Monthly Archives: August 2022

CONFUSED!

Bible Study, ,

CONFUSED!

“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel – which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be under God’s curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be under God’s curse!” Galatians 1:6-9.

Euangellion! Gospel! Good news! What was the good news that Paul brought to the people of the province of Galatia – and everywhere else he went, and why was it good news?

The pagan world worshipped many gods, all of them capricious, unpredictable, and malevolent. To the Gentiles, Paul announced that the one true God, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, because of His great love, sent His one and only Son, Jesus, into the world. Jesus lived as a perfect human being and was put to death as a sinner to pay the debt of sin, to redeem mankind from the penalty of sin, and to reconcile them to God.

To the Jew Paul preached that Jesus was the Messiah who’s coming and life were foretold in detail by the prophets. He came to fulfil the Law of Moses, which God’s people failed to obey and incurred an unpayable debt. Jesus paid the debt in full, redeeming them from the curse of the broken law and restoring them to fellowship with God.

Good news! Of course, it was good news because both Jew and Gentile were no longer bound by a multitude of laws, rituals, and prohibitions. Instead, they were enabled by the Holy Spirit to love God and their fellow men which completely fulfilled the Law. Their standing with God did not depend on their performance but on God’s grace which came to them through Christ.

Paul must surely have enlightened his hearers of the grace of God that released them from a self-help religion that did not work anyway and called them into rest in the finished work of Jesus. How on earth, then, did these Galatian believers become entangled in a system that insisted that they keep the Jewish Law to be accepted by God?

Paul expressed surprise and astonishment that they were so fickle that they turned from the gospel he had preached to them to “another gospel” which was actually bad news. How could having to keep the law be good news? It was a step backwards from freedom to bondage, from God’s grace that brought rest to self-effort when they would never know if they had done enough.

They were not abandoning a belief system as much as deserting the very Person who had bought their forgiveness of sin and set them free from guilt, shame and fear. The good news is about Jesus. In Him is bound up everything we need to be true sons and daughters of God. When God gave us His Son, He gave us everything, forgiveness, salvation, righteousness, life, hope, love, joy, peace, meaning, purpose, a new nature, and a new standing in God. Abandon Jesus for “another gospel” and you lose everything including the hope of eternal life.

“What were you thinking?” Paul demanded to know. “Were these so-called “teachers” so persuasive that you fell for their ploy?” Paul was so adamant that the gospel he preached was the real good news that he even invoked the name of God in his curse on the perpetrators of this false teaching. Not once but twice he denounced them and called down a curse on them for what they were doing – eternal damnation for spreading lies. Now that’s strong, isn’t it?

This was much more than a belief system to which Paul called people to subscribe. This was a matter of life and death – determining the eternal destiny of the people who had been persuaded to heed the false teaching and who had turned from Christ to follow their way. It was imperative that Paul explain the implications of what they had done and call them back to Jesus Christ who was their only hope.

Belief is much more than giving assent to information about God – it involves entrusting oneself to Him and submitting to His way. To “believe” in Jesus without embracing Him as Lord is worthless and futile. Faith in Him gives access to everything He is and does and reproduces His life in the believer. Only He and His way give us access to the Father.

Acknowledgement

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

HOT UNDER THE COLLAR

Bible Study, ,

HOT UNDER THE COLLAR

“Paul, an apostle – sent not from men nor by a man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead – and all the brothers and sisters with me. To the churches in Galatia: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”  Galatians 1:1-5.

Paul had every reason to be hot under the collar! There were men, called Judaizers, on his trail who were so zealous for the Law that they were trying to undo everything he had done to teach the Gentiles the truth and lead them to freedom in Christ.

Paul was a Jew, a died-in-the wool Pharisee who had, in his pre-conversion days, contended so vigorously for the Law that he was willing to kill for his beliefs. His compatriots had killed Jesus and he was determined to kill His followers and stamp out this rival, anti-God religion, so he thought. That was until he met Jesus in a face-to-face encounter that opened his eyes and shook him to the core.

He discovered that what was called “The Way” was no corruption of his faith but the completion of what he had learned and taught with vigour and zeal as a Pharisee. This Jesus, whom he was unwittingly persecuting, was the Messiah he and his fellow Jews had yearned for and yet rejected when He came because He was not the person they expected.

What’s more, he discovered that in this one person, Jesus, God had fulfilled every promise and that He was a sufficient Saviour from everything that the Law demanded but could not provide. Paul knew what it was like to fail, Pharisee though he was, and to suffer the pangs of guilt for breaking God’s Law with no hope of ever satisfying His righteous requirements.

He also knew what it was like to experience the freedom from guilt that the forgiveness of sins had brought him. Peace with God! The peace of God! These were so real to him that he was willing to lay down his life to make this Jesus known. Only in Him could the sinner be reconciled to God. Jesus plus nothing was the revelation he had received and Jesus plus nothing was what he contended for and would to his last breath.

