Christianity

I’m Not _________ Enough

Often times when we reflect back on prominent individuals in the Bible we stand in awe of what they were able to accomplish. We compare ourselves to them and that often ends with us wishing we were as smart, or as brave, or as wise as they were. It is sometimes easy to gloss over the fact that they faced the same self doubts that we do which they had to overcome. Let’s consider, for instance, Moses.

In Exodus chapter 3 we have the account of Moses and the burning bush. God had heard the cry of the Israelite people who were suffering in bondage in Egypt. God had compassion for them and remembered his promise to Abraham and so was moved to deliver the people out of their bondage. He chose Moses to lead this effort and appears to Moses in the form of a burning bush to inform him of what he must do. If God were to appear to you today and give you direct instructions on how to accomplish a seemingly insurmountable task, would you trust Him and obey without question?

Moses hesitated. In verse 11 we find Moses struggling with the concept proposed to him by God. “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” Moses seems shaken by what God has asked him to do. God responds, promising that He would be with him. But Moses continues to question God and would seem to doubt his own abilities. What do I say to the people of Israel? What if they don’t believe me?

God gave Moses miraculous signs to prove himself to Pharaoh and the Israelite people, but still Moses questioned. In chapter 4 verse 10, Moses states, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” This same logic and reasoning hinders a lot of Christians today from carrying out the work of the Lord. How many use the excuse, “I am not smart enough”, or “I am not good enough” to teach the Gospel of Christ to others?

Further on in the account, we read that God becomes angry at Moses. But it was God’s will that Moses be the individual to accomplish His work, so He worked with Moses and provided him the means by which he would eventually accomplish his task.

We are human. It is understandable that we would doubt ourselves and our abilities to do difficult things. Being a Christian is a difficult thing. The work of the church, God’s kingdom, is important work indeed. It will often be uncomfortable, forcing us to step out of our comfort zones to do His will. But just as God provided for Moses, He will provide for us as well. We CAN understand the Bible. We CAN know the truth. We CAN teach it to others.

John 8:32 NKJV
And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Matthew 28:19-20 NKJV
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

What is hindering you from serving the Lord?

Do Not Love The World

In 1 John chapter 2 verses 15 through 17, God’s word reveals the following message:

1 John 2:15-17 NKJV
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. [16] For all that is in the world-the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life-is not of the Father but is of the world. [17] And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

To gain a fuller understanding, we can correlate Galatians 5:19-21:

Galatians 5:19-21 NKJV
Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, [20] idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, [21] envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

What is it that we are not to love? That which is of the world, namely the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life. The lust of the flesh would certainly encompass all the works of the flesh that are condemned in the passage cited in Paul’s letter to the Galatians, which I would point out is not an all inclusive list of sins that will keep us out of heaven.

Simply put, if we live our lives solely focusing on what our flesh desires, we will keep ourselves from the blessings of God and ultimately inherit eternal punishment once our earthly life is finished.

Sin takes many forms and we need to be able to recognize it in order to abstain from it. The Bible says:

Romans 12:21 NKJV
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

The works of the flesh should give way to the fruits of the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

This world that we live in is evil. But if we abide in the doctrine of Christ, we can overcome and conquer death just as He has.

John 8:51 NKJV
Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.”

Do not love the world. Love the WORD!

The Bucket Religion

Man has devised for himself all manner of beliefs for as long as he has been in existence on this earth.  Among these beliefs is what has been termed the “bucket” religion.  Essentially, this is the belief that as long as your good outweighs your evil, you will gain entrance into heaven.  So, say you have two buckets, one carrying all of your good deeds and the other carrying all of your bad deeds.  The goal is to have your “good” bucket full and your “evil” bucket not as full as your “good” bucket.  As long as you’re a good person, as evidenced by your full “good” bucket, you will be admitted into the kingdom of heaven.  It sounds good in theory, right?  After all, God is good and wants all of his children to have heaven as their home, right?  Surely, if I’m a good person God will not send me to be punished for eternity.  There are problems with this belief and one could take a lot of time to address each one.  For the sake of this post, we will focus on perhaps the greatest illustration that we find in Scripture that argues the case against this belief.

