What Is The Faith?

I had some thoughts swimming around in my head today (that happens occasionally) so I decided to share them here.

Consider the following:

A man is out in the middle of a lake, drowning.  He’s been struggling for some time but the fight is almost over.

Someone manages to reach him by boat and toss him a flotation device.  The drowning man, not wanting to breathe in the water and sink down to the bottom in death, throws himself desperately onto the flotation device and takes hold of it for all he’s worth, wrapping his arms around it and hanging on, until he can be safely brought into the boat and then to shore.

This was not a mental or intellectual exercise.  When he saw the life-preserver hit the water, he didn’t pause and think, “Hmmmm, I think that’s a life-preserver.  I’ve never needed one, but I’ve heard that they can save a drowning person.  I think I’ll try and get to it and see if what I’ve heard is true.”

The faith is a lot like this scenario, or, at least, should be.

If we understand the gospel in a true and right way, we should understand that we, individually, and mankind as a whole desperately need two things.

First, we need deliverance from the consequences, or penalty, of sin.  Second is deliverance from the power, or control, of sin.  Unfortunately, in our day and age, both of these desperate needs have been watered down, among unbelievers and among Christians.

Generally, if the gospel is preached at all, we hear something like, “Oh, everybody’s a sinner.  We have all sinned and come short of the glory of God.  If you will accept Jesus, your sins can be forgiven and you can know you’re going to heaven.  Would you like to pray the Sinner’s Prayer with me?”

Most people know that they have done one,  two or more really bad,  rotten things in their lives, so occasionally, someone will go along with this and then, maybe, start being a Church-goer.

Very few are convinced that they are filthy, rotten sinners through and through; that even the “good” things they do are tainted with selfishness, arrogance, pride, or desire for recognition, and that the judgment and wrath of an awesome, holy God hang over their heads like a sword about to fall.  People see themselves, perhaps, as having sinned, but they rarely see themselves as sinners by nature, their very beings permeated with it.

So people, if they come to the Lord at all, “accept” Jesus, or “let Him” into their hearts, or “make a decision” for Christ, since He’s standing outside the door, forlorn and knocking, and just wants to come in.  It makes sense to let Him in, doesn’t it, in light of the wonderful benefits we receive for doing so?

But how many come, in fear and trembling, knowing they are vile, filthy criminals who have mocked, disobeyed in countless ways, and offended God, the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the universe?  How many come, knowing they are, deservedly, rushing headlong toward judgment and wrath?

Then there’s the matter of our desperate need to be freed from the power of sin, and things get even worse at this point.  At this point, we hear stuff like, “We’re all just poor, wretched sinners saved by grace, and we will sin in thought, word and deed every day until the Lord returns, or we die and go the heaven.  Praise God for His grace!”

This idea is commonly taught and professed in countless Churches, by multitudes of believers, despite the fact that it blatantly contradicts the Word of God, and cheapens the gospel immeasurably.

Scripture says things like:

“He (God) has made Him (Jesus), who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.”- 2 Corinthians 5:21

and:

“Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily besets us, and let us run with endurance the race set before us…  You have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.”- Hebrews 12:1, 4

and:

“I write these things to you, that you sin not.  And if any man sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”- 1 John 2:1

and lots more along similar lines.

God, in His love and mercy, has cleansed and forgiven us of our multitudes of sins, at phenomenal cost, so that He might bring us into His family and conform us to the image of His glorious Son.  This is an awesome, amazing gospel.

What have we done with it, for the most part?  We have cheapened it, degraded it and watered it down.

Why did Jesus tell us things like,”You have heard that it was said by them of old, You shall not commit adultery; but I say unto you that whoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart?”

Why did He immediately follow that by saying,”If your right eye offends you (causes you to sin), pluck it out, and cast it from you; for it is profitable for you that one of your members should perish, and not that your whole body should be cast into hell?”

I am convinced the reason is that God hates sin, and sin in our lives is to be taken extremely seriously.

Instead, we come to Him from the start with a cheapened, watered-down understanding of the vileness and wretchedness of sin, and just how full of sin we are… and, we go so far as to make grace a license for sin by contradicting His word and saying we will sin every day in thought, word and deed, and teaching that the gospel and grace of Almighty God has not the power to free us from the clutches of sin.  What a fearful situation this is.

Why am I writing all this?

The Lord has been dealing with me, and it hasn’t been pleasant or enjoyable.

Have you ever been in a supermarket or department store, and seen and/or heard a young child crying and whining loudly, on and on and on?  You know the child is not in pain or fearful, but he or she is blubbering away endlessly.  It rubs your nerves raw.

