by MIMADMIN | May 7, 2015
“We have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways; we refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.” 2 Corinthians 4:2 You do not commend the gospel message to the logic or intellect of people, but to their conscience. When God says that people are created in His image, in part that means they have a conscience – a moral gyroscope that allows them to know right from wrong. God created the conscience so that it conforms to His standard. Although people cannot reason their way to God, the conscience can assist in affirming what is right. The conscience can identify goodness, and it is this goodness that Paul commends. All people know that dishonesty is wrong. All people can identify hypocrisy. People who preach Jesus and live hypocritical lives become the subject of public ridicule and bad characters in movies. When you communicate the gospel with a life-style contrary to that of the gospel, a life-style that all can identify as wrong, you give the enemies of God an occasion to blaspheme, and you anger God. “It would be better for him if a millstone were hung round his neck and he were cast into the sea.” Luke 17:2 When people observe that your life is in harmony with the message, they may not believe, but they know in their conscience that they have met... read more
by MIMADMIN | May 7, 2015
“There He made for them a fixed rule, and there He put them to the test. He said, ‘If you will heed the LORD your God diligently, doing what is upright in His sight, giving ear to His commandments and keeping all His laws, then I will not bring upon you any of the diseases that I brought upon the Egyptians, for I the LORD am your healer.'” Exodus 15:25-26 Here God calls attention to the nature of conditional promises; they are tests God gives His people to see if they will be obedient. Note that God says this is both a command and a promise. When He makes a conditional promise that you consider essential, it becomes in your mind a command; you feel forced to meet the conditions affixed to what you deem essential. Conditional promises are, by their nature, tests in that they are dependent upon the performance of the person to whom the promise was given. As you know, the word “if” identifies the promise as conditional; if you fail to meet the conditions then you fail to obtain the promise. Grace is an unconditional promise, for God knows that we fail His tests. I cannot think of one test that I, or the nation of Israel, ever passed. Without God’s gracious unconditional promises I would be void of hope. God may test you with conditional promises and commands, but without His unconditional promise of grace, you would... read more
by MIMADMIN | May 7, 2015
“He said to them, ‘Where is your faith?'” Luke 8:25 KJV Returning to Jesus’ hometown, Mark 6:5-6 KJV records, “And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching.” Jesus did not lack ability to heal. Rather, the whole of the New Testament teaches that in order for a person to receive what God offers, he must have faith. Jesus offered to His generation physical healing, evidenced by the whole of the narrative of His life. The lack was on the part of the people who evidenced an absence of faith. To our generation He offers eternal life, but in order for us to receive it, we must believe. “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?”John 11:25-26 KJV Of those Jesus healed in His public ministry, Scripture records only a few (like the demon possessed man in Mark 5) who wanted more of Jesus than just temporal healing. When you seek from the Savior eternal life, are you in reality seeking it in hopes of obtaining temporal gain? God, who knows your motives, will not grant eternal life as a means of acquiring temporal benefit. Faith is critically important, but it must be faith properly... read more
by MIMADMIN | May 7, 2015
“And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” 2 Timothy 2:2 Dawson Trotman, the founder of The Navigators, use to say that it takes four generations to ensure spiritual reproduction: “you, me, faithful men, others also.” First you reach your “Timothy,” and then teach him how to reach others. Then you must teach him how to teach others to reach others. When you have accomplished that, spiritual reproduction is operational. In the following verses Paul gives a trilogy of illustrations on what it means to be committed to this vision. The soldier illustrates the need not to become entangled. The athlete illustrates the need to play by the rules: the end cannot justify the means. The farmer illustrates that you reap what you sow. Spiritual reproduction means that you reproduce after your own kind, whether you want to or not. Therefore what you are becomes critically important as you invest in others. You have reception and transmission. You see the importance of reception in the words, “hearing” and “many witnesses.” You see transmission in the words “commit thou to others also.” Every follower of Christ must view himself as a link between generations. Reception is the privilege, transmission the... read more
by MIMADMIN | May 7, 2015
“King Zedekiah sent for the prophet Jeremiah, and…said to Jeremiah, ‘I want to ask you something; don’t conceal anything from me.’ Jeremiah answered the king, ‘If I tell you, you’ll surely kill me; and if I give you advice, you won’t listen to me.’ Thereupon King Zedekiah secretly promised Jeremiah on oath: ‘As the LORD lives who has given us this life, I will not put you to death or leave you in the hands of those men who seek your life.'” Jeremiah 38:14-16 If a man knew the future, would it make any difference regarding how he lived? Zedekiah the king asks the prophet Jeremiah, “Tell me the future and I promise that I won’t get angry,” but he did not commit to doing what God said. In fact, the king ignored what Jeremiah told him. Men are fascinated with the future, seeking to ascertain what lies ahead, but with no intention of it making a difference in how they live. If a man knew that there are eternal consequences for temporal behavior, would it alter his value system? Throughout the New Testament God warns that present investments make an eternal difference. [1] Most Christians, however, view their relationship with Christ like a life insurance policy; they “buy” the policy to protect their future and then proceed to live life conforming to the values of the world instead of the values of God. Jeremiah told Zedekiah what he could expect, but Zedekiah refused to listen to God’s prophet. Are you like Zedekiah, or do you invest your life in conformity with the Word of God? [1] Cf., e.g., Matthew 6:19-20; 1Corinthians... read more
