Unity in the Church

 April 24, 2024

Wednesday

All churches have problems. They can be financial, missional, biblical, physical or moral. The lack of a consensus in these areas will tear a church apart. Factions are often created that declare a superior knowledge or righteousness. Those espousing their view often do not see the bigger picture. The church should have unity before it has those who are doing what is right at the expense of others. Some of these people may be experts in their fields but they are immature in Christ since they treat the church like it is something to be manipulated to establish their way. It is clear in the New Testament that unity was something the early church strived for. That unity gave them the ability to turn the world upside down. The church today can't hardly be said to shake the world.

Immature Christians make their decisions on their feelings without regard to the Spirit. They know what they like and look for reasons to support what they like. If they like a certain type of music, they will claim that the people are singing that music. They think that worship comes from the lips. The Bible says it comes from the heart. Many people will never sing because their heart is never worshiping. Many people will sing their favorite songs without worship. Whether people are singing or not cannot be the only means of measuring worship. 

Immature Christians will divide the church by their own demographic. Them is always defined as those who are not in their group. Thus, the church is black or white, rich or poor, contemporary or liturgical, young or old, etc. Again, unity is destroyed when us and they are part of the church description.

Immature Christians are always okay with lax leadership. It is when there is an expectation of living like Christ that the immature Christians start finding faults with the church. The church becomes judgmental according to immature Christians when morality is upheld. They will even claim that the church is unloving when it confronts sin in the church. They love a church which encourages gossip. They love to criticize. They don't care when marriages break up. They don't care to see people actually live for Christ. They are like the Pharisees who pray long prayers for others to hear. Their hearts are not in unity with the church.

Maybe this is why much of the New Testament is written to bring unity in the church. The church started out with immature Christians. They acted like immature Christians. Our problem is that many decades long Christians in an American church are still very immature. The lack of unity proves it.

The answer to this is making sure that each person is growing in their faith. They are making disciples who make disciples. They are being led by the Spirit and with the Spirit's leading they may disagree but not by their own feeling but the Spirit. Of course, the leadership in the church must mature as well. 

Read this passage and meditate on it. See if unity is that important.

Ephesians 4:11–16 (NASB 2020)¹¹ And He gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as pastors and teachers, ¹² for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ; ¹³ until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. ¹⁴ As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of people, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; ¹⁵ but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is, Christ, ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

When You Can't Forgive Yourself

 April 23, 2024

Tuesday

Too often, people come to see me who are burdened by guilt. They have asked the Lord for forgiveness but they can't forgive themselves. I know the Lord doesn't want people condemning themselves. What can they do when they have already confessed, repented and asked for the Lord's forgiveness?

Let's clear up a couple of things. Regret is not the same as guilt. Regret wishes that the sin never happened. It may even regret that the sin was discovered. Regret can be good. It can keep a person from getting near the sin. Regret can be bad. It can make the person resolve to hide the sin better so that it will not be caught.

People tell me that they don't "feel" forgiven. Feelings do not always reveal the truth. When I was in high school a hypnotist came to entertain us. Several in the crowd were chosen to be hypnotized. Once they were under, they were told they were chickens. They clucked and scratched. I believed at the time that they thought they were chickens. (I wonder if they were just acting for the crowd now.) Regardless, of whether they felt like they were chickens or we felt that they felt like they were chickens the truth is that they weren't chickens. (Though today I am not sure if a court of law might declare you a chicken because you felt like one.)

Truth is found in a Person.

John 14:6 (NASB 2020) ⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.

That Person is found in God's word. (Not the only place but a very good place to start.)

John 1:1 (NASB 2020)

¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Jesus doesn't just tell the truth. He is the truth. What He has done and what He says is truth. Anything that disagrees with Jesus is a fake. When Jesus says that you are forgiven, you are forgiven. Case closed!

Recently, I paid off my house. I went to the bank and asked what I needed to do to no longer have a house payment. I thought I would just pay off the principal but there are added fees for filing a paid off loan at the court house. The bank gave me an exact amount. I suppose I could have said, "These people have been making money off me for years. They have only raised my house payment when the taxes or insurance went up. I should give them more money than they said was necessary." Would you do that? That's exactly what you are doing when you won't forgive yourself.

