Remembering 2014

   Well, the new year is upon us.  By this time tomorrow the year 2014 will be no more and our future lies in 2015.  However, before we usher in the new year I would like to use this last post to reflect on 2014.  In the spirit of reflection, below is an old post from July.  On this last Wednesday of 2014 we all close this chapter in our lives and look forward to the year to come.

 

THE work before the work

“But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.” -2 Timothy 4:5

The work of an evangelist at its core is a work of God.  If you plant a good seed in the earth, all things consistent it will yield good fruit.  If you have a burden for the lost and a desire to serve God above all else, it will yield evangelistic work.  Doing the work of an evangelist begins with having a work of God done and continuing in you.  Do we want to reverse that and do the “work” (i.e. church retreats, conventions, what have you) before we have the work done and continuing in us?  Granted, it is not all bad to think about evangelism in a practical sense, like, Lord give me a vehicle: a website, tent meeting, retreat, etc.  However, I am convinced that it starts with the unbending and undying fire of God burning in your heart for the things of God.  It is a natural state of being that consumes your life until you view your whole world as a mission field and your every possession as a tool for the harvest.   

In my opinion it is easier to look at evangelism with a “what can we do?” mentality, that is to say looking for “events” to “accomplish”; i.e. hosting a concert, having a bonfire, etc.  It is easier because at times it requires very little life change.  But to lay your all on the alter and ask God to take full control of your life?  What would happen if we considered this doing the “work of an evangelist” (because it is)?  Are you prepared to lend your home to be a half-way house?  Are you willing to cross the sea and smuggle Bibles into China?  Does your neighbor, grocer, co-worker, know you are serving God?  Have you shared your testimony with them?  Sometimes, dare I say it, we know more about evangelism than we care to admit.  We know that it takes a full commitment, we know that it may cost us our luxuries, we know that it will inconvenience us, and we know that it will alienate us from the world.  Perhaps it is time to leave off asking “what can we do?” and being asking “Lord what would you have me do?”  My life is your blank check, my possessions at your disposal.  I care not what or where you take me, I want only to please you and live my life for thee.  I want only to live the sanctified life.  When this work consumes us, the method to carry it out will reveal itself.  God will give that to us when we give it all to him.  It might not be something you can point to and say “here is my ministry.”  You might live your whole life a chain of benevolent deeds done here and there and only understand the purpose of it all when you get to heaven.  However, one thing is certain, the work requires sacrifice, and it requires obedience beyond your vision. 

            Trying to do the work of an evangelist without first having a work done in us, is like trying to grown an apple tree without first planting the seed.    The work begins with a work, a work of God in us, and then we go to work.  There are many out there (perhaps you are one of them) who understand this, and the “work” that they are doing right now is a result of their commitment to God (and God is blessing them).  But if you are sitting wondering “what can we do?  What can we do?”  Maybe it is time to cast aside this question for a space and seek rather towards “Lord what would you have me to do?”  And be prepared to answer with your feet.  The work of an evangelist is a Sanctified life, not a one-time sanctified experience, and the sanctified LIFE is being wholly dedicated and devoted to the service of God.  Are you sanctified to Him and his work?  This is the work of the evangelist.   

The Spiritual Christmas

“And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” –Luke 1:17

The prepared heart is absolutely essential to the plan of salvation.  As the birth, life, death, resurrection, and giving of the Holy Spirit is interconnected and interdependent.  So we find that repentance is as needful as sanctification and sanctification is as needful as repentance if one wishes to have a full relation with God that Father and make it to a home in heaven.      

God wants each and every one of us to have a spiritual Christmas story within our hearts.  Now, what on earth does that mean?  To accurately understand the spiritual Christmas story we must first grasp the physical Christmas story (for lack of a better term).  Thankfully, the account of which has been taken down for us in the book of Matthew and the book of Luke.  The gospel of Luke (as well as other places in the Bible) tells us that John the Baptist was to go before Jesus.  He was to be the forerunner, preaching the gospel of repentance, witnessing to the Christ, and preparing the way for the coming of the Savior.  If you read through Luke chapter one and two, you find that John’s birth was a miraculous one and he proceeded Christ in concept by six months.  John was sent preaching a gospel of preparation, not one of total salvation.  He continuously pointed to another, one who would come after himself, one that would be greater than he and bring a gospel greater than his own.  John physically proceeded Christ in coming into this world and preached a gospel that would prepare the people for the coming of Christ.  The story of Christmas is the birth of Christ.  The coming of our savior into this world.  He is the main character so to speak and John is part of the supporting cast.  John’s roll was to prepare: he was born before, he went before, and he preached before so as to prepare the way for the coming of Jesus into this world.  So, to sum up, we have John physically born with a mission to preach repentance and prepare for Christ.  Jesus Christ who six months later is born to a virgin, and he is to be the Savior of the world.  John is first into this world, and Christ is after.  Now, keeping the physical occurrences of the Christmas story in mind; let us now consider the spiritual.  It is in the spiritual that the birth of Christ becomes personal.   

Before Jesus, came into the world, the world was lost in the darkness of sin with no chance of deliverance.  Before Jesus comes into your heart and before he came into mine we were lost in the darkness of sin.  However, before Jesus can come we first need to be prepared.  We need to repent, turn away, ask God for forgiveness and determine to never go back to our sinning ways.  God will forgive and forget, but we don’t stop there because He did not stop there.  There is full deliverance that is offered and a spiritual coming of Christ into your heart that needs to be requested and welcomed by faith.  You are not saved at forgiveness you are prepared for the coming of the Savior.  The coming is not physical but spiritual; the spirit of the Holy Christ (the comforter) is birthed in you and you thereby are reborn, sanctified, and made holy.  It is by faith and in faith, just as the birth of our Savior was by faith and in faith; the faith of Mary, the faith of Joseph.  With God, the impossible is possible through faith.     

When Jesus comes into your heart he saves you totally and completely from all sin and pulls you out of the darkness into light; that’s what he came into this world to do, to save us from our sins.  It is what is doing even now, whenever you resolve to be saved (sanctified) you can be.  You can have a spiritual Christmas.

Life of Faith

“And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.” – Luke 1:38

The Christian life is a life of faith.  The Bible tells us in Hebrews 11 (the faith chapter as it’s called) that they “looked for a city that has foundations whose builder and maker is God.”  This is in contrast to the worldly life which is a life of sight.  The Christian who is a Christian is striving, believing, and hoping for that which is unseen; opposite to the man who is not a Christian.  A man without faith in God is striving, believing, and hoping for that which is temporal.  It is accept that we are born into this world a natural man with a mind and propensity towards things that are temporal and carnal; therefore it stands to reason that if you are going to walk by faith then you must first experience some sort of transformation; a change, a conversion.  This is accomplished through faith; through faith you can be born again into a life of faith.  

