I recently laid down a challenge for some friends to join me in a time of prayer and fasting for our nation. I believe that the prayers of righteous men and women can change the course of history. So, I’ve asked several people to join me in prayer and to accompany their prayers with fasting.

I also believe that in this contentious election season, believers in Christ have a responsibility to pray that God causes the counsel of His enemies to backfire – or to use a biblical phrase to be “turned to foolishness.” I firmly believe that as a nation we’re facing a binary choice – not between left & right, or liberal & conservative, or Democrat & Republican – but between good and evil, godly and ungodly.

There are sinister, evil forces that have been let loose on this planet. And they are now coalescing into evil philosophies which are filling the hearts of men and women in positions of world leadership with evil intent. They are deceived people. And they are hell-bent on deceiving the world. As the Apostle Paul put it to Timothy: “But evil people and imposters will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:13).

 In the biblical story of the life of King David, there was a time that the King faced a rebellion against his administration which was spear-headed by his rebel son, Absolom. In an all-out battle for the hearts of the people of the kingdom, Absolom ran a “joy” and “good vibes” and a “hope and change” campaign to win the people over. And it was working in part because a former advisor of King David, Ahithophel, jumped ship and began counseling the rebel Absolom. Sound familiar? Politics hasn’t changed much over the last six millennium, has it? Here’s how it’s recorded in 2 Samuel…

When someone told David that his adviser Ahithophel was now backing Absalom, David prayed, ‘O Lord, let Ahithophel give Absalom foolish advice!’ “When David reached the summit of the Mount of Olives where people worshiped God, Hushai the Arkite was waiting there for him. Hushai had torn his clothing and put dirt on his head as a sign of mourning.”  (2 Samuel 15:31-32)

This man Hushai is identified a bit later in 2 Samuel 15:37 as “…David’s friend…”  He comes to David and shows empathy for him. And David decides to give Hushai a very significant task. He tells him:      

“ ‘If you go with me, you will only be a burden. Return to Jerusalem and tell Absalom, “I will now be your adviser, O king, just as I was your father’s adviser in the past.” Then you can frustrate and counter Ahithophel’s advice. Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, will be there. Tell them about the plans being made in the king’s palace, and they will send their sons Ahimaaz and Jonathan to tell me what is going on.’ So David’s friend Hushai returned to Jerusalem, getting there just as Absalom arrived” (2 Samuel 15:33-37).

David is still thinking like a warrior-king. He asks Hushai to serve him as a spy in Absolom’s court. And that’s exactly what Hushai does. He sets up a network of communication to David from Absolom’s camp that led to the overthrow of Absolom’s temporary throne.

When Ahithophel advised Absolom (rightly, I might add), Absolom also wanted to hear from Hushai – who skillfully shut down Ahithophel’s strategic counsel. Absolom went with Hushai’s counsel – and Ahithophel went home and killed himself. Gory story – but it’s right there in black and white. Later Hushai was able to get word to David so he and his band of loyalists could get to safety. [Read about it in 2 Samuel 17].

I see a “prayer principle” in this story. It seems we can ask God, as David did, to cause the advisors of his opponents with evil intent, to give “foolish advice.”

The saying about hindsight is that it’s always “20-20.” In hindsight, over the past 3 ½ years, we know that there are evil people out to cheat and commit fraud in national elections. So much so, that it can sway an election one way or the other. My favorite candidate is calling on his supporters to make this election “too BIG to RIG” – meaning overwhelm the voting booths and absentee balloting and early voting with too many legal votes to be ignored or cancelled out with fraudulent ones. While that is a good strategy, I suggest we join forces in another strategy as well, and ask God to give those who mean evil for our country to receive “foolish advice” – and that they follow it!

And finally, pray also that the willful workers of wickedness be removed from positions of power, prominence and prestige. Pray that the eyes of those being deceived would be opened. And pray that God would place people who stand for His righteous cause to be elected to high places of government and influence.

What can we do as we fast and pray for our nation?

  • Ask God to make the counsel of His enemies become FOOLISH ADVICE.
  • VOTE for candidates who share your godly principles and policies.
  • RECRUIT others to register and vote.
  • Be active POLL WATCHERS – volunteer to do so.
  • Ask God to cause all forms of election fraud and cheating to BACKFIRE.

“Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible – the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” 1 Timothy 1:17 (KJ21)

God Love Sex (Part 2)

Leadership Magazine commissioned a poll of a thousand pastors. The pastors indicated that 12 percent of them had committed adultery while in the ministry – (one out of eight pastors) – and that 23 percent had done something they considered sexually inappropriate. Christianity Today surveyed a thousand of its subscribers who were not pastors and found the figure to be nearly double, with 23 percent saying they had had extramarital sex and 45 percent indicating they had done something they themselves deemed sexually inappropriate. So…one in four Christian men are unfaithful, and nearly one half have behaved in a sexually inappropriate way. Conclusion: (1) there are severe moral problems in this country; and (2) there’s a huge difference between what the church teaches and what its members actually think and do.  There is no crisis more pervasive in the world today than the crisis of sexual immorality. There is a moral revolt going on everywhere in the matter of sexual mores. 

 But no matter what the surveys reveal, from the time of Christ until now one thing has remained true: The sexual behavior of a man or woman who claims to be a disciple of Jesus Christ is a “dead give-away” to the depth of their commitment to the Lordship (management) of Jesus Christ in their life.  That’s a fact!

In Ephesians 5:3-14, the apostle Paul gives us five reasons why sexual immorality is incompatible with the Christian faith and lifestyle.[1]

In my last blog, we looked at the first two REASONS, found in vs. 3-4: “Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God.”

We saw that sex outside of marriage hurts you. It’s harmful to your basic human make-up. It is debasing and defiling to our essential humanity. That’s what the words in the original language mean – debasing and defiling. It hurts you. Paul said that sexual “immorality” and “impurity” and “greed” affect us in a profoundly negative way.  

We also saw that sex outside of marriage is a waste of our time. In the NASB translation, Paul uses the phrase “not fitting” – which means “inappropriate” “wasteful” or “pointless.” He says that we don’t learn anything by engaging in sexual sin. When we personally investigate the wrong practices of sex and become involved in them, we learn nothing that we couldn’t have learned from studying the Bible.  Personal practice of sexual immorality is a waste of time – and it only causes the sexual crisis in your life to get worse. That’s why viewing pornography, and even serious studies of sexual immorality, are essentially an exercise in futility. Paul says they’re a waste of time, as far as curing the problem of sexual immorality is concerned. That’s the claim of the apostle Paul! And, if we’re honest about it, that’s what our own experience confirms as well.

Now, we’re going to learn about the last three of Paul’s five reasons why sexual immorality and Christianity are not for God’s people.

REASON # 3 is: Anybody who practices sexual immorality, impurity or “body-greed” will not have an “inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.” “You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world” (vs. 5). Paul refers again to the same three categories of sexual sin that he mentioned in verse 3 and refers to them here again – “immorality”, “impurity” and “greed.” Greed here refers to greed for someone else’s body so that you can exploit it for your own sexual satisfaction. 

What that says to me is: If you take sexual sin lightly – then you’re not saved. He’s saying no one can be a truly regenerated Christian while knowingly and deliberately practicing (key word) sex outside of marriage – because one cancels out the other. It’s a “spiritual impossibility” to pursue sex outside of marriage and Jesus at the same time. Paul is saying here that if a person pursues and practices sexual immorality – then they have ultimately turned their back on Jesus. Sex has become more important to them than Jesus! 

So, Paul says, if you take sexual sin lightly – then you’re not saved. And that raises a really important question: “Can a Christian fall into sexual sin and still call themself a Christian?” The answer is “Yes, of course that’s true.” But that’s not really the issue here. Paul’s point is that you can’t practice sexual sin repeatedly, and defiantly, and shamelessly and really be a Christian.

A genuine follower of Jesus will struggle emotionally and spiritually with guilt and shame if they fall into sexual sin. A genuine follower of Jesus will immediately confess it to God and repent of it (“turn away from” it). They will run away from sexual sin and become accountable to someone who they know will hold their feet to the fire.  But a person who defends sexual immorality and justifies it and sins without guilt – Paul says, despite any profession of faith in Jesus, that they are not a Christian. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul wrote: “You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.” He leaves no room for argument.    

NOTE: God’s grace is always reaching out to people who are practicing sexual sin. They’re always welcome to become a part of the kingdom of God. But Paul makes his point very clear: No one can profess to be a follower of Jesus Christ and continue to practice sexual sin without a deep inner spiritual struggle. Because if they can – then they’re denying their faith in Jesus Christ. Sex has become more important to them than Jesus. They’ve made an idol of sex.

REASON # 4 that sexual sin is not for God’s people is because…A Christian no longer has any excuse for practicing sexual sin. “Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall    on all who disobey him. Don’t participate in the things these people do. For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true. Carefully determine what pleases the Lord.” (vs. 6-10)

The Bible says that if a person has been born-again by faith in Jesus Christ, then they have been taken out of the world of darkness (out from under the power of Satan) and into the kingdom of light (into the power of God). That’s the whole gospel message. And if that hasn’t happened to you – then you’re not a follower of Jesus Christ. But if it has, Paul says, then it’s unthinkable that you’d turn your back on God and go back and live in darkness again. Paul is saying that we don’t have to be deceived any longer – especially about sex. The world’s sex propaganda doesn’t have to work on us anymore, because we know better. It will try to convince us that we’re wrong, but we know better. That’s why Paul says, “Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins…”  They will try, but we don’t have to listen because we know better now. Sexual sin may be appealing – but it can be very deadly.

I read once about a policeman who was called out during a severe ice storm. The ice was a half-inch thick on every tree in the area. He was called to a site where the ice and falling branches had caused a power line to come down. His job was to keep people away from the area. There was a small tree near the fallen power line – the kind with a short trunk and lots of long thin branches. He noticed that while the fallen power line was crackling and popping with electricity, it was throwing out sparks through the branches of the small tree. And as the sparks reflected off the ice-covered branches it sent out a beautiful rainbow of colors. He said that as he stood there and watched – he wondered how anything so beautiful could be so deadly. That’s the power of sexual sin. We see something that seems beautiful, but when we reach out to touch it – it becomes death to us. Sexual sin is very sparkly and beautiful – but it’s also deadly!

 Paul’s warning is to not let anyone deceive you (including yourself) with empty words about the “joy” and the “naturalness” of sex outside of marriage. Because if we do, we will ultimately discover that the results are very painful!

There’s a phrase in verse 6 that tells us something important about this fourth reason. It says: “…for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him.” It’s sexual immorality in particular, that brings the “anger of God” upon our world. When we allow and encourage sexual immorality – we’re asking in particular for the anger or the wrath of God to be expressed. Why is that? I believe it’s because sexual sin is different than other sin – not necessarily worse – but different. The Bible makes it clear in numerous places that sex within the bounds of natural marriage is intended by God to be the perfect picture of His love for His Church – His Bride. And sexual sin badly mars that picture. And it deeply offends God. It invites his anger and his wrath in a particularly distinct way.

