Captives to Christ

“And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up.  If he has sinned he will be forgiven” James 5:15.

In a world full of darkness and sin this verse is our remedy.  Many think this verse is about physical healing from sickness, but James was talking about something so much more…the sickness of our souls due to sin in the world.  It can become discouraging when considering my own tendency towards sin or the tendencies of those I love.  This is why it is so important to pray with expectation of God breaking us from our weaknesses and temptations.  It is imperative that we really believe what we’re praying for and thank Him in advance for His faithfulness. 

‘The world is committed to its pleasures, desires, and beliefs.  It will seek out and listen to its own teachers.  Children of God must listen to the spirit of God’ Kelly Minter, What Love Is, page 108.  John knew that there were competing views which would elevate sin over truth.  He wrote to encourage that while we might fall into sin we serve a God who is greater than our sin.  ‘You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world’ 1 John 4:4. 

I take comfort that every person in his audience sinned at one time and was born into God’s family.  There is no sin that is too great for God to forgive in our walk, but we must understand that our lives and the lives of others do have an earthly expiration date.  We must walk in the Spirit and shine the light on God revealing Him to those lost in a dark world.  We must be careful ourselves not to step into temptation for the devil doesn’t fight fair.  He knows our weaknesses and will try to trip us up when we least expect it.  But we have all the knowledge and the power in blood of Christ to protect and shield us if we are cautious and spiritually focused.  We will overcome our tendencies when we are equipped with the power of God and Christ in us. 

‘But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ's triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere’ 2 Co 2:14.  If we are going to be captive to anything let it be to Christ!

Believing and Loving

“And this is his command:  to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us” 1 John 3:23.

At first glance, this seems like an easy checklist…believe in Christ, check…love people, check!  We must not skim over this verse with a pat on our back and a song in our heart.  What is this verse really saying that moved John to repeat the message in 3 separate letters circulated through churches?  It was a warning against people who claim to be believers but don’t live it out.  It was a ‘plumb line’ measurement on his part to have believers recognize their responsibilities in living in Christ.  These letters were not written to unbelievers, but to believing Christians who claimed to love God and His Son.  So why the reminder?

Kelly Minter, author of What Love Is states is best:  ‘To believe in Jesus’ name was to believe everything He claimed about Himself, His teachings, and to put one’s trust in His being…To believe in Jesus’ name is to submit ourselves to Him, to go where He goes, agree with His ways, and enjoy His fellowship” p. 102.  That is much different than just to claim that we believe He died on the cross.  To believe in Him means to die to our self and our agendas.  To believe in Him means to give up our time and resources so His work can be furthered.  To believe in Him means to live as a servant, not a master seeking entitlement and favor from the world.  To believe in Him is to carve out quality time to fellowship with Him.  The fruit of keeping the first command will be the second one… to love one another.  Without the love and indwelling of Christ in our hearts we will be unable to love others in the manner God desires. 

Once we are walking out our belief in Christ we have the ability to forgive those who have wounded us.  We will be able to grant grace based on our belief in Christ when someone has betrayed us.  We will be able to face any circumstance with trust instead of bitterness when we truly believe that God is working for our good in all circumstances.  We must never lose sight that believing in Christ is not a one-time event, but a daily commitment of surrender, sacrifice, fellowship and love.  Our love for others will be measured by our love for Christ – they are intertwined. 

‘We can’t separate loving others from our belief in Jesus.  Our confession of Him will lead to action, and true love in action will result from our knowing Him.  Belief without love can make you a Pharisee.  Love without belief can make you a humanitarian.  But if you have both, you’re a child of God.’ What Love Is, page 103.

“So then, you will know them by their fruits.   Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter” Matthew 7:20-21. 

The Lie of Denial

“Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is Christ. Such a man is the antichrist – he denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also” 1 John 2:22.

The other evening I attended a social event where a large group of women had gathered, representing a core group of a large Bible study. The hostess was their previous teacher whom the Lord had led to a different community Bible study. She had already told me that some of the women had ‘more love of money and less of Jesus.’ Her charming southern demeanor was undercut with her true spiritual honesty and conviction…a 2014 John. I met some wonderful Christian women that evening, but one woman in particular shared with me that she had hosted her own large party. There were Gnostics, Jews, Buddhists and Christians who were among the guests. She stated that she felt it was a wonderful evening because it had the mix of all beliefs, and that everyone had to make up their own mind as to which spiritual path they would follow. At her party, she was offering a selection of beliefs that night, alongside her selection of appetizers.

