As these men went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swaying in the wind?Jesus as you recall had just responded to John's disciples about whether he was the one. He now turns his attention to the crowd. He asks three rhetorical questions. "Did you go to see a reed swaying in the wind? Dis you go to see a man dress in fine clothes? Or did you go to see a prophet?"
Matthew 11:7 (HCSB)
Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.
Romans 12:21 (HCSB)
In my sermon I suggested that evil was looking for a way to destroy our lives individually, our families, our churches, and our nation. But we (speaking of Christians) have the Holy Spirit of God within our lives to overcome, to conquer evil. The trick is to overcome with good. What is good you ask?
Love must be without hypocrisy. Detest evil; cling to what is good. Show family affection to one another with brotherly love. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lack diligence; be fervent in spirit; serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer. Share with the saints in their needs; pursue hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. Be in agreement with one another. Do not be proud; instead, associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own estimation. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Try to do what is honorable in everyone’s eyes. If possible, on your part, live at peace with everyone. Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for His wrath. For it is written: Vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay, says the Lord. But If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. For in so doing you will be heaping fiery coals on his head.
Romans 12:9-20 (HCSB)
This seems like a good enough list to me. As always, I've got some work to do.
God Bless You All!
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Nothing is wrong when you say it in a song
My son made this statement this morning. Something struck me as profound about it (He is five almost six). There is something that is quite powerful about human experience when it is put to song. Some of the most tragic moments of our lives can become beautiful expressions when the event is set to music and lyric. It got me thinking about other profound truths I have heard come from the mouth of my five year old son. Immediately I recalled the moment that I realized the profound prayer that he repeats nearly every time he prays in the morning on the way to school.
Dear Jesus, thank you for this day. Help us to not get sticks or tallies. Help no one to get hurt on the playground. In Jesus Name, AMEN
In this simple prayer we have most of the things that we adults will pray for if we are spiritually aware of what is going on around us.
It is with profound thankfulness that we can enter each day. We often get so caught up with the things to resent or be disappointed about that we often miss the blessed opportunity to be thankful. If you believe that you have nothing to be thankful for then it is a sure sign that you are on the path of resentment, disappointment, and disillusionment. Yet a simple faith which says, "thank you for this day" melts that all away in the warmth of God's goodness.
Often we do not prayerfully ask God to guard our way nor measure our steps. It is in these times that we are most likely to fall into our own selfishness and sin. We can get sticks (a warning that we are on the wrong path) and tallies (a consequence of continuing in wrong behavior) by not paying attention. It seems to me that starting your day with a request for God's help in this way keeps our attention on avoiding these pitfalls that are quite easy for us to fall into.
Life seems to be filled with misfortune, pain, and suffering. To a kid the playground is life. Lord please help no one to get hurt on the playground of life, whether at work, home, church, vacation, or any other place that life finds us. If we do get hurt Lord I pray that you bring along some kind soul to pick us up brush off our knees and say lets go back and play ball. We all need that sometimes Lord.
Everyday God gives you a chance to learn some new spiritual truths. Sometimes it comes from a source that you did not expect. Today for me it was my five year old son. I wanted to share it with you today.
God Bless You
~BJ
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This sermon was given on April 25, 2010. The audio version does not match exactly with the written text. You can listen to the sermon by clicking the play button Here
This morning I am going to be expounding on Matthew 10:11-15. There was a man that had an acquaintance that was in the hospital for bronchitis. He felt a distinct prompt from the Holy Spirit to go an talk to that man. He thought he would go see him after the man recovered from the hospital. He again felt the distinct prompting. At this point he determined that he would go. Life got busy as it often does and he forgot about this determination. The man's acquaintance was dead in the next week. He did from complication of pneumonia. He now carries the grief of not going and sharing the gospel with him.
It seems that in order to receive a message you first have to receive the messenger and then you have to listen. This may seem very obvious to some, but it bears repeating. In order to receive a message you first have to receive the messenger and listen to the message. Now in this case Jesus is not addressing those that would receive the message, but rather the messengers themselves. By extrapolation then we can say that this instruction is for us as well when if comes to the spread of the Gospel.
The first command is to Go! In Matthew 10:7 Jesus says, "As you go..." We are to go into the world, ministering to the needs of others, while sharing the all important message of "the Kingdom of Heaven."
In this section (Matthew 10:11-15) Jesus is telling his disciples what they are to do when they arrive. The first order of business was to find a worthy person to stay with. I struggle with this part because I am not sure what method or measure we are to use to determine worthiness. It seems that the disciples were to ask around to find this worthy person, but worthy for what? I think it is directing us to a person that hospitable and open. This seems to make the most sense to me. I have in the past attempted to share the Gospel with those that were inhospitable and closed to hear anything about God. The danger of this type of interaction is that it rarely leads to a change and often just reinforces what the unbeliever already stereotypes Christians as being. In that sense then a worthy person is one that is welcoming, and open to hearing something from you. I can think of Paul's trip to Athens (Acts 17:16-34). In that passage we find that Paul first went to the Synagogue (Acts 17:17), next the market place, and then Areopagus. In each of these circumstances Paul was sharing with those that were open to hearing him out. It does not appear that all agreed with him though. Some ridiculed him, some said they wanted to hear from him again, and some believed. It is also interesting to note that Paul left the presence of those that ridiculed him. Another time when Paul traveled to Corinth to start a church in that city he found a couple Aquila and his wife Priscilla (Acts 18:1-3). They took Paul into their home and gave him work to do. It would seem that Paul determined they were worthy and he stayed with them throughout his time in Corinth.
Once a person was determined to be worthy then the disciples were to offer a peace blessing on the home. It is interesting to me that often we easily fall out of the command to offer a blessing of peace to the people that are the recipients of the message of Christ. All to often we debate, deride, ridicule, dismiss those that do not believe as we do. In some sense it is a gospel according to the flesh. "I know I am right and you are wrong so don't challenge me, don't fight me, just listen it is for your own good. Jesus died for your sins after all." I must admit I have been there myself. God grant mercy to those that I have been a stumbling block to. A blessing of peace is quite a thing. If we are to bless then it seems that we selfishly keep it for ourselves. We bless those that bless us. Jesus was saying something quite different here. He was suggesting that we speak blessing and peace without regard to where the person stood at the end of our encounter.
How does one bless another's home? Prayer certainly can be a good place to start. Sharing the Gospel without prayer is a real good way to ensure that you are arguing with the mind or the flesh. Our weapons though are not soulful or fleshly. They are spirit. If the message of the Cross is a spiritual message then it would seem to me that being in communion with God's Spirit would be a requisite part of the process. Pray for the peace of God to fill another's home then. What is more we can bring a blessing of peace by being good guests so to speak. I think American's have a difficult time with the concept of being a good guest. We expect as guests to be served and waited on. Not so with Paul. Notice that Paul promptly went to work with Priscilla when he stayed with him in Corinth. Paul the missionary of missionaries there making tents to supply for his own need. I must admit I struggle with this as well. We can be a blessing by speaking peaceably. There is a time for forceful presentations to be sure, but by in large it is the peaceable person that will lead another person to the Lord. We can be a blessing of peace if we speak in such a manner that others are likely to listen to us. Being vulgar or abusive is not a blessing and it certainly is not peaceable. I would also say that keeping passions in check is important to being a blessing of peace to others. It is often our passion (fleshly ones at that) which lead us astray into paths of defensiveness, hurtfulness, strife, and destructiveness. Keeping passions in check is no easy task when it comes to sharing the Gospel. We cannot expect others to be so kind to us. In fact there will be those that we do not reach.