Most people misunderstand the wrath of God. It usually conjures up thoughts of lightning bolts from heaven and sudden catastrophes or a terrible judgment day that’s way off in the future somewhere. But Romans 1 tells us that the “wrath of God” is something happening right now – in the present.  It says: “God’s anger is shown from heaven against all the evil and wrong things people do. By their own evil lives they hide the truth… 24 Because they did these things, God left them and let them go their sinful way, wanting only to do evil. As a result, they became full of sexual sin, using their bodies wrongly with each other. 25 They traded the truth of God for a lie. They worshiped and served what had been created instead of the God who created those things, who should be praised forever. Amen” (Rom. 1:18-25). God says, Alright if you want to live this way – go ahead! But it will cost you. It will cost you in grief and pain and emotional sickness. It will cost you and your children and their children after them.

 The manifestations of the “wrath of God” are things like boredom, and restlessness, and despair and a sense of uselessness. It’s expressed in feelings of emptiness. It’s accompanied by neurotic phobias and unexplainable anxieties. It’s revealed in the spirit of death and violence that we see in American cities across our country right now. But God never intended for us to be neurotic, anxious, bundles of nerves. We were never meant to experience these things. Unfortunately, it’s the result of God’s “wrath” – when He withdraws and withholds His presence and His grace; when He gives people over to their sinful passions. It’s the result of sinful passions indulged to the hilt, and then God backing off to let the inevitable consequences take over.

That said – Paul’s point here is that…We followers of Christ have no excuse or reason to indulge in sexual sin any longer because now we are “children of light.” We don’t have to be deceived any longer about sexual sin and its consequences.

Which leads us to Paul’s last REASON why sexual sin is incompatible with the Christian life. Sexual immorality is incompatible with the Christian life because…As Christians we’re supposed to expose the true character of sexual sin – not indulge in it. Eph. 5: 11-14 reads: “Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. 12 It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. 13 But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, 14 for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”

We can’t expose something as evil, and then indulge in it at the same time… and still be effective in our exposure. As followers of Jesus Christ our job is to graciously – but firmly – speak out against sexual sin. Our job is to reveal God’s truth about sex. “Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them…”

We have a commission from God: Tell the world the truth about sex! And that includes God’s hatred of ALL sexual sin…homosexuality, lesbianism, transgenderism, gay marriage, queer lifestyles, etc. Our job is to help people see that sexual fulfillment in marriage between a man and a woman is God’s purpose for them. Our job is to help people see that God’s heart is for us is to run away from sexual immorality and come back into wholeness and fullness and joy. Our job is to expose people to the truth about sex as often as we have the opportunity because (as vs.13 says) “…the light makes everything visible.”

Philippians 2:14-15 gives us a challenge. It says we are to “…Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.”  In a world of “crooks and perverts” (Amplified Version), we are to graciously and confidently tell the truth about sex to anyone who will listen. And we have to let our integrity and our faithfulness to God’s Word speak for us.

So, the five reasons why sexual immorality and the Christian life just don’t mix are…

(1)  Sex outside of marriage between a man and woman actually hurts us. It’s harmful to our basic human make-up.

(2)  When all is said and done, sex outside of marriage is a pointless waste of our time.

(3)  If we justify it we show that we were never “saved from sin” in the first place.

(4)  We don’t have an excuse to indulge in it anymore – we know better because we’re children of light.

(5)  Our job is to expose the lie that sexual immorality is harmless – by our words and by our behavior.

 Earlier, I mentioned that “sexual immorality” includes the four common sexual sins that many Christians have come to tolerate: adultery, “friends with benefits” (fornication), pornography and homosexuality. If you find yourself struggling with any of these sexual sins – I understand. I really do. I’ve struggled in the past with two of the four myself. And my purpose for saying what I have said today is not to condemn. My purpose is to remind all of us of the place in our culture that we are responsible to occupy. Because as followers of Jesus we have the privilege and the responsibility to set an example for the rest of the world – whether they follow it or not. Our job is to wake up – and stay awake – to sexual immorality. And to live as examples of what we say we believe.

 This passage ends with these words from the OT: “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” In the words of Dr. Phil: “You need to wake up! You need to wake up!” The reason WHY is because practicing sexual immorality in any form will put you to sleep spiritually. And the only way to begin the process of overcoming sexual immorality in your life is to wake up to the fact that it’s robbing you of the life that God intends for you. Wake up to your sin. Don’t let the glitz and glitter of sexual sin hypnotize you into sleepwalking through life.

But once you wake up you need to “Get dressed!”  Rom. 13:12 says: “The night is almost gone, and the day is at hand. Let us therefore lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.” No one can live a sexually pure life unless they have been clothed in God’s righteousness. And that can never happen until you make a commitment to let Jesus Christ manage your life in general – and your sex life in particular. The phrase, “armor of light,” refers to the armor of God found in Eph. 6:10ff. And the first three pieces of armor are “truth,” “righteousness,” and “peace.” Each of them can only be yours when you give management of your life over to God and become clothed in His righteousness.

So…“Wake up” from your spiritual sleep…“Get dressed” in the truth, righteousness and peace of God… And then…Go to work!”

Rom.13:13-14 says: “Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.” 

In other words, start acting like a Christian again and stop feeding your “flesh.” Paul puts it like this: “…And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.” Stop feeding your sinful lusts! (e.g. – reading trashy novels, books or magazines, viewing movies that glorify sexual immorality, entertainment that encourages sexual immorality, being hooked on porn, etc.). And start filling your life with the work of God. We have to keep moving in God’s direction with our lives.

There is a wide, shallow river in Arizona, the Rio Puerco, that has this peculiarity to it – its bed is nearly all quick-sand on which you can travel safely – provided you keep moving. But the moment you stop, the sands begin to engulf you. That’s just like our lives in this world. God never intended that we get comfortable in the thinking and behavior of the world – especially in its sexual permissiveness. We have to keep moving in a godly direction or we’ll become sucked in by the “quicksand” that’s the philosophy of a fallen and morally bankrupt world-view.

Do you want to overcome sexual sin in your life? Then you’ve got to resolve that you will…“Wake up! you will “Get dressed!” and you will “Go to work!”

[1] This blog was inspired by Ray Stedman’s series on Ephesians: The Calling of the Saints //www.raystedman.orgnew-testament/ephesians

God Loves Sex (Part 1)

The world we live in is obsessed with sex. It’s willing to consume anything about sex put on film or in books or on the internet – and it’s never satisfied.  It’s always hungry for more. Sex scandals – both inside the Church and out – are everywhere. Our world is obsessed with sex![1]

 In Ephesians 5, the apostle Paul deals with the subject of God, Love & Sex. And he’s decidedly “counter culture” in his teaching. Everything he says about the topic is in opposition to the attitude that most people in America and around the world have toward sexual morality – including many people who identify themselves as born-again Christians.

Let start with an emphatic statement:  GOD LOVES SEX! God created sex. God is not repulsed by sex – as some people teach. Sex is God-given. And it’s a very good and a very exciting part of our humanity…especially as Christians. But what God hates with a passion is the perversion and misuse of sex – because sexual sin messes with the picture God’s Word reflects about His relationship with His Church. Sex between a man and a woman in marriage is a parable around which God wants to paint a picture of His love and passion for us – His bride – the Church. So…God loves sex! He always has and He always will. [And by contrast Satan hates sex!]

Here’s what Paul teaches unapologetically about sex from Ephesians 5:3-14 (NLT): “Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. Don’t participate in the things these people do. For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So, live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true. Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. 11 Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. 12 It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. 13 But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, 14 for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, ‘Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.’”

Paul is very specific here…He says sexual immorality should not be a part of a Christian’s life. Then he defines what he’s talking about – using some very specific words. And – most important of all – he gives us reasons why sexual immorality and practicing sexual sin is not God’s will for a Christian.

In this passage, there are five compelling and consistently logical reasons why sexual sin (as Paul very clearly defines it) is not compatible with the lifestyle of a follower of Jesus Christ. Paul flatly declares that sexual immorality is totally incompatible with the Christian faith – the two simply cannot mix.

 Actually, Paul is repeating the teachings of Jesus on the same subject in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7.  Jesus taught that adultery and fornication were sin. He taught that the eye that is attracted to adultery and the hand that is involved in fornication should be “cut off” (figuratively speaking). Jesus said, if we don’t, it will lead us into evil. He went so far as to say that even the thought that leads to adultery or fornication is wrong.

Here are two definitions of sexual immorality from the Apostle Paul:

  • “fornication” = voluntary sex between two unmarried people before marriage;
  • “adultery” = voluntary sex with someone, if you’re married, other than your spouse.

Jesus makes it clear that God’s intention for every one of us is that we either marry, and remain sexually faithful to our partner, or that we totally abstain from sex. The Bible doesn’t allow any wavering from that standard. The Bible makes it very clear that this is the Christian moral standard on sexual behavior.  PERIOD!  

In my opinion, Eph. 5:3-14 is one of the most helpful passages in the whole Bible when it comes to understanding how we’re to conduct ourselves in a “sex-obsessed” society. It stands in complete contrast to what the world outside of Christ and His values has to offer. And this passage gives us some very illuminating reasons why we don’t have to be confused or mentally foggy about sexual sin.

REASON # 1 that sexual sin is incompatible with Christianity is because It’s harmful to our basic humanity. Verse 3: “Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people.”

“Sexual immorality” is the most common term in the Bible for any kind of sexual sin. It has nothing to do with how you feel morally about you and your sexual partner… “Our relationship isn’t immoral!” Sexual immorality refers to any form of deviate sexual behavior (adultery, fornication, homosexuality, lesbianism, incest, bestiality, etc.). “Impurity” means literally “uncleanness.” It refers to anything that’s morally rotten or obscene. That includes pornography. “Greed” refers here to greed for someone else’s body. So, anyone who makes an idol of another person’s body is “greedy” or “covetous.” And Paul says that is sexual sin. All of this is included under the term “sexual sin.”

Notice that in vs.4 it’s not only the acts themselves which are prohibited, but even verbally joking around about them. In Paul’s words, “obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you.”

NOTE: The Bible never tells us not to talk about sex. Sex is a legitimate topic of discussion – any time. But it’s the trivializing and distortion of sex Paul says is inappropriate. We don’t have to be Victorian prudes – where the mere mention of the word sex in public was socially unacceptable. We can talk about the God-given blessing of sex and sexuality as often as it’s appropriate. Just don’t trivialize and distort sex in your everyday conversation – which is so common today.

Anyone who has read the Bible (especially the OT) knows that it speaks very openly and candidly about sex. The Bible teaches that our sex drive is God-given. God likes sex. And He wants us to like it too. Sex was God’s idea – not the Devil’s. God made us “highly sexed” and that’s a good thing. Christianity, almost alone among all the great religions of the world, thoroughly approves of the human body. God once entered into time in a human body – complete with sex organs. And He found no shame in it at all. The Bible makes it clear that within marriage sex is to supposed to be enjoyed as beautiful and wholesome – as God-approved. God is for sex – in the right and proper context of marriage.

But the Bible is equally clear in its declaration that sex outside of marriage is harmful to our basic humanness. And that’s why God prohibits it – for our own good. His prohibitions are designed to keep us from being deprived of enjoying the very best. In fact, sex outside of marriage is so injurious, that Paul says, even passing references to it among us Christians can be emotionally inflaming and dangerous. He tells us that we must “lay aside” even the desire to talk about the details of sexuality immorality.

