Today I finished the book of Acts, and my goodness, such an awesome read. The life of Paul is an exhortation in and of itself, and though I have read and been encouraged by his letters, it was equally as inspiring to read about and be encouraged by his life. So today I will talk about a few of the things I have learned in observing Paul’s life. “Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them.” Acts 14:15 Some context: Paul and Barnabas are in Lystra, “speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders” (Acts 14:3). The people of Lystra, upon seeing the signs and wonders, have begun to call Paul “Hermes” and Barnabas “Zeus”. They were even planning to offer sacrifices to Paul and Barnabas. When Paul and Barnabas heard this, they tore their clothes and shouted to the people about God, starting with Acts 14:15 (quoted above). “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.” James 5:16b-18 Think of all the stories in the Bible where followers of Jesus did incredible things: resurrecting the dead, healing the sick, casting out demons, signs and wonders and miracles galore. We are so quick to put these followers of Jesus on a different level than us (like those in Lystra did with Paul and Barnabas), when in reality, they had no spiritual advantage. The only difference between us and them is that they prayed fervently and went wherever the Spirit led them, speaking boldly for the Lord and closely listening to and following His instructions. I’m not saying that if you’re not a miracle-performer, you’re not a true Christ follower. Not everyone who follows Christ can perform miracles. Personally, I think we are too prideful of a generation. In a world where people seek the praise of other people, how cool would it be to heal sicknesses and resurrect the dead? Yet these signs are not meant to bring glory to ourselves, but to God. What I am saying is that you are praying to and listening to the same God to which these people prayed and listened. You are being led by the same Spirit by which these people were led. Your sins were atoned for by the same Jesus. And if we’re going to believe this message, we’ve got to believe it. Do you really believe that your prayers are powerful and effective? James seems to think you should (James 5:16b). “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” Acts 20:22-24 Paul was a man who obediently followed the Spirit. Wherever the Spirit would take him, whatever the Spirit wanted him to say, whatever suffering he had to go through for this message, Paul was relentlessly committed. He submitted his entire life to the Lord, considering it worth nothing to himself. As he left his friends Priscilla and Aquila in Ephesus, he parted with the promise, “I will come back if it is God’s will” (Acts 18:20). So many of us go where we will. We base all our life decisions off of what we want and where we want to go and the job we want to have. But what is the Spirit telling you to do? Where does the Spirit want you to go? I’ve talked about being led by the Spirit in a previous post, but this is so important, because look at what the people who stay in step with the Spirit get to experience: "One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: ‘Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” Acts 18:9-10 “The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, ‘Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.” Acts 23:11 “But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.” Acts 27:22-25 Did you catch that? The Lord spoke to Paul. The Lord stood near Paul. God Himself exhorted Paul, directed him, guided him, comforted him, encouraged him. And all Paul had to do was follow and serve. “God wants the praise for what we do in our lives. But if we never pray audacious, courageous prayers, how can He answer them? If we never follow Him to positions where we need Him, how can He show up and make His presence known?” - Francis Chan, Forgotten God Reader, I am so disheartened. I speak of these things and write these things to exhort myself. Even as I write this post, I know my website has no readers but myself as I have not yet shared it with anyone. I am talking to myself. Yet I am disheartened because I do not think people look at my life and glorify God. I am not walking closely with the Spirit. I am still afraid of the opinions of others. Pray for me, reader, that I may be bold in my faith and I will pray the same for you. This is absolutely everything. Nothing else matters. “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21
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I don’t have many words of exhortation for myself today and I don’t think insightfulness should be forced so I will instead leave you with lyrics from my favorite song by King’s Kaleidoscope: “All Glory Be to Christ.” It is important to keep in mind that though you may not experience God the same way each day, the same purpose for you and the world remains: give all glory to Christ. Should nothing of our efforts stand “I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the descendants of Jacob. I will put my trust in him.” Isaiah 8:17 Do you ever feel like the Lord is hiding his face from you? Sometimes I do. Sometimes when I pray, I feel like I’m just talking to my room. I read in the Bible these stories of believers who saw visions and were audibly spoken to, and hear the same stories from my friends and wonder, “What am I missing?” Why can’t I experience the Holy Spirit, the presence of God, like they can? God has surely allowed me to come into His presence many times in the past few months, but not every time I come before Him do I feel as if I’m really coming before Him. Perhaps you, the reader, can relate. It is difficult to come into the presence of the Lord Almighty. But it’s also quite simple. God is creative. He reveals Himself in different ways, during different disciplines. Perhaps because God is a creative God, He wants us to be creative in our approach to Him. Perhaps a routine that looks identical from day to day is not going to get us very far. “It used to be that if I had a great worship experience, I asked God to duplicate it the next time I came to worship…One thing I’ve learned about God over the years, however, is that He rarely ‘does it again.’ He’s the Creator, which means that He is (among other things) creative.” I’m beginning to learn that same thing. My routine has looked almost identical from day to day: wake up, get dressed, pray the same prayers, read the Bible, then go about my day. But on the days where I switch things up a bit, maybe drive up the mountains, go for a walk, spend some time in worship, etc., He feels more present. God is good. He goes with us everywhere, and His presence really is an open door. But you still have to get up and walk through it. Act on your love for Him. Drive a little, sacrifice a little, walk in the rain, go out and have fun with Him. He delights in your joy, and He is present in every moment. Sometimes, to really feel Him there, you have to leave your comfort zone. “Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the ‘Helper’ or ‘Comforter.’ Let me ask you a simple question: Why would we need to experience the Comforter if our lives are already comfortable?” Even when I do not feel the presence of God, still I will praise Him, still I will trust Him, still I will listen to what He has to say. He reveals Himself in His time, I have no reason to be frustrated. He has already given me everything I have, what more could I ask? He has already allowed me to come into His presence many times, what more could I ask? Yet He continues to give and give and give. How awesome is our God!
“The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.” Psalm 25:14 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Proverbs 1:7 “Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me, since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the Lord.” Proverbs 1:28-29 “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28 It is very difficult to fear the Lord. Especially since we are a sinful generation who has been forgiven much and therefore loves much (Luke 7:47), it is difficult to think of God as Someone to be feared. One of the main issues why this is the case is because the word “fear” has been watered down. When we hear the word “fear,” there is a negative connotation. The things we tend to fear (at least in America) are other people’s opinions, demons, financial instability, and death (when we get close to it). We do not see the fear of these things as something we should apply to God. I would argue the opposite. We should not apply the fear of God to these things, but that is what we do. What hold do the opinions of other people have over us? Or demons? Or financial stability, or death? This life is a mist—a vapor. We are only here for a short time. Though these things may affect us now, what can they do to us for eternity? If you knew that in 3 years you would receive the entire inheritance of your grandparents (let’s say they were quite wealthy) so long as you followed the rules they set out for you, would you fear financial stability now? How much greater of an inheritance is heaven, and how much more loving of a Father is the Lord Almighty—that He would provide what you need even if you experience financial stability in this short time before you receive His inheritance? When I was young, I was taught that we are not to “be afraid” of the Lord. I was told “fear” is really just an exaggerated word for “respect” or “revere”. That’s much easier to do. Surely God is deserving of all our respect and reverence, especially because of the severe price He paid for us in the sacrifice of His Son. But here’s a crazy thought: what if fear actually means fear? We are ruled by what we fear. When we are afraid of what other people will think of us, we are ruled by other people—we act in order to receive positive opinions, saying only what we believe others want to hear rather than the truth. When we are afraid of financial instability, we are ruled by money—we will hoard it, save it, hold onto as much as we can, becoming greedy and stingy. But what happens when you fear God and what God thinks about you? Does it really matter then if all people hate you for speaking the truth (John 15:18-19)? Or if you don’t have enough money to provide food or clothing for yourself (Matthew 6:31-34)? Imagine what your life would look like if you lived in order to please and bring glory to God out of fear for His judgment. You wouldn’t care what other people thought about you, you’d spend a lot more time with Him, you’d rely on Him to provide for you so you can be generous to others, you’d care deeply for the poor, the widows, the fatherless. To me, this is what the performance of someone with healthy fear looks like. A professor once explained the performance of students who fear like a bell curve. Too much fear and performance will plummet because the student is overwhelmed. Too little fear and performance will also plummet because the student has no motivation to perform well. But get it ride in the middle, and performance peaks. If my word description doesn’t make sense, here is a simplified graph: In the same way, if we are crippled with our fear for God, there’s no way we’d be able to act out all His commands. These are the people who cannot have an intimate relationship with God like He desires out of fear that He is only a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29) and not also a loving Father (Romans 8:38-39; 1 John 3:1) (for He is both). If we don’t fear God at all, we’re also not going to act out His commands. These are the people who stay in sin because they believe God loves them without punishing them, convinced that God’s grace covers their sins no matter if they repent or not (Romans 6:1-7). Neither of these lifestyles are God’s intention for us. And then those right there in the middle, who fear God because they are aware of the punishment they deserve, but also love God because of His grace, forgiveness, patience, kindness, forbearance, etc. These are the people like Paul, who realize they are the “worst of sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15-16) and were once “God’s enemies” (Romans 5:10), demonstrating their fear of God and His punishment for those who disobey unto death, but are equally in awe of His patient kindness that brings us to repentance (Romans 2:4) and understand that God’s great love for us was proven in the sacrifice of His Son, that we may all be justified freely by faith and live new lives in Christ (Romans 5:1,8; 6:4), demonstrating their love for God and thankfulness for His saving grace. "'When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening. Your hands are full of blood! Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow. Come now, let us settle the matter,' says the Lord. 'Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.' For the mouth of the Lord has spoken." No one says it better than the Lord Himself. He will surely listen to us and forgive us, blessing our willingness and obedience. But there is punishment for those who resist and rebel, and God’s wrath is saved for those who do not wash the blood off their hands. It is important not to stifle the wrath of God that instills fear in us with His loving kindness. It is equally important not to stifle God’s loving kindness with a fear of His wrath. Our God is both. Therefore, fear God, and love Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Who else is deserving of all praise? “Stop trusting in mere humans, who have but a breath in their nostrils. Why hold them in esteem?” Isaiah 2:22 “God cares more about our response to His Spirit’s leading today, in this moment, than about what we intend to do next year. In fact, the decisions we make next year will be profoundly affected by the degree to which we submit to the Spirit right now, in today’s decisions...My hope is that instead of searching for ‘God’s will for my life,’ each of us would learn to seek hard after, ’the Spirit’s leading in my life today.'” - Francis Chan, Forgotten God "What does the Spirit want me to do today?” I asked myself. I put the book down. It was around 7:30 am, and I had been awake for 2 and a half hours. A sudden drowsiness had been overtaking me slowly as I read. My vision started to blur. I reread the same page over and over until… “Perhaps the Spirit wants me to sleep…” I thought. He didn’t. I asked for the sign of sleep paralysis to know for sure. He provided. I continued to fight a losing battle with sleep, and it really did feel like a battle. I had woken up this morning feeling pretty awake. I had showered, gotten dressed, my day had well started. Although I sought to spend my morning with God, my spirit was willing but my body was weak. This happened on Friday as well. And it tends to happen to me each Sunday. Perhaps there is a demon waiting for me every time I sit on that couch to read. Nevertheless, after countless instances of sleep paralysis mixed with countless realizations that I actually hadn’t gotten up yet like my dreams had convinced me I did, I jumped up from the couch around 9am. One and a half hours wasted. Each time this happens I pray for God’s help, some times more earnestly than others. There are mornings when I pray because I really want to stay awake for this time with Him, and He provides, and other mornings when I pray because sleep is going to overtake me and I make a last-ditch effort to escape, failing because I had let sleep get so close already. So to answer my first question, I think the Spirit wants me to listen closer and fight harder. I knew it wasn’t God’s intention for me to fall asleep in the middle of the time I had set aside for Him. I also knew that after the first instance of sleep paralysis I was given the answer I needed to get up from that couch and go for a walk and fight drowsiness like I have done before. But I didn’t listen and I barely fought at all. "Most of us use “I’m waiting for God to reveal His calling on my life” as a means of avoiding action. Did you hear God calling you to sit in front of the television yesterday? Or to go on your last vacation? Or exercise this morning? Probably not, but you still did it. The point isn’t that vacations or exercise are wrong, but that we are quick to rationalize our entertainment and priorities yet are slow to commit to serving God.” - Francis Chan, Crazy Love I am guilty of using “finding God’s will for my life” as an excuse for inaction in the present. I have heard the Spirit on many occasions leading me to do small and mundane things. Sometimes I will obey, but when I don’t, my excuse has something to do with the “necessity" for me to figure out God’s will for my life overall first. For example, I went on a walk yesterday and passed by a man with a shopping cart. The Spirit told me to talk to him. I said, “Good morning," and passed him by. The Spirit told me to go back, maybe offer to push his cart. I said, “I already said good morning,” and kept walking. The Spirit would not let this leave my heart for the remainder of my walk until I shoved the thought down with every effort in me. Where was that fight when my opponent was drowsiness? “And to expose our hearts to truth and consistently refuse or neglect to obey the impulses it arouses is to stymie the motions of life within us and, if persisted in, to grieve the Holy Spirit into silence.” - A.W. Tozer The truth is, I was embarrassed. I didn’t want to talk to that guy. I didn’t know what I would say and I thought it would just be an awkward, forced conversation. But so what if it was? So what if we are led into countless awkward, seemingly pointless conversations? If the Spirit tells us to do something, we should do it, having confidence in knowing that He need only lead and we need only follow. Do not grieve the Spirit into silence because you do not understand His motives. “All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you…When he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.” Follow that small, quiet voice today. Do not grieve the Spirit into silence today or else you will be tempted to do the same tomorrow, and on until death. You will wonder, “Why did God never reveal His will to me?” and He will say, “I did, but you did not listen.” Listen today, follow today, lest the Spirit be grieved into silence for the entirety of your life.
