Christ Never Gave An Altar Call - Matthew 16:24

    Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” - Matthew 16:24

    Here is a statement that we can hold firmly in our hearts: Jesus Christ never mislead anyone! He certainly never implied that following Him would be as easy as a leisurely stroll to the front of a crowd followed by the recitation of a simple prayer which would validate all the pain and suffering He went through to save us from an eternity in hell! No, Christ never suggested that following Him would be easy.
    Christ’s challenge to sinners was so provocative that it is repeated in all three of the Synoptic Gospels - Matthew, Mark, and Luke! He calls for us to “deny” ourselves. Deny ourselves? Surely the Lord must be mistaken! How could we ever deny our carnal desires. Isn’t there some simple prayer we can say to assure our salvation? Well, that’s what many of today’s evangelists would like for us to believe but nothing could be further from the truth. No where in all of Holy Scripture is such a prayer recommended, suggested, commanded, or endorsed! Jesus Christ didn’t willingly submit to the greatest torture and death ever devised by man so that we could insure our salvation by reciting something as lame as - “Jesus, I believe and I need the salvation you have provided. Come into my heart, rule my life today, and show me how to live. Amen.”
    I went to my doctor a couple of years ago and had some routine blood tests done. When I returned for a follow-up he informed me that I had Type 2 Diabetes. Imagine my surprise - I didn’t even know I was sick! So I asked him what I needed to do to “fix” my health. He suggested a harsh regimen including daily exercise, weight loss, and diet modification. I asked him if there wasn’t some simple pill I could take so I didn’t have to resort to his otherwise sever program. While I would need some oral medication, he assured me that without the other facets of the program I would still face the effects of the diabetes. In a word - “No!” There wasn’t a magic pill that I could take and continue in my former lifestyle unabated. I would have to deny myself many of the things I had grown accustomed to and comfortable with. My life was in need of a sever change, an austere change, if I wanted my health back. I had to deny myself. A simple pill wasn’t going to do it . . . and neither will a simple prayer!
    “For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.” - Matthew 10:35-37.  Pretty harsh position; wouldn’t you agree? But Christ wasn’t commanding us to hate our families. He was using that example for its sheer shock value. Our families, for most of us, are our world. He was merely saying that anyone who loved the world more than He was not worthy of Him.
    Mark 10:21 reiterates the point - “Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.” Again, Christ tells us that to follow Him we must give up our ties to the world, step out of our comfort zones, and take up our cross if we are to truly follow Him. Sound like a one pill (or prayer) fix?
    Christ never hints that accepting Him as LORD and Savior will be easy. He tells us the truth about the cost of discipleship because, as in Mark 10:21, He loves us.
    Jesus makes a further point that “easy believism”, the “one prayer and you’re there” method of many evangelical ministries today is NOT the cost of our discipleship - “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Matthew 7:13-14. Difficulty marks the way to Christ. He never gave an altar call. How many people would rush to the altar if a hammer, cruel spikes, and a hard wooden cross was waiting for them rather than a prayer? Christ picked up His cross for us and we are expected to do the same. Our resolve will be tried and tested. There will be no one pill - there will be no one prayer. But the reward is eternal salvation!
    May the Holy Spirit forge strength of faith within us on the anvil of our hearts.

Providence Is the Dominion of God - Psalm 106:1

Praise the Lord! Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. - Psalm 106:1
    Today is the day set aside by President Lincoln in 1863 to be  a national day of "Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens." In the words of  Secretary of State William Seward - “No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American people.” - October 3rd, 1863.
    From the day of the first Thanksgiving by the Pilgrims in 1621 to the present, the intended purpose of this solemn celebration has always been and will always be to thank God for His providence to us. And while we certainly prepare for and work daily for the things we receive to our betterment, the glory and the honor of what we receive goes to God almighty. “The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but deliverance is of the Lord.” - Proverbs 21:31. While we prepare and work we rely on the goodness of God. How many times in our lives has the rain failed to fall? How many times have we fervently prayed for the skies to open up and send down the blessings of our Creator and Sustainer? Man, in his stubborn pride can believe in himself all he wants (the Humanist position). Nothing man can ever do will ever bring the rain! It will not rain until God wills it. Yes, deliverance is of the Lord! This is the essence of God’s “common grace.”
    To deny or ignore or scoff at the Lord’s good and faithful providence is blasphemous and often risks the very wrath of God . What did Lincoln and our predecessors know that we seem to have forgotten? “For she did not know that I gave her grain, new wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold—Which they prepared for Baal.  ‘Therefore I will return and take away My grain in its time and My new wine in its season, and will take back My wool and My linen, given to cover her nakedness.’” - Hosea 2:8-9.  God gives to us and He can take away from us as He pleases. We must remember that all we do or have or are is a gift from God. Our homes, our families, our jobs, our talents, our creativity, our blessings in general all come from a holy, loving, and merciful God without whom we would be crawling around in the dust and the mire along with the worms.  
    God provides for us because He loves us and knows what we need - “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” - Matt 6:26.
    When you need something ( I said, “NEED”, not want), petition God in prayer and thanks to fulfill your needs. Pray that your supplication meets His holy will for you. And remember -     “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;” - Philippians 4:6.
    Pray, and thank Him. Never forget to thank God, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. Thank Him for your circumstance. Thank Him for your children. Thank Him for your spouse. Thank Him for the very air you breathe. Thank Him for every good thing in your life. Veterans, thank Him for bringing you home from foreign wars! First responders, thank Him for bringing you home at the end of your shifts. Recovering addicts, thank Him for bringing you home through your personal hell. Unbelievers, thank Him for the common grace He bestows even upon you. New believers, thank Him for His effectual call!
    If we could but  remember on Thanksgiving and every day of our lives what Paul told the Thessalonians - “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.
    Have a blessed and a very happy Thanksgiving!