Jesus' blood was the payment for your sin. You are saying that your standard requires a higher payment that Jesus' blood. So, you have decided to overpay for your sins. However, you have nothing to pay that with. All you have is Monopoly money. No matter how much of it you pay, it won't be enough. Until you accept the blood of Jesus, you will feel guilty.

How did you accept Jesus? You did so by faith. You established a relationship with Him by faith. And forgiveness is something you must accept by faith. 

So, ask God for faith to forgive yourself. It is a gift that He gave for your salvation. It is a gift that He gives to accept who He is. (Ephesians 2:8-9) And declare that you are forgiven by the payment of Jesus' blood. You know that you can't overpay that.

1 John 1:9 (NASB 2020) ⁹ If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Salvation Worked Out with Fear and Trembling

 April 22, 2024

Monday

I always have a measure of fear when I preach. If I preach something that is incorrect, untrue and misleading many people could be led astray. There is no way that I can gather the exact same people to correct my errors. Now, that we stream our services, I don't even know who is watching and listening. I couldn't send them all emails or letters or anything rebutting what I had previously said because I don't know who they are. So, I am careful to get it right. And I do, most of the time. (I have told the congregation that I cannot preach messages on all the things I have gotten wrong because I simply won't live long enough.)

Paul told the Philippians to work out their salvation with fear and trembling. It doesn't mean they will work for their salvation. Paul is clear that salvation is not a matter of our works. But salvation is not merely saying a prayer or being baptized either. It comes with obedience to the Lord or we really don't know what we were doing when we came to Jesus. It is based on what He did in His crucifixion and resurrection. It is not based on whether we made a commitment to Christ by saying a prayer, walking an aisle or avowing Jesus publicly in some other way. Our belief established a relationship which cannot be erased.

Yet, salvation must also be a process in which we are refined. This is done through our working it out. It is with fear and trembling that we want to get this right. We often have deacons read scripture, say prayers or give testimonies in our church. Often, they are almost terrified to do so. They are not scared of the congregation nor are they scared of what I will say about what they are doing. They are merely taking every step to make sure that it is done right. They are meticulously careful and that always brings trepidation. 

Salvation is working in us to get it right. We are working on our salvation to get it right. There is nothing wrong if this takes an atmosphere of fear and trembling. After all, while we are working out our salvation we are in the presence of the Almighty God. He is not waiting for us to make a mistake so that He can punish us. He is seeking to applaud when we get it right. Still, like those who do feats of skill on a stage there is fear and trembling because of that desire to get it right.

Each of us has days that we utterly fail. These days are those in which we didn't start the day with God and didn't walk with Him throughout the day. We found ourselves acting like those who don't know the Lord. We acted like they expected us to act. While God forgives, this is no reason that we should take our salvation capriciously.

So, we do just that. We work out our salvation with fear and trembling. It is really the only way that we can work it out.

Philippians 2:12 (NASB 2020) ¹² So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;

The Value of the Kingdom of Heaven

 April 21, 2024

Sunday

If I had bought $10,000 of Amazon or Apple stock in the 90s I would be a millionaire tens of times over. Of course, I didn't know that Amazon and Apple stock would take off. I didn't know that I wouldn't lose my money. I didn't know what the future was in that stock. So, I didn't and I am much poorer than I could have been.

Now, I want you to consider these words of Jesus:

Matthew 13:44–46 (NASB 2020) ⁴⁴ “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells everything that he has, and buys that field. ⁴⁵ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, ⁴⁶ and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold everything that he had and bought it.

Most of the people that do not know Jesus don't think the kingdom of heaven is worth anything. They wouldn't spend a cent on the kingdom of heaven. They wouldn't spend it because, to them, it looks like they would be losing on their investment. They are like I was when I didn't buy Amazon or Apple stock. It looked like I would be losing my money if I bought the stock so I didn't buy it. 

When Jesus spoke of selling everything in order to buy the field with treasure or the pearl, He was speaking of value rather than price. The problem is that many people will realize the value of something when it is too late to purchase that something. This happens all the time.

A father will regret all the hours he worked that caused him to miss his sons major activities in school. He will realize the value of that time far exceeded the money he made while working. There is nothing he can do to get that time back.

