Saturday, February 28, 2015

The Death of Self.

     "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies it bears much fruit.
     "He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal.
     "If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him."
                                     John 12:24-26 NASB

     There can be no spiritual power, no true usefulness to God, except that we die to ourselves. The world is full of busy religious people all doing things for God and His kingdom, but we see so little power, so little results, so little of the presence of God in our activities.
     Jesus tells us that a seed will not bear fruit unless it is dead and buried. We also will not bear fruit unless we are dead and buried spiritually speaking.
     He puts His finger on the problem. It is the love of life that keeps us useless for His glory. Multitudes of professing believers are caught up in the everyday pursuit of life and happiness. We live for the temporal needs of this life. We are concerned for food and clothing, and put God's kingdom in the back part of our minds. This is the exact opposite of what Jesus calls us to do (Matt 6:25-34).
     You see, Jesus calls us to hate our lives in this world. He is telling us that our plans, our agendas, our pleasures and desires, must go. It is not about us at all. As long as we retain self in any form, we cannot truly follow Him. We cannot serve two masters (Matt 6:24).
     Too many professed Christians are running around with self in control of their lives. To be sure, many of them live moral, upright lives. They have put away sins of every kind, but they, like the rich young ruler, still have an idol in their hearts (Luke 18:18-24). It is this idea of happiness, the "American dream." We seem to want to be comfortable, to retain at least some control of our lives and circumstances, to have our needs fully met, and have some pleasure as well. We seek higher education, find fulfillment in sports and entertainment, go to Church and get involved with the many programs and activities that are promoted there, but it is all for us, and about us!
     Paul said that he gloried in the cross of Christ, through which the world was crucified to him, and he to the world (Galatians 6:14). We all believe that Jesus was crucified on the cross for us, but have we been placed on the cross as well? We might not teach this today, but it is biblical nonetheless. Paul states that He has been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer Paul in charge, but the life of Christ is now lived out by faith (Galatians 2:20). In the Epistle to the Romans, Paul states that as believers we have been crucified with Christ so that our sinful nature would be destroyed. We find freedom from sin through the cross (Romans 6:6).
     The point is that dead men have no plans, no purposes, no agendas, nothing. Once nailed to that cross, it is all over. You cannot get down to go to your job, you cannot get down to go home to your families, hobbies, vacations, entertainments, or anything else. Even our plans and desires as relating to Christian service must be forsaken for God, and His higher plans for us. It is over, and this is where God calls us to be. Jesus tells us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him (Mark 8:34-35). We are no longer our own. This is the call to surrender all, to completely and forever renounce all we have and are, and follow Christ fully. No more self, but Christ is all.
     This is where we are filled with power and purpose. We have to get rid of self, so that We can be filled with Him. If you had murky water in a container that was unfit to drink, wouldn't you first pour it out before you filled it with fresh clean water? Likewise, God wants us out of the way so to speak, so that He might live through us in power.
     Now it can be all about Him. It is no longer our will, but His. It is no longer our plans and purposes that we live for, but His. We are no longer struggling within the confines of our limited strength, but operating in the power of the Holy Spirit. Just as a seed falls into the ground and grows into a fruit bearing plant, now we too can bear fruit for God.
     Fear keeps us back. We worry about not being in control, but is not God far wiser than we are in making decisions? We worry about food and clothing, but will He not take care of us (Matt 6:33)? God has our highest good in mind. He will not leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5-6). God has a higher call upon your life than you might realize. Will you not yield to His call today?

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Broken Cistern Christianity.

     "For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water."
                                Jeremiah 2:13 NASB

     There is nothing new under the sun, as the preacher says in Ecclesiastes 1:9. The word of the Lord to His wayward people in the days of Jeremiah, is still applicable to modern "Christianity" today.
     Indeed, we have seen denominations, and churches, forsake the Lord, the fountain of living waters, in our day as well. How has this been done?
    