When we strive to be a blessing of peace though our peace returns to us when the other person is not willing to receive that peace. At this point unworthiness is defined by not reciving your nor the message. We are not to take this personally. Jesus said, "If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me before it hated you." (John 15:18) We are to realize that the peace which we offered has been rejected and returns to us in that instance.
Now some time passes and it becomes clear that the town is not going to convert to Christ. I am not sure how much time passes (God knows), but it has become clear that the audience for the message is either rejecting the message outright or not willing to listen at all. I think the hardest thing in the world is to make a break with someone when it becomes clear they are not ready to receive the message. One hopes beyond hope that a person will see it my way. If we continue down this path it is likely that the only way of conversion is by manipulation or by way of force. However, true conversion is by faith and faith alone. If a person cannot come to that place then manipulation or force will not save them. So break we must.
As a symbolic gesture of that break Jesus commands his disciples to shake the dust off of their feet. In order to understand this gesture you have to understand a practice of Jews at the time of Christ. To the devout Jew Palestine was Holy. Not just the place, but the very dust of the ground was considered Holy. When a Jew returned from a foreign city they believed that unholy dust clinched to their feet. This would lead them to shake their feet to rid themselves of the unholy dust so as not to pollute the holy dust of Palestine.
Was Jesus introducing a superstitious practice here? I do not believe so. I believe that Jesus was going with a more symbolic meaning. In the other gospels that record this event it is said that the disciples were to do this as a witness against them. In that case then it is saying we have brought a message to you and you have neither welcomed us nor accepted the message. We are not responsible for your rejection of the message. They are also making a break in fellowship with them. You see these were Jews and the Disciples were fellow Jews.
It is a sad case that there will be those whose hearts will not be changed. It is their hardness of heart that keeps them from being changed by the power of the Gospel. Making that choice hardness begets more hardness and leads them further down a path of disbelief. Arguing with a person that is on this path only chases them further along the way. That is why a break is needed.
It will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of Judgment than for those that reject the messengers and the message. That seems like quite a statement. God rained down his judgement on Sodom and Gomorrah for several sins. They had a complete disregard for God and the things of God that they were judged. They were in full on rebellion against God that they were judged and condemned. They Bible explains that they were sinning against God (Gen 13:13), guilty of moral corruption and rejecting God (Deut 32), engaged in full on sinfulness with no shame (Isa 3:9), guilty of adultery, falsehood, helping evil doers, and lack lack of repentance (Jer 23:14), promoted idolatry, prostitution, a lack of social justice (Ezek 16), and given themselves over to sexual perversion (Jude 1:7). That only to say that for these towns that rejected Christ's message for which these disciples were ambassadors are worthy of greater punishment. In my mind that is quite extraordinary. Yet there is is. Let me read it. Jesus said,
I assure you: It will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town
Matthew 10:15
The first phrase in this first sentence is "Amen I am saying to you." Jesus is removing any doubt about where He stands on this issue. His resolve is certain. There is no grace for those that reject the Gospel. And in the day of judgment they will face certain punishment. We tend to sugar coat the Christian message. I used to think that it was because we don't want to scare people off. I have come to the realization that so few Christians are engaged in witnessing that we sugar coat things we don't have to consider the responsibility we have shirked when it comes to spreading the message. To be sure those that do not accept Christ as their Lord and Savior will face eternal judgment and separation from God and loved ones who have gone on before them.
This judgment is a terrible fire (Matthew 25:31). It is a time in which we all will have to give account for our deeds whether good or bad, every careless word will come under the scrutiny of our Lord (Matthew 12:36). As Christians we will not escape Judgment.
1 Corinthians 3:11-15 says: For no one can lay any other foundation than what has been laid down. That foundation is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on that foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, each one's work will become obvious, for the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire; the fire will test the quality of each one's work. If anyone's work that he has built survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, it will be lost, but he will be saved; yet it will be like an escape through fire.
So for the Christian the terrible fire of judgment is a purification process leading to greater purity. The unbeliever on the other hand it is something much worse:
Revelation 20:13-15 says: Then the sea gave up its dead, and Death and Hades gave up their dead; all were judged according to their works. Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And anyone not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
If your name is not written in the book of life in the day of judgment it means that you have rejected the Gospel. I believe that every person's name is written in the Book of life . As long as that person has breath they have an opportunity to receive Jesus Christ as their Savior. Once they die if they never repent of the rejection of God's Grace their names are blotted out (that is erased) from the book of life (See Exodus 32:30-35; Ps 9:3-5; Ps 69:27-28, Rev 3:5). Having your named erased from the book of life means that you will face everlasting punishment (Rev 20:15).
I hope that is not true for anyone here this morning. I would be naive though to believe that everyone here has a relationship with Christ. If you have not made that step. Then I ask you, I implore you, take that first step. Enter into a loving relationship with the one that loves you enough to give his life for you. That is good news we can be free of sin and eternal death. If you are in a saving relationship with Christ then I have a question. Are you going to a lost world? If not then why not? When we go we need to find those that are open to the message. We need to be messengers of peaceful blessing. We have to acknowledge that there will be those that do not accept what you have to say. There are some that you may need to make a break with who refuse the gospel. The point is that we need to get involved in our mission to reach lost souls for Christ. We have to do it now. If we don't then we risk becoming like the man who waited too long to speak to the acquaintance in the hospital. That man caries that grief. That man was me. Don't wait. Let's Pray
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One of the strange things about the area of trustworthiness is that I takes many things to build it, but it only takes a few things (sometimes only one) to destroy it. think about building a tower of blocks. If you keep taking blocks out from the base the tower is going to collapse. It is the same with trustworthiness. But what is trustworthy and how do I know when I have it or have found it.
According to the Bible a trustworthy person...
| hates bribes | Exodus 18:21 |
| is responsible | Nehemiah 13:13 |
| keeps a confidence (not gossiping) | Proverbs 11:13 |
| brings healing words | Proverbs 13:17 |
| brings refreshing words | Proverbs 25:13 |
| is honest with a friend even if means the subject is unpleasant | Proverbs 27:6 |
| is above reproach, not negligent | Daniel 6:4 |
| has friends willing to stand up for them | 1 Samuel 22:14 |
| believes in God and His word | 2 Chronicles 20:20 |
| has faith in God | Psalms 27:13 |
| waits for God | Psalms 27:14 |
| is a good steward (responsible with other's money) | Matthew 25:22-23 |
| is given more responsibility based on faithfulness | Luke 19:16-17 |
| is a servant of God and managers of God's mystery (gospel message) | 1 Corinthians 4:1-2 See also Colossians 1:26-27 |
| is respectful, not slanderous, self-controlled | 1 Timothy 3:11 |
| is an example in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity | 1 Timothy 4:12 |
| takes care of their family | 1 Timothy 5:16 |
| holds on with hope and without wavering | Hebrews 10:23 |
| is concerned about others, promotes love, promotes good works, attends worship with other believers, encourages others | Hebrews 10:24-25 |
| walks in truth (integrity) and supports others (even strangers) | 3 John 1:3-8 |
| is faithful during affliction | Revelation 2:10 |
Here is an interesting lesson on faithfulness. Jonah the faithful prophet of God became unfaithful, yet God used him in spite of Jonah's unfaithfulness. Albeit Jonah needed a little convincing in the belly of a fish for three days and three nights. He still did not get it at the end so one wonders whether he ever got it turned around. Probably otherwise we would not have the book. Even more interesting is that the Ninevites whom enriched themselves with the plunder of wars became trustworthy in a moment through repentance at God's Word (Jonah 3:5-9). Jesus even used them of an example of trustworthiness (Luke 11:32). So the bloodthirsty Ninevites gain trustworthiness through the wonderful grace of God. And that same grace is available to us through Christ. Praise God for His wonderful mercy and grace. Praise God for new beginnings.
