Living the Turned Life

The word “turnt” in some sub-cultures is slang for being high on drugs or alcohol, partying hard, and at times refers to high energy fun of all sorts. Lecrae, a well-known Christian hip-hop artist, wrote a song called “I’m Turnt” which relates to living high in the Spirit, according to the truth of the Gospel. Here are some of the lyrics:

Prolly think I'm rolling, I'm just high on the spirit bro
The only thing we popping is the truth, you don't hear me though

They prolly think I'm rolling, I ain't on nothing

But what I got you need to know about cause homie
I'm turnt

My blood stream clean, nothing running through my veins
It's 116, yeah I'm still Unashamed
I call it network if I'm out here fishing

My interpretation of his song is that Lecrae is singing about living the life of repentance in Jesus Christ. I believe he is using the word “turnt’ here with a dual meaning, one of having hyped up fun (God-honoring) and the other of turning his life over to Christ.

The Bible word “repent” means to turn, to change from one thing to another, and this is a very important element to living the life God intends for you and I to live.

Here we are as humans, born into a sin problem and we choose to sin. Praise God, He has a plan of redemption for sinners, a plan of salvation and true life, a better life for us, who by Gods’ grace through faith in Christ can be reconciled with God and live with joy, peace, and real meaning and purpose.

Repentance in the Christian life is part of the salvation conversion moment and also part of the daily journey of walking in, with, and for Christ.

When I was around 5 years of age, our family was not attending church or talking about Jesus and God’s Word that I recall. Our neighbor invited us to attend their nearby Baptist church. I began to attend. Over the next few years I was greatly influenced with the Gospel by Sunday School teachers and Children’s Church leaders. When I was 8 years old my mom got saved, she received Christ into her life as her personal Savior and she began to be a great influence in my life about such things. When I was 9, I realized that there was a true God who was holy and that I had a sin issue that leads to Hell unless I trust Christ as my Savior; that God loves me and wants to give me eternal life and an abundant life now if I receive Him into my life as my Savior. I wanted to go to heaven some day and I wanted God in my life fulltime to counter my feelings of loneliness and insecurities so I placed my trust in Christ as my Savior. I did not know all the Bible words and terminology related to salvation at the time but I now know that God’s plan of salvation includes repentance.

This is what Jesus called us sinners to do (Lk. 5:32 ESV I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. Lk. 13:3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish) and what He called His followers to proclaim (Lk. 24:47) which we see in practice right away in Acts (2:38, 17:30, 20:21).

At its core, salvation repentance is basically turning from rejecting (or ignoring) Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord to turning to Jesus; trusting Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord. This was the most important turn in my life, the most important change in my life. I accepted and received Christ into my life when I was nine years old but God’s plan of salvation is not just about some sort of one time conversion moment. It’s not just a ticket into God’s heaven. It’s not just some sort of fire insurance to avoid hell. Salvation is about an ongoing relationship with Christ and involves our ongoing commitment of aligning our lives in, with, and for Christ.

Christ-followers are to live the turned life, the life of repentance.

Acts 26:20b ESV repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance

Mt. 3:8 ESV Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.

Many Christ-followers need to be reminded of a daily repentance or believers’ repentance, that today, in this very moment, I need to make decisions that are God-honoring, I need to turn away from sinful ways and turn to God-pleasing ways. This is what the Bible means when we are exhorted to live with fruit of repentance and live out a life of repentance in Christ. And keep in mind that this repentant living is not on auto-pilot just because there was this one day that you received Christ into your life. We must make consistent decisions of repentance toward God-honoring living.  

One of the best biblical examples of believers needing to repent is the church in Ephesus whom Christ sent a letter to. Rev. 2:5 ESV Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.

If you don’t know Christ as your Savior and Lord, then give your heart over to Him now. And we don’t have to fix our life and clean it all up before turning to and trusting Christ as Savior and Lord. Trust Christ now and He will begin changing your heart and helping you with your decision making to be in more alignment with Christlikeness but we have responsibility with our thoughts, attitudes, and actions.  

I believe repentance is something God helps us with (2 Tim. 2:25) and we are also personally responsible with our decision making toward repenting regularly. I believe that when God truly saves someone from their sins, that He seals them in Christ by the Holy Spirit and that person stays saved by God’s grace (Eph. 1:13, John 10:27-29). So, when you sin as a redeemed Christ-follower, I don’t believe you face losing your salvation but you do face the need to confess daily sins and repent from daily sins as part of your holy sanctification journey to be the person God calls you to be.

When it comes to recovery and real spiritual growth, we must repent of daily sins in order to really live a victorious joyous life in Christ.

Recovery Step #3 and Principle #3 in Celebrate Recovery are “We made a decision to turn our lives and our wills over to the care of God.” and “Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ’s care and control.” And the accompanying verses are: Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. Romans 12:1

Happy are the meek, Matthew 5:5a

I am to give my life over to Christ and my daily will over to Christ.

After my initial salvation conversion I experienced two key periods of wholesale repentance in my life and there have been many moments of daily repentance (in fact, I pray daily for God to help me repent of sinful ways and I need to do my part with my decision making). When I was an older adolesent I realized that I was drinking alcohol irresponsibly and hanging around partying fighting guys. I was spiritual convicted around this time to mature in Christ, mature as a man, and prepare for a career after college. So, I cleaned up my life, so to speak, by not hanging around certain people who were not a good influence in my life, by stopping the social drinking routine, by living a more God-honoring life, and becoming a leader at church in the youth ministry. I became more focused on eternally significant living and God helped me through this and I found myself more consistently in the will of God where there was more peace, joy, and fruitfulness and fulfillment as a Christ-follower.

