Mike's Morals

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

God-honoring Decision Making

We all have decisions to make constantly in our lives, some small, some big, and some more important than others. As a Campus Pastor at the world’s largest Christian university, I have many students asking me for help in making life decisions. They want to know which major to declare, which vocational path to pursue, which options to choose regarding internships, whether or not they should marry their significant other, etc.. I find myself sharing a model of God-honoring decision making that I have used over the years.

My wife and I made some big decisions ourselves recently regarding my change of employment, our relocation, and transitioning from living in a parsonage house to renting a house to buying a house. We are God-fearing people who try to make God-honoring decisions and we need help going about it. When it comes to decision making I do my best to look through a biblical lens as a born again Christ-follower. I walk through the following eight steps like a road map for God-honoring decision making and maybe you can benefit from them as well.

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.

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.

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

Prayer may seem cliché among some folks but it’s absolutely necessary. Christians should be praying to God not just to get help with our requests but to cultivate our spiritual intimacy with God, to grow our spiritual lives, to show our dependence on God, and to worship the One and only true God, our Savior and Lord.

Praying to God is vital in our relationship with Him and in making God-honoring decisions.

Ephesians 6:18a ESV praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.

Phili. 4:6-7 ESV do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

James 5:16b NLT The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

Be a student of prayer. Keep learning about prayer from God’s Word and engage regularly in prayer, including planned quality moments as well as spontaneous moments throughout your day and night. Pray specifically as the Lord leads. Saturate your life and decision making processing with God-honoring prayer.

Example statement prayers: God, show me whether or not I should be looking for a different job. God, reveal to me any red flags in your eyes about this job offer before me now. God, clarify in my heart if this is the person that I should propose marriage to and commit to in marriage the rest of my life.

Be careful about hindrances to effective prayer like unconfessed sin (Ps. 66:18) and praying amiss with the wrong motives (Jam. 4:3) and not praying according to God’s will (1 John 5:14).

Since I often associate fasting for spiritual purposes with prayer, consider going without food (or another important item in your life) to grow your spiritual hunger in God and the things of God showing God that you are serious about Him hearing your prayers and answering them, all for His glory. I have fasted many times over the bigger decisions in my life and it helped grow my dependence on the Lord and grow closer to Him.

2) Seek relevant knowledge and understanding.

Clarify and define the actual decision you are facing and then gather key information.

Knowledge is about facts, data, and information. Do research, learn, and gather knowledge related to the subject of your decision. If you are deciding whether or not to ask a person to marry you then don’t just waste time with him or her doing and talking about trivial things. Ask questions and observe things that are pertinent to the possibility of you spending the rest of your life together as a married couple. For example, Where do you see yourself in 5, 15, 20 years? What are the things that you highly value in life? What are your spiritual beliefs? Who is Jesus Christ to you? How has God wired you for ministry and vocation? What are you passion about in life? How would you describe marriage? Do you want to be a parent? If so, how many kids would you like to have and why?

Ask yourself, what important knowledge is needed related to the decision that needs to be made? Ask others what you should be learning and understanding in relation to your decision. Perhaps you can communicate with someone who has made a similar decision before.

Keep your scope of research relevant to what’s helpful in making the decision and realize that you don’t need to know everything to make a decision. As you gather relevant knowledge organize it and order it according to priority. Seek to understand relevant knowledge that can be useful to you in the decision making process and in moving forward once you make the decision.

Some of the relevant knowledge you should be gathering may relate to how God has wired you for life, work, and ministry for His glory. For example, What spiritual gift(s) has He given you? What talents, skills/abilities do you have? Strengths? Weaknesses? Your personality? Experiences?

Be curious. Ask a lot of questions. Ask God in prayer to help you gather relevant knowledge and understanding for your decision at hand.

Proverbs 10:14 ESV The wise lay up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool brings ruin near.

Proverbs 2:6 ESV For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;

I’ll write about wisdom in a separate step. For now, concentrate on gathering relevant knowledge and seeking to understand that knowledge and what has value to you.

3) Seek Biblical-based discernment.

What I mean by discernment is being able to distinguish between right and wrong and deem what is worthy in the eyes of God and what is not. God’s Word contains truth from God that provides us a moral compass in life. When it comes to decision making, if God’s Word declares something is wrong in His eyes then don’t chose sin, don’t chose to go against God’s Word and will for you.

If you are considering a job opportunity with a higher paying job living in a more preferable city, but the employer has a reputation of unethical practice then say no. If you are a single maturing Christ-follower and wondering if you should date a nonbeliever you are attracted to, don’t date this person. I’ve done this before. It’s the wrong decision.

Don’t compromise when it comes to biblical principles for God’s people today. Obedience to God is essential. Even Jesus emphasized submission to the will of God the Father (Mt. 6:10, Lk. 22:42).

Bible verses related to discernment:

Hebrews 5:14 ESV But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

Romans 12:2 ESV 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.

Ephesians 5:10 ESV and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.

Monday, March 31, 2014

Broken and Poured Out; a Great Example of Loving Jesus

It’s getting close to that time of the year in the Christian calendar known as the Passion Week of Christ. Probably when you first think of ‘passion’ you think of feeling well in a good sense about something or someone, extra joy and excitement and fulfillment. Passion can also refer to suffering and this is how it is used in Acts 1:3. The Greek word ‘paskho’ is translated as ‘passion’ in the KJV and ‘suffering’ in the ESV.

This Passion Week of Christ is one of the most important moments in all of human history. Jesus Christ triumphantly entered Jerusalem but later in the week was arrested, put on trials, beat and brutally punished, crucified, died for our sin, and then rose in victory over sin and death as the glorified Son of God.

During that week, before Jesus was arrested, a brief event occurred that demonstrated one person’s amazing love toward Jesus. God’s word teaches that God is love, that God demonstrates His great love toward us (especially through the Gospel of Christ), and we are called by God to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength as well as love our neighbor as our self.

In Mark 14, we read a great example of loving God in the flesh, Jesus Christ, and it’s on this passage I want to park in this blog because it’s important for Christ-followers to keep cultivating and growing our love for Jesus.

Mark 14:1-11 ESV
¹It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him, ²for they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people.” ³And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. ⁴There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? ⁵For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they scolded her. ⁶But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. ⁷For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. ⁸She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. ⁹And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.” ¹⁰Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. ¹¹And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. And he sought an opportunity to betray him.

What are we meant to remember and learn from a woman who broke an alabaster jar and poured out expensive perfume/cologne on Jesus? She teaches us how Jesus Christ and His message and ministry compels His true followers to love Him with an amazing love.

Here are four aspects of this woman’s amazing love toward Jesus?

