The Heart of Prayer

 

Psalm 5:2 “Give heed to the voice of my cry, my King and my God, for to You I will pray.”

 

Our Small Group Bible Study on Wednesday evenings at our church has been in a video series by pastor Frances Chan titled “Basic – We are Church”, returning to the concept of the church described in the Bible, looking at the basic elements of fellowship, teaching, prayer, and communion are examined and considered. This last week, we studied the session on “prayer”. Pastor Chan states that he is convinced that we don’t take prayer seriously because we do not understand the depth of our need for God to work supernaturally in our lives. We are completely dependent on God for every breath we take and every move we make. We need to devote ourselves to fervent, authentic, passionate prayer. But, to get back to the heart of prayer, we must stop examine and rethink our prayer life. Who are we praying to? In Isaiah 55:9 the Creator of the heavens and the earth tells us, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” How should we approach this Almighty Creator God in prayer? What is the purpose of prayer? What does it mean to be dedicated and devoted to prayer? Prayer is not something to be taken casually or vainly. 

 

Ecclesiastes 5:1-2 says, “Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil. Do not be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; Therefore let your words be few.”

 

The late Pastor Sproul asks, What is the goal of the Christian life? Answer: Godliness born of obedience to Christ and advancing the Kingdom of God. Knowledge and truth will remain abstract unless we commune with God in prayer. It is the Holy Spirit who teaches, inspires, and illumines God’s Word to us. He mediates the Word of God and assists us in responding to God, our just and holy heavenly Father in prayer.

 

Prayer has a vital place in the life of the Christian. Prayer changes things.To be without prayer is to be without God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the hope and reality of heaven. One might pray and not be a Christian, but one could not possibly be a Christian and not pray. Prayer has power. Prayer is to the Christian what breath is to life, yet no duty of the Christian is so neglected. Prayer is a solemn address to the sovereign Supreme Being – our Maker, consisting of adoration, or an expression of our sense of God's glorious perfections, confession of our sins, supplication for mercy and forgiveness, intercession for blessings on others, and thanksgiving, or an expression of gratitude to God for His mercies and benefits. This is the heart of prayer.

 

We are invited, even commanded, to pray. Prayer is both a privilege and a duty. We were created for fellowship and communion with God. Rebirth quickens a new desire for communion with God. Prayer is the secret of holiness. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 commands us to "pray without ceasing". It means that we are to be in a continual state of communion with our eternally present Father God. 

 

In Christ, Brian

 

What is Right?

 

Jude 3-4 "Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people. For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord."

 

Ray Rooney of the American Family Association continued in his article on the current Culture War being fought. God’s people know that though God created all people on earth, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Galatians 5:17 explains the root of the culture war, “For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other.” The Apostle Paul warns in 2 Corinthians 6:14, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?”

 

You may have heard of someone converting to Christianity, but what is this conversion of the soul? It is defined as: To change or turn; as, to convert pagans to Christianity. To turn from a bad life to a good one; to change the heart and moral character, from enmity to God and from vicious habits, to love of God and to a holy life. Acts 3:19 says, Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out. 

 

James 5:20 states, He that converts a sinner from the error of his way, shall save a soul from death. In a stricter sense, one who is turned from sin to holiness. In a theological or moral sense, a change of heart, or dispositions, in which the enmity of the heart to God and His law and the obstinacy of the will are subdued, and are succeeded by supreme love to God and His moral government, and a reformation of life. The one who believes, repents, accepts and receives the Light of Christ – the Blessed Redeemer, then the Holy Spirits transforms from the inside out, consecrates and sanctifies in holiness and righteousness. But, many choose to reject this gift of God by grace through faith - the Light of Salvation. 

 

In Matthew 7:13-14 the Lord Jesus illustrates this by saying, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. Merciful God provided the gate to salvation and eternal life in Jesus Christ. In John 3:16-20, Jesus explains the path to life that God provides and offers, but also the chooses people make, proclaiming: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. This is the natural man.

 

Ephesians 2:1-3 confirms, You were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you walked according to the course of this [fallen, sinful, God-rejecting] world, according to the prince of the power of the air [the devil], the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. We know that that there is an almighty Creator God, and that not everyone is going to Heaven by choice.

 

Rooney’s point is that we “don’t leave it up to the godless to legislate what is right. There is no equality or inclusion for sin within holy righteousness [purity of heart and rectitude of life; conformity of heart and life to the divine law of God]. Those who walk in darkness and are hellbound on the wide road to destruction do not tell the saved disciple of Christ on the straight and narrow way to life what is right or wrong. God defines what is right and God’s Word is truth, so in “One Nation Under God”, where “In God We Trust”, we tell them what is right. We work for the kingdom of God, serve the Lord and take orders from His holy Word, Will and Way, endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Social stability is found nowhere else.

