Standing Steadfast Under Trial - Acts 4:18-20

  
 So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” - Acts 4:18-20

    In the current world of ‘cancel culture’ many are being fired from their jobs, publicly excoriated for their very words (and thoughts), and figuratively being chased down like Frankenstein monsters for simply speaking the truth. This is the way of the 21st Century world. Language itself is being wrung through rigorous draconian censorship not seen since Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler.
    The Apostles, Peter and John, were called before the high priestly council and told not to speak of Christ or in His name anymore or they would be facing incarceration and possibly worse - “saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man's blood upon us.”  - Acts 5:28.
    The apostles had to make a choice: preach Jesus or cease preaching in His name. The choices were simple; the threat was real. Lesser men would have bowed their heads and quietly slipped into obscurity. But these were not lesser men; these were Christ’s chosen disciples. Rather than cower and shrink back in fear and quietude, Peter spoke for them all. “But Peter and the apostles answered, ‘We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree.’” - Acts 5:29-30. Peter not only declared his responsibility to obey God rather than men but boldly leveled his indictment of the scribes and Pharisees to their faces. The courage Peter and the apostles showed was fueled by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and no man was able to scare them into silence!
    Many of our pastors and preachers today are being faced with the same godless arrogance of the cancel culture crowd. There have actually been instances where they were ordered by local secular authorities to present their sermons for scrutiny before being allowed to preach. Their churches have been ordered to stop Sunday services under threat of jail, ostensibly to keep the current pandemic from spreading, yet crowds of thousands are permitted to protest in the streets and attend entertainment gatherings and fill the local Walmarts and other grocery locations without suffering any of the prohibitions reserved for Christian gatherings. Pastors have been arrested for holding services. But all this is just the proverbial tip of the iceberg as the clergy has been accused of hate speech for simply preaching the Gospel!
    There is no telling where and when this satanic madness will end. In fact, reading the paper or watching the news will confirm the aggressive nature of the authorities when it comes to God’s holy word. The atheistic taunts of the secular humanists continue to accuse Christianity of hate crimes on a weekly basis when all our pastors are doing is preaching the word of God, something they have done for over 2,000 years despite the jeers, the threats, and the reality of continuing persecution and martyrdom.
    The Apostles knew what the intimidation and peril of preaching Christ to a ‘Christ-less’ world. “and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.” - Acts 5:40. The persecution continues to this very day. As Christians, we must make up our minds like God’s warrior, Joshua, did - “And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” - Joshua 24:15.
    With all the anti-Christian rhetoric and hate on part of the authorities today, it won’t be easy. Even Jesus said as much - “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” John 15:18-19. As Christians, we must stand up and preach the Word of God boldly and without fear for we have God on our side. “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” - James 1:12.

Why Prayer? - Isaiah 37:21

Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria - Isaiah 37:21

There is a school of thought among the many Christian denominations that God has already decided what His decrees will be and thus prayer does not and cannot change His will; therefore; why pray? A more sobering look at why we are to pray awaits anyone with a Bible in their possession to understand that God does indeed answer prayer. Jesus Himself said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” - Matthew 7:7. Do these sound like useless and ineffective commands? Does this sound like God doesn’t answer prayer? Doe this sound like God has already made up His mind?
There are only a few reasons why God doesn’t answer prayer. One would be what the Apostle James regards as an improper request, not because our prayer is improper but because we have asked for something that is not within the will of God. “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” James 4:3. We must approach God in a manner appropriate to Him as our Creator, Sustainer, and Lord.
The Apostle John reiterates this approach when he writes - “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.”- 1 John 5:14. We must be certain that what we ask for fits within God’s certain will, even when His will does not placate our human desires. Our own mothers and fathers didn’t always give us what we wanted; God is no different in this small respect.
Another reason God will reject our prayers as insignificant is when we come to Him with sinful hearts. Naturally, we all come to God in such a manner because we are all sinners at heart. But approaching God with humble hearts in reverence and contrition will often loosen us from the worldly bonds that so often darken our souls with unrepentant sin. “If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer.” - Psalm 66:18-19. Bringing our prayer requests to God while we bask in our sinfulness will always ring with the hollow and forlorn sound of ‘the weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
As regenerated children of God, we have been instructed to - “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. Again, we see that this is the will of God for us. The effectiveness of our prays made according to God’s will is hardly up for debate. Among the many clear accounts of answered prayer are this one - “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.” - James 5:17-18.
We may never know what God’s plans involve or are to bring about. We know what His declared will holds for us but His decretive will is another thing altogether. Why does God cure one but not another? Why does He save one from harsh persecution and not another? Why does He allow the genocide against one nation and not another? Why does God allow one child to live yet another to die? The answer to these questions we can only speculate about. Our understanding of why God does things the way He chooses to appears to us (if at all) as though through a fog. But one day - “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” - 1 Corinthians 13:12.
Our prayers are commanded by God and if for that reason alone, let us pray.

