Worth Repeating - November 7, 2017

Romans 10: 17 Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. (NIV)

Faith is more than conviction of the reality of the facts that God has unveiled. Faith also exists as response to those facts.*

There are many things that can enhance your faith: seeing God’s hand at work in nature; having your prayers answered; experiencing God’s provision for your daily life; but these are not where faith comes from. It is safe to say that faith will only and always be preceded by hearing the word of Christ.* There is no other circumstance by which faith can occur - not even by touching the heart.*

What is the “word of Christ”? Of course, it’s the gospel – his life, ministry, death, resurrection. We (you and I) access the word easily. We have multiple copies of the Bible in our homes. We can click on Biblegateway.com or download an electronic version of the scripture on our computers and phones and tablets. We are like the Jews about whom Paul asked (and answered) in the very next verse: “Did they not hear? Of course they did.”

Sad to say, though, that while hearing the word is a necessary condition for faith, it is not a sufficient reason. Hearing is not the same as believing; it doesn’t automatically result in saving faith.* Saving faith is the result of the personal, individual decision we make upon our exposure to the message of the gospel. Many, many people hear the gospel and reject its saving message – either deliberately or by simply ignoring it. 

One of the components of the message of Christ is his command to go, disciple, baptize and teach (Matthew 28: 19, 20). There is no loophole that says, “If they are rejecting the message, you can stop preaching it.” Faith comes by hearing, yes, but some people need to hear it over and over. Keep spreading the news!

If God by a miracle wrought faith in the heart, he could dispense with the preacher.*

Worth Repeating - November 6, 2017

II Peter 1: 16 We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses to his majesty. (NIV)

Personal testimonies are more powerful than we believe.*

When someone acts like they don’t believe what I’m saying, I am sometimes pushed to exclaim in exasperation, “I’m not making this up!” I don’t know if Peter was to the point of exasperation, but he was not making up a story to entertain his listeners.

We read history books which were written by people who got their material from other historical documents and we believe what they wrote – even though we never met Napoleon or Alexander the Great. Peter isn’t asking for even that level of credulity – he just asks us to take the word of genuine eyewitnesses.

And what did they see? The power and the coming of the Lord, and his majesty.  They saw Jesus demonstrate his power through his teaching and his miracles. They witnessed the ministry of the Messiah and had to rethink their notions of what his mission was. And they beheld his majesty - the risen Savior who walked and talked with them and who, one day, while he was blessing them, was taken up into heaven.

I remember reading a spy novel in which the hero kept reminding himself (and the readers) that “testimony is evidence.” This is Peter’s testimony and it sounds like a three-point sermon to me!

To be an eyewitness . . . supplies the highest kinds of evidence.*

Worth Repeating - November 5, 2017

Job 7: 11 “Therefore I will not keep silent; I will speak out in the anguish of my spirit, I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.” (NIV)

How easy it is to believe in the infinite power of God and at the same time to feel that He is unable to meet our personal needs!*

Most of us will never have troubles to compare with Job’s. What’s worse for Job, he never knew that his suffering was the result of a behind-the-scenes arrangement between God and Satan. Our suffering, on the other hand, probably stems from other causes. I wouldn’t argue against the possibility of spiritual warfare of a personal nature in some cases; most of us, however, are victims of our own poor choices or of someone else’s actions. Accidents, nature, and life in a fallen world are also factors in our misfortunes. But even if our troubles are self-inflicted and minor, are we not entitled to cry out to God?

Job’s lament here is the cry of someone who is comfortable with God because he knows God. He is not afraid that God will reject him or belittle him. And God, at the end of the account, never condemned Job for his complaints or his “varying moods.”*

Venting to God – complaining in the bitterness of the soul – is often the first step in healing. Perhaps you struggle with the same issues that I do: When my problem is my own fault, or if it’s more of a whine than a legitimate complaint, I tend to think I don’t deserve to bring my hurt before God.

I don’t think God intends for us to suppress our feelings in his presence. The Psalms of David provide us with examples of how crying out to God can clear the way to glorious praise as his Spirit helps us work through our hurts. Sometimes it helps to talk to another person, but it always helps to express your strongest – and even most inappropriate – feelings to God. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (Matthew 5: 4) He didn’t offer his comfort only to those who had a good reason to mourn. When he said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled,” (John 14: 1) he also included the how-to instructions: “Trust in God; trust also in me.” You can trust him with your feelings!

Christians have, so to speak, larger souls than other people; for grief and joy, like desolation and hope, or pain and peace, can coexist in their lives in a way than non-Christians know nothing about. This does not mean that grief, desolation, and pain cease to be felt (that idea is inhuman); it means that something else is experienced alongside the hurt.*

Worth Repeating - November 4, 2017

I Kings 22: 8 The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man through whom we can inquire of the Lord, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad.” (NIV)

Killing the messenger is a long and dark tradition.*

I was hospitalized for a week and a half before my twins were born. My first roommate while I was there was only a few weeks along in her pregnancy but she had been so sick that she was weak and dehydrated. An ultrasound revealed that she, too, was having twins. After she was stabilized, they sent her home, only to have her return while I was still there. Another ultrasound, and guess what . . . she was having triplets! I made my laborious (no pun intended) way down to her new room to give her some wise advice: “Don’t let them look again! Every time they do, they find another one!”