Later in my twenties, I did backslide some morally and I reached a point when I was very spiritually convicted again and this time I clearly sensed God was calling me to leave my career to become a pastor and so I more fully surrender my life to Christ in my day to day decision making and behavior.

Growing up over the years, I have had many moments of crying out to God to help me repent on wrongful things like an addiction to smokeless tobacco and lust. I needed God’s help to turn away from junk music lyrics and media content that was contaminating my soul. I’ve need mature Christian accountability in my life to help me stay on the right path that pleases God.  

Turning my will over to Christ daily requires my ongoing commitment to Him and His ways. It’s not just the bad I need to say no to, it’s the good (in Christ) I need to say yes to. I need to cultivate a spiritual intimacy with Christ through prayer and Bible learning. I need to live according to God’s Word for his people today and that include doing some life with fellow Christ-followers.

Do you need to repent of rejecting or ignoring Christ as your Savior and Lord? If so, mikesmorals.blogspot.com/2013/09/great-news-gods-plan-for-true-life.html

If you are a redeemed Christ-follower, is there something you need to repent of in your life? Something that is a sin foothold or sin habit that you need deliverance from, freedom from, and victory over?

There is hope in Jesus Christ, for help, for holistic healing, for living the true abundant life in Christ God wants you and I to live.

Let’s live the turned life for the glory of God.

What do you think about what I’ve written here about living the turned life in Christ?

Mike

..and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

There was a moment in history when the incarnate Son of God was praying to God the Father and a disciple of Christ asked, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Jesus’ response was,

Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. ¹⁰ Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. ¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread, ¹² and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. ¹³ And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Mt. 6:9-13 ESV

This is sometimes called “The Lord’s Prayer” but a better name would be “The Disciple’s Prayer” or “A Prayer Model for Christians” since some of the content (i.e. forgive us) would not be a prayer the sinless Savior needed to pray.

It’s the last two phrases of this prayer model I want to elaborate on here. In vss11-12, the focus was asking God for our daily provisions and asking God to forgive us and we acknowledge our need to forgive others. The next petition looks ahead to future temptations and encounters with evil, because we are vulnerable to sinning beyond this very moment and we need God’s help to be overcomers when we are tempted and when evil comes upon us.

We are born with a sin nature in our flesh and minds and that means we are contaminated with sin, so to speak, but we are also vulnerable to sinning and we in fact do sin by choice. Our very own thoughts and desires can lead to sin, engaging in something that is morally wrong, whether it’s committing wrong or omitting right in the eyes of God. There are also external influences that can lure us into sinning with our thoughts, desires, attitudes, and behavior.

All people experience temptation to sin. Temptation itself is not sin but temptation to sin can actually become a sin when we give into the wrongful desire and thought.

Here’s a classic example; I’m sun-bathing at the community pool and notice some female in a bikini walk by and I look and then I have the tempting thought to lust after her body, but I chose in that moment to just acknowledge mentally that she is attractive and then I move on to other thoughts and subjects in my mind keeping them God-honoring. I’ve had many successes in Christ in recent years with this sort of temptation but I’ve also failed in the flesh before when such temptations to sin come upon me.

Let’s clarify the meaning of this prayer petition to God, “and lead us not to temptation”.

This doesn’t mean God causes us or forces us to sin. In fact, we read in Scripture that God doesn’t tempt people to sin.  

James 1:13-15 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. ¹⁵ Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

A better wording for this prayer petition could be “Do not lead us into the place of testing" or "do not lead us into circumstances where we will be tempted.”

For example, if you struggle with alcohol, then ask God to not lead you to a place where people are drinking alcohol. Or if you struggle with lust, then ask God to not lead you to a place where there is a Victoria’s Secret catalog or swimsuit magazines or websites with such content.

We do see in Scripture, God testing people and leading them to a moment of great testing. He arranges for His people to be tested. He allows His people to be tested.

Abraham is an example of someone being put to a great test by God who told Abraham to go sacrifice his promised son, Isaac. But at the last second, God the Provider, provided a lamb to take Isaac’s place. God tested Abraham’s faith in God and He also taught Abraham a lesson on who is most important, God Almighty.

God also at times gives permission to the Devil to tempt us to sin. We see this in the book of Job. We also read that Jesus said Satan had asked to sift Peter like wheat.

Pastor/Author John MacArthur wrote “God allows the trials in which temptation can occur, not to solicit believers to sin, but to move them to greater endurance.” God wants to grow His people in holiness and into great faith and obedience in Christ.

Jesus is teaching us in this prayer model that we are to ask God to not lead us into such testing. We are to pray that we don’t experience such testing and temptation to sin, for we are very vulnerable to sinning.

Is there a testing or temptation you are struggling with right now that you need to cry out to God about and tell a trusted friend about?

I’m tempted with pride, selfishness, and lust a lot. I’m tempted with self-sufficiency and to not spend quality time with God in my personal time. I’m tempted to envy what others have. I’m tempted to be spiritually lazy instead of focusing on the main thing in Christ. I need to ask God for help in these matters regularly, before and during temptations, and I need to depend on Christ moment to moment.

