Uncluttered Lives.

     For our proud confidence is this: the testimony of our conscience, that in holiness and godly sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you.
                               2 Corinthians 1:12 NASB

     In this passage, Paul is speaking of a simple, uncluttered Christian life. The word "holiness" in this verse is also translated "simplicity" in the KJV, the idea being that of a life being lived out in singleness of purpose. In other words, a life that is truly devoted to God.
     Few people are living this simple kind of life today. We are caught up in activities of every kind. We are busy with our children's school activities, work, weekend getaways, hobbies and so forth. It gets no better when we add all the church activities to our already busy schedules. We have men's ministries, women's ministries, youth trips, senior banquets, marriage retreats, and a host of other activities that keep us busy in the "Lord's work."
     It seems that we do not truly realize in our Christian lives what it means to "hate our lives in this world" (John 12:25).
     There is a simple rule that would quickly unclutter all of the extra things out of our busy lives, and bring us to that rest that Jesus promises those who come unto Him (Matt 11:28-30).

     Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
                                 1 Corinthians 10:31 NASB

     If we would judge every activity in our daily lives by this standard, we would find that a good portion of what we do could be eliminated from our lives. How much of our daily routine actually glorifies God? We would also find our motives changing for the things that are left. Instead of the pressure to impress others, the pursuit of self advancement, a competitive nature, and other selfish motives, we would now be doing things for the glory of God. With singleness of purpose we would be living for Him, and Him alone. Our lives would now be simple and uncluttered, and we would indeed find rest for our souls. This is where true freedom is found.

A Cry For Revival: False Grace.

A Cry For Revival: False Grace.:      And why not say (as we are slanderously reported and as some claim that we say), "Let us do evil that good may come?" Their c...

Is Your Faith Evident To Christ?

      And when He had come back to Capernaum several days afterward, it was heard that He was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room, even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them. And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men. And being unable to get to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying. And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."
                                                Mark 2:1-5 NASB

     These men had a desperate need, and were desperate in the measures they took to see Jesus. What would have happened if they would have been discouraged as they looked upon the crowd in and around the house where Jesus was teaching? What might have happened if they would have given up in despair and went home? I imagine that their friend would not have been healed, or forgiven of his sins.
     You see, these men had a fervent faith that refused to take no for an answer. Their determination arose from their absolute confidence in God and His goodness, and drove them to do whatever had to be done, to see Jesus. In this case, they went up on the roof, tore out a section, and lowered their friend down in front of Jesus. They did what was necessary, instead of giving up.
     Notice that Jesus saw their faith. I understand that God knows what is in our hearts, and He knows if we have faith or not, but it is also true that if our faith is not evident by action, it is non existent (James 2:18).
     In the same way that these men were determined to see Jesus, we too must be determined in our pursuit of Him. We must also refuse to take no for an answer, being driven by a holy desperation, a fervor to know and experience God in all His fullness in our lives.
     If true faith exists in our hearts, it will compel us to seek Christ (Hebrews 11:6). We will do what is necessary to run the race with endurance. We will lay aside every hindrance, every besetting sin (Hebrews 12:1). Like Paul, we will count all things as loss for the sake of Knowing Christ (Phil 3:8).
     Too many professing believers have a shallow faith. We seem to be motivated with a microwave mentality today. We want everything quick and easy. We expect our Christian life to be the same way. We want salvation, but no self denial, no crucifixion of the old man, no death to self. We want God's blessing, His healing, His care and guidance in our lives, but we are often unwilling to seek Him out in persistent prayer. We often think that faith is an instant thing that does not need to do very much; in fact, if we put out any persistent effort, we are taught that it is not faith.
     This is all wrong. Jesus, in teaching us to pray with a determined faith, questions if He will find this kind of faith on the earth at His return (Luke 18:8). It is evident that many people have a shallow faith that gives up easily. What we are called to is to persevere with an unshakeable faith; a faith that takes desperate measures to lay hold of Christ!

Entering the Kingdom Through Many Tribulations.