Why is he/she doing that?

The simple reason is they are not getting what they want;  not getting his or her way, so, the child will work hard at making everyone else miserable, too.

I am seeing that the whining, crying child in the supermarket is me, and a lot of other Christians.  I’m not saying the child is you.  Only the Lord, and perhaps you, know that.  I’m saying the child is me, and others.

Of course, my fussing and whining is much more subtle than that of the child, but, the child is me, and maybe you.

Let’s not forget that the essence of sin is self, and what self wants, and how and when.  Sinful thoughts, plans and acts are all rooted right there, in my self.

It’s becoming very clear to me that self is the driving, motivating force behind almost everything (and perhaps literally everything) I do, think and strive for… even the “good”, spiritual stuff.  It’s at the heart of my desires, my changing moods, my apathy, my lovelessness (although it can look like love at times), my dissatisfaction with this thing or that, my laziness, my unwillingness to stick my neck out, my crabbiness and much, much more.  I won’t put you to sleep with an endless list.

I must come to understand sin… come face to face with what it’s really all about… and perhaps you do, too.

It’s not all about forgiveness of some vague “sins” and a ticket on the heaven-bound train to glory.  God is not pleased and content to “see” me or to “count” me as pure, holy and righteous.  Yes, that’s square one, but it is certainly not the end of the road; the goal.

He intends for me to see that my life, even at its religious best, is still far off the mark, and that only through the vital union He’s provided with His Son in death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and being seated in Him at the Father’s right hand is there a genuine hope of glory.  I must know that I can’t be like Jesus or imitate Him.  Only Jesus in me can be Him.  The scripture calls it, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

Until I see reality and sin for what it truly is, and truly take hold, by faith, of all He is and has done,  the best I can expect is more miles on the Christian treadmill-merry-go-round, along with multitudes of other “believers”.

That is not a thrilling prospect.

Truth Or Delusion?

The transition from Viet Nam to lovely, dusty, noisy Cambodia has been a real “challenge”.  The whole country throbs with noise (mainly “music” coming from many directions), and sits in a continual cloud of dust, stirred up by cars and motorbikes, like the “Pigpen” character in the “Peanuts” comic strip.

I’ve been talking to skeeters (mosquitoes) and flies, mostly threats; my mattress is hard and lumpy; I have to wear earplugs more than I’d like; and I have felt sorry for myself on more than one occasion, despite some good and promising things that seem to be taking shape.

One thing I’m really learning, though, is that I’m not a disciple, regardless of the name of this blog.

If a disciple of Jesus is someone who:

is fully committed to the carrying out and fulfillment of the Lord’s purposes and agenda…

bears with hardships, difficulties and misunderstanding as he/she goes about pursuing that agenda…

has forsaken their own wants and desires and seeks only to please and satisfy the Master…

has counted all things as rubbish in order to know the Lord and the power of His resurrection…

has his/her heart set on things above rather than things of this earth and life…

looks upon people, and their eternal state and destiny, with great compassion and care…

loves all (actively seeking for their highest and best), even their enemies…

sits at the Lord’s feet, always learning more from Him and applying what they have learned to their life…

strives for love and unity with other believers so the world might know that the Father sent the Son, and loves them…

gives off the odor of life to some, and death to others, and nothing in between…

is willing to suffer for the sake of the Lord’s purposes, honor and agenda…

no longer lives, but manifests the life, nature and ways of the Lord, Jesus, regardless of their circumstances…

then I don’t know a single disciple and this blog should actually be called “Endtime Disciple Wannabes”.

Of course, I understand that it’s a process and nobody’s going to walk it out perfectly, but… do I know anyone, including myself, who’s overall pattern of life fits the above standards?  I can’t say that I do.  The best I know of are people who look… who seem… pretty halfway decent from a religious, “Christian” perspective.

The thing that becomes more and more clear to me as I seek to walk the road of biblical discipleship is this… I am not a disciple and I have a long way to go before I am one.  I need to live in truth, not in delusion, but it sure isn’t pleasant.

Another thing that is becoming increasingly clear is… with man (me) this is impossible.

Now, if I can only get off the Christian treadmill-merry-go-round, there is hope.  A normal merry-go-round takes you round and round, up and down, as you sit on a horse statue.  A Christian treadmill-merry-go-round replaces the horse statue with a treadmill.

