We Are Family

Family too

We Are Family

He Wants Family!

“Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Extol Him who rides on the clouds, By His name YAH, And rejoice before Him. A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, Is God in His holy habitation. God sets the solitary in families” (Psa. 68:4-6). Such an amazing thought! God’s plan is for those He loves and protects to find a place within a family.

It has always been His nature and desire. When He created Adam and saw that it was not good for man to be alone, He put the first man and woman in a family. Cain and Abel were part of that family. God knew that mankind needed families.

The words from the psalmist give us such insight into how He fulfills the needs we have. David specifically mentioned the fatherless and widows and became so much more inclusive when he added the solitary. God puts those who have no family into other families.

So it should not surprise us that when His master plan for mankind is revealed in the New Testament that the church is described as a FAMILY. Men in that first testament did not begin their prayers saying, “Our Father,” but we can! If He is our Father, then all those in the FAMILY are brothers and sisters! We are FAMILY!

That disciple whom Jesus loved said, “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us that we should be called children of God” (1 John 3:1). We are FAMILY! Paul adds that because we are children of God, we are joint heirs with Jesus (Rom. 8:17). He is our brother, and we are FAMILY. Solomon described that there could be in our lives someone closer to us than our physical brother. “There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Prov. 18:24). It is in the church, the body of Jesus, the FAMILY of God, where this concept finds its ultimate fulfillment. We are FAMILY.

The spiritual growth of the body of Christ shows that we should add Christian character to our faith. Peter said that to our faith we should add brotherly kindness (2 Pet. 1:5-7), and Hebrews 13:1 urges, “Let brotherly love continue.” We are to “…Love the brotherhood” (1 Pet. 2:17). We are brothers; we are FAMILY.

Like earthly families sometimes have problems, so does His spiritual FAMILY. But God’s FAMILY is different in that it seeks to work through these differences. Brothers and sisters in Christ long to be at one with every other brother and sister. We try to go beyond expectation of onlooker to become one in the Lord. We do this because we are FAMILY.

God has a plan for each of us to have those in our lives who are closer than our physical family. Let’s work together to be one because we are FAMILY.

Posted in Dan Jenkins | Tagged , | Comments Off on We Are Family

The New Tolerance

You Need Tolerance!

You Need Tolerance!

As I speak to various people about the Bible, I really start getting excited when someone begins their question with, “What do you believe about…,”. Why? It is because they have allowed me the opportunity to illuminate some aspect of religion or morality with God’s Word. And, perhaps I will be able to plant a seed that will eventually bring this soul to the Lord.

But oftentimes, this question is being asked with a double standard. Time and again in our postmodern culture, they seek to condition us to doubt the reality of absolute truth. And so, the result is a new definition on the word tolerance. Today, many who consider themselves “tolerant” are decidedly intolerant to anyone who believes in moral or religious absolutes. However, neither the old or new tolerance is based on an intellectual position, but a social one. In days past, the old tolerance carried the idea of just putting up with things, allowing or enduring people and ideas that we disagree with. Yet, the new and modern tolerance is the social commitment to treat all ideas and all people as equally right and valid. They believe that a person’s position is at least as true as your position. That is, except for those people who disagree with this view of tolerance.

This new definition of tolerance complicates the seemingly innocent question that begins with, “What do you believe about…?” And, as you think of the answer in your head before you speak, as you begin to speak, many will quickly label you as being intolerant and will thus respond to you with intolerance and perhaps, hatred. This is because they believe truth is objective and that all can claim to be right when they may all be wrong. This means that tolerance now involves the rejection of dogmatism and absolutism. Thus, they believe that every individual’s beliefs, lifestyle, and perception of truth claims are equal and that there is no truth higher than the next person and that all truth is relative.