     There seems to be this idea in our western evangelical mindset, that once we have come to Christ, everything is somehow supposed to go smooth for the rest of our lives. Thousands of modern day American Christians are comfortably waiting for the day when we will be raptured, and go to glory, with no troubles, no persecution, no dying for our faith.
     This idea however, does not really resemble the way the Christian life is portrayed in the scriptures. Look at the words of Jesus in the sermon on the Mount. He tells us that we are blessed when we are persecuted, slandered, and insulted, because of Christ. Just as the prophets of old were persecuted, we too can expect the hatred of the world (Matt 5:10-12). Jesus tells us that the disciple is not greater than his master. As Jesus was persecuted, so will we be persecuted (John 15:20). Jesus is telling us to expect it; it will happen. As Paul states, "All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" (2 Tim 3:12). Once again, if we truly desire to live out our faith in a radical way, we will be persecuted for it. By radical, I mean to follow the commands of Christ. To be radical is to take scripture serious enough to actually put it into practice. To do this will invite the scorn of the world. This also includes the religious world. Backslidden, as well as nominal Christians are offended by truth, whether lived out in front of them, or spoken.
     In the book of Acts we read that it is through many tribulations that we enter into the kingdom (Acts 14:22). There has been persecution since the days of Cain and Abel. God's children have always suffered at the hands of wicked men. Jesus tells us that brother will betray brother to death, fathers will deliver up their children, and children their parents. We are clearly warned by Christ that the one who endures to the end will be saved (Matt 24:10-13; Mark 13:12-13). This is not the gospel that we hear in so many of our churches today. Thousands of Christians have suffered for their faith down through the centuries, and thousands are suffering even now. We tend to look at it as a geographic issue. We live in a country that tolerates Christianity better than other countries. It is true, we don't face some of the dangers that a Christian might in a more hostile country, but we are wrong to believe that we somehow are blessed enough to avoid persecution. If that was the case, the above mentioned scriptures would be false.
     The fact of the matter is this, the world stands opposed to true righteousness. Anybody who takes a real stand for the truth, who boldly lives by biblical standards, and who fearlessly proclaims the word of God to the lost world around them, will invite the world's hatred. A person who hates God, will hate you, if you take His name in truth.
     Jesus tells us that if we are ashamed of Him and His words in this wicked and sinful generation, He will be ashamed of us (Mark 8:38; Luke 9:26). Sadly, we see a carnal "Church" that is ashamed to stand up for Jesus. They reject His words as being offensive and intolerant. This is a big reason why we see so little persecution here in America. It is difficult to differentiate between the "Church" and the world. Let the true Christians stand up however, and the world will despise them. You will lose friends, people will insult you, slander and malign you, if you but only stand up for Christ.
     You can see the moral climate changing here. It will only get worse for those who love Christ, and are willing to live and speak for Him. Remember, Christ has told us these things beforehand, to keep us from stumbling (John 16:1).

No Participation Ribbons.

     One of my childhood memories is track and field day, and the awards day that followed it. The students who placed in the races, softball throws, and jumping contests, were all called forward to receive their ribbons. After all the blue and red ribbons were passed out, the rest of us who were not so athletic, were all called forward to receive our participation ribbon. This was so that no one would feel left out, although it was humiliating to be called out in front of everyone to receive an award that was not really an award. 
     This practice of including everybody, no matter their lifestyle, has carried over into the church as well. It seems that every single warning passage in the bible is twisted to make everyone feel safe in their sin. 
     How often do we hear "In this passage, Jesus is not speaking of one's salvation, but their loss of rewards"? Or, "Paul is speaking of the loss of one's rewards, but the individual's salvation is not in doubt"? We see this all the time. It seems that many pastors, teachers, and bible commentators, are quite at ease in explaining away what seems like a pretty clear cut warning, dealing with the salvation of one's soul, in this way.

     Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.
     Everyone who competes in the games exercises self control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.
     Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.
                        1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NASB

     These are the words of the apostle Paul, a man mightily used by God. We would assume that surely their was no chance of Paul being disqualified, being cast away, of losing his salvation. This is what he means however. He exercised self control in all things. Just as an athlete would train, and deny themselves anything that would hinder their ability to win, so Paul himself, lived and acted in such a way that when he had preached to others, he himself would not go lost. These are very sobering words to think about.
     Paul was not speaking of losing rewards. He was not living a life of self control so that he would be sure to get all of his rewards. His life was lived in radical pursuit of Jesus Christ. He lost all to gain Christ. He understood that to lose Christ was to lose all, spiritually, in the end (Philippians 3:8-14).
     There were no participation ribbons for Paul. It was Christ or nothing. He understood that to turn back from His pursuit of Christ, to fall into sin, even though he preached to others, would cost him more than some rewards. There would be no participation ribbon. He could not say like so many others that it only affected his rewards, but not his salvation.
     There are warning passages in scripture that are there for that very purpose, to warn us of the danger of falling away into sin. We would do well to heed what God is saying to us, rather than blindly listening to someone who we think knows what these passages mean. There is too much at stake eternally. God loves us enough to warn us of the dangers that we face in our Christian walk. We are playing with fire to explain it away, while we drift away from our life in Christ.
     
