The Faith of a Doubter

Lots of people deny their doubts. They act confidently in public and doubt in private. It makes a lot of others think there is something seriously wrong when they have any doubts at all. It may pump up the spirit but it isn't honest. How can we overcome our doubts while harboring them privately? We need solutions to our doubts.

James said that the one that doubts should never expect anything from God. I think that is why there are so few miracles today. We are doubting yet pretending to have faith. But, God knows the truth. The result is a lifeless faith. It is merely a facade for our doubts. We search diligently for the faith of others to bolster our own faith. We listen intently to testimonies of miracles. 

This has caused the fabrications of amazing stories which have gone from church to church from the pulpit and computer to computer through emails. Most of them have some basis in fact but the miraculous part is all made up. Exposure has been detrimental to our own faith and for the Christian testimony. We appear to be a bunch of nuts who want to believe so badly that we make up our own stories of faith. 

Yesterday I got two bogus emails. I looked them up on snopes.com. I have told both of these people about snopes in the past. They have chosen to ignore verification of stories and send them on because it bolsters their faith. I didn't tell them that the stories were bogus. I have found that telling people to research the email before forwarding it results in them taking me off their email list. They want to believe these stories so badly that they will avoid those who question them.

Does God still do miracles? I think I have to say, yes. Can I believe that He ever did miracles if He does none today?

I don't think God has stopped being active in His world. I believe He still does miracles. I also believe that our doubts are paramount in keeping those things from happening. We can expect nothing when we doubt.

I guess my only answer is a simple prayer: "Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief." Here, I can expect the miraculous power of God. The first miracle will be the elimination of my doubt. I will have an expectation of God's actions. I will see God do things others will not believe.

Consistent prayer is evidence of my faith, as well. It seems that people only want an instant answer. God often tests our faith by not answering the instant we call. Continued prayer also bolsters my faith. 

I am not created to be a doubter. I sometimes doubt. God is ready to relieve me of my doubts. I suppose I have the faith of a doubter.

I wonder if there are those like me.

How Do You Receive The Holy Spirit?

There are stories in the book of Acts about people who seem to have a rudimentary belief in Jesus but who have not received the Holy Spirit. In one case, they say they have not heard about the Holy Spirit. I don't think that is too far from what we have today. The Holy Spirit is either spoken of as the end all of faith or not spoken of at all. Both do not convey the message of the Bible.

The Holy Spirit is the Helper. He helps us in conviction and remembrance of what Jesus has done. He empowers us to do works that go beyond our abilities. He enters rooms and changes the whole atmosphere of the room. He fills a person so that joy fills his soul. He makes the Christian life alive.

The Apostle Paul says that we should be filled with the Holy Spirit. The filling is a command and passive. It means that we should let it happen to us. If I go to my doctor and she says, "Have surgery," I certainly don't think I will do the surgery to myself. I must submit myself to the doctor. It is a command but it is passive.

This means that the Holy Spirit must want to fill me. Then, if I lack the filling of the Holy Spirit, it is because I have done something to keep Him out. God does not take over our will. He allows us to do both the good things and the bad. He allows us to leave Him out of our lives. He allows us to live without the Holy Spirit if we wish.

There are a couple of ways I keep the Holy Spirit out of my life. I can blaspheme the Spirit. This means I have ultimately rejected the Spirit's leading to know Jesus as my savior. You cannot blaspheme the Spirit if you know Jesus. 

I can resist the Holy Spirit. The Spirit may be leading me to proclaim Jesus publicly and I refuse. The Spirit may be leading me to speak to a believer about something that is hurting that believer and I refuse. The Spirit may be leading me to give something to another person or to the Lord and I refuse. I am resisting the Spirit. This also means I am not full of the Holy Spirit nor am I being filled. Any disobedience to the Holy Spirit is resisting the Holy Spirit.

I can quench the Spirit. Here the Spirit is very evident and I stop the action from happening. For example, the Spirit is taking control of a worship service but I am afraid of what that will lead to. it may mean that people will say things of conviction that I don't want to hear. It may mean that the service will go longer and I want to go eat. It may mean that I will no longer be able to deny that I have a hatred for someone in the congregation and I want to keep pretending that I don't. I have quenched the work of the Spirit by saying I don't want Him to have control or even be present. I like my church like it has always been--dead! So, I fold my arms and close my spirit. A closed spirit will always quench the Holy Spirit.

So to be filled I say to the Holy Spirit, "Spirit, please fill me. I will do what you want me to do. I will be what you want me to be. I will stop saying what is and isn't permissible. I will welcome your leading. Just please, Holy Spirit, fill me." I know the Spirit will fill you soon if you will pray this prayer sincerely and consistently. 

Be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Plans Come from Calling

Many people take each day without any plans. They show up for work rather than go to work. They endure the day rather than seizing it. In fact, the only time they have any plans for a day is when they go on vacation. Then, their days are purposeful. They often say they have to get back to work to get any rest. They play at their work and work at their play.