The Bible doesn’t tell us a whole lot about Mary and Joseph before Jesus came on the scene.  We know their lineage, we know they were engaged, we know some of their immediate family, and we also know that they were righteous (really that tells you all you need to know).  The angel told Mary, “thou hast found favor with God.”  One can readily assume that with a testimony like that, Mary was a women of faith, and a good thing to, because she was being called upon to perform a monumental task.  In these few short verses found in the first chapter of the book of Luke, this humble and amazing women teaches us a valuable lesson about the life of faith.  It is very easy to believe and have faith when everything is as it should be.  We all have our little plans laid out in front of us, I did, I was going to graduate high school, go to college, etc.  If the wind is clam and the boat is headed due north following the point of the compass; what great need is there for faith?  I imagine (but cannot confirm) that Mary and Joseph had their plans as well.  They were to be married, and have a little house, Joseph would likely take up his occupation and life would continue as planned.  Perhaps two kids, a comfortable home, nice neighbors, etc.  Then one day, an angel appears, and their world is turned upside down.  I ask you as I ask myself, where is your faith when your world is turned upside down?  Not where is it, that is to say do you have it or not, but where is it?  What are you trusting in?  Do you trust in yourself?  Your sight?  Your bank account?.......Or God.  Where is your faith?  The life of faith is proven through times of faith and in times of faith where we place our faith can determine everything.  It is the difference in Abraham and Lot, Saul and David, Josiah and Manasseh, Saul and Paul.  Faith, and the life of faith glorifies God and that is a beautiful thing.    

Mary’s faith was a beautiful faith.  When the angel came and turned her world upside down, she didn’t have to take a walk and mole it over.  There wasn’t a long line of questioning to the angel as if they were in the court room.  She simply said “be it unto me according to thy word.”  Beautiful faith, give me that kind of faith.  The kind that when the whole world is falling to pieces and all my life’s ambitions are turned tossed out the window I can say God “be it unto me according to thy word”; come sorrow or pain, loss or gain.   This is faith, and a life of faith.           

The Right Approach

“Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.” - Luke 7:47

We live in an age of availability and information.  Through text message, I can simultaneously communicate to anyone, anywhere, and at any given moment.  Thorough Facebook, I can know your life’s story (if you chose to tell it) simply by clicking a mouse.  Through the use of the internet I can learn about: Sir Walter Raleigh, Jane Austin, and Gandhi; in about thirty minutes.   One would think, with so much information and methods of communication afforded to us, we would be closer than ever as a human race, but oftentimes the opposite is true, we are just as guarded and segregated as we ever were.  We are divorced from the sufferings of our fellowman and numb to the simplistic call of Christ.  Perhaps it is not in the channel of communication, but the approach to communicate. 

            In Jesus’s day, the Pharisees were the religious elite.  They held the high seats, wore the best robes, and only associated with those who were like them.  The church continually faces a consistent temptation to become Pharisaical.  When Jesus came on the scene some of them sought this man out, not as though he was the Son of God, but as though he was an equal.  Simon was such a Pharisee (Luke 7), he went so far as to invite Jesus to his home, but the manner in which he approached Christ is not unlike many today (perhaps even some reading now).  He gave him no kiss (a customary greeting), he gave him no basin to wash his feet (a kind gesture of that day).  He approached Jesus, yes, but he did it in a guarded and careful manner.  Essentially, he said to his peers, himself, and Christ: “Let there be no mistake, I am intrigued by you, but not invested in you.”  Now, while they spoke, a women, a sinner, comes up to Jesus and begins to bath his feet with her tears and dry them with her hair (how awkward this must have been for her and those around her); she then proceeds to anoint his head with oil.  How we approach Jesus Christ can determine the destiny of our immortal soul.  How we approach Jesus Christ is a matter of life and death.  Simon the Pharisee saw him as an equal and one that could be accepted or dismissed, he was guarded and full of care towards Jesus.  The women didn't care what anyone thought about her, she was not worried about what others would say or think; she approach Jesus recklessly, fanatically, and completely.  She wasn't just intrigued by him, she was invested, abandoned, and totally devoted to Jesus Christ.  He was her salvation and she treated him as such.    

            We cannot approach Christ like a research paper.  We cannot get to know him by looking at his Facebook (even if he had one).  You cannot communicate with him via text, that is to say, I will bash out a little message every now and again while I surf the web, eat my dinner, and watch TV.  A Google search, and a quick Wikipedia read won’t cut it, and just a visit once a week to your local church will not suffice.  The Bible teaches us that for Christ to forgive and save your soul you must come as the women.  You must approach Christ wholly, completely, entirely, with no regard for the cost or the shame that it may bring you.  You must, I must, we must, love much.  In this is the key to salvation, and the approach that will bring it to pass.

We are HIS body

“Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.” – 1 Corinthians 12:27

Paul writes to the Corinthian church saying “concerning gifts, I would not have you ignorant.”  The reality is that we as mankind can often be ignorant, and sometimes, willing ignorant.  The devil will pervert that which the Spirit gives, and cause destruction wherever he can.  He would have us believe that in doing the will of God, and using our gifts, we are proud and haughty.  He would have us think that humility is always coupled with silence and meekness with littleness.  Furthermore, he would trick us into thinking that because we have no “obvious” gift, then by default we have no gift at all and therefore a right to sit on our hands.  This is not so, the devil is a liar.

The apostle Paul gives us the analogy of the physical body to help explain the diverse gifts that are given by the Spirit.  Your eye, your hand, you little toe, each have a specific place and function on your body.  A designed purposed, and it was created by God for that purpose.  However they do not operate autonomous, but fall under the command of the head of the body (the mind).  The hand does not reach unless the mind gives it instruction, nor the mouth move, or the eye blink.  They each work together so the body can move and function; so the body can accomplish what the mind wills.  So, we, as sanctified believers are to be members of the body working together to accomplish what Christ would have us do.  This is the function of His church; to be Christ on this earth.  Now, let us pause for a moment and consider this; if the hand is doing what the hand is built to do does it have anything to glory of?  Certainly not, and is it wrong for that member to work and do as it was meant to do?  Certainly not, the teacher should teach, the preacher should preacher, he who can help should help, to do so is no uncommon thing and to shrink back from this duty is not humility but unwise and unprofitable.  You have been called out of sin and into righteousness.  You have been gloriously changed and it is God that will direct you to do His will and help you to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ.  But how to know your gift and function within the body of Christ?

I fear we as Christians, make the mistake (I know I have) of thinking.  What is MY gift or what is MY talent.  We being to think and analyze, saying within, “what can I do for God?”  That is to say, what can I accomplish, where do I fit.  Am I a preacher? Am I a teacher?  Take care in this line of thinking.  In the sanctified life, any ambition, even Christian ambition, which is not in the will of God can be a detriment to your spiritual life.  Some may enter the body and want to be a preacher or a church leader; always manipulating and striving to this end.  This is counterproductive, for if we are striving to our own ambition, we are not doing what we are called to do.  Let us leave off, seeking, looking, and striving for MY talent for God, and seek rather for the gift which the Spirit gives.  The question is not “what can I do for God?” But rather, “God, what would you have me do?”  Seek the will of the Father and serve the body.  You will find in doing so that you are never without employment in the work of God.

