Posts by Author

Indifference is Dangerous, Get Rid of It!  0

 March 18, 2023  

An injurious attitude under the radar!

It goes without saying that the believers in Christ should have the right attitude towards God. That is how it should be. But it is not always so as we live in a world that is far from the ideal.

People often speak of right and wrong attitudes. Such talk may sound reasonable or even welcomed until you realise that “right” and “wrong” are value judgements. Such judgements presuppose a standard. In our world, there are many standards of right and wrong. Some of these standards are even in opposition or direct conflict.

Believers should rejoice that unlike the world around them they have only one standard that is stable and does not change. That standard is the word of God, the Holy Scripture. We are thankful that we have the unchanging Word of God as the anchor for our souls. And it is to that word we turn as we speak about attitudes.

Attitudes are things of the heart. The heart of man can shelter almost an infinite combination of attitudes. However, in our discussion in this writeup / video, we shall focus on just one attitude. This is because, in addition to being quite come and difficult to detect, it has serious consequences for its possessor.

The attitude we are talking about is “indifference.”

And so, the title of this writeup / video is “Indifference is dangerous, get rid of it!”

Here are a few questions to get us started.

Briefly ponder these questions

  • What do you understand by indifference?
  • Are you indifferent?
  • Are you proud of your neutrality?
  • Do you claim to be tolerant of all shades of opinion?
  • Do you realise that if you are so spineless as to stand for nothing that you will fall for anything?

Indifference to God is dangerous

Indifference toward another human being is bad enough, but please we are speaking of indifference to God, a worse situation that is better imagined than be involved in.

The indifference which is the neutral attitude to God. It is the absence of compulsion toward God.

It is expected that believers in God will reference and desire to engage in meaningful service to God. Hence, when a believer becomes indifferent to God it is a serious issue. Perhaps you are surprised that someone who claims to belong to God can be indifferent to God. But it is quite a common attitude amongst believers.

The reason the attitude of indifference is bad and indeed dangerous is because God views it as rejection of His love. It is also a refusal to acknowledge the needs of others and therefore not render help where and when needed.

 

The thinking of the indifferent person is that it does not matter one way or another, it is of no importance or value one way or another. The indifferent person is thus marked by a lack of interest, enthusiasm or concern for God and the things of God. Such a one seems unable to make a distinction between what between what is valuable and should be defended and what is not.

The word of God is our guide.

Indifference is one sign of a “once-upon-a-time love for God” that has gone cold. The fire seems to have gone out. You are no more as excited or enthusiastic about the things of God as you used to be. You have gone on top of the dividing fence but refuse to come down on either side.

Yes, you are indeed lukewarm (Rev 3:15-17).

“I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.” (Rev 3:15-17).

This passage tells us the heart of the one who is indifferent to God.

Observe:

The one speaking: The Lord Jesus Christ. He owns the church for He purchased the church with His own blood. The church is in His service and is accountable to Him. He is all-knowing and nothing can be hidden from Him. He knew their deeds. They claimed they were serving Him.

The one spoken to: The church in Laodicea. Part of the body of Christ and therefore accountable to Him. He spoke to the church as a group and to the individual members.

The Lord examined and Indicted them: The Lord’s examination of them resulted in their indictment: You are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot. False claims because of blindness to their true situation

Imminent judgement: To spue (spit) them out of His mouth. Sin will not be overlooked in them or in any believer in Christ. Though the Lord is merciful, He will not overlook sin found amongst His people. They must follow the process He prescribed for them to be reconciled to Him.

What They thought: I am rich and have become wealthy. Have need of nothing. They were wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked but they did not know. They thought wrongly. This was the situation of their heart that gave rise to their lukewarmness.

The Lord told them what to do: Repent to forestall impending judgement. This was an offer made from love. Though He loved them he would not and was not going to overlook their sin.

The lord said to them: “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.” (Rev 3:19).

Remember, the church in Laodicea was made up of individual believers in Christ.

God judges indifference severely!

They had what the doctor would call “loss of insight” one of the symptoms of a major psychotic illness like manic Psychosis and Schizophrenia. Put another way, they were seriously sick spiritually but lacked the understanding that they were sick.

They were self-deceived. Because of lack of insight they would not seek help. If someone were to tell them they needed help they will not only refuse but ridicule such a person claiming they were wealthy. They would do anything they could to reject much needed help, and possibly point to their material wealthy as a sign of the Lord’s approval of and blessing them.

To be lukewarm is to lack conviction. The person is half-hearted lacking heart, spirit, or interest. You still consider yourself a believer, but your idea of the faith has become foggy and vague because of persistent neglect. You are comfortable as you feel you are rich and comfortable enough. You do not want anything that will upset current situation. So, you stopped feeding on nutritious spiritual food some time ago. Now your spirit is suffering from malnutrition because of unrelenting supply of unspiritual junk food.

Yes, you cannot see your pathetic situation as you just want to be left alone!

Remember, no excuse is good enough to prevent the sin of indifference from judgement. Loss of insight, ignorance, or refusal to acknowledge lukewarmness or indifference does not prevent judgement.

Only repentance can.

Indifference is a costly sin!

But being indifferent or lukewarm is not only a costly but is a dangerous sin! You might think by being indifferent or neutral you are making yourself a friend to everyone. Nothing can be further from the truth. Commonly, people will prefer you stand for something, that you have an opinion and be known for it than to have none. If you are indifferent it is as if you have a placard across your forehead with the screaming headline: unreliable and undependable. And everyone that comes across you know straight away what to expect.

 

Some of the reasons given for being indifferent.

There are various reasons given by those who care to admit to indifference in their relationship with God.

  • Weariness because of repeated battles with sin.
  • Constant encounter with the ungodly who continuously flaunts his sinful lifestyle without apparent sanction from God. Remember Lot in Sodom?
  • Incessant challenges and problems that seem intractable and with no apparent resolution.
  • Confusion about the love of God because of some unpleasant experience with a church leader or church group.
  • The person who is indifferent has reached the stage that he says, “Whatever happens I cannot be bothered anymore!”

Questions to help you focus.

Here are some questions to help you focus and see if the Lord is already indicting you for the sin of indifference towards Him:

  • Believer in Christ:
  • Do you consider neutrality a virtue and pride yourself as the consummate fence sitter? If so, you are only saying that God is not important to you.
  • Is your love for the Lord still as hot as it was at the beginning?
  • What happened to your first love for God?
  • Why are you indifferent to the Lord now?
  • Are you afraid of persecution?
  • Are you becoming weary from frequent brushes with sin?
  • Is the lifestyle of the ungodly around you beginning to look attractive and oppressively tempting?
  • Is the desire to gain or obtain something you consider to be of great value to you, but which has proved elusive thus far beginning to deflate and demotivate and deactivate you?
  • Are you beginning to think God is too slow or does not care?

Even amongst humans, indifference is frowned upon.

You will not think well of a friend decides to treat you with indifference. Neither will you take kindly to a loved one becoming indifferent to you. Anyone who decides to ignore or behave as if you do not exist will not be in your good book.

  • So why would you do something that even humans including you will not tolerate from anyone to the Lord?
  • Are you confused about the love of God because of some unpleasant experience with a church leader, church group or individual believer?

Remember again, in the view of God indifference is a neutral attitude that is as dangerous as hostility. It is condemned as rejection of God’s love. And God judges it severely.

Manifestations of indifference

Indifference can be directly to God or to things related to or associated with God.

Indifference towards God and towards things of God manifests in numerous ways. We shall look at few to which you will be able to add others as you reflect on the word of God.

Here are a few examples:

There is no desire to seek God.

The person with the attitude of indifference towards God has no desire to seek God. He feels secure in his situation and is unconcerned about God. There is a lack of effort to want to know as it is as if what is already known sufficient for purpose. Such a one fits what Scripture described thus,

“O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not:” (Jer. 5:21).

“Seeing many things, but thou observest not; Opening the ears, but he heareth not.” (Isa 42:20).

Thus the problem is not physical inability but a warped perception. The Lord seem to have given one cause for this when He said,

“And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” (Mat 24:12).

Perhaps because sin has become so commonplace many might think God was no longer going to punish sin. They think God has become slack concerning sin. it is true God has promised that the wicked will not go unpunished. But He does not work according to the timing of humans (2Pet 3:9). Since they think God is slow, they became weary of it all.

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (2Pet 3:9).

The indifferent person will refuse to heed the word of God.

The indifferent person does not differentiate between the holy and the profane. As such does not see why he should obey anyone, not even God. he thus would not listen to or obey the words of God.

To such a one God might as well not exist and there is no need to countenance anything said to be from God. King Zedekiah and his servants did not listen to the word of God spoke by prophet Jeremiah (Jer. 37:1-2).

And since God is not punishing the ungodly as they think He should they see no reason to obey the word of God anymore. He can no longer take pride in God. And so, to him the word of God is more of a reproach and he does not have any delight in it (Jer. 6:10).

“To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the LORD is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it.” (Jer. 6:10).

The indifferent person will therefore not obey the word of God.

Rejection of the discipline of God.

God disciplines His children to correct them and bring them back to the right path (1Cor 11:32; Heb. 12:7-8).

“But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.” (1Cor 11:32).

“If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.” (Heb. 12:7-8).

But the indifferent person rather than humbly accepting God’s discipline and mending his ways will usually refuse God’s discipline so that he might continue in his chosen path.

This is like the behaviour of the people of Judah in the days of prophet Jeremiah. The people while claiming to be worshipping God continued to swear falsely and though disciplined by God, they continued in their ungodly living:

“And though they say, The Lord liveth; surely they swear falsely.  O Lord, are not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return.” (Jer. 5:2-3).

Such ones when under God’s discipline will point to the devil or some other enemy as responsible for their situation. The last place they would look is at themselves since they see themselves pleasing God.

Whoever tries to point out their ungodly attitude may be accused of being judgemental or not loving. Their thinking seems to be that they are so righteous that no one, not even God can accuse them of wrongdoing (cf. Jer. 32:33). They usually seem to be so full of themselves that the only person that they can see and that matters is themselves!

“And they have turned unto me the back, and not the face: though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not hearkened to receive instruction.” (Jer. 32:33).

Indifference can be global or selective.

Indifference to God may be global or selective. It is global when it affects every area of the believer’s relationship with God. The person is cold and unenthusiastic about any and everything God and about God.

This is akin to the situation of the church in Sardis that the Lord spoke to:

“I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die: for I have not found your works perfect before God. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent.” (Rev 3:1-3).

As the Lord commanded, the only remedy is to remember where you have fallen from and repent.

Selective indifference.

In this situation, the indifference to God affects only certain areas or occurs only in certain situations. Though still believing and serving God, this person does not embrace everything but selects according to some self-made rules or preferences independent of the commands of God.

Here are a few examples:

A person may be ignoring a declared intention of God.

The intentions of God are clear concerning many things. Circumstances may conspire to want to make a believer not to want to conform. God looked for someone to stand before Him for Israel and found none.

“And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.” (Ezek. 22:30).

Are you available for God’s use were He to require you for a special purpose?

Examples:

Indifference to true leaders of the church.

There are believers in Christ that the Lord has appointed as genuine human leaders of His earthly church. This is speaking about true leaders of the church. That presupposes that you know the qualifications and quality of those that are to occupy leadership positions in the church.

Becoming a leader in the church or choosing a leader to follow should not be based on sentiments or emotions as such decision has eternal consequences for both the leader and the one following the leader.

The Holy Scripture states clearly the qualifications of those who aspire to or are appointed to the leadership of the church (cf. 1Tim 3:1-13; Tit 1:5-9). We are also not left in doubt as to their fruits too.

Granted no one is perfect. But that should not be an excuse to accept or appoint or follow just anyone with a title.

Relevant questions

  • Do you see yourself as a leader in the church?
  • Are you conforming to the leadership qualities laid down in Holy Scripture?
  • Does the one you follow as your leader fulfil the conditions for the leadership of the church?
  • What fruits are you producing?
  • What fruits is your leader producing?
  • If a large proportion of the church were to be like you or your leader what would the church look like?
  • Would such a church bear a true reflection of the church of Christ?

False leaders and brethren

Ezekiel described a people:

“And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not.” (Ezek. 33:31-32).

There are still people like this in the church today. They give the appearance of being believers in Christ, but their attitude and activities show they are only paying lip service to and do not believe the word of God.

Understand this is not about popular opinion or material wealth There are also many false leaders who have appointed themselves or been appointed by others. Observing what is happening in the world today, it is obvious that there are numerous false churches and false church leaders out there.

God repeatedly warned His people about the existence and appearance of them (cf. Ezek. 34:2-4; John 10:12-13). It is the responsibility of the true child of God to discern by the word of God and the Holy Spirit as to who such God-appointed leaders are as opposed to the false leaders.

“Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.” (Ezek. 34:2-4).

“But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.” (John 10:12-13).

True leaders of the church are to be respected, be supported, and be obeyed in the Lord (1Cor 9:7-14. Gal 6:6; 1Tim 5:17).

 

Indifferent to the need of someone.

Believers are to be interested in the needs of others and to make efforts to meet those needs as they are able. But becoming weary of well-doing is possible (Gal 6:9).

  • The chief butler was indifferent to the plight of Joseph after Pharaoh restored him to his previous position (Gen 40:23).
  • The Lord condemned the indifference to the needs of the needy (Mat 25:41-45).
  • The priest and the Levite were indifferent to the plight of the man attacked by thieves (Luke 10:30-32).
  • The rich man apparently was indifferent to the needs of Lazarus (Luke 16:19-21).
  • It is indifference when instead of meeting a need that is within your means you only wish the person well (Jam 2:15-16).
  • How easy is it for you to continue to help someone who does not seem to be making effort to improve himself/herself?
  • How about the unbeliever who derides you and seems to flaunt his wealth and love of pleasure around you?

You could get to the point of being indifferent and thus become cold or even hostile towards such a person. Indifference can make you to quickly consign the unbeliever unto the heap of condemnation. It can also occur in the opposite direction: Someone you believe has the means to help you but who repeatedly refuses to. You could become indifferent, even resentful and stop praying for such a person. But you should not!

 

However, ignoring God is the same as rebelling against God.

There is no hiding the fact that being indifferent towards God is as good as rebelling against Him. When you are indifferent, you ignore and thus consider God of no consequence (cf. Jer.2:19; Ezek. 12:2). That is what the rebellious does.

“Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.” (Jer. 2:19).

“Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house.” (Ezek. 12:2).

And God hates rebellion especially from those who profess to be His people. Remember the experience of the rebellious ones amongst the Israelites during their journey to the promised land.

Those who are indifferent to God are in danger.

When a person is indifferent to God that person is simply saying “I have no need for God for I want to leave my life as I want.” That is another way of telling God, “Hands-off!” that is dangerous as we see in the life of the churches in Sardis (Rev 3:1-3) and in Laodicea (Rev 3:15-17).

And should God step aside from your life, the devil will step in at the first opportunity. Remember the case of Job. Though Job was living right with God and was even commended by God, the devil stepped in at the first opportunity!

The ungodly.

It is even worse for the unbeliever. Because there is no salvation apart from God as He says,

“I, even I, am the LORD; And beside me there is no saviour.” (Isa 43:11).

