|
‘People will find teachers to tell them what they want to hear.’ (2 Timothy 4:3)
I recently received a comment on a short video I posted about John the Baptist calling people to repent and then baptizing them. The comment was so confusing to me that I thought the person had maybe mis-written it. He said that John – in calling people to repent – was not talking about turning away from their sin, but rather turning to Jesus. I want to keep this reflection really short. So let’s jump straight in and look at only two points. 1. Misrepresentation Let’s stay with the word ‘repentance’. Although repentance does mean changing one’s mind, one’s direction, it is used often in the sense of changing one’s mind, one’s direction, about sin. Contexts and words and focus make this clear. In Mark 1:5 we are told that people were coming out to John, ‘confessing their sins’, and being baptized – and this is before John knew to point them to Jesus. John was trying to prepare the way for God, but he did not yet know it was Jesus, so he was not pointing people to Jesus. Not initially. He was ‘preparing people’. How? By calling them to repent of their sin – to change their mind about it, their direction about it, their lifestyle. John was calling people to clean house in order that Jesus might be revealed. (Do you ever clean house for a special guest who is coming?) ‘I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.’ (John 1:31) John’s whole ministry was to prepare the way. When Jesus actually came, John bowed out of ministry: ‘It is time for me to become less, and for him to become more.’ (John 3:30) When Jesus came, was revealed, John’s disciples left him and followed Jesus. (John 1:37) John was done, so to speak. His part had been played. His part was to prepare the way for Jesus, not preach about Jesus. He was not pointing people to Jesus, until the very end of his ministry, when Jesus appeared and was baptized. At this point John said (effectively): ‘We have been confessing and turning away from our sin. But now Jesus is here – the ultimate sacrifice for sin - not symbolically as we are doing with the cleansing of water, but in truth, in Spirit.’ (John 1:29/Neh 8:8) John’s call to repentance was all about sin. For this reason people asked John for specifics about their sin. What should we do? Well, you guys (soldiers) should not exploit people. You other guys need to be generous, charitable, share what you have… (Luke 3:10-14) It is simply wrong teaching to say that John was not calling people to repent of sin but rather to change their minds on Jesus. This is a complete ‘mishandling of the Word’ (2 Timothy 2:15). It is not subtly wrong; it is obviously wrong. It does not even follow the explicit order of events in the Gospels. So why this false teaching? There is always a motive. Why would someone be trying to get ‘repentance of sin’ completely out of the gospel message? 2. Motivation I think the motivation behind the ‘Salvation Is Easy’ movement, is so we do not have to address sin in our own lives, and in the lives of others. If I can just pocket salvation with a quiet belief - about Jesus and his death and resurrection – and others can to, then we can ignore, never mention, never address sins such as sexual immorality (pornography, lust), homosexuality (LGBTQ), love of money, wealth and pleasure. Repentance of sin does not matter, I’m safe, I’m saved, so let’s now live and let live. The hardest thing for me when I started following Jesus (not just secretly believing in him), was that I had to change my lifestyle – my sin. And with this stand and change, I had to also explain to people around me why I was no longer participating, i.e. because certain things were wrong to do, sinful. All through the life and teaching of Jesus, there is a call, not only to turn from sin, but also to allow our ‘good deeds’, our new life and direction, to be seen by others. (Matthew 5:16) Jesus said a good tree could not bear bad fruit, and bad tree could not bear good fruit. And he said we would know ‘good’ people by their fruit – their walk and not their talk. (Matthew 7:15-20) Look at this shocking verse in Timothy: ‘God’s foundation stands firm with this inscription on it: Everyone who confesses Jesus must turn away from wickedness.’ (2 Timothy 2:19) God hates hypocrisy – believing one thing, but living another. Jesus hates cowardice, also – believing in him, but not standing with him in his heart, holiness, teaching and sacrifice. ‘If anyone is ashamed of me… I will be ashamed of him.’’ (Luke 12:8-9) When you love someone – which is the number one call of God on our lives (Matthew 22:36-40) – you stand with them and are not ashamed of them in their convictions, principles and teaching. ‘Let us go outside the camp, stand with Jesus, and bear the disgrace he bore.’ (Hebrews 13:13) The motive behind the ‘Salvation Is Easy’ movement, from where I am standing, is one of cowardice. It is trying to bank the salvation of God, but avoid the sacrifice of standing with Jesus in his holiness and on the issues of sin. Why? So we can avoid the cost of following Christ. It is really hard to seek God and find ways to navigate sin, both in our lives and that of the world around us. But to believe in the issue of sin, and God’s teaching on sin, does not mean we have to be condemning to people. In fact, if we are condemning in spirit and words, we have got this issue of sin wrong. Jesus leads in another, Spirit-filled way. I have struggled with, and sacrificed for, dealing with the topics of sexual sin – both in the church (heterosexual sin), and outside the church (homosexuality). Sometimes I have got it right, sometimes wrong, but the Lord has been showing me ways to truly know his heart, his Word, his holiness, and yet not fear loving people caught in these areas of sin and deception. God has shown me how to be strong in my understanding, convictions, heart for people, and yet not lose my joy, my courage, my connection with people. We do not have to fear holding true to God’s Word and his holiness, when living in this hurting world. We need to trust Jesus, love Jesus, and listen and learn how to hold true. Paul admonished Timothy to contend with certain false teachers, but he says, ‘The goal of this command is love…’ (1 Timothy 1:5) There is a way of love available to us, in standing with Christ and sharing him. ‘Salvation Is Easy’ is a false teaching. I believe it is designed to get Christians off the hook of dealing with sin in their own lives, and taking a stand about sin in the world we live in. What will result is more sin. This deception – and cowardice – will end up trapping many Christians in personal sin, and also leaving many unbelievers lost in their own sin with no one pointing the way out. Many unbelievers are crying out to hear about the path, the freedom, the second-chance that ‘repentance’ offers them. Repentance of sin is a gift and freedom path for those crippled in guilt and shame. It is wrong for Christians – and so-called teachers – to deny this clear teaching of God and Christ. Conclusion Yes, there are times this word – repentance – in its Hebrew/Greek form - might be used in the general changing of mind, even in the case of God in the Old Testament. But to point to that use of the word (and not the context), in an attempt to nullify its use regarding people turning from their sin, is completely disingenuous. It is wrong. It is false teaching. We use all kinds of words that change in their focus depending on context and intent. For example, ‘sex’. You might argue that a school brochure uses the word ‘sex’ 39 times, and therefore it is an inappropriate brochure. But they are using it in the sense of ‘gender’, in the sense of ‘harassment’. To simply point at a word and not reference the context – and then use that to nullify its meaning in another context – is a complete mishandling of language and semantics. And this is how the ‘Salvation Is Easy’ movement is mishandling the word ‘repentance’ and the Scriptures themselves. The gospel of Jesus Christ has been misrepresented in many ways. Probably the most common way is through legalism, i.e. you can’t be saved unless you also clean up this sin or that sin in your life. (And I can see how ‘Easy Salvation’ might be a type of reaction to that). But it is also a misrepresentation to jump on one definition of the gospel in the Bible – such as 1 Corinthians 15:1-3 – and say that this is a type of watertight equation, a hole-in-one verse. It is not. There are multiple other examples in Scripture where the ‘gospel’ is defined differently. There are stories where Jesus made salvation contingent on selling all your possessions and giving to the poor. (Mark 10:21) Does that apply to everyone, every situation? No. Because it did not seem to feature when Jesus was dealing with other wealthy individuals, such as Nicodemus, Cornelius or Joseph of Arimathea. We cannot be simplistic and misleading about the gospel. Where people add to it, or where people dumb it down, both are false. Jesus is the gospel. The gospel is Jesus. He is God in the form of man, and comes to us in person. When we turn to him for help, for hope, for healing, we are in that same turn, turning our back on sin and darkness and evil. It is, in essence, the same turn. ‘Then Jesus called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.’’ (Mark 8:34-38)  Christmas Eve is where’s it at! There is everything to hope for, zero disappointment. On Christmas Eve the starry night feels eternal, nothing but joy on the horizon…
