is good for you and what I believe is good for me. Is this possible? Can two differing belief systems both be true? Logic and reasoning defy this argument. If there are two or more statements that claim to be true they cannot be contradictory and still be true. Either one statement is correct or they all are false. You cannot have both of them be true. There is only one Truth and as believers in Christ we believe what he claimed about himself when he stated, “I am the Way the Truth and the Life. No man comes to the Father but by me.” His statement was exclusive, there was no other options given nor was it left to discussion. It was a statement of fact that we can choose to believe or deny.
Islam is one of the fastest growing religions in the world not through conversions but through the increase in birthrate among Muslim followers. Let’s look at some of the beliefs of the Muslims in contrast to Christian beliefs. The following information was gleaned from the book, “Unveiling Islam” written by Ergun and Emet Caner, former Muslims who are now believers in Christ.
Christians believe that God is love and that he loves people so much that he sent Christ to the world to die for their sins. (John 3:16, Rom. 5:8) God hates sin yet loves us even in our sinful state.
The Quran teaches that God hates transgressors (sura 2:190)and only loves those who first love him and do good works (sura 3:31).
Christians believe that God sent Jesus to be the Truth, to die for men and reconcile them to God (John 14:6)
Muslims believe that Allah sent prophets to proclaim the truth.
Christians believe that salvation is a gift from God given by his grace through faith in the work of Christ (Eph. 2:8,9)
Muslims believe that salvation is only earned through good works but even then there is no guarantee of such. On the Day of Judgment you will know if you made it into heaven.
Christians believe that God does not desire any to perish but all will come to the knowledge of the truth. 2 Peter 3:9.
Muslims believe that Allah leads astray those whom he pleases and guides whom he pleases and he is exalted in power, full of wisdom. (sura 14:4) This is a fatalistic belief that events are fixed and unchangeable. Allah will send to hell or heaven those whom he pleases. There is no security for Muslims. Mohammed himself did not know if he would receive salvation. Even though you may have done many good works, your salvation is dependent upon the will of Allah.
Christianity teaches that one can have a personal relationship with God that is initiated by God’s love. God is infinite yet personal. He cares for his people, communicates with them and acts in love toward them.
Islam teaches that the believer must first love God in order for God to love them. When a believer loves God they expect him to pay them back in some form of prosperity (sura 24:51-55). A personal relationship with God based on love is not possible. Everything done is base on duty and desire to be given a payback.
There are many other differences in the beliefs between Christians and Muslims. They both cannot be true. Either Christ is the Truth or the teachings of Mohammed are the truth.
The testimony of Ergun Caner describes the conflict he saw in his Muslim beliefs that Jesus was just a prophet and the teachings of the Bible that Jesus was the Son of God.
“After hearing about the saving grace of Jesus Christ, it became evident to Ergun that Islam was wrong about one seminal thing: there was no way that Jesus could have been a prophet, as Islam taught. Jesus was arrested and imprisoned on a dual indictment-the Romans held Him for insurrection, and the Jewish leaders convicted Him of blasphemy, that is, claiming to be God. Islam, in order to resolve the matter of the Resurrection, teaches that Judas, not Jesus, was crucified, allowing Jesus to appear three days later. Yet even that bit of misinformation doesn’t confront the larger issue of Jesus’ deity. Even extra biblical history notes that Jesus claimed to be God, an act of blasphemy, which was a capital offense.
