Friday, February 28, 2014

Where Is Your Faith



I have asked myself this very same question a few times before.  Where is my faith?  If you are like me, you don't really think about faith until we are forced to find it when a need arises, and then we have to confront what we say we really believe.

As each new sunrise brings a new day, I also realize that I am living by faith, (the noun) which means my religious belief in the Lord, but ... I'm not so much living by active faith, (the verb) the mountain moving kind of faith that causes change, the kind that moves Heaven and produces results. 

One of the gospels was written by a physician named Luke, who started his dissertation this way ...

"For as much as many have taken in hand to set forth a declaration of those things which are believed among us ... it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write in order, that you might know the certainty of those things ..."

Luke was a companion and friend of the Apostle Paul.  We don't know if either man ever saw Jesus in person during His short lifetime on earth.  It seems as though both men depended upon the Holy Spirit to give anointing to their writing.  I assume that's why Luke stated that he had a perfect understanding of all the things he wrote about.  That had to be the Holy Spirit.

One of the stories he writes about is found in Luke 8:22-25 ...

"Now it came to pass on a certain day, that Jesus went into a ship with His disciples; and He said to them, 'Let us go over unto the other side of the lake.'  And they launched forth.  But as they sailed Jesus fell asleep; and there came a storm of wind on the lake; and the ship filled with water, and they were in jeopardy.  And they came to Jesus and awoke Him saying, Master we perish.  Jesus arose and rebuked the wind and the raging water; and they ceased and there was a calm."

This same story is also told by Mark and Matthew.  Mark states that after Jesus calms the storm He asks the disciples ... "Why is it that you have no faith?"

Matthew relates that Jesus calls the disciples ... "O ye of little faith."

Luke doesn't record that Jesus spoke of the disciple's lack of or the amount of their faith.  He writes that Jesus said something altogether different ... or so it seems to me.  In Luke's version of events, Jesus asks them ...

"Where is your faith?" 

It sounds to me with this question, that Jesus isn't saying ... "You don't have any faith," but rather ... "What have you done with it?"  Or, He could be asking ... "What have you placed your faith in?"

They had faith or they wouldn't have started across the big lake, known to us as the Sea of Galilee.  They followed Jesus by faith.  It's not that as a group of men ... faith wasn't there ... it was.  It's just that their faith wasn't operating in the right thing.

When Jesus said ... "Where is your faith?" ... He wanted to use this opportunity as a teaching tool.  He had plans for them.  They would need to know that even the storms of life could be overcome by their faith.

Jesus would teach this lesson again later (when Peter misplaced his faith while walking on the water) by asking him this question … "Wherefore didst thou doubt?"   

The word wherefore means … What reason was there for doubt?  If we could just keep our eyes upon Jesus … there would be no reason for doubt.  The reason doubt comes is because we misplace our faith ... hence the question by Jesus ... "Where is your faith?"  Or, I guess the question could be, "What are you doing with it?"  

I assume it to be true, that when Jesus said, "O ye of little faith" to His disciples, He was not pleased with their weak faith.  But it is just as true, that Jesus does not cast off or throw away weak believers.  Weak faith does not mean it is not ... true faith.  It's just that many times there's not much there.  

God permits storms to arise … so we will put our faith on trial.  If our faith is untried, untested, unproven, or our faith is misplaced ... well, then we usually fail.

But when we know that Jesus can and will walk with us on the stormy wave that comes as well as on the calm … the storm makes no difference

He who without faith sinks in the waters does so in the calm as well as in the storm; but he who by faith can walk upon them will do so in the storm as well as in the calm … unless circumstances only are looked at and the Lord is forgotten.  If so …  faith fails.

Where is your faith? 

I hope it's not misplaced.

 

Friday, February 21, 2014

The Disciples Prayer


Most people really call it, "The Lord's Prayer."  I labeled it as "The Disciples Prayer" because Jesus gave it to His disciples as an example of what should go into a prayer of petition between God and His children.

In Luke 11:1, the setting seems to be as follows ... we have a certain un-named place where Jesus, as He often did, is found praying either with His disciples or at least near enough to them that they heard how He prayed.

When He finished praying, one of His disciples said unto Him, "Lord, teach us to pray" ... meaning ... like You do.

