Lessons From the Garden Part 3

I practiced every skill I’d learned:
I plowed and dug and raked and turned,
Removed the rocks and roots and weeds,
Then carefully planted quality seeds.
I watered when the rain didn’t come,
And soon saw leaves reach for the sun.
I mulched to keep the water in,
And gently spread my seedlings thin.

Oh happy day! My garden grew.
Soon fruit would come, I just knew,
And I would taste what I had sown–
The sweet reward of what I’d grown.
But I’d forgotten one detail
That proved to cause a massive fail.
While I was sleeping, a groundhog chanced
Upon my field and ate my plants!

To the ground, he ate them–a perfect theft!
Naught but stems behind he left!
Dear Christian, if you would avoid regret,
Put up a fence and raise a net
To safeguard the heart that’s in your keeping,
Lest the devil rob you while you’re sleeping!
Examine your garden; be diligent,
Lest your fruit disappear and your path become bent.

Out of your heart flow the issues of life,
Whether love and truth or sin and strife.
Get wisdom and don’t presume that God
Will keep good things growing in your sod.
What past diligence grew can be stolen away
In a moment of time on a slothful day!
Keep crucified your fleshly desires
And with patience, produce the fruit God requires.

 

Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. (Prov. 4:23)

Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward. (2 John 1:8)

Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. (I Cor. 10:12)

But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. (I Cor. 9:27)

Be sober, be vigilant; becauseyour adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. (I Pet. 5:8)

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (2 Pet. 1:5-11)

 

If You Have Faith

“If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matt. 17:20)

“If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” (Luke 17:6)

I must preface this writing by saying that these Scriptures are not a blank check from heaven to order anything you like. A person asking things from God in order to merely gratify the pleasure of the flesh is not under the blessing of God; he is asking amiss (James 4:3).   We know that greed is wickedness and living for selfish pleasure is sin.

However, these Scriptures contain some beautiful truth we don’t want to miss or set aside just because some teachers have attempted to twist their meaning.

Many Christians have mountains and trees in their lives that desperately need to go. And even a tiny amount of real faith can make them go. God has made his empowering grace accessible to the weak.  Only believe.

The mountain has accumulated over a long period of time, and has become of such a monstrous nature, it appears immovable. It is some besetting sin, practiced so consistently it has become a habit. Perhaps it is an ungrateful, negative spirit that blocks others’ view of the sky and casts a dark shadow of gloom upon them.  Perhaps it is a habit of speaking angry words, or being too unyielding and unforgiving of the minor faults of others.

The mulberry tree might be the habit of impatience with the children or spouse or coworkers.  Everything they do gets under your skin, and you quickly snap. You’ve been this way all your life, so you think you can’t change. Sure you quit drinking, fornicating, lying and stealing when you made your decision to follow Christ, but can He really uproot this other thing from your life–this thing that has deep roots in your soul and seems to be an integral part of your personality?  The answer is yes. If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, this tree can be uprooted and planted in the sea of God’s forgetfulness. It can be forgiven and utterly removed from your life and character. Do you believe?

The grace of God that brings salvation teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lust, and to live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world (Titus 2:11-12). That means the teaching we need is available to us;  it is for us to submit to the teaching and obey it.  Wisdom in how to apply and work out our own salvation is available for the asking (James 1:5).  We can and must learn to live soberly, righteously and godly in our present-day homes, fellowships, neighborhoods, and work environments.  The mountains and trees that seem they are here to stay must be uprooted and moved, and nothing shall be impossible for the one who believes.  Just as the face of the earth is always changing–deserts become lush gardens and gardens become deserts–so God’s will is for the spiritual wasteland that is our past life to be renewed and replenished and made fruitful in the present. We must become co-workers with God to that end, sowing consistently to the Spirit and refusing to sow to the flesh.  With patient continuance in this endeavor, we can trust a harvest of righteousness will come.  Just as a sinful habit was created by a continual making provision for the flesh, so a holy habit can be made by a continual denial of the flesh and a deliberate sowing to the Spirit of God.

When the twelve spies were sent to search out the land of Canaan, only Joshua and Caleb came back confident that the land could be taken with God leading the way. The rest brought an evil report of giants, and the dismal view that overcoming the land was impossible. Their view infected the whole camp like a disease, and the people rebelled against God, accusing Him of bringing them gloriously out of Egypt only to fail and end in defeat.  This faithlessness was so abhorrent to God that He had a mind to disinherit the people! (Num. 14:11-12)

We need to be like Joshua and Caleb, men of faith in God. If God says the land can be taken, it can. If God says that mountain can be made to move, or that tree can be uprooted and thrown into the sea, they can.  He will lead the way, and give patient instruction and supernatural power; only continue to live by faith in His words and do not draw back, lest He have no pleasure in you (Heb. 10:38).

There are too many teachers who are like the 10 faithless spies. They drum an evil report into the ears of their congregations–”We will all keep living in sin as long as we are in the flesh. Nobody is perfect; the best we can hope for is to have a positional righteousness in Christ even while we are losing every battle in our lives and sin is still our master.”  Don’t give heed to this faithless and wicked report no matter how spiritual the teacher appears to be; he is a hireling who has a form of godliness denying the power thereof. Shun this teacher like the plague; he speaks for the devil to keep you in bondage.  If he has no power in his own life over sin, how can he teach you to overcome anything? The best he can do is preach a message of faithlessness and surround himself with other powerless people who are satisfied with equally powerless lives.   This is deception, and is NOT a manifestation of the true Gospel, which makes men new creatures and sets them free to run in the paths of righteousness. The sons of God have a glorious liberty; their chains are broken. When they recognize an area of bondage in their lives, they know from past experience that this hurdle too can be overcome.

I was gloriously set free from fornication, drunkenness, potty-mouth, and a host of other sins at my conversion. However one besetting sin that I struggled with for a while was losing my temper with my children. I had been short-tempered for so long, I didn’t understand how to ever stop and wasn’t convinced it was possible. Satan would tell me it was just my personality and I had to accept it, and so did they. But the Spirit of God was also speaking to me, calling me to lay aside the weight of this besetting sin so that I could run my race more effectually (Heb. 12:1).  There was alot at stake.  Not only was I a poor example to the children to whom I was working to impart the Gospel, but I was in serious danger of becoming a castaway if I did not get control of my emotions and behavior.  I remember the day I came to this verse, and my whole world stopped. It was as if God’s voice suddenly magnified when I read–

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. (I Cor. 10:13)

Leonard Ravenhill once quipped, ““One of these days some simple soul will pick up the Book of God, read it, and believe it.”

