Well, chaps, this is it. This blog has finally come to an end. Seeing as I am no longer at Ellerslie, I find that the name isn't appropriate anymore. And (by suggestion of one Nathan Johnson) I am switching my blog to Word Press. So, this is the last post on this blog. Thanks for following me, reading my thoughts. I hope they have been a blessing at some level.
My new blog address is:
http://oratiosanctus.wordpress.com/
If you want to know what the name means... see the About section on the blog.
Thank you and may the Lord bless and keep you!
In Him,
Nik
Monday, June 6, 2011
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Leaving Rivendell
Yesterday I flew out of Denver, Colorado, heading home for Georgia. I’ve officially graduated from Ellerslie’s Advanced program.
It has been quite the year, to say the very least. I’ve seen a taste of what heaven will be: I feel like I’ve been at Ellerslie forever, yet it hasn’t been long enough. The environment found at Ellerslie is something entirely different from anything I have ever seen in this world. The bonds of fellowship I have formed there are deeper than any other fellowship I’ve experienced. I think that is because we have something deeper there than just normal friendship. It’s almost like we went through ‘Nam together. Even if I can’t remember what state they’re from, or how many siblings they have, I know that we can nod and smile knowingly at one another.
When I left home a year ago, I had this feeling of stepping out into the unknown. It’s much like the way Samwise felt as he and Frodo were leaving the Shire: “If I take one more step, it will be the furthest away I’ve ever been from home.” You could say I “left the Shire” when I went to Ellerslie.
To continue the Lord of the Rings analogy, I feel as though Ellerslie has been my Rivendell. Ellerslie is a place of healing, of preparation for the journey that is to come. I have been taught, trained, built up, and prepared for whatever may come.
Now what comes? Mordor lies ahead, and with that, discomfort, pain, suffering, and trials. Yet the difference between Frodo and Sam and myself is that I have the essence of my “Rivendell” within me. Jesus Christ remains ever with me; truly I am never alone.
The epic adventure that God has called us to is so much grander than the one that those two courageous hobbits went on. They fought a temporal battle; ours has eternal ramifications. They had Aragorn and Gandalf; we get King Jesus on our side. They took a ring to a volcano; we are out to see men and women rescued by the Lord and Savior. No matter where I go in my life, whether I fight in this country, or in some foreign land, I know my Jesus stands beside me.
Note: Because I am no longer at Ellerslie, this blog will be discontinued. I am considering reconstructing it or creating a new one, but as for now, there will be no more posts until further notice. Thank you for reading; I pray you have been blessed.
It has been quite the year, to say the very least. I’ve seen a taste of what heaven will be: I feel like I’ve been at Ellerslie forever, yet it hasn’t been long enough. The environment found at Ellerslie is something entirely different from anything I have ever seen in this world. The bonds of fellowship I have formed there are deeper than any other fellowship I’ve experienced. I think that is because we have something deeper there than just normal friendship. It’s almost like we went through ‘Nam together. Even if I can’t remember what state they’re from, or how many siblings they have, I know that we can nod and smile knowingly at one another.
When I left home a year ago, I had this feeling of stepping out into the unknown. It’s much like the way Samwise felt as he and Frodo were leaving the Shire: “If I take one more step, it will be the furthest away I’ve ever been from home.” You could say I “left the Shire” when I went to Ellerslie.
To continue the Lord of the Rings analogy, I feel as though Ellerslie has been my Rivendell. Ellerslie is a place of healing, of preparation for the journey that is to come. I have been taught, trained, built up, and prepared for whatever may come.
Now what comes? Mordor lies ahead, and with that, discomfort, pain, suffering, and trials. Yet the difference between Frodo and Sam and myself is that I have the essence of my “Rivendell” within me. Jesus Christ remains ever with me; truly I am never alone.
The epic adventure that God has called us to is so much grander than the one that those two courageous hobbits went on. They fought a temporal battle; ours has eternal ramifications. They had Aragorn and Gandalf; we get King Jesus on our side. They took a ring to a volcano; we are out to see men and women rescued by the Lord and Savior. No matter where I go in my life, whether I fight in this country, or in some foreign land, I know my Jesus stands beside me.
