True Poverty of Spirit

As I read the blogs of fellow believers, I have observed many things. There are some who use their time to correct false doctrines from creeping into the church. There are those who spend their time debating other believers on secondary matters of scriptural interpretation. There are those who spend their time defending their doctrinal stances on various matters. There are those who spend their time, warning and instructing others to keep themselves clean from sin. However, there are few blogs that spend time showing other believers how to find the way to life. While defending sound doctrine and preaching repentance from sin are vitally important, unless a believer finds life from the scriptures on a day-to-day basis, they will not obtain to the riches of the fullness of Christ and they will ultimately be unsatisfied with their walk.

It is in this sense that I believe that the Christian life demonstrated to others has been made overly complicated. When others come to Christ, they don’t come to Him to learn sound doctrine or to be experts at theology. They come to Him for life; everything else is added after a person receives life from God. Because of the emphasis on many things apart from this, it appears that Matthew 7:13-14 becomes true more and more:

Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it.

Could it be that many of our discourses with other believers are based on the fact that we haven’t found the way that leads to life? All believers can state that they have found the way that leads to forgiveness of sins, but how many can honestly state that they have found the narrow way of life that Jesus found? I believe that this is a very serious question because if we have not found this way to life, then we definitely cannot show others and disciple others to find this narrow way that leads to life. Finding life does not mean that we have had an emotional response to God’s goodness that causes us to thank and praise Him. Finding life means that you are 100%, completely satisfied, completely fulfilled, and completely devoted to Him and find everything else that this world has to offer as being unsatisfactory and a cheap, incomplete substitute for Him.

The question that I have is whether or not this is your testimony. Are you fully satisfied with Him or do you have a hidden dissatisfaction with your walk in Christ? Are you fully fulfilled with Him or do you have a hidden desire or motive outside of Christ? Are you fully devoted to Him or are you prone to wander from Him? If there is an affirmative answer to any of these questions, then I would suggest that you have not found the way that leads to life. As a young believer, the testimony of my life was that I loved God because of His love and mercy through forgiveness of sins, but I was not completely satisfied with Him alone. There was always a striving in my heart for something else apart from Christ – whether it was a good reputation, financial security, or career success. It wasn’t until a year or so ago where I discovered the way to life that leads complete satisfaction in Him and it came through a reading of the Beatitudes.

Matthew 5:3 reads:

Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven

This is a scripture that most believers have memorized, but very few have taken seriously. In plain terms, this scripture says that those who view themselves as spiritually poor will find the kingdom of heaven revealed and opened up to them. The question I would like to ask here is: what is your definition of poverty?

In an earthly sense, some people will define poverty as not being rich. This is typically how most of us in the Western world would view poverty. In this sense, a person will have to struggle to make ends meet, but the reality is that they still have many luxuries that the majority of the world doesn’t have. Some will define poverty as not having anything extra. In this sense, this is a person who may not have anything at all but the bare necessities, but they can still help themselves. However, these are not the types of poverty that Jesus spoke in the above scripture. The type of poverty pictured here is a picture of helplessness. This is the picture of someone who is in abject ruin and poverty and is completely helpless, unless someone offers assistance. This is a deeper level of poverty that leads to desperation. Most people who we identify as “poor” can still earn enough for basic food by daily labor, but the type of person mentioned in this passage of scripture is so poor that he can only earn his living through begging and pleading. In this passage, poverty does not mean the position of having nothing superfluous; poverty is the position of having nothing at all.

Is this the position that you come to God – as a person who has nothing at all spiritually unless He assists you? Or do you believe that you have spiritual adequacy apart from Him? Do you come to God on the basis of knowing that you are in abject ruin without His grace or do you come to Him believing that you have life on your own? Furthermore, do you believe that only Christ can change your current state of abject poverty or do you think that the cares of this world can help you? Another myth that many Christians believe is that the way that leads to life has become broader in time; thus, the poverty of their spirit is not as dire as the poverty that God requires. The reality is that we possess a lot of things, but we are utterly poor when it comes to our souls because the things we possess do not satisfy that which is most important – our souls. When a person approaches God with this sort of poverty, then they will soon discover that only Christ will satisfy Him and they will discover that Christ will satisfy them. I believe this is what A.W. Tozer found when he made this statement:

The way to deeper knowledge of God is through the lonely valleys of soul-poverty and abnegation of all things. The blessed ones who possess the Kingdom are they who have repudiated every external thing and have rooted from their hearts all sense of possessing. They are “poor in spirit.” They have reached an inward state paralleling the outward circumstances of the common beggar in the streets of Jerusalem; that is what the word “poor” as Christ used it actually means. These blessed poor are no longer slaves to the tyranny of things. They have broken the yoke of the oppressor; and this they have done not by fighting but by surrendering. Though free from all sense of possessing, they yet possess all things. “Theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

The beautiful promise of Jesus words in Matthew 5:3 is that those with this sort of soul poverty will possess the riches of His kingdom, whereas those who do not have this sort of poverty will always be lacking. They will be in the same position of Solomon: “The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor is the ear filled with hearing” (cf. Ecclesiastes 1:8). The conclusion of the life of the man who possessed everything except Christ was that he hated his life (Ecclesiastes 2:17). The conclusion of the lives of men who possessed nothing except Christ was contentment (cf. Philippians 4:11), unsurpassable peace (cf. Philippians 4:7), inexpressible, glorious joy (cf. 1 Peter 1:8), and most importantly, living hope of the glory of God (cf. 1 Peter 1:3; Romans 5:2). The track record is clear: those who see Christ as their only satisfaction always will be completely satisfied and full of Christ, whereas those who see other things in this life to be their satisfaction are always disappointed. My prayer is that you would see Christ as the only source of life in this world and that you would choose Him to be your satisfaction.

God's Compassion and Our Honesty

Over the past couple of months, I’ve been doing much meditation on my personal walk with Christ. In an effort to know God more intimately and to walk closer to Him, I realized that I was simply giving Him more sacrifices and less devotion. Because I felt that my amount of sacrifice to God was increasing more and more, I believed that I was growing closer to God. As I was reading scriptures, I came across two warnings. First, through the prophet Micah:

With what shall I come to the Lord and bow myself on high? Shall I come to Him with burnt offerings with yearlings calves? Does the Lord take delight in thousands of rams, in ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my first-born for my rebellious acts, the fruit of my body, for the sin of my soul? He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:6-8

The prophet Hosea repeats this point

What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? For your loyalty is like a morning cloud and like the dew which goes away early… For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice and in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. Hosea 6:4-6

From these passages, I had to confront myself: am I giving God sacrifices or humility and devotion? In my flesh, I was having trouble fully accepting this reality because I felt justified and entitled to receive from God because I was sacrificing more and more to Him. Then a strong word correction came to me as I was seeking to justify myself: There is no compassion when there is no honesty.

One of the myths that I have observed about myself and other Christians is that God’s compassion and grace are extended unconditionally to believers. However, God makes it very clear that a person must be brutally honest about their state before God shows His lovingkindness. In correcting the faithlessness of Israel, Jeremiah states:

‘Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the Lord; I will not look upon you in anger. For I am gracious, declares the Lord; ‘I will not be angry forever. Only acknowledge your iniquity that you have transgressed against the Lord your God… and you have no obeyed My voice,’ declares the Lord. Jeremiah 3:12-13

In addressing the apostasy of Israel, Hosea states

I will go away and return to My place until they acknowledge their guilt and seek My face. Hosea 5:15

In stating the requirements of a man who will dwell permanently in God’s presence, David says:

O Lord, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill? He who walks with integrity and works righteousness and speaks truth in his heart. Psalm 15:1-2

Here is the essential test: in every aspect in my life, am I speaking truth to myself or am I deceiving myself? Am I absolutely honest with myself or am I evading the truth about my life because of my pride? David says clearly: a person will never live and abide with God if they aren’t honest with themselves and with God. As evidenced by the story of Ananias and Sapphira (cf. Acts 5:1-16), it is heinous act to lie to God by not being honest with Him. The exact opposite of this position of 100% honesty with God is the life of a hypocrite. Jesus condemns the Pharisees for this point:

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like white-washed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you too outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. Matthew 23:27-28