  

The Majestic Holiness of God.

     Who is like thee among the gods, O Lord? Who is like thee, majestic in holiness, awesome in praises, working wonders?
                                    Exodus 15:11 NASB

     The idea of holiness in God is that of absolute perfection. God's absolute holiness far eclipses man's concept of what it means to be good, to be holy. The mind has a hard time to grasp the concept of the one who dwells in unaproachable light (1 Tim 6:16), the one who dwells in the high and lofty place, whose name is Holy (Isaiah 57:15). 
     Look at the majestic display of the holiness of God at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:1-25). The writer of Hebrews has this to say about the awesome presence of the holy God

     For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind, and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word be spoken to them. For they could not bear the command, "If even a beast touches the mountain, it will be stoned." And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said "I am full of fear and trembling." 
                                      Hebrews 12:18-21 NASB

     God came down in an awesome display of His holiness, and the people knew beyond a shadow of a doubt, that He far transcended them in His very nature and ways.
     The writer of Hebrews goes on to say that our God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29). Look at what Isaiah says about Him, and the fire of His holiness.

     Sinners in Zion are terrified; trembling has seized the godless. "Who among us can live with the consuming fire? Who among us can live with continual burning?"
                                          Isaiah 33:19 NASB

     
      The realization that a holy God cannot dwell among sinners should strike fear into our hearts. We may appeal to God's love, His mercy, His benevolence, all of which make up the character of God, but yet we see that sin has no place in His presence. Who indeed can dwell in the presence of the all consuming fire, while covered with the defilement of sin?
      Isaiah was also confronted with a display of God's majesty, when he had a vision of The Lord seated on the throne. The pillars shook, smoke filled the temple, and the seraphim cried "Holy, Holy, Holy." 
     When confronted with the absolute perfection of the sinless, perfectly holy God, Isaiah cried out "Woe is me, for I am ruined." He realized his sinfulness, in the presence of perfect purity, and it left Him in a dreadful awe (Isaiah 6:1-5). Yet we see provision for the cleansing of sin also, making one fit to stand in the presence of God (Isaiah 6:6-7).
     God is indeed holy, awesome, far above our concepts of Him. It is through His revelation of Himself to us that we are confronted with His sinless perfection, the awesome display of His majestic holiness. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and those who truly fear Him with a reverential awe, a solemn, even dreadful realization of who He is, and who we are in comparison to Him, will fall on their faces before Him and cry "Holy." This is the beginning of wisdom (Psalm 111:10).
     
                          
   
     

What Is Truth?

     Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?"
                                John 18:38 NASB

     We see this attitude running rampant throughout society today. This is an age where absolutes are fast disappearing. What is truth for you may not be truth for me, but as long as it works for me it is truth. At least truth for me, in my situation.
     We see the timeless principles of God's word being cast aside as irrelevant to the culture of the day. What was once considered to be morally wrong, is now accepted and even promoted as good and upright.
     God has been created by man to be whatever man's fleshly desires want Him to be. All roads lead to heaven has become a popular belief in our politically correct culture of the day. We do not want to exclude anyone, no matter what they believe. Even many who claim Christ as "their way to heaven" hold out the possibility that others may be right as well.
     But what does it matter if what you believe to be truth turns out not to be truth? There is only one truth that pertains to the things of God. Everyone cannot be right on this subject. If what the bible teaches us about God, man, sin, judgment, and redemption, is true, then every other religious system is false no matter how sincerely people feel about its truth.
     What good will it be when one is ten thousand years into eternity, in the wrong place, because what they thought to be truth, was a lie?
     In His conversation with Pilate Jesus declares that those who are of the truth are the ones who hear His voice (John 18:37). There is a standard found in the word of God (John 17:17), Jesus the living Word (John 1:1, 14), being the very truth Himself (John 14:6, 17:3). Only the truth can set you free (John 8:31-32, 36).