If you think this is a tough pill to swallow, it may help you to know that this statement was made by Paul is a day when sexual sin was even more widely tolerated and accepted that it is today. In the city of Ephesus, where the church to which this letter was written was located, there was a temple dedicated to the pagan goddess Diana (or Artemis). In this temple were a large number of both male and female “priests” and “priestesses” who gave their bodies to whoever could pay the price, as an act of worship to the goddess Diana. The whole city accepted sexual intercourse as an act of worship. They regarded it as normal and proper – as a sign of religious dedication. That was what the society in which these 1st c. followers of Christ lived. Yet, to them Paul writes: “But do not let immorality or any impurity or greed even be named among you, as is fitting among saints.” (NASB)

 If that sounds unrealistic to you today in 2024, think what it must have sounded like to the Christians in Ephesus in A.D. 62. But it’s there – for us all to read and heed. Why? It’s there, Paul says, because the absence of this kind of activity and this kind of talk is “fitting” among the saints. That word means “becoming” or “wholesome” or “attractive” or “refreshing.” The implication is that if we indulge in these things or talk about them in sordid detail – it’s unwholesome, it’s unattractive, it’s unbecoming and it’s unrefreshing. In short it is debasing and defiling.

Naturally, a society and a culture like the one America has become over the past 55 years is going to challenge that idea. We’re being told today that all sex is beautiful and natural – like any other bodily desire or urge. We should feel free to satisfy our sexual urges as openly and without shame as we do all other bodily needs. We’re continually subjected by the media and the entertainment industry to a barrage of propaganda which links sex with everything natural, and wholesome, and youthful and vital.  We’re urged to perform a sex act – any kind of sex act – with whomever and whenever we find it mutually agreeable. Why? Because it will make you a happier person – that’s why. That’s the sexual propaganda of our day.

 “This idea that sex, all sex, any sex, is natural and beautiful is a lie. It never was true. Like all powerful lies, it derives its strength from being based upon a partial truth. It is true that sex is a natural urge. It is true that sex is related to our physical body like hunger or thirst, or the need to urinate, or sleep, or any other physical urge. But what is never said is that these other urges also require regulation and control.  They are not indulged in at will, any time, any place. We don’t eat in any manner that we choose. We don’t sit down at the table and begin to grab with our hands and stuff food into our mouths. We learn to eat with a knife and fork that we might not be offensive. We learn to regulate our eating, and control even the way we eat as well as what we eat.  We don’t sleep whenever we please, even though we may be awfully sleepy…And even though we see many signs and pickets demanding the right to sexual freedom, we never see people picketing for the right to urinate publicly, or any time they will. We even insist that our puppies and kittens learn to do otherwise. Therefore, just because sex is like our other natural desires, because it is nothing to be ashamed of, then like these other natural urges it requires regulation and restraint.” – Ray Stedman

And the Bible teaches us that God’s intended regulation for sex is – marriage. Marriage is the way to regulate sex so that it is right and wholesome and mutually beneficial to husband and wife. Any other expression of sex is a defiling and a debasing of our humanity.

 Verse 2 & 3 in this chapter actually form a whole thought: “And walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. But do not let immorality or any impurity or greed even be named among you, as is proper [or fitting] among saints.”

What Paul is saying is that sexual immorality is a violation of love. In other words, you can’t truly love someone and engage in sex with them outside of marriage. For a Christian love and sex outside of marriage are mutually exclusive.

The two most common arguments for sex before marriage are: (1) As long as love is present, sex outside of marriage can be justified.” But Paul says that’s impossible, because if you really love someone you would not want to injure them. And sex outside of marriage injures the other person because it is incomplete, and guilt-ridden, and unfulfilling. There’s no such thing as sexual relations outside of marriage done in love; (2) The second argument goes something like this: “We need to experiment with sex before marriage so we can see whether or not our marriage will work.” That’s a lie, too. It mistakenly sees sex as the primary thing in marriage. And that is simply not the case. Believe me, I know. I’ve been married for almost 48 years – and sex is not the most important thing in a marriage. You cannot test marriage by sex alone. There are far more important ingredients than sex that make a marriage a “good” marriage. It’s impossible to tell if a marriage will work by having sex before marriage. It doesn’t prove anything. It is beside the point. I can guarantee you that if you and your potential mate are both healthy, that you will be sexually compatible.

Testing sexual compatibility in marriage is kind of like testing a parachute by jumping off a 30-foot building. There simply isn’t enough room for the parachute to operate. The only way to test a parachute is to go up and jump out of an airplane. And the only way to test the proper function of sex is to get married – and live as man and wife for twenty plus years!

The second reason that sexual looseness is not compatible with the life of a Christ-follower is found in verse 4: “And there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which is not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.” (NASB)

REASON # 2 that sexual immorality is not compatible with the life of a follower of Christ is because even the talk that leads to sexual sin is inconsistent and pointless.  Paul calls it “not fitting.”  This word is different than the one used in vs. 3. There it meant “defiling” or “disgraceful.” Here in verse 4 it means something that is “not consistent.” It can also mean “inappropriate” or “wasteful or “pointless.” Paul’s point here could be summed up in a question. He asks: What do Christians gain by exposing themselves to sexy, sleezy literature or by attending sexually explicit movies or by discussing sexual perversions or by indulging in telling dirty stories or double entendre jokes? His answer: You gain nothing. It is wasted and pointless activity. You gain absolutely nothing from it!”

Paul challenges the notion that we must have detailed knowledge of sexual sin before we can really understand its negative effect. He says that’s not true – and in fact it’s a waste of your time. It’s inappropriate and it has no point. You don’t learn how to avoid sexual immorality by talking about it or by joking about it or by laughing about it and exposing yourself further to it. That’s a dead-end street. It is wasted time and effort. You never learn the true nature of sex by studying its perversions or distortions. You learn what sex is all about from God’s Word and the revelation contained in it.

Sex is like a river. Kept within its banks it is harnessed as a great and powerful force for good. But when we indulge in “filthiness and silly talk and coarse jesting which is not fitting” through sexually explicit movies and books and sexually heated gossip sessions – then the sex drive overflows the riverbanks and becomes a flood which inundates the whole landscape. And we find ourselves slogging through mud and mire and sexual debris. Then the river of sex begins to lose its appeal. Unbridled sexual desire eventually loses its power to attract.

What do the facts reveal in this regard? What have the results been over the past 55 years or so? The problem doesn’t lie with Christians who have followed Paul’s counsel over the years and heeded this command in Ephesians 5.

The world apart from Christ has exposed itself to every possible form of sexual immorality over the centuries of human existence. And what it has gotten us? Well, to be sure, we don’t really know any more about the true nature of sex now than we did before. In Paul’s words, it is “pointless” and represents nothing more than “wasted time.” It only increased our understanding of the sexual perversions of society, until society today is flooded with so much sexual information that it has merely equipped us with the knowledge of how to be that much more sexually perverted – if we choose.

So there you have it – two of the five reasons Paul gives us for why every type of sexual immorality is totally incompatible with the Christian faith: it debases and defiles us and it’s a waste of time.

If we take Paul’s words at face value, then we as followers of Christ have no choice in the matter of sexual morality but to adopt his perspective. Any position other than the one taken by the apostle Paul is one of defiance toward God and it is a very foolish position. Anyone who chooses a different viewpoint is challenging the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ – God Himself!

Unless we Christians are ready to take a stand in obedience to what God has said, there is little we can do to stem the tide of sexual immorality in our society. If we adopt the world’s approach to sexual behavior the consequences will be grave.

Years ago, “ABC Evening News” reported on an unusual work of modern art – a chair affixed to a shotgun. It was to be viewed by sitting in the chair and looking directly into the gun barrel. The gun was loaded and set on a timer to fire at an undetermined moment within the next 100 years. The amazing thing was that people waited in lines to sit and stare into the shotgun shell’s path.  They all knew that the gun could go off at point-blank range at any moment, but they were gambling that the fatal blast wouldn’t happen during their minute in the chair. Yes, it was foolhardy, yet many people who wouldn’t dream of sitting in that chair live a lifetime gambling that they can get away with sin. Foolishly thy ignore the risk until the inevitable self-destruction.

How about you?  Have you been sitting in the “chair” of sexual immorality?  If so, God’s word to you – and to all of us is: “Get out of that chair, and stay out of it! It’s defiling your basic humanity, and it is a waste of your time.”

[1] This blog was inspired by Ray Stedman’s series on Ephesians: The Calling of the Saints //www.raystedman.orgnew-testament/ephesians

 

“Tax the Rich!”

In March 2024, a news outlet reported on a developing story entitled, “Boston Activists Demand $15 billion in Reparations, Urging White Churches to Pay Up and Atone for Slavery.”

The Boston Reparations Task Force proposed a three-fold payment plan. The plan includes $5 billion in cash payments to Boston’s Black residents, $5 billion to invest in new financial institutions, and $5 billion to address racial disparities in education and anti-crime measures. The suggested amount is more than three times the city’s annual budget for fiscal year 2024. [1]

The Rev. Kevin Peterson, the founder of the Boston People’s Reparations Commission, has led the effort along with sixteen other religious leaders who have signed a letter and sent it to several churches in the Boston area.

Rev. Peterson stated that “We call sincerely and with a heart filled with faith and Christian love for our White churches to join us and not be silent around this issue of racism ands slavery and commit to reparations….We point to them in Christian love to publicly atone for the sins of slavery and we ask them to publicly commit to a process of reparations where they will extend their great wealth – tens of millions of dollars among some of those churches – into the black community.” [2]

It remains to be seen how Boston and other cities will respond to the commission.

The irony of this demand – in “Christian love” of course – is that it is spiritually misguided and wrong-headed. In a word, it’s unbiblical. The concept of corporate reparations for sin is contrary to God’s Word. It’s dealing in death and divisive. Allow me to explain.

 The Jewish prophet Jeremiah wrote his book, contained in the Hebrew Scriptures, as the ancient nation of Israel was about to be taken into a seventy-year period of captivity. Jeremiah’s book says that God gave him a backbone like “a pillar of iron” (Jere. 1:18). He was fearless in his proclamation of God’s judgment on his nation – especially the self-proclaimed “shepherds” of God’s people whose counsel brought death and division upon them. And God was going to profoundly rebuke them.

Jeremiah wrote: “‘Woe to the shepherds who are causing the sheep of My pasture to perish and are scattering them!’ declares the Lord…’You have scattered My flock and driven them away, and have not been concerned about them; behold I am going to call you to account for the evil of your deeds,’ declares the Lord” (Jere. 23:1-2).

Later, Jeremiah speaking of the New Covenant that Jesus Christ would establish among His followers, declared God’s Word to his people. He quoted a common piece of folk wisdom of his day: “In those days they will not say again, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, And the children’s teeth are set on edge.’ But everyone will die for his own iniquity; each man who eats sour grapes, his teeth will be set on edge” (Jere. 31:29-30).

What Jeremiah was saying is that in the coming New Covenant way of living, which is how all Christians would one day live – and how all true disciples of Jesus Christ live today – each of us would be responsible for the consequences of our own sins, not those of our forefathers.