1. She loved Jesus devotedly, vss3-9.

This woman’s amazing devotion of love toward Jesus stands in bookend contrast to the plotting of Jesus’ enemies to kill Him and the betrayal by one of His disciples.

Throughout the region, people were taking sides about what to do with Jesus. Even among His closest disciple followers, one was deciding to let his true colors of greed and disloyalty toward Jesus show and to side with the enemies who would bring about Jesus’ death. In the midst of growing tension and the impending actions of the religious leaders, one woman expressed her loyal love to Christ in a bold and unmistakable way. Her love for Jesus was not a passing emotion; it was marked by strong devotion.

I love the hymn, “I have decided to follow Jesus.” One lines goes like this: “Though none go with me, still I will follow. No turning back, no turning back.” This is how true Christ-followers love Jesus. They unashamedly express their loving devotion to Him above every other loyalty. They leave their comfort zones to express their love to and for Jesus. They show the world their love for Jesus. This woman loved Jesus devotedly.

2. She loved Jesus extravagantly, vss3-5.

John implied in his Gospel account that this woman is Mary of Bethany, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. John also wrote that the ointment was poured on the feet of Jesus which she wiped with her hair. This Mary popped up three times in the Gospels and each time she was at the feet of Jesus. Elsewhere she was eager to learn from Jesus and in another moment she was grateful Jesus raised her brother from the dead.

The nard plant was used to make perfume and it was probably imported like from India. The pure nard was very expensive. This was probably Mary’s most precious possession. It was close to a year’s wages for the average worker. The average individual income in Lynchburg, VA is around $20,000 per year. Imagine a perfume worth $20,000 today being poured out on someone.

This was a stunning example of love, devotion, and worship. By custom, she would show hospitality and honor to a distinguished dinner guest by sprinkling His head with a drop or two of this stuff, but in this instance she poured it all onto His head and feet.

And then came the wet blanket followers of Christ who thought the value of this expensive perfume was wasted, that it could have been used in a more practical way. They scolded her, criticized her. John’s passage mentions that Judas Iscariot was the leader of this criticism and that he was a thief so his motives were questionable.

I don’t have a lot of assets and money in our culture. Do you think it would be wasteful if I poured out something worth $20,000 onto Billy Graham or Mother Theresa in some sort of anointing ministry moment? How about onto my wife? And what if Jesus Himself was literally physically here this morning? Would it be a waste if I wanted to sacrifice so much to show my love to Him?

We see this sort of extravagant love toward Christ so rarely that, when in happens, it is almost scandalous. She loved Jesus devotedly and extravagantly.

3. She loved Jesus beautifully, vss6-7.

Jesus rebuked the rebukers. He stood up for Mary and noticed what nobody else in the room noticed or mentioned? He saw the beauty of her devoted and extravagant act of love. I love this phrase, “she has done a beautiful thing to me”. This is the God of the universe in the flesh acknowledging and commending Mary for this beautiful act of love toward Him.

Jesus was impressed by the sheer beauty of what she had done to him. He was about to experience a brutal, ugly, humiliating death and along the way He received some beautiful love. In the midst of angry conspiracy, harsh rebukes and personal betrayals, here was an act of love so obviously beautiful that it was like a rose growing in a garbage dump of sin. The ugliness of so many people’s sins make the beauty of her sacrificial love toward Christ even more meaningful. What do you say other than, “That was beautiful love given to our beautiful Savior”?

There will always be opportunities to minister to the poor in this world but how often do you have opportunity to minister to God in the flesh? Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, was in the house – and only one person seized the moment and gave Him the kind of honor and worship He deserved. And she did it for no other reason than loving Him. She broke and poured out the best, most precious possession she owned. Beautiful! This was a physical expression of what was true in her heart toward Christ. She loved Jesus devotedly, extravagantly, and beautifully. And lastly,

4. She loved Jesus gratefully, vss8-9.

Jesus connected the woman’s act of love to His coming death on the cross. Did Mary intend this all along? Some think she did and others think she didn’t. If she did, this was tremendous spiritual insight. What matters is what Jesus thinks about our acts of love toward Him.

This was the only anointing His body received before His death. In spite of the many times Christ had warned of His suffering and death, perhaps Mary was one of the few to take Him seriously. She was the sister of Lazarus who had heard His powerful life-transforming teaching and witnessed Jesus bring her dead brother back from the tomb, miraculously alive. She had personally experienced the grace and saving power of Jesus. Her loving act was fueled with gratitude for His unmerited favor.

Doesn’t it make sense that those who experience gospel grace be filled with loving gratitude toward Christ? We have spiritual hindsight now that Christ has already gone to the cross for our sins. In the eyes of Christ, her loving act was looking forward to the Savior’s atoning work, to the centerpiece of God’s redemption plan for humanity. Praise God! Thank God for Jesus Christ and His Gospel ministry.

Jesus commended her by saying, “She had done what she could.” That is all that God has ever asked any person to do.

In response to her love, Jesus etched her amazing display of love toward Him into a lasting tribute that will extend through and around the world wherever and whenever this gospel is proclaimed. Twenty centuries later, as these words are being shared right now, here, her memorial shines once again. It still fills hearts with its sweet aroma, even in our day, that this Christ-follower loved Jesus devotedly, extravagantly, beautifully, and gratefully.

I’m wondering how well we are doing at loving Jesus in such ways. What precious thing in our lives have we broken and poured out lately before the Lord as a sacrificial love offering to Him? How are we doing at loving Jesus devotedly, extravagantly, beautifully, and gratefully?

What does such love toward Jesus look like in our lives today? That depends on how the Spirit is leading you and me. Maybe, it means you and/or me are to sell a lot of our possessions or give them away to people in need for the kingdom of Christ, for God’s glory. Maybe God wants you and/or me are to downsize our spending for the sake of being more generous. Maybe, God wants you and/or me are to serve Him differently with our time, giftedness, and resources. Maybe, God wants you and/or me to go to a place that is unreached with the Gospel. Maybe, God is calling you and/or me to stop following the American Dream of materialism and instead live ‘all in’ for Jesus Christ to advance His kingdom purposes. Maybe God is calling you and/or me to be more outwardly passionate and public about our love for Christ and His kingdom purposes through us.

What do you think about this woman’s example of loving Jesus in Mark 14 and what I’ve written about it here and what are your ideas on how Christ-followers can show such amazing love to Jesus these days?

