1 Sep 2017 - Do You Harvest Good Fruit or Bad Fruit?

A Practicing Christian ch 4 - Do You Harvest Good Fruit or Bad Fruit?

"If you believe in Jesus and accept His way of life, then you should be producing good fruit. A person who claims to be a Christian, but shows no evidence of good fruit in his or her life needs to be questioned in their motives and beliefs."

Questions

1. How do you recognize fruit in your life?
1. First, through prayer and reflection. Second, I find that marriage is a wonderful tool of God in that it helps show me my flaws that I can better address them. This may occur through my wife speaking directly to me on an issue or through God pointing out the effects of certain behaviours and attitudes on my wife and marriage in general.
2. What steps do you need to take so that more fruit is produced from your life?
1. Well, I first need to take stock of what fruit is being produced. Then, I need to seek God to increase the crop of the fruits I display and to work in me to produce those fruits I lack.
3. What is the Biblical definition of fruit in a person's life?
1. Manifestations of character evidencing a person's heart and standing with God.

1 Timothy 1:18-20

It appears that Paul is explaining to Timothy his rationale for sending him this letter - that he would be "well-equipped for battle, having faith and a good conscience." He also makes mention of a couple individuals who have rejected the same doctrine and teachings and whose faith has taken a downturn. 

30 Aug 2017 - Are You Fearful of God?

A Practicing Christian ch 3 - Are You Fearful of God?

"Fear of God is a profound reverence for God and a dread of His punishment."

 Questions

1. What does it mean to fear God?
1. To me, fearing God means to be imminently aware of the magnitude of God and the scope of His power, keeping in mind, by comparison, the smallness of myself.
2. How is the fear of God healthy for your Christian walk?
1. It keeps me from treating God as if He is my peer, from being so familiar that respect and reverence is lost.
3. How does your fear of God correlate with your love of God?
1. I don't love God in the same way I love my wife or my friends. Instead, the manner of love I have towards God could be called devotion - I am devoted to the cause and work of Christ. My entire life, my body, mind, heart, and soul, is devoted to God, in love, for His purposes to all eternity. That's a very different type of love than what I show to my wife or my friends. It's a very different type of love than what I show my unborn son.

1 Timothy 1:12-17

But I received mercy because I acted out of ignorance in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord overflowed, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. ... But I received mercy for this reason, so that in me, the worst of [sinners], Christ Jesus might display His extraordinary patience as an example to those who would believe in Him for eternal life." - vv. 13b-14, 16

Paul was brought to Christ by the magnitude of God's grace, mercy, and patience. Here, in Paul's own testimony, we get a glimpse of the awe-inspiring greatness of God in comparison with the miniscule state of man. It is this unwarranted redemptive work, that the majestic God would reach across the gap of sin and provide atonement for a meagre man, the self-appointed "worst of sinners, that prompts Paul to end his testimony with a statement of reflective praise:

"Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honour and glory forever and ever. Amen." - v. 17

28 Aug 2017 - Do You Worry?

A Practicing Christian ch. 2 - Do You Worry?

"No one knows God's reasoning and we will never understand exactly until He tells us when we see Him face-to-face. God does keep His promises by giving us heaven. He also provides for us here on earth during good times and bad.I think God was in the World Trade Center on 9/11 and I think  He was with the child lost in the woods who froze to death during the night. He has a reason for everything, though it may not be the way we want or what we think we need." (Emphasis added)

 This paragraph reminds me somewhat of Leibniz's statement that we live in the best of all possible worlds. Do we trust the wisdom of God that He has allowed certain catastrophic, bad events and situations to happen, because they were on the path with the smallest catastrophe and/or greatest glory to Him? If we believe that God is omniscient and removed from time, then we can believe that, from all the possible timelines, events like the Holocaust were the least evil and catastrophic of all potential events that could have happened had they not occurred. Frankly, it's mindblowing to begin thinking in that manner, that God allowed a lesser evil or hardship to prevent a greater one, that He allowed us to see the consequences of our ideologies in the least destructive manner possible so that He could discipline and shape us as we turn away from our sin - and this isn't just on a global scale. I can think of many times where God has intervened in my life by allowing me to suffer small consequences of my sin that would get me back on track and prevent me from committing worse sins and suffering worse consequences. We can see in the histories and prophets in the Bible that God did the same with Israel and Judah, from the beginning in Egypt through to the 400 year period of silence and the coming of Christ.

Questions:

1. What causes you the most worry?
1. The financial well-being of my family and being able to support them.
2. What does it mean to cast all your anxiety on God?
1. It means to remove the weight of attending to these stresses from myself and give them over to God - and not to try and pick them back up. It also means to trust that God will take care of the things you are anxious about.
3. What is holding you back from placing your worries on God?
1. Frankly, trust. I know the plans that I make to address my worries. I can make a tangible plan and see it in my mind. Having that plan, even if it's rough and imperfect, gives me peace. When I give my worries to God, God doesn't always make His plan known to me. He calls for me to trust Him that He will lead me by green pastures and still waters, that He will provide, but the means by which He plans to do that are usually unknown to me. Therefore, the part of me that loves making plans and feels secure in having plans panics and tries to seize control of the anxieties instead of trusting that God is good.