God, do not lead us into temptation! This petition follows with another petition and they go together. God, do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from evil.

The original Greek word here translated “evil” in some Bibles is not the neuter form but masculine form which means the most accurate translation would be “Evil one” instead of just evil. Evil One definitely refers to Satan, the Devil, who is the lead spiritual enemy of God although nowhere near equal to and definitely not greater than God.

Pastor/Author Warren Wiersbe wrote, “Do not lead us into temptation simply means keep me alert. Keep me aware of the fact that the Wicked One, the Devil, is around and that he wants to trip me up.”

Are we alert, on guard, discerning between right and wrong, and knowing who the enemies of God are and how they work?

In Scripture, Satan is referred to as the tempter and accuser of God’s people and God, for the time being at times, allows Satan to tempt or test His people. Jesus, thru this prayer model, is teaching us to ask God to deliver us specifically from the Devil and his works of evil. And I believe there is a principle here that can be applied to any demon and anyone who is serving the devil.

A real time example of these prayer petitions was the night Jesus was in the garden just before His arrest when He exhorted His disciples like this, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” Jesus knew there would be spiritual warfare that evening and the devil would attack Him and His disciples. So, pray in advance of such attacks and pray during those tests and temptations. Pray for yourself about this and pray for others (notice the community context in this prayer model) as the Lord leads you.

Satan is the great tempter and He’s also an accuser who accuses us of not being right with God, or not being a good person, and we struggle with shame and unhealthy bad guilt. We think we are losers, failures, and don’t matter, or we are not truly saved when you actually are by God’s grace through faith in Christ.

Jesus provides His redeemed with victory over the devils’ accusations:

Romans 8:33-34 ESV Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

And Jesus is our great deliverer:

Galatians 1:3-5 ESV Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, ⁴ who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, ⁵ to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

There are many other Bible verses to help us with spiritual warfare:

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

1 John 4:4 ESV Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

See also Ps. 3:3, 34:7...

Theologian RC Sproul’s comments related to this prayer petition:

 “Martin Luther is a powerful example in this. Luther had an acute awareness of the presence of Satan. On one occasion, he threw his inkwell across the room, saying he had seen Satan’s unbridled assault against him to try to make him compromise, fall into despair, or deny the faith. In this struggle, Luther resorted to prayer, and he went to his knees every day to pray the Lord’s Prayer, specifically this petition; do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

We should be asking God regularly to help us avoid the entrapments and dangers related to sin that we would trust Him to help us be overcomers in Christ when we are tempted to sin and that He would deliver us from any sin bondage and attacks of the enemies of God in our lives.

Praise God that when we are tempted, God provides a way out:

1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

  

And when we do sin; God’s process for getting right and being right with Him is confessing that sin and accepting His forgiveness. 1 John 1:9 ESV If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Praise God we can be cleansed of our sins and be reconciled and right with God. This divine process is available to us not as a license to sin but by God’s grace to help us grow in personal holiness. We need to also ask God to help us repent of our sinful ways and, instead of sinning, to help us cultivate holiness in our lives.

RC Sproul’s personal prayer petition: “I often ask myself how I would measure up if God allowed me to be severely tested. I honestly don’t know and I don’t want to have to find out. So I often pray this petition to the Lord’s Prayer, asking; O Lord, please, please, keep that hedge around me. Don’t put me in that place of testing. Deliver me from the Evil One, who goes about like a roaring lion, ready to devour whomever he will. I pray for divine protection from all the forces of evil that surround us, and I believe this petition should be on every believers’ lips each day.”

How about you and me? Are we regularly praying, with faith in God, this prayer model for ourselves and others? God, do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from the evil One!

What are your thoughts on what I’ve included here about this prayer petition?

Mike

Fuel & Medicine for the Soul; Hope

There was a time when I hoped I would get my own driver’s license and drive on my own; when I hoped I would graduate from college with a BS degree and then later on with a Masters degree; when I hoped I would marry a wonderful woman; when I hoped I would travel to another continent on a missions trip; when I hoped I would be able to father a son and daughter. The list goes on of various hopes I’ve had in my life and the examples above have come true and there has been great joy in them.

Hope, in general, is an expectation of something good to happen in the future (Rom. 8:23-25). One child said this at bedtime, “Now I lay me down to rest; I hope to pass tomorrow’s test. If I should die before I wake, that’s one less test I have to take.”

I asked one of my sons out of the blue, “What do you hope for?” His answer, “My own smart phone and a new car.” I can relate since I’ve hoped for such things at various times in my life. And that’s how we are about hope at times, to some degree; that we want better things that we think will make us happier and/or our life better. People may hope in many things; certain achievements to happen, certain relationships to come to fruition or improve, a bigger house and better automobiles, the dream bucket list items to check off, and the like. It can be okay to have hope toward such things, for God-honoring reasons, but there are greater things to hope for.

“Hope looks for the good in people instead of harping on the worst in them. Hope opens doors where despair closes them. Hope discovers what can be done instead of grumbling about what cannot be done. Hope draws its power from a deep trust in God and the basic goodness of mankind. Hope "lights a candle" instead of "cursing the darkness." Hope regards problems, small or large, as opportunities. Hope cherishes no illusions, nor does it yield to cynicism.” Unknown author

Some people are desperate for hope and are clinging to hope by a thin margin. Perhaps, there has been the death of a loved one, or life is deteriorating quickly, or there are very difficult circumstances and sufferings being experienced. Fortunately, there is always hope in God for the living (people, that is).  