The treadmill-merry-go-round is characterized by… self-effort and striving… being spoiled and cranky when things don’t go my way… getting upset, inwardly, not outwardly (OK!  Maybe a little outwardly) when others, including God, don’t go along with my vision or purposes… easily getting distracted… having fears and doubts about what lies ahead… moving up and down with the winds of circumstance… and lots more, similar “stuff”.

There’s only one way off, and that’s through death and resurrection… the putting off of the old man and putting on of the new… the taking hold of the Lord by faith as Alpha and Omega, beginning and end, all-in-all… as my very life.  I know these things, for crying out loud!

God has already provided all this.  Why does it get so complicated? Thank God I’ve had some tastes of these realities, but they have been rather few and far between.  What’s the problem?

Is it a lack of childlike trust?  Am I too much of an adult?

Is there too much religious flesh fouling up the works?  Personal ambition?

Do I plainly and simply not believe?  Am I double-minded?

Too much head-knowledge and not enough heart-knowledge?

Am I lazy and/or lethargic?

Is it really the Buddhists who have it right?

All of the above?

God knows the answers, and, if anyone else has some worthwhile ideas, let me know.

The One who brought me out, twenty-eight years ago (at least it hasn’t been forty, yet), will have to bring me in, but I sense I’ll have to learn to truly enter into His rest, as Hebrews 4 talks about.

I’ll bet there’s at least one reader who’s happy I’m back on the blog trail.

Goodnight from lovely, dusty, noisy Cambodia. 

Quick Update

I’ve been in Cambodia now for five days.  I spent the first day in Phnom Penh, and since then have been in Sihanoukville, a coastal, resort area.  It’s been very good to get a rest and seek the Lord as to the next steps.

There are several possibilities concerning what the next steps might be.  I feel it best at the moment to remain kind of vague about it, though.

This has been a very interesting place, so far.  The mixture of people who are here is quite amazing, from all over the world, and the locals on the beach are quite enterprising, to say the least.

A few days ago, I ordered an egg and bacon sandwich for $2.50, and it arrived with no bread.  I asked for bread and they brought it, but I found out later that it was an additional 50 cents. I guess it was an egg sandwich, “Hold the bread!”

A young seller, about 12 years old, approached me trying to sell me a bracelet.  I turned him down, and he asked if we could play a game.  I said, “OK”, offered him a seat, and asked what we were going to play.  He said we’d play tic-tac-toe, and, if I lost, I’d buy a bracelet; if he lost, He’d give me one.

I laughed, and declined again, to which he replied, “You scared?”  I said I was, laughing some more.  Great entertainment.

I found out today that a Spanish omelet has nothing in it… just eggs.  I always thought they had peppers, meat and other stuff, but learned today I had always been wrong.  It must simply be eggs from Spain.

Some kids, a boy and girl, about eight or nine years old, tried to sell me some trinkets, and I said I didn’t have money for that stuff.  The boy said, “No money… no honey,” a term used in the prostitution trade, I believe.  Another big laugh.

Please keep things in prayer as I seek to get into the center of the Lord’s will for my being here.  I hope I can get back to making regular posts soon and being more able to be open about things.

The Journey Continues

Dear brothers and sisters,

It’s been a rough week.

I’ve made the decision to head into Cambodia, based on some thoughts I believe the Lord was giving, and the confirming impressions of two sisters in the Lord. None of us get a real sense of specific clarity and purpose, but we all sense the Lord in this decision.

I’ll be heading out of Viet Nam on Monday, December 8, and going to Cambodia, unless I get diverted back to the states in regards to a potential family emergency.  I’d appreciate your prayers.

I was also sick for around four days, and am still feeling the effects of that.

In addition to those issues, and the coming transition, I believe the Lord is opening my eyes to some hard truths, and please don’t say, “SO?  What else is new?”  As a friend and I always say, “Never a dull moment!”

These hard truths are about me and my walk with the Lord, but I’d be dishonest if I said I don’t see them having application among believers at large.

I have decided to share anything and everything here, and I will allow the Lord to have His way with it; good or bad.  I have put these thoughts in the form of verse, as I’ve done on other occasions.

This will be my last post for a while.  I have no idea at this point for how long, although I sense it won’t be for very long.

Be blessed in Him with all fullness as you look up and gaze upon His wondrous face.

Your brother,

Gene

Who Is At The Core

Believer… look into your heart
look into your own eyes.
Take off the disguise, if only for a moment
and ask yourself, with all the noise and clutter silenced,
“Is it all about Him; or, is it all about me?”

You may not accept or believe
that the question can be… so black or white,
so utterly, mutually exclusive, but…
He didn’t leave room for any other possibility.
He says, “It’s all about you; or, it’s all about Me. Which shall it be?”

