The Invisible God

The Invisible God

One of God’s attributes is that He is invisible. Paul wrote, “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen” (1 Timothy 1:17). John wrote, “No one has seen God at any time” (John 1:18, 1 John 4:12). He is the “invisible God” (Colossians 1:15).

This attribute of invisibility is not trivial. God is invisible on purpose! Hebrews 11:3 states, “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.” God desired to be invisible from the beginning of the creation. He placed a “veil” between earth and heaven. This was illustrated in the tabernacle by a veil between the holy and most holy place (Exodus 26:33, Hebrews 9:3). Hebrews 6:19 says God’s presence is behind a veil. Why this obscurity?

God wants us to have faith in Him. “We walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). God has established a contrast between our five senses and Himself. In other words, between Him and me. The five senses are limited to the present. They cannot confirm the past; they cannot predict the future. But He is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last (Revelation 1:8, Isaiah 44:6). Will I trust my limited self over the unlimited God? That’s the question Abraham wrestled with when he offered Isaac. We wrestle with it daily. Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:24-25). Visible self, or invisible God. Who will we believe?

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Praying During the Sermon

Praying During the Sermon

In a recent evangelistic sermon, I heard David Sproule speak to those assembled and told them that he had been praying specifically for them. As I listened, I thought of the great impact it would have if every Christian did this. At that point of the sermon, I began to pray the same prayer.

Have we not all sung, “While we pray and while we plead; while you see your soul’s deep need; will you not my brother come?” However, is this true? How often do we sing these words, telling the lost who are in the assembly that we are praying and pleading with them to respond? Is it possible that we may never have been praying that the lost might respond and told them that is precisely what we were doing?

That decision made it so much easier to follow what was being said. I began to listen to the message from the viewpoint of the lost and in my prayers I became part of their lives.

When the church began, they were forbidden to preach or teach anyone about Jesus. It had to be exciting as they had seen the church grow into thousands of members. Consider what they did. They came together to pray for those who were teaching others, that they might boldly present God’s message (Acts 4:32). Can you imagine how this impacted those who prayed, whenever they next listened to the gospel being preached to the lost?

Almost every preacher has had to deal with those who listen to the sermon to find some misspoken word. Every week, when they exit, they usually tell the preacher how he could have improved the lesson. When individuals do this week after week you wonder how much they are truly worshiping during the preaching of the sermon. Constructive criticism is so helpful, but constant critiques of every sermon is so discouraging.

On the other hand, those comments and private emails are one of the greatest joys. Words like: “Thank you for this lesson, it really helped me”; “Thank you for the way you used the Bible, I am a better person because I heard it”; “I want you to know that I was praying for you today”; “Thank you. My friend was not here to hear this message, but I am sending a copy of it.”

Be honest. Be sincere. Be that person like Barnabas who helped Paul so much, but he did not have to be in the forefront to encourage.

So let me suggest you just do what I did.  Pray for the preacher and the lost during a sermon. It changed me. So, when he preaches a lesson directed to Christians, do not pray for others, pray for yourself!

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Babbling or Building?

Babbling or Building?

The creator of the world became flesh and lived as a man upon the earth.  During his time as a man, He lived in a manner which was obedient to God in both word and deed.  The significance of His life reached its pinnacle in His sacrifice for the sins of mankind as He willingly allowed himself to be crucified, taking on the punishment of the sins of all mankind from Adam forward.  He had been building, not babbling. His sacrifice demonstrated that God is just, merciful, and righteous.  Jesus, resurrected from death, following three days and nights in the grave, appeared to many and before His apostles He affirmed the promise of the Father, that the Holy Spirit would come, teach them, and bring to their remembrance all things Jesus had taught them.  In this final action, Jesus initiated the building of His Church to all mankind.  The gathering of mankind in Christ is the first such action by God since He separated them at Babel.  Four things existed during that early period of time following the flood that are essential for men to be recognized as the Church of God today: Cohesion, Communication, Commitment, Creator.

Cohesion is the characteristic of being united. In the era of Genesis 11, the people of the world were united in their mind, speech, and actions.  Unity is a beneficial characteristic in relationships and endeavors to accomplish most tasks.  Who wants disfunction and division within a family?  No one!  The result is pain, suffering, and alienation.  Not just temporarily, but potentially permanently.  Who wants a coworker who sabotages the work of his crew?  Objectives are not achieved, tempers flare, injuries, or death are possible.  Who wants a Church whose members fight, struggle to hold power, or whose interests are all about self rather than the whole body?  Unity is the absence of these troubles.  It is the working together with one another in a way that maximizes success.  This was the mindset of those people in the Land of Shinar who embarked upon building a tower unto the heavens – that which we call the “Tower of Babel”.

