Training Your Child in God's Truths

Deuteronomy 6:4-7 tells us to train our children in the truths and commands of God. “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” (ESV)

Outside of reading the scriptures or using a children’s Bible, how do you teach your children about God? One way is to use children’s resources for teaching them sound theology. Yes it is important to teach our children the truths and doctrines of the faith. One new resource I highly recommend is Dr. Bruce Ware’s new book, Big Truths for Young Hearts by Crossway Books $15.99. It can be purchased here.

Big Truths for Young Hearts is a systematic theology book for children. Dr. Ware spent many years developing this resource. As one of the great theologians of our time and a professor of theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary the depth and breadth of Bruce Ware’s rich biblical insight and understanding of God are immense, I can attest to that. However, Bruce ware is also a father and now a grandfather. He taught his daughters the truths of God and his word when they were very young. He has made the benefits of that work available to us as parents through Big Truths for Young Hearts.

It is designed for parents to read to their children. Each chapter is written in a style and form that allows for reading it less than 10 minutes. Each chapter has suggested questions to help the parent ensure that the important ideas of the reading have been understood by the listener. You will be surprised how much you learn reading this to your children.

If you wish to fulfill the command of Deut 6, and would like some help accomplishing it, then buy a copy of Big Truths for Young Hearts and begin reading it to your children.

Breakfast with Might Men of Valor

"They helped David against the band of raiders, for they were all mighty men of valor and were commanders in the army” (1 Chron 12:21).

I just returned from having breakfast with three good friends, John Regan, Ari Carr and Kent Patterson. We discussed the recent trip that Kent and I made to Israel and the things God taught us. We also talked at length about the struggles each of us are facing personally and “professionally” in living the lives and ministries God has called us to. We talked about the battle of warring with the forces of Satan in this world as we seek to advance God’s kingdom among his people. We spent a large part of the time talking about the war that we battle within ourselves as we seek to be Christ’s obedient servants and sons of the King, specifically the temptation to forget who we are and what we have been tasked to do for our God. Our motto has become, “How should the son of the King respond?”

As adopted sons (Rom 8:14 & Eph 1:5), we are the sons of the King. We have a father who is personal, our father, and who is also the King of all creation. We have the duty and privilege to fulfill the role our father has given us, one that is carried out in enemy occupied territory. This part of being in enemy occupied territory is what makes the carrying out of our role a battle.

It is easy to forget that we are the sons of the King and our father will not abandon us in the carrying out of our mission. The temptation is to forget who we are and react like banished sons who have to watch out for ourselves and take care of number one. If we give in to this attitude we will give the enemy the victory he seeks.

In the course of this struggle it is good to have mighty men of valor as brothers who will fight with you and for you, both metaphorically and literally. Kent, Ari, John and I are these kind of brothers. Perhaps I am over dramatizing and romanticizing the struggle of the Christian, but even if I am, the truth remains that this life and obedience to God in any area requires those whom God sends into your life to walk and aid you in life. When victory occurs, whether in this life or the next, the joy and sense of fulfillment will be sweetest among those who struggled together.

“We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he to-day that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother; . . . And gentlemen in England now-a-bed Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here, And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks That fought with us.” King Henry V in Shakespeare’s King Henry V

Choices

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." (1 Cor 10:31)

Did I make the right choice in light of eternity? This is the question I keep asking myself as I reflect over the last several days. Subconsciously it is the criteria I have used as I have had to make decisions this week.

I was faced with competing interest several times this week. Competing interest that could not be compromised or worked into a both/and outcome. We all face these same situations, where we must make choices and live with the rewards and consequences of that decision. When we can't have it both ways what criteria do we use to decide our choice? For me my goal is always to make the choice that is best in light of eternity.

When I say in light of eternity I mean when the life we live on this earth is over and we must stand before the Holy Triune God of heaven and earth, which choice will be the one we want to explain to God and why we made it. As we stand at the beginning of eternity (from our perspective here on earth) which choices is going to please God the most, which choice will he respond to, "Well done my good and faithful servant. When you had to choice between what looked best for you or what I had asked you to do, you choice my will over yours."

Of course the catch in such a criteria requires knowledge of God's will as revealed in Scripture and His calling in our life at that moment. In essence it is a measure of spiritual maturity. So what we really end up asking when we ask, "Did I make the right choice?" Is this, "How spiritually mature am I now?"

Did my choices this week reflect a spiritually mature Christian, walking and living in light of eternity? Only time will tell. And because the criterion is in light of eternity I may have to wait until eternity to find out. Waiting until eternity to find out is part of my maturing as a child of God.

So I'll patiently wait to see if I made the right choices this week. And if I have to wait until eternity to find out, then I'll accept that as part of God's plan and work to mature me.

Understanding Our Sinfulness

“Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths” (Gen 3:7).

Do we really understand the fullness of our sinful state? Apart from the working of God’s Holy Spirit it is impossible to understand just how awful our sinfulness is. The reason I know this is because Adam and Eve didn’t understand the fullness of their sin when they ate from the Tree of Knowledge.

If ever there where two humans who truly understood the fullness of God it had to be Adam and Eve before they sinned. Before they were sinners they saw God and experienced Him in ways no other person could imagine, except Jesus. They saw Him in His glory like none of us have. They knew Him in an intimate way that none of us can. Yet when they sinned by disobeying God’s command not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, the only concern they had was that they were naked. Hello!! You just disobeyed God and the only thing you can think about is that you don’t have any clothes on! This one sentence in Genesis 3:7 shows that they did not understand the fullness of their sin when they disobeyed God.

So I ask you my friends, if Adam and Eve didn’t understand how serious and how grievous their sin was on their own, how can you and I possibly understand how sinful we are on our own? We can’t. And because we can’t, we need a working of the Holy Spirit to understand just how sinful we are. Our hearts are deceitful; they are always trying to deceive us about how grievous and offensive we are to God when we sin. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jer 17:9)

So what? So what that we don’t understand how sinful we are? We cannot appreciate how much God sacrificed (John 3:16), we cannot fully grasp how deep the Father’s love for us (I John 3:1), we cannot see how glorious Christ death on the Cross is (II Cor 3:16-18) until we understand how wretched and sinful we are. Until we see our sinfulness as it really is, we will never appreciate the gift of God’s grace and mercy of salvation through Jesus Christ! That’s the “so what.”

Here is a very important point. We don’t seek to understand how sinful we are, or help others to see how sinful they are, to lower our self image or be masochistic. The reason we seek to understand how sinful we are is so we can see how blessed and beautiful Jesus is, how loving God is. We need to understand our sinfulness so we can see God’s glory better and brighter.

“Lord, help me to see my sinfulness and understand how offensive I am to you when I sin. Oh Holy Spirit let me see just how bright and beautiful the triune God is by knowing how sin stained I am. Then Lord, warm my heart and soul with the fullness of your love for me through Christ death on the Cross and the forgiveness of my sins, in Jesus name, amen.

Paying Attention in God’s Word

“Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law” (Psalm 119:18).

How often do I open God’s Word and read it and “behold wondrous things?” Almost every time I read I see something wondrous in Scripture. The question we should ask is, “Why don’t I behold something wondrous every time?” Is it really possible we can open the God-breathed Word of our Father (1 Tim 3:16) and not find something wondrous there? Then why don’t we see it?

The beginning of this answer is in verse 17, “Deal bountifully with your servant, that I may live and keep your word.” To behold wondrous things in God’s law is God dealing bountifully with us. So why would God not deal bountifully with us each time we open the Bible? Can God deal bountifully with someone who has unconfessed, unrepentant sin in their life? If I come to God’s Word with sin I have not confessed and repented of, then I open the Bible and read it, should I be surprised the words fall upon my mind, heart and soul with an icy coldness of indifference? God will convict us of our unconfessed sin when we read His Word, but He will not deal bountifully with us to behold wondrous things out of His law.

The other reason we may not always see something wondrous every time we read Scripture is our carelessness. In 1 Kings 19 we are told of the prophet Elijah meeting God at the opening of a cave. Four different environmental events occur and God is only in one of them. First is the powerful wind that can split rocks, then an earthquake, then a fire, and finally the sound of a soft whisper. God was not in the wind, earthquake or the fire, but only in the soft whisper. If God was only in a soft whisper with Elijah, where might he be with us? In the soft whisper of his word.