     1. We have forsaken the message of repentance.
     In much of our modern evangelistic efforts, we hold to an easy believism that allows "converts" to remain in their sin. The modern message leaves out the vital need for heartfelt repentance from sin. We say "come just as you are", but we do not stress the fact that we cannot remain just as we are if we have truly come to Christ for the salvation of our souls. We are leaving generations of professing Christians still dead in their sins, because the need for repentance has been cut out of much of our preaching.
     Yet Jesus stressed the need for repentance (Matt 4:17; Luke 13:3), as did His forerunner, John the Baptist (Matt 3:1-2). It was the message of the Apostles and the early Church (Acts 2:38, 3:19, 17:30-31, 26:20, 2 Cor 7:9-10, James 4:6-10). The scriptures close with the letters to the seven Churches where the Lord Jesus once again stresses the need for repentance (Rev 2:5, 16, 21-22, 3:3, 19).
     Repentance, the turning from our sin (giving it up), and turning to God in submission to Him, is key to our salvation. There can be no salvation without it, for if we desire to be forgiven, but still choose to remain in our sin, we are doing nothing but presuming upon the grace of God. He will not be mocked, we will reap what we sow (Gal 6:7-8).

     2. We have rejected true biblical faith, for mere head knowledge.
     The modern evangelical message is "Only believe." It is true that it is by faith that we enter into a saving relationship with Christ Jesus, but faith goes beyond mere assent to biblical facts about Christ. The Apostle Paul tells us that "Abraham believed God, and it was counted as righteousness (Romans 4:3)." James shows us the other side of faith however. We see that Abraham believed God with a faith that acted upon that belief. Abraham's faith was working with his works, and this was the fulfillment of the scriptures where we are told that Abraham was declared righteous on account of his faith (James 2:21-23).
     James tells us that true biblical faith, that is, true saving faith, will show itself by action. Faith without works is useless (James 2:20), and it is also dead faith (James 2:26). We are told that the demons believe and tremble (James 2:19). They have a lot of knowledge of Jesus stored in their minds, possibly much more knowledge than many supposed Christians claim to have, but that information is useless to them, as it is for those who do not act upon their faith in obedience to Christ. True faith, the only kind that God will honor, is an active obedient faith, expressing itself in love (Gal 5:6).

     3. We have forsaken the Lordship of Christ.
     Jesus asks "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say (Luke 6:46)?" Today we teach that one does not need to call Jesus Lord, or do what He says. We believe that He can be our Savior, but He does not have to be our Lord. What does Jesus say about this however? He tells us that we cannot serve two masters (Matt 6:24). Jesus calls us to lose all for His sake and the sake of the gospel (Mark 8:34-38). He calls us to give Him our complete allegiance, even renouncing all that we have (Luke 14:26-33). If we love our lives, we will lose them, but if we lose them for Him we will keep them unto life eternal (John 12:24-26). Will we follow Him all the way or not? It is a selfish gospel that offers forgiveness, but still allows one to retain full control of his or her life. To love anyone, or anything more than Jesus amounts to idolatry.

     4. We are without law.
     Modern day Christianity has failed to teach the importance of the moral law of God. We claim that we are now under grace, and the law is irrelevant (Romans 6:15; Eph 2:15). We do not agree with Jesus when He says He did not come to do away with the law, but to fulfill it (Matt 5:17). We have neglected the fact that the law is established by faith (Romans 3:31), and under the new covenant, it is written upon the hearts of those who have been born again through Jesus Christ (Jeremiah 31:31-33; Hebrews 10:16-17). The law is now fulfilled in us as we live and walk in the Spirit of God (Romans 8:2-4). We obey it's precepts from an inward principle. The Holy Spirit has changed us so that the true child of God will want to obey, from the heart.
     So many modern teachers claim that the law has been done away with, and it is not important whether we keep it or not. The words of John tell us differently however. He tells us that sin is lawlessness (1 John 3:4). Jesus condemns those who practice lawlessness (Matt 7:23), as He came to take away sin, not to promote it (1 John 3:5-8).