The prayer related here by Luke is not precisely the same as related by Matthew.  I am going to look at Matthew's version, since it is the one most familiar and usually the one quoted in prayer.  It's found in Matthew 6:9-13 ...

This portion of scripture is a composition unequalled in expressing our need and worship as we petition our creator daily.  It has been said that some of the things Jesus petitions God for were taken from those in common use among the Jews of His day ... but not in the same beautiful combination He places them in for the disciples.

This prayer is given only as a "model."  It is designed to express the "manner" in which we are to pray, not necessarily the precise words or petitions we are to use.  I have no problem with those who "pray" this prayer as their own ... but since it is given as a teaching tool ... I personally never pray this way as I prefer to converse with my Savior and Lord with my own words.  But that's just me.

So, on to how Jesus taught the disciples to pray ...

Our Father ... The very first word is important.  Notice Jesus didn't teach them to say "My Father" but rather "Our Father."  You are not the only child of God.  We are part of a large family of believers.  God is not yours exclusively; but know this ... He deals with you and takes time for you as if you were.  Jesus was also numbering Himself, as a man with them.

One of the reasons Jesus came was to show us who God was.  Yes, God is Holy; but He's also a loving father.  Jesus prayed to His father; but He is telling us that God is also our father as well.  The word "Father," placed here at the beginning of this prayer serves as a foundation for all of our petitions.  Our "Father" ... that term should bring a strong confidence in God's love for us, such as fathers have for their children.

Which art in heaven ... This reminds me of Ecclesiastes 5:2 ... "Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon the earth: therefore let thy words be few."   

I find it interesting here in Matthew, that just before Jesus shares this short prayer with all His followers, He warns against praying with "vain repetitions and much speaking" as the heathens do.  This makes Solomon's words insightful, wouldn't you say?

God is in heaven ... which denotes a fixed place or position, and it presents the idea of elevation, the sky, called the heavens above ... implying eternity, power and might.  God's throne is in heaven, from which He looks down upon those who dwell upon His earth.  Isaiah 57:15 speaks of God as, "the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy ..." 

So Jesus, knowing exactly who His father is continues with ...

Hallowed be thy name ... The word "hallowed" means to "pronounce holy."  God's name is holy, and the petition here is to esteem that name holy and to give it proper honor.  As God is holy, so His name is also holy.  Again ... God is in heaven, we are upon the earth.

Thy kingdom come ... The ancient Jews used to pray for the kingdom of the Messiah to come.  Jesus alters this expression and leaves out the part about the kingdom of the Messiah coming because He had come, and he was the Messiah who would set all men free.  So, we are still to pray for God's rule and reign to be over the whole earth.  It didn't happen with the first appearing of Jesus ... but someday it will.

Thy will be done in earth ... Jesus is saying, let the father's will be done.  And what is that?  It starts with Mark 12:30 ... "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment."

And whatever else remains of His will for us, Micah 6:8 most likely will cover it ... "What doth the LORD require of thee?  To do justly ... To love mercy ... To walk humbly with thy God."

And the last part of this phrase ... "as it is in heaven."  I would say that in heaven the angels as well as the redeemed have no problem living and doing the will of God.  Here on earth so far ... that seems to be a problem.  But we should still pray to that end.  That's also His will.

Give us this day our daily bread.  This phrase has perplexed Bible commentators for years.  They seem to find the use of the words "day" and "daily" in the same petition a problem.  Personally, I have no problem with it.  Jesus is simply saying ... "Bestow, grant to us again today, our needed substance including the bread we eat."      

Notice the plural "us, our and we" throughout this prayer just as Jesus first used in "Our Father" in the beginning.  It's intended for all of us to use.

And forgive us our debts ...  The word "debts" is figuratively.  It does not mean that we are literally debtors to God, but that might as well be the case.  We have a sin debt that we cannot pay.  So we are saying ... "Lord forgive us.  We have nothing to pay.  We throw ourselves upon the mercy of the court."

But notice ... Jesus adds, "as we forgive our debtors."  This is the unchanging rule by which God dispenses pardon and forgiveness.  He that comes before the Lord for forgiveness ... must be willing to forgive others.  But then that puts the onus or burden back on us for our salvation rather than on Jesus and the grace of God.  This could become, if you are not careful ... "a type of works." 

