Is It Possible To Grow Up In The Church?

 “Go and make disciples”, Jesus said. “Teach them everything I have taught you.” I think sometimes we get a little confused about this. Sometimes it appears that we are more interested in enforcing a law than to teach Father’s love. There is a pretty big difference between the two considering that love, not law, is what empowers us to obey Jesus. We teach simply to help people understand what the Spirit is doing in them with what the Father implanted in them the moment they said “I believe”.

I know we want to explain about repenting and throwing off sin and all the rest of it but sometimes we move past teaching into manipulation. It’s like we forget that the job of conviction belongs to the Spirit. Yes, in our enthusiasm we forget we are the witnesses of who Jesus is and we try to take on the role of the enforcers. But Jesus has no interest in forcing anybody into anything. He offers an invitation.

So, we are the witnesses and when someone expresses a desire for more of what we are demonstrating, then we disciple them by teaching them what Jesus has taught us. This means we better be constantly growing and learning ourselves. You know, you can disciple someone before they believe and hopefully as you demonstrate the Kingdom to them they will encounter the reality of Jesus and move from curiosity to belief. Of course we continue to walk with them, discipling them so they can understand the lifelong transformation that is happening to them. This is that mustard seed that is growing in them so a day will arrive when they will be able to offer fruit and shelter to others.

That’s the messy part, the journey toward maturity. This is where most of us mess up, where the Church fails and we move from life to law. It is so much easier and less messy to teach a list of rules then to allow for maturing in relationship. This journey is not a light switch. We don’t shed the old and put on the new overnight. We do it step by step, as the Spirit convicts and we respond. It is a whole lot of learning, growth and transformation. What we do not want it to be is conformity to a bunch of rules that will leave us with a lifetime of guilt and failure.

I have a friend who made an observation about his university experience. He told me that there are a lot of good teachers who are good at teaching the beginning stuff. There are also a lot of good teachers great at teaching the end stuff. But there are not a lot of teachers who are great at the in-between stuff. 

In the Church we have a lot of people who are great at the beginning stuff and they are getting even better at it. Helping people discover Jesus is a very exciting thing. We also have a lot of people who are very good at teaching what a mature life in Christ looks like. A lot of the epistles have sections that give us lists of what this looks like. What we seem to be lacking are those with the patience and longevity to walk with a person from the after birth stage to the mature stage. In fact, a lot of churches don’t even make allowances for this very trying and messy stage.

The Body has not been good at building a thick skin for the many failures in the journey to maturity. Some Spiritual Parents are all too ready to kick that spiritual infant out of the house because he keeps making messes. But messes are what we are all about. The Strong are to bear with the Weak, because the Weak are on a journey to become one of the Strong. The Spirit is responsible for conviction and we are responsible for modeling relationship. We who journey with those on the road to maturity model what relationship looks like, both with our King but also with each other. This, after all, is Father’s purpose for the Body, that we would work out our salvation daily as we encourage and build up one another.

We need those who introduce people to Jesus, to see that come into this relationship through belief. We need those who can teach what maturity looks like, what we are moving towards and why. But we are also desperate for the spiritual mothers and fathers who will commit to years of patience and suffering to fulfill the role of those who teach through example the in-between stuff. We need to get better at this.

How Can I be Sure I Am Saved

I am always amazed but no longer surprised by the number of Christians who ask me "How do you know if you are saved?" There was a time I would have given the simple answer that if they had called on the name of Jesus as Lord and Saviour then they are saved. But I quickly realized that they are missing the knowledge of what salvation looks like and what it looks like to be a child of God. So I have modified my answer.

To belong to the King of kings is to be citizens of a different country, a country that is not cannot be known by the citizens of this world. This world has become a principality of a false princve, one who came to steal, kill, and destroy. The King's Kingdom is based of principles that are much higher than the principles of this world. Many terms and words are similar but what they convey is something so much more.

Accepting Jesus as King means that we are given eyes to see the unseen and a mind to understand according to Father's heart. That means our perspective of this world and life in general is different. It changes. Everything of the Kingdom is planted in us as seeds so that we grow in our revelatory knowledge and our actions follow.

Many mistake that the commands of Jesus are like the Law of Moses, an external thing that we learn to obey. Instead those commands are like the blueprint of what a Kingdom citizen looks like and the King even set the example for us. The commands are actually written into our DNA so now it is natural for us to be like Jesus and for the immature not to be like him. The immature can decide to grow up but they can also decide to live by the principles of the principality instead. It is a matter of surrendering our old habits, old perspectives, old actions and giving prominence to the new. Unfortunately the people who are suppose to teach this new reality are still focused on the new Old Testament; still teaching people to try to conform to a law that we cannot do. 

The short answer is, if you still see life the same way before you started attending church you probably have yet to surrender to the King. You may like some of the stuff you see but not enough to surrender your life. 

However, if everything has changed since you called on Jesus, you love differently, you forgive easily, your compassion moves you to action, life has become a generous sacrifice, joy sustains you, peace constantly steadies you, you feel no need to judge, you make allowances for the Lord to do stuff and you live to see others discover the Kingdom and the King, you can be certain that you have the blessing of salvation. 

It is nothing you can earn or buy but it is a relationship that never leaves us the same and changes absolutely everything.

Why Did Jesus Save Us?

"It was not because you were greater than all other people that the LORD loved you and chose you. In fact, you were the smallest of peoples! no, it is because the LORD loved you and because he kept the solemn pledge he swore to your ancestors that the LORD brought you out with a strong hand and saved you from the house of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh, Egypt's king." (Deut 7:7-8)

It is going to take me a few posts to cover Deuteronomy 7.

Yahweh has many attributes. Attributes are not character because character is something that is developed or diminished. An attribute is who he is, or small glimpses of who he is that he has allowed us to see. God does not have a character of love; he is love. He can't be any more love and he can't be any less love, because he is love.

He did not choose Israel because of anything they had to offer. They had no great qualities. He chose them because he loved them. They were not a great nation. They were not rich. They were not intelligent, or at least not more than any other nation. The only reason they were chosen was because Yahweh loved them. That can be hard to get our mind around and is the reason we need to allow our heart to explain it to our intellect. (Hebrews 11:3)

This is a big reveal for us because it allows us a glimpse the Father's heart. What was true then is true now. We have nothing out of the ordinary to offer Jesus. We have no special gift or ability. It is not because we are good. It is not because of some great faith. It is simply because he loves us. No other reason.