Ahab, the king quoted in this verse, is notorious for being Israel’s worst king ever. He is also notable for the evil influence of his wicked wife, Jezebel. His lament in this verse is a clue that he also might not have been a deep thinker. Refusing to listen to the prophecies of Micaiah because he never said anything good about him made as much sense as my advice to my expectant roommate. Deliberate ignorance of the truth doesn’t transform the truth into something more palatable. Truth doesn’t change.

We might be guilty of the same attitude as Ahab if we “church shop” until we find a preacher whose sermons we find pleasing. Paul warned Timothy about people who would not put up with sound doctrine, choosing to associate with teachers who say only what they want to hear (II Timothy 4: 3). The Bible is full of sweet passages about love and hope and kindness, but you aren’t getting the whole picture – the truth – if you ignore those about judgment and obedience and rejection. Don’t turn your back on the truth – and don’t hate the messenger who delivers it. Examine scripture yourself and let the truth convict you of your sinfulness and encourage your faithfulness.

The preaching and teaching of the modern church often leaves people unmoved and culture unaffected.*

Worth Repeating - November 3, 2017

Matthew 4: 17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” (NIV)

Mark 1: 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news.” (NIV)

Scripture is a perfect book; but it has been given to imperfect people in an imperfect world.*

The gospel writers were neither novelists nor journalists. Their job was to share the good news of Jesus, not to tell gripping stories or get a nice, juicy sound bite. It wasn’t their place to editorialize or sensationalize. They were inspired by the Holy Spirit to deliver a message and each one fulfilled his obligation according to his abilities and with regard to his intended audience.

So, which is it – the kingdom of heaven or the kingdom of God? Are they two different places or the same place? Are these two gospel writers contradicting each other? If I said I was born in the USA and you told someone I was born in America, would you be misquoting me? What if the person you were talking to was from . . . say . . . Argentina or Canada. Would you tell them I was born in America or North America?

Before jumping to conclusions about apparent discrepancies in scripture, we would do well to do our homework. Who wrote it? What was his background? Who was his target audience? How does the culture affect the narrative? And so we find that “kingdom of heaven” is used 32 times in the gospels – and all in Matthew’s account. Can you guess who made up Matthew’s target demographic? Matthew chose to show respect to his Jewish readers, who never wrote the word “God.”*

Enter into your Bible-reading prayerfully, opening yourself to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and allowing him to speak through God’s word. Be careful about accepting any interpretation of a passage based solely on what you have heard or read from other sources (including me!). The more familiar you are with the word, the better acquainted you will become with God and his purpose.

The only way to be certain what the Bible means here and now is to first understand what it meant then and there.*

Worth Repeating - November 2, 2017

Matthew 5: 20 “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” (NIV)

Jesus revealed the true intent of the Old Testament law, rather than its legalistic interpretations.*

Jesus’ listeners had to be asking themselves: If the Pharisees aren’t good enough, who is? In their own eyes, the Pharisees were righteous. Jesus isn’t just saying that we have to be better than those guys, but that more is expected of us under a whole new set of rules. 

Just how righteous were the Pharisees and the teachers of the law? They gave a tenth of even their spices to God - and yet, they neglected justice, mercy and faithfulness (Matthew 23: 23). How can our righteousness surpass that of the Pharisees if we don’t even tithe? Even though tithing is not mentioned after the Gospels, every example of giving in the New Testament goes far beyond the tithe and none falls short of it.* Tithing is an outward sign of the kind of righteousness that Jesus requires. It shows that we have faith in God’s provision and that we care about his kingdom.

Show that your righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees in this small way and see how it changes your heart and your witness.

Does God expect His New Covenant children to give less or more? Jesus raised the spiritual bar; He never lowered it.*

Worth Repeating - November 1, 2017

Exodus 14: 14 “The Lord will fight for you; you need only be still.” (NIV)

His job is to fight. Our job is to trust.*

“God helps those who help themselves.” Many people believe those words are from the Bible. Others, who know better, still believe that it’s a scriptural principle. And it is – if by “help themselves” they actually mean, “be still.”

The words of this verse were spoken by Moses to a specific audience about a specific event in history. It is not a generic message for all people for all times – but there is a corresponding standard that is woven throughout the Bible: “Wait upon the Lord.” Many passages counsel us to seek God’s will before taking action. I believe that God will make us sure of his will if we wait and trust. As someone has stated: “As long as [the] way is hidden, it is clear that there is no need of action and that He holds Himself accountable for all the results of keeping you exactly where you are.”* In other words, if you don’t know what to do, don’t do anything!

There are, of course, occasions where waiting is not an option, but for most of our concerns, the urgency is self-generated. No matter how badly we might want the issue to be settled immediately, most things can wait. Most things should wait. Fighting our own battles when God has promised to fight them for us seldom leads to victory.

Living a life of faith often requires us to leave things alone. . . . Often there is nothing as godly as inactivity on our part.*