God is not looking for men but for a man, said J. Oswald Sanders in the classic Spiritual Leadership. He seeks one person to fully surrender to the work of the Holy Spirit within his regenerated heart. Are you willing to pay the price to be the man upon whom God shows Himself strong? Sanders wrote, "But not all who aspire to leadership are willing to pay so exacting a price. However, God's conditions must be complied with in secret before He will honour a man in public." (Sanders, J. Oswald. Spiritual Leadership. Rev. ed. Chicago: Moody, 1980. 21-22. Print.) If we desire to lead others in following Jesus, it is important we take those necessary baby steps when the camera is not rolling and no one is cheering.
Last night during the discipleship course at Calvary Chapel Sydney, I was reminded how tempting it is to offer God sacrifices over simple obedience. The Holy Spirit is persistent, and His conviction is not ignored without internal strife and miserable discomfort. Do you know God desires more than our obedience and allegiance? He wants you! One occasion stands out in my mind during my pilgrimage with Jesus. God showed me my vinyl record collection needed to be purged from my life. This was a feeling I had experienced over many other things, and frankly I was tired of it. As I dumped my prized collection into the rubbish bin, I started thinking about all the other things I had pitched - admittedly with a twinge of resentment. "How much more of my life do I have to give up?" I asked God in exasperation. His answer was shockingly simple: "All of it."
That was all He said. It struck me as brilliant and true. I had been selfishly looking at things all wrong. I was focused on physical items and behaviour, but God went straight to the heart. When I was born again through faith I had agreed to be purchased and redeemed with the precious blood of Jesus. God desired me to give myself into His control - not just my stuff or what I did with my time. Because I was His, everything else concerning my life belonged to Him already. I was familiar with the passage, but I had not put the essence of 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 into practice: "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
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For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's." I am still learning to do this, to joyfully grant God full access to my life He has purchased for His own righteous use. If you desire to be a man upon whom God looks and shows Himself strong, you will need to learn this lesson too! What is impossible with men is possible with God. Praise God for the truth of Philippians 2:13: "...for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." God will always do His part, and God help me to be responsible to do mine!
28 July 2015
26 July 2015
The Anti-Christian
We live in a world under the sway of Satan, and he has been a liar, murderer, and destroyer from the beginning. Consequently, this world today is far from a reflection of the glorious perfection which initially marked God's creation. This is nothing new. Even when Christ walked the dusty roads in Israel, there was no shortage of political problems. His cousin was arrested for criticising Herod's unlawful marriage, and was beheaded because of a rash oath Herod made to a dancer! My point is, Jesus could have enacted an "anti-Roman" platform which would have garnered great support among the Jews. But He didn't. Jesus went around doing good, preaching repentance and the kingdom of God.
The apostle Paul had no shortage of difficulties from governments, assassination plots, unlawful arrests, beatings, and incarcerations. The issues he was privy to by true and false brethren in the church were countless. Yet Paul did not become an "anti" Christian, one of those Christians who expends energy railing on doctrines or people he disagrees with. Instead of establishing a critical, negative stance towards others, Paul sought to positively promote Christ. He wrote in 1 Corinthians 2:1-2, "And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified."
There are few things easier than pointing out faults in others. It is ridiculously simple to produce videos or write articles to pick apart doctrines or personalities without rebuttal. Incredible illogical leaps can be taken which on the surface appear sensible. Sadly, this seems to be an increasingly common and popular method. It should be a great concern if you spend more time lashing out at perceived wrongs in others rather than promoting Jesus Christ yourself! It would be tragic for Christians to be defined by what we are against rather than what and Who we stand for. Should we waste our time proving chaff is chaff when God has given us the good wheat of His Word to feed upon and share with others? What good is it to prove the lack of nutritional value of chaff when we could grind and supply the wheat to those who are starving? Taste and see that the LORD is good, and focus on sharing the good stuff with others!
The apostle Paul had no shortage of difficulties from governments, assassination plots, unlawful arrests, beatings, and incarcerations. The issues he was privy to by true and false brethren in the church were countless. Yet Paul did not become an "anti" Christian, one of those Christians who expends energy railing on doctrines or people he disagrees with. Instead of establishing a critical, negative stance towards others, Paul sought to positively promote Christ. He wrote in 1 Corinthians 2:1-2, "And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified."