You see, this side of glory – here on broken, dark, mortal earth – the only pure joy we can experience is hope of heaven. Hope of all things made new, no more sorrow, sadness, tears or death. If even a drop of that hope lands on our minds, hearts, souls, we experience a thrill. It is pure escape. To ‘feel’ that spirit is not just hope; it is ‘living hope’. It is a ‘thrill of hope’. We often glimpse this on Christmas Eve. But when Christmas Day arrives, that hope converts into limited, tangible things. Our souls soared the night before, but then crash land on a package, an item, a thing. The magical night sky becomes a rather glaring, kind of depressing morning sky. I mean, it's still fun, but it has come to an end. The spirit of hope, the ‘thrill of hope’, the ‘living hope’, becomes a lot of stuff on the floor. (Not to mention the broken stuff, the lack of gratitude, the stuff that needs to be returned, etc.) So let’s get back to the Holy Night, the night before, when a thrill of hope descended on our soul. What was that? The truth is that the story of Jesus Christ was a story of ‘living hope’. Hope of a future in heaven. Yes, Jesus coming to earth was God coming to earth, so the beginning of the glorious end was plugged in here and now. God came, connected heaven to earth, broke open the doorway. So for now we pray and live for, bringing heaven to earth. Jesus taught us to pray, ‘Your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.’ But Heaven itself will be our actual 'Christmas Day' - the one that will not disappoint - when we wake up not to stockings and gifts, but to streets of gold, loved ones we lost, and a ‘crystal clear’ river flowing through the city from the throne of God. (Revelation 22:1-5) Hope of heaven came with the birth of Jesus Christ. This is the 'thrill of hope' that touches your soul on Christmas Eve. And the day you sleep, and wake to heaven, will be your real Christmas Day. ‘A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices…’ (O Holy Night, 1843) ‘In Jesus we have living hope....’ (1Peter1:3)  Moses was not brought up by his own people. Although a Hebrew (slave), he was brought up by the Egyptians, as royalty. So he would have missed out on many traditions, experiences, and even ‘laws’ of his people – God’s people. He would have been eating ‘unclean’ foods, paying homage to false gods, etc.
So when Moses decided to get back in with his people (by murdering an Egyptian soldier), it did not work. They did not accept him. Shortly after killing the Egyptian Moses tried to break up a fight between Hebrew brothers. Rather than seeing him as one of their own, as a help, a hero, one of them said: ‘Are you going to kill me like you killed the Egyptian?’ (Exodus 2:14) Moses had to flee. His own people would not accept him, and the people who raised him - the Egyptians - were now after him for murder. Moses had no people, no nation. So when God called him to lead the Hebrew people out of slavery, truly Moses was a lone ranger. An outlier. An outcast. But now anointed by God not just to be one of them, but to lead them. To be their Leader. Here are some distinctives of Moses, and I wonder if his ‘outcast’ status had something to do with forming this character deep within: 1. Moses was closer to God than others: ‘God spoke with Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend.’ (Exodus 33:11) 2. Moses was more humble than others: ‘Moses was more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.’ (Numbers 12:3) 3. God’s Spirit, or nothing! If God’s Spirit was not in it, Moses would quit. Past miracles did not matter to him. Honor from the crowds did not matter to him. He held onto no glory or goodness of yesterday – in himself or in the people with him (See Exodus 32:32-33). And he did not care at all about prosperity in the future if God’s presence was not part of the prosperity, the reward. (Exodus 33:1-3,15) God or nothing. God’s Spirit or nothing. Not one more step. 4. Alone with God: Moses’ highest reward was to get more time alone with God. Not a ceremony from the people, an honorary degree, a celebration, a lauding introduction… Nope. What Moses wanted – even after interceding for the people and saving their lives – was simply this: ‘Now, God, show me your glory.’ (Exodus 33:18) God honored this by hiding Moses alone in the cleft of a rock and shining all God’s brilliance on him, soaking him in holy light. ‘Jesus said, ‘The most important command is this: Love God with all your heart…’’ (Matthew 22:37)  Have you ever had a toxic friend? One minute they are all for you, the next minute they are pulling the rug out from under you. And the main toxicity is that they are undermining who you are. They chip away at the foundation of your confidence and sense of self.