The story of Jonah along with the verses above have shown me that trustworthiness is first based on a relationship with God followed by a commitment to grow in Him. A trustworthy Christian is one that is growing in his or her relationship with Christ. One problem with thinking of trustworthiness as a category or a goal to achieve is that it lends itself to the belief that we can arrive at trustworthiness and then our work is done. Not so. These passages I have shared with you make it clear to me that trustworthiness is a life long pursuit and requires persistence to grow in this way.
I encourage you to make faithfulness a goal of your daily walk with Christ. Do not let neglect become your weakness leading to unfaithfulness ending in broken trust. God Bless you.
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There are times in life that one comes to the edge of what they can know, feel, believe, and understand. It is a bit like standing on the edge of an abyss. There is not much peace in that place. Doubts creep in. You begin to question everything. At times you question why you are here. That is relatively mild compared to the more difficult questioning of your beliefs, your sanity, whether you have been deluded to believe that God exists. If you have not been in this place then consider yourself lucky. It is a lonely place. A painful place. It is a dark place.
I presume that Paul was there on at least one occasion. I base that on his remark:
If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone.
1 Corinthians 15:19 (HCSB)
Most people who have not traveled to the Abyss will quote Pascal's Wager or some version of it. The gist of Pascal's Wager is that God cannot be found based on reason only by faith . Therefore it makes sense to believe as if he existed for one has nothing to lose (if God does not exist) and everything to gain (if God does exist). Pascal's wager stand's in direct contrast with Paul on this point. The fact is if we trust in Christ for this life only then we should be more pitied than anyone. Those that would espouse such an argument trade faith for wishful thinking which leads unbelievers to mock Christianity.
Coming to the edge of the Abyss forces us to the point of questioning and eventual rejecting of things we are unable to reason (knowledge of good and evil becomes our God) or we reach out and find a loving Shepherd longing to love us and guide us (by faith affirming Christ as our Lord). In one sense the Abyss separates the sheep from the goats (Matthew 25:32, Matthew 13:49). A goat (one looking like, but lacking authentic Christian faith) will travel to Abyss and upon seeing his dilemma throw his religion into the abyss and walk away believing (faith in reason not in God) he has done something enlightening. A sheep (on having authentic Christian faith) will come to the Abyss experience the pain, fear, doubt in all its fullness. Then quietly wait in that place for his Shepherd to come find him and lead him out of that place.
The 23rd Psalm
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack. He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He renews my life; He leads me along the right paths for His name's sake. Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff-they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord as long as I live.
Psalms 23:1-6 (HCSB)
These words are foolish to the world. They are useless to goats. But to sheep these words are balm to the soul. These words are comfort in times of pain. These words are light in the midst of darkness. These words are assurance in the feeling of loneliness.
"The Lord is my shepherd." We choose him when we come to him in faith. He does reveal Himself to us, but we have a choice to accept or reject Him as our shepherd.
"There is nothing I lack." This seems a strange statement when one is standing next to the abyss. In fact this whole series of pictures is strange next to the Abyss. There are images of "green pastures," "quiet waters," "renewed life," "right paths" and standing next to the Abyss you might say, "Perhaps The Good Shepherd has forgotten me. I seem to have taken a wrong turn somewhere and do not see green pastures, quiet waters, renewed life, nor right paths. In fact I lack very much. God where are in the midst of this dark time?" I believe that David (The one writing the Psalm) is reflecting back on in the past what God has done in his life in Psalm 23:1-3. Looking back beyond the darkness of his present situation he recalls God's faithful provision of green pastures, quiet waters, renewed life, and right paths. And now at this moment that reflection is something that can reaffirm your faith.
"Even when I go through the darkest valley..." Some translation say, "Valley of death." When one travels to the deep abyss one can scarcely imagine walking through it. It is terrifying enough to stand at the edge and look into it. Yet even when we are near this abyss or traveling through it we can be assured of this: the Shepherd is with us and desires to comfort us. With the shepherd nearby we have nothing to fear. David is describing his current situation in Psalm 23:4. Looking at the darkness we see only pain and suffering. Looking at our Savior we have nothing to fear even in the midst of grave danger. With our eyes fixed on the Shepherd we have nothing to fear of doubts and suffering. We have nothing to fear at the end of our reasonableness. We have nothing to fear of our sanity. We had nothing to fear for our Shepherd is in this place. He guides us. If we get to far to the right or the left with a gentle tap from His rod He will get us back on track as we travel this dark time in our lives. What a comfort His rod and staff are when we have reached the end of ourselves and what we can do on our own. Traveling to and through the Abyss can be a gut wrenching experience of this there is no doubt. However, we will have the guidance and presence of God even when all we see is the darkness.
"You prepare..." In Psalm 23:5 David again shifts his focus from the present moment (in the dark valley) to the future. Even our enemies cannot overcome what the Lord has prepared for us. There is leanness right now in this valley, but then will be a banquet table, anointing oil, and plenty to quench our thirst. There is abundance in our future when we walk through this with our Lord. He has prepared it for you. The image of anointing with oil is a symbol of God's selection of you. God has chosen you. He has anointed you for His purpose. You are especially His! Some day His anointing, blessing, provision will overflow to you. His provision waits on the other side for you!
God's "goodness and faithful love" will "pursue" you the days of your life. Walking to the abyss, walking through the abyss, God's unfailing goodness and love pursue you. That is quite a statement. That is boldness that is beyond being reasonable. The world and the goats will say, "Show me the proof and then perhaps I will walk through that valley with you, but you are foolish to think that such a place reveals God's goodness or love. Quite the contrary if God was loving and good the valley would not exist." That is what they will say. They will not understand. They cannot understand walking through the valley because they do not have the Shepherd.
"I will dwell in the house of the Lord as long as I live." Notice the trip to the abyss did not destroy the faith, but made it stronger (Psalm 23:6). Note the resolve that this trip produced. I will dwell...as long as I live. These are powerful words from a person who has been to and through the Abyss. There is no room to pretend that God exists and if he does then He will reward you and if he does not then you have lived a good life. This is utter foolishness. Either you do or you do not choose to dwell in the House of the Lord. There is not phantom faith. It either is true faith or it is not faith at all. The wondrous thing is that once we have made the resolution to trust the Shepherd our weakness will be His strength and He will take care of us no matter how dark it might be.
Blessings to you!
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This will probably be my last post on the topic of mindfulness for a while. it has been an interesting topic to explore and write about. I hope that you have been encouraged as I have from the insights in God's word.
But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.
