Resist the Devil

The reason that we're not to resist an evil person (Matthew 5:39), I'm discovering, is that we're to resist the devil (James 4:7). Resisting a person would be like chopping the top off a weed--it will only come back. But if we pull up the root of the matter--the devil, we'll have lasting success. People are redeemable; the devil isn't.

Finishing Well

But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned." Matthew 12:36

Following Jesus is an Action Verb

“Don’t strive, just rest in the Lord.” “Just trust God, he’ll bring whatever is best for you.” “Ninety percent of life is just showing up.” “Life is a journey—enjoy the ride.” These are some of the things we’ve been taught over the last few decades—just lay back and everything will take care of itself, que sera sera. But this fatalism, these do-nothing attitudes, though they sound good aren’t supported by the Bible. Let me be clear, I am in no way suggesting that we can earn our salvation! However, following Jesus is intended to be active not passive!

The New Testament urges us to seek, pursue, ask, persist, press on, run the race, run to win, have enough faith to move mountains, bother, pester, train hard, wrestle in prayer, love the Lord with everything we’ve got! It gives us as examples, a woman who pressed through the crowd to touch Jesus’ clothes so that she could be healed, a Gentile woman who wouldn’t take no for an answer to healing for her daughter, friends of a paralyzed man who took a roof off a house to get him to Jesus and blind men who wouldn’t shut up until they got Jesus’ attention! Jesus gave us parables of a woman who searched relentlessly for her coin, a shepherd who wasn’t satisfied with just 99, a man who knocked and knocked--bugging the daylights out of his neighbor until he got the bread he needed and a widow who bothered an unrighteous judge so much that he gave in before she drove him crazy—can’t you just see his eyeballs rolling?

We’ve gotten confused along the way and thought we weren’t supposed to run after things in the Kingdom but what Jesus said don’t run after was food and drink and clothes because pagans run after those. But somehow we think we’re supposed to run after jobs, education, careers, money…

From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. Matthew 11:12

Loving Jesus

We so often hear, “It’s not about rules and regulations; it’s about relationship, about loving Jesus”

Yes. And no.

Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. John 14:21
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. Matthew 28:19,20

Loving Jesus isn’t only about raising your arms in worship but also about keeping his commands. Wait a minute, you say, I thought you were adamant about not putting Christians under the Law. That’s right! The Lord doesn’t want us under Mosaic Law which was against us (Colossians 2:13-15) but under the “law of the Spirit of life. (Romans 8:1,2)

You can’t be someone’s follower and not do what he says.

Most of us who are called by Jesus’ name are quick to insist, “It’s all about Jesus!” But do we truly believe what he said? Do we truly believe that he meant it for us? Are we doing it?

Are we loving our enemies and blessing them? Or are we dehumanizing them with labels and derision?

Are we storing up treasures in heaven? (Matthew 19:21) Or are we storing them up on the earth where they’ll rot?

Do we really believe Jesus’ statement that adultery is the only reason for divorce? Or are we saying, “God wants me to be happy”? (Matthew 5:32)

These are just a few examples. Following Jesus was never meant to be easy, (freeing yes, burden light…) after all it is a narrow road but it’s The road that leads to life.

True Christian Giving (tithing, part 3)

Does it seem right that many Christians are on some kind of public or private assistance while giving hundreds each month to the church? It doesn’t look right to the world either.

"There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need." (Acts 4:34,35)

When we get back on a Scriptural foundation and give generously, hilariously and without compulsion (force) to lots of ministries and people in need instead of the lion’s share to the “local church," fewer Christians will struggle and the poor will be better cared for, making a better witness to the world. (Luke 6:38, Acts 4:34)

"Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, as it is written: "He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little." (2 Corinthians 8:13-15)

Also, there’s no scriptural foundation for the separate “para-church” designation in which the local church is to get the main part of giving and ministries are supposed to get only the "extra". They are not outside the church;there is one church of Jesus Christ and all who worship him in Spirit and in truth are a part. However, we are to provide all good things for those from whose teaching we benefit.
(1 Corinthians 9:12) but from what we have, not what we don’t have.

"The disciples, each according to his ability, decided to provide help for the brothers living in Judea." (Acts 11:29)

"Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have." (2 Cor 8:12)

Incidentally, “Christian tithing” didn’t become widespread until the eighth century! That’s right, the early church didn’t teach it or do it.

This is liberating! Everything we have and are belongs to God! We are free from the Law and we are free to give from our hearts so that no Christian goes without! Give wherever God instructs you with a free and cheerful heart not just squeezing out the tenth that the pastor tells you that you must if you want to avoid a curse! (One pastor paralleled tithing with salvation! A church administrator said that it should be a requirement for church membership! We once told a pastor that we were in a financial situation in which we couldn’t tithe; he was very “understanding” and said that we could, in effect, owe it to the church!) Take care of the poor! Notice that Jesus didn’t describe Himself as telling the people in the end that they were cast out because they didn’t “tithe” but because they didn’t take care of the poor!

"Then the righteous will answer him, `Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
"The King will reply, `I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' Then he will say to those on his left, `Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' (Matthew 25:37-43)

*All emphases are mine

Election Woes

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. I Timothy 1:7

My spirit is deeply troubled over the upcoming election—not so much about the outcome but over the fighting between those who are called by Jesus’ name. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such fear, even hysteria from the “conservatives”, who have resorted in their fear to making up accusations against their opponents. The “progressives” retaliate in anger, accusing of slander.

Somehow, those who are called by Jesus’ name have taken hard stands with both parties though I don’t see how they can support either. Conservatives scream, “How can you possibly vote for abortion or homosexual marriage? Anyone who votes like that can’t possibly be a Christian!” The progressives yell back, “We’re not voting for that, but it’s the best we can do! How can you possibly vote against the poor and not care about the babies after they’re born and against taking care of God’s creation? No one who votes like that can really be a Christian!” Increasingly, conservatives are beginning to hang their heads and say, "We're not voting against that, but it's the best we can do." Each of the two parties gets some things right and some things wrong. But neither is a good option.

And it will continue this way until those who are called by Jesus’ name forget about who is wearing a flag on their lapel or who contributes the most money and focus on following Jesus and his teachings. We can’t cherry pick which ones we like—and they go far beyond the issues of abortion and traditional marriage, even beyond caring for the poor and creation. One of Jesus’ main teachings was that we are to love and serve one another in unity. It’s time for a better way—Jesus’ way.

Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:31,32

God's Pruning

Have you ever heard someone exclaim (or write), “ I was cut to the heart by what I read in Scripture”? If you’re like me, it’s been a very long time since you have. In the last several years, people I’ve encountered have been more likely to instead say, “God is teaching me so much through this sickness that I wouldn’t have learned any other way. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

Jesus said, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.“(John 15:1-3) Since the Greek words for “prune” and “clean” come from the same root, Jesus was saying that his word had pruned them already and they apparently didn’t need any other. If we stay in the Word (continually reading the New Testament and making the teachings our way of life) we won’t need any other kind* of “pruning” either. Sure, the Lord uses every situation, turning what the devil meant for evil into good,(see Romans 8:28) but it’s so much better to let the Holy Spirit convict and teach you through the Word of God.

*Persecution for Jesus’ name's sake is the kind of trial that God uses for chastening us and building character. Look for future posts on this.