What’s going on here is jealousy. ‘Anger is cruel, wrath overwhelming, but before a jealous person who can stand?’ (Proverbs 27:4) The jealousy your toxic friend has towards you is not about you. If not you, it would be towards another. It’s not personal towards you. It is personal towards God. It is between them and God. It is an issue of sin. Let’s take a practical example, and how to deal with it… One day you are excited about hanging out with a group of people – toxic friend included. You arrive, you look cute, you feel good. One of the gang says, ‘You look so great today, wow!’ All eyes on you. Your friend chimes in quick, big smile, ‘Totally! Pity about the color of your sneakers, but hey!’ Little Ms Toxic laughs and others laugh along or it would be awkward. Everyone moves on. Later on LMT says to you in private, like sincerely concerned, ‘Why do you think she was saying you looked great?’ We have a question to you about you. And it is on a steep slope, so to speak. There is only one way the discussion can go if you answer on Toxic’s terms, and that is downhill, self-deprecation. If you say, ‘I don’t know!’ That is to reinforce that the compliment was somehow insincere and the kind words of no value. Before we consider a response, let’s consider what James – the brother of Jesus – says about jealousy. ‘Where there is jealousy there is confusion, and every kind of evil.’ (James 3:16) Ever feel confused around toxic friend? Now look what James says about people with true wisdom and understanding – the kind of friends you need around you. He says: a. They need to show it with good works done in meekness (humility, kindness) that is from true wisdom. (vs.13) b. True wisdom (words from a true friend) are ‘pure, peace-loving, considerate, full of mercy and good fruit.’ (vs.17) Is the spirit of your friend coming towards you in humility, considerateness, pure goodness, building you up? So let’s get back to our example, where friend has just asked you – or insincerely questioned you – about the kind words spoken to you. Let’s pause before we answer, and consider what is behind it. We hit pause and analyze. There is a jealous spirit behind it. It is confusing and undermining. OK, we have discerned the spirit. Now, let us respond accordingly. We might say, ‘Well, I personally really appreciated the kind words. They made me feel great!’ Here we stood against the spirit we discerned to be jealous. We have not given into what the question implied – i.e. that the compliment was insincere. Rather, we have stood at a distance here, and defined the terms of the event. We say they were good words, kind words, and we receive them. We need to be careful not to respond too quickly to something said or done or questioned. Because we risk – simply by responding on that level – being on that level. 'Do not answer a fool according to his folly, lest you become like him.' (Proverbs 26:4-5) It is better to stop, pause, discern the spirit behind the thing, and if a response is even needed, respond by defining the situation in true wisdom. If you do have time some day to consider a masterful interaction on this level, read and ponder Matthew 4:1-11. Look carefully at what the devil said to Jesus, and how Jesus responded. Jesus battled the devil here in redefining the very spirit of the air, of the confrontation. He did not allow the devil to set the terms of what was being said, and what was actually being done. And the devil, frustrated, finally came out and showed his true colors. Check it out some time! ‘Practice discernment.’ (Hebrews 5:14, N88V)  Moses was called by God to free four hundred thousand slaves. God told Moses to go to the king, Pharaoh of Egypt, and say, ‘Let my people go!’ That was the plan. No weapons, no threats. (You can read this full story in the book of Exodus in the Bible)