Matthew 24:43 (NKJV)
This may seem an odd verse to end on for mindfulness. However, I believe it points to the contrast of being unmindful. If we are aware that something bad could or will happen then we will take action to do something about it. It is this awareness that leads to action. Jesus goes on to say:
Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
Matthew 24:44 (NKJV)
As Christian's our faith is in the person Jesus Christ God's one and only begotten son. Jesus used the title "Son of Man" as a reference to Himself. So Jesus is telling us that some day He will return. He also is telling us to live in a state of readiness for that very return. Our faith in Christ informs our awareness in spiritual and life matters. This is not limited to our faith in His return or our eventual resting place with him, but this ought to be central in our consideration. This faith awareness is the root of Christian mindfulness.
From this mindfulness proceeds some sort of activity. Faith without action is like telling stomach without food be filled and expecting relief.
If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well," but you don't give them what the body needs, what good is it? In the same way faith, if it doesn't have works, is dead by itself. But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith from my works.
James 2:15-18 (HCSB)
Becoming aware will ultimately lead to some sort of conviction (by the Holy Spirit). That conviction will require some action if it is to be followed. Being mindfully aware of yourself and the world around you may bring some state of bliss or pleasure, but without a change that plays out in your daily walk it is not very useful. Mindfulness without some corresponding response seems hedonistic in my estimation. It is seeking pleasure over right living (righteousness). Mindfulness may bring a sense of transcendence and peace, but if it does not bring you into a right relationship with God then it is not true Christian Mindfulness.
God Bless You all!
Next Topic Marriage Relationships
There is a danger when committing to be a slave of righteousness that you can fall back into being a slave to the law. That is why Paul addresses this issue in Romans chapter 7. Being a slave to the law is not the same as being a slave to righteousness. In Romans 7 and 8 we learn that there are three laws: The Law of God, The Law of sin and Spirit's Law of life in Christ Jesus I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I myself am a slave to the law of God, but with my flesh, to the law of sin.
Romans 7:25 (HCSB)because the Spirit's law of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.
Romans 8:2 (HCSB)
For the Christian we are called to die to the Law of sin, be released from the requirements of God's Law, and live according to the Spirit's Law of life.
Therefore, my brothers, you also were put to death in relation to the law through the [crucified] body of the Messiah, so that you may belong to another-to Him who was raised from the dead-that we may bear fruit for God. For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions operated through the law in every part of us and bore fruit for death. But now we have been released from the law, since we have died to what held us, so that we may serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old letter of the law.
Romans 7:4-6 (HCSB)
Until we are with our Lord in heaven we live in this in between state where the Law of God and the Law of sin continue to operate in our lives and the Spirit's Law of life is not yet fully realized. The Law of God is useful in pointing out sin. It lets us know what God's expectations are for us. However, it is powerless to change our lives. The Law of sin continues to operate in our flesh leading to unholy desires. If we do not die to this then sin is closer to our lives than is righteousness.
I used to believe that Romans 7 was the normal Christian life. In this Chapter especially verses 13-25 Paul is describing a struggle. On a casual reading it seems like the classic battle between good and evil with the desire to do good, but evil winning out in some way. I would read this passage and say something like, "Wow that describes my experience. I want to please God, but sin is always right there with me." Then one day I was reading a commentary that said that Paul was not describing normal Christian experience, but was either describing a carnal Christian or his preconversion experience. I reread Roman's 7 and my understanding and my spiritual walk where radically changed.
Let me walk you through what I have learned about Romans 7. I grew up being taught from the pulpit that there is a perpetual struggle between the old nature and the new nature that continues in the Christian life. The primary text supporting that belief was Romans 7. There are others no doubt Hebrews 12:4 comes to mind. My point is not to debate that Christians struggle clearly we do. I am also not suggesting that somehow I have become perfect. I do fall, but I get up and press on as I am sure many who read this post do.
Back to Romans 7. I looked through the context, word by word, and then back at the passage as a whole. I compared it to other passages that talk about our victory in Christ. I discovered that the reason I was struggling was that I was holding onto a belief that it was normal or that it was God's plan for me to struggle. Delving in deeper I discovered that Paul in fact does not describe two natures in Chapter 7, but rather a battle between the mind (or will, wanting to do good) and the body(flesh under sin's power). Verse 14 "For I understand what I am doing is wrong (mind)" "I do not practice (body)" "What I want to do (will)" "I agree the law is good (Mind)" "So I no longer am doing (Mind/wills inability to overcome sin)" Skiping to v 21 "I want to do good (will)" "My inner self or man I joyfully agree with God's law (The inner self is soul which is the seat of the will)"
Verse 24 now makes the profound statement "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me?" Why is he wretched? Because no matter how much he wants it, his will/mind/soul cannot save him! "Thanks be Jesus Christ our Lord" he then makes this statement "with my mind(soul/will) I am a slave to the law of God, but with my body to the law of sin" That the body is a slave to the law of sin we agree on or at least most would agree. But the statement that the mind is a Slave to the Law of God is confusing especially since Paul says earlier In verse 6 "But now we have been released from the law."
How can I be both released from the Law and a slave to the law? Well the answer is you are not. Finish reading verse 6 "since we have died to what held us, so that we may serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old letter of the law." Notice that the new nature is Spirit and not mind, will, nor soul. In Romans 7 Paul does not talk about a Spiritual struggle other than to say the Law is Spiritual and he is not.
In a previous post I have described mindlessness. Roman's 7 is Spirit Mindlessness. In this state your mind is either set on the desire to to good (legalism) or you mind is set on gratifying the flesh (carnal mind). Neither of these mental states are Spirit Minded. Sometimes in our walk with God we get stuck in this state of double mindedness between the desire to do good and the power of sin to overwhelm the flesh and ensure that we do not. We become grieved to the point of breaking and wonder if there is really any hope at all. It is at this point that we can earnestly agree with Paul, "What at wretched man I am." I think the point is that we have to recognize this Spiritual Mindlessness so that we can get out of this state.
The first step in getting out of this state is to repent. Repentance has two parts. First dying to sin which I have covered in the previous two posts ("Dying to Sin", "Whose your master?"). The second part is turning to Christ.
Who will rescue me from this dying body? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Romans 7:24b-25a (HCSB)
Once you turn to Christ there is another step to staying on the path to Spirit Mindedness. You have to meditate on this truth until it becomes the very essence of your thought life.
Therefore, no condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus, because the Spirit's law of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.
Romans 8:1-2 (HCSB)
If you can hold this truth as a light to your daily life then you will be well on your way to Spirit Mindedness. We have to recognize that when we die to sin and live for Christ that we are free from condemnation. When we return to condemnation then we are slipping back into Romans Chapter 7. We have to choose to live where there is no condemnation. If we choose instead to live in the battle of will versus flesh then there is only one conclusion "what a wretched man I am." It is only when we recognize the Spiritual truth that "no condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus" that we are truly free! To continue in this state we have to be persistent in setting our mind on the Spirit of God (Spirit Mindedness). There are many more aspects to Spirit Mindedness in Romans 8 that I will cover in future posts. But for now will you consider dying to sin and turn your mind to the "Spirit's Law of life in Christ Jesus"?
