- Do You Know What You Believe?
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2 Timothy 1:11-12
11Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.
12For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
When it comes to Christianity today, there are many people who profess to believe many things. Many of these people, however, they are unable to say “why” they believe what they believe. Some are even unable to highlight the particulars of what they believe or how it connects with other things they say they believe.
Do you know what you believe?
What is your belief based upon?
How often do you re-evaluate your favorite doctrines to ensure that they are Bible-based and not just based on traditions that you have never questioned?
If you found out tomorrow that one or two of your cherished doctrines was incorrect in some way, which of the following paths would you take?
- Would you stubbornly stick to what you had previously accepted without question?
- Would you lose confidence in the other beliefs you hold and abandon Christianity?
- Would you begin to systematically re-evaluate all your other beliefs to ensure that they are Biblically sound?
In 2 Timothy 2:15, we are told to study to show ourselves approved unto God.
In 1 Peter 3:15, we are told to be always prepared to give a reason for the hope we have in God.
We need to study – daily – to ensure that what we think we know is truly knowledge of God. Contrary to popular opinion, the true Christian is willing and able to continuously re-evaluate his understanding of the scriptures by dedicated study. There is always something to learn as we prayerfully study God’s Word, but that won’t happen if we expect that we have already mastered it all. Nor will it happen if we approach the study of the Word with doubt concerning what we have previously studied.
Each time we study, we must simultaneously be open to a new and richer understanding of the scriptures, while being sure about what the foundational Bible teachings are. The proper attitude is neither one of doubt nor of overconfidence.
Ultimately, wisdom comes from God, and that’s where we start in our understanding of God’s word:
James 1:5
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
Make sure you know what you believe, and that it is firmly grounded in the Bible, because that is the only knowledge that will count for anything in the final reckoning/
- The Necessity of Obedience
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Now therefore, if ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people: for all the earth is Mine: (Exodus 19:5 KJV)
Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day: And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known. (Deuteronomy 11:26-28 KJV)
It is often said that, "It takes money to make money."
The same can be said of obedience as it pertains to the Christian walk: It takes obedience to become obedient.
We need to obey the call of God that we might be given the power to obey Him in all things. Quite illogical sounding, no?
Salvation[1] is not something that just happens. We don’t make salvation happen. God has made salvation available to all, but in our desire to avoid saying that we do anything to earn salvation, we’ve quite taken ourselves out of the picture as it pertains to our responsibilities in the matter.
When we discuss obedience, we’re not throwing out any other fundamental principle. We’re just focusing on a needed one.
Imagine the following scenario:
You are adrift on the water, sitting on some raft, and headed to a waterfall. Someone comes by in a helicopter to rescue you. They through down a rope ladder and tell you to grab a hold of it, climb up and hang on. You can obey them, or disobey them of your own volition. If you disobey, then you will most certainly perish. If you obey them partially (you grab hold, but don’t climb up; you grab hold and climb up, but let go before the helicopter gets to land; etc) you will also perish. So obedience is very much a key to your being saved from the water.
Now, no one in their right mind, upon being placed safely on the dry land, would ever consider making the claim that they had saved themselves simply because they held on as instructed. And it is quite impossible imagining a place where the work of holding on is deemed more important than the work of flying the helicopter, finding the victim, dropping down the ladder, and flying back safely to dry land. At the same time, one cannot deny that obedience was important for the person being saved, and that a lack of it would have undermined the salvation of the victim (i.e. led to destruction).
When we exercise our faith in God – the faith that God has given us to begin with – it becomes strengthened. Likewise, as we obey God, we are sanctified (ongoing process) and enabled to render even more obedience which is essential for our character building.
God gives us a new nature – one that loves Him and desires to serve Him – but our characters are built over time, rather than handed to us outright. Character is nothing more than a solid collection of habits, which are built by a solid collection of actions, which are built by a solid collection of thoughts. We need habits of obedience (among other things) to be fitted for heaven, and it all starts by obeying God.
We submit to God… God empowers us to do His will… we continue to obey… He empowers us to do more of His will… and so on and so forth. (Philippians 2:13) God cannot be removed from the process, lest it become our own, useless self-righteousness, but obedience must be there.
Obedience cannot be removed from the equation.
Love cannot be removed from the equation.
The grace of God cannot be removed from the equation.
Faith in Jesus cannot be removed from the equation.
The Faith OF Jesus cannot be removed from the equation.
Repentance cannot be removed from the equation.
Various other things that I have left unmentioned (due to considerations of time and space) cannot be removed from the equation of our salvation.
We need God to be able to obey AND we need to obey God to be within His will. We can quibble about the exact sequence all we want, but given that given that the topic of salvation will be an *eternal* study for us, we need to accept that it’s an inherently complex subject, and a lot more interconnected than we often make it out to be.