For those who are unsaved and are ignoring the salvation of God there is no hope. Here is an appropriate Scripture description of such ones,

“But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.” (Jer. 7:24).

Hence, they are in mortal danger literarily! Christ made it truly clear when He said,

“He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.” (Mat 12:30).

This is because only the Lord Jesus Christ alone is both Saviour and Lord,

“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12).

No excuse whatsoever!

Whatever the case may be and whatever excuse any person may give, indifference to God is tantamount to hostility and rebellion to God. It is one manifestation of the refusal to accept the sovereignty of God over His creation. It is utterly sinful before God.

“For the vile person will speak villany, And his heart will work iniquity, To practise hypocrisy, and to utter error against the LORD, To make empty the soul of the hungry, And he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.” (Isa 32:6).

Indifference is an attitude of the mind, develops slowly and may therefore be difficult to detect. Being aware of the possibility will go in some way to help you detect it as you do your self-examination regularly and according to the word of God.

Remember, the judgement of the church in Laodicea was to the church as a group, and to the individuals that made up the church: The Lord spat them out of His mouth as He said, “I will spit you out of my mouth.” (Rev 3:15).

The Lord still loves you. Therefore He has granted you the grace to watch this video, “Indifference is Dangerous, Get Rid of It!” He is calling you to wake up from your lethargy now and become hot for Him once again.

The lord said to them:

“As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.” (Rev 3:19).

The Lord is saying the same thing to you NOW!

 

You are being given the opportunity to repent and be restored so you can be zealous for the Lord once again.

Remember, God cannot be mocked:

“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” (Gal 6:7).

The Lord knows everything. Do not be indifferent to God. Do not be indifferent to your fellow human beings. It is dangerous! So repent.

Please do not be complacent in your relationship with the Lord. Take needed due diligence every day to ensure you are doing your utmost to prioritise the Lord above all others.

May the LORD draw your attention to areas of your walk of faith needing improvement and grant you the means to effect needed change. May indifference be far from you. And may the grace of God be sufficient for you in every situation in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 Bible Study, Christian Conduct, Doctrine, Exhortation , , , , , , , ,

How Should the Believer in Christ Respond to Evil?  0

 February 3, 2022  

Evil exists in the world

Evil is commonplace in the world. There is no group or place spared. There is so much evil occurring every day that it is considered an inevitable but undesirable part of life. There is also much talk about evil in society.

Believers in Christ are not isolated or cocooned from evil as many do encounter the same evils taking place within the larger society.

Many do not need the explanation as to or the definition of what is evil. Everyone seems to as if by instinct know what evil is.

People are confused and perplexed about evil in the world

There are many unanswered questions that people ask about evil.

  • Why is there evil in the world?
  • Why do apparently good people suffer?
  • Why is God allowing evil in the world?
  • Why does a loving and all-powerful God not take evil out of the world?
  • Is God the ruler of this world?

These and many other questions continue to occupy the attention of human beings.

The many reasons proffered as both the causes of, and the solutions of evil reflect the diversity of human opinions as to what evil is.

Some blame the church and that is not limited to unbelievers. Some believers claim that evil is prevalent in society because believers in Christ had not and are not doing their duty to society.

The explanation goes thus “If believers in Christ are doing their duty as Christians society will be converted and evil will thus be ended.”

Such simplistic explanation apart from being erroneous seems to forget that evil is not restricted to the larger society but also occurs within the Christian community.

Another attitude in some sections of the church is that believers in Christ should just know how to “command” evil to go and it will evaporate into thin air.

Some other believers are of the opinion that God will end evil one day and as such people should just persevere until that day. These few out of the myriad of opinions both within the church and the larger society testify to the confusion about evil amongst mankind. It should then not be surprising that there is little or no teaching on how believers should respond to evil in the real world within which they live.

It is the responsibility of the believers in Christ to know and avail themselves of the provisions God has graciously provided for them to respond to evil appropriately and it is to this aspect of evil we shall be looking at.

Yes, Holy Scripture give instructions to the people of God as to their handling of evil. And so, to the Holy Scripture we turn now for guidance.

We are not going to engage in endless debate chasing questions the answers to which are beyond human beings at the level of our current knowledge. Rather, we shall be looking at aspects of evil where human beings have been given guidance.

We want to look at and try to answer the question:

“How Should the Believer in Christ Respond to Evil?”

as they are instructed on the pages of Holy Scripture.

The Word of God speaks clearly about evil

Though human beings may be confused concerning evil in the world, God is clear concerning evil in the world. The Holy Scripture confirms the existence of evil in the world. The Word does not go into some convoluted explanation as to the origin or cause of evil.

Rather, it confirms the existence of evil, how God views it and what the people of God are to expect concerning evil.

Believers should view evil as God views it

Those who love the LORD are to hate evil (Psalm 97:10). They are to abstain from every form of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22). The whole world is in the power of the evil one (1John 5:19).

“Ye that love the LORD, hate evil: He preserveth the souls of his saints; He delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.” (Psalm 97:10).

“Abstain from all appearance of evil.” (1 Thessalonians 5:22).

“And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.” (1John 5:19).

To hate something and to avoid something means such a thing is identifiable or knowable.

 These and other passages of Holy Scripture tell us that the people of God can know and identify evil.

Do not be surprised by the truth that believers in Christ have the capacity and ability to do or engage in evil.

 Therefore, believers are commanded not to under any circumstance do or engage in evil. So, believers should not do evil because God forbids them from doing it.

All are inclined to and vulnerable to evil

Often when people talk of evil, they think in terms of some devastating event like a tornado, a tsunami, and earthquake and other such natural disasters. However, according to Holy Scripture, evil in the main has to do with the personality referred to by various names as Satan, the devil, the adversary and many more, and mankind whose heart has evil ingrained in it.

As the Lord Himself said:

“And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Genesis 6:5).

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).  

Evil is the tendency of humans to do that which is contrary to the will of God. Both the tendency and the actions themselves are evil.

 One can never fault God’s damning assessment of humans. But it is not all doom and gloom for the merciful God made the plan for the salvation of mankind.

Check before you absolve yourself

Do not be complacent about evil. While some see evil in what others are doing, they do not see evil in what they themselves are doing. Even when a person engages in similar behaviour as those he condemns for a similar evil behaviour, he still will try to deny or justify his own evil acts. Hence, the admonition of the lord,

“And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:3-5).

This is one command many continue to violate as they cover up or ignore their own evil deeds while condemning vociferously what they see as evil in others.

Sin is evil and wicked

However, one looks at it, many things that people consider as enjoyment and seek after in the world are called evil by God: Adultery, fornication, deception, idolatry, occultism, prostitution, slavery, giving false witness to pervert the course of justice, fraud, covetousness and many more.

The evil actions of humans affect fellow humans and the perpetrators of evil themselves. These things have devasting effect upon the lives of the victims and those related to them, and God hates these things and their perpetrators. Hence, if they do not repent, they will end up in ruin in hell.

In the meantime, believers in Christ are to be guided by the word of and the Holy Spirit while the grace of God avails for them all through their journey of faith till their final glorification.

Not of the world but still living in the world

Believers in Christ have been delivered from sin and its consequences. They have been delivered from the power of darkness,

“Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:” (Colossians 1:13).

But believers in Christ still live in the presence of sin and evil within an evil and sinful world. They are still exposed to the solicitation to evil by the ach-purveyor of evil himself, that is, Satan. He is ably aided by the inimitable duo of the world with its blinking alure, and the flesh with its never-to-be-satisfied ravenous appetite.

True believers in Christ recognise the existence of evil in the world in which they live. It is within this evil world that believers in Christ are undergoing continuing sanctification as they work out their own salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12). As they eagerly await the Second Coming of the Lord, God has made provision for how the believers are to respond to evil in the world.

Believers are not to perpetrate evil

The Holy Scripture refer to evil with a diversity of terms and ways. God hates those who do evil and will ultimately destroy them. To have a heart that does not believe in God is sinful. Hence, evil heart of unbelief (Hebrews 3:12).

It is clear from the pages of Holy Scripture that the believer should not be the perpetrator of evil. He is not to engage in, aid or abet evil in any form (cf. Proverbs 4:14, 27; Romans 12:9; Ephesians 4:27). He is not to even bid the evil doer good speed (2 John 9-11).

“Enter not into the path of the wicked, And go not in the way of evil men.” (Proverbs 4:14).

“Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: Remove thy foot from evil.” (Proverbs 4:27).

“Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.” (Romans 12:9).

“Neither give place to the devil.” (Ephesians 4:27).

“Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: for he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.” (2 John 9-11).

Be that as it may, the believer still lives in a world that “lies in wickedness” (1 John 5:19), that is, in the power of the evil one. Though not a practitioner of evil, the believer in Christ is surrounded by evil and its purveyors. Hence, it may not always be possible to avoid contact with evil. But contact with evil should not become conversion to evil doing. In other words, if a believer in Christ encounters evil, he should not thereby do evil.

God will judge evil and its perpetrators

Some perpetrators of evil you may come across: The false brethren, the false teacher, the false prophet. And they abound within and outside the church fold.

Believers in Christ are left with no doubt that God will punish evil at His chosen time by the means determined by Himself (cf. Ephesians 5:6-7).

“Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them.” (Ephesians 5:6-7).

Indeed we are informed that “the time is come that judgement must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” (1 Peter 4:17).

What the believer’s attitude should be

Attitude is an internal thing, the status of the heart in relationship to God. The attitude reflects what is in a person’s heart. The heart that is given to the LORD will have a God-honouring attitude towards evil.

Evil is ubiquitous with the pandemic ongoing in the world. This will continue up to the time God has determined to end it. In the meantime believers in Christ must continue to live in this world.

The question then arises,

“What should be the response of the believer in Christ to prevalent evil in the world?”

The LORD has not left His people without direction.

Every evil should be avoided.

The disciple of Christ is not to engage in or practice any type of evil. He is also not to be a friend of evil doers (Psalm 1:1). Rather, he is to abstain from every form of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22).

The believer is to hate evil.

To hate is to dislike intensely. To abhor or detest.

It is a command to the believer to hate evil in all its forms (cf. Proverbs 8:13; Romans 12:9). Those who love the LORD are to hate evil (Psalm 97:10). The evil doer hates the light (John 3:20). The people of God are to hate the evil and love the good (Amos 5:15).

“The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: Pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, And the froward mouth, do I hate.” (Proverbs 8:13).

“Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.” (Romans 12:9).

“Ye that love the LORD, hate evil: He preserveth the souls of his saints; He delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.” (Psalm 97:10).

“For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.” (John 3:20).

“Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: It may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.” (Amos 5:15).

God is light and true believers fellowship with God (1 John 1:3, 5). What a person hates he avoids or distances himself from. What a person hate he fights. So, if the believer truly hates evil, that will make it that much easier to avoid known evils and fight those he encounters in others.

The believer in Christ is to resist evil.

To resist is to exert oneself to counteract or defeat (something). To withstand the force or effect of.

It is an inner attitude that then manifests in external action. A heart completely given to God will be in a strong position to resist any solicitation to evil.

For example, to resist temptation is to withstand temptation refusing to yield to it and to thus defeat it (Joseph against Potiphar’s wife (Genesis 39:7-12)). Joseph’s inward attitude was devotion to and focus on Yahweh the God of Israel.

 So, when the temptation came in the person of Potiphar’s wife, he recognised that it was his devotion to Yahweh that was in danger of being disrupted. He therefore looked beyond any temporary gratification as his response demonstrated: “how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9).

Though the believer may hate and even try to avoid evil, he may still encounter evil. Evil has an inherent tendency to seek out its would-be victim. Believers are therefore to exercise discernment as to what is an enticement towards evil and to resist it. The more a believer is submitted to God, the more discerning and the more he will be able to resist evil.

Hence,

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7).

 What the response of the believer in Christ to evil should be

First it needs to be said and to be understood, it is God that keeps the believer in Christ and cares for him. Whatever the believer does is to be viewed with that in mind.

The commandments of God within the pages of Holy Scripture are not religious platitudes. They are not meaningless religious jargons thrown at religious nuts. Rather, they are the words of the Almighty God who stands by His word and hastens to perform it:

“Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.” (Jeremiah 1:12).  

A most difficult aspect of the response of the believer is now presented. Many believers in Christ are often perplexed when affected by evil. And some wonder what they should do when evil affects someone else. 

When it comes to practical external actions, believers are to pray against evil, rebuke evil, repay evil with good.

The believer is to rebuke evil.

To rebuke is to denounce or express strong disapproval of.

The believer is to rebuke evil wherever and in whomever he encounters it. There are several examples of instances where evil was rebuked.

Here is a sampling:

Prophet Samuel rebuked king Saul after he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD (1 Samuel 13:13; 15:22).

Prophet Nathan rebuked king David for his evil actions after he committed adultery with Bathsheba, killed Uriah her husband, and then took her to be his wife (2 Samuel 12:9).

John the Baptist rebuked king Herod (Matthew 14:4).

Peter rebuked Ananias (Acts 5:3-4), and his wife, Sapphira (Acts 5:9).

Are you discerning enough to decern the presence of evil around you?

A common question ask by some in such bad situation is, “Oh God why me?” It is sometimes like “It is alright for these bad things to happen to others, but it should not have been allowed to happen to me!”

Or “Oh God, why does this good person have this misfortune?”

However, what informs the counsel of the LORD to act in specific situations and in individual lives is hidden from us. We should therefore have the humility to admit our ignorance as to why and trust in the sovereign rule of our loving Father over the lives of all His creation, especially those who love Him.

Rather than questions that lead to nowhere and potentially away from the LORD, the believer should ask for the grace to be open to and discern whatever lesson the LORD was instructing even through such a difficult situation.

And so, this relevant question:

What is the believer (you) to do when directly affected by evil?

 The believer is to repay evil with good.

One who does evil will be an enemy of God and that of the believer too. The natural response to evil is often to respond in kind. A type of tit for tat.

Do not be impulsive. Do not let your emotions control you. When you are going through an emotional upheaval (pleasant or unpleasant) is not the time to make decisions that could potentially have far reaching consequences.

However, the believer is commanded severally to not avenge himself. He is commanded to repay evil with good.

The Lord Jesus Commanded,

“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44).

Further, the believer is to overcome evil with good:

“Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:19-21).

Difficult as it may be the believer in Christ is to endeavour to repay evil with good.

The believer is to pray

Believers are commanded

“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16).

Prayer is the believer’s hot line. Only unconfessed sin on the part of the believer may jam this ALWAYS-OPEN hotline to God. Prayer was and continues to be the response of the people of God to evil.

 Acknowledge your pain

Do not be afraid to acknowledge your pain, loss, or suffering. Acknowledging that your circumstances are bad and even unbearable is not negative confession. God already knows what happened, why, and what you are going through.

So, telling Him from the depth of heart how you feel is not a denial of your faith in the LORD. Do not grieve or lament like someone without hope. You must recognise the majesty of God and never ascribe error or wrongdoing to Him. You only know little about God and His ways so do not act like you know or have all the answers now.

Ask Him for what you need and submit to the LORD’s sovereign reign over your life.

A sample:

Moses cried unto the LORD when the people were almost about to stone him (Exodus 17:4).