He is Redeemer, Savior, Sanctifier, Lord and Master, Alpha and Omega.
Do we dare pick and choose what to accept and what we’ll reject?
“Of course not!” we say, but isn’t that what we do?
Search your heart and see if that’s true,
if you can find a moment to quiet down from your busy agenda.

We’ve been deceived; deluded, believing a lie…
that there is place, there is room
for our own wants, agendas and desires, alongside His; or even His alongside ours.
There is no such place or room… never has been… never will be,
But we are great at deceiving ourselves; aren’t we?

This lie, among others, must be cast off and renounced
because there is only one place for you and me… the grave,
and only one basis of life… resurrection life in Him;
His purposes and agenda the beginning, middle and end, in everything.

Let His light and truth shine down into our soul
before it’s too late, and the fast-approaching darkness descends
like a long, fearsome, agonizing night of misery…
enclosing you, and me, and our brethren, in a death-shroud.
If we haven’t sought Him earnestly by then… it may be too late.

He is, and must be, the all-in-all, the center, the core.
Whosoever falls upon this Rock shall be broken,
but woe to those upon whom the Rock falls.
They shall be ground to powder.
Let us fall upon the Rock.

We have received and believed lies, brewed in the cauldron of Hell.
We are as blind ones, groping in darkness,
parroting silly, high-sounding phrases, religious smiles upon our faces,
continuing on in deception and delusion; deceiving and being deceived
as multitudes rush headlong toward destruction.

Multitudes in the valley of decision, for the day of the Lord is near in the valley.
Woe to you that desire the day of the Lord! It is darkness, and not light…
as if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him.
Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors about you; hide yourself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.

The Lord said to me, in the depths of my soul,
“Look into your heart; Look into your own eyes.
Take off the disguise, if only for a moment
And ask yourself, with all the noise and clutter silenced,
‘Is it all about you; or, is it all about Me?’”

I am stunned by what I see.

Was Jesus Unkind?

I must begin this post by saying I don’t know why I’m writing it.  The idea for the post came a few days ago, and since it doesn’t fit in with the overall thrust of this blog, and, since I’ve been sick, I set it aside.

It has continued on in my mind, so I’ll take the time to present it here, believing that there is at least one person out there whom the Lord wants to see and read this.

In Mark 7:24-30, and Matthew 15:21-28, we are given the account of Jesus and “the Syrophoenician woman”.  I will present the Matthew version since it gives more detail:

Matthew 15: 21 Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.” 23 But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.” 24 But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” 26 But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” 27 And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” 28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

I have seen and heard teachings about this passage which focus on the truth that we are all nothing before God, and how the woman was willing to accept that fact… or that the earthly mission of Jesus was to the Jew, the nation of Israel.  While there may be some truth in those views, I have found those teachings quite unsatisfying.

What do we make of the apparent, surface insensitivity and lack of real care?

Hadn’t God, even in Old Covenant times, shown amazing kindness and mercy toward the gentiles?  The book of Jonah is one such example, among many others.

Wasn’t the major purpose of Israel being in the world to show the blessedness of knowing and serving the one, true God?  So that the nations would find the same blessing?

Doesn’t the Old Testament clearly show the inclusion of the gentile world into the covenants and blessings of Israel?

Doesn’t Jesus, Himself, have significant gentiles, Rahab and Ruth, in His very own genealogy?

Hadn’t Jesus, before this episode with the Syrophoenician woman, and after, praised and even exalted the faith of gentiles, angering the Jews at times?

Hadn’t Jesus already bestowed blessing upon gentiles, such as the healing of the centurian’s servant?

Also, did Jesus not know that the woman had genuine faith?  Did she have to prove that to Him?  And cause Him to then change His mind by her faith?

First, Jesus totally, utterly ignores the woman and her plea for help. She has a desperate need in her life, and Jesus ignores her.

Then, He says, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

Then he makes it worse, by saying, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.”

Finally, He acknowledges her faith, and grants her request, and the woman’s daughter is delivered from demonic possession.

How do we explain all this?  Was Jesus thoughtless and uncaring?  Insensitive or unkind?

I believe the key to understanding lies in verse 23, which includes the following words:

And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.”

We must keep in mind that the disciples had some significant problems with understanding and attitude.

In one place, some of them ask Jesus if He wants them to call down fire from heaven and consume some people. He had to remind them of the true purpose of His coming.

In another place, they rebuked people who brought little children to Jesus for a blessing, arousing His extreme displeasure.