When I read that verse with a heart that wanted deliverance from my besetting sin, I was simple enough to believe the Word of God exactly as it was written. I believed that every temptation I experienced, including the well-established habit of lashing out at my children, was completely withstandable and conquerable.  There was a way of escape provided for me, and it was my duty before God to take that way of escape from now on.  There could be no more excuses, for I had been given precious promises that would enable me to partake of the divine nature of holiness and escape the corruption in which I had been entangled (2 Pet. 1:4).  From that point on, I began to catch myself about to make provision for my flesh, and learned through consistent practice to make my frustrated thoughts obedient to Christ and keep my flesh disciplined and in subjection to the Spirit of God (2 Cor. 9:27; 10:5).  There is truly victory in Jesus to the one simple enough to believe that there is power over sin and death in Him, and persistent enough to practice what He teaches until the victory is complete.

Dear follower of Jesus, allow me to tie together the testimony of Joshua and Caleb with the truth of I Cor. 10:13:  there is no giant in the land of your life except such as commonly faces all men, but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be faced by a giant stronger than you can withstand with the strength of God in you, but in every single case will provide the way to overcome and get the victory. There is neither ominous mountain nor stubborn tree that cannot be made to move out of your way, so that you can run your race with the endurance necessary to reach the finish line–if you have faith as a mustard seed. Grab hold of the precious promises of God and believe them. Make straight paths for your feet to walk in, so that your lameness may be healed (Heb. 12:13). 

Whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith (I Jn. 5:4). Amen. God be with all–and empower all–who love the Lord Jesus in truth.

The Obedience of Faith

A little known fact about the book of Romans, is that it begins and ends with the phrase “the obedience of faith.” (Rom. 1:5; 16:26)  The author of the so called “Romans Road to Salvation” left out this important concept; thus, thousands and perhaps millions have been led astray by a false “easy believism” gospel.  The truth is that unless your faith produces obedience, your faith is vain.  As James wrote, “faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (2:17)

We generally obey what we really believe is true. For example, if we believe the law of gravity restrains us, we obey it by not jumping from the top of a tall building. If we believe a speeding truck can kill us if we step into its path, we obey that belief by waiting until the coast is clear before crossing the road.  A faith that is worth anything produces specific behavior.  Unfortunately, however, multitudes of people claim to have faith in God while their behaviors reveal otherwise.

Romans 10:9 is one of the verses in the “Romans Road,” but what does it say?–

That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

What does it mean to confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus? It means to confess before men that Jesus is the master of your life (your LORD), and it is in accordance with His commands that you will live.  It is not a ritualistic prayer that one repeats, but a knowing, and therefore a confessing, that Jesus is truly the only rightful Lord from this moment on. I believed and therefore I spoke. (2 Cor. 4:13) When you truly believe that Jesus is Lord, you have laid down all rights to do as you please, and committed to doing only what the Lord Jesus wants.

Carefully read Romans 2:5-11, an important passage which was left out of the “Romans Road.”–

God, who “will render to each one according to his deeds”: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God.

The truth is meant to be believed and obeyed! We choose each day whether we will obey truth or obey unrighteousness. These verses are very clear. Obedience to truth works what is good, and leads to glory, honor and peace.  Obedience to unrighteousness is rooted in self-seeking, and leads to indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish. God, in His mercy, sends His Word to heal us and deliver us from our destructions (Psa. 107:20), but that Word does not profit us if we do not mix it with living faith–faith that works in obedience to the Word (Heb. 4:2).

By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. (Heb. 11:8)

Listen to Peter exhorting his flock to be “obedient children”–

Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct. And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. (I Pet. 1:13-19)

We have all received aimless conduct by tradition from our fathers, but it is our duty as enlightened children of God to stop conforming ourselves to the former lusts we served when we were in ignorance of the truth.  Enlightenment takes away excuse, and we will all be held accountable for what we know.

Deliverance from  bondage to satan and sin comes through the truth, as it is preached by the messenger and believed by the hearer. The gospel is the power of God to salvation to everyone who believes its message (Rom. 1:16), but a simple mental agreement with truth without a change in behavior in obedience to the truth will profit a man nothing.  This is why John told the Pharisees to bring forth fruit worthy of repentance lest they be thrown into the fire (Luke 3:8-9). He continued by telling people from all walks of life what they also should DO in keeping with repentance (10-14). To know that God is good and wise and all His ways are right, and to then pursue things that He says are wrong, is to sin willfully after receiving knowledge of the truth, and to cause the Lord’s sacrifice to be no help to you at all.  A person not obeying the truth he has been taught can expect only judgment (Heb. 10:26-27).

Romans chapter 6 is one of the most powerful passages on the obedience of faith in the whole Bible, yet it also was left out of the “Romans Road.” According to this chapter, the believer has DIED to sin and can no longer live in it.  If indeed you are baptized into Christ Jesus (saved), you are baptized into His death, buried with Him, and raised with Him to newness of life.  Old things are passed away; all things have become new. If indeed we are united with Him in the likeness of His death, then we shall also have the likeness of His resurrection (a new and holy life).

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. (Rom. 6:12-13)

As people who have heard the truth, it is our duty to no longer submit ourselves to the rulership of sin. We choose every day, and moment by moment, to present our bodies to be used for unrighteousness, or present them to God to be used for righteousness.  When the truth is mixed with living faith (faith which works), we will obey that truth by choosing righteousness.

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 obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.  (Rom. 6:16-18)

Again, we choose every day to be slaves of sin or slaves of obedience. Paul commended the Romans for obeying from the heart the doctrine that was preached to them and becoming slaves of righteousness.  If you want to be set free from the power of sin, you must obey from your heart the gospel of Jesus, and the truth He both demonstrated and taught (including all the Scriptures, which are God-breathed doctrine.)  God sent His Word to heal us and deliver us from our destructions (Psa. 107:20), but most people who hear the Word do not obey it.  Jesus said such people are building their “house” on sand, and it will end in destruction. (Matt. 7:24-27)  James echoes Jesus by saying that people who only hear the Word but don’t do the Word are deceived, thinking their mental acknowledgment saves them. (James 1:22-25)

Study Romans 6 carefully, and you will see that the gospel itself is participatory. If you aren’t experiencing the resurrection power of an overcoming life, it is because you have not yet died with Christ. Until you come to the end of yourself and participate in the gospel–by denying yourself, taking up your cross, and following Jesus all the way to crucifixion of self and beyond–the gospel’s power will remain a “nice story” that seems to help others but not you.  Do not deceive yourself any longer. As Abraham did, you must by faith obey.

Recommended further reading:  The Believer’s Relationship with Jesus; My God, We Know Thee (Lord, Lord!); A Form of Godliness Denying the Power

Strive to Enter

Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?”  And He said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from,’ then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’ But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’ (Luke 13:23-27)

Notice that in response to the question, “Are there few who are saved?” the Lord answers that many will seek to enter salvation but will not be able. He claims that people will call Him “Lord, Lord” in that day, and remind Him that they spent time in His presence and under His teaching, but He will tell them to depart from Him. Why does He not know them?–because they are “workers of iniquity.” The Lord’s exhortation is not “Just rest in my promises and relax and enjoy the ride,” as some suppose, but “Strive (the Greek word for “agonize”) to enter.” Make stringent effort to enter, otherwise you will be like others who sought to enter but were not able. Are we taking the Savior’s words seriously?

