When You Must Find a New Church

 May 7, 2024

Tuesday

People come and go from a church. That must be expected. They change jobs, move to new locations and are too far away to effectively be a part of their present church. They join new churches and get involved in them. That should be applauded. They are following Christ. This is what they should do.

What bothers me is when they have made such progress in their faith and turn away from the truth to follow those who will tell them exciting new things that will cause them to follow a new preacher rather than the Lord. Most often, they didn't intend to follow heresy. They just didn't see it coming.

The Apostle Paul addresses this in 2 Corinthians 11: 13-15:

2 Corinthians 11:13–15 (NASB 2020) ¹³ For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. ¹⁴ No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. ¹⁵ Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.

These false prophets have the same characteristics:

1. They use the Bible. Many people think that anyone who uses the Bible must be preaching the truth. That would be true if they let the Bible be the basis for the message but they tell only a part of the story. They are like the people who report today's news. The best way to tell a lie is to tell only part of the truth. The part of the truth can be verified. The whole story can't. Context would destroy the messages that false prophets preach. They depend on a biblically illiterate congregation. They either don't want them to carry their Bibles or they don't want their congregations to read the scriptures surrounding the ones they read.

2. They appeal to the ways of the world. Each of the people in their congregations must live in the world. Every day they are bombarded with the ways of the world. They are tempted with images, desires for wealth and fame in the world. These values are accepted from Monday through Saturday. They have been climatized to the world's environment. Therefore, appealing to the ways of the world is an extension of what they are experiencing outside the church. They have nothing to fight against. They have no personal sin in seeking these things. They feel lifted up when the preacher tells them that they are all okay and things will get better by indulging in the ways of the world.

3. They carefully disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Feelings rather than truth are their means of convincing people they are righteous. Feelings are incredibly deceptive. David's son Amnon thought he had feelings of love for Tamar. It was just feelings of lust. That is why he did the wrong thing when he raped her. Feelings will often make you think that what you are doing is right even though the truth will reveal that it is wrong. "Does it feel right?" is not the question that should be asked before making a decision or accepting a belief. Truth will dispel feelings. 

4. They are servants of Satan. Satan has always questioned God's word. He seeks to bend it so that he can tell a blatant lie. He wants people to hurt God's people. He does not want them in fellowship with the Lord. He wants them to feel superior just as he wants to feel superior. Servants of Satan have the characteristic of Satan. They want people to follow them as the ultimate authority. They claim powers that will enable them to give their followers the desires of their hearts. 

5. They are well known. They have gotten themselves placed in the public eye. They are considered legitimate by many other Christians. They have cult-like personalities. They are likely to be seen when people are searching. How can a crowd be wrong? That seems to be the reason that normally solid Christians initially listen to them. Their appeal is a new teaching with a new power given to those who will follow their teaching.

6. The back door to their churches are almost as wide as their front doors. Many of those who once attended the church, no longer do because they have found it to be a sham. They are disillusioned and don't go to church anywhere. They feel that if one church will dupe them another has just as good a chance. These false prophets do not care. They just have to keep their front doors wider than their back doors. The crowd is their best advertisement.

So, you must be very careful in finding a new church. It may not have a crowd nor a preacher who has written best selling books. It may not be as exciting nor the in vogue church in town. Yet, it will keep the Bible in context with the truth at all times. It will include people who know they have sinned and ask for forgiveness rather than claim righteousness as their own. These churches have members who know that their righteousness is a gift from Jesus.

When you find this church, serve through it. Question when you are confused on some teaching. Pray for God to work in you through this church. Rejoice in the change that the Holy Spirit brings rather than the preacher.

God bless all who seek a godly church.

Fruit of the Spirit

 March 7, 2024

Thursday

I have heard many people say that they have trouble with one of the fruits of the Spirit. I wonder about that. The word "fruit" in that verse is singular. The verb is singular. How do we get plural out of this? Easy. We count the characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit and call them the "fruits."

Let's say we have a peach. We can say the peach is fuzzy, juicy, orange, yellow, white, seeded and soft. We can say that of one peach singularly. Thus, we should be able to understand that the singular fruit of the Spirit has nine characteristics.