Note: Because I am no longer at Ellerslie, this blog will be discontinued. I am considering reconstructing it or creating a new one, but as for now, there will be no more posts until further notice. Thank you for reading; I pray you have been blessed.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Of Water and Fairies
“In the former part of this history I showed how fond these fairies were of water. But the fact was, they were far too fond of it. It had grown a thorough dissipation with them. Their business had been chiefly to tend and help the flowers in which they lived and to do good offices for everything that had any kind of life about them. Hence their name of Good People. But from finding the good the water did to the flowers, and from sharing in the refreshment it brought them, flowing up to them in tiny runnels through the veins of the plants, they had fallen in love with the water itself, for its own sake, or rather for the pleasure it gave to them, irrespective of the good it was to the flowers which lived upon it. So they neglected their business, and took to sailing on the streams, and plunging into every pool they could find. Hence the rapidity of their decline and fall.” – George Macdonald, The Carasoyn.
In this short story, Macdonald tells of a tribe of fairies who, having left their proper station in life became quite mischievous, pulling all sorts of pranks on each other and the humans around them for their own pleasure. Because of their wickedness, the fairies were soon banished from their home land (Scotland) to another land (England). However, they still there retained their love – or should I say, lust – for water.
We see then this progression of the fairies’ love of water: they loved the water for its purpose; then for its own self; finally for the pleasure it gave. Water itself is, of course, not evil; but it became evil to the fairies because of their obsession with it. Thus, the purpose of water was perverted, and the fairies’ usage of it became primarily selfish.
So with us: we can love something because of its purpose, or what it ought to be, or the glories of what the thing is, but that pure love can turn into a desire for the pleasure derived from the thing. We see this in relationships many times. A man (we’ll call him Jack) loves a woman (she will be Jill). Jack loves Jill in a pure and holy way, and their love, being mutual, begins a relationship. At the outset, Jack is entirely selfless, giving of himself to his beloved Jill; she returns his love in similar fashion. However, as time goes on, Jack begins to love not just Jill, but the relationship itself. Of course, this isn’t a bad thing, for love, when pure, is a great thing.
Soon, Jack’s love for Jill wanes, and his love for the relationship itself grows. With that a love for the pleasure the relationship brings also grows. Before long, Jack is no longer in this relationship with Jill because he loves Jill; instead, he loves the pleasure being in a relationship brings him. If he were honest, he would at that time trade Jill for any other girl who could give him equal or greater happiness.
As awful as this may sound, we do it all the time; perhaps not to people, but to God. In Colossians 3, Paul says:
“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.” In the same breath, Paul then writes, “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth” and one of these is “inordinate affection”.
Now if proper affections would be the heart focused and trained solely upon Christ, then inordinate affections are those feelings and loves that are directed towards anything other than God or Christ. If our primary affections are not taken up with Christ, then we have fallen prey to inordinate affections.
This is the pattern then, much like with the fairies and Jack and Jill: we love God, because He first loved us, and our affections are wrapped up in His person; slowly then, our affections turn until they are merely focused on the good things God gives us. Now we no longer love God but only the pleasure knowing Him gives us.
I see this most often in my emotional experiences in the past. I felt close to God, not because I was actually near to Him, but because I was feeling good at the time; perhaps a worship service had warmed my heart or a speaker inspired me. But as soon as the emotions faded, I thought myself far away from God. Truly my love wasn’t for God, but for the emotions religious activity could bring me.
C.S. Lewis said, “God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.” Joy cannot be a separate entity from Christ because He is our joy. As the verse in Colossians said, He is our life. He is our everything.
If we have the emotions without the God, then we have missed something. God may yet give us emotional experiences, but we are never to love them for themselves. We are never to love and crave joy for joy’s sake. We are never to desire passion for passion’s sake. It must always be for Him and His sake, for our love for Him, that we desire these things.
May we desire Him and Him alone.
Note: I do not condone all that George Macdonald writes and believes. He is incredibly profound, but I also want to state that I do not agree with everything he says.
In this short story, Macdonald tells of a tribe of fairies who, having left their proper station in life became quite mischievous, pulling all sorts of pranks on each other and the humans around them for their own pleasure. Because of their wickedness, the fairies were soon banished from their home land (Scotland) to another land (England). However, they still there retained their love – or should I say, lust – for water.
We see then this progression of the fairies’ love of water: they loved the water for its purpose; then for its own self; finally for the pleasure it gave. Water itself is, of course, not evil; but it became evil to the fairies because of their obsession with it. Thus, the purpose of water was perverted, and the fairies’ usage of it became primarily selfish.