In contrast to hope, there are feelings and thoughts of despair, hopelessness, gloom and doom, and a sense of nothing good to look forward to. This is no way to truly live and this is not how God wants us to live.

The psalm writer of Psalms 42-43 was deeply discouraged (i.e. despondent: downcast, downhearted) about something but chose to hope in God.

Psalm 42:5 ESV Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation

Abraham was promised by God to be the father of many generations but as Abraham became quite old, around 100 years old, without children, he must have wondered when and if he would ever have kids. But his hope was in the Lord and the promises of God because Abraham believed what God promised would come true. Abraham had hope in God and His promises regardless of his circumstances.
Rom. 4:18-23 NLT Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!” ¹⁹ And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb. ²⁰ Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. ²¹ He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. ²² And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. ²³ And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded
See also Rom. 4:17, 23-25

Hope is the physician of every misery. Irish Proverb

The Holy Bible teaches that God is the God of hope (Rom. 15:13). And as we believe Him and trust Him day by day you and I can grow in God-centered hope. God is amazing and does the amazing. He creates something out of nothing. He does the impossible. He saves that which is lost. He says things will come to pass and they do come to pass. There is no greater power, love, source of hope and reason to hope than God.

“When you say a situation or a person is hopeless, you're slamming the door in the face of God.” Charles L. Allen

Here are some more key Bible truths about hope.

Jesus is referred to as the Blessed Hope and our hope (Tit. 2:13, 1 Tim. 1:1) because He is the Creator, Savior, and Lord and source of eternal life and the source of abundant life (Titus. 3:7, Col. 1:5, John 10:10m John 10:28, Heb. 12:2). He gives His redeemed a living hope (1 Pet. 1:3-5). By God’s grace through faith in Christ one can have eternal life, true life. This is our greatest hope, a hope for eternal life in Christ and for God’s intended life for us now.

“The resurrection of Jesus Christ is our hope today. It is our assurance that we have a living Savior to help us live as we should now, and that when, in the end, we set forth on that last great journey, we shall not travel an uncharted course, but rather we shall go on a planned voyage—life to death to eternal living.” Raymond MacKendree

The Bible teaches there are some who have no hope (because they are separate from Christ, from God).

Eph. 2:12 ESV remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. ¹³ But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

See also 1 Thess. 4:13

We can experience hope through God’s Word.

Rom. 15:4 ESV For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. See also Ps. 119:114

Christ-centered hope is important; in fact, it is one of the three top virtues of the Christian life (i.e. faith, hope, and love; 1 Cor. 13:13).

Hope and faith in God go together.

Heb. 11:1 NLT Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. Also 1 Pet. 1:20

There is a patience of hope that honors God.

1 Thes. 1:2 NKJV We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, ³remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father,

“Hope has a thick skin and will endure many a blow; it will put on patience as a vestment, it will wade through a sea of blood, it will endure all things if it be of the right kind, for the joy that is set before it. Hence patience is called "patience of hope," because it is hope that makes the soul exercise patience and long-suffering under the cross, until the time comes to enjoy the crown.” John Bunyan (1628-1688)

God’s people are to rejoice in hope (Rom. 12:12) and give others the reason for the Christ-centered hope you have in your life (1 Pet. 3:15).

There is joy and gladness for God-honoring people with hope (Prov. 10:28).

Rom. 5:5 NKJV Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

We please God (Ps. 147:11) and are blessed people (Ps. 146:5) when we have hope in God.

Does eternally significant hope come from God and/or do you and I have responsibility in choosing hope? I believe the answer is both.

Jer. 29:11 (ESV) For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. See also Ps. 62:5, Rom. 15:13

Ps. 71:14 (ESV) But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more.

Ps. 78:7 (ESV) so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments;

Hope is essential according to God’s plan for you and me. Are you experiencing a living hope in Christ right now? How do you let others know about your hope in God and His promises?

“Hope, the balm and lifeblood of the soul.” John Armstrong

So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. ¹⁹ This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. ²⁰ Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek. Heb. 6:18-20 (NLT)

Christ-centered hope is like an anchor of fuel and medicine for the soul. Hope in the Lord God Almighty!

What do you think about what I’ve compiled here about hope in God?

Mike

Roadblock to Recovery, Help, Growth, & a Better Life: Denial

One of my children has become an expert at not taking personal responsibility and not admitting when a personal wrong has been done. Often, when confronted with such inquiries and accusations, this child immediately has a response that points blame elsewhere or declares nothing wrong happened, though the truth is this child was personally responsible for something wrong that took place. This is denial.

When I was a kid, I remember sometimes being the “not me” kid or the ‘I didn’t do that” kid when in fact it was me and I did do that at times. I lied in such situations probably to avoid getting into trouble. This was a form of denial.

The problem of denial is that it’s not just a kid thing or a river flowing in Egypt. Denial is something all of us need to be keenly aware of in our own personal lives because it’s a roadblock to better things like being a better person. 

What if you or I are using denial as some sort of self-protecting defensive mechanism when confronted, or spiritually convicted, about the truth, the reality, regarding something in our personal lives? Is denial a mask I am wearing to suppress or ignore a real issue in my life, to possibly avoid being open, honest, and found out by others?