In this mentality we find the presence of humility, meekness, obedience; and in this mentality we find the absence of pride and arrogance.  For it is no great thing for the eye to see or the ear to hear, is that not what you were made to do?  So with the Christian, the service to God, in the will of God, whilst seeking God is nothing to glory in, but in this we find God gets the glory.  This was the life of Christ, and after all we are the body of Christ, and members in particular.   

All we Like Sheep

“The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want.”-Psalms 23:1

If the Lord is my shepherd I will want for nothing.  In some cases, the word want and lack can be used interchangeably; simply because if you have want for something then you obviously lack it.  Example: if you want a drink of water then you lack water.  IF the Lord is my shepherd I will want for nothing.

                I believe, as I am sure many others do as well, that the Master chose his analogies very carefully.  Personally the shepherd/sheep relationship is one of my favorites.  Let us consider for a moment the animal that is a sheep.  First and foremost they are skittish creatures.  At the first sign of danger they run the other way.  There is very little courage in a sheep. Second, they are completely defenseless.  They have no claws, teeth, venom; they are not very big, basically it’s as easy for a predator to have sheep for dinner, as it is for an American to have pizza for dinner.  So to sum up, the sheep are TOTALLY dependent on the shepherd; without him, they are as good as dead.  In your mind, imagine a sheepfold smack dab in the middle of a desert place.  If left to their own will they find food?  No, they will starve. Will they seek out still waters?  No, they will die of dehydration, if not eaten first.  They cannot survive without the guiding, protecting hand of the shepherd.  Without the shepherd they want for everything, but with a good shepherd they want for nothing. Spiritually, are we not like sheep? (Perhaps temporally as well, although we are inclined to think different.)

                The scripture says that “when lust has conceived it bringeth forth sin; and sin when it is finished bringeth forth death.”(James 1:15)  Lust is a strong desire towards something, anything really.  I believe that lust conceives in the mind, at the point when a man or women says "I am going to have this thing or do that thing at any cost."  When you finally say, I am going to do this no matter the consequences (Usually there are layers and layers of justification before you get to this point)-that is when lust conceives in the mind and will bring forth sin.   However before the justification, lust, and sin there is want/lack.  It is therefore only natural to conclude that you have strayed from or total rejected your Shepherd. 

            Brethren, “let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire wanting nothing.”(James 1:4)  Tribulation worketh patience because tribulation forces a person to lean on God and less on self.  Real tribulation will bring you to a place where you realize; “I can’t do this on my own.”  This worketh patience in your life; you begin to realize that God will supply all my needs....if I just wait for him, and allow him to do so.  As the sheep follow the good shepherd that will lead them to green pastures, so must we follow Jesus trusting that he will lead us to the nutrients that gives us abiding life.  He WILL: lead, comfort, keep and protect; but sometimes we must wait for it. The devil will creep in, in these times of wait and try to make you want; or rather, try to convenience you that you lack.  When you begin to believe this lie you begin to want, lust, covet, sin, and then, eventually….death.  Let us instead say to the enemy of our soul-

“The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want.  He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside still waters.  He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” –Psalms 23: 1-3

The Path-Judgment

“His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” – Matthew 25:21

Through this little series we have spoke of: birth, sin, spiritual death, spiritual birth, and now we come to death.  In plain terms, physical death.  Every man or women that comes to this earth is one day going to leave it at a time which they know not.  Death is on the path, it is the end of life here on earth, and the beginning of eternity.   

Once you have been made sanctified by the Holy Ghost and you are continuing in his will, living the sanctified life.  You nor anyone can ever know how much longer your life on earth may be.  It is in God’s will to decide.  The idea of physical death to a person who does not have a full relationship with Jesus Christ is something to fight against.  It is the expiration date on a life that they have invested in down here.  To the Christian, death is a promotion.  Jesus lived, so that we might live; not just spiritual life here on earth, but life after, in heaven.  He who “lays up his treasures here on earth” will reap only the splendor of this world, but those who do not and esteem the will of God rather; will reap spiritual blessings here and life eternal in the world to come.  You cannot indulged in the world down here, gaining and getting, and expect to find welcome in the world to come.  You are either a pilgrim here and a citizen there, or a citizen here and a stranger there.  Your physical death gives absolute judgment on where your citizenship truly is; though your sanctification is like a passport back to your homeland. As the old folks in my church used to say (the wisdom in this still astounds me) “we have a heaven to go to heaven in.”  If you have been made sanctified, and you are living the life through the Holy Spirit.  A little bit of heaven is in you.  Thereby you have been “set apart” from the world, the flesh, and the devil.  You have a little bit of heaven to take you to heaven.  As long as you keep His commandments, hours will turn to days, days to years, and one day you will look up and this road of life will be well traveled for Jesus Christ. 

The glorious welcome of “well done” (in my opinion) should be the mission statement of every Christian life (perhaps that statement is too lofty).  We are not living this life for ourselves, but for Jesus Christ, and on the day when we die.  The goal, the mission, the want of our entire being should be, and I imagine will be, to hear “well done.”  Mind you, and make no mistake; the Bible clearly tells and shows that He is a just God, and welcome will not be extended to those who have rejected Him.  The judgment of God is sure, clear, and absolute.  In the end, it won’t matter how big our house is, or how fast our car goes.  The bank account or resume will not count for anything.  What will matter is love.  Do we have the perfect love of God on the inside?  Did you love Him enough to renounce your way each day and follow His?  Did you love God and love your neighbor?  Did you walk the path, the path that is in His Holy Bible?  Though it seems on earth, these things count for very little, at death and judgment, they will count for a great deal.    

The Path-Grow in Grace (continue in Love)

“As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.” –John 15:9

Well, finally, we have arrived.  You have been “called out of darkness into His marvelous light.”  So, there is nothing left to do right?  I guess we can just kick our heels up because Satan knows we are one with God and he will leave us alone, right? Wrong!  Horrendously wrong, in fact nothing could be further from the truth.  Satan tried to tempt Jesus Christ himself, what would cause us to think we are any different?  He will want you back now more than ever, and moreover, let us say for a splendid moment that there was no devil to contend with; why would you not want to learn, search, and experience all that God has to offer?  There is untellable beauty that lies within a lived sanctified life.

The sanctified life is just that, a life.  It is a life in Christ, with Christ, and through Christ.  First, it is a life in Christ.  We have discussed that you are no longer in sin, and that you are in Jesus Christ.  That means to say you are in fellowship with Him, you are in communion with Him, and that he is the Lord of your life.  Furthermore, Christ is in you.  He has filled you with His Spirit.  He is guiding you, directing you, and leading you each day.  However, this relationship will not continue without a continued commitment from your side (again, like a marriage).  You have to communicate with Jesus by reading the Bible and praying, and just as important (perhaps more important), we have to let Jesus communicate with us.  We read, we pray, and we fellowship with other like-minded believers.  The Holy Spirit will instruct, we will follow, and grow to bear fruit unto holiness.  This is “abiding in the vine”; this is a life with Jesus.  Whilst in your unsanctified state each day was largely governed by what pleased you or pleased those you wished to please.  Now each day is governed by what pleases God and glorifies his name.  “Ye are dead and your life in hid in Christ.”  You are with Christ and he is with you.  Every day you walk with Him: learning, growing, leaning, not through the horrible lessons of sin and repent, but through the welcomed instruction of the Holy Ghost.  All this is done through Jesus Christ, he gives you the power (via the Holy Ghost) and he grants the grace. Jesus leads, you follow, you are blessed, those around you are blessed, and God gets the glory. A sanctified life.