The sin of slavery – and have no doubt, forced slavery is a sin – is expressly forbidden in the Bible (Ex. 21:16; 1 Tim. 1:9-10). There is and never was any legitimate biblical justification for slavery. In our country, as early as 1688, godly political leaders, men and women, called for and gave their lives to eradicate slavery from our society. Our nation’s leaders atoned for it long ago by fighting a Civil War to abolish and outlaw it. In most of the world today, slavery has been outlawed. And where slavery still exists, disciples of Jesus Christ condemn and refuse to practice slavery in any of its evil forms. But for Christians to demand present day “reparations” for the past social sins of some of our forefathers is equally unjustifiable.

The demand for justice in the form of reparations “in Christian love” is incompatible with Christian love.

Justice is a misunderstood term and a misapplied concept to most Americans – especially in the church. It’s defined and practiced in a very self-absorbed way by some (“Justice is whatever I think is right”). It’s used as a social and political football by others (“Justice is whatever fits my political or social bias”). And for too many, justice is about getting revenge (“Justice demands an overdue payment to me from society”). The Bible defines justice differently.

When we see injustice on earth it’s always at the hand of people, knowingly or unknowingly, (but almost always willingly) who are under the influence of evil – not God. We’ve all been given free will by God. The problem is that we can choose to exercise our free will irresponsibly – out of step with the character of God’s justice. And we do – often. The time will come, however, when God will judge the world and all the people in it. He’s going to get rid of all the evil and injustice in the world – and the spiritual forces behind them. He will punish everyone who turns away from Him and His perfect and holy standards. But the good news is that in His wisdom, He’s not doing that – yet. He’s waiting because He’s patient and He wants everyone to have an opportunity to accept His Son, Jesus Christ, and His sacrifice for their sins rather than pay the spiritual death penalty that justice requires for their sins (2 Peter 3:9 – NASB). [3]

It’s God’s kindness and goodness that keeps Him from judging the world – yet. That’s because He knows His kindness and goodness and patience will lead people to ask Him for forgiveness of their own sins (Romans 2:4 – NASB). That’s how and why God is just.

There are many implications of God’s justice for the world we live in. They touch on every justice issue you and I can think of including poverty, racial bigotry and contention, corruption in politics, human sex trafficking, genocide, consumerism, and the staggering number of orphans in the world – just to mention a few.

But before we discuss what the Bible says about justice issues we need to define some terms. The phrase “social justice” has become politically super-charged over the years – and it cannot be divorced from its present-day context. Social justice is often used as a rallying cry for many well-meaning people who stand on the more liberal/socialist side of the political spectrum. Wikipedia defines social justice as “…a concept that some use to describe the movement towards a socially just world. In this context, social justice is based on the concepts of human rights and equality and involves a greater degree of economic egalitarianism through progressive taxation, income redistribution, or even property redistribution. These policies aim to achieve what developmental economists refer to as more equality of opportunity than may currently exist in some societies, and to manufacture equality of outcome in cases where incidental inequalities appear in a procedurally just system.” [4]

The word “egalitarianism” coupled with the phrases “income redistribution,” “property redistribution,” and “equality of outcome” tells us a lot about this view of social justice. Egalitarian refers to the idea that all people are equal and deserve equal rights – including political, social, economic, and civil rights. While that is a noble sentiment and one with some truth to it – when the concept of “social egalitarianism” is pushed to its logical conclusion, it reveals several fatal flaws when applied in a social setting.

There are at least two problems with this view of “social justice.” First, it assumes that all rich people get wealthy by exploiting the poor. That may be the case some of the time, but certainly not all of the time. The Bible says, “Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty” (Proverbs 21:5 – NLT). Second, socialist programs too often create more problems than they solve. People who are encouraged to rely on others for assistance over a long period of time, have a higher probability of becoming permanently dependent on that assistance, rather than being motivated to improve their situation. “Every place where socialism/communism has been tried on a national scale, it has failed to remove the class distinctions in society. Instead, all it does is replace the nobility/common man distinction with a working class/political class distinction.” [5]

  So, what is the Christian view of biblical justice?

We’ve already seen that the Bible teaches God is a God of justice. In fact, “all his ways are justice” (Deuteronomy 32:4 – NIV).  And the Bible supports the idea of biblical justice – caring for the poor and the afflicted (Deuteronomy 10:18; 24:17; 27:19 – NASB). The Bible also refers to the fatherless, the widow, and the “sojourner” – as people we should care for. In fact, the nation of Israel was commanded by God to care for society’s less fortunate, and their eventual failure to do that was part of the reason for His judgment on them – and their many years of captivity at the hands of their enemies.

In the New Testament, Jesus and his disciples taught the same thing about biblical justice. Jesus talked of caring for the “least of these” (Matthew 25:10 – NASB). In James’ letter he says that the nature of “true religion” is to care for widows and orphans (James 1:27 – NASB). God knows that due to sin in the world, there will be widows, the fatherless, the poor, and underprivileged. And he made provisions in the Bible to care for the less fortunate. Jesus modeled the ultimate act of God’s justice by bringing the gospel message to everyone – even the outcasts of society.

But, the Christian idea of biblical justice is different from the contemporary concept of social justice. The biblical commands to care for the poor, are more individual than societal. The Bible teaches that each Christian is to do what he or she can to help the “least of these.” That’s the second of the greatest commandments – to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:39, 22:39 – NASB). But replacing the individual with the government through excessive taxation and other means of redistributing wealth (as social justice demands) doesn’t encourage individuals to give sacrificially of their time, talent and treasure, out of love. It only creates resentment from those who see their hard-earned resources being taken away.

The Christian view of biblical justice does not view wealthy as evil. Rather it sees having financial resources as a responsibility to be good managers of those resources. And with that responsibility comes the expectation that people with financial resources will voluntarily share their wealth with those in need – with a tender and compassionate heart. The Apostle Paul told Timothy: “Instruct those who are rich in this present world…to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share…” (1 Timothy 6:17-18 – NASB). Compassionate and caring believers will be generous to the less fortunate with their resources – especially for the needs and causes that most concern them – like caring for the poor, the homeless, the unborn, orphans, widows, those caught in human trafficking, etc.

Biblical justice is choosing to make individuals and communities whole, by focusing on goodness and impartiality. Scripture says, “The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern” (Proverbs 29:7 – NIV). Justice flows from God’s heart and character. That’s what motivated God throughout the Old and New Testaments in His judgments on sin and injustice. And that’s why godly disciples of Jesus Christ are willing to work for biblical justice.[6]

We can never establish an economically and socially perfect world through government policies. Only God can create and maintain a perfect world. One day He will – by returning to earth and making all injustices right (Revelation 21-22 – NASB). But for now He wants to establish His biblical justice through His people – the Church. God and his biblical justice is about praying and acting in order to bring His kingdom to earth. And He will do it through people who love Him and his justice and mercy – until He returns. When He does return, Christ will restore all things and execute perfect justice. But until then, a godly man and disciple of Jesus Christ will express God’s love and do biblical justice by showing kindness and mercy to those less fortunate – out of a compassionate heart.

[1] //dcweekly.org/2024/03/25/boston-activists-demand-15-billion-in-reparations-urging-white- churches-to-pay-up-and-atone-for-slavery/

[2] //toddstarnes.com/values/boston-blscks-demand-white-churches-pay-reparations/

[3] Cited on the website All About… in the article God is Just, July 2016 //www.allaboutgod.com/god-is-just.htm

[4] Cited on the website www.gotQuestions.org “What Does the Bible Say About Social  Justice?” //www.gotquestions.org/social-justice.html

 [5] Cited on The Heritage Foundation website, Special Report #142 on the Economy in the article The 2013 Index of Dependence on Government by David B. Muhlhausen, Ph.D. and Patrick Tyrrell, November 21, 2013 //www.heritage.org/research/reports/2013/11/the-2013-index-of-dependence-on-government

[6] Leadership Journal, Summer 2010: Justice & Evangelism, “What is Biblical Justice?” by Paul Louis Metzger //www.christianitytoday.com/le/2010/summer/biblicaljustice

How to Grow a Loving Church – Loving Unbelievers (Part 2)

In Romans 12 Paul gets very practical about our relationships with other believers AND even with non-believers – especially with difficult people.  And the basis for all of those relationships, Paul says, is LOVE.

When followers of Christ begin to really love each other the way God wants them, the world will be attracted to Jesus Christ and His Gospel. And that’s because people are looking for love. So, the all-consuming question becomes: “How do I love people like God wants me to?” That’s what Romans 12:9-21 is about – loving people God’s way. And this passage is so simple it’s almost embarrassing!

There are two major questions addressed here.

First (vs. 9-16): “How Do I love my fellow believers in Christ?” Paul’s saying we need to learn to love each other. And there are eight things we can do to grow a loving church in those first 8 verses. Then in the second half of the passage (vs. 17-21) Paul answers the question: “How do I love unbelievers?” – in particular people who oppose me and who are my enemies. How do I deal with people who hate me for my faith in God?

In my last blog, I addressed how to love our fellow believers in Christ. In this blog, we’re going to see what Paul says about loving unbelievers. Paul switches to dealing with unbelievers. In verse 17-21 he uses the words “anyone” and “all men” and “enemy.”

Now he’s not just talking about the family of God, but how to relate to everybody – both inside and outside of the church. How do you relate to people who hurt you and wrong you? This passage is talking about these difficult people. It says: “Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay,’ says the LORD. “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him; and if he is thirsty, give him a drink. For in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”  Romans 12:17-21

Remember that Lifeway Research study of unchurched people I quoted in my last blog? It also found that 44% of unchurched surveyed say Christians “get on my nerves.” It seems the knife cuts both ways.

This passage is talking about personal relationships, not national relationships.  Person to person relationships is what this passage is all about. This is not about making national foreign policy.  It is not saying that the United States should fund all the enemies that are trying to overthrow our government.  It’s not saying you roll over and play dead, that you do not defend yourself when somebody threatens your life with a gun — this verse is not talking about that.  There are many passages in Scripture that deal with national issues and the concept of a just war.  It’s talked about very frankly in the Old Testament when Israel was commanded to go in and possess a land and to do battle and to defend themselves as a nation. This passage is not talking about relationships between nations. It’s talking about how I relate to the people I work with, and the people I live with every day.

Paul gives four principles in dealing with difficult people and the enemies who are attacking you:

 

1. Counteract your NATURAL INSTINCTS. 17a “Never pay back evil for evil to anyone.” Again, our natural instinct is to strike back. Paul says: “Stifle it!”

I remember hearing of some officers during the Korean War who rented a house for themselves and hired a Korean houseboy to work for them.  He was a cheerful, happy guy and they were young and had a lot of fun playing tricks on him.  They would nail his shoes to the floor and put water over the door in a bucket so that when he pushed it open the water would fall on him.  They played all kinds of tricks on him, but he always took them in such a good humor, that they finally began to be ashamed of themselves. They called him in one day and said, “We’ve been doing all these mean things to you and you have taken it so beautifully.  We want to apologize to you and tell you we’re never going to do these things to you anymore.”  The young Korean boy said, “You mean no more nail shoes to floor?  You mean no more water on door?”  They said, “No more.”  He thought for a minute and then with a big smile on his face he said, “OK then, I no more spit in soup.”