"God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him won’t perish but will have eternal life." (John 3:16)

"You didn’t choose me, but I chose you ..." (John 15:16)

This love, an attribute, is the basis of everything, even of our love for him:

"We love because God first loved us." (1 John 4:19)

And should be the basis of our understanding that we have received salvation, not because we deserve it, but just because he loves us:

"But God shows his love for us, because while we were still sinners Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

And this love is more sure than the air we breathe and the ground on which we stand:

"But in all these things we win a sweeping victory through the one who loved us. I’m convinced that nothing can separate us from God’s love in Christ Jesus our Lord: not death or life, not angels or rulers, not present things or future things, not powers or height or depth, or any other thing that is created." (Romans 8:37-39)

And the truth of all this is revealed in the books of the Law. Amazing when we can see the Father's heart from cover to cover.

Where Would We Be Without The Cross?

Where would we be without the cross? Perhaps those of us raised in the Church do not fully appreciate the message of the cross and the cost of it. Perhaps we forget because the affect of it cannot be seen in us daily. Perhaps we never fully grew in awe of it because we never fully let go of the affects of a fallen world. It is amazing how a few verses can cause us to catch our breath and cause us to stand still.

Once you were alienated from God and you were enemies with him in your minds, which was shown by your evil actions. (Colossians 1:21)

This is who we were and yet are never far from returning to it. What Adam and Eve opened the door to has wrecked havoc on all of Yahweh's creation, and especially upon our minds. As a result of our fallen state, we tend to make ourselves the center of everything and refuse to give glory to anyone else. Even if we are forced to do it, it is usually because there is some benefit for us to do it. This selfishness sets us up to be a creature directly contrary to the nature of our Creator, setting ourselves up us the enemy instead of the worshiper of the one who gave us life.

Our rebellion is conceived in our minds, plagues our hearts and is revealed in our actions. We set ourselves up as our own gods, and still do. Other people only have worth as long as they have something to add to us and the moment we perceive they have nothing to offer, we cut them off. Lying, cheating, stealing, killing, along with self-determination are all rationalized when we consider our needs to be the most important. What a contrast to our Lord:

Don’t do anything for selfish purposes, but with humility think of others as better than yourselves. Instead of each person watching out for their own good, watch out for what is better for others. (Philippians 2:3-4)

And we can now because Jesus changed everything for us. No longer are we trapped, under the control of sin which had misshaped every aspect of what we were created to be:

But now he has reconciled you by his physical body through death, to present you before God as a people who are holy, faultless, and without blame. (1:22)

Jesus did that. While we were still enemies of Yahweh, Jesus sacrificed himself so that we could be transferred from darkness into the Kingdom, as children of Yahweh. Get it through your head, there was no good in us, we had nothing to offer, no value, and yet he made a decision to love us. In that love he sent his Son to rescue us but we still have to decide to accept it, love him back and obey. Although often times we still see no value in ourselves compared to his holiness, the fact is Father now sees us as holy, faultless and without blame, because of Jesus' death on the cross. Live the biggest good life you can muster, it has no value; only Jesus can save. But there is something we have to do:

But you need to remain well established and rooted in faith and not shift away from the hope given in the good news that you heard. (1:23)

We have to work out our salvation every day. It takes effort to remain faithful to Jesus. It requires a conscience effort to deny the desires of our flesh and to choose Jesus' righteousness daily. If we know who he is and who we are in him, and remind ourselves every day, then our effort enables the Spirit to empower us to overcome the draw of sin. We don't even have to think about that very much, we just have to desire Jesus, and a growing intimacy with him. Love really does take care of the rest, because the action of love is obedience.

We are not perfect but we are being perfected. In Father's eyes we are perfect. When we mess up and sin, we confess it and by his grace it is gone. We can grow in confidence, learning to love him more deeply, knowing he is not looking to destroy us but to increase us.

Harder Than It Looks

We have fallen into a trap in our modern age; we actually believe that it is easy to enter into eternity with Jesus. This seems strange considering the number of warnings Jesus gave about making every effort to enter in. Me saying this might seem strange, being a guy who preaches salvation by grace not works, but it does not mean that works is not important.

Jesus stated that those who believe will be saved. That has never changed. But he also stated that we must love God with all our heart, all our mind, all our soul and all our strength. This is what it means to believe. Father never wants to take second place in your heart but instead your heart must be consumed with him. Jesus also stated that his followers must deny themselves, take up their cross daily and live like he has lived. This is a must, not an "if you feel like it". So belief is more than a mental exercise, it is an all consuming thing.

We need to be careful to not allow the popular preaching and the easy teaching of this age to move us from the narrow way to the broad way. The easy going attitude in the Church is accommodating those who are Christian in name only, who are quite comfortable in living by the philosophies of this world. You cannot serve two masters, Jesus warned. You will love one and hate the other. For many Christians, if push came to shove, they would gladly drop Jesus and take up the world, since that is the thing with which they are most comfortable.

In the Bible we find an incident where the various leadership were trying to trap Jesus. When the Sadducees took a turn they tried to trap him concerning the Resurrection. They did not believe in the Resurrection. They had no idea they were talking to the Resurrection. In Jesus' correcting their outlook he said something most of us glaze over:

"People who belong to this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are considered worthy to participate in that age, that is, in the age of the resurrection from the dead, won't marry nor will they be given in marriage." (Luke 20:34-35)

Did you catch it? "Those who are considered worthy to participate in that age." Considered worthy. What makes us worthy? We aren't worthy of anything from Yahweh, considering we have all fallen short of his glory. Yet, to those who believe according to Yahweh's grace, we are deemed to be worthy. But that belief is qualified by the rest of Jesus' teaching, that this belief must cost us everything that we were. Paul, the apostle, stated that he considered everything he was and achieved before he encountered Jesus to be lost, because it is only what he has done through Jesus that is of any eternal good.

Is that where we are in our belief? Has our belief in Jesus, our trust in him, replaced everything that we considered to have had any worth? Is our life, our thinking and our actions shaped by our relationship with Jesus Christ. Is our love for him far superior to our love for anyone or anything else? Are we completely sold out as a follower of Jesus, because that is what Jesus was referring to when he said "whoever believes will be saved". You may find it harder than it looks but take courage, Jesus said it would be hard.

Has God Chosen Some To Be Saved And Some To Be Lost?

