Gaylord Diaz's Blog

WHEN YOU’RE TEMPTED TO FEAR, DON’T – PART 1

April 26, 2011 at 10:44 AM (Faith, Fear, Life of Christ, Miracles)

Synopsis: We all wrestle with fear. We’ve got good reason to fear. But in spite of our reasons and circumstances, God doesn’t want us to be afraid. As Christians, we’re supposed to be a people of faith. God wants us to believe, not fear. Here’s a post that will help us do just that.

Scripture Text: Mark 4:35-40, And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. {36} And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. {37} And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. {38} And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? {39} And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. {40} And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?

SO YOU’VE GOT GOOD REASON TO FEAR

One day, Jesus decided to go with His disciples to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. In the process of sailing, there arose a fierce storm. The storm was so bad that the disciples started fearing for their lives.

The one thing that I want you to note here is the disciples had good reason to be afraid. In Matthew’s account, the ship was covered by the waves (Matthew 8:24). That is, the waves were so tall and tempestuous that water was rapidly pouring in over the sides of the ship. The disciples couldn’t work fast enough to bail the water out. By all accounts, the ship was rapidly filling with water and starting to sink. Their lives really were in jeopardy just as Luke said in his account of this same incident (Luke 8:23). The disciples, I’m saying, had good reason to be afraid. Their lives were imperiled. The threat of death was imminent. If the Lord didn’t come through with a miracle for them, the winds, waves, and waters would take their very lives this dark and stormy night.

We all have had our storms at sea. There’ve been times when death came calling and we really felt that we could die at any moment. We’ve had our times of fear. And we’d just as soon prefer not to meet up with fear or death for a very long time.

EVEN WHEN YOU’VE GOT GOOD REASON TO FEAR, DON’T

Now whenever Jesus’ disciples were afraid He responded to them in one of two ways: (1) He either comforted them, assuaged their fear, and told them to fear not (Matthew 14:27); or, as in the case at hand, (2) He rebuked them for their fear and faithlessness and asked them, Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?

Do you know what Jesus’ rebuke tells me? In the first place, it tells me that NO MATTER HOW GOOD A REASON WE HAVE TO BE TERRIBLY AFRAID, JESUS DOESN’T WANT US TO BE AFRAID! Yes, the circumstances are quite dire and severe. The threat of death is very real and imminent. Jesus doesn’t deny any of that. But He still doesn’t want us to be afraid!

There were at least four experienced fishermen on that boat. And they, doubtless, weathered many storms at sea. But even these experienced fishermen were afraid. They knew what they were up against. They knew they could all be dead.

But from Jesus’ standpoint, THE THREAT OF DEATH DOESN’T JUSTIFY OR LEGITIMIZE OUR FEAR. No matter how real the circumstances, symptoms, or threat; no matter how severe the suffering or pain; Jesus doesn’t want us to be afraid. HE WANTS US TO BELIEVE EVEN WHEN BELIEVING IS A VERY DIFFICULT THING TO DO. HE WANTS US TO BELIEVE EVEN IN THE MIDST OF THE THREAT OF DEATH.

Jesus’ rebuke, in the second place, tells me that IT’S POSSIBLE TO GO THROUGH, AND GET THROUGH, A FEARFUL, DEATH-THREATENING, ORDEAL WITHOUT BEING AFRAID.

O, I’ll be the first one to say that I’ve been tempted to fear in the face of death. In fact, I have been afraid at death’s doors. I’ve gone through my severe storms at sea with respect to my lungs, heart, brain, and a number of other internal organs. My storms have raged on for months and years. I’ve known weariness. And in my darkest nights, I’ve kept company with despair and resignation. Yes, I’ve faced death many times. And, yes, I’ve been tempted to fear.

But I’ve found through all these storms that it’s possible to believe instead of fear if you just put your mind to it and choose to believe instead of fear or doubt. It’s not easy. It’s never been easy. It takes concentrated effort. It takes ceaseless work to stay in faith and keep on believing when there doesn’t seem to be any hope left. Believe me, you can stare death in the face and not be afraid—if you choose to believe.

And last, Jesus’ rebuke in this terrifying incident tells me that, no matter how hard it might be, IT’S POSSIBLE TO GO THROUGH THIS TRIAL AND ORDEAL WITHOUT SUFFERING HARM, LOSS OF LIFE, OR DEATH. Death may be knocking. But the faith that God wants us to have is the faith that we can go through the trial without getting killed in the process.