For example, if you are able to tell someone that Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father (John 14:7) you are being too narrow minded to accept another religion. If you state that the practice of homosexuality is sinful (Rom. 1:26-27; 1 Cor. 6:9-10) you are now considered intolerant of how people live. If you point out that Jesus has very specific standards for what constitutes marriage (Matt. 19:4-6) you are condemned by others because it does not fall in line with other people’s morals. If you state that Jesus is God (John 1:1; 14) or that Jesus only started one Church (Matt. 16:18; Eph. 4:4-6) or that hell exists (25:41, 46), and God will send seemingly good, moral people there (Matt. 7:21-23) we become the target of others screaming out their positions and stating that we are being dogmatic, unrealistic and that what we teach is not acceptable anymore. They say, “You have to change!” Even if they ask us about the Bible and we say something like, “God’s Word is the only standard in matters of faith and religion (2 Tim. 3:16-17),” we are labeled as intolerant. As you can see, this list can just go on and on.

So consider this: As a Christian, if you are walking through life being salt and light to the world (cf. Matt. 5:13-16), you will occasionally be asked, “What do you believe about…?” by people who hold to this new tolerance rather than the old. And when you find yourself in this situation – and you suspect your convictions will label you as being arrogant, bigoted, narrow-minded, judgmental, or intolerant – preface your answer by asking for tolerance. For example, say, “Thanks for caring about what I think. My beliefs are actually very personal, and I am glad to share them with you. But before I do, tell me, do you consider yourself a tolerant or intolerant person? Is it safe for me to share my beliefs with you, or are you going to ridicule my convictions? Do you respect other points of view, or do you criticize views that differ from your own?” In these questions, we find if one is really interested in knowing about our Christianity or if they are just going to pick a fight, belittle us and then try to force our minds to conform to the new tolerance. Now, if they claim to be tolerant (keep in mind that most do not consider themselves intolerant), then it will be very difficult for them to call you “intolerant” or “bigoted” when you share the truth of God’s Word with them.

This type of response just shows how flawed the new tolerance is. They reject Godly moral virtue and insert that all opinions are equal. Yet, if Christians do not believe this, we are labeled as intolerant and considered an outcast. And, in the same breath, the new tolerance says that no one should be offended, but what they mean to say is that they do not want to be offended. But, one cannot be neutral. Alas, the new tolerance is wrapped in selfism. Whether they deny Biblical theism and practice atheism, deny purity and practice sexual freedoms and etc …, it is about self. It is about oppression and they are now trying to hijack our religion to be controlled by the government.

Again, there is really no such thing as being neutral here. People are even stating that Jesus was completely tolerant as those with this new tolerance are shouting, “Judge not lest ye be judged!” This is why, as Christians, we are the ones who get labeled as being judgmental even though everyone else is judging. Of course we are not to judge according to appearances (Matt. 7:1-5), but that does not mean that we abandon Godly morals. Instead, we judge with righteous judgment, which is based solely on the word of God (John 7:24). We must also remember, that those who seek to please God rather than men, will be persecuted by those who subscribe to this new intolerance, which seeks to destroy you, your faith and your children.

So, preserve because God commands believers to use their minds to discern truth from error and between light and darkness. Expose the arrogance of this new tolerance by asking them the above questions when you are asked, “What do you believe about…,”. And, as we teach them, we can show through the Scriptures how this new tolerance is not superior. But above all, be prepared to suffer because Jesus said we would (Matt. 5:10-12) and that we should delight and trust in God.

Posted in Robert Notgrass | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The New Tolerance

Depression, Doldrums

In the doldrums?

In the doldrums?

Have you ever experienced the doldrums? Doldrums is a word that comes from an area of the ocean near the equator where the wind can practically cease or be so light that boats which run by sail can be trapped for weeks waiting for wind to move them along. Applying the word doldrums to Christianity refers to a mental slump, depression, inactivity, or state of restless unhappiness. How is it that Christians experience doldrums? To what stages of detriment will this lead? How should we respond to doldrums?

Often I hear brothers and sisters in Christ express dissatisfaction about the world around them. They may be dissatisfied with political events, immorality in society, the level of education their children are receiving, or a host of other items. Certainly, there are a great number of things of which we must be aware and express disapproval and dissatisfaction. What is disappointing is when the dissatisfaction is directed at the Church. Still, we are human and though striving to meet the perfection of Christ in our lives, we fall short. When this occurs, we have a duty to express our love to our brothers and sisters and aid them in their times of need. Heb. 10:24 tells us we must stimulate one another to love and good deeds and verse 25 tells us to encourage one another. 2 Timothy 2:24-26 instructs us to gently correct erring brothers so that they will remain within the arms of God. The point to understand is, within the church and the world, there are going to be moments of disappointment.

