The Gift of Mercy!

I have one prediction for 2008 that will absolutely come true. As believers, all we will get from God in the New Year, is mercy. Whatever pleasures or pains come our way will all be mercy. This is why Christ came into the world – "in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy" (Romans 15:9). We were born again "according to his great mercy" (1 Peter 1:3); we pray daily "that we may receive mercy" (Hebrews 4:16); and we are now "waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life" (Jude 1:21). If any Christian proves trustworthy, it is "by the Lord's mercy [he] is trustworthy" (1 Corinthians 7:25). In the end, when all is said and done, we will confess, "So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy" (Romans 9:16).

So as we enter the New Year, let us humble ourselves and take the position of the blind man, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" (Luke 18:38). Or the position of the leper, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us" (Luke 17:13). And let us take heart that we will never obey enough to put God in debt to us. He will never owe us. And let us take heart that the smallest seed of true faith in Christ taps all the divine power of mercy.

In Luke 17:5, the apostles pleaded with the Lord, "Increase our faith!" And the Lord said (v. 6), "If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you." In other words, the issue in your Christian life and ministry is not the strength or quantity of your faith, because that is not what uproots trees. God does. The smallest faith that truly connects you with Christ will engage enough of his power for all you need. Moving trees is a small thing for Christ. The issue is not perfection for Christ, but connection to Christ. So take heart, the smallest seed of faith connects with all of Christ's mercy.

Therefore, we must conclude, the fullest obedience and the smallest faith obtain the same thing from God: mercy. A mustard seed of faith taps into the mercy of tree-moving power.

God may withhold some blessings of mercy for our good if we stray from the path of growing faith. But even this withholding is another form of mercy. The point is: whatever the timing or form of God's mercy, we will never rise above the need of His mercy.

Therefore, let us humble ourselves and rejoice and "glorify God for his mercy"!

Written For Us!

How awful and awesome to live in the last days. That is, the days between Jesus’ first and second coming. Many Christians are not aware of the fact that the New Testament speaks quite specifically about the priority of our time in history and the Book written especially for these last days. It is astounding to me to realize the message of these texts at face value:

• 1 Corinthians 10:6, 11: Now these things [Israel’s exodus and wilderness wanderings] took place as examples to us, that we might not desire evil as they did.... Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.
• Romans 15:4: Whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
• 1 Peter 1:10-12: Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

Not only was the Old Testament written with our days in mind, but the very events that were written about were sovereignly planned by God in such a way that they would serve as example, instruction, and encouragement for us. Most importantly, they point us to Jesus and his life and death for us. The Old Testament was written so that we would get the gospel. The gospel was written for us so that we would be ready for His return.

Do You Welcome Change?

One of my favorite passages of scripture is 1 John 3:1-3 which says, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.”

There are several reasons why this passage stands out to me, but I’ll share just one for now. John writes, “But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”

When Christ appears, we shall be like Him. This tells me that “change” is required. In order for me, to be like Him, change is a must. When you think about it, any person or people group that God has ever called, went through this process of change. We could also call it “the disciple of the Lord” or the “sanctification” process of God.

No one, called of God, will escape this process of change. We should no be discouraged with it, but welcome it, and endure it. Hebrews 12: 10-11 says, “Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

God, at some point in your Christian walk, will take you through circumstances and seasons in life that may not be pleasant. This is always for your benefit. God is the author and finisher of your faith. He wrote the beginning and end, and everything in between.

When we yield to the change that comes by the working of the Holy Spirit, blessings will follow.

The "Call" of God

When Paul preached, some believed and some did not. Why did some of those who are “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1, 5) believe and some did not?

The answer why some did not believe is that they “thrust it aside” (Acts 13:46) because the message of the gospel was “folly to them, and they [were] not able to understand” (1 Corinthians 2:14). The mind of the flesh “is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot” (Romans 8:7). Those who hear and reject the gospel “hate the light” and do not come to the light lest their deeds should be exposed (John 3:20). They remain “darkened in their understanding . . . because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart” (Ephesians 4:18). It is a guilty ignorance. The truth is available. But “by their unrighteousness they suppress the truth” (Romans 1:18).

But why then do some believe, when all have sinned and fallen short of God's glorious standard? All are in this condition of hardness of heart and dead in our trespasses?

The book of Acts gives the answer in at least three different ways. One is that they are appointed to believe. When Paul preached in Antioch of Pisidia, the Gentiles rejoiced and “as many as were appointed to eternal life believed” (Acts 13:48).

Another way of answering why some believe is that God granted repentance. When the saints in Jerusalem heard that Gentiles were responding to the gospel and not just Jews, they said, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life” (Acts 11:18).

The clearest answer in Acts to the question why a person believes the gospel is that God opens the heart. Lydia is the best example. Why did she believe? Acts 16:14 says, “The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.” Notice four aspects of this conversion.