They argued about which of them was going to be greatest in the kingdom, and Jesus had to adjust their vision by pointing to His own example of humility and servanthood.

God had to show Peter the vision of the animals in the sheet three times, and then Peter had to contend with the other, Jewish disciples over the fact that he, Peter, had gone and preached to gentiles.

It took severe persecution to drive believers out of Jerusalem to begin their outreach to Judea, Samaria and the uttermost part of the earth, years after the giving of the “great commission”, despite the fact that the Lord, Himself, had commanded it.

And, lest we get too hard or critical toward the early, Jewish believers, I think we must look at ourselves, and ask whether the same kinds of attitudes and poor understandings are present within us, as well, and we can begin with the issue of our own faithfulness, or lack thereof, in carrying on the great commission, or even local outreach.

So, was Jesus being insensitive or unkind to the Syrophoenician woman?  I don’t believe so.  I believe He was dealing with “racial superiority” issues in His disciples, in perhaps a less direct way than He dealt with other issues at other times.

I also believe there must have been some level of communication and understanding going on between Jesus and the woman that is not clear or obvious in the text.  In my opinion, I suspect she knew what was going on, and was not hurt or wounded by this exchange.

The “Bootleg” Faith

Today, while praying, the thought of “bootleg” went through my mind. I’ve learned, to a degree, to pay attention to those passing thoughts.

Here in Viet Nam, you see a lot of “bootleg”, or “knock-off” products. These are products that are, supposedly, genuine, but are not. They’re phony.

You see bootleg clothing, shoes, backpacks, watches, CDs, motorbikes, and much more. You might even see a product with the brand-name misspelled, it’s so bad here.

I bought an “Adidas” sweatshirt a while back. At first glance, it looked like “the real thing”, but a closer look always reveals reality. I can easily spot the phonies because I know what kind of quality the logos, and stitching, and other such things should have.  Many others get fooled.

May I suggest here that the faith… the church… the “Christianity” we are all so accustomed to and familiar with is a bootleg, and we don’t know the real thing… because we don’t look seriously and thoughtfully at the real thing… or perhaps because we don’t really want to take a good, hard look at it… or maybe because we’re too busy to.

I’m going to present some contrasts between certain aspects of the original faith, and what we know of as the faith today.  Please understand that I’m not saying that the picture I paint of the modern-day Church is totally true of all believers and churches everywhere.  There are certainly exceptions, among congregations and among individual believers.  I’m only trying to show an overall pattern, which I am convinced is true in an overall sense.

Also, understand that I’m not doing this to pass judgment, or set myself up as some high and mighty authority, or even example, of what the genuine faith should be.  I’ve acknowledged, in different ways and places, and will continue to admit, that I am far from having it all together.  This, in my opinion, should not prevent me from speaking openly and honestly about serious issues, as long as I’m not hypocritically claiming I’m doing it all right, when I’m not.

Here, then, are the contrasts I see:

Original: You are confronted with the gospel, along with, most likely, a real demonstration of the power of it, by the hands or lives of those who presented it to you.  You know, right away, that you have a radical, life-changing crossroad before you.  You receive the truth, and now Jesus… along with His purposes and agenda… are the core, central realities of your life.  You live and breathe Jesus and His purposes, along with others, even if you happen to be a slave.  You are now loved by many; despised by even more.

Bootleg:  You are offered, in one way or another, an opportunity to “accept Jesus”, and since God has a wonderful plan for your life, and since you’d like to escape hell and “go to heaven” eventually, you slip up your hand (as every eye is closed and every head bowed), or fill out the “New Believers” card, or perhaps even do something radical, like walk down an aisle.  You then start “going to Church” once or twice a week, singing nice worship songs, and listening to endless sermons, unless you decide to skip it every so often, or even on a semi-regular basis.  Some people don’t like you now; although not for any particular reason.  They just think “Christians” are hypocrites.

Original:  Jesus is now your all-in-all, your beginning and end, your very life.  You couldn’t imagine even surviving without Him and His people.

Bootleg:  Jesus and “salvation” have been added onto your hectic, busy life.  You may say a hearty “Amen!” when you hear sermons about Him being your all-in-all, your beginning and end, your very life, but it’s not a reality… it is “sound doctrine”.

Original:  You, along with your brothers and sisters, take God’s word and the commandments of Jesus, very seriously, particularly the commands to actively love, and to get out from your comfort zone and share His life-changing truth with others… making disciples, not “converts”.  You understand His purpose for leaving you here, and His intentions and desires for those who abide in darkness and death.  Believers do some mind-boggling acts of love and forgiveness.  The Church grows because sinners and pagans are coming out of their darkness.