What does striving to enter look like?

Recently I met a Catholic man, who told me with tears that he was trying to raise money to support certain Catholic charities so that he wouldn’t have to go to purgatory after he died. He was certainly striving to be saved, but is this what the Lord meant by striving to enter?–No. Not only is purgatory an unbiblical and false idea, but no one can do enough good deeds to cancel out their bad deeds and make themselves justified before God. Wrongdoing must be forgiven by the One who was wronged (God), and His forgiveness (salvation) is granted freely to those who repent of sin and believe on/follow Jesus with saving faith.  However, entering into and abiding in salvation (Jesus) will take an agonizing effort, because to truly make Jesus Lord & Master of your life is not easy. Your flesh wants to rule, but it must be cast down, dethroned, and crucified. There can only be one King in the Kingdom, and usurpers of the throne of God are antichrist. Only those who are in submission to the King will be allowed in the Kingdom.

The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. (Matt. 13:41-42)

Today we have multitudes of people who go to church and know lots of religious lingo about the salvation they do not understand and do not in reality possess. They have never really agonized to enter the kingdom of God. They never truly repented of their sins. They don’t really believe in Jesus; if they did, they would follow Him and do what He says.  They haven’t experienced the sorrow that leads to repentance, and they remain waffling between the world and God, imagining they are the friends of God while they are really His enemies ( James 4:4).  Listen to what Paul described as the sorrow that precedes repentance leading to salvation:

Now I rejoice…that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication!  (2 Cor. 7:9-11)

These people had responded to Paul’s rebuke with sorrow that led to a change in their behavior. They were diligent to clear themselves of wrongdoing, they were indignant against sin (siding with God against their own wrong), and they acquired a zeal for practical righteousness. This is a necessary step toward salvation, but it can’t be taken without some striving. Anyone who has been under the conviction of the Holy Spirit knows that a great wrestling occurs as the Lord convicts of sin, and the sinner is compelled to wave the white flag of surrender. Only those who allow Jesus to reign over them will escape being the “slain of the Lord” (Luke 19:11-27; Isa. 66:16). After being rebuked for his adultery and murder, David described his agonizing time of sorrowing to repentance as follows:

When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah. I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.  (Psa. 32:3-5)

Many people feel the hand of the Lord heavy on them, and their vitality is turned to the drought of summer, but they respond by lashing out at others and growing angry and bitter, rather than confessing to the Lord that they have wronged Him grievously and need His merciful forgiveness. It is easier to pretend the fault is all someone else’s than it is to acknowledge our own sin and turn from it. But this is what we must do if we want to be right with God. He does not allow pretension of godliness while hiding unconfessed sin. He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy. (Prov. 28:13)  Jesus went so far as to say cut off a hand or foot, or pluck out an eye, rather than continue in sin and wind up in hell fire! (Matt. 18:8-9) What is He saying, but that overcoming the flesh and entering eternal life will require some painful effort! Satan has a snare for everyone; we must watch and pray lest we fall into temptation and forfeit the great salvation prepared for us by choosing temporal pleasure over the things that have eternal value.

Often people will enter Salvation, but when they realize that it is a life of daily consecration, of presenting our bodies as living sacrifices, they want out. They are like the children of Israel who cheered and rejoiced when they saw Pharaoh’s army drowned in the sea, but turned back to Egypt in their hearts when things got uncomfortable.  They have a “been there, tried that” mentality toward God, who they suppose should be more indulgent of their sensual cravings; rather than a loving thankfulness for His redemption and necessary providence.  They want to circumvent the valley of the shadow of death, rather than go through it. They want anything but to deny themselves, carry a cross, and to be as selfless and misunderstood as Jesus was;  but this is the only way. Jesus is the only way, so we have no choice but to obey His instructions no matter where they take us or how much it hurts.  Overcomers have three things:  the blood of the Lamb (forgiveness through Jesus), the word of their testimony (a changed life), and they love not their own lives to the death (Rev. 12:11).

Dare we imagine that loving not our own lives to the death is possible without striving?  We have this exhortation from the writer of Hebrews–You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin (Heb. 12:4).  Listen to Paul’s words on the necessity of striving for the imperishable crown of eternal life:

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. (I Cor. 9:24-27)

Dear Reader, strive to enter through the narrow gate. Do whatever it takes to make sure your life is 100% submitted to God. Many will be unable to enter because they will not part with their iniquity. Do not think to call Jesus “Lord, Lord” while disobeying His commands. He is not hoodwinked by empty words as men sometimes are. Do not think you will win the prize without self-discipline and effort. To produce the fruit God expects will require not just hearing, but keeping the Word of God, and patience under trial (Luke 8:15; 21:19).  The good news is that Jesus wants you to make it in! He offers instruction, strength, comfort, and everything else that is needed to bring you to heaven. All things are made possible through Him.  Will you strive to enter the narrow gate, and continue to live by your faith, or will you be like those who draw back to perdition?

God bless you!

Walk Circumspectly

See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. (Eph. 5:15-17)

“Circumspectly” means cautiously, vigilantly, heedfully, with watchfulness to guard against danger. “Circumspect” literally means looking on all sides, or examining carefully all the circumstances that may affect a determination. (source)

Why do we need to walk circumspectly?–Because the days are evil.  These are days of spiritual warfare.  In these evil days, we need to take up the whole armor of God so that we can stand against the wiles of the devil.  We need to be mindful that principalities and powers are against us to destroy us, but God has given us everything we need to overcome them if we will but heed His warnings. If we neglect the spiritual dress God has provided, we do so to our own peril.

Ephesians 6:11-17 teaches us how we must be dressed for these evil days:

in Truth–for the Lord desires truth in the inward parts (Psa. 51:6). Let us say with David, I have chosen the way of truth; Your judgments I have laid before me. (Psa. 119:30)  The entirety of God’s Word is truth (Psa. 119:60), and the truth is in Jesus (Eph. 4:21). We who follow Jesus and His teaching follow the living Truth, and it is the Spirit of Truth who lives in us (John 14:6-7).  It is by the truth that we are sanctified (John 17:17). Buy the truth and do not sell it (Prov. 23:23), for only those who receive a love of the truth will be saved (2 Thess. 2:10).

in Righteousness–for the Lord upholds the righteous (Psa. 37:17), and He shall never permit the righteous to be moved (Psa. 55:22).  He who does righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous (I Jn. 3:7), and righteousness delivers from death (Prov. 11:4).