When king Hezekiah of Judah was faced with the powerful army of Assyria he prayed (2 Kings 19:19).

When the apostles were faced with the threatenings of the council of rulers they prayed (Acts 4:29).

When Peter was kept in prison the church prayed (Acts 12:5).

Believe and trust in God always

Above all else and in all circumstances, believers are never to waver in their belief in God. It is not difficult to claim to believe in God when things seem to be what a person wants or desires. It is when things are difficult or challenging that one ought to stand firmly in faith.

The believer should be mindful of what he claims when it comes to his relationship with God. Such faith is put to the test in difficult and often, unexpected circumstances.

Be aware that Impulsive denial of faith in God or acting in unbelief is a possibility especially in the face of perceived danger. Watch out and avoid falling victim.

Remember:

The case of Abraham and Sarah: Abraham instructed his wife, Sarah to claim to be his sister and not his wife (Genesis 12:13, 19; 20:2). A woman’s husband could be killed by a would-be wife snatcher who then takes over the wife of the dead husband. It was to pre-empt such tragic situation that Abraham instructed his wife to lie about their true relationship.

This took place even though he knew God had promised to protect and preserve his life (cf. Genesis 12:1-3).

Apostle Peter: Peter repeatedly affirmed to the Lord that if others denied Him, he would never deny the Lord. He even affirmed his readiness to die for the Lord. Yet, in the face of potential danger to his life he denied the Lord (cf. Matthew 26:31-35, 69-75).

Be like the psalmist

The Psalmist affirmed his implicit faith in God in the face of danger:

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4). Also see Psalm 20:7; Daniel 3:17-18; Habakkuk 3:17-18).

Again, our Lord is the believer’s ultimate example to follow. In the face of His impending suffering and death on the cross for our sins He continued to believer and to trust His Father:

“And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” (Matthew 26:39).

Remember the weapons of our warfare

So, when the question comes up, “How Should the Believer in Christ Respond to Evil?”

 The Word of God is the sure guide for the people of God, the believers in Christ.

 When it comes to practical external actions, the believer is to maintain his faith and trust in the LORD and not waver in the face of evil. You the believer are to pray against evil, rebuke evil, repay evil with good.

 Prayer, fasting, righteous living that is, a lifestyle that conforms to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the word of God, engaging in the good works as commanded by God are the age-old repertoire of weapons in the arsenal of the believer while still on this earth.

These are to come from a heart completely given to the Lord. A heart that trusts unreservedly in the living God.

They have always been effective and sufficient for the people of God to live a life of victory over whatever the evil tripartite of the devil, the world and the flesh could throw at them. This is because they are backed by the powers of heaven, and such are divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).

“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).

These are the ways believers in Christ are to respond to evil in their world and in their own lives.

You the believer in Christ have been saved by grace through faith. You may not always have all the answers you want but the Lord is always with you and His grace will always be sufficient for you. You are to live in the reality of the presence and faithfulness of a covenant-keeping God.

The believer in Christ is not to live in fear of some impending evil taking place.

Rather, he should live in the reality of God’s sovereign reign over all His creation. God in His wisdom has allowed the continuing existence of evil for His own reasons.

In addition to His presence in the life of His people, God has also made provision for His people to cope with and overcome the vicissitudes of life. He supplies all His people need for living a life that brings honour and glory to God and blessings to humanity.

In the meantime, the believer should live a lifestyle that puts God first in all that he does.

May the LORD show up in your present situation to succour you. May His Spirit raise up the standard against any onslaught of evil facing you and make you the stronger for it. May you receive the grace to overwhelmingly conquer in Jesus’ Name, Amen. 

 

 Bible Study, Christian Conduct, Doctrine, Exhortation , , , , , , ,

The LORD is the True Refiner of the Believer!  0

 January 19, 2022  

Priesthood as seen by the LORD:

The priesthood in the Old Testament developed an ungodly lifestyle under the Old Covenant after Israel returned from captivity. Many of the priests were dishonouring God as they performed their priestly duties.

The LORD called their attention to their dereliction of duty. They denied any wrongdoing.

(Please, read the two previous posts titled: “Are You Honouring God?” and “How They Dishonoured God” for more details.).

You might be full of words now and indeed want to ask a flurry of questions.

  • “Did the LORD let alone the corrupt priests under the Old Covenant?”
  • “What happened to the corrupt priesthood?”
  • “What did the LORD do?”
  • “Were false priests allowed to perpetually continue in their ungodly deeds of dishonouring the LORD under the guise of being the anointed?”

Were you to be able to pose the last one of these questions to the sons of Eli, they would have answered you with a capital NO! (see 1 Samuel 1:1-36, att. esp. vv. 12-17, 22-25, 34; 4:4-5, 10-11).

Yes, it is still the same God in both the Old Covenant and the New. What He did to and for those of old, He still does and will continue to do to all His people.

So, hold your questions for now.

Suffice it to say that the LORD went further than just confronting the corrupt priests with the evidence of their evil deeds. We want to look at what the LORD does to His own. How He deals with those who dishonour Him while pretending to belong to Him.

Please, bear in mind that many of the priests in the New Testament under the New Covenant have also been infected with corruption. Indeed there are numerous non-priests who are falsely claiming to be priests and it is difficult differentiating the true from the false.

The foregoing makes it imperative that everyone professing faith in the Lord Jesus Christ should not be complacent for the LORD has set the same standard for all His people both under the Old or New Covenant.

Hence, the title of this article in which we look at what the LORD does concerning His people is,

“The LORD is the True Refiner of the Believer!”

Anchor Text: Malachi 3:1-3:

“1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: And the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, Even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: Behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.

2 But who may abide the day of his coming? And who shall stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ sope:

3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: And he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness. ”.

Background

Many of the people of Israel had returned from exile. The temple had been rebuilt. Probably the messages of prophets Haggai and Zachariah had been forgotten. Hence, once again the people and the priesthood had drifted away from God.

Therefore, the message of Malachi was to call God’s people to repentance and to let them know that the ultimate fulfilment of God’s promises of salvation is yet to come.

God then confronted them with evidence of their evil deeds. Rather than to repent and to forsake their evil way they persisted with their ungodly lifestyle. By now we know those who constitute the new priesthood under the New Covenant.

Text Exposition.

“1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: And the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, Even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: Behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.

 This verse 1 begins the answer to the question of Malachi 2:17.

 Behold:

This marks the beginning of a new unit and it calls special attention to the serious events which followed. These unbelievers who pretended to profess faith in the LORD and were coming to the temple with their hypocritical and much blemished offerings were being informed of the momentous truths to follow.

They had asked derisively: “Where is the God of judgement?” (Malachi 2:17). Hence, God responded to their unbelief by saying: “Behold, I will send”, as if saying, look at me!

It is as if God was telling them that their unbelief will not prevent Him from keeping His covenant and bringing to pass in due time that which they had said will never happen.

 I will send my messenger: There is an element of immediacy implied here. The sending is imminent though in the future. I am going to send, or I am about to send. 

 my messenger: This expression seems to be a play on the name of the prophet Malachi (Heb. Mal’aki) which means “my Messenger” in Hebrew.

 Further, it may denote either an angel or a human being. The prophet’s audience might not have differentiated as to which because in bible time angels were messengers of God.

 and he shall prepare the way before me:

It was the usual practice to send an emissary of a king ahead of a king to make sure any obstacles on the road he intended to travel were removed (removing debris, straightening curves, and grading the roads to make the surface smooth for the royal travel) so the king would have a smooth journey to his intended destination (cf. Isaiah 40:3; 57:14; 62:10). 

 This first messenger is referenced in the New Testament as John the Baptist (cf. Matthew 3:3; 11:10; Mark 1:2-3; Luke 1:76; 3:4; John 1:23). The forerunner of the Lord’s first coming. But note that the New Testament quotations of this verse say, “before your face” rather than “before me” (literally “before my face”).

 Perhaps John the Baptist is representative of the long line of prophets starting with Elijah (Malachi 4:5), and culminating in John whom the Lord Himself described as

 “among them that are born of women there has not arisen a greater than John the Baptist” (Matthew 11:9-11).

 This is another way of calling him the last and the greatest of the prophets. The Lord came in His humiliation and as the Saviour. 

 And the Lord whom ye seek:

This refers to Yahweh Himself (Exodus 23:17; 34:23). For all the males were to appear before the God of Israel three times in the year.

 God was speaking, and He makes “the Lord” the “messenger of the covenant” one with Himself when He says, “I will send …. Before Me”, and adds, “The Lord … shall …come”.

 Hence, “the Lord” must be one with the “Me.” That is, He must be God, “before” whom John the Baptist was sent. The divinity of the Son and His oneness with the Father are thus proved.

 Also, the distinctness of personality is proved by “I send” and He “shall come”, as distinguished from one another. He also comes to the temple as “His temple” showing His Lordship over it, in contrast with all creatures, who are just “servants in” it (Haggai 2:7; Hebrews 3:2, 5-6).

 whom ye seek:

The people the prophet was speaking to were not truly seeking the Lord. Hence, it is saying to the people, “the one you claim to be seeking”

 These people in unbelief asked when He will come at last. Their unbelief was demonstrated in their questioning,

 “Where is the God of judgment?” (Malachi 2:17; cf. Isaiah 5:19; Amos 5:18; 2 Peter 3:3-4).

 “Ye have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the LORD, And he delighteth in them; Or, Where is the God of judgment?” (Malachi 2:17).

 Compare

 “That say, Let him make speed, and hasten his work, That we may see it: And let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come, That we may know it!” (Isaiah 5:19).

 “Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! To what end is it for you? The day of the LORD is darkness, and not light.” (Amos 5:18).

 “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.” (2 Peter 3:3-4).

 The Jews anticipated the coming of the promised Messiah and the Day of Yahweh because in their thinking it was going to be a day of salvation for them and of judgement upon their enemies.

They expected it to be a day of unmitigated good news for them and of unmitigated disaster for their enemies! They failed to realise that it would also be a day the LORD will also judge them for their sin (Malachi 3:5).

 At the time of Christ’s first coming, the people waited for, “sought” and “delighted in” the hope of a temporal Saviour to deliver them from the oppression of Roman rule, and not what Christ was at this time of His humiliation. 

 shall suddenly come to his temple:

suddenly is Not in the sense of speed or swiftness. Rather, in terms of preparedness. Hence, unexpectedly, unannounced, and therefore surprising. When they least expected.

 This word is almost always associated in Scripture with an unhappy and calamitous circumstance (Numbers 12:4; Isaiah 47:11; 48:3; cf. 2 Peter 3:10).

 This description marks the second coming unlike the first.

The seriousness of that unexpected coming to judgement (Luke 12:38-46; Revelation 16:15), is demonstrated in the Lord’s (the Messiah’s) expulsion from the temple of the moneychangers who were profaning it (Matthew 21:12-13).

 The temple in Jerusalem where they worshipped.

Understand this when all the preparations are completed, the Lord will come. But not to the temple of Zerubbabel, nor the partial fulfilment to the temple of Herod (John 2:13-24). But finally, to that millennial temple which is described by Ezekiel in Ezekiel 40:1-48:35.

 The unexpected coming of Christ, partially fulfilled at His first advent, will be accomplished in full at His second coming (cf. Matthew 24:40-42).

 Even the messenger of the covenant,

 Even the messenger of the covenant whom ye delight in:

A personality distinct from “my messenger,” He will purify the sacrifices, the priests, and the nation (Malachi 3:2-5). This “messenger of the covenant” is the Messiah. This is fulfilled in Jesus, who alone has performed the perfect sacrifice on behalf of His people.

 The ancient covenant with Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3) and Israel (Isaiah 63:9), with which the promise to the gentiles is ultimately included (Galatians 4:16-17).

At the First Coming of Christ, the gospel began with Israel, and then extended to the gentile world. At the Second Coming, it shall occur likewise.

All the manifestations of God in the Old Testament, the pillar of cloud, and human appearances were made in the person of the Son (Exodus 23:20-21; Hebrews 11:26; 12:26).

He was the messenger of the Old Covenant, as well as the New.

 whom ye delight in:

This is sarcasm. This were sinful people who were not delighting in God then, nor would they when He came in Judgement on their hypocritical worship and cleansed the temple (cf. John 2:13-25). Mark you all the ungodly will be destroyed at His return (cf. Rev 19:11ff.).

 Behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.

He will come without fail and purge the priesthood and the people.

 2 But who may abide the day of his coming? And who shall stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ sope:

 2 But who may abide the day of his coming? And who shall stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ sope:

There is the use of Hebrew parallelism here of two line having complementary meaning:

 But who may abide the day of his coming?

And who shall stand when he appeareth?

 Abide / stand:

That is, endure or withstand.

the day of his coming:

The Day of Yahweh (Joel 1:15; Amos 5:18).

Coming …. Appear:

He will come or appear suddenly when they least expect Him.

The Messiah is surely coming back, but this His Second Coming will be very unlike what they expected (Malachi 4:1; Revelation 6:16-17). They expected Him to come and pander to their desires and do things as they had determined.

But He will come (appear) suddenly, and in power, on His own terms, and to subject them to His fiery test as to the condition of their heart concerning His truth (Matthew 3:10-12).

And to destroy Jerusalem and their corrupt theocracy after they had rejected Him.

This is where endurance or being able to stand His testing will be needed.

For he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ sope:

 Refiner’s fire and fuller’s soap:

These are purifying agents. Fire burns off dross while alkali whitens. This is an indication of the condition of their hearts for the fire will burn of the dross of iniquity, and the alkali will wash out the stain of sin.

Instead of bringing rewards as they expected, His coming will be to remove impurities and no one will escape this cleansing. Crucially, He will come purifying and cleansing but not necessarily destroying (cf. Isaiah 1:25; 48:10; Jeremiah 6:29, 30; Ezekiel 22:17-22).

Hence the use of the refiner and fuller as illustrative language here. These are two occupations well known to the people.

The refiner’s work is to purify metals. Silver and gold are common examples.

A major instrument of his work is fire in the furnace or crucible. Fire both destroys and purifies.

The refiner sits down before the furnace. He is not in a hurry for his work requires patience. He lights the fire and heats the furnace to the required temperature.

He brings the silver or gold with all the dross or impurities clinging tenaciously to and defacing the metal. He inserts it into the furnace.

He tends the metal from time to time taking care that the fire in neither to low nor too high to produce the appropriate amount of heat.

 How does he know when all the dross has been burnt off and the metal is in its pure form?

 When he can see his reflection on the metal!

 To full is to launder or wash clothes with liquid.

The alkali (not soap in the way we know soap today) the fuller used was very strong and pungent. This contained harsh chemicals extracted from plants to remove stubborn stains from clothing. 

Thus, a fuller’s job is to clean clothes by treading, kneading and beating them. The cloths thus cleaned is exposed to much friction and is thoroughly cleaned too.

The people of Malachi’s day understood the punishment that raw silver and gold go through before they become clean, glittering, and desirable.

Similarly, dirty clothes undergo severe treatment in the hands of the fuller before they become clean enough for use.

Only now, this is applied figuratively to the corrupt priesthood. That as the refiner takes his time and does his work diligently to produce desirable pure silver and gold from those with dross.