The moral of that story is it is possible to take silent revenge! It doesn’t have to be overt.  God says don’t even do that.  Do not repay anyone evil for evil.

 

2. Put yourself in your ENEMIE’S PLACE. v. 17b & 18 says: “…Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. “

Paul gives us a nice little “guilt reliever” here — “so far as it depends on you…”  There are some people you’re not going to be able to live at peace with.  They’re not going to let you live at peace with them.  But as much as it depends on you, live at peace with everybody. The secret to counteracting your natural instincts is to try and see things from your enemy’s point of view.  When you find somebody who’s being obnoxious and attacking and hurting others it’s because they themselves are hurting. Remember: “Hurt people hurt people.” Understanding that helps you be a bit more sympathetic. Look behind their anger and see why they’re hurting.  Paul’s counsel is: “Look for and support what good you can find in that difficult person’s life. See things from their perspective and as much as possible, live at peace with everyone.”

3. Leave all REVENGE to GOD. Vs. 19-20: “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay,’ says the LORD.’ But if your enemy is hungry, feed him; and if he is thirsty, give him a drink. For in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

But why leave revenge to God, when we can do such a good job ourselves? I’ll give you two reasons: 1)  Revenge is a worthless emotion.  Revenge saps your strength. Looking back at something that’s happened rather than looking to the future is a time waster.  Many people can’t get on with the present because they’re still reacting to the past.  Some boyfriend or girlfriend that hurt them, some parent that hurt them, some former spouse that hurt them. They’re still reacting to the past so vengefully, that they can’t get on with the future.  That’s a waste of time and energy. 2)  Vengeance is God’s specialty.  God is the only One who has the entire picture clearly in His sights. He is the only One able to execute perfect vengeance. “Vengeance is mine, I will repay. You can count on it!” Who would you rather have getting even for you?  You or God?  Who has more resources in His power? You or God?  If we take matters into our own hands, God lets us.  But then He limits Himself in taking vengeance.  We can try and teach the offender a lesson, or we can let God teach him a lesson.  If you let God defend you, you’re in good hands!  God says, “Don’t worry. I will take matters into My hands.”

What does it mean “in doing this you will heap burning coals on his head.”  Sounds good, doesn’t it? “Burn him good, Lord!”  We like this.  We think of blisters all over their head.  But there’s a lot of speculation about what this means.  The late Ray Stedman, for instance, thinks it has something to do with not having matches in New Testament times.  When you wanted to share a fire, you borrowed somebody’s coals.  You’d put them in a jar and carry them to your place in typical oriental fashion – on your head.  Stedman thinks you give somebody something that is beneficial to them and it does them good.  You’re helping them out by giving them grace and leaving them in God’s hands. Other Bible teachers, like John McArthur and Chuck Swindoll, think this refers to the shame of guilt that people feel when you have done good for them and they have continually done bad to you.  It starts to get to them, to eat at them, because they say “I’m being so bad to that person and all they ever do is return good.”  They start to feel the heat of shame and guilt.  How do you hate somebody like that?

4. Turn your enemy into a FRIEND. v. 16: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

 If you do these things, then eventually your enemy will be won over or God will deal with them. Either way you have overcome evil with good. A visitor came late to church and asked one of the ushers “Is the Bible study done?”  The usher said, “It’s been taught, but it is yet to be done.”  The Bible study has been taught today, but it is yet to be done. The Bible says be doers of the word.

Would you review this word in Romans 12 to yourself today or sometime this week and then make them a matter of prayer & action?

“Lord, we relate to being hurt by unbelievers and believers. Help us not to follow our natural instincts, not to strike back. Instead help us put ourselves in their shoes and realize that ‘hurt people do hurt people.’ Help us find ways we can do good in return for evil.  Lord, teach us to leave all the revenge with You, to let You be our defense.  Father, we thank You for the practicality of Your Word.  It has spoken to us — each of us in a different area.  Your Word is like a sword pierce unto the dividing asunder even the soul and spirit and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.  It reveals our motives.  Help us to practice this word today and every day of our lives.  In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

 

 

 

How to Grow a Loving Church (Part 1)

In Romans 12 Paul gets very practical about our relationships with other believers AND even with non-believers – especially with difficult people.  And the basis for all of those relationships, Paul says, is LOVE. When followers of Christ begin to really love each other the way God wants them, the world will be attracted to Jesus Christ and His Gospel. And that’s because people are looking for love. So, the all-consuming question becomes: “How do I love people like God wants me to?”

That’s what Romans 12:9-21 is about – loving people God’s way. And this passage is so simple it’s almost embarrassing! There are two major questions addressed here.

First (vs. 9-16): “How Do I love my fellow believers in Christ?” Paul’s saying we need to learn to love each other. And there are eight things we can do to grow a loving church in those first 8 verses. Then in the second half of the passage (vs. 17-21) Paul answers the question: “How do I love unbelievers?” – in particular people who oppose me and who are my enemies. How do I deal with people who hate me for my faith in God?

Lets’ find out how we’re supposed to do that, starting with… LOVING FELLOW-BELIEVERS:

The first thing mentioned is Be genuine vs. 9a: “Let love be without hypocrisy…” Love, Paul says, has got to be genuine. Don’t wear masks. “Love must be sincere.” One of the greatest complaints against the church today is that it is full of hypocrites.

According to a LifeWay Research study, unchurched people in America are willing to hear what people have to say about Christianity. But of those interviewed, 72% also think the church is “full of hypocrites.” And 79% of unchurched Americans think Christianity today is more about organized religion than about loving God and loving people.

Do you know what that says to me? It says that if you want a loving church you’ve got to be authentic. If you’re going to love people you’ve got to be real. You’ve got to be yourself. You’ve got to be “without hypocrisy.”

Paul’s point is: Don’t be a phony!  In the entertainment world especially – everybody “loves” everybody, but nobody really loves anybody.”  It’s a phony kind of love.

Why do you suppose it’s so hard to love people genuinely? I think a lot of times it’s because we’re afraid to love. And we’re afraid to love because loving you means I’ve got to become vulnerable with you, and if I am vulnerable with you, you may not like me – and me is all I’ve got! It’s risky to love.  We find it hard to love genuinely because we’re insecure and afraid of being rejected. Also, truly loving someone means sometimes we have to take a stand against something.

The latter half of verse 9 says: “Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.” Sometimes we have to take a stand against something because love without standards is just niceness.  And niceness alone isn’t worth that much. The word “to hate” or “abhor” literally means to “draw away.”  Love “draws away” from evil because evil hurts people. It destroys and damages them.  If it hurts others, then we ought to abhor it. Genuine love causes you to hate some things.

Proverbs 6:16ff gives us seven things that we’re told to hate because God hates them. “There are six things that the Lord hates. Seven that are detestable to Him. Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies, and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.” 

These are the things God despises. And so, a loving person is going to hate these things – among others. The deeper your love for God grows the more you’re going to hate what God hates. Our problem today, as Christians, is we don’t get involved in sin; we just let it entertain us. Satan loves to break down our intolerance to sin. What Paul is saying is the best defense against sin is to be shocked by it. Unfortunately, nothing seems to shock us anymore. We “American Christians” have lost our ability to blush at sin.

So, Paul says there are some things we should hate, and then he says “…cling to what is good.”  Literally, one translation says, “Be wedded to what is good.”  In other words, we ought to spend so much time doing good, that we don’t have time to do bad.

We must reject sin without rejecting people. That’s a crucial truth. Don’t let anybody tell you that it’s just a religious cliché. That it’s impossible to do. (I.e. – the gay political activist or the straight adulterer or the bigot or the racist who doesn’t want to face his/her sin). We’re commanded here to hate sin – no matter what it may be – but still love the people involved in the sin. Usually what we do is the opposite: we love sin, but hate the sinner. The exact opposite of what God does!

So, if the Church is going to be a loving, growing Church, then all of us followers of Jesus Christ have to be genuine and authentic – we cannot afford to be insincere or disingenuous.

A second things we’re told in this passage is to Be careful of other’s needs vs. 10: “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor.” In other words: Be courteous. Be sensitive to the needs of others.

The word here in this verse, “brotherly love” (philadelphia), is really two words put together. It literally means “a family relationship.” It says we as believers, are to have a family kind of love – like between brothers and sisters in a family. Brotherly love is the ability to live close together with mutual respect. It means to be tender and affectionate in your love for other Christians. We ought to be affectionate towards each other as believers in the body of Christ. It involves a lot of genuine hugging.

The last half of that verse says: “…give preference to one another in honor.” It means we should strive to outdo each other in expressing appreciation. To outdo each other in expressing genuine affirmation. To genuinely care about each other. When you have a church family that is genuine and unhypocritical in its love, where courtesy and care of each other’s needs are the norm, then you’re going to have a church that pleases God and draws people to Him.

A third things these verses tell us is Be contagious with enthusiasm vs. 11: “Not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.” (NASB). “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.” (NIV)

Literally: “Be on fire with the Holy Spirit!”  Being “fervent in spirit” means being – super hot for God. Be full of enthusiasm!  And you don’t have to be noisy to be enthusiastic. Enthusiasm comes from two Greek words, en theos –“in God”. When you get in God you’ll be enthusiastic. Enthusiasm comes from being in God. Loving people are enthusiastic people. The church that has a lot of love is an enthusiastic church. A church that doesn’t have a lot of love is apathetic. How do you keep your enthusiasm?  By “… serving the Lord.”  It doesn’t say “serving people.”  We keep our enthusiasm by focusing all of our service, even ministry to others, on God by saying, “Lord, I’m really doing this for You.” If you want to recharge the enthusiasm in your life, memorize Colossians 3:23 and apply it in your life. It says: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord, not for men.”

Layton Ford, Billy Graham’s brother-in-law, went to talk with Mother Teresa when she was still living. He said, “How do you keep your joy?  You’re in the worse part of Calcutta with all the death, the debris, the dirt, the disillusion, the destitution. How do you keep your joy in Calcutta?” Her answer was: “We do our work for the Lord and with the Lord and to the Lord.” That’s so simple, yet so profound. Everything you do, do it for the Lord, and with the Lord and to the Lord. When you’re serving the Lord, then you’ll have that enthusiasm. So, be contagious with enthusiasm.

Another things Paul tells us is Be positive, patient and prayerful vs. 12: “Rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer” (NASB). Another translations puts it: “Be joyful in hope, be patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

He says three things here. If you’re going to build a loving church you need to…

  • Be positive. “Be joyful in hope…” We can be positive (joyful) because we have hope. People are hungry for hope, hungry and for joy. Followers of Christ ought to be the most positive, joyful people in the world. Be positive. Be joyful (rejoicing) in hope.
  • Be patient. “Be patient in affliction…” The Bible says that we can be confident that the plan of God and the power of God are greater than the problems we’re going through (Rom. 5:3-5). We can be patient because we know that God’s using even hard and difficult things in our lives to strengthen us.
  • Be prayerful. “…devoted to prayer.” How do you get God’s love? By being “faithful in prayer.” If my prayer life isn’t up to par, then I’m going to get upset with people more easily. If you’re having a hard time loving somebody, start praying for them. Praying for them will change your heart and possibly theirs.

