"Who is the man who fears the LORD?" - Psalm 25:12
What is the "fear of God" anyway? That question might be easier to answer by looking at a rough definition of fear itself. Fear is the attitude of heart that seeks a right relationship to the fear-source. That's pretty straightforward, right? If I fear the future, I might save and prepare. I want to be in a right relationship with the future, so I'm going to do something about it today to make sure the future doesn't steamroll me. Some people don't fear the future. They just go on like fools and drive right over the cliff. But if I fear the future, I prepare. Does that make sense?
If I fear the dentist, I floss and brush! I believe he probably knows more about teeth than I do. And plus, when he gives that judgmental, self-righteous look like, "You haven’t been flossing...." I'm sure you have heard that speech. So, I think, "Oh, I don't want to hear it. I'll floss and brush." Why? Because I fear the outcome of failure. So I seek a right relationship to the fear-source.
If I fear the future, I prepare.
If I fear the dentist, I floss and brush.
If I fear God, I submit.
If I don’t fear God, I don't submit.
If I fear God, I do what He says.
Fear - it's not bad, by the way. How many people have heard the definition: "Fear God just means to respect Him?" That was bad teaching. Even though the Bible says like a thousand times that we should "fear God," we are just supposed to believe it means only that we should respect Him? Incorrect! I put a lot of time into studying this biblical term. The best word that I can think of to describe what fear means - is fear! I like simple stuff. When the Bible says to "fear God," guess what it means? It means to fear Him. Seek a right relationship with Him.
-James Mcdonald
Monday, March 29, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Freedom from Sin's Slavery Must be Accepted by Faith
FREEDOM FROM SIN’S SLAVERY MUST BE ACCEPTED BY FAITH
Faith is something you do about what you know. Knowledge means nothing unless
it is acted upon.
The children of Israel received the good word that God had given them Canaan
for a homeland. That information would have meant nothing at all to them if
they had remained in Egypt as slaves. But the Bible says, "By faith [they]
forsook Egypt...by faith they passed through the Red Sea (Hebrews 11:27, 29).
The Israelites did not march to the border of Canaan, fire one volley of
arrows, and expect all the enemy armies to drop dead. The land was theirs, but
they had to possess it "one dead soldier at a time."
What does that have to do with my getting victory over the grip of sin?
Everything! Christ settled the issue of slavery to sin by declaring you
emancipated from its dominion, but you have to believe it to the point that you
do something about it.
It is not enough to say, "Yes, I believe Christ forgives sin. I believe he is
Lord. I know he can break the power of sin in my life." You are mentally
consenting to what you heard, but faith is more than that. Faith is stepping
out on that promise of freedom and acting upon it.
Believers overcome the evil power of this world through faith. True faith is
the only thing that can help you stand up with confidence against the powers of
temptation. Self-control is possible only when, by faith, the truth about being
emancipated is accepted.
“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his
commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the
world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith” (1
John 5:3-4 NKJV).
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a
roaring lion, seeking who he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith,
knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the
world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to his eternal glory by
Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen,
and settle you. To him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever” (1
Peter 5:8-11 NKJV).
-David Wilkerson
Faith is something you do about what you know. Knowledge means nothing unless
it is acted upon.
The children of Israel received the good word that God had given them Canaan
for a homeland. That information would have meant nothing at all to them if
they had remained in Egypt as slaves. But the Bible says, "By faith [they]
forsook Egypt...by faith they passed through the Red Sea (Hebrews 11:27, 29).
The Israelites did not march to the border of Canaan, fire one volley of
arrows, and expect all the enemy armies to drop dead. The land was theirs, but
they had to possess it "one dead soldier at a time."
What does that have to do with my getting victory over the grip of sin?
Everything! Christ settled the issue of slavery to sin by declaring you
emancipated from its dominion, but you have to believe it to the point that you
do something about it.
It is not enough to say, "Yes, I believe Christ forgives sin. I believe he is
Lord. I know he can break the power of sin in my life." You are mentally
consenting to what you heard, but faith is more than that. Faith is stepping
out on that promise of freedom and acting upon it.
Believers overcome the evil power of this world through faith. True faith is
the only thing that can help you stand up with confidence against the powers of
temptation. Self-control is possible only when, by faith, the truth about being
emancipated is accepted.
“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his
commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the
world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith” (1
John 5:3-4 NKJV).
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a
roaring lion, seeking who he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith,
knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the
world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to his eternal glory by
Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen,
and settle you. To him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever” (1
Peter 5:8-11 NKJV).
-David Wilkerson
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
self improvement or new creation?
I know you all have heard of Dr. Phil. He has a lot of insights into human relationships and he gives helpful advice. I’m sure many are able to enjoy self-improvements as a result of listening to Oprah’s favorite doctor.