Returning to the idea of doldrums, many Christians complain of this problem in their lives. There is nothing inspiring about services. They don’t feel uplifted anymore. They feel down and restless and just don’t feel like coming to all the services or classes. They need “me” time to rest and recuperate from busy day or week. Their critical eye can point out the problems that are being experienced within the congregation. “Why can’t these people get it together and commit themselves to Christ”, is often stated in the mind or increasingly to others who are experiencing similar feelings.

How is it that Christians experience doldrums? There are four evident stages through which the doldrums seem to progress: discomfort, verbal expression, destructiveness, and termination. For reasons I hope will become clear, we will alternatively name the stages of doldrums, spiritual stomach cramps.

Stage one doldrums are manifested by dissatisfaction, disappointment, or restlessness within the individual as mentioned above. As with any item detrimental to proper advancement of acceptable behavior for an individual in Christ’s body, the church, immediate diagnosis of the problem is important. What is the perceived cause of the stressors? 2 Cor. 13:5 points us to our first and foremost responsibility in discovering stressors. That is we must examine ourselves. Luke 6:42 is another scripture which demonstrates the need for us to look within before putting on armor to vanquish the sins of others. Many Christians express difficulty in knowing what it is that is causing the feelings they are going through. This is why we have shepherds/elders. Acts 20:28 charges them with responsibility for the church and yes, for themselves. They may very likely be able to aid you with the emotions you are experiencing. We will further examine the cure or response for Christian doldrums later in this article.

Stage two doldrums begin to act themselves out in the form of verbal expression. This often is manifested by grumbling, crankiness, or a fallen countenance. “Why does the preacher talk to so long”, “I wish people would stop asking so many questions in class”, “That song leading was atrocious”, “I am so tired of hearing children cry during services”, “Where is the excitement?”, etc. Grumbling is something we probably all have done and something none of us should do (Phil. 2:14, I Pet. 4:9). Grumbling and crankiness walk hand in hand. Preachers are an obvious example of how to deal with disappointment. I have seen men pour their hearts into study and presenting a biblical thought, just to have someone tell them they said “um” 14 times during a 45 minute lesson. Most preachers have learned to smile, embrace the criticism, and move forward. The temptation to grumble about how they just wasted a week of effort stands at the ready. Yet, preachers are not the only ones facing such dilemmas. Put yourself into the position of helping out with the yearly VBS program. You work hard to make certain every aspect is covered. Turnout is low and most of the members never showed up. This is where not only grumbling and crankiness can sneak in, but also a fallen countenance. Remember Cain in Gen. 4:4-7. He experienced disappointment. He was cranky and his countenance was fallen (his behaviors were demonstrated his feelings), certainly due to his own actions. The Lord gave him caution so that he would not sin further. Cain did not listen to the Lord and fell further into sin. We must be on guard continually so that our stage one feelings don’t grow into stage two (I Pet. 5:8).

Stage three doldrums are certain to be destructive to others. Its manifestations may include gossip, divisiveness, and unfaithful participation. It is so easy to express oneself to others about all the problems of the members of the Church. Gossip is a cancer (2 Cor. 12:20, I Tim. 5:13). “Joe sure needs to tell his wife to talk less”, “Don’t they act all high and mighty”, “Did you see what she was wearing”. If you have a problem with someone’s behaviors take it to them (Mt. 18:16). If you are afraid, seek the help of the elders, but don’t share your gossip with others. Frustrations can lead to behavior that is going to divide the church one against another. What was once a small item grows into an issue of colossal proportion (Gal. 5:13-15). Have you ever talked about how sick and tired you are and that only made you more sick and tired? When we begin to grumble, then to share our discontentment with others, it often only makes us more unsatisfied or it gives us a sick sense of brief contentment. Eventually, we start cutting our attendance, because every time we attend worship we feel miserable. This was not the intention of attendance put forth in Heb. 10:25.