     5. What about Holiness?
     The bible tells us that without holiness no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). The Apostle Paul calls us to come out from this wicked world and be separate. We are given the promise that God will be a father to us, and we will become His children (2 Cor 6:14-18). As we see, holiness is a way of life. It is a separation that is lived out in our daily conduct (1 Peter 1:14-17). Once again, this is downplayed, as God "sees" us as holy, no matter how we live. We are taught that somehow the Father cannot see our sin and moral filth, even though we are not truly separated from this evil world. Paul tells us that to reject holiness is to reject God (1 Thess 4:8). It is interesting to note that 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 deals with sexual purity, something that has been largely rejected by the modern seeker Churches of today.
     Once again, without holiness, that is, to come out of this world, and to be separated unto God, you will not see God. To refuse to be holy, is to reject God.

     6. We do not love Christ.
     The Apostle Paul closes his epistle to the Corinthian Church with the warning that anyone who does not love Christ is to be accursed (1 Cor 16:22). No professing believer would say that they do not love Christ. In fact, most, if not all, would claim to love Him, even with all their heart. But how does Jesus define our love for Him? What is the standard He uses? After all, if He desires, even demands our love, does He not have the right to define what that love is, and how it is shown?
     Once again, our love is shown by our deeds, in the same way our faith is made evident. Jesus tells us that if we love Him, we will do what He says. To disobey Him is to not love Him (John 14:21-24). Plain and simple words from God Himself, that define for us what love is. How many of us can say that we truly love Jesus if we use this as our standard? Love is not about emotions, and feeling good during worship. Lip service means nothing if the heart is far from God (Mark 7:6-8). Once again, where we have put away God's commands, and chosen to live in lawlessness, we have no love (Matt 24:12).
    
     The modern Church has rejected God in many ways, and chosen to serve a different Jesus than the one revealed to us in the word of God. Instead of coming to the fountain of living waters, we have become content to hew out for ourselves cisterns that cannot hold water.
      Imagine the inhabitants of a great city which lay under siege. As their water supply began to run out, they rush to open their cisterns, that should contain an ample supply of water. Imagine their shock and horror as they remove the coverings only to discover that all of their water leaked out over time! Now imagine you are standing before Jesus Christ on the day of judgment. Will your religion save you on that day?

     1. We have dug out a cistern of selfishness.
     The modern gospel has become a gospel of selfishness that appeals to our fleshly natures. It is not a matter of dying to ourselves, so that we may live for God. Instead, we hold to a gospel that makes God our servant. He lives to please us, and make us happy. This however is  not the gospel presented to us in the word of God. Once again, Jesus tells us to renounce all that we have, if we will be His disciples (Luke 14:33). It is the crucified life that Jesus desires for us (Gal 6:14), a life that is not about us, but Him.

     2. We worship at the cistern of modern culture.
     The modern Church has to a great degree allowed the culture of the day to define Christian faith and practice. Never mind that the scriptures define for us the standards that God has for His Church. We have determined that God's word is old, antiquated, no longer relevant for today's society.
     We can see this in the "sexual revolution" that has permeated the Church. Things that have been prohibited by the word of God for thousands of years, are now deemed acceptable. We tolerate all kinds of sin in so called believers. We affirm people in their sin, and do all we can to promote their sinful lifestyles.
     The Apostle Paul confronted this same thing in Corinth. He rebuked the church for their tolerance of gross sexual immorality within their midst, even calling them arrogant (1 Cor 5:1-2). God's word warns us that immoral individuals will not inherit the kingdom of God. Do not be deceived by this empty cistern. (Ephesians 5:5-6).
     The gospel of the kingdom should be transforming the culture, instead of adapting to it. Our modern seeker sensitive mentality makes people feel good, and promotes Christianity as this non judgmental, tolerant fellowship, but in our efforts to cater to everyone, we have lost the power that only the true gospel contains.