Well, we have a “Phil” working in our ministry. Phil Van Tol is married to Lisa, the Registrar of Celebration Bible College, and he is our IT Manager. Once in a while he sends me a nugget of Jesus-revelation. Now, our Phil comes from a different perspective than Dr. Phil. He is discovering the realities of the Gospel of the grace of God, and the New Covenant Jesus has provided for us. The other day he sent me this note:
I was thinking over the New Covenant and the following came to my mind: it is easy for most believers (myself included) to see God in the majesty of creation and to see Christ in an eloquent speaker or affluent Christian businessman. However, what we, as believers, really need to learn is how to see Christ in ourselves - warts, freckles, ugly second toes and all. I have heard preachers ask “Who is Jesus to you?” but that isn’t really the question that should be asked: the real question that we need to address is “Who is Jesus IN you?” When we truly begin to see Christ in ourselves, the reality of the power available to us will come to light. I sincerely believe that this is the key to every believer walking in total victory; the power to overcome sin, the power to become prosperous, the power to receive healing - unless we begin to see Christ in us at a personal level, all of these things appear as an outside intervention and, therefore, something we must yet attain. If we don’t eventually see Jesus in ourselves, even the best New Covenant teaching can become just another layer of theology relegated merely to the soulish realm.
Recently I have made a conscious endeavor to see Christ in myself when I look in the mirror - sometimes it can be hard to do when you see all your faults and shortcomings at the same time; however, over the last few weeks it has begun to sink in more and more. What a difference it has made in day-to-day life! I have noticed that as I focus on the fact that Christ is in me and that He is part of every aspect of my day-to-day life, that day-to-day life becomes more enjoyable and less stressful. CHRIST IN ME is my hope of glory; not Christ on the throne of Heaven, not Christ on the cross, not Christ healing the multitudes or feeding the 5 thousand, but Christ in ME -that must be my perspective. He is my ever PRESENT help in time of need. Christ is, of course, those other things and more, but I, and all believers, need to keep the fact that His life is in us at the forefront of our thinking. In reality we are more than conquerors, we are already blessed and God is already happy with us; however, if we lose sight of the fact that Christ is IN us—not just FOR us—we run the risk of losing our grasp on that reality.
When you look in the mirror do you see Jesus looking back? That is the question I have been asking myself and that is the question believers needs to honestly ask themselves. We all need to see Him in our own eyes.
I sure would love to hear your comments on the issues Phil is dealing with. Now, I think Dr. Phil makes a lot of sense, but if you have discovered that self-improvement has its limitations, you may find Phil’s comments even more helpful. There is only so much change available through self-discipline, willpower and good intentions. Jesus in YOU can really bring about transformation. It seems Phil is discovering that. If anyone else feels the same way, or for that matter, if anyone disagrees, let me know your thoughts.
-Peter
http://www.peteryoungren.net
Thursday, March 18, 2010
John 3:16
John 3:16
God : the greatest lover
So loved: the greatest degree
The world: the greatest company
That He gave: the greatest act
His only begotten son: the greatest gift
That whosoever: the greatest opportunity
Believeth: the greatest simplicity
In him: the greatest attraction
Should not perish: the greatest promise
But: the greatest difference
Have: the greatest certainty
Everlasting life: the greatest possession.
Over it all was the title, "Christ-the greatest gift."
-Foundation of the Christian Faith.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Why does God allow false teaching?
 Why does God allow false teaching Copyright Rosemary Bardsley 2007 |
QUESTION:
‘Many of the people who follow false teaching are earnestly seeking God's purpose in their lives. What purpose does God have in allowing such deception? Does it fall on us as believers of the Truth to lovingly help these individuals see God's ultimate truth and play a part in God's eternal kingdom?’ANSWER:
I will respond to each part of this question in turn.[1] The statement that ‘many of these people … are earnestly seeking God’s purpose for their lives’.
This statement actually provokes compounding questions:
- Where in the Bible is earnestness or sincerity the criteria by which people are justified or condemned? The Pharisees were exceedingly earnest and sincere, but they were identified by Jesus Christ as people who did not know God. Although we do have to be sincere in our faith, the value of faith is not in its sincerity but in its object. If I put all my trust in a god that I have created with either my hands or in my head that god can do nothing for me in any ultimate sense. Sadly, it is possible to be sincerely wrong.
- At the bottom line, are we supposed to be ‘seeking God’s purpose for our lives’, or are we supposed to be seeking God himself? The idolatrous Israel to whom most of the prophets spoke, were repeatedly told to ‘seek the Lord’ as opposed to reaching out and praying to idols. It is only when we have sought and found the one true God that any seeking for his purpose can be meaningful or relevant.
- Which ‘God’ is it whose purpose they are seeking? Is it the one true God who has revealed himself in creation, in the history of Israel, in Scripture, and finally in his Son, Jesus Christ? Or, is it some ‘god concept’ that they have in their heads that is just as much a false god as the physical idols?