These people cannot define their lives. They exist. They try to get out of the way. They may know that God has plans for them but they have no idea what those plans are. They do not understand God's calling. They think it is for people who will become vocational ministers and missionaries. They do not know their place in this world.

There are those who have great plans. They plan to get rich or be famous or star in a Broadway musical. They work and plan very hard. A few of them achieve their goals. They sometimes find reaching these goals bittersweet. They are exhilarated to have reached the goals but they find they must make new goals or they won't know what to do with their lives. They are like a dog that finally catches his own tail. What's he going to do now?

There are others who understand that God calls everyone. He calls people to come to know Him. He calls people to understand the plans He has for them. He calls so that they will walk with Him.

They, too, make plans. Their plans are to follow in what He says. They are to follow the desires that He places in their hearts. They, too, may get rich or famous or star in a Broadway musical. The difference is that these things on this earth are never their ultimate goals. These are merely means to Him. They are acts of obedience. They are blessings from God. They are testimonies to the world. They are preparations for seeing God face to face.

Even ministers are found in the first two groups. Some come to work and go home every day at the same time.  Sometimes they do so little work that they have to be asked to come in. They have no passion for what they do. In my opinion, they should be doing something else rather than making a bad name for ministers. 

Some ministers are very driven but it is all about them. They want their names in lights and they speak of what they have accomplished. Top level leaders never talk like that. They know there has been grace all around them to have accomplished anything of significance. The praise of men is not anything of significance.

Who are you? Do you have plans for this day which come out of God's calling in your life? You may be a teacher or a software engineer. You may work in an office or a construction site. Do you plan to make this a day which will be obedient to God? Do you plan to make this a day in which you will see Him work in your life? Do you plan  at all?

The Scripture says that God reveals His plans to those who fear Him. Wouldn't you like to know what He is up to and join Him?

When Do You Shake the Dust from Your Feet?

My church has a breakfast the first Sunday of each month. The original intent was to provide a time when people from both of our morning services could get to know each other. It has turned into something else. 

It has become an opportunity for our members to invite unchurched friends. I am so glad we do the breakfast even though the crowd is almost unmanageable. We fellowship and truly get to know new people.

We have also used this breakfast as an opportunity to invite people who have recently visited our church. Even visitors who have been for some time know about the breakfast and inviting them is unnecessary. There were 134 people on this list. The lady who normally makes these calls was sick so I decided I would call all these people.

Some of these people were thankful and very pleasant. The majority of them were rude. I thought, "I am inviting you to free breakfast and you want to be rude to me! How does that make any sense?" 

Jesus sent His disciples out to preach the gospel. They were to enter each town and seek that town's hospitality. There were to "shake the dust from their feet as a testimony against them" if the town didn't receive them. The gospel is better than a free breakfast. Shaking the dust was an expression of no connection with or responsibility for these people. They had heard and rejected. Their condemnation was their own fault.

I suppose I make a slight distinction between those who were rude to me when I invited them to the breakfast. I always told who I was.- Remember I am the pastor of a church they have already visited.- Some were rude. Others were downright hateful. Those that were hateful were obviously not rejecting me but the church and the gospel. Is it time to shake our feet?

The answer is whether or not you are called to these people. You should continue to witness to the people God called you to until God tells you to do something else. It isn't whether or not they were rude or rejected you or the gospel alone. If so, Jesus would have shook His feet on the cross and said that all of us are bound for hell. He came for us. He knew that there would be those who rejected Him but others would follow who would receive Him.

I imagine I will sit in a heavenly cafeteria some day with God's saints. Paul will tell of his stonings and ultimately losing his head. James will mention being cut apart with swords. I will tell of people being rude to me on the telephone. I imagine there will be a silent moment-- Just before the laughter!

I will not shake the dust off my feet because I am called to this place and these people. I pray I will remember that I don't work for them anyway. I belong to the Lord.

The Gates of Hades Will Not Overpower It

The question had been posed: "Who do you say Jesus is?" There were many ways to be politically correct and supportive of Jesus. Peter could have stuck with the things that the people were saying. They had said that Jesus was Elijah or Jeremiah who had returned. They attributed His miracles to a significant work of God. It was hard to give Jesus the title "Christ" for He did not comply with the religious people of the day. He resembled one of the prophets. Their expectation of the Christ was that He might be a great military leader and Jesus certainly wasn't that. People said the next best thing.

However, Peter was not concerned about political correctness. He was not concerned because God had revealed something to him. Jesus is the Christ; the Messiah. It was something that did not fit into most people's logic box. It was something which stepped over the line. Once you called Him the Christ, the Son of the living God, there was no way you could treat Him like a man alone.

Jesus said this was the testimony upon which He would build His church. The fact that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, must never leave the church. It is the Church's greatest protection. It is the means by which the Lord will build His church. The Church which continues in this testimony will not fail even if the gates of Hades come against it.

