Freedom to Rejoice

I recently read Power in Praise by Merlin R. Carothers, and the LORD used it to speak to me.  The focus of the book is how in obedience to God's Word we must learn to thank and praise God for everything which happens in our lives, whether we perceive it as good or bad.  It occurred to me I am more apt to thank God when I am able to perceive or imagine some possible good from what God has done.  When I cannot see the good in something God has sovereignly allowed in my life, I can be so focused on trying to figure out what could be redeemed in the circumstance I neglect to praise and thank God.

Romans 8:28 provides rock-solid, objective truth for the life of a Christian:  "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."  IF I truly believe this to be true, then I am free to praise and thank God for everything which happens to me, knowing God will work it together for good.  It may not be a good thing, but I should praise God anyway.  David wrote in Psalm 34:1, "I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth." Praising God is not a legalistic requirement, but a liberty granted us in every situation by the power of the Holy Spirit.  "Where the Spirit of the LORD is there is liberty (2 Cor. 3:17)," and often we view our freedom as from something:  freedom from slavery, sin, condemnation, and guilt.  But the freedom afforded us by God's grace is not just freedom from something, but freedom to do what pleases God:  praising, thanking, serving, and obeying Him.

Philippians 4:4-7 says, "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. ⁶ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."  It is much easier for us to rejoice in the LORD than to thank God for the troubling circumstances we face.  Paul exhorted believers to rejoice in the LORD and to be thankful for everything God allows, knowing it will work for good in our lives.  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 affirms, "Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray without ceasing, ¹⁸ in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."  We have liberty in Christ to rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and in everything give thanks.  These are your God-ordained rights by His grace, believer, and see that you put them into practice.  If we were half as enthusiastic concerning exercising these rights as some are concerning their "freedom of speech" or "right to bear arms," I daresay Christians would be a more joyous, prayerful, and thankful lot!

Stir up the Gift!

"Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. ⁷ For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."

2 Timothy 1:6-7

Through the Holy Spirit, God gives spiritual gifts to His children to be exercised for the edification of the church and the glory of God.  Timothy was a faithful believer and pastor, but even he needed the exhortation from a brother to "stir up the gift of God" divinely placed within him.  His gift smoldered instead of burning with fervent and intensity.  Just like the wood in a dying fire needs to be stirred with a poker to burn hotter and brighter, Timothy needed to stir up his gift.  This phrase is ambiguous for a profitable purpose.  If a specific gift was mentioned here, it would limit Timothy's and our responsibility to remember and take intentional steps to stir up only a particular gift.  We do not know the gift, but it was a gift which came from God Timothy was exhorted to stir up.  All gifts God gives, therefore, ought to be remembered and stirred up.

I have learned I can easily settle for activity instead of actively seeking God and become passive, waiting for God to "stir me" when by virtue of receiving a gift from God I ought to stir it up.  We have all received gifts from friends and family which have become dusty, neglected, or forgotten in a box somewhere, and the same can be true with gifts we receive from God.  God does not give gifts to elevate our status in the church, so we can impress others, or any other selfish reason:  God gives gifts so we would use them for the benefit of all.  Unless we know what gift God has imparted to us, how can we stir it up to use it?  If we believe the gift God has given is only for me, why would I think to use it for the benefit of others?  We can sing "Stir in me!" until our voices fail, but it does not release us from our responsibility to stir up the spiritual gift God has given us.

The next verse provides a reason perhaps why Timothy needed a reminder and exhortation from Paul:  he was afraid to exercise his gift because of what others might think.  God had given him a gift, yet he was loath to use it lest he be judged, castigated, rejected, or any other excuse whispered into his ears by a spirit of fear.  A spirit of fear had quenched his gift, like sand thrown on a fire.  The devil loves it when Christians are afraid, for should we give place to fear we cannot walk in the love of Christ.  1 John 4:17-18 reads, "Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. ¹⁸ There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love."  If God's love has grown to maturity in our hearts, we will not fear eternal judgment by God - nor the judgments of men.  God has given us a spirit of power, of love, and a sound mind.  The fearful person is weak because they look to their own strength and abilities.  The fearful person is unable to walk in God's love and leans on their own understanding.  A spirit of fear brings confusion, doubts, and uncertainty able to cloud the decisions of even a steadfast, gifted believer like Timothy.

Allow me to remind you, dear brother and sister in Christ whom God has provided a spiritual gift:  stir up the gift of God which is within you.  When God sovereignly gives spiritual gifts, He provides the ability and wisdom through the indwelling Holy Spirit and His Word to regularly exercise the gift in love.  Instead of being influenced by a spirit of fear, remember God has provided the Spirit of power, love, and a sound mind.  God asked Moses, "What is in your hand?"  Moses carried a rod, and God employed that rod to do many miracles.  In Christ God has provided everything you need to do His work and perform His will.  Whatever God has given you, stir up the gift and remember to use it faithfully and regularly for Him!

Solidarity in Jesus Christ

In the wake of the tragic events in Paris which unfolded over the weekend, I have heard a word repeated over and over again:  solidarity.  The word is defined in the American Heritage dictionary as, "A union of interest, purposes, or sympathies among members of a group; fellowship of responsibilities and interest."  In a sense, those who stand in solidarity with Parisians share their shock, pain, and desire comfort all affected by the cowardly attack.  On the street one might say, "I'm feeling you.  I've got your back."  On the same street there is no shortage of opinions of what the problems in the world are or the best ways to stop them.  It is good to be united against evil, but often the common responses are anything but righteous.