So, the Lord will painstakingly refine and purge the priesthood and indeed, all His people until they are what He wants them to be. There is no escape, the true will be refined, the fake will be exposed and burnt off by fire.  

Both processes of refining metal and cleaning clothes involved separating what was of value from that which is of no value. Both processes also speak to the thoroughness and severity of the purification and judgement of LORD.

 No one will escape the all-seeing eyes of the Lord when He comes.

3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: And he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.

3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver:

shall sit: Sitting is a comfortable position. Refining is a long arduous task that requires much patience. The refiner will not be in a hurry for his work requires much concentration.

He looks with intent to detect any dross or the tiniest of impurities and ensures they are all done away with. It is only when he sees his own image reflected back to him by the metal that he becomes satisfied that he now has the pure and valuable precious metal in his hands.

And he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver:

 Remember, we are hearing the prophet the way his hearers would have heard him. At stake was the corrupt priesthood. And this is metaphorical language.

What the Lord was going to do to the corrupt priesthood was going to be as a manner of speaking like what the refiner does to get pure gold or silver out of raw gold or silver ore.

purify the sons of Levi:

The sons of Levi needed to be purified because of their disobedience to Yahweh’s covenant (Malachi 2:8). The Levitical priests were instrumental in leading the people astray.

Therefore, a new group of pure priests was required for the work of the millennial temple (cf. Ezekiel 44:1-45:8). The cleansing of the nation would begin with them (cf. Ezekiel 9:6).  

The priesthood of old was to be refined and purged of the sins mentioned in the previous verses. Similarly, the new priesthood, the believers in Christ in the new covenant will go through the same process.

This is being done now as the Lord separates the saved from the unsaved to His right and to His left. And then with those on the right, there is further refining and purging until all dross are removed by His seeing His own image reflected from them:

“For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn amongst many brethren.” (Romans 8:29).

It is those known to and by God, that have been given to His Son that will be made conformable. This he has been doing and will continue to do in the case of His elect (Job 23:10; Psalm 66:10; Proverbs 17:3; Is 48:10; Hebrews 12:10; 1 Peter 1:7).

He does this now sitting down patiently with love and unflinching justice. When the dross of sin is taken from the gold of the believer, he will be forever delivered from the furnace of trial and affliction.

This process will continue until the final glorification at His Second Coming.

Remember that the Angel of the Covenant while leading His people out of Egypt by the pillar of cloud and fire, had the aspect of terror to His enemies, and of love to His friends.

This is the same process of separation that goes on in the world as in each believer.   

 That they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness:

 offering in righteousness:

Once their hearts have been cleansed and made right their offerings will be given from cleansed hearts in a right condition before God. That way their offerings will be “in righteousness.”

His refining though unpleasant is necessary for our own good. It is so we can partake of His righteousness and be made fit to serve Him the way we ought to.

In the new kingdom, all shall conform to the holiness of God. Not that has blemish, spot or wrinkle or that offends will be found there (Ephesians 5:27).

The refiner and you

Remember this was spoken to the people of the day. They heard. With the benefit of hindsight we see that they did not heed the warnings of the LORD. Eventually God judged them severely.

The Lord is both the refiner and fuller. God is holy and demands that His people and everything associated with Him must be holy.

What are we to make of it?

Remember also that we are far removed from them by time, culture and other aspects of preunderstanding and covenant.

But we have some things in come: We are people of the same God.

God set the same standard for all His people: They are to be holy, love Him above all else, and glorify Him with their lives.

You may want to absolve yourself by making some claims that are part of but not the whole truth. You are under a New Covenant: True.

You do not have to offer animal sacrifices again because Christ the ultimate lamb of God has been sacrificed for your sins: True.

But that is not the whole truth.

The sin of these corrupt priests and people was not only that they offered polluted sacrifice. But they were involved in a whole load of ungodliness before God while continuing to claim they were holy unto God.

For example:

“5 And I will come near to you to judgment; And I will be a swift witness Against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, And against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, The widow, and the fatherless, And that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, Saith the LORD of hosts. 6 For I am the LORD, I change not; Therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” (Malachi 3:5-6).

From the verse of Scripture (Malachi 3:5), the whole life of the priests and the people were given up to the same sins as the ungodly around them. Their sinful lifestyle thus made them unfit to be the people of God.

It is particularly crucial to remember that God remains the same, He does not change (Malachi 3:6). Hence, New Testament believers like you are warned against the same ungodly lifestyle (cf. Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 5:3; Colossians 3:5). 

Reminding you not to do these works of the flesh is not legalism. It is not an attempt to control your life or to stop you from enjoying your life. Rather, it is encouraging you to sincerely examine your life and relationship with the Lord.

Scripture makes it abundantly clear that God is holy beyond our comprehension. All that belong to Him must be holy according to his own standard.

Read Scripture again, God does not accept any excuse for sinning. Do not be deceived God is not mocked. His eyes are all seeing  

Please understand:

The people that are corrupt are the people of God. They are people of God because God had chosen and saved them. The unsaved, ungodly have been separated and go to the left, to damnation.

The believers are to be made fit for God.

 The refiner is God

He never changes. His standards have remained the same. The process is the same, though methodology may differ as per individual cases.

The process is refining

He shall sit as a refiner. God works with the believer. With his faults, and failures we are full of dross, raw, ugly, and undesirable.

His purpose is that we should be like Him one day without spot or wrinkle or any such blemish. As cloths must be fulled, so gold and silver must go through fire, be heated, and be refined.

He sits and watches patiently while the process is going on, for the metal (the believer) is precious to the refiner (the loving Father). The believer is “being made perfect through suffering” (Hebrews 2:10; 5:8-10)., and God does not want the process prolonged.

And do remember:

The Lord in the garden of Gethsemane prayed for “the cup” to be removed, but it was not (Matthew 26:39, 42; Mark 14:36; Luke 22:20, 42-43). It was taken away for the refining process had to continue to the cross. Rather, he was given grace to endure, for an angel from heaven came to strength Him (Luke 22:43).

The apostle Paul cried three times for his torn in the flesh to be removed it was not (2 Corinthians 12:7-9). For it was necessary for the refining process. Rather, he was given grace to endure.

You, the believer in Christ

A believer in Christ and disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. Having a high view of the Holy Bible and eagerly looking forward to the Second Coming of Christ in power and glory. Though living in the presence of sin in the world, sin does not and should not have dominion over you.

 Two aspects of the refining process

Man was made in the image of God. After the fall that image became marred with sin. It became so disfigured that man now looked a picture very much out of focus, and so blurry that it is difficult to see the semblance of God in human beings.

God Himself indicted man:

 “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Genesis 6:5)

 And hence,

 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9.

 Hence, though saved, all the vestiges of the old nature must be removed by means only the Lord can muster. Without the refining process, the believer will not become God-like.

The end of the process produces the refined produce by the purifier of silver.

 How does the refiner know when the process is complete?

 When he can see his face clearly reflected on the surface of the molten metal, he is sure the process is complete.

This will be the final glorification at the Second Coming of the Lord.

We are told:

“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

And

“till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:13).

Remember: Help is available.

Let us therefore persist, ask for more grace to be sustained.

 May the LORD make available all you need to successfully go through the refining process till you truly reflect His true image in Jesus’s Name, Amen.

 Christian Conduct, Doctrine, Exhortation, Uncategorized , , ,

How They Dishonoured God!  0

 February 18, 2021  

In Malachi chapter one God said He was being dishonoured. Specifically we are informed in the words of God as follows,

 “A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: If then I be a father, where is mine honour? And if I be a master, where is my fear? Saith the Lord of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?” (Mal 1:6).

God said He was being dishonoured by the group of people who should be in the forefront of those honouring Him. Rather than accepting the accusation and repenting the priests began to argue. They cast doubt on the truth of what God said. They pretended all was well while they continued with their corrupt practices in the name of God.

And to refute their hypocrisy and throw their lies back on their faces, God now gives more details of what they were doing. Since they knew what they were doing but pretended not to, it was necessary to expose them so others could see and learn not to follow their evil ways of dishonouring God.

What about you?

There is a need to take a second look at yourself too.

Here, in this piece you will see who were dishonouring God, and what they were doing to dishonour God according to God Himself. You will be able to see yourself in the mirror of the word of God. You will therefore see where you are in your relationship with the Lord and whatever amendments necessary for you.

Please, for you to be able to appropriately evaluate yourself, and before you dismiss any accusation that might already be coming your way with a wave of the hand read through this piece. (Watch this video to the end).

It is titled “How They Dishonoured God” for a reason.

With that in mind, let us have a look at some of the details as given by God as in Malachi 1:7-8:

“7 Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; And ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the LORD is contemptible.

8 And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? Offer it now unto thy governor; Will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the Lord of hosts.”

Normal turned into abnormal

The events referred to the post-exilic generation who had returned to Israel from captivity. Earlier in the Old Testament each worshipper slaughtered his own offering (cf. Lev 4:4, 15, 24, 29; 1Sam 2:12-17). But by the time of the return from captivity (the time of our text), the priests had taken over this function too.

This should have made it easier to ensure the purity of the sacrifices as every worshipper then had to go through the priests. The priests had the duty and the power to ensure that all animals and other items brought as sacrifice by the people met the standard set by the Mosaic law. This is what was the normal at the start when the priests did their duty faithfully.

But from what transpired it soon became apparent that the priests were failing in the performance of their duties. The priests twisted the normal far enough to turn it into the abnormal. Their practices in the temple were no more recognisable as what initially came from God.

It was then the LORD confronted the wayward priests. But when confronted by God they denied all wrong doings. So God had to show them the evidence. Hence, this text.

7 Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; And ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the Lord is contemptible.

 They brought items to God. They brought items of sacrifice to God in obedience to the Mosaic law. So, to the onlooker they appeared to be committed and obedient to God.

  Polluted, that is, defile, unclean meaning ceremonially unclean and therefore not acceptable for sacrifice to God. Items of food (bread) brought were not fit for purpose.

 These things were brought to the altar that belonged to God. The altar was raised up portion like a large table withing the temple where certain aspects of the sacrifice and gifts to God were to be presented before God in the temple.

 Rather than accepting their wrong, they argued with God questioning Him. They said to God, “how have we polluted or defiled you?” They answered back to God denying any wrongdoing. They were saying to God, “show us how we have defiled you.” “Show us what we have done wrong because as far as we know, we have been diligent in carrying out our duties in our service to you!”

 “The table of the LORD” is figure of speech illustrative of where meals are eaten. A place where God dines figuratively as it were. It was as if the sacrifice of food and gifts offered at the altar were for God to eat.

 To be contemptible is to be worthy of contempt. It does not deserve of any respect or reference. Deserving of scorn or a low standing in any scale of values.

 The priests as gatekeepers

The office of the priest was a privileged and powerful one. They determine those who could and could not enter the temple and its precincts. In addition to worship, the temple was also a centre of social interaction for the people. the priests could banish someone from the temple. Such banishment led to such a one being ostracized by the rest of society. Such a scenario was considered a disaster by the average Jew of the time.

This was why the parents of the blind man healed by the Lord Jesus Christ refused to confirm that it was Christ who healed their son (John 9:19-23). The people might have been wary of calling their attention to what they were doing wrong. They were in their own world and superior to all else.]]]

 The priests vetted the animals and gifts

The people brought their animals and other prescribed items meant for the various sacrifices to the priests. The priests had to inspect the items brought to ensure they met the required standard as prescribed in the law. They were to reject whatever did not meet God’s prescription.

In this wise the priests were the gatekeepers who scrutinized the offerings and gifts the people brought to God in the temple as to their suitability or not. As the gatekeepers between the people and God every aspect of their work within and outside the temple was to ensure that God was given His due honour by the people.

But the priests became corrupt like the people. They showed partiality. They became greedy and covetous. Hence, animals that were healthy and met God’s requirements were kept for themselves. The people were also allowed to bring unfit animals (sick, disabled) for sacrifice after receiving bribes from the one bringing the sacrifice. Thus, they turned a blind eye. 

Every occasion of sacrifice offered the priests the opportunity to inspect every animal brought before they were offered, and as such an opportunity to demonstrate their love and commitment to the glory of the living God.

But what did they do?

They abandoned their sacred duties for temporary and filthy gain.

They undervalued and devalued God

They were able to do this because their heart was corrupt and could not reference God. 

Put another way, they said the table of the LORD was at the lowest level of their value scale! Hence, they treated it with utmost disrespected by offering defiled sacrifices on His altar.

8 And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? Offer it now unto thy governor; Will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the Lord of hosts.”

The priests accepted blind, lame, and sick animals from the people and offered them as sacrifices to God on His altar. Both the people and the priests knew this was unacceptable and wrong. Yet they offered them anyway!

 God was not expecting them to answer these questions. Were they to answer, the expected answer to both questions would have been, “yes, it is evil!”

The law of Moses expressly prohibited the offering of blind, lame, sick, and otherwise blemished animals (cf. Lev 22:18-25; Deut. 15:21).

“Blind, or broken, or maimed, or having a wen, or scurvy, or scabbed, ye shall not offer these unto the LORD, nor make an offering by fire of them upon the altar unto the LORD.” (Lev 22:22).

God dared them to offer similar blind, lame, and sick animals they offered at His altar to their governor!

 The governor will not be please with them, and he will not accept their person or show them any favour were they to offer such unfit animals as gifts to him. Of cause, they would not dare.

 God brought them to a real-life situation that they could all relate to. The giving of gifts to governors and other dignitaries they were familiar with.

They had foreign governors ruling over them. They respected and treated them with utmost regard. Both in speech, and practical things they made extra effort to show their respect and honour for such human dignitaries.

Yet the King of Kings, and Lord of Lord, their maker who had done and continued to do them so much good was despised in their eyes. People do things they would not do to another person to God. They give more honour to human dignitaries than to God.

  • Can you imagine someone giving a sick or blind animal to the queen or prime minister or president or some other dignitary?
  • Can you even imagine a friend giving you a defective gift he/she knows you dislike?
  • Can you imagine someone giving you an item he picked from the rubbish bin as a birthday present?

That is what they were doing with delight and congratulating themselves for service well-rendered. Hence, were arguing with God and justifying their actions before Him!

However, before God all the service they were rendering was evil!!!

Please, examine yourself in the light of the foregoing.

The priests knew what they were doing

Remember: To sacrifice to God is to give up something that is genuinely of value as a way of demonstrating or expressing devotion to God.

But they were offering blind, lame, sick and diseased animals to God. They were offering things they did not want, things that were of no value to them, to God. Theirs were no sacrifices at all. They were just carrying out the motions, the semblance of a sacrifice.

Deep down they knew they were doing wrong, but they rationalised their wrong doings. They must have thought God would not mind, after all, everything was going to be burnt in fire.

What difference does it make, healthy or diseased animal?

They had an ungodly pact with the people

The priests who were entrusted with the keeping of the sanctuary and the offering and other services of God should have rejected such sacrifices as they were being brought by the people.

If the people were willing to despise and disobey God while pretending the opposite, the priests should have refused to go along. The priests should have reminded them, taught them, and insisted on the perfect offerings God demanded of His people.