The final stage of the doldrums is ultimately leaving the Church. 2 Tim. 4:3 expresses the desire of individuals to have religion served up their way. If it isn’t they hit the road. They are off to greener pastures with folks who “really love the Lord”. They are tired of dealing with “hypocrites”. There are Christians out there who have “joy” in their hearts. Of course, this is often tied to some statement about “legalism”, but from here I digress. It is a shame to see any brother or sister stray from the church it should be our utmost desire and effort to bring them back (see parable of lost sheep and lost coin in Lk. 15).

We can see from this discussion that the doldrums can ultimately lead to the corruption of a good brother and sister at many levels.

How is it though that an individual should respond to spiritual stomach cramps? How can the doldrums be avoided? At the core of most spiritual stomach cramps is forgetting or misunderstanding the purpose of the Church and man. This leads me to the central verse in regard to this topic. That is, Mat. 5:6, “Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”

Hunger and thirst are mighty desires. When I was a young boy, I would wake in the morning in what I thought was unmeasured agony, because I was so hungry. I could not get to my bowl of cereal fast enough. It wasn’t as if my parents did not feed me, I was just a hungry boy. There were other days, when I would be out working, would come in to the house and couldn’t get enough cold water. Oh, how good it tasted. A boy who hungers and thirsts after food and drink and finds it shall be filled (at least for 10 minutes).

“Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” Our spiritual stomach cramps, the doldrums, are often misdiagnosed. We believe it is others who are creating our problem rather than doing a self examination as expressed earlier. If we don’t believe it is others, we just can’t target where the feeling is coming from. Why? Because it couldn’t be me! Eph. 2:10 tells us the purpose for which we were made. We were created by God to do good works. What are good works? – the righteousness of God. This is that for which we are to be hungering and thirsting. It is hard for anyone to admit to themselves that they are not hungering and thirsting for righteousness. Sure we want good things to happen. We have our hands out in the form of spiritual welfare though instead of staying engaged with the work of a Christian. Again, what does scripture tell us? “He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does he require of you, but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” – Micah 6:8. We are to be doing, but instead, we are expecting the other members to be doing, the preacher to be doing, the deacons to be doing, and the elders to be doing. That doing in our mind, is to make us happy, to make us, satisfied, but are we doing any doing?

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness: for they shall be filled.” I love the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team. Most basketball players want to play. When they play, they are happy. When their minutes are cut back or they have to sit on the bench, there is a reaction. A proper behavior is the hunger and thirst to be back out playing, but focusing on improving self and helping the team. All dissatisfaction is not bad. Hunger and thirst tells you your body needs food. You should not ignore this. In basketball when dissatisfaction grows, it can be visible in verbal expression, divisiveness, a player refusing to play, and ultimately, the player leaving a team – much like unchecked dissatisfaction in the Church. Players want to play, they shouldn’t be satisfied to sit on the bench. Christians should not be satisfied just sitting in the pews Sunday morning. As Christians, we don’t have to wait for a coach to put us in to play. We have a choice. There can never be enough players in the game of serving God.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness: for they shall be filled.” Psalm 42:1-4, Psalm 63:1-3, Isaiah 55:1-3, Isaiah 65:13, these verses resound with the theme that if we seek God and serve Him, we will be filled. He will not disappoint. So often though, we get out of the practice of seeking and serving. It may be fear, forgetfulness, laziness, daily activity, or a host of things, but we stop being active. Yet, we proclaim we are hungry. We say we are thirsty. James 2:17-18 expresses the fact that our faith is an obedient faith, manifested by activity for God. All the blessings and treasures and riches and luxuries in heavenly places are there… if… you do something. If we draw near to Him, he will draw near to us – James 4:8.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness: for they shall be filled.” There are three particular components mentioned so far that protect against the doldrums, but not stated together, in regard to being filled: Do not compare yourself to others, work to your ability, commit yourself to the work of the Church which is righteousness.