Receiving the Holy Spirit does not come in parts. We either received the Spirit or we did not. No place in the Bible says that people received only part of the Holy Spirit. 

There are, however, admonitions to be filled with the Spirit. This is not a different Spirit but the filling of the Spirit. This comes when we are fully compliant and obedient to the Spirit. This comes with the nine characteristics of the Spirit. We are filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Saying that we only received some of the characteristics is short-changing the Holy Spirit.

Being filled with the Spirit is the same Spirit we received when we received Christ. This is why repentance is such evidence of receiving Christ. The Spirit will not come in while you are still keeping Him out. Being filled with the Spirit is not acting like a Christian without it becoming who we are. If we say we lack a couple of the characteristics of the Spirit, we are not filled with the Spirit. Thus, we become patient when filled with the Spirit when that isn't who we would be without the Spirit.

Christ didn't come to make us simply better people of the same sort of people. He came to make us new creations. That new creation is begun by the Spirit coming to be with us continually and filling us so that others will note that we are not like we used to be.

The scripture also commands that we are filled with the Spirit but many people don't know if that has ever happened to them. The fruit of the Spirit should be evident in those moments. Possessing this fruit should pique our desire to continue in the filling. The problem is that the flesh seeks to quench the Spirit. Quenching the Spirit leaves us without the fruit.

So note the fruit of the Spirit and honestly evaluate if you have it. The nine characteristics will be there if you do. And when you do, you will be filled with the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22–23 (NASB 2020) ²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Doing the Lord's Will

 April 17, 2024

Wednesday

Do you ask yourself what can I do for God or how has God invited me to join Him? Which of these is the pattern we see in the Bible?

Noah was minding his own business when God came to him. He commanded Noah to build a huge boat that would save mankind and the animals. Moses was tending sheep when God got his attention with a bush that just didn't burn up. He commanded Moses to be the one who would lead His people out of Egypt to the Promised Land. Gideon was threshing wheat when an angel of God contacted him. He was the lead his people against the Midianites.

On the other hand we see Joseph saving his people from a famine through extraordinary circumstances without a direct command from the Lord. David challenged Goliath with no recorded express command from the Lord. Rahab had no command from the Lord when she helped the spies entering Canaan. 

It appears that people join God in His will by faith that may or may not be preceded with a command. The commands some receive are implied commands at best. Faith is key to doing God's will.

The problem that many have is that they slap faith on just about everything they do.  Business people say it is by faith that they make business decisions. Churches claim that it is by faith that they borrow money to build their buildings. Pastors claim that it is by faith that the church grows even though they are copying the methods of another church. Individuals claim that it is by faith that they believe God provides even when they have misused their money.

God still speaks to His people. They still know His voice. They still follow Him by faith. No matter whether it is by direct command or not, following the Lord is paramount. It isn't what can I do for the Lord, but what am I to do that the Lord has for me? He has prepared all that He has for me before time began. My responsibility is to listen, watch and respond to His will.

Prayer is essential if I am to be in a place that God will reveal His will for me. A renewed mind is essential to interpret God's commands. Ephesians 5:17 says that it is foolish not to know His will. It is foolish because fools don't follow the Lord.

So, walk in the Spirit so that you will be exactly where you are supposed to be. When the Lord calls it will be evident to you. He may speak directly or He may indicate through circumstances, other believers or His Word what you are to do. You and I, we, were created for this.

Ephesians 2:10 (NASB 2020) ¹⁰ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Seek Not the Miracle: Seek the Lord

 March 6, 2024

Wednesday

Wouldn't it be a lot easier to share Christ with other people if miracles attributed to Christ were happening all around us today? Wouldn't it be easier to convince people that all we have said about Him is true?

The answer is actually, no. The scribes and Pharisees who were present with Jesus didn't believe in Him even though they saw Him perform miracles. It seems that, even in that day, miracles could be explained away.

We assume that non-Christians are neutral in their relationship with God. In other words, they are merely blank tablets that haven't been written on yet. If they simply knew, they would believe. We find, however, that that isn't the case. The non-Christian is opposed to God even if he doesn't know he is.