As I draw near to the end of this series of posts on the topic of Christian mindfulness, I am drawn to a distinction within the tradition of Christianity. Christians believe (and experience) God's Holy Spirit indwelling them. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit though is not an automatic pathway to spiritual awareness. I would say the possibility of spiritual awareness is there, but there is a specific discipline that is required in order to achieve what I would call "Spirit mindedness." If I were to draw a parallel with the eastern tradition I would say that Nirvana or higher Bodhi (the highest spiritual goals) are similar, but also very different from Spirit Mindedness. The transcendence of lusts, desires, obsessions, fixations, negative affective states, suffering and the like are the goal of Nirvana and end of delusion in Bodhi. In eastern tradition there is a dilemma that no matter what there is a dualism that exist between the mind and reality. The mind suffers from varying degrees of delusion in that an unenlightened mind can never perceive things as they really are. The end of delusion is when a person is able to move beyond this dualism into a state where what is perceived and what is real are one (so called one with also called enlightenment). These are similar to Christian Spirit mindedness in that death of lust desires, obsessions, fixations, negative affective states, suffering are the goal.
There are some definite distinctions between Spirit Mindedness and eastern enlightenment that make Christian spirituality unique. There is a dilemma of dualism in Christian tradition. In this case though there is the reality of God's law and impossibility (because of sin) of the mind to will the person to behave in accordance to the Law. In Christian tradition this dualism is resolved when the believer moves from desiring to keep the law in the flesh to setting oneself on the Spirit (i.e. setting the mind on the Spirit). There is a oneness as well in Spirit mindedness, but rather than one with reality the the Christian is one with God and fellow believers. In the eastern thinking the individual is lost in the oneness with all things. In Spirit Mindedness the individually is retained as a person takes their place in God's order of things. In eastern tradition the goal is transcendence of will. In Spirit mindedness the goal is setting the will.
Consider a tree. In Eastern tradition the goal is to become so intimately aware of the the tree that the leaf recognizes that it is the tree or that the tree is in it (i.e. one with). In Christian tradition on the other hand the leaf is connected to the the tree and recognizes is dependence one the rest of the tree (branches, trunk roots) and accepts its very important role of producing the energy for growth and fruitfulness of the tree.
Stated another way, enlightenment is a state of oneness will all things. Christian Mindfulness is awareness of the unity of God and His people and accepting your part within the whole and according to God's plan. In this way these concepts are very unique.
I believe that Romans 6, 7, and 8 present the best description of Spirit Mindedness that I have found. I would encourage you to read it. My next few posts will deal with these chapters. Generally 6 summarizes death to sin, 7 presents the dilemma of simply willing/desiring/working to do good without the Spirit, and Chapter 8 describes how one goes about setting the mind on the Spirit.
So often Christians become Spiritually insulated from the world. That is to say they have a public life and a Christian life and the two never really cross each other. I think this is more true for men than it is for women, but I suppose that it can happen for women as well. Their behavior may or may not change as a result of what happens on Sunday morning, but the knowing Christ through the walk of the week is not a spiritual reality. I think John 17 offers some insight into how we can walk with Jesus through the week and get to know Him more intimately.
Jesus spoke these things, looked up to heaven, and said: Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son so that the Son may glorify You, for You gave Him authority over all flesh; so He may give eternal life to all You have given Him. This is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and the One You have sent-Jesus Christ.
John 17:1-3 (HCSB)
Knowing Jesus must first and foremost begin with receiving eternal life. Jesus' mission was to bring salvation to your soul, that in receiving it you could pass into eternal life. It is a life that begins the moment someone makes that commitment. Knowing God and His Son Jesus in this way is the first essential step to having an intimate relationship with Christ (Click Here to learn more about this step). It is the first step in an amazing and fulfilling journey.
I have revealed Your name to the men You gave Me from the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they know that all things You have given to Me are from You, because the words that You gave Me, I have given them. They have received them and have known for certain that I came from You. They have believed that You sent Me.
John 17:6-8 (HCSB)
Revelation and receiving go hand in hand. Revelation is gaining knowledge about God and receiving it makes this knowledge intimate. Just at in salvation God is revealing his plan for you, just knowing it does not make one saved. You have to receive the revelation (that is accept it as true) to be saved. The revelation requires that we are listening and the receiving requires faith. In this passage Jesus is saying that God has given men (and women) from the world to Jesus. These are those that 1) Keep God's word, 2) Know what God has given through Christ, 3) hear the revelation of Jesus' words, 4) Receive this revelation, 5) Know that Jesus is the Son of God, and 6) believed that God sent Him.
I pray for them. I am not praying for the world but for those You have given Me, because they are Yours. Everything I have is Yours, and everything You have is Mine, and I have been glorified in them.
John 17:9-10 (HCSB)
When a person gives their life to God through Jesus Christ they become property of God. They are His. This ownership allows for our lives to be a glory to God. Glory is a celebration of God's Righteousness and Goodness. I want to call your attention to that last phrase, "I have been glorified in them." Normally parsing prepositions is not very interesting or fruitful, but in this case it it revealing. The Greek word (en) translated "in" is a preposition that is intermediate between eis (into in English) and ex (from). Consider it this way. Jesus is from (ex) God the father, He came to (eis) us, and is now glorified in (en) us. This simple preposition in is profound in implication. Intimacy is knowing or making known for others to see. Intimacy with Christ is knowing or making known in you. This is a work of the Holy Spirit, but when it happens Christ is Glorified in us. Stated another way we have intimacy with Christ when we allow His Holy Spirit to Glorify Christ in us. By doing this we move from knowledge about to knowing. It is the knowing Christ that makes the relationship intimate. It is difficult to imagine being more intimate in a relationship than having that person in you Spiritually. Yet that is what Jesus is talking about here.
Nevertheless, I am telling you the truth. It is for your benefit that I go away, because if I don't go away the Counselor will not come to you. If I go, I will send Him to you.
John 16:7 (HCSB)When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak whatever He hears. He will also declare to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, because He will take from what is Mine and declare it to you. Everything the Father has is Mine. This is why I told you that He takes from what is Mine and will declare it to you.
John 16:13-15 (HCSB)
Jesus told his disciples that it was good for them that He "go away." This must have seemed strange to them. "How is it a benefit to lose the presence of our Lord and Savior?" In fact it is recorded that they were confused, "We don�t know what He�s talking about (John 16:18)!" However we know now that because Jesus went away there is a greater intimacy of having Jesus in us not just with us. Notice also that the Holy Spirit reveals (revelation) not on His own, but what is Jesus'. What is more is the Spirit will "glorify" Jesus. Is the picture becoming more clear now? "Jesus Glorified in me" is a work of the Holy Spirit when I receive the revelation from God through the Spirit and the Sprit glorifies Christ.
Now having this intimacy with Christ established we now move into the world.
I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, protect them by Your name that You have given Me, so that they may be one as We are one.
John 17:11 (HCSB)
Jesus stated that is was no longer in the world. That is to say he was no longer going to be physically present in the world. He is calling on Our Heavenly Father to protect His disciples and future believers (v 20-26). The phrase "they may be one as We are one" denotes that special intimacy again.
I have given them the glory You have given Me. May they be one as We are one. I am in them and You are in Me. May they be made completely one, so the world may know You have sent Me and have loved them as You have loved Me.
John 17:22-23 (HCSB)
See how this is all fitting together? "I am in them" "given the the glory" "made completely one" "loved" these are all expressions of the intimacy we have with God through Christ.