So with us: we can love something because of its purpose, or what it ought to be, or the glories of what the thing is, but that pure love can turn into a desire for the pleasure derived from the thing. We see this in relationships many times. A man (we’ll call him Jack) loves a woman (she will be Jill). Jack loves Jill in a pure and holy way, and their love, being mutual, begins a relationship. At the outset, Jack is entirely selfless, giving of himself to his beloved Jill; she returns his love in similar fashion. However, as time goes on, Jack begins to love not just Jill, but the relationship itself. Of course, this isn’t a bad thing, for love, when pure, is a great thing.
Soon, Jack’s love for Jill wanes, and his love for the relationship itself grows. With that a love for the pleasure the relationship brings also grows. Before long, Jack is no longer in this relationship with Jill because he loves Jill; instead, he loves the pleasure being in a relationship brings him. If he were honest, he would at that time trade Jill for any other girl who could give him equal or greater happiness.
As awful as this may sound, we do it all the time; perhaps not to people, but to God. In Colossians 3, Paul says:
“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.” In the same breath, Paul then writes, “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth” and one of these is “inordinate affection”.
Now if proper affections would be the heart focused and trained solely upon Christ, then inordinate affections are those feelings and loves that are directed towards anything other than God or Christ. If our primary affections are not taken up with Christ, then we have fallen prey to inordinate affections.
This is the pattern then, much like with the fairies and Jack and Jill: we love God, because He first loved us, and our affections are wrapped up in His person; slowly then, our affections turn until they are merely focused on the good things God gives us. Now we no longer love God but only the pleasure knowing Him gives us.
I see this most often in my emotional experiences in the past. I felt close to God, not because I was actually near to Him, but because I was feeling good at the time; perhaps a worship service had warmed my heart or a speaker inspired me. But as soon as the emotions faded, I thought myself far away from God. Truly my love wasn’t for God, but for the emotions religious activity could bring me.
C.S. Lewis said, “God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.” Joy cannot be a separate entity from Christ because He is our joy. As the verse in Colossians said, He is our life. He is our everything.
If we have the emotions without the God, then we have missed something. God may yet give us emotional experiences, but we are never to love them for themselves. We are never to love and crave joy for joy’s sake. We are never to desire passion for passion’s sake. It must always be for Him and His sake, for our love for Him, that we desire these things.
May we desire Him and Him alone.
Note: I do not condone all that George Macdonald writes and believes. He is incredibly profound, but I also want to state that I do not agree with everything he says.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Hope In Heaven
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down… out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband… There shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away… And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride... And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven… : and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; and had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: on the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles... And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel. And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass… And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life. - Revelation 21
This is a beautiful passage in scripture, describing the new heavens and new earth. O what a glorious day that will be!
If you noticed, however, there is one thing missing: God.
There is a question I want to ask you; consider it as you read. Would you be fine going to heaven if God, Jesus Christ, was not there?
So often we have a hope of heaven; but what Scripture presents to us is a hope in heaven. What I mean is found in Colossians 1:5, which reads, “For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven…” I believe every word to be important; note, then, that
Paul writes in heaven. In other words, there is something in heaven that we should be deeply longing for and know that we have that inheritance in Christ.
So, let me ask you again: Where is your treasure? Do you simply have hope of going to a happy place when you die, or are you longing to be in heaven so that you may be with your Lord, the Lamb of God?
Keith Green once said, "If your heart takes more pleasure in reading novels, or watching TV, or going to the movies, or talking to friends, rather than just sitting alone with God and embracing Him, sharing His cares and His burdens, weeping and rejoicing with Him, then how are you going to handle forever and ever in His presence...? You'd be bored to tears in heaven, if you're not ecstatic about God now!"
Revelation 21:22-23, one of the most beautiful passages in Scripture, reads:
“And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.”
Heaven is all about one thing: Jesus. When we are told to be heavenly minded, we are not just being told to think about some ethereal kingdom place in the sky. Colossians 3:1-4 says, “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory”.
I ask you: is Christ your life? Is He your All in All? Or do you need some extra pleasures to get along in life? I am not saying that the things we may enjoy down here are always evil. What I am saying is, Do you need anything outside of Christ? Were everything stripped away, would you survive if only Christ remained?
I pray you find life, and life abundant, in Christ.