Perhaps when we read the Bible and do not behold something wondrous it is because we are in the whirlwind of activity. Maybe we are in the earthquake of rumbling and noisy distractions. Maybe we are in the consuming fire of preoccupation. Perhaps God is speaking in the soft whisper of His written word and we will only behold something wondrous if we are concentrating enough to hear His whisper. Why might God be so restrained in his communication to require our undivided attention? Because he will not share our devotion and His attention with anyone or anything, “I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols” (Isaiah 42:8).

Therefore, let us each and everyone cast away all that distracts us or will compete with God for our attention and listening ear when we open His word. Then let us each and everyone expect to behold something wondrous out of His law.

Just a few days after my meditating on this verse, Dr. Albert Mohler wrote a timely and penetrative article on distractions and attentiveness in our modern culture. You can read it at the link below.
http://www.albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=1155

The Value of Scripture Memory

“I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11).

Ignorance of the law is no excuse. Most everyone has heard this phrase used numerous times in their lives, especially if they are holding a speeding ticket in their hand because the speed limit changed and you did not notice it. In Psalm 119:11 we see the same principle at work. Ignorance will not suffice as an excuse for not obeying God’s law. We have God’s expectations for us in our hands. If we choose not to look at it we are still responsible for its contents. Temptations to sin against God are not excused away by ignorance of God’s expectations. John Calvin said about this verse in his commentary on Psalms,

“This psalm not being composed for the personal and peculiar use of the author only, we may therefore understand, that as frequently as David sets before us his own example, under this model he points out the course we ought to pursue. Here we are informed that we are well fortified against the stratagems of Satan when God’s law is deeply seated in our hearts. For unless it have a fast and firm hold there, we will readily fall into sin. Among scholars, those whose knowledge is confined to books, if they have not the book always before them, readily discover their ignorance; in like manner, if we do not imbibe the doctrine of God, and are well acquainted with it, Satan will easily surprise and entangle us in his meshes. Our true safeguard, then, lies not in a slender knowledge of his law, or in a careless perusal of it, but in hiding it deeply in our hearts. Here we are reminded, that however men may be convinced of their own wisdom, they are yet destitute of all right judgment, except as far as they have God as their teacher.”

All of what Calvin said is true, still, I think a more positive attitude is driving the Psalmist in making this confession, and for us exhortation. I desire to please my wife, one of the ways I do that is I have forced my mind to remember items, either concrete or abstract, that matter to her which are not particularly important to me. Because I love her I have hidden her interest in my heart so I might be able to please her. I think the same is occurring here.

The Psalmist is storing God’s Word in his heart so he will not sin against God, not only because of the pragmatic nature of not facing judgment, but also because he desires to please God by obeying God. You cannot please God with your actions and thoughts unless you know what God’s desires are. Storing them in our hearts is the mechanism that makes it possible for us to know what will please God with our thoughts and actions at any given moment.

Yet there is more than just knowing how to please God here. When we store God’s Word in our hearts we are conforming our heart and mind to the heart and mind of God. One of our desires is to become like Christ and God the Father. We are to be progressively growing in Godliness, this means we will grow into men and women who think like God and Christ. The only way we can know what God thinks, and change our hearts and minds to think and believe as He thinks and believes, is to store God’s Word in both our hearts and our minds.

So out of love and a desire to please God let us say and do as Calvin, let us “imbibe the doctrine of God” and hide “it deeply in our hearts.”

The Goal of Psalm 119

This sumer I am meditating on Psalm 119. Each week I will post a meditation from this important and large Psalm, Psalm 119 is the largest chapter in the Bible.

“With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!” (Psalm 119:10)
All throughout this psalm the idea of God’s Word is brought up over and over. In just the first sixteen verses a reference is made to God’s Word in every verse. The emphasis over and over is knowing God’s Word so that the psalmist may obey God and fulfill his law. How though can anyone perfectly keep God’s law? (vs 1) Or, seek God with his whole heart? No one can. That is no one except Christ.

Christ is the only human who has ever completely kept God’s law. That is why he is the only ultimate fulfillment of this psalm. It is also why he is the only acceptable substitute for our sins. We can look to our redeemer, not only as our redeemer, but as the perfect fulfillment and model of living out Psalm 119. Recognizing this brings us into a very important understanding of our motivation for fulfilling Psalm 119 in our individual and corporate lives.

Unlike those living before Christ or unbelievers since Christ, we are not condemned by the law as believers in Jesus Christ. Christ’s sacrifice on the cross breaks the condemning power of the law over us. Instead of looking to God’s Word as an impossible standard to keep, we now look to it as the guide to living a life that is pleasing to God because we are under the saving grace of Christ’s work on the Cross and we are recreated creatures living in the power of the Holy Spirit (2 Cor 5:17). Of course we will not keep the law perfectly because we are still fallen humans with a sin nature. However, instead of our sins condemning us to an eternal separation from God, we are able to be reconciled to God and be forgiven of our sins through Christ’s death on the Cross.

This then is our motivation for knowing God’s Word and obeying it: that we, as adopted children, may please our heavenly Father. We obey, not attempting to earn His love through our obedience, but to show our love to Him through our obedience. So let us with David say and do, “With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!”

Short Report on My Mission Trip

I returned home from West Africa almost a week ago at 1:30 am on Sunday April 13, 2008. I arrived with a cold, by Sunday afternoon the cold had become bronchitis, so I was down for the first half of the week. This is why I am so late in getting a message to everyone about my return and how the trip went. I am feeling much better now.

The mission trip to West Africa was excellent! God poured out his Spirit in every way. It would take too long to list all that we saw God do during our week there, so I will give only a few highlights.

We were in the country of Niger working with IMB missionaries Brad & Sally Womble. For the safety of the believers where we worked I will not use the actual village name or any individual’s name.

First, as Amy emailed many of you during the middle of my trip, God blessed us with seeing fruit from our labors right away. We spent the whole week in the village of Dayton. God just did a special work there in pulling back the darkness that has hung over that village and allowing his light to shine in for one full week. On the very first day, in the first hour, at the first presentation of the gospel we made in Dayton a man named Alfred came up and said, “I want to become a follower of Jesus. Can you show me how?” In this region the culture is Muslim with a strong adherence to the spirit worship of the past. Being a Christian is a difficult life choice and inevitably leads to societal and economic persecution. In this village before we arrived there were only 4 believers, 3 of which were baptized, so adding even one believer was a huge event. Alfred began attending the discipleship class that day and never missed a session.

Each day two teams of 4 went out and did evangelism in the village, while two others stayed at the home of Brazilian missionaries living in the village holding a discipleship class for the believers of the village. At the beginning of the first day 5 people were at the discipleship class, by the end of the first day there were 8. On the second day the 8 returned and by the end of the second day there were 13. Those numbers may not sound significant, but the missionaries were not sure if anyone would come any of the 5 days we held the class before we started. Because of working in the field and other needs the numbers dropped off toward the end of the week, but we still maintained a solid core of 8-10.

Dayton was a place of deep dark evil just a year ago. It took 6 years to get permission from the Chief to come into the village and teach about Jesus. Even then opposition and resistance were strong. We were told more than once that you could “feel the evil around you when walked the streets of Dayton.” When we walked the streets every hundred yards or so we would see dead chickens with their heads cut-off, but still having all their parts and feathers attached. This is an impoverished area with a high degree of malnutrition and starvation. We were constantly being asked for food. The people of Dayton are far too hungry to kill chickens and just throw them in the streets. These chickens had been animal sacrifices in spirit worship. Despite their hunger individuals would not touch them for fear of reprisals by the evil spirits they sacrificed to. This is to give you a picture of the spiritual state of Dayton.

Understanding the Spiritual nature of Dayton is important to understand my next statement. Each of our teams the whole time were in Dayton never faced any opposition or resistance in our presenting the story of the Bible and Jesus. In fact the residents were very attentive and listened eagerly. We were told that normally as you began to tell the biblical story the crowd would diminish and loose interest. In our case, the crowds listened attentively and always got bigger! Most of the time we would find a small group of 5-8 people and begin to tell them the story of the Bible, by the time we finished the group would be 25-30. On the last day I was doing Bible storying our last group swelled to around 50 people. It was like this the whole week. Our translators, who are very experienced in this kind of work and in this village, were amazed as well as the missionaries.

