What Would Love Say?

SPEAK TRUTH IN LOVE

I recently read an article in a Christian publication (http://christiannews.net/2012/11/18/franklin-graham-mormonism-will-never-be-labeled-a-cult-again/) dealing with Franklin Graham’s decision to remove a note from their website that named Mormonism as a cult. His decision was not made because he believes their doctrine is sound, but because he didn’t want to shut the door to possibly ministering to a Mormon. In his opinion, to call them names (classifying them as a cult) is not helpful in keeping dialogue open.

In that same article John McArthur spoke:

[Mormonism] is a damning religious system,… It is so far from Christianity that it is more like paganism than Christianity.

Evangelicalism is in a desperate situation, and that is made manifest by its inability to distinguish who is a true Christian. We have abandoned any clear understanding of what it means to really be saved… We have no right to redefine [salvation] in our own terms in order to be be popular or in order to be accepted. True and historic Christianity has never been confused about what it means to be a Christian.

I am of the opinion that in our attempts to keep doors open and practice love, we have in fact shut doors and done anything but demonstrate true Biblical love. To muddy the waters of pure gospel truth with the idea that it is possible to have eternal life apart from the righteousness of God through His eternal Son, Jesus Christ, plus nothing, is to shut the door upon eternal life and to act in a most unloving manner.

How can it be construed as love to hide or confuse the gospel of Jesus Christ in order to keep dialogue open? Dialogue about what? What does such thinking hope to accomplish? Was Jesus unloving when He told the religious, well-meaning, Nicodemus that he must be born again? Would it have been more loving for Him to have encouraged Nicodemus to continue in his religious pursuits, just as he was?

The most loving things we can do for others is to lovingly communicate the truth! Eternity hangs in the balance. For those with whom we have already shared the gospel truth, we should live out that gospel in our relation to them. Do not bend your life to accommodate their wishes. Live your life with purpose to distinguish yourself as a Spirit-filled believer. 

The Spirit of truth blesses truth! Speak it and live it!

Will You Murmur?

NO REASON FOR CHRISTIANS TO MURMUR

There is no greater joy in this life than to know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. What joy there ought to be in every person who knows his sins against a holy God who made him are all forgiven because of the sacrifice of His Son upon the cross. Yet, often times Christians murmur and complain as much as anyone else.

Thomas Brooks, a well-known preacher in his day (17^th century ) in England, wrote a book to instruct Christians on how to properly face sufferings and trials of life. The following is an excerpt from that book. Christians reading this will understand what Mr. Brooks is saying and will hopefully be positively impacted. To non-Christians, I offer an apology that we Christians have been all too guilty of murmuring!

And will you murmur?
Is not Christ your treasure?

Is not heaven your inheritance—

and will you murmur?

Have you not much in hand, and more in hope? 

Have you not much in possession, but much more reserved in heaven—

and will you murmur?

Has not God given you. . .

     a changed heart, 

     a renewed nature, and

     a sanctified soul—

and will you murmur?

            Has He not given you. . .

     Himself to satisfy you,

     His Son to save you,

     His Spirit to lead you,

     His grace to adorn you,

     His covenant to assure you,

     His mercy to pardon you,

     His righteousness to clothe you—

and will you murmur?

Has He not made you. . .

     a friend,

     a son,

     a brother,

     a bride,

     an heir—

and will you murmur?

Has not God often turned. . .

     your water into wine,

     your brass into silver, and

     your silver into gold—

and will you murmur?

When you were dead, did not He quicken you?

When you were lost, did not He seek you?

When you were wounded, did not He heal you?

When you were falling, did not He support you?

When you were down, did not He raise you?

When you were staggering, did not He establish you?

When you were erring, did not He correct you?

When you were tempted, did not He support you? and

When you went in dangers, did not He deliver you?—

and will you murmur?

What! You who are so highly advanced and exalted above many thousands in the world? Murmuring suits none so badly as saints.