Summary answer:
sincerity of faith counts for nothing with God unless it is directed towards the one whom the Bible states is the only God.
[2] What purpose does God have in allowing such deception?
This is the same kind of question as ‘Why did God allow Adam to sin?’ or ‘Why did God create humans able to sin?’ or, even behind that, ‘Why did God not stop Satan deceiving the first humans?’ It is also very similar to the question: ‘Why does God allow suffering?’
These are deep and puzzling questions, which can in this life be answered only in part. The partial answers include the following biblical perspectives:
- That God created humans with freedom of will. We are not programmed ‘machines’ like the non-animate and some of the microscopic animate creation; we are not creatures of instinct like the animate creation. We are humans created in the image of a personal Triune God: we are persons, and as persons we were created with, among other things, the ability to think and to choose. God created us ‘in his image’ and ‘in his likeness’, but we do not automatically reflect his glory as the non-personal creation does; we reflect his glory only when our thoughts and choices mirror his. The one prohibition of Genesis 2:17 focuses on this choice. Here in Genesis 2:17 God puts the choice before us: on the one hand, trust and dependence on him and his word, resulting in life and continuing freedom, or, on the other hand, rejection of him and his word, resulting in death and loss of freedom.
- From Genesis 3 onwards humans have been trapped in a mindset of rejection of God and rebellion against his truth. Satan’s deceitful suggestions corrupted the knowledge of God. From this point onwards the ‘gods’ sought by humans have been gods of their own creation. Romans 1:18- 32 sums up our whole sad history of our rejection of the knowledge of God, substitution of false gods, and the associated degradation of life and morals that inevitably ensues.
- The ignorance of God that began in Genesis 3 and continues to this day, as evident in false teaching both inside and outside of the visible church, is both the automatic consequence of our rejection of God and his Word, and God’s judgment on that rejection. This ignorance, which the Bible sometimes refers to as ‘darkness’, is the result of our human choice, not God’s choice. At a fundamental level, ignorance of God, ‘darkness’, is what God actually said ‘no’ to in that prohibition of Genesis 2:17. It is what God does not allow, but what we humans chose. God outlawed it. We embraced it. This ignorance of God, this darkness, is all included in that warning ‘you will surely die’. This ignorance of God that separates us from God, is spiritual death.
The apostles spoke in a similar way:‘This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil’ [John 3:19].
‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life’ [John 8:12].
‘I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in the darkness’ [John 12:46].
Here in the incarnation of Christ, and the salvation wrought by that incarnation, is God’s final answer about his attitude to the darkness of false gods and false teaching, and his clear purpose to rescue us from that darkness. Here is also God’s final demonstration that the darkness is not forever – that the day is coming when there will be no more darkness, but only Light: no more error, only truth.‘The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. … God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ’ [2 Corinthians 4:4,6].
‘ … you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord’ [Ephesians 5:8].
‘’… giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us safe in the kingdom of the Son he loves [Colossians 1:12,13].
‘This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth’ [1 John 1:5-6].
‘The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is the lamp. … There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light’ [Revelation 21:23: 22:5].
Summary Answer:
Humans chose, and continue to choose, the darkness of ignorance and error about God, rather than the light of God’s self-revelation in his Word. The presence of false teaching is the direct result of our human choice. As long as humans reject the one true God as he has revealed himself to be, there will be darkness and error – there will be false teaching. God, in an act of indescribable grace, allows us to continue to exist, even in this darkness. In this era of darkness between Genesis 3 and Revelation 21, which is also the era of grace, we have the opportunity to be rescued from the darkness and brought into his light. For this reason God delays the day when he will destroy the darkness [ignorance, error, false teaching, and associated degradation] for ever.
Additional note:
As indicated briefly above, there is a sense in which the on-going presence of error/false teaching is the judgment of God on the persistent choice to embrace error rather than his truth. This is a deep and heavy reality alluded to in a number of places in the scripture. If you wish to look into this study these scriptures: Isaiah 6:9-10; Matthew 13:10-15; Romans 1:18-32; 2 Thessalonians 9-12.
[3] Does it fall on us as believers of the Truth to lovingly help these individuals see God's ultimate truth and play a part in God's eternal kingdom?
Yes. God has shone the light of his truth into our hearts and minds. God has rescued us from the darkness.
Yes. God, in his grace, delayed his destruction of the darkness until he had rescued us from it [read 2 Peter 3:3-10]. He did this by his appointed means of other human beings teaching us the truth [read Romans 10:9-15; 1 Corinthians 1:21; 2 Corinthians 5:19-20]. Because they were faithful, we now know the Light. Because they were faithful, we now know the Truth.‘We know … that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true’ [1 John 5:20].