These Judaizers were false teachers who were insisting that, to be acceptable to God, Gentiles had to be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses as well as believing in Jesus. Paul was incensed because his beloved Galatians had swallowed this lie and veered off course, not realising the implications of their actions. They had to be informed and quickly before they disqualified themselves from receiving God’s grace.

Even Paul’s introductory statements reveal his concern about what was going on in the Galatian church. No friendly greeting, no commendation or prayer, just the bold declaration of who he was – an apostle of God and of Jesus Christ, in case they had any doubts about his authority. He not only represented the triune God, but also his fellow believers who stood with him in what he taught and what they believed.

Even his benediction – grace and peace – has a ring of sternness about it. Don’t you Galatians understand that the grace and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ come at a price? It cost the Son His life-blood to rescue you from the corruption in the world and of your own hearts. How can you ever think that you can add to what He did to effect your rescue and restoration to God as His children?

Paul would contend vigorously for one thing – do you want to be slaves or sons? If you go back to the Law, you will be going back to slavery, cancelling out God’s grace and putting you back under the curse of trying to do it yourself. It didn’t work for the Jews and it won’t work for you.

This subtle error rears its head in many ways in the church today. There are those who still contend for the Law in such things as Sabbath worship, health laws, dress codes, even the use of musical instruments in public worship. What about the current teaching about “spiritual warfare” as though it is still the church’s job to fight against principalities and powers before people will believe the gospel?

Again and again we have to ask the question: Did Jesus say or did He not say, “It is finished”? Was His life, death and resurrection enough to satisfy God’s justice? Did He or did He not defeat the devil? We must let the Apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, answer these questions.

“When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ, He forgave us all our sins, having cancelled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; He has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” Colossians 2:13-15.

If the salvation Jesus paid for us with His life is enough to satisfy God’s wrath, purchase forgiveness for us and give us entry into every blessing God has prepared for His people, anything we add immediately disqualifies us from participation in that salvation. 

Acknowledgement

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

WISE AND FOOLISH BUILDERS

Christian Life, , ,

WISE AND FOOLISH BUILDERS

“Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on a rock…But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand…” Matthew 7:24, 26.

You don’t have to be a builder to know that a house must be built on a solid foundation if it is to weather storms. Without a foundation, there is nothing to keep it from falling down or blowing away. Jesus used this simple picture to urge His disciples to build their lives on a foundation of truth that will not fail them when they are faced with the storms of life.

Every religion has its teachers and its teachings based on the gods they serve. How do we know which one is telling the truth?

First, we must look at the person who is telling us what to do. We must look at two things: what kind of person was he, and did he do what he taught?

Second, we must find out who the authority is behind his teaching. What is the god like who is responsible for the teaching?

It is not possible to examine all the teachings of every religion. One thing we can say is that there is only one God who claims to be the true God – the God of the Bible. When we examine what He has revealed about Himself, we discover that He is the only one who is so different from human beings and other gods that no one could have made Him up. He is the only one who loves and gives. All the other gods are like human beings and who are cruel, unpredictable and make demands on their worshippers. 

The Bible tells us that God sent His Son, Jesus, to show us what He is like. God the Father gave Jesus authority to say and do what He said and did. Jesus not only taught His disciples about God and how God wants us to live; He also lived out what He taught and then gave His life for us so that we don’t have to face the punishment for our sin. When He was punished as an innocent man, He was calm and went to the cross without a struggle because He trusted in God.

“When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats, but entrusted himself to him who judges justly.” 1 Peter 2:23.

Jesus also kept His promise that He would rise again. No other god or religious leader has ever done that! He said that if we do what He taught, our lives will not fall apart when we face hardships and trouble. If He kept His word about His resurrection, we can surely trust Him to keep His promise that we will not be blown away in the storms of life if we follow His teaching.

Best of all is that He sent His Holy Spirit to live in us when we believe in Him. The Spirit gives us the power to do what Jesus tells us. If we follow Him, we will build our lives on a solid foundation which will keep us standing firm when the storms of life hit us because Jesus is always with us, and He will hold us and keep us strong.

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

NOT ALL!

Christian Life, ,

NOT ALL!

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers.’” Matthew 7:21-23.

These are sobering words, aren’t they? They tell us a lot about God and about human nature.

Firstly, God is neither impressed nor fooled by our “good works”. How many people are there in the ministry and in the church who are faithfully using their spiritual gifts, and yet Jesus said that He would send them away because He never “knew” them. What dis He mean? Knowing Jesus is much more than just knowing who He is or knowing about Him. It’s even more that accepting Him as Saviour or answering an altar call.