by MIMADMIN | May 7, 2015
“And when they came to Nachon’s threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God.” 2Samuel 6:6-7 King Saul, in battle with the Philistines, lost the Ark of the Covenant. After a series of events, the Ark ended in the home of Abinadab and stayed there twenty years. When David became king, he sent for the ark and en route to the Tabernacle, Uzzah, the son of Abinadab sought to save the Ark as it fell off the cart when the oxen stumbled. When Uzzah touched the Ark, God killed him. God said, “And you shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry the ark by them. The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it.” The Lord further instructed that “the sons of Kohath shall come to carry these, but they must not touch the holy things, lest they die.” It may have seemed like an obscure command with no seeming significance and easily forgotten, but it was important to God. Uzzah sought to help the Lord by protecting the Ark. No doubt he had a pure motive. Still, God killed him. Many New Testament commands appear to be unimportant and the breaking of them inconsequential. You may even think you do God service by ignoring commands that offend your reason. No matter how... read more
by MIMADMIN | May 7, 2015
As a follower of Christ you know that self-reformation is futile. Having declared spiritual bankruptcy, you came to God asking Him to live His life through you. He is your life; you live day-by-day in dependence upon His strength and presence. The worst thing that can happen to the non-Christian is for him to be able to solve his own problems. Nothing is more deadly than self reformation. The Great Physician heals those who cannot heal themselves. If people conclude that they can solve their own problems, or at least learn to accommodate them in their lives, they lose their incentive to turn to Christ for help, and that is a short path to hell. “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will neverenter the kingdom of heaven.”1 Jesus says that this dependence of a child is a pre-requisite for entrance into His kingdom. God can use many ways to force the unbeliever to express the dependence of a child in turning to Christ. As you pray for those outside the pale of His grace, plead with God that they will not resist the Holy Spirit through acts of self-reformation. 1 Matthew... read more
by MIMADMIN | May 7, 2015
“In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” Ephesians 1:13-14 The Holy Spirit accompanies salvation and functions as a seal in the life of the believer. First, a seal is used to indicate proprietorship (you own it because it has your seal). Second, a seal proves that the object is genuine (you note the “sterling silver” seal on the bottom of silver). Third, a seal preserves something as safe or inviolate (the government sealed off the building so that no one could enter). In all three uses of this word, the Holy Spirit seals the believer in his relationship to God. God owns you, stamps you by His presence in your life as “genuine”, and protects you from harm, making you inviolate. The Holy Spirit is also the earnest, pledge, or down payment of all God promises. When you purchase a home you pay part of the purchase in advance as a security of your intention to pay the remainder. God sends the Holy Spirit into your life to guarantee that the promises He has made, which comprise your eternal inheritance, will find their fulfillment. He is the pledge of your future redemption. Circumstances will enter your life calling into question either the validity of your commitment to Christ or the veracity of His promises. During such times the Holy Spirit ministers to... read more
by MIMADMIN | May 7, 2015
“But the king replied to Araunah, ‘No, I will buy them from you at a price. I cannot sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that have cost me nothing.’ So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.” 2Samuel 24:24 It is in the nature of the case that God’s people want to believe that they obey God out of love and gratitude for what He has done, rather than from a motive of accruing personal gain in eternity. Indeed, I am confident that much of the time, this is how we are motivated. But how does this relate to a sacrificial life? Faith can be defined as “commitment before knowing.” Paul said, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God.” The dictionary defines sacrifice as “surrendering something of value for something of greater value.” Christ’s followers, by faith, live lives of perpetual self-sacrifice in anticipation of gaining in return something of greater value. What is the “greater value” you seek? If you are motivated to obey God solely because of gratitude and love, then where is the self-sacrificing life? And how do you respond to God when He (hopefully on rare occasions) asks you to do what you don’t want to do and you are... read more
by MIMADMIN | May 7, 2015
“But as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’” 1 Peter 1:15 – 16 All religions divide the world into pure and impure. They have holy places and things that the impure and profane cannot approach. Instinctively, all people know that some things are pure and some things are impure. Religions differ on how they catalog these differences. In the Old Testament, God describes/defines the Tabernacle and its content, inpart, by declaring certain places and objects holy. In the New Testament, the believer is the holy temple of God; God takes up residence in him. Thus God declares you holy in an act of His grace, and then commands you to live your life in conformity with His declaration. Your reactions reveal more about your holiness than your actions, for the latter can be motivated by a variety of things other than true holiness. You may want to conform out of fear of what other people may say or think. Thus purity, in the final analysis, is first and foremost an issue of the heart. God lives in you to help you become holy, but the process requires your cooperation. Two thoughts: First, God defines holiness. You become holy as you become more and more like God. The only way I know of how to do this is by time in Scripture, learning to think like God thinks. Second, God calls you to be in the world relating to sinners as His ambassador. As you seek to “become all things to... read more
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