The riches of a sanctified life are immeasurable, and the blessings incalculable.  However, they cannot and will not come unless the sanctified life is lived, and lived according to God.  You do not have a wedding for the wedding, you have a wedding for the marriage.  Some time ago when I was with some folks in the nursing home I came across this old married couple.  The husband was near death and could not live without professional aid any longer.  His wife, still very able, sold their house and voluntarily went to live with him in the home (not a very nice nursing home mind you).  Though they had no car, no home, and only a suitcase full of worldly possessions, they were some of the richest people I had ever seen.  They loved God, loved one another, laughed with one another, and through hardship their faithfulness and love towards each other only flourished.  Though sixty plus years had gone by, the love that begun all those years ago was only growing and growing, with each passing day.  This, my friends, is the sanctified life; a life of perfect love.  It is a life of love towards God and love towards man, but it will not be so unless you continue in Christ; continue in that love.

The Path-Sanctification-Part 2

“That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” –John 17:21

From the very beginning God desired fellowship with man.  He has always wanted a relationship with us.  It is not that he rejected us, we rejected him.  The earth and the Garden of Eden was prepared for man.  We were placed there, in perfect communion and fellowship with the Father.  We sinned, we separated ourselves from him, and yet God sought out redemption for us; redemption back to that perfect fellowship.  Sanctification is the redemption of you back to perfect fellowship with God.  God desires this for you, but will not force it on you.  After you have sought and obtained forgiveness for the sins you committed, if you desire to be one with Christ (thereby one with God) you can be.   

The unity of Jesus and yourself (i.e. sanctification) bears a strong likeness to the unity of a man and wife.  When a women marries a man the following happens.  First, she is prepared for the ceremony.  You are prepared for Christ at repentance.  Your committed sins have been forgiven and you stand before God and Christ ready to be married.  After the bride is prepared she then comes to the altar to meet the waiting groom.  Note, though you have come to an altar asking forgiveness of committed sin, you still must approach the altar once more to be married to Christ.  Once the bride reaches the waiting groom the “vows” begin; the women promises herself to the man, and the man to the woman.  They then become one flesh.  A union is formed, “I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Jesus Christ.”  We are accepted into Him.  We are made anew in him.  Your name is changed, you are adopted into his holiness.  To be sanctified, first you must be prepared.  Then you must approach the altar and vow yourself to Christ.  You must forsake the world, flesh, and the devil.  You must promise to be faithful to him.  You must promise to be obedient to him.  You commit everything to Him, a total surrendering of yourself.  There can be no secret sins or quiet “want-to’s when he’s not looking.”  This is a marriage. It is all you have, all you are, for as long as you live committed to Jesus Christ.  When the vow is made with all your heart, the Holy Ghost will come into your heart and pronounce you wed to Christ.  He will sanctify your heart to Christ and Christ alone so you can wholly sing “I am thine, wholly thine, prone to wonder never.  Sanctified by power divine all the Lord’s forever.”  

We are saved and sanctified by grace through faith with obedience.  When you obey God and commit your all to him, you must then in faith ask for the gift of the Holy Ghost to come in and sanctify you.  To come in and cleanse out all sin to present you one with Jesus.  He will do it, and you will be brought back into full fellowship with the Father.  You will be one with Jesus Christ.  This is sanctification, and it is not the end, it is only the beginning.  Your path continues, sanctification was only the wedding.  There is a life to live, a marriage with Christ to enjoy.  The relationship is just begun.  There is learning, growing, leaning, and yielding to be done; then some more yielding, growing, leaning, and learning.  The sanctified life is just that, life!  A new life, in Christ, with Christ, and for Christ.  Though you are now sanctified your path continues on, our path continues on, but now we are on the way to heaven. 

The Path-Sanctification (Part 1)

“And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they might also be sanctified through the truth.” – John 17:19

This week we march on a little further down the path.  The walk from sinner to saint, from birth to death; using the scriptures as our guide.  Up to this point, we have walked through: first birth, committed sin, and conviction to repentance.  Before we wade into sanctification, I want to take a moment to recap, because, like a physical aliment, diagnosing the sickness is essential if one wishes to find the cure. 

When you are born into this world, you are born with a desire to disobey God.  This desire has been passed down since the fall of Adam and Eve in the garden.  As we discussed in the “first birth” part of the series; every single human being is born into this world with this sinful (carnal) nature.  As you live your very soon fall into committed sin.  This is the decision to disobey God.  The analogy was given about the little boy eating cookies.  He wants to eat cookies (bad for him), mom told him not to eat cookies, he chooses to disobey mom and eats the cookies.  There is both the desire towards something that is against mom’s rule and the choice to disobey mom’s rule.  In this basic, somewhat comical analogy, we see the whole of sin that currently plagues mankind.  However, instead of spoiling your dinner, the sin in your life will spoil far more than your dinner.  If left alone it will rot away the joy, love, peace, and contentment in your life, and then send you to hell at the end of your life.  “The wages of sin is death.”  

Repentance deals with committed sin.  Long has God made provision to cleanse the sins that man commit against him; His grace and mercy has extended and continues to extend, to those hearts who earnestly seek after atonement for the wrong they have done.  Had Jesus Christ never set foot on this earth, there would still be a way to atone for the sins you commit.  However, as Jesus plainly tells us, God did not intend for us to remain in sin.  He wanted to redeem us from ALL iniquity.  He wanted to bring us back to full fellowship with the Father.  Repentance cannot do this, only the blood of Christ can accomplish this when you are “baptized into His death” thereby resurrected unto knew life, which will be witnessed to your heart by the Holy Ghost.  This Holy Ghost will now show itself to you as an eternal “keeping agent” to ever guide you along the way of holiness contrary to the way of sin and self as long as you so submit to it (more on this next week).  This is sanctification, and sanctification gets rid of that pesky carnal nature that drives you to sin.  There is a cleansing, a purging, and a full eradication of the carnal nature in your life.  It does not take you out of the world but it “keeps you from the evil of the world.”   When you are birthed into the experience of sanctification, all the clubs, bars, and booze suddenly doesn’t disappear, but the desire for the clubs, bars, and booze will disappear (I use this as a harsh example to communicate a point, sin is far more than what you can see).  Your heart changes, therefore, your actions/reactions change.  You go from fighting a two front warfare to a one front warfare (to borrow from Keith Drury).  By this I mean, in times past you had to battle the devil within, and temptation without.  When you’re sanctified, you only have to battle temptation without and you get to do so with the power of Jesus Christ within!  Praise God!  Each day you lean on the Lord, and he wins the battles and he gets the glory!  He is glorified, you are sanctified, and the old man of sin is no more.  It is a beautiful arrangement. 

