Attitude

The Right Kind of Attitude

“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5).

Boy do we ever think a lot of ourselves! For most of us the universe revolves around our own little puny existence. That’s right…we are selfish, self-centered, egotistical, snobbish, arrogant, and hypocritical. And that fact that most Christians, young and old, think and act like this certainly brings reproach upon the church of Jesus and the name of Christ. But the truth is we are not any different today than man has been for most of his earthly existence.

God knew that we would be and act like this but not because He made us this way but because of sin. Yes, this kind of attitude is sinful! Did you here that? I don’t get my way and I get mad, pout, and seek revenge (I’ll show them) and I am sinning! I don’t like what someone else has done, or not done, and so I run to others and gossip or talk badly about them and I am sinning! When confronted with my actions I get defensive and angry and either lie about it or try to put the blame upon others and I am sinning.

In Romans 12 Paul writes to tell us how we are suppose to live a acceptable Christian life and how to treat each other:

  1. Live Our Lives As a Sacrifice to God and Others (v. 1-2). This means I need to die to myself. That’s right… it’s not about me! This isn’t how the world lives but it is what is expected of me as a child of God. I am expected to be different (1 Peter 2:9). I am to live a life that exemplifies Christ and brings glory to God (Matthew 5:14-16).
  2. We Ain’t All That (v. 3-8). We are not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think. We have a real hard time with this in our society today! In Philippians 2:13 we are instructed, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.” Caring more about the other person and less about ourselves is the way the Christian is suppose to act.
  3. Don’t Be a Hypocrite (v. 9-13). The love that we have for God and others should be real. Hypocrisy has done more to keep folks from Christ than almost any other sin. We need to be real! Consider also that Paul ties this all in here with the idea of good versus evil and I begin to realize how much God hates it when we are hypocritical in our love toward each other. That means we should truly love each other and not just pretend to while being selfish. We are to give preference to each other, devoted to true brotherly love, fervent in spirit, serving, rejoicing, persevering, devoted, contributing, and hospitable.
  4. React Properly (v. 14-21). I tell folks all the time (and myself even more often) “Don’t let the actions of others dictate how you act. Act like a Christian no matter what.” We are to bless those who persecute us, not curse them. We are to rejoice and weep with those who are happy and sad. We are not to be stuck-up or arrogant, but humble. We are not to be self-righteous and we are to strive to live peaceably with everyone. We are never to seek revenge or be nasty to others, especially not our own spiritual family. But we are always to be kind, loving, and gracious. Never allowing ourselves to be overcome by the evil of others but overcoming the evil with good.

Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34). We all need to follow this godly instruction if we hope to go to heaven. Our children are often guilty of these kinds of behaviors and maybe they have learned them from us. Instead of seeking to justify their behavior maybe we should use these as teachable moments and set an example ourselves of how to properly respond to bad things (real or imagined) that others do to us.

For the faithful Christian none of what may happen to us (good or bad) should cause us to act in an un-Christ-like manner. This past week a dear friend reminded me that “This too shall pass or I will.” And he is right. We make a bigger deal out of small things than need be that in the great scheme of things will not matter. What matters most is living a faithful, obedient, and acceptable life in the sight of God and being with Him in heaven when this life is over. I love you!

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Accountable and Unaccountable

One of the problems of youth is the desire to grow up to adulthood fast. Perhaps when one is young the allure of adulthood is attractive. Yet, adulthood carries with it increasing responsibilities as the years begin to multiply. Responsibilities are not very great when we are born into this world; we are cared for completely by parents and by God. Yet, as the year’s increase we no longer are cared for completely, but must began to bear some responsibility for ourselves and for our actions, this is what sociologist call maturing.

The maturing process creates problems and necessary restraints upon our actions because society recognizes that because we have matured to a certain point we are now amenable to established laws. This process may vary some from state to state, some states require that a person who desires to drive an automobile must take driver’s education classes, and some at 15 years of age others at different ages. The laws pertaining to driving then are to be obeyed by all citizens. If one does not abide within the boundaries of the laws that apply to operating a motor vehicle, the person will have trouble with the police and the courts because they have failed to accept responsibility to obey the law. This is true of the maturing (i.e., ageing) process regarding all areas of life, moral, ethical, and all other areas where law and God require that we exercise responsibility.