Denial is not being truthful with yourself, God, and others that there is something wrong in your life. There is something broken. There is something messed up and so you don’t admit there is an issue, a hurt, a habit, and/or a hang-up that is keeping you from being all that God wants you to be. Denial is a false system of personal beliefs that don’t jive with the truth. Denial extends your issues and multiples them.

Can you think of some people in the Holy Bible who were in denial?

How about Adam and Eve (Gen. 3)? God told them not to eat of a certain tree and they disobeyed God after being deceived and tempted to do so by the Satan-influenced serpent. Eve ate it first and then Adam. God confronted them and Adam blamed God and Eve and then Eve blamed the serpent. This is an example of denial.

How about many of the Pharisees in the days of Jesus? It is written (i.e. Matt. 23:2-3, 27-28) that they were hypocrites who knew about scriptural truth and would teach/preach it to others, but would not live it out personally. They appeared righteous on the outside but they were in fact like tombs of dead bones on the inside.

How about King David (2 Sam. 12). He committed adultery with a married woman, Bathsheba, and ordered her husband to go to the front lines in battle which led to the man’s death. God’s prophet, Nathan, came to David and rebuked him for these sins and spoke of divine consequences. David was living in denial, but praise God, after this intervention he confessed and repented.

Denial is like being in a small cramped room with a full grown wild elephant and believing/stating that the elephant is not present or not an issue. Denial is like drinking alcohol regularly to the degree that such behavior is destroying your relationships and eating away at your employability but yet you tell yourself and others that you don’t have a drinking problem. Denial is like thinking it’s okay if I lust about others just in my mind or from looking at porn because this won’t hurt anyone else. Denial is like wearing a t-shirt to church that says, everything is fine, but you, those who live with you, and God know otherwise.

Denial often overlaps with self-deception and deceiving others. The Devil is known as the great deceiver (Rev. 12:9) but we know a thing or two about it as well, don’t we?

Edward George Bulwer-Lytton, “The easiest person to deceive is one's own self.”

Erwin W. Lutzer, “We are experts at deceiving others and ourselves too!”

Note: Quotes above from Draper's Book of Quotations for the Christian World.

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 1 John 1:8 ESV

For years as an adolescent I compared my anger to another specific person’s anger and I would think to myself that he had a big temper problem. I felt like I never acted out like he did in anger so I don’t have any anger issues. But the truth is, I’ve had several sinful anger episodes in my life. I was in fist fights when I was a kid and adolescent. I’ve been mad and aggressive at times when I was very frustrated or felt threatened. As a parent, I’ve yelled at and tried to intimidate my sons in my anger before. In years past, I was in personal denial about anger in my life. I thought, “I’ve seen others really lose their temper and escalate in rage. That’s not me. They have a problem. I don’t.” That was denial in my life! And if I kept wearing a mask of denial and self-deception that there was no anger issue to address in my life how would I ever get some help and truly change for the better?

Have you ever worn some sort of mask of denial, thinking to yourself you have no issues in your life, telling others you are fine, wanting others to think you are fine but you are not really because there truly are issues in your life? Have you ever been in denial that someone close to you doesn’t really have a problem when in fact they do have a problem?

There is a living hope for those who trust Jesus Christ as personal Savior and Lord and live according to God’s Word for His people today.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1:3-5 ESV

Denial a key roadblock to personal recovery, receiving help, and growing as the person God desires you to be. This is why Lesson #1 in Celebrate Recovery is about Denial. In order to really have the better life that God wants you and I to have we must acknowledge and move past this denial roadblock in our life before real progress occurs.

If you are struggling with denial, or any hurts, habits, or hang-ups, then give your life fully to Jesus Christ and expect Him to intervene and minister to you through His Word, His people, and circumstances to guide you on the right path. You and I need to take personal responsibility in this spiritual growth/recovery journey and God will help us and bless us and others through us greatly when we do.

                               

John Baker wrote (from Celebrate Recovery Leader’s Guide), “Walking out of denial is not easy. Taking off that mask is hard. Everything about you shouts, “Don’t do it! It’s not safe!” But it is safe.”

It is safe with God and the right and good thing to do. It can also be safe by opening up with a trusted friend or group about the true issues in your life. It can be safe in a ministry like Celebrate Recovery which seeks to promote a safe and confidential environment for open sharing.

What’s holding you back in denial? Do you fear others finding out about your issues? Are you afraid of your past or your future? Are you afraid to change in the present? Are you avoiding personal responsibility? Are you trying to avoid potential consequences?

God is good and He has a plan for His people that is part of His overall plan to work things out according to His good purposes. He wants you to experience joy and peace and comfort from Him. He wants His redeemed to experience the abundant life as well as eternal life in Christ.

Personal denial is a roadblock to God’s good plans for you. Denial keeps you stuck in issues instead of growing in freedom according to God’s gracious will.

John Baker wrote (from Celebrate Recovery Leader’s Guide), “Step out of your denial so you can step into Jesus’ unconditional love and grace and begin your healing journey of recovery.”

..and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. John 8:32 ESV

For more information about stepping out of your denial, check out a ministry like Celebrate Recovery.

What do you think about what I’ve written here about denial being a key roadblock to recovery, help, growth, and a better life?

Mike

What is God’s Will for My Life?