There are few things easier than pointing out faults in others. It is ridiculously simple to produce videos or write articles to pick apart doctrines or personalities without rebuttal. Incredible illogical leaps can be taken which on the surface appear sensible. Sadly, this seems to be an increasingly common and popular method. It should be a great concern if you spend more time lashing out at perceived wrongs in others rather than promoting Jesus Christ yourself! It would be tragic for Christians to be defined by what we are against rather than what and Who we stand for. Should we waste our time proving chaff is chaff when God has given us the good wheat of His Word to feed upon and share with others? What good is it to prove the lack of nutritional value of chaff when we could grind and supply the wheat to those who are starving? Taste and see that the LORD is good, and focus on sharing the good stuff with others!
22 July 2015
The Danger of Pride
I have seen the phrase "celebrate pride" often of late, but I cannot from a biblical perspective be persuaded to do so. Pride is always a precursor to destruction, and therefore I have great concern for all who rejoice to embrace it. Much of my young life was poisoned with pride and self-righteousness, and pride would have ruined me completely apart from the grace and mercy of God. Those who celebrate pride celebrate their own destruction. Pride was found in Satan in heaven, and he will ultimately be cast down to hell.
John warned Christians in 1 John 2:15-17, "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." Pride is of this world, and this world is passing away. "But shouldn't I be proud of my children?" Proud? No. You should feel blessed and give God praise, for it is God who has given them success. Every time we are tempted to pride, we ought to give praise to God. If anyone had cause to be proud it would be God, but His immutable character is marked with humility. Pride is always a sin, absolutely contrary to a holy, righteous God.
Proverbs 8:13 reads, "The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate." Pride and arrogance is an evil way before the LORD which only leads to destruction. God said through the prophet in Ezekiel 16:49: "Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: she and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy." Pride was the iniquity of Sodom, and pride nests in the heart of every person. My flesh is utterly steeped in pride. It is only the indwelling Spirit of the Living God who has delivered me from bondage to it. To this day pride fights tirelessly for control in my mind and heart, desiring to be my cruel master once again. Those who walk in pride God is able to abase.
The Word of God opens our eyes to the grave danger of pride, and helps us realise our need to be transformed from within. Here are some quick-hitters from the Proverbs: Proverbs 11:2 says, "When pride comes, then comes shame; but with the humble is wisdom." Proverbs 16:18 states, "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." And Proverbs 29:23: "A man's pride will bring him low, but the humble in spirit will retain honour." It is pride which keeps a man from God as it is written in Psalm 10:4: "The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts." Pride is an abomination to God, as it says in Proverbs 16:5: "Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD; though they join forces, none will go unpunished."
To point out the pride which exists in the world and naturally in every human heart is like saying, "Water is wet." It is a blatantly obvious point, a truth with which we are all intimately acquainted. The point of this post is not to prompt us to accuse or point fingers at others, but for each of us to ask God to examine our own hearts according to His righteousness: "LORD, is there any part of my life where I celebrate pride? I repent and forsake it all. Cleanse me of all my hateful pride!" Pride poses a great danger to all people, and Christians who cling to their pride add hypocrisy to their abominations. Those who walk in pride God will abase, and those who walk humbly God will exalt. Jesus said in Matthew 11:29, "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."
John warned Christians in 1 John 2:15-17, "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." Pride is of this world, and this world is passing away. "But shouldn't I be proud of my children?" Proud? No. You should feel blessed and give God praise, for it is God who has given them success. Every time we are tempted to pride, we ought to give praise to God. If anyone had cause to be proud it would be God, but His immutable character is marked with humility. Pride is always a sin, absolutely contrary to a holy, righteous God.