Moses was scared. He did not want to. He asked God to send someone else. God got angry at Moses for this. But he did allow for Moses’ brother, Aaron, to join him and be the mouthpiece. Now, in this brief reflection I just want to zero in on one thing that happened. God gave Moses a miraculous sign that he could perform in front of Pharaoh: Moses could throw his wooden staff on the ground, and it would become a snake. This was a sign that Moses could do, could use, to prove to Pharaoh that God had sent Moses to him. So Moses and Aaron go Pharaoh. Pharaoh tells them to prove themselves. Aaron throws the staff to the ground and it becomes a serpent. Now, look what happened after that: ‘Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts.’ (Exodus 7:11) Here we have a moment. God had given Moses a mission, an anointing, authority in the Spirit. The staff becoming a serpent was a sign of this. But in the battle of this mission, the enemy matched – at least on the surface, just for a few moments – what seemed to be equal power. If we pause here for a moment, we see and feel a very confusing, challenging spiritual experience. All three snakes on the floor. Only one of them is the real deal, holy of God, a true sign of authority. The other two are counterfeits, deception, spiritual opposition. One is real, two are false. One is holy, two are evil. But for this moment, it is not clear which. They look the same. But then: ‘Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs.’ (v.12) All came clear. Only one snake remained. Don’t fear the counterfeit. Don’t fear the fake. God and his Spirit will prevail. We’re told that even the devil dresses up to counterfeit holy angels. (2 Cor 11:14) We’re in a battle, and appearances are part of the challenge. But we don’t worry. We don’t strive to prove anything. Because God will prove himself. He will call it. ‘The Lord knows those who are his.’ (2 Timothy 2:19)  I was watching the news this morning. Guys in power completely corrupt. I wonder how these guys got to power. Then I wonder if it’s just any guy who gets power.
As I watch the news – from money laundering, to rape, violence, robbery and war – I realize how radical, how ‘other’ is the gospel of Jesus. While the systems of this world raged on, up and down a ladder of power and money, God was born into a small village in a small country and battled the spirit powers of darkness. Again, the contrast: On one hill hunger games rage and salacious people prowl, and in a valley God himself walks, talks, touches, heals, and takes all darkness into his own blood and spills it on the ground. Death celebrated in the games and careers of man, death defeated outside the camp by Jesus Christ. And since that day, eternal life wars against eternal death, and eternal life has won and will win – to all those who seek God and find him. (Jer 29:13; John 16:11) ‘This is what we speak… explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.’ (1 Corinthians 2:13) A verse I love, a sweeping, silencing truth, is this: ‘The glory of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.’ (Habbakuk 2:14) I love to look over a still ocean. The waters are deep and wide beyond measure, and silence is all around. Only the wind on the water is heard and felt. Even this is only a picture, a promise, but it has weight. It looks and feels like the violent history of man is no more, sunk and silenced like a sunken ship. There will come a day when I am woken from my sleep, and told in a whisper, that the glory of the Lord has covered the earth, every corner, every scar. I will rise and an angel will walk me out to see the light of God on every path and back road, glowing and covering the air and the ground. Glory everywhere. Healing and silence. Beauty and peace. No danger, pain, sorrow or death. ‘Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth… God’s dwelling place is now among the people… He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain… Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God down the middle of the street of the city… No longer will there be any curse… There will be no more night… God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.’ (Revelation 21:1-6; 22:1-5)  There is a time for everything. Truly, there is. There is a time to rest – and often we miss that time. We long for it, we pray for it, but when it comes, we fret instead. For that famous passage on a ‘time for everything’, read Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.