The highest highlight of our trip was holding a baptism at the end of the week. On our last day in Dayton Alfred and a woman who had come to faith a few weeks earlier named Susan, decided to be baptized. So in the yard of the Brazilians a pit was dug, then black plastic was laid in it to hold the water. The night before the Brazilians and some others spent two hours hauling water from the village well to have enough to baptize Alfred and Sally. We saw Alfred come to faith on our first day in the village and baptized on our last day there.
It is important to understand that baptism in that culture is a huge line in the sand. Alfred and Susan were already receiving persecution before by simply becoming Christians. However, when you are baptized the gloves come-off and the persecution becomes even more intense. So Susan and Alfred’s act was far more significant than most of us can comprehend here in America.

There is so much more I could share. Each day had an amazing occurrence of its own. Notice also that I have not mentioned anything about my own personal experiences and how I was affected nor any of our team. I suppose it would take a small book to recount all that happened in Niger.

Don’t Let Your Bible Reading Turn Into Visual Muzak

“But his delight is in the law of the LORD and on his law he meditates day and night” (Psa 1:2).

Do you know what “muzak” is? It is the music that you hear and becomes so familiar to you that you don’t pay attention to it, it is just background music. The best example of muzak is elevator music. It is playing while you ride the elevator but you don’t even hear it. We can let our Bible reading turn into visual muzak.

We start to read a passage that we are very familiar with and because we know what is coming we start to think of other things. Our minds drift and before we know it the words of Scripture are just background noise in our minds. In our fast paced “hurry-up and get to the next thing” world falling into this trap is easy. How do we avoid this trap?

We have to be intentional to keep from letting our Bible reading becoming muzak. First, we take a moment, as we open our Bibles, to set our mind on hearing God speak. The Bible is God speaking to us. Mentally we should set our attention on hearing Him as if we were reading a letter from a friend.

Second, when we get to passage we are familiar with, one were we are tempted to start drifting mentally, we should read it differently. We could read it out loud. The act of speaking a passage out loud focuses our attention on the words differently than when we read silently. If we are physically in a situation where reading the passage out loud is not feasible, then read it silently focusing on the punctuation. Physically pause at commas, take longer pauses at semicolons and colon, and come to a complete rest at periods. If the sentence has an exclamation mark reread it with the emphasis of an exclamation mark.

Thirdly we can pray through the passage. This is more difficult with narrative Scripture like OT history or the gospels, but even with these we can form a prayer from the main point of the narrative. For example in Mark 5:1-20 we have the account of Jesus and the demon possessed man. From just a quick reading of this passage we see that Jesus has authority over demons and evil spirits. We can pray thanking God that he gave Jesus authority over devils and evil spirits. A more purposeful reading of the passage would uncover other truths from this event in Jesus’ life, like we are supposed to go and tell others what Christ has done for us, 5:19-20. If you would like another example of praying through Scripture go to the blog immediately after this one on Personalizing Isaiah 53.

Our strength and closeness to Christ in our daily walk is directly tied to the intake of Scripture. Don’t let Satan and his minions use the fast paced life you live as a tool for separating you from your Lord by letting Scripture reading become muzak. Bring your Bible reading to the forefront of your attention.

Personalizing Isaiah 53

“Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. . . . But of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors” (Isaiah 53:4-6, 11-12).

When we read passages about Christ’s suffering and paying the penalty for our sins it is often easy to distant ourselves from those words. “Jesus paid the penalty for peoples sins.” We can fool ourselves into seeing us individually as not the causes of his suffering but a generic group which we are part of but at a distant. Such an attitude results in our emotionally and psychologically separating Jesus’ suffering from any responsibility on our part. When this attitude develops in our minds we need to personalize the suffering of Christ to bring us back to the reality he suffered for us. Take the passage above from Isaiah 53:4-6, and 11-12, take the words “he” and “him” and substitute “Jesus” or “Christ”; where “our”, “their”, or “they” occur substitute “my” or “mine”; where “I” occurs substitute “God”. Now it reads like this.

“Surely Jesus has borne my griefs and carried my sorrows; yet I esteemed Christ stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But Jesus was wounded for my transgressions; he was crushed for my iniquities; upon Christ was the chastisement that brought me peace, and with Christ’s stripes I am healed. Like sheep I have gone astray; I have turned to my own way; and the LORD has laid on Christ all my iniquity. . . . Out of the anguish of Jesus’ soul he shall see and be satisfied; by Christ’s knowledge shall the righteous one, God’s servant, make me to be accounted righteous, and Jesus shall bear my iniquities. Therefore God will divide Jesus a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because Jesus poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet Christ bore my sin, and makes intercession for a transgressors, like me.”

You cannot get away from the gravity of your (my) sin that caused Christ’s suffering when Isaiah 54 becomes this personal. Nor can you (I) escape the beauty and depth of Christ’s love and passion for you (me)! Yes personalizing Isaiah 53 can be painful to see the reality of my sin being the cause of Christ’s suffering; however, it also can be joyously uplifting and the impetuous of praising Him because I see afresh the depth and richness of his love for me.

Why To Hope In God’s Word

“But you are near, O LORD, and all your commandments are true. Long have I known from your testimonies that you have founded them forever. (Psalm 119:151-152).

In this passage of Psalm 119, that begins with verse 145, the Psalmist is calling on God to save him from the oppression of evil doers. He places his hope completely upon God’s promises and steadfast love (vs 149). The question is, “Why did the Psalmist place his hope in God’s Word?” What is it the Psalmist sees that tells him he can place his hope in God’s Word? The answer comes in the last two verses of this passage.

The Psalmist knows that God’s commandments have been established forever. Since the beginning of time until the farthest reach of eternity God’s Word will stand. It is on this bedrock that the Psalmist builds his hope for deliverance and salvation. All in this world will pass away, but the Psalmist tells us that God’s Word will not pass away, it will last forever. Included in God’s Word that will last forever are His commandments and promises. Notice something very important about the Psalmist’s hope.

The Psalmist hope is built on personal knowledge of God’s Word. The Psalmist is not blindly trusting in some unknown promise or commandments. The Psalmist has built his hope upon God’s Word through personal knowledge of it. Read verse 148, “My eyes are awake before the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promise.” The Psalmist does not just blindly go along hoping in God based on minimal knowledge of the words of others. The Psalmist has personal knowledge of God’s promises and commandments because he reads them himself!

If we wish to have a confident hope like the Psalmist in Psalm 119, then we must be wiling to base our hope upon the same foundation he had. We must place our hope in the eternal nature of God’s Word. We must believe they are eternal and we must have read them for ourselves.

Praying in a Presidential Election Year

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way” (1 Tim 2:2).

In the second chapter of 1 Timothy Paul gives a serious of instructions pertaining to public worship and gathering of the early church. These instructions follow the admonition of Paul to Timothy in 1:18, “This charge I entrust to you.” Notice that the first charge Paul calls Timothy to carryout is prayer. The context would suggest these were the issues Paul wanted Timothy to address in public prayer, although obviously they would apply to private prayer as well. Given the historical context of Paul’s letter to Timothy, while on his fourth missionary journey after being released from his first Roman imprisonment, Paul’s call for prayer for all people especially kings and those in authority shows his awareness that the attitude of civil authorities could be a blessing or a curse upon the church. So we can clearly see that we are to pray for civil leaders from Paul’s instruction to Timothy. How do we pray for our leaders today?

Our prayers must always be eternally focused, just like Paul’s. Our prayers must first and foremost center upon the saving work of Christ in our individual leaders souls. Nothing is more important than any person entering the Kingdom of God. Nothing is as transforming in the life of a person than a personal relationship with Christ and the regeneration they experience making them a “new creation.” Nothing will transform our civic leaders to do the right thing more than the transforming work of the Holy Spirit in their heart, mind and soul. We should intercede on their behalf for a gracious work in their hearts.