Sea Change - James 2:10

 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. - James 2:10

    The most self-aggrandizing words often come from the most sinful mouths. We have all heard the pretentious claims of someone who routinely transgresses against God’s word. While they are quick to ignore God’s commandments, they are even quicker to disparage others who don’t share their personal ideals about morality. Thoroughly convinced they occupy the moral high ground, they are first in line to pick over the laws they like and discard those they don’t. Newsflash: we don’t get to choose! And the Bible is perfectly clear regarding those who try. “Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity.” - Romans 1:28-29.
    These persons can mechanically point out their own pious acts and world view. They declare their love for others that includes everyone. And they steadfastly refuse to judge anyone, except those they vehemently disagree with. However, the true test is whether or not God sees their false piety as a blessed trait or merely the cloyingly sweet frosting of human sinfulness.
    Toleration and encouragement are well and good as long as we don’t tolerate and encourage blatant sinfulness. We certainly cannot condone or support a deadly game of spiritual Russian roulette as a sign of our universal love for anyone! “Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. So watch yourselves.” - Luke 17:1-3.
    Even the worst of humanity, through God’s common grace, do good from time to time. It doesn’t mean they are good. Even Hitler fed his dog, a good and righteous thing to do, but the one kindly act doesn’t change our view of this genocidal maniac or his sins. God’s justice demands that sin is condemned and punished, especially among those who carry on in sin throughout their lives and to their deaths. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” - 2 Corinthians 5:10. Everything we do will be judged; the good and the bad.
    A ‘sea change’ is required of us. Since we are sinners in the eyes of God we must either repent of those sins or die in them. Besides being sorry for our behavior, repenting also implies that we alter our behavior. It is not enough to simply say, “I’m sorry,” then simply fall back into our lives of debauchery. We must change our thoughts, words, and actions if we are to truly repent!  But it exacerbates and worsens our guilt before God when we point out that small handful of righteous things we do in lieu of our inexhaustive sinfulness. God has spoken and He observes what we think, say, and do. We cannot hide from Him. “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.” Psalm 139:7-8.
    Suggesting that the laws of God don’t apply to us is the same as saying the laws of nature don’t apply to us. Death, both physical and spiritual, await us either way. But all is not lost while we still breathe. There is now time for each of us to come to Christ in both word and deed. To suggest that even one sin will be ignored or overlooked is to declare that God is not righteous. We need the forgiveness that comes through faith in Jesus Christ! The atonement of the cross awaits all who will call on His holy name . . . and believe.
    “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” - Romans 10:9-10.