In the book of Acts, we read of a man named Cornelius.  He is described as “a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God.” (Acts 10:2)  Later in the chapter, he is further described as “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation” (Acts 10:22).  We can therefore gather from this text that Cornelius was indeed a “good” person in every sense of the word.  So was Cornelius destined to enter the kingdom of heaven on account of him being good?  The answer is no!  If you read the whole of chapter 10, Cornelius was instructed by an angel to send for the apostle Peter.  Peter, at the same time, was given a vision by God describing to him that salvation was not only meant for the Jews, but also the Gentiles, of which Cornelius was one.  Peter came to Cornelius’ house, where many had gathered, and he preached the gospel to them.  They heard the gospel, believed the gospel, and were baptized into Christ.  This wouldn’t have been necessary if the bucket religion were true.

The Bible instructs us to hear the Word, believe the Word, repent of our sins, confess Christ before men, and have our sins washed away in the waters of baptism.  This puts one into Christ, who is the only way to the Father (John 14:6).  We must be in Christ to inherit that upper kingdom promised to those who love Him.  It’s great if you’re a good person, I commend you.  But don’t stop there!!  We must be obedient as well.

I’ll Take The Spirit

You’re a newly converted Christian who is going through the process of making changes in your life in order to live according to the doctrine of Christ.  You go out to eat with some old friends and the waitress goes around the table taking orders for drinks.  “I’ll have a Bud Light”, “I’ll have a glass of Chardonnay”, “I’d like a glass of Merlot”.  She gets to you and you have to make a choice.  Everyone else at the table is indulging in an alcoholic beverage.  You remember from a recent Bible study class that in Ephesians 5:18, Paul instructed the church at Ephesus, “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.” Would ordering an alcoholic beverage be displeasing to God? Would it make the situation with my friends awkward and uncomfortable if I order something else when they’ve known me to drink with them in the past?

This is a very common struggle that Christians face today.  What is the Christian to do in this scenario?  The more people you ask that question, the wider the variety of answers you will get on the topic.  Even in some Bible commentaries, they say things such as, “Well, the Bible doesn’t condemn the use of wine, just the abuse of it.”  Is that true?  One thing we must remember is that as Christians, we are to look at the scriptures on the whole.  Earlier in the Ephesian letter, chapter 4 verse 27 states, “nor give place to the devil”.  The Christian should not provide an invitation for Satan to enter in and work.  So, if we decide to drink wine, even without the intent of becoming intoxicated, are we not inviting Satan in to work his deceit? There are various other scriptures that tell us to be sober and always aware.

Albert Barnes makes a very good point in his commentary: “All intoxication is prohibited in the Scriptures-no matter by what means it is produced.  There is, in fact, but one thing that produces intoxication.  It is “alcohol”- the poisonous substance produced by fermentation.  This substance is neither created nor changed, increased nor diminished, by distillation.  It exists in the cider, the beer, and the wine, after they are fermented, and the whole process of distillation consists in driving it off by heat, and collecting it in a concentrated form, and so that it may be preserved.  But distilling does not “make” it, nor change it.  Alcohol is precisely the same thing in the wine that it is in the brandy after it is distilled; in the cider or the beer that it is in the whisky or the rum; and why is it right to become intoxicated on it in one form rather than in another?  Since therefore there is danger of intoxication in the use of wine, as well as in the use of ardent spirits, why should we not abstain from one as well as the other?  How can a man prove that it is right for him to drink alcohol in the form of wine, and that it is wrong for me to drink it in the form of brandy or rum?”  It’s true, alcohol is alcohol no matter what form it is in, and it is best for the Christian to abstain from using it in any way.

And it’s not even just the use of it.  Christians are encouraged to walk worthy of our calling, so everything that we say or do reflects Christ.  If our neighbors see us in the liquor aisle at the grocery store, are they going to see Christ in us?  Sometimes we forget that people judge our character based on the places we go and the things we do.