Proverbs 8:13 reads, "The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate." Pride and arrogance is an evil way before the LORD which only leads to destruction. God said through the prophet in Ezekiel 16:49: "Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: she and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy." Pride was the iniquity of Sodom, and pride nests in the heart of every person. My flesh is utterly steeped in pride. It is only the indwelling Spirit of the Living God who has delivered me from bondage to it. To this day pride fights tirelessly for control in my mind and heart, desiring to be my cruel master once again. Those who walk in pride God is able to abase.
The Word of God opens our eyes to the grave danger of pride, and helps us realise our need to be transformed from within. Here are some quick-hitters from the Proverbs: Proverbs 11:2 says, "When pride comes, then comes shame; but with the humble is wisdom." Proverbs 16:18 states, "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." And Proverbs 29:23: "A man's pride will bring him low, but the humble in spirit will retain honour." It is pride which keeps a man from God as it is written in Psalm 10:4: "The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts." Pride is an abomination to God, as it says in Proverbs 16:5: "Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD; though they join forces, none will go unpunished."
To point out the pride which exists in the world and naturally in every human heart is like saying, "Water is wet." It is a blatantly obvious point, a truth with which we are all intimately acquainted. The point of this post is not to prompt us to accuse or point fingers at others, but for each of us to ask God to examine our own hearts according to His righteousness: "LORD, is there any part of my life where I celebrate pride? I repent and forsake it all. Cleanse me of all my hateful pride!" Pride poses a great danger to all people, and Christians who cling to their pride add hypocrisy to their abominations. Those who walk in pride God will abase, and those who walk humbly God will exalt. Jesus said in Matthew 11:29, "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."
21 July 2015
The Prayer of Faith
"Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.
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And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven."
James 5:14-15
It is the prayer of faith God will answer. There is no special power in elders to pray, as if elders in the church know the secret words or a better chance because of tenure to acquire God's favour from any who are born again. It is not the long-winded prayer of an orator which beckons the ear of God. It is not a prayer of a professional, nor of someone whose prayers have been answered before. There are no healing properties in oil applied to the sick which brings a miraculous cure: it is the simple prayer of faith in God. Prayer duration and diction do not enter into it, but a heart and mind compelled through faith. Faith demonstrated by obedience is the key.
Do you realise God knows what you need even before you ask? Our Heavenly Father is not like a the wicked judge in the parable Jesus told who must be pestered into action. He is not like a man who forgets! To think we must pray all night for God to earn the right to be heard or that we must repeat ourselves like a man before dumb idols who cannot hear is folly. Jesus said in Matthew 6:7-8, "And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him." We always ought to pray without fainting (Luke 18:1), and the indwelling Holy Spirit is critical to lead us in prayer. Romans 8:26 tells us, "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."
So if God knows what we need before we even ask Him, why bother to pray at all? Because "Ask and ye shall receive" is a principle of the kingdom. We are not to neglect asking, and we ought to examine our motives according to God's Word: why am I asking? James 4:2-3 says, "You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures." We ought to be persistent in prayer, but there is no substitute for the prayer of faith. It may be a lack of faith which causes you to harp on one string before the LORD day after day, thinking you must earn the right to be heard by speaking much. If I believe God has heard me - prepared for my request long before I asked - I can have confidence in Him He has heard me and I will have my request as it is written in 1 John 5:14-15: "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him."
No one has greater access to God because of their role in the Body of Christ or by virtue of the amount of oil used in anointing. It is the prayer of faith according to God's will He hears and answers. God is in control, and when we submit to His rule and trust Him, the heavens are freely opened to all who fear Him. Hebrews 4:14-16 exhorts us, "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Reading books on prayer will not teach you how to pray, nor can they impart faith to make your prayers fervent or effectual. We need the Holy Spirit to guide and empower us. Prayer simply ought to be done, and apart from faith in God will always be a fruitless endeavour.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 proclaims God's will for all: "Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." Boldly enter into God's throne room of grace, for in times of need you have an attentive audience with the Most High. Paul was conscious he spoke to God thrice about the messenger of Satan in His life, knowing God had heard him clearly each time. God may answer your prayer with "No," but what is true for Paul is true for all those who pray in faith: "My grace is sufficient for you. My strength is made perfect in weakness." It is through the perceived weakness of prayer God's strength will be made manifest to all.
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