Bootleg:  You have some vague idea about God’s word and His purposes, but you’re probably hung up on your own “needs”, wants and desires, like everyone else.  You think “loving” as He has loved you means doing something nice for another church member.  You rarely, if ever, share God’s saving truth with anyone because it makes you “uncomfortable”.  If you ever do share, it’s more of a “testimony”, like, “God has sure been good to me,” or inviting a neighbor to Revival Week.  You think disciples get special rewards, on top of getting to go to heaven, but being a disciple is “optional”.  Believers cross the street to avoid those who might look at them funny.  The Church grows (maybe) due to Christians leaving other Churches because they’re not happy with them.

Original:  You enjoy deep relationships with your fellow-believers.  You love one another and need each other.  Things are surely not perfect, since you are all fragile… sometimes even stupid or disobedient… human beings, but the hand, power and grace of the Lord is clearly among you.  Lukewarm or apathetic believers in your midst get very uncomfortable, and generally change for the better, or leave.

Bootleg:  You have very surface relationships, at best, and they usually revolve around all kinds of peripheral things and other “stuff”.  You talk about needing and loving one another, but Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses do a better job.  Lukewarm or apathetic believers in your midst feel just fine, along with the many who haven’t even been born of God.

Original:  You and your brethren understand that God fully intends to make your lives a living testimony to grace, holiness and the transforming power of God.  Because of this living reality among you, others join with you, in spite of great personal risk to life, limb and possessions.

Bootleg:  Perhaps there is, and perhaps there isn’t talk about separation and holiness, but it’s not some big issue, especially in light of the fact that fellow church-members know very little about each others actual lives.  To a significant degree, your life looks the same as your unbelieving neighbor’s.

Original:  When you are with other believers, whether it’s only one or many, you see, sense and know that the Lord is among you, leading as He wills, and working through each one in different, special ways.  He also creates divine appointments, and there are regular, incredible testimonies of His presence, love and power.  You are truly amazed by this reality.  You can’t get enough.

Bootleg:  When you are with other believers, it’s almost always “routine”, following man’s ways and agendas, despite all the efforts to disguise that reality.  There are occasional “testimonies”, but you’ve heard them all before, like how God found a new job for Uncle Burt.  You usually can’t wait to get away, to pursue some entertainment of some kind.

Original:  You know and understand that everything you are, have and do is the Lord’s, and it’s all unto Him.  You cling to nothing as your own.

Bootleg:  You get excited about unbiblical teachings and practices like tithing, because you can’t wait to see God bless you with abundant money and stuff.  You’re more than willing to let God have His 10%, as long as there is the promised payoff.  If you’re not in this camp, you grudgingly “pay” your tithes because you have to.

Original:  Believers wouldn’t think of adding to, or taking away from, the Word of God.  Those who tried got pounced upon.

Bootleg:  We don’t think twice about adding to, or taking away from, God’s Word.  We don’t know His Word.

I believe it is apparent that we modern believers and churches do not line up with the original, and I believe it is the responsibility of those of us who see these things to do everything in our power to move back, in concrete ways, toward that original, along with some others.  If we talk about and discuss it, but fail to take practical steps, we are no more than hypocrites.

We also have a responsibility to speak out in love to those who can’t or won’t see these issues.  This is, certainly, the hardest part, since we know that many, or most of them will point accusing fingers at us and say we are “judging”, and we all know what Jesus had to say about that!

There will always be people who look at what is being done here, and on other related blogs, and on the new forum, as self-righteous finger-pointers spouting off and “judging” others.  Those of us who are part of these efforts know differently, because we are involved in a real way, not in a surface way, and, more importantly, God has shown us the truth of these matters.

May we press on, in brokenness and humility, doing what we’re doing, in His love and grace. I believe we all know what’s at stake.

What IS Grace?

If you were to ask a Christian what the grace of God was, you would probably receive an answer such as the following:

“God’s grace is His unmerited favor.  We are all sinners deserving judgment and hell, but God offers us good things instead… forgiveness and salvation… if we believe Him.”

While there is much truth in that statement, it falls far short of the Biblical perspective of grace.  Yes, God’s grace certainly involves unmerited favor, but it goes much deeper than that.

Most believers think that grace frees them from the high standards and demands of the law.  Actually, grace enables them to meet those requirements.

Under law, God says, “Here are my standards of righteousness… now, live and do them,” and, of course, we can’t.  Under grace, God says, “Here are my higher standards of righteousness.  The law fails to truly show how high my standards are.  I will enable you, though, by my grace, to live and do according to these even higher standards.”