Jesus is no longer physically in the world. However He is in us through the Holy Spirit. In this way we become very important ambassadors representing Christ. For what purpose? "So the world may know You (God) have sent Me (Jesus) and loved them (us) as You have love Me. There is a moment when we represent Christ to the world that intimacy grows. It is an interesting thing that the more you share the gospel the more intimate you are with Jesus. What is more the more intimate you are with Jesus the more you share the Gospel. I have personally experienced this truth. I believe that this has to do with the being one with the purpose and desire of God which is to restore lost sinners to Himself. I think the reverse is also true. It is hard for me to imagine becoming more intimate with Jesus while relegating your faith to something you do on Sunday morning, but completely keep to yourself the rest of the week. In other words the more you keep your spirituality to yourself during the week the less intimate you are with Jesus, likewise the less intimate you are with Jesus the more you keep your spirituality to yourself.
As Christian's we have a dilemma. We have the ability to experience intimacy with Christ, but we continue to live in a fallen world. This world can be a stumbling block to true intimacy. And desire for true intimacy can interfere with our second greatest purpose that God has laid out for our lives which is sharing the Gospel (Loving other's).
I have given them Your word. The world hated them because they are not of the world, as I am not of the world. I am not praying that You take them out of the world but that You protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. I sanctify Myself for them, so they also may be sanctified by the truth.
John 17:14-19 (HCSB)
Sanctification is the key to living in the world but not being of the world. We miss golden opportunities when we neglect God's word for us. Jesus lays it out very plainly in this prayer. Christ is sanctified Himself, by being obedient to God's word. He creates the potential for us to be sanctified as well. Note the potential is their but the application of that sanctification is by truth. Jesus makes it clear that the truth is the word of God. Further we know that John the author of this Gospel declares that Jesus is the word. It is a coming together of truth. This applies to us because when we spend time in God's word we are cultivating intimacy with Christ and Christ is sanctifying us that we might be sent into the world.
Jesus makes it clear that we are being sent into the world. There are some things that we should know about being in the world.
First there is a high likelihood that we will be hated if we are spending time with Christ. Jesus was hated and so will we when we are accomplishing his mission for our lives. Someone asked, "If I am not hated then am I doing God's will?" It is an interesting question. I don't think that you have to be hated to do God's will, but I do believe that if you are going into the world as on sanctified by Christ and spreading His gospel that you will come to those who express hatred toward you eventually. So in answer to the question of not being hated, either you are not being sanctified by truth, you are not spreading the gospel, or you are not in the world.
The second thing about being in the world is that we are in a spiritual war. We need God's protection in this battle. That protection is gained not by isolating out of the the world. It is possible to be protected from the evil one by not being in the world. We can come to Church, have Christian friends, work in a Christian business, listen to Christian music, Wear Christian clothes, talk in Christian phrases, participate in only Christian activities, read only Christian books, buy things from Christian stores, work with only Christian businesses, and drink milk from a Christian cow. Just kidding on that last one Although we could find a Christian dairy farmer I am sure. The point is this, protection by isolating is not really protection at all. We are in a spiritual war and when we isolate ourselves from the world in this way then we are not really a threat so we do not need protection. On the other hand when we take it to the streets then we do become a threat and we need that protection. Jesus is teaching us that our mission must be covered in prayer.
The third truth which we have already touched on, but I want to emphasize at this point is that we are sent. Jesus is sending us into the world. We are called to go into all nations and spread the good news of Jesus Christ. If you think that being sent is for pastors, evangelists, or the apostles consider this:
I pray not only for these, but also for those who believe in Me through their message. May they all be one, as You, Father, are in Me and I am in You. May they also be one in Us, so the world may believe You sent Me.
John 17:20-21 (HCSB)
Did you catch that last part, "That the world may believe You sent me." We are sent into the world that they might believe. Now this is not a promise that all will believe. In fact there will be those that believe and those that will hate. However, the outcome does not change that we are sent.
Lastly we need to make sure that we are intimate with Christ and not with the world. Jesus says that we are "in the world," but "not of the world." The phrase "not of the world" means that we do not originate out of the world and its ways. Our sinful flesh makes it possible for us to slip back into worldly ways. Being in the the world, but not out of the the world means that we make no provision for the flesh that we should obey it's lusts. We have to put to death worldly ways. If we do not then the message is defeated. No doubt our spiritual enemy and the haters will be looking for some hypocrisy or weakness to attack.
This brings us back to the importance of Christ being in us, sanctification through God's word, and covering our lives with prayer. When Christ is in us we can have the spiritual closeness with God that we long for and were created for. Sanctification through God's word allows us to be connected to God and his purpose for our lives. It gives us strength to face the world with out being conformed to the world. Prayer is a special type of intimacy that allows us to communicate and be with our God. This close bond is one of communing as well as God protecting us from the forces of spiritual darkness. Remember we discover intimacy with Christ as we we go through the world no called out of the world.
Intimacy is a powerful human experience. It is the very mix of security and vulnerability that charges the moment. The security is based on the character of the other person and the vulnerability is based on being willing to open oneself to the other. It is an emotional closeness that can only be understood in the context of that particular relationship. Physical closeness or longing for physical closeness can drive intimacy. In true intimacy Agape Love is at the very core of intimacy as a both people become completely devoted to the wellbeing of the other person. Intimacy is to know all characteristics good and bad and continue to be completely accepting of that person, and experience that acceptance from the other person. Communication is required as intimacy is letting your inside out for the other to see, hear, touch, understand, and accept. Bonding is the chemical expression of intimacy that occurs in the brain. Interestingly you can have bonding of two people without intimacy, but rarely if ever will you find intimacy without bonding. Two people with mutual security, vulnerability, emotional closeness. Let me just start by saying that false intimacy is destructive to true intimacy to the extent that it replaces or dilutes intimacy. Here are some types of false intimacy.
Seduction is a type of false intimacy. Intimacy is how can I make you feel secure that I can meet your deepest need. Seduction is how can I make you feel secure so I can meet my own desires. Intimacy is knowing the other. In seduction the one caught has a false sense of knowing the other and seducer really only knows him/herself.
Flattery is a type of false intimacy. Intimacy is awareness of all things good and bad. Flattery is only awareness and exaltation of the good. The flatterer is convincing him/herself that the other is some inhuman ideal, while the flattered lives in fear of being found out that they are not perfect.
Conversely A critical spirit is a type of false intimacy. Intimacy accepts the bad and seeks to build the other person up. A critical spirit rejects the bad and tears down the character of the other person. The person being critical feels connected by assuming something worthy to offer a type of false edification. Typically this is merely an escape from awareness of personal faults by focusing on others faults. In this respect the one with a critical spirit lives in fear of being discovered they are not perfect. The target of criticism feels connected in that someone is paying attention to me. Self-sacrifice is intimacy, but in this scenario self-degradation is not!
Gregariousness is a type of false intimacy. Longing for intimacy you put your best front forward. At times it is not even the real you. It is founded in the belief that no one could possibly accept you for who you are, so this invented self or partial self will have to do. Again fear of being discovered will prevent true intimacy from occurring.
Victim stance is a type of false intimacy. We long to be rescued from our circumstances and the meanness of others without recognizing that most times we need to be rescued from ourselves. The victim stance draws the attention of others through playing on their sympathy. As long as the victim can play the role then others will meet their need for closeness. It becomes a vicious trap with the victim needing to stay perpetually the victim or risk being alone. The irony is that in the end the victim ends up alone if unwilling to give up the role as others begin to pull away.