1 Timothy 1:12-17

"But I received mercy for this reason, so that in me, the worst of [sinners], Christ Jesus  might demonstrate His extraordinary patience as an example to those who would believe in Him for eternal life." - v. 16

Man, is God not good? Is He not merciful? That God extends grace to us, that He chooses to discipline us out of His love, deferring His wrath and vengeance for a time that we may turn in repentance - that's beautiful.

Just as a surgeon inflicts a wound to heal, so God uses discipline to bring about change and healing in us. I reflect back on the Holocaust example I used earlier. The Holocaust was terrible - a great tragedy and horror - but it also shook the Western world from a greater evil lurking beneath the surface. In the Holocaust, the evils of the eugenics movement first reared its head into the public sphere. This was nothing new, though. the ideologies of eugenics had been touted and supported in many circles in the US for decades before WWII and I wonder, if the Holocaust had not happened, would we have seen a greater tragedy elsewhere in the world, perhaps in the US, fueled by this same evil?

On a smaller scale, had God not intervened in the smaller consequences of certain sins I hadn't dealt with, what would my marriage look like today? What type of sin would I be indulging in, had I not been cut short and shown the hurt I was causing?

27 Aug 2017 - Are You a Better Christian Today than Yesterday?

A Practicing Christian: Ch 1 - Are You a Better Christian Today than Yesterday?

I really do need to be asking myself that question on a more consistent basis. I mean, for someone who has made "In Studio Excellentiae" his personal motto, not taking the time to daily see whether I have improved and grown and, if I have not, in what ways I can improve, seems very short-sighted. This is definitely a question I need to incorporate into my daily walk. Honestly, turning it into a nightly prayer isn't a bad idea - more prayer is never a bad thing.

Questions:

1. How do you view yourself in light of Romans 3:23?
1. Honestly, I see my sins in terms of being short-tempered, inconsistent, easily irritated, and needy for attention.
2. Recently, what steps have you taken to become more like Jesus?
1. Nothing, really, in the last week.
3. What steps do you need to take?
1. First, I need to step up the consistency in spending time with God, reading the word and praying. Second, I need to be more proactive in outwardly living the Gospel, particularly the Great Commission. Third, I definitely need to be listening more for the direction of the Holy Spirit and acting accordingly

1 Timothy 1:1-11

"These promote empty speculations rather than God's plan, which operates by faith. Now, the goal of our instruction is love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. Some have deviated from these and have turned to fruitless discussion" -vv. 4b-6

Could these verses apply to discussions and debates of higher theology? Granted, good theology can lead to love coming from a pure heart, good conscience, and sincere faith ("For we know that the law is good, provided one uses it legitimately." - v. 8) just as bad theology can lead to a warped image of God and Christianity, but what I'm wondering is whether or not it's useful and purposeful to get lost in debates of theological minutiae, like precisely when the rapture will happen. I am reminded of a friend's Facebook post commenting on how, for many, the academic pursuit of the knowledge of God replaces the relational pursuit of the person of God.

25 Oct 2016

Philippians 2:19-20

Okay, so, first we see that Paul treasures Timothy as a father does a son, because of the time Timothy has spent with him, serving the various churches and because of how Timothy seeks the interests of Christ above his own. Because of that, Paul is quite assured that when he is able to send Timothy to visit, Timothy will be genuinely concerned for the church's welfare.

It's kinda sad, though, because the portrayal is such that it appears that Timothy is the only such person that Paul has with him at this time. I mean, the guy's been evangelising across the known world and of those he has close to him, only one seems to be more concerned with Christ than with himself. Of course, I can't speak. I'm definitely very self-focused, looking to my own benefit first most of the time.

In place of Timothy, since Timothy was tied up at the time of writing, Paul sends Epaphroditus, whom he describes as a fellow labourer and soldier. From the context, it appears he was sent to Paul by the Philippian church to encourage Paul, carrying a message from the church. During this time, it appears he fell ill and nearly died, but he has recovered and Paul then instructed the church to welcome him with joy and honour because of his sacrifices for the work of Christ.

I think this is an excellent example of the responsibility of the church towards her leaders. I know the youth groups in my church have done various different methods of pastor appreciation and encouragement  and I've seen the blessing it is to him. We need to be praying for and encouraging our pastors, but let's not just leave it there. What about missionaries, sunday school teachers, secretaries, nursery workers, youth leaders, worship leaders, and all of the other folks involved in the ministry of the church? They're all giving of themselves, waging spiritual war on the frontlines, oftentimes being battered by various schemes of the enemy. They need all the prayer and encouragement they can get.

31 March 2016

Scripture: Romans 7:1-6

Observations:

"The law is binding to a person only as long as he lives." What is the point being made here? Paul gives an example example of marriage - that of a woman bound to her husband by law, but released upon her husband's death, making the point that she is then free to marry another and is only an adulteress if living with another man while still married (i.e. husband is still alive).