So I find another thought here, perhaps more important than the previous one.  When Jesus said ... "as we forgive our debtors" ... could He have just been saying, it is a given, this is what Christians do ... that it is in our new nature to forgive others.  It's expected, it now becomes part of our nature for us to forgive.

And lead us not into temptation ... God temps no man.  But does this rule out a proving or a testing?  The word lead means to bring in, bring to a test or trial.  Many of the early church fathers understood this as ... "lead us not into trials which we cannot bear."   

But deliver us from evil ... Is referring to where God leads us, and there Lord ... "keep us" ... from the evil influence of man or Satan.

So why have we just petitioned God the Father for these things?  Because ...

For thine is the kingdom
, and the power, and the glory forever ... for the kingdom is of thee, it's yours and You do reign, with power and strength, with apparent glory, honor and praise, forever ... in this world and the world to come.

Amen ...  Said with a firm, so be it.  

Friday, February 14, 2014

Considering Prayer


The following is from my favorite Bible teacher ... 

The power of prayer is neither automatic nor magical. Conditions are attached to the promises of the Bible regarding prayer. At times, Jesus uses a kind of "shorthand," delivering brief aphorisms about prayer to encourage His people in its practice. We are reminded of statements such as, "Ask, and it will be given you" (Matt. 7:7); "If two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven" (Matt. 18:19); and, "Whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith" (Matt. 21:22).

Shorthand summaries such as these have provoked bizarre theories of prayer. These happen when people isolate these passages from everything else Jesus and the Bible say about prayer. Distortions also abound when we approach these aphorisms simplistically. Consider the statement about any two people agreeing. It would not be difficult to find two Christians who agree that ridding the world of war or cancer would be a good idea. However, their prayer in this matter would not automatically accomplish their desire.

The Word of God indicates that war and disease will be present at the time of Christ's return. To expect their absolute elimination before the appointed time is to grasp the promises of God prematurely. We still must suffer the ravages of sin, disease, and death. We entreat God to comfort us, to deliver us, to heal us-but we cannot demand these things in an absolute way. The idea that God "always wills healing" has been a destructive distortion in the Christian community. The pastoral problems emanating from this are enormous.

I was once approached by a young man stricken with cerebral palsy. His Christian faith was vibrant, his attitude was contagious with pleasant optimism, and his productivity was exceptional. He had graduated from college with a superior record. His question to me was poignant: "Dr. Sproul, do you think I am possessed by demons?" The question was accompanied by tears. The man's life had been hurled into chaos.

Aghast at this question, I replied, "Why would you even ask such a question?" The young man proceeded to relate a series of events triggered by an encounter with some Christian friends who had "claimed" the promise of Scripture and "agreed" that the young man be healed of cerebral palsy. They had laid hands on him, praying "the prayer of faith" and claiming a healing for him. When it was apparent that he had not been healed, they first chastised him for his lack of faith. Next they claimed he was guilty of some heinous secret sin that was blocking the healing. Finally they concluded that he was possessed by demons and left him with a tortured soul. His "friends" never considered that the error might be their own. They had given the impression of being zealous, Spirit-filled Christians. Their actions revealed, at best, immaturity; at worst, arrogance and presumption.

Prayer is not magic. God is not a celestial bellhop ready at our beck and call to satisfy our every whim. In some cases, our prayers must involve travail of the soul and agony of heart such as Jesus Himself experienced in the Garden of Gethsemane. Sometimes the immature Christian suffers bitter disappointment, not because God failed to keep His promises, but because well-meaning Christians made promises "for" God, that God Himself never authorized.

There is more to receiving what we desire from God than the mere asking.  The request must be made in accordance with the revealed will of God, and in accordance with His nature and character.

When we pray, we must remember who God is and who we are before Him. We must remember first and foremost that God's name is to be kept holy. We must remember that He is the Source of our provision and that all good things come from Him. We are to live in such a way that we make visible the kingdom of God in this world. We must regularly confess our sin, for that is one of the surest marks of a Christian. We are to pray that God will protect us from the evil one.