One True Word - Galatians 1:6-8

“I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.”
                     - Galatians 1:6-8
   
    When we change, alter, or modify the gospel of Jesus Christ to fit a worldly social or cultural agenda it is no longer the inerrant and infallible word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit. It becomes a mongrelized piece of filth! Whether the agenda is about promoting health or wealth or race or ethnicity or sexual orientation it is no longer about the redeeming sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
     There is no scriptural support for changing the Gospel of Jesus Christ into a “horn of plenty!” God Almighty never promises us health, wealth, fame or any other worldly possession. God only promises us salvation through Jesus Christ! And what could we ever possess that is greater than that?
    God is so incensed by the mere considerations of those who would pervert His holy word that He issues a dire warning to all -
   
    “For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” - Revelation 22:18-19.

    The gospel is the outward call given to us by God leading us to belief in and faith in His Son, our Lord and Savior - Jesus Christ. For those of us whom are blessed with election, we respond to the effectual call of the Holy Spirit and are justified by our Redeemer’s sacred blood. Not all men will respond to this effectual calling. Some will follow  ‘false teachers’ purposefully manipulating God’s holy word to make it more appealing to those who will not hear though they have ears and will not see though they have eyes.

    “For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ. But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ.” - Galatians 1: 10-11.

    There is but one holy and true word - the Word of God. By it and by it alone does God reveal Himself and the “Good News” of salvation through Jesus Christ!
    May the holy word of God become the resting place for your heart.

Nothing More Than Feelings? - Proverbs 14:12

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” Proverbs 14:12

    How many times have you heard the mantra of those who simply “do not know?” Wait for it . . . “I just feel that . . . .” We tend to hear this most during conversations with people who claim to be spiritual when they expound upon their “feelings” about God. Mind you, they aren’t speaking on what Holy Scripture reveals because in most cases they don’t even read the bible No, their opinion originates purely and completely from what they feel about God. And there is good reason for this - they simply don’t know!
    Much of the old adage - “Never talk about religion or politics,” is based fundamentally on the notion that these two subjects are quite controversial and thus should not be talked about in polite company. For our purposes here I will limit the subject of this post to religion and specifically to the nature of God. Here is a subject that impacts our lives more than any other, and we don’t want to discuss it because someone might be offended by our point of view?
    Truth is not negotiable. It is insensitive. It cannot be compromised. It cannot be molded to fit our unique set of values. It is what it is and if one has a biblical understanding of the nature of God and His role in our eternal salvation then there is no need to fear offending someone with our conversation. In fact, the only reason one would be offended by such a conversation is if they held an erroneous position in this regard. And that is precisely where “feelings” places the merely “spiritual individual.” Those who do not understand the relevancy of God in our lives are blinded by their own ignorance - they simply don’t know! Ergo, “there is a way that seems right to a man.”
    When we say something “seems right” we are admitting that we don’t know if it is right; it just seems or appears to be right. If we knew it was right we would be able to say without reservation that we know something to be valid and true. That then open us up to differing opinions and this is where the conflict arises. But when we say that we feel something is true who can then argue with us? After all, we may feel anyway we like. We don’t have to justify our feelings! We need no valid frame of reference to expound on our feelings. And . . . we can change the way we feel about something faster than we can change our shoes! So if we sense conflict arising from our opinion - we can simply change our opinion to please the crowd. We need neither facts nor statistics, figures or relevant evidence to support our opinion; this is relativism in the classic sense! These people exemplify the adage - “Don’t confuse me with the facts; I’ve already made up my mind.”
    “He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but whoever walks wisely will be delivered.” - Proverbs 28:26.
    The truth about God is available to mankind. It is knowable! It has been made accessible for us through Holy Scripture: the bible! So the next time someone lamely attempts to pontificate upon their “feelings” about God, ask them one simple question: Where can I find that in the bible? And prepare yourself for a cacophony of silence.
    May we all show love to one another, especially in correction.
   