Love and Faith

FAITH-BASED  LOVE

We sing, Oh the deep, deep love of Jesus, vast, unmeasured, boundless, free, as if we really believe it. At times it rolls off our tongues from a heart that is swelling with the sense of that amazing love. But then, there are those times when we are only mouthing the words. The sense is gone.

Should you speak of His love for you only when you feel it? Should you speak of your love for Him only when you feel it?

Is the depth of God’s love for you determined by your sense of it? Is your response to God’s love for you determined by your sense or your level of emotional connection to His love for you?

Could it be that keeping yourself in the love of God (Jude 20) has more to do with faith than feelings? And, could it be that as feelings fluctuate, faith keeps you consistently responding to His love which you have come to know and appreciate, and which you prayerfully seek to comprehend more fully (Eph. 3:18,19)? And then as you dwell upon that love that you know by faith, is it possible that emotions will follow that will increase your delight in Him, and motivate you toward more fervent devotion to Him and service for Him?  (2 Corinthians 5:14)

As you think about this concept of relating to God’s love with the kind of consistency that faith produces, perhaps you can apply it to your human relationships. Your love for one another, and especially your love for your spouse, is to mirror God’s love for you, and your response to His love.  It is the Spirit of God who places this love in our hearts (Rom. 5:5; Gal. 5:22).

So, should you say to your wife, I love you deeply, even though your emotions or feelings are not necessarily connecting with that concept at the moment? Remember, God’s love for you is not simply an emotional statement. God’s love has been, and is, demonstrated! Thus, if you are loving as He loves, you should say and do, whether you feel it or not! In fact, if you say you love her deeply and then treat her in unloving ways, you words are mere words.

Thankfully, God’s love for us is more than mere words! Neither is He void of emotion. May the love He has made known to you through faith be manifested in your relation to others, especially your spouse.         

What is in a Greeting?

GO AHEAD, TRY IT!

I was recently confronted with a thought in a chapter of Love Dare (Kendrick, P&H Publishing Group), which addressed the matter of greeting your spouse. My thoughts expanded beyond simply greeting my spouse. Think about it with me.

The word translated “salute” and “greet” in our AV is found 49 times in the NT. At the close of several of Paul’s letters he gives a list of folks that he wished to be greeted. He often sent a general greeting from a church or churches. Friendly and kind relationships seemed important to Paul.

Jesus informs us that greeting your enemy is an evidence of genuine love: Matt. 5:47.

§  Jesus assumes that we will greet our closer relations, either bio-family or spiritual family.

§  Greeting others is a simple way to demonstrate love. Everybody can do it!

Four times in Scripture we find the direct exhortation to greet one another!

Ro 16:16  Salute one another with an holy kiss. The churches of Christ salute you.

1Co 16:20  All the brethren greet you. Greet ye one another with an holy kiss.

2Co 13:12  Greet one another with an holy kiss.

1Pe 5:14  Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus.

Greeting is the introduction to a relationship – this is where each personal interaction begins.

§  Paul and Peter agree that Christians especially should be guided by a holy affection for one another.

§  When we come together, there ought to be a spirit of love guiding us, which is manifested by a kind and affectionate greeting.

§  Our holy kiss may be a hand shake, or an hello with a smile and eye contact! There should be the sense communicated that we care, are engaged and find some satisfaction in relating as brothers and sisters in Christ.

§  Spirit produced fruit of love enables us to overcome fleshly weakness and self-focus to engage others primarily for their sake, not our own. (Phil. 2:4)

·       A proper greeting expresses interest in another.

·       A proper greeting opens the door for the possibility of meaningful conversation.

·       A proper greeting may be an encouragement to the one you are greeting! (We all know how it feels to receive a cold, aloof, and indifferent sort of greeting from someone.)

§  What if they don’t respond with equal affection? Love does not act based upon response – your demonstration of love, consistently demonstrated, honors Christ and will have positive effect.

Thinking about how we greet one another forces us to think beyond ourselves!

§  Forces our minds out of our small, limited world to consider the person we are meeting.