in the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace–always being ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear (I Pet. 3:15), being unashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes.  As Paul did, let us share also in the sufferings for the gospel as Christ’s ambassadors through whom our Lord pleads “Be reconciled to God.” (2 Tim. 1:8; 2 Cor. 5:18-20)  And if we are entrusted with the gospel, even so… speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts (I Thess. 2:4).

in the shield of faith and the helmet of salvation–faith to quench the fiery darts of the wicked that will come, and to move the mountains that will stand in our way; and our so-great salvation and its captain (Jesus) always guarding our minds. Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

with the Sword of the Spirit ever fitted to our hand and ready to be used–used to silence the lies of satan and to invade and pull down strongholds; casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (2 Cor. 10:3-5). Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly; study to show yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (Col. 3:16; 2 Tim. 2:15).  All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16-17).  Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you (I Tim. 4:16)..

always praying–with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints (Eph. 6:18).  Pray without ceasing, being ever mindful to keep your connection to the Father unobstructed by sin or apathy (1 Thess. 5:17).  Don’t go to sleep, saints, but watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. (Matt. 26-41).  Heed the warning of the Lord:

But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.  Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man. (Luke 21:34-36)

Walk circumspectly; be dressed for battle and on your guard at all times, waiting and watching for your Master.  Do not be like the foolish virgins, who were unprepared for the long delay of their Bridegroom, and tried to shake off their slumber and get ready at the last moment, only to find they were too late.  Shake off your slumber now and check your oil supply; take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness (Lk. 11:35).  Make sure you are doing what God has told you to do, and that you maintain that work to the end, lest you be appointed a portion with the unbelievers.

Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning;  and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately.  Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.  And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.  But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.  Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?  Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.  Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has.  But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk,  the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. (Luke 12:35-40, 42-46)

Walk circumspectly when you are with the wicked, guarding your own behavior. David said, “I will guard my ways, lest I sin with my tongue; I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle, while the wicked are before me.” (Psa. 39:1)  Satan is looking to take advantage of us, and we are not ignorant of his devices (2 Cor. 2:11). We must not give place to the devil through our yielding to any sin (Eph. 4:27), especially in the presence of unbelievers who are watching to see if our walk matches our talk. Guard your mouth, for he who guards his mouth preserves his life, but he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction (Prov. 13:3).  Satan will exploit everything he can, to ruin our testimony before outsiders and offer them an excuse to reject the truth. Therefore, be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.  Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. (I Pet. 5:8-9)

Redeem the time. Each man is given only one life–one chunk of time–to steward, and the end of it is coming. So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom (Psa. 90:12). LORD, make me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am.   Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths. (Psa. 39:45)  And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.  Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.  But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts (Rom. 13:11-14).  Saints, we simply don’t have time to make provision for the flesh and pursue vain things that have no eternal value. The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. Who will go for the Lord? He who wins souls is wise (Prov. 11:30).

Do not be unwise, but understand what the Lord’s will is. His will is not that we seek a comfortable life on this earth while millions perish. His will is not that we eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die. His will is not that we blend in with our neighbors and keep our lights under a bushel, lest someone be offended. That is satan’s will.  Satan wants us to be carnally minded, because to be carnally minded is death (Rom. 8:6). We dare not be an offense and stumbling block to Christ and His mission, as Peter was at first, being not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  (Matt. 16:23, 25-26)  We must not be conformed to the thinking of this selfish world, but transformed by the renewing of our mind so that we can prove what is the perfect will of God (Rom. 12:2). We discover and prove the will of God so that we can do it, for whoever does the will of God is the Lord’s brother and sister and mother (Mark 3:35).

Walk circumspectly!  God bless you.

Are You a Pharisee?

If you are a faithful servant of Jesus, chances are you have been called a Pharisee once or twice. The assumption of many is that the Pharisees were people who practiced strict obedience to God and urged others to do the same, while the prostitutes and tax-collectors were accepted by Christ because they didn’t judge anyone.

Just as many misunderstand and misrepresent Jesus Christ Himself, many misunderstand and misrepresent the Pharisees. In fact, many people who mislabel the servants of Christ as “Pharisees” are themselves behaving as did the Pharisees in Jesus’ day.  It is my intention in this writing to encourage the hearts of God’s true servants by shedding light on the true nature of the Pharisees.

In Matthew 23, Jesus warned His disciples and the multitudes about the Pharisees:

The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.  Therefore whatever they tell you to observe,that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.  For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.  But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.  They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues,  greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’ (vs. 2-7)

We see here that the Pharisees would not do what they told others to do. They were hypocrites. When they did appear to do good works, it was only to be seen by men–that is, their motive was not love for God and men, but love for themselves. They wished to appear righteous, but they were not righteous. They wanted to be above other men, to be called “Rabbi,” and to have the best seats. They exalted themselves over other men, but God did not esteem them. God esteems the lowly, and the greatest of His true children are willing servants of their brethren, not brutal and hypocritical lords over them (Matt 23:11-12; Matt. 20:25-28).  Jesus Christ, the Lord of all, did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many. Everything He called us to, He first lived by example. His servants are not greater than He is, and will do the same.  Just like their Good Shepherd, they will lay down their lives for the sheep. This, the Pharisees would not do, for their motives were selfish. They were not shepherds, but hirelings.

The remainder of Matthew 23 contains the rest of Jesus’ passionate rebuke of the Pharisees. Here are some of His complaints against them:

1.  They not only refused to enter the kingdom of heaven, they also stopped others from entering. (13)  Luke 7:30 records that the Pharisees rejected the will of God for themselves by refusing to participate in the baptism of repentance.  They continually spoke against the ministry of Jesus and tried to dissuade others from following Him.  Their doctrine was dangerous leaven (Matt. 16:12).  They were motivated by jealousy, desiring to have power over men. If they had been right with God, God would have shown them the truth about who Jesus was, but they did not want to see. When John the Baptist neither ate bread nor drank wine, they said he had a demon; when Jesus ate bread and drank wine, they said He was a glutton and a winebibber. When Jesus healed men, they claimed He did it by satan’s power, or they claimed that healing a man broke the Sabbath law. (The truth is that the Spirit of the law was never broken by Christ. God allowed men to pull a wounded animal out of a ditch on the Sabbath. They should have seen that a man had greater value.)  Jesus summed up their refusal to enter the kingdom of heaven in his parable of a king whose servants declared, “We will not have this man to reign over us.”  In short, the Pharisees rejected the reign of the rightful King, and they would be destroyed (Luke 19:11-27).

2.  They devoured widows’ houses. (14) Perhaps they did this by taking too much money from poor widows, or denying money to widows who needed help so they could live high-on-the-hog themselves. God takes offense when widows and orphans are cheated, and considers Himself their chief Protector who will avenge them (Exo. 22:22-24).  The Pharisees were blatantly breaking God’s law!

3.  They made long prayers for pretense’ sake. (14)  Their prayers were detestable to God not only because God detests the prayers of the disobedient (Prov. 28:9, 15:8; Psa. 66:18; Isa. 59:2), but also because the prayers were done for show.  Pure hypocrisy!