 

Rooney concludes that we know ever since the fall of man, redemption, salvation, forgiveness, reconciliation and restoration of mankind was God’s plan. Ultimately, only our decisive actions validate our beliefs. The world is broke, so fix it. The Lord Jesus gave His disciples the Great Commission to seek and save the lost [making disciples] by bringing them the Gospel message. Do something about your concerns for how the world is going to hell in a hand-basket other than complaining that no one is doing something about it. Do what is right. How much different would this nation and the world look if we, who call ourselves Christians, would just do what we know we should be doing and not wait to be told to do it? Obey God.

 

In Christ, Brian

 

Stand for God

Ray Rooney of the American Family Association continued in his article on the current Culture War being fought, asking: Do you really believe something when you allow others to dictate how and whether you live out your belief and faith? 

 

The Founding Fathers of America designed and established “One nation Under God indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all”. The reliance being “In God We Trust” as they wrote and signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776, which directly referencing Creator God four times. (1) the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle [His created humans]. (2) all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. (3) We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions. (4) with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor. That is why the very first America Right is the Freedom of Religion, stating that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. 

 

America’s Founding Father President George Washington spoke to this firm reliance on Creator God in his farewell address to his fellow citizens in 1792, saying: “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens. The mere politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them. A volume could not trace all their connections with private and public felicity. Let it simply be asked: Where is security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths which are the instruments of investigation in courts of justice? And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.” This principle formed a God-ordained Christian nation because our immutable God’s Moral Law never changes. Freedom of Religion is not freedom from religion. 

 

John 17:17 “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”

 

We have the Word of God in the sacred Scriptures of the Holy Bible. God tells us what is “right”. Rooney asks: “Why do today’s Christian churchgoers need to be told to stand up for their faith in God?” Why is it a good thing for the unrepentant sinner to stand and unashamedly proclaim loud and proud godless immorality and apostasy against their Maker and this nation’s Creator, while proclaiming that it is a bad or embossing thing for a follower of Jesus Christ and the Word of God to announce how He delivered them from the power and bondage of sin? This Culture War is truly spiritual warfare. The God-rejecting world [those who are perishing] stand for their dark rebellion of God and Country, so why doesn’t the child of God, saved by grace through faith in Christ the Lord and Savior of the world, stand firm wearing the full armor of God, defend their belief and proclaim the Gospel?   

 

We live in a “fallen world” that is in dire need of conviction of sin, repentance of sin, believing in sovereign God, receiving Christ the Savior, and being transformed by the Holy Spirit from darkness to light; from unsaved to saved. On this side of eternity, we cannot stop every sinful thought, word or action, but we can stand firm, as our Founding Fathers did, on the Christian religion [in the belief in the being and perfections of God, in the revelation of His will to man, in man's obligation to obey His commands, in a state of reward and punishment, and in man's accountableness to God] and make a difference in something and/or for somebody. In God We Trust.

 

Stand for God. 

In Christ, Brian

Lift High the Cross

Ray Rooney of the American Family Association writes in the August issue of “The Stand” [the AFA monthly journal] that the only people who seem to be taking decisive action(s) are those who want to destroy America. The rest are waiting for a Social Media post to tell them that “God’s got this.” I’ve heard it described as: The Frozen Chosen”. Rooney states that this is tremendously disturbing and asks “How does it serve the best interest of the kingdom of God to: (1) Ignore all the bad news taking place in our country and in our world and/or (2) Stand around waiting for someone else to tell you what to do when you already know what to do. 

 

In Matthew 28:18-20 our Lord Jesus came to His disciples [His followers, His people] and commanded them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

 

Rooney explains that, if you are a true and informed Christian and you are really concerned about the direction that our nation is being driven by secular humanist progressives, atheistic socialist, and proudly immoral people of the God-rejecting world system, and want to know how to make a difference, follow the Great Commission of Jesus Christ and spread the Gospel; go and make disciples of all nations. Chose to take action steps in stemming the growing darkness and actually win this culture war.   

 

1 Corinthians 1:17-18 “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” I have always loved the old 19th century English Christian hymn "Lift High the Cross". It was written in 1887 by George Kitchin and the final stanza says: “So shall our song of triumph ever be: Praise to the Crucified for victory. Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim, till all the world adore His sacred name.” 