‘If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him. … Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father’ [John 14:7,9].
It is only in knowing and holding to the Truth that freedom comes.
It is only as those who know the truth continue to faithfully make that truth known that others also will be rescued and liberated from the darkness of error. For this reason Paul instructed Timothy:‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free’ [John 8:31,32].
Until Christ returns it is the responsibility of those who know him to make him known. While the opportunity for repentance and faith is still available to men, the truth must be proclaimed. Only by the truth can they be liberated from the darkness.‘And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others’ [2 Timothy 2:2].
Yes. However, because speaking God’s truth in the context of false teaching is often confrontational, this proclamation will not always appear to be ‘loving’. It may actually appear to be unloving, discriminatory, judgemental, divisive. It will at times have the nature of Jesus’ heated and provocative debates with the Pharisees, or Paul’s forthright exposure and condemnation of the blatant errors of the false teachers who were corrupting the truth in the New Testament churches. In this opposition to error both Paul and Jesus loved the truth so much, and loved people so much, that they were willing to risk their own safety and to attract criticism in order that the truth be preserved and men rescued from error.
Summary answer
: Yes.
http://www.godswordforyou.com/answers/328
THE CROSS TEACHES US HOW TO DENY SELF
Never once does our Lord say, “Stoop down and let me lay a cross on you.”
Jesus is not in the drafting business; his army is all volunteer. Not all
Christians carry crosses. You can be a believer without carrying a cross, but
you cannot be a disciple.
I see many believers rejecting the way of the cross. They have opted for the
good life with its prosperity, its material gain, its popularity and success.
I’m sure that many of them will make it to heaven— they will have saved
their skins—but they will not have learned Christ. Having rejected the
suffering and sorrow of the cross, they will not have the capacity to know and
enjoy him in eternity, as will all the cross-bearing saints who have entered
into the fellowship of the suffering.
You will have to carry your cross until you learn to deny. Deny what? The one
thing that constantly hinders God's work in our lives—self. Jesus said, "If
any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross, and
follow me" (Matthew 16:24). We are misinterpreting this message if we emphasize
self-denial, that is, the rejection of material or unlawful things. Jesus was
not calling upon us to learn self-discipline before we take up our cross. It is
far more severe than that. Jesus is asking that we deny ourselves. This means to
deny your own ability to carry any cross in your own strength. In other words,
"Don't take up your cross until you are ready to reject any and every thought
on becoming a holy disciple as a result of your own effort."
Millions of professing Christians boast of their self-denial. They don't drink,
smoke, curse or fornicate—they are examples of tremendous self-discipline. But
not in a hundred years would they admit it was accomplished by anything other
than their own willpower. They are practicing self-denial, but they have never
denied self. In some ways, we are all like that. We experience "spurts" of
holiness, accompanied by feelings of purity. Good works usually produce good
feelings, but God will not allow us to think our good works and clean habits
can save us. That is why we need a cross.
I believe Jesus is actually saying to us, "Before you take up your cross, be
ready to face a moment of truth. Be ready to experience a crisis by which you
will learn to deny your self-will, your self-righteousness, your
self-sufficiency, your self-authority. You can rise up and follow me as a true
disciple only when you can freely admit you can do nothing in your own
strength—you cannot overcome sin through your own willpower—your
temptations cannot be overcome by your self-efforts alone—you cannot work
things out by your own intellect.
Your love for Jesus can put you on your knees but your cross will put you on
your face.
-David Wilkerson
Jesus is not in the drafting business; his army is all volunteer. Not all
Christians carry crosses. You can be a believer without carrying a cross, but
you cannot be a disciple.
I see many believers rejecting the way of the cross. They have opted for the
good life with its prosperity, its material gain, its popularity and success.
I’m sure that many of them will make it to heaven— they will have saved
their skins—but they will not have learned Christ. Having rejected the
suffering and sorrow of the cross, they will not have the capacity to know and
enjoy him in eternity, as will all the cross-bearing saints who have entered
into the fellowship of the suffering.
You will have to carry your cross until you learn to deny. Deny what? The one
thing that constantly hinders God's work in our lives—self. Jesus said, "If
any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross, and
follow me" (Matthew 16:24). We are misinterpreting this message if we emphasize
self-denial, that is, the rejection of material or unlawful things. Jesus was
not calling upon us to learn self-discipline before we take up our cross. It is
far more severe than that. Jesus is asking that we deny ourselves. This means to
deny your own ability to carry any cross in your own strength. In other words,
"Don't take up your cross until you are ready to reject any and every thought
on becoming a holy disciple as a result of your own effort."
