God is not a genie in a bottle…

 

Those who are critical of the church and call ‘Christians’ hypocrites may not realize that not all who label themselves with those terms may not be the genuine thing. Jesus warned that those who call Him “Lord, Lord” and did things in His name could be those without a relationship with Him.

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ (Matthew 7:21–23)

While people pray to God for help in trials, or put their faith in Him for protection, healing, and many other things, this may not be saving faith. The following passage explains that some who claim to be believers are actually not His people. It begins with Jesus walking across the water and the crowds following Him and asking why He came there…

Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ” 

This question is a clue to their motivation. They were more interested in having their physical need for food met than their spiritual need for a relationship with Him.

Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 

Faith is about our eternal destiny, not about having a full belly, or as that implies, the ‘good life’ here and now. It is about trusting Jesus, no matter what.

All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:24–40)

Genuine faith is not something anyone can conjure up. We are told to have faith yet it is in what we cannot see — not a full pantry nor the good life, but in Jesus for eternal life. That means dealing with the sin that separates us from a Holy God. Scripture is clear; the offer is made, but without His grace and mercy no one is able to say yes to it…

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. (John 6:44)
It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” (John 6:63–65)

PRAY: Lord, Your Word tells me to beware of false teachers whose god is their belly. By tolerant acceptance, genuine Christians so easily get lumped into the ‘false’ category. My task is to be so much like You that I shine like stars in this dark world. Enable me to shine for You this day. Amen.

Miserable Christians?

 

The devotional book I selected for this year has taught me much, yet not directly. The author wrote much about Christians who are miserable because they do not believe God. Some of it made me wonder if any of the people referred to were even saved. Most Christians I know are not ‘miserable’ in their walk with Jesus but experiencing much joy. Even when times are tough, they are trusting Him. Some complain but seek His will and are growing in grace and faith.

After eleven plus months, I began to wonder if the writer was striking at the tiny branches and missing the root of the problem. After doing a bit of research, I found that root and now understand this focus. This writer was part of what is called the “Holiness” movement consisting of a teaching that “no one could actually be born-again unless they had a ‘second blessing’ that made them perfect” meaning no more sin. No wonder many of them were miserable. While we are called to perfection, our perfection is in the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ. As we work out what that means, He works in us with the goal of perfection, which is true of our position in Him but not constant in our practice in life. Besides that, being perfect is not a requirement for new birth; it is a gift of God’s grace:

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:4–10)

After becoming His through faith and given new life in Him, that new life is to be lived out. The biblical term is “worked out” — yet He does the work in us.

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12–13)

God works in me and my part is to cooperate, to stop grumbling as the next verse says, showing that the source of my life now is the Spirit of God, not that old selfish and fleshy person that He died for. New life in Him makes this possible. I do not change because I’m ‘trying harder’ or thinking rightly about God. He makes the changes and they show up!

I write about this because many Christians are miserable because they are Christians but have somehow began thinking that their changed life depends on themselves. The book of Galatians addresses that issue of beginning in the Spirit and trying to be perfected in the flesh.

In contrast, some think they are Christians because they go to church, believe that Christ existed, and doing good is important. Instead of being saved by faith, they are going through the motions.  Jesus did say: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ “ (Matthew 7:21–23)

The Christian life is about having a personal relationship with the Christ. Without it, no one can be a Christian, no matter what they call themselves:

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 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. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. (Romans 8:1–8)

PRAY: Jesus, this is a longer than usual post because the gospel requires clarity, and because I don’t know if any readers are caught in the trap of “I’m not good enough” and feeling miserable. You know how to change that and even to use it to draw them to Yourself.

When “believers” stray…

 

When I was a new Christian, I attended a church for a while that taught the opposite of what I believed. They had the idea that a person willed to believe and could do the opposite and ‘unwill’ it and lose their salvation. They pointed to texts in Scripture that seemed to say that, often taking them out of context.

One verse says: “For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end” (Hebrews 3:14) and seems to put the onus on us to hang in there. In light of many other verses, I read it as saying that the mark of true faith was being firmly confident to the end.

These days my prayer list includes several young people that might be called prodigals. They started out in a Christian family, going to church, professing faith, but as they grew older, they walked away. Perhaps their faith was a choice, something like today’s reading suggests:

“Just take your childhood Psalm and say, ‘This is my Psalm, and I am going to believe it. I have always known it by heart, but it has never meant much to me. But now I have made up my mind to believe that the Lord really is my Shepherd and that He will care for me as a shepherd cares for his sheep. I will not question it again.’ ”

The problem is that this is not a good description of saving faith. The Bible says:

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:17)
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8–9)
And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. (John 17:3)

As Jesus said, saving faith is a relationship. It is also a gift that comes through hearing God speak and gives deep assurance and a conviction of truth without being able to ‘see’ it. In other words, if my mom or anyone else told me what I should believe, spelled it out, gave me verses to read, but God did not apply them to my heart and I did not hear Him speak, then this ‘faith’ was learned, not the same as the gift that changed my life.