To borrow a motif from the Christian philosopher C.S. Lewis, if Jesus claimed to be God, He couldn’t have been a prophet. He could have been insane, like those who wander the streets assuming they are divine. But if He were insane, He couldn’t have been one of Allah’s prophets. He could have been a fraud, deceiving people, but, again, an impostor and charlatan couldn’t have been a prophet of Allah. Ergun faced one other option: Jesus was who He said He was Immanuel-God with us.” P. 18
A third tactic of the enemy is to deceive people into thinking that they really cannot know the truth. He has created a multitude of religious beliefs in order to utterly confuse people and keep them from embracing the truth that is found exclusively in Jesus Christ. The question many people have is how can I know the truth? With all the competing philosophies it is understandable that people are confused. God understood this and He has made it easy for us to know the truth. The gospel message is simple, straightforward and understandable. There are no secret formulas, special underwear you have to wear, incantations or ceremonies that only a few privileged people know that will reveal truth. God sent Jesus to be his Truth revealed in the flesh to mankind. When we know Christ we know the Truth because he is the embodiment of the Truth. In his love for mankind he has also given us the Bible that as Francis Schaffer said is “True Truth but not exhaustive truth.” God has also given us the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth. He wants us to know the truth and be grounded in it. True Christianity offers freedom while other religious beliefs all have some type of bondage the holds people down and keeps them under the power of another person or demonic force. When we study the life of Christ we see the Truth God wants us to know and when we know the truth we are set free. We no longer have to seek for anything else because there is nothing else! We have to be willing to confront people with the truth and ask them hard questions about what they believe. The uncertainty and contradictions of their beliefs must be brought into the light of the truth so they can compare what they believe with the truth. Many people are not willing to examine what they believe and they are quick to reject Christianity without having any proof to support their claims. There are several tests that should be applied to help people evaluate what they believe and if they are willing to take the time and energy to honestly look at these areas it will help them determine the validity of what they believe.
1. What they believe must not have logical inconsistencies. If there are contradictions in their beliefs it must be considered false. One example of this is people who believe that there is no sin or imperfections in heaven yet claim that even though they are not perfect they are good enough to enter heaven thus making heaven imperfect.
2. The things that are real that are understood through our conscious daily experiences, scientific investigation and reported to us through the experiences of others must be evaluated to determine if it is true and if it is found to be true, it must become part of their belief system. If it is not incorporated into their beliefs their belief system is false. An example of this is the evidence of the resurrection of Christ if it is believed to be true, must be incorporated into their belief system. It cannot be rejected because they do not like the implications of this fact.
3. They should be able to explain four important questions: 1. Origin: where did I come from? 2. What is my purpose in life? 3. How do I determine what is right or wrong? 4. What happens to me after I die?
4. What they believe must give a sense of satisfaction, nothing is left out and what they believe is livable for everyone.
The battle ground is in the mind but the forces behind the battle are found in the demonic realm, the principalities and powers that rule (Eph. 6:12
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places).
2 Cor. 10:3-6
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.
We must pray against the lies and deception of the enemy while at the same time proclaiming the truth of the gospel message. The Holy Spirit can take our words of truth spoken in love and lift off the veil of darkness that keeps people from coming to the knowledge of the truth. The devil’s lies and deception can be revealed and destroyed. His power over people can be broken.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Relief work continues in San Miguel Escobar
Yesterday I returned to the work site I posted pictures of in the last post and to my amazement almost all of the mud had been takn out. The next door neighbor was still at work and other homes in the same area are still being cleaned. Some of the homes may not be structurally sound to allow the families to live in them again. I spent the afternoon working at a home that is filled with mud. There were several Guatemalan youth helping haul out the wheelbarrows filled with water and mud. The rains continue to pound the area which has created more problems. Please continue to pray that the rains will cease until things can be cleaned and repaired.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
San Miguel Escobar Mudslide
On Saturday, May 29 Tropical Storm Agatha ravaged parts of Guatemala. San Miguel Escobar where our YWAM Base is located was hit hard as there were 5 waves of mud coming off of Volcano Agua. Many homes were completely destroyed by the huge rocks and trees that came rolling down. What they did not destroy,the mud did. Many houses and streets are filled with thick mud and it will take at least a week to clean out each home. Today I worked at a home that had about 3 feet of mud in every room from the front of the property to the back it was pure mud. The mud is wheelbarrowed to the street where the city has machinery to scoop it up and load it into a truck. Everything in the homes is contaminated and will need to be destroyed so families will have to refurnish their entire home and I do not know how long the odor will stay in the walls of the cement block homes. It is a miserable situation for the families who are lacking resources to rebuild and replace what has been damaged and lost. There have been several deaths as a result of the mudslides, an official count is pending.
Please pray for the relief efforts to proceed rapidly and for rain free weather until it is all cleaned up.
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