In at least two cults, “missionary” work is mandatory. That is, their “disciples” are required to go out, usually door to door, telling people what they believe. Their decision to do this likely comes from Luke 10 where Jesus sends out seventy disciples to the cities and places He was planning to visit later.
No doubt some cult members are enthusiastic about their work. However, many of them do it out of duty to their organization. They are told they must do it or they will not find favor with God. In one case, they must visit a certain number of homes per month, and they must distribute a certain amount of their literature.
The disciples in Luke 10 had a different motivation. Jesus sent them to find people who were receptive toward them, to heal the sick, and then report back to Jesus Himself, not an organization. Interestingly, He specifically told them NOT to go from door to door.
Jesus also said they were like lambs among wolves, so I can imagine their fears as they set out. Would they be mocked? Or worse? Would anyone listen? When they tried to heal, would people become well? They were aware of spiritual opposition too. Unlike today’s cult members, Jesus gave them great spiritual authority, yet did they wonder if they could do the job? Did they pray for courage and perseverance? Very likely. I know I would have.
Later they “returned with joy” and reported their success. Some welcomed them. People were healed. The disciples said, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”
Jesus replied “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:17-20).
Jesus knew they would succeed. They were His disciples and He had given them what they needed for the task. Further, the imperfect tense of His statement about seeing Satan fall brings out an amazing assurance. The force of what He said is this: “I was beholding Satan as lightning falling from heaven.” That is, “I followed you on your mission, and watched its triumphs. While you were wondering at the subjection to you of devils in My name, a grander spectacle was opening to My view; sudden as the darting of lightning from heaven to earth, lo! Satan was beheld falling from heaven!” (From A Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments).
What Jesus said is an example of a figure of speech that connects a part with the whole. When the Seventy took authority over demons, it “not only brought vividly before the Redeemer the whole ultimate result of His mission, but compressed it into a moment and quickened it into the rapidity of lightning!”
With that, Jesus raised their thinking not only from the particular to the general, but from a very temporary form of satanic operation to the entire kingdom of evil. He illustrates for us that even though Satan’s power is usurped from God and hostile against Him and His people, this power is held only by God’s permission and as God’s tool. It is not ultimate and can be defeated in Jesus’ name.
A few days ago, God made me aware that demonic forces have authority and I must be careful never to assume Satan’s host is a bunch of featherweights. False teachers will despise authority in the sense that some of them mock demonic powers and think they can simply rebuke Satan and all evil will vanish. I must not do that, but at the same time, this passage from Luke illustrates that Jesus does not leave me defenseless. He gives authority over spiritual forces of darkness with specific perimeters.
First, my name must be written in heaven. Anyone who tries to defeat demons apart from having a saving relationship with Jesus Christ will run into the same problem as the seven sons of a priest described in Acts 19. When they commanded evil spirits to come out of a man, the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” Then the demons attacked and severely injured these seven.
Second, if I fight evil it must be in the name of Jesus. This is not simply tacking His name on the ends of my prayers or any commands I try to make. It is about acting as His spokesperson and on His orders. It is about a deep and personal relationship, but also about being given specific authority and instructions in specific instances. This is never to be taken lightly. In Scripture, even the angels did not rebuke demons but called on the Lord to do it.
Third, I need to realize that Satan is already defeated. Jesus destroyed his power at the cross; I don’t do it by my words or efforts. He still thrashes about (like a chicken whose head has been chopped off), yet whatever he does is only by God’s permission. That is, if Satan or any evil force is attacking me, I first need to seek the Lord’s mind in what is going on, not automatically assume that all of the enemy’s activity must be halted. God has purposes in allowing him to roam about and can use all things for my good (Romans 8:28-29).
Finally, my weapon is not verbal toward Satan but prayer to Almighty God who hears and answers my requests concerning all spiritual battles. I must wear the spiritual armor described in Ephesians 6:10-20, and use the weapons God gives me, not acting apart from His direction.
Today’s prayer list is long and I need to get at it.
Showing posts with label defending myself. Show all posts
Showing posts with label defending myself. Show all posts
November 24, 2008
June 6, 2008
How easily I forget. . .
People in leadership have an exposed backside. Those behind them can use it as a target.
This happened to the Apostle Paul. In 2 Corinthians he wrote to a church that was influenced by false apostles and teachers who looked better and did more spectacular things than he did, or so they supposed. He was not only being kicked, but also accused of things that were not true.
Most people become defensive when falsely accused. Some remain silent. In this situation, Paul could do neither. If he protested too much, he might look guilty. If he stayed quiet, these people were in danger. Their spiritual health and walk with God were threatened. How he handled this problem is highly instructive.
Mostly he reminded them of true things that they already knew. He reiterated what he had done among them and said he would continue to care about them. In regard to false teachers, he said, “For such are false apostle, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is not a great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness. . . .” (2 Corinthians 12:13-15).