"Likewise ... you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead." It appears that Paul is making a similar statement of the law having now no hold over us through our acceptance of Christ's death on our behalf, rendering our former contract ended. This, rhetorically speaking, enables us to cleave now to God.

Paul affirms this idea in vv 5-6

"For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code."

While we were under the law, Paul reiterates that our sinful natures reacted to the law by instigating us to sin. Then, working with the prior assertion that Christ's sacrifice made possible a realigning of allegiance from sin to Christ,  we see that, not only are we no longer bound to our old sinful nature, doomed to the punishment deserved therefore, but also, we are no longer subject to the law, but rather directly to God. We are not trapped in a litany of prescriptions, but are freed to worship and obey the spirit of the law, enabled by the spirit of God residing within us as our counselor.

Application:

So, then, if we are no longer under the law, but under the spirit of God, then what?

Automatically, it defuses the question begged at the end of ch. 5, "Should I sin that grace may abound?" (6:1).

If we are living under the spirit of God (not to mention having sworn new allegiance to God) and sin is direct contravention of God, then sin is not an option.

So, then, what does it mean to live under the spirit of God? What does it mean to pursue God?

Clearly it's not a shopping list of dos and don'ts - we were freed from that. Instead, I would argue, that it means we should be living in such a manner that God is pleased by us. That would then entail living in a manner consistent with his example, both in the old and new testaments - seeking purity and righteousness, loving others as Christ loves us, spreading the gospel, etc.

(I'll just be straight here and make a note that loving others doesn't mean living in some kind of Lennon-esque utopia. If you note how God loved the Israelites, providing for them and enduring their insults, and for all man, sacrificing of himself for the benefit of man despite man's direct antagonism towards him. ("While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" Rom 5:8, "For ... while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son..." Rom 5:10a).

Christlike love is not some fluffy sense of mutual good feeling to man, but rather the seeking of others' betterment as the sacrifice of self.

"But I'll be taken advantage of!" you exclaim.

Did God call us to only love on and care for those who would be a wise investment for our efforts? Not so. We see a direct command from Christ as a summary of half of the commandments: "And love your neighbour as yourself." And let us remember the parable of the good Samaritan - our neighbour is any of our fellow men.

27 March 2016

Scripture: Romans 6:15-23

Observations:

Paul carries on from yesterday's passage, returning to the question of continuing to sin because we are now under grace. He makes a good point here, though, that the one to whom you submit, be it sin or God, is the one to whom you are enslaved. So, then, if a man were to claim he follows Christ, yet continually submits himself to sin under the pretense of grace, we would be right in assuming that he is not saved in that he is still enslaved to sin instead of being a slave of God.

But Paul says to the Romans, "But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves to sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness." (vv 17-18)

So, I may have jumped the gun a bit, and in a negative bent, but the idea of being either a slave of God or of sin is continued here, as Paul encourages the Roman church in their following of Christ. Notice his phrasing, "... obedient from the heart..." To me, this stands out, because the heart is the innermost being, the core of one's identity. So, for someone to become obedient to Christ from their very hearts means that they are totally and completely given over to God. Contrast this with the pharisees, whom Jesus called "White-washed tombs", indicating that they obeyed on the surface level, but their hearts were not impacted by God.

Freedom from enslavement to sin involves a heart-level change in obedience from our sinful desires to God.

Paul, in verse nineteen, rephrases his statements in the prior verses before continuing on.

In closing for today, we see Paul making a comparison. He compares slavery to sin and slavery to God by virtue of the fruit produced. The fruit received from sin is death. The fruit received from God is sanctification and eternal life. While we are enslaved to one, we are free from the other. The question is, which master's wages would you prefer? While sin's enslavement may seem more pleasurable now, it's compensation, it's payout, it's wage is death. Slavery to righteousness, however, is often seen in a bad light: one of asceticism and drudgery, following a list of laws for a policing, judgmental God in the hope of being good enough for reward. This is wrong. In focusing on the laws, the dos and don'ts, we are actually not trusting in God, but in ourselves to meet the law and, as such, have missed the point. No, slavery to righteousness is the result of a heart-deep repentance and obedience, a relationship that leads to life. In fact, Paul reiterates an idea from earlier in this letter, saying that the life given is a gift from God.

Application:

Obedient from the heart.
What fruit were you getting...? [T]he end ... is death.
Now that you have been set free from sin ... the fruit you get leads to sanctification and ... eternal life.

For me, those are the three key ideas. I've always focused on verse 23 in this passage, being one of those stereotypical Sunday School verses and a part of the common evangelical gospel delivery. Verses 17 and 20-22 really stood out to me because they highlighted the status of the heart and the consequences of either slavery.

I like the idea here, of slavery. Some might prefer the term "servanthood", as slavery has so many negative connotations and serving God is a good thing, but let me put it this way, as I see it. A slave is owned. He or she is the property of his or her master, completely at the mercy of the master in  every way.

Obedient from the heart.

I desire to be a good slave, honouring my master not only in my external actions, but internally, with my attitude, demeanour, and thoughts. From the inside out is the direction of true, lasting change and it is this change which I crave.