Sometimes those with that kind of ‘learned faith’ stay in the church, think they are a believer, do good things, but their faith is not what Jesus said it should be:

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ (Matthew 7:21–23)

A friend says that true faith knows Jesus and this results in them beginning to be like Him. That changed life is evidence that God has been at work. Paul said: “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6)

Genuine faith, given by God, is a done deal. Once changed, I will never be unchanged. How can ‘eternal’ be temporary? How can the promises of God be turned back? Not by any doubts I might have, for if have such a problem. He simply does things to show me the reality of His grace and saving power.

My prayers for these ‘prodigals’ is not that they get sick of eating pig food (though that might help), but that they hear the voice of Christ, that He will speak grace to them and they will be offered His gift and accept it. Some do but let doubts move them from the congregation, but if they are God’s, He will finish what He started and bring them back. Some do not. They only heard people telling them what they should believe and do, not Jesus. They need to hear Him and know Him, not dogma and doctrine or they will not come back.

PRAY: Lord, You know hearts. I don’t, but I do know that Your firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His” (2 Timothy 2:19) and that You want no one to perish. Bring the stragglers home to Your great heart and help me to show them the love that also brought me to You and forever keeps me close.

Two kinds of Christians?

 

Years ago I was actively involved in a Christian writers organization. To join, a statement of faith in Jesus Christ was required. Most people had no problem with that, but one person did. She protested by saying, “You people think there are two kinds of Christians; ordinary ones and those who are born again. She refused to give testimony to a saving knowledge of Jesus.

Now I’m encountering again that confusing idea. I know that there are not two types of faith in Christ. Genuine saving faith is about a changed life, about having a relationship with Jesus that transforms everything. Jesus Himself said it:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ (John 3:3–7)

This and other passages make it clear that this new birth is a work of God. He choses whom He chooses and grants faith and new life.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8–9)

Many testify to the power of God when this happens. Some even say they tried to resist, but found it impossible to say no to His invitation. However, today I read the following statement:

“We should be eager to trust God for salvation so that He may receive great glory and the whole world may be won to trust Him. If we will not let Him save us, if we reject His care and refuse to feed in His pastures or lie down in His fold, then we will be a starved and shivering flock, sick, wretched, and full of complaints. We will bring dishonor on Him and, by our forlorn condition, hinder the world from coming to Him.”

Those who reject Christ are not part of His flock, not His sheep. Unbelief and rejection are described as goats in other passages and those who appear to be ‘religious’ and do ‘good’ things, but He says to them:

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ (Matthew 7:21–23)

Later Jesus was asked, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” (John 6:28–29) In other words, people can do religious works and have an appearance of being part of God’s family, but without faith and without that new life that He gives. One author says “there are two kinds of Christians: those who sincerely believe in God and those who, just as sincerely, believe that they believe. You can tell them apart by their actions in decisive moments.”

This does not mean perfection in that new life. God also tells me: “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Ephesians 4:30–5:2)

I could behave badly and still be a Christian, yet in the kingdom of God, His saving power is at work to change my behavior to match my status as His child, His sheep, and part of His kingdom. For that, I’m told how that looks and given the desire to cooperate. He works in me to will and to do His will, and all for His glory, not for my comfort.. (Philippians 2:13)

PRAY: Oh Jesus, Yours is a wonderful salvation. I could have tried to be like You on my own — what a joke. Such a thing is impossible without You, without the Father’s love and the Holy Spirit’s power. The reading for today misses the reality that salvation is deeply experiential and existential—very real, very encouraging, and very humbling. I know it’s possible to grieve the Holy Spirit, yet You are so compassionate and forgiving. You do not call me to change myself or anyone else. I’m to be a broken perfume bottle that spreads Your aroma to all around me, without any sort of self-righteousness. May I live in that new life each day and honor You.

What’s in it for me?

 If honest, most would admit coming to Christ with self-serving motivations. I wanted my pain to cease. Some seek healing and reach out to God. Some have financial problems or other disasters that they realize can be fixed only with divine assistance. Others want conviction of sin to stop, which is the best reason, or at least the one we must eventually come to before our salvation is solidly determined. Fair weather faith will not do that, nor will it endure.

Dealing with sin is the issue. Once a man said to me, “I believe Jesus died for the sins of the world. What is the big deal about that?” I replied, “But what about your sin?” Long pause. “Oh, I see what you mean.” He was okay with faith but didn’t want to make it personal. But personal is what salvation is about. Jesus prayed:

And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. (John 17:3)

He also said: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’" (Matthew 7:21–23)

Salvation and eternal life is about knowing God, not just knowing about Him, because the NT says, “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!” (James 2:19)

Other passages tell of this relationship and how Jesus comes to live in us by His Spirit and that we are given the mind of Christ. This is intimacy, not mere knowing or being introduced to who He is. Believing in Him goes beyond knowing He exists. Faith is about believing that He died for my sin, was buried, and after three days rose to life. It is about knowing His death was to secure my pardon for sin and to satisfy the wrath of God against all sin. But it is also about the trust that simply knows that all He says and does is true and that His great love and goodness is available for those He came to save.