But we are under the New Covenant

Under the Old Covenant, the people had to take their sacrifices and gifts to the temple, a physical structure and there presented to the LORD through the priests. The sacrifices and gifts had to meet the standard prescribed by the Mosaic law.

However, under the New Testament things get remarkably close and personal! For the believers in Christ under the New Testament are the priests and temple roll into one! It is critically important to understand this.

While the Coming to fellowship should be an opportunity to showcase our faith and believe in God, we should be coming with the honour of God in mind.

God has sacrificed His Son, Jesus Christ for us. That has abolished the animal sacrifices, so we do not have to carry animals to church for sacrificial offerings.

No more animal sacrifices for those under the New Covenant. The sacrifices of the believers in Christ under the New Covenant are of a different kind.

And more than ever, believers still have to fear and honour God. We still have to sacrifice our offerings.

Remember again, sacrifice is to give up something that is genuinely of value to us as a child of God, as a way of demonstrating or expressing devotion to God. If we come to honour God, we should then give our best, that which is of value to us.

Potential sacrifices

Let us just look at few of the ways we ought to offer our sacrifices to honour God:

Our time, our appearance before God and before our fellowmen, and our substance, all of which are part of our lifestyle of faith.

Our time:

In fellowship, pay attention, participate. Do not be a distraction. In the word. In prayer. In helping others.

 Appearance: Dress properly.

At the risk of being accused of legalism or fashion police I would suggest these barest minimums:

Let your dressing dignify you as a child of God, rather than portraying you as someone wayward:

There should be no plunging neckline, and no trousers falling down your waistline and showing the cleft of your bum. Your skirts should not be so far above the knees that you keep making half-hearted efforts to stretch them to cover your modesty, knowing fully well, they will not suddenly become longer than that they are.

There should also be no distracting and attention-seeking transparent clothing.

Cosmetics: No cosmetics or make-ups that make you look more like a made-up manikin rather than a child of God.

 Practice of the people of God (appearance)

In the day of old, both in the OT and the NT, people of God adorned themselves appropriately, especially the women. Women used cosmetics, jewellery, and other ornaments to enhance their beauty. They did not use such to change their identity or to be the centre of attraction or a source of distraction.

Thus the people of God took care of their appearance properly and in ways that glorified God.

For example we are told:

“18 In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, And their cauls, and their round tires like the moon, 19 The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers, 20 The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, And the tablets, and the earrings, 21 The rings, and nose jewels, 22 The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, And the wimples, and the crisping pins, 23 The glasses, and the fine linen, And the hoods, and the vails.” (Is 3:18-23).

Here God was threatening to take away the ornaments of the women as judgement against their sinful ways. These would suggest that holy women were expected to, and it was considered part of God’s blessing to be able to adorn themselves. It was of value to them to do this. They pride themselves at being able to take care of their bodies.

Therefore, loosing, the capacity to adore themselves will be a serious deprivation. Hence, the threat by God to take it away as punishment. But they were not to take care of their external appearance at the expense or to the neglect of their inner or hidden man.

So, we told of them as those:

“3 Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; 4 but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.” (1Pet 3:3-4).

This is not saying women should not use gold, jewellery, or ornaments, as some have erroneously prohibited women from adorning themselves. Rather, they should be used in moderation as the word of God again tells us:

“In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefastness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array.” (1Tim 2:9).

Your heart and practice of your faith

Praise God genuinely with the offering of your lips from a grateful heart. Prayer, fasting, study and practice of the Word of God should be a lifestyle.

Your substance

 To God:

When you give your offering, give genuinely what you can afford. When you give material things, give things of value, useable, and not just worn-out clothes that are not useable for anybody or gadgets that have seen the best of their days.

 To fellow men:

Aim to genuinely help those you can in whatever capacity, without thinking of possible benefits. Do not refuse to help someone you can, simply because you think they will not be useful to you, or because you cannot see any benefit or advantage to derive from them.

 Are you being accused?

  • Are the accusations coming in uninvited like a flood?
  • Yes, has a similar accusation of dishonouring God been made against you?
  • By whom?
  • Any truth in it?
  • Do you think there is no truth in such accusation?
  • Are you already accusing your accusers of maligning your good character?

 Do not dismiss the accusation with a wave of the hand. Rather, evaluate the content of the accusation.

 What are you doing today in the name of God that God may consider evil?

 Especially Note that: Your accuser could come from a number of sources, especially those who are close to you and know much about you: Your conscience, the Word of God, a spouse, a parent, your child, a sibling, a neighbour, a Christian worker, an innocent by-stander, the LORD Himself. These in any combination could be the means God is using to get your attention that you are dishonouring Him. And that it is time for you to re-evaluate your relationship to and service for Him.

 Please, I implore you to heed the call of God now. Do not be too wise in your self-conceit. Rather, repent and start honouring the LORD as He eminently deserves.

 Remember, these old Covenant priests dishonoured God while claiming to be serving Him. It is possible they became complacent because as a group they were in a powerful position. They could even banish people from the temple.

The possibility of people they looked down upon pointing out their errors to them would have be remote. They could even claim like many false teachers do today, that they were God’s anointed and such ones pointing out their evil deeds were in danger of God’s wrath.

God called their attention to their evil deeds. They denied and argued with God instead. God confronted them with the evidence of their evil deeds, evidence they knew was true. Rather than to repent, forsake their evil ways and return to the LORD, they persisted in their evil deeds of polluting the worship of the LORD.

Though the days of animal sacrifices are gone, believers more than ever are to fear and honour God. It is even more critical now that the believer in Christ is both the temple and the priest of the LORD!

God has prescribed for and demanded of all His people for all generations that they must fear and honour Him above all else in all circumstances. The means may be different, but the demand stands for all times.

By what you the believer does every day, you either honour or dishonour the LORD. As His child, you should endeavour to always have the honour and glory of God uppermost in the heart. This will help you to always with His help, honour and glorify the LORD with your life.

 Please, call yourself to order before God does. Resolve now that henceforth, you will begin to honour God with all that you do.

 I pray the Merciful LORD get your attention and grant you the wisdom to genuinely honour and glorify Him according to His prescription in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 Bible Study, Christian Conduct, Doctrine, Exhortation, Salvation, Sermon , , , , , ,

Are You Dishonouring God?  0

 January 31, 2021  

Many believers in Christ speak flippantly of their priesthood to God. They mostly cherish the idea but give little thought to what it entails. Many assume they are just alright and claim that all are priests and are therefore equal.

But this is not the whole the truth.

According to 1 Peter 2, all believers in Christ are priests,

“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.” (1Pet 2:9).

However, in the Old covenant being a priest of the LORD was a privileged position that came with a heavy responsibility on the part of the priest. The priest of the LORD under the New Covenant also occupies a privileged position that comes with serious responsibilities.

Hence, it is very essential for the priests to know what is demanded of them as priests under the New Covenant instituted by Christ so they can apply themselves in obedience to the Lord. It is also wisdom for the priests to know what mistakes other priests before them made and to avoid similar errors as they carry out their services to the Lord.

A major responsibility of the priest is to honour God. This is one area we need to look at as many of the priests under the Old Covenant did not measure up in this area.

Hence, the personal question that you ought to answer sincerely: “Are You Honouring God?” And this is the title of this writeup.

“A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: If then I be a father, where is mine honour? And if I be a master, where is my fear? Saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?” (Mal 1:6).

Israel gone into apostasy

The nation of Israel had gone into apostasy and were deep in idol worship. There was much injustice and wickedness in the land. The priesthood was not excluded from the corruption.

Rather, the priesthood imbibed the corruption and became more so that the general population. They became careless in their service for God.

God was angry and spoke about the judgement He was going to administer upon the people. He then turned to the priesthood. He first detailed a bit of their sins for them to see. Our text is a portion of their sins as detailed by God.

Israel was initially constituted by God as the chosen people of God, “a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation.” (Ex 19:6, cf. Lev 19:2; 20:26; Deut. 7:6). God then instituted the priesthood in which Aaron and his sons were picked to represent the whole nation of Israel before God under the old covenant (Ex 28:1; Num. 18:7).

The priests were special, and they had to be specially consecrated for the service of God. They served in the temple and carry out all worship services. The priests profess God as their Father and master.

They were to put their profession into practice by their love and referential fear. This is what is demanded even for their earthly parents (Ex 20:12). They were leaders of the people. They stand between the people and God.

Privilege misused

They were supposed to know and understand their privileged position, and the thing required of them by God.

But they had developed a selfish, self-satisfied, complacent attitude towards God and their service to God.

And so, they questioned God as to what He has accused them of:

“And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?”

Their sin of insensibility emboldened them to such a level that they had become blind to the love of God and their own guilt before God.

Hence their questioning God’s love for them,

“I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, wherein hast thou loved us?” (Mal 1:2).

The priests dishonoured God

It is like saying to God,

“But we serve you and do our best for you every day. What else do you expect from us? And by the way, what have you done for us? How else can we do again? Just let us be!”

They had forgotten God, who He is in His person, and especially to them:

  • The creator of heaven and earth,
  • Their creator; their provider and protector,
  • The one who delivered them and chose them to serve Him.
  • The reason why they live.

Many believers have gone apostate

The environment of believers today are in similar to the days of the priesthood:

  • The environment is corrupted and ungodly.
  • And many have allowed the pollution of the world around them to contaminate them.
  • Though, they are still apparently believers, they no longer reference nor fear God.
  • Unfortunately, many believers have become apostate as they have gone the way of the ungodly as a way of life.
  • On the surface and for all to see, they seem like and behave like believers. But their hearts are really with their idols.

 Please examine yourself

  • Where are you, brother, sister with the Lord?
  • Have you been ensnared by the ungodly world around you?
  • Are you playing church thinking you are deceiving others or even God?
  • Is the Lord still your first love or you are now lukewarm?
  • Still referencing and fearing God or just going through the motions?
  • Have you gone the way of the world, paying lip service to God but doing your own ungodly things?

 Only you can answer these questions and many more on your own behalf. But please be sincere for the essence of this is so you can rectify any errors of your ways as soon as possible.

 Remember, the Lord Himself called attention to the discrepancy in those who profess to call Him Lord but were not obeying Him,

 “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46).

 He then illustrated the contrast between those who only profess, and those who not only profess but follow their profession with practical life of obedience: Mr. Rocky House and Mr. Sandy House (Luke 6:47-49).

 Please, think again. Do not pass off this opportunity. Repent and be restored to the Lord.

 May the LORD God Almighty uphold you, ever ensuring that His grace is sufficient for you unto the day of the LORD in Jesus’ Name, Amen

 Bible Study, Christian Conduct, Doctrine, Exhortation, Salvation , , , , , , ,

Is Your Temple Fit For Purpose?  0

 January 3, 2021  

When people talk about unpleasant things, they use the language of exclusion. They speak in the second and third persons: ‘he/she/it’, ‘they’, ‘them.’ They thus exclude themselves. Hence, you hear things said about or being done by them. That church is this and that.

But today, I want us to speak the language of inclusion. I want us to turn the search light inwards, towards ourselves. The question I want us to look at and try to answer is: “Is Your temple fit for purpose?”

I want you to make it personal by asking, “Is my temple fit for purpose?”

Isaiah chapters 57:1-58:14 detail some of the sins and waywardness of the people of Israel in the sight of God. To common onlookers, they would have seemed not only religious but truly devoted to God:

They went to the temple. They brought sacrifices and offerings. They attended the feasts prescribed by God and performed many other religious rituals. But God saw through their pretence and hypocrisy and told them so.

The church is in a similar sorry state today.

  And the question in another form “What is the status of the temple of God under your care?”

 I am hoping that by the time you are leaving you will know for certain whether that temple is still the temple of God or it is wholly given to idols.

From the Holy Scripture we have:

“For thus saith the high and lofty One That inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, With him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” (Isa 57:15).

 And

“For all those things hath mine hand made, And all those things have been, saith the Lord: But to this man will I look, Even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, And trembleth at my word.” (Isa 66:2).

These texts essentially describe God on the one hand, and his creation including man and others that are not of mankind. But the conversation is directed at man. While it spoke primarily to the Israelites of its day, it has continued to speak to all believers from that day till it is speaking to us today.

A contrite heart or spirit is one in which the natural pride and self-sufficiency have been completely humbled by the consciousness of guilt.

The theological term “contrition” refers to the grief experienced because of the revelation of sin made by the preaching of the law (Jer. 23:29).

 “Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?” (Jer. 23:29)

 The holiness of God.

What does it mean?

The holiness of God is not just one of His attributes. Rather, it is the conception of His consummate perfection and total glory. It is His infinite moral perfection crowning His infinite intelligence and power.

 It is the moral excellence of God that unifies His attributes, and is expressed through His actions, setting Him apart from all others.

All believers are holy in that they are called to be set apart from the world as God’s own people:

The nation of Israel was thus chosen by God under the Old Covenant and through Abraham (Deut. 7:6, cf. Gen 12:1-3, 15:1-21, 17:1-19).

 “For thou art a holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.” (Deut. 7:6).

Israel was thus warned against walking in the manners of the nations around them:

 “23 And ye shall not walk in the manners of the nation, which I cast out before you: for they committed all these things, and therefore I abhorred them. 24 But I have said unto you, Ye shall inherit their land, and I will give it unto you to possess it, a land that floweth with milk and honey: I am the Lord your God, which have separated you from other people. 25 Ye shall therefore put difference between clean beasts and unclean, and between unclean fowls and clean: and ye shall not make your souls abominable by beast, or by fowl, or by any manner of living thing that creepeth on the ground, which I have separated from you as unclean. 26 And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the Lord am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine.” (Lev 20:23-26).

Believers in Christ are a chosen people of God through the Lord Jesus Christ under the New Covenant. The apostles and prophets (Luke 1:70; Acts 3:21; Eph. 3:5). Believers in Christ (Eph. 1:4; 1Pet 2:9).

Hence, believers are not to conform to the world (Rom 12:2). They are not to love the world nor the things of the world (1John 2:15-16). And they are articles and materials for divine use holy and to be kept holy (Ex 40:9-11)

Picture from the Old Testament

 The tabernacle/temple: The Place of the worship of and service to the LORD. 

  • What does it mean for human relationship with God?
  • Where are we as believers in Christ?

Within the vicinity of the temple, there were various washings of either the whole body or parts of the body as part of the ritual cleansing that made the priests, and the people clean enough to stand in the presence of such a holy God.

The ultimate demonstration of the holiness of God is seen in the approach to the holy of holies, containing the Ark of Covenant, that symbolised the very presence of God.

The whole people of Israel were prohibited from entering the holy of holies. The penalty for breaching this command was instant death.

 Remember there were no solid doors with lock and key to keep out the simply curious.

There were only curtains used to separate the different compartments of the tabernacle. Only the high priest had the authority of God to enter the holy of holies. Going in there was not when or how he pleased, but according to how God had commanded him to. He was to go there on only one day of the year, that is, on the day of atonement. Failing to adhere to the process God prescribed would mean instant death to the high priest too.

The day of atonement (Lev 16:1-34).

The holy of holies was accessible only to the high priest. That access was granted only once a year, on the day of atonement. On that day, he entered thrice: He washed himself with water, then put on the linen garments prescribed for the occasion. Then He could enter the holy of holies.