He went on to tell them his credentials, to “boast a little,” were his words. He said, “What I speak, I speak not according to the Lord, but as it were, foolishly, in the confidence of boasting. Seeing that many boast according to the flesh, I also will boast.” He felt that since they put up with false teachers who boasted, even received them and allowed them to put them in bondage to their ideas, then he needed to risk this in order to jolt them to their senses.
He told them what he’d had before he met Christ, and how he had abandoned all those things that the flesh would consider significant so that he might know Christ better. He told them of the things he had endured as a servant of Jesus Christ and as their servant too. He also told them of visions and great revelations God had given him, and how God allowed a “thorn in the flesh” to keep him weak and depending upon Him. He shared that he was glad for his weaknesses because “when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Then Paul said, “I have become a fool in boasting; you have compelled me. For I ought to have been commended by you; for in nothing was I behind the most eminent apostles, though I am nothing.”
When I read through this, I thought about the difficulty of trying to maintain humility in an adequate and necessary defense of what is being done in the name of Christ. Paul did it by reiterating what he was doing, but also sharing his weakness and inability to do it. In other words, he defended his ministry because it was Jesus Christ doing it through him. He had in himself nothing worth defending.
My devotional reading for today says that when the Lord has brought me down to be nothing, He then makes His strength perfect in that nothingness. He communicates strength to pray, strength to believe, strength to hope. The author likens this to the poor man with the withered hand to whom Jesus said, “Stretch forth thine hand.”
This man was unable to make his hand function, but Christ’s strength was made perfect in weakness. When He spoke, it moved. This is also like Lazarus who was dead and in the grave. Yet when Jesus’ voice of love and power spoke, “Lazarus, come forth,” life came to that dead corpse. It was the same for Old Testament believers, who “out of weakness were made strong” (Hebrews 11:34).
This is true for me also. My weakness, helplessness and inability are the very things which allow the power, strength and grace of Jesus to flow through me. When I am strong, confident and filled with the sense of ‘I can do it’ then I simply block Him from doing it.
How easily I forget that it is okay, no, not just okay, but preferable, to be weak.
This happened to the Apostle Paul. In 2 Corinthians he wrote to a church that was influenced by false apostles and teachers who looked better and did more spectacular things than he did, or so they supposed. He was not only being kicked, but also accused of things that were not true.
Most people become defensive when falsely accused. Some remain silent. In this situation, Paul could do neither. If he protested too much, he might look guilty. If he stayed quiet, these people were in danger. Their spiritual health and walk with God were threatened. How he handled this problem is highly instructive.
Mostly he reminded them of true things that they already knew. He reiterated what he had done among them and said he would continue to care about them. In regard to false teachers, he said, “For such are false apostle, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is not a great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness. . . .” (2 Corinthians 12:13-15).
He went on to tell them his credentials, to “boast a little,” were his words. He said, “What I speak, I speak not according to the Lord, but as it were, foolishly, in the confidence of boasting. Seeing that many boast according to the flesh, I also will boast.” He felt that since they put up with false teachers who boasted, even received them and allowed them to put them in bondage to their ideas, then he needed to risk this in order to jolt them to their senses.
He told them what he’d had before he met Christ, and how he had abandoned all those things that the flesh would consider significant so that he might know Christ better. He told them of the things he had endured as a servant of Jesus Christ and as their servant too. He also told them of visions and great revelations God had given him, and how God allowed a “thorn in the flesh” to keep him weak and depending upon Him. He shared that he was glad for his weaknesses because “when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Then Paul said, “I have become a fool in boasting; you have compelled me. For I ought to have been commended by you; for in nothing was I behind the most eminent apostles, though I am nothing.”
When I read through this, I thought about the difficulty of trying to maintain humility in an adequate and necessary defense of what is being done in the name of Christ. Paul did it by reiterating what he was doing, but also sharing his weakness and inability to do it. In other words, he defended his ministry because it was Jesus Christ doing it through him. He had in himself nothing worth defending.
My devotional reading for today says that when the Lord has brought me down to be nothing, He then makes His strength perfect in that nothingness. He communicates strength to pray, strength to believe, strength to hope. The author likens this to the poor man with the withered hand to whom Jesus said, “Stretch forth thine hand.”
This man was unable to make his hand function, but Christ’s strength was made perfect in weakness. When He spoke, it moved. This is also like Lazarus who was dead and in the grave. Yet when Jesus’ voice of love and power spoke, “Lazarus, come forth,” life came to that dead corpse. It was the same for Old Testament believers, who “out of weakness were made strong” (Hebrews 11:34).