     3. Programs with no power.
     In the beginnings of Christianity, a few uneducated disciples turned the world upside down for Christ. With no money, and no eloquence, these individuals went out filled with the Holy Ghost, and spread the gospel throughout the world.
     Now we rely on expensive programs to entertain people into the kingdom. These programs require manpower to carry out, and leave a wake of burned out volunteers disillusioned, when they fail to produce lasting converts. We seem to be more interested in Church growth numerically, rather than seeing the Church grow spiritually.
     Throughout the book of Acts, and the Epistles, we read how the early Christians went in the power of the Holy Spirit, and accomplished great things. Miracles, healings, devils cast out, and thousands of souls saved, are what they saw as a normal part of their Christian lives. The Bible tells us that it is not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of God (Zech 4:6). Why do we insist upon exchanging the Holy Spirit for a program?

     4. Grace has become a license to sin.
     For many, the modern view of grace means that we can live as we please, as God has covered our sin, by His grace. It is true that the forgiveness of our sin is due to God's grace. We, as rebels against God, deserve nothing but death. God's grace goes beyond our comprehension. Why would God forgive us? Why would He send Jesus to die in our place?
     However, many individuals believe that they can go on in sin because they are not under law, but grace. This is the exact opposite of what Paul states in Romans 6:14-15. Most Bible teachers would not come out and tell people to go ahead and sin because grace will cover it, but the way that grace is presented by many pastors and teachers today, leaves one with a false sense of security. They say that nothing we do can affect our salvation. No degree of sin can separate a believer from God. This teaching ignores many passages of scripture that warn us of sin, and its deadly consequences. Many "sinning saints" have little or no conviction of the sin in their lives, because they have ignored the voice of the Spirit of God, speaking to them through their consciences. They instead have been affirmed in their sin by this dangerous stretching of the truth of grace.
     God's grace actually teaches us to turn from sin, and to live godly lives (Titus 2:11-14). God, in His grace, has given us everything needful for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:2-4). This aspect of grace is seldom taught anymore, but it is grace nonetheless.

     5. A form of godliness, but without power.
     Many modern evangelicals today fit this category. They hold to a form of godliness, but deny its power (2 Timothy 3:5). Paul warns of the day when the Church will be filled with selfish individuals.
    
   For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money. boastful. arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; avoid such men as these (2 Timothy 3:1-5 NASB).

     This is what we see filling so many so called Churches today. The sanctuaries are filled, the worship is thrilling, the message makes everyone feel good. It looks like a pretty good Church. Everyone is coming and raving about all of the cool things going on. The self help groups, the Christian counselors with all of their "Christian psychology", the life coaches, and so on, all seem to make modern Church so attractive and so godly. Where is the life giving power of God in all of this? Why do we not see sinners saved and transformed? Why do the people coming continue to live in the sins that they have always lived in? Why do people struggle and fall and struggle some more, without any change in their lives? This is not the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is not the gospel that set the prisoners free in the early days of Christianity. Lives were changed, sin was eradicated from lives, people were willing to follow Jesus all the way to the death if necessary, but not today in our soft modern Churches.
      Too many have believed in a form of godliness that lacks the power to change lives. This is not the Christianity of the Bible. It is an empty cistern that will be sure to disappoint many on the final day when we all stand before the one who sits upon the throne.

     I do not write this in a spirit of fault finding. It is not my desire to hunt out all of the problems found in the Church, and then write about them. I desire to see change. I long for revival. I long for God to come down in His glory, and flood a dry and weary land with His presence. I long to see souls saved, delivered from sin, and serving Christ. I desire to see the miracles that we read about in the Bible. I desire to see God manifest Himself in power and glory once again in our land.
     There are many who like myself, grieve over the lukewarm condition that we see permeating Christianity today. Let us call a solemn assembly, proclaim a fast. Like Daniel, let us cry out to God in repentance and tears for the renewal of the Church in our day. We need revival. The lukewarm, compromising Christianity that prevails today, must be cast away in humble repentance, and we must return to the Christianity that Jesus died to give us. It is said that if you desire revival, draw a circle, get into it, and cry out to God for revival to begin with you. It is time to seek the Lord, on behalf of the Church, that she might once again rise up in the power of the Holy Ghost, and glorify the name of Jesus, as in former times.

