The Book in our Daily Life Part Four

I am concerned that the Bible is not the center of Christians’ lives anymore. Other things have intruded into the sacred place that the Word ought to have in our hearts. Today “my opinion” has replaced the word, perhaps gradually and unnoticed, it creeps up on our lives like a snake on a mouse—little noticed until it is too late.

What is to be done? I know of nothing that can be done, at least by little me, except to proclaim the need to return to the Word. Sometime before the Covid hysteria, an interesting article appeared in our newspaper. The article featured a man in his fifties, who was gladly proclaiming that he had accomplished a great goal—reading the Bible through for the first time in his lifelong Christian walk. The article went on to showcase rather dismal statistics—the essence of which was that most Christians did not even bother with reading their Bibles through. What an amazing fact! Most Christians live quite comfortably without even a basic knowledge of their road map—the Bible tells us everything that we need to get through this life.

Hence, it is no surprise to me that we are here today: where Christian conscience has become more important than the word of God. We used to try (and many times failed) to at least follow the word of God. Now, we are no longer pretending. Christians today often argue by persuasively presenting their favorite group’s plight. They show the devastation the group is enduring from prejudice, and the pity that they feel towards the group becomes a tidal wave, washing away everything in front of it.

What replaces the Bible? My opinion. The “common-sense” cultural view. Anything but what the Word of God plainly teaches. We are too busy to be a good Berean anymore, and have forgotten that they were known for listening to the Word, and then checking the Scriptures to see whether these things were so (Acts 17:11).

We Christians are all called to become like Christ, and through the power of the Spirit, live the lives that Christ has called us to. How can we possibly live like Christ without the roadmap? Hundreds of times the Scripture tells us to love one another, and always to love the Lord our God. But I read this morning that as many as 25% of families are not meeting this year for holidays because of politics. Love one another? Not to be found in these lives, as their passion for politics eclipses their love of Christ.

I used to fish in the small streams of the Sierra Nevada, and I would take two steps forward in the swift waters, and move one step backwards for balance, lest I fall. The Christian walk is very much like that. The swift waters of our culture make progress up the stream difficult, and we are constantly moving a bit backwards for balance. In the midst of trying to go upstream, while all others are going downstream, we need to keep our focus on our Lord and Master who gave himself for us.

What better way to do that, except through a constant checking of the Scriptures, reading them, checking them against our behavior, and memorizing them. An interesting thing about fishing in the streams is that the trout are always facing upstream. The fish knows his food is coming from upstream, and only the dead fish looks backward. The skilled fisherman knows this and fishes upstream, casting his flies out ahead of the fish, and enticing them to take the bait. So our skill in fishing for men is directly related to our knowledge of the Word. When we cast our bread out for the world to see, we need to be sure it is the very bread of God. Are you reading and taking the Word of God into your life so that you might be changed into the very image of Christ (2 Cor. 3:18)?  What should you do? Pick up that dusty Bible, open it, and begin being transformed today.

The Book—In Our Daily Life, Part Three

What part should the Word of God play in our daily lives? Perhaps the question should be turned on its head. What part shouldn’t the Word of God play in our daily lives? God gave us one job, and it was not to reform the world politically. Christians used to believe in mass that their job was to change the world little by little, until we had almost perfected the world, and at that time, Christ himself would return. How far is that picture from the reality of Scripture!

The Bible clearly pictures a time of Jacob’s trouble (Jer. 30:7) where Israel finds herself in dire trouble, persecuted nearly to extinction. The Bible clearly tells of this day, emphasizing the great distress and anger poured out on his people (Luke 21:24).  Israel shall be encompassed by its enemies on all sides, with all the people of the earth gathered against it (Zech. 12:2, 3). Revelation, a book avoided by many Christians, tells of destruction and judgment on this earth, with a third of the sun smitten and all darkened. (8:12). This terrible effect to the sun (and the moon) is told of and retold in many places in the Old Testament.

I could go on and on, but the point is that you would not know of these things unless you immersed yourself in the Word of God. We are not here to make the world better in preparing for Christ. We are here to shine out in the gathering darkness, witnessing to a lost world, and hoping that some will have listening ears. We are to be like Jesus, who gave himself to a wicked world in the hopes that some might hear and seek the righteousness offered in Christ.