He entered: First with a censer filled with burning coal upon which he then put the sweet incense. He must put the incense upon the fire before the Lord so that the cloud of the incense covered the mercy seat that is upon the testimony so that he would not die. Second time, he entered with the blood of the goat for the atonement for himself and his household. Third time, he entered with the blood of the goat for the atonement for the sins of all Israel.

But before entering certain precautions against defiling the holy of holies were put in place because God could strike the high priest dead while performing his duties there for whatever reason. The helm of the high priest had small bells attached to it (Ex 39:25-26), so that as the high priest moved about performing his duties, the jingling sounds of the bells informed those worshipping outside that he was alive.

A long rope visible from outside the holy of holies was tied to one of his ankles. Should it happen that the high priest should die there within the holy of holies, the rope was to then be used to pull out his dead body as no one would be able to go in to retrieve his dead body. 

The rituals of atonement performed yearly was just to cover their sins enough for God to be able to relate to them. It did not actually remove the sins.

How could such a holy God relate to sinful flesh, especially when we are told that no man shall see God and live?

 Fast forward to the New Testament:

As expected, there is still a temple of and for God

 The believer in Christ as the temple of God

Jesus came and died for the sins of mankind. At His death, the veil of the temple was rent in two from top to bottom (Mat 27:50; Mark 15:38). This signified access to God through Christ who has reconciled man to God. He became our peace, as He made us, (the believers) one with God. He broke down the middle partition between us; having abolished in His flesh the enmity (Eph. 2:14-15).

“14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 15 having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace.” (Eph. 2:14-15).

A new order is thus established:

New priesthood with Christ being the high priest of the order of Melchizedek priesthood not by the power of the law but by the power of an endless life (Heb.5:6-10; 6:20; 7:15-18) was established. There are now no more special priesthood family as all believers in Christ are now a royal priesthood to God (1Pet 2:9).

While the Aaronic priesthood was established by law, that of Christ was established by oat of God (Heb. 7:21-22). For the priesthood of Christ is a higher and better priesthood than that of Aaron, an unchangeable priesthood as He continues forever (Heb. 7:23-25; 8:6).

Unlike Aaron who ministered in the earthly tabernacle which was a shadow or temporary copy of that in heaven (Heb. 8:5), Christ is a minister in the real tabernacle of God in heaven (cf. Heb. 4:14; 8:2).

 Unlike Aaron and others of his offspring who went in with the blood of bulls yearly, into the physical earthly tabernacle, Christ went in into the tabernacle in heaven with His own blood once and for all (Heb. 9:11-12).

The church is the new temple.

The church, the believer in Christ is now the temple of God (2Cor 6:16).

“14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15 and what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16 and what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18 and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” (2Cor 6:14-18).

God dwells there in the person of the Holy Spirit (cf. Rom 8:9; 1Cor 3:16-17). The same level of purity demanded of the physical tabernacle in the OT is demanded of the human tabernacle in the NT.

From this text (2Cor 6:14-18): The NT temple is living, breathing place. It is the church. Therefore, God says:

We are saved but still live in the presence of sin in this world and can still be enticed to sin.

How then is man to meet the demand of God for purity?

We have positional sanctification, the instant you are saved, you are set apart for holy use by God. Then followed by progressive sanctification. This is the process whereby God progressively removes desire and craving for sin and all those things we are told defiles a man. He replaces them with the desire and craving for God and righteousness.

Contrast between the OT and NT Temples

However, there is big contrast between the OT tabernacle/temple and the NT one.

The Old Testament temple was a none-living structure that was stationed in a particular location, and that contained the presence of God symbolised by the Ark of Covenant within the holy of holies. That holy OT temple was planted amid the people of God who though holy unto God still engaged in sinful activities.

But the New Testament temple is a person who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ and is indwelled by God in the person of the Holy Spirit. Such a living temple still lives in the presence of sin in the world. This holy temple is constantly challenged, enticed, and attacked by the flesh and its inordinate desires, and the world with is allures and the devil with his devices. They all have in common their insatiable and incessant desire to pollute the temple of God which is the New Testament believer in Christ.

The state of the temple: the believer is not doing the priesthood duties

Small for date / Failure to thrive:

Like a baby who though being fed appropriately fails to grow as expected, many believers do not live up to the maturity level their age as believers would suggest. They manifest problem of failure to thrive in several ways: Such believers are found to be not better than, and in many cases, worse than unbelievers. They make little or no progress in their spiritual growth. They are thus small for date or fail to thrive spiritually.

 Why?

Because though Holiness translates into separation from the world, and separation unto God, rather than being separate, many are deeply immersed into the world. Far too many are still too wrapped up with the world like the Israelites of old with the nations around them. So much so now that the church is much like the world around her.

And God is incredibly angry with His church for this.

Let us remind ourselves of some of the ways people are wrapped up and strongly allied with the world. Yes, the devourers you have not only allowed into your life, but you are diligently feeding.

 Here are a few:

  • Claiming to be sick at work only to go and work at another workplace
  • Spending so much time on social networks and mobile phone at the expense of nurturing your spiritual life
  • TV / Computer:
  • Rather than, “redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” (Eph. 5:16), you are investing the time and other resources in building your kingdom on earth.
  • You are almost submerged in the depths of the frivolities of life. You are an expert in the knowledge and practice of sin and have no understanding of your professed faith.
  • Not investing in your spiritual life: Library, time to study, to pray etc.
  • No wonder then that you have the same worldview and opinions about spiritual things as the world around you but at variance to Christ.

Do remember: How your temple gets defiled

  • When you so engage your time and resources in the affairs of the world, you store the word of the world in your heart.
  • Your heart gets taken over.
  • Hence, your thoughts, words and actions will be contrary to God but in tandem with the world and the devil in tow!
  • You as a temple then become defiled and unfit for the things of God.
  • As we are told by the Lord Himself,

“18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: 20 these are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.” (Mat 15:18-20).

There are numerous similar lists in Scripture.

 But God is serious

There is a “terror of God” (2Cor 5:11), and because of this, we should persuade ourselves as individuals, and persuade others to turn away from the world and to run back to God. God has demonstrated this abundantly as detailed on the pages of Holy Scripture, and throughout the history of mankind. And we are warned that:

“For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” (1Pet 4:17).

Remember:

The wife of Lot. Anybody would have thought Lot’s wife was a believer. She had even entertained angels with her husband (Gen 19:1-26).

Israel in the wilderness, and in the promised land. Of the people numbered in the wilderness of Sinai Numbers 1-3, none was alive when the censors were repeated 38 years later in the plains of Moab by the Jordan near Jericho. And we are specifically told:

“63 These are they that were numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who numbered the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho. 64 But among these there was not a man of them whom Moses and Aaron the priest numbered, when they numbered the children of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai. 65 For the Lord had said of them, They shall surely die in the wilderness. And there was not left a man of them, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.” (Num. 26:63-65).

And,

“14 And the space in which we came from Kadesh-barnea, until we were come over the brook Zered, was thirty and eight years; until all the generation of the men of war were wasted out from among the host, as the Lord sware unto them. 15 For indeed the hand of the Lord was against them, to destroy them from among the host, until they were consumed.” (Deut. 2:14-15).

And after God settled them in the promised land, they went into apostasy. God eventually had to scatter them as he had promised if they disobeyed Him (Deut. 28). Also see the summary (1Cor 10:1-14, but the whole chapter).

Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11). They died for their lying to the Holy Spirit and for their hypocrisy

God is not slack concerning sin but does not want any to perish, rather, wants people to repent and return to Him (2Pet 3:9).

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Pet 3:9).

Truly:

“It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Heb. 10:31).

What to do, the way forward:

  • Church, it is time to wake up. Revival of the individual believer / the church
  • Repentance
  • Recognition, and submission to the sovereignty of God over your life, and over His creation
  • Vigorous effort to clean and rededicate your defiled temple and thus, rectify the situation
  • Invest both more time and resources in your spiritual growth.

 Again the person question you alone can answer “What is the status of the temple of God under your care?”

Determine to cleanse out everything that is contrary to God, so God can truly begin to dwell there now.

Please, ensure your temple is fit for purpose. You should recognise where you are in relation to the holiness of our God. Reconsider your ways by getting rid of the things that are causing you to be small for your Christian age or failure to thrive spiritually. You must make haste now so that you will not be counted with the wicked.

 I pray that your eyes of understanding be opened to see the derelict state of the temple of God under your care, the grace to remove all the debris of defilement and rededicate it to God again, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 Bible Study, Christian Conduct, Christian Conduct, Exhortation, Exhortation, Salvation , , , , , , , , , ,

Do You Practice Love Abuse?  0

 November 13, 2020  

We are starting our talk with a few questions. The subject itself is framed as question, “Do You Practice Love Abuse?” And I pray you will be able to answer that question by the end of this talk.

This question is reframed in three other ways.

  • Are you an abuser of Love?
  • Are You A Practitioner of Love Abuse?
  • Put another way, are you an abuser?

What we are not talking of

We are not talking of:

Human love

No, I am not talking of human love. Human love is majorly lust anyway. I am talking about a different type of abuse and a different type of love.

Foul language

The word “abuse” is quite common in human conversation and in the news these days. Quite often abuse suggests to many the use of improper, obscene or what some refer to as “swear” language. The type of language not to be spoken in the presence of children. Important as that is, it is not what this article is about.

Domestic and other types of abuse

To some others “abuse” connotes the physical or emotional or psychological ill-treatment of someone or something (e.g.: Domestic abuse, drug abuse, child abuse, racial abuse etc). Important as that is, it is not what we are going to talk about here.

All these are legitimate meanings “abuse” in the right context. And it is important to focus on these ills wherever they exist in the society and to deal with them as appropriate.

We are talking of a special type of abuse

But here we are going to concern ourselves with a different or should I say a special type of abuse. There is a more profound abuse that hardly gets a mention in conversations. This abuse is so frequent as to be commonplace especially amongst those who claim to know and belong to God.

So what type of abuse am I referring to?

Let us go back to the beginning so we can get a clear answer to that question.

The right of God to receive loyal love

You see, God created everything, known and unknown, visible and invisible. As we are informed,

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Gen 1:1).

And surveying what He had created, we are told God’s conclusion,

“And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day” (Gen 1:31).

All who profess genuine faith in Christ are to love the LORD above all else. Next to that love of God is to love one’s neighbour like oneself:

“29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30 and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:29-31).

To love God loyally and single-heartedly is the obligation of every genuine child of God. Such love of God is to be demonstrated by the believer through obedience to God in daily life.

Remember, God did not only create, but loves us too. God is the one who first demonstrated His loyal love for us,

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom 5:8).

God as the object of love abuse

Virtually every Christian you speak to will tell you of loving the LORD. That is what is expected and should be. That is it until you realise that such confession is mouth talk and not heart talk. But the people of God are commanded to love God.

Despite what God commands and all the shouts about love, it is apparent that many are abusing love.

I am referring to the love abuse in which God is the object of the abuse. You are probably surprised at that, right?

You might ask, what has abuse of love got to do with God? Well, my short answer is that love abuse or the abuse of love has everything to do with God.

The one type of abuse which is quite common, but which hardly gets mentioned is what I will call “love abuse”, that is, the abuse of love with God being the object of that abuse.

This love abuse or abuse of love is when the love that should be for God is misdirected to and given to something else. It is love for God directed to and showered on something else.

The genesis of love abuse is the lack of loving God above all else. Loving God above all else and loving your neighbour like yourself go together. They are mutually inclusive.

We believers in Christ talk so much of the cross of Christ. If our knowledge of the cross is commensurate to our depth of understanding of the cross, the world would likely be a different and better place. As it is, we know, that is, we have much information about the cross but little understanding of the cross.

There is a whole world of difference between having knowledge (information) and understanding the information. We leave the discussion of the difference between information and understanding for another day.

The cross is a depiction of love

But returning to the cross. It is common to depict the cross as having two beams: the vertical beam with a horizontal one. That is information. What may not be easily realised is a spiritual dimension of the cross

(Sorry to disappoint you, I am not looking for a theological debate right now. Just trying to illustrate a point.).

The vertical beam represents the relationship between God and each human being. God loves all His creation including man. However, the cross is about the reconciliation of humans to God at great cost to God through the finished work of Christ on the cross. One can then say, the love of God flows to man, and this is depicted by the vertical beam of the cross.

Hence, the love for God demanded by God can only come from God for it is part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Rom 5:5 cf. Gal 5:22). And you cannot have the Holy Spirit except by Christ (John 14:26 cf. Rom 8:9).

The horizontal beam represents the relationship between human beings. Similarly to the love for God, the love for fellow human beings demanded by God can only come from God, again part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Having received the love of God as depicted by the vertical beam, the true child of God now radiates that same love to fellow human beings as depicted by the horizontal beam of the cross.

The cross is a depiction of the love of God for man and should be that also of the love of man for God.

And so, the genuinely born-again child of God receives the Holy Spirit who then begins to work on the believer so he/she can begin to grow spiritually and manifest more and more of the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

But because the believer in Christ, though growing is not yet a finished product, and can indeed not be perfected until the final glorification in the presence of the Lord, he/she is still very susceptible to becoming an abuser of love.

Again remember, love abuse is the redirection of the love that should be exclusively for God to the wrong direction and to the wrong object.

Let us now look at a few examples of the abuse of love. Out of the numerous abuses of love we shall look at four.

These four are broadly representative of the unchanging desire of humans to turn away from God that they may continue in sin:

Love of self

It seems natural for each human being to love himself/herself above all else. But God was aware of this strong tendency in humans before commanding that He be loved above all else. If you are honest with yourself, you will agree that it is quite difficult at times not to be engaging in self-love. The danger is that uncontrolled love of self may then mushroom into selfishness that then causes the person to do almost everything out of self-interest.

Love of self becomes love abuse when you shower the love meant for God upon yourself, you become your own god, and an idolater!

To guard against this possibility, we are commanded,

“3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” (Phil 2:3-4).

Haman is a classic example of someone with love of self that mushroomed into selfishness. Hear what he thought:

“So Haman came in. And the king said unto him, What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour? Now Haman thought in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honour more than to myself?” (Esther 6:6).

And this love of self we are informed in Scripture will be one of the signs of the perilous times that shall come in the last days (2Tim 3:1-2).

Love of self is one form of love abuse as you redirect the love that legitimately belongs to God inwardly to yourself.

Instead of God being the centre of everything, you plant yourself squarely at the centre as the one to whom all else must reckon with.

Possibly without realising it you have become a god. And like all gods, you also desire to be worshipped. You start worshipping yourself as all your resources are harnessed to ensure that all your desires are met. You then attempt to extend your rule to and over others as you crave their attention and worship.

  • Brother, sister, how close to selfishness is your love of yourself?
  • Have you become so immersed in yourself that things are only seen through the eyes of “how will this or that be of benefit to me?”
  • Are you covering you desire with the cloak of righteousness claiming you are fighting for God’s cause?

Love of the world

Our second example of love abuse is love of the world. Remember, we are talking about those who profess to belong to God. Believers in Christ are warned against having love of the world,

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (1John 2:15).