Yet so often sinners first come to Him for selfish reasons. As today’s devotional reading says the  Prodigal Son is an illustration of this. He was not concerned with his father’s love or longing. He wanted comfort and “more than enough bread.” It was only after seeing his father’s great joy and experiencing such undeserved welcome that his father could say, “It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.” (Luke 15:32)

My experience was like this too. My life was in the ditch and I wanted it to be better. It took me awhile to realize that I had the cart before the horse. God sent Jesus to die for my sin, then to give me all that I need, not usually the other way around.

He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:32)

Since that day He came into my life, He has taught me not to come to Him first and foremost with my ‘gimme’ list but to enjoy our relationship, praising and thanking Him for all He does. I want to be more like He is, and need grace and strength to obey, yet I’ve had to realize than when I ask and do not receive, it is because I have asked wrongly, to spend it on my selfish desires. God resists my prideful thinking. While grace is not earned or deserved, it is for those who are humble. (James 4:3-6) Hard lessons but being in an intimate relationship with Jesus rather than trying to earn His favor, those lessons are welcome not ignored.

PRAY: Jesus, every day, all day, I need to be alert to any motivation that seeks personal gain. You know how I resist the difficult tasks, or those that tire me out and how I would rather be comfortable than making sacrifices. For me, routine is easier than surprises, yet the days are replete with unexpected challenges. For all this, I need You. I cannot be obedient without You granting grace and reminding me to say NO to those fleshy and selfish desires. Thank You for being here, for never leaving or forsaking me, even when I forget You.

Whose will is this?

 

Last night our small group started again. We read Scripture, discussed it, then shared prayer concerns. One of the folks expressed the mess in a social issue and that we needed to “do something” about it, yet others suggested that we first pray. After reading MacArthur’s devotional for today, I am convinced that the enemy can suggest action that sounds good but it is contrary to the will of God.

In this situation and in all circumstances, I’m to “take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one” (Ephesians 6:16) and first recognize those darts and where they come from using the temptation of Jesus as an example:

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, “ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” (Matthew 4:1–4)

Jesus was hungry and had the power to make bread from stones. It seemed a good idea for Him to “do something” but He recognized who was making the suggestion. He also recognized that the appeal was to His hunger, a personal need.

This clarifies what happened last night. That social issue was also a personal issue for the person who wanted to “do something” to fix it. Not that we should ignore social issues, but realize that God uses trials and problems for His purposes, sometimes to bring people to their knees before Him. Any action we might take could thwart the purposes of the Lord and that is the reason to first pray and find out if the motivations I’m experiencing are from God — or an appeal from Satan to get me side-tracked.

These “flaming missiles” refer to arrows with pitch-soaked tips set on fire. When they hit a target, flaming pitch spread to other flammable surfaces and destroyed all it touched. In spiritual warfare, Satan’s arrows are like that. They come in many forms. MacArthur lists: solicitations to impurity, selfishness, doubt, fear, disappointment, greed, vanity, covetousness, and so on. They can also be “do something” to fix problems without first asking God if that is what He wants. James 2-4 make it clear that He uses problems and our efforts to fix or escape them may not be the response He wants.

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2–4)

I cannot know what God may be saying to others, but this principle has become important for me. When trials come, what is God doing? I want it to go away, but He has a plan that I will not experience if I try to escape instead of trusting Him to use them for my good. Faith is my protection because faith elevates God’s will above Satan’s plans. Like Jesus, God wants me to think: “I will not violate my Father’s will by yielding to this enemy’s schemes. In His time He will feed Me and give me what I need for victory. I will not give in, no matter how appealing his suggestions seem to be.”

Yielding to God can mean personal discomfort. For Jesus, it eventually led Him to the cross. However, during that time of testing when Jesus yielded to the will of God and Satan realized his tactics were not going to work, “Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.” (Matthew 4:11)

These thoughts also remind me of another incident in the gospels when Jesus warned that doing “good” does not necessarily mean I am doing the ‘good’ that God wants:

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ (Matthew 7:21–23)

This does not mean that the people of God should avoid prophesy in His name, or doing any other mighty works, but unless my actions are from the Lord’s direction, I could be interfering with the will of God rather than doing it.

PRAY: Jesus, Your Word says I am to “Resist Satan, firm in my faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by my brotherhood throughout the world.” (1 Peter 5:9) This indicates that personal suffering can be God’s will, not the onslaught of evil that we often think it is. Keep me alert, always seeking Your will. And enable all Your people to realize the tactics of Satan.

PONDER: again the principles of battle Jesus experienced, and reread James 4:7.