By: Lawrence Kelley
I received this post via mailing list from a preacher in WI named Whit Sasser. This really struck a chord with me because I see so many of my brethren who spend all their time in tearing down false doctrines and not as much reinforcing and teaching the doctrine of Christ. Though I understand the need for knowing about false doctrines, I also feel we need to be built up and encouraged. Consider the example of Jesus. He certainly was not afraid of confrontation. However, He dealt with it as it came up rather than spending all His time looking for it. (jle)
There was once a woman who knew many true doctrines and twice as many false ones. With one very notable exception (which we will return to later), she was aware of all the dangers, perils and pitfalls the faithful could encounter. Daily, she warned her children about the falsehoods in the media, the errors of the cults and the evils of drugs, sex, and rock and roll. Being dutiful children, they listened to their mother intently and learned to be afraid of almost everything. Unfortunately, as they grew to adulthood, they ceased to be active in the Lord's work and one even gave up going to church all together. One day in a conversation with a friend it finally dawned on her that there was one spiritual danger she had forgotten. The danger of defining your faith solely by opposing the things that are wrong. This she should have done, without forgetting that following Jesus is about pursuing what is good and right. The exhortation is for us to inspire our children to go after all that is good and true and beautiful with a holy zeal and love for righteousness. Let us teach them to stand against what is wrong, but more importantly, to strive for what is right.
P.S. If you would like to be added to brother Sasser's mailing list, send an email requesting such to wsasser@tds.net.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Are You Truly Sanctified?
By: Joshuah Ellis
Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see the good works of your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Along with the obvious application of this statement, there are some other elements that should be considered as well. The implication that is made by a command to let out lights shine is that there is an amount of darkness that needs to be acknowledged in our lives. Why would we need to shine like lights if we would not be noticed? How could we be noticed if there is no contrast between us and others? The fact is, there should be contrast. We were not told to let our lights shine so that we could blend in with our surroundings. We, as the Lord’s people, should stand out and be noticeable. We should be sanctified.
What exactly does it mean to be sanctified? We hear this word a lot but do we truly understand it? To be sanctified is to be set apart as something sacred or to be made holy. Paul tells the Corinthians that though they were sinners at one time, they had been sanctified in the name of Jesus (1 Corinthians 6:11). Similarly, we have been sanctified by the blood of Christ as well. However, it is something that has only been made possible for us. We have to uphold the principles of being sanctified or set apart. We cannot truly be set apart as holy if we are taking part in things of a sinful nature. Jesus said that we cannot serve God and mammon at the same time (Matthew 6:24). James even tells us that “friendship with the world is enmity with God” (James 4:4). We can clearly see, from the scriptures, that there is more to being sanctified than simply wearing the name tag of a Christian.
As Christians, we often speak about “the world.” We use the term “worldly” to describe those who are not focused on serving God but rather serving their own fleshly desires. In our common vernacular, to be likened with the world is something that many of us do not want, because of its close association to things of a sinful nature. Unfortunately, for many, to be sanctified is only something that is only mentioned as the action is more difficult to carry out. To truly be sanctified, there needs to be a clear distinction between the people of God and the people of the world. Are you doing all you can to make sure that there is no confusion as to whom you belong?
So how do we know if we are truly sanctified? To echo the words of Jesus, “by their fruits you will know them’ (Matthew 7:20). Sanctification is not mere a self proclaimed state of being, we must live it! Therefore, when we are tempted to cross over into areas that can be described, at best, as morally gray, stay away! It is not enough to stay just out of reach where sin is concerned. We must live as those who have been truly set apart. For some of us, this might mean that we need to surround ourselves with different people. For some we may have to drastically alter our lifestyles. Some of us may have some serious repenting to consider. What ever change needs to be made; it is my prayer that we will have the courage and desire to see it through.
Too often, in our spiritual lives, we forget that the opportunity for salvation is the gift and the rest is conditional. Make no mistake, we serve a God who loves us dearly and fiercely enough to sacrifice His perfect son for our sins (John 3:16). However, that does not cancel out the fact that we have to do our part. Living up to our call of sanctification is certainly part of that. Remember there are things that though they may be lawful are not helpful (1 Corinthians 6:12). Are you more concerned with the staying “technically sinless” or are you striving to serve God with all you have at all times?
Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see the good works of your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Along with the obvious application of this statement, there are some other elements that should be considered as well. The implication that is made by a command to let out lights shine is that there is an amount of darkness that needs to be acknowledged in our lives. Why would we need to shine like lights if we would not be noticed? How could we be noticed if there is no contrast between us and others? The fact is, there should be contrast. We were not told to let our lights shine so that we could blend in with our surroundings. We, as the Lord’s people, should stand out and be noticeable. We should be sanctified.
What exactly does it mean to be sanctified? We hear this word a lot but do we truly understand it? To be sanctified is to be set apart as something sacred or to be made holy. Paul tells the Corinthians that though they were sinners at one time, they had been sanctified in the name of Jesus (1 Corinthians 6:11). Similarly, we have been sanctified by the blood of Christ as well. However, it is something that has only been made possible for us. We have to uphold the principles of being sanctified or set apart. We cannot truly be set apart as holy if we are taking part in things of a sinful nature. Jesus said that we cannot serve God and mammon at the same time (Matthew 6:24). James even tells us that “friendship with the world is enmity with God” (James 4:4). We can clearly see, from the scriptures, that there is more to being sanctified than simply wearing the name tag of a Christian.