Romans 5:8 (NASB 2020) ⁸ But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Obviously, sin is opposed to God. The understanding of "sinners" here is an action and a condition. While we may sin as believers, sin is an action rather than a condition. We are saints who sometimes sin. The understanding of this word is that it is a condition that brings opposition to God. Non-Christians are not neutral. They are opposed to God even though they do not know it.

This is why salvation is a miracle. The person who was opposed to God repents and becomes a follower. This is an act of the Holy Spirit who convicts the sinner to become a saint. Miracles will not convince the person who is opposed to God. Every miracle will be explained satisfactorily so that the sinner can remain in his condition.

God's miracles are for His glory. People may believe in Him afterwards, but that again is for His glory. He does not create miracles for amusement. This is why Jesus could not do many miracles in the area He grew up in. They could not believe that someone who grew up next to them in such humble means could be the Son of God. Thus, they would have explained away the miracles He performed.

Matthew 13:58 (NASB 2020) ⁵⁸ And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.

People who are seeking a miracle to believe are not seeking the Lord. They are mesmerized by the miracle and want more miracles so that it will stoke their pseudo-belief. Thus, true miracles aren't performed because God is opposed to praising the miracle. He seeks the glory for Himself.

This is why Jesus tells the Sadducees and Pharisees that He will not perform a miracle for them. It will not be for God's glory. It will be for the scribes and Pharisees. If they couldn't believe from the miracles already performed, what difference would one more miracle make? They were wicked and adulterous.

Matthew 16:1–4 (NASB 2020) ¹ The Pharisees and Sadducees came up, and putting Jesus to the test, they asked Him to show them a sign from heaven. ² But He replied to them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ ³ And in the morning, ‘There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but are you unable to discern the signs of the times? ⁴ An evil and adulterous generation wants a sign; and so a sign will not be given to it, except the sign of Jonah.” And He left them and went away.

But this is not your condition. You do not need another miracle to believe. You seek the One who performs the miracles. You give glory to Him alone when you see these miracles. You do not try to explain them. You accept them.

This is why we are to seek God's kingdom and righteousness to see His give us what we need. We do not seek the miracle but the God of the miracles.

Matthew 6:33 (NASB 2020) ³³ But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you.

The Proof of Faith

 March 5, 2024

Tuesday

After the euphoria of coming to know Christ, the common reaction is to question if it is all real. You just want the Lord to do a miracle right in front of you one more time. That will do until the euphoria of that miracle wears off.

On the other hand, many people believe (and some of them might be Christians) that we base our faith on things that we have no evidence for. They do not expect any miracles. They just think they are supposed to believe. They are unable to defend their faith because they have no evidence.

Our faith is full of evidence. Those who walk with the Lord daily will see His manifest presence. They will see prayers answered. They will see the most unlikely of persons to give their hearts to Jesus. They will hear Him as He leads them daily. They will have revelations as the Holy Spirit reads God's word to them.

That doesn't that followers will be protected from all evil. They won't. They will go through extremely difficult times. They will pray and not have their prayers answered as they would like. They will see loved ones die. They might even suffer physically themselves. They will sometimes know the silence of God.

When this happens believers must go back to what they were sure of before the bad times. They, we, must go back to the evidence that we have seen. We recount the answered prayers. We recount the times when miracles happened before us. We recount the times we heard the voice of our Lord.

I have many of those experiences that I continue to praise God for. I praise Him when I am not in such a bad place so that I will remember to praise Him when I am. Otherwise, the tendency is to wonder if it is all real.

When John the Baptist was imprisoned, he sent his disciples to ask if Jesus was really the Messiah. Remember, this is the one who was so filled with the Holy Spirit that he leaped in his mother's womb in the presence of the unborn Christ. This is the one who declared that Jesus was the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. This is the one who said it should be Jesus baptizing him rather than he baptizing Jesus.

Yet, in the silence of God, John wondered. Jesus did not rebuke John's disciples. Jesus showed no disdain for John's asking. Jesus just gave him proof.