This is a question many God-fearing/God-loving people have pondered and it comes up often in my ministry to young adult college students. There is some confusion and mystery that many people have about God’s will, sure, and some of this is because we can’t and don’t know everything about God and His will, but the good news is that we can know some truth about God and His will that can and should be applied to our lives.

The first and main place I look for such truth is God’s Holy Word where we see His will refers to His plans, purposes, decisions, commandments, and guidance. Think of your own personal volitional will.

Some examples of my will:

- I will that I get out of bed on a workday morning to go to work. I will that I bathe on a regular basis for good clean hygiene.

- Sometimes it is my will that I desire to dunk a basketball over a tall guy or go for a walk in a remote area but I don’t always tell anyone else that this is my will so it is hidden to them.

- I will that my young children clean up after they make messes around our home. My children have learned that this is my will for them but they don’t always obey my will. They have some freedom in their decision making and behavior yet there is still personal responsibility and accountability.

God’s will is similar to these examples although God is also very different and unique because He is the eternal self-existent perfect Holy sovereign spiritual Creator Savior Lord almighty being.

We are exhorted in Scripture to learn about God’s will and live accordingly.

Ephesians 5:17 (ESV) Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Romans 12:1-2 (ESV) I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. ² Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

There are two aspects of the will of God I want to highlight.

1) The Decreed Will of God

This is sometimes known also as the Sovereign Absolute will of God.

Here’s an example. God the Father decreed beforehand that the eternal Son of God would become flesh and die for our sins and rise in victory. This is God’s will and it was going to happen and it did happen because God decreed it to happen. God also ordained, planned for, and allowed/permitted opposition to Jesus, including violence against Jesus, to take place related to His death on the cross.

Luke 22:21-22 (ESV) But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. ²² For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!”

Acts 2:23 (ESV) this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.

Acts 4:26-28 (ESV) The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed’— ²⁷ for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, ²⁸ to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.

Consider some Bible verses that teach God has a sovereign will (plan, purpose) over all.

Ephesians 1:11 (ESV) In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,

Matthew 10:29-30 (ESV) Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. ³⁰ But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.

God’s providential overall plan covers even the “small potatoes” matters and details of His creation.

Prov. 16:1, 9, 33 ESV

¹ The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD.

⁹ The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.

³³ The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.

Proverbs 19:21 (ESV) Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.

Proverbs 21:1 (ESV) The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will.

Daniel 4:35 (NLT) All the people of the earth are nothing compared to him. He does as he pleases among the angels of heaven and among the people of the earth. No one can stop him or say to him, ‘What do you mean by doing these things?’

Job 42:2 (ESV) “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

Isaiah 46:10-11 (ESV) declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’ ¹¹ calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.

See also Jer. 18:6, Isa. 45:9, Ps. 135:6, Prov. 21:30, Job 12:10, Deut. 32:39.

Along with His sovereign will over all things, there are aspects to God (i.e. His thoughts, ways, will) that are unknown to us, a mystery to us.

Deuteronomy 29:29 (ESV) “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.

Isaiah 55:8-9 (ESV) For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

And even though there are unknowns about God and His will and in this creation there is sin, evil, suffering, and difficult circumstances there is still this divine truth that God is sovereign over everything and He will work things out for His good purposes.

Romans 8:28 (ESV) And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

God’s redeemed should find comfort in these truths about God’s will and purposes that He is sovereignly in control of His creation yet we are not puppets living fatalistic lives. He controlling everything to the degree that our decision making doesn’t matter. He has given us a degree of free will under His Sovereign purposes. Because of this there is another aspect to God’s will.

2) The Prescriptive Will of God

What is meant by prescriptive here refers to something that we are to obey, follow, do, or not do (the prohibition could be called proscriptive). This prescriptive will of God refers to His commands, laws, and instructions we are to carry out in our lives.

Here are some Bible examples:

1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 (ESV) For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; ⁴ that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, ⁵ not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God;

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (ESV) give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1 Peter 2:15 (ESV) For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.

1 Samuel 15:22 (NLT) But Samuel replied, “What is more pleasing to the LORD: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.

God’s will is that we obey Him, but people don’t always obey God’s commands and requirements for us and God doesn’t force us to obey Him. This has been happening since the first humans, Adam and Eve, chose to disobey God. God commanded them to not eat of a certain tree and a serpent (influenced by or a manifestation of Satan) tempted them to disobey God and they disobeyed God. It was God’s prescriptive will that Adam and Eve obey Him. They had freedom to make a moral choice with this aspect of God’s will.

This prescriptive moral will of God for our lives is important to follow. Jesus taught His followers to pray this to God, the Father, “your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Mt. 6:10b

The eternal Son of God, Jesus, set an example for us in prioritizing His incarnated life according to the will of God the Father:

John 6:38 (ESV) For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.

John 4:34 (ESV) Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.

His redeemed should prayerfully study Scripture for God’s prescriptive will of our lives and live accordingly. This pleases Him and honors Him and will impact lives with eternal significance.

God’s Will For Your Life

Usually, when someone asks, “What is God’s will for my life?” they are looking for some sort of detailed individual will of God plan for their lives, wanting to know details about their future in this life, like should they go to college or marry and if so where and whom; What about this “fork in the road” decision? Should I get this or be this or do this? etc….

These sort of personal circumstantial details are not spelled out in Holy Scripture but God has given us principles to live by that can and should be applied to our lives. Be careful; however, because we are exhorted to not worry and when we try to control the details of our future when God has not revealed His will about such things we are not trusting God and waiting on His timely guidance in our lives.