Millions of professing Christians boast of their self-denial. They don't drink,
smoke, curse or fornicate—they are examples of tremendous self-discipline. But
not in a hundred years would they admit it was accomplished by anything other
than their own willpower. They are practicing self-denial, but they have never
denied self. In some ways, we are all like that. We experience "spurts" of
holiness, accompanied by feelings of purity. Good works usually produce good
feelings, but God will not allow us to think our good works and clean habits
can save us. That is why we need a cross.
I believe Jesus is actually saying to us, "Before you take up your cross, be
ready to face a moment of truth. Be ready to experience a crisis by which you
will learn to deny your self-will, your self-righteousness, your
self-sufficiency, your self-authority. You can rise up and follow me as a true
disciple only when you can freely admit you can do nothing in your own
strength—you cannot overcome sin through your own willpower—your
temptations cannot be overcome by your self-efforts alone—you cannot work
things out by your own intellect.
Your love for Jesus can put you on your knees but your cross will put you on
your face.
-David Wilkerson
Thursday, March 11, 2010
1 Peter 1:16
THE HOLINESS of GOD
-excerpts by A.W. Tozer.
“God is not now any holier than He ever was. And He never was
holier than now. He did not get His holiness from anyone nor from
anywhere. He is Himself the Holiness. He is the All-Holy, the Holy
One; He is holiness itself, beyond the power of thought to grasp or
of word to express, beyond the power of all praise.”
“Language cannot express the holy, so God resorts to association
and suggestion. He cannot say it outright because He would have
to use words for which we know no meaning. He would have to
translate it down to our unholiness. If He were to tell us how white
He is, we would understand it in terms of only dingy grey.”
“It was a common thing in olden days, when God was the center
of Human worship, to kneel at an altar and shake, tremble, weep,
and perspire in an agony of conviction. We don’t see it now because
the God we preach is not the everlasting, awful God, ‘mine Holy
One’ (Habakkuk 1:12), who is ‘of purer eyes than to behold evil,
and canst not look on iniquity’ (Habakkuk 1:13).”
“We’ve used the technical interpretation of justification by faith and
the imputed righteousness of Christ until we’ve watered down the
wine of our spirituality. God help us in this evil hour!”
“We come into the presence of God with tainted souls. We come
with our own concept of morality, having learned it from books,
from newspapers and from school. We come to God dirty – our
whitest white is dirty, our churches are dirty and our thoughts are
dirty – and we do nothing about it!”
“If we came to God dirty, but trembling and shocked and awestruck
in His presence, if we knelt at His feet and cried with Isaiah, ‘I am
undone; because I am a man of unclean lips’ (Isaiah 6:5), then I
could understand. But we skip into His awful presence. We’re
forgetting ‘holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord’
(Hebrews 12:14).”
“O God, soon every person must appear before you to give an
account for the deeds done in the body. Father, keep upon us a
sense of holiness so that we can’t sin and excuse it, but that
repentance will be as deep as our lives. This we ask in Christ’s
name. Amen.”
-A.W. Tozer.
-excerpts by A.W. Tozer.
“God is not now any holier than He ever was. And He never was
holier than now. He did not get His holiness from anyone nor from
anywhere. He is Himself the Holiness. He is the All-Holy, the Holy
One; He is holiness itself, beyond the power of thought to grasp or
of word to express, beyond the power of all praise.”
“Language cannot express the holy, so God resorts to association
and suggestion. He cannot say it outright because He would have
to use words for which we know no meaning. He would have to
translate it down to our unholiness. If He were to tell us how white
He is, we would understand it in terms of only dingy grey.”
“It was a common thing in olden days, when God was the center
of Human worship, to kneel at an altar and shake, tremble, weep,
and perspire in an agony of conviction. We don’t see it now because
the God we preach is not the everlasting, awful God, ‘mine Holy
One’ (Habakkuk 1:12), who is ‘of purer eyes than to behold evil,
and canst not look on iniquity’ (Habakkuk 1:13).”
“We’ve used the technical interpretation of justification by faith and
the imputed righteousness of Christ until we’ve watered down the
wine of our spirituality. God help us in this evil hour!”
“We come into the presence of God with tainted souls. We come
with our own concept of morality, having learned it from books,
from newspapers and from school. We come to God dirty – our
whitest white is dirty, our churches are dirty and our thoughts are
dirty – and we do nothing about it!”
“If we came to God dirty, but trembling and shocked and awestruck
in His presence, if we knelt at His feet and cried with Isaiah, ‘I am
undone; because I am a man of unclean lips’ (Isaiah 6:5), then I
could understand. But we skip into His awful presence. We’re
forgetting ‘holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord’
(Hebrews 12:14).”
“O God, soon every person must appear before you to give an
account for the deeds done in the body. Father, keep upon us a
sense of holiness so that we can’t sin and excuse it, but that
repentance will be as deep as our lives. This we ask in Christ’s
name. Amen.”