So, has your path lead you to sanctification?  If not, next week, through the scriptures, we will discuss how to enter into an experience of sanctification.    

The Path- Conviction & Repentance

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” – 1 John 1:9

If you have been following along in this “Path” series, either on the blog at graycollinsweeklywritings.blogspot.com, or in the e-mail group; it is likely you have identified with one of two things.  The person you are or the person you once were.  Whether you care to admit it or not you either are a sinner or you once were a sinner, and the only difference between the two is Jesus.  Up until this point we have only talked about the devil, and sin, and all the power that sin has over people, and frankly, I’m tired of talking about that.  Let’s get to the good stuff, the good news, the gospel; let’s talk about Jesus Christ and how he is mighty to save!

Simply put, Jesus Christ can save you from all sin.  He has the power to take the broken and make it whole, to take the lost and present them found, to heal the hurt, right the wrong, bring life from death, and change the sinner to a saint.  Your conversion from sinner to saint begins with conviction.  Conviction is not complicated, it is a realization that you have disobeyed God and stand condemned before Him.  This realization (while not pleasant) is actually God’s grace working in your life, because you now realize that you are lost and you can now make a change.  You see, being lost is bad, but being lost and not knowing you are lost is far worse.  When you realize that you are a sinner and not where you ought to be, it is an element of God’s grace to you.  He is calling you to himself.    Repentance, in my opinion, will naturally follow conviction if you let it.  I am convinced that, now more than ever, we need good old fashion Holy Ghost conviction to sweep this nation.  When you are a sinner and you see the Holiness of God and His Son, the only thing you can do is fall before Him and beg for forgiveness; plead with Him and vow that you will change.  The beginnings of repentance and your step towards God, is brokenness and yielding.  This is completely contrary to the world, the world wants to know what you can do for them and then they will accept you.  God just wants you to fall before Him and ask of him.  He wants you to fall before Him and recognize His abundance and your lack.  The end of your will marks the beginning of His.    

Repentance is realizing that you are wrong, admitting that you are wrong, and resolving that you are going to do it God’s way.  Furthermore, and let there be no confusion on this matter. If you want to go to heaven, the “death route” is the route you must take.  So, what is this death route?  It’s that point when you know in your heart that you have given it all over to God.  That point when you say “Lord, I don’t want to be the man or women I used to be.  I want to be the man or women YOU want me to be.”  Perhaps when praying the Spirit will bring specific vices to your mind, like cigarettes or drinking (for me it was unholy music) and you say “God I don’t want that anymore, I want you.”  Sometimes, he brings a memory of when you did something mean or hateful and you say “God I don’t want to be that way anymore; Lord I am sorry.”  You are dying out to the world, sin, the devil, you are “crucifying the old man.”  A complete death is vital, leave no stone unturned and no road block remaining.  Let God search every dark corner of your heart and when he finds something and asks “this also?” you say “Yes Lord.”  Dying to the world, means dying to yourself, and I think that’s why it can be so hard for people; but you must understand, God loves you more than you love you, and yielding your will over to Him is a major upgrade.          

Dying to sin is a crisis experience, a painful experience, and a necessary experience.  You must repent to be forgiven, and must die if you want to live.  A new life eternal is the goal and full fellowship with the Father the promised position to mankind.  This lay beyond the bondage of sin, and if your path has brought you through conviction and repentance then you are well on your way.  To what are you on your way to?  The answer to that lies further down the path.       

The Path- Committed Sin

“8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” – 1 John 3:8

This week we will continue along down the path; the path from a sinner to a saint, from death unto life, from the power of “Satan to that of God.”  As discussed last week, the first major step onto the path was/is our entrance into this world.  We came into this world as little babies and within every one of us is carnal sin or the “want-to” sin.  Knowing this will help us understand the next step; committed sin.  In my opinion, committed sin is like an 18 wheeler Mack truck in your blind spot.  It is so obvious when you finally turn your head, but until you do, no matter how large or dangerous it is; it will be totally blind to you.  This is committed sin, well really, this is all sin. 

The weed in your front yard is like the sin in your life.  When you are born you are born with the root of sin within you (carnality).  This remains unseen for some time, hidden beneath the surface of the innocence of youth.  However, very soon it begins to sprout and show signs of disobedience before God.  A stem and leaf begin to grow and this is committed sin in your life.  Committed sin is very simply those sins you commit against God.  They’re the ones where you knew good and well you were not supposed to do it and you went and did it anyway. These sins you commit do not testify to the fact that you are a Christian, they testify to the fact that you are of the devil, you are separated from God, and that you need a Savior.  These committed sins are a product of the root cause, carnal sin, however, unlike carnal sin with committed sin you have a choice.  Let me give you an example.  Little boys love cookies (Hey! big boys love cookies too J).  I mean, is there anything better than a fresh baked cookie when you get home from school?  We love them, it’s in our nature to want to eat cookies, which are bad for us. We have the desire to eat the cookie, but that does not automatically mean that we WILL eat the cookie, you have a choice. So, when Momma tells you “do not eat the cookie, you will spoil your dinner.”  You say, “Ok I won’t.”  Then when she leaves the room, you turn around and steal a cookie……..People do the same thing with God in a sense.  God tells people not to steal or commit adultery or fornicate or what have you, and they know better, but as soon as they think no one is looking, they go out and do it anyway.  Why is that?  Because they desire it AND choose to do it.  The desire we were born with, but the choice we made ourselves.  One is carnal sin, the other committed sin, and Jesus Christ can cleanse us of both.  We all walk this path.  You desire to disobey, and when temptation comes along, you eventually choose to disobey.  There are some of us, because of raising and upbringing who seem to stay away from committed sin or at least make them less frequent.  There are others who don’t have any moral compass whatsoever and just run wild.  It is important to understand, this is not about “how much better are you than your fellow man at obeying God.”  Rather, it is “how much do you love Jesus?” 

Up until this point you have heard only bad news.  You have heard that you are lost, broken, sinful, wretched, hell bound, of the devil.  Wow, not the best sales pitch right?  Go and tell you all the bad stuff out the gate.  What a Debbie downer.  Well, this is no sales pitch, this is the truth, and the truth is that the beginning of our path takes us down dark roads, but the good news is this.  Once you understand that you are a sinner, you no longer have to be.  This leads us to the next step along the path, this we reserve for next week (the good news!).  