Our supplications to God for our civic leaders should also include the surrounding them with aides that have wise discernment and gifted insights. Martin Luther said, “It is better to be ruled by a competent Muslim than an incompetent Christian.” Not only should we pray that God will give our civic leaders wisdom and insight, but that He would also surround them with equally talented staff.

One of the components of our prayers that is often overlooked is thanksgiving. We should thank God for our leaders. It is easy to make fun of our leaders and deride their decisions. Often they are faced with choices that are not easy and clear to make, especially the President. We should be thankful to God that He has placed them in the office they have. If you believe in the absolute sovereignty of God, that the Bible so clearly teaches, you know that no individual civic leader serves in any office without God having placed him or her there, “For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God” (Rom 13:1). If their decisions appear to be contrary to what we think is right, we know that God will use them and their service for bringing about His glory and ultimate plan for humanity. This is cause for thanksgiving even if their actions are against us.

With a better understanding of Paul’s view of prayer for civic leaders let us commit to biblical model of praying for our leaders and the next President of the United States.

Serving Christ Despite Our Past

“I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent” (1 Tim 1:12-13a). Paul makes a confession to young Timothy, one Timothy already knew, that Paul was not always a believer and disciple of Christ from the beginning. Like most of us in the western world we do not accept Christ as the Messiah, nor as our personal savior, the first time we hear His salvation preached to us. We, like Paul, often place ourselves as enemies of Christ after our first exposure to Him. Granted not everyone has the same level of hostility towards Christ as Paul, but we are still hostile to him, it is just a matter of degrees.

However, one of the blessings in Paul’s life, which is also a blessing in our lives, is that our prior status does not disqualify us for Christ’s service. Despite the fact Paul was one of the most violent opponents of the gospel before his conversion, Paul still became an apostle. An apostle appointed by Christ Himself and chosen as the “instrument of mine (Jesus) to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel” (Acts 9:15b). What an amazing fact! The most violent “blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent” of the fledgling Church of Jesus Christ is given the second greatest position in the early church, the apostle to the Gentiles. It is the man whom oversaw the persecution of Christians and made a career for himself cleansing Judaism of this heresy (Act 9:1-2) that becomes the apostle to the Gentiles. More than that He is the one chosen by Christ Himself to carry Christ’s name before kings also! A privilege not granted to the other apostles, at least not to the degree Paul did.

What does this mean for us? No matter how much of blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent of the Jesus we have been we can still be appointed to His service. We still have a place of service to our Lord. We can never ignore the problems our past bring with us into our service of Christ, especially those areas where we are still prone to fall and disobey God’s Word. Yet, the experiences of our life before salvation are often the very things God uses most to make us useful to His service, both as a testimony of His power and as instruments and means of our service to Him. May God be glorified and His power manifested in our weakness both in our past and present deeds.

The Lord Dealing Bountifully With Us

“I will sing to the LORD, because he has dealt bountifully with me” (Psalm 13:6 ESV).

It is good for us to take the time on a regular basis to think about how God has dealt bountifully with us and express our thanks to Him. Just as David in Psalm 13 expresses his praise to God for dealing bountifully with him, so also we should remember when God has been good to us, contemplate God’s goodness to us and thank him for His blessings in our lives.

Set aside a few minutes today and do just this. Even if you are busy take just five minutes to think about God’s goodness to you and thank him for it. It is as simple as making a list of the ways God has dealt bountifully with you. If you are having trouble, think about these specific types of God dealing bountifully with you:
How has God dealt bountifully with you in your family?
How in and through your church?
How about the physical surroundings you are in now?

Some may be tempted to disregard this exercise because they are experiencing difficulty or hardship right now and therefore have very little to thank God for. David did not find difficulty and hardship as justifiable reasons for not thanking God for the way he has dealt with him. If you read the previous five verses of Psalm 13 you will see David was in distress over his current circumstances. Either from an actual enemy or from sickness David was being afflicted and pursed by his enemy with the concern and fear that his enemy would defeat him. Yet despite David’s unpleasant circumstances he still determined that meditating on the ways God had dealt bountifully with him was warranted and despite his circumstances he would sing to the Lord.

David’s example does not only serve to exhort us to be thankful when times are bad, it also reminds us that as difficult and painful as our current circumstances may be we can find ways and see how God has been and is being good to us even in our suffering.

The Importance of Corporate Prayer

“Now while he (Zechariah) was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense” (Luke 1:8-11).

Here in the birth narrative of Jesus Luke gives us the story of the announcement of the birth of John the Baptist by the angel Gabriel to his father Zechariah. Being the excellent historian Luke was he includes little details that appear as background information to the story. We as modern westerners in a fast paced world tend to get impatient with Luke as he tells the story. We often have the attitude, even if we do not verbalize it, “Yea OK, hurry-up and get to the main point!” This attitude is to our shame and detriment in seeing the glory of God and how we should live today.

Imbedded in this narrative Luke gives us are some small details that give us a big picture in how God works and how we should live our lives as Christians today. Tucked away in verse 10 are the words, “And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense” (Luke 1:10). To us the modern reader it seems to not contain much. However, this attitude is because we lack some knowledge Luke assumes his first century readers know.

During the afternoon each day the offer of incense was made as a corporate act of worship by the people as they gathered at the temple. The priest would go into the temple and offer the incense offering on the alter as the people outside were gathered together in corporate prayer. At this point in Jewish history the expectations and hope for the promised Messiah were high. It is during these daily corporate prayers that the people as one body would pray corporately asking God to send the promised Redeemer of Israel.

It was during this period of corporate prayer to Yahweh that the angel Gabriel appeared to announce the birth of the promised messenger that would go before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah (Mal 4:5-6; Luke 1:17). The immensity of this fact should not escape us. Gabriel could have come at any time and at any place, but it was during the time when the people were gathered to pray for the promised Messiah to come that the LORD sent Gabriel to announce John’s birth.

Does this historical fact have any relevance to how we live today? I think so, in a very profound way even. If we really want to see a special pouring out of God’s Spirit in our communities and on our churches, we should pray with the same zeal and community the Israelites did. We must pray earnestly in private for God to send His Spirit to open the doors of the gospel to the lost and to pull back the veil that blinds unbelievers from seeing the glory of God and the gospel (2 Cor 4:3-4). However, we must also gather together intentionally as one body to pray corporately for God to send His Spirit and remove the veil. If God would not send His angel to announce the coming of the promised messenger until God’s people were gathered together to pray for Him to send the Messiah, why should we expect God to send His Spirit in a strong and powerful way without our gathering to pray for that outpouring of the Spirit?

Whether it is an upcoming evangelistic event or a general outreach program of our local Church we should make a time of corporate prayer for God to send His Spirit a major and central part of the plan. Corporate prayer should not be an “add-on” feature at the last minute or as perfunctory duty one must perform to look like we are asking God to participate in this work. Corporate prayer must be viewed and practiced as an integral and essential centerpiece of the event planning.

Take this truth, revealed to us by the Spirit, and meditate upon it. If you are involved in an outreach program, as so many churches will do at Christmas, seek God’s guidance in forming a corporate prayer time for your event. At the very least set apart a time with your group conducting the event for a time of earnest and unhurried corporate prayer for God to send His Spirit and work in your event. If you are the leader in your church or a leader of the group conducting an event at your church I plead with you to call a special time of corporate prayer with the whole Church body. The importance of corporate prayer has been lost on modern evangelicals, now is the time for a recovery of the discipline of corporate prayer.

Remembering Where We Came From

“Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world” (Eph 2:12). The joy of our union with Christ and being fellow heirs with the Jews of the promise is best kept fresh and rich in our minds by remembering where we came from. We must remember everyday that we were once separated from Christ and excluded from the covenant promises. We were without God in this world.

God in his great mercy and love reached out across the chasm of sin and time and touched us with the renewing work of the Holy Spirit, placing in our new hearts a desire and faith in Christ. God circumcised our hearts. We became heirs of the promise by God’s grace and mercy and kindness. We came from lost, blind, dead cold spiritually sinners to living breathing, seeing and knowing the way children of God. Oh how great the Fathers love for us!

The Mystery Given to Paul

“This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel” (Eph 3:6). Paul was appointed by God to be an apostle to the Gentiles, Acts 9:15, 1 Tim 2:7, Paul’s purpose was to bring the message that gentiles are now fellow heirs with the Jews in salvation and reconciliation to God. Why does Paul call it a mystery?