Mike

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

The Christian & Profanity

There are some words in our English speaking culture that are generally acknowledged in society as profanity aka foul language, bad words, cussing, swearing, cursing, obscenities, or expletives. What is profanity? The word profane means unholy, irreverence or contempt for God or sacred principles, vulgar. The biblical concept for ‘holy’ is based on God’s character and refers to being morally/spiritually pure and set apart from sin/evil. In God’s case, He is one of a kind uniquely holy as God (1 Sam 2:2) but He also calls His people to be holy for He is holy (1 Pet. 1:15).

This world is saturated with profane cuss words; they are heard (or read, or viewed) in the neighborhood, at school, our homes, at work, from movies, TV programs, internet videos/postings, articles, books, and magazines. And it isn’t just the non-Christians who are using profanity. Some Christians communicate foul language as well.

I won’t try to list a bunch of cuss words here because identifying them can be shocking and disgusting for some people. You know, this d-word, that s-word, this f-word and so on. Words themselves can be subjective in meaning and usage especially among different cultures over time. This is why we aren’t given a list in the Bible of which words are cuss words. So, we must rely on biblical principles to guide us and the conviction of the Holy Spirit in this matter.

Here are some things to keep in mind when identifying profanity. For a given word, does the culture in general consider that it could be used as a profane/cuss word? Does the modern dictionary consider it a vulgar, cuss, profane word among other definitions and uses? Also consider how the word is being used. What’s the motivation, attitude, and purpose behind it? Is the word being used in anger, frustration, or for shock value? Is the word being used to tear a person down? Is the cuss word being used just because it is popular in our culture? Is the word used in a sexually derogative way? Usage context is important as well. For example, the word ‘hell’ is a word found in the Bible, a noun, a place God made to send Satan and demons to (and it’s where people who haven’t been saved by the Lord go in eternity). You can use ‘hell’ in an edifying God-honoring way or you can use it in a profane way (use your imagination). If you are ever curious as to whether or not a word and its use is profanity that dishonors God, then ask God in prayer to give you insight and conviction about it, research the word, and ask a maturing Christ follower about their biblical based conviction.

Here are some Bible verses to consider about the subject of profanity:

Eph. 4:29 ESV Let no corrupting talk (NLT foul or abusive language) come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace (NLT be an encouragement) to those who hear.

The word ‘corrupting’ here in the original Bible language of Greek, sapros, means rotten, putrefied, worn out, not fit for use, bad quality, worthless. And the word ‘talk’ here, logos, can just as well be ‘communication’ so this includes writing, texting, emailing, and social media posting. It’s not just what rolls off our tongue but also what language we communicate and how and why we communicate what we communicate.

A key reason I am writing about this subject is because I have recently noticed more and more Christians posting things with foul language on-line and I have met with some Christian college students who use foul language. In my opinion, if you post something on-line with profanity, even a graphic/picture, it is like wearing a t-shirt in public with profanity on it and this should not be so for Christians. Hey, check out this cuss word. I endorse the use of this cuss word. It’s okay to use this cuss word and on and on it goes.

A similar passage is Col. 3:8-10 ESV But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.

Here the Greek word for ‘obscene’, aischrologia, refers to foul, obscene communication. The word ‘obscene’ in our culture refers to what is indecent, offensive to moral decency.

Eph. 5:4 ESV Let there be no filthiness (NLT obscene stories) nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.

2 Timothy 2:16 ESV But avoid irreverent (NKJV profane) babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness,

The Greek word for profane here, bebelos, can mean unhallowed, ungodly.

James 3:2-12 is a great passage about the problem of our tongues (our communication). Here is an excerpt; 8-10 ESV ⁸but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. ⁹With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. ¹⁰From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers,^£ these things ought not to be so.

Sometimes profanity includes using God’s name in vain and God’s Word clearly states this is wrong. Exodus 20:7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. If you are not honoring and glorying God with the use of His name, you are using His name in vain.

When we use certain words we should be wondering if God considers it unholy, dishonoring to Him even if no one else is around to hear or no one will read what we have submitted. Is this communication right in the eyes of God? If there is uncertainty whether it is profanity or not then take the high road in Christ and avoid using it. This is why I now avoid using words like ‘crap’ and ‘crud.’ They both have some vulgar connotations in our culture. Oops, I just stepped on some toes with that. When you are suddenly frustrated why not go with ‘bummer’ or ‘I don’t like that.’ There are word options that are not associated with profanity.

When you miss the nail and hit your finger with the hammer do you yell out a cuss word? Why not yell out ‘Ouch!’, ‘That hurts so bad!’ or just yell out noise like a scream? Why use a word that is associated with profanity? Our communication reveals the state of our heart. If the heart is not holy unto the Lord then unholy things will be communicated. I think a Christ-follower who is consistently filled with the Holy Spirit will have more self-control in such matters, will have goodness in the heart that pours out (fruit of the Holy Spirit) and using a cuss word becomes less and less likely. I’m not saying that a cuss word will absolutely never come out again. What I am saying is that consistent non-use of profanity is possible with God’s help and our proper response of increased living faith in Him and consistent holy obedience to God based on His Word for His people.

I believe that a maturing Christ follower will mature in biblical discernment between right and wrong in what and how they communicate as well spiritual convictions about what is okay regarding unnecessary profanity in what we watch, view, hear, and read. For me, this has been a spiritual process over the years to where I’ve come to the place in my life where I rarely use profanity. I can’t remember the last time I did, but I am not so good at saying no to various movies and TV shows that include unnecessary profanity. I could improve in this area of my life because I believe Christ-followers should be concerned as to not only what we communicate and how and why but also as to what we subject ourselves to for the sake of entertainment and leisure activities. A true believer in Christ has a new nature, is a new creation, and has the indwelling Holy Spirit along with the fruit of the Spirit. Christ-followers are called the temple of the Holy Spirit. Using profanity is a work of the flesh and at odds with the Holy Spirit within you (1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Gal. 5).

Maybe you don’t even realize that you communicate profanity and associate yourself with profanity. Maybe you think you are doing well not to use the major cuss words in our culture, but yet you use some ‘softer’ cuss words yet those words and their usage don’t honor and glorify God, don’t build up others, and don’t build you up in holiness and Christ-likeness. If you’re not sure cussing is a part of your life try asking someone close to you about this, if they notice you using cuss words or taking a lot of cuss words in.

Profanity will hinder your personal spiritual growth, harm your relationships with other people, undermine your salt and light in Christ testimony in this world, and have a negative impact on your spiritual intimacy with God.