§  Forces our minds to think about how we might positively interact to God’s glory with others.

There are times in which our countenance betrays our pain, trouble, sorrow, difficulty, etc..  In such case, we need the affectionate greeting and attention of others. But this should not be the rule of our lives!

If greet one another with affectionate kindness is important in relation to brethren in Christ, and greeting our enemies with kindness a display of genuine love, how much more should this apply to our spouses?

§  How do you greet your spouse in the morning, on the phone, or upon returning home at night?                   

§  Do you think your spouse is encouraged by your greeting? Do you think he/she anticipates your show of kindness in your greeting? Do you look forward to a kiss reserved ONLY for him/her?

We all might be surprised at the improvement our relationships might enjoy if we took this simple Christian instruction seriously: greet one another with an holy kiss. Go ahead, try it! I dare you!

MAKING SENSE OF SENSELESS ACTS OF EVIL

Being human since the fall of Adam means two things, at least: limited knowledge and tainted reasoning. If we were morally perfect, we would still possess limited range of knowledge. Therefore, we do not have  ability to draw absolute conclusions that fully satisfy our questions. But since we are also affected by a nature that comes short of the glory of God, we struggle with making sense of all that life brings our way.

The senseless acts of a man terrorizing children, and adults, in a school setting are difficult for us to process. There is no one that has trouble calling the actions evil. Few would probably have trouble calling the perpetrator evil. Thankfully, we live in a culture that has not yet digressed to the point that we are desensitized to the horrible nature of such crimes.

But, it is interesting, as we begin to process the event and questions develop in our minds, our why questions often and quickly move from the perpetrator to God. It is because we believe that God is sovereign, and is certainly able to do whatever He pleases among the inhabitants of the earth, that we are challenged in our minds with His part in such tragedies. We know that He didn’t do it. We know He didn’t kill those children. But we also know that He is God, and therefore could have stopped it. Why didn’t He? Why did He permit it to occur?

Ultimately, I am sure there is no answer that will satisfy the unbelieving mind. But I am sure that whatever answer we give, it must not be an answer that humanizes God. Every act of evil in this world is an expression of man’s total depravity. God withdraws restraints at times to permit the ugliness of the human condition to be clearly seen. Such horrible acts of violence should humble our own hearts, as we remember that we are members of the human race, which collectively stands condemned under God due to our rebellion and violence against Him. Thank God’s restraining grace that expressions of evil are limited!

Can anything good come out of such tragedy? Is any good result really worth permitting such immense evil? Perhaps the best answer is found at the cross! There, wicked hands crucified and slew the very eternal Son of God. He was beaten and shamed! He didn’t deserve it! And for what? What good could have come from such monumental injustice? There is now good news for a world of sinners! It is possible for good to result from evil!

For those experiencing the grief and pain of this most recent tragedy, no good can be seen right now. We should not attempt to get them to see it. Can we see it? Probably not. But God is working by evil and good to bring about His purpose. It is best that we trust Him and wait upon Him to make things clear. And, as we wait and trust, be completely yielded to Him.       

ARE CHRISTIANS ESCAPISTS?

Have you heard it said that Christians believe in and talk about heaven to escape reality? While it is true there are those with an escapist mindset which helps them to justify their avoidance of present reality, it would be bigoted at best to conclude Christianity as the cause of such an attitude.

Anyone who has taken the time to read the gospel record of Jesus Christ knows that He faced reality. He never taught His followers to set their minds on some future hope and give no thought to the present. In fact, it was His thought of the present that led to His agonizing prayer in the garden of Gethsemane. It was His hope of future joy that gave Him strength to face the shame of the cross with endurance.

Biblical Christianity teaches us to live now, but not for now. In other words, there is a reality to which this brief time on earth is headed. Christians don’t ignore this future reality so to live now as if this is the only reality. Christians live now with the hope of what is coming. That hope affects us now. It liberates us from the bondage of a broken world and short-lived promises, and enables us to let go of controlling things that are quickly passing away. With this hope in the future filling our minds we are able to live now according to principles that are right before God, regardless of what advantage it may or may not bring us in this present life.