Now! God does, indeed require that whenever person reach the age of accountability (i.e., an age when one recognizes and is able to choose between good and evil).  Whenever a person is too young to determine the difference between good and evil, God takes care of the person until they reach accountable age. Remember this; accountable age is a point in the maturing process for each person when they become personally responsible for their sins. The Bible clearly establishes that God takes care of the person unable to determine good and evil (i.e., a child), Matt 18:2-5, “> And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, > And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. > Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. > And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me” (KJV). The reference indicates clearly that the childlike qualities possessed by a child ought to be the qualities that a mature, saved from sin, person should possess.  A similar passage is found in Mark 9:36-37, NOTE:  ” And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them,  Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me” (KJV). As we search the Holy Scriptures we find that God has always recognized children that are incapable of choosing between right and wrong as safe, having no responsibility to believe, repent, confess Him, and be baptized. The childlike qualities found in little children then, are the kind of qualities that ought to be found in Christians. Please notice the Biblical teaching about personal responsibility of those that know the difference between right and wrong and having the ability to choose the right instead of the wrong.

Joshua 24:15, “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (KJV). From this passage, we understand that Joshua is speaking to the people that possess the ability to choose between serving the one true God and the false god, Baal. Joshua says to them that they are to personally choose between God (i.e., RIGHTEOUSNESS) and Baal (i.e., UNRIGHTEOUSNESS). The choice is theirs to make.

Hebrews 5:8-9, Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him”

Salvation from sin, as taught in this passage is dependent upon the individual’s ability to obey Christ. The individual must obey whatever Christ has caused to be required for salvation from sin. The text states, “… all them that obey him.” Can a person be saved from his/her sins any other way?

John 8:24, “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins” (KJV).

John 17:20, “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word“ (KJV). These two passages of Scripture show that to obey Christ is to obey the message of His Apostles.

Man is to believe that Jesus Christ is the promised one (i.e., the Son of God).

Man is also to obey the teachings of Jesus’ Apostles as they would obey Him personally, NOTE: “… believe on me through their word.” “their word” is the word of Jesus’ Apostles received from the Holy Spirit (i.e., the Comforter), sent by Christ to guide the apostles into all truth.

CONSIDER THIS: Mankind is therefore responsible to obey Jesus Christ when accountable. To reject Jesus Christ and His instructions if to condemn oneself to an awful state:

1 Peter 4:17, “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God“(KJV).

Matthew 10:28, “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (KJV).

2 Peter 2:4, “For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment” (KJV).

Revelation 20:13-14, And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hades delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death” (KJV)

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Paul: Fraudulent Apostle, Woman Hater and Homophobe

Many people in the religious world today are attempting to discredit the apostle Paul and his teachings. The attitudes toward Paul that are expressed by “self-proclaimed” Christians are mind-boggling, except when you understand their misguided reasoning for them. Why is Paul held in such contempt by many religious people? One of the primary reasons that Paul and his teachings are disdained by some religious people is that his writings are the only New Testament books that expressly forbid women to have authority in the church (1Tim. 2:8-15; Tit. 2:3-5; 1Cor.14:34) and that specifically condemns homosexuality (Rom.1:26-27; 1Cor. 6:9). He has been called a “ homophobe ” and a “ woman hater ” because of these teachings found in his epistles. For example, I recently heard where a woman had said, “I just don’t trust Paul. He was a woman hater and a hypocrite. I just can’t bring myself trust anybody who could do all those awful things he did to the Christians and then all of a sudden change his mind and become a Christian. Nobody could change that much, that soon!”

