Benevolence

The Need for Benevolent Christians

Personified wisdom declares plainly that a righteous, godly person is one who is benevolent (Prov. 14:21, 31; 19:17; 28:27; 29:7). Whenever we place material things first in our lives, we will find covetousness, greed and selfishness in our lives that will rob us of all attitudes that really make life worth living (cf. James 2:5). It is sad the numbers of families that have made worldliness so dominant in their lives—no wonder we are battling selfishness, lack of peace and dissatisfaction in our homes today!

In view of the current situation of thousands of needy people, Solomon said, “Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee” (Prov. 3:27-28). He emphasizes the importance of benevolence in order to establish and maintain good relationships with others. Yet, in doing so, we are not to procrastinate in our benevolence. It is dangerous for us to see the opportunity of doing something good, and then delaying such so that we might not even get around to performing what we planned or thought. As a result, we will lose the benefits of what it would have done, not only for the persons directed, but also of what it would have done for us.

The benevolent attitude of liberality is an essential attitude for developing good relationships with the poor (Prov. 11:24-26; 22:9; cf. 2 Cor. 9:6-10). God will bless those who are liberal to the poor as well as the benefactors. However, a failure to be liberal will conversely affect us negatively.

Solomon even takes this further to show the true indicator of character (Prov. 17:5). Saul learned the lesson very early that our treatment of others can directly affect our relationship with God (Acts 8:1-3; 9:4-5). It is worthy of reflection to consider that a refusal to hear the plea of the poor would mean that God would close His ears unto our prayers (Prov. 21:13; James 2:13).

Just as oppression of the poor was a mark of an ungodly nation (Deut. 24:14; Eccl. 5:8), it can be the mark of an ungodly people. God has always had a special concern for the poor and needy. Anytime people of God became inconsiderate, inattentive and indifferent about these people, trouble would follow. A lack of compassion for the poor indicates that the impact of the truth of the word of God has not affected our lives.
When we think about the scathing words of Jesus pictured at the judgment in Matthew 25:31-46 and fail to understand the significance and importance of showing compassion for the needy, we are as far away from godliness as possible! May God bless and provide grace to us as we strive to develop compassion for those who have needs!

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Joseph Another Good Man

That Other Good Man

It is remarkable that only two men in the Bible are described as “good men.” Most are not surprised that Barnabas is called good, but they are amazed when they learn who that other good man is. His actions are so important that they are mentioned in all four of the gospels. He is Joseph of Arimathea, the man who “loaned” his tomb to Jesus.

Joseph was a member of the Sanhedrin, the council which governed Jerusalem. The King James describes him as an honorable council member, but the New King James more clearly described him. He was its prominent council member. His goodness brought him respect from his peers.

Joseph was a rich man, who used his blessings to glorify God. Sometimes we tend to immediately assume that rich men cannot be godly, but such is not true. Riches dominate the lives of every person, except the lives of those who do not love riches. Joseph used his wealth to purchase the linen garment in which Jesus was buried. It was used to obtain one of the choicest burial sites, a tomb just outside Jerusalem surrounded by a garden. He was a rich man who gave his best to the Lord.

Joseph was a man who did so much for the Lord when all others stood and watched. He went before Pilate and claimed the body of Jesus at a time when being Jesus’ friend even caused His disciples to flee. It was Joseph who took His body from the cross. It was Joseph who purchased the burial shroud. It was Joseph who wrapped that body in the linen cloth. It was Joseph who had hewn his own tomb out of the rock in that garden. It was Joseph who gave that tomb to Jesus who had no place to lay His head. It was Joseph, who with Nicodemus, used a hundred pounds of precious spices for His burial. It was Joseph who rolled the stone to close the grave that heaven would open.

Joseph was a bold man of faith when it really mattered. Joseph was described as a secret disciple, for others did not realize his devotion. Yet he alone stepped to the front at the crucial time in the life of Jesus. Mark said that Joseph went in boldly before Pilate and asked for the body. The Greek indicates more than just asking; he demanded the body!

