Where Do You Find Your Significance?

"And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first." - Matthew 19:29-30

Martie and I have been watching the Great British Baking Show for a few years. No profanity - no sexual overtones - no violence - Although the past couple of years sexual innuendo has increased and there is some profanity, although mild by today's standards - the "language frog" is in the pot and the water is being brought to a boil. Sad. But I digress! Something I have heard from a number of the finalists on the baking show, to include winners, was that they were amazed since they had very low self-esteem.  And suddenly they discovered that they had mad baking skills - better than most home bakers in their country.

That got me to thinking about where we, as Christians, are to place our confidence. In ourselves, compared to other people or in the Lord. About whom the Lord considers who is great in contrast to the world's estimation of who should be esteemed. 

"But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." - Matthew 20:25-28

Being great as a Christian means loving God first, to have set the world and what it values aside, including your own welfare, and seeking the good of others. To be like Jesus. 

"But whatever gain I [Paul] had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death" Philippians 3:7-10

Can you say that about your life of faith? Or do you struggle to find significance in the world and among men. A.W. Tosier wrote: "A whole new generation of Christians has come up believing that it is possible to 'accept' Christ without forsaking the world."

It is certainly possible, but those Christians are what is known as a carnal Christians. 

"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, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be." - Romans 8:5-7

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Relief Or Repentance

"And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate." - Luke 15:21-24

I am certain that you are familiar with the parable about the prodigal son, his repentance and restoration. Not until he realized that he had sinned did he repent and find restoration with his father. All too often I have known people who didn't realize that their sin was the problem and that they needed to repent by faith. What they wanted was relief from the consequence of their choices with no intention of changing the way they made choices. They did not understand that sin was the problem. Like Jesus talking to Nicodemus in John 3.

"Jesus answered him [Nicodemus], “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.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?" - John 3:4-9

Unless the truth is revealed by the Spirit to a yielded heart the person will not repent. I received a phone call not long ago from someone who was desperate for a solution to their struggle. I told them the answer was Jesus, but they wanted it to be something else other than Jesus. Today, we would like to have an easy answer - like a pill - take one and you will never have this problem again. Faith will save you from the eternal consequence of sin but may not relieve you of the temporary consequence of your sin. But your faith will help you endure those consequences. Like Nicodemus, the person I talked to could not understand the spiritual truth. Jesus told Nicodemus that he could not understand how being born again happens.

"Nevertheless, I [Jesus] tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper [the Holy Spirit] will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged." - John 16:7-11

Don't you wish you could make people understand? To see the truth and the true source of relief. There is a "pill" you can give people who ask for help - the "Gos-pill". Jesus Saves! But, sadly, you will find that for many that “pill” will be too hard to swallow!

"All to Jesus I surrender. All to Him I freely give. I will ever love and trust Him. In His presence daily live. I surrender all." - [I Surrender All - Judson W. Van DeVenter, 1896]

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Christians Are All The Same - Aren't They?

"For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise." - Galatians 3:27-29

One of the criticisms of the Christian faith has been that we persist in drawing lines between people groups. In Galatians, and other letters to the churches, it seems that Paul was bent on erasing those lines. For the sake of being one within the confines of our ethnicity or cultural traditions, we limit just how "one" we will be with Christians who don't look or talk, or act like us. Justifying why we cling to our cultural traditions so as not to lose our ethnic or cultural identity. We all readily embrace John 3:16, understanding that the world that God loves is, in fact, the whole planet and not just our little piece of it. "He's got the whole world in His hands" - right?

Cerebrally we can embrace that, but practically - when faced with it - well - we stumble.  The fact is that we would prefer that everyone just stay within their lines.  Oh, this is not just a "white" or "black" or "brown" thing. It's a human - flesh thing. And that is the problem. 

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." - 2 Corinthians 5:17

Have you ever thought about what those "old things" might be? I think the root of the problem is that we see other Christians of other ethnicities and cultures through the lens of our old fallen nature and not our new risen one. The Spiritual one. We are OK with the idea that if they are to change but they should change to be like us - fit into our culture. But what if we have all missed the mark. That instead of expecting other to be like us we should all expect all of us to be like Jesus. Need I remind you that Jesus was born of a virgin through the line of David, a Jew. He was not an Anglo born in the USA! There is no white, black or brown Jesus. Just the Son of God - Jesus.

Jesus prayed that we all would be one as He and the Father are one (John 17). That is a spiritual oneness - supernatural - a unity apart from the race of Adam. Made possible by the blood of Jesus and not the imaginings of man. When I preached in a Haitian church I always started with the phrase, "mwen pa blan mwen se frè nou" - "I am not white, I am your Brother" From the looks on the people's faces I was certain my declaration was often met with skepticism. But it was no less true. It was and is and will always be a spiritual truth. 

"If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen." - 1 John 4:20

Hard words. Do you want to seek justification for your attitude and actions? You say, "I don't really hate Christians who are not like me. I just prefer to not be around them." My one-word response would be, "Really?!"

"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed [by the vain traditions of] your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God." - 1 Peter 1:18-21

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Does The World See Jesus In You?

"Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?" - John 14:8-10

Isn't it interesting that Jesus told Philip that seeing Jesus was the same thing as seeing God, the Father? 