It is amazing how many churches have lost their testimonies. They have fought over the color of the carpet, the color of the rooms and the length of the pastors' sermons. They have demanded services from their staffs and pastors which cater to their expectations. They have become filled with bitterness of those who have gossiped and led campaigns against others. And while these churches may exist, they have lost their hearts. They have lost their protection for the gates of Hades are already coming and defeating them. The devil walks down their aisles with impunity even on Sunday mornings.

Would you like to give the devil a great scare? Become one who will proclaim that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God in your church on Sunday. Encourage others to say who He is. Let it spread through your church so that everyone returns to this as the foundation of their faith. The gates of Hades cannot overpower a church who holds this testimony so true that it reaches into the community with this message. The gates of Hades cannot overcome it for Jesus, Himself, will be building this church.

"Jesus, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." This is still not revealed to us by flesh and blood. It still comes from the Father in heaven. 

Say it. The gates of Hades will not overpower it.

The Demonization of Christianity

Each person who claims to be a Christian in tv and movies is some kind of nut. He or she will impose their morals on the innocent people of their neighborhood while harboring secret sins which are much worse than anyone else has done. The media wants to show that we are all hypocrites.

Well, let me cut to the chase. There are times I am a hypocrite. I don't like the fact but I am. I sometimes say things without any thought about how I may hurt someone. I sometimes watch things on tv that do not honor my Lord. I sometimes have feelings of hate toward others. Each of these things I do my best to repent of and come back to my Lord.

Does the media think we are proposing perfection? Do they think that we think of ourselves as perfect? Is perfection necessary before you can say something is wrong?

This mentality would cause me to go the YMCA this afternoon when it is full of people working out. I should start yelling, "Get out of here you hypocrites! You know that you are sneaking honeybuns to your offices in the mornings! You know that you are eating way too much red meat! You know that you are not really taking care of yourselves. If you can't do it all the time, you are just a bunch of hypocrites and should give up and join the rest of us fat people!"

Shouldn't we say to the world, "We have not arrived. There are still things that my Lord is working on. We are on a journey. We believe this is the best way to live our lives."

We shouldn't be surprised that the mainstream media sees Christianity as a evil upon our society. This has been going on since people have learned to demonize what they do not agree with. Even Jesus was said to have had a demon. He didn't do what the establishment wanted. He didn't support their agenda. He pointed out their faults. They used the mentality, "If you are not with me in the way I think, you must be evil." This thought prevails in America today. Just look at politics.

He was not totally like us in that Jesus was not a hypocrite. On the other hand, He was actually so good that they killed Him. They couldn't let someone so perfect continue to mess up their system.

The media does have some valid points. There are some nuts who call themselves Christians who demand compliance in their way of thinking. They do not seem to care if a person knows Christ. They want the person to comply with Christian morality. They missed the point of the Great Commission. We were called to make disciples. Disciples do what Jesus commanded because of their relationship to Jesus. They are His disciples because they know Him and out of that love for Him do what He commanded. We weren't expected to coerce people to act like Jesus wanted and then call them His disciples. I am afraid they can't see the love in us when we are demanding they act like Jesus told us to act.

My rules are these: Love people first. Love them when they do and don't agree with you. Admit that you are not perfect but that you are on a journey. Talk about grace and forgiveness. Tell of conviction and repentance. Don't be surprised at the demonization; keep speaking and acting your faith. Pray a lot. You have no strength without God so why not admit it, go to Him and receive His strength. Live a life of joy.

Our battle is not against flesh and blood anyway. Love those who hate you. Pray for them.  

Is Love the Companion of Faith?

Last night I read the story about Jesus having a meal with Simon, the Pharisee. Jesus was reclining at the table (they didn't use chairs but sat on the floor). A woman comes up from behind and washes His feet with her tears and drys them with her hair. She takes a vial of perfume and anoints His feet.

Simon thought, "If He knew this woman was so immoral, He wouldn't let her do this."

Jesus told Simon a parable which said that the one who is forgiven much, loves much. He indicated that the woman loved Him so much because He had forgiven her. He then tells her that her faith has saved her.

Most of the time my mind is a dim room but occasionally the lights are turned up. I have never thought of love being accompanied with faith. Suddenly, I understood why some people agree that Jesus is the Savior and exhibit no real joy, have no need for service or have any significant change in their lives. Those who express a true love for Jesus can't do enough for Him. One knows the joy of being forgiven and living in His presence and the other does not. Love seems to be a factor in faith.

Why would Jesus say that the greatest commandment was to love God with all your heart or Isaiah speak of people whose heart is for from God who honor Him with their lips alone if love was not a product of faith? In other words, I believe and I love or I don't truly know what it is to be forgiven. I believe and I love or I don't know how to love others. I believe and I love or I will always be stingy with God in everything I do.

Think about it. What did Jesus ask Peter after He was resurrected?- "Do you love Me?" What did He say of those who loved Him?- "You will keep my commandments." Faith and love cannot be separated so that you can have life-changing faith without life-changing love.

Maybe I should ask people if they love Jesus rather than if they believe. The meaning of believe doesn't have to cross the line to true faith but true love always does. If you love Jesus you are being radically changed.

So, do you love Him?