People who find themselves on the other side of death will feel the same way. They will know the value of the kingdom of heaven but not be able to purchase it. They will be like the rich man in Jesus parable that asked if a dead man would come back from the dead, their own family would purchase the kingdom of heaven and not suffer their fate. Jesus told him that if they won't believe Moses and the prophets, even a  dead man rising won't make them believe. Nothing convinces someone whose eyes are closed to the truth. More truth just won't do it.

Purchasing the kingdom of heaven is a miracle. The person faced with the choice must see the value. On the surface, it looks like a dream at best. Looking deeper is where the miracle is. It takes a child-like faith to initially believe. It takes a mature Christian to realize the value. It takes a person entering heaven to know the full value.

Yes, I wished I had bought Amazon and Apple stock. I can't do anything about that now. But I did "buy" something much more valuable than that. I have the kingdom of heaven. It has consumed me. But I can say not without a doubt, it is worth it.

Not a God of Formulas

 April 20, 2024

Saturday

"Everything will be okay," the preacher says, "if you will . . . ." It gives you a lot of hope. The dilemma I am in can be averted if I do what the preacher says. So, you do what he says and the dilemma is much worse than you could have imagined.

Being in the will of God is no guarantee that you won't be persecuted or have terrible circumstances. A lady with cancer asked me, "Why do I have cancer?" She was a Christian with no discernable evidence of being outside the will of God. She wanted to know why she wasn't protected from this disease. In other words, isn't cancer intended for the real sinners.

I replied to her, "Why not?" Though she didn't want me to explain my question, the truth is that we are not so good that God must protect us. We don't live by formulas that ensure our safety, riches or esteem. We walk with our God who allows us to sin and to live in this fallen world. This fallen world has cancer, heart attacks, inflation, layoffs and wars. It has murders, stealing, betrayals and lies. The reason that some may be sick may have nothing to do with how good they have been. It may have nothing to do with the fact they are in the middle of God's will. It may have something to do with the testimony of a person who goes through hardships. It should be easy to shine in this fallen world.

God gives us no formulas to live the Christian life. He expects us to walk with Him in humble obedience. He expects us to pledge our allegiance to Him. He expects us to die to self. He will love us regardless.

Our purpose is found in walking with God. Each day is brand new. Each day we make another commitment to walk with Him Each day we should be amazed with what He is doing with us. Each day the wonder should grow.

That doesn't mean that God expects you live without planning. You still go to school, go to work, pay your bills and have your celebrations with planning. Its just that when people live by formulas for their own safety, provision and worth God isn't really necessary anymore. You are just obeying the formula.

So, get up and be amazed. God has a plan for you for this day. It won't be found in a formula.

Psalm 5:3 (NASB 2020) ³ In the morning, Lord, You will hear my voice; In the morning I will present my prayer to You and be on the watch.

Do the Right Thing

 April 19, 2024

Friday

Several years ago there was a movie called "Do the Right Thing." Today, people don't know what the right thing is.

If the right thing means that you can do anything you want as long as you don't hurt others, then, you can't do anything you want. You have a responsibility to those around you. You can't speed down the road recklessly without eventually hurting others. You can't drink until your liver is pickled without hurting others. You can't make money and keep it all to yourself without hurting others. Let's face it. Doing whatever you want is going to hurt others.

It doesn't fare any better when what is right is what conventional wisdom says is right. This is exactly the problem of the racism that existed in this country. The majoring of the people were white who disregarded people of other races. Therefore, treating people of color badly was considered the right thing to do. And this goes beyond racism. Riots are a perfect example of this. When the majority of the people around you are destroying and looting, doing what the majority is doing will seem right. Those who are arrested use this as their defense. I was doing what others were doing, I'm just the one who got caught. (Sounds a lot like getting a speeding ticket, huh?) Right or wrong cannot be determined by what others are doing even if they are in the majority.

Some people claim that the way they were raised is a good means of knowing what's right and wrong. That one, at least, is possibly valid. However, was everything you learned as you grew up right? Is it possible that those who raised you had a different standard than what is truly right? Where did they get what was right or wrong? All of these must be considered. Too often, the inherited values were the mores of the society from the past. Thus, they may become more stable than going with the flow of today's rights and wrongs but they are not eternal in what is right and wrong. This method causes the children's children's children to continue to suffer the sins of the past.