A man dying of thirst wants a glass of water.  A “good Samaritan” wants to be able to help.  The two of them have to be able to communicate to be able to express and understand the need of the dying man to obtain water.  The men of the early world were able to unite because they were able to communicate.  They all spoke the same language.  They journeyed together and dwelt in the same place.  They communicated and agreed upon the goal of building a tower to the heavens so they could have a memorial/marker for themselves.  The purpose of this was so they would never be scattered upon the earth.  Communication is critical in so many aspects of our lives.  Within the Church, it ranks near the top.  The gospel is spread by the foolishness of preaching.  Faith is built by hearing the Word.  Forgiveness/reconciliation is sought and given through communication.  Adherence to truth is eased when communication is understood and emphasized as a necessity.

Of course, people can be of the same mind and be able to communicate their concerns, desires, wishes, goals, etc.  However, if they are not committed to work to completion what they wish to accomplish or avoid then they will fail.  They will not be building, but merely babbling.  Building a tower to the heavens is an enormous task.  If everyone thinks it is a great idea, but no one is willing to work, then the plan will fail.  This was what happened with the Temple wall in Jerusalem when Nehemiah went to rebuild it.  For years, the people thought it was a good idea to have a wall… but it wasn’t built.  When Nehemiah got the people engaged and they had a mind to work, they built the wall in 52 days.  In 70 AD, when the Romans of one mind and commitment built a siege wall around Jerusalem, they did so in 3 days.  In regard to the Church, congregations are shrinking and disappearing across America because though everyone has communicated, they want to see the Church grow, few are committed engaging in the behavior to make it so.  Their words were just babbling.

Cohesion, communication, commitment, these three attributes make it hard for any plan or effort to fail.  However, those at Babel know why they failed.  Their plans were broken and the people were scattered because they did not revere the Creator and seek to obey His command to be fruitful and multiply throughout the world.  Their desire was to be in one place.  They were working against God’s Will.  Gamaliel spoke of this same type of behavior in Acts 5 before the Sanhedrin when they sought to stop the apostles sharing the gospel.  The bottom line, if it is of God, they could not overthrow it and even worse they would be found trying to fight against God.  In the realm of the behavior and attitudes of the Church, they may choose to worship in various manners, teach popular doctrines, and appeal to the masses, but if they are not following the pattern established by God, they are mere babbling and will be judged as lacking by God’s very Word.

The Church Christ established is cohesive, communicative, committed, and reverent to the Creator’s Will.  They properly acknowledge the failures of mankind from Adam, to Babel, to Israel, to those playing church today.  The yoke Christ put upon the Church is easy and His burden is light. All the teaching we have ever needed is before us in the written Mind of God.  Let us in a united mind and effort proclaim the Gospel of Salvation to a dying world so that we might Honor our mighty God.

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Saved by Grace of Saved by Works?

Saved by Grace of Saved by Works?

Many people believe that religion is just about morality. In that vein, they will make statements like, “All religions are the same; one is no better than the other. They all teach the same morality, so what difference does it make which one I believe?” First, they do not all teach the same morality, but even if they did, they still would not be the same because of the differences in doctrine. Is there one God, or many? Is God a person, or impersonal? Can we have a relationship with Him, or is He unrelatable? Did Jesus die on the cross or does it not matter as long as we are moral? Are we saved by grace, or by works? These are doctrinal questions, yet they are impactful.saved by grace

Are we saved by grace or by works? The answer to this question separates Christianity from all other world religions. Christianity alone teaches salvation by grace. All other world religions teach salvation by merit/works. Under the works-based scheme of salvation, all it takes is 51% good deeds. 49% of a person’s life may be evil, and he still be saved because all that matters is the number of good works verses the number of bad works. Islam, mainline Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and every other world religion teaches this. Christianity alone says contrary (Ephesians 2:8).

What happens when you get to 75% evil and 25% good? Do you work to balance out? Do you give up? You can’t start over. There are no second chances. Or what if you end life at 51% evil and 49% good? You were so close, but eh, too bad because you crossed the line one too many times. Oh, but someone says, “I’m at 10% evil and 90% good.” Is there a temptation to sin a little more because you have the “credit” so to speak? Such a system does not encourage morality, but immorality. Doctrine makes a difference!