    

    
  


    

Sunday, February 15, 2015

Living In Anticipation.

     Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.
                                        Matthew 24:42 NASB

     Jesus exhorts us to live in anticipation of His coming. As we do not know the day nor the hour of His return, we are to live as if He could come at any moment.
     It seems that as time goes on, and He has not yet returned, many become careless and complacent. The tendency is to get caught up in the affairs of this life, and to take our eyes off of Jesus.


    Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time?
      Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. Truly I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.
     But if that evil slave says in his heart "My master is not coming for a long time," and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards; the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, and will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
                                        Matthew 24:45-51 NASB

     Sadly this is what happens so often. As time goes on our anticipation of Christ's return diminishes. Maybe it is because our love grows cold (Matt 24:12; Rev 2:4). We see professing Christians begin to nit pick one another, rather than build each other up in the faith. We see our brothers and sisters fall into sin. We see churches and denominations tolerate and accept gross immorality within their ranks, in defiance to the Word of God.
     As Christ's body here on the earth, we need to be about His business. We have a charge to keep, souls to rescue, brothers and sisters to strengthen in the faith. Let us keep our eyes fixed on Christ, lest He come at a time when we do not expect Him, catching us unaware.

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Use Discernment.

     But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.
     Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be maligned;
     and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.
                                             2 Peter 2:1-3 NASB

     This is a call for the body of Christ to exercise our God given discernment (1 Cor 12:10). Understand that false teachers are everywhere. The bible warns us that they will come from within (Acts 20:29-30). This is what makes it hard. Many people are easily carried into error, because they assumed that they could trust someone that they thought they knew.
     False teachers can quote scripture and teach solid truths, giving people a false sense that they can be trusted, Then they slip in a half truth, or a stretched truth, or even an outright falsehood, but unsuspecting individuals swallow it down.
     Look at what Peter tells us about them. They will exploit you with false words, because they are greedy (2 Peter 2:3). They will tell you what you want to hear, they will appeal to your flesh, they will take advantage of you, for their own selfish desires.
     John tells us that the spirit of anti-Christ is coming, and is even now in the world. In other words, false teachers are here, with all of their false teachings designed to benefit them, and lead you away from Christ. He also encourages us with the truth that we can overcome them because "Greater is He who is in you, then he who is in the world" (1 John 4:3-4).
     We do not have to be blind to heresy. We do not have to be led astray by a false teacher. We do not have to be taken advantage of. Use the God given discernment that is available to the body of Christ. Test all things by the standard of God's revealed word, and reject all that is false (Acts 17:11; 1 Thess 5:21-22).

Monday, February 9, 2015

Test All Things.

     But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.
                     1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 NASB

     I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.
                                        Acts 20:29-30 NASB

     These are evil days that we live in. Even within the church, we must beware of being led astray, through false teaching. Paul speaks of false teachers coming in like savage wolves, seeking to lead people astray. What makes this so subtle is the fact that these teachers will arise from within our own ranks. People will be so easily carried of by deception, if they are not on constant guard.
     That is why we must test all things. The pastor's sermon, does it line up with the bible? How about the guest speaker? Does he bring a "new teaching", something that has never been heard before, or maybe never accepted before?
     Lining up with biblical revelation is the key. Just because it sounds good does not mean that it is right doctrine. If it can't be shown from God's written word, it is a false teaching, and should be shunned.
     We live in such a careless age when people are blindly accepting every new wind of doctrine. Our souls are at stake, the souls of our families and friends are at stake. We will study for doctorates and diplomas for earthly purposes. How much more should we study to show ourselves approved, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15)?