 

What does the cross of Christ mean? In Romans 3:22-25 the Apostle Paul explains, “even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness.” Our just and holy sovereign Creator created all, established the Laws; setting the standards and moral absolutes for all life. To not believe in God, to doubt God, and/or to disobey God is sin. Sin is the voluntary departure of a moral agent from a known rule of rectitude or duty, prescribed by God; any voluntary transgression of the divine law, or violation of a divine command; a wicked act; iniquity. Sin is either a positive act in which a known divine law is violated, or it is the voluntary neglect to obey a positive divine command, or a rule of duty clearly implied in such command. Sin comprehends not action only, but neglect of known duty, all evil thoughts, purposes, words and desires, whatever is contrary to God's commands or law; and God must punish sin. 

 

The Apostle continues in Romans 6:23 to explain, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The cross the instrument of execution, became the instrument of forgiveness of sin and eternal salvation as Jesus Christ shed His innocent blood and died in the place of every repentant born-again Believer. 2 Peter 3:9 declares, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” Rooney affirms that God loves everyone, but not everything is acceptable to God, no matter how many people insist that it is, and not everyone will inherit eternal life in Heaven. 

 

Christians need to stop trying to love people into heaven by avoiding the issue of sin, stop being talked out of believing what the Word of God proclaims, start lifting high the cross, proclaiming the gospel, speaking the truth in love for saving the lost. As Rooney says: “Obeying God is how you love Him.”  

 

In Christ, Brian

Saving Lives

 

Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

 

Last night, our Small Group Bible Study took a break from our regular lessons and enjoyed a Christian movie night, watching “To Save a Life”. The key figure was  “Jake” was a popular senior High School Basketball Star; a fun-loving, trendy party-going member of the “in crowd” with the cutest girl in school and a scholarship to a major University in the future. The world tries very hard to convince us that all we need is “more”, and we’ll be happy and fulfilled.  But after the suicide of his outcast childhood friend, Jake comes face-to-face with the fact that life isn’t just about popularity, the next party, the next date with his girlfriend, or the next basketball game and learns that fulfillment in life comes from loving the people around you and finding God’s purpose for your life. 

 

2 Corinthians 5:17-21 tells us, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their wrongdoings against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

 

But we see that relationships are messy, and answers aren’t always clearly defined. We must see God’s view of people – how much they matter to Him, how much they should matter to us, and the purpose and joy we discover in life when we decide to love God and love other people the way God does. The difference in perception can come upon you suddenly or subtly. But developing God’s love for people results from His infusion of love in you. Yet to do this, one must truly repent of their sinful lifestyle, believe God, accept forgiveness through Jesus Christ alone and obediently follow His holy and righteous Word, Will and Way. Being a true Christian [a Christ-following disciple] means receiving a transformed heart and life; becoming a contender of the faith, not a pretender of the faith. A casual or nominal Christian going through the motions is a hypocritical fake Christian wasting their time in shallow, meaningless ways and everyone else’s. 

 

In the movie, the Youth Pastor Chris of the local church tell the kids in his Youth Group that a recent survey showed that the place that people least like to be was the church, stating that it was boring, judgmental and hypocritical.  He asks why is it that the church can be the exact opposite of what the Bible teaches? That is not how it is supposed to be! The church is supposed to be a place where you do not have to pretend that you have your life all together, or you don’t have any problems. Church is supposed to be a place that you can come and be who you really are and not feel judged by others. The pastor asked everyone to silently reflect on this, but looking around, Jake [struggling with true faith] sees people in the group not taking the request seriously, ignoring the pastor, talking, and even passing drugs to each other. Frustrated, Jake stands up and says, “Damn it, didn’t any of you hear what the pastor just said? My girlfriend came here today and left because she felt judged. And no one even noticed. My friend Roger came into school and started shoot; I knew him. He wasn’t crazy. And did anyone ever stop and ask why? How did it get to the point where his only option was to shoot himself? There are people killing themselves and you are playing games. What is the point of all this [Christianity], if you are not going to let this change you?” A serious and courageous question.

 

Matthew 22:37-39 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

 

Jesus gifts true Christians with the indwelling Holy Spirit as a life counselor and guide, which in turn helps them to see people as valuable, created beings with purpose. Once we experience the authentic love, joy, peace and friendship available in the body of Christ, we cannot allow anything less than the way of Jesus. When we decide to repent, believe and cleave to our Savior and Lord as a Christ-follower for life, often we become a walking-talking challenge to other who do not know the Lord. This transformed life is precisely how God intends us to spread the Good News of His love and redemption – saving lives one willing heart at a time. I highly recommend this movie to watch [link below].