People like this resent Paul’s teaching and don’t want to abide by them, so their answer is to say that Paul was not really an apostle. Therefore, they say, we can ignore what Paul says. For instance, a good friend of mine, who is also a faithful Christian minister, took some classes at a denominational theological seminary. He was the only Christian in the class and the only one to have had an extensive background in the Bible. The professor had lectured, teaching that Paul received his theological training from Peter and the other apostles and that Paul took that training and created his own theology, suggesting that he was not inspired! My friend at this point raised his hand and asked, “What about Galatians 1:11 and 12? Paul said, ‘But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.’ Isn’t that what Paul says?” The professor didn’t even blink and replied, “Yes, that is what he says.” Then he continued right on lecturing on how Paul had put together his own personal brand of theology.

This begs the question: Was Paul inspired by the Holy Spirit, or was he a fraudulent apostle, a woman hater and a homophobe? People like the professor and the above-mentioned woman refuse to take Paul at his word. He said he was an apostle (Rom. 1:1; 1Cor. 15:8-10). He also said that he was inspired of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 1:11-12). Yet they still refuse to believe he was what he claimed to be. How can they say that they believe the Bible is God’s Word and yet think they can decide which parts are and which parts are not inspired? I don’t have that answer. Their attitude makes no sense to me. They ought to heed my favorite saying of brother Eddie Brinkley, “The gospel ain’t Lubey’s. You don’t get to pick and choose!” If these “Lubey’s eating” religious people will not take Paul’s word for his inspiration and apostleship, perhaps they will take Peter’s word for it.

Let us first begin with what Peter said concerning the inspiration of scripture. “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” (2 Pet.1:20-21, emph. mine). He also said in Acts 1:16, “Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus.” (emph. mine). Notice in this last verse how Peter connects scripture with the words of the Holy Spirit spoken through the mouth of an inspired man. Scripture, simply put, is that which is derived from God, spoken by the Holy Spirit through the mouth (or the pen) of an inspired man.

Second, let us note the way in which Peter refers to Paul’s epistles as scripture. “And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.” (2Pet.3:15-16, emph. mine). Peter said that Paul had “wisdom given unto him…” Where did the wisdom come from? It had to have come from the Holy Spirit, because Peter compared Paul’s epistles with “other scriptures” and we know that scripture is the result of holy men of God speaking “as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” (2Pe.1:20). Hence, Peter believed and taught that all of Paul’s epistles were derived from the inspired work of the Holy Spirit.

I don’t know anybody who would claim that Peter was not inspired and that he was not an apostle. If he believed and taught that Paul was an inspired apostle, why should we doubt him? If we doubt the writings of Peter and Paul, what does that say about the rest of the Bible? If some of the Bible is God’s Word and some of it is not God’s Word, how can we decide which is which? If the entire Bible (every single word of it) is not God’s Word and we have no useful standard beside what we think or what we feel, to determine which is inspired, how can we trust any of it? If the entire Bible (every single word of it) is not really the word of God, then why believe any of it? Without an objective standard, who can say what is right or wrong? Who can really know God’s will for man? Nobody. If the entire Bible is not God’s word then none of it is! Whom are you going to believe? The inspired apostle Peter or some modern day naysayer?

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The Anti-Christ

Question: Who do you people believe is the anti-Christ and when will he come?

Great Question. And according to God’s Word… not anywhere near what most people think! Most people today – and tragically, even most self-proclaimed “religious” people – believe that the anti-Christ is some yet-to-come world ruler who will seek to destroy Christianity once and for all. Every time some despot arises to rule some foreign power, or someone is elected to the U.S. Presidency with whom they disagree, they cry out that this must surely be the anti-Christ who has now, finally arrived on the scene after all these centuries. Like those who proclaim that Christ’s earthly kingdom has not yet come either – despite the fact that Paul and the Lord’s church in the 1st century were already in it (Col. 1:13-14; and they couldn’t be in something then, that still hasn’t come today could they?), these folks don’t seem to know God’s Word any more than some religious folk of Jesus day (Matt. 22:23-46).