Our job is not political. I know we live in America, where we choose our leaders every few years. I also know that these leaders seem to have nothing to do with the plan of God for a lost world. Will either candidate better prepare the world to hear of the mercy of Christ? We vote our conscience, but our clear duty is to become little Christs, offering the same thing that Jesus offered. He gave himself that we might live. There is no other message, not one, that is more important. Soon we will come to a point where mercy is no longer offered; just judgment.

Our job is to come out from the world, not to be immersed in being part of it. That involves taking the Word of God into our lives in unmeasured quantities. There is never too much for us to study. I knew John G. Mitchell, who was called the “Walking Bible” because he knew so much scripture that he was able to quote it seemingly endlessly. That is the life we are called to emulate—to become little lights filled with Christ’s wisdom, and sharing mercifully with a darkened world.

Throw yourself into study of the Word of God, and be prepared to become more like Jesus as God begins to change you. It is a lifelong process. Indeed, sometimes at 72 years of age, I find myself wishing for another life, that I might do better at putting the Word of God into my mind. You have a call. Have you read or studied the Word yet today?

 

The Book- Part Two

If there is one reason Christians are not the lights shining in the darkness, it is precisely their lack of centeredness in the very word of God. “My opinion” reigns supreme. We have professing Christians who are both far right and far left. Mostly they seem to be vouching for their opinions over the word of God. We have become a class of people who frequently value our opinions over the word of God.

Yet the scripture tells us that ALL scripture is inspired and is profitable (2 Tim. 3:16) for doctrine and reproof, for correction and instruction in righteousness. It used to be (I lament!) the go-to place for Christians to find answers to the problems they are facing. No longer! It is the conscience that is the first go-to place

What sounds reasonable and compassionate is what dictates “Christianity” to many. Left behind is serious consultation with the Word of God. It has been too long since Edwards reminded us that we are “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”. People have become too proud over their ability to think, and their conclusions are often against the very principles that Christians purport to keep. A simple corrective would be to check the Bible and find out what God says.

He says that “all have sinned” and “come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). It is not difficult to figure out, and is one of the basic foundation verses of the Bible, yet today it is often ignored in favor of compassion. We face militant groups who proclaim to us their own righteousness, and ignore the Scripture. Often Christians fall into the trap of compassion, feeling (opinion) that that particular group is so hurting with all the hatred and hurtful dialogue. Yet, we would do well to remember that the Word of God is the same as always. Morals do not move. Sometimes our understanding of them moves—we do not pay attention as we ought—but the morals are absolute.

God is the same yesterday today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). What a mercy it is that we can know right and wrong! If we are going to be lights in the dark world God has called us to, we had better pay a lot more attention to what he is saying. Have you spent time reading the Word this day?

The Book- Part One

If there is one reason Christians are not the lights shining in the darkness, it is precisely their lack of centeredness in the very word of God. “My opinion” reigns supreme. We have professing Christians who are both far right and far left. Mostly they seem to be vouching for their opinions over the word of God. We have become a class of people who frequently value our opinions over the word of God.

Yet the scripture tells us that ALL scripture is inspired and is profitable (2 Tim. 3:16) for doctrine and reproof, for correction and instruction in righteousness. It used to be (I lament!) the go-to place for Christians to find answers to the problems they are facing. No longer! It is the conscience that is the first go-to place

What sounds reasonable and compassionate is what dictates “Christianity” to many. Left behind is serious consultation with the Word of God. It has been too long since Edwards reminded us that we are “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”. People have become too proud over their ability to think, and their conclusions are often against the very principles that Christians purport to keep. A simple corrective would be to check the Bible and find out what God says.

He says that “all have sinned” and “come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). It is not difficult to figure out and is one of the basic foundation verses of the Bible, yet today it is often ignored in favor of compassion. We face militant groups who proclaim to us their own righteousness and ignore the Scripture. 

What ought to be done? We need to throw ourselves on the mercy of God and dig deeply into his Word. Our days are here and gone before we know it, and wasted years are measured in the time when we are not becoming like Jesus. God is probably not going to be at all interested in how we voted; but he is intensely interested in what we did with his Son.  

Those groups of sinners who advocate for exempting their sinful behavior are not going to escape judgment. We Christians need to remember that truth is a vital component of love, and we need to seek gentle but firm ways to let people know how to escape the judgment of God. Only by accepting the sacrifice of his Son can any one of us escape judgment. There is no exception for “vulnerable” groups. For us to pretend otherwise becomes ultimate hypocrisy; for us to believe otherwise makes us grow in apostasy. Our outcome will not be good.