 

In Christ, Brian

Spiritual Reconstruction

 

2 Timothy 4:2-4 “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of  season. Convince,

rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.”

 

The numbers of the latest Cultural Research Center survey on the state of the American culture and prevailing worldviews continue to show an on-going decline of a biblical worldview. The American Family Association’s Jordan Chamblee wrote an article stating that in recent years, a rising trend of churchgoing youth and young adults  being in the process of re-evaluating their faith, deconstructing their beliefs leading to a change in their religious affiliation; often the path to walk away from their Christian faith entirely. 

 

CRC director Dr. George Barna outlined seven particular beliefs, seven fundamental cornerstones of a biblical worldview used in the national survey. Of those ages 18-25, only 1% of those surveyed agreed with all seven principles. Only 10% believed in some, but not all. Taken all together, the 2023 number indicated a 33% drop in US adults’ beliefs in a biblical worldview since 2020. And, the research showed that fewer Americans today (25%) believe in absolute truth, down from 32% in 2020. Barna explain, “People do what they believe, behavior is the tangible outcome of belief. If you believe what the Bible teaches, you will behave in harmony with those beliefs. The goal is to actually live in concert with those seven fundamental cornerstone principles if a biblical worldview.   

 

Genesis 3:1-5 tells us, “Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman [Eve], “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” This is known as “the Temptation”, the deceiving lie of the devil that cause Eve to doubt God and led to the “Fall of Man”. Doubt of God was the original Sin and doubts can open the door to apostasy [the abandonment of what one has professed; a total desertion, or departure from one's faith or religion]. 

 

A major cause in the decline of a biblical worldview in America is the Christian church [the body of Believers] not fulfilling the Great Commission commandment by their Lord in Matthew 28:18-20, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

 

The biggest positive trend in the 2023 CRC survey was how Americans define meaning and purpose, with 7% more embracing a biblical worldview of purpose over 2020 in the principle that the ultimate purpose of human life is to know, love, and serve God with all one’s heart, mind and strength. Belief in the Bible being the Word of God and a recognition of the sin nature of humans both shared a 5% increase above the 2020 results. Barna suggests that Christians seize the opportunity presented in the current culture to lead others through the Gospel of Jesus Christ unto repentance, forgiveness, salvation through transformational faith that embraces biblical principles. Through the Gospel, the Holy Spirit enlightens and changes hearts.

 

2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”

 

Author Jinger Vuolo suggests speaking the truth in love, by influencing unbelievers and those struggling with their faith to reexamine their beliefs and discover that certain aspects of their faith are based upon manmade rules rather than God’s Word. Personal conviction of sinning against our just and holy Creator God in questioning and doubting one’s faith can lead to “spiritual disentanglement” towards further spiritual growth rather than falling away. Disentanglement involves studying gospel-centered teachings and taking ownership of one’s own beliefs, realigning their faith with the nonnegotiable truths of the gospel in “spiritual reconstruction”. 

Ephesians 4:22-25 instructs us “to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.” Churches play a role in gospel outreach within their communities and aiding this kind of spiritual growth in their congregations. They are to bring the Light of Christ into the darkness of doubt and unbelief with conversations and encouragement occurring within the context of a personal, trust-based relationship, developing a resilient and authentic relationship with God. Equip the saints, then seek and save the lost. Our eternity depends on the Truth.  

 

In Christ, Brian

The God Beyond Description

Psalm 145:3 “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.”

American Family Association host Rich Robertson wrote in an article that by Jesus Christ’s Great Commission, all Christians are called to a singular mission. We are to spend a lifetime pointing others to an infinitely greater attraction; Psalm 115:1 “Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake.” We all struggle with egocentric pride and self-worth, becoming self-consumed in life with our dreams, goals, successes, defeats and our things-to-do lists. It helps for someone to stop us and reintroduce us to the glory and grandeur of our Almighty God. 

I encourage you to take a few minutes to reflect on the unparalleled greatness of our loving Creator. Psalm 99:5 “Exalt the Lord our God,
And worship at His footstool—
He is holy.” God is holy. He does not conform to a standard; He is a standard that we conform to. The Holy Only, sacred and set apart, absolutely sovereign and holy with an infinite, incomprehensible fullness of purity. 

1 Timothy 1:17 “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” God is eternal. The human mind looks backwards in time until the dim past vanishes, then turns and looks into the future until thought and imagination collapse from exhaustion , and God is at both points, unaffected by either. 

Ephesians 3:20 “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” God is infinite. God knows no bounds. He knows no bounds. Whatever God is and all that God is, He is without limits.