No, right and wrong must be established beyond a society. It must go beyond what feels right. It must go beyond not hurting others. It must go beyond what others say it is. It must go beyond the way a person is raised. It stands true when everything and everyone opposes it. It is right and that which opposes it is wrong.

Recently, I observed a vote by politicians. I realized that they don't know what is right or wrong. They are voting by party line rather than convictions of right and wrong. Their right seems to be whatever will get them re-elected. Right is defined as campaign donations and votes from the area they "serve."

Why are we in this place today? People don't know what is right. People are floundering as crime and governmental corruption rages around them. People are hiding in their homes expecting the next political candidate to right things that have turned upside-down. Of course, they are only asking what will be done for them rather than what is truly right.

The Apostle Paul wrote almost two millennia ago:

Romans 1:21 (NASB 2020) ²¹ For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their reasonings, and their senseless hearts were darkened.

Now, is this what has happened? Are people becoming futile in their reasonings? Are their hearts darkened? I don't know how we can say that this isn't exactly what is going on today. A darkened heart does not know what is right or wrong. It doesn't even know where to find what is right. Reasonings must, therefore, become futile.

The solution to our dilemma is not easy. It will not come because we have elected the "right" politicians to office. It will not change if we solve whatever  society tells us are our greatest threats. It will only come when a society returns to God humbly and thanks Him for what He will do. This comes only when the people of God quit playing games with God and fully commit themselves to Him These people will walk humbly with Him and thank Him continually. This is called revival.

This message is not to those who don't know the Lord. I want everyone to come to know the Lord in a relationship that changes their eternity. However, it will not be because we have tried to clean up our society but because we have been dramatically changed as believers for we have come into an intimate relationship with the Living God.

There are only three things I know to do. One, I must be a person who humbly walks with God. I must be one who does His will completely without question. Two, I must tell others who God is with the hope that they will do more than believe in Him. They must know Him. That only comes from a walk with Him. Three,  I must pray for God's revival. I pray that the Holy Spirit sweeps through this world with power. Yes, the light is still shining in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.

Will you join me in this? Will you act to know what is right? I personally believe this is the only hope we have to change a disintegrating society.

Were Those Who Have Left the Faith Ever Truly Christians?

 April 18, 2024

Thursday

There are many people who preached Christ as Savior at one time that no longer do so. In fact, they say that they do not believe. At one time, they gave evidence of believing, but now they claim that they don't. People ask me, "Were they Christians in the first place or were they able to lose their faith and salvation?"

It is neither my responsibility nor my desire to give damnable judgement to anyone. So, I cannot tell you what the stories of the individuals are. I do not know them. I do not know what has happened in their hearts. I can only tell what the scripture says.

John spoke of people who at one time were a part of the congregations he is familiar with. They left the congregation voluntarily and began preaching a false gospel. I am not sure what that gospel was but it wasn't the gospel of Jesus Christ. John warns of these people.

1 John 2:19 (NASB 2020) ¹⁹ They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be evident that they all are not of us.

I know that many of you will point to a time in your life that you weren't in church. You might even have said or did things that indicated that you weren't truly a believer. Yet, you came back. The question is: Did you ever really leave?

I am one of those people who left the church at one time. No one could have known that I was a Christian by the way I spoke or lived. I did damage to the cause of Christ by the way I lived but I always knew that I believed even if I said I didn't. So, when I hear of those who once preached and told others of Christ leaving their faith behind, I can't tell whether they have truly left Christ or that they are denying their faith because of some other reason.

Some of these people who have left are encouraging others to join them. Maybe you could consider this a false gospel. Maybe it is the litmus test for determining who they are. I do know this: Once you have truly established a relationship with Jesus Christ, you can't simply divorce Him. He will always be your Savior even if you do not acknowledge it.

Some of these people must have been amazing frauds. They could espouse the cause of Christ better than I can and I know I am a believer. They may have even done great good in the lives of many who followed them at one time.

So, if they can truly "leave the faith" they were never of the faith. I pray that isn't their case. I pray they are wandering away and come back someday.

This teaches us that we don't need to follow people who profess Christ but follow Christ Himself. Even if every word that is said by a preacher, Christian singer or author drips like honey to our ears, we must keep our focus on the One who saved us and loves us throughout eternity. He will never leave. We can put full trust in that.