1) “. . . what was said by Paul.” First, someone must speak the gospel. God does not open the eyes of the heart to see nothing. He opens them to see the glory of Christ in the truth of the gospel (2 Corinthians 4:4-6). Therefore, we must speak the gospel. We don’t make the new birth happen when we do. But we fit into God’s way of doing it. The point of the new birth is to grant spiritual sight. The point of speaking the gospel is give something to see. New birth is for the glory of Christ. Therefore, God causes it to happen when Christ is lifted up.

2) “The Lord . . .” Second, the speaker of the gospel relies upon the Lord. Prayer is not mentioned here. But that is what we do when we realize that it is the Lord who is the decisive factor, not us. We have a significant role in speaking the gospel, but it is the Lord himself who does the decisive work.

3) “. . . opened her heart . . .” Since the key problem in not believing the gospel is the hardness of the heart, this is where the Lord does his decisive work. He “opens the heart” of Lydia. This means he takes out the heart of stone, and puts in the heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26); he says with sovereign authority, “Let there be light,” and “shines in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6). So the darkness flies away and the light of truth reveals the beauty of Christ in the gospel.

4) “. . . to pay attention to what was said by Paul.” The effect of the Lord’s opening her heart is a true spiritual hearing of the gospel. The work of the Lord does not just help her focus. It brings about faith. She was “granted repentance” (2 Timothy 2:25) and faith (Philippians 1:29).

In the terms of John 6, she was given by the Father to the Son (v. 37), and was drawn by the Father to the Son (v. 44), and was granted by the Father to come to the Son (v. 65). She was “made alive” (Ephesians 2:5) and born again (John 3:3, 7).

Spiritual Warfare Part 2, from Sunday Dec. 2nd

There are at least four areas of life in which we war in the spirit whether we realize it or not.

1. Your Personal Life
Many believers are suffering with the wounds of spiritual warfare in their personal lives. This doesn’t mean that they are committing what we might call really bad sin. It could be that they have a problem such as uncontrolled anger.

When we allow our emotions to be controlled by our human nature, we can give the devil a foot hold into our lives. Failing to control anger grants the devil an opportunity to get a foothold in your life. Then he can use it as a base of operations to launch more spiritual attacks against you.

Many Christians are suffering today because of anger that was not resolved yesterday. Anger is just one of an assortment of human emotions. If Satan can seize your emotions, he can destroy your ability to function by crippling you emotionally. This can lead you into all manner of destructive and addictive behavior.

2. Your Family Life
Many believers are also feeling the effects of spiritual warfare in their families. The devil messed up the first family in the Garden of Eden, and we have been dealing with the effects of Adam’s and Eve’s sin ever since.

Let me give you an example of family relationships and spiritual warfare. This is one that is not discussed in great detail, especially in church. It is a very personal issue between husbands and wives.

Paul wrote to husbands and wives in 1 Corinthians 7:5, “Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time that you may devote yourself to prayer, and come together again lest Satan tempt you because of your lack of self-control.”

Often times, sexual intimacy is an emotional experience for the woman, and physical for man. Conflict happens when intimacy is inconsistent in a marriage.

Paul is saying that when a husband and wife don’t have a fulfilling sexual relationship, it becomes an opportunity for the devil to come in and bring about moral destruction in the family. This is one reason why men especially, turn to pornography for fulfillment.

I am not saying that women aren’t affected as well, because they are. So, husbands and wives, do you want a better relationship with your spouse? If so, don’t use I have a headache for an excuse, and make time together a priority. You will be amazed at the positive ripple effect that consistent times of intimacy will have in your family life.

3. Church Life
Spiritual warfare also has an impact on church life. Paul told Timothy to watch out for “doctrines of demons” that will infiltrate the church (1 Tim. 4:1). The church is being undermined in many places today by teachers who claim to teach the Bible, but are teaching doctrines of devils.

Anyone can quote the Bible. However, we need to be like the Berean's, who checked out what Paul and Silas were teaching them to see whether their teachings agreed with Scriptures (Acts. 17:11)

4. Our Culture
Spiritual warfare affects the life of a nation and the culture in which we live. When we allow people who have a twisted sense of right and wrong, who have no moral foundation, who do what is right in their own eyes, to occupy positions that direct this nation, we will suffer as a nation.

According to passages like Daniel 10, entire nations are influenced by the invisible battle in the angelic realm. Satan is called “the prince of the power of the air” with good reason (Eph. 2:2)

There is no place we can go to escape the effect of spiritual warfare. We need to learn how to fight. Our ability to deal with the spiritual realm will determine whether we win or lose in the physical realm.

Satan’s job is to get us to ignore the spiritual realm or give it low value. If he can divert us from the spiritual realm, he can divert us from finding spiritual solutions.

• ”For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.”
  

What does Paul mean when he says we do not wage war as the world does?

The answer to that question is in Ephesians 6:12 which says, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

Paul is making in quite clear that our warfare is with the devil and his hierarchy of demonic influences. Warfare is simply that battle between truth and lies.