Now before any of you knock me, I know we all have a time to die. God allows some of His children to perish in the storm. I’m not going to question His sovereignty or His goodness. You’ve got to get quiet before the Lord, seek His face, and see if it’s His will to take you home on this particular storm-tossed night.

I’ve done my seeking and God, in one way or another, always lets me know what He wants me to do in the storms I’m facing. In every one thus far, He’s let me know that it’s not my time to die. Instead, He wants me to believe for preservation, healing, and life. That’s what I’ve done—with great effort and solely by His grace. And He’s always proven Himself true and faithful. Brethren, IT’S POSSIBLE TO GO THROUGH THE TRIAL AND ORDEAL WITHOUT SUFFERING HARM, LOSS OF LIFE, OR DEATH.

LISTEN TO GOD’S WORD, BELIEVE IT, AND IT’LL KEEP YOU FROM FEAR

Now I’ve said that you’ve got to get still before God and see what His will is in any given storm of life. God told these fearful disciples what His will was. They forgot it. They looked at their circumstances. And that’s why they were afraid. It works the same way with us. When we get our eyes off of the Lord and His promises, when our eyes and mind are glued to the dire circumstances that confront us; we, like the disciples, will get fearful.

But, wait a minute, you say. Where did God tell these disciples what His will was? Brethren, it’s so easy to pass over, forget, or not listen at all, to some of the things God says to us. The storm at sea is a case in point. Go back to the start of this incident in Mark 4:35and read what Jesus said. He said, Let us pass over unto the other side. Do you know what this means, brethren? It means Jesus wants to get to the other side of the Sea. He’s going to get to the other side. And nothing’s going to keep Him from getting there. Friends, that ship can’t sink as long as Jesus is on it! His will was to get to the other side. And not even the severest of storms can stop Him from doing His will.

In much the same way, brethren, when the ship of your life is beginning to sink with death’s waters, you’ve got to remember God’s Word, hold fast to it, and believe. God promised to heal you, not kill you: He said the prayer of faith shall heal the sick and the Lord shall raise him up (James 5:15). He promised you deliverance and escape, not death: He redeemeth thy life from destruction (Psalm 103:3). Yes, there are times when destruction threatens you. He never said you wouldn’t have trials or go through the valley of the shadow of death. But God promised to save you from destruction and you’ve got to believe that no matter how bad or convincing the circumstances look.

If, and when, it’s your time to die; then, and only then, do you relinquish the promise of healing and life and redirect your faith to God’s providential care and presence as you go through death’s portal.

Whatever the case may be, in every circumstance of life, God, dear brethren, wants you to be faithful, not fearful. If God has not told you otherwise, stay with the promises of God’s Word because HIS PROMISES ARE A REVELATION OF HIS WILL. They’re indicative of what His will is in the present storm: He wants to save you, not kill you. And He’ll do that very thing if you believe. All things are possible to him that believeth (Mark 9:23). All things, brethren, means all things. That includes your present encounter with death.

Stand resolutely on God’s Word, my friend. Believe it. Expect God to keep and honor it. And you’ll have the courage and strength to go through the storm knowing that you’ll be alright in the end. You’re in good hands. And remember above all that you’ve got Jesus with you at the back of the boat. That boat of yours ain’t gonna sink. God bless you and help you to believe.

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PEOPLE NEED THE LORD

April 19, 2011 at 9:51 AM (From My Life, Musings)

As we grow older and we go through life’s manifold experiences and trials; as our bodies go through the degenerative aging process; I’ve learned this much—we all need the Lord. Every human being without exception needs the Lord. Not everyone realizes, acknowledges, or accepts this basic fact of life. Many live and die rejecting God and ridiculing the absurd notion of God. As far as they’re concerned, they have no need for God. I am so glad to be contrarily minded.