Have you studied the Word of God yet today? The Word of God is the source of truth. “And the Word was made flesh, and we beheld his glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” There remains for the Christian one source of truth—ignore it not, at your peril.

Principles of Grace to Ponder

1. Grace is freely given upon agreement or confession of what God did in sending Jesus to die for us.

a. It is immediate and eternal

b. John 1:12, But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.

c. John 3:16, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

2. There is nothing that we did other than belief to gain our salvation; there is nothing we can do to preserve it.

a. Ephesians 2:8,9; For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

b. Titus 3:5,6, 7; Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour.

3. Jesus asks the eleven to abide in John 15:4 (Abide in me, and I in you.)

There was a covenant of works for the Palestinian Covenant. Its formula was basically “do this and I will bless you.” Israel rather spectacularly failed at this. The command “abide in me and I in you” is a new statement, but largely is just a restatement of the covenant.

4. Therefore, Jesus was admonishing his apostles to abide in him, and looking on Judas, who had forsaken Jesus for money. The cross lay immediately ahead and can be looked at as the final rejection of the Son of God. Jesus knew that cross was before him, knew that the final rejection was at hand. The chief priests and Judas were all acting together against the very prophet Moses had long ago warned them to listen to. (Dt. 18:15, The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken.)

5. Many Christians have looked on this passage without the proper discernment. Jesus is very concerned about the radical change that is going to take place with respect to Israel’s position. He has forecast the destruction of the temple (Matthew 24:2, And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.) and his last lament on the way to the cross is for Jerusalem not abiding. (Mt. 24:37. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!) Israel is in the act of refusing their Savior and is going to be removed from their position for what is now over 2,000 years.

6. Specifically, when Jesus says he is the vine and the apostles are the branches he then goes on to tell about the care of the branches. Those that do not abide are worthless and cast into the fire. (John 15:6, If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.)

7. As Jesus looked with what he knew was his final look upon the apostles, he foresaw that they would desert him. Particularly Peter with his denials, but also the others would forsake Jesus and abandon him to the cross. Jesus declares that the vine would be pruned so that it might produce fruit. How can he be talking about anyone but Peter, who just strongly declared to the Lord that he would never deny him? Secondarily, he is referring to the rest of the apostles whom he has already declared would forsake him.

8. Grace is immeasurable. What is grace at first must remain grace forever, else it is not grace. Jesus is not declaring to Christians here that they have to “abide” or they are threatened with losing their salvation and being burned up. Instead, the Israelites in general, and the apostles in specific, are being told that they are losing their coveted place of having the God of Israel next to them.

9. Should Christians abide? Of course, but Jesus is not teaching about the church abiding here, before the cross has even taken place. Instead, he is talking about Israels’ abiding and their failure to listen to the prophet. John has some very powerful things to say to Christians about abiding in 1 John. (1 John 2:29) And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

10. Note the order. Grace first. Obedience follows. It should always follow, but the heart is deceptive and wicked, so sometimes it is very difficult for us to observe the obedience. But grace will not be denied, and so should the Christian never fear of “using up” all the grace of God. When Christ died on the cross, he died for every one of our sins, for “whosoever” shall believe. Grace indeed!

Pondering our Times

When politics are your main bedfellows, you will be irrationally exuberant or depressed every four years. God has given us a better path, one that is less traveled, but all the more comfortable in its narrowness. We all hope for a better world and vote our consciences every four years for that world, but some of us place too much hope in one side or the other. 

This election is peculiar to me, for I have met people who I would categorize as being too much on both sides. Let me remind you that we are to look to the Lord for our salvation, and that he himself has told us that “neither is there salvation in any other”. 

We forget so easily that He is the one in control of this world, and that all is unfolding just as it should. It does not mean that everything in this world is working for the best—it definitely does mean that God is in overall control, and that we need to trust Him even when our favorites are not elected.

We see so little of what is going on, and we often make mistakes when we look at that “little” and try to make bigger decisions. I am convinced that we would, if God allowed, vote ourselves into the Hell of our choice. We have no idea of how things are going to work out—except that we are supposed to trust in Him to work all things out.

If Christ were here today, living among us, would he be a liberal or a conservative? The answer should be so obvious to you as to cause scoffing, but surprisingly we often forget. He will one day rule correctly, and we will have an enduring peace on earth along with a new heaven and earth to look forward to.