There are other biblical principles related to the importance of our communication like keeping your tongue from evil, the tree is known by its fruit, what comes out of your mouth is what defiles you, we are to be gracious in speech, we are to set an example in our speech for the believers, and God will hold us responsible for the words we communicate (i.e. Ps. 34:12-14, Mt. 15:11, Col. 4:6, 1 Tim. 4:12, Mt. 12:33-37, 15:11; Luke 6:45). Take the time to study God’s Word on the subject of character and communication that honors and glorifies God. And if you are a believer in Christ who learns of another believer communicating profanity in some way, then speak the truth in love to them; use grace and truth, trusting in the Lord for help.

As Christ-followers, yes, we have freedom in the grace of God, but this doesn’t mean we have a license to be unholy in our communication. We are called to pursue holiness in Christ (Eph. 4:24; Titus 2; 1 Pet. 1:13-15 and 2:24).

And as always, in the Christian life, the principle of 1 Cor. 10:31 (So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.); is applicable. Whenever you wonder about what’s right and wrong regarding words, language, and communication; ask yourself, “Does this word and its use glorify God?” If the word is associated with cussing then why use it at all? Are you glorying God with your communication? To understand what glorifies God, learn from Scripture about God and His holiness and what pleases Him.

We all can and should ask God in prayer for help regarding the use of profanity our lives. Consider these two verses that should be prayed to God: Ps. 19:14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Ps. 141:3 Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!

God’s Word teaches that our words matter. Our communication matters. Our thoughts matter. Our attitudes matter. And these things matter not just in how we influence other people but they matter to God who is perfectly Holy and everywhere present (Ps. 139) and calls us to glorify Him. We should care most about what God thinks of our communication.

What, how, and why we communicate what we do matters to God and it should matter to a Christ-follower. May the Lord guide us, His people, away from using profanity and away from accepting profanity as morally okay. Let’s honor God with our character, our convictions, our conduct, and our communication; all to His glory. Let’s resolve to be holy for God is holy.

What are your thoughts about profanity and the Christian life?

Mike

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Six Baptisms; #2 Baptism by Holy Spirit (& into Christ)

This blog entry is the continuation in a series called ‘Six Baptisms.’ The first entry ‘#1 Baptism by Fire,’ which includes an introduction to this series, can be read at http://mikesmorals.blogspot.com/2014/03/six-baptisms-1-baptism-by-fire.html

As I wrote previously, the Greek word “baptizo” in the New Testament of God’s Word means to immerse, submerge, and/or cleanse.

It is by God’s special grace through faith in Christ through which a person receives Christ as Savior, receives the Holy Spirit, receives imputed righteousness from Christ, and receives the fruit of the Spirit among other divine blessings. We, unholy sinners, can enter into a current and eternal relationship with God by His grace through faith in Christ. This is amazing and this spiritual process of salvation in Christ involves a spiritual baptism sometimes referred to in Scripture as ‘baptism of the Holy Spirit, ‘baptism into Christ,’ or ‘baptism into one Body.’

I believe these biblical phrases refer to the same spiritual act of God in the life of a Christian today. This spiritual immersion and cleansing involves a spiritual union with and identification with the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ and His universal Body of believers.

Let’s consider some Bible verses that refer to this spiritual baptism.

Matthew 3:11 ESV “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

John 1:33 ESV I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’

John the Baptist taught here that Jesus Christ baptizes with the Holy Spirit which is different than the baptism John the Baptist was providing people before the public ministry of Jesus Christ. I’ll write more about water baptism and what John was doing in a later entry.

Galatians 3:26-27 ESV for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

This phrase ‘baptized into Christ’ refers to a spiritual immersion into Christ.

Romans 6:1-11 ESV ¹What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? ²By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? ³Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. ⁵For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. ⁶We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. ⁷For one who has died has been set free from sin. ⁸Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. ⁹We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. ¹⁰For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. ¹¹So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

To be baptized into Christ, to be a born-again saved Christ-follower, means to die to your sins (vs3) and to live a new life through the resurrection of Christ (1 Pet. 3:21).

What does this look like for a Christian? Consider Paul’s testimony: Galatians 2:20 ESV I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

1 Corinthians 6:17 ESV But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ESVOr do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, ²⁰for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

Christians are spiritually placed into Christ, in union with Him, and they have the Holy Spirit within them, and so we should live accordingly.

In 1 Cor. 12, Paul was dealing with a situation where the Corinthian church was splitting into factions over the issue of spiritual gifts. Overemphasis on certain spectacular gifts had led to the attitude that some people had the most desirable gifts, while others were deficient. In response, Paul wrote, "We're all one (in Christ)! Don't divide up into cliques!" And to prove his point, he wrote this to the Corinthian Christians, 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 ESV For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

What’s his main point here? All true Christ-followers share the reality of being baptized into Christ by way of the Holy Spirit. The phrase ‘into one body’ here refers to the Body of Christ, not meaning His physical body, but referring instead to His spiritual body which includes the universal Church of true Christ-followers in which He is the head.

Titus 3:4-7 ESV ⁴But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, ⁵he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, ⁶whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

I believe this passage refers to the baptism of the Holy Spirit through Christ.

When does this spiritual baptism occur? In modern day Christianity, I believe that the ‘baptism of the Holy Spirit’ and ‘baptism into Christ’ (& into one Body) occur simultaneously at the salvation conversion moment in a Christ-follower’s life. There is a spiritual justification conversion moment in God’s plan of salvation for people today. This is the moment when the person called by God begins trusting Christ as their personal Savior and Lord. It is God who declares the person is saved, and that they now have a position in His heaven, and he or she is reconciled with Him. I believe it is at this salvation moment that the person is sealed by and indwelt by the Holy Spirit, baptized by the Holy Spirit, and baptized into Christ and into one Body. Consider, in addition to the above verses:

Ephesians 1:13 ESV ¹³In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,

Romans 8:9 ESV ⁹You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

So, for personal example, when I was nine years old I received Christ into my life as my Savior and Lord. In that spiritual salvation conversion moment I was baptized by the Holy Spirit and baptized into Christ (& into one Body).

There are moments in early Christianity when some individuals received the baptism of the Holy Spirit after a salvation conversion moment; such as at Pentecost to the original Apostles (Acts 2) and to some Samaritan believers in Acts 8:14-17. I believe this was just part of the transition period from the incarnated days of Jesus Christ, to the beginning of the Christian church, and to the spread of Christianity to Jews, to Samaria and to the ends of the earth. By the time we get to Acts 10, I think we have the model for today; personal impact of the Gospel, trusting belief, and receive the Holy Spirit.

These days, I believe the ‘baptism of the Holy Spirit’/’baptism into Christ’ is a one-time spiritual act by God at the salvation conversion moment that spiritually identifies a person with God. There doesn’t have to be miraculous signs and wonders or dramatic recoveries from addictions or other major things occur at that moment, although salvation itself is miraculous and a big life-transforming deal! Praise God! If you are a true Christ-follower already you don’t need to seek a baptism of the Holy Spirit. It already took place.