-A.W. Tozer.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
God and I conversing in the car
I was driving to work today and had this urge to write my prayers down. I thought I'd just like to share what God and I were conversing about today.
Why is there suffering?
It boils down to this: God proves that He's in control, not us. If our lives went perfectly like how we have planned, we will always think we're in control... we would be wasting the very reason we were created.. to walk with God.
Suffering is used to break our own self-dependence and reliance. It is used to humble and have us admit that we are not God and not everything goes the way we planned. But we as sinful men, we continue to strive to rely on self.. because the very core of our being wants to be god. (Gen.3:5)
Why do people get mad when someone cuts them off?
Why do people get mad when they find out they have a serious illness?
Why do people get mad when their computer crashes?
It is because it's not going the way they've planned.
When we truly understand that God is God, we would not be offended at what takes place because we know and trust that everything is under His control. We trust that all the injustices will be justified in Christ.
I then saw an Audi sports car drive by.
How much more of a burden and worry does one have if he or she is rich? There are way more things to take care and help maintain ones lifestyle than a person with less. How much more burdened and enslaved is a rich man? It seems more burdensome but i believe the poor can be in the same situation. The poor can be chained to their greed or envy too. Whether it be the material or spiritual, everyone that does not have Christ is chained. Many Christians, like myself choose to be chained sometimes.. to put the chains that Christ has freed us of because we get carried off about ourselves and not God. That's not right either. We must fix our eyes on Christ and not ourselves. Christ saves us from ourselves.
Another thought that branched out of this was the fact we don't give God the credit.
When we get carried away about ourselves... we forget to give Him thanks for the air we breathe, the connections in our brain, the wavelengths, the lungs expanding, the eyes opening, the blood flowing, the ability to walk, run, talk, paint, design, etc. Everything is not from what we do but it is simply God giving us the ability to do those things. Man!
God, help me to not be offended. Help me to love you more than myself. Give me the grace to thank you so that I won't steal the glory that belongs to you.
Why is there suffering?
It boils down to this: God proves that He's in control, not us. If our lives went perfectly like how we have planned, we will always think we're in control... we would be wasting the very reason we were created.. to walk with God.
Suffering is used to break our own self-dependence and reliance. It is used to humble and have us admit that we are not God and not everything goes the way we planned. But we as sinful men, we continue to strive to rely on self.. because the very core of our being wants to be god. (Gen.3:5)
Why do people get mad when someone cuts them off?
Why do people get mad when they find out they have a serious illness?
Why do people get mad when their computer crashes?
It is because it's not going the way they've planned.
When we truly understand that God is God, we would not be offended at what takes place because we know and trust that everything is under His control. We trust that all the injustices will be justified in Christ.
I then saw an Audi sports car drive by.
How much more of a burden and worry does one have if he or she is rich? There are way more things to take care and help maintain ones lifestyle than a person with less. How much more burdened and enslaved is a rich man? It seems more burdensome but i believe the poor can be in the same situation. The poor can be chained to their greed or envy too. Whether it be the material or spiritual, everyone that does not have Christ is chained. Many Christians, like myself choose to be chained sometimes.. to put the chains that Christ has freed us of because we get carried off about ourselves and not God. That's not right either. We must fix our eyes on Christ and not ourselves. Christ saves us from ourselves.
Another thought that branched out of this was the fact we don't give God the credit.
When we get carried away about ourselves... we forget to give Him thanks for the air we breathe, the connections in our brain, the wavelengths, the lungs expanding, the eyes opening, the blood flowing, the ability to walk, run, talk, paint, design, etc. Everything is not from what we do but it is simply God giving us the ability to do those things. Man!
God, help me to not be offended. Help me to love you more than myself. Give me the grace to thank you so that I won't steal the glory that belongs to you.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Cancer
This is an encouragement to those with loved ones suffering from cancer or any serious disease.
Prayer = Power
Prayer List:
Jenn's future sister in law
Jun's friend Ah young
Eddie's mom
Debi's mom
Daniel's parents
Teresa's father
Bopha's boyfriend
Belinda's mom
Monica's parent's friend
Sarah's grandma
God, I lift up all these people on this list and many others I'm sure in the world that are suffering. You have allowed suffering because we chose to go against you in the Garden of Eden. Because of sin, death reigns over us. But now that you have made us alive through your blood, I ask that you heal those that know you. For those who do not know you personally as their LORD and SAVIOR, I pray God that through this, you will reveal yourself to them and save them. Please be with their families. Restore any broken relationships through this especially if it's a broken relationship with you. Thanks, God.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Rebuke Publicly or Privately?
REBUKE PUBLICLY or PRIVATELY?