I trust what Jesus says. I find it interesting what some people say expounding on the Scriptures but when it comes down to them and Jesus' words I will always choose Jesus' words. I know a few people who have married themselves to certain doctrines that are not found in the Word, that fly in the face of what Jesus said. One of these things is that our loving Father has decided who will be saved and who won't be. This means that no matter what some people decide, salvation will never be available to them.

Can we just review here what Jesus said?

"Then everyone who has faith in the Son of Man will have eternal life. God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn its people. He sent him to save them! No one who has faith in God’s Son will be condemned. But everyone who doesn’t have faith in him has already been condemned for not having faith in God’s only Son." (John 3:15-18)

Look at it again. Jesus said "everyone" who has faith in him. Other translations says "whoever believes" in him. I don't need to go any further than these words. It is the promise I rely on, where I have placed my faith and trust, because of the one who said it.

My salvation is not a thing given to me because Yahweh has considered my favoured but because I believed in the one single act where Father sent the Son to die for the salvation of the entire world. Salvation is a free gift for everyone who decides to believe. We will be judged not according to our sins but according to whether we believed or not, whether we placed our faith in the Son of God, trusted his promises and accepted the gift.

Father has chosen to love the entire world of people, even in the midst of our rebellion, in all our ugliness, in all our guilt and shame. It is when we accept the promise that the promise is applied and everything is removed. None of this was done by me; my only part is to accept it, but it is my choice. Father has not chosen some to be saved and some to be condemned. He has chosen us all to be saved but it is up to us. He has given us a choice. That is what Jesus said and that is good enough for me.

You Don't Pay For A Gift Given To You

Your grandparents come by for a visit. During their visit they present you with a beautiful gift. You are moved by their love for you and put great value on this wonderful thing they have done for you. Imagine now that you turn around and offer them money for their gift. How do you think that would make them feel? Would it not cheapen their gift of love? Could you even imagine doing this? It is what we do with Father almost every day.

Salvation is a gift. It is a gift of grace offered to us, the enemy of Yahweh. Even though we were in rebellion against his authority, he reached out in a great act of love and offered us an escape from the power of sin and forgiveness for all of our offenses including any future ones. As his enemy, we have deserved none of it, yet in grace he offered it.

This is fantastic but then we cheapen it in our attitude in accepting it. We don't seem to believe it as we continue to cry out for forgiveness, as we try to atone for our sins, as we try to bribe Father with our goodness. We confuse the fruit of righteousness with the price of salvation. There is no price for salvation because Jesus paid it for us.

Paul the apostle, the great teacher of this grace, used Abraham as an example. In fact, Paul refers to Abraham as the father of our faith because he is the first to have lived such faith:

So what are we going to say? Are we going to find that Abraham is our ancestor on the basis of genealogy? Because if Abraham was made righteous because of his actions, he would have had a reason to brag, but not in front of God. What does the scripture say?Abraham had faith in God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. (Romans 4:1-3)

It was credited to him. The simple fact is that Jesus saved you because there is nothing you could do to save yourself. Nothing. All of your sin has been covered, even the future stuff. That is hard for us to grasp but it is the reality of our salvation. It does not mean that we cannot lose our salvation. If we were ever stupid enough to deny Jesus, to turn our back and to enter into rebellion again, we would be lost. But sin alone does not affect our salvation when we are of such a heart to confess it because we don't want it to abide in us. We don't need to seek forgiveness because it has been forgiven but we do need to confess it to be free from it.

As to the clarity of understanding that this is a free gift that cannot be earned or purchased by good living and sacrifice, Paul uses this illustration:

Workers’ salaries aren’t credited to them on the basis of an employer’s grace but rather on the basis of what they deserve. But faith is credited as righteousness to those who don’t work, because they have faith in God who makes the ungodly righteous. (v. 4-5)

If we could finally grasp this we might actually discover the quality and depth of the peace that Jesus has given to us. Only don't rest at the foot of the cross but instead press on to grow in maturity and power. We are called as warriors, to lay down our lives for the enemy of Yahweh because he wants to see everyone saved. Knowing our salvation is sure, go out today to do good for the sake of others.

It's Time To Start Enjoying The Ride

One of the hardest things for a Christian to accept and live is that salvation is free. Sure, we know it because we can read it for ourselves. We know that sin had mastery over us, enslaved us, and without being aware of it, we were powerless against it. In that state we thought we were in control of our lives and our behaviour. We understand that we had to be rescued, made free from the authority of sin in order to grasp the love of our Father. We understand that this was done by Jesus on the cross. We understand but do we live it?

Can you accept that by his actions on the cross Jesus saved you; that there is nothing you have to do to contribute to this rescue aside from believing and accepting it? True, we don't deserve it and find it mind-boggling that Father would even desire to do this for us but it doesn't change the truth.

What happens to our bragging? It’s thrown out. With which law? With what we have accomplished under the Law? No, not at all, but through the law of faith. We consider that a person is treated as righteous by faith, apart from what is accomplished under the Law. (Romans 3:27-28)

Living a good life does not add anything to the free gift of salvation. Reading your Bible, praying and attending church has to do with growing in your relationship with Jesus which is a separate issue from your salvation. All of your sins, past, present and future have been covered by the blood spilled on the cross all those years ago. You did nothing to contribute to it; it was all Jesus.

There is a difference between spiritual growth and salvation. We do not grow into our salvation but we do work out our salvation daily. We do grow into a more intimate relationship with Jesus. You have been forgiven because of Jesus' actions. All your sins (past, present and future) have been washed away, removed, forgotten. If you sin today, for the sake of a right heart with Father, you need to confess it, repent of it, but understand it has already been forgiven. Remember the Prodigal Son.

Stop beating yourself up over your sin; you are growing out of it. Simply allow your desire to change from your flesh pleasures to our heavenly delights. Stop looking at the things of this world and fix your mind and heart on things above. Pursue greater intimacy with Jesus and stop trying to earn your way. The ticket has been bought and delivered. Enjoy the ride.

What Do You Have To Do To Be Saved?

How is a person saved from the eternal damnation we are all heading toward? Is it by paying money to the church? Is it by living a good life, treating everyone kindly, doing good deeds? Is it by praying, reading your Bible, going to church? Is it by doing anything?