4.  Those they discipled were “twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.” (15) Their fruit was terrible! Their new converts were even more wicked than themselves.

5. They added ridiculous rules to the law of God, by which they could refrain from keeping their oaths while still appearing righteous. (16-22)  Jesus called them “fools and blind,” and explained why their loopholes were foolish to God.  In Mark 7:6-13, Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for teaching traditions that actually violated God’s commands.

6.  They followed meticulous tithing laws, but neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. (23-24)  For He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?  (Mic. 6:8)  Jesus said the whole law of God can be summed up by loving God supremely, and loving your neighbor as yourself. The Pharisees loved themselves supremely, and merely used their positions of power to exact what they wanted from the people.  The fact that they did not love justice and mercy is evident by the fact that they not only pushed for the crucifixion of Jesus, but they also wanted to kill Lazarus, who had been raised from the dead (John 12:10-11).

7.  Though they maintained a clean exterior, inside they were full of extortion and self-indulgence, uncleanness, hypocrisy and lawlessness. (25-28)  Pay attention, dear Christian. The Pharisees were not obedient, but lawless. They were not followers of the self-less and loving God, but rather self-indulgent extortioners of others. They were not holy, but unclean. They were not truthful, but hypocritical.  God’s problem with the Pharisees was not that they were holy men who taught the people the difference between right and wrong. God’s problem with the Pharisees was that they were unholy men who practiced lawlessness while pretending to be holy.  John the Baptist warned the Pharisees that they must bear fruits worthy of repentance (Matt. 3:7-10). He threatened that they would be cut down unless they produced the right fruit, which they were not as yet producing.

8.  They pretended at honoring the prophets, claiming they would not have killed them as their forefathers did, even as murder was already brewing in their hearts toward Jesus–the greatest Prophet. (29-36) The truth was that the prophets rebuked hypocrisy in their day, and would have rebuked the Pharisees also; and the hearts of the Pharisees were just as blind and murderous as those of their predecessors.  Not only would they kill Jesus, but they would also abuse and kill other servants of the Lord to come (like Stephen), because they hated the truth those messengers would bring.

Unless this list describes you, you are not a Pharisee.

Have you have repented of your sins and trusted in Jesus Christ for salvation?–This the Pharisees would not do. 

Do you love the servants of the Lord who bring the truth, even if the truth reveals that you need to change?–The Pharisees did all they could to silence the truth, including conspiracies, lying, and murder. 

Do you deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Jesus daily?–The Pharisees were self-indulgent and made use of others to enrich themselves. 

Do you pray in secret so that your Father may reward you openly?–The Pharisees prayed pretentiously in public for show. 

Are you doing what you can to fulfill the great commission–making disciples of Jesus and teaching them to obey what He has commanded?–The Pharisees did just the opposite, turning men away from Jesus (whose burden is light) and insisting men obey their hard-to-bear traditions instead. 

Have you submitted to Christ and been cleansed on the inside, so that your exterior cleanness is an accurate reflection of your inward holiness to the Lord?–The Pharisees were only lawlessness and uncleanness wearing a disguise.

Here is an example of a true “Pharisee.” Let’s say you go out into the streets to hand out tracts and preach the gospel. You tell people they need to repent of their sins and follow Jesus. A man tells you he is already a Christian, and he lives in fornication and drunkenness–so what? He refuses to repent, and says that going to church makes him right with God. Furthermore, he doesn’t appreciate your preaching, and thinks your message is wrong. As a matter of fact, he would like you to take your preaching elsewhere.  As others try to listen to your message, he causes a disruption so they too are turned away from the truth.  Here you have a person refusing to repent and obey Jesus, trusting in tradition (church-going) to save him. He disdains the messenger of God, rejects the truth, and tries to stop others from accepting it. Sound familiar?

The irony is that this man just might call you a “Pharisee” when you point out that unless he repents of his willful sinning, he will perish. The truth is that the name describes him much more than it describes you.  Take heart, dear Christian.  If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household? (Matt. 10:25)  Know that you have been a faithful witness and carry on. The Lord who sees all things will bring all things to light.

God bless you.

Sin Boldly?

Martin Luther is credited with saying the following:

“If you are a preacher of grace, then preach a true and not a fictitious grace; if grace is true, you must bear a true and not a fictitious sin. God does not save people who are only fictitious sinners. Be a sinner and sin boldly, but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly, for he is victorious over sin, death, and the world. As long as we are here [in this world] we have to sin. This life is not the dwelling place of righteousness, but, as Peter says, we look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. It is enough that by the riches of God’s glory we have come to know the Lamb that takes away the sin of the world. No sin will separate us from the Lamb, even though we commit fornication and murder a thousand times a day. Do you think that the purchase price that was paid for the redemption of our sins by so great a Lamb is too small? Pray boldly—you too are a mighty sinner.”

Dear reader, I hope you shuddered in horror at these words. I would like to specifically zero in on this portion:  Be a sinner and sin boldly, but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly, for he is victorious over sin, death, and the world. As long as we are here [in this world] we have to sin. 

Replacing the word “sin” with the word “murder” we have this:  Be a murderer and murder boldly, but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly.  Or how about this: Be an adulterer and commit adultery boldly, but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly. Or perhaps your favorite sin is lying:  Be a liar and lie boldly, but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly.  Do you steal? Be a thief and steal boldly! Just make sure you believe and rejoice in Christ more boldly!

Some may accuse me of taking Martin Luther’s words out of context, but I assert that his words have been used as a license to sin by many, and indeed seem custom-made for the job!  He said you can murder a thousand times a day and still remain in Jesus Christ! Have you ever heard such blasphemy? I know Luther is a revered reformer, but Christ’s sheep hear His voice and they follow Him. They will not follow the voice of the stranger, and this is the voice of a stranger if I’ve ever heard one. Test the spirits by which men speak!  Never assume that someone honored by others is the friend of your soul.

To the shamed adulterer, Jesus said, “Go and sin no more.” (John 8:11)

To the man whom He had healed from a 38-year infirmity, Jesus said, “Sin no more lest a worse thing come upon you.” (John 5:14)  What could be worse than 38 years of perpetual infirmity?

Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.” (I Cor. 15:34)

He also wrote, “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 obedience leading to righteousness?” (Rom. 6:15-16)

Again, Paul wrote to Timothy, “Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: ‘The Lord knows those who are His,’ and, ‘Let everyone who names the name of Christ DEPART FROM INIQUITY.’”  (2 Tim. 2:19)

The Apostle John testified that he wrote his epistle “that you may not sin.” (I Jn. 2:1)

Peter wrote of false teachers who would deny the Lord who bought them, bringing on themselves swift destruction. How do they deny the Lord?–through disobedience and teaching disobedience to the Lord’s servants. For they profess to know God, but in works they deny Him. Some of their distinguishing marks are:  they will receive the wages of unrighteousness (because they are unrighteous), they count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime (not even blushing for their sins, but doing them boldly even in the company of the Christian church), and they have eyes full of adultery, and they cannot cease from sin (2 Pet. 2:1-14; Titus 1:16).