The Path – First Birth

“For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.” –Romans 7:14

Some time ago my buddies and I thought it a good idea to go, hiking.  Basically, you just walk through the woods and when it gets dark you set up a tent and sleep on the ground.  Then you wake the next day to do it all over again.  In preparation for the hiking experience a number of things that were not so important to you, suddenly become important; things like shelter, food, water, and a map.  As with any trek through unknown territory, a map is needed to plot your course, find your path, and stay on it so you can reach your destination.  The Bible is a map and it shows us a clear path to heaven, from birth to death.  It tells us plainly the path we must follow in order to make it to eternity.  While the terrain will vary from person to person, the path to heaven for each man will remain consistent.  What follows in this article is the beginning of a six part series that details the Biblical path that we all must walk in order to make it to heaven.  My prayer is that while you read about the Path, it will, through the spirit, help illuminate what path you are on, and help guide you or affirm to you the correct course.  Furthermore, please take every opportunity to search the scriptures and find for yourself the proper course.       

It begins at birth, within you physical man there exists a spiritual man.  An unseen, intangible being that holds sinful characteristics like your physical man holds human traits.  For example, the physical man is born and desires milk, part of being a human, it’s in us at birth.  So, the spiritual man, when born desires wicked things that serve its own lust.  We don’t really see it in little babies, but it doesn’t take long until they are lying, cheating, and stealing to get what they want.  The carnal man exists within and it identifies with the works of the devil.  It follows what it wants and regards little the wants of others.  It is discontented, hateful, greedy, prideful, and a myriad of other bad things.  While the fruits of this seed of carnality within may not always be seen on the tree, you can rest assure that the seed of carnality can produce all these unholy tempers and more given the right temperature and soil.  If left unaddressed, the carnality within will destroy the man without and then ultimately destroy the soul within.  This is the lost condition that every man is born into.  Lurking deep within every new born man (that is human) is the inherited carnal man, and this carnal man is simply waiting for the human to reach the point of reason and logic so that it can manifest itself.  If the world truly understood what this monster known as the carnal man was capable of, there would never again be another church pew vacant; but, alas, Satan has “blinded the minds.”  What a blow it would be to his kingdom if he allowed those to see and understand what the carnal man was; and what it is capable of. 

This is the beginning of our path, the inception of our journey.  At the initial step on the trail we find ourselves lost and fallen from the fellowship.  How did we get to this fallen spiritual condition, why are we lost?  We find the answer in the book of Genesis.  Adam, the first man, was placed in the Garden of Eden and not in the garden just to exist, but to live, to live in perfect fellowship with God his creator.  Satan entered in and deceived man, man disobeyed and was cast out of this perfect fellowship.  They were not only cast out in body, but in spirit.  The image of holiness and righteousness that they were created in, died within; and where righteousness once existed within the spirit of carnality now reigns.  For this very purpose the obedience of Jesus was needed, from the moment of the disobedience of Adam.  So, if we are to return to the perfect fellowship we must once again have obedience.  In this we find the good news, that there is redemption for us, but that is further along the path.      

Letter to the Lost

Dear Friend whom Jesus Loves,

Perhaps it is likely that you have never stopped and asked yourself, “How do I obtain sanctification?”  However, you may have said to yourself once before, “I need to change, I need to do better, and I need to quit this bad habit or that bad habit.”  Perhaps there has been times in the lonely hours of the night when you knew in your heart that you were lost, lonely, and disobedient to your own conscious.  Perhaps you look in the mirror and know deep down that there is discontentment and unrest within your own self.  The good news is this, Jesus Christ is an expert at changing sinners to saints.  However, there is some things you must do first.  So, if you are lost, lonely, hurting, and enslaved by sin I invite you to read on. 

Conviction, this is the 1^st step toward God and sanctification.  Conviction is a realization that you are lost and that you are a sinner against God.  The devil will try to overcomplicate conviction and God’s “tug” at your heart.  Do not let him, you need not thunder and lightning or some great light to shine down upon you.  If you feel or have felt God tug at your heart or if you feel or have felt a unrest within you because of your sinful deeds that is all you need; believe God is calling you and answer the call.  A good example of conviction can be found in 2 Samuel chapter 12.  In this text Nathan the prophet represents the Holy Ghost.  David represents the common sinner.  The Holy Ghost revels our sin and David shows to us the proper response (confession and repentance, his testimony of repentance is found in Psalm chapter 51).  This leads us to the next course of action in your quest for sanctification; conversion.

Conversion or to be converted, once again, is complicated by the devil.  However, it is far from being complex.  In fact, I dare say it is a nature response to conviction.  A testimony of being “converted” is found in the place of repentance.  Repentance is a confession, a confession of your sins against God and coupled with that confession it is a promise to “turn away” from your sin and follow after Him.  A call to repentance is found throughout the scripture, but for now you can look to Matthew chapter 3 and 1 John chapter 1; also, the book of Act’s is full of examples of repentance.

Now that you have been converted……. “Wait, how do I know I am converted?”  Well, you just know.  You see, the thing about Christianity is that ultimately it comes down to faith.  Faith is belief in action.  You believe what God says, you do what God says, and believe that God will do what he says he will do.  It’s just that simple, and for that reason you will just, know.  Ok, now that you have been converted you are prepared for the coming of the Holy Ghost (sanctification, see Act’s chapter 2).  If it helps, think of sanctification like this: back in the day before Jesus, the way they used to get rid of sin was to sacrifice an animal.  The way they did that was to first build an alter (you can make an alter right by your bed by simply kneeling).  Then they brought a prepared sacrifice (you are prepared at conversion), killed it, and put it on the alter.  Finally, they burnt the sacrifice on the alter with fire.  The Holy Ghost is the fire in your life, it consumes all sin, and brings light into your life.  The light of God will make you want to go to church, want to read your Bible, want to pray, want to love, it will make you: holy, righteous, and godly.  You don’t do it, the light of God does it, and the light of God is Jesus and Jesus is the Holy Ghost. 

So, to the question “how do I obtain this sanctification to which I am now seeking?”  “How do I not only quit sinning, but quit wanting to sin?”  Simply put: “how do I live the way Jesus wants me to live?”  You need the fire, you need the Holy Ghost, you need to be sanctified, and the way to get the fire to come down and ignite your sacrifice is by putting it on the alter.  Your sacrifice is yourself; and you must put yourself on the alter.  This is done by making the vow, by making the commitment, by simply saying “Lord not my will but thine be done.”  Your plans, your ambitions, your wishes, all that you are all that you ever will be is committed to God by a solemn vow.  When you do that you are on the alter, the fire will come, and the journey with God to heaven begins.   

In closing, I beg of you, make the vow, fall at an alter and pray.  For this letter could be the last you ever read, and it could be the last I ever write.  We know not what tomorrow may bring.  I leave you with this one last verse.

