Life is full of spiritual lessons if we will but open our hearts to hear God speak to us through our experiences. I am very thankful to note that my heart is becoming more and more sensitive to the teaching of the Spirit as I have more sincerely and persistently sought to become more like Jesus and to immerse myself in His word. My biggest regret is that it has taken me so long in life to grow to this point.
As I pondered over my response this morning to a decision by one of my children that I perceived to be a lack of trust in me, I quickly moved to making an application to the heart of God the Father as He observes choices I make in my life in reference to Him. Just as in this case--I may not realize at the time that my choice is showing a lack of trust in Him, but my lack of recognition doesn’t change the truth. Just as my heart was wounded to think I had not made as much progress as I had thought in earning the trust of my child, I know the Father is grieved through His Holy Spirit to see how long it is taking me to really embrace all He wants to do for me if I will but trust Him.
In my heart I know my child loves me and would not choose to hurt me. The Father in heaven knows my heart and that my desire is never to hurt Him. This helps me understand the Father’s patience as He lovingly waits for me to learn through an ongoing relationship that He is faithful and will always work for good in my life. “Thank you, Father, for your love, patience and faithfulness. Please help me to reflect that same heart and character as I respond to those in my family.”
Monday, May 12, 2008
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Paul Instructs Timothy - Part 12
There are a few more verses in Paul’s letter to Timothy that I want to address before closing.
2Tim. 3:12-13 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
These verses warn that all who live godly in Christ Jesus, members of the true “church,” will be persecuted; they will actually endure loss, pain or death (from Webster) because they choose to stand firm in their faith in Jesus and cling to the truth of God’s authority and the inerrancy of His word. There are many Christians throughout this world that suffer persecution for their faith. I have received the Voice of the Martyrs newsletter for years to keep me aware of that truth. The signs are all around us that persecution in so-called “free” nations is just over the horizon. Recent headlines in the news that are aimed at Christians have addressed the right of parents to educate their children at home, the need to modify radio broadcasts to avoid prosecution by hate crime laws, have likened fundamentalist Christians to hate-filled terrorists and reported the arrest of a man for handing out gospel tracts in Texas. I hate to say it, but I believe the time is coming sooner rather than later that many of the “freedoms” we treasure as Christians in America will soon be denied us. Unless we choose to become part of the “church” that is tolerant to the point of denying Jesus as the only way to salvation or just remain silent about our faith, I believe we are in for a rough ride ahead.
2Tim. 4:3-4 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
These are very sad verses, but its truth is already evident in the professing “church” today. So-called biblical scholars, like those of the Jesus Seminar, have laid the foundation for the growth of this attitude by declaring that the scripture is full of errors. As more people in the “church” choose to reject God’s wisdom and authority and turn instead to the wisdom of men, this outlook will increase yet more. Those pastors who have capitulated to a seeker-sensitive ministry have already capitulated to refraining from sharing any part of God’s word that might be offensive to the sinner. The more prevalent ministries become that allow people to continue to feed their flesh without danger of being confronted with the need to repent of their sin, the more people are going to embrace those ministries while the true church suffers persecution. It’s natural to want to “have your cake and eat it too” as the old saying goes. I think this is one of the main reasons that people embrace atheism and evolution; it does away with God and any accountability to Him. The fact is that God’s truth will be proven and the fables of men exposed.
This turned out to be a much harder exercise than I first imagined, but very enlightening. I realize that only those with soft hearts seeking the truth will be ready to embrace this teaching. Scripture is very clear that it is the condition of the heart that affects our hearing. I’m going to quote from the NIV since it is a bit more understandable.
Matt. 13:15 For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.
2Tim. 3:12-13 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
These verses warn that all who live godly in Christ Jesus, members of the true “church,” will be persecuted; they will actually endure loss, pain or death (from Webster) because they choose to stand firm in their faith in Jesus and cling to the truth of God’s authority and the inerrancy of His word. There are many Christians throughout this world that suffer persecution for their faith. I have received the Voice of the Martyrs newsletter for years to keep me aware of that truth. The signs are all around us that persecution in so-called “free” nations is just over the horizon. Recent headlines in the news that are aimed at Christians have addressed the right of parents to educate their children at home, the need to modify radio broadcasts to avoid prosecution by hate crime laws, have likened fundamentalist Christians to hate-filled terrorists and reported the arrest of a man for handing out gospel tracts in Texas. I hate to say it, but I believe the time is coming sooner rather than later that many of the “freedoms” we treasure as Christians in America will soon be denied us. Unless we choose to become part of the “church” that is tolerant to the point of denying Jesus as the only way to salvation or just remain silent about our faith, I believe we are in for a rough ride ahead.