The harshest rebuke that Jesus gave to anyone was on this sin of hypocrisy. Even the vilest of sinners can be forgiven if they come to Him honestly about their state; however, the mercy and compassion of God is completely cut off to those who live in hypocrisy and are not disturbed enough to repent from it. The sin of hypocrisy is not a warning to unbelievers since unbelievers never desire to appear holy and righteous before others. This is the warning to believers: those who profess Christ and yet have an inner life devoid of Him. Believers should heed this warning seriously. If you are a believer who still loves the world and sin, humble yourself and be honest with Him; He can give you a deep hatred for sin. If you are a believer who has a heart prone to wandering from Him, be honest with Him; He can knit your heart directly to His own (cf. Ezekiel 36:25-27; Hosea 2:16-21). If you are not honest about your current position with God, then you can fully expect that His grace, mercy, and compassion will not be extended to you.

The reward for such honesty with God is seen in the incident with Jesus and the woman of Samaria (cf John 4:7-38). When Jesus approached her concerning her husband, she did not lie to Him, but she was brutally honest and direct with her living situation, in that she had five prior husbands. Under the Law, this was an obvious sin, but because of her honesty with Him, He showed a great deal of compassion towards her. To a woman in this state, most would have preached repentance and salvation. However, Jesus taught her the secret of worship. I believe that when Christians have this sort of honesty with God, where they acknowledge whether or not they have other idols and harlots in their heart apart from Christ, God will also have compassion on them and reveal to them the secret of worship that is hidden from any person living in self-deception.

The apostle John makes a clear statement about how fellowship with God is linked with walking in the light:

If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:6-7

John’s point is clear: if we claim to have communion with God and allow the spiritual darkness of sin in our heart to remain there, then we are only deceiving ourselves. However, the cure for this disease is not to ignore the problem; we simply walk in the light. To walk in the light means we expose ourselves to God without any pretense or self-deception. It is only when live in this way that we become cleansed and delivered from our sins. It is only in this way that we become more Christ-like. It is my prayer that those who read this will seek for this life from God by being 100% honest with Him.

The Ministry of Elijah and the Ministry of the Church

The last words of the Old Testament were recorded by the prophet Malachi saying:

“Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord.” Malachi 4:5

Now, the angel Gabriel prophesied that John the Baptist would come in the power and spirit of Elijah (cf. Luke 1:16-17) and Jesus stated that if the people of Israel would receive and accept John, then he was the Elijah prophesied in Malachi (cf. Matthew 11:14). However, the people of Israel did not accept John the Baptist and so this prophesy has yet to be fulfilled. Therefore, the ministry of Elijah will be fulfilled by the Church in preparation for the second coming of Christ. So, the question must be asked: what is the ministry of Elijah and why is this ministry so important in the last days?

The ministry of Elijah begins at the lowest spiritual point of Israel's history with Ahab as the king of Israel. Ahab perpetuated the sins of former kings by marrying Jezebel (who is a symbol of the evil of false religion; see Revelation 2:20-24) and by actively promoting the worship of Baal in Israel (cf. 1 Kings 16:29-33). In like manner, the ministry of the Church in the last days becomes most needed and effective during the lowest point in Christianity. If we look at the Christianity that we see around us, we see similar sins: Christianity which is married with the world and actively engaged in the love of money. Elijah's response to this spiritual low in Israel wasn't to retreat away from Israel, but because of his deep love for Israel and his zealousness for God, he prayed earnestly for Israel so that they would turn back to the Lord by any means necessary, including a drought (cf. James 5:17). This demonstrates that the Church in the last days is a church devoted to intercession. Just as zeal for God caused Jesus to cleanse the temple (cf. John 2:17), so should zeal for God cause us to intercede constantly for the state of Christianity so that many would turn back towards God.

Led by the Holy Spirit, Elijah gathers all of Israel together with 850 false prophets and issued a challenge to Israel:

“How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him, but if Baal is God, follow Him.” 1 Kings 18:20-22

The problem wasn't that Israel rejected God completely for Baal, but they attempted to combine the worship of the two. Here is the central ministry of Elijah: Elijah told Israel plainly that Israel must choose to be wholehearted for God because half-hearted devotion to God is unacceptable. If we look in Christianity today, the same challenge and decision must be made. In our day, professing Christians have not rejected Christ, but they have attempted to combine the worship of Christ with many things. In particular, we see professing Christians attempting to love God and to love money, the world, and their self-life. Jesus has strong words for those who attempt to love God and money:

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon [riches and earthly possessions].” Matthew 6:24

In regards to love of the world, James states:

“You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” James 4:4-5

In regards to loving our self-live, Paul states:

“But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money , boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.” 2 Timothy 3:1-4

Finally, John sums up the entire topic in addressing the church in Laodicea:

“So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, 'I am rich and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,' and you do know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire, that you may become rich, and white garments, that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see. Those who I love, I reprove and discipline; be zealous therefore, and repent.” Revelation 3:16-19

These words are very harsh, but in many ways, they describe the Christianity that we see around us. The challenge of the Church is not to simply watch apathetically from our small fellowship groups, but to actively bring this message of repentance and return to those who are professing Christians. For this reason, the greatest work of evangelism that we could do in America doesn't necessarily involve going out to bars and clubs and preaching the word there, but our greatest work could be preaching this message to professing Christians in churches and other small group gatherings.

When Elijah issued this challenge to Israel, the people didn't answer him a word (cf. 1 Kings 18:21) so instead of trying to convince Israel with a speech, he offered a simple test: the God Who answers by fire is God (cf. 1 Kings 18:24). The prophets of Baal can perform counterfeits of many things, but they cannot manufacture fire that comes from heaven. So despite praying for hours upon hours, there was no response from their gods (cf. 1 Kings 18:29). However, Elijah knew that he was a servant of God and that God approved of him; therefore, his short prayer was answered with much power (cf. James 5:16). In the same way, we cannot convince modern, lukewarm Christendom to turn away from their idols to serve God simply by giving rousing speeches and pleading for them. Our preaching and evangelism means nothing unless the fire of the Holy Spirit is within us. When God approves of the message and the messenger, He sends His approval by giving the Holy Spirit. Paul emphasized this point:

“And my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power that your faith should not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:4-5

This is what makes the ministry of Elijah so powerful and so necessary. Even though the number of false gospels, false teachers, and false prophets may outnumber the Church, it is the Holy Spirit that authenticates this ministry and affirms it by sending the power of His Holy Spirit. This is the ministry that must precede the second coming of Christ and it is my prayer we would walk in this ministry that we are called to do. In the same way that Ahab called Elijah “the troubler of Israel”, when the Church performs this ministry, it will lead to slander and controversy, but God will uphold His Church and affirm His work. Let us prepare ourselves for this ministry.

Endurance in Love

Good Evening,

Alicia recently has written a blog on a topic that both her and I are learning much about- endurance and its perfect work. I wanted to share it with you all as well. God bless.

When people generally think of endurance, their thoughts tend to flow along being patient in testing, trials, and other situations. However, recently, I have had to learn on enduring in love. For me personally, I reached this lesson came because I am in love with someone who is physically very far away from me. We’ve been in this relationship for almost two years, and it has always been long distance. Granted, at the start of the relationship I was dealing with a lot of fear and was very grateful for that distance, but through prayer and trusting in God, He removed that fear and replaced it with love. So, at this point, my heart’s desire is to be with him, and the love that I have for him in my heart has run so deeply that my heart is in constant pain apart from him. The best way I have found to describe it is feeling like I’m dying every day, but still, somehow, living. And I wondered to myself how could I continue like this. Granted, the simple answer is: move. But I have not heard God leading from this place yet. So, I am not moving. So remembering Hebrews 4: 15-16: “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” I looked to Christ to find an answer for how to deal with this pain I was dealing with. So these are my thoughts on this position of enduring in love.

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Imagine Christ, for an eternity, waiting for His bride. Imagine Him choosing her, establishing the relationship, dealing with her running from Him, forgetting Him, not respecting the relationship and hurting Him over and over again for so many years. But yet, He still loved her and waited. And in wanting a life with her, an abundant, rich and glorious life with her to last all eternity, He came to establish a different kind of relationship with her. A relationship that offers a complete, everlasting love, liberty, joy and peace with Him, so much more glorious than the last relationship is this new one that He offers. He yearned so deeply that He did actually die for her, and He arose from that death to wait for her at His Father’s side who has blessed their union forevermore. But still, even now, He awaits His bride, His beloved, as she readies herself for Him. Granted, He knows when that time will be, but still His heart yearns for her now. And He waits patiently, covering her with His prayers and intercessions, seeing to her needs, and reminding her every day of His love and faithfulness to her until it is time for Him to bring her to Himself.