Revelation 19:6 “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!” God is Omnipotent. The Almighty Creator of the heavens and the earth, who spoke everything into existence, is all-powerful with limitless power. 

Psalm 139:7-10 “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me.” God is Omnipresent. God is, there and everywhere; close to everything and next to everyone.

Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” God is transcendent. God is exalted far above the created universe, so far above that human thought cannot imagine it. Isaiah 55:8-9 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

Still consider that we live each day as subjects to this holy, eternal, infinite, omnipotent, transcendent God. 1 Chronicles 29:11 “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and You are exalted as head over all.” 

In Christ, Brian 

Obey Government

Deuteronomy 30:19-20 “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; 20 that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days.”

The biggest struggle in any time between the fall of man in the second coming of Jesus Christ is the battle between faith and unbelief. It has happened many times throughout history, but today we live in a politically polarized time again. Pastor Noland stated in a recent American family association article that it is not easy for Christians to know what to think say or do in such confusing, secular society, and associated government. The Apostle Paul instructs in  Romans 13:1, “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities, or there is authority, except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.” Yet, for believers to be good citizens, you must obey God’s word. This means that we should obey the laws of our government whether we would like them or not. Whether they be speed, laws, or tax laws, or any other laws. 

When we break a law, we should not be surprised that there are consequences, for they point us to the truth that breaking god’s laws, consequences, which are far greater reaching. The Lord has establish laws and chains of command in order to facilitate order in society, family and church. We may complain about those in government office, and the laws that they make, but immoral leaders are the reward of an immoral culture. Christians are called to impact their culture for Christ’s sake, not back away into the four walls of their church and abandon society to the godless sin nature of the fallen flesh desires. Our culture is not a reflection of our leaders, but our leaders are a reflection of our culture. What else would you expect from a God-rejecting world system then to disobey and disregard the Word of God. 

Pastor Noland clarifies though that of course when it comes to obeying our leaders, there is one exception. When man’s law opposes God’s law, then we must obey the Lord’s law every time. The Christian may have duel-citizenship in Heaven and on Earth, but the Kingdom of God is our true homeland for eternity. Our love of God, results in a pure heart, a good conscious, and a sincere faith. God is the standard of righteousness, and we should want to to rise, simply because it is right in the eyes of God. That is always the right thing to do. 

Ask God to reveal any ungodly rebellion in your life and pray for a surrendered, submissive heart to His holy and just Word, Will and Way. Pray for our church leaders to move the stand by the word of God, and for our government leaders to walk in the light of godly morality and justice. Pray to demonstrate your love for God, by obedience to his divine Will and trust in His righteous Way. Pray for the Lord to give us strength to stand up against unrighteousness, immorality, and injustice as defined by His holy Word. Our politics is in the kingdom of God, so obey the government of Heaven.

In Christ, Brian

God and Country

 

Psalm 33:12 “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He has chosen as His own inheritance.”

 

September 17-23 is US Constitution week. In the founding of this sovereign nation, the unity was established as one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all, within the context of holiness and righteousness; the moral, religious, and constitutional foundation on which America. 

 

When the framers of the US Constitution used the term “religion,” as in the First Amendment, they were referring to the Protestant denominations of Christianity. Founding Father Benjamin Franklin was the elder statesman (81 years old) at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 in Philadelphia. There, he urged the Assembly toward daily prayer to seek guidance from “the Father of Lights.” In doing so, he said this: “I have lived a long time, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth—that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice [referencing Jesus Christ’s proclamation in Matthew 10:29-31], is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid?” The US Constitution was “Done in Convention by the Unanimous Consent of the States present the Seventeenth Day of September in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and Eighty seven.” 

 

Did you know that 34% of the U.S. Constitution contains biblical citations? Along with numerous writings of the Founding Fathers on this nation’s Christian foundations, the Supreme Court of the United States of America – Holy Trinity Church v. U.S. on February 29, 1892 decision concluded, "These and many other matters which might be noticed, add a volume of unofficial declarations to the mass of organic utterances that this is a Christian nation."  

Patriotism is defined in the 1828 Weber’s dictionary as: Love of one's country; the passion which aims to serve one's country, either in defending it from invasion, or protecting its rights and maintaining its laws and institutions in vigor and purity. Patriotism is the characteristic of a good citizen, the noblest passion that animates a man in the character of a citizen. 