Friday, February 6, 2015

Conviction of Sin.

     How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered!
     How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit!
     When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long.
     for day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer.     Selah.
     I aknowledged my sin to you, and my iniquity I did not hide. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord"; and You forgave the guilt of my sin.
     Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found; surely in a flood of great waters they will not reach him.
                                     Psalm 32:1-6 NASB

     The bible records this event in the life of David, to show us the great folly of concealing our sin from God. We may think we can get away with sin, we may think that no one sees, or knows about what we have done, but God sees and knows.
     God desires that we would confess our sin and forsake it. He desires to forgive us, and for us to be reconciled to Him. However, we must be brought to a place of brokeness so that we will truly, and humbly repent, and cast ourselves on His mercy (Psalm 51:17).
     This is what the conviction of sin does in the life of one who has sinned against God. This conviction is initiated by God, as the means of getting our attention, to the fact of our great guilt in His sight. The bible tells us that the Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:7-11).
     There is no peace to one who is experiencing the heavy hand of God. Your heart is filled with turmoil and dread. You agonize over your guilt. Carrying the guilt of sin over time will affect your body. Your very bones will ache. You will be consumed by guilt, you will waste away.
     As David found however, if one freely confesses his sin to the Lord, God will forgive. There is no need to carry our load of sin. It is impossible to conceal. God uses conviction to drive us to Him. As this Psalm states, it is a blessing to have one's sin forgiven, to be free from the load of guilt. It is a blessed person who now has peace with God through Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1, 8:1). 
     Sadly, a great number of professed Christians fall into sin that they try to conceal. They go on as if nothing was wrong in their lives, but they are carrying a load of sin that is consuming them. their experience is similar to that of David as recorded in this Psalm.
     If this is you, why not confess it to God? Why not run to Him in godly sorrow, and forsake it? He will abundantly pardon the one who comes to Him in truth (1 John 1:9; Psalm 51:1-19; Rev 3:19-20).

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Do This And You Will Live.

     On one occasion a lawyer, desiring to put Jesus to the test, Asked Him, what he must do to inherit eternal life. (Luke 10:25-37).
     Jesus answered him with the question, "What is written in the law? How does it read to you?"
     The lawyer replied back, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself."
     Listen to the answer that Jesus gives this man. It may surprise you. "You have answered correctly; do this and you will live."
     Understand very carefully what Jesus is saying here. He is not preaching a works based salvation. We cannot take what He is saying here, and claim that it is not applicable to us today because we are not under law, but under grace.
      Read through the epistles and you will find numerous passages exhorting us to live with a selfless love. We are to put others first, look out for the needs of others, be at peace with others, love deeply from the heart, do no wrong to our neighbor, be careful not to stumble a brother weak in the faith, forgive, and so forth.
     John tells us that if we shut up our hearts against a needy brother, the love of God is not in us. He also equates hatred with murder and reminds us that no murderer has eternal life (1 John 3:15-18). This is grace. It is found in the new covenant. 
     Consider faith. If we believe in Christ, that He is the Son of God, that He is alive, and is Lord, we will follow Him in obedience to His commands. If we see that He walked in love, and calls us to walk in love, we will love as He did. That is how faith works out in the lives of those who truly possess it.
     Consider the new birth. Through the new birth, we become new persons through the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. We were once selfish and uncaring. A truly born again person has been recreated, by God, to be compassionate, to love others. If we are hard hearted, selfish individuals, we have need of the new birth.
     Consider the fact that the Spirit of Christ dwells in the believer. How can one who has Christ living in them refuse to show compassion. While on this earth, Jesus loved others to the uttermost. If He is living within us, we cannot help but love in the same way that He did.
     Look at what Jesus has to say about the Judgment.