The simple fact is the love, yearning and endurance of Christ is nothing compared to my situation. Yet, the beautiful thing is that He did not belittle my sufferings, but He allowed me to see that I am now beginning to have the fellowship that I desired with His sufferings.

I looked up patience and endure, and I found this:

Patience
(Latin: patientia, from patior, to suffer)
-The suffering of afflictions, pain, toil, calamity, provocation or other evil with a calm, unruffled temper; endurance without murmuring or fretfulness. Patience may spring from constitutional fortitude, from a kind of heroic pride, or from Christian submission to the divine will.

Endure
-To last; to continue in the same state without perishing; to remain; to abide, to bear; to suffer without resistance, or without yielding; to bear with patience, without opposition or sinking under pressure.

And I also went to 2 Corinthians and read this:

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart…But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body…Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.”

And I also went to Ephesians and read this:

“For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

Back in 2008, I sought the Lord to eradicate fear from my life completely. Reading 1 John, I knew that required “perfect love”, and so I sought the Lord to open my eyes to His love. From that moment, God began His work in my life. Surprisingly, He placed me in a relationship with one of His best sons, and I’ve spent two years learning about love, learning how to love others, learning how to receive love, and so on. Actually, take 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a:

“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.”

Systematically, God has taken me through a love like the one described, as most people are familiar. But the fact is, the last two parts of love that are mentioned tie back with the first thing mentioned: Love endures all things. Love never fails. Love suffers long. You see, there is a loop here that you cannot miss about love. Love will suffer patiently through anything without failing and without changing. And the best example of this is Christ. Christ is the fullest expression of the greatest love ever known. It is the very ministry and life of Christ. And when you look at the life of Christ, love brought Him to death. But love did not leave Him at death. Love allowed Him to experience death, but receive life.

And so in my thoughts of my life over the past two years, I have experienced a lot of love. However, at this point in my life, I am just now experiencing the death that love will bring you to. This dying that this awesome and amazing love has brought me to, the pain of this death everyday… I now stand amazed at the power of God and at the love of God. I am now just realizing and understanding what a love from Him really is: a constant, painful death while holding onto a glorious, hopeful life. I now understand, much more, but still not fully, the width and length and depth and height of His love. It excites me to be at this place, yet the magnitude of this lesson quiets me: To show this love for every man.

The fact is: I prayed for fellowship with Christ. I prayed to intimately be acquainted with His sufferings. I prayed to be conformed to His image. And now I see how God has blessed me in answering my prayers by causing me to experience a daily death in love. The pain still has not ceased, but I am so overjoyed at this moment to know that the more I embrace this, this pain, this life, this love…that I am experiencing a part of Christ that I only read about. I am now experiencing a fervency of Christ that few ever realize. I am now just beginning to have an expectant hope that in all of this, I will be filled with the awesome fullness of God. I am now learning that a love like this takes a grace and humility that I must daily seek after. And it is the Lord who will work this love in my life, cause me to love like this with everyone He places in my life, for every member of His body. It is completely amazing, and I am completely overjoyed.

To have love perfected in your life will bring you to death daily. In Luke 9:23, Christ says: “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” I think it is the daily bearing of the cross that most people overlook; however, it is key to having sincere fellowship with Him. What good is a fellowship with His joy if you do not have a fellowship with His love and suffering for it? A patient and enduring love is the essence of Christ, the fullness of His ministry, and it is the very reason why He still waits for His bride. We are witnesses of Christ, called to be conformed (changed) into His image, and to a life patterned after His. I think to myself, if the awesome wonder that is the love of God can bring one to death, how glorious is that death to Him? And how glorious would a life be to Him that has a love that endures that death daily living and hoping in Him alone?