Joseph was waiting for the coming kingdom. He knew about the King and His promise of the kingdom. When others thought the kingdom would never happen, Joseph’s faith did not waver. The Lord taught that men should put the kingdom first, and Joseph honored His teaching.

Where would we be without Joseph? The story of Jesus could have been so different without him! Think about it. Someday another body will be raised from that same tomb!

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John 17 – Longest N.T. Prayer

John 17 – The Longest N.T. Prayer

In a real sense this is the “Lord’s Prayer.” It is the longest recorded prayer in the New Testament. And in it, Jesus prays first for Himself (vs. 1-5), then for the apostles (vs. 6-19), and, finally, for those who will later believe (vs. 20-26). Jesus prayed this beautiful prayer somewhere along the way between the Upper Room and the Garden of Gethsemane.

In vs. 1-5, the Lord prays for Himself. The hour had come in his ministry that he would be glorified by God and to depart out of this world back to the Father. For around thirty years, Jesus had given himself to mankind, walked among them, ate with them, talked with them and shared life with them. And as he had done, He continued to show the way to the Father through Him. But, he had to give himself for the world. This was coming to the pinnacle of His life of seeking and saving the Lost (Lk. 19:10). So now, as Jesus glorified the Father by doing His will upon the earth, now He requests the Father to glorify Him with the glory they shared before the world was created (Gen. 1:1; Jn. 1:1-2).

Now, Jesus had clearly showed the Father to the apostles and for the most part, they had received, kept, or observed God’s word. In vs. 6-9, the apostles have finally come to the point of receiving and understanding what Jesus has been declaring to them for three years and to accept the divine truth with their heart, mind and will and to pledge the continuation of the divine work on earth. So, Jesus is going to return to the Father and the apostles will be entrusted with carrying out the mission of telling the world about the Savior (2 Cor. 4:7). So, there is continued hope for the world.

In this spirit, beginning in vs. 11, Jesus begins to address the Holy Father. The Lord prayed here that the men He leaves behind will be united in purpose and will to perform the tremendous task He will commission them to do. This is the first of four times that Jesus prays that the disciples may be “one” as He and the Father are one. Thus, the unity of believers in Christ is an important biblical concept just as the disunity of believers is one of the greatest scandals before an unbelieving world. But, as vs. 12- 13 points out, His disciples need to be protected by the Father as they pronounce the good news and Jesus wants them to be well equipped to do so and to remain faithful. Now, Jesus is not asking that the apostles be taken out of the world, but that they be surrounded with protection from the evil one, their adversary, Satan (vs. 14-17) and that they be sanctified in the truth because the Father’s word is truth (vs. 17). If they do not have this, everyone does what is right in their own eyes and there is no more moral judgments from a holy standard (Jdgs. 21:6).

So, the apostles are to be sent in the world, having the commission of redemption, just as their Master, Jesus. They were to preach Jesus because he was suffered atoning death for man. And so, as Jesus prays to the Father, he not only prayed for Himself and for his apostles, but he also prayed for all of mankind. In vs. 20- 21, Jesus’ prayer concludes with a petition for unity among those who will believe the message preached by the apostles and those who will come after them (Matt. 28:18- 20). This unity is not only one of love; it is predicated upon the acceptance and transmission of God’s word throughout the ages.

This is a big job! So, Jesus gave glory to his disciples and they received the indwelling of Jesus, by which they were made partakers of the divine nature. In vs. 22- 23, we are told that Jesus will indwell the disciples just as the Father indwells Him. This will display the unity required by those who give authentic, credible, testimony to the world of the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus and the Father’s divine will. And so, Jesus prays for unity and that all who believe in Him will be in heaven (vs. 24).

This is such a beautiful prayer and one that needs to be taught on often. So often there is disunity in the world and even disunity in the church. But, Jesus’ prayer was that we all would have faith and hope in God (1 Pet. 1:17-21). He had made the Father known to his disciples so that the Father’s love would live in them and that Jesus would dwell in them. Today, it is still the desire that the Father, Son and Spirit dwells in those faithful to God. Jesus prayed for unity and the concluding vs. 25-26, reveals that the entire message of Jesus in the world was to do the Father’s will by revealing the Father to His apostles by words and works and that the love of God was made known through the life, death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus.