Bible Fact: the absolute totality of Biblical references regarding “anti-Christ” are: 1 Jn. 2:18-22, 4:2-3, and 2 Jn. 1:4-11. From these we clearly learn that anti-Christ is: ANYONE who denies the reality that Jesus is the Christ (“Messiah”); ANYONE who denies the absolute authority of the truth of the Word of God (in word or deed) by not abiding in and obeying the teachings of Christ; and that many, many, many of these people who denied the authority of and were in rebellion to Christ (which is simply all that the word “anti-Christ” means) already existed in the 1st century A.D. when John wrote, just as they do today.

Check out these references in your own Bible. This isn’t the fantastimagorical fantasy mystery that so many want to make it today. Scripturally speaking, ANYONE today who denies Christ’s authority as the one and only Messiah, Son of God, and Savior of mankind, is in reality an “antichrist,” including not just atheists, Buddhists, and Muslims for example, but also those who follow mere men’s teachings in their man-made denominations instead of the Savior Himself by subjecting themselves to Him in humble obedience and becoming a part of His one, exclusive, New Testament church as seen established and experienced in Scripture!

And only those that know the truth of God’s word, are surely set free from all of those otherwise man-made manifestations, mad ravings, and misinformation of man’s own vain imaginings (Col. 2:18-23) regarding the ‘antichrist.’

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In Debt and I Love It

We are living in a time, culture and generation in which the term “debt” is rapidly becoming a negative, despised term. The United States government certainly does not set a gold example for her citizens when it comes to debt, since the economy (steeped in debt) is at the forefront of the concerns of many when the national debt recently spilled over $16 trillion American dollars. All around the world, families understand the destruction that financial debt brings on the home. Dave Ramsey and many others have become popular individuals in leading people out of financial distress caused by debt—some by irresponsible spending and others by incidental medical bills, unemployment and such like.

Nevertheless, we should not view this term only in a negative connotation. As a matter of fact, Paul used this term in such a way that all Christians ought to embrace such. In writing to the church in Rome, the apostle wrote, “I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise” (Rom. 1:14). This is a fascinating concept for Paul to embrace. Understanding his past background, when he was a Pharisee, he thought exactly the opposite—he thought God was in debt to him. Striving to keep the Law of Moses to perfection and establishing the Law of Moses as a system of self-righteousness (cf. Rom. 10:1-3), we can see exactly how the Pharisees thought by noting the example of the unnamed Pharisee who went into the temple to pray in Luke 18:9-14. Through his “prayer” (if that is what we want to call it), he cried unto God with an attitude that screamed, “Look at how great I am for you! I deserve salvation because of how great I am! You owe me blessings!” Thus, this is how Paul once thought. Conversely, as a Christian, now Paul knows that the reverse is true—as long as he lives, Paul knew that he was in debt, and it was a great thing!

First, he knew that he would owe God the rest of his life. Should we not feel the same way? Remember what God did for us when we received the blessings associated with salvation. Remember our past and how hopeless we were (cf. Eph. 2:1-13). Understanding the concept of forgiveness as it portrays the removal of a debt (cf. Matt. 6:12, 14-15), every one of us ought to be able to identify with the servant who owed an impossible debt of which Jesus stated in Matthew 18:23-35. This servant owed so much that there was no way he could possibly pay, and when we consider the debt we owe God because of the provisions of forgiveness, we should be able to identify with such—we sing, “He paid a debt he did not owe; I owed a debt I could not pay; I needed someone to wash my sins away….” Therefore, I ought to wake every day with gratitude for the spiritual blessings I am able to receive, all the while knowing that I will be in debt to God for the rest of my life! As a matter of fact, this coincides with his discussion later to the Romans of becoming a bond-slave of righteousness (Rom. 6:16-18).

Second, he knew that he would owe the world (especially the Gentiles) so that they would hear the saving gospel of Jesus Christ. Do we feel the same way?  As Christians, do we think about the fact that we owe the world to become zealous evangelists? How else are they going to hear the solution to their problem of sin? Somewhere along the pathway of life, we get sidetracked from the mission of the church—it is not about us, but it is about a lost and dying world! Jesus knew that. Paul knew that. I need to know that.

Therefore, Paul was proud to say, “I am a debtor!” He reminds me that I need to proud to say it, too. For the rest of my life, I am a debtor to God and a debtor to the world.

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