Each genuine Christ-follower has the Holy Spirit in their life as God’s gracious gift; however, they are exhorted to be filled with the Holy Spirit (aka ‘led by’, ‘walk by’ or ‘walk in’, and ‘live by the Holy Spirit’). This means the individual Christ follower must decide regularly to ask God to fill him or her with the Holy Spirit, to choose to regularly yield to/submit to the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 5:18 ESVAnd do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,

Galatians 5:16-26 ESV But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. ¹⁸But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. ¹⁹Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, ²⁰idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, ²¹envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. ²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. ²⁴And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

The above passage gives us a glimpse of what it looks like to be a Holy Spirit-filled Christ-follower in contrast with being characterized by the immoral works of the flesh. Which do you align more with?

Being filled with the Holy Spirit is part of ‘progressive sanctification’ in a Christ-follower’s life. This maturing spiritual sanctification in Christ varies for each believer in their lifetime. There can be many fillings of the Holy Spirit, all the while the Christ-follower continues to be indwelt by and sealed by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit-filled life is characteristic of the Christ-follower who acknowledges their ‘baptism of the Holy Spirit’/‘baptism into Christ’ and they live accordingly for the glory of God.

I hope and pray that you have been baptized by the Holy Spirit and into Christ and are living accordingly. What do you think about this subject in Scripture and what I’ve written about here?

The next entry in this series will be about ‘baptism by water.’

Mike

Friday, March 7, 2014

Six Baptisms; #1 Baptism by Fire

Some folks would call me a Baptist and there is some truth to this. I’ve been baptized in more than one way. The first church I was ever involved in was a Baptist church. I’ve pastored in Baptist churches and I’m currently a member of a Baptist church. I am also ‘baptistic’ in my theological doctrine.

The word ‘baptism’ is used several times in the New Testament of God’s Word so I thought I would write about biblical baptism.

When you come across the word ‘baptism’ what’s the first thought that comes to your mind? Many would probably first think about some sort of religious practice involving water. And this true in one sense because there is a Christian baptism that involves water but not all baptisms in God’s Word are water baptisms. I see seven main types of baptisms in the Holy Bible. There is Baptism by Fire, Baptism by Holy Spirit (& into Christ), Baptism by Water, Baptism into Suffering, Baptism into John's Baptism (the Baptism of Repentance), and Baptism into Moses.

The following verses refer to these baptisms.

Matthew 3:11 (ESV) “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Romans 6:3 (ESV) Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

Acts 8:38 (ESV) So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.

Mark 10:38 (ESV) Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”

1 Corinthians 10:2 (ESV) and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,

I plan to write about all these types of baptisms but in separate blog entries. First up is Baptism by Fire.

To help us better understand the Biblical subject of baptism, let’s consider the New Testament Greek word translated into the English word “baptism”. The Greek word “baptizo” means to immerse, submerge, and/or cleanse.

When it comes to ‘baptism by fire’ think, immersion by fire. What could that mean? It doesn’t sound good, does it? I have played with fire a few times in my life, touched flames and been burned by fire but I would never want to be immersed by or in fire. This would be painful and deadly.

One time I attended a Monster Truck show (I know, I one of those guys who likes high performance engines and stunts) where a stunt man purposely sat in a car that exploded in flames. What? Are you kidding me? I am not that courageous or should I say ‘crazy?’ He then jumped out the fiery window on fire, ran a little bit, and then rolled on the ground as he was extinguished by firemen nearby. Some people call that entertainment and a way to earn money. Other people call that stupid crazy because being immersed in actual fire is life threatening big time!

There’s an idiom known as “baptism by fire” which is similar to “trial by fire” which refers to a very difficult experience with something. Matt. 3:11 is not referring to such an idiom or acting like a crazy stunt-person.

Don’t confuse this baptism by fire with the ‘tongues as of fire’ seen at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit dramatically came upon the Lord’s Apostles. That moment was a rare phenomenon event and not the same thing as baptism by fire referred to in Mt. 3.

In God’s Word, there is a connection between fire and God’s judgment upon people (i.e. Isa. 66:15-16). God is ultimately the judge over creation and He judges people based on His righteous holy just character. Praise God for His grace and mercy as well or we would all be in big trouble for eternity. The main types of God’s judgment upon people involve divine discernment between right and wrong and also divine separation between good and evil.

An example of God’s judgment of discernment is when true Christ-followers have their works processed by spiritual fire and the works that are God-honoring lead to eternal rewards.

1 Corinthians 3:10-15 (ESV) ¹⁰According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. ¹¹For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. ¹²Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— ¹³each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. ¹⁴If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. ¹⁵If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

An example of God’s judgment of separation between good and evil is found in Matt. 3:7-12 (ESV) ⁷But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. ⁹And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. ¹⁰Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ¹¹“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹²His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

Based on the context of this passage, this ‘baptism by fire’ refers to the judgment of separation between good and evil which is when God eternally separates those who trust God for salvation (according to His plan of redemption) from those who don’t; non-believers. The two groups are separated from each group and the non-saved group is separated from God, for eternity, in a horrible place the Bible calls Hell.

Consider the winnowing process which involves swinging a winnowing fan or fork tool to separate the kernels of threshed grain, such as wheat or barley, from the chaff with a current of air. The grain and its mixture of straw and husks were thrown into the air. The kernels of wheat or barley would fall into a pile on the Threshing Floor; and the chaff, (the junk not wanted) would be blown away by the wind.

In God’s Word, chaff symbolizes worthless, evil, or wicked persons (or things) that are about to be destroyed. For example,

Psalm 1:4-6 (ESV) ⁴The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
⁵Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; ⁶for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

Chaff is a fitting figure of speech to describe destruction by judgment. Those who are ultimately separated from God will experience this ‘baptism by fire.’ I believe this ‘baptism by fire’ will occur at the second coming of Christ, sometime in the future. God’s Word is not clear as to an exact date/time of His Second Coming. It only provides some signs pointing to it and some ordering of related future events.

The ‘baptism by fire’ is not something you want to experience. Consider some similar wording to ‘baptism by fire’ in this passage:

2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 (ESV) ⁷and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels ⁸in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. ⁹They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,

The great news is that you and I do not have to experience this eternal judgment from God if you experience the ‘Baptism by the Holy Spirit’ which coincides with the ‘Baptism into the Body of Christ’ about which I’ll write about in separate blog entries.

What do you think about this ‘baptism by fire’ mentioned in God’s Word?