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Colonialism and Evangelism

Colonized

Perhaps you have seen or heard on television, radio, or in school our current society’s revulsion of colonialism.  I was recently watching a television program in which a man expressed contempt for the mission process because it was inherently colonialist.  What does that mean?

The doctrine of multiculturalism says that each culture is unique and special, and it should not be changed or tampered with from someone outside of that culture.  This is usually expressed with the words, “We must respect all cultures and their values.”  Some have adopted the bumper sticker with the word “COEXIST,” where each letter in the word represents a different religious belief.  The idea is that there is no right and wrong, and therefore, every culture/religion is equally valuable, and each culture is equally right, and no culture is inherently wrong.

The opposite of multiculturalism, however, is colonialism.  This viewpoint suggests that there actually is right and wrong, and that some cultures are inferior to other cultures.  This was the philosophy adopted by those who came from Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries to colonize the New World.  They believed that the aboriginal people living in the Americas needed to hear, believe, and obey the gospel—they needed to become Christians.  So, many came to the New World to evangelize and spread the Christian faith.

Evangelism is anathema to multiculturalists because they believe it is the utmost of arrogance to say that one culture is wrong and another is right.  Evangelism, they say, is inherently colonialist and colonialism is the utmost evil since it takes that which is “pure,” an un-colonized culture, and changes it into something else, a colonized culture.  Multiculturalism assumes that some cultures are original and that they must be left untouched and unsullied, and that if they are changed, they should revert back to their original state.

I would like to kindly suggest that all cultures have already been colonized whether they realize it or not; there are no original cultures that exist.  In fact, there was only one original culture, and that was what God created when he made man in His image (Genesis 1:27).  Subsequently, man committed sin and fell from his original state.  Hence, there has been only one true effort at colonization.  In putting the possibility of sin before the eyes of Adam and Eve, and enticing them to commit sin, Satan changed the original state of man from absolute purity and innocence to corruption and degradation.  The Devil is the original colonialist!

Christianity is about restoring man’s proper and original relationship with His God, and so this means that Christianity is about anti-colonialism.  Jesus Christ represents the pure state of man as he originally was created by God (1 Cor.15:45).  Christians seek to have men remove sin from their lives, confess Christ as their Lord, and return to God as a way of getting back to their original state.

We plead with our religious neighbors as well to get back to the original state of things in the Church.  Many churches have allowed the doctrines of men to dominate them without considering the word of God (Matthew 15:9).  Let’s worship like the New Testament Church; let’s organize like the New Testament church; let’s evangelize like the New Testament Church.  The church is not multicultural since there is only one true culture—man’s original relationship with God—but the church is anti-colonialist.  We desire that we get back to the original state of things, not the colonized state of sin and corruption.  The seed is the word of God (Luke 8:11); and God’s word has the power to changes lives for good (1 Peter 1:23).  Get back into God’s word today, give Him your life, and get un-colonized by sin, Satan, and the doctrines of men.

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A Heart for Devotion

Do You Have a Heart for Devotion?

Someone once said, “I know that we are expected to keep the Lord’s commandments, but I have a hard time wanting to.  It just seems to take too much effort to be a Christian.”  Sadly, I have found that a lot of people struggle with this very thought.  Many of them seem to understand the concept of obedience, but their heart is simply not in it.  Thus, the “heart” is the problem.

I believe the answer to this dilemma is devotion.  A husband may claim to love his wife, and may even do things for her, but if he is not devoted to her he will likely do those things (if he does them at all) out of grumbling obligation.  Whereas if he ardently
respects, admires and cherishes her, he will greatly desire to do anything for her and more.  The same is true in regard to our relationship with the Lord.  God wants us to do His will because we want to not merely because we have to (Jn. 4:23-24).  Through devotion do we realize that His commandments are not burdensome (1 Jn. 5:3).  He said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (Jn. 14:15).  Do you, friends?

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