This is true for me also. My weakness, helplessness and inability are the very things which allow the power, strength and grace of Jesus to flow through me. When I am strong, confident and filled with the sense of ‘I can do it’ then I simply block Him from doing it.
How easily I forget that it is okay, no, not just okay, but preferable, to be weak.
June 18, 2007
In my own defense?
I’ve a book of daily writing assignments and glanced at the next one a few minutes ago. It said to list the ways I protect myself against unpleasantness and offered several options for using that in my writing.
This book is not based on a Christian world view, but it knows human nature. No one likes difficult circumstances, hurtful remarks, losses, or anything emotionally or physically painful. I’ve done things like denial, retaliation, excuse-making, and more to avoid them.
However, Christ changes that. As a new Christian over 35 years ago, one of the first things He taught me is that He would use everything that happens in my life for my good (Romans 8:28). A little later He also showed me that “good” meant He would use all things to transform me into His own image (Romans 8:29). All things. The good, bad, joyful, painful, wanted and unwanted. Those verses changed my world view, particularly about the bad stuff.
Not long after that, I read a book called Born Crucified. Through it God taught me what it means to die to selfishness, self-interests, self-rule. The old me is gone, crucified with Christ, and the new me is united with Him. Therefore, He wants me to live my Christian life under His sovereign guidance, not try to run things on my own. He began showing me that any attempts to protect myself from the tough stuff could thwart what He was trying to do with me.
This morning, I’m reading 2 Corinthians 4:8-11. Paul is suffering under many things, but he explains the same idea; God has a plan to bring forth the life of Christ in his life, even through difficulties and trials.
It says, “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.”
If Paul wanted to avoid those hard things, he could stop preaching the gospel and run for cover. He choose to do what he was doing and he was free to choose otherwise, but he knew enough about God that he didn’t try to protect himself. He knew that God is sovereign. He also felt “compelled” to carry on, knowing that God called him to do what he was doing. Anything else would be disobedience.
He also knew the purpose of his calling. In the next chapter (2 Corinthians 5:18) he says, “Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.”
For Paul, his life work and ministry of preaching the gospel and bringing folks to Christ included difficulties. He accepted them as part of what it means to be God’s ambassador and allowed God to use those trials as He sovereignly saw fit.
My calling isn’t as public or huge in the whole scheme of kingdom building. Nevertheless, if God is going to use me, I need to allow Him to whittle off the parts that don’t look like Jesus. He does this through His word (which convicts me of sin so I can confess and be cleansed), and through life’s tough stuff. The tough stuff shows me where I can trust Him more than I already do, but it also gives me opportunity to die to self, to the things I want, and to all that is temporary and without eternal value.
I suppose the hardest part of this is not being able to see that the life of Christ is being manifested in me, even in trials. I feel the pressures, perplexities and weight of them, and must by faith carry on, trusting God to “deliver me to death” in it all, and to somehow show the life of Christ in me to others.
I don’t clearly see that, but I do clearly see that I must let God take care of whatever happens to me. He is my Fortress and Protector. if I try to protect myself, I’d surely miss something of that amazing privilege of being transformed, the very ultimate in “good” that He has planned for me.
This book is not based on a Christian world view, but it knows human nature. No one likes difficult circumstances, hurtful remarks, losses, or anything emotionally or physically painful. I’ve done things like denial, retaliation, excuse-making, and more to avoid them.
However, Christ changes that. As a new Christian over 35 years ago, one of the first things He taught me is that He would use everything that happens in my life for my good (Romans 8:28). A little later He also showed me that “good” meant He would use all things to transform me into His own image (Romans 8:29). All things. The good, bad, joyful, painful, wanted and unwanted. Those verses changed my world view, particularly about the bad stuff.
Not long after that, I read a book called Born Crucified. Through it God taught me what it means to die to selfishness, self-interests, self-rule. The old me is gone, crucified with Christ, and the new me is united with Him. Therefore, He wants me to live my Christian life under His sovereign guidance, not try to run things on my own. He began showing me that any attempts to protect myself from the tough stuff could thwart what He was trying to do with me.
This morning, I’m reading 2 Corinthians 4:8-11. Paul is suffering under many things, but he explains the same idea; God has a plan to bring forth the life of Christ in his life, even through difficulties and trials.
It says, “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.”
If Paul wanted to avoid those hard things, he could stop preaching the gospel and run for cover. He choose to do what he was doing and he was free to choose otherwise, but he knew enough about God that he didn’t try to protect himself. He knew that God is sovereign. He also felt “compelled” to carry on, knowing that God called him to do what he was doing. Anything else would be disobedience.
He also knew the purpose of his calling. In the next chapter (2 Corinthians 5:18) he says, “Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.”
For Paul, his life work and ministry of preaching the gospel and bringing folks to Christ included difficulties. He accepted them as part of what it means to be God’s ambassador and allowed God to use those trials as He sovereignly saw fit.