This is a beautiful passage in scripture, describing the new heavens and new earth. O what a glorious day that will be!
If you noticed, however, there is one thing missing: God.
There is a question I want to ask you; consider it as you read. Would you be fine going to heaven if God, Jesus Christ, was not there?
So often we have a hope of heaven; but what Scripture presents to us is a hope in heaven. What I mean is found in Colossians 1:5, which reads, “For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven…” I believe every word to be important; note, then, that
Paul writes in heaven. In other words, there is something in heaven that we should be deeply longing for and know that we have that inheritance in Christ.
So, let me ask you again: Where is your treasure? Do you simply have hope of going to a happy place when you die, or are you longing to be in heaven so that you may be with your Lord, the Lamb of God?
Keith Green once said, "If your heart takes more pleasure in reading novels, or watching TV, or going to the movies, or talking to friends, rather than just sitting alone with God and embracing Him, sharing His cares and His burdens, weeping and rejoicing with Him, then how are you going to handle forever and ever in His presence...? You'd be bored to tears in heaven, if you're not ecstatic about God now!"
Revelation 21:22-23, one of the most beautiful passages in Scripture, reads:
“And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.”
Heaven is all about one thing: Jesus. When we are told to be heavenly minded, we are not just being told to think about some ethereal kingdom place in the sky. Colossians 3:1-4 says, “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory”.
I ask you: is Christ your life? Is He your All in All? Or do you need some extra pleasures to get along in life? I am not saying that the things we may enjoy down here are always evil. What I am saying is, Do you need anything outside of Christ? Were everything stripped away, would you survive if only Christ remained?
I pray you find life, and life abundant, in Christ.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Made Pure
Well, it has been some time since I have done anything. I'll work on something more formal later, whether it is a thought or an update into my life. In the mean time, enjoy this poem by Amy Carmichael!
Searcher of spirits,
Try Thou my reins and heart;
Cleanse Thou my inward part –
Turn, overturn, and turn.
Wood, hay, stubble see
Spread out before Thee;
Burn, burn.
Worker in gardens,
Dig round my hidden root,
Let branch, leaf, bud and fruit
Respond in quickened life.
Seek out the canker there –
Cut out and do not spare
Thy knife.
Savior of sinners,
Out of the depths I cry,
“Perfect me or I die –
Perfect me, Patient One”;
In Thy revealing light,
I stand confessed – outright,
Undone.
O to be holy!
Thou wilt not say me nay
Who movest me to pray:
“Enable to endure.”
Spiritual cleansing Fire,
Fulfill my heart’s desire:
Make pure.
Searcher of spirits,
Try Thou my reins and heart;
Cleanse Thou my inward part –
Turn, overturn, and turn.
Wood, hay, stubble see
Spread out before Thee;
Burn, burn.
Worker in gardens,
Dig round my hidden root,
Let branch, leaf, bud and fruit
Respond in quickened life.
Seek out the canker there –
Cut out and do not spare
Thy knife.
Savior of sinners,
Out of the depths I cry,
“Perfect me or I die –
Perfect me, Patient One”;
In Thy revealing light,
I stand confessed – outright,
Undone.
O to be holy!
Thou wilt not say me nay
Who movest me to pray:
“Enable to endure.”
Spiritual cleansing Fire,
Fulfill my heart’s desire:
Make pure.
Monday, March 7, 2011
A Working Faith
“What doth is profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? Can faith save him?”
Thus begins a treatise that has caused much turmoil. Why? Because it would sound like James is saying that the Christian is “saved” by what they do, and not by their faith. Not only that, but he has the audacity to use the same example of righteousness found in Paul’s arguments for justification in Romans 4, Father Abraham! “Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?” whereas Paul writes, “For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.” Are these two doctrines opposite one another?
Perhaps out of context of chapter, and of the entirety of scripture. In his writings, Paul is dealing with the issue of forgiveness of sins and righteousness before God, for our righteousness, i.e. our deeds, are as “filthy rags” before God. The bar was set: perfection. Only one man has achieved such a standard: Jesus Christ. The only way, therefore, a man may be seen as perfect before God, is by being in Christ, “the Lord our righteousness”, and trusting in Him that was “made… to be sin for us, who knew now sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
The blood of Jesus Christ was our propitiation, and “his great love wherewith he loved us” should humble any man. What then, becomes of us? Are we free to do whatever we want, that, after we “believe” in God (which in our day means saying a prayer), we are allowed to be as we wish? In Paul’s words, “God forbid!”