We are not the main characters of our own lives. It is easy to think that our lives revolve around us—that our purpose is to somehow make something of our lives for ourselves in some way. We are plopped on the earth and live here for a short while, our lives are mist, here one second gone the next, and yet we think we are main characters. Think of how many people have lived and will live, and how many of them are now completely forgotten besides perhaps a line of recognition in a census that no one will read. Now think of the timeline of the universe, how long it has been around, and how long you have been around. Are we so arrogant to assume our lives have no greater purpose than to please ourselves? “Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.” John 7:17-18 Jesus sought to bring glory to God in everything He did. And so if we are called to be like Jesus, it must follow that our purpose is similar: to bring glory to God. God is the main character of all our lives, and we live to praise Him. We were created by Him and for Him. We are not our own, but we were bought at a price. You’ve probably heard these things said before, but have you taken a second to consider what they really mean? To me, they mean that I am not my own. Every decision I make and everything I have to offer—my time, talents, money, relationships, education, belongings—belong not to me but to the One who created me. And to His authority I submit myself. Even if He were to shake up my entire life and take away everything I loved, my purpose wouldn’t change. How could I point a finger at Him and say, “How could You do this to me?” when I know that the things I have were never mine to begin with and that He is with me, so what more do I need? As [Jesus] went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” John 9:1-3 Think of this story from a worldly perspective. They will say, “How cruel it is to force a man to suffer blindness for the entirety of his life just so that there may be an opportunity for a miracle to be done through him.” Now think of it as God being the main character. Our purpose is to glorify Him, and this blind man was given the opportunity to take part in Jesus glorifying Him! How lucky is this guy! Seriously, think about it. God used this man in a way that many were brought to believe in Jesus, and he himself received sight! If he had been able to see his whole life, he would have missed out on being a part of this amazing glorification of God. The same goes for a man like Job, who lost next to everything and himself was tortured with painful sores among other trials. But by persevering through it all and continuing to praise God, he did what he was put on the earth to do, and God blessed him all the more for it. “Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in [Jesus]. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved human praise more than praise from God.” John 12:42-43 People like Job and the blind man were given praise from God. For most of us, though, we crave human praise. It is easy to think that we could persevere through any suffering for God’s glory, but when it comes down to it, human praise is a lot louder and a lot easier to obtain. Job himself was told to curse God by his wife. His friends were no good either. And surely when he was covered in painful sores, so much so that his friends couldn’t even recognize him, there was no human praise in his looks (a human praise many of us seek to obtain). But through all this, Job continued to praise God.