The rescuer stance is a type of false intimacy. Interestingly rescuers and victims tend to feed off of each other's insecurities to create a deep bond, but no true intimacy. Most rescuers imprinted at a very young age that helping someone that is helpless is the purpose of life. They also tend to view weakness in others as attractive or revolting, but never in between. They tend to see personal weakness as revolting and end up in a perpetual state of self-denial (which they mistake for self-sacrifice).
Controlling is a type of false intimacy. The controller attempts to mitigate vulnerability, by managing (manipulating?) the circumstances. The problem is without vulnerability the controller can never reach true intimacy and becomes frustrated which is often expressed as anger. The controlled is often a mixture of the criticized and victim accepting being controlled for the sake of closeness. Bonding to moments of apparent emotional and physical closeness and denying evidence to the contrary.
It seems to me that God created us with three primary ways of experiencing intimacy. First and foremost we where created to know and be known by God:
Make Your ways known to me, Lord; teach me Your paths. Psalms 25:4 (HCSB)
Lord, my every desire is known to You; my sighing is not hidden from You. Psalms 38:9 (HCSB)
But if anyone loves God, he is known by Him. 1 Corinthians 8:3 (HCSB)
I will discuss knowing Christ in my next post. Secondly we are created for intimacy with our spouse:
Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, "I have acquired a man from the Lord." Genesis 4:1 (NKJV)
I am my beloved's, And my beloved is mine. He feeds his flock among the lilies. Song of Songs 6:3 (NKJV)
Finally we were created for intimacy in fellowship with others.
Now we who are strong have an obligation to bear the weaknesses of those without strength, and not to please ourselves. Each one of us must please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. Romans 15:1-2 (HCSB)
Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. Romans 12:15 (HCSB)
Will you join with me in prayer for the true intimacy to fill our relationships with God, marriages, and fellowships? We long to be known, but it must start with ourselves. Am I one to cherish and guard such intimacy? Am I willing to let go of false intimacies in exchange for the real thing? Do I take such a risk to be vulnerable (not reckless, but vulnerable none the less) knowing that with vulnerability comes the possibility of being hurt?
Pray for me! I am praying for you! Even those whose names I do not know.
"You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven."
Matthew 5:14-16 (HCSB)
Unreservedly giving yourself to God is this; I choose to let my light shine for myself, no! I will forgo the praise that men will place on me. I will work even when no praise is coming my way, for my master. In the public I will work diligently, with endurance, with greater grace than I can muster within my own spirit, but with graces and mercies that God's Holy Spirit gives me. To what end you ask? Not that others might give glory to me (you are such a good person), but rather that they will give glory to my Father in heaven (Praise to God in the highest).
But then there is the "higher level."
"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not My ways." This is the Lord's declaration. "For as heaven is higher than earth, so My ways are higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts."
Isaiah 55:8-9 (HCSB)
Giving yourself to God is quite easy and natural when we are basing our decision on His loving-kindness, grace, and mercy. Ironically we are very comfortable with the sacrifice of our savor, but not with the sacrifice of self.
Other seed fell on rocky ground where it didn't have much soil, and it sprang up right away, since it didn't have deep soil. When the sun came up, it was scorched, and since it didn't have a root, it withered...
...And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: when they hear the word, immediately they receive it with joy. But they have no root in themselves; they are short-lived. When pressure or persecution comes because of the word, they immediately stumble.
Mark 4:5-6; 16-17 (HCSB)
This happened to me over the last couple of weeks. I will not go into detail, but suffice it to say the pressure and persecution were on. At one point it was more within than outside. I recall praying, "Lord I am quite comfortable as your apologist, but this thing You are showing me in Your Word, I have a hard time accepting. To be honest until yesterday morning I had not yet accepted it! Now the writer's block comes together (only 5 posts in the last 3 weeks, compared to 15 the three weeks before that).
Let me ask you, Is God showing you something that you have a hard time accepting? Is it easy to receive the graces of God with great joy, but the trials, temptations, sorrowful moments, the ugliness of life, causes you to stumble? You can either continue to have a God of the good times while you remain lord of the low times or you can unreservedly give yourself to God. Will you commit to follow Christ for better or for worse, in sickness and in health. Will you marry yourself To God's plan and purpose for your life and the Blessings along with the longings. If you do then that is unreservedly giving yourself to God!
I have decided to follow Jesus;
Though I may wonder, I still will follow;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
Though none go with me, still I will follow;
No turning back, no turning back.Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
No turning back, no turning back.
God Bless You All
I am taking a side track for today from mindfulness There are two types of superstitious beliefs. One is attributing the cause of something that has nothing to do with the real cause (Acts 14:11-13). The second is a belief in doing something that has no real power (Acts 8:9-25). The first one is easy enough to recognize. It happened to our Lord Jesus when the Pharisees accused Him of casting out demons by the power of Satan. It also happened in Acts 14 when the people in Lystra began to worship Paul and Barnabas believing that they were the gods Hermes and Zeus after they had healed a man. These superstitions are blatantly obvious. The other type of superstition is much more difficult to discern.
Turn to Acts chapter 8. This passage is filled with superstitious beliefs that still plague the church today. They are 1) you can get God's grace by having someone else pray on your behalf; 2) you can get into God's favor by giving money; 3) we display God's power by doing some special thing; 4) coming to church saves you; 5) baptism saves you; 6) making a public profession or saying the sinners prayer saves you. These superstitions are alive and well in our Church today.
Lets examine why these six superstitions deny the true power of God. The first superstition is that you can gain grace through other's prayers. Ultimately the only path to God's is repentance and commitment by faith. The prayers of others do not lead to God's grace unless that person is willing to get right with God.
In the second superstition Giving money to God will not earn his favor. You cannot buy off God. He does not need your money and He certainly does not want your money if it is given expecting some special privilege. The true privilege is in being able to support the ministry so that others will be saved and grow in Christ. The blessing is that you will store up treasures in heaven.
It is superstitious to say God's power is revealed in the acts that we do. The reality is that the Power of God is expressed in our weaknesses. God is glorified when we step out in faith and He accomplishes in our life things that only He can accomplish. Ultimately God's power is not revealed in what we can do, but rather what He can do. It bears repeating: God's power is not revealed in what we can do, but by what He can do.
It is superstitious to believe that simply showing up for Church will change you or ultimately save you. There are many in churches that simply show up. They believe that they have done a great thing by coming into the house of God, singing some songs, and managing to stay awake during the pastor's sermon. However, just being here does not lead to a changed life.
Baptism also does not save. Baptism is an important act of obedience that stands as a public testimony to the commitment that a person has made to Christ. It is an essential part of the believer's walk with the Lord. However if it does not symbolize a genuine commitment in the person's life then that person is just getting wet. Just getting wet. The superstition is that the act of baptism, which is a symbol, has the power to save.
Finally it is a superstition to believe that a profession of faith and or the sinner's prayer saves you. There are some that have made a profession of faith that really in their hearts did not believe. It is kind of like the superstition of a lucky rabbits foot. Most people that carry one will tell you that they don't really believe it is lucky, but they carry it around just in case it does bring good luck. Some people have the superstition that if the pray a certain prayer or say a certain thing that it will save them just in case God requires it. This is superstition. They might as well have said "Abracadabra alakazam Lord please save me just as I am." Now I don't say this to call into question your assurance of salvation. If you are saved you are always saved. However, your assurance ought to be based on a changed life and the Holy Spirit working in your heart. Without these then a person really needs to take a look at their life to see if their profession of faith was really a superstitious act.