 

Providence is defined as: the care and superintendence which God exercises over his creatures. The 1828 Weber’s dictionary declares that anyone that acknowledges a creation and denies a providence, involves themselves in a palpable contradiction; for the same power which caused a thing to exist is necessary to continue its existence. Some persons admit a general providence, but deny a particular providence, not considering that a general providence consists of particulars. A belief in Divine providence, is a source of great consolation to good men. By divine providence is understood God himself.

 

Patriotism and Nationalism are strong pillars of national consciousness when they stand upon the solid foundation of the love of God, knowing as Psalm 113:4 proclaims: “The Lord is high above all nations, His glory above the heavens.” God and Country!

 

In God We Trust and In Christ We Follow; God Bless America!

Brian

Choose Forgiveness

  

Matthew 6:12 “forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

 

My wife and I enjoy watching the “Dateline” and “20/20” Crime Mystery program on television that trace real violent criminal incidents and the investigations that lead to the identification, capture and prosecution of the perpetrator. It has always amazed me when, after a murder conviction and during the portion of the trial when the family is allowed to make a statement or address the assailant that took their loved one, how many of the family members tell the offender that they forgive them. 

 

Ephesians 1:7-8 tells us that “in Him [Jesus Christ] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our sins, according to the riches of his grace, which He lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight. Patricia Jean of the American Family Association points out that God desires health and peace for believers; therefore God requires forgiveness of others, because forgiveness has the ability to heal the soul. She states that forgiveness does not require judgment and to forgive is not to forget that you have personally suffered harm and loss. 

 

The act of forgiveness does not pardon the offense, excuse the wrong, or ignore it. Forgiveness is not necessarily reconciliation. but a step to wholeness in a journey to recovery. Forgiveness is required in order to conquer crippling emotions of fear and hatred, by freeing us from “unforgiveness”. On this side of eternity, people will always be offended and forgiveness will always be needed. The Lord Jesus instructs in Mark 11:25, “whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.” To forgive because you have been forgiven frees the heart to be right with God and true intimacy with the Lord, your God to be centered in love, joy and peace without distractions. 

Unforgiveness produces negative energy and is an expensive emotion. As an act of the will, choose to release any rightful anger towards the person who has caused the offense pain and suffering. Letting go exchanges the enormous weight of bitterness, hate and injury with freedom and healing. Forgiveness releases you from the power the oppressor has over you. This personal choice allows them to no longer continue having a place in our lives where we feel controlled by them. Choose forgiveness.

 

In Christ, Brian

Christian Teaching – Part 2 “Make Disciples”

 

In John 17:16-18 Jesus pray to our Father in Heaven, “They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. Just as You sent Me into the world, I also sent them into the world.”

 

Continuing Pastor Chan’s study on “learning”, he points out that in the Bible, God reveal Himself to us. We find God’s perspective on who He is, who we are, and the way this word operates. The more that we study Scripture, the more confident we become in the answers that God gives to life’s most important questions. This confidence in the Word of God will lead us to teach the other people in our lives because God’s Word is truth. In John 8:31-32 Jesus was saying to those who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly My disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” By the Word of God, we develop an appropriate boldness in the fact that we can share God’s heart with the people in our lives. 

 

Jesus commanded in Matthew 28:19-20a “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.” 

 

God’s truth in the Holy Scriptures are eternal and unchanging. We can stand and should stand boldly on God’s truth, but we must balance the boldness that comes through knowledge of the Bible with humility. 1 Corinthians 15:10a says, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain.” We have to remember that as soon as we step beyond the simple written Word of God in Holy Scripture and stand firm on our own interpretation of them, we are in danger of acting in pride. 

It’s not about our opinions, views and feelings about the Bible; it is about learning about the Word of God and growing in our understanding of it, and applying its truth in our lives, then sharing what we have learned with others in humility and love. In Philippians 3:12-14, the Apostle Paul equates the Christian life to running in a race to win the prize. But, it’s not about you crossing the finish line alone; it’s about all of us crossing the finish line together. That finish line is at the gate to Heaven. It matters that those people “attain the prize” as well.

 

In God We Trust by faith. In Christ We Believe. By the Word of God We Live, And by the commandment of the Great Commission of our Lord, we go make disciples of all the nations with the Gospel of Salvation, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that our Lord has commanded. 

In Christ, Brian

 

Christian Learning – Part 1 “The Word of God”

 

Romans 10:14 “How can they call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them?”

 

Our Wednesday evening Small Group Bible Study has been working through a 7-part video series by Pastor Frances Chan titled, “Basic: We are the Church” and last night viewed and discussed the fifth session on “Teaching”, which focused on the learnings in the Word of God, the Holy Bible – being taught Truth and then teaching Truth; not as a discipline by behavior modification due to duty, like a chore (though a disciple of dedication and devotion are involved), but a heart, mind and soul transformation that creates a carving and longing desire for the Word of God – to hear, to learn, to know, to believe and to apply for the abundant life here and now on Earth, plus the amazing eternal life to come in the hereafter of Heaven.  