The next entry in this series is found at http://mikesmorals.blogspot.com/2014/03/six-baptisms-2-baptism-by-holy-spirit.html

Mike

Come, Follow, Fish

Imagine being a Jewish fisherman in the region of Israel around 2000 years ago and a new spiritual leader guy, dressed in common man’s clothing, walks up to you where you are working near the shoreline and He invites you to follow Him. How would you react? We read about this scenario actually happening in God’s Word.

Mark 1:16-20 (NLT) ¹⁶One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. ¹⁷Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” ¹⁸And they left their nets at once and followed him. ¹⁹A little farther up the shore Jesus saw Zebedee’s sons, James and John, in a boat repairing their nets. ²⁰He called them at once, and they also followed him, leaving their father, Zebedee, in the boat with the hired men.

It’s interesting that these guys were common blue-collar fishermen. In this instance, Jesus did not call out to the most educated, influential, rich, and popular people. He called common men who worked hard with their hands and a couple of the fishermen (i.e. Peter, John) would become part of His inner circle, His closest followers.

When Jesus called them to follow Him He was using language that was clearly understood in that day among Jews. The leading rabbis and teachers would formally invite individuals to become their disciples/followers and learn by observing, listening and practicing the master’s example and teachings. This was a serious life-changing mentoring relationship. This was not a casual invitation from Jesus. It was a calling that would radically alter the course of these men’s lives and others through them.

This invitation Jesus extended to His first followers is offered to us in a similar way. It’s like our names are embossed in gold on His royal invitation to us. Jesus is royal, you know. The eternal Son of God was with God the Father on the throne above all thrones and then He became the incarnated God-man who walked the earth. He taught truth. He healed people. He did miraculous things and ultimately, He went to the cross and died for our sin to bring believers to God. He is resurrected now with a familiar body, yet fit for eternity. He literally ascended to the throne of God and He will literally return one day to fully establish His kingdom on earth and it is then that He will reign as King of Kings Lord of Lords for all to know. So, when Jesus gives you and me an invitation to follow Him, it is an eternally significant royal invitation, the most important one we will ever receive.

Mark 1:17 sums up the essence of Jesus’ royal invitation to us: Come, Follow, Fish!

1) Come.

Mark 1:17a Jesus called out to them, “Come..

Jesus is inviting people today, through Holy Scripture by way of the Holy Spirit, to come to Him, to begin a master/disciple relationship with Him. He desires for us to know Him as our Savior and Lord. He wants us to be in a relationship with Him now and forever, so He spiritually calls us.

From the very beginning of His public ministry Jesus proclaimed how to receive God’s good news. He said, (vs15) “Repent and believe.” Spiritually coming to Jesus begins with repenting from or turning from our rebellious and sinful condition before God and believing that Jesus is God the Father’s Son sent to be our delivering Savior and King.

These fishermen were curious about Jesus and His call to them. They were willing to come to Jesus who brings the good news and is Himself the good news we all need. To really come to Jesus spiritually you must be willing to believe this good news of Jesus, to believe upon Jesus Himself as the Savior and Lord you need.

In Isaiah 55:1-3 we receive a preview of God’s gracious Messianic invitation to people:

(ESV) ¹“Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. ²Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. ³Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.

And in the Gospel according to Matthew, Jesus gave a spiritually eloquent invitation to people to come to Him.

Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV) ²⁸Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

For us today, the risen glorified King of Kings Lord of Lords says through His Word and the Holy Spirit to you and me, “Come!” What’s your response to Christ when He says to you, ‘Come!’?

2. Follow.

Mark 1:17b Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me..

We have an idea as to what following Jesus meant for these particular fishermen. Jesus came to them, saw them and called them without delay to leave their nets behind and literally follow Him. In some ways it is different for us. Jesus does not physically step into the places where we live and work. He rarely speaks today in an audible voice, at least not to most of us.

What does following Jesus look like for us today? Mark wrote this Gospel account so that people like us could learn about following Jesus from those who experienced Jesus face-to-face and followed Him.

Much of what Jesus did then in His earthly ministry He now does as the resurrected ascended Christ seated at the right hand of God the Father. He works in us and through us spiritually Himself and by way of the Holy Spirit. He ministers to us through the written testimonies we find in Scripture and Scripture is foundational to discovering His desires and commands for us.

Jesus stepped into these four fishermen’s worlds. He saw them with eyes that knew them and knew what they were going to be under His loving leadership. He called them to step into a new life with Him. Jesus gave them the invitation and the men responded with faith and action. Saving and living faith always include a trusting response to what the Lord reveals about Himself and His purposes and promises.

The fishermen responded in ways that demonstrated genuine faith. They responded decisively. What they did, they did immediately. They responded by leaving important portions of their old lives behind; their nets, boats and their earthly fathers’ businesses. They followed Christ by going where He was leading them.

They left their fishing nets. We all have things in our lives that keep us busy, entangle us and distract us from the most important truth of all; knowing Christ, becoming more like Him, living for God’s glory. Some people fear leaving their jobs and towns and they fear how their families and friends may respond to their decision to follow Christ. Some people fear changes that will occur if they follow Christ. What are some nets that hold you back from fully following Christ and His way for you? Sometimes, a change of friends is needed. I’ve done that. Sometimes a change of vocation is needed; I have done that. Sometimes, a relocation is needed. I’ve don’t that as well. Always with Jesus though, it means a Christ-like spiritual transformation; to become more like Him.

In the four Gospels, Jesus said “follow me” several times. He gave this invitation frequently in reference to discipleship. For example, Mark 8:34 And he called to him the crowd with his disciples and said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

Jesus is calling us to come, to follow Him, to become one of His learners, students, pupils. This is what it means to be His disciple. And it’s about a full surrendered commitment to Christ, not some one time decision or part-time half-hearted devotion compartmentalizing it into some sort of religious check-list or religious portion of your week. Following Jesus is relational, ongoing, growing, and dynamic. It’s exciting and joyful. Christ is with His people always. There are many great Bible statements of promise and truth about who you are in Christ.

Are you genuinely following Jesus Christ? What is Jesus asking you to do without delay? What must you leave behind in order to fully follow Him? What must you ask God in prayer to help you change? What must you sacrifice? What next steps is Jesus leading you to take to fully devote yourself to following Him and learning from Him and becoming more like Him?

3. Fish.

Mark 1:17 Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!”

Jesus used the setting of the moment in the lives of these fishermen; nets, boats and men busy with their daily labors, to picture a new calling for His new disciples. There is much to learn when you follow Jesus and there are new fish to catch for these fishermen who left their jobs to follow Jesus.

Studs Terkel, in his book entitled Working, wrote that, “Our jobs are too small for our souls. What we really need is a calling.”