There is also a time to persevere. To endure. To not grow weary, and forge forward. This is true of our faith in Jesus, and of our walk with him. I’ve been recently struck by passage after passage in the Bible regarding perseverance in faith. Look at the language in these few verses: ‘By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.’ (2 Tim 1:14) ‘As for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed…’ (2 Tim 3:14) ‘Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of witnesses.’ (1 Tim 6:12) ‘I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is within you…’ (2 Tim 1:6) Now I’ll be honest, these Scriptures about digging in and walking on, encourage me this season. They simply remind me that a walk of truth is not ‘confirmed’ by being an easy walk. I sometimes mistake fatigue or resistance as an indicator that I’m going the wrong way. Jesus said the path of truth – ultimately the path of believing in Jesus and following him – was a ‘narrow path’, not an easy one. (Mt 7:13-14) Have you grown weary in your faith in Christ? Have you grown weary in walking the path you know to be true? We’re called to ‘spur one another on to love and good deeds’, and I do want to encourage you this day. I have struggled with ‘weariness’ in my walk with Jesus, and in my testimony to others. I’m sure you have, too. But my friend, be encouraged. It is natural to fatigue, we are in a battle. It is natural to feel ‘foreign’ here in the world, for our citizenship is in heaven. (Phil 3:20) Hold steady! Lift your head! Christ is the true path, and your reward is real! ‘Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.’ (Hebrews 10:23) Look closely at the dynamics here:
So God commands Moses to make a ‘bronze snake’, so that the people who are sick from a snake bite (because of their ‘impatience’ and rebellion) can look at the snake and be healed. You can read about this in Numbers 21:4-9. It is short, sweet, and dramatic. Following this ‘revelation’ and intervention and provision of God, the people begin to focus on the bronze snake, and worship it. They begin to burn incense to it, even give it a name: Nehushtan. A good king, Hezekiah, had to destroy this ‘bronze snake’ as it no longer ‘saved’ people, but stood between them and their true Savior as a ‘false god’. (2 Kings 18:4) The irony is stark, but we are all guilty of this same thing in many ways. We take what God has given us, and begin to ‘serve’ it or worship it, rather than the Creator who made it and gave it. We forget God, and make a god of His gift. We make idols. What comes between you and Jesus? That’s your idol. Money? Lust? Popularity? Do you profess God with your words, but deny him with your actions? (Titus 1:16) Interestingly, despite the misuse of the ‘bronze snake’, Jesus won’t be deprived of its original use and meaning. He likens himself to it. He says: ‘Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.’ (John 3:14-15) We are bent on trading God’s Spirit for something tangible or material. We crave the power of ‘holding’, of ‘knowing’. (Gen 3:5-6) When Jesus bent down to wash Peter’s feet, Peter first denied him this act of servitude. When Jesus explained that it was necessary spiritually, had meaning, Peter then asks him to not only wash his feet, but his head also. Jesus simply says, ‘If you’ve had a bath, it’s just your feet that need to be washed.’ (John 13:1-10) Almost a comical response, because Jesus washing his feet had nothing to do with whether they had a bath or not, or whether their feet were dirty or not. The point here, however, is that when Peter was told of the spiritual import of this act, he tried to elevate it, add to it, get all sanctimonious about the act itself. Acts are external. Jesus is about the heart and the spirit. We are addicted to making truth visible, measurable, experiential, expandable, and in the process often lose the truth itself. Jesus says: ‘God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth.’ (John 4:24) My friends, we came into this world with nothing, and we’ll leave with nothing. (1 Tim 6:7) Don’t work for a legacy here; work for a legacy ‘there’. (Mt 6:20) Let’s truly ask God to help us discern the ‘spirit’, His Spirit, in our life. Let it blow to us and through us, for his glory, not our spiritual resume. (Jn 3:8) You can’t make an idol out of spirit. My kids ask me for stuff. It doesn’t work. I mean, sometimes I do give them what they ask for, sometimes I don’t, but the ‘asking’ is not the key factor in ‘getting’. In fact, sometimes (most times?) I give them what they need without them having to ask. Even give them what they want, without them having to ask.