Human praise is nice for a little while. It feels good to be loved and adored by people you see often. But then you’ll die, and you’ll stand before God, and your human praise will not save you on that day. Why give up eternity for what lasts as long as a snap of your fingers? “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4-7 I am not an emotional masterpiece, nor do I claim to be. In fact, I struggle with a lot of different emotions at times. I am often frustrated with myself for not seeking God enough. I am at times haunted by my past, and the devil would very much like me to wallow in self-loathing and regret. Today especially, I was in a trance it seemed. My eyes were weary, my flesh was weak. Though my spirit willed that I spend my morning with the Lord, my body was not strong enough. My mind wandered, I fell asleep (experiencing sleep paralysis twice in 40 minutes), and I went on a 30 minute walk to clear my head. Even now, as I am focusing on my work, my heart is heavy with old memories. But God is good. I do not often tell people about these types of days because I don’t find it necessary except to encourage them in their own rough days. I no longer need the immediate support of others to get past these difficult emotions. While a community is vital to emotional health and I do share these rough days with a select few, my main supporter is God and He has not let me down. In my past life I had high expectations for the people around me to know when I was down and to bring it up without me asking. Basically, I wanted them to read my mind. And when they wouldn’t notice, or their comfort wasn’t sufficient enough, I only felt worse. It is dangerous to depend on people first before depending on God. Other humans are necessary and we should never think they do not play significant roles in our lives, but God is our sole source of strength, peace, and comfort. I think of it like this: when you’re married, ideally, the main person you talk to about difficult situations is your spouse. They are with you the most (because you live together) and they are in your life to support you and you to support them. You will, of course, tell a select few of your other family members and friends as you see fit, but your spouse is your go-to. So should it be with God, even before a spouse. For while you can only live with a spouse, God lives in us. He is with us wherever we go, whatever time it may be, and listens with an eagerness to give us peace. He is our Great Comforter. We seek Him first, and then we can tell our spouse/friends/family. Otherwise, their support will never be enough. God provides a peace that transcends all understanding, and, Reader, let me tell you, this cannot be found anywhere else. While it is peaceful to be embraced by someone you love and their comfort is at times sufficient for the moment, God provides a comfort that transcends anything you can ever understand. Yes, even when the weight of the world is on your shoulders and you feel as if everything has gone wrong and stress has reached its max, God can provide you with the kind of peace that makes you say, “Why aren’t I worried about all this? I don’t understand.” Today was one of those days for me. Though my past haunts me as I am deeply wounded with regret and shame for my mistakes, and though my future looms over me as I anticipate extreme change and uncertainty approaching, I am in awe of the peace He has given me. “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you…And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” 1 Peter 5:7,10 Sometimes I question myself. Much of what I write here to encourage myself and others does not sound very loving. I write mainly of the change that needs to occur in our lives and the consequences that come when that change is not had. This is a message I am passionate about. But this is not a message the world is passionate about. The world would rather take Jesus’ love and hide His wrath. They want to be accepted for who they are in their sin. They believe a loving God is one who saves everyone no matter what, but this is not biblical. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 You’ve probably heard this verse before. I have it memorized. It’s nice, because in and of itself, this message makes people think that all they must do to receive eternal life is say, “I believe in Jesus,” and go on living as they always have. But read what comes directly after this verse: “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son...Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.” John 3:17-18, 20 Jesus was not sent to damn us all to hell right then and there. Rather, He was sent to save us from this inevitable fate. Some of us will be damned to hell. Many of us, actually. But Jesus was sent to save those who were willing to believe, and not just believe, but to stop doing evil because those who do evil hate the light. Salvation is not just a couple words you say and try in your heart to believe. Yes, confessing that Jesus is Lord is an important part of it, but so is change. We cannot truly say we believe in and love Jesus if we continue to do evil. “This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.” 1 John 3:10 Anyone who does not do what is right is a child of the devil. Yes, if someone says, “Jesus is Lord,” and does not repent of their sins, they are a child of the devil. Hard to hear, right? God is asking more of us than to just admit He is real. True belief comes with full repentance and a life change. Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” John 3:3 We need to be born again. We need to turn from our old ways of life, fulfilling the desires of the flesh. This means putting to rest all of our sins. This means becoming filled with the Spirit through baptism and allowing God to make us disgusted with our sins. Yes, even those who think they are inherently good because they have not murdered or committed adultery, etc., they too have sins to put aside. All have fallen short of the glory of God. Perhaps their sins are not as obvious as others and people call them good, but in the end we are not judged in relation to other people. We are judged in relation to the law, and all humans have broken the law and are equally deserving of punishment, and equally in need of God's grace. Reader, I know this post does not sound very loving. I know this post does not sound like it deserves the title I gave it. But tell me which is more loving: to butter you up with lies and tickle your ears with things you’d like to hear, allowing you to continue in the path that leads to eternal punishment? Or to tell you the truth of the Bible, which God has given us full access to, so that you may know what He requires of us to receive eternal life? Reader, this is an urgent message. So many of us are on the wide road which leads to destruction. We say, “God loves me, even though I continue in sin,” and we are not wrong, but God’s unstoppable love for you does not mean you will be saved. God desires to save all of us, He does not want to punish us, but He is Just, and He is clear that without His grace—without being born again and living new lives—we will not be saved. I question myself because the majority of Christian messages today do not sound like this. They are lathered in God’s unstoppable love, but they do not touch on His equally unstoppable wrath. God does love you. His love for you is unstoppable, and no sin you commit will ever keep Him from desiring to save you. But you cannot continue in a life of sin and expect to be saved. This is why I am confident in such a harsh message: It is the topic Jesus spoke of most. I am nearly done with reading the Gospels, and not once have I heard Jesus saying, “God loves all of you, repent because He loves you.” Yes, God loves us. The Gospel of John is clear about this in chapter 3. But what does Jesus say instead? “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Matthew 3:2, 4:17; Mark 1:15). This Jesus, who died and rose to offer us salvation freely and gives us our whole lives to turn to Him, overturned tables in a temple with a whip (John 2:13-17), harshly called out people for their hypocrisy (Luke 11:39-52), and spoke openly and often of the punishment that awaits those who do not turn from their lives of sin (read the Gospels). Friends, the message of the world is diluted. God loves all sinners, but God will not save all sinners—only those who repent. This is Biblical. Read the Bible for yourself. Many will try to deceive you and tell you that God’s grace covers everyone. They will try to define what Compassion is and say that those who believe God sends some people to hell are not compassionate. But who are we to define God? He is Compassionate, and He is Just. In His Word, He has made clear the fate awaiting those who repent and those who don’t. Read the Scriptures for yourself. Don’t let anyone deceive you with messages that tickle your ears and sound too good to be true. “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” 2 Timothy 4:3-4 Read the Bible. Seriously. If you don’t, you’ll believe anything, and you’ll surely be deceived. Read it for yourself, test everything you hear to make sure it is in line with the Scriptures (yes, even what I write on this website—I am a flawed human being who errs in everything I say), or else you will not survive in this world that is full of false teaching. “God knows our situation; He will not judge us as if we had no difficulties to overcome. What matters is the sincerity and perseverance of our will to overcome them. Before we can be cured we must want to be cured. Those who really wish for help will get it; but for many modern people even the wish is difficult. It is easy to think that we want something when we do not really want it." - C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity Here's the great news: we don't have to do this alone. Despite all this harsh talk about punishment if we don't change and about God being both Loving and Wrathful, He is still rooting for us. For the entirety of our lives He is on our side, eagerly waiting to welcome us into His presence with open arms. He really wants to save us, and His loving offer is open for anyone, no matter what they have done to offend Him in their pasts.
I used to look at my life and how many times I've messed up and how colossally I've messed up and think, "This just isn't going to happen for me. I must be evil." But God loves us so so much that He helps us. Yes, we need to repent and be baptized. Yes, there is punishment for those who continue to live in sin. But say the words, commit your life to God, seek after Him, and He will guide you in paths of righteousness. We will never be perfect, but God, who is Faithful and Just, is patient with our weaknesses and forgives us each time we stumble. We need only to keep getting back up and walking with Him. Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:23-26 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” Mark 10:23-27 Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” Luke 18:24-27 If these verses don't alarm you, they should. Chances are, if you’re reading this it is because you have access to internet and a computer or phone. In order to have access to these things, you probably live off of more than $2 per day. That makes you wealthier than more than half the world. So, you’re rich. People, especially in America, like to think they’re not rich. They like to think that because they have student loans to pay back, a mortgage on their house, and no car—they’re not rich. Yet they have food, shelter, and clothing in abundance. If you have everything you need, anything above that is riches. This terrifies me, because I am rich. I have a computer and a phone and many other things I don’t need. Riches aren’t a bad thing. In fact, read the book of Proverbs and you’ll learn that if you’re doing things right and working hard, you will probably become rich. God doesn’t want everyone to be poor. What terrifies me is that by being rich, we are at an extreme spiritual disadvantage. We are tempted to think that we have earned our riches by our own ability, that our stuff belongs to us, and that we are the sole reason for our riches. It becomes difficult to submit to God and to give anything and everything you have away when you can't realize that you are not your own and your