The apostle Paul says that in being intoxicated there is dissipation.  In other translations, the ASV uses the word riot, the ESV uses debauchery, the KJV uses excess.  So what is the general idea that he’s getting at?  He’s stating the fact that all of this riotous, debauchery, abandonment of civility that gives way to sensuality and lust, all of this follows the use of alcohol.  It’s something that we’ve all witnessed.  I enjoy baseball, and if you attend a minor league or major league game, there’s a really good chance you will witness someone who has had a bit too much to drink during the game and making a fool of themselves.  Intoxication causes one to lose their inhibitions, and all of this wild and reckless behavior soon follows.  Paul likely had in mind the pagan worship of Bacchus while he was writing this to the Ephesians.  Bacchus was the “god of wine”, and during those orgies and festivals, men and women regarded it as an acceptable act of worship to become intoxicated, and with wild songs and cries to run through the streets, and fields, and vineyards.  You can imagine the chaos that ensued!

In stark contrast to such debauchery, Paul encourages those at Ephesus and us today, to be filled with the Spirit.  What does that mean?  It simply means submitting yourself to the will of God.  It’s putting away sinful pleasures of this world and continually renewing your mind, putting the word of God, given through the Holy Spirit, to work in your life.  Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit and should not be tarnished by intoxicating drink. No one ever became a better Christian by filling themselves with wine.  Submission to the Spirit should instead be the Christian’s desire!

 

Running The Race

The idea of life in general being a race isn’t a new one.  It’s a race that we begin at birth when we enter this world, and we work hard towards the goals that we set before ourselves.  We’ve all heard of the term “rat race”, and certainly life does sometimes feel like a rat race, where we are just working and working, going through the motions to achieve success.  The apostle Paul used the analogy of a race while speaking to the church at Corinth.  Found in 1 Corinthians 9:24-25, Paul writes, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize?  Run in such a way that you may obtain it.  And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things.  Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.”  

There is one point I want to make that goes along with the analogy of the Christian race.  There are many TV evangelists that mislead their followers by preaching what can be referred to as “health and wealth” type of sermons.  They urge their followers to just ask Jesus into their hearts (sinner’s prayer) and make a pledge (almost always a monetary gift) to their organization and God will bless them with health and wealth.  It would seem that being a Christian is just that easy.  Send in money and you will be saved.  But is that true?

Let’s think about Paul’s race analogy.  If living a Christian life is a race, that would imply that one would have to put forth effort in order to win that race and have the reward of Heaven as their eternal home.  Have you ever known a competitor who is running a race to remain on the starting line at the sound of the gun and win that race?  It just can’t happen.  Those competing must put forth an effort, work hard to compete in that race in order to obtain the prize.  Living a Christian life is no different.  The Bible lays out the work that a Christian must do to obtain the reward of Heaven.  One can’t simply believe and be saved, as that is equivalent to standing on the starting line while the race goes on.  Belief in Christ, repenting of sins, confessing Christ before men, and being immersed in the waters of baptism is only the beginning of the Christian’s “race” toward Heaven.  Do not be deceived by those who would have you believe otherwise.

Doomed To Repeat History

The Old Testament is full of rich history that any serious Bible student would do well to study.  There is much to learn about how God dealt with his people, the Israelites.  The Israelites were God’s chosen people.  He promised Abraham in Genesis 22:17-18, “blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.  In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”  Because of Abraham’s great faith, the people of Israel obtained great favor from God.  They were brought out of captivity by Moses and shown many great wonders by the Lord.  They were promised an earthly inheritance in the land of Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey.  They were blessed beyond belief, and yet……..time and time again, they turned their backs on God.  They disobeyed His laws and worshiped false idols.  God sent prophets to them to instruct them to turn from their wicked ways or there would be consequences.  God is a loving God, and he is a just God.  He cannot abide with sin.  You will find very similar stories in each of the books of the minor prophets, but for our purposes, we will focus our attention on Micah.

Not much is known of Micah, as far as who he was or what he did for a living before becoming a prophet of God.  He was chosen to deliver a message to the people of Israel.  The message was that of a coming destruction.  Because of their wicked ways, God determined that his wrath would befall them.  He speaks specifically to the rulers and prophets in chapter 3.  These were the “heads of Jacob” who ruled over the people at that time.  They were the ones who were supposed to provide justice and rule righteously.  Instead, they were oppressing the people, plotting in the night how they would take advantage of them for their own wicked gain.  They hated good, and loved evil.  Micah declares to them, “Therefore because of you Zion shall be plowed like a field, Jerusalem shall become heaps of ruins, and the mountain of the temple like the bare hills of the forest.” (Micah 3:12)  Their wickedness would bring them utter destruction.  All of the good that they had been blessed with would be taken away because they turned away from the love of God.