As Christians, we often speak about “the world.” We use the term “worldly” to describe those who are not focused on serving God but rather serving their own fleshly desires. In our common vernacular, to be likened with the world is something that many of us do not want, because of its close association to things of a sinful nature. Unfortunately, for many, to be sanctified is only something that is only mentioned as the action is more difficult to carry out. To truly be sanctified, there needs to be a clear distinction between the people of God and the people of the world. Are you doing all you can to make sure that there is no confusion as to whom you belong?
So how do we know if we are truly sanctified? To echo the words of Jesus, “by their fruits you will know them’ (Matthew 7:20). Sanctification is not mere a self proclaimed state of being, we must live it! Therefore, when we are tempted to cross over into areas that can be described, at best, as morally gray, stay away! It is not enough to stay just out of reach where sin is concerned. We must live as those who have been truly set apart. For some of us, this might mean that we need to surround ourselves with different people. For some we may have to drastically alter our lifestyles. Some of us may have some serious repenting to consider. What ever change needs to be made; it is my prayer that we will have the courage and desire to see it through.
Too often, in our spiritual lives, we forget that the opportunity for salvation is the gift and the rest is conditional. Make no mistake, we serve a God who loves us dearly and fiercely enough to sacrifice His perfect son for our sins (John 3:16). However, that does not cancel out the fact that we have to do our part. Living up to our call of sanctification is certainly part of that. Remember there are things that though they may be lawful are not helpful (1 Corinthians 6:12). Are you more concerned with the staying “technically sinless” or are you striving to serve God with all you have at all times?
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Who You Gonna Call?
October 30, 2007
3:02 p.m.
By: Joshuah Ellis
The Yellow Pages are great! It is so easy to look things up that way and it doesn't matter what you need because it is all covered in one simple directory. If you need pizza, you can find a pizza parlor. If you need a doctor, a mechanic or a chiropractor, the contact information is all there in one place. All we need to know is what we need and who we need to talk to. The rest is practically done for us. It sounds so simple because it is. However, is this philosophy as simple when it is applied to spiritual needs and our ability/willingness to seek out the proper assistance? Many of us have had experiences, in our spiritual lives, when we have had trouble knowing who we should go to in order to solve a particular problem. However, we are truly blessed to have the Bible as a guide. By following the principles given to us by God we can have the correct answer to the question, ''who you gonna call?''
Anger and frustration are an unfortunate inevitability in our lives. It is certainly not a sin to be angered by something, but we should beware as anger can move us to sin (Ephesians 4:26). There are times, in all of our lives, when we just become irritated or angry at a certain situation. It is during these times of heightened emotional stress that it becomes easy to express that contempt verbally. So I ask, ''Who you gonna call when you are angry and have unkind things to say?'' The answer is simple--nobody. This principle is as simple as the saying, ''if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all,'' but is it also backed up by the Word of God. Paul exhorts the Ephesians to put all anger and evil speaking away from them (Ephesians 4:31). James even speaks of the importance of being slow to speak and slow to wrath (James 1:19). Frankly, speaking unkind words to or about other people is simply unprofitable and sinful (Ephesians 4:29).
There are also times when we, as the children of God, do not agree. Thankfully, we have a pattern that has been given to us by God that we may know how to handle such situations. Nevertheless, the question must be asked. ''Who you gonna call when you are offended by your brother?'' The Bible teaches what we should do, but many times, however, this is not what happens. I have observed that it is quite popular for people to state their grievances about the offending brother to everyone but the offending brother. This is sinful! Jesus is very clear in His instructions (Matthew 18:15-17). Don't complain about your brother or try to reason why he offended you to anyone other than him. If you are not going to do that, then keep quiet (Ephesians 4:29).
Let's face it, brethren. Sometimes we just need help. Unfortunately our society has attempted to train us to believe that the human race is supernaturally self sufficient, but that is not what God teaches (Philippians 4:13). Therefore, I ask, ''who you gonna call when you just need help?'' The answer is simple, but before we can see that, we need to admit to ourselves that we cannot always fix our own problems. We must first come to terms with the fact that we will need outside help. Once we do that, it becomes abundantly obvious that help is endless. Here on earth, we are so fortunate to always have a family with us. I am not speaking about our physical families, but our spiritual family who will gladly help us when the burdens of this life seem too heavy (Galatians 6:2). We are also fortunate enough to serve a God who has proved Himself to be faithful time and again (Matthew 7:7-1). Who better to call upon for help that our Heavenly Father.
Regardless of the connections that the title of this article may have with a popular 80's movie, it is severely important that we know who we're gonna call when we have problems in our spiritual lives and equally as important that we actually call upon the right person. When you think about it, it's as easy as using the Yellow Pages. All we have to do is follow the pattern that has been given to us in the New Testament and remember that when we are in doubt and don't know who to talk to, God is always there. God is always faithful.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)