2Tim. 4:3-4 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
These are very sad verses, but its truth is already evident in the professing “church” today. So-called biblical scholars, like those of the Jesus Seminar, have laid the foundation for the growth of this attitude by declaring that the scripture is full of errors. As more people in the “church” choose to reject God’s wisdom and authority and turn instead to the wisdom of men, this outlook will increase yet more. Those pastors who have capitulated to a seeker-sensitive ministry have already capitulated to refraining from sharing any part of God’s word that might be offensive to the sinner. The more prevalent ministries become that allow people to continue to feed their flesh without danger of being confronted with the need to repent of their sin, the more people are going to embrace those ministries while the true church suffers persecution. It’s natural to want to “have your cake and eat it too” as the old saying goes. I think this is one of the main reasons that people embrace atheism and evolution; it does away with God and any accountability to Him. The fact is that God’s truth will be proven and the fables of men exposed.
This turned out to be a much harder exercise than I first imagined, but very enlightening. I realize that only those with soft hearts seeking the truth will be ready to embrace this teaching. Scripture is very clear that it is the condition of the heart that affects our hearing. I’m going to quote from the NIV since it is a bit more understandable.
Matt. 13:15 For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Paul Instructs Timothy - Part 11
Timothy is next told that men will become “lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God.” There’s never been a generation with so many different options of satisfying the flesh and enjoying the pleasures of sin for a season. As our society has continued to remove God from a position of honor in our lives, self has replaced His position. I remember growing up in a time when businesses were not allowed to operate on Sunday. In most of America today that is no longer the case; we can’t be denied even one day of access to places that give us pleasure and contribute to our profit margin. That’s just one very public example of this mindset. Another example--more and more churches try to operate on a schedule that either doesn’t interfere with or embraces the things that give us pleasure, i.e., the Super Bowl. Most obvious of this mindset is the decline of the moral values embraced by our society—acceptance of cohabitation outside of marriage, homosexual relationships, abortion, “entertainment” that appeals to our baser instincts, etc.
Next Paul tells Timothy that there will be those “having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof.” Immediately I thought of the phrase, “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” Scripture is clear that there will be many who identify with Christendom who are fakes, tares among the wheat. This makes me think of John’s letter to Sardis in Revelation; it refers to a church that appears to be alive but is really dead. It makes me think of participating in rituals and maintaining a reputation but with no real heart involvement "as unto the Lord." It would seem these people give no place to the ministry of the Holy Spirit in and through them.
Paul’s advice to Timothy regarding his association with those possessing the character traits about which he has given warning—“turn away,” avoid them. He was reinforcing what he told the Corinthians, “Bad companionship corrupts good character.” (1Cor. 15:33)
Obviously, Paul was instructing Timothy about things of which he was aware that were problems in the world and church at that time. We know in hindsight, however, that these trends in society couldn’t be indicative of the soon return of Jesus to take His throne until Israel was once again recognized in the body of nations. It is also obvious that these traits as descriptive of society in general and the professing “church” have steadily increased since the rebirth of Israel.
Next Paul tells Timothy that there will be those “having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof.” Immediately I thought of the phrase, “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” Scripture is clear that there will be many who identify with Christendom who are fakes, tares among the wheat. This makes me think of John’s letter to Sardis in Revelation; it refers to a church that appears to be alive but is really dead. It makes me think of participating in rituals and maintaining a reputation but with no real heart involvement "as unto the Lord." It would seem these people give no place to the ministry of the Holy Spirit in and through them.
Paul’s advice to Timothy regarding his association with those possessing the character traits about which he has given warning—“turn away,” avoid them. He was reinforcing what he told the Corinthians, “Bad companionship corrupts good character.” (1Cor. 15:33)
Obviously, Paul was instructing Timothy about things of which he was aware that were problems in the world and church at that time. We know in hindsight, however, that these trends in society couldn’t be indicative of the soon return of Jesus to take His throne until Israel was once again recognized in the body of nations. It is also obvious that these traits as descriptive of society in general and the professing “church” have steadily increased since the rebirth of Israel.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Paul Instructs Timothy - Part 10
“Traitors” are next up on this very long list. Application to the world at large is obvious; it is a reference to those who turn on former friends to fulfill their own selfish purposes—usually in the name of the almighty dollar. Regarding the application of this characteristic to the church today, it’s a natural designation for those who have embraced many of the traits already discussed up to this point. Those who claim the name “Christian” or identify with the “church” are in essence declaring themselves friends of Jesus; yet when their actions deny the truth of His word, they are essentially classifying themselves as traitors just as surely as Judas did.