“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever shall lose his life for my sake shall find it.” – Matthew 16:25

Sincerely,

He whom Jesus Loves

A Call to Labor

The sanctified life is one that includes discouragement, temptations, and trials; this is because every life includes discouragement, temptations, and trials.  Jesus himself prayed saying “I pray not that thou take them out of the world but keep them from the evil of the world.”  Among the more discouraging notions in my opinion is the idea of “lack of harvest” or “lack of reaping”.  The devil will have you believe that because you don’t see souls flooding the alter or people filling the benches on Sunday then you are simply not doing it right.  He will tell you “clearly, God has left your ministry because there is no visible fruit.”  This is a convenient lie because sometimes God will leave the ministry and there will be no fruit, but that does not automatically mean that because there is no visible fruit then God is not there.  Let us consider the words of Christ below spoken directly to his disciples:

            “38 I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.” – John 4:38 

            In South Georgia there is a specific occupation that comes available around the May/June time period.  This occupation is known as “chunkin melons”.  Every year around the beginning of summer watermelon farmers hire young strong men to walk through their fields and throw ripe water melons into the back of a truck.  These men are “reaping whereon they have bestowed no labour.”  They did none of the sowing, but are experiencing all of the reaping.  Now, do you think the farm hands that were instrumental in the planting are resentful of the “melon chunkers” in the harvesting?  NO!  Of course not, because the end goal remains the same for both parties, and that is to bring in the harvest for the owner of the land.  Furthermore, if a farmhand does not get the call to take part in the melon chunkin do you think they would feel discouraged and not want to plant come next planting season?  If they do, they should not; because the object of it all is to labor for the land owner to bring in a good crop!  Granted, harvest is often more rewarding than planting, but no matter, no discouragement should accompany either occupation because both should be focused ever on the ultimate goal.

            Satan’s lies when placed against the backdrop of the scripture will always appear out of place.  Why should we worry, fret, and feel discouraged when there is no fruit?  If we are truly working for the “land owner” and doing His will in all things, then the season in which we labor is not our concern.  You might be planting and laboring for another who is instructed to come and reap down the road.  Furthermore, (those who are reaping currently) take no pride or arrogance in this, you may be simply gathering the fruit of those who labored before you; praise God for the season you are called into whether planting or reaping.  Noah was a preacher of righteousness and saved only eight souls, Peter preached one sermon and saved three thousand.  What then?  Is Peter a better preacher than Noah?  Do you think Peter boasted of the souls that he saved to Noah when he walked through the gates of heaven?  Or rather did they rejoice because they were counted as “good and faithful servants.”  

            May God help us to take the word of God and go forward, laboring in the season where we are called; and look not to the lack of numbers or visitors as reason to doubt, but rather look to Jesus.  Look to Him no matter what season we find ourselves in and let not the devil discourage us in planting (or reaping, or anywhere in between).  Let us look to Jesus in all things, in feast or famine, in planting or reaping, for truly “God adds to the church daily such as should be saved.”   

Small Town Gospel

“Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue.” – 1 Corinthians 14:19

A stranger walks into a local gas station and says “how do I get to the nearest bank?”  The local man whom he just posed the question to says “Well, stranger, what you need to do is turn right out of here and when you get to the old trading post hang a left, that will take you right by where that old bakery used to be, once you pass it hang a left.  Keep a look out for Jimmy’s place, you know Jimmy, because once you pass Jimmy’s you will need to slow down and take a right at the Marine ditch.  Once you do that it will be 2 miles down on your right.”  Stranger says “ok, thank you!” while walking out thinking “maybe I can just Google it.”

     The fact of the matter is, this local man’s directions were absolutely no help at all.  Though he was speaking the same language, he was not speaking the same language.  For too long this man has been giving directions to men like him.  “Local’s” so to speak, those who know the area, know the culture, speak the language, and could discern the syntax.  By and by, a COMPLETE stranger walks into the shop asking for directions and he gives them, but they walk out just as lost and confused as they came in.  There was no understanding gained, because the tongue was unknown even though it was known.  The references and landmarks that the local was using, the stranger did not know so the value of what he was saying was lost to the stranger, and therefore he remained lost.  The kind, local gentlemen with a heart to help did little more than speak over their head. 

As church going Christians, we must be very careful not to find ourselves falling into the same trap as this kind local gentlemen who gave the lost stranger directions.  If the members are not careful a “language or tongue” can develop within the church; this is not to say that one person is to blame, however, like any small, tight knit community, we can get so comfortable talking to one another it will be difficult for new people coming in the door to understand.  You might be telling a wonderfully hilarious story about brother “so and so”, but if the recent visitor to your church doesn't know who brother “so and so” is, they are not going to get it.  That sermon on Melchisedec brother “so and so” preached may have really been a powerful one to you, but if no one in the congregation knows who Melchisedec is…………it might not be so powerful to them ("so, don't preach on Melchisedec?"  No, bring them in, educate and include).  Now granted, there will always be parts of sermon’s, and pieces of conversation that some people listening will not be able to follow (I know this to be true because I am one of them), however the thrust of the message is this; when it comes to speaking, teaching, and preaching in the church and counselling lost souls into the kingdom let us use great plainness of speech endeavoring to be clearly understood.  Furthermore, let us guard against constant preaching, teaching, speaking to only people who preach, teach, and speak as we do.  As Jesus said “I came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”  As an illustration of what I am trying to say, some time ago I read this little story about John Wesley.  It is said that a wealthy, high class women heard that Mr. Wesley was coming to town to preach, so she cleared he schedule to come a listen to this great preacher that she had heard so much about.  After she listen intently to every word she was overheard walking out of the church by another saying the following “I don’t see what was so great about this Mr. Wesley, why even the smallest child could have understood that sermon.”  The man who overheard her leaned in a gently responded “Madam, in this is the genius of John Wesley.”  God help us to preach, and preach plain.   

It is without question and contention that the Holy Ghost can guide us in this regard as true as any.  That is, if we leave off trying to “impress” one another with lacy sermons and baffling scriptural intelligence.  Furthermore, a consistent and constant push to reach out to the lost and unchurch will guard against any growth of “church speak.”  Finally, as Paul prayed and endeavored to speak the language (that is Hebrew or Greek) to those in the church who spoke Hebrew or Greek, so let us pray and endeavor to speak the plain gospel to the lost; speak so as to give them clear instruction on how to get to heaven. 

The way of peace

“The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace.” –Isaiah 59-8

   True peace is a highly sought after commodity.  Multitudes of books, seminars, and products, have been written and published with the sole purpose of providing the consumer with true peace; most of which boil down to providing something to supply your lack.  Your lack of peace is due to a lack of something; albeit a state of mind, or a sum of money, or a man, or a women, or……..the list goes on and on.  The message in a nutshell runs something like this “Clearly you don’t have peace because you clearly don’t have enough.”     

If American society was a rock band peace through indulgence would defiantly be on their Greatest Hits album.  Let us earnestly consider the facts, who among us is elevated, adored, exalted?  Is it not those with limitless wealth and power to indulge?  Can you watch 5 minutes of television without this message, in some forum or fashion, being presented: “You have a demand?  I have the supply!”  And what do they want in exchange to supply your need or want?  They want your money of course, so that they can turn around and supply their want or need.  Those with the power to indulge and provide indulgence are championed in this world of ours, and they are considered those who “have it all.”  Empires are built through indulgence, millions are searching for something to satisfy the craving of their soul.  They are hungering for true peace, real belonging, genuine love, absolute acceptance; and millions more are indulging on something to help them forget about their hopeless pursuit for true peace.  This commodity of peace is being daily traded and paraded across this land to those wishing for it when all the while “the way of peace they know not.”   Those who are selling peace and those who are buying it; neither of them know true peace or know the way of it.  If they knew then they would understand that peace is not something that can be bought or earned, it cannot be traded or acquired, because true peace is not the world’s to give.  The world offers only counterfeit peace to God’s real, genuine, true peace.   