If we didn’t have this hope, then we would admittedly be quite miserable. As the Apostle Paul discussed the significance of the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15, he noted that life lived as a follower of Christ in this world would be quite miserable if our hope died with us. In other words, if all for which we lived were to suddenly end with death, then the life of trials and tribulation associated with following Christ in this present world that largely discounts Him would be characterized as miserable. It is the hope of the resurrection that makes every form of suffering in this life bearable. Not only is every form of suffering made bearable, it actually works in us a greater sense of the glory that awaits us. This world as it presently exists is not intended to be the end.

Now, this leads back to the thought of reality. Who is the escapist? The one who lives now with great hope of receiving all that the risen Christ has purchased and prepared? Or, the one who lives now with all hopes riding on himself and what he may or may not accomplish in his lifetime on earth? The answer to a large degree depends upon the reality of the resurrection. If Christ is risen, then every soul will give an account to Him. Death does not end existence. Death ends existence as we presently know it, but opens the door to either everlasting punishment or eternal life.

Some push the reality of life after death out of their minds. This is a form of escapism. It allows for some measure of peace now. But reality will one day disturb that peace!

Christians embrace the reality of life after death and live with hope because of Jesus Christ. This allows them to escape the lure of this present world and look beyond the sufferings of this present life. This brings a measure of peace now, with the hope of immeasurable peace forever.

I am thankful to be a Christian. Call me an escapist if you will. I prefer to be called a realist.

Help for Hopelessness

I have noticed that the top downloaded sermon from the messages that I have preached and loaded on to Sermon-audio is one regarding hope. There may be more than one way to interpret that little piece of data, but it directs my mind to conclude hope is one of the great needs of our day.

Hopelessness is an awful feeling. It can come for various reasons. It can be as brief as a passing sense at the thought of an enormous task facing you, or  the dark abyss into which one tumbles who has entered a season of depression. A season of depression also has numerous causes, from hormonal or medical roots to a devastating personal or family loss. The sense of guilt over one's sinful choices, or the sense that one is too great a sinner to ever be accepted by God can cause a sense of hopelessness. 

When hopelessness is the result of something other than a medical root, the solution must always be sought through means other than medication.  Hope is a by-product of faith, which is able to latch on to the possibility of that which seems impossible. When faith grips truth, hope will be kindled and increase until one is once again living with a positive sense that there is a way out!

Hopelessness will be exaggerated in one who places his faith in speculation rather than truth. Once speculation has been uncovered as a deception, or a lie, faith is weakened and hope fades. But when truth is the object of faith, then come what may, hope is kept alive and despair or depression is kept away.

Thy word is truth are words spoken by Jesus. He is the One who also said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. The word is the revelation of Jesus Christ. If you are listening to Him, you are listening to truth. Faith in Jesus Christ is faith in the truth. He is an anchor to the soul of every one who believes in Him. 

Despair and depression, kinfolk to hopelessness, are best dealt with by looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Listening to Him as the wonderful counselor we hear, come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Jesus Christ gives hope to the struggling soul. 

Are you struggling with hopelessness? Jesus says, come unto me! Ignore the voices of detractors and naysayers who prefer to create questions and stumbling-blocks, and keep you in a place of hopelessness. Don't let doubts and questions lead you away from Him who is the truth. Hope will increase as your confidence in Jesus increases. 

I know! I've been in the dark place of doubt, where nothing seems right and all is confusing-a place of hopelessness! Hope is found in the God of hope. Trust in Him and hope is sure to increase. With the increase of hope there will be increase of peace and joy! 

If you are going through a dark night of the soul, keep looking unto Jesus. You can't see Him? Keep looking! This is the way of faith. You will see Him clearest at the cross! Run to the gospel and hope will return and grow. Don't stop looking. Endure to the end! We are saved by hope!