When we compare ourselves to others we open the door for envy (Gal. 5:19-23). Paul said imitate me, not compare yourself to me. (I Cor. 11:1). Jesus said we shall be rewarded based on our deeds not those of others. This is most evident in scripture with his praise of the widow in Mar. 12:42 who gave two mites (a very little sum) as compared to the many rich. He did not look to the sums, but to the state of the heart in the truth of giving. If the widow had been paying attention to the sums of the rich, she may have been moved to not give at all for fear of not matching up. She could have entered the doldrums. Yet, on the other extreme we see the Pharisee praying on the corner comparing himself to the publican in Luke 18:11. In comparison, he saw himself as much better. When we do such things we open the door for pride and arrogance and tend to sit back and not engage our full potential. Again, entrance to the doldrums was waiting. Do you want to avoid the doldrums, avoid comparing yourself to others.

When we think of our abilities, we should only focus on God’s standard and try to achieve it. This principle is laid out for us in the parable of the talents (Mat. 25:15-30). The Lord gave out responsibility in accordance with ability and reward for those that fulfilled their potential. The individual who did not live up to his ability was punished. The relationship we share with God is fulfilled between Him and us, no other individual enters the equation (Ez. 14:14). A poem I ran across recently appropriately expresses the connection between living up to our potential and sitting on the sidelines watching judging everyone else:

You call me Master and Obey me not.
You call me Light and See me not.
You call me Way and Walk me not.
You call me Life and Desire me not.
You call me Wise and Follow me not.
You call me Fair and Love me not.
You call me Rich and Ask me not.
You call me Eternal and Seek me not.
You call me Gracious and Trust me not.
If I condemn you, Blame me not.

If you want to avoid the doldrums, live up to your abilities.

Committing ourselves to the work of the Church fulfills our purpose. My son and I were handing out flyers for VBS this last month. Mid way through walking in the neighborhoods he said to me, “This sure makes me feel good.” Fulfilling our purpose, brings joy to our souls. It give us peace knowing we are in accordance to the commands of God. It makes the Father pleased to see us walking in righteousness. In Genesis 5:24, it is said “Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.” In Heb. 11:5, we find Enoch was taken because he was pleasing to God. When we are focused on the work of the Church, knowing we are pleasing God, how can we be in the doldrums? Will we not be filled from feasting on the righteousness of God? When sermons are “dull”, it is our responsibility to remember we are feeding on the Word of God. When our ears are tricked by what they hear in singing by the congregation, remember we are sending our praise to God. When it doesn’t seem like anyone is working for the Lord, remember, we don’t see all things. Elijah thought he was alone in the work of God, but he wasn’t (I Kings 19). Elijah had just come from a great triumph in the Lord, yet, there was more work to be done. While we are on earth, our commitment needs to be focused on God. In Philippians 1:21-23, Paul contemplated the journey home to Christ, yet, serving his brothers and sisters was more critical. Thus should be our approach to our brothers and sisters, service, not being served. If you want to avoid the doldrums, spiritual stomach cramps, remember: You job is to serve, not be served.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness: for they shall be filled.” The doldrums can hit brothers and sisters of all ages. But if diagnosed, they can stop at discomfort and do not have to go through the stages of verbal expression, destructiveness, and termination. When we hunger and thirst for righteousness, when we seek God as a priority (Mt. 6:33), we will be satisfied. This requires us to not focus on how much worse or better others actions are in comparison to ourselves. Satisfied requires us to focus on fulfilling our abilities in service to our savior. Satisfaction requires our being committed to service to God rather than holding out our hands to receive of others. If you want to avoid the doldrums, look to Christ.

John 6:35 – Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst.

Posted in Travis Main | Tagged , | Comments Off on Depression, Doldrums

Trying to Earn Love

Earned love?You Cannot Earn Love

With the coming of Valentine’s Day Sweethearts give red, pink, white, (and in Texas) yellow roses. Chocolate companies all over the world mass produce myriads of boxes of chocolate in anticipation of the day.  The candy aisle in the grocery stores brim with various assortments of confections.  And with much thoughtfulness, geniuses at the Hallmark Corporation contemplate just the right words to use to record the exact sentiments desired by the thoughtful.  These and many other gifts are given to that special someone in order to express one of our deepest needs–the need to love and be loved.  How many will think that they are earning that love?

