God's Home

As a child I had the impression the church building was an important place.  It was place for keeping your voice down and walking only.  It was a place where it was polite to remove your hat and treat with respect.  It was "God's house," after all.  Thinking back, however, I can't recall a single occasion when I actually met with God by virtue of being in a particular building or room.  Tradition sanctifies a room or location over another when God seeks to meet with people who love and trust Him wherever they might be.

The church is God's house in one sense, but not the way you might expect.  When the tabernacle and temples stood in Israel, the presence of God dwelt within the most holy place.  But after the veil was rent, Jesus ascended into heaven and the Holy Spirit was sent, God makes His dwelling place in each person who comprises the church - the Body of Christ.  The church is not a building but people!  Paul proclaimed to an idolatrous culture in Acts 17:24, "God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands."  Paul incredulously asked believers in 1 Corinthians 6:19, "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?"  We are the temple of God not made with hands.  Jesus affirmed the kingdom of God is within us (Luke 17:31).

Now there is nothing wrong in itself to set aside dedicated places or times to worship God, being mindful to walk in love towards others who have come away to seek fellowship with God and followers of Jesus.  But God's presence is no nearer to you in the "sanctuary" in a church building than in a public toilet at a park.  If we will humble ourselves to draw near to God, He has promised to draw near to us.  James 4:8 exmphasises the need for repentance and purity in seeking the LORD:  "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded."  By faith we love and trust God.  In Israel today it is said God's presence never leaves the Western Wall, and that is why many go there to pray.  Jesus said He is the Way, Truth, and Life, and when we choose to believe and obey God will come to us.  It is written in John 14:23:  "Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him."

Isn't it remarkable Jesus comes to us and stands and knocks at the door of our hearts?  Our belief and obedience is the key which opens to the door to fellowship and intimate relationship with God.  Jesus will not summon a divine S.W.A.T. team to smash the door in.  He calls your name because He knows you, loves you, and wants to spend time with you.  Out of respect for a salesman we will open the door and tell him we are not interested:  shouldn't we open the door to Christ and let Him take possession of the home He joyfully paid for with His own blood?

God's Love Has No Strings

I've been reading Love, Acceptance, and Forgiveness by Jerry Cook and one theme repeated throughout the book is God's love is active and without strings attached.  Jesus did not heal people because their agreed with His doctrine, nor did He die on the cross because people promised to respond positively to that demonstration of love.  Our "love" often has self-serving conditions attached to it.  Consider this excerpt from the beginning of chapter 8:

A radio station specializing in rock music offered the local churches in its area an opportunity to present a five-minute daily program.  The pastors could preach as they saw fit, but they were not to plug their own churches or give their church names and addresses.  Not one pastor responded to this opportunity.  Yet three of them bought time on another station so that they could promote their own churches.  I don't understand the mentality of Christians who feel that the interest of their own church must be served by everything they do - who won't serve the Lord Jesus Christ unless they can use it somehow to hook people for their own fellowship. (Cook, Jerry O., and Stanley C. Baldwin. Love, Acceptance, and Forgiveness: Being Christian in a Non-Christian World. Ventura, CA: Regal, 2009. 120. Print.)

A quote from Jesus Christ is shared later in the chapter from Luke 6:32-35:  "But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. ³³ And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. ³⁴ And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. ³⁵ But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil."  Christians receive recognition from God when we love those who do not love us.  Jesus loved His enemies, even spilling His life's blood for people described as unthankful and evil.  Since God's love is active and freely given to all, so we too ought to freely love others, "hoping for nothing in return."

When we do good, lend, and love others hoping for a beneficial return for ourselves, we have attached strings which bind our hearts with bitterness and resentment when our hopes are disappointed.  Do you know love never disappoints (Romans 5:5)?  When love is of God there is no remorse or shame in loving others fully.  If we withhold good because we don't believe there will be upside for us, we can know for certain we are not exercising God's love.  There is no hook hidden in God's love.  It is priceless but given freely to all who will receive.  If we give and find ourselves annoyed or irritated with how our gift was received or used, it may have been better viewed as a bribe.  We can angle for things without even knowing our good deed concealed motives which included a hook to snag a little something for ourselves out of the deal.

It is wondrous and miraculous when we perceive God's love at last flowing unhindered through our lives.  Our motive in giving and response to how a gift is received reveals if we have loved as God loves us or when we have given with strings attached.  Our gifts, even service in church can be elaborate performance traps to ensnare others.  No matter how generous a philanthropist might be, no matter how great the sacrifice a person makes in giving, if there is a nearly invisible line of monofilament connected with our actions for our benefit we have cause to repent before God.  How many times have I given from my own limited supply of human love rather than the infinite supply of God's love!  Concerning family, ministry, and all matters of life, may people know we are Christians because God's love is demonstrated through our lives - with no strings!