In that day, there will be no conservatives, and no liberals. There will only be followers of Christ. I daresay my two friends, caught up in both ends of the political spectrum, will be united in Christ. Let us then follow the admonition, “forgetting those things which are behind, and pressing onward to those things which are before”.

If the words of our Lord are at all to be believed who won or lost will not matter much in eternity, but how you and I act toward each other will matter much. That is what we will appear before Christ to show. Let us therefore be found busy, loving one another. Perhaps today?

The Dominos Continue (Part Two)

 Wise wags have long observed that when we live together, there is no such thing as a private action. When someone decides something small like not brushing his teeth, the impact can be disparate and ring throughout the day. What I am thinking about can certainly be tied in with that idea- that nothing we do as individuals only affects individuals. I suspect many Americans are like me—and want fiercely their own independence, regardless of how it affects others. It is a hard lesson of life that indeed no man is an island unto himself.

Being older has changed my perspective; I would say has enlarged my perspective. I am able to look back over the decades and see connections to things that are not usually observed. In part one of the dominos, I was able to link the dirty rotten hippies, and the revival that happened as many found Christ, to the election of a president, who also won the cold war against Russia. All dominos in a row, if you learn to observe. And part of growing older is learning to observe. 

I would like to try to develop the string of dominos a bit further. Reagan brought in a breath of fresh air to our culture. He proclaimed it was morning in America all over again, something most of us were willing to suspend our skepticism about. But after Reagan, we had no more fresh air, and a new string of dominos has started to fall, not leading to good things.

Look at the string of presidents since Reagan and begin to get a feel for how the dominos are falling today.  From Bush to Trump, it has been quite a fall. Clinton taught us that personal behavior of a president has nothing whatsoever to do with his leadership, and Americans bought that false philosophy. Americans themselves, perhaps because they have that fierce spirit of independence that I wrote about myself experiencing in the opening paragraph, began denying others the right to correct their aberrant behavior, and morals began to suffer. 

Looking at the last three presidents and comparing them to our Founding Fathers should be a sobering exercise. In my mind, that is how they earned their appellation: the Three Stooges. I dubbed them Barry, Bump, and Not-so-Curly Joe.  Barry, our first black president was heralded to bring peace between Blacks and Whites. Not so much. Instead, his time in office stirred up racial animosities to new heights, and the dominos are now continuing to fall in new directions, boding ill effects for decades. Bump is a good nickname for Trump as we ride through history. I imagine that he is indeed a “bump” that we hit as we are careening down the highway of life. Biden presided over a country which no longer knew the difference between a man and a woman but proclaimed strongly that no one else could either.

I could go on and on, but the trail left is clear, if you will just look at it. In no way, in no particular, can you find a row of dominos leading to listening to God and following him. That apparently was over after Reagan, and we see hardly a whisper of it since then. Perhaps 9/11 brought back brief memories of who we were, but the memories did not linger. So where do the domino rows go?

And remember, it is not just the presidents. Rather, since we have a democratic republic, we choose our leaders. And in choosing, we also choose our direction. I can clearly see a direction, and that direction is only away from God.

What a mess that makes for Christians! Christians see the need for loving, but confuse the loving part with acceptance of sin. The acceptance, like a rank camcer grows until it totally poisons the Christian’s testimony that he so nobly tried to give. We have many groups of unfortunate Christian souls living in disobedience today, suppressing the very word of God in their effort to live an “enlightened” life. Yet, they discern not that the row of dominos they have put themselves in only falls away from the very God they love.

What is the outcome of dominos only falling in rows going away from God? In history, the lesson is sharp. Nations forgetting God are disciplined, and sometimes even extinguished. In times like these, we would do well to fall on our knees in abject repentance. Too often, I see people snarling their disobedience to God, pretending that he is not even there.

Today, we are rapidly moving toward a society which is rejecting Israel, neglecting the promise of God made so many years ago to Abraham. “I will bless those who bless thee, and I will curse those who curse thee.” Any student of history would quickly see mistreatment of Israel has caused this cursing over and again. Today, one party is nearly paralyzed in being able to give support to Israel. If the hatred continues to grow, the opposition to Isreal will increase, and with it will come the judgment of God.

There remains but one remedy, repentance. But it looks unlikely that the nation will go there, and so the domino rows will continue to fall further and further away from the very God who blessed us in the first place. So democracy dies? So dies the biggest Christian witness in the world?