They cannot cease from sin! Though Jesus said to cease from sin and gives victory over sin to those who abide in Him, and though His apostles taught that we must cease from sin and obey Jesus, these teachers not only cannot cease from sin in their own lives, but they also teach others, “Be a sinner and sin boldly…as long as we are here, WE HAVE TO SIN.”

Do you hear the hiss of the deceiver in those terrible words?

Please do not misunderstand me. I know that Luther stood against the darkness of the catholic church, and I believe he started out on the right foot and even helped some to escape their slavery to the Roman church. However, he had some gross error, and this error about sin has likely led millions to deny the Lord who bought them and bring upon themselves swift destruction.  Luther was a man so taken with his concept of “faith alone,” that he wanted to cut the book of James out of the Bible. Why? Because James wrote, “A man is justified by works, and not by faith only” and “faith without works is dead.” (James 2:20-24)

Dear reader, I am grateful that if I do sin, I have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.  However, the goal is NOT TO SIN. When we were reunited with our Father through the atoning death of Jesus, it was not to continue a life of sin until the day we die.  We came back to the Father as dear children who love and obey their Father, not just because He has authority and power, but because He has proven His love and kindness in Jesus Christ. Death is not our Savior from sin; Jesus is our Savior from sin. Jesus will save His people from their sins (Matt. 1:21). Is Jesus Christ in you? Examine yourselves, to see if you be in the faith. Is His Spirit leading you, and are you walking in step with Him?–if so, then you are not fulfilling the lust of the flesh. The righteous requirement of the law is fulfilled in those who walk after the Spirit (Gal. 5:16; Rom. 8:4).

Beware of any teacher, no matter how famous, who comes teaching you to walk after your flesh as boldly as you please. Beware of men who make you feel secure in Christ while you follow your flesh. They will say “God doesn’t see your sin; He only sees Jesus.” Or “The righteousness of Jesus is imputed to you even if you commit fornication or murder a thousand times a day!”  Do not be deceived. God will not be mocked, and those who live according to their flesh will DIE the second death. Though satan may whisper through his angels of light, “You will not surely die,” be assured that God’s warnings are true, and the wages of unrighteousness is still death.

God’s true servants always turn people toward obedience to God.

Thus says the LORD of hosts:

“ Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you.
They make you worthless;
They speak a vision of their own heart,
Not from the mouth of the LORD.
They continually say to those who despise Me,
‘ The LORD has said, “You shall have peace”’;
And to everyone who walks according to the dictates of his own heart, they say,
‘ No evil shall come upon you.’”
For who has stood in the counsel of the LORD,
And has perceived and heard His word?
Who has marked His word and heard it?
Behold, a whirlwind of the LORD has gone forth in fury—
A violent whirlwind!
It will fall violently on the head of the wicked.
The anger of the LORD will not turn back
Until He has executed and performed the thoughts of His heart.
In the latter days you will understand it perfectly.
“ I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran.
I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.
But if they had stood in My counsel,
And had caused My people to hear My words,
Then they would have turned them from their evil way
And from the evil of their doings.
“ Am I a God near at hand,” says the LORD,
“ And not a God afar off?
Can anyone hide himself in secret places,
So I shall not see him?” says the LORD;
“ Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the LORD.

~Jer. 23:16-24

God bless you.

Should Believers Marry Unbelievers?

I was shocked recently when I heard a professing Christian telling other single Christians that God doesn’t care if they marry unbelievers! Such “mixed marriages” are just as blessed as Christian marriages according to him. When asked how a true disciple of Jesus could possibly want to spend the rest of his life yoked to an unbeliever, he flippantly replied that “love” made it possible, and that he intended to marry an unbeliever and “live happily ever after.”  The worst part was that several professing Christians agreed with him despite the warnings from people who had lived the nightmare of an unequally yoked marriage. For this reason, I write the following post.  If you are a young Christian person hoping to marry one day, let nobody convince you that God doesn’t care if you marry an unbeliever, and let nobody convince you that there won’t be negative consequences if you do.

A Christian by definition is devoted to Christ before all else. All his dreams, desires, doings, and even his thoughts must be obedient to Christ.  And Christ has given this command to those who follow Him:

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matt. 6:33)

The focus of our lives is to be advancing the kingdom of God and His righteousness on the earth. We are ambassadors of the Kingdom (2 Cor. 5:20), and we seek to fill our spiritual homeland with as many souls as possible to the joy of our Father. Every decision we make, especially the most important decisions like marriage, should be made with this focus in mind. When looking at a potential spouse, we must ask the question, “Is this person going to assist me in furthering the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, or is he/she going to hinder me from doing so?”

Can two walk together, except they be agreed? (Amos 3:3)

If we don’t agree with God, we cannot walk with Him.  It must also be considered whether a believer who wants to serve Jesus, and an unbeliever who serves himself and/or idols, can walk together. Can they together advance the kingdom of God and His righteousness? The obvious answer is no. They can buy a home together. They can have physical relations and bring forth beautiful children. They can pay bills together. But they can neither worship the Lord together, nor unanimously teach the children to worship the Lord. They may enjoy some temporary satisfactions, and they may even get along so long as one of them compromises, but they will always be on different pages.

Oh, but I won’t compromise…

Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” (I Cor. 15:33)

Oh, but I am going to save my spouse. Really? Do you know how many times this daydream has come to nothing?

For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife? (I Cor. 7:16)

Remember:

He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will be destroyed. (Prov. 13:20)

Therefore:

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?  And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. (2 Cor. 6:14-18)

While all of these verses can be applied to mere friendships, they are even more relevant to marriage–the most intimate of all friendships!  It is very clear that our Father wants us to be yoked to Christ, but not yoked to unbelievers.  Now, we all have to have dealings with unbelievers in everyday life, especially to be effective salt and light in this world.  But to be yoked to someone is to try to walk together and work together toward a common goal, as we are yoked with Christ to labor in His kingdom. Being yoked is keeping in step with someone and implies some intimacy.  The record emphatically says there is NO unity between Christ and the devil, and the temple of God (you, dear Christian) has no business communing intimately with idols and their worshipers.

There are two groups of people:  children of God and children of the devil (light and darkness). If, as children of the light, we must “hate” father and mother and even our own lives to be Jesus’ disciples (Lk. 14:26), what makes us think we can seek intimate relationships with the children of the devil and still remain His disciples?  John wrote that a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God (James 4:4).