What is a gift?  Dictionary.com defines the word as follows: “something given voluntarily without payment in return, as to show favor toward someone . . . .”  Consider these key words involved and implied in the definition: voluntary, payment, return, favor, relationship.  The word “voluntary” is related to the English word “volition.”  Volition involves the will, a mental faculty used to choose and make decisions.  A volunteer is someone who does something without payment.  The word “payment” means to exchange one thing for another with currency of some kind.  The word “return” means to turn something around, or send something back.  “Favor” is a wonderful word; it is both a noun and a verb.  As a noun, it is something done or given out of goodwill or graciousness.  As a verb, it involves the idea of preference or inclination toward someone or something.  Considering all of these things, a gift is a gesture (of an item or service) from one person to another, originating within one’s free-will, which demonstrates an inclination of good will, and it carries no expectations of anything to be given back.  A gift is the perfect avenue to demonstrate true love because true love involves all of the same elements in a gift, and much more.

Consider that love is an act which expects nothing in return.  Teaching us to love our enemies, Jesus said:

For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil (Luke 6:32-35).

Jesus is teaching us that true love is free from expectations; it doesn’t expect anything to be given in return.  In fact, that is the blessing in love, because “it is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).

Love also originates within the free-will of an individual’s spirit.  The apostle Paul wrote in Galatians 5:13-14, “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.  For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”  Love is a choice that originates within the freedom of our own spirits; it is a fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22).  Our free-will is involved in love.  We are to use our freedom to choose love, and thereby serve each other.

Love is the currency of relationships.  We are all involved in relationships of one kind or another.  I’m not speaking about romantic relationships, though those are included.  A relationship is the circulation of one person with another, and love is the greatest currency to effect the best possible relationship.  Our most important relationship is with God, and the first commandment is to love God.  The second is similar: we are to love our neighbors as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:37-39).  Love is that aspect of a relationship, among other things, that predisposes one person favorably toward another.

Love demonstrates good will toward others.  Consider what the apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8: “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth.”  All of these behaviors promotes good-will between persons; they each are not love, but originate in love.  It is why love is the greatest of all the virtues.

Now consider this; love is itself a gift.  Love itself is the greatest gesture, and there is no higher.  God’s love is the greatest, because God IS love (1 John 4:16).  God has demonstrated His love for us by giving us Jesus.  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).  There were no strings attached to that gift.  God gave Jesus expecting absolutely nothing in return.  How could he expect something in return when He was giving to His enemies (Romans 5:10)?  Romans 5:8 says, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”  God’s love personified in Jesus was the greatest gift ever given to man.

God’s love is a gift, but all true love is a gift. It cannot be any other way because love is grounded in the existence of God–God is love!  The love of husbands for wives, and wives for husbands is a gift.  The love of parents for children, and children for parents is a gift.  The love a person has for his friend is a gift.  The love we have for our neighbors is a gift.  Even the love we give our enemies–especially that love–is a gift.  One cannot earn a gift precisely because it is given as a favor, a show of good-will, without expectation of return.  We know we cannot earn the love of God, but we cannot even earn the love of our fellows!

This means that love itself is a free gift.  If it could be earned, then it wouldn’t be given freely on our part.  That is the heart and soul of what it truly means to be free.  We are free to accept God, and we are free to reject God, but to be free to accept God, we must be truly free!  We are free to give the gift of love to God just as He is free to give the gift of love to us.  The only difference is that we must first accept His love, and from Him learn to love before we can give Him our love.  John wrote:

Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit (1 John 4:10-13).

Some may be thinking, “Free to love?  Weren’t we bought with a price?”  Absolutely.  1 Corinthians 6:20 says: “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”  We have been bought, but we’ve been bought to be free.  That is the heart and soul of the word redemption, and we have been redeemed (1 Peter 1:18).  We’ve been bought out of slavery, and God has graciously given us entrance into His family.  Consider Galatians 4:3-7:

Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Christians freely choose to love God precisely because they have been bought out of slavery.  Nevertheless, we still give love to God freely as our gift to Him.  It is precisely this motivation that lies behind the free-will offering of 2 Corinthians 8-9.  Paul wrote that he was seeking to prove the sincerity of their love (2 Corinthians 8:8), and their offering was to be freely given (2 Corinthians 9:7).