Some Christians claim that any correction or questioning of ministries
should always be done PRIVATELY - and only to the leaders
concerned - never in public. (It is important to note that many such
approaches have indeed been made to Prophetic/ Apostolic leaders
over the years. They have basically been ignored). But either way,
I am afraid I cannot agree that public deception is only to be
opposed behind closed doors. It seems to me that false teaching
would thrive in such an environment. In Scripture we see clearly
that there are occasions when private correction is appropriate,
and other occasions when a more public airing is necessary.
There is the quiet "Matthew 18" approach, and then there are
others. After all, shouldn't we have the love and care of the
precious sheep uppermost in our minds? Are we just supposed
to say nothing and let the "leaven" spread and spread?
We must not forget that in the New Testament the elders were
commanded to correct severely (Titus 1:13) and to rebuke for sin
publicly (1 Tim 5:20), though in 2 Tim 2:24-26 they were instructed
to correct with 'meekness'. Remember, the apostle Paul rebuked
Peter publicly in Galatians 2 for his hypocrisy, Jesus rebuked Peter
openly in Matthew, and He even whipped the sellers out of the
temple publicly in Mark (for making God's house a 'den of thieves').
In extreme cases the apostle Paul actually wrote to everyone that
he was turning people over to Satan for correction (see 1 Cor 5
and 1 Tim 1:20). The Bible is very clear that one of our major tasks
is to "expose" the deeds of darkness (Eph 5:11). In 1 Cor 4:21
Paul asks the people, "Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love?"
The same apostle used 'boldness' in 2 Cor 10:1 and said that he
would not spare anyone in 2 Cor 13:1-2.
Many Christians insist on applying Matt 18:15-17 to every situation.
But what about false teachers? The above passage in Matt 18
says that if my brother "sins against me" then I should go to him
privately about it - then with one or two witnesses - and then to the
whole church if he does not repent. This is a very important process
for resolving issues where a brother has sinned against me personally.
But what about FALSE TEACHING of a serious nature? What if it is
spreading or starting to infect entire sections of the body of Christ?
Is it still just a "private matter"?
My understanding is that in the New Testament we NEVER see
Jesus or the apostles treating false teaching as a "Matt 18" scenario.
We see them publicly rebuking and correcting - trying to arrest the
'cancer' before it spreads any further. This is an act of LOVE towards
the body. It is trying to stop the damage before too many precious
sheep are harmed. False teaching and false prophets are never
treated "nicely" or "sweetly" in the New Testament! (By the way, I
am not advocating today's "heresy hunters", whom I believe often
go about things with entirely the wrong spirit. But I am just laying
down a few biblical guidelines here).
This is certainly an important issue in these Last Days, when we
are told that false prophets and false teachers will 'abound', and
that the deception will become so great that "if possible it would
deceive the very elect". It is vital that we get a grasp of what is at
stake here. The false teachers and false prophets in Acts were
rebuked very bluntly, and Paul even "named names" in some of
his letters to the churches. So surely we cannot continue to claim
that this is all a "Matt 18" situation? Surely it is more serious than
that - and requires a more drastic response?
Of course, we must always be "speaking the truth in love" - and
have the protection of Christ's precious sheep uppermost. But
surely we must speak out if we see real danger to the Body?
Comments, anyone?
God bless you all!
Andrew Strom.
Some Christians claim that any correction or questioning of ministries
should always be done PRIVATELY - and only to the leaders
concerned - never in public. (It is important to note that many such
approaches have indeed been made to Prophetic/ Apostolic leaders
over the years. They have basically been ignored). But either way,
I am afraid I cannot agree that public deception is only to be
opposed behind closed doors. It seems to me that false teaching
would thrive in such an environment. In Scripture we see clearly
that there are occasions when private correction is appropriate,
and other occasions when a more public airing is necessary.
There is the quiet "Matthew 18" approach, and then there are
others. After all, shouldn't we have the love and care of the
precious sheep uppermost in our minds? Are we just supposed
to say nothing and let the "leaven" spread and spread?
We must not forget that in the New Testament the elders were
commanded to correct severely (Titus 1:13) and to rebuke for sin
publicly (1 Tim 5:20), though in 2 Tim 2:24-26 they were instructed
to correct with 'meekness'. Remember, the apostle Paul rebuked
Peter publicly in Galatians 2 for his hypocrisy, Jesus rebuked Peter
openly in Matthew, and He even whipped the sellers out of the
temple publicly in Mark (for making God's house a 'den of thieves').
In extreme cases the apostle Paul actually wrote to everyone that
he was turning people over to Satan for correction (see 1 Cor 5
and 1 Tim 1:20). The Bible is very clear that one of our major tasks
is to "expose" the deeds of darkness (Eph 5:11). In 1 Cor 4:21
Paul asks the people, "Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love?"
The same apostle used 'boldness' in 2 Cor 10:1 and said that he
would not spare anyone in 2 Cor 13:1-2.
Many Christians insist on applying Matt 18:15-17 to every situation.