Please believe, if you disregard the warnings of Scripture, you will pay the consequences.  Many men and women have done so to their lifelong regret. Had Samson not found rest in the lap of Delilah, he might not have perished in such a pathetic and ignoble way, having accomplished much less in his life than he might have otherwise.  Had Solomon obeyed the voice of the Lord regarding his marriages to pagan women, he might not have strayed from the Lord at the end of his life. He became the companion of fools and was destroyed! There is no record in the Scriptures that Solomon–the man once gifted with the most extraordinary wisdom–ever returned to the Lord! In these two cases, we have the strongest and the wisest–both destroyed or almost destroyed by unbelieving love-interests.  BEWARE!

A little leaven leavens the whole lump. The leaven introduced by the unbeliever wreaks untold havoc in the home. It is argued that Paul said the unbelieving spouse is sanctified by the believer (I Cor 7:14). This is true, but was written to encourage those who come to Christ after being married to an unbeliever. Paul encourages such a one to remain in the marriage so long as the unbeliever is content to remain, for the unbelieving spouse and the children can best be influenced through the believer’s witness and service if the marriage remains intact.  This is mercy to the believer and his family, but does not give Christians license to seek out unbelieving spouses on purpose!

What about Hosea? Didn’t God tell him to marry a prostitute who would cheat on him?  Yes, He did, and by this God demonstrated to His whorish people how they had broken His heart and repaid Him evil for good. Unless we are 100% sure that God has commanded us to do the same as a demonstration to our own nation, it would be very foolish indeed for us to run off and do as Hosea did.  Hosea’s reason for marrying this prostitute was completely spiritual.  He did not marry her because he enjoyed her company or was sexually frustrated and tired of waiting for a godly wife, but because he was willing to suffer to manifest God’s heart to His backslidden people.  Did you get that?–I said he was willing to suffer. An unequally-yoked marriage brings suffering.

When you love the Lord Jesus and your spouse does not, it hurts. When you share His precious Words, and your spouse’s eyes glaze over, it hurts. When you teach your children to love the Lord, but their other parent introduces them to idols, it hurts. When your children see you as the mean parent because you try to protect them from evil, it hurts. When you long to labor for the kingdom, but you are hindered by the vain pursuits of your spouse, it hurts. And if your spouse finds your light offensive and seeks the pleasure of darker company, it hurts.

Christians are spiritual people, called to be spiritually minded rather than carnally minded, which is death. We understand that God has made two people into one flesh for a spiritual reason–that He might have a godly seed in the earth (Mal. 2:15).  This is best accomplished in the marriage of two godly people who are committed to passing on their convictions to their children together.

Some carnal reasons have been offered for why it is supposedly ok for believers to marry unbelievers, but none of them are any good.

To purposely marry an unbeliever because you enjoy his/her company suggests that the light that is in you may actually be darkness, for there is no fellowship between light and darkness.  If you are enjoying the prolonged company of an unbeliever, you need to examine yourself to see if you are in the faith.

To purposely marry an unbeliever because you have a sexual desire that you think trumps the command to seek first the kingdom of God, is to put your sexuality above and before the kingdom of God. That is idolatry. Ask the Lord to help you bring your body under subjection, and do not be led away into sin by your own lusts–you must crucify your flesh with its affections and lusts (Gal. 5:24).  It is true that it is better to marry than to burn, but you must not settle for an unbeliever. Paul told widows they could remarry, but only in the Lord (I Cor. 7:39), and said that “the brethren of the Lord” were permitted to have “a sister, a wife” (I Cor. 9:5 KJV; or “a believing wife” in the NKJV).

To purposely marry an unbeliever because you are lonely is to put your emotional need before the kingdom of God. If a man does not deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow Jesus, he cannot be His disciple (Lk. 9:23).

So what is one to do?! The truth is that life can be lonely and marriage is desirable. And sometimes it seems the godly gals and guys are all taken or hiding in a cave somewhere. Commit your way to the Lord, single Christian, and wait patiently for Him. Serve Him as a single person to the utmost of your ability, and see if He doesn’t bring some like-minded (Christ-minded) person your way. But even if He doesn’t–even if things don’t go as you would like–choose to seek first the Kingdom and His righteousness in all your decisions, even if it means being alone for the time being. If you do this, you will be blessed.

The Believer’s Relationship with Jesus

Knowing God and Jesus Christ is eternal life (Jn. 17:3), and eternal life is found in Jesus Himself (I Jn. 5:11; 20). There are several pictures in Scripture that illustrate the relationship we must have with Jesus Christ if we desire to have eternal life, and each depicts a different aspect in that relationship.

First, we are clay in the hands of a Potter, all of us being the work of God’s hands (Isa. 64:8), and woe to the clay that resists the Potter’s influence (Isa. 45:9). In Jeremiah 18, the prophet was instructed to go watch a potter at work. He noticed that when the clay vessel became ruined in the potter’s hand,  he started over and made it into another vessel. God likewise reserves the right to do exactly that with any lump of clay that He is working with which becomes ruined in His hands by resisting Him, but He gives the vessel a choice. It is written, “Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.  But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.   If a man therefore purge himself from these (dishonorable works), he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.” (2 Tim. 2:19-21)  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. (Eph. 2:10)

Second, we are branches abiding in a Vine (Jesus), and it is His life that is flowing up from the Vine itself to give us life. If there is a severance of this closeness, there will be no life, for remember:  eternal life is in the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Branches that remain connected to the Vine and produce fruit will endure pruning so as to produce even more.  Branches that do not remain connected to the Vine and become fruitless, will be cut off and receive no further benefit from the Vine–no eternal life.

Third, we are body parts directly connected to and under the authority of our Head (Jesus).  Just as the physical brain is the seat of authority in the body, and all body parts obey the commands of the brain and cannot remain alive if there is a separation between the head and body, just so we are utterly dependent on Jesus Christ to guide us and keep us alive and functioning properly. We also enjoy and benefit from interdependent body life, receiving nourishment from other body parts as each one functions in his/her own gift.

Fourth, we are a Bride-to-be being prepared and made ready for our Groom (Jesus), who has gone to prepare a place for us, and will soon return to take us to Himself. Just as a bride focuses on making herself as perfect as possible for her coming wedding, and remains faithful in her behavior and solely focused on the one she loves; so every man who has the hope of final redemption purifies himself just as Jesus is pure (I Jn. 3:3), being diligent to be found of Him in peace, without spot and blameless (2 Pet. 3:14).

Fifth, we are citizens of a kingdom of which Jesus is the King. Just as citizens of any earthly country must obey and serve the authorities over them, Christians give 100% total allegiance to King Jesus, remembering that He will send forth His angels to gather out of the kingdom all things that offend and them which do iniquity (Matt. 13:41). Not only do we do the things that please our King, we act on His behalf as ambassadors to earthly men, beseeching them to be reconciled to God through Jesus (Eph. 2:19; 2 Cor. 5:20).