False teachers were trying to convince the Ephesians that the true knowledge of God was a “mystery” that was only revealed to those with special knowledge. They also degraded Paul as not being a possessor of secret knowledge, the mystery. In Paul’s absence the Ephesians were easily fooled by these false teachers. So when Paul wrote his letter he addressed this challenge to his apostolic authority and revelation from God.

Paul in answering his opponents also went back to the central message of his preaching, a message that gentiles now are reconciled to God through Christ. While the false teachers sought to imprison new believers with a religion of self effort to reach God, Paul strongly called out to the Ephesians that man cannot reach God by his own works and that the work of Christ is the central focus of their faith.

In our day of pluralism and self-help culture Paul’s message could not be more relevant in our time. Once again Scripture shows its timelessness by speaking directly to the heart of our culture’s sickness and disease. You cannot work your way to God and no amount of meditation, intellectual pursuit or moralistic behavior will reconcile you to God. The only hope for salvation and true happiness is faith in the work and person of Christ, the one giving us the promise in his gospel.

God’s Wisdom and Love

“In whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him” (Eph 3:12). In verse 11 Paul makes it clear the person in whom we have faith is Christ Jesus. What is it we have access too? It is the mystery Paul talks about in verse 6, “This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” We have access through Christ just like the Jews do, because Christ reconciled both gentiles and Jews (2:16). Again what do we have access to? We have access to the Father, “For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father” (Eph 2:18).

All through this passage, starting with 2:11 and going through 3:13, Paul is describing what Christ has done and why it is so that both Jews and Gentiles are brought to God and reconciled to him. Even more we are reconciled into one people group (2:14-15)! Paul boldly makes the statement, as biblical truth, that all who are in Christ, by receiving Him in faith, are reconciled to God, whom we have been estranged and at enmity with because of the Law (2:14-17), and we are all one body, one church. This is where Paul’s statement in 3:10 starts to take on real force, “so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places” (Eph 3:10). God’s wisdom is made known, to the heavenly beings, by taking the splintered and fractured people groups of the world, the ones who are also estranged from Him because of our sin, and reconciling them to Himself and making them one people through Christ work on the Cross.

The ironic truth in these statements by Paul is that although we can acknowledge them and begin to understand them with our limited human understanding, we cannot truly see how amazing and dumbfounding they are because we do not see God and know God as the heavenly beings see and know God. Just as a fish does not understand what it means to live outside of water, so we do not understand how amazing it is to be sinners, live in this broken flesh and fallen world and then become reconciled to God. We cannot see how amazing this is because we do not know what it is like to see the universe as heavenly beings see the universe. We do not have the experience of life outside of this temporal world to compare our reconciliation to God to, just like the fish does not have an experience of living outside of his aquatic habitat to compare life in the water to. Just as we look at the fish and say, “You poor thing, you have no understanding of the whole world that exist around you because you cannot live outside of your watery home;” so also the heavenly beings look at us and say, “You have no idea how incredible your reconciliation as one people to God is because you cannot live outside of your fallen world.” We will not genuinely grasp the reality of this truth until we are in heaven. We are living the mystery that angels long to gaze into (1 Pet 1:12) and we don’t even know it.

With the limited understanding we have, let us gaze all the more into the Scriptures to see how special God’s love and wisdom are.

A Morsel of Future Glory

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, … to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth” (Eph 1:7, 10b). The purpose of Christ redeeming us was to fulfill God’s plan to unite all things in Christ. Our redemption and being transformed into new creatures is just one part of God’s plan for the world. The ultimate plan is to unite all things, “things in heaven and things upon the earth” in Christ. The phrase “things in heaven and things upon the earth” is Paul's way of saying the whole universe. The angels and beings in heaven, all mankind, all the animals, and all the plants, the whole of creation is to be united in Christ under His Lordship (Rom 8:18-23).

This uniting all things in Christ will not occur until His ultimate glorification at his second coming and the initiation of the new heaven and earth (Rev 21:1). However, we get a foretaste of this future fulfillment here in our union with Christ individually and in our fellowship with believers in our local church. The unity and fellowship we enjoy in our corporate worship and studying the word is just a foretaste of the glory we will enjoy when all things are united in him. So until we can feast at the table in the new heaven and earth, the one with all things united in him, enjoy and drink deep from the sampling you have for you at the weekly assembling of the saints.

The Big picture of Romans 8

“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God” (Rom 8:14). In the beginning of chapter 8 Paul connects back to the end of chapter 7 with “Therefore.” The point of the end of chapter 7 is that he serves the law of God with his mind. Now Paul explains that the way to have the mind obeying the law of God is to live under the direction and control of the Holy Spirit. By living in the Spirit we can keep our mind on the things of life and peace (vs 6). When a person is indwelt with the Spirit, and led by the Spirit, he or she is a child of God (vs 14). Because we are children of God we are “fellow heirs with Christ” (vs 17). Because we are fellow heirs with Christ, we will enjoy the future glory of redeemed bodies (vs 23). However, this is no all Paul has in view. Because we are children of God we cannot be separated from the Father, by anything in the universe (vs 39).

With this big picture of Romans 8 we can now see how Paul is building to the secure and everlasting promise; that we are children of God, if the Spirit dwells in us (vs 9), because we are children of God we will enjoy his glorious complete redemption of us in the future (30). Furthermore nothing can deny us this blessing from God (vs 39).

Seeing the promise we have by being united to Christ, let us resolve and completely carry out the discarding of anything hindering our union with Christ and impeding the complete leading and influencing of the Holy Spirit. We must search our hearts for the sin or prideful attitudes which keep us from being completely united to Christ and/or led by the Spirit. Once we find them we must get rid of them. May God send his Spirit to help us do this.

The Spirit of Life

“For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death” (Rom 8:2). Paul is describing the difference between the law of the Spirit and the law of sin and death, the freedom we have in Christ from the law of sin and death. The law alone leads to sin and death, because it condemns us to judgment. The law of the Spirit of life sets us free, but how?

The Spirit of life is the one that caused Jesus to be conceived in Mary’s womb (Matt 1:18; Luke 1:35). The Holy Spirit becomes the Spirit of life, because he hovers over the darkness of our souls, which are “dead in our trespasses,” (Eph 2:5a) and creates life where no life existed, just as he did in Genesis 1 at creation. Thus we are “made us alive together with Christ” (Eph 2:5b).

It was the Spirit of life that enabled Jesus to live a perfect life in obedience to every command of God the Father. This same Spirit of life is the one that indwells each of us as believers in Christ. Because we have the same Spirit as Jesus had when he walked on this earth, we can walk in obedience to God the Father. This is because of the renewing, transforming work the Holy Spirit does at regeneration, and faith and continues in our sanctification today.

While we will never be able to walk perfectly in obedience as Jesus did on this earth, we are able to walk in obedience sometimes. Before the Spirit of life recreated life in our hearts, souls and minds, we were completely incapable of walking in obedience at anytime. Now we have the capacity to walk in obedience some of the time by living under the influence and directing of the Holy Spirit in our daily living “who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Rom 8:4b).

Living according to the Spirit requires us to have a transformed nature. It is the same Spirit that gave us life, which also transforms us so that we may think not like someone who walks according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. The result of this transformation is that out minds and our emotions become focused on the very things God would have us think on and feel. “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit” (Rom 8:5).

Therefore, with this understanding of the change that must take place within us and the required work of the Holy Spirit to accomplish this work, let us seek and pray for the transforming work of the Spirit by praying earnestly and with deep feeling for God to so order it.

Answering by the Spirit

“"If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you (John 15:18) . . . When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth,” (John 16:13a). The Holy Spirit is a part of God’s provision for when the world persecutes us, because, one of the roles of the Holy Spirit is to give us the answers to those who persecute us. Whether it is a martyr facing Islamic militants or a Bible Study leader confronted with a self-righteous student adhering to false teaching. We can and we must rely on the Holy Spirit to give us the answers to our persecutors. We must rely on the Holy Spirit for the right answers because only the Holy Spirit has the responses that God wants the sinner to hear. In our human wisdom and reasoning we will focus on the wrong “point” the rebel needs to hear. We think in our human reasoning the rebel needs to hear this or that; however, what God wants them to hear is probably a different word, the one that will convict them and lead them to see the truth. Only God knows what word they need to hear and what word He wants them to hear. We will only know what that word is by allowing the Holy Spirit to give us the response we are to give them.