     "But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.
     "And all the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats;
     "and He will put the sheep on His right , and the goats on the left.
     "Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
     'For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in;
     naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.'
     "Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink?
     'And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You?
     'When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to you?
     "The king will answer and say to them 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even to the least of them, you did it to Me.'
     "Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;
     for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink;
     I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.'
     "Then they themselves also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?'
     "Then He will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'
     "These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
                           Matthew 25:31-46 NASB

     Once again, Jesus is not telling us to go out and try to do as many good deeds as we can, so we can go to heaven. That itself would be selfishness. Any deed done for ourselves, no matter how good it may appear to others, is still a deed only done for ourselves. Love is not self seeking, it looks out for the best interests of others, with no regard for self. 
     Jesus calls selfish sinners to be reborn into a new, Spirit led life of love. He desires to live His life through us. We are now His hands and feet upon this earth. The things that He did while on this earth, are the things that He has called us to do as His disciples. This is what normal Christianity is supposed to look like. 
     Jesus teaches us that anybody we come upon with a need, is our neighbor. It does not matter who that person is. We have an obligation to do what we can, by His grace, to help that person. To reject this, is to reject Him.
     
     
     

Sunday, February 1, 2015

Do We Need the Heaven is For Real Books?

     Here are a few scriptures to think about in view of the sudden interest in individuals who claim to have died, visited heaven, and then come back to write books about it.
     In Jesus' story of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31), the rich man desired that Lazarus would return from the dead to warn his brothers about the place of torment that he had gone to. Abraham told him that his brothers have Moses and the prophets to listen to. The rich man replied that if someone returned from the dead, they would surely repent. Here is the reply of Abraham. Remember, these are the words of Jesus.

     "If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead."
                           Luke 16:31 NASB

     Jesus is telling us that the scriptures  contain sufficient information to show us our sin and guilt, and the resulting wrath of God that we will all face someday when we appear before His judgment seat. They contain the information we need so that we will repent and place our confidence in Christ. We do not need a book written by someone who claims to have experienced heaven to prove that it is a real place, or to validate what the scriptures teach about the afterlife. Jesus has told us that if we do not listen to the scriptures, we will not listen to someone who has returned from the dead either. Plain and simple.
     Consider Paul and his heavenly vision found in 2 Corinthians 12:1-9.

     And I know how such a man-whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows-
     was caught up into paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak.
                          2 Corinthians 12:3-4 NASB

     Why do you suppose the Apostle Paul was not permitted to share with us through the scriptures, or any other way for that matter, the things that he had seen and heard in paradise? Why is it that these individuals claiming to have had heavenly revelations, have the freedom to speak and write of what they saw and heard?
     Furthermore Paul was given a thorn in his flesh to keep him humble because of the things that had been revealed to him (2 Cor 12:7-9). Have these heavenly travelers of today been given a thorn in the flesh as well?
     Finally we have the beloved disciple John, who had a revelation of things to come. He saw visions of heaven as well. He describes the worship, the holy city, the marriage supper of the Lamb, and many other glorious things involving heaven and the things to come. Notice how he closes his account of what God revealed to him.

     I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if any one adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book;
     and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.  
                        Revelation 22:18-19 NASB

      We do not need new revelation of heaven, and what it is like. Once again, the scriptures give us sufficient information. I can't help but notice that some of the things described in books of this sort, have no scriptural basis at all. The image of Jesus portrayed is just that, an image unlike the one presented to us in Rev 1:13-16. Where in the bible do we see reference to a rainbow colored horse? Where do we see a description of satan's moldy teeth and bony arms? These authors are treading on dangerous ground, painting pictures in our minds of things that cannot be reconciled with scripture.
     I write this because I see a trend to rush out and grab the latest bestselling book. We seem to be gravitating toward the sensational, while leaving solid biblical teaching behind. This is a dangerous place to be as Christians. I fear many are rushing headlong into deception. Many of these kind of books are pushing a new age type of universalism, and people are falling for it.
     We need to immerse ourselves in the Scripture, as a safeguard against error. Test all things by the Word of God.