We must always remember that God is God and owes no man anything. As the psalmist says, "He does all that he pleases" (Ps. 115:3). We have been invited to come boldly before God, but never flippantly, arrogantly, or presumptuously. Ecclesiastes 5:2 reminds us that we are not to be "hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven, and you upon the earth."

If we really knew who God is and all that He has given us in Christ, our prayer lives would be far different from what they are.


Content selectively chosen from the book ... "Does Prayer Change Things?"

by ... R.C. Sproul

Friday, February 7, 2014

Born Again



This may shock you, but ...

I am more convinced than ever that many people who truly repent, and ask God to forgive their sin, can be saved and receive salvation ... without being "born again" as it is commonly taught.

No, I'm not trying to be a heretic.  Heresy is described as a person holding an opinion at odds with what is generally accepted.  I want to know the truth of the Word ... not just go along with popular thinking. 

And no, I'm not trying to make some new doctrine.  Yes, I do know that Jesus said ... "You must be born again."  But through observing "life" and all the many reasons people do what they do ... I do not believe salvation is as clear cut, or as black and white as most people think.

Let's look again at what Jesus really said in John 3:3-7.  "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."  Nicodemus didn't understand what Jesus meant when He said this.  And I contend most people don't either.  The new birth, or being born again by God's Spirit, allows you to see that there is a kingdom of God, (the spiritual realm around you) which before ... you had no knowledge of. 

This is what Jesus was telling Nicodemus.  To see who Jesus really was ... he would have to be born again ... (conceived from above), not of flesh, but of the Spirit.  This new life becomes spiritual, and gets it's nature from the Spirit of God. 

Basically, Jesus was saying to Nicodemus ... "You can't perceive or see that I am of the kingdom of God without a spiritual rebirth."  Notice salvation was not mentioned by Jesus. 

Nicodemus a Pharisee, came to Jesus and basically said, for Jesus to do what He did (the miracles) proved that God was with Him.  Concerned about being born again, the only question asked by Nicodemus was ... "How can I be born a second time?"

I believe the key word in this first statement by Jesus to Nicodemus is the word, "see."   By how it is used, to "see" implies ... to know, be aware of, perceive, or understand the spiritual things of the kingdom of God.  Nowhere in this scripture does Jesus speak about or refer to salvation as being ... "born again."

Being "born again" ... according to this scripture ... allows you to see, and opens your spiritual eyes to the truth of the kingdom of God; one of which is that you need to repent and ask God to forgive your sin.  Repentance to God brings salvation.

 Let me ask a question along this same line ...

What about the person who truly repents of his or her sin, but never quite fully understands or perceives that God has given them a portion of His Spirit to help them live this new life free from the old sins.
 
I question whether every new repentant soul is truly aware of what has taken place in their life.  Everyone who confesses Jesus as their savior doesn't always feel, "born again."  But thru that repentance of sin and God's promised forgiveness of that sin ... whether they understand everything or not ... I believe they are just as saved by the blood of Jesus as anyone.  We don't have to get it all right ... we just have to come as we are.   

I have an example of just that.  I heard one well known country singer and song writer sharing his personal testimony of the night he repented of his sins.  He said he had a profound experience, something that had never happened to him before.  Here's his testimony ... 

"I don't go to church very much, but that night I was asked to go with a personal friend ... so I went with her to Pastor Jimmy Snow's church in Nashville.  At the end of the service, Jimmy asked for anyone who was lost to raise their hand.  To me, that was out of the question.  All of a sudden I felt my hand going up, but at the same time hoping nobody saw me raise it.  Then Jimmy called for anyone who wanted to give their life to Jesus to come down to the front.  I thought, that will never happen, but I found myself getting up and walking down to the front where Jimmy said something like ... are you ready to accept Jesus Christ in your life, and I responded ... I don't know.  I didn't know what I was doing there.  He had me kneel down ... I can't even remember what he said to me ... but it was such a release for me, I found myself weeping in public, and I felt this forgiveness that I didn't even know I needed."     

So ... was this man "born again" or was he just "forgiven" of his sins through his repentance?  Which is more important?  If God forgives your sin, isn't that the same as receiving Jesus for salvation?

Okay ... back to what Jesus said. 