Some of the Work of the Holy Spirit

"But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me” (John 15:26). Unless the Holy Spirit bear witness to us of Jesus as our LORD, our redeemer and the Son of God we will never see Jesus as anything more than a good teacher. We are dependant upon the Holy Spirit to see Jesus as our savior and to confess him as our savior. Afterwards we are still dependent upon the Holy Spirit to witness to us the glorious beauty of Christ and the majesty of God the Father. Our veiled eyes are ever darkened to the glorious light shining from God the Father and Christ Jesus our savior. Just as sanctification is a process of continuing growth in holiness, so the work of the Holy Spirit continues not just in our sanctification but in witnessing to us the glory of Jesus. Just as the Holy Spirit illumines our minds to the word of truth (1 Cor 1:10) and quickens our hearts to believe on the Lord Jesus (Eph 2:1-5), so also the Spirit illumines our minds to the wonder, the majesty, the beauty, the glories and the joys of our sweet precious Jesus.

Therefore let us all recognize that absences of these revelations in our lives about the nature of Christ are evidence of the Spirit’s inactivity in our hearts, minds and souls (Psa 84:11). Once we recognize the Spirit is inactive in our hearts we must throw ourselves at the mercy seat of heaven and beg for the Spirit’s return. The Spirit’s return will be predicated upon repentance from sin, either known or unknown, that has caused God the Father to withdraw the Holy Spirit from us.

Even this recognition that we are no longer in fellowship with the Father as we have been is a working of the Spirit so that we can be restored in our fellowship. Once we recognize that our awareness of the Spirit’s absence is a work of the Spirit itself, we can confidently and with assurance throw ourselves at the mercy seat of heaven, because the working of the Spirit to make us aware of His absence is the evidence God desires to have us come to him and be restored in fellowship with him. Knowing all this, when we recognize the Spirit is inactive in our lives, let us not hesitate one second to run to the Cross and ask that God lay our sins before us so we can confess them and repent of them. While we are running to the Cross, let us also do so with the confident assurance that God desires that we be reconciled to him and the Holy Spirit restored to us fully again.

Living Life

“For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing” (Luke 12:23). This seems like an odd statement. What kind of life do we have if we do not have food and clothing? Almost all of our working life is spent trying to provide food and clothing for our family. In the time which Jesus was on this earth food and clothing, daily needs, consumed almost everyone’s whole day. For Jesus to say something like this he must be crazy, out of touch with reality or know something we don’t. Once again we see the words of Scripture, God’s words, pointing us to a reality which is foreign to our way of thinking; life on this earth is not what life is all about. Jesus is describing a view of life with an eternal perspective, not the temporal one we normally operate with.

Many will read this verse and see Jesus describing a way of living on this earth, an attitude, in which material possessions are not the main focus of life, but the joy of living in harmony with one’s neighbors and with nature. However, even this view of Jesus intended meaning is linked to the temporal not the eternal perspective. It is a view still concerned with life on this earth. Because Jesus links this passage to the rich fool (12:13-21), he is clearly pointing us to view the way we live this life on earth with how it will affect life in eternity. While there is no single verse or passage that says this, we can glean Jesus’ intention by viewing all he is saying in the gospels and the NT. Life is more than food and the body more than clothing. Life is living out your called purpose to do the will of God for your life, so that you may enter into his kingdom after this life is over (Matt 25:14-30, John 4:34). The body is more than clothing because it is a reflection of the glory of God, by being made in his image and the temple of the Holy Spirit (John 2:19-21, 1 Cor 6:19).

Having grasped this truth about our lives and our bodies, let us live with a view of eternity in mind. Let our actions, our plans for each day and our lives as a whole be guided by the will of God for our service to him here and reflecting his glory into the world we live in.

Understanding Possessions

“And he said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on” (Luke 12:22). It is very easy to look at this passage that begins with verse 22 and believe the only point Jesus is making is, “trust God to provide for you.” However, that is a result of reading this passage (12:22-34) disconnected from the rest of chapter 12. Notice how verse 22 begins, “Therefore” is connecting this passage to the previous verses (13-21). This is the parable of the rich fool, who stores up great treasures on earth only to die and never enjoy those treasures and also to be held accountable for his self-centeredness and short-sightedness.

How was he short-sighted, didn’t he make plans for long term security? Even in the way we ask the question we can betray our own failure to understand what is short-sighted and what is long term thinking. By earthly temporal standards the rich fool was thinking long term, because he made plans for financial security for many years. However, Jesus sharply points out that long term temporal thinking is short-sightedness. It is short sighted because the focus is about acquiring and having for oneself with no regard for God and what he values. It is a focus on only what happens in this life not what will happen in eternity. Look at how Jesus responds to a question for him to get involved in a squabble between to brothers over an inheritance, “And he said to them, "Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). Then he starts the parable. Now look at how Jesus summarizes the meaning of the parable, “So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:21). Temporal only thinking is short sighted because it does not give thought to what God desires and what will happen after this life is over.
Our clue that 22-34 is connected to them also comes from the way Luke records Jesus ending this passage, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Luke 12:34). Once we see verses 22-34 are connected to and a continuation of verses 13-21, then we can begin to see that trusting God to provide for our needs is manifested in how we handle our possessions.

Let us read the passage on worry and anxiousness with new eyes, eyes enlightened and illuminated by the word of God through the Spirit. Eyes that see we should not worry about our needs while we are being generous to others and God; including fear that our acknowledgement of Christ publicly and doing the will of the Father will lead to losses in our possessions.

Souls That Obey

“So that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth” (Phil 2:10). In this passage Paul links Jesus lordship to his humble obedience to God even taking on human form and dying on the cross (vs. 6-9). Paul then explains some of the implications of Christ lordship in the next passage. Paul connects verses 12-18 to verses 9-11. “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence,” (Phil 2:12). Just as Christ was obedient to the will of God the Father, so also should we be obedient to God’s will even if it is not what we would want to do. Paul says, “Do all things without grumbling or questioning,” (Phil 2:14) but why? Because Christ did not grumble or complain but he did the will of the Father.

In addition to Christ example we have the insightful statement, under the revelation of the Holy Spirit, in verse 13, “for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” We can see that, even in the activities or task we do not desire to do, by being obedient to God’s calling in our life he works in us to desire and to do his will. It is in the process of doing what we do not desire to do, (what he has called us to do that is, contrasted to Rom 7:19-20) that God can mold and shape our hearts and our understanding of him, so that we are more trusting and obedient to him in our hearts and minds. This is the ultimate form of bowing our knee to Jesus, to have our hearts, minds and wills molded and shaped into souls that obey without grumbling or complaining.

Possessing True Humility

“Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves” (Phil 2:3). To get a clearer understanding of what Paul is saying in this verse it is necessary to contrast this command to what Paul says in 1:17, “The former proclaim Christ out of rivalry, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment.” Paul is referring to the individuals preaching Christ, but seeking to advance themselves in the process while Paul is in prison. These individuals are proclaiming the gospel, but they are doing it out of wrong motives. Once again, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, the biblical writer goes to the heart of the hearer. The attitude of our heart does matter (Matt 15:18-19). It is not just enough to moralistically perform the letter of the command Paul gives here in Philippians 2:3. If we act with humility on the outside but all the while have pride and conceit in our hearts over what we are doing, then we are no better than the individuals in 1:17 that were preaching the gospel.

To explain what I mean by acting with humility on the outside let’s say that while at church I am holding the door for all those coming in and saying, “Let me have the privilege of holding the door open for my brother and sister to enter into the house of the Lord.” Yet while I am watching them going in I am thinking and saying in my mind, “What a good example of piety and humility and service I am to these people. Now they can see me for the righteous good man that I am.” This pride in my heart denudes the humility I am displaying outwardly; it is being a lot more like a Pharisee than like a child of God.