God did not send His Son into the world to die for us as one of our choices. He is the only choice and the only way for us to be reunited with our loved ones and enjoy eternity with God. We live in a culture where we are served a selection of spiritual walks like a tray of desserts after a meal. Christ gave up His choice to live so we could have the certainly of life. But to claim that gift without claiming the One who made it possible is to offend both Father and Son for they are One. We lie to ourselves when we claim to have God but deny Jesus. We lie to ourselves when we celebrate Christmas without acknowledging that Jesus is the only way to the Father. We can’t have it both ways when living out our life.

Some people might take the stance that this is merely the bias opinion of a friend of Jesus. If that is the stance we are to take, then we must claim that there are untruths in the Bible. If we claim that some of the Bible is factual and some of it is not then how do we measure that? What part is called into question and what part is not? How can believe in the promises of God's comfort, provision and protection for our children in one part of the Bible without believing that God sent His only Son into the world to reconcile our sins in another part? God’s word is not up for dissection, and certainly not for us to determine its original intent or accuracy. John’s words are strong but necessary, as he was warning his beloved community of believers against those who had walked away from the truth in Christ. His words were spoken with a sense of urgency, and an understanding that sometimes believers don’t recognize the liars among them – those people who do not believe in Jesus Christ.

With the birthday of Jesus upon us let us claim to all that we believe in Jesus Christ as God who came in the flesh to do what we couldn’t do for ourselves. Let us loudly proclaim that the person of Jesus was born as a baby, lived and died according to the will of His Father so we could live. His very life is our gift 365 days of the year so let’s live like we believe it. May our words and actions show that the lives of others depend on our testimonies of Christ. Lastly, let us proclaim that the Holy Bible, God’s inherent truth was breathed, spoken and translated for our good, enduring forever.

‘I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him’ Eccl 3:14.

Scandalous Lies

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save…This is the verdict:  Light has come into the world…But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly…” John 3:17, 21.

I’m not a big television person but this past week I was sick with the flu.  Between extreme boredom and being tethered to my bed I watched multiple episodes of this one show.  It was a show on Netflix so I was able to have a marathon viewing one of the days.   It’s a show where every character walks in the darkness of deceit, corrupt power, sin and narcissism.  Watching it once a week was one thing, but allowing it to infiltrate my mind when I was physically sick was quite another.  It was so disturbing that I changed the show to a sitcom so it wouldn’t be the last thing I watched before I went to sleep.  The next morning I was convicted to remove the show from my viewing list so I wouldn’t be tempted.  See, Jesus came into the world not to condemn us but to save us from evil…and sometimes even from ourselves.

The more closely we live with God we get the privilege of living and walking in that light.  ‘God is light; there is no darkness in Him at all.  If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie’ 1 John 1:5-6.  By watching that show I was walking in darkness, giving Satan a small opening to my mind.  I am thankful that God shed His light of conviction onto me and revealed it for what it is...darkness meant to do damage to my spirit.  When we walk with Him in the light, His light will reveal our darkness, that is, anything we open ourselves up to that is contradictory to God.  We must stay in tune with the Holy Spirit and not silence His voice of conviction.

We are not naïve when dealing with darkness.  Deep in our spirit we all know what is contradictory to living the spirit-filled life.  God will be faithful in making it clear when darkness is lingering as He did with me this morning.  I was watching a video that accompanies my Bible Study and the speaker actually talked about the same show and episode that made me turn off the television.  Her point was that culture does everything it can to redefine the light.  The world tries to shine the light of approval onto the darkness of sin.  I was amazed that God was so clear on pointing out the dangers of darkness.

‘But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship’ 1 John 5:7

A Better Way

“She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening…But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made…the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.  Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken from her’” Luke 10:39-41.

This is the story of two sisters who adored Jesus and prepared for His visit.  One was not more righteous than the other, nor did one love Him more than the other.  The difference between these sisters was one thing…choice.  While one chose to focus on the distractions of the world, the other chose to focus on the One who created the world.  Neither sister was loved more than the other by Jesus, but one received fellowship and the other did not.