Salvation involves doing but not as we may first think. To start with, all the doing was done by Jesus. Everything that needed to be done was done by Jesus. There was nothing we could do so Jesus came and did it. There is a little bit of doing on our part but that doing is simply to believe. To believe Jesus is who he says he is and to believe that he did what he said he did.

He was not a good man. He was not a prophet. He was not an early version of Gandhi. He was not a wise man teaching about love. He was the sacrifice to end all sacrifices, the one who could pay the price we could not pay, to do what we could not do. But it is a useless sacrifice if we do not believe.

Jesus' words:

God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him won’t perish but will have eternal life. (John 3:16)

Not that "everyone won't perish" but "everyone who believes in him won't perish". He has done it all but we have to believe. Is this promise applied only to the Jews or a select group? The word "everyone" deals with that. Paul the apostle also made this matter clear:

God’s righteousness comes through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ for all who have faith in him. There’s no distinction. (Romans 3:22)

The word "faith" is used here as a step beyond belief. Faith is belief in action. When we live by faith we live our lives in the belief that Jesus is the sacrifice that paid for all our sins and now we are saved from the eternal consequences of our sins. Salvation is not earned, cannot be bought, is found nowhere else other than through the sacrificial Lamb, who is Jesus. It is the reason this Lamb told us:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)

Now everyone is left with the choice to believe or not. And that is all you need to do to be saved; believe. What happens to you after you choose to believe is another story.

Do You Have The Circumcision Of The Heart?

Are you a Christian because you go to church? Are you a Christian because you read your Bible? Are you a Christian because you do good to others? Most of us would quickly say no because we know that these activities do not provide salvation. We say it, we know it, but still many of us fall back on the false security of such activities. And then there are the many who call themselves Christian because they were born to that tradition but have no real knowledge of Jesus and do not possess salvation.

We are a people who find security in the physical more than the spiritual. We find security in doing something, touching something, seeing something which is the reason we are attracted to the simplicity of religious ceremonies and activities. But that is not the first step with Yahweh. It is like putting the cart before the horse. What matters to Father is the condition of your heart, the relationship, the acceptance of his free gift through Jesus.

The trouble Paul the apostle had with the Jews is the same problem we have with religious Christians. The Jews trusted the Law above their obedience to it. Paying lip service to the Law was more important to them than obedience to Yahweh. Sound familiar?

For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God. (Romans 2:28-29)

Christianity is not a tradition. Our heavenly Father does not have grandchildren. In order to be a follower of Jesus Christ we must have a real and growing relationship with him. To be a child of Yahweh each individual person must understand and accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, turning our back on our rebellion and embracing the forgiveness of our Father. We cannot be physically born into the family but must be spiritually reborn through Jesus Christ.

Going to church will not save you. Reading your Bible will not save you. Doing good will not save you. Being born into a Christian family will not save you. Only encountering Jesus, repenting of your rebellion and accepting his forgiveness, confessing him as Lord and Saviour, will allow Jesus to save you. If you don't understand the difference, please find a mature Christian to speak with. This is life and death.

The Truth About Sinners And Salvation

You may not agree with what I am about to say but I hope you will search the Scriptures first to see if it is true. If you are a Christian it is important that you have a correct view of the world, the Church and your place in it.

If a person is without Jesus Christ it does not matter what they do. It doesn't matter if they are a murderer, liar, or cheat. It doesn't matter if they are straight, homosexual or are confused about their identity. It doesn't matter if they are druggies or alcoholics. It doesn't matter if they are bank robbers, prostitutes or white collar crooks. All that matters is that they are without Jesus:

“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." (John 3:18)

In case you didn't know it, those are Jesus' words. He told us the judgement will be based on whether we believe or not, not based on behaviour. We are all sinners. The difference is that our sins are covered, forgiven and forgotten when we choose to believe Jesus.

The reason this matters is because this is the foundation of Christianity but we are actually preaching something different. When we spend so much time on people's behaviour we come across as if they can save themselves by changing their behaviour. It becomes about living a good life and not about the spiritual act of believing.

We can't save ourselves; only Jesus saves. It is only by the blood of the Lamb. It is all about the sacrifice on the Cross. We cannot justify ourselves by modifying our behaviour. A prostitute who stops being a prostitute is not any closer to salvation because of her changed behaviour. She still needs Jesus because:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6)

We need to stop criticizing sinners for behaving like sinners, the rebellious for rebelling, and instead learn to love them as Jesus loves them. I am no liberal in my theology. Judgement Day is coming but our attitude in serving this suffering world is not going to help in the salvation of the dying masses.

The behaviour we should be concerned about are those who claim to have Jesus but act as if they don't; those who think they can still participate in the pleasures of sin while testifying to the goodness of Yahweh. They are spiritual in their talk and carnal in their thinking and behaviour. These are they people who have been deceived and are deceiving.

We speak the same truth to the world as Jesus did but we must also love as he loved. He did not concentrate on their behaviour but instead dealt with their heart condition. Behavioiur changes after encountering Jesus, not before. People need Jesus before they can stop sinning, rebelling against Father; they don't stop sinning in order to come to Jesus.

We need to stop being offended by behaviour and attitude and start telling people how they can have peace, real joy and the empty place of their heart filled with real life. We need to tell them how the burden can be lifted from them and how they can discover what real unconditional love means. Stop being shocked that sinners sin and be more amazed that Jesus died for them as he died for us. Let us stop demanding conformity and allow the Spirit to bring in real transformation.

The Danger Of Morality Thinking

Morality apart from Jesus has no value. That is a truth to keep in mind as we progress through life. It is good to be good but it has no eternal value without a relationship with Jesus. Stay with me for a second here as we process this reality. The psalmist wrote:

O my soul, you have said to the Lord,
“You are my Lord,
My goodness is nothing apart from You.” (Psalm 16:2)

Our salvation is not found in ourselves because it is a free gift offered to us by Jesus. We can do nothing to save ourselves. Living a good life, being good, being kind, being a nice person is all well and good but it has nothing to do with our salvation. Our salvation begins and ends with Jesus because he is the only one capable of giving us salvation. What does it take to be saved? Believe and accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. In other words, admit you are a sinner, that Jesus wants to save you from that sin, and believe that he has. That is it.

We get it wrong when we push morality before relationship. We are saying being good will make us worthy of salvation. We probably don't think that way but it is how we act and how we present. We must remember that Scripture tells us "While we were still sinners Christ died for us". We were not required to be righteous, morally fit to receive salvation. It is hard sometimes to keep it straight in our thinking.