The Bible shows us both sides of obedience because both sides are true. We need God before we can obey, and we must obey to get the power to do so. :)
Let us press towards the mark…
Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? (Romans 6:16 KJV)
[1] Big word, broad term, vast concept
- Be Ye Ready
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“We need to be ready.” This is a statement that Christians make quite often. And there’s good reason for that, as we have quite a few Bible texts that enjoin us to do just that.
Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
(Matthew 24:42-44 KJV)
The question then becomes: What are we waiting for, and in what way must we be ready?
Well that’s where things get interesting. The Bible does prep us for the future – mostly by instructing us about the past. Jesus indicated that the time just before the Second Coming would be very much like the time of Noah and the time of Lot. It should be noted that both of these scenarios represent periods before imminent destruction.
Noah was getting ready, and boy did that readiness involve some work.
Lot, on the other hand, was not close to getting ready. He wasn’t exactly laying about being useless, but his lack of preparation showed in the state of his family. They were not prepared to leave, and their attitudes ranged from outright hostility to highly reluctant departure.
History will be repeating itself, and we have been given an example of readiness and one of unpreparedness. While Noah had some indication of when the climactic event would occur, Lot absolutely had no idea that the end of his life in Sodom had arrived until he was taken by them outside the city (Genesis 19).
We have been given enough instructions in Matthew, Luke and Revelation to guide us in our great work of preparation.
We must watch, pray and be ready.
Just one month ago, we experienced snowstorm in the NY metro area. Some areas received up to 19 inches of snow!! Because the weather had been rather warm up to that time, so many of the trees had all their leaves, and snow covered leaves are heavier than you might thing. There were so many branches and trees that broke, taking out power and communication lines, that some people were without power or internet services for more than a week! Even now, one month later, much of the tree limbs and branches remain on the ground throughout NJ.
We had a couple days warning about that storm, and yet many found themselves woefully unprepared when it came. Will the same be said of us for the earth’s final events?
The time to prepare is *before* the events have transpired. Not during.
Watch.
Pray.
And get ready.
The instructions are all there…
- Do You See What I See?
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The signs keep on coming…
And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.
(Matthew 24:4-8 KJV)
This year, in the NY/NJ metro area, we’ve experienced an earthquake, a category 1 hurricane, rampant flooding, and now a snowstorm that has led to power loss for many.
And the year’s not finished yet.
God’s people need to stir and awaken themselves, because now is not the time to be sleeping on the job. We are entirely too comfortable doing the same old things we have been doing for years.
Things are about to get a lot harder. There are rumblings all around, and signs in the weather and in nature all across the globe.
It has been an unprecedented year of activity on many fronts, but too many of us have been lulled into a false sense of security because we’ve been hearing the same things about the Second Coming for generations.
Look closely, because I think that things are not as they have been.
Let no man deceive you. There is more to go, but we need to be ready.
Remember that it is Jesus that makes the analogy to labor pains – the frequency and intensity of these events *will* continue to increase.
Let us redeem the time, for now is our salvation nearer than when we first believed.
- Worship: Event, Activity or Lifestyle?
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The term “worship”, whether used in a religious or secular context, is supposed to reflect an attitude and ongoing experience rather than a specific activity or event.
Sometimes it seems that humanity embraces worship more fully when the object of that worship is not God. For instance, many people worship their possessions, their favorite celebrities, political and philosophical ideologies, and so on, and they are not afraid or ashamed to be focused on these objects of their worship at all times.
In contrast, when it comes to the worship of God, many of us seem to lack the stamina to apply ourselves as fully to the endeavor as the Bible suggests and teaches that we should. Perhaps it is because we see so many examples of misdirected worship that we are afraid to put that same kind of energy and focus into the worship of the only One worthy of worship. Perhaps we are afraid of being perceived as extremists. Whatever the reasoning, all too often, our worship tends to more resemble "activity" or "event" rather than "lifestyle".
The theme of the entire Bible is that of worship. The underlying conflict of the Great Controversy between God and Satan is all about worship. The fact is that the worship of God should be so much a part of our existence, that the phrase "ongoing worship" will seem as pointless to us as the phrase "constant breathing". Just as occasional breathing is of little use to an organism that depends upon air, so occasional worship provides little benefit to organisms that depend upon God.
Part-time worship is not nearly as effective for spiritual growth as it might seem at first glance. Sure, part-time is better than none at all, in the same way that one meal every other day is better than complete starvation, but growth and health and vigor are not really accommodated by one meal every other day, either.
While it is often used in other contexts such as Christian Education and Parenting, Deuteronomy 6:4-9 is actually a good text for emphasizing worship lifestyle and attitude:
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9 KJV)
If angels and other holy beings can live in a state worship (Revelation 4:8-11), how much more we who need the power of God to overcome the evil one?