But what about false teachers? The above passage in Matt 18
says that if my brother "sins against me" then I should go to him
privately about it - then with one or two witnesses - and then to the
whole church if he does not repent. This is a very important process
for resolving issues where a brother has sinned against me personally.
But what about FALSE TEACHING of a serious nature? What if it is
spreading or starting to infect entire sections of the body of Christ?
Is it still just a "private matter"?
My understanding is that in the New Testament we NEVER see
Jesus or the apostles treating false teaching as a "Matt 18" scenario.
We see them publicly rebuking and correcting - trying to arrest the
'cancer' before it spreads any further. This is an act of LOVE towards
the body. It is trying to stop the damage before too many precious
sheep are harmed. False teaching and false prophets are never
treated "nicely" or "sweetly" in the New Testament! (By the way, I
am not advocating today's "heresy hunters", whom I believe often
go about things with entirely the wrong spirit. But I am just laying
down a few biblical guidelines here).
This is certainly an important issue in these Last Days, when we
are told that false prophets and false teachers will 'abound', and
that the deception will become so great that "if possible it would
deceive the very elect". It is vital that we get a grasp of what is at
stake here. The false teachers and false prophets in Acts were
rebuked very bluntly, and Paul even "named names" in some of
his letters to the churches. So surely we cannot continue to claim
that this is all a "Matt 18" situation? Surely it is more serious than
that - and requires a more drastic response?
Of course, we must always be "speaking the truth in love" - and
have the protection of Christ's precious sheep uppermost. But
surely we must speak out if we see real danger to the Body?
Comments, anyone?
God bless you all!
Andrew Strom.
Monday, March 1, 2010
The Piercing Question
Do you love Me? —John 21:17
Peter’s response to this piercing question is considerably different from the bold defiance he exhibited only a few days before when he declared, "Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!" ( Matthew 26:35 ; also see Matthew 26:33-34 ). Our natural individuality, or our natural self, boldly speaks out and declares its feelings. But the true love within our inner spiritual self can be discovered only by experiencing the hurt of this question of Jesus Christ. Peter loved Jesus in the way any natural man loves a good person. Yet that is nothing but emotional love. It may reach deeply into our natural self, but it never penetrates to the spirit of a person. True love never simply declares itself. Jesus said, "Whoever confesses Me before men [that is, confesses his love by everything he does, not merely by his words], him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God" ( Luke 12:8 ).
Unless we are experiencing the hurt of facing every deception about ourselves, we have hindered the work of the Word of God in our lives. The Word of God inflicts hurt on us more than sin ever could, because sin dulls our senses. But this question of the Lord intensifies our sensitivities to the point that this hurt produced by Jesus is the most exquisite pain conceivable. It hurts not only on the natural level, but also on the deeper spiritual level. "For the Word of God is living and powerful . . . , piercing even to the division of soul and spirit . . ."— to the point that no deception can remain ( Hebrews 4:12). When the Lord asks us this question, it is impossible to think and respond properly, because when the Lord speaks directly to us, the pain is too intense. It causes such a tremendous hurt that any part of our life which may be out of line with His will can feel the pain. There is never any mistaking the pain of the Lord’s Word by His children, but the moment that pain is felt is the very moment at which God reveals His truth to us.
-Oswald Chambers
Peter’s response to this piercing question is considerably different from the bold defiance he exhibited only a few days before when he declared, "Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!" ( Matthew 26:35 ; also see Matthew 26:33-34 ). Our natural individuality, or our natural self, boldly speaks out and declares its feelings. But the true love within our inner spiritual self can be discovered only by experiencing the hurt of this question of Jesus Christ. Peter loved Jesus in the way any natural man loves a good person. Yet that is nothing but emotional love. It may reach deeply into our natural self, but it never penetrates to the spirit of a person. True love never simply declares itself. Jesus said, "Whoever confesses Me before men [that is, confesses his love by everything he does, not merely by his words], him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God" ( Luke 12:8 ).
Unless we are experiencing the hurt of facing every deception about ourselves, we have hindered the work of the Word of God in our lives. The Word of God inflicts hurt on us more than sin ever could, because sin dulls our senses. But this question of the Lord intensifies our sensitivities to the point that this hurt produced by Jesus is the most exquisite pain conceivable. It hurts not only on the natural level, but also on the deeper spiritual level. "For the Word of God is living and powerful . . . , piercing even to the division of soul and spirit . . ."— to the point that no deception can remain ( Hebrews 4:12). When the Lord asks us this question, it is impossible to think and respond properly, because when the Lord speaks directly to us, the pain is too intense. It causes such a tremendous hurt that any part of our life which may be out of line with His will can feel the pain. There is never any mistaking the pain of the Lord’s Word by His children, but the moment that pain is felt is the very moment at which God reveals His truth to us.
-Oswald Chambers
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