There are many superstitions outside the church in our day as well. Some of them are: Lucky rabbits foot, astrology, faith healer, Ojai boards, fortunetellers, tarrrot cards, Urban legends and on and on. Our society is a superstitious one and has a tendency to believe what ever they hear or read. I suspect many of you have experienced receiving emails forwarded to you by a person sucked into believing something that was not true. People are superstitious. Christians need to be on guard that what we think is our faith is in fact simply superstition.
9 "As the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you. Remain in My love. 10 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. 11 "I have spoken these things to you so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. 12 This is My command: Love one another as I have loved you." John 15:9-12 (HCSB)
We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.
You may have heard the expression "it was mindless fun." I am not against having a good time. Nor do I expect that all fun has to have a purpose beyond having fun. What I take exception to is the mindless. part. We escape into our fun factories and fail to live the life that God has called us to. Yesterday I posted on the trip my family took. It was "mindful fun" if you will. I created memories this last weekend that I will carry with me the rest of my life. That is the problem with mindless fun is that it is lost as quickly as it is experienced.
The distinction between the mindless fun and mindful fun has to do with the word "Joy." Happiness comes and goes. It is like a mist or vapor. Here and then gone. We try to hold on to it, but it slips out of our grasp. Then we put all sorts of energy into getting it back. As we become more and more desperate we slip into a pursuit of pleasure. The pursuit of happiness is the concept that if I work hard to make myself better or better my circumstances that I will be happy. Not many people want to work that hard so they settle for pursuit of pleasure. Pursuit of pleasure is pure hedonism. If it feels good do it more. If it feels bad avoid doing it at all cost. The pursuit of pleasure is a vicious endeavor. We seek to increase the good feelings avoid pain and in the process make it worse. In the pursuit of pleasure we are pierced with many griefs.
I wonder if the founding fathers had this in mind when they penned these words (they changed it from property to pursuit of happiness). Most of this pleasure seeking is rooted in the desire for material gain. It is an unmindful discontent. Any time that your focus is on something that you are not it is unmindful. It is a matter of priorities.
But those who want to be rich fall into temptation, a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains. 1 Tim 6:9-10 (HCSB)
Having an inordinate desire (selfish love, lust) for any material thing (sex, power, money,...) is a sure path for ruin, destruction, and many pains. No I do not have a problem with fun, but mindless pursuit of pleasure is destructive and robs you of the Joy that God wants you to have.
"...that your joy may be complete." Well based on the passage at the time our solution is based in love (Here is one of my posts on love). Secondly it is becoming accepting of whatever God gives you or whatever the trials of life come your way.
Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing. James 1:2-4 (HCSB)
Note the words "complete (perfect)," "mature," "complete (whole)," and "lacking nothing." Let those words ring in your soul and resonate in your spirit. Why? Those words perfect (old world type), mature, wholeness, and lacking nothing should inspire us to pay attention to the first part. We need to be mindful of the whole passage and not just desire the outcome. We have to accept the whole process and not just the blessing.
"Consider it a great joy..." No problem here anything that God wants to do I will consider a joy. With God all things are possible. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. When we focus on the feel good passages of the Bible we become unmindful of our faith. In a very real sense we become "Christian Hedonist" seeking that next spiritual fix (high).
"Consider it great joy, my brothers when you experience various trials..." If you think joy and trials ought not be in the same sentence then dear friend you are a Christian Hedonist. That may sound harsh, but God is clear in this passage. Please note, I am not suggesting that God desires for us to live lives of misery. He does not! However, if our pursuit of pleasure (even a spiritual pursuit) is more important than what God is doing in our lives then we are most certainly Christian Hedonists. Again as I said before it is about priorities. When our priorities line up then we will be made perfect, mature, whole, and will lack nothing that which is needed.
I believe that mindfulness will help in this regard. Remember that Christian mindfulness is contemplative awareness by God's Holy Spirit. When you face an painful or unpleasant circumstance we must resist the urge to escape into mindlessness. We have to be aware. We have to note the pain, acknowledge the pain, and accept the pain. Fighting pain at this point will only prolong suffering. Fighting pain does not make it go away any more than escaping into mindlessness. Then we must invite the Spirit of God to join us in our pain (Read this).
I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever...the Counselor, the Holy Spirit -the Father will send Him in My name-will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you. John 14:16 & 26(HCSB)
I will get more in depth in the Spirit's role in mindfulness in a later post, but let me point out two things. The Spirit is given as a comfort to be with you through all things. When we ignore (grieve) the ministry of the Holy Spirit we prolong suffering and discontent. Invite Him into the moment of pain (and happiness) to be your counselor. It is the Spirit's ministry to you. Second the Spirit is a source of knowledge when we forget and when we don't know what to do or say. We can depend on the Spirit for spiritual wisdom. Don't ignore this wisdom and thereby quench the Spirit. Obedience is key as you navigate this difficult time.
...knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance!
Thank you Lord for sending your Spirit to be our Counselor. Allow us to receive trials as an opportunity for growing in perfection, maturity, and wholeness. Help us to increase our awareness of You and Your Holy Spirit in our lives. Let us contemplate our day and seek Your will in it. Guide us to love one another that our joy may be complete in You. Help us to find that place in our walk with you where we are lacking in nothing. In Jesus Name AMEN
Most of the time when we think of the word perfection we tend to mean without defect or blemish. Jesus said, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matt 5:48)." We then are instantly confronted with the unreality of the statement be without defect or blemish as God is without defect or blemish. When we examine our own lives moment by moment we reach a honest conclusion that we are not perfect (without defect or blemish). This creates a problem with Christian mindfulness because you are either attempting to be something that you are not (nor can you be) or you are ignoring a very clear statement from Jesus. Neither seem appealing, however I believe there are a great many Christians that live their lives in this tension.
The problem lies not in the words of Christ nor in the impossibility of perfection. The problem lies in our understanding of perfection. Perfect had an original meaning of maturity or moral purity. I need the source for this, but I read once that the word perfection changed as a result of the industrial revolution. For example before the industrial revolution a perfect chair was one having four legs, aesthetically pleasing, and work of a craftsman. After the industrial revolution a perfect chair was one that met particular specifications (without defect or blemish) and was exactly like the hundred that just came off the assembly line.An alternate meaning of perfect is complete (or whole). In this passage the Greek word is teleios. This word means to be complete in the thing it is referencing (age , growth, character).
He (Jesus) personally gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, for the training of the saints in the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God's Son, [growing] into mature man with a stature measured by Christ's fullness. Eph 4:11-13 (HCSB)
Note the last part "mature (teleios) man... ...Christ's fullness" This is where wholeness and filling come together. What is it that makes us whole (teleios)? Is it not the filling that comes from Christ? You see Christ's statement to "Be perfect" is not so much as to be without defect as it is to be filled with God's Holy Spirit. In the context of the passage then Loving is perfected in you when you can love those that you dislike the most (enemies). Not that loving your enemies makes you without defect, but rather loving your enemies (and everyone else for that matter) makes you whole as God is whole. Why? Because of the fullness of Christ according to Ephsians 4:23.
In short stop striving to be without defect or blemish (ie striving to be like other homogonous fashionable happy Christians) and embrace the fullness of Christ. Then you will be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect. This will be the genuine you (That God designed). This will be "Christian Mindfulness."
God Bless You