This kind of conceit is so easy to have and so hard to fight against. It is such a difficult attitude because we can fool ourselves by the outward actions we are taking. Realizing this difficulty we begin to see why having Christ like humility, that Paul refers to in verses 6-8, is so critical to living out this command. For the deceitfulness of our human hearts makes living this way virtually impossible. To live like this requires the work of the Holy Spirit in our heart, mind and soul. Because only after the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit can we ever hope to live with humility on the outside generated from humility on the inside. May God do so in our hearts and minds today.

Jesus Will Posses What is His

“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:9-11).

This reality given to us by the apostle Paul is a reaffirmation by the Holy Spirit of a promise God made to Abraham in Gen 22, and Jesus claimed for himself in the gospel of Matthew. When Abraham and Isaac are on Mt. Moriah with Isaac bound and Abraham ready to sacrifice Isaac, the Lord stops him and then says, “I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies,” (Gen 22:17). The last phrase is the one that connects to Philippians 2, “your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies.” It is a promise of ownership and victory in conquest. It is foreshadowed in Joshua’s leading the Israelites in taking the Promised Land.

However, it is Jesus who ultimately fulfills this promise by crushing the power of sin and death at his crucifixion and resurrection. Jesus ultimate fulfillment is in his Lordship over all, he says “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt 16:18). He establishes his kingdom and he is the irresistible Lord that will posses what is rightfully his. The final fulfillment of this is seen in Rev 11:15 “Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever." Jesus Lordship is assured because God promised it himself to Abraham and the whole Bible points to the assurance that God keeps his promises and fulfills them completely. Let us submit to our Lord and follow him.

The Safety In Christ’s Reign

“So that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,” (Phil 2:10). What comfort this reality gives the believer under persecution for faith and adherence to God’s Word. No matter what the outcome of our individual situations and lives on this earth under persecution, we will have the final victory through Jesus complete Lordship over all. We may experience the victorious King of all Kings taking victory over our adversaries and vindicating us in this life. Or we may suffer under our persecution to the point of death. If the latter, then we will experience victory in the next life as we watch the King of all Kings vindicate us before our tormentors and all the host of eternity.

If we feel the temptation to shrink back (Heb 10:39) from the exhortations of Scripture in the face of persecution, in any form, let us commit this truth to our minds and burn it upon our hearts, so that we will not shrink back for fear of man, but boldly stand firm for the glory of God and the good of our souls. Remembering that God has given Christ “the name above all names” (Phil 2:9), “so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.”

Concern for Others

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,” (Philippians 2:5). What mind is it we are to have? Part of the answer comes from verse four, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” So the mind Paul is commanding us to have is one that looks not only to our own interest but also to the interest of others. (From the grammar of the original language we know this is a command and not a suggestion.) This is a daunting challenge for any moral person, to look after not only his own interest but also the interest of others! In fact it is impossible for even a moral person to live-up to this standard.

Even the most moral person will put his or her own interest first, then the interest of others in their daily life. Just think about your drive to work each day. How often do you place your own interest first at a stop light or a lane merging? Our self-centered nature has us hardwired to place our own interest ahead of others.

What hope is there then for living-up to such a command in Scripture? The hope of faith in Christ and the life changing work that the Holy Spirit brings when one believes in Christ. Notice the last half of verse five, “which is yours in Christ Jesus.” The mind of looking out for not only your own interest but the interest of others comes from Christ. Why? Because only a change in our hearts and minds, done by the Holy Spirit as part of the transforming work of the Holy Spirit in a believer, can empower us to follow Christ example and give-up everything for the sake of others (the other part of what mind we are to have).

The proof of what I say is found not only in Scripture through the life of Christ and then the apostles, but it is also found in the biographies of God’s servants. Read the biographies of Hudson Taylor, Adoniram Judson and Lottie Moon. In them you will see the evidence of Philippians 2:5. You will also see how such obedience to this command came only through the transforming of their heart, mind and soul by the gospel of Jesus Christ. May God grant us the gift of His Holy Spirit capturing our entire beings as it did those heroes of the faith.

Living By Christ's Example

“Complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind” (Philippians 2:2). The first thing we must understand from this statement Paul gives us is the completing of Paul’s joy by the Philippians is not a request or a plea. From the original language we know that Paul is commanding them to complete his joy. Paul is commanding the Philippians (and us) to have the same mind, love and corporate unity, same as what? The remainder of the passage tells us about Christ and His example. Paul is commanding us to have the same mindset and servant humility that Christ had.

What was that servant humility Christ had? “He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8). Christ servant humility was obedience to the Father’s plan despite the “unpleasantness” of the plan. However, if we stopped here with our understanding of Christ’s servant humility we quite miss the point.

Christ was obedient to death even though he was God and had all the rights, privileges and authority that go with His divinity. Yet Jesus willingly laid all those rights and privileges aside to take on human flesh and become fully human, (while still remaining fully God). All through the gospels we see a Jesus that never demanded nor asserted the rights and privileges he was due as the Son of God in Human flesh for His own needs but only for others. He humbly served humanity as the Lamb of God that took away the sins of the world (Matt 20:28; John 1:29).

So what Paul is commanding you and I is to humbly accept our role in the Kingdom of God following Christ’s example. Not demanding our rights and privileges as children of God (John 1:12), but humbly being obedient to God’s plan and call in our lives, even to the point of death if God so wills it. Or being obedient in the more difficult task, to live a faithful and godly life, being “doers of the word, and not hearers only,” (James 1:22). Nothing but living under and in the power of the Holy Spirit makes such a life possible.

The Ruler of the Universe

“No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known” (John 1:18). Was Jesus at the Father’s side before he came to earth or after he came? Why can’t it mean both? The context of John’s passage is pointing to the eternity of Christ in the opening verses, then John moves to talking about Christ physical presence on the earth. The paragraph ending with vs. 18 is focusing on God the Son being revealed to us. It would seem to suggest that John is referring to Christ position before he came to earth. However, later in John’s gospel he recounts Jesus saying he was about to return to the Father (John 16). It is not beyond the realm of reasonableness to conclude John is also making a statement of where Jesus is now during his introduction.

So many places in the NT speak of Jesus being at the right hand of the Father, Mark 16:19; Acts 2:33-4, Acts 7:55-56; Rom 8:34; Col 3:1; Heb 1:13, 10:12; 1 Pet 3:22. Then we have Jesus himself describing this scene in Matthew (22:44), Mark (12:36) and Luke (20:42).

Because several of these are quotations or references to Psalm 110:1 we must see that while John may have only been referring to where Jesus was before he came to earth, it is clear both are true. Jesus was at the right hand of God before he came to earth and he is at the right of God even now. Recognizing the right hand is the hand of power and authority, these claims of Jesus sitting at the right hand of the Father carry huge implications. Namely Jesus is the one in authority over the entire universe, second only to God the Father (John 14:28).

Born of God

“Who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:13). To be born of God. What an amazing thought. Does this idea of being born of God not take us back to Genesis 1 and 2? Can we possibly consider being born of God without Genesis 1 and 2 coloring our understanding of John’s words? Absolutely not!

The only way we can understand this idea, as fully as human minds can understand it, is to draw upon Genesis 1 and 2. God formed man and breathed into him the breath of life (Gen 2:7). Adam, and subsequently Eve, was not born of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God, born with a sinless nature. Only God can create such a creature. Praise God he will create such creatures again, which is why we must be reborn of God and not of flesh and blood. So we may one day stand in the presence of the sovereign God our creator and live with Him as sinless creatures. Live as a part of the new creation, the redeemed creation, and the children of God, born of God. How glorious is our God!

Born of God

“Who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:13). To be born of God. What an amazing thought. Does this idea of being born of God not take us back to Genesis 1 and 2? Can we possibly consider being born of God without Genesis 1 and 2 coloring our understanding of John’s words? Absolutely not!

The only way we can understand this idea, as fully as human minds can understand it, is to draw upon Genesis 1 and 2. God formed man and breathed into him the breath of life (Gen 2:7). Adam, and subsequently Eve, was not born of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God, born with a sinless nature. Only God can create such a creature. Praise God he will create such creatures again, which is why we must be reborn of God and not of flesh and blood. So we may one day stand in the presence of the sovereign God our creator and live with Him as sinless creatures. Live as a part of the new creation, the redeemed creation, and the children of God, born of God. How glorious is our God!