"No one has ever seen God; the only God [the Son - Jesus], who is at the Father's side, he has made him known." - John 1:18

The world is desperate for the things that only God can provide. The world seeks relief from the physical aspects of our existence, our natural lives. God, the Father, in His providence, has made provision for something greater to satisfy the source of their fears and discontent. It is not the physical but the spiritual aspect of their existence - to satisfy their need for a pardon for their sins through faith Jesus the Son and a new life in Him.

"From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation" - 2 Corinthians 5:16-18

Starting from the moment of our salvation, our lives are being transformed as we are conformed into the image of Christ. 

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers." - Romans 8:28-29

Jesus prayed to the Father -

"I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me." - John17: 20-23

And so - just as when Jesus told Philip that if Philip had seen Jesus, then he had also seen the Father, so we who are one with Jesus can say "If you have seen me - you have seen Jesus".  What? You don't think that can be true for you? Well, I would say that it "should" be true. As Christians how we live our lives should reflect our faith. Does your life clearly reflect Jesus to the world? Does the world see Jesus in you?

If our lives do not reflect Jesus to the world then the reason it doesn't is because we have a love problem. Our hearts are divided in their devotion. We love ourselves or the world more than we love God. It is a common malady among Christians. You can't live your new life in Christ on your own. You have been saved by faith and that is how you must live. You are not immune to the temptation to trust in your flesh - to yield to it. But God has provided a way to escape. 

"Therefore, let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." - 1 Corinthians 10:12-13

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Am I My Brother's Keeper?

"Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?" - Genesis 4:9

Great question.  Of course, Cain was trying to avoid answering with the truth that he had murdered Abel. But his answer begs a question.  - Are we responsible for other people? The answer is "yes". Jesus said, 

"If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." - John 15:10-13

Loving others like Jesus loves us. Placing their welfare ahead of our own. Are you committed to that? Because it will mean that you must forego you own plans and desires for their benefit.

"All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense. It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak." - Romans 14:20-21

So, we are not to do anything that causes our Brother to stumble. But isn't there a limit to how much I must not do? That is the wrong question. The right question is "Does anything I am doing or about to do cause my weaker brother or sister to stumble in their faith?"

Another question - Do I really care that doing what I want to do, when and where, and how often I want to do causes other Christians to stumble in their faith?  After all isn't their sin their problem? As a Christian, you will find that you must quench the Spirit in order to not be your Brother's keeper. 

Abstaining from things that are not necessarily sinful - can be spiritually harmful to others. Does that matter to you? It should. You are your Brother's keeper. And to answer the question of "So what if I don't?" James addressed that. 

"To him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin." - James 4:17

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

From Whom Are You Seeking Approval

"I [Paul] am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse! Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ." - Galatians 1:6-10

I am certain that you are as concerned as I am by the moral flat spin that the Church seems to be in. 

A flat spin in an airplane is a dangerous flight condition that can be impossible to recover from. Thankfully, it’s not likely to happen on any routine flight. It occurs when the plane has no forward airspeed as it spins towards the ground around its vertical axis. (In a helicopter it is called "settling with power")

During a flat spin, the aircraft usually pitches down and begins spinning in a corkscrew-shaped spiral toward the ground. The forward airspeed is very slow since the aircraft is stalled. But the sink rate towards the ground can be very fast, and the rotation rate can be violent and disorienting to the pilot. How did the plane and pilot get there - very likely the pilot has made an error in judgement. Probably several decisions that led him to that calamity. The sky (and gravity) can be very unforgiving. (In a helicopter your only option is to do what is counter-intuitive - you are rapidly descending and want to increase power but that is the opposite of what you must do which is reduce power and fly out of the disturbed air column that you are in)

What does that lesson in aerodynamics have to do with faith.  Paul said that the motivation for preaching a false gospel was that the preachers or purveyors of the false gospel were trying to please men and not God. Today there is so much pressure to conform to the world. To agree that what God has made plain is wrong is, in fact, right as deemed by man. We are tempted to go along to get along - but that is the worst thing we can do. And it is not just one bad decision we make that finds us spinning out of control. We are to be light in a dark world and the darkness hates the light. 

"Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed." - John 3:19-20

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Do You Hear What I Hear?

 For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them. (Isaiah 6:10) But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it." Matthew 13:15-17

"He who has ears, let him hear." - Matthew 13:9

There is only one way to hear and see what Jesus was talking about. You must be born again. That is what Jesus told Nicodemus.

"Jesus answered him, “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.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." - John 3:3-8

Each of us, like Nicodemus, must be born again by the Spirit. Until that happens, it is impossible for any of us to hear the Spirit and see the Truth. To understand spiritual things requires the indwelling of the Spirit of God which happens on the day of our conversion. The day we are made alive toward God by faith in Jesus. 

Don't expect the world to understand and embrace the Message.  What is the Message? That God so loved the world that He sent His Son to redeem the world by paying the penalty for sin that we might be made righteous and have eternal life by faith. Unless the Spirit of God stirs in their hearts and they yield their lives by faith in response then they will continue in their sin to their eternal destruction. 

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." - 1 Corinthians 1:18

Don't let the fear of rejection by those who don't have ears to hear be the reason to be silent in a doubting world. Be the Light. Cast the seed. Rely on the Spirit and not yourself as you go. 

Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy:

"Do you hear what I hear?

Ringing through the sky, shepherd boy

Do you hear what I hear?

A song, a song, high above the trees

With a voice as big as the sea

With a voice as big as the sea"

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone