Sunday, January 29, 2017

GodsView : The Value of God's Word!

GodsView : The Value of God's Word!: I read an interesting story about an old miner who had lived the life of a hermit deep in the mountains of Colorado. When he died, some...

The Value of God's Word!

I read an interesting story about an old miner who had lived the life of a hermit deep in the mountains of Colorado. When he died, some of his distant relatives came to collect his valuables.
They arrived to find a miner's shack with an outhouse behind it. Inside the shack, there was an old cooking pot, some mining equipment, and a cracked table with a three-legged chair that stood next to a tiny window. A well-used kerosene lamp stood as the centerpiece on the table.
As the relatives gathered up the miner's possessions, loaded them in a truck, and got ready to drive away, the miner's old friend came walking up. He called out to them, "Do y'all mind if I take what is left in that old shack?"
"Oh, no," they said. "Take it. We have all the valuable stuff. You can have whatever is there." The man thanked them, and off they went.
He walked over to his friend's shack, went in, and looked around for a little bit. Then he reached under the table and lifted up one of the floorboards. Little by little, he lifted out all of the gold his friend had discovered over the previous decades - millions of dollars' worth of gold.
Apparently, the old miner had died with only his true friend knowing his actual worth.
In the same way, our friend, Jesus Christ, wants to make Himself known to us, but we can be like a distant relative sometimes. Yet, if we would get to know Him better, we would discover the riches that He has for us.
And where are these riches? They are in His Word. Jesus said, "In the volume of the book it is written of Me" (Hebrews 10:7 NKJV). In Psalm 19, we find a description of the great value of God's Word in our lives.
First of all, we find that God's Word is perfect: "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul" (v. 7 NKJV). This phrase, "the law of the Lord," is a Hebrew term that is used to define Scripture. It is speaking of all of God's Word. So we could also translate it to say that the Word of God, or even the Bible, is perfect.
This is in direct contrast to the flawed, imperfect reasonings of humanity today. As society changes, we don't need to flow with the winds of change. We can stand on the firm foundation of God's Word.
Second, we see that the Word of God transforms us: "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul" (v. 7, emphasis mine). The word convert could be translated, "reviving, restoring, transforming."
God's Word will revive you. It will restore you. It will transform you. You may find yourself in a situation in which you are revived, restored, or transformed by verses you've read a day or a week before, because you had established the discipline of regular Bible study in your life.
Third, we discover that the Word of God gives incredible wisdom: "The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple" (v. 7).
The Hebrew word used here for simple comes from a root word that speaks of an open door. It is the idea of a person whose mind is like an open door. He or she has no control over what comes in or what goes out.
This verse is saying that if you study it, if you memorize it, and more importantly, if you apply its truths, God's Word will make a wise person out of a simple one.
Fourth, we learn that the Word of God is right: "The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart" (v. 8). In Hebrew, this means that the Bible has given us the right path to follow. We don't have to lose our bearings in the fog of human opinion.
That is why we need to read through the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter.
Fifth, we realize that keeping the Word of God makes us happy: "The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart" (v. 8).
Sometimes people are afraid that if they do what the Bible says, then they will be unhappy. But just the opposite is true. By living what the Bible teaches, you will live a happy life.
As you study, as you memorize, and as you read and obey the Word of God, your life will be transformed, and you will be a successful Christian.

Sunday, January 22, 2017

GodsView : Are You a Christian?

GodsView : Are You a Christian?: I read recently that 50 percent of all born-again Christians don't have the assurance of salvation. Maybe some just need to memori...

Are You a Christian?

I read recently that 50 percent of all born-again Christians don't have the assurance of salvation. Maybe some just need to memorize some pertinent passages on the assurance of salvation, like 1 John 5:13, and realize that God's Word does indeed promise that salvation is the present possession of every true follower of Christ.
On the other hand, perhaps a lot of so-called Christians do not have the assurance of salvation because they are not really saved. Just because you attend church or engage in certain religious activities does not necessarily mean you are a Christian. The Apostle Paul instructed those in the early church to examine themselves to see if their faith was genuine (2 Corinthians 13:5).
So, how do I know if you are a Christian? How do you know if I'm one? There must be evidence. Jesus said, "By their fruits you shall know them" (Matthew 7:20). If someone examined your life, would they find any spiritual fruit — hard evidence to prove that you are a true follower of Jesus Christ?
Or, let me put it another way: If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? By "evidence," I don't mean how many Bibles you own, or how many bumper stickers you might have on your car with Christian sayings on them. I mean hard evidence. If your family members, neighbors, and coworkers were interviewed and asked the question, "Is (your name here), in your opinion, a real Christian?" we might not be happy with the response.
The only way others can tell whether you are a Christian is by your works. While all the good works in the world won't save a person (Titus 3:5), they are reasonable evidence that someone is saved.
In a nutshell, all the great religions of the world, apart from Christianity, say, "Do." "Do this and you might go to heaven," "Do that and you might find nirvana," and so on. Christianity, in contrast, says, "Done."
In other words, God has taken care of your salvation through the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. He cried out, "It is finished!" He purchased your ticket to heaven at the cross. But having received that ticket, your life should reflect your commitment to Christ. Works won't save you, but if you really are saved, then works will follow (2 Corinthians 5:17). Has that happened to you? Has there been a change in your life?
In Acts 26, the Bible outlines three steps you must take to be sure you are a Christian. This is important to understand, because you may be living under false hope, and ultimately, have a false assurance of salvation. When Paul spoke to King Agrippa and described how God had called him to preach the gospel message, he essentially broke that message down and in so many words, defined it.
Paul said that God told him to preach the gospel, which was comprised of a person hearing it, realizing it was given " 'to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness of sins and be given a place among God's people, who are set apart by faith in [Christ]' " (Acts 26:18).
So first, you must have your eyes opened. A spiritual blindness afflicts those who have not yet turned their lives over to Jesus Christ, because "Satan...has blinded the minds of those who don't believe..." (2 Corinthians 4:4 NLT).
Second, you must turn from darkness to light. Satan loves darkness. Hell is referred to as outer darkness. If you want to really believe, then you need to come out of the darkness and into the light (Acts 26:18).
Third, you must turn from the power of Satan to God. A lot of people today want to live in two worlds. If you want to be a Christian on Sunday, but want to live the other way the rest of the week, it won't work (2 Corinthians 6:14). You must turn from Satan to God.
Have your spiritual eyes been opened? Have you turned from darkness to light? Have you turned from the power of Satan to God? If you've taken these steps, then God has forgiven your sins and has a place for you among God's people in heaven. This is the hope of those who truly belong to Christ.

Sunday, January 15, 2017

GodsView : God Still Speaks!

GodsView : God Still Speaks!: Does God still speak to people today? Is He interested in what happens to us as individuals? Does He really have a master plan for our ...

God Still Speaks!

Does God still speak to people today?

Is He interested in what happens to us as individuals? Does He really have a master plan for our lives? Or are we merely victims of blind chance?

God is indeed interested in us as individuals. He does in fact have a master plan for our lives, and He does truly want to speak to us. Jesus described Himself as our Good Shepherd (see John 10:11). And as His sheep, we can hear His voice.

But how can we know when God is the one speaking? We need to remember that God speaks to us primarily through His Word. He will never lead us contrary to anything He says there. We don’t have to go any further than the Bible to know the will of God for our lives. Psalm 19:8 says, “The statutes of the Lord are right.” In the original language, this verse means that God’s Word has set out the right path for us to follow. We don’t have to lose our bearings in the fog of human opinion or let our fickle emotions lead us astray. Instead, we have a sure guide: the Word of God.

We are to think about God’s Word, we are to ponder it, and we are to meditate in it day and night. C. H. Spurgeon said, “Nobody ever outgrows Scripture. The Book widens and deepens with our years.” As a result of spending time in God’s Word, you will bring forth spiritual fruit.

So listen to your Shepherd. Read His Word, and let it bear fruit in your life.

Monday, January 9, 2017

GodsView : Discover a Friend Worth Following: A Close Look at...

GodsView : Discover a Friend Worth Following: A Close Look at...: Friends rub off on you. Stick around them long enough and their likes, dislikes, perspectives, and priorities will influence your own. ...

Discover a Friend Worth Following: A Close Look at Jesus' Friendships!

Friends rub off on you. Stick around them long enough and their likes, dislikes, perspectives, and priorities will influence your own. Depending on the quality of your friends, this is a good thing.
Usually when we think of Jesus' last days before the Cross, we remember His agony. But tucked away in the Passion Week are also snapshots of Jesus with His dearest friends. He loved these people, and they loved Him back. He leaned hard on them for support during His last days.
Just six days before Passover, Jesus' best friends - Mary, Martha, and Lazarus — threw a dinner in His honor (John 12:1-8). In usual fashion, Martha worked and Lazarus played host. Only Mary realized this was His "going away" party. She heard His words and believed the impossible — He was going to die. While the others lived in denial, Mary did what only a friend could do; she grieved.
Taking fragrant burial oil worth a full year's salary, Mary lavished it on Jesus' feet. Her sacrifice seemed small in light of what she knew He was about to do for her. She would not always have Him there, so she did all she could for Him at this difficult time. Days later, Jesus would be stripped of everything except for the fragrance of Mary's friendship, still clinging to Him as He hung on the cross.
Jesus' friendship with Peter probably kept Jesus smiling. He knew what was ahead for His friend. So when Peter denied, Jesus prayed. When Peter failed, Jesus forgave. And when Jesus suffered, Peter followed...from a distance, for sure, but he followed. That faithfulness, born from Jesus' forgiveness, would set the pattern of his life.
Of course, Jesus had many more snapshots in His album from that last week: His friend John, who stood with His mother by the side of the cross (John 19:26-27). Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, who took down His broken body from the cross (John 19:38-40). Mary Magdalene, who came so early on the first day to bury His body (John 20:1). And the of course, there were Peter and John, Jesus' closest friends, who ran at full speed to get to Jesus' empty tomb that first Easter morning (John 20:2-4). They came to protect their Friend's body, yet they left in awe upon realizing the miracle of His resurrection. John later writes of their experience in his gospel:
Simon Peter therefore also came, following him [John], and entered the tomb; and he saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the face-cloth, which had been on His head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself...[They] saw and believed. (John 20:6-8, emphasis added)
Each friend responded to Jesus, not out of religious obligation, but out of committed love. Jesus had rubbed off on them. A few weeks later, after Jesus' ascension, Acts 4:13 says the following of the men in the temple,
When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. (NIV)
So the question remains: Has Jesus' life rubbed off on you? Just as the men in the temple noticed a difference in Peter and John, will your friends notice a difference when you've spent time with Jesus?

Want to Be a Godly Friend?

Ask yourself the following questions in regard to your relationship with one of your friends.
  1. Is your love for your friend stronger now than it was a few months ago? (John 13:34)
  2. Do you sincerely consider your friend's need to be more urgent than your own? (Philippians 2:3-4)
  3. Do you readily forgive your friend when he or she irritates or offends you? (Colossians 3:13)
  4. Do you challenge your friend in a positive way to live a pure, holy, and obedient life? (Romans 14:19, Hebrews 3:13)
  5. Do you pray for your friend? (Ephesians 6:18, James 5:16)
Use these questions as a prayer guide and ask God, "What can I do in these specific areas to be a better friend?"
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. (John 13:34)

Thursday, January 5, 2017

GodsView : Christian Duty in a Pagan Culture!

GodsView : Christian Duty in a Pagan Culture!: Over a quarter of a century ago the late apologist and Christian thinker Francis Schaeffer asked the question, "How should we then l...

Christian Duty in a Pagan Culture!

Over a quarter of a century ago the late apologist and Christian thinker Francis Schaeffer asked the question, "How should we then live?" in his landmark book of the same title. The relevance of that question has not changed. If anything, it has only become more urgent for believers at the dawn of a new century and millennium.
Society has taken a nosedive into greater and greater evil, debauchery, violence, and corruption, and outside the church, the landscape seems filled with "modern barbarians." The temptation is strong for believers to jump into the cultural fray as self-righteous social/political reformers and condescending moralizers. All the while those self-styled Christian activists forget or ignore their true mission in the world and completely miss the answer to Schaeffer's question — an answer that God's Word spells out quite clearly.
As noble as a desire to reform society may be, and as stirring as the emotions sometimes are when involved in the "rightness" of a political cause, those activities are not to be the Christian's chief priorities. God does not call the church to influence the culture by promoting legislation and court rulings that advance a Scripture point of view. Nor does He condone any type of radical activism that would avoid tax obligations, disobey or seek removal of government officials we don't agree with, or spend an inordinate amount of time campaigning for a so-called Christian slate of candidates.
The church will really change society for the better only when individual believers make their chief concern their own spiritual maturity, which means living in a way that honors God's commands and glorifies His name. Such a concern inherently includes a firm grasp on Scripture and an understanding that its primary mandate to us is to know Christ and proclaim His gospel. A godly attitude coupled with godly living makes the saving message of the gospel credible to the unsaved. If we claim to be saved but still convey proud, unloving attitudes toward the lost, our preaching and teaching — no matter how doctrinally orthodox or politically savvy and persuasive — will be ignored or rejected.
The New Testament is very clear about how we ought to embrace and live out our primary mission in a pagan society. One such example is in Titus 3:
Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, to malign no one, to be uncontentious, gentle, showing every consideration for all men. (vv. 1-2)
Notice that Paul simply followed the Lord's model and did not expend time and energy admonishing believers on how to reform pagan culture's idolatrous, immoral, and corrupt practices. The apostle also did not call for believers to exercise civil disobedience to protest the Roman Empire's unjust laws or cruel punishments. Instead, his appeal was for Christians to proclaim the gospel and live lives that would give clear evidence of its transforming power.
Believe it or not, Christians have obligations to a pagan society. When you live as God wants you to in an unbelieving culture, the Holy Spirit uses your life to draw the sinner by softening his attitude toward God (cf. 1 Peter 2:12).