The love of the world manifests in a diversity of ways few of which are:

  • Following the multitude to do evil.
  • Colluding with others to bear witness so as to pervert justice (Ex 23:2).
  • One who loves the world will usually conform his ways to the standards of the world. To such a one lust is nothing but enjoyment!

Demas is an example of a person who loved the world. There was a time he engaged in the work of preaching and propagating the gospel of Jesus Christ as he worked with apostle Paul and other believers (Col 4:14; Philemon 24).

But along the way, he fell in love with the present world and departed from the gospel (2Tim 4:10).

The love of the world will usually start innocuously, with something minor that is not thought of as anything. It will then surreptitiously expand its tentacles until it possesses its victim completely. Thereafter, such a person will see things only through the eyes of the world much aided by the flesh.

Love of sin

Sin is doing something prohibited by or contrary to God. In the first instance, God informed the first man, Adam of the penalty for disobeying His command. The instruction would have been noticeably clear to the first man:

“16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” (Gen 2:16-17).

It was a direct communication between God and the first man. There was no intermediary. It was the same language with no need for translation. First God told him what he could do, then what he should not do, and the consequence of doing what he should not do. The man heard, knew, and understood what God commanded.

The first couple sinned knowingly

Hence, the man knowingly sinned. He chose to deliberately act contrary to what God demanded of him. Hence, the sin of the first human couple in the garden in Eden (Gen 3) caused man to fall.

Since then, man has not only continued in but also loves and delights in sin. Sin was what has and continues to separate human beings from the Holy God who created all.

The penalty for sin has always been death

God told man that the penalty for disobeying His command was death. And man deliberately chose death over life. God has decreed that whoever sins shall die:

“Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.” (Ezek. 18:4).

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Rom 6:23).

It follows that whoever sins have chosen death instead of life unless God provides a means of escape.

Sin is disobeying the commandment of God.

God in His mercy has provided the solution to the problem of sin by the provision of the finished work of Christ on the cross.

Christ is the propitiation (the appropriate atoning sacrifice) for our sins (cf. Rom 3:25; 1John 2:2; 4:10). Though Christ has come and been offered as the sacrifice for our sins, numerous people are still choosing to sin and thereby are choosing death instead of life.

Many are choosing not to appropriate the sacrifice of Christ and are instituting their own alternatives. These man-made, devil-instigated alternatives are unacceptable to and are rejected by God.

That so many are continuing to choose to sin shows the power of sin. Those who sin are characterised in many ways by the word of God. As an example, those who sin are described as those who,

“received not the love of the truth that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” (2Thess 2:10-12).

Contrary to what many people claim, sinning is neither accidental nor incidental in the life of a person. Rather, from the beginning human beings have deliberately chosen to sin and taken delight in sin and continues to do so as a habit. There seems to be this innate desire in man to do things that are known to be contrary to the will of God.

Scripture after scripture testifies that those who sin do so deliberately. They chose to do their own will and not to do the will of God. They are those,

“who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.” (Rom 1:32).

God hates sin and we have been seriously warned of the consequences of continuing in sin,

“Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.” (Eph. 5:6).

(cf. Eph. 5:5 and Col 3:6-9 where some of “these things” are enumerated).

King Ahab of Israel and his wife, Jezebel were supposed to use their position as the rulers over Israel to uphold the true worship of God and to rule justly and in righteousness. But they used their position, power, and influence to oppose God, to oppress the people of God and to serve the devil through the worship of idols.

The word of God describes them thus,

“25 (But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up. 26 And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all things as did the Amorites, whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel).” (1Kgs 21:25-26)

cf. 1Kgs 16:30-33 which give more detail of their abominable idolatry.

“30 And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him. 31 And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him. 32 And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. 33 And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.” (1Kgs 16:30-33).

This couple just loved to sin!

There are many like them today within the church of Christ who outwardly seem to be sheep but inwardly are ravening wolves (Mat 7:15). They are using their position and influence to oppose God by bringing in damnable heresy into the church and exploiting the people of God for filthy lucre. Please, beware of such ones!

  • How are you operating in the position God has placed you in His church?
  • By your activities are you obeying or rebelling against God?
  • What does it take for you to forgo the word of God for the opinion of someone you respect?

Love of other gods

The living God is in intimate relationship with each of His children.

How?

Each genuine child of God, each genuine believer in Christ carries the presence of God in the person of the Holy Spirit. Hence, each disciple of Christ is truly a temple of God. Loving other gods is tantamount to bringing idols into the temple of God. Such idols will pollute the temple of God making it unclean and unfit for the worship of God.

Hence, the love of other gods is spiritual adultery in Holy Scripture. It is the giving of that which should be the exclusive preserve of God to something profane. It should not be done!

Adultery has devastating effect in human relations

The breaching of the conjugal love within the most intimate relationship between two adult human beings of opposite sex united in the marriage covenant is used to illustrate spiritual adultery. Such a breach when discovered by the victim can be very devastating to the relationship and health of the couple.

If adultery at the level of human relationship could have such serious negative impact, it should be no surprise that it is of even more dire consequence when it is the relationship between God and any of His children that is involved.

The couple in a conjugal relationship are rightly jealous of and diligently guard their relationship against outside interference and enticement as they value their union immensely.

Similarly, God values, seriously and jealously guards His relationship with His children. He does not accept any competition.

In like manner, the true believer should jealously and diligently guard his relationship with God and not allow idol to intrude.

Our God is rightly described as a jealous God,

“for thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” (Ex 34:14). Also see Ex 20:5; Deut. 4:24).

“Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.” (Ex 20:5).

“For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.” (Deut. 4:24)

The commandment of God to all humans is that He must be loved above all else.

“Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Ex 20:3).

And

“4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: 5 and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart.” (Deut. 6:4-6).

Examples of love of other gods even amongst the people of God abound within the pages of Holy Scripture.

The incident of the golden calf amongst the Israelites during the journey in the wilderness is well known to many (Ex 32:1-35). It is difficult to understand how such evil could have taken place considering that the Israelites had witnesses many miracles from God. God was even leading them through the presence of one of His angels.

But then, it truly happened as we are told,

“3 And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. 4 And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.” (Ex 32:3-4).

God was and is too slow for some

Why did the people do this?

Because God’s timing was too slow or too late for whatever they wanted. We are informed,

“And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.” (Ex 32:1).

Similarly today, we see people in a hurry. They want everything instantly and on their own terms. There are many that imagine a god only in their own image. The true and living God is foreign to what they imagine their god should be. So, they manufacture or concoct a god of their own making.

  • Hence, today, we see a diversity of caricatures of Jesus, a Jesus that is far removed from the Jesus Christ of Nazareth:
  • Jesus that is too loving to send the wicked and ungodly to hell,
  • Jesus that only blesses if you sow “dangerously” into the coffers of the “name it, picture it, claim it” crowd pastor,
  • A Jesus that can only heal or do miracles in a specially created atmosphere of music and only if you have enough faith or put in enough money,
  • A Jesus that does miracles and wonders through only “specially anointed” one who are the “spiritual elite”
  • A Jesus that mandates the foot soldiers who are the spiritual commoners and downtrodden to contribute all the money demanded of them by the so-called man/woman of God before they can be blessed,
  • A Jesus that is only present when the foot soldiers are wiped into a frenzy by the false teacher masquerading as “the anointed one.”

One can go on multiplying these false gods that people are running after, which some are even willing to defend with their own life! All these are false gods and are nowhere close to the Jesus of the Holy Bible. But the crowds that follow these false gods, like those that followed the golden calf will not be deterred.

Idolaters reject God

On the pages of Holy Scripture, God makes it abundantly clear that He alone is the true and living God. And demands absolute obedience from His people.

What is common to all idolaters is their rejection of God and His righteousness and the institution of their own gods and the righteousness as determined by themselves.

God has the absolute right and authority to demand unalloyed obedience from all His creation as their God. By His will they were created and exist (Rev 4:11). And beside Him there is no Saviour,

“I, even I, am the Lord; And beside me there is no saviour.” (Isa 43:11).

Before you absolve yourself claiming you are not bowing before some statue, hear this:

“Whatsoever and whosoever you give the worship and reference that is due to God only, whatever has taken the place of God in your life is your idol, your new god. That is what makes you an idol worshipper, an idolater.”

Such idol could be your ambition, your job, a relationship, an infirmity, love of money, love of prominence, love of praise, and many more.

Our God knows us much more than we can imagine. He knows that even at our best we are still vulnerable to love abuse. Hence, the numerous warnings and admonitions in Holy Scripture to be on guard and to avoid as much as possible love abuse.

The Love of self, The love of the world, The love of sin, and The love of other gods are a small sample of love abuse. They are all the symptoms of an underlining condition, the fallen condition of man.

The fallen man’s heart is the seat of the evil as we are informed that, “every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen 6:5).

And his heart is described as, “deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (Jer. 17:9).

Hence,

Man is not a sinner because he sins. Rather, man sins because he is a sinner.

The above is not exhaustive. Rather, is more of representative of innumerable others that upon reflection you can add to these. Please, reflection on this small sample.

Are you by any means an abuser of love where God is concerned?

Are you an idolater?

Please, do not wave this off flippantly. Rather, look intently at yourself and the way you are living your life. And if perchance you discover something amiss, please quickly rectify it before it is too late.

I pray the Almighty God will help you to draw the right lessons from what you have heard, and to be in the right relationship with Him in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 Bible Study, Christian Conduct, Doctrine, eBooks, Exhortation, Salvation, Uncategorized , , , , , , , , , , , ,

You Need A New Administration Over Your Life  0

 July 24, 2020  

Everyone agrees that: Death ends each person’s existence on this earth! Yes, ALL without exception eventually die. No person knows when, where, and how he will die. Death cannot even be postponed. Once it is your turn, you must go.

The thought of death could be frightening if you do not know where you will be going. Some are forced to think about it after surviving a serious accident or at the death of a loved one. Many push the thought of death out of their mind until it is too late.

When you die, you will face God. Standing before God, “the judge of all the earth” (Genesis 18:25), is a serious matter.

If you were to die before you finish reading this note, what account are you going to give to God?

 Up to this moment, you have been the President and Chief Executive Officer of your life, ruling and running your life as you wanted.

How is your life faring under your presidency?

If you continue to run your life as you have, will your life-report be acceptable by God when you stand before Him?

  • You think you are a good person?
  • If ALL your activities including your thoughts for just the past one year were to be shown on prime television, will you be proud or be horrified?
  • Are there things you will desperately wish should not be shown?

Your response shows that you have a conscience and the ability to know what is right and what is wrong. But somehow, you have managed to continue to do wrong things because you have suppressed your conscience.  

 1st God has examined us and given His findings – ALL are sinners

ALL of us human beings, including YOU are sinners:

  • “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). And
  • “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10).

In other words, in God’s opinion, we fall short of His standard.

Please recognise that an orange tree is not an orange tree because it produces oranges. Rather, it produces oranges because it is an orange tree.

Similarly, you are not a sinner because you sin, rather, you sin because you are a sinner.

Put another way:

You as the CEO of the company called YOU have managed the company very badly. Company YOU is in such a bad state that if things continue the way they are now, everything will soon be completely ruined. Hence, Company YOU needs immediate and urgent attention.

 2nd God’s decree is that the sinner shall die

According to the creator of mankind, all souls belong to Him and the soul that sins (fall short of His standard) shall die (Ezekiel 18:4, 20).

“For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). That is to say, our sin has earned a deserved wage which is death or separation from God in Hell.

 3rd There will be a day of reckoning – a day for all to give account.

One day all will stand before God to give account of their lives while one earth:

And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:11-15).

These are the words of the Lord telling us of the fate of every unbeliever.

4th Truth remains truth always

Please at this early stage, let me remind you of an unchangeable fact:

  • Truth is still truth even if you do not believe it. Your unbelief cannot and will not alter the nature of truth.
  • You can be sincerely wrong. That is, you can be sincere or honest and still be wrong.

So, please, do not dismiss what you are reading here with a wave of the hand as myth, or untrue just because you don’t believe right now.

 5th But God doesn’t want you or any sinner to die

But it is not God’s wish that anybody should die. Friend, believe it, yes, it is true: God has no pleasure in the death of the sinner (Ezekiel 18:32). Hear God calling ALL including you now:

Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die? (Ezekiel 33:11).

So he made provision for us (those who will be willing) to be saved because He still loves us:

  • “But God commendeth His love towards us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Also
  • “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 4:10).

In other words, even in our sin, God continued to show us His love and demonstrated this love by sending His Son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross for us. He thus gave Jesus Christ to the whole world (John 3:16).

 6th You cannot save yourself

Except the judge does, no prisoner can set himself free. Similarly, the sinner cannot set himself free. Yes, you cannot set yourself free.

You may consider yourself good, perhaps because you are religious, or you live a morally upright life, or you do good to others and you are loved by everyone, or you have joined a church and you are contributing much money there, or you are engaged in a lot of charity work, or you are a very generous philanthropist. All these may be good and do have their place, but they will not save you.

No amount of good work and being on your best behaviour can save you. Your salvation is not based on the merit of what works and contributions you have made to society.

Simply put – you cannot be your own saviour. This is a fact you need to admit to yourself for salvation is:

  • “not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:9).
  • “Not by works of righteousness which we have done” (Titus 3:5).

Your salvation is based on what someone else had done.

 7th God has made provision for your salvation

Between you the sinner and a Holy God is the sin barrier. To remove that barrier, God provided His Son, Jesus Christ:

  • “The Lord Laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6).
  • “He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2).
  • “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
  • “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

Jesus Christ can therefore offer you salvation as a gift. All you need is believe and appropriate His provision.

 8th an appeal: Come under a New Management

Jesus says to you, the sinner: “Come unto Me!”

I appeal to you as a fellow human being, and in the name of the Lord, hear and accept His invitation now:

Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30).

Further, He says:

I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (John 14:6).

You now have to believe God’s word and take the step of faith by accepting and appropriating the way of salvation He has provided for us in Jesus Christ.

You are a sinner who has badly run his life like a very poorly run company. You cannot save yourself. This sinking company called YOU needs to be saved. It needs a new CEO. That New CEO is the Lord Jesus Christ.

 You reading this, should take that step of faith now. It is not complicated. Rather, the word is near you, it is in your mouth and in your heart (Rom 10:8):

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved (Romans 10:9-10).

Furthermore, we are told:

whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:13).

That is to say, ALL that appropriate the sacrifice of Christ is acceptable to Him.

Act now, come under a New Management!

God wants all to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4).

And remember that those who believe the word of God and accept His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ will not come under judgement because their names are entered in the Book of Life:

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).

But the unrepentant sinner’s name will not be in the Book of Life, and he will be judged:

And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:15).

 Therefore, it is a dangerous thing not to believe what God has done for humanity through Jesus Christ. There is no other means, way or provision available to man. ALL goes to and through Jesus Christ. For:

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12).

And so it follows that:

He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:18).

You have the information now and please know that:

these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. (John 20:31).

There is a decision to make. You alone can make that decision now.