The apostle Paul’s own life is an example of this. One of the results of Stephen’s prayer was Paul’s conversion. When Stephen was stoned for his faith, Paul stood by in approval and held the coats of those who stoned him. Stephen’s last prayer in Acts 7 was, “Father, don’t hold this against their charge.”

Here’s another thing that helps grow a loving church: Open your heart and your home to others.  vs. 13: “Contributing to the needs of the saints; practicing hospitality” or “share with God’s people” (NIV).  James 2:15 says if you see a brother in need and you just say, “I’ll pray for you,” what good is that?  I John 3:16 conveys the same idea.  If you see somebody in need, if you really love them, you’ll help meet that need in a practical way.

There are few things more enjoyable than to get together for a meal and some genuine hospitality. The word hospitality literally means “stranger love.” Paul’s saying “Be kind to strangers.” And “Never grudge a meal or a bed to somebody” (Phillips Translation). Be willing, when you have the means, to give practical assistance. Show love for strangers.

Why aren’t we more hospitable? Primarily because we’re too just too busy. We’re preoccupied. Our schedules get so filled up that we don’t have time to be hospitable.  Whenever you give your time to somebody, that’s hospitality. It’s caring and not being self-centered. Practicing hospitality builds a loving church. Open your heart and open your home to others.

Also, if you want to grow a loving church, Do your best to bless people who speak evil or negatively of you vs. 14: “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.”

Do Christians ever persecute other Christians? Yes, they do. Someone has said, “The Christian army is the only army that shoots it’s wounded.”  Some Christians will get “carnal.” They will get “in the flesh.” And when they do they will make church life miserable.  Phillips translation says, “Bless those who try to make your life miserable.”

 The word “bless” literally means “speak well of.” When somebody criticizes and maligns you, you are to speak well of them. It’s the exact opposite of our natural inclination. My inclination is to criticize them back. If somebody strikes out at me, my natural inclination is to strike back.

Paul is saying: “Don’t get involved in backbiting against those who make life difficult for you. Do your best to find something in them to affirm.”  In other words find a way to bless them. How? By the way you talk about them. You can’t control what they say or how they act toward you, but you can control what you say or how you act toward them. That’s what God will hold us accountable for.

When somebody criticizes somebody else in the church, they shouldn’t go around bad mouthing the offending person back. Instead, they should bless them. Find something you can approve of. Sometimes it takes a lot of creativity to find it, but you can find something to approve & affirm in them.

This is no question one of the hardest commands to follow in the entire Bible. I have no illusions about this being easy.  (I got convicted reading this.)  But it’s a very practical “rubber meets the road” kind of counsel.  Paul makes it very concrete.

James counsels us: “Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. There’s only one law giver and judge, the one who’s able to save and to destroy. But you, who are you to judge your neighbor?” (James 4:11).

CAVEAT: This doesn’t mean we are not to be discerning and wise regarding one another’s behavior and words. As one of my mentors puts it: “We may not be allowed to judge one another. But it’s OK to be “fruit inspectors.” In Matt. 7, speaking on the very subject of not judging one another, Jesus said of the false prophets: “You will know them by their fruit.” Don’t judge and backbite and criticize one another, but don’t be naive about right and wrong (truth and error) either. So…Be genuine. Open your heart and home. Be loving. Be hospital. And do your best to bless people who speak evil or negatively of you.

Here are two last things, we’re to do to help grow a loving church.

Be sympathetic to each other’s feelings vs. 15:“Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.” In other words, take into account each other’s moods. Be sensitive. We all love being around that kind of person, don’t we? When you’re up, they celebrate with you. When you’re down, they sympathize with you. Jesus did that.  He was at both the weddings and the funerals.  Everybody needs understanding. We all need somebody to listen to us. Paul says be sympathetic to each other’s feelings.

Finally, when it comes to loving a fellow believer, Don’t play favorites or show partiality vs. 16: (NASB): “Be of the same mind toward on another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.”

Nothing will destroy love and unity in a church faster than playing favorites. Paul says: Treat everybody with respect. Don’t think you’re too good for some people in the church. We’re all at different levels economically, age wise, and educationally. But the fact is, in Christ we’re one. That’s what counts! The book of James tells the story of the snobbish usher and the rich man who comes to church. The usher gives him the good seat down front. But he sticks the homeless kid with purple spiked hair, scraggly clothes, and B.O. at the back of the church. Paul says, “Don’t do that. Treat everybody the same. Be at home with humble folks and love everybody equally.”

“Lord, enable us to be genuine. Equip us to be courteous and devoted to our brothers and sisters in Christ in brotherly love. Establish us in contagious enthusiasm. Empower us to be positive and patient and prayerful. Encourage us not be too busy to be hospitable with our fellow believers. Empower us to do our best to not speak evil of a brother or sister who criticizes us. Help us not let them determine our response. Help us to engage with those who rejoice and weep, to be sensitive and sympathetic to other people’s feelings. Help us to eschew pride and partiality, to not play favorites even in the church. Remind us that we’re all one in the Body of Christ and to be at home with each other. And Lord, thank You for the practicality of Your Word. It has spoken to us — each of us in a different area. It reveals our motives. Help us to practice this word today and every day of our lives.  In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

 

 

“God is Life” – 1 John 5:4-21

John ends the last chapter in his first letter to show us how “God is LIFE.” He says that we can know that God is life when three things are operating in our lives.

The FIRST thing that proves that God’s Life is working in us is: Our Undying FAITH. “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” (1 John 5:4 – ESV) 

Faith in God is defined for us in the book of Hebrews. “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen. For by it the [people] of old gained [God’s] approval…” (Hebrews 11:1). For the “heroes of faith” mentioned in Hebrews 11 faith was HOPE, ACTION, and RISK.  In HOPE they looked for something better than they already had. They weren’t satisfied with the status quo. They wanted more of God. For them faith in God was an ACT of faith. They were willing to step out and trust God for their future. And faith in God to them was the willingness to take a RISK with life. 

So, the first thing that proves that God’s Life is working in us is Our Undying FAITH in Him. Let your faith in Jesus Christ – and His ability to work miracles in your life and the lives of others around you be the first evidence that “God is Life” in you!

The SECOND thing that proves that God’s Life is working in us is: An Undeniable WITNESS. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:5-12 – ESV).

Life comes from putting your faith and trust in Jesus Christ. And that life rests on three undeniable witnesses: the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ baptism, and his sacrificial death on the cross. This is passage is a reference to Jesus’ baptism and His death – two events that are critical to understanding who Jesus really is.

Remember the Gnostics? They wanted to reduce Jesus to a mere man. They said that He was only indwelt by a “Christ Spirit” from His baptism until He was crucified. But at his death He stopped being indwelt by this “Christ Spirit” – and that He never rose from the dead. Lots of people still believe and teach this today. But John says, “No! Jesus’ baptism and His death (water/blood) are a witness to His deity.” They prove He was God in human flesh. And the third witness is an inward one – the Holy Spirit. He verifies in our hearts that this is all true – and not just some made up bedtime story.

These three things – Jesus’ baptism, His death on the cross, and the Holy Spirit – serve as an undeniable witness to the RESURRECTION LIFE of God at work in each of us as we trust Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. Jesus identified Himself with our sin at His baptism…Then He died for our sins on the cross…And all genuine followers of Jesus experience in their hearts the reality and the meaning of those two events – by the witness of the Holy Spirit. It’s that simple – and it’s that profound!

The THIRD thing that proves that God’s Life is at work in us is: Unconquerable CONFIDENCE. “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.  And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.  If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death. We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him. We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life” (1 John 5:13-20 – ESV).

This confidence gives us assurance of four things: (1) Eternal Life: “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life” (vs. 13). The assurance of eternal life is one of the greatest incentives for believing in Jesus Christ that there is. (2) This confidence also assures us of is Answered Prayer. And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him” (vs. 14-15).

Ruby Hamilton, a businesswoman in her fifties, was stunned at the loss of her husband of 32 years in a car accident. Her anger and disappointment went deeper than a more typical expression of grief though. She had become a follower of Christ in her late twenties, but her husband didn’t share her newfound interest in spiritual things. She prayed for him unceasingly that he would come to know the Lord. And one day when she was praying, she felt a wave of peace wash over her, and that still small voice assuring her that her husband would be okay. She eagerly waited for the day when her husband would surrender his life to Jesus. And now this.

What do you do when faith doesn’t make sense? When God doesn’t seem to be answering or opening doors? Ruby Hamilton had no answers, so she stopped living for God.

Roger Simmons was hitchhiking his way home. He would never forget the date – May 7th. His heavy suitcase was making him tired and he was anxious to take off that army uniform once and for all. Flashing his thumb to the oncoming car, he lost hope when he saw it was a black, sleek new Cadillac. But to his surprise the car stopped.

The passenger door swung open. He ran toward the car, tossed his suitcase in the back and thanked the handsome, well-dressed man as he slid into the front seat. “Going home for keeps?”

“Sure am.”

“Well, you’re in luck if you’re going to Chicago.”

“Not quite that far – do you live in Chicago?”

“I have a business there,” the driver said. “My name is Hamilton.”

They chatted for a while, and then Roger, a Christian, felt a compulsion to share his faith with this fiftyish, apparently successful business man. But he kept putting it off, till he realized that he was now just 30 minutes from his home. It was now or never.

“Mr. Hamilton, I would like to talk to you about something very important.” Then he simply told Mr. Hamilton about the plan of salvation and ultimately asked him if he would like to receive Jesus as his savior and Lord.

The Cadillac pulled over to the side of the road. Roger expected that he was about to get thrown out of the car. Instead, the businessman bowed his head and received Christ, then thanked Roger. He said: “This is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me.”

Five years went by. Roger married, had a couple of kids and a business of his own. Packing his suitcase for a trip to Chicago he found a small white business card that had been given to him by Hamilton five years previous. In Chicago, he looked up Hamilton Enterprises. The receptionist told him that it was impossible to see Mr. Hamilton, but he could see Mrs. Hamilton. A little confused, he was ushered into a beautiful office where he found himself facing a keen-eyed woman in her fifties.

She extended her hand. “You knew my husband?”

Roger told her about how Hamilton had picked him up while he was hitchhiking home after the war. “Can you tell me what day that was?”

“Sure it was May 7th, five years ago, the day I was discharged from the army.”

“Anything special about that day,” she asked.

He hesitated, not knowing if he should mention how he shared the message of Jesus with her husband. “Mrs. Hamilton, I explained the gospel to your husband that day. He pulled over to the side of the road and wept against the steering wheel. He gave his life to Christ that day.”

Explosive sobs shook her body. Finally getting a grip on herself, she sobbed, “I had prayed for my husband’s salvation for years. I believed God would save him.”

“Where is your husband, Ruby?”

“He’s dead. He was in a car crash after he let you out of the car. He never got home. You see, I thought God had not kept his promise. I stopped living for God five years ago because I thought God had not kept his word!”

God’s Word says: And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.  And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him” (vs. 14-15).

At this point in the passage, John seems to take a detour. He says: “If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death” (vs. 16-17). At first glance this may seem like a non-sequitor. But it does have something to do with intercessory prayer – which John just mentioned. And it’s a clear reference to prayer for a “brother” or a fellow believer.