Throughout the Old Testament we see God’s relationship with his people.  It was very much a Father to children relationship.  And it is no different today.  God has blessed this great nation with so much good.  Yet evil seems to be making so much headway in our land.  Headline after headline reflects the fact that we are turning away from God, no longer seeing it necessary to seek His face.  Our pride has made us fools.  Instead of kneeling on our knees in prayer seeking forgiveness, we are boldly mocking and cursing the very One who gave us everything.  Like the people of Israel, we say, “…Is not the LORD among us?  No harm can come upon us.” (Micah 3:11)  Do we not think that destruction can come upon our land because of our own wickedness?  History proves it to be true.  It would behoove us to learn from past mistakes and make corrections before it is too late!

What Christianity Is Not

What comes to your mind when someone tells you that they are a Christian?  How deep is your thinking when that claim is made?  Do you recognize that that person is living their life as Christ would, or is it more shallow than that?  Perhaps you just make a mental note to watch what you say around that person, or watch how you act.  Maybe you don’t invite them to gatherings because they might be “boring” or make the situation awkward.  The label of “Christian” seems to have a wide variety of meanings in our society today.  I know of people in my own life who call themselves Christian, but you wouldn’t know it if you observe how they are living their lives and the things that they indulge in.  False teachings abound on the matter of what it is to be a Christian, so to help correct those teachings, we will focus on what Christianity is NOT.

First, Christianity is NOT a denomination.  In other words, Christ is not divided.  There are many denominations in our world today, each claiming to be the one true church.  The Bible is clear on this.  Beginning with the truth stated in Ephesians 4 beginning in verse 4: “There is ONE body(church) and ONE Spirit, just as you were called in ONE hope of your calling; 5 ONE Lord, ONE faith, ONE baptism; 6 ONE God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” (Emphasis on each “ONE” mine) If there be only one of each of these things listed, how is it then that we have so many different sects of Christianity?  The answer is because of false teaching.  Jesus himself stated in Mark 3:24, “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.”  Scripture teaches that the church is the body of Christ, and Jesus said in Matthew 16:18, “…..on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”  Paul asked the church at Corinth in 1 Corinthians 1:13, “Is Christ divided?…”  They were labeling themselves according to who taught them, or who baptized them instead of recognizing that they were a part of the ONE church of whom Christ is the head.  Christians are to be united in Christ, not separated according to false doctrines promoted by man.

Christianity is NOT the “sinner’s prayer”.  Have you ever looked in scripture to find where the sinner’s prayer is recorded?  I’ll save you the time and let you know that this prayer is not recorded in scripture.  The sinner’s prayer is a false doctrine that has led many people astray from the truth.  If your place of worship promotes the sinner’s prayer as a means of salvation, I warn you that your soul is in grave danger.  Looking through scripture at each instance of conversion recorded, you will not find any reference to the sinner’s prayer being recited.  Instead, the convert is admonished to believe on the Lord, repent and be immersed for the forgiveness of their sins, and walk in newness of life in service to the Lord.  Simply reciting the sinner’s prayer will not save you from condemnation.  On the day of judgement, many will call out to the Lord and expect to be saved, but will be rejected instead.  Matthew 7:21-23, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.  Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’  Saying the sinner’s prayer is not sufficient for salvation.

Christianity is NOT warming a pew.  There are those who call themselves Christians, but are not found attending worship services when they are held.  Some only go on special occasions, such as Easter or Mother’s Day.  What’s the problem with that?  Well, we can’t claim ourselves to be in the ONE body of Christ and never be found among the brethren.  How do we foster relationships with our fellow Christians if we are never there?  Furthermore, how do we live according to Christ if we don’t ever hear the teachings of His word at worship services?  Should we not do as the early Christians did?  Acts 2:42, “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.”  Acts 20:7, “Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.”  Hebrews 10:24-25, “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”  

There’s a lot more to be said on this topic, and maybe we will revisit it and add to it in future posts.  For now, I hope that you will reflect on these things and study the scriptures to make sure that if you are identifying yourself as a Christian, that you truly understand what it means to be a Christian and are making every effort to live up to that title.  God bless.