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Hebrew’s Letter: Application, Silence

Hebrew’s Letter: Application, Silence

The Hebrew’s letter provides a great deal of information from which present day Christians can learn.  Prior to pondering a few thoughts from this book, consider some of its finer points.  The book has no declared author, Paul is often suggested, though I would lean to the side of Peter.  Other scholars would put forth different guesses.  Its audience appears to be the Jewish Christian.  Furthermore, it is a common belief that the book was written to those in and around Jerusalem.  The time frame is believed to be prior to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD with some suggesting the writing perhaps during the pause in the siege when Vespasian heads back to Rome following the death of Nero.  There is a lot of speculation about specifics in what has been written so far, because there are a great number of specific points about the letter we just do not know.  hebrews

What is known about the Hebrew’s letter is that it has a tone of urgency in convicting its readers that the covenant under Christ was better in all respects in comparison to the Law of Moses.  Additionally, the audience of this book is not the reader 2000 years later.  Yes, the contents can be learned from and applied generally in numerous ways and there are eternal principles which are to still be followed today, however, Hebrews was written to a specific group who lived in the first century encouraging them regarding the pressure they were enduring during their time of distress. Therefore, it is wise to always keep in mind the audience, timing of the letter, use of language, and context before trying to make personal application to Christians today.  Having laid these thoughts before the reader, the objective in this article is to draw an eternal principle out of Hebrews 7 and consider its impact on the function of the Church today.

Beginning in the latter part of Hebrews 4, it is put forth that Jesus, the son of God, is the High Priest of those faithful to God.  The purpose of a high priest is that they are to act as an intermediary between man and God provide gifts and offerings to God.  Jesus was made high priest being appointed by God because of the suffering He endured and the obedience He demonstrated being hung upon the cross.  In this role, he became the source of eternal salvation to all that obey Him (Hebrews 5).  The writer of Hebrews had concern about the state of mind of the Jewish Christian.  He was in the process of sharing words of great importance to the salvation of his readers, but he knew they had become dull of hearing.  After expressing this sentiment, the writer forges on encouraging them in regard to the earnestness of their Christian walk, their imitation of the pattern of the faithful of God, and their faith in the promises of God.  He then continues with the consideration of Jesus as High Priest.

The High Priest’s of Israel had always served upon the earth, in the tabernacle and temple.   They were appointed to this service by God, during the time in which the people of God were under the Law of Moses.  The care of the tabernacle/temple and its service was given only to those descended from the tribe of Levi as God commanded (Numbers 1, 3, 8, 18, etc.).  Everyone of Israel knew this truth.  Yet, Jesus was of the tribe of Judah and He was in heaven.  If any Israelite had been asked, can someone from the tribe of Judah become high priest?  The answer would have been “No!”.  There would have been no hesitation at all.  God’s command was clear.  God never said, “Thou shall not allow anyone from Judah to be high priest.”  He didn’t have to do so.  In regard to such a statement, He was silent. The command had already been given in regard to what God had wanted.  The Hebrew writer points out this issue of Jesus’ lineage in Hebrews 7:14. So how is this possible?  The only way that Jesus becomes high priest, is by the Law of Moses being replaced by the new covenant in Jesus.  Indeed, this was done because of the weakness of the Old Law in that it required continual remembrance of sin through perpetual offerings and sacrifices.  The Hebrew’s letter  exposes this truth and presents Jesus as a high priest who through a one time sacrifice for mankind, established a perfect covenant, a better one, and then took his seat at the right hand of the Father.

Today’s Christian never lived under the law of Moses.  We were never subject to having to live under a system of continual sacrifices for our sin at the hand of a succession of high priests.  That scenario cannot be replicated, and it highlights the futility of trying to make ourselves the audience of the book of Hebrews.  An eternal principle that can be applied to Christians today is that of Biblical silence.  When God gives a command, it is understood, he does not have to give a “thou shalt not” for everything he did not command.  Here are a number of examples of that principle which the Church can observe today by God’s command:

  1. Singing of psalms, hymns, spiritual songs – not playing instruments, singing patriotic songs, or singing secular songs
  2. Unleavened bread and fruit of the vine – not leavened bread, kool-aid, cheese, meat, buffet.
  3. Man and woman joined together – not man and man or woman and woman.
  4. Proclamation of the Word – not drama, acting, theatre, puppets.
  5. Reverence in Worship – not entertainment, festivity, self-indulgence
  6. Male Leadership of the Church – not female

The principle of God giving a command and not having to say “thou shalt not” is seen throughout scripture.  This principle of “silence” is something the Israelites understood and it is something that Christians need to understand today.  The Hebrew writer utilized this principle in explaining the fact that the Law of Moses was not something the people should try to return to following.  A new covenant had been established with a better High Priest.  While the letter is to a specific people, at a specific time, for a specific reason, it does not stop the reader from being able to learn and grow and observe eternal principles which are timeless.  Apply what is given to apply, observe what is given for learning, and keep everything in the context it belongs.

 

 

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