What James is getting at is the essence of true faith. It is easy for a man to say, “I hath faith!” Anyone could say that. If that were all that consisted of salvation and belief, my, evangelizing would be simple! I want to highlight some of James’ key phrases in this section of chapter 2:
“… shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.”
“Thou believest there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.”
“Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?”
James is not saying a man is forgiven by what he does; rather, works, from his perspective, are the evidence of faith. He is simply saying that the way we live out our time here on this earth is the proof of what is in our hearts. If we truly believe in Jesus – not just the praying of a prayer, but presenting out bodies “a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” – then it will evidence itself in the way we act, speak, and all other manner of things.
Let’s compare something: James says, “If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not the things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?”
John says, “He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in the darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.”
Jesus says, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
Would it not be ridiculous if a Christian came to the door of another believer, begging for food, and the one in the warm, cozy house said, “God bless ya brother, I love you!” and slammed the door? That would not be considered love! Yet Jesus and John explicitly say that if they don’t do that, they are in darkness, and have no part with God. This is what James would call fake faith: saying you believe, but without evidence of it.
Look also at Matthew 25, and the parable of the sheep and the goats. Notice the emphasis Christ places on the deeds of each: “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me… Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.”
You see, Jesus isn’t just after getting a bunch of people into heaven; He has a job for us to do here on this earth, and it will take believing upon Him with everything in our being, to do it. He wants us to go out, and in His power, love as He loves, and do as He would do. The call of the Christian is not to have a mediocre life and sit about waiting for heaven to come to them. Rather, by faith and works, the Christian is called to expand the kingdom of God upon this earth. This is the question James was getting at: Does your life prove your faith? Or are you merely nodding at all the right points and merely saying you believe?
Thus begins a treatise that has caused much turmoil. Why? Because it would sound like James is saying that the Christian is “saved” by what they do, and not by their faith. Not only that, but he has the audacity to use the same example of righteousness found in Paul’s arguments for justification in Romans 4, Father Abraham! “Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?” whereas Paul writes, “For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.” Are these two doctrines opposite one another?
Perhaps out of context of chapter, and of the entirety of scripture. In his writings, Paul is dealing with the issue of forgiveness of sins and righteousness before God, for our righteousness, i.e. our deeds, are as “filthy rags” before God. The bar was set: perfection. Only one man has achieved such a standard: Jesus Christ. The only way, therefore, a man may be seen as perfect before God, is by being in Christ, “the Lord our righteousness”, and trusting in Him that was “made… to be sin for us, who knew now sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
The blood of Jesus Christ was our propitiation, and “his great love wherewith he loved us” should humble any man. What then, becomes of us? Are we free to do whatever we want, that, after we “believe” in God (which in our day means saying a prayer), we are allowed to be as we wish? In Paul’s words, “God forbid!”
What James is getting at is the essence of true faith. It is easy for a man to say, “I hath faith!” Anyone could say that. If that were all that consisted of salvation and belief, my, evangelizing would be simple! I want to highlight some of James’ key phrases in this section of chapter 2:
“… shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.”
“Thou believest there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.”
“Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?”
James is not saying a man is forgiven by what he does; rather, works, from his perspective, are the evidence of faith. He is simply saying that the way we live out our time here on this earth is the proof of what is in our hearts. If we truly believe in Jesus – not just the praying of a prayer, but presenting out bodies “a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” – then it will evidence itself in the way we act, speak, and all other manner of things.
Let’s compare something: James says, “If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not the things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?”
John says, “He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in the darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.”
Jesus says, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
Would it not be ridiculous if a Christian came to the door of another believer, begging for food, and the one in the warm, cozy house said, “God bless ya brother, I love you!” and slammed the door? That would not be considered love! Yet Jesus and John explicitly say that if they don’t do that, they are in darkness, and have no part with God. This is what James would call fake faith: saying you believe, but without evidence of it.
Look also at Matthew 25, and the parable of the sheep and the goats. Notice the emphasis Christ places on the deeds of each: “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me… Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.”
You see, Jesus isn’t just after getting a bunch of people into heaven; He has a job for us to do here on this earth, and it will take believing upon Him with everything in our being, to do it. He wants us to go out, and in His power, love as He loves, and do as He would do. The call of the Christian is not to have a mediocre life and sit about waiting for heaven to come to them. Rather, by faith and works, the Christian is called to expand the kingdom of God upon this earth. This is the question James was getting at: Does your life prove your faith? Or are you merely nodding at all the right points and merely saying you believe?