 

Acts 2:42 tells of the early Christian church, how “they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” And 1 Peter 2:1-3 describes transformation as, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the Word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.” I have to ask myself, “have I devoted myself to the Word of God with this carving and longing desire? 

 

The Bible is not just another ordinary book. It is the very words of God and 2 Timothy 3:15-17 tells us “how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” The result of the author of Scripture, the supernatural nature of Scripture is clearly stated in Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” 

 

The Matthew Henry Commentary on Hebrews 4:12 explains that the Word of God is very lively and active, in all its efforts, in seizing the conscience of the sinner, in cutting him to the heart, and in comforting him and binding up the wounds of the soul. When God sets it home by his Spirit, it convinces powerfully, converts powerfully, and comforts powerfully. It is powerful to batter down Satan’s kingdom, and to set up the kingdom of Christ upon the ruins thereof. It is sharper than any two-edged sword; it cuts both ways; it is the sword of the Spirit of Ephesians 6:17. It pierces to the dividing asunder of the soul and the spirit; a proud spirit to be humble, of a perverse spirit to be meek and obedient. It cuts off ignorance from the understanding, rebellion from the will, and enmity from the mind, which, when carnal, is enmity itself against God. This sword can cut off the lusts of the flesh as well as the lusts of the mind, and make men willing to undergo the sharpest operation for the mortifying of sin. The Holy Scriptures are a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart, even the most secret and remote thoughts and designs. It will discover to men the variety of their thoughts and purposes, the vileness of them, the bad principles they are actuated by, the sinister and sinful ends they act to. The Word of God will turn the inside of a sinner out, and let them see all that is in their heart. Now such a Word as this must needs be a great help to our faith and obedience. 

 

The Word of God is the objective truth that is the foundational common ground which all else in life is built upon, measure by and governed from. As America’s Founding Father stated, “The longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth: that God governs in the affairs of men.” Yet, there are obstacles which we encounter. Let's continue this message on Christian teaching in the next post.

 

In God We Trust and In Christ We Live, Brian

Consider the Lilies – Part 2

 

Luke 12:27 “Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” 

 

Michael continues: In Galatians 5:16 the apostle Paul says: “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” Despite the cares and concerns of this life, Jesus knows our every weakness and the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. The Lord also knows what we really need. Paul asked God three times to remove his painful thorn in the flesh. He said, Lord, I’ll serve you better without this constant suffering. The first two times God did not answer. The third time, God answered Paul’s prayer, but it was not the answer that Paul expected. However, this is one of the great lessons of life, learned only through suffering, pain and tribulation. God’s answer was, “My strength is made perfect in thy weakness. My grace is sufficient for thee.”

There is nothing in this life that God can’t handle. God is the God of grace and He alone is our sufficiency.Jesus said, “sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Live in the present” … all you have is now, this stretch of history. The secret to happiness is that our joy is in the Lord. It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey; it’s a true adventure. The Christian’s journey is walking with the Lord, one step at a time and one day at a time. Jesus said, I’m your sufficiency for today, so don’t worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow will take care of the things for tomorrow. I am your sufficiency and your strength for today’s walk and todays Journey. 

Jesus taught that joy in the Lord supersedes earthly happiness. Happiness depends on circumstances or upon happenstance, however “Joy in the Lord” is everlasting. Joy is not the absence of pain, rather, true joy is the presence of the Lord. According to Romans 8:35-39, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Acts 17:26-28 tells us, “From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’” In Christ we live and move and have our being. The Lord takes care of the sparrow and the lily of the field. Will He not therefore, also take care of you as children of our loving Heavenly Father? He is our sufficiency in all things that we may live to the praise of the glory of His grace!

Your brother in Christ, Michael

 

Consider the Lilies - Part 1

Luke 12:27 “Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. In Jesus’ sermon on the mount, he spoke of God’s revelation about living life in the kingdom of the King of Kings. Life in Christ is diametrically opposed to the kingdom of this fallen in sin world. The kingdom and kingdoms of this world will soon come to naught … they are here today and gone tomorrow. However, true life in the Spirit of the living God that lives and abides forever. The things of this world will soon be past, only that which is done in Christ shall last.  