The nutshell answer to the question, “What is God’s will for my life?” is to accept Christ as your Savior and Lord and seek to live according to God’s Word for His people today. This is the essential foundational guideline that will keep your pointed in the right direction of God’s will for your life.

Trust God (namely, Jesus Christ) as your Savior and Lord by His grace through faith in Christ.

Ask God to help you understand and live by the revealed “proscriptive” will of God for God’s people today. We don’t have to know everything about God and His will in order to live according to His revealed will (from Scripture).

Pray that you delight in the Lord and that your desires align with His will (Ps. 37:4).

Follow a God-honoring decision making model. Sometimes you face a “fork in the road” decision when neither one is a sinful path so what decision should you make? From my “God-honoring Decision Making” blog entry (http://mikesmorals.blogspot.com/2014/04/god-honoring-decision-making.html), here are eight key steps to follow:

1) Pray to God (& fast), trusting Him throughout the process.

2) Seek relevant knowledge and understanding.

3) Seek biblical-based discernment.

4) Seek wisdom from God, His Word, & God-honoring people.

5) Analyze and compare information/options.

6) Wait on the Lord, be patient, to give you a sense of peace about it.

7) Ask God for increased living faith in Him.

8) Go ahead, when the timing is right, make the decision for the glory of God.

Keep in mind that relevant knowledge includes a growing self-awareness of how God has wired you for life and ministry; i.e. spiritual gift(s), strengths, God-honoring passions and skillsets.

Give lots of personal attention to being the person of God He biblically calls you to be. When you are Christ-centered, Spirit-filled, and God-glorifying this is transcendently more important than your circumstances in life like college majors and degrees, career, marital or parenting status, financial level, and physical health. God is most interested in how Christ-like you and I are. When we get this right we are headed in the right direction of understanding God’s will better and better for our lives.

Ask God to help you discern His leading and guidance in your life. The more surrendered to God you live the easier it will be for you to discern this. When you are “walking by” the Holy Spirit (also “led by”, “live by”; Gal. 5:16-25) and making God-honoring decisions you don’t have to worry about possibly missing out on what God’s will is for your life because living by the Spirit is God’s will for your life. Trust God’s guidance in your life. He wants to give you a spiritual peace with His guidance.

It is in doing the revealed will of God that you and I will experience God-glorifying purpose, direction, joy, spiritual intimacy with Him (and His people), and eternal significance.

How do you think God helps us answer the question, “What is God’s will for My Life?” and what are your thoughts about what I’ve presented here?

Mike

Spirit-led Evangelism

Recently, I was asked by an international student, whom I was discipling, if I would baptize him and proclaim the Gospel to his gathered family at this special event. I was honored to do so and I praise God for the opportunity. I asked God to lead me to what Bible passage I should highlight and He led me to the following encounter between Philip and the Ethiopian.

Acts 8:26-39 ESV Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. ²⁷ And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship ²⁸ and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. ²⁹ And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” ³⁰ So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” ³¹ And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
³² Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this: “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. ³³ In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.” ³⁴ And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” ³⁵ Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. ³⁶ And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” ³⁸ And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. ³⁹ And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.

This Philip was likely the same man named in Acts 6 as one of a few whom the Apostles set apart, ordained, to assist them in ministry at that time. They were looking for men of good reputation and full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom (see Acts 6:3). Philip was one of these men.

Earlier in Acts 8, we read that Philip was ministering in Samaria to crowds; proclaiming the Gospel and healing people (by the power and name of Jesus Christ).

Then the Angel of the Lord spiritually called Philip to go to a certain deserted pathway. He was not called to a mega-church or stadium crusade. In this instance, Philip was called away from a crowded ministry setting to what probably seemed like the middle of nowhere. But there were some people there. This was a divine appointment.

Philip came near an Ethiopian man whom the Holy Spirit told Philip to approach. In fact, Philip ran to him, probably because the chariot was moving. This man was very important in his Queen’s courts. He also had some level of belief in the Lord God almighty because he had just come from worshiping Him in Jerusalem. On the road, he was reading aloud a Bible scripture by the prophet Isaiah. Philip politely asked if he understood what he was reading, but the man said he needed guidance to understand this passage (as do all when it comes to our salvation and discipleship; Rom. 10:14-17). The man was reading verses from Is. chp53, a passage that points to the coming Messiah, the Savior, we all need.

Here are a couple verses from Isa. 53; 5-6 ESV But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Just recently in the days of Philip and this Ethiopian, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, fulfilled these prophetic statements written hundreds of years earlier by Isaiah and Philip knew this. Then Philip opened his mouth and told this Ethiopian man the great news, Gospel, of Jesus Christ beginning with Isa. 53.  And since the Ethiopian soon afterwards wanted to stop to be baptized in water, I read between the lines that moments before his baptism he accepted Jesus Christ into his life as Savior and Lord.

Here are four take-aways from this passage I want to highlight:

1) The Importance of the Holy Spirit in Evangelism.

The Holy Spirit knew there was an Ethiopian in seeker mode for salvation (because God drew/pointed him in this direction) and the Holy Spirit knew he had an empowered Spirit-filled Christ-follower, Philip, who “could” go share the Gospel with this Ethiopian.