Submission and Obedience
The first two duties — submission to government and obedience to all human authority — I've combined under one heading because they are so closely related. They are just one more reminder that Christians have certain requirements of attitude and conduct in relation to their secular leaders. Those reminders reiterate the idea that believers are not exempt from following civil laws and directives, unless such orders contradict the Word and will of God (see Acts 4:18-20; 5:40-42). That twofold prompting also gives us the scriptural premise from which all our other public actions ought to flow.

Readiness for Good Works
Our third major duty toward society is to have a readiness "for every good deed." Here the apostle Paul is not referring to some minimal, reluctant adherence to doing what we already know is right, but to a sincere willingness and heart preparation to do good works to everyone, as we have the opportunity. No matter how antagonistic the people around us may be, we are to be kind servants to them when their lives intersect with ours. "So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith" (Galatians 6:10).
God wants us to be recognized for what we might call "consistent and aggressive goodness" — good deeds done out of love for the Lord and love for other people.

Respectful in Speech
Next, we have the scriptural duty of not maligning anyone, not even those unbelievers who are most antagonistic toward biblical standards. Titus 3:2 begins with Paul's command "to malign no one," and refers to cursing, slandering, and treating with contempt. In fact the Greek term rendered "malign" is the one from which we derive the English word blasphemy. We can never use such speech with a righteous motive.
It is sad that many believers today speak scornfully of politicians and other public figures. When they do that, they actually manifest a basic disregard of their responsibility toward authority and hinder God's redemptive plan. In another of Paul's pastoral letters, he urges us to pray for everyone's salvation, even for that of those who occupy official positions of authority (1 Timothy 2:1-4).

Peaceful and Gentle
Paul goes on in verse 2 to mention two more Christian duties. First, he reminds us that we must be friendly and peaceful toward the lost, not belligerent and quarrelsome. In the ungodly, postmodern world we live in, it's easy to condemn those who contribute to the culture's demise and write them off as corrupt sinners who will never change. If God's love for the world was so broad and intense that His Son died for a multitude of sinners (John 3:16), how can we who have received that redeeming grace be harsh and unloving toward those who have not yet received it? Until God is pleased to save an individual, he or she is going to behave like an unbeliever, and it is wrong for us, meanwhile, to treat them contemptuously for acting according to their nature.
Secondly, Paul reminds us that we must be "gentle," a word in the Greek that means being fair, moderate, and forbearing toward others. Some have translated this term "sweet reasonableness," a definition denoting an attitude that does not hold grudges but gives others the benefit of the doubt.

Consideration for Others

The final duty in the apostle Paul's list of reminders to believers is that they should be "showing every consideration for all men" (v. 2). The word rendered "consideration" always has a New Testament meaning of genuine concern for others.
Scripture clearly describes Jesus as the One supremely characterized by humility, or consideration for everyone — the same trait that should identify His followers. Jesus used the word to depict Himself when He told His followers, "Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:29, emphasis added).
All our dealings with unbelievers should display that kind of attitude, as the apostle Peter also wrote: "Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence" (1 Peter 3:15). Sincere, heartfelt consideration to all men is foundational for our Christian walk in a pagan society.
Our duty as we relate to an increasingly secular and ungodly culture is not to lobby for certain rights, the implementation of a Christian agenda, or the reformation of the government. Rather, God would have us continually to remember Paul's instructions to Titus and live them out as we seek to demonstrate His power and grace that can regenerate sinners. Changing people's hearts one individual at a time is the only way to bring meaningful, lasting change to our communities, our nation, and even the whole world.