Knowing Jesus means being so intimate with Him that we know how He thinks and feels and what is important to Him. It’s like the intimacy between a husband and wife where they fully know and fully accept one another. It takes time to get to know a person and to find out what pleases him and to communicate with him – talking and listening. Jesus is not interested in people who run around “working” for Him without finding out who He is and what He wants.

Secondly, people who do “good works” without listening and getting to know Jesus were called evildoers. That’s harsh, isn’t it? After all, they were working for God, weren’t they? But that’s just the point! God does not want people to work for Him. We are not slaves. He wants us to work with Him as His sons and daughters. Jesus showed us what God wants by His life of fellowship with the Father and through His trust and obedience.

Thirdly, people are very good at deceiving themselves. Since they are working for God, they think that God is satisfied with what they are doing. Jesus made it clear that it does not work that way. On another occasion He asked (Luke 6:46), “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” The point is that no one can call Jesus, “Lord,” in one breath and then do what they want to without listening to Him and obeying His instructions in the next. When we call Jesus, “Lord,” we are stating that He is the boss. He is in charge and our job is to find out what He wants and do it.  

When we stand before Him, we will have to answer two questions: “Why did you do what I did not tell you to do?” and “Why did you not do what I instructed you to do?” Of course, Jesus told us to heal the sick and cast our demons in His name. That is not His point. His point is that, where there is no intimacy with Him out of which your life flows. everything else is irrelevant.

In His prayer in John 17, He said, “This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” John 17:3.

If you spend time getting to know God and His son, Jesus, He will direct you to do for Him and through Him what He wants. Then you will please Him, and He will welcome you into His home when you leave this life.

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

A TREE AND ITS FRUIT

Christian Life, ,

A TREE AND ITS FRUIT

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inside they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them.” Matthew 7:15, 15.

False prophets abound today as much as they did in Jesus’ day. What is a false prophet?

A prophets is a person who hears from God and speaks for God.

“I did send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied. But if they had stood in my council, they would have proclaimed my words to my people and would have turned them from their evil ways and from their evil deeds.” Jeremiah 23:21, 22.

False prophets are those who put words in God’s mouth to get their own way. This is even more despicable than lying because they use God as the mouthpiece for their lies.

“’Therefore,’ declares the Lord, ‘I am against the prophets who steal from one another words supposedly from me. Yes,’ declares the Lord, ‘I am against the prophets who wag their own tongues and yet declare, ‘The Lord declares.’ Indeed, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,’ declares the Lord. ‘They tell them and lead my people astray with their reckless lies, and yet I did not send or appoint them. They do not benefit these people in the least,’ declares the Lord.”” Jeremiah 23:30-32.

There are many so-called prophets who stand in places of authority to speak for God but they do not speak according to the word of God.  Let me give you a few examples.

  1. Preachers who tell you that God wants you well and wealthy. If this is true to the Scriptures, why are so many believers not healed and poor? I know this is a big subject, but here are a few pointers from the Scriptures.
    1. We live in a world where sin has entered to cause sickness and death. This will not change until Jesus returns to renew all things.
    1. Believers are not immune from sickness and death. We will all die unless Jesus returns to take us home.
    1. Jesus did not heal everyone – healing was a sign that God’s kingdom had come but not fully.
    1. Ill health is often because of a person’s lifestyle or emotional state. Unless he chooses to repent and live differently, he will remain ill.
    1. Wealth is not always a sign of God’s blessing. Many preachers become wealthy by milking their followers with lies. They live in luxury while people around the world are starving and need the gospel. Missionaries and Christian workers are crying out for money while some live in multi-million-dollar houses, fly in private jets, drive the best cars and wear designer clothing claiming that they are enjoying the blessing of God.
    1. The Apostle Paul did not view wealth as a sign of God’s blessing but rather as a terrible temptation:

 “If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree with the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, he knows nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions, and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.” 1 Timothy 6:3-5.

“People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” 1 Timothy 6:9, 10.

This teaching contradicts what Jesus said about suffering and about taking up the cross and following Him.

  • False prophets get people to follow them, not Jesus. They say that their teaching is right, and everyone else’s is wrong. They cut people off from fellowship with believers outside their group and threaten them if they want to leave. There is no salvation outside of their church.
  • False prophets are often dictators. They rule people with fear and do not allow them to make their own decisions. They are accountable to no one, not even their church leaders. What they say goes.

How do we know who the false prophets are? Jesus said, “Look at their fruit.”

The fruit of the false prophet’s ministry in his people is fear, insecurity, hopelessness and increasing slavery to a man.

The fruit of a true prophet is increasing love, joy and peace in his own life and the lives of those to whom he ministers, freedom to follow Jesus and unity in the body of Christ.

Jesus said we must check their fruit before we believe what they say.

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.