The Spirit (Holy Spirit) somehow impressed upon Philip to go up to the Ethiopian’s chariot. And after the baptism the Spirit carried Philip away. God directed Philip to the right person at the right time. The Holy Spirit was at work before, during, and after this Gospel encounter between these two men. The Holy Spirit is an essential component to evangelism. We shouldn’t be trying to do evangelism by way of our flesh; what we think we can do in our own efforts.

The Holy Spirit will impress upon a Christ-follower through different means (i.e. thoughts, burdens, convictions, Scripture, people) and we need to ask God to fill us with the Spirit and help us discern His voice and take the next steps.  Being “full of the Holy Spirit” (see Eph. 5:18) means one is “led by” the Holy Spirit (also “walk by”, “live by”; Gal. 5:16-25) and discerning of His leading in your life.

The most effective evangelism will be Spirit-led evangelism. God is at work all around us and He expects His people to be Spirit-led.

2) The Importance of Faithful Obedience to God.

I believe God’s primary evangelism vehicle comes through a human instrument, especially a Christ-follower who is faithful in sharing the Gospel. When I accepted Christ as my Savior and Lord at age 9 it followed many Gospel presentations I had heard from my church Sunday School teachers and Children’s Church leaders and my own mother.

God is not forcing His people to share the Gospel but He has called us to do so and He desires to equip and empower us for this important ministry. Are we willing and faithful, though? Philip was. You may not be uniquely gifted as a professional or large scale evangelist but all Christ-followers are called to be Christ’s witnesses to proclaim the Gospel.

Philip accepted this witnessing commission from Christ. In Acts 8, we notice Philip was faithful and obedient to the leading of God in his life. This is spiritual success in one’s life. God is the One who spiritually draws people unto Himself as their needed Savior. God does the actual saving/salvation. Philip did not save anyone from their sins. God is the One who did great evangelism ministry through Philip who was willing, available, and faithful to serve God in sharing the Gospel with people.

Praise God, Philip was not the common mute Christian witness that is so prevalent today nor was he a vague witness nor an overly aggressive witness. Following God’s prompting, he politely began a conversation with this stranger in a friendly way right where the man was spiritually at that moment (actually reading a Messianic Bible passage).

I remember once in seminary when I was walking from my basement apartment to my car and I chatted with a contractor doing some work on the neighbor’s house. He told me he was very down because of a murder suicide his high school friend was recently part of. The Holy Spirit impressed upon my heart to point this man to the living hope that exists in the resurrected Christ but instead I kept things brief and general with that guy and did not mention what was really eternally significant and needed in that moment. Afterwards, I regretted that missed opportunity for ministry and my lack of obedience to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Praise God though, there have been other times when I sensed the Holy Spirit leading me to go talk to someone and transition the conversation to the person and works of Jesus Christ and I did that. How about you?

3) The Importance of God’s Word in Evangelism.

The Word of God is our major source of Gospel revelation from God to us. Acts 8:35 (ESV Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.) summarizes a key reason why the Holy Bible was written.

Romans 10:17 ESV So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God, especially the truth of the Gospel, to illuminate essential truth and draw people unto the Lord.

Let’s not major on extra-biblical illustrations and personal stories. These have their uses in evangelism but let’s be sure to major on using relevant Holy Scripture to communicate needed divine truth.

Do you and I have a good summary understanding of the Gospel according to God’s Word? Can you and I share the Gospel on a moment’s notice? I believe we should be able to do this and we should practice this and engage in this. If you had the opportunity today to talk with someone several minutes about the Gospel of Christ, which Bible verses might you highlight? Would any be from the Old Testament?

Let’s stay saturated in the Gospel of Christ; in our learning, in our remembering the truth we have learned, in our spiritual growth, in our proclamation of it.

4) The Importance of Cross-cultural Evangelism.

Philip was a Greek name and he was likely a Hellenist; a Jewish Christian who spoke Greek. His roots were possibly Palestinian. The Ethiopian was from another culture and land, Africa, and he was likely a dark skinned man. The point is, Philip did not just speak the Gospel to Jews or even Greeks. He spoke the Gospel to an African man (and to mixed-race Samaritans; earlier in Acts 8).

The Gospel is for people of all nations and tribes and Christ-followers are called to proclaim the Gospel to the whole creation (Mk. 16:15, Mt. 28:19). God created me Caucasian and I was born in Florida and my recent ancestors are Caucasian and were born in the US. This Gospel of Jesus Christ is not a US thing though, or a Caucasian thing, or just for or primarily for Caucasians and people who live in the US. This Gospel of Jesus Christ is the greatest news in all of creation and intended to bless everyone. It is a cross-cultural Gospel. The eternal Son of God became flesh. God came to us, the Jews first, then to non-Jews.

I’ve been outside the US to share the Gospel with people from another land and I’ve been down the street to share the Gospel with people from another culture or the same culture. Recently, I was blessed with the opportunity to proclaim the Gospel to a room of people who were from multiple continents and cultures and I spoke of this Acts 8 passage. In your circle of influence, are there people from other cultures (or you culture) you can speak to about Christ? Are we praying for such opportunities? Are we engaging in such ministry for the glory of God?

There are many people who would consider themselves religious and may even worship Jehovah/Yahweh but do they know Jesus Christ as Savior and the Lord of their lives by God’s grace through faith in Christ? And do you?

What are your thoughts about this encounter between Philip and the Ethiopian recorded in Acts 8 and what I’ve written here?

Mike