Sixth, we are individual stones in a great spiritual temple which is being built for a habitation of God.  The foundation of this building is Jesus, the Chief Cornerstone without which the whole building falls, and the apostles and prophets who gave to us His written Word and instructions (Eph. 2:19-21).  As stones in a building lean and rely upon the first-laid cornerstone, so we lean and rely upon Jesus Christ. Only those who hear and do His words will be properly founded upon the Rock and be saved from destruction (Matt. 7).

Seventh, Jesus is the Apostle and High Priest of our profession (Heb. 3:1) and our High Priest of good things to come, by the greater and more perfect tabernacle, who has Himself–as the Passover Lamb–obtained eternal redemption for us by His own blood (Heb. 9:11-12). Not only are we the redeemed from the earth, we fulfill the kingdom of priests and holy nation God has always desired (Exo. 19:5-6), being called by Peter a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, and a peculiar people (I Pet. 2:9).  Like the priesthood in the Old Testament which serves as an example of heavenly things (Heb. 8:5), we priests offer up spiritual sacrifices, presenting our own bodies a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God;  and we lead outsiders to our High Priest Jesus–the only mediator between God and men–that they might be forgiven and restored.

Eighth, we are sheep following a Shepherd–not just any hireling who is in it for personal gain and abandons the sheep at first sign of danger, but a Good Shepherd who has already laid down His life for His sheep. Jesus said His sheep hear His voice and follow Him, and He gives to them eternal life (John 10:27-28). Psalm 23 wonderfully paints the details of how our Shepherd cares for our needs as we continue to follow Him. When any sheep goes astray, He is faithful to seek for the one which is lost, and rejoices greatly with all of heaven whenever a lost sheep is found and brought back under His care! (Luke 15:4-7)

Ninth, Jesus is the Bread of Life to us, and we must be partakers of Him to live. He is the Word of God made flesh, and man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God (Lk. 4:4). He is the living bread which came down from heaven and gives life to the world (Jn. 6:51).   We must, like the prophet Ezekiel, eat the scroll, feeding upon the Word of the Lord to the health of our spiritual man. We must take in this daily bread–this manna–that may not be as titillating to our flesh as the leeks of Egypt, but nevertheless is exactly what is needed to nourish us up in the words of faith and good doctrine (I Tim. 4:6).  Jesus instructed us to labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you (Jn. 6:27).

May Jesus be glorified as we properly relate to Him as our Potter, our life-giving Vine, our Head, our Groom, our King, our foundational Rock, our High Priest and Passover Lamb, our Good Shepherd, and our Daily Bread.

God bless you!

The Daily Walk at Home

Week after week, couples and families sit in their “Sunday best” in churches all across America. They seem like they have it all together. They listen politely to the preacher, act friendly toward each other, and keep their kids quiet enough.  Some even hold positions of leadership or are well-studied in theology and can win debates. But if walls could talk, they would tell us of the disconnect that exists between their public personae and who they really are in their daily walk.

Careless wives who disrespect their husbands by giving less than their best service in the home, or failing to manage household funds wisely.

Lazy husbands who embitter their wives by failing to come alongside them and help.

Peevish wives who nag their husbands and make them feel sorry for having come home from work.

Apathetic husbands who refuse to take their spiritual leadership mandate seriously.

Mothers or fathers who leave the child training to the “professionals”–or to video games and television–anything but truly embracing what it means to shepherd priceless souls into the arms of God, whatever the cost in dollars or headaches.

Families that allow the voices of the world to speak unrestrained into their lives via television and other media, but can’t understand why so much bad fruit is manifesting in their lives.  (Please see Feeding on Foolishness)

Parents whose personal goals come before the goal to raise the next generation in the ways of the Lord. Junior’s behavior goes uncorrected because mom or dad is absorbed in his or her work, social life, TV show, or ministry–yes, even ministry–for some ministries become excuses to focus on what is more pleasing to the flesh, to the neglect of first duties that are difficult for the flesh. It is sometimes easier to blog, run the nursery, give to missions, quote from the Bible, cry at the altar, pray wonderful prayers, give Biblical lectures, and prove false teachers are false; than it is to deal with a wife who is easily angered, a tired or demanding husband, a spoiled or neglected child who is out of control, or a teenager that can only be reached by the patient rebuilding of fallen bridges.

All kinds of  the “form of godliness” but no true power.  Please understand that I’m not saying every person who quotes from the Bible, sits in a pew, or proves false teachers false is a hypocrite. These are valid Christian duties, but practicing them does not exempt one from doing his Christian duty in the home. We must not deceive ourselves!  If we aren’t doers of the Word at home, then we can’t rightly call ourselves doers of the Word at all.

There are some who, in their own homes, allow their personal lusts to feed uninhibited, though they appear controlled in front of their Christian peers.  At home, their mouths spew venom and cursing, they are habitually unthankful  and unkind, but on Sunday morning they are whitewashed and silver-tongued.  At home, they are impatient with others and think it a small thing to neglect sacred duty, but in church, they are loathe to have a hair out of place.  Does God accept this? Indeed not. If we cannot maintain a consistent pattern of holy living that includes care for spouse, carefully appropriated love and discipline for children, and personal self-control & integrity in all of our relationships at home, how spiritual are we really?

These are harsh words, but they are not coming from harshness of spirit, rather from a pained heart that has seen enough hypocrisy. Hypocrisy weakens faith in others, and we dare not take it lightly. When others catch on to the disunity between our profession and our daily walk, they automatically discount our words, however true they may be. And so I urge anyone who reads this to consider carefully just how deep your spiritual life goes. Has your relationship with Jesus and His church body transformed your life from the inside out, or are you thinly cloaking your dead men’s bones with whitewash?  Do you need to make any changes?

Someone who has alot of Bible knowledge or a reputation for being a fine Christian may have a hard time self-evaluating honestly. But remember, the Lord sees what others do not see. Having knowledge alone cannot save, and it can serve to puff up and deceive those who become careless. We must OBEY the truth. We must cry out to God for a pure HEART, out of which will flow the correct actions, not just a sanitized image for others to see.

 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? (2 Cor. 13:5)

Are you producing the fruits of the Holy Spirit in your daily walk?–love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control?  Are you longsuffering toward your spouse? Is the law of kindness on your lips? Are you making your home a place of peace where the order and beauty of the Lord is obvious?  Are you faithfully executing the demands of the cross in whatever station you are in, no matter how difficult and thankless the work sometimes is? Are you gentle and deliberately self-controlled in your parenting? Do you love your children enough to put their training in godliness at the top of your list?  Do you love your family enough to weep before the Lord and beg for His wisdom so that tomorrow can be more fruitful than yesterday? He has promised forgiveness to those who repent, and wisdom to those who sincerely ask for it, in faith believing (James 1:5-6).   Let us be hypocrites no longer, but sincere disciples of Jesus walking in the true power of holiness every day.

God bless you.