The world's methods of fighting are incapable of stemming the tide which threatens to wash the globe in blood.  People are divided over how to deal with the complex issues and potential threats nations and individuals face.  "Kill first or be killed," some say.  Others point to ideology, religion, or indoctrination as the problem.  Still others make a case for tighter immigration policies, establishing early detection methods to prevent acts of terrorism, and arming/disarming citizens.  All of these suggestions fall well short of what is required to bring transformation in the hearts of people.  And it is primarily a heart problem.  The Bible says man is not basically good, but according to God's standards the heart of every man is wicked and deceitful beyond comprehension.

The reality is, the world is deluded to think we possess within ourselves the capacity to change people for good.  The actions of the world says we can enact positive change by eliminating real threats by dialogue, military action, air strikes, and covert military operations.  On a federal level we can protect ourselves by closing borders, putting more police on the streets, and raising the level of security.  Some say crimes could be reduced by tight restrictions concerning firearm or weapon ownership or eliminating them altogether.  Through improved legislation we could prevent people from immigrating to a country or prosecute those who plot in secret to harm others.  Now I am not saying these are poor suggestions in the proper context, but I am saying none of these ideas have the capacity to change the hearts of men.  Governments and laws have been established because men are evil, and many choose to willfully transgress even in the face of conviction, imprisonment, and death.

In writing to Christians, James said in James 4:1-3:  "Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? ² 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."  Without being transformed by the love of Jesus Christ, there will always be conflict - even among the people who identify as Christians.  How much more conflict will people create who are deceived and blinded to their own wickedness?  Hardness of heart has led to countless marriages ending in divorce, and lust for power and control has led to war, violence, and immeasurable suffering.  The unregenerate heart cannot be refined with the external shackles of law or government control:  the only way people can be permanently transformed within is through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.  Scoff all you want, but the world's best attempts end with war after war with no end in sight.  Isn't that the history of mankind in a nutshell?

The Bible speaks of a glorious day when the risen Jesus Christ will establish His government over the entire earth.  Even at the end of His thousand year reign, Satan will deceive the world and in solidarity they will come against Jesus Christ in a desire to overthrow His rule (Revelation 20:6-10).  Satan and all who follow him will be completely vanquished by Christ.  Solidarity is good and fine, but it begs the question:  what is the best union of interest for the glory of God?  The church must mobilise in practical help and prayer (nothing is more practical!), united in walking in His love and the power of the Holy Spirit.  Fear of man ought not to govern our motives, but instead fear God.  Christ commands us to compassionately pray even for our enemies.  There is good cause to protect our people or families, but remember vengeance is God's sovereign territory.  He has said, "Vengeance is mine; I will repay." (Deut. 32:35, Nahum 1:2, Romans 12:19).  Not all can receive this saying, but he who has ears to hear, let him hear.  Do you you fear God more than man?

What this world needs is solidarity in the person of Jesus Christ.  It is high time for the church to awake out of sleep and faithfully follow the example of our Saviour.  Jesus is the only one capable of changing the hearts and minds of men, and our call as His followers is to let His light shine through us in the dark world.  Christians are to have a common interest to live holy and share the Good News of salvation to all.  We must not shirk our responsibilities to live out the exhortation of Titus 2:11-14:  "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, ¹² teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, ¹³ looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, ¹⁴ who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works."  Only when we invite God to transform us and walk by faith in Christ can we make a difference in this world for God's glory.

Motive to Go

It was president JFK who famously said, "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."  This self-sacrificial outlook did not originate with Mr. Kennedy, for it was Jesus who said it is more blessed to give than to receive.  In our study of Romans at Calvary Chapel Sydney, I was struck by Paul's desire to visit the Romans and his motivation for doing so.  His reasons were very different than reasons people today might have for choosing to visit or attend one church over another.

In the west we have coddled an outlook fostered by capitalism and consumerism.  For instance, recently I took the boys for ice cream cones on the way home from church:  one week we went to McDonald's, and the following week we tried Hungry Jacks.  The prices for the cones were the same, but the ones at Hungry Jacks were almost twice the size!  "Now that's what I'm talking about," I said as the cones from Hungry Jacks were handed to me by the smiling associate.  "We know where to go for ice cream now, right boys?"  Hungry Jacks clearly provided more "value for money," so if I had my choice that is where we would go based upon experience.  Why not go where I receive double for the same investment of time or money?  Some people approach going to church by similar rationale.

So what is your motive for going to a particular church?  Or not going at all?  You likely have many reasons, even if the main reason is you can't be bothered to look anywhere else!  Paul's reason for wanting to visit the Romans may surprise you:  it wasn't what he could receive but what God would impart through him for their establishment and encouragement.  He openly declared his motive to visit in Romans 1:11-12:  "For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established-- ¹² that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me."  Paul was not motivated to visit the Roman believers because he believed he brought valuable experience or unique abilities to the table:  he believed God would benefit the Romans spiritually through him!  I love that Paul did not assume God would impart a particular gift, or that God was limited in His ability to use Paul by how He had gifted him in the past.  Paul was convinced through his visit God would impart "some" spiritual gift.  Though Paul admitted he certainly would receive mutual encouragement from his time with the Roman believers, it was more about what God chose to supply through him than what he hoped to receive.

True fellowship in the Body of Christ (the church) primarily concerns contribution, not what we desire to gain for ourselves.  Jesus came not to be served but to serve, and to provide His life as a ransom for many.  Praise the LORD for His example and that God has ordained good works for us to walk in.  We have nothing to offer but ourselves in humility, and my God shall supply all our needs abundantly and faithfully.