I have a couple of children who have yet to receive Jesus. I am not happy with how they have chosen to live but their actions are only a symptom of their lack of Jesus. Should my concern be about their actions or their heart condition? The fact they are without Jesus should be the topic of my prayers and my conversation, not an effort to convince them conform their actions.

"My goodness is nothing apart from you" should be the overwhelming message in the Church. Too many unsaved people are sitting in our pews thinking they are okay because their behaviour falls into the acceptable norm. True goodness springs from a heart possessed by Jesus Christ; we don't gain a possessed heart by our goodness.

The Trap Of The Religious Tomb

The problem occurs when we move from a daily relationship to family traditions. It is frustrating when people think that Christianity is just something you are born into, a family tradition. We are not Christian because it is something a distant ancestor claimed. We are not Christian because our parents told us we are. We aren't even Christian because we go to church on Christmas and Easter. We are Christian when we are convicted about our rebellion against Yahweh, make the decision to confess our sins, ask for forgiveness, accept it, and then give up our life to follow Jesus. It is a personal decision.

Much of the Christian "world" is trapped in religious thinking, not understanding what it is they believe. They know more the traditions of their church than they do the Word of God. Many more of us are there than we think. Any time we put the the traditions and good works of our church ahead of the Word we are already falling into the trap of religion. While dealing with some religious leaders Jesus said:

"Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: 'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. And in vain the worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of me.'" (Mark 7:6-7)

It is frustrating to see what we are making of it when Jesus paid the price for us to have the most incredible relationship of all eternity. He has ushered us into an age of grace and freedom, breaking all bondage that kept us from enjoying this relationship with him. So many have been freed from their bonds of sin but instead of receiving that freedom they added to it with the shackles of religion. But on the other hand, we have those who have taken that freedom and grace and have used it as a license to sin:

For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedienceleading to righteousness? (Romans 6:14-16)

It really isn`t as complicated as it seems. The first of the great commandments: Love Yahweh with your entire being. The thing to note about this love: Jesus defined it as obedience. So, Father demonstrates his love for us in this: while we were still sinners Christ died for us. We in turn demonstrate our love to him by obedience. It is a daily relationship not a religious tomb. Relationship takes effort and time so spend time with the lover of your soul today and every day, and get to know him by knowing the Word of God.

How Sovereign Is Our Sovereign Lord?

How sovereign is our sovereign Lord? If we could answer this for ourselves we would stop trying to be so independent from him. I know, we think we are dependent on our Father but too often our dependence is reserved for crisis moments. When the "seas" are calm we just go on our merry way "doing whatever we think is best", just like the times of the Judges in Israel when they refused to recognize Yahweh as king. If we would recognize the sovereignty of Yahweh we wouldn't have to always go through the rough patches to learn our lessons. He is over all things and uses all things for our benefit.

So how sovereign is sovereign? Do you realize that no one can come to Jesus unless the Father wills it? Salvation is pretty basic stuff and yet it doesn't happen unless Father decides it's going to happen:

No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day. (John 6:44)

It is a good thing that Dad wants everyone to be saved but it is also good to recognize that it is offered according to the Father's timing, We don't understand that timing, why it has to be a certain way but it is best that we trust Father. He is in charge. We don't need to twist arms. We can but we shouldn't. Let me share my testimony with you very briefly as an illustration.

I was raised in a Christian home, attending church and Sunday School, but I never encountered Jesus. At age 18 I walked away from the church, aware that the Lord had given one year to make up my mind. My pastor did not pursue me. He told me later that the Spirit told him to leave me alone. I thank the Lord he was sensitive and obedient to the Spirit. He and the church prayed for me as I quickly got mixed up in all kinds of things that introduced me to the "pleasures" of the world. It was a really strange thing but during this time I was made aware that the Lord had planned for me to be a pastor.

Then a year later, almost to the day, I woke up to the presence of the Lord. I heard him say "enough", and suddenly I was filled with the awareness of my sins. I was overwhelmed with the conviction of the Spirit for what I had done against Jesus. He spoke so many things to me from the lessons I had learned from the Bible in church. He brought it all back to my remembrance. I was aware that I had a choice but I didn't want't a choice. I quickly slipped out of bed and lay prostrate on the floor, wishing I could melt into the ground.

Then the Lord touched me with his love and I realized the sweetness of his forgiveness that was available to me if I wanted it. I wanted it! In an instant I confessed my sins, asked for his forgiveness and pledged my life to him and in that same instance all my guilt and shame was gone. I rose from my face a new creation and I was keenly aware of it.

If my pastor had chased me down it would have ended much differently. I needed to be drawn by the Father. I needed an encounter with Jesus myself. I needed my own faith. I needed to become deeply aware of what Jesus was saving me from. He knew my character, my mind and my heart and he knew how to present me with salvation in a way that I would never doubt him or turn away from him in the future. Every moment of doubt rushes me back to that moment and I am renewed. It was like Israel's Egypt moment.

Sometimes I think we forget that salvation belongs to the Lord and the timing is up to the Father. It's not about us. As long as we are faithful in our witness, in our testimony, in our seeding, then the Spirit will do the convicting according to Father's will. But don't use this fact about sovereignty as an excuse to neglect our role in the mission. He still told us to go throughout the earth as his witnesses, making disciples. But remember, we are only the sowers and not the Lord of the harvest.

Passion Week: A Cautionary Tale

It should be no surprise that Jesus spent much of his last few remaining days teaching the most important lessons about the Kingdom as well as warning those who refused to see the truth. These leaders, who were plotting his death, were steeped in their traditions. The society of the Pharisees had taken on the responsibility of promoting and defending the Law and traditions of Israel. They were trying to preserve the Jewish identity in a sea of Greek and Roman culture. Their focus was so great that they had willingly become the enemies of Yahweh as they rejected the Messiah, the Son of God. They could only see him as a threat to their way of life; to their traditions..

Let this be a cautionary tale then to those of us who have been raised in the Church since infancy, that sometimes we do not recognize the hand of Yahweh because of the traditions and thinking of man. As we look at a few of these teachings over the next couple of days I pray that we will allow the Holy Spirit to give us fresh eyes to see what many of us have been missing.