A Place Prepared For Us - John 14:2-3

 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. - John 14:2-3

    C. S. Lewis once said that Jesus was either a lunatic, a liar, or the Lord. The reasoning went something like this: only a madman would try to convince others that he was in fact God. By this definition 2000 years of Christianity and all its worldly benefits, i.e. the development of schools, hospitals, universities, charities and what not would have been based upon mankind’s dedicated following of a lunatic; hardly a believable scenario.
    On the other hand, Christ may have just been a clever liar seeking great fame, wealth, and power. If that were the case He failed miserably, living in abject poverty and eventually being arrested and crucified for His mendacity and claims of divinity. In either aforementioned story line, Jesus gathered and has maintained millions of believers over the past millennia under the banner of Christianity, the largest religion in the world. Many of His followers even went to their deaths as martyrs for their faith. What a stunning loss of life if Christ was merely a madman or a liar.
    But Lewis’ third possibility - that Jesus was exactly who He said He was - would explain humanity’s long and deeply rooted faith that Jesus is indeed the Son of the living God and the second member of the Holy Trinity. When viewed from this perspective it is the only answer that makes sense! “. . . and behold, a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.’” - Matthew 3:17.
    Having established that Jesus was neither a lunatic or a liar we can then extrapolate that the veracity of His words is beyond question or suspicion. When we take every true word that Christ spoke in the Bible then suggest that His claim to His divinity is somehow false, we futilely push against every truth of the Word of God. “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” - John 14:6.
    Christ tells us truly that He will come back and take us to Himself so that we may be where He is . . . in heaven! These are the words Jesus speaks to those who believe in Him. These are the words of the Lord and Savior to us who have been saved by faith alone in Christ alone to the glory of God alone.
    Some have said that the words of John 14:2-3 are some of Jesus’ most reassuring words in all of Scripture. Think about the comfort of Jesus’ words that there is a place for us in His kingdom. And what a kingdom it is. “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’” - Revelation 21:3-4.
    There is a heaven and we know so because Christ has told us so. No matter where we find the words of Christ, we find the truth. There are no lies when Jesus speaks to us. The veracity of His words is without question. He tells us plainly - ‘if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?” Jesus gives us no false hopes. He alludes to no fool’s paradise. His word is truth! “Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” - Proverbs 30:5. We must not let the foolishness of the world convince us that God is a liar. Let the glorious truth of eternity in heaven by God’s very word shine its light upon us now and forever.

Will It Truly Be A New Year? - Psalm 81:11-12

“But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels.” - Psalm 81:11-12

    A brand new year - 2021. For many it is all excitement. For others relief from what they consider their worst year ever. Regardless of how we see 2020, the only good change coming in the new year will depend upon how we conduct our lives. It will depend on what we allow into our lives and those things we allow to influence our lives; otherwise, this year will be no different. In fact, it may even be worse! We can’t possibly believe that things will be any better if we continue to repeat the mistakes of the past. “But they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in their own counsels and the stubbornness of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward.” - Jeremiah 7:24.
    Think for just a moment: how can we even hope for a difference in our lives if we maintain old attitudes and old corruptions? Rhetorically, we walk down the same street everyday and get beaten up on the same corner, then repeat it again, day after day. How can we possibly expect anything to change for the better when we continually repeat doing all the wrong things and making all the wrong choices? Stubbornness is not a godly trait. It is an arrogant human trait and suggests that we are smarter and more powerful than God. It is truly the road to perdition. We were warned in the past of such lofty attitudes and we are warned still today - “I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant, and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless.” - Isaiah 13:11.
    If we truly want the ‘new’ in our lives we must seek the new and not the same old sinful ways, hoping for a different outcome. We all know what that is the definition of. And if that weren’t enough, when we ignore God and pursue our own road, we inevitably reap what we sow. “Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices.” - Proverbs 1:29-31. So why on earth would this year be any different than last year?
    This shouldn’t come as any surprise to any of us. We know from our own pasts that God will ultimately give us what we demand, though not necessarily what we hope for or expect.  And when He does so, based upon our inclinations and proclivities, we burst into tears and demand to know ‘why.’ Angered and saddened by God’s answers to our own demands we heap curses upon Him and merely deepen the hole we have dug for ourselves. “If your children have sinned against him, he has delivered them into the hand of their transgression.” - Job 8:4. This, more than any other, gives all the more reason to be careful what we wish for.
    And if we decide that your life hasn’t been all that bad up to now, you can thank the restraining hand of God that He has kept you from the worst consequences of your sinful desires.
    But now is the rise of a new day and a new life based upon the promise of God, not some human manipulation resulting in more poor choices. God has promised us two possible resolutions to the lives we choose to live and He will certainly provide one or the other based upon our response to Him - the dire curse, “I will execute great vengeance on them with wrathful rebukes. Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I lay my vengeance upon them.”- Ezekiel 25:17 or the benign blessing. “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” - Ezekiel 36:26. There is no third option. Either we see God as a vengeful and hateful tyrant or we see Him as our Lord and Savior. 2021 could truly be a ‘new’ year and it all starts with our relationship with God.
   