Can we say, however, that God deserves our love?  Yes.  God deserves to be loved by virtue of the fact that He is love, and because God is intrinsically valuable, and therefore God is worthy of our love. This worth doesn’t originate from us, but from God.  It means that God Himself has within Himself qualities that deserve a person who has free-will to love Him.  It doesn’t mean that God owns someone else’s love, and has thereby forced them to love Him.  Each person is an independent free-will agent with the capacity to choose to love independent of God’s intrinsic qualities.

As great as a gift may be, it must still be accepted.  There is something I must do to accept a gift.  I must receive it. For a physical gift, I would hold out my hands, take hold of it, and bring it into my care.  But how do we receive God’s gift of love?  We accept the truth that God loves us, we trust what God says about us, and we put into practice the wisdom and truth He provides through His plan for our righteousness.  To do anything less is to reject God’s love, but none of these things earn God’s love because it is a gift—given freely, and freely accepted.

Posted in Kevin Cauley | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Trying to Earn Love

Numbers and Faith

NumbersJust this past week I heard from a young preacher who is planning to step down from his position at a small congregation because he feels that he has not been successful in that role. Why? Numbers! The congregation averages 30–35 in attendance and, while this young man believes the church has grown spiritually over the past several years, because it has not grown numerically he is a failure. It is without question that we live in a consequential and results oriented society. Don’t win enough games, fired! Don’t produce enough sales, fired! Don’t baptize enough people, fired!

If numbers, be it wins, sales, or people in the pews, is the standard Jesus’ ministry was a colossal failure. In John 6:66 we read that, “From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.” The apostle Paul, who is often heralded as the greatest missionary of all times, would have been criticized as a failure by many today. He never stayed anywhere too long (“We won’t support a man who isn’t going to be gone for at least four weeks.”); he admitted to not baptizing a lot of people (1 Corinthians 1:16); and he was often times to hard on himself (1 Corinthians 2:1; 1 Timothy 1:15).

It is true that we all too often place too much pressure on the preacher, the elders, and even ourselves to succeed according to current accepted conventions. What is the true measure of success? Winning more games than everyone else? If each year every coach who didn’t win a national championship or Super Bowl were fired only one coach would keep his job! If only the top salesman each month was retained each month the turnover rate would ruin any business in short order!

For you and I as Christians we need to understand that failure in life is not predicated upon how perfect we are (Romans 3:10), how many good deeds we do (Ephesians 2:8–9), or how many people we baptize. Success is determined by one factor, and only one factor: whether or not we go to heaven! Here is how Christ said it, “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26). And success or failure is entirely up to us at this point. If one is lost in eternity he will not be able to blame God!

God did His part by sending His Son to die for every man (John 3:16; 2 Peter 3:9; Titus 2:11– 12). Jesus fulfilled all righteousness and did His part by dying on the cross (John 19:30). The Holy Spirit did His part in bringing to fruition the inspired Word of God (John 14:26, 15:26, 16:13; Ephesians 3:1–12). And the Godhead continues to active today in adding the saved to the church (Acts 2:47; Colossians 1:13), answering the prayers of the righteous (John 9:31; James 5:16; 1 Peter 3:12), seals us (2 Timothy 2:19; Romans 8:35–39), intercedes and mediates for us (Hebrews 7:25; 1 Timothy 2:5), continues to cleans us (1 John 1:6–7), and on and on we could go.

But what is our faith in God and His great salvation if we do not respond in obedience and faithfulness? James says, “faith without works is dead” (James 2). Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). Salvation does not require great wealth, a terminal degree, or great renown. All anyone needs to do is be obedient to the gospel and live faithful lives of godly service. When Judgment comes and we then hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21, 23), then we will be successful and nothing else will matter. Will you obey Him today? How can we serve you?

Posted in Tim Dooley | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Numbers and Faith