So far, since Jesus has entered Jerusalem he has chased the merchants out of the temple and has been healing people right in the face of the Pharisees and Sadducees. So they did what would come natural to any of us, they asked Jesus for proof of his authority. Instead of answering right away Jesus challenged them:

“I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or from men? Tell me!” (Mark 11:29-30)

They weren't expecting this. This one simple question put them in a bind because of two opposing problems. John was a prophet of the people, the first prophet in the land of Israel for a very long time. Everyone considered him a prophet, respected him and held him up. If the Pharisees turned on John, denying him as a prophet they would lose the support of the people. However, if they agreed John was a prophet sent by Yahweh they would be admitting that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God because that is what John the prophet had declared. So they chose the route of silence, but Jesus didn't.

Although Jesus did not answer their questions directly he did tell them three parables all aimed at the leadership of Israel, the Pharisees, Sadducees and Chief Priest.

In the first parable Jesus told of two sons who were asked by their father to do something. The first said no, but later he changed his mind and obeyed. The second said yes but never actually did it. Jesus asked them which was the obedient son. The Pharisees, not seeing the point, answered quickly that it was the first. Jesus then hit them with this:

“I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him." (Matthew 21:31-32)

I think many of us will be surprised to see who gets in and who is turned away on the Day of the LORD. So many people in the Church are relying on traditions and good works and rejecting the true invitation from Jesus, but Father judges the heart. If we don't love Jesus more than everything else, even more than our traditions, then we are lost. We need to check ourselves daily and guard the truth that the only way to the Father is through the Son.

Jesus then continued with a parable about some tenants who had leased some land from a landowner. The owner had done all the work and the farmers only needed to tend the crops. When the landowner sent a servant to collect his portion the tenants turned him away, The landowner sent others and they were beaten. Finally he sent his son and the tenants foolishly thought this was an opportunity to steal the land for themselves so killed the son. Jesus asked the Pharisees what they thought the landowner would do next. Again they did not see the point of the parable and answered quickly that he would kill the tenants and rent it out to people who would honour him. Jesus then responded:

“Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. (Matthew 21:43)

They finally realized Jesus was talking about them and wanted to arrest him but were afraid of the people, however, Jesus wasn't done with them yet. Finally he told them a parable to explain what the Kingdom of Heaven was like. A king was throwing a wedding banquet and had already sent invitations. It was a tradition to send two invitations. The first asked if you would be able to attend on a certain date and time. The second informed you that everything was ready and it was time to come. So the invitation being sent out now was to those who had already agreed to come. But the people refused to attend.

So the king rejected his preferred guests and invited anyone else who wanted to come so the banquet hall would be filled. At these weddings you never wore what you wanted to wear, there were specific wedding clothes. In this case it was a last minute invitation so the king would have provided, as a gift, the necessary clothing. However, when the king entered he found a guest still in his own clothes, having refused the kings gift, so the king had him removed from the wedding banquet. In conclusion Jesus gave the warning:

“For many are invited, but few are chosen.” (Matthew 22:14)

For us these parables are all very clear. In this last one the original guests are the leaders of Israel and the nation herself. Those who were invited in their place are those who were not of these self-righteous leaders, who responded to the invitation. However, the only way we can accept the invitation and be in attendance is by shedding our old selves and accepting the new clothing of Jesus Christ.

The reason these teachings are important to us and that we should pay attention is that they clearly warn us against relying on traditions. There is only one way to the Father and it is through Jesus Christ. There is no religious system that will get us there, nothing we can do by our actions, no short cuts. There is only Jesus Christ and obedience to him which is provoked by love. We cannot rely on the traditions of our church or the faith of our parents or pastors, we must have our own relationship with Jesus Christ, King of kings, Lord of lords, Son of God, Saviour of the world. Our good upbringing doesn't matter. Our good deeds don't matter. Our church attendance doesn't matter. Only a vibrant, active relationship with Jesus does. All these other things spring up as the fruit produced from this relationship.

We need to be careful because Jesus warned that if we are not bearing the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit, in other words the fruit that is produced by a vibrant relationship with Jesus, we will be removed. Jesus warned that if the Father was willing to cut off the original branches from the vine we should realize that he will also cut off those branches he grafted in. These parables told in the last few days of his life should be a stark warning to us, a cautionary tale to take this relationship seriously. Where are you with Jesus today?

Faltering In Our Beliefs

It is a hard life to be an indecisive person, always struggling over choices and decisions. These people tend to waiver even after they have decided, doubting the choice they did make and if it would have been better to have chosen differently. It reminds me of Robert Frost's poem, "The Road Not Taken":

"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth."

You notice the title is not "The Road Taken" but "The Road Not Taken". Obviously the emphasis was on the thought of the path that he did not choose, wondering, speculating. We are this way with so much in our lives. Perhaps not to the point of being indecisive but often times regretting not having made decisions differently.

Sometimes such an attitude hampers us in the decisions we have made and so we only put a partial effort into the journey we are on. We are robbing ourselves of the glory of the path we have taken. The worse of it is when we try to take both paths and make a mess out of everything. Throughout the Scriptures we are told to make a decision about who we will serve because, as the apostle Paul said, we will end up serving something.

We all remember the famous "As for me and my family" speech from Joshua and it is spot on. Make a decision people, who will you serve: Yahweh or some other god? Make a decision and give it your full effort. Some of you may protest and say that we are not to put in an effort, that it is all by Yahweh's grace. Salvation is by his grace but our walk with Jesus is with effort and determination. Yes, his grace covers us when we falter but if we do not understand our responsibility in the relationship we will do more than falter, we will drop off. We need to be determined every day to choose Jesus, to walk in his ways (directions, commands, instructions, laws), to not fear and trust him for all we need, to spend time in relationship building (prayer, worship, Bible study), and to carry out the mission (to make disciples).

Yet, Joshua's speech is not the only example of being told we must make a decision. Examples are scattered throughout the Word. One is found in 1 Kings 18:

Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.”

But the people said nothing. (v. 21)

Elijah was fearless and bold in demonstrating to the people that, although there was a choice, there was only one that was obvious. But people do not like choosing Yahweh, even with the promise of eternity because of the intimacy of the accountability. They would rather find a system that would demand less out of them; something that would benefit them but with low risk, low cost and low effort. We are such a lazy people.

Jesus told us that we would have a choice and that he had come for those who would make the decision to believe the good news he was revealing. It's a decision. We can choose to stay as we are,  in our rebellion and be slaves to sin or we could choose to accept the loving relationship with Yahweh and be slaves to righteousness. Paul used the term slave to describe something with a term that we could understand because it is hard to translate the spiritual into a language the non-spiritual may comprehend. When we make a decision for Jesus we are compelled to walk in righteousness in the same way we were compelled to walk in sin without him.