Every one of us has this same choice as we walk out our lives.  If we are Christians we have invited Christ into our hearts and homes.  But does He sit in the next room while we are busy preparing… striving…toiling…even serving?  Do we invite Him to join us in our day or do we only visit Him first thing or late at night?  When considering Martha, we can deduce that her preparations were noble, and would directly benefit Jesus.  But, as Scripture states Jesus didn’t want the benefits of her busyness…He wanted the blessings of her fellowship.  While her house might have been clean her heart was absent.  It doesn’t matter how noble or godly our service is we must make time to sit at the feet of Jesus.  The world and everything in it will always compete for our time.  We must be intentional with where we place our focus and our time.  One will pass away while the other remains.  Serving Him without the fellowship is like preparing a party without guests.

‘The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever’ 1 John 2:17.

Don't You Know Me?

“Jesus answered, ‘Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time?”  John 14:9.

Jesus had shown the disciples the constant love and miracles from God.  They had watched Him raise Lazarus from the dead…turn water into wine…feed thousands from a mere basket of food…heal the demon possessed…heal a woman from her touch of His mere hem.  And yet, Philip asked Jesus to show them the Father and they would believe.  Can you imagine Jesus’ exasperation when, after all they had witnessed firsthand, they still wanted more proof? 

We are not much different as His disciples today.  We ask for things we have already been given.  We experience His daily provisions and resources, and yet we fear we will lack something later.  We experience healing in one area while not believing Him in another area.  We are delivered from one sin only to turn to another.  God has promised us complete faithfulness in all things, if we will get into His word.  It is only when we pursue Him, His word and His will that we will really know Him.  Through our intimacy with Him we gain knowledge of Him which becomes the path of overcoming sin and temptation.  1 John 2:14 states:  ‘You are strong, and the word of God remains/lives in you.’  This tells us that when we have God living on the inside of us, we have everything we need to be victorious.  ‘Here we see that living by God’s Word is inextricably connected to our strength to overcome.  I meet so many people who are stuck in unrelenting misery, broken relationships, even tragic situations because they’re committed to doing things their way instead of being led by the Word of God that abides in them.  Simply put, living by God’s Word is power over our adversary.’ Kelly Minter, What Love Is, p. 56.

Christ has been with us since we have invited Him into our hearts.  It is our responsibility to really get to know Him so that we can recognize His hand in everything.  We can recall His past faithfulness and expect future deliverances.  We can confidently look at the unfolding circumstances and say, ‘I know Him, that’s Jesus!’

Intended Love

“Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness.  Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble.  But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him” 1 John 2:9- 11.

I’m very fortunate in the fact that I have never experienced the betrayal of a friend.  I have known and counseled people who have been betrayed by friends.  I believe it is one of the most difficult situations in regards to forgiveness.  Our friends walk with us through our failures and successes…our sadness and our joy…our mundane and our challenges.  I know for myself I’ve been in a dinner club for 18 years with some amazing women, and I can’t imagine being betrayed by them.  They are my little group…my little advocates…my little circle.

There was a man who had given His all to His closest friends.  He had shown them things that no one else had seen, and had shared intimate moments with each man.  They had been through so much and the time was nearing where goodbyes would have to be said.  As they sat at their final dinner gathering Jesus knew that one of them would betray Him in such a way that it would cost Him His life.   As He began washing the feet of the disciples He approached His betrayer and knelt before Judas.  He faced a decision in that moment that much bigger than His own emotions.  He chose to live out the command of His Father, ‘Live in the light…love your brother…take his feet and wash them…serve out of my love, not your emotions.’  We fail to give Jesus credit in this situation, because we feel that He was.  Being perfect didn't mean He didn't feel the sting...being perfect didn't mean His heart wasn't broken over the betrayal.  He felt everything we feel...His hurt...His anger...His disbelief.  He might have even been tempted to reveal who the betrayer was going to be, but He didn't.  He knelt and took the foot of Judas into His hand and began washing.  Did Judas even make eye contact?  If so, did He see the sadness in Jesus' eyes? 

We are called to live like Jesus and to love like Jesus…relentless love…radical love…unselfish love.  We cannot claim to love but have actions that show hate.  ‘The road to hate can look like the enjoyment of gossip about someone you know, a thread of bitterness toward a family member, jealously toward your coworker…John is not only calling us to the absence of hate, but to a life overflowing with love for the people around us…So let us love!’ Kelly Minter, What Love Is, p. 53.

Most likely we all have someone in our circle like Judas who at some point will require some washing on our part.  May we all understand that by failing to reach out, we pass up the opportunity to love like Jesus.  Lord, help us love the way you intended us to love.