Jesus told us that our loving Father in heaven knows what we need before we ask, so not to worry. (Mt 6:8) But Jesus also told us to ask the Father for what we need and want – in Jesus’ name – because he cares, and will provide. (John 16:24) Don’t ask? Ask? Yes to both. Because what’s really going on, what really matters, is not in the asking. It’s in the spirit. Jesus told us: ‘God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth.’ (John 4:24) God has come to us in person through Jesus Christ, because he loves us. (Mt 1:23) He speaks to us, because he loves us. (John 10:27) He dines with us, because he loves us. (Rev 3:20) When asked what the most important command was, Jesus told us it was to love God with all our heart. (Mt 22:36-40) Life itself, and all relationship within it, is about love, togetherness, and God. When we pray – talking to and listening to God – it is primarily about being with God, and walking with God. In this relationship with God there are things we need, we want, because this life is challenging and dark and competitive. It is OK to ask your Father in heaven for what you need and even want. (John 16:24/Phil 4:6-8) But it is not prayer that is ‘working’ here. Nothing, in fact, is ‘working’ – in the sense of putting something in and getting something out. Rather, in your praying – your sharing and listening – a living and loving relationship with God is ‘at work’. And he hears you. Prayer doesn’t work. Prayer has no power in itself. Relationship with Jesus Christ moves God’s heart, however, in a powerful way. Do you have a relationship with Jesus Christ? ‘And when you pray, do not keep on babbling… for such people think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.’ (Matthew 6:7-8) For more information on having a personal relationship with Jesus, please visit: https://1peter1three.weebly.com/first-steps.html I’m talking about real structures here – like buildings, businesses, houses, etc. Now, personally I’m a man of faith, and it was a ‘faith reflection’ that got me thinking on this, but bear with me as I share this ‘line of thought’…
So as a Christian, I believe that it is God’s will that a true faith in Jesus is at the heart of every man, woman and child. I believe that outside of this revelation and truth of God – i.e. Jesus Christ – there is no ‘truth’, and nothing that will stand. This is the teaching of the Scriptures, from start to finish. It is undeniable, it is clear. But it is a ‘faith’ reality. It is Spirit. It is unseen. Even Jesus said about his kingdom, ‘It is not seen with the eyes… The kingdom of heaven is within you.’ (Luke 17:20-21) So then I start thinking – even worrying – about how this faith is truly going to sweep the nations. How, if ‘unseen’, if a thing of faith, how are we as people going to actually believe and ‘build’ on this? We are so given to what we can see, touch and experience. We are so given, also, to our appetites for things we even know are not true, not pure, not holy. How, if God’s way and revelation is a non-tangible, how will his Kingdom be brought and established here? Surely buildings and churches and world organizations stand strong on other principles. This world is built and driven by human drive and actions and unspiritual motivations and strengths. But then I thought for a moment. I thought about that high, affluent, towering tower with that powerful CEO at the very top, in the pent-house. I thought about him for a short few seconds… I thought about how this man, sitting high on a steel foundation with platinum, anti-earthquake engineering, thinks. He thinks, he feels, he desires. High on his human structure his heart quietly covets what is not his, that woman that is not his. And quietly, from the overflow of the heart, with the ticking of time, this same physical structure is compromised by robbery, wrongdoing, deceit, malice, envy and murder. This high, human tower of beauty, caves to the human heart of sin. Over time the man decays and dies, as does the tower. My friends, this is not theory. This is what you read in 3 out of every 4 columns of the newspaper. This is reality. I leave you now with only one verse, though there is so, so much on this very issue from start to finish in the Bible. But I leave you with only 1 that came to my mind in the moment of this reflection: ‘No one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.’ (1 Corinthians 3:11) For more on ‘First Steps’ with Jesus Christ in your own life, please visit: https://1peter1three.weebly.com/first-steps.html |
AuthorArchives
July 2026
Categories |
RSS Feed