What Do You Say?

“And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God" (John 1:34). John the Baptist said these words. It is John’s confessional testimony of Jesus divinity and Messiahship. The question for all of us, and especially me, is will we testify to this same truth? Will we bear witness that Jesus is the Son of God, with all the messianic implications this title carries? Will we say “Jesus is the Son of God,” or will we try to weasel through this life straddling the fence? “Jesus was a son of a god,” will that be your lukewarm testimony? One motivated by a desire not to ostracize yourself from either the popular notions of the culture today or the fellowship of “church.” Make no mistake though my friends, such a lukewarm confession will be met with the lukewarm response, “So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.” (Rev 3:16).

Will the fears of men and the persecutions of this world motivate you to say, “I cannot tell if Jesus is the Son of God or where he came from.” Such a non committal answer may win the praise of men, but it will not win the favor of God the Father. “So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven,” (Matt 10:32).

My brothers and sisters, only one confession, one testimony, one declaration of what we believe and who we put our faith in will suffice for the God of all heaven and earth. The witness from our own mouths must be that Jesus of Nazareth, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt 16:16), and “My Lord and my God!" (John 20:28). To stand with John the Baptist and unashamedly say, “this is the Son of God.” May nothing else ever be upon our lips. May nothing else ever be in my heart.

The Privilege

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh,” (Heb 10:19-20). This truth that Paul explains to us must be a great comfort. It must also be a great joy and excitement, because we have the privilege of walking into the Holy of Holies, the very throne room of God because of Christ’s work on the Cross. When we enter our private prayer room we enter into the throne room of the eternal God. When we join in prayer with one or more of our brothers and/or sisters in Christ, we have an audience with the High King of Heaven. The one Paul calls “The King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God” (1 Tim 1:17). All because Christ broke the power of sin on the Cross and tore the curtain that separates man from God. We now know an intimacy with the God, a freedom of entering His presence, which men and women of the OT could not even imagine!

Oh my brothers and sisters do not let us squander such a precious and dear gift by being to busy to pray. Whenever we feel the rush and hurry of life, let us not be controlled by it so that we do not avail ourselves of an audience with the King. All the more so when we feel the weight of the world on our shoulders from life’s challenges and burdens, let us exercise our prerogative of a hearing with the Sovereign of time and space. Always remembering it is because of Christ work on the Cross and in His name that we are so favored.

The Light

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5). What a joyous statement to meditate upon this day, the day after Resurrection Sunday. Jesus came into the darkness of a sin oppressed world, one in which the Spirit of God was seldom seen or experienced. The darkness of sin and Satan came against Jesus, especially on the Cross. Yet Jesus defeated sin completely on the Cross and then He defeated death completely at the resurrection. Darkness could not overcome the light of Jesus. Darkness still rages against the light. However, this time darkness is fighting as a defeated foe in its last gasp for some semblance of victory.

We cannot read this passage without connecting it to 1 John 1:5-10, where John talks about the light and walking in the light. When we read the two passages side by side we begin to get a picture of what it means to walk in the light. We are to walk in the light of the truth, truth of sin defeated and Jesus as Lord. It is more though than just walking in truth, it is walking in The Truth, The Light of the world (John 8:12). We are to walk in Jesus by Him living in us. The glorious wonder of our walking in the light is not just that Jesus is in us; it is also that darkness cannot overcome us! Specifically that we do not live like children of the devil and we love our brothers (1 John 3). We can walk in the light, because The Light dwells within us who believe in Jesus Christ the risen one.

He Died For ALL Our Sins

“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isa 53:6). Somehow our going our own way is a source of iniquity. We sin against God when we go our own way, when we go astray. A sheep was to stay on the trail or in the meadow the shepherd led them on or into. A sheep would see something that looked appealing to its eyes and wander towards that thing. A greener spot, a less rocky path, whatever the item the sheep would go there against the shepherd’s desire.

We see a bigger house, a better spouse, a more comfortable position and decide that is where we will go. However those actions are against God the Father’s will. He has another plan for us, one explicitly in His word, or communicated to us through the Holy Spirit for our particular life calling, or even in the prompting of the Holy Spirit to call someone. However, we turn to our own way, and iniquity is born. When iniquity is born someone must bear it.

This is why Jesus suffered and died on the Cross this Good Friday, because God the Father “laid on Him the iniquities of us all.” Iniquities are created when we go our own way in the big and the small. When we measure the big sins in our eyes, adultery, idolatry, coveting, the punishment Jesus bore for us is humbling and grieves us. When we realize Jesus also had to die for the little sins in our eyes, not calling someone we were supposed to, walking on in a hurry when we were supposed to sit for a “chance” meeting with someone God had planned for us, our grief and shame is all the more magnified. Jesus had to die for my lusting after another woman, and He had to die because I was too busy to make a phone call. He had to die for all my sins.

A Godly Appearance

“For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, no beauty that we should desire him” (Isa 53:2). The immortal, the invisible, the only God (I Tim 1:17), veiled in human flesh had none of the characteristics of royalty or divinity in his appearance. This was the invisible God taking on human form and he did not even take the time to give himself a gorgeous body! He gave Saul handsomeness and stature (1 Sam 9:1). He gave David handsomeness, beautiful eyes and ruddiness (1 Sam 16:12). He gave Stephen the face of an angel (Acts 6:15). However, the creator of man and physical human beauty would not even take on human beauty. How condemned we must be in our pursuit of physical beauty. How shameful our assessing value and worth of humans based on their physical appearance. The only God was not handsome or beautiful according to Isaiah’s prophecy. Are we going to challenge this biblical truth and deny his “homely” appearance as it is given to us in Scripture?

Upon meditation and contemplation, this should not surprise us. God knew and still knows our deference to the outward appearance. God knew that we focus on what is on the outside of the cup and not what is inside the cup. God knew we would be looking for and expecting a physical specimen of humanity to bear the Messiah, the Son of God. Because he knew, that we would always focus on the wrong thing, he chose to come in a “homely” body, one that had “no form or majesty that we should” notice Him. “Man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart" (1 Sam 16:7). It was our first and best clue as to what to expect.

Because Jesus came with no special appearance, His appearance itself is a sign, a flag, reminding us and drawing us back to what is important in God’s mind, the attitude of the heart (Luke 6:45). In Jesus’ physical life on this earth it was his heart, a heart given over completely to obedience, that made Jesus special, not his appearance. It is neither our Easter costume, nor our going to Church on Friday and Sunday that will be what God measures, those are all outward appearances. The only thing that God will measure us by this week is the attitude of our hearts. With this humbling and convicting truth upon our minds, let us resolve to spend more time this Holy week dressing-up our hearts instead of our bodies.

FIRST-PERSON: Concerning alcoholic beverages - (BP)

While I do not use alcoholic beverages for a number of reasons, I have always struggled with what is the proper understanding of its use by the Christian based on the Bible. This article by Dr. Paige Patterson, President of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, is the best and most clear explanation of abstinence from good biblical exegesis. It is important to note the different uses condoned according to the biblical text explained in Dr. Patterson's article. I encourage all Christians to read this excellent work by Dr. Patterson and use it in determining what their use of alcohol should be.

FIRST-PERSON: Concerning alcoholic beverages - (BP)

Calif. Court OKs Teens' Suit vs. Christian School | Christianpost.com- Christian News Online , Christian World News

In what has been raised as an issue of concern by many evangelicals, a court case is now making its way through the legal system in California. The article below at Christian Post.com explains the lawsuit brought against a Lutheran School for expelling to students involved in lesbian activities. What makes this significant besides the cultural aspects, is the constitutional issues. Ultimately it will come to this, do state anti-discrimination laws trump the First Amendment? Sooner or later the US Supreme Court will take up one of these cases, if not this one then another.

If standing on biblical grounds for behavior is declared discriminatory by the courts, evangelical Christians will be faced with difficult choices. Will we capitulate to the culture or stand against the civil authorities in favor of biblical truth? Every Christian, every church and every Christian organization should begin to wrestle with this question now and be ready with an answer when it is brought to the forefront of our nation.

Calif. Court OKs Teens' Suit vs. Christian School Christianpost.com- Christian News Online , Christian World News