  • The decision is to appropriate the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross as yours, so He becomes your saviour and Lord.
  • But please do not delay.
  • Let today be the day of your salvation.
  • ACT NOW!!!
  • Let The Lord Jesus Christ be Saviour and Lord of your life – the New CEO of your life calling the shots and you obeying as He brings the company called “YOU” back to life.
 Exhortation, Salvation , , , , ,

Are You a Christian Professor or a Disciple?  0

 June 21, 2020  

Believers in Christ are the disciples of Christ. Non-believers are not disciples of Christ. There is no in-between. There is no half-way house. You are either in or you are out.

Which are you?

The Lord Jesus Himself gave us ample information as to who is His disciple.

“It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?” (Mat 10:25).

“The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.” (Luke 6:40).

“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed.” (John 8:31).

“43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. 44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. 45 And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.” (John 8:43-45). 

The beloved disciple echoed his Lord as he tells all those who will listen that:

“He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.” (1John 2:6).

You are only His disciple if you abide in His commandments.

I often hear some people say that you cannot actually know that a person is truly a Christian.

But the believer in Christ is commanded to correct fellow believers in love and to avoid being entangled with the ungodly.

If the believer cannot distinguish between fellow believers and unbelievers, “how is the believer then expected to witness to unbelievers?” How is the believer to avoid being “yoked with the unbeliever?”

The believer in Christ is not to determine the eternity of the ungodly for that is wholly the prerogative of God.

The believer is only to distinguish the holy from the profane with the guideline given by Holy Scripture. This is so he can live a life pleasing to God and as much as is possible, to be at peace with others.

Hence, it is contrary to the Holy Scriptures to say we cannot distinguish the believer from the unbeliever for we are instructed as to the characteristics of a genuine Christian as far as human beings are concerned. The Christian is not to determine the status of another human been as to his/her eternal destiny. No human being determines who goes to heaven or hell only God does.

Rather, as we live in the world, though not of the world we live in the world and have to interact with fellow human beings. It is because of such interactions and the relationships that will develop therein that believers who also are the disciples of Christ are instructed as to the traits to expect in a disciple of Christ and to aspire to, and those traits to expect in the unbeliever and to avoid or do away with in their own lives. We are then to relate on the basis of how the life of the individual correlates with what the word of God commands.

Saying someone is not a believer or saying that a believer is not living through to the faith of Christianity is not judging in the sense of condemnation for only God can judge at that level. The Christian will only be determining the type and depth of both the interaction and relationship he wants to have with the other person according what he understands from Holy Scripture.

However we may look at it and however it may sound in the ears of modern-day humans the truth is the Holy Scripture clearly distinguishes between the children of God and the children of the devil. It is our wisdom and for our own good to follow the instructions of the word of God.

I encourage the doubters to read the whole of the book of 1John for a start and then go over the rest of Scripture.

The true believer in Christ is one who has been saved and who has committed to become a life-long disciple of Christ.

The term “professor” here is not referring to an academician with a high and valuable degree in an area of study. Rather, in terms of the Christian faith, the professor is the one who professes to be a Christian by mouth but whose lifestyle is in every way contrary to word of God.

 The professor is an unbeliever who associates closely with the church. He is comfortable in church and the gathering of believers. He easily passes as a believer because through long association he has imbibed the mannerisms of genuine believers.

Meanwhile here is just a sampling of some of the distinguishing traits of the professor or unbeliever who associates with the church:

Concerning the Holy Bible,

An unregenerate person (a Christian professor or unbeliever) may read the Holy Scriptures but will still not have faith. Though such ones may even take to studying the Holy Bible they will not be better than other unbelievers who have nothing to do with Christianity as they will have no life of God in them.

A professor of Christianity may have a reading plan and even read several chapters of the word of God every day and yet never appropriate a verse of Scripture. The person simply does not see the bible as the word of God but more of an interesting literature from which to occasionally snatch a word or passage interesting to him to use as motivation.

In Listening and Hearing

A carnal professor will usually boast of having attended numerous conferences: I was in this conference and that conference; I have been under the ministration of or heard numerous popular preachers.

He comes out of each meeting extoling how powerful the message was, but he never seems to be affected by the power he claimed to be present.

He may have and be listening to many sermons every Sunday and indeed all weekdays as well year-in year-out. Yet several years down the road he is still as spiritually dead as the first day he was in church. Such reckon their spiritual status by the number of years since they have been coming to church or since they became associated with Christianity.

Such are the ones who are ever hearing, never understanding and never coming to the knowledge of the truth. Rather, they are hardened without even realising that they had become impervious to the word of God.

In prayer

The sentences flow from his lips as readily as that of a person with verbal diarrhoea. He has a very impressive repertoire of pleasant-sounding phrases and words. Scripture verses seem to run through his mind as freely as a dam breaking its bounds, they just gush out in torrents.

They are adept at saying nice prayers which are just mere meaningless words. They think prayer is for show: how much you can shout, stamp your feet on the ground and jump around sweating like a turkey who knows he is the next at the dinner table.

Observing them at prayer you may be tempted to think they are the offspring of Baal worshipers in action as in the days of Elijah!

In conversation

The Christian professor can talk glibly and frequently orthodoxly of doctrines, yes and of worldly things too. He switches smoothly between the two according to his mood, according to his audience and according to the perceived advantage and filthy lucre he is after at the moment. To him nothing seems too sacred to peddle. In his attempt to display knowledge, he only often exposes his ignorance of spiritual things and his unbelief.

I have heard some people say it does not matter how you dress or speak as long as you have Christ in your heart. Such are either ignorant or deceitful because what is inside is reflected by what is happening outside. One even said, “I am a Christian but not religious and I worship nobody” What a confused mind!

Can you be a Christian and not worship the Lord Jesus Christ?

Please remember this:

As it is internally so it is externally. What is resident within the heart is reflected on the outside. The heart in which the Lord Jesus Christ reigns will be productive of fruits that are in keeping with the character of Christ. Hence, the difference is just as real between the genuine Christian and the mere professor in their daily lives.

 And remember this too:

Faith applies the whole of the Word of God in all its glorious detail and authority. Hence:

  • Faith applies the fearful threatening of the Word of God and trembles before
  • Faith applies the warnings of the Word of God and endeavours to obey them.
  • Faith applies the precepts of the Word of God and looks unto God for the grace to be able to walk in them.

And this faith is what distinguishes the genuine Christian from the professor, the one who is one in name only. But this faith is also the genuine faith too. This genuine faith cannot be worked up or be exercised at will, nor can it be legislated by law or be forced on a person by anyone. This is the faith that is God-given: it is a gift. This is the Holy Spirit-given and Holy Spirit-moulded faith in the heart.

This is not the mere head-knowledge and intellectual assent to the truth that the carnal professor may possess.

Rather the divine faith is a living, spiritual and vital trait. It is:

  • the faith which “purifies the heart” (Acts 15:9);
  • the faith “which worketh by love” (Gal 5:6);
  • the faith that “overcometh the world” (1 John 5:4).
  • This faith is the faith that is divinely rooted and sustained in the midst of trials within and opposition without.
  • This is the faith that makes its possessor to exclaim:
    • “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him” (Job 13:15),
    • “For I know that my Redeemer liveth” (Job 19:25).

It is not a common faith for it is found only among those who genuinely belong to God. Where it is, it cannot but be manifested! 

Do you have this genuine faith?

If not begin to pray for it for you may actually have labelled yourself “a Christian” while in reality you do not belong in the household of God.

Please diligently observe that this divine faith is not always exercised nor is it equally strong at all times. However, the genuine Christian who possesses it must be taught through experience which is often painful, that, as he did not originate it neither can he command it at will and therefore he must turn to its author and originator for the needed sustenance. He must often turn to God and say “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief” (Mark 9:24).

 

And therefore in contrast with the carnal professor, we see with the genuine Christian with this divine faith that:

  • when reading the Word he is enabled to lay hold of its precious promises;
  • when bowing before the Throne of Grace, he is enabled to cast his burden upon the Lord;
  • when he rises to go about his temporal duties, he is enabled to lean upon the everlasting arms;
  • and when he is made to pass “through the valley of the shadow of death”, he will triumphantly cry “I will fear no evil for Thou art with me.” (Ps 23:4).

O Lord our God grant us the divine faith that has been the privilege of all your saints through the ages that our lives may truly begin to “shew forth the praises of him who hath called us out of darkness into his marvellous light” (1Pet 2:9). And Father have mercy upon the mere professors as your Holy Spirit convicts them of sin and brings them to repentance and salvation in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 Uncategorized , , , ,

Let the Word of God Rule Your Life  0

 June 3, 2020  

The world is currently stooping under the burden of the corona virus pandemic. This corona virus pandemic has shown how much connected human beings even as they live widely apart and across the world. It has also exposed the fragility and inadequacy of all the systems set up by human beings purportedly for the good of human beings.

Further, it also demonstrates that the only things that can endure are those things that have the approval of God.

Right now, numerous people are living in fear of the corona.

Why? They fear death.

Why?

I don’t know but the possibility is that the average person does not want to meet God yet. Many have suddenly realised that there is a God and that we humans are responsible to a God who is not only higher than us but who has the authority and power to make us give account to Him. Hence, many are not prepared to go to their maker to render the account of the life He gave them. But eventually, by whatever means as determined by God, we all will give account at the time appoint by God.

Please, use this period for a useful reflection if you are a Christian, a genuine child of God by adoption through the Lord Jesus Christ.

How has your life of faith been brother, sister?

If the Lord is to call today, are you ready?

What will your account show, seriously unrighteous deficit, or God-pleasing righteous surplus?

Now more than ever before, recognise and accept the authority of the word of God over your life. Let the word of God be the ultimate authority for life of faith and practice.

 Move closer to God now. You have nothing to lose other than sin and all its consequences. Rather, you have everything to gain from God who alone can deliver, protect, provide, and keep us secure in and for Himself

So, I implore you to stop living on the faith of others only. Stop living only on the crumbs that fall from the tables of those who take their faith seriously enough to make time for diligent study and practice of the word of God. But in addition, do your own diligent study too. It is as you study the word of God yourself that the word is able to come into your and do its work in you through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.

Realise that if you don’t seek, know and practice the truth of the biblical Christian faith, you are practicing a false religion and you can only spread and encourage error as a false teacher, a purveyor of death. And may that not be your portion in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

But seriously speaking, “Who will you blame if you don’t make it to heaven in spite of your long association with the church?”

Nobody but you! Again, may that not be your portion, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Stop giving excuses that you are busy! Now for many of you, the current lock down has taken away the excuse of being busy. Except of course if binge-watching of TV can be considered more worthy of your time than making time to nurture your relationship with the Lord.

You can spend hours watching TV, surfing the net and chatting on the phone yet you have no time to improve your knowledge of your faith!

How can you love a Lord you don’t know and whose instructions you don’t care to find out?  Know that ignorance is no more an excuse before the Lord. I implore you to stop wasting the precious time God has given you.

What is more important than that you should practice your faith according to how God demands to be worshipped and as detailed in His written word?

Know this, that amongst those who claim to be Christians one of the greatest weapons of mass ruin and suffering is ignorance of the word of God. Ignorance of the word of God is a very potent weapon in the hand of the devil. It is a major reason why false teachers and heretics are getting away with murder literarily.

I concur with that old saint who has now gone home to be with the Lord. He said “it is better to be divided by truth than to be united in error. It is better to speak the truth that hurts and then heals than to speak falsehood that comforts and then kills.”

On my part I will rather you hate me for declaring the whole counsel of God than you love me for telling lies and hiding the truth because of any potential, perceived or real gratification.

Please, remember this: That numerous others had lived true to this faith in God all their lives and God testified to their faithfulness. They lived through much persecution and suffered much for their faith in God and in Christ, but God supplied the grace they needed to live true to God in the midst of the ungodliness of their day.

Jeremiah was not cast into the dungeon that has no water but mire (Jer. 38:6) for patting sinners on the back and telling them “God loves you but hates the sin in you!” Rather, against powerful forces and all odds he persisted in declaring the true word of God.

Stephen was not stoned (Acts 7:54, 57-60) for proclaiming to the Jewish religious leaders that all roads leading to God. That we all worship the same God, but the methods are just different! He neither spoke politically or socially or religiously correct language. Rather, he spoke godly correct language that cut to the heart of the ungodly who were claiming to be worshiping God.

John was not banished to the island of Patmos (Rev 1:9) for conducting deliverance services for people who were supposed to have been saved but were continuing in their sins and cultural practices and loving it; people who claim to be free while still being shackled by their traditions and superstitions and other consequences of syncretism.

Peter was not kept in prison by Herod and released by an angel (Acts 12:3-12)  and years later killed for preaching prosperity message and declaring to sinners walking contrary to God while claiming to belong to God “God is here to bless you. Indeed, he has sent me to bless you. You can have your best in the here and now. You just need to sow more dangerously. Speaking prophetically, you are getting a miracle within 72 hours!” Rather he preached the gospel of Christ without fear or favour. 

Neither was Paul imprisoned and later beheaded for conducting seeker-friendly, friendship evangelism, saying to the people who were helping him: “Don’t talk about their sins. Rather tell them that God is here to listen to them and do just what they want and give them all the desires of their heart. Let them come in first and the Holy Spirit will do the rest. And while at it let them know that we are ready to listen to them tell us how we should do church; we shall to whatever they want so they can stay and be blessed” Rather, he preached the whole truth of the gospel against all odds.

This is not calling you to become violent in any physical way for violence is alien to true biblical Christianity. But it is a wakeup call to you in case you are beginning to slumber or are even asleep spiritually already!

Part of the reason the author and finisher of the biblical Christian faith the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified was because He told sinners: “Except you repent, you will likewise perish” (Luke 13:3-4).

When God ordered the extermination of Sodom and Gomorrah, He did not tell them: “I love you and hate your sin”. Rather, the sinner and his sins are one and are destroyed together. The sinner either forsakes his sins and turns to God and is saved or he holds on to his sins and God turns from him and he and his sins perish together. 

True, God is love (1John 4:8). But God hates sin.

He is as is said of Him: “Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, And canst not look on iniquity: Wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, And holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?” (Hab. 1:13).

He alone is the judge, and no one can deliver from His hand.

“I, even I, am the Lord; And beside me there is no saviour.” (Isa 43:11).

That is why “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Heb. 10:31).  

“Christian” where do you stand?

How are you involved?

Remember, we all shall give account. ALL without exception!

Brethren, may it not be that you treat the written word of God as a common thing, of less value than the opinions of men!

Don’t tell me that “but I’m not Jeremiah or an apostle” for the Holy bible says you belong to “a royal priesthood” (1Pet 2:9).

Do you believe that? Then act as a priest of the Lord Most High now.

I pray that you may come referentially and humbly before God to seek the understanding of the word of God and that He will give you both the courage and strength to be able to declare the whole counsel of God under the power of the Holy Spirit always in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

If you are not yet a believer in Christ.

However, if you are notyet of the Lord. If Jesus Christ is not yet your Saviour and Lord, the starting point for you is to come to the Lord asking Him to save you and become your Lord. It is after that you can begin to speak of the word of God becoming the ruler of your life.

I pray that God will have mercy upon you as you humbly come to Him for your salvation through Jesus Christ. That He will hear your cry for help and extend His forgiveness and peace to you in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 Bible Study, Christian Conduct, Doctrine, Exhortation , , , , ,
<< older entries