Enlisting as a Soldier

On today, we celebrate Memorial Day, which commemorates American soldiers who have died while in military service dating back to the Civil War. On this day, we expect many Americans to visit cemeteries and memorials and typically, a national moment of remembrance takes place in honor for the soldiers who sacrificed and gave their lives for America. One of the titles that many believers do not take seriously is that Christians are also called to be soldiers. Consider the words of Paul:

Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier. 1 Timothy 2:3-4

There are also other passages where he refers to his fellow co-workers as fellow soldiers (cf. Philemon 2, Philippians 2:25). The analogy of the believer as a soldier signifies three important points: (1) believers are actively engaged in some sort of war, (2) believers should prepare and discipline themselves for this war, and (3) older, mature believers should train and disciple younger believers into engaging into this war. So what is this war that we as believers are actively engaged in? We know for certain that we are not warring and battling against fellow believers, nor are we warring against any person. The fact that we see believers fighting against each other over minor issues demonstrates the carnality of many believers and that many believers are distracted from their true calling (cf. James 4:1-2). The war that all believers should be engaged in is the war over sin, Satan, and the world. Paul demonstrates this to the Corinthian church:

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete. 2 Corinthians 10:3-6

We see here that Paul is warning the Corinthians to stop quarreling with each other and to focus to the task by which they were called. The battles that the Corinthians should fight involves destroying anything in their lives that prevents them from knowing God fully and prevents them from going astray. This point was re-emphasized to the Ephesian church:

Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly place. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything to stand firm, stand firm... Ephesians 5:10-14

The phrase that I would like to emphasis is the last sentence in Ephesians: having done everything to stand firm, stand firm. The implication here is that there is no sense of passiveness in this believer. This is the believer that has given all of his strength and service to God in warring against Satan and the world. However, Paul says that even to this believer who desires to win this war, he will not win unless he is full of faith and full of perseverance (cf. Ephesians 5:14-18). The promise of God is true that anyone who is genuinely born of God overcomes the world (cf. 1 John 5:4), but this promise is realized in our life only through faith and patience (cf. Hebrews 6:12).

It is through this that we understand the definition of patience and endurance. Endurance is not a reference to enduring our sinful nature until we have reached the full redemption of our body that can no longer be tempted. Endurance is a direct reference to our will; endurance refers to our desire to seek God so that we may obtain grace during the time of temptation diligently and consistently. If many believers would be honest with themselves, they will admit that the issue with the sin in their lives is NOT that they cannot ever find victory. Many believers have experienced victory over momentary temptation when they earnestly seek God for it. The real issue is that they grow weary of seeking God and waiting on God for constant victory over sin for their entire lives. The issue that many believers have is NOT that they do not know how to take up their cross and deny themselves; the issue that many believers have is that they grow weary of taking up their cross daily and in the time of weariness, they are overcome by sin. This is why endurance is vitally important to develop and why faith AND endurance is necessary to obtain the promises. Our Father understands how little endurance we have and in order to increase our endurance, He introduces trials in our life so that we learn by training how to endure. It is through suffering and trials that Jesus Himself learned obedience and became perfected (cf. Hebrews 5:8-9). As a soldier of Christ, it is this endurance that we develop that causes us to consistently engage in warfare over our sin, Satan, and the world and causes us to consistently overcome all of these things; without this endurance, we will eventually be defeated.

In the New Testament, the one book that references overcoming more than any other book is Revelation. When Jesus addresses the seven churches, the one phrase that Jesus repeats to all of them is “He who overcomes...”. In the churches at Smyrna and Philadelphia, Jesus has no harsh criticism or message of repentance for them. He simply tells them to remain faithful. At Smyrna, He says

Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life...He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death. Revelation 2:10

And to the church at Philadelphia, he says

Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell upon the earth. I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, in order that no one take your crown. He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God and My new name. Revelation 3:10-12

These are the same words that Jesus speaks to us who have engaged as faithful soldiers of Christ. If we remain faithful with endurance through this fight, we will overcome this world and will receive our reward from Christ. If we overcome and endure as soldiers, we will inherit the riches and promises of Christ in all of their fullness (cf. Revelation 21:7). Furthermore, we will see a glorious Church when we disciples others with this understanding. Let us endeavor with faith and endurance to fight this fight, just as the saints of old fought with endurance, and enlist as a soldier of Christ.