That is the difference between law and grace.  They do not cancel each other out, and they are not mutually exclusive, as most Christians believe today.

Grace, beyond being His “unmerited favor” toward undeserving sinners, is God’s enabling power to bring us into the realities of what He calls us to be and do.  Can I show this clearly from the Word of God?  Let’s look at the following New Testament scriptures:

Romans 5: 1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God….  17 For if by the one man’s (Adam’s) offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 3: 10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it.

1 Corinthians 15: 9 For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

2 Corinthians 8:  1 Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: 2 that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality [in other words, they gave sacrificially by God's grace].

2 Corinthians 12: 7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Galatians 2: 19 For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ; 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 for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”

Ephesians 2: 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

The last two passages, in Galatians 2 and Ephesians 2, clearly demonstrate a vital principle, and that is… we are called to pursue righteousness and genuine good works. It is simply a matter of… are we striving for it by the power of His life in us… by grace?  Or by legalistic works of the law?  It is not a matter of us not bothering to pursue genuine righteousness, because we are under “grace”.

1 Timothy 1: 12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, 13 although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. 14 And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.

Titus 2: 11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.

Hebrews 4: 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 12: 28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. 29 For our God is a consuming fire.

1 Peter 4: 10 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

These scriptures, taken together, make a powerful case for the fact that the grace of God goes far beyond “unmerited favor”.  They speak loudly and clearly.

Now, as powerful as those New Testament scriptures are in making this case, there is something even stronger, in the Old Testament.  Let us look now at the two major passages that promise and foretell the New Covenant and its purpose:

Jeremiah 31: 31 “Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— 32 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. 33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

Ezekiel 36: 24 For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. 25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.

Is it not crystal clear now, that the grace of God toward His people goes much deeper than undeserved, unmerited favor, rescuing us from judgment?

Instead of law, and the outward, legalistic observance of it, believers now have the grace (enabling power) of God to write His law upon the heart, and cause us to truly walk in His ways and righteousness.  Furthermore, we need His grace so deeply and profoundly, that even doing works of ministry, or giving with a right heart, must be by His grace.

He is, and must always be, the Alpha and Omega… the beginning and end… our all-in-all.

Trouble In Babylon

I was singing some worship songs in my hotel room in Da Lat, Viet Nam today.  The window was open, and I became aware of a self-consciousness.  This started me thinking.

Was I self-conscious because my singing voice basically makes me sound like a sick cat sitting on a fence?  Or, because I didn’t want anyone who might be outside to hear me offering worship to the Lord?

Then, some ideas began to formulate, which I will share with you here.

During the captivity in Babylon, there were two significant events that happened in the book of Daniel.  The first is in Daniel, chapter 3.

Good ole’ king Nebuchadnezzar set up a huge, golden image, and it was commanded that the people were to fall down and worship it whenever they heard the sounds of certain music played.  Whoever failed to comply would be tossed into a burning, fiery furnace, which would surely be quite unpleasant.

Daniel’s friends, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (those were their real names) refused to worship and some jealous men went and told the king about it.  In other words, they got ratted out.  The king gave the three Hebrews another chance to comply, immediately, or face a horrible death.

We are familiar with how the three men responded in Daniel 3:

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. 18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.

The second significant event is in Daniel, chapter 6.

Some men wanted to get Daniel in trouble, so they went to the king, and convinced him to sign a decree, that if any person were to ask a petition of any god or man other than the king for thirty days, that person would be cast into a den of lions.  Since king Darius (new king) had an inflated ego, he went along with the proposal.  Let’s look at what happened, in Daniel, chapter 6:

10 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.
11 Then these men assembled and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God. 12 And they went before the king, and spoke concerning the king’s decree…

We know, of course, how these stories ended, with the three Hebrews, and Daniel being saved and protected by God.  Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were not harmed by the blaze, and Daniel was kept safe from the hungry lions.

What am I getting at?

We’re used to hearing about these events as nice, encouraging bible stories, about men being true and faithful to God, but what is the depth of meaning we can take from them?  And where is the application?

We typically think of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah standing proudly, arms folded across their chests, and confidently proclaiming their decision to refuse to worship the image.  I doubt that’s how it really happened, though.  I sense they were in fear and trembling, but, they had settled it in their hearts, long before this moment, that they would remain true to God, no matter what.

They even acknowledged that God might not deliver them, but that didn’t matter.  They were settled on remaining loyal and faithful to God and what God had revealed.  Holding to the truth of God was more important than life itself.