Christmas 2020 Isaiah 7:14

 
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. - Isaiah 7:14

    Imagine in the year 1300 AD a prophecy was made that transpired now in 2020. The news would make the headlines around the world. Scientists, philosophers, and theologians would be pulling at every thread of the prediction to discover the secret of its truth. And well they should. For a prophecy made 700 years ago to come true today could not be a mere coincidence. There must be a deeper power behind it all. In fact, what takes place could be described as a miracle foretold: the arrival of the Anointed One, Christ on earth. “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’” (which means, God with us). - Matthew 1:22-23.
     But many are the names of the Anointed One. He is our Prophet, our Priest, and our King. His names are almost without limit. : “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” - Isaiah9:6.
    Also are the many beliefs as to why Jesus came to be born a man in the flesh. Some say He came to heal. Some say to preach. Some say to judge. Some even say to bring a worldly kingdom. But the Bible is explicit; Christ came to save. “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” - Matthew 1:21.
    Sadly, people see the day of Christ’s incarnation as just another holiday, one for giving and receiving gifts, family visits, and enjoying festive meals. The true meaning of Christmas has all but been obscured by the materialistic and the profane. We all spend far too much time on selfish celebrations and not enough time on godly meditations. We represent the very reason Christ came down! “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.” - 1 John 2:15-16.
    I’m not for a moment suggesting that we should all ignore the celebration due on the day of the Incarnation. It truly is a day for great thanks and festivities reserved for the coming of our King. “And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.’” - Luke 2:10-11.
    Imagine the joy of seeing the fulfillment of a prediction we have all awaited for so long- Christ the Savior among us! To rejoice over such a blessing should come natural to all of us, no matter what tribe, nation, or people we come from. Peace should abound in every soul, in every house, and in every nation on earth. But it must be the peace of the Lord, not the subjective peace of mankind. “Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.” - 2 Corinthians 13:11.This should be our primary consideration on Christmas day: God and man, reconciled.
    So as we wake on this most blessed of mornings let us remember the reason for our joy and happiness - Jesus Christ is born to us. Let His Good News shine down upon us.

Walking In Christ - Colossians 2:6-7

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. - Colossians 2:6-7

    Many have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior but now, due to cultural and societal stigma, they appear and sound more like the world around them than Jesus. The Apostle, Paul admonishes us all to first remember how we received Christ. And reminds us to ‘walk in him.’
    We are ‘rooted,’ firmly grounded in our faith. That means, like a sturdy and healthy tree, we will not be blown over or shaken to our foundations by the imaginings and flights of fantasy that affect so many ‘professing’ Christians. How often have we heard nominal Christians exposit upon some wild ideas about their faith in Christ?
    Being ‘rooted and built up in Him’ means that we are well-grounded in God’s holy, infallible, and inerrant Word. We know what we believe and why we believe it - “ . . . but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you . . . .” - 1 Peter 3:15.
    We are ‘established in the faith,’ just as we have been taught. It is only through diligent and determined belief and faith in Jesus Christ that we find ourselves ‘established.’ We are certain in our belief that we can count on Christ because of the faith we have in Him. And there is only one way that we can have such immovable faith.“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” - Romans 10:17. Hearing His Word through the Holy Scriptures comes as we listen to our pastors on Sunday and our own voices as we daily read the Word or share in a Bible study.
    And we must ‘abound’ in thanksgiving. All this deeply ingrained faith instills in our hearts a love for Christ that can come to us in no other way. That love is expressed in our thanksgiving. We are thankful because God’s Word is illuminating - “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” - Psalm 119:105. We are thankful because God’s Word is true - “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”  - John 17:17. And we are thankful because God’s Word is eternal - “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”- Matthew 24:35.
    We cannot glorify God by walking like the rest of the world. If our daily behavior appears no different than the behavior of those who are ‘of this world’ how will anyone recognize and know the difference? How will God be glorified?
    However, glorifying God doesn’t involve a baseless all-inclusive love for everyone and their sinful ways. We must understand and accept the fact that there will always be those who reject God and His commandments. These are worldly people who have not the slightest desire to love God and obey Him and have not been regenerated by the Holy Spirit. For these people, we can only pray that God would indeed bring His light into their darkened world.
    It has been said that ‘we are often the only Bible others will ever see.’ If our lives don’t reflect the Word of God then how do others see us? We must constantly be on guard to make sure we are reflecting an image that glorifies God and not ourselves. No matter what we are doing, we must behave in a way that glorifies God. “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” - 1 Corinthians 10:31. This is what is meant by the idea of ‘walking in Christ.’
    As we draw closer to Christmas we need to remember that the feelings of good tidings and generosity should stay with us year ‘round, not just during the holiday season, always remembering the surest way to glorify God - “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”- John 13:35.