Paul next warns Timothy about those who will become “heady,” those who act in passion without restraint throwing caution to the wind. My mind went blank at this point, and as I was asking the Lord for some help, I got some thoughts about those who have responded to so called “new” manifestations of the Spirit in the “church”—i.e., uncontrolled laughter and barking like dogs, etc. They are responding to the deception of the enemy by responding in the heat of the moment without first applying careful discernment of their actions according to the scripture. They are so hungry to experience more in their relationship to God that they become caught up in an experience without questioning or giving careful discernment to its source. I know I have said it before, but experience can be deceiving. There is no scriptural basis for such bizarre and uncontrolled behavior by one who is indwelt and under the influence of the Holy Spirit. He always directs our attention to the Savior, not to self.
“Highminded” is the next trait addressed, and it describes a mindset that is magnanimous, embracing noble and honorable goals. Our world is full of people and organizations that are dedicated to such goals—The Red Cross, The Peace Corps, World Vision, Compassion International, The Salvation Army, etc. No one would deny that they all do good noble things. In the “church,” however, such noble ministry is to be done to the glory of God first and foremost. There are many that claim the name “Christian” and are involved in noble deeds, but the reason they serve is not to glorify God and share the love of the Savior with others, it is to serve self. It gives them a sense of satisfaction and pride and increases their self-esteem. The first person that popped into my mind as I thought about this character trait was Oprah Winfrey. Through the years I’ve been confused as to whether she really knew the Lord as Savior. All the pretence is now down and her false belief system fully exposed as she promotes a “new spirituality,” the current designation of “new age” philosophy. There are many other professing “Christians” that seem to have established a priority of serving the needs of humanity and relegated sharing the truth of God’s word and the gospel to secondary status. The purpose of the church as a whole is to share God’s love with others by declaring the wonderful gospel message of salvation available in Christ alone as we share God’s love in ministering to their needs. In that way we bring glory to God and not to man.
Paul next warns Timothy about those who will become “heady,” those who act in passion without restraint throwing caution to the wind. My mind went blank at this point, and as I was asking the Lord for some help, I got some thoughts about those who have responded to so called “new” manifestations of the Spirit in the “church”—i.e., uncontrolled laughter and barking like dogs, etc. They are responding to the deception of the enemy by responding in the heat of the moment without first applying careful discernment of their actions according to the scripture. They are so hungry to experience more in their relationship to God that they become caught up in an experience without questioning or giving careful discernment to its source. I know I have said it before, but experience can be deceiving. There is no scriptural basis for such bizarre and uncontrolled behavior by one who is indwelt and under the influence of the Holy Spirit. He always directs our attention to the Savior, not to self.
“Highminded” is the next trait addressed, and it describes a mindset that is magnanimous, embracing noble and honorable goals. Our world is full of people and organizations that are dedicated to such goals—The Red Cross, The Peace Corps, World Vision, Compassion International, The Salvation Army, etc. No one would deny that they all do good noble things. In the “church,” however, such noble ministry is to be done to the glory of God first and foremost. There are many that claim the name “Christian” and are involved in noble deeds, but the reason they serve is not to glorify God and share the love of the Savior with others, it is to serve self. It gives them a sense of satisfaction and pride and increases their self-esteem. The first person that popped into my mind as I thought about this character trait was Oprah Winfrey. Through the years I’ve been confused as to whether she really knew the Lord as Savior. All the pretence is now down and her false belief system fully exposed as she promotes a “new spirituality,” the current designation of “new age” philosophy. There are many other professing “Christians” that seem to have established a priority of serving the needs of humanity and relegated sharing the truth of God’s word and the gospel to secondary status. The purpose of the church as a whole is to share God’s love with others by declaring the wonderful gospel message of salvation available in Christ alone as we share God’s love in ministering to their needs. In that way we bring glory to God and not to man.
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