Also, let’s notice something about Daniel.  Even with the decree of the king, he knelt down and offered his prayers to God with the window open, as was his custom.  He didn’t change his routine to try and protect himself.  It almost seems like he is daring the officials to take action against him.

Now, if it were me, I might have continued praying to God, but I’m fairly certain I would have been more discreet about it.

Where am I heading with all this?  I am heading here:

The Hebrews were all in captivity in Babylon.  There was a joining of a religious system to the state.  The vast majority of the Hebrews, God’s people, were complying with the new order of things, the corrupted Church/State system.  In fact, even after the decree was made that the Hebrews could return to Jerusalem, to restore true worship of the Lord, only a fairly small percentage of them chose to do so.  They had grown accustomed to… comfortable in, Babylon.

Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah represent a remnant.  They were certainly not the only ones who held true to God, and they demonstrate a principle… the principle that whatever is going on around you; regardless of the risks; even if you must die in the process… you must will to hold fast to God and His truth.  Better to die, than be untrue to God.

What about us?  Do we believe the modern Church is mixed with the world, the state, and even unbiblical beliefs and practices?  Do we see how far off this entity we call “Church” really is?  If you don’t, you’re surely on the wrong blog.

Do we quietly go along with things as they are, not wishing to “make waves” or call down the displeasure of the leaders upon ourselves?

Do we bow down to false beliefs and practices, for the sake of “unity”, or protecting ourselves, or out of ignorance, such as:

• The ministry being done, and the decisions being made, by one man, or perhaps a small, select group of individuals?
• A way of being the Body together that practically rules out real relationship and fellowship?
• The false teaching that tithing is a New Covenant principle, and Christians should do so?
• The idea that believers should simply “submit” to their leaders, and that the leaders are answerable to God?
• The idea that questioning or challenging teaching within the Church is resisting God,  “touching God’s anointed”, or sowing discord?
• Much time, energy and money going into many things, except genuine biblical outreach and mission, or truly being the Body together?
• A “class system” within the Body, with a few doers and many spectators?
• Many more such things?

I truly believe, and you might certainly disagree with me, that the Lord is calling out a remnant to be a genuine testimony to Him in these last, dark days.  These people will stand with God and for Him.  They will demonstrate His life, love and nature.  They will live and also speak truth to many… believer and unbeliever… and they will pay a heavy price for that; but the eternal weight of glory will be incredible.  They will show that there is an awesome, mighty God in the heavens and that He lives and rules among His people.  They will be looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God.

I also believe that we all have the choice to be a part of this company of believers; or remain in mixture, silence and compromise, but to be part of this company, we will each have to settle matters in our own hearts.

The Captive Body of Christ

Is the modern-day Body of Christ in captivity?  This is an important question that we must face and ponder, even though most have not even considered it.

Please listen carefully and prayerfully to the following audio clip, located under the picture to the left, and ask if God is, perhaps, wanting believers to see and deal with some serious issues:

If you have any problem listening to the audio in the above player, please go to http://bigcontact.com/faithdefenders and you should be able to here it there.  It is called “The Captive Body od Christ”.

Faith Defenders Forum

I am happy to announce here the start of Faith Defenders, a new Christian forum.  This is a joint venture between John Dunning, of HeartCry; and Endtime Disciples… with Jessie, of Surrender All also playing an important role.

These are darkening and difficult days for the world; and more importantly, for the world of believers in Jesus, the Christ.  There are pressures… not only from an unbelieving world that is becoming, justifiably, more and more disenchanted with “Church” and  “Christianity”… but also from within, in the form of ever-increasing apostasy and departure from truth by those who claim allegiance to Christ and His purposes.

Those who are even close to a clear vision of what the Body of Christ is supposed to be and do are becoming more of a minority almost by the day; and they are having a much more difficult time finding true fellowship and encouragement.

Our desire and prayer for Faith Defenders is that it will be a place where such believers can come; meet others of like mind; begin to forge genuine relationships; and spur one another on to truly live out the reality and purposes of our awesome Lord and Savior.

Not only will we be able to make posts on the forum about various subjects, but also share other good resources and teaching; upload files and videos; and even start chatting and conferencing through Yahoo Messenger and other platforms.  The possibilities are big.

The forum is now in its infant stage, and it will surely go through a process of growth and evolution, but we invite you and anyone you know to be part of the process.  All we ask is that you read through the homepage, which explains more fully our hopes and purposes.  If you are in agreement, then feel free to get involved and be an important part of what we’re trying to do.

Be glorified, Lord Jesus, and smile upon your people!