Death here refers to physical death – not spiritual death – because a child of God has eternal life. But I believe that what John is saying here is that a believer in Christ can commit a sin for which God will send them home to heaven prematurely. In other words, God may choose to remove them from this life physically because they’re disgracing his name. It’s possible to commit a sin that God determines will lead to physical death. And it’s always a sin of presumption – not ignorance – usually habitual in nature.

And if you’re wondering what that’s got to do with the fact that God is Life – if we look at the remaining verses in the chapter – we’ll get an answer. There are two more “God is Life” assurances that our confidence in God gives us.

(3) Through this confidence we are assured that the Holy Spirit gives us Physical & Spiritual Protection. “We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him. We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (vs. 18-19). If you’re struggling with a particular sin in your life that’s threatening to overcome you – and your sense of peace in God is waning… John says if you’ll take it to God in sincere and desperate prayer, that He will not let it have ultimate victory over you. You will eventually overcome that sin – IF you keep bringing it back to the Father in sincere repentance. According to these verses, that sin will not have ultimate victory over you! (4) The last assurance we have through this confidence that the Holy Spirit gives is Spiritual Understanding. “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life” (vs. 20). If we’re experiencing “God is Life,” then we’re assured that we are “in Christ.” Being “in Christ” doesn’t mean that our world always stops falling apart. The storms of life may still topple some things – the storm will take its course. But our welfare depends on whether we’re in Christ – the rescue device God provides. That is our confidence!

John ends this book with a simple – but important – warning. He says: “Little children, keep yourselves from idols” (1 John 5:21 – ESV). An idol is anything that stands between you and God. It may promise to give you what you want – but it always does so at cross-purposes to what God wants for you. Idols are small and they’re for small souls…No matter the level of their quality, they usually read on the bottom, MADE IN PHILISTIA BY PHILISTINES. They’re powerless and little…most of their lives people worship little things and finally lose sight of the greatness of God altogether.” (Calvin Miller)

 

 

 

 

God is Love (Part Three) – 1 John 4:1-5:3

OK…that was the first three effects of the love of God in our life. Here’s the…

FOURTH effect of the love of God is our lives: It distinguishes between TRUTH and ERROR.

John 4:1-6: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”

To John the test of truth vs. error was simple: TRUTH confesses Jesus Christ is God in human flesh. ERROR will not.

False prophets, John says, are from this “cosmos” – this worldly way of looking at life.  But prophets of God are identified by their ability and willingness to confess Jesus Christ as God.

I did some quick research online this week about a cult that was very prominent when I was in my late teens and early 20’s. It was called The Way International. I wanted to see if it was still around. Not only is it still around – it’s going strong and its still deceiving people. It has thousands of followers.

The Way International was founded by a man (now dead) named Victor Paul Wierwille. He grew up in an evangelical church and graduated from Princeton Seminary. He was ordained in the denomination in which he grew up, the Evangelical Reformed Church.

And yet, while he believed that Jesus was the Son of God – he refused to confess that Jesus was God in human flesh. He believed that “Jesus Christ is not God – never was and never will be…When my life is over I think my greatest contribution may prove to be the knowledge and teaching that Jesus Christ is not God. Before I finish, my life may stir up the biggest beehive in Roman Catholicism and Protestantism since the religious leaders took a shot at Martin Luther.” (There’s nothing wrong with his ego either). His followers today still believe his teachings.

There’s a 49-year-old man in Siberia named Sergey Anatolyevitch Torop, known to his followers as Vissarion. He’s a Russian mystic. He founded and leads a religious movement known as the Church of the Last Testament. He has around 2,000 followers living in the settlement in Siberia and around 5,000 followers worldwide.

Vissarion claims to be the reincarnation of Jesus Christ. On August 18, 1990, when he was 29, Vissarion claims that he had a revelation that he was the reincarnation of Christ. He teaches reincarnation, veganism, the impending end of the world (or at least of civilization as we know it), and the belief of aliens.

These are just two recent examples of men claiming to know Jesus Christ – but who refuse to acknowledge him as God in human flesh.

John says if the love of God abides in you – it will empower you to know the difference between truth and error. And that TRUTH will always confess Jesus Christ was and is God in human flesh.

The next (FIFTH) effect of God’s love is that It Causes us to KNOW God.

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” (I John 4:7-11)

There’s a big difference between “knowing about” God & “knowing God.” According to John we get to know God in one way – and one way only. It is through a Holy Spirit-inspired understanding of what God did on our behalf when He accepted the sacrifice of Jesus instead of our own to atone for our sins. John calls it “propitiation.” Some theologians call it “substitution.” That’s just a highfalutin word for saying that Jesus became what we are (sin) in order that we might become what He is (righteousness).

Just like 2 Cor. 5:21 says: “For our sake he [God] made him [Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Martin Luther once wrote to a friend: “Learn to know Christ and him crucified. Learn to sing to him, and say, ‘Lord Jesus, you are my righteousness, I am your sin. You have taken upon yourself what is mine and given me what is yours. You became what you were not, so that I might become what I was not.”

And John says that the result of that kind of love is that we can love others too. “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”

 John’s not done yet. He says God’s love has another effect (SIXTH): It Enables us to ABIDE (remain & endure) in God and Know that He ABIDES in Us.

“No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” (1 John 4:12-16)

Here’s an amazing example story of “remaining” and “enduring” in God from the diary of John Wesley…

Sunday, A.M., May 5       Preached in St. Anne’s. Was asked not to come back anymore.
Sunday, P.M., May 5       Preached in St. John’s. Deacons said “Get out and stay out.”
Sunday, A.M., May 12    Preached in St. Jude’s. Can’t go back there, either.
Sunday, A.M., May 19     Preached in St. Somebody Else’s. Deacons called special meeting and said I couldn’t return.
Sunday, P.M., May 19     Preached on street. Kicked off street.
Sunday, A.M., May 26     Preached in meadow. Chased out of meadow as bull was turned loose during service.
Sunday, A.M., June 2       Preached out at the edge of town. Kicked off the highway.
Sunday, P.M., June 2       Afternoon, preached in a pasture. Ten thousand people came out to hear me.

The SEVENTH effect of God’s love in action in our lives is that It Give us CONFIDENCE in the Day of Judgment.

“By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” (1 John 4:17-18)

God’s love eliminates the fear of punishment for our sin. You and I will never ever be punished for our sin by God. Disciplined because of them, yes. But never punished for them. God’s love is perfected in us and it makes us perfect in God’s sight. And because of that love, we can be confident that we will never experience God’s wrath or judgment. Jesus will rescue us from the wrath to come (1 Thessalonians 1:10). And Paul further assures us: “For God has not destined us to wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 5:9)

“By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment.” (1 John 4:17)

The EIGHTH and final effect of the love of God operating in our lives is that It REVEALS the True Nature of Our Hearts and Actions.

“We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.” (1 John 4:19-5:1)

Ian Pit-Watson comments on this when he says: “There is a natural, logical kind of loving that loves lovely things and lovely people. That’s logical. But there is another kind of loving that doesn’t look for value in what it loves, but that CREATES value in what is loves. Like Rosemary’s rag doll. When Rosemary, my youngest child, was three, she was given a little rag doll, which quickly became an inseparable companion. She had other toys that were intrinsically far more valuable, but none that she loved like she loved the rag doll. Soon the rag doll became more and more rag and less and less doll. It also became more and more dirty. If you tried to clean the rag doll, it became more ragged still. And if you didn’t try to clean the rag doll, it became dirtier still. The sensible thing to do was to trash the rag doll. But that was unthinkable for anyone who loved my child. If you loved Rosemary, you loved the rag doll—it was part of the package.”

 “If anyone says ‘I love God’ yet hates his brother or sister, he is a liar.” (I John 4:20) Love me, love my rag dolls, says God, including the one you see when you look in the mirror. This is the first and greatest commandment.

What’s your motivation for loving people? Do you love them because they’re “loveable.” Or do you love them simply because they’re God’s creation? Only you and God know the answer to that question.

Here’s the bottom line. Are you experiencing the love of God? How many of these eight effects of God’s love are you experiencing in your life? These are the “proofs” that God’s love is taking effect in your life – and not some cheap imitation.

  • Reassurance of your doubting heart…Bold and effective prayer
  • A Spirit-filled life…Eyes & ears to discern truth from error
  • Knowledge of God…The grace to abide (remain & endure) in Christ
  • Confidence in the day of judgment…Godly motivation in your acts of love

Have you ever wondered why God loves you and me?  Sometimes I do. The answer is found in Deuteronomy 7:7-8. What God said to his “chosen people” 3,500 years ago, I believe applies to us as well: “It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you…”

God loves you and me…just because. No other reason. Just because. He loves us just because He does. And how are we supposed to respond to that love? “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another…We love because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:11, 19)

God Is Love – Part Two (1 John 3:19-24)

So far, we’ve seen in 1 John 3:14-18, the evidence of God’s love (LIFE) and the essence of God’s love (ACTION). In this blog, we’re going to see the effect of God’s love.

What John does for the remainder of chapter three all the way to verse three of chapter 5 (1 John 3:19-5:3) is give us effect after effect – benefit after benefit – of the love of God in our life.  And there are eight of them by my count. I’m going to share three of them in this blog. I’ll write of the last five in the next blogs.

The FIRST effect of God’s love in our lives is that It REASSURES our doubting heart.  “By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything” (1 John 3:19-20).

Dr. Paul Brand & Philip Yancey co-wrote a book about the parallels between the spiritual world and the physical world. In one part of the book they wrote about “phantom guilt” and related a story about a patient named Mr. Barwick. This is what they observed:

“Amputees often experience some sensation of a phantom limb. Somewhere, locked in their brains, a memory lingers of the nonexistent hand or leg. Invisible toes curl, imaginary hands grasp things, a ‘leg’ feels so sturdy a patient may try to stand on it. For a few, the experience includes pain. Doctors watch helplessly, for the part of the body screaming for attention does not exist.
One such patient was my medical school administrator, Mr. Barwick, who had a serious and painful circulation problem in his leg but refused to allow the recommended amputation. As the pain grew worse, Barwick grew bitter. ‘I hate it! I hate It!’ he would mutter about the leg. At last, he relented and told the doctor, ‘I can’t stand it anymore. I’m through with that leg. Take it off.’ Surgery was scheduled immediately. Before the operation, however, Barwick asked the doctor, ‘What do you do with legs after they’re removed?’ ‘We may take a biopsy or explore them a bit, but afterwards we incinerate them,’ the doctor replied.
Barwick proceeded with a bizarre request: ‘I would like you to preserve my leg in a pickling jar. I will install it on my mantle shelf. Then, as I sit in my armchair, I will taunt that leg, “Hah! You can’t hurt me anymore!”‘ Ultimately, he got his wish. But the despised leg had the last laugh. Barwick suffered phantom limb pain of the worst degree. The wound healed, but he could feel the torturous pressure of the swelling as the muscles cramped, and he had no prospect of relief. He had hated the leg with such intensity that the pain had unaccountably lodged permanently in his brain. To me (Yancey), phantom limb pain provides wonderful insight into the phenomenon of false guilt. Christians can be obsessed by the memory of some sin committed years ago. It never leaves them, crippling their ministry, their devotional life, their relationships with others. They live in fear that someone will discover their past. They work overtime trying to prove to God they’re truly repentant. They erect barriers against the enveloping, loving grace of God. Unless they experience the truth in 1 John 3:19-20 that ‘God is greater than our conscience [heart],’ they become as pitiful as poor Mr. Barwick, shaking a fist in fury at the pickled leg on the mantle.” (Dr. Paul Brand and Philip Yancey, Leadership, Vol. 5, no. 3)

God’s love will reassure our doubting heart. “By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything” (1 John 3:19-20).