Now let's be clear on this, we can't serve two masters. We can't choose two paths. You can't choose Jesus and still do whatever you want. There is a distinct way of living when we choose Jesus and many of us are choosing with our mouth but our heart still belongs to the other path. It can't be made any clearer than this: when you choose Jesus you let everything else go and you give yourself completely to his path. You don't get to argue and negotiate certain aspects with him. It is like when Moses presented everything to the people of Israel and then told them to choose. Jesus told us to count the cost, check out what you are agreeing to. Yahweh hides nothing but he says that if we are to follow him these are his clear expectations and demands of those he calls his children. It is not a free for all.

Salvation is by grace but the rest of it gets worked out in us daily as we are transformed by the Spirit, transformed with an obedient and willing heart. Too many of us are choosing with our mouth only but it also requires a belief of action in our hearts. The question is simple: who will you serve? Which path do you choose? What is your decision?

Why Can't They See The Truth?

Sometimes it can be frustrating seeing people reject the good news of Jesus. It leaves me baffled sometimes why it is not plain to them but as long as they are only willing to look with their eyes they will never see the truth. So many want proof, as in documented, as in on paper, so that we could argue the case of Jesus. Well, it is on paper, there are documents but still they dismiss it as a product of someone's imagination. The real problem is that Jesus is meant to be experienced not proven by intellectual argument.

The fact is, it is an encounter with Jesus that changes us. We can consider all the disciples or even the apostle Paul. After experiencing him they were never the same again. But we can look back even further. Consider the change that happened to Moses, or even consider Saul. Saul is a good example, a young man just going about his business when Yahweh made him his choice for king. This is what the prophet Samuel said to him:

And it will happen, when you have come there to the city, that you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with a stringed instrument, a tambourine, a flute, and a harp before them; and they will be prophesying. Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man. (1 Samuel 10:5-6)

And then we read:

So it was, when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, that God gave him another heart; and all those signs came to pass that day. (v. 9)

Saul became another man, one with a new heart. The New Testament Scriptures tell us that our encounter with Jesus transforms us into a new creation, a transformation that is still taking place as we grow into spiritual maturity.

We can argue the case of Jesus all we want, and we need to, but unless the conviction of the Spirit is upon the person, they do not have eyes to see or ears to hear or a heart of understanding. What I have observed in my many years of service is that as long as the person is self contained, needing nothing from anyone, they are closed to needing Jesus. However, when a person has been humbled and is in a desperate situation, they will be open to seeing Jesus. But this is not the most effective time.

The best moment is when a person has been convicted by the Spirit, is suddenly humbled by his great sin, and is desperate for relief from it. This is the crisis moment in their life and there is usually a servant of the LORD at hand to bring the Living Water to their thirsty soul. But that is where people like us cannot get weary from doing good. We cannot become discouraged in our labour. We must always be ready, in and out of season, to share the Good News, to be Jesus' servants in the moment. If we give up hope and forget that salvation belongs to the LORD, then there is no hope for the lost.

We have no idea who we will encounter today, what they have been experiencing and how desperate they are. All that we know is that we must look for every opportunity and take it, even if it is the 100th time we have offered Jesus to someone. Be sensitive to the Spirit, make yourself available, represent Jesus in word, actions and motivation. Never be concerned about yourself, your past or your reputation; just be faithful to Jesus and your duty to him. You may be someone's Samuel; you may be the encounter of Jesus that will change someone's heart today. Be alert. Don't become weary. Don't be discouraged. Today is someone's day of salvation.

Something Is Not Right In The Church And I Think It's My Fault

Something isn't right, and I think it is my fault.

Something is not right in the Church. We are missing something; something in the teaching; something in the learning; something in the living; something in our understanding and relationship with Jesus. It isn't hard to miss. Just stand back and listen to the reaction to A&E's treatment of Phil. Listen to the rhetoric. Read the Christian comments to news articles and other people's comments on these articles. There are two things that I have noted from this.

First, we don't have much love for the world, at least how Jesus sees it. Somewhere along the line we have missed what he meant when he said that he didn't come into the world to condemn people but to save them. The world is lost. We should not be surprised or shocked by their behaviour. They can't help themselves. It is why they need Jesus in the first place. Their behaviour is just a symptom of the real problem. When that problem is dealt with then things will begin to change. The thing we need to remember is that they can't see or understand the problem without Jesus. By us concentrating on trying to change their behaviour we are only going to distance them from Jesus.

This leads to the second thing that is becoming obvious from this situation: There are two major camps developing in the Church that is causing a wide open split. I am not going to label these camps but just point out their general differences. In one camp we have people who believe we must confront people with their sin and not to do so is to water down the Bible. In the other camp we have people who believe we shouldn't concentrate on the sin but instead on the person in the hopes to be able to introduce Jesus. Both camps see the other as being wrong and willingly argue publicly about their stand.

I wish the solution was any easy one but the way people are digging in there will be no compromise because each sees that they are doing what Jesus would do. As far as I can see it, the truth is found in both. It is possible for us to talk about sin without a condemning attitude. We can discuss why certain behaviours are a result of our rebellion against God and just what a powerful hold those behaviours have on us. We are not as free as what we think. But in order for that to work we must be willing to be honest and open and explain how God has transformed us and is continuing to transform us. We can't place ourselves above those who have yet to receive Jesus. Consider others more important than yourself. You are already saved.

At the same time there has to be a shift in our message. What comes across now is that we have to change before we can come to Jesus. We are setting aside Paul's teaching, "while we were yet sinners Christ died for us". The Church is not into behaviour modification but into heart transformation. You and I cannot change anyone. It is only the blood of Jesus that saves and it is only the power of God that transforms. We are not the judge, jury and executioner. We are nothing more than the messengers, the living testimonies of God's grace and it is with grace that we must love as Jesus loves.

We know that it is the Father's desire that everyone would be saved. We know it because we read it in the Bible. We also know it by his character and actions. However, Jesus also demonstrated that our Creator has left the decision up to us. He has explained the consequences of our decision but it is up to us. All we can do, with love and grace, is pass this message on to the world. That's our entire purpose. The rest is between them and the Holy Spirit. But doing it with condemnation is going to close far more doors than it will ever open. That's just as bad as showing someone grace without talking to them about the author of that grace.