stuff is not your own. Additionally, to whom much is given, much is expected. Don’t be like the farmer who stores up so much for himself that he doesn’t have to work for the rest of his life (Luke 12:16-21). When we are blessed with riches, God’s intention is not for us to hoard this all up for ourselves. He really does want us to give it away. “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” Luke 12:48 So we need to be careful. It is easier for a camel to enter through the eye of a needle than it is for us to enter the kingdom of God. Lucky for us, all things are possible with God, but this isn’t a guarantee of salvation. Countless times in the Bible Jesus tells people how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God. Why else would we need to make every effort to do so (Luke 13:24)? And to think that it is even more difficult for those of us who do not lack in what we need is terrifying. But we can take heart in knowing that we have a God who fulfills His promises. Give more than you think you can afford and be generous with the time and stuff you have been given, for you are not your own and neither is what you have been given. “I am concerned for the poor but more for you. I know not what Christ will say to you in the great day…I fear there are many hearing me who may know well that they are not Christians because they do not love to give. To give largely and liberally, not grudgingly at all, requires a new heart; an old heart would rather part with its life-blood than its money. Oh my friends! Enjoy your money; make the most of it; give none away; enjoy it quickly for I can tell you, you will be beggars throughout eternity.” - Robert Murray M'Cheyne As I’ve been reading through the Gospels I have written down all the things Jesus has said that alarm me. I’m just over halfway through Luke and I already have a list of more than 60 phrases or parables Jesus has told that I must come to terms with in some way—and that’s assuming that I may have skimmed over things that are actually alarming without really thinking about them. I won’t be writing about all 60+ instances, but, as you can tell by the title, this will be a discussion I plan to revisit more than once. So let’s dive into the words of Jesus that compelled me to write today: Then [Jesus] told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’” Luke 13:6-9 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’” Luke 16:27-31 These verses are alarming to me. God is patient with us. He forbears punishment from us so that we may have time to bear fruit. He has given us everything we need—Moses and the Prophets—to teach us about God that we may repent and turn to Him. But He does not wait forever. His patience, kindness, and forbearance have only one purpose. “Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?” Romans 2:4 God is so good! He gives us our whole lives to turn to Him! Though we deserve punishment from the beginning, he gives us all of our years on earth to listen to Moses and the Prophets and turn to Him and repent. What alarms me is that this is not why most modern people praise God. People lift their hands to Him in thanks for His forgiveness without turning from their sins. They praise Him for every good thing and curse Him when things don’t go their way. They envision that a good God is one who saves all people, no matter how they live or what they do. But God is only kind to us so that we may repent. If we continue to live in our sin, similar to a fig tree which does not bear fruit, we will be cut down. “But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” Luke 13:5b Even more alarming, we hear these things and they don’t compel us. I grew up in church. I have only ever gone to Christian schools. I have spent the entirety of my life surrounded by Moses and the Prophets and I didn’t submit to God until 2 months ago. How terrifying it is to think that our hearts might be hard—that though we hear things, understanding is not yet given to us. Even the disciples experienced this when Jesus Himself told them that He would die. “But they did not understand what this meant. It was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it, and they were afraid to ask him about it.” Luke 9:45 This brings me back to a previous post, Misunderstanding, where my unbelieving friend was questioning why God doesn’t just appear in front of us to tell us that He’s real. Then we’d surely repent, right? Apparently not, according to Jesus. Even if a dead man raised back to life to tell us to repent we would not be convinced if Moses and the Prophets had not already convinced us. This was crazy to me at first, but it has begun to make more sense as I meditate on it more and more. If our hearts are hard, God Himself could slap us in the face and we still wouldn’t repent. We cannot get to God on our own. We just can’t. God decides when our hearts will soften. It’s not up to us. Even if we read the Bible cover to cover and studied its every word, doing an exegesis on each passage, we still wouldn’t understand if God did not soften our hearts. Does that seem cruel? To make it so that we can never get to Him on our own? We are told to submit to God’s authority. We are also told to lean not on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6) and to realize that God’s thoughts and ways are infinitely higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9). Everything happens in His timing. If it happened in our timing, it wouldn’t be submission. Submission involves accepting that you don’t get to make the big decisions, and you also don’t get to understand why each big decision was made. Are you willing to submit to a God who decides your fate and who determines whether or not you can understand? "Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.” Isaiah 55:6-7 Submit to God. Repent and be baptized. Pray that the Holy Spirit opens the eyes of your heart. If you are fervent, and if God wills, you will understand enough in God’s timing.
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AuthorFighting complacency and advocating change in myself for the world around me. Posts by Date
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