In Matthew 6:24 Jesus said, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” Jesus said, you cannot serve worldly riches and God at the same time, because you can only serve one. People may say that they can serve both, but they are fooling their selves. The motto of the United States is “In God We Trust.” There is irony in this American motto inscribed on our coins and currency. The irony is that most Americans living in a material world trust in money as their god instead of the Lord God Jehovah. The great American dream is to pursue money and the things money can buy instead of pursuing God. 

How do you worship God instead of material things? The pursuit of happiness is not in seeking the blessing, but in seeking the Blessor - God. Jesus continued in Matthew 6:25-29: “Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

It’s easy to be distracted by the cares and the things of this material life. Worry over the physical things that sustain our mortal bodies drive men and women to anxiety. Doubt, worry, and fear separate our hearts from the pursuit of the Lord in soul and spirit. However, as Proverbs says, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding, In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths. God is our sufficiency; He is the one who provides all our needs. God has given us the resources of this created world and has called us to steward the things with which He has entrusted us. Genesis 2:15 tells us that “the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.” We’re called to administer with our hands the material goods He has proved for us and then minister with a heart of love the relationships that He has called us to nurture. These things include: our work, our time, and our money. We serve with a heart of love our spouses, our families, and our brothers and sisters within the body of Christ.  

When our heart is set on the things of the world, when is enough enough? Worldly things cannot satisfy. 1 John 2:16 “For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.” There is a constant craving, an insatiable appetite and a continuous hunger for the material things that we cannot obtain. The world says, “He who dies with the most toys wins”. However, from God’s eternal perspective, He who dies with the most toys is dead. You can’t take it with you.

 

Let's continue Michael's message on 'considering the lilies' in the next post.

In Christ, Brian

Lostness

Matthew 18:11 and Luke 19:10 state, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

 

Yesterday, I was listening in upon the national “Prayer Call” of the Saturate USA evangelism outreach, and one of the pastors who called in used the word “lostness” in referring to the state of the unsaved individual that this doorhanger packet with a DVD of the Jesus Movie and a Gospel message booklet were design to reach by this door-to-door personal visitation lovingly provided. A heart for the lost comes from an enlightened and spiritually discerning heart for Christ. In Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus said, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” 

 

In loving God above all, to seek the lost with the Gospel of Salvation as our Lord did is a natural inclination of the transformed and consecrated heart. When something is broke, then fix it; and likewise, when someone is lost and dying, then find and save them. Lostness was a word that isn’t used often, so caught my ear and interest. If someone were to ask: “In one word, what is the biggest problem in the world today?” Lostness is the word and sin is the one word Root Cause. In order to be “saved”, you must be “lost”. But, many non-believers don’t comprehend their own lostness and ask: “how am I lost?” So, resist the lifeguard’s or search and rescue team’s attempt to save them. Most secular people have (1) the lack of understanding of what is sin. By definition: Sin is the voluntary departure of a moral agent from a known rule of rectitude or duty, prescribed by God; any voluntary transgression of the divine law, or violation of a divine command; a wicked act; iniquity. Sin is either a positive act in which a known divine law is violated, or it is the voluntary neglect to obey a positive divine command, or a rule of duty clearly implied in such command. Sin comprehends not action only, but neglect of known duty, all evil thoughts purposes, words and desires, whatever is contrary to God's commands or law. 

 

Lack of understanding of (2) Who they are sinning against. Though sinners sin against people, places (like the earth and it’s natural resources) and things (animals and nature), they ultimately sin against the Creator of them all and His perfect Laws; for in Him we live and move and have our being. King David of Israel understood this and rightfully prayed in Psalm 51:2-4, “Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight. 

And (3) the lack of understanding of the ultimate consequences of sin, as they walk blindly in darkness; lost to Hell. Romans 6:23a states, “For the wages of sin is death”, meaning that the sinner earns the wrath of God against their voluntary transgression of His divine law, or violation of His divine command in willful wicked acts of malicious unrighteousness against God. Therefore, lost in sin; a life ruined; destroyed; or wasted. Luke 9:25 asks, “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?” 

 

But, everyone walking in lostness is worth finding and saving. Jesus said in Luke 15:4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?” 2 Peter 3:9 explains that, “the Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But, it takes the enlightened born-again Believers to bring the light of the Gospel to those who do not know and walk in darkness. Jesus proclaims in John 3:16-17, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” 

 

Jesus is the cure for “lostness”. The goal in God’s plan of Salvation has always been forgiveness and restoration on the sinner. Then, as in Luke 15:24, our heavenly Father can say: “For this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” In Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus gave this command to His disciples, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Seek and save the lost; Foundness, not lostness!

 

In Christ, Brian