‘Come, follow, fish’ is a spiritual calling to be Christ’s disciple and His evangelist to the world. We are to spiritually fish in Christ’s name in our own sea of relational connections with people.

I remember when a mother and wife started attending a church. She came to a ladies ministry then had her kids attend the mid-week kids’ ministry and by way of some Gospel influence she gave her life over to Christ as her Savior. Then her life began to be transformed in Christ and she desired for her husband to be influenced by Christ through her and other Christians and for him to know Christ as his Savior. He started coming to church gatherings and he eventually responded in faith to Christ as his Savior. Amen. The wife was doing some spiritual fishing through her Gospel transformed life and God used that to bring her husband into a relationship with Christ. Amen.

Following Christ as His disciple always includes the call of Christ to communicate to nonbelievers about Christ. Evangelism was a primary purpose for which Jesus called the first disciples and it remains a central mission for Christ’s people.

“Rescuing men from sin is God’s great concern. The work of fishing men and women out of the sea of sin, the work of rescuing people from the breakers of hell, is the greatest work the church is called by God to do.” John MacArthur

John Knox once pleaded with God, “Give me Scotland or I die.” How does such a passion for lost souls compare with our personal goals and the ministries of the Lord’s church today? How much a part of our lives is this concern for reaching spiritually lost people with Christ? Jesus came to bring salvation to a lost world. He gathered followers who would emulate Him in this mission. For those of us who are already Christ-followers, how are you and I doing in our divine calling to be fishing for people for the sake of the Gospel? How are the Christ changes in our lives influencing other people toward Jesus? How are we doing at praying for lost people to be found and saved by Christ? How are we doing at communicating the Gospel to nonbelievers, to the ends of the world? Christ is the great news we all need. Christ is the living hope we all need. Let’s tell people about Christ.

This royal invitation Jesus gave to His first disciples should cause some big questions for each of us, like:

Have you spiritually sensed/heard Christ call you to Himself?

Are you truly a Christ-follower? Think about it. Has Jesus, by his Holy Spirit, stepped into your life and asked you to come to Him in a way that requires a changed life that honors Him? Have you repented or turned from your spiritual rebellion and placed your faith in Jesus as your Savior and King? If not, check out this blog: http://mikesmorals.blogspot.com/2013/09/great-news-gods-plan-for-true-life.html

Are you really following Jesus according to God’s Word? What is He leading you to do, right now, without delay? How will you respond with immediate and decisive faith in Him?

Do you live with a clear sense of Christ’s call in your life to become more and more like Christ including His commission to His followers to go and make disciples, to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth?

Does this royal invitation from Christ to you; “Come, Follow, Fish” sound like great wonderful news with important responsibilities or does it sound like a demanding obligation or something meant for someone else? What you truly believe about Jesus and His call to you through Scripture will determine how you answer the question.

Jesus extends a royal invitation to you and me. “Come. Follow. Fish.”

I have committed my life to Jesus Christ. I trust Him as my Savior and Lord. I serve Him as a Pastor in Christian ministry. I am seeking to know Him better and better and become more and more like Him and help others in the same way. I have much room for improvement spiritually like with being more involved in communicating the great news of Jesus to people who don't know Him. God's at work. My hope and prayer is that I am on the right track with Him and that I stay on the right track; all for God's glory.

When Jesus says to you, 'Come, follow, fish!' how are you responding?

Mike

Monday, February 24, 2014

What Stands Out about God; How about His Holiness?

In God’s Word, it is amazing how many instances of the word ‘holy’ occur as an adjective to describe various things and people. For example, holy law, scriptures, mountain, land, place, faith, kiss, covenant, crown, garment, water, nation, prophets, man, holy cow Batman! (no, that’s not in there). People and things can be declared or set apart as holy but the basis of true holiness is God Himself.

I’m going to unpack five key statements about the holiness of God.

1) God is Holy!

Multiple times in God’s Word, God called Himself holy, for example, Lev. 19:2b … I the Lord your God am holy. Perhaps the most prominent attribute of God revealed in God’s Word is His holiness. This one single truth about God would perhaps come closer to describing the eternal Creator Savior God more than any other characteristic of His.

Ok, God said He is holy, but what does this word ‘holy’ mean when it’s describing God? The Hebrew word in this verse is ‘kaw·doshe’; meaning sacred, set apart. Set apart from what? Set apart from evil and sin and when describing God this word points to God’s wholeness and perfection.

Bible Scholar Charles Ryrie wrote, “Ask yourself, what does it mean to be healthy? It means more than not being sick. Likewise, holiness is more than absence of sin; it is a positive, healthy state of being right and whole. This is what John meant when he wrote that “God is light and in Him is NO darkness at all,” 1 John 1:5.

God is pure, kind of like pure light where no darkness exists. And of course light contrasted with darkness here is a moral contrast as well. God is holy. God is spiritually and morally pure and perfect.

2) God is uniquely Holy.

There is none holy like the Lord:, 1 Sam. 2:2a

For You alone are holy.., Rev. 15:4b

Bible Scholar Arthur Pink, “God only is independently, infinitely, immutably holy. In God’s Word, He is often known as the Holy one. This is because the sum of all moral Excellency is found in Him. He is absolute purity. Holiness is the very Excellency of his divine nature; gloriously so, His holiness is the very antithesis of all moral blemish and defilement.”

No one but the Lord God Almighty is truly and purely holy in a perfect sense and it’s not that God has the ability to live up to this perfect standard, rather, God Himself is the standard of spiritual and moral holiness and perfection. And He’s always been this way and He always will be.

3) In Heaven, God’s holiness is perfectly celebrated.

From a divine vision of Heaven given to the Apostle John, we know that there are angelic creatures around the throne of God that continually say “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty..”, Rev. 4:8b.

In Heaven, there is no sin and evil and everyone there not only knows about the awesome holiness of God, they are also in awe of the Holy God Almighty worshiping Him and giving Him the special attention that He deserves for who He is and what He does; and it’s His holiness that is emphasized. There was, however, this one moment in history when some angels chose evil but God cast them out like lightning for God is perfectly Holy and His heaven must be holy. Sin and evil are not allowed in God’s heaven which begs the question; how do unholy sinners like you and me get into God’s heaven some day? How can we ever even enter into a right relationship now with our Holy Creator God almighty? The quick answer two these two questions is by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ as the Savior and Lord we all need. If you are not sure you are going to God’s holy Heaven when you die, or you are not sure if Jesus Christ is your Savior or you would like to know more about trusting Jesus as your Savior, then check out this blog entry:

http://mikesmorals.blogspot.com/2013/09/great-news-gods-plan-for-true-life.html

I don’t believe there is anything more important than personally trusting in and knowing Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord and knowing you have eternal life in Christ and by the way, this is foundational to exploring, appreciating, and being transformed by the depths of God’s holiness.