This video below shows how the saints of old gave their lives in faith to Christ and endured to the end:

http://www.godlychristianecards.com/cardView.aspx?card=51






http://www.the-emissary.net/

On the Love of God

A couple of months ago, I heard a message from one of the elders at the Colorado church Gabriel attends that really started a change in my own perspective of my walk with God. The elder used this verse: 2 Corinthians 13:14

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen”

Now, the verse seemed simple enough…I mean I’d seen variations of it as a benediction or introduction to many New Testament books. But the message the elder presented was that there is a more complete salvation that many believers fail to have, experience, and live during this life because they have neglected these things: the love that comes from God, the grace that comes from Jesus Christ, and the fellowship that we have through the Spirit of God with Him and other believers.

From the time that I heard that message, I have spent many hours pondering to myself about what he meant. I at first considered that I knew the love of God quite well. I reasoned that I had a good understanding of the grace of Christ, and I felt that maybe fellowship was necessary, but not essential. However, since the time of my hearing, God has decidedly shown me that my mindset was completely wrong. In essence, if I died and met Christ and heard Him say that He never knew me, I would have to agree. So I just want to share what I’ve had my eyes opened to concerning these things since the moment I heard that message. This note is just going to focus on the love of God.

I think when people hear about the love of God, they immediately think about John 3:16 and the fact that Christ forgives their sins. Some people might venture to say that they know God loves them because He answers their prayers and may give them want they want. These are all things that I thought of whenever I considered the love of God. However, I was first challenged to think differently about love when I read this in Romans 13:8 & 10

“Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law…Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law.”

Now, when I initially read it, I was convicted about it, but I thought it was in reference to my lack in feency with loving other believers. So I prayed and asked God to cause me to live His word, and I kept on reading. Within a week, my supervisor at my job practically lost her mind. I mean, she was assigning random projects with tight deadlines and with no concern for my coworkers and me having to work overtime or through the weekends. She just wanted what she wanted and nothing less.

And during this time, God brought back this verse to my mind and the fact that I should pray for her. Now I will tell you, this is how I realized I had a problem. I did not want to pray for this woman. I mean, I actually sat there and was like “okay, this isn’t working.” And it was at that moment that I went to God, and I asked Him for help to be able to pray for this woman with a sincere heart of love. And you know, He did answer that prayer but not before He revealed something to me.

The fact is that this command to owe no one anything except to love them is not conditional. This is not a command that is applicable to believers of Christ only. This command is not applicable to people I like or people who treat me decently. But this command is to be lived out every day at every moment for every person I ever encounter in my life, regardless of how they may treat me. In fact, as judicious as I am to pay my debts and my bills, I am to be as judicious in loving people sincerely. And I understood that at the moment, but obviously, I did not know the full extent. So I went to 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, and just to stretch myself on it, I looked it up in the Amplified version. It says:

“Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily. It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong]. It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail. Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening]. Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end].”

Okay, so even in writing that just now, I got convicted all over again, but I will tell you why. From the moment that God opened my eyes about this, I have been sorrowful because I lost count of how many times I failed to love people to this extent. I mean, I am a hall director. I live with over 100 students, and my entire job is interacting with people. I am told to always provide a good level of customer service with all people, but my mind goes to how many times I do this without a genuine heart, without love. Funny thing is, people never seem to notice or ever question me. So, this has been something I have done for years without ever feeling any remorse.

So my conviction came because God shed light on the state of heart and the conditions and boundaries I had placed around His unconditional love which is supposed to be evident in my life. When I traverse the description of love in 1 Corinthians, I see that if one of the elements are missing….whether I am not being patient, or I am self-seeking or resentful….the love of God is not fully evident or at work in my life, and I fail to represent Him. So I have learned to entrust myself to the leading of the Holy Spirit and the provision of grace from Christ each day to be able to love people the way God commands.

Lastly, I realize now how important the love of God is to experiencing salvation the way God intended. I know that God has revealed His love to me before, but as I am learning even more about its extent, I continue to be in amazement. His love is so complete…deeper than any ocean, reaching farther than any universe…I mean He is God. He is creative enough to design a way to receive glory from anything, but yet He is loving and patient enough to allow me to experience a relationship with Him. A relationship that is completely undeserved…in fact, it shouldn’t even exist. Born into iniquity and with a natural mind to resist Him in any way possible, it is a wonder to me that He could love us, love me, so perfectly. And when I remember that, it makes it easier to allow Him to perfect that working of His love in my heart.

-Alicia Tinsley

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