What, Me Worry? - Isaiah 41:10

 

‘Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ Isaiah 41:10

We begin with Chapter 36 of Isaiah - an emissary of the Assyrian King Sennacherib, one Rabshakeh ( governor or chief of staff) warned the Israelites under King Hezekiah of trusting him to protect them from the approaching Assyrian army. The people’s hearts faded. They feared the coming siege and onslaught. To add insult to injury, Rabshakeh publically announces - “Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, “The Lord will deliver us.” Has any one of the gods of the nations delivered its land from the hand of the king of Assyria?  Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Indeed, have they delivered Samaria from my hand?  Who among all the gods of these lands have delivered their countries from my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem from my hand?’” - Isaiah 36:18-20. The answer should have been clear enough. Apparently neither Rabshakeh nor Sennacherib had a clue: “Who among the gods?” Only the one true God!
    Finally, Rabshakeh takes his threatening propaganda campaign to it’s most demonic point; he blasphemes God Himself!  “Thus you shall speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying: ‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you, saying, “Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” - Isaiah 37:10 It is obvious that this pawn and his king in Satan’s game of fear simply wanted the Israelites to quit without a fight. Even though the minions of the devil are often much more powerful in worldly strength or positions of worldly power they still prefer to win by mere intimidation because it enhances their fearful reputations.
    Hezekiah’s response was, as ours should be in times of fear or anxiety - Prayer! “Now therefore, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the Lord, You alone.” Isaiah 37:20.
    Fear and anxiety, even depression are often just the out-riggings of Satan. The Liar will always try to weaken our Christian resolve. He will forever try to suffocate our faith in God with worldly concerns and trepidations. But we must remember the commands and the promise God has made to us. “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”- Deuteronomy 31:6.
    The writer of Hebrews further encourages us - “So we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’” - Hebrews 13:6.
    Devout prayer to and unmitigated faith in God spared the people of Judah. Isaiah goes on to describe that the feared siege and battle with the Assyrians never took place. All Hezekiah and the Israelites had to do was rely on God (keep faith and pray) and wait out the threat. So often it is the same with our deepest fears and anxieties - they simply never materialize.
    Sennacherib returned to Nineveh and there, was assassinated by his two of his own sons - a fitting end to a man who would call God a liar!
     Faith and prayer - may they always be two of our most prized possessions and weapons in the war against the Liar!

Faith and Trust . . . In God - Genesis 12:1-2

“Now the Lord had said to Abram: ‘Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.’”  - Genesis 12:1-2

    Perhaps the greatest model of faith and trust in the bible is Abraham. When God spoke to Abraham there was no hesitation on the part of a man in whom three distinct religions would have their origins (Judaism, Christianity, Islam). The bible says, “So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him.” - Genesis 12: 4a. Abraham simply gathered his wife and his nephew’ family and their belongings . . . and followed God’s orders . . . without question. What greater example of faith and trust can we look to?
    God spoke: Abraham obeyed! “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.” - Hebrews 11:8. That is faith and trust exemplified. He left all he knew in life behind -  “he went out, not knowing where he was going,”and trust in God’s word that he would be blessed - that God would surely bless him.” Faith and trust! Do we have such faith and trust in our Lord? Who, today, has the faith of Abraham?
    Before Abraham responded to God’s calling in Haran scripture says God had led him out of Ur. “And he said, “Brethren and fathers, listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran, and said to him, ‘Get out of your country and from your relatives, and come to a land that I will show you.’” - Acts 7:2-4. Abraham responded to God’s call for him to leave Ur he had no idea what the Lord had planned for him, but he knew (by faith) that God did indeed have a plan for him. So he left all that he was familiar with - his country, his lifestyle, his extended family, friends . . . the entire world as he knew it for some “unknown.” Having been born and raised into a pagan world Abraham’s heart was opened by the Holy Spirit to the reception of God by faith as the Spirit does in all who come to believe. “Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul.” - Acts 16:4.
    As children (and oftentimes as adults) we place our unreserved trust in our parents. For those of us blessed with great parents we never hesitated to believe what they told us. Once, when I was about six years old, I climbed into a rather precarious position in a backyard tree. I found myself “rim-rocked;” a rock-climber’s term meaning that you can’t go further up but more disturbingly . . . you cannot get back down! I was stuck and panicked and I began to cry. My father, who had been watching from the kitchen window saw my predicament and came out to rescue me. When he stood just a few feet beneath me and told me to “jump” into his arms I did so - without hesitation because I trusted him completely.
    Do any of us trust God that completely? We should. We no longer have to trust or place our faith in an “unknown variable.” We now have certain knowledge of God’s promise, that God is leading us to salvation through our Lord, Jesus Christ! Abraham may not have known where he was going but he certainly knew who was leading him.
    May God bless us all with the faith that saves.