Better Than Gold

How important it is for Christians to adopt a biblical perspective!  The wisdom of this world is foolishness to God, and when we consider and heed God's Word we walk in His wisdom.  If someone offered you the choice of bars of gold bullion or a painful trial, what would you choose?  Speaking for myself, I would choose the gold because I know it has resale value.  Every ounce of that gold today is valued more than $1,600 Australian dollars.  Gold is considered a wise investment because it has historically held its value, has high demand, and is more stable than currencies.  People hold to the belief money and wealth helps problems disappear, so why choose trials?

Consider the surprising things Peter wrote to suffering Christians scattered by persecution in 1 Peter 1:6-9:  "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, ⁷ that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, ⁸ whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, ⁹ receiving the end of your faith--the salvation of your souls."  In so many words Peter said genuine faith in Jesus Christ is worth all the gold in the world.  Gold can be stolen, sold, traded, or lost.  A man might have millions in gold in the bank, but after he dies it is of no use to him.  Genuine faith in Jesus is revealed through the trying times, by endurance through painful trials accompanied with praise of God and joy.

It is for this reason the trying of our faith by trials is of great value.  It was the trial of faith on the open sea which caused the missionary John Wesley to realise he was without peace, afraid to die, and therefore not a genuine believer!  What if Wesley had only experienced smooth sailing and comfort in his adult life, having claimed to follow Jesus as a lad?  He might have been happy all the way to hell and his soul would have been lost forever.  We can therefore rejoice in trials, for whilst they are temporary they supply eternal benefits for us.  We will be rewarded for our endurance.  Faith in Jesus Christ will result in the salvation of our eternal souls, and this is precious in God's sight.  People sell their souls in exchange for things of this world that will perish like fame, money, and power.  Like Esau who gave up his birthright, many are deceived to think their "soul" is worthless when it is the only thing man possesses which will endure forever.

How good it is to be tried, to be refined by a loving God - painful though it may be.  Various trials will grieve us, but it is only for a little while and we have the promise of God's consolation.  Better to face the fiery trial now and repent of our faithlessness before God than face the eternal fires of hell in self-righteous pride.  You who claim to know Christ, are you filled with anxious thoughts, worries, fears, and cares of this world?  Could it be your claim to faith in Christ is in word only and is not a reality in your life?  It is God's grace to deliver a person to Satan for the destruction of the flesh so their soul can be saved in the Day of our LORD Jesus.  If in the trial you can rejoice with inexpressible joy in the LORD, that is evidence indeed of His divine power within you.  Trials have great value.  Better than gold is the assurance of scripture to those who trust and obey!

The Gold Standard

While preparing for the discipleship course at Calvary Chapel Sydney, I was struck by the words of Jesus speaking to His disciples in Mark 14:27:  "All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: 'I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.'"  Consider how Jesus appealed to scripture to confirm what would indeed happen.  His appeal to the truth of scripture shows how powerful and unfailing it truly is.  Being the Son of God Jesus could have appealed to His own prophetic gift or even His judgment of the loyalty and courage of His disciples.  Yet He didn't.  If it is written, it will most certainly be done.

Now Peter didn't believe what Jesus said.  He didn't believe the Word of God applied to him given his feelings at the time.  Mark 14:29-30 reads, "Peter said to Him, "Even if all are made to stumble, yet I will not be." ³⁰  Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you that today, even this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times."  The scripture and Jesus both spoke the truth, and the next verse is telling for all people of our natural tendency toward unbelief.  Mark 14:31 says, "But he spoke more vehemently, "If I have to die with You, I will not deny You!" And they all said likewise."

Did you catch the last sentence?  Peter and all the rest of the disciples refused to believe the scripture cited by Jesus Christ.    We are all capable of doing the same thing.  There are warnings in God's Word we shrug off and promises we forget to claim.  We worry because we do not entirely believe what God has said.  Frankly we do not think the Bible is always relevant to us or our current circumstances.  Surely we are an exception to the rule!  Because the Word of God cannot fail, all the disciples did indeed flee from Jesus and Peter denied Him three times.  God be praised that Jesus restored Peter and his vehement claim ended up being strangely prophetic, for a day came when he refused to deny Jesus and died for Him as a martyr.

If Jesus quoted the Bible concerning future events as the unfailing standard, than that is how we should view God's Word ourselves.  The value of gold fluctuates with the market, but the Bible is the gold standard of truth which is perfect and true without fail.  Its truth does not shift with culture or lose power over time.  This world will pass away, but the word of the LORD will endure forever.