One must understand: love, joy, and peace, belong to God (as does everything else for that matter).  The empty void one feels in their heart and the longing for peace in their soul cannot be satisfied by indulgence, but the opposite, by lack; recognizing your lack to be specific.  If you find unholy feeling within, or a tempest of struggle and constant war caged by the fabric of your mind, ignore the urge to buy another self-help book, it will not help.  Don’t bother picking up the phone to call your ex-boyfriend or girlfriend, they cannot comfort.  There is no need to take an extra shift so you can have more money to take your wife out on a fancy dinner date or luxurious cruise in an attempt to bring peace to a tempestuous relationship.  These things will not offer peace.  To find peace one must leave off peace as a commodity and embrace it as an entity, an entity of Jesus Christ.  True peace belongs to Christ, is Christ, and therefore comes with Christ.  You need Jesus, recognize your lack of him and repent of your sin.  When you have a witness that he has forgiven you of your trespass and purified your soul of all committed sin then and only then are you a ready vessel to seek the Holy Ghost  that will purge the “can’t help it” sin within.  This Holy Ghost will user in peace, love, joy, and holiness into your heart and grant you passage to a home in heaven.  The way of peace is the way of holiness.  

Jesus The Christ

“Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.” – Mark 6:3

Jesus was and forever will be the only man that was God and God that was man.  The scripture tells us that he willingly left heaven and was “made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”  He was/is the redeeming instrument, he was the son of man, and he is the Son of God.  We must believe this to be saved.

Despite every effort to forget, I can still remember my days spent in high school.  One moment that particularly sticks out in my mind is the day I read the name Jesus in my history book.  It is sad to say that not a whole lot of ink and parchment was spent on the subject of our Savior.  This was sad, but not surprising, what gripped my thoughts that day was this “he was a man.”  I know it’s odd and painfully obvious, but this point cannot be debated.  There was a Jesus of Nazareth.  He walked this earth, he had a home, a Mother, a family, brothers, sisters.  He had a job, he was a man.  Somehting about reading his name in a history book brought about a strange realization that he was a human being.  There is no question about this.  It takes nothing to believe this and many still, thousands of years later look on Jesus as some of those Jews of old did.  “Is not this the carpenter?  We know this man, we know his family, his deeds, his background, and he is JUST another man.”  What does it mean to believe in Jesus as you would believe in another man?  We believe men can heal our hurts, we believe men can help our marriages, we believe men can help our happiness, our finances, our safety, our children.  We trust in man for practically everything in our life, but not our sin.  Who can cleanse the wickedness within?  Can another man do it?    When you see Jesus as just another man, your unbelief shackles him.  It keeps him from doing miraculous things in your life.  We cannot look to him as we would a doctor or psychiatrist; with this mentality of “you fix me and I pay you then we both go on our way.”  Jesus Christ is not, just another man, he doesn’t want money or token sacrifices.  There is no amount of tribute that can be paid to call down his healing.  It is not barter, it is belief that brings the healing of Jesus.  You must believe that Jesus is the Son of God, have faith, and follow Him.   

When you believe that he is the Son of God, the bread of life, the living water, the resurrection, the truth, the King of Kings; when you truly believe this, all things are possible.  There is no hurt that Jesus cannot heal and no sin that Jesus cannot cleanse.  The power of Jesus Chirst in our lives is limited only by our belief, our trust in him.  When you view Jesus as just another man he can do nothing for you, but Jesus the Christ can do all things.  The question is who do you say the Son of Man is? 

James the addict

“When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” –Mark 2:17

I want you all to meet James.  Ok, technically, this James is not a real person he is a hypothetical character I made up, but I think you will find that elements of his story are not unlike many in Americans.  James grew up in a good home, with good parents.  He was taught about Jesus here and there but never in the way Jesus taught.  By and by James grew up and went to high school.  He drank a bit, partied with his friends but never got into the “hard stuff”.  He was a socially (and churchly) accepted sinner.  Then college came, he was around some guys, and took a pill.  He liked it, he liked how it made him feel.  So, he sought to have another, and then another.  Pretty soon, James was an addict.  In a few months his addiction caused him to flunk out of school, he was alienated from his family because they could not trust him, his girlfriend dumped him because she couldn’t take it, pretty soon all he has left is…..the next pill.  Then one weekend, James needs a fix but has no money, so he breaks into a car and before he can make off with some cash, he gets busted by the cops and thrown in jail.  James is a sinner, Jesus loves James.  James is Jesus’s specialty. 

The Bible is filled with cases similar to people like James.  People that have no hope, people who are overcome by their appetite for sin.  Jesus looks on these men and women and heals them.  He calls them to himself, he calls them to change, and shows them a better way.  Some of you reading may know someone like James, some of you may at one point have been like James, and some of you may think that people like James are beneath you.  The reality of it is this, James is no different than any one of us before God healed us.  James is doing what people do when they don’t have the in dwelling of the Holy Spirit; disobeying God.  Did we not all do the same?  I came to God at twelve years old seeking forgiveness.  The sin nature in me had not yet manifested itself in a drug or a drink, but did not God condemn it all the same?  Some time ago the news media asked the owner of Chick-Fil-A what he thought about gay marriage.  He responded “It’s wrong,” and then the media all sounded so shocked and appalled that he would say such a thing.  He is a Christian what did you expect?  I ask you now, why is it that some Christian’s expect sinners to act like saints?  If you meet someone on the street and say within yourself “I can never invite them out to church looking like that;” whose fault is that?  Theirs or your church?  If a sinner doesn’t respect the Sabbath or takes the Lords name in vain that’s to expected, but not accepted.  Jesus understood this better than anyone.  Jesus came for the lost, he saw what a sinner could be, not what he should be; and he treated them as such.

In case you were wondering (as I am sure many of you are by now), the sum of this little message is this: what if we treated other people the way Jesus treated us?  What if we believed in others the way Jesus believed in us?  Think back to when you were lost and sinning away just as hard as you could.  What did God require of you?  To repent.  Follow me was the call, the invitation.  That was the first thing.  Did he want you to IMMEDIATELY know all the songs at church?  No.  Did he want you to know every verse in the Bible and say everything just the right way?  No.  He wanted you to turn away from your sin; he wanted you.  Did you reject him?  Were you ignorant and hard headed?  I was, and he BELIEVED in me further still.  He was there: patient, kind, loving, and at times exhorting.  He saw in a sinner, not a sinner, but a saint.  What if we treated others the way Jesus treated us?  What if we believed in others the way Jesus believed in us?  What if our days were spent calling sinners to repentance?