Matthew 11:2–6 (NASB 2020) ² Now while in prison, John heard about the works of Christ, and he sent word by his disciples, ³ and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or are we to look for someone else?” ⁴ Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: ⁵ those who are blind receive sight and those who limp walk, those with leprosy are cleansed and those who are deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. ⁶ And blessed is any person who does not take offense at Me.”

Jesus gives you proof too. Tell someone today.

When Nothing Causes You to Stumble

 March 4, 2024

Monday

Have you heard, "The science is settled?" What a joke! Science is never settled. It is always asking questions. It is only when science makes conclusions with confidence that people think it is time to stop asking questions. This is when they depart from science.

Scientists claimed that neutrinos go faster than light, but they were wrong. They claimed the discovered arsenic based life in 2010, but they were wrong. In the early 20th century they claimed there was only one galaxy. And everyone, scientists included, thought the earth was the center of the universe at one time. They corrected their errors by asking questions. I guess we might still believe these things if they had continued to say, "The science is settled."

What if we are to say, "I know as much about my faith as I need to know." Here, too, we will make assertions that will not prove to be true. Many preachers are declaring that they know the truth. They depend on an illiterate congregation who believes that these preachers are the experts and the theology on their subject is settled. These preachers may even use scripture to prove their declarations. They rarely take the scripture in context and often hide the evidence that disproves what they say. They can present a lie with such passion and excitement that people believe it must be true.

Yet, when we keep going into God's word, we find their errors. We are established upon God's word, not on the words of preachers that disagree with God's word.

Each of us is making his way closer to God. Each of us learns the word of God day by day. Each of us is drawn closer to the Lord daily. Each of us should know Him better each day. Then, some of those things we hear will be dismissed because we know the Lord and His word. We know God's character. We have His Spirit.

So, you are growing as a believer. You do not fall for the cleaver words of preachers who tell stories that give us what our flesh desires. You stand on God's word. And this is a more solid foundation than can be found anywhere.

Get into God's word beyond this devotional. Attend a small group that studies the Bible. Attend until the Lord calls you to teach. Attach yourself to a Disciple Group. Become a disciple maker. Stand and proclaim God's word even though you may not be a preacher. And nothing will cause you to stumble.

Psalm 119:165 (NASB 2020) ¹⁶⁵ Those who love Your Law have great peace, And nothing causes them to stumble.

Hear the Master's Voice

March 3, 2024

Sunday

 I grew up on a farm. One thing I knew that had to be done was maintenance on the equipment. I knew that the failure to grease, change the oil and perform any other scheduled maintenance would cost much more later that it did now.

Also when you spent hours working with equipment, you learned how it sounded. I knew something was wrong when the equipment didn't make the normal sound. It was better to check out what was going on and fix it right away than to allow it to go on, just hoping it would go away. Again, fixing a problem when it was small took less time and costs much less. Of course, at my age, there weren't headphones over my ears to drown out the sound of the equipment. I am sure that, if there were, there would have been more catastrophic breakdowns. 

While I am not one who thinks that God is chatty, I do believe that He speaks to us. I can hear from Him daily through His word. I can hear Him daily through His Spirit. If I don't "listen" a problem will arise soon. If I keep myself from hearing the problem by ignoring or by putting my attention elsewhere, the problem gets much worse.

Just like failing to listen to farm equipment, I should know there is a problem when I haven't listened to my Master's voice. He is speaking, even now. When I listen, I follow Him When I drown out His voice and don't listen, I walk astray. Then, I am no longer following Him. I get myself in trouble. The trouble gets worse the longer I am in it. It does not go away. The only answer is to listen for Jesus' voice. Only then, can I get back on the path.

The question each morning must be: Will I listen to hear my Master's voice today? Nothing can get in the way of doing that or we are assured to stray from the path. We are assured of getting in trouble.

While there are many ways to do that without reading this blog, there must be a plan so that we stay on that path. Reading the Bible randomly often results in reading the Bible infrequently. Frequency matters. It must be daily that we listen for His voice. Failing to do so will cost a great deal more later.

   “My sheep listen to My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;” (John 10:27, NASB 2020)