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Filling the Persecution Quota
And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.
1 Peter 3:13-17 (KJV)
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Matt 5:10-12 (KJV)
Well, it's official. I can say with honesty I've been persecuted. Granted, it was in minimal and mediocre ways, but still, it's a start. This morning, I had 16 people give me the finger, 5 people yell obscenities, many horns a'honkin', and someone splash snow-slush on my friends.
What were we doing, you might ask? Nothing more than holding a sign outside of Planned Parenthood.
Our goal was simple: stand in front of Planned Parenthood and pray. Through various circumstances, we obtained a sign that said on one side "Women DO regret abortions" and upon the other "Men regret lost fatherhood".
I don't know where you stand; my hope is that if you call yourself by the name of Christian, you do not hold that abortion should be legal. However, I cannot remain silent any longer. I've seen and heard of the atrocities that have been committed, and through abortion, more lives have been stolen than in the Holocaust. And we call Hitler a monster. We look at other countries and wonder how in the world the Christians can let such horrors happen. Turn the finger to yourself: it's likely that thousands of babies have perished near your home, and what have you done? Thus, I cannot retain silence any longer: Planned Parenthood is straight from the pit of hell.
What then can we do?
We must must pray. Prayer is the weapon that wields the power of the cross to destroy the strongholds of darkness. We're not after doctors, we're after Satan. He is the one who has a vice grip upon our country, and he is the one that must be cast down in the name of Jesus.
We must love. Remember, God is after souls, not just babies' lives. God wants the men, women, and children who are affected and have been affected by abortion to come to Him. He is their healer, He alone is their hope. Without Him, there is nothing.
If you aren't sure exactly why I would decry abortion, I suggest you watch the video by Life Project USA:
http://www.lifeprojectusa.com/
America is committing abominations just as bad, if not worse, than what Hitler, Stalin, and all the others have done in ages past. Rise up! Rise up, in the power of the Spirit, and claim the territory that is rightfully Christ's! Ask Him to start you small, with one person, or with something simple. But most of all, pray. Pray until the breaking of day. The power of prayer is what we are missing. Pray!
1 Peter 3:13-17 (KJV)
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Matt 5:10-12 (KJV)
Well, it's official. I can say with honesty I've been persecuted. Granted, it was in minimal and mediocre ways, but still, it's a start. This morning, I had 16 people give me the finger, 5 people yell obscenities, many horns a'honkin', and someone splash snow-slush on my friends.
What were we doing, you might ask? Nothing more than holding a sign outside of Planned Parenthood.
Our goal was simple: stand in front of Planned Parenthood and pray. Through various circumstances, we obtained a sign that said on one side "Women DO regret abortions" and upon the other "Men regret lost fatherhood".
I don't know where you stand; my hope is that if you call yourself by the name of Christian, you do not hold that abortion should be legal. However, I cannot remain silent any longer. I've seen and heard of the atrocities that have been committed, and through abortion, more lives have been stolen than in the Holocaust. And we call Hitler a monster. We look at other countries and wonder how in the world the Christians can let such horrors happen. Turn the finger to yourself: it's likely that thousands of babies have perished near your home, and what have you done? Thus, I cannot retain silence any longer: Planned Parenthood is straight from the pit of hell.
What then can we do?
We must must pray. Prayer is the weapon that wields the power of the cross to destroy the strongholds of darkness. We're not after doctors, we're after Satan. He is the one who has a vice grip upon our country, and he is the one that must be cast down in the name of Jesus.
We must love. Remember, God is after souls, not just babies' lives. God wants the men, women, and children who are affected and have been affected by abortion to come to Him. He is their healer, He alone is their hope. Without Him, there is nothing.
If you aren't sure exactly why I would decry abortion, I suggest you watch the video by Life Project USA:
http://www.lifeprojectusa.com/
America is committing abominations just as bad, if not worse, than what Hitler, Stalin, and all the others have done in ages past. Rise up! Rise up, in the power of the Spirit, and claim the territory that is rightfully Christ's! Ask Him to start you small, with one person, or with something simple. But most of all, pray. Pray until the breaking of day. The power of prayer is what we are missing. Pray!
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