My calling isn’t as public or huge in the whole scheme of kingdom building. Nevertheless, if God is going to use me, I need to allow Him to whittle off the parts that don’t look like Jesus. He does this through His word (which convicts me of sin so I can confess and be cleansed), and through life’s tough stuff. The tough stuff shows me where I can trust Him more than I already do, but it also gives me opportunity to die to self, to the things I want, and to all that is temporary and without eternal value.
I suppose the hardest part of this is not being able to see that the life of Christ is being manifested in me, even in trials. I feel the pressures, perplexities and weight of them, and must by faith carry on, trusting God to “deliver me to death” in it all, and to somehow show the life of Christ in me to others.
I don’t clearly see that, but I do clearly see that I must let God take care of whatever happens to me. He is my Fortress and Protector. if I try to protect myself, I’d surely miss something of that amazing privilege of being transformed, the very ultimate in “good” that He has planned for me.
May 12, 2007
When I’m wrong, I’m wrong, but what about when I’m right?
When I make a mistake or say the wrong thing and someone points it out, I quickly come to my own defense. I’m not patient at all with criticism, even when the other person is right.
This morning, I’m reading 1 Peter 2 and God tells me I have an even bigger problem. It is talking about a submissive spirit. I define that as “being free from the tyranny of always needing to have my own way” and always applied it to the verses in chapter 3 about wives married to men who do not obey God, or, in my case, the man who won’t do what I want him to do!
Chapter 2 is talking about a servant/master relationship, but the principle is universal. It says submission is not just about people who treat me well, but those who do not. I can see that it also applies to the way people talk about me and to me.
“For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps . . . .”
In any and every situation, Jesus is my model, the example of how to behave. By knowing Him and what He did and would do, I also can know what to do. However, this passage makes me think, Hey, wait a minute!
I can imagine myself patiently enduring a true accusation. I’ve not done this much, but I can see that this is appropriate. I’m not impressed if I see someone else making excuses and defending themselves when they’ve been ‘caught in the act’ or their folly is exposed. Defending myself is pointless when I should simply admit they are right in what they say.
But this goes farther. It says I’m to have the same attitude of Christ and that He could ask me to also patiently endure the verbal abuse of a false accusation, not standing up and fighting for my right to be right. I think I’m a reasonably submissive person, but can’t see myself putting up with this.
Jesus did it. The passage even tells how. It says that when He was taken to the cross, He “committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth . . . when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously.”
Committed means to hand over. As my study Bible notes say, Jesus was handed over to Pilate; Pilate handed Him over to the Jews; but Christ handed over Himself to God and suffered in silence because He had perfect confidence in the righteous sovereignty of His Father.
This exposes me. If I trust God as much as I think I do, then when someone says I’m wrong, whether I am or not, I can relax knowing that God will defend me, take care of me, make the truth known, and do whatever else is right, according to His plan and His timing.
The rub is that ‘if I trust God as much as I think I do.’
This morning, I’m reading 1 Peter 2 and God tells me I have an even bigger problem. It is talking about a submissive spirit. I define that as “being free from the tyranny of always needing to have my own way” and always applied it to the verses in chapter 3 about wives married to men who do not obey God, or, in my case, the man who won’t do what I want him to do!
Chapter 2 is talking about a servant/master relationship, but the principle is universal. It says submission is not just about people who treat me well, but those who do not. I can see that it also applies to the way people talk about me and to me.
“For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps . . . .”
In any and every situation, Jesus is my model, the example of how to behave. By knowing Him and what He did and would do, I also can know what to do. However, this passage makes me think, Hey, wait a minute!
I can imagine myself patiently enduring a true accusation. I’ve not done this much, but I can see that this is appropriate. I’m not impressed if I see someone else making excuses and defending themselves when they’ve been ‘caught in the act’ or their folly is exposed. Defending myself is pointless when I should simply admit they are right in what they say.
But this goes farther. It says I’m to have the same attitude of Christ and that He could ask me to also patiently endure the verbal abuse of a false accusation, not standing up and fighting for my right to be right. I think I’m a reasonably submissive person, but can’t see myself putting up with this.
Jesus did it. The passage even tells how. It says that when He was taken to the cross, He “committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth . . . when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously.”
Committed means to hand over. As my study Bible notes say, Jesus was handed over to Pilate; Pilate handed Him over to the Jews; but Christ handed over Himself to God and suffered in silence because He had perfect confidence in the righteous sovereignty of His Father.
This exposes me. If I trust God as much as I think I do, then when someone says I’m wrong, whether I am or not, I can relax knowing that God will defend me, take care of me, make the truth known, and do whatever else is right, according to His plan and His timing.
The rub is that ‘if I trust God as much as I think I do.’
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)