4) Outside of Heaven, God’s holiness is contrasted with unholiness.

His holiness is certainly celebrated to some degree here on earth but not as perfectly so as it is in Heaven. The big issue here is that this creation, the world and the living things within in it, are sin-tainted. We are spiritually and morally broken, unholy, so there exists this glaring contrast between God’s holiness and what is unholy.

Consider a couple Bible examples of people encounters with God and His holiness.

Exodus 3:2, 4-6 (ESV) ²And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. ⁴When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” ⁵Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” ⁶And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

Clearly a supernatural event took place at this moment at this location. God spoke to Moses through a burning bush that was not consumed. Incredible! Why do you think God declared where Moses was standing to be Holy ground? It was holy ground because the Holy God almighty was present supernaturally speaking through this bush and He declared this place to be holy, to be set apart as spiritually sacred to God. God told Moses to not come any closer to the bush and to take his sandals off. There was to be no rushing into the sacred holy presence of God and there had to be an acknowledging moment of God’s holy presence, a reverential response from Moses toward God. Removing the sandals was one way to show reverence and respect the magnitude of what’s was happening. When God spoke again, Moses hid his face which was another reverential response to God’s awesome holiness. In this moment Moses must have thought something like, “God, the perfectly holy and awesome One is here and I am a sinner, unholy and not worthy to be in His presence.” Today, we show God reverence perhaps by raising our eyes and hands heavenward, or kneeling down on one or both knees or by laying down prostrate, or by bowing our heads, our lives and our hearts in humility to the Holy God almighty.

Isaiah 6:1-4 (ESV) ¹In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. ²Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. ³And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” ⁴And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.

Isaiah saw a God-given vision of angels surrounding the Lord God Almighty on His throne, crying out these words; Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts!” This praise of “Holy, Holy, Holy” sets God’s holiness apart from His creation and certainly from fallen creation. God in three divine persons, The Father, the Son, and the Spirit, is perfectly holy. This truth about God stands out. They were not crying out “Love, Love, Love” or “Just, Just, Just.” They cried out Holy, Holy, Holy to God about God because God’s perfect holiness stands out everywhere among everything and everyone. How did Isaiah respond to this vision of God’s holiness?

Isaiah 6:5-7 (ESV) ⁵And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” ⁶Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. ⁷And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”

Isaiah immediately recognized his own unholiness when he was in this special presence of the Holy God almighty. He admitted to having unclean/unholy lips. He recognized he was not worthy to be in the awesome holy presence of God. Fortunately, one of the Angels came to Isaiah and used a burning coal from the heavenly altar to cleanse Isaiah of his unholiness. This process was illustrative of God forgiving Isaiah and spiritually purifying him and in the context this was associated with a divine call to set Isaiah apart for the Lord’s holy ministry here on earth.

Consider an example in the New Testament of God’s Word where we read that the eternal Son of God became the incarnated God-man, Jesus Christ, who was and is the personification of perfect holiness. Jesus had the fullness of deity. He was without sin and never sinned. He was and is the holy One which is what the Apostle Peter called him in John 6:69. Consider an earlier encounter Peter had with Jesus when he couldn’t catch any fish but Jesus told Peter to go out again and then a ton of fish were caught. Luke 5:8 (ESV) But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” After this miracle fish catch, brought on by Jesus, Peter realized immediately that he was in the presence of the Holy One, the Son of God, who was displaying His power and Peter was convicted internally of his own unholiness.

Whenever someone with unholiness, like you and me, has an encounter with God’s perfect holiness, it is convicting spiritually. God’s holiness stands out and our unholiness is brought into the light of God.

5) God’s holiness deserves a proper God honoring response.

I’ve already pointed out how a few believers responded to encounters with God’s holiness. Ps. 99 gives us an example of magnifying the holiness of God.

Psalm 99:1-3, 5, 9 (ESV) ¹The LORD reigns; let the peoples tremble! He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake! ²The LORD is great in Zion; he is exalted over all the peoples. ³Let them praise your great and awesome name! Holy is he! ⁵Exalt the LORD our God; worship at his footstool! Holy is he! ⁹Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at his holy mountain; for the LORD our God is holy!

Three times in these 9 verses of God-honoring praise the holiness of God is emphasized. We should emphasize the holiness of God in our lives as we live for His glory and praise Him and worship Him. For He is truly Holy and we fall short of His glory! We should keep learning about, acknowledging, communicating, and being in awe of God’s perfect holiness, thanking Him for His holiness, and praising and worshiping Him according to His holiness. And we should desire and let God’s holiness transform us into His holy people.

God’s spiritual expectations of His people flow out of His own holy nature. To the Israelites, He said, “You shall be .. a holy nation” (Ex. 19:6); “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy” (Lev. 19:2). And to Christ-followers, we read the same commanding exhortation ..but as He who called you is holy, you also BE holy .. (1 Pet. 1:15).

We are all created in the image of our Holy Creator and He expects us to be holy because He is holy. Today, we have this potential to have God-honoring holiness in our lives by God’s grace through faith in Christ as our Savior and Lord and as we consistently seek to become holier. The key is growing in our relationship with Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and becoming more like Him.

What’s next for you and me regarding the holiness of God? How is God right now leading us to respond to Him regarding His holiness? Perhaps you or I need to commit to keep learning about, acknowledging in private and public, communicating to the world these truths about God and His holiness? Perhaps, you or I need to commit to being in awe of God, to being thankful for His holiness, and commit to praise and worship Him more often according to His holiness; all for His glory? Perhaps, you or I need to repent of unholiness in our life, sin that has not been confessed to God yet; sinful ways and strongholds that have not been turned away from yet to instead pursue holiness and righteousness in Christ.

However God is leading let’s take this moment right now personally to respond to the Holy God Almighty as He calls us to respond. May we humble ourselves before God and His holiness. May we be in awe of God and His holiness. May we magnify God and His holiness. May His holiness transform us and guide into being the people of God He calls us to be; all to His glory!

Mike

House/Property Strengths	House/Property Weaknesses
4^th sleeping area bedroom space	Lots of traffic/road noise
Bedford County; lower taxes than Lynchburg city	Distance to work and church is 10 miles one way; further/longer than we are used to or prefer
Long, fairly flat, large fenced-in back yard	Carpet in sleeping areas includes many stains, and is very worn beyond repair
Newer roof; windows on top level; Vinyl siding	Paint, clean up needed in sleeping areas and elsewhere in house