There isn't a lot of time left and hearts are getting a lot harder these days. We need to make the most of what little time remains. May the Spirit bring healing and unity to the Church so we can get on with our mission. In my opening sentence I said there was something not right in the Church and it was my fault. Yes, mine and every other Pastor because we are not training our people to do this correctly. We are teaching moral living, and how to live for Jesus with eyes constantly inward. We are teaching humanism, to meet the physical needs of a very needy world. But we are not training them to fight for souls as we ought. This must change.

Needed: Risk Takers

Are you a risk taker? The question crossed my mind as I was reading in 1 Chronicles some of king David's battles. God was very good to him and David knew it. He knew that the battle was not his but the Lord's and as he dealt with his enemy neighbours David did not doubt the faithfulness of God. David knew he was nothing but a shepherd boy whom God had taken from the pasture and made king over God's nation. David did nothing to deserve it. He wasn't educated or qualified in any manner except one; he loved God with all his heart.

As I read some of the various battles I could imagine the kingdom of Israel growing. David had quite a lot of land and a diverse people to govern but it seemed David was destined to always be at war. Even when he tried to be a kind king he ended up in a war.

The Ammonite king had died and David sent officials to comfort the new king but the new king was advised that David's officials had come to spy. The new king decided to teach David a lesson and shamed the officials. Not a great move and when he realized what he had done, he hired some armies from other places. It made for a sizable force, larger than Israel's army. So why would David risk it? Why take the chance? Why not be satisfied with what Israel had accomplished and leave it at that? Because David knew better.

It was always God who was giving the victory no matter the size of the opposition and even David's commanders understood this. As the commander and his brother were going into the battle, the commander stated:

Be brave and fight hard to protect our people and the towns of our Lord God. I pray he will do whatever pleases him. (1 Chronicles 19:13)

They won of course.

What is the one thing that we know for sure that our Father desires? That everyone would be saved. Jesus did not say he came to save a select few but instead whoever makes the choice to believe him. So just like David heading into battle, we can be confident that our Father wants us to win. He wants us to be engaged in the fight for lost souls. Is it worth the risk of sticking our necks out and testifying about Jesus? It certainly is and you will be surprised who is receptive to your testimony.

Some may sit on the bus and wonder if they should speak to the person next to them and decide not to because the person might not think well of them. Some don't speak to their customers afraid they may damage their business. There are all kinds of levels of risk when it comes to "sticking our neck out" for Jesus. But if it is the Father's will that everyone would be saved, how can be not be engaged in the battle?

The Kingdom is not about the status qua. It isn't about reaching a certain level and maintaining. It is about seeding what we have been entrusted with so that it will grow. The Kingdom is about growth and there is nothing wrong with that because it is the Father's will. What's wrong is when we are not growing, increasing, taking risks, walking in faith, trusting, obeying, sharing our testimony with everyone who will listen.

You can't win if you don't fight. You can't grow if you are not going forward. You can't be faithful to the Father's will if you are content to maintain. What some would call risk Jesus calls faith and he is the one who provides the faith that is needed but we have to trust him for it.

Am I a risk taker? Maybe not as much as I would like to be but I am determined to get there.

1 Timothy: Stop Wasting Your Time

I have to be careful when I am teaching from apostle Paul's epistles because I enjoy tracing the events of the early Church, and can get distracted from the message therein. There are clues in all of the epistles that, when tied in with the book of Acts, gives us a good timeline as to the events.

For example, in this letter (1 Timothy 1), Paul mentions leaving Timothy behind to look after certain doctrinal matters in Ephesus while he headed off to Macedonia. This was when Paul felt in the Spirit that he had to go to Jerusalem and hoped to go on to Spain. However, as he traveled through Macedonia, on his way to Jerusalem, the Spirit revealed he would be arrested and end up in Rome.

We can also see here that Paul left Timothy with a significant responsibility in this huge area of ministry in Ephesus. Paul had charged him with the responsibility of keeping people fixed on what was important:

When I was leaving for Macedonia, I asked you to stay on in Ephesus and warn certain people there to stop spreading their false teachings. You needed to warn them to stop wasting their time on senseless stories and endless lists of ancestors. Such things only cause arguments. They don’t help anyone to do God’s work that can only be done by faith. (1 Timothy 1:3-4)

Of course, in the midst of this great work that was taking place in Asia Minor, the enemy was present to spread seeds of distraction and division. Here Paul named two things that people were wasting their time on: senseless stories and endless lists of ancestors. Paul made his point firm: these things do nothing to help anyone do God's work that can only be done by faith. I think we need a few Timothy's to rise up today with the same mission.

Let's face it, the enemy has done a pretty good job at dividing and distracting us over useless things. I am not a Catholic and I do not look to the Pope as my spiritual leader but I understand what he was saying the other week. He said that the Church was being distracted by issues of sin instead of pursuing our mission.

What is our mission? To make disciples. How are we making disciples when we are out waiving placards against homosexuality and abortion? Do we not understand that if we carried out our mission, to make disciples, that homosexuality and abortion would not be an issue?

The world cannot understand spiritual matters. The world cannot understand why homosexuality is wrong. The world cannot understand why unborn children are a gift of God, precious and deserving full protection. They cannot understand these things because they do not have Jesus. They can only understand, we can only understand, by the Spirit of God. So we need to be involved in their salvation not their condemnation.

I am not saying that we should not tell them about sin but if that is all we do then they are lost. Paul charged Timothy with the responsibility of pointing out what was wrong because the things they were involved in only caused arguments and division. Timothy was given that authority. We need the anointed of God to rise up and tell us to stop it; there are more important matters to deal with. We need to set aside what divides us and lift up what unites us. We need to be united in the Spirit. We need to be unified in our mission, of making disciples.

Paul told Timothy what to teach the Body but we will look at that tomorrow. Today it is enough to think on this matter and how it applies to us. What is it that we are occupied with that is of no help in doing God's work? What useless or senseless thing are we distracted with? What is part of us that is not part of faith? What are we allowing to divide us and stall the advancement of Jesus'mission? Do we need a Timothy to bring us correction? Are we just playing church, acting as philosophers, not understanding our place or purpose, becoming a block to salvation instead of an agent of the Spirit?

God, speak to us the truth, no matter how much it hurts.