The SECOND effect of God’s love in our lives is that It Gives Us BOLDNESS and EFFECTIVENESS in Prayer. John says: “Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.” (1 John 3:21-23)

If our heart does not condemn us – if we’re sure of God’s love – then it gives us confidence and assurance when we pray.

There are certain people in the family of God who I love to hear pray and who I like to pray with – because they pray with assurance. They aren’t timid about approaching God and asking Him for something. They’ve got confidence when they pray because they have confidence in God’s love.

That’s the kind of person I want praying for me. God’s love gives assurance in prayer. When your life is pleasing to God, you can expect Him to hear and answer your prayers. My wife prays like that. I deeply appreciate her prayers, because she has confidence in God – and she knows He loves her. She prays with confidence and assurance. And God answers her prayers – often.

OK, there’s one more effect of the love of God in our lives that we’ll look at in this blog. It’s found in the last verse in chapter 3: “Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.” (1 John 3:24) 

The THIRD effect of the love of God in our lives is a HOLY SPIRIT-FILLED life. The Holy Spirit is present in our lives in fullness when God’s love is present.

If you’re a believer in Jesus Christ – if you’ve accepted Him as your Savior and Lord – then you have the Holy Spirit in your life. But the mark that you’re assured of God’s love is that you’re filled with and controlled by the Holy Spirit – and it’s the Holy Spirit who’s constantly verifying the truth and making it real to you. 

The well-known 19th century evangelist D.L. Moody was a man known to be filled with the Holy Spirit. He was not well educated and new to ministry – but he knew how to depend on the Holy Spirit in his life. Once in England he was holding some evangelistic meetings, and an elderly pastor didn’t approve. He said: “Why do we need this ‘Mr. Moody’? He’s uneducated and inexperienced. Who does he think he is anyway? Does he think he has a monopoly on the Holy Spirit?” A younger, wiser pastor responded with: “No, but the Holy Spirit has a monopoly on Mr. Moody.”

Moody once said, “I believe firmly that the moment our hearts are emptied of pride and selfishness and ambition and everything that is contrary to God’s law, the Holy Spirit will fill every corner of our hearts. But if we are full of pride and conceit and ambition and the world, there is no room for the Spirit of God. We must be emptied before we can be filled.”

The emptying of our selves includes emptying our self of our own attempts at righteousness or depending on our own wisdom or our own strength or our own will or our own plans or our own ambitions.

When we’re continually living in the Holy Spirit’s filling, that’s when we get new power and new energy for life. The key to living life with continual spiritual power and energy is to continually let the Holy Spirit give you His power, and not try to live life in your own strength.

But how are we filled with the Holy Spirit? Well…

The first attitude that’s required to be filled with the Spirit is TOTAL DEPENDENCE on God. “The Spirit-filled life begins once we’re absolutely and thoroughly convinced that we can do nothing apart from the indwelling strength of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit-filled life begins with an overwhelming realization that we’re absolutely helpless and hopeless apart from the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Until then, we will always be out there doing things for God in our own strength” (Charles Stanley).
So, first is total dependence on God.

And the second attitude that’s necessary to be filled with the Holy Spirit is TOTAL SURRENDER to God. Until we surrender to the Spirit’s control in our lives, until we come to the place where we’re willing to put all of our life under His control – we won’t be filled with the Holy Spirit. To be filled with the Holy Spirit means that we’re controlled by the Holy Spirit, and in order to be controlled by the Holy Spirit, we have to surrender everything to Him.

It’s impossible to live the Christian life on our own. If we could pull it off by ourselves, God wouldn’t be necessary. That’s why Jesus said, “Apart from me, you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

The Christian life is a supernatural life, and we need supernatural empowerment to live it.

Ask Jesus to baptize you in and fill you with his Holy Spirit! (John 1:32-34).

 

 

 

God is Love (Part One) – 1 John 3:11-18

We’ve been working our way through the NT book of 1 John – discovering as we go how to live in a world that claims to be “spiritual” – but not Christ-centered. 1 John’s entire message can be summed up in nine words: “God is LIGHT. God is LOVE. God is LIFE.”

To this point we’ve seen how God is LIGHT. John has so far offered us four (of six) proofs or tests in this letter…proof that our relationship with God is genuine or not by “walking in the light”; proving our level of spiritual maturity by how much we love God & love people; whether we know the Truth or not  by our willingness to genuinely confess that Jesus Christ is Lord – as one and equal with God; and, demonstrating the depth of our righteousness in Christ by “practicing righteousness” (and not “practicing sin”).

In this blog we get to the heart of John’s message – literally the middle of the book. It covers 38 verses of this 105 verse book…1 John 3:11-5:3. And I’ll give it to you in three parts…one in this blog and one each in the next two blogs.

This passage is “bookended” by three verses about God’s LOVE: 1 John 3:11: For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.” And 1 John 5:2-3: By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.”

So, the heart of John’s message in this passage is that God is LOVE! 1 John 4:8 says: “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” And 1 John 4:16 reads: So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”

John gets right to the point by asking the question… What is love? And he answers it by telling us, first, what love is NOT. John says, love is not religious activity expressed from a self-centered heart.… “We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you” (1 John 3:12-13).

Do you know the story of Cain & Abel? Genesis 4 tells us that Cain offered God less than his best. He gave God something other than what God required…a blood sacrifice. Cain wanted to approach God on his own terms. But because of his pride, God wouldn’t accept his offering. Cain’s act of worship was just “religious activity.” His worship was out of a sense of duty.

God was trying to teach Cain a spiritual truth. He wanted him to see that a blood sacrifice for sin was a picture of the ultimate sacrifice Christ was going to give for our sins.

Later, John later tells us in this book that Jesus Christ was to be the “propitiation” (satisfactory sacrifice) for our sins. God didn’t want Cain’s offering, He wanted Cain’s heart. If you read the story in Genesis, you see that God warned Cain about letting sin take over his heart: “…sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.” But Cain’s response was to kill his brother, Abel, in rebellion against God (Gen. 4:6-8).

John’s point in all this is that God knew that murder and envy and rebellion were in Cain’s heart. And, by contrast, God also knew that Abel’s heart was right with Him. That’s why John could say that Cain’s “…deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous” (1 John 3:12). Cain’s religious deeds were evil because his heart was far from God.

So, John says, love is not religious activity expressed from a self-centered heart.

Hebrews 11:4 says: “Abel offered a better sacrifice than Cain.”  The reason it was better was because Abel worshipped God from a God-centered heart, not a self-centered one. When we approach God on our own terms – and not His – that’s not love.

John’s postscript to all this is: “Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you” (1 John 3:13). In other words: Don’t be surprised if most people reject this message. Because human nature hates to do things God’s way.

I once heard Pastor Jack Hayford relate, how he was preaching a hard message to his people. After the service a woman came up to him and said: “You were awfully hard on us today, pastor. You need to be more sensitive to people’s pride when you preach.” Pastor Jack responded: “Oh, I’m sorry. You must have misunderstood me. I wasn’t trying to be hard on our pride…I was trying to kill it outright!”

When our pride gets in the way, God has no compunction about dealing with it… even HARSHLY at times. John is telling us that love is NOT religious activity from a self-centered heart.

After telling us what love is not, in the next four verses, John tells us what love is:

“We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:14-18).

John gives us two insights here…the EVIDENCE of God’s love and the ESSENCE of God’s love.

The evidence of God’s love is LIFE. “…we have passed out of death into life…”

In other words, we know we’re experiencing God’s love when we no longer exist in a kind of “walking death” every day of our life – living in a perpetual state of fear.

Proverbs 29:25 says: “The fear of man lays a snare….” A trap is laid for us by what we fear. The “fear of man” is the fear of failure and rejection and punishment and feelings of shame. And each of these expressions of the “fear of man” has its own unique lie and false belief.

The fear of failure says: “I must meet certain standards in order to feel good about myself.” Fear of rejection argues that: “I must have the approval of certain others in order to feel good about myself.” The fear of punishment lies to us by saying: “Those who fail are unworthy of love and deserve to be punished.” And the fear of shame causes us to live without hope by telling us the falsehood that: “I am what I am. I cannot change. I am hopeless.”

These are the “wages of sin” Paul speaks of in Romans 6:23 – and they show up in our lives as addictions that control us through fear. It’s the basis of all addictions – physical or emotional. Addictions always have their roots in some sort of controlling fear. And John is saying you can’t love if you live in fear: “Whoever does not love abides in death” (1 John 3:14).

So LIFE, according to John, is living in God’s ability to be loved and to love others. And that only comes from loving God and “fearing” (respecting) Him.

We read earlier in Proverbs that the fear of man lays a snare in our lives. But Proverbs 14:27 says: “The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death.”  The antidote for the fear of man is the fear of the Lord.

LIFE is receiving God’s love in place of fear. And that, John says, results in inner peace and joy and the ability to love others. That’s the evidence of God’s love in your life. BUT IT ONLY COMES FROM GOD. It’s not accomplished by paying a guru or a shaman or some “self-help” expert to give you the “insight” to do it.

So, the evidence of God love in your life is you’ve “…passed out of death into life.”

And then there’s the essence of love –  ACTION. “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” (1 John 3:16-18)

Love always involves the willingness to die for the one you love – or it’s not love.  Love has to cost us something. In order for love to be God’s love it must be a deed. Action is required.

Dick Hillis of OC International tells the story of a young East Indian mother and her starving child. In an article called Love is a Costly Thing, he writes:

“She was lying on the ground. In her arms she held a tiny baby girl. As I put a cooked sweet potato into her outstretched hand, I wondered if she would live until morning. Her strength was almost gone, but her tired eyes acknowledged my gift. The sweet potato could help so little — but it was all I had.

“Taking a bite she chewed it carefully. Then, placing her mouth over her baby’s mouth, she forced the soft warm food into the tiny throat. Although the mother was starving, she used the entire potato to keep her baby alive. Exhausted from her effort, she dropped her head on the ground and closed her eyes. In a few minutes the baby was asleep.

“I later learned that during the night the mother’s heart stopped, but her little girl lived. Love is a costly thing.”

Of course, John says, the greatest loving deed of all was God sacrificing His Son for you and me. That’s the truest essence of love.

So we’ve seen the evidence of God’s love (LIFE) and the essence of God’s love (ACTION). In my next blog, we’re going to see the effect of God’s love.

 

To read more about becoming a godly man see Every Man Jack – Becoming the Man God Wants You to Be, by Daniel L. Clubb. You can find it at Westbow Press //westbowpress.com/en/search?query=Every+Man+Jack and on Amazon at //amazon.com/Every-Man-Jack-Becoming-Wants/dp/1973680386 or wherever books are sold.