I do not want to do harm or injustice to the Word of God; but notice that according to John ... Jesus did not tell Nicodemus, he must be born again to enter Heaven.  Jesus used the word "see" speaking of perceiving and understanding ... "spiritual" things in the kingdom of God; things he would need to know about here on earth.

The next thing Jesus tells him is something about "being born of water and the Spirit" or he cannot ... "enter" ... the kingdom of God.  Again, Jesus does not mention "Heaven."

This word kingdom that Jesus uses twice is "basileia," pronounced (bas-il-i'-ah) in the original Greek translation, and means ... realm.

Most people just take for granted that Jesus was speaking of the eternal Heaven ... but that is not the case ... if one relies on and believes what the early Hebrew Aramaic translations into Greek have to say.  And I for one, do.

Look again at this scripture ... "Except a man be born again, (from above) he cannot see (know, be aware of, perceive, or understand) the kingdom (or realm) of God."

So ... by going back as close as possible to the original wording ... brings a whole different meaning to this scripture.

My question was ... is being born again the same as being forgiven of sin?  It's up to you to decide for yourself ... if it even matters. 



 

Saturday, February 1, 2014

God Ordained It


One question I have written about in the past is one that most, if not all people have thought about even if they haven't asked it for themselves.  "Did God create evil?"

That's an honest question, considering the fact that evil is present with us in the world.  Even more so when we read in scripture that ... "by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him."  (Colossians 1:16)

I don't know if evil can be considered a thing, or a power.  I know it has power.  Evil is invisible when it is hidden in the heart of man.  We only see the visible results of evil when released upon the earth.

We talk about an evil heart, an evil thought or an evil deed.  So, what is evil?  Without question it is the opposite of good.  It is something harmful or undesirable ... like immorality, wickedness, and depravity.  Spiritually it relates to sin and evil deeds done because of man's fallen nature.

Does God "do" evil?  The answer must always be the same ... no.  God is incapable of performing evil.

But what about the Westminster Confession of Faith which states ... "God, from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass."

If God ordains everything that comes to pass, including things that are evil ... are we saying that God ordains evil?  The biblical answer must be ... yes.  If God did not ordain evil, there would be no evil, because God is sovereign.

Part of the problem we have believing God ordains evil is because we don't understand the word ordain.  We need to understand it before we can believe it.

The normal everyday meaning of "ordain" for us today, is that someone in authority can: "order or decree something, determine, prescribe a path, or put in order ... the arrangement or disposition of people or things in relation to each other according to a particular sequence, pattern, or method."

As far as how "ordain" relates to God, man has a misconception ... an opinion that is incorrect because it is based on faulty thinking or understanding.  I found this statement by R.C. Sproul, (my favorite Bible teacher) which helps explain our faulty thinking.  He says ...

"We trip and stumble over the word ordain.  We think that affirming divine ordination of all things must mean that God either does evil or imposes it on righteous creatures, forcing innocent people to do sinful deeds.  No.  He ordained that His creatures should have the capacity for evil.  He did not force them to exercise that capacity, but He knew that they would exercise it."

I suppose one could say that because God gave man ... "a free will" ... that means God ordained sin.  And I suppose that's a fair analysis, because if God would have stopped Adam's original sin, there would have been no sin. 

R.C. Sproul covers Adam's original sin as well ... "But God, for reasons known only to Himself, made the decision to let it happen.  God did not sanction it, but He did not stop it.  In choosing not to stop it, He ordained it."

We just don't know why God allowed evil in the world.  But we do know that when God ordains anything, His purpose is always for good.  Am I saying that evil is good?  No.

But I am saying that evil exists, only because in His sovereignty, God had a purpose in ... ordaining it.  Evidently, God has esteemed it good that evil should be allowed to happen in this world. 

When God ordains all things, including evil, He works through all things to bring about His end purpose.  The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 8:28 ... "And we know that all things work together for good ..."  Not some things, all things.  Including evil?  Why not?

This scripture does not say that all things are good.  They're not

Paul is saying that a sovereign, loving God has appointed all things ... including evil ... that work together for good.  Therefore I can walk in His ordained will for me, and the end result will be just as David said in Psalms 23:6 ...

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever."

That's another thing God ordained