When we’re sick in a serious way, we need God to heal us.
When the doctors give us no hope, we need God to fill us with hope.
When we’re confronted with life’s greatest fears, we need God to calm our fears and fill our mind with His peace and the knowledge that everything’s going to be alright. He’ll take care of us.
When the tragedies of life overtake us and our soul is disconsolate with grief, we need God to bring peace to our troubled soul.
When we’re tormented and driven to insanity by our inner demons, we need God to set us free and give us rest.
When the trials of life assail us on every side and we just can’t find any reason to hold on and live, we need God to shine the sun of His love upon us and show us a better morning coming.
When everything we’ve tried just isn’t working and we’re at our wits’ end to find an answer or solution, we need God to give us wisdom and show us the way.
When we’re confronted with so many conflicting opinions, beliefs, and philosophies—each one sounding singularly good and right; we need God to show us the light of truth and deliver us from the damning lies of men and demons.
When we’re driven to the point of despair and hopelessness where taking our life is the only remedy we know; we need God to intervene and stop us. We need Him to give us hope and a reason to live for just one more moment. And for each moment after that.
When our strength is gone and we lie at the mercies of others to care for us, we need God to fill us with strength beyond our years; and if not that, then to give us a sense of our dignity and worth.
When our mind fails and leaves us, we need God to be with us still and let us know He’ll not leave or forsake us.
When we’re staring death in the face and are on the verge of passing into “The Great Unknown,” we need God to let us know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He’ll be there to usher us into a better world and a better life.
Finally, when our life is over and we stand before the Judgment Seat of God, as every human being will surely stand; we need God to be merciful to us and grant us a place in glory. How we’ll need Him to deliver us from a pained and tormented eternity in the fires of Hell—indescribable pain for time without end. O how we all need the Lord!

I am blest to believe in God and to be His child. I am a recipient of God’s many, and daily, mercies. Yes, I’ve known life’s many trials and I’ve cried my share of tears. But God’s been there for me and I’ve made it this far because He’s borne me in His arms of love. I face an unknown, uncertain future. But this much I know. God will be there for me. And, with Him by my side, I can face what lies ahead with peace, hope, and joy in knowing that He’ll never leave, fail, or forsake me. I praise Him. And yes, I need Him. As much, and more, now than ever before.

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DON’T GIVE UP PART 2

April 17, 2011 at 9:15 PM (Endurance, Faith, Life of Christ, Miracles)

TWO OTHER BLIND MEN THAT WE CAN MIMIC

Matthew 9:27-31, And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us. (28) And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. (29) Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. (30) And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it. (31) But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country.

Jesus is in His hometown of Capernaum. He has gone to Jairus’ house and He’s raised Jairus’ dead daughter back to life. Leaving the house, Jesus heads back home with His disciples. As He was en route, two blind men followed Him, crying, Thou Son of David, have mercy of us.

Now the verbs crying and saying in the Greek text of verse 27 are in the present participle tense. It’s the tense of present and continuing action. In other words, these men didn’t just ask Jesus once: they kept on asking and asking. They continued to ask. Do you know why they did that? Because Jesus ignored them and kept right on walking home. I’ll show it to you in just a moment. But for now, Jesus paid them no mind. He acted as if He didn’t hear them. As in Bartimaeus’ case, here was Jesus’ initial refusal to acknowledge or assist them. It was, from all outward appearances, a definite, convincing NO to their prayer and plea for a miracle. And, just as in Bartimaeus’ case, the message that these two blind men are getting is, Jesus doesn’t want to heal us.

So what did the blind men do? They kept right on following and crying out, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us. It’s called persistence. It’s called refusing to be denied. It’s called refusing to take No for an answer, even if that No is coming from the Lord Himself!

So is Jesus’ initial denial a definite No to your prayer and plea for a miracle? If you were these two blind men, would you have given up on Jesus and gone home? You see, like Bartimaeus and the blind men, you have a choice. You can go home and live the rest of your life blind. Or you can follow on, not give up hope, and get your miracle from God. What’s it going to be?

Perhaps your faith has been shattered by God’s apparent refusal to acknowledge or answer you. Perhaps you’re disillusioned with God, even angry and bitter, because you just can’t understand why God won’t help you. Brethren, could it be that your faith’s been shattered because you’ve quit yelling? Could it be you’re disillusioned with God because, instead of continuing to follow Him and cry out to Him, you’ve turned around and gone home? Could it be you haven’t gotten your miracle or answer because you’ve given up? You say you gave God time. Lots of time. Funny you should say that because God was giving you time too—time to persevere and persist—but you gave up too soon. I mean no disrespect. And I’m not being insensitive about the hurt, anger, and disappointment you might feel towards God. I know what it’s like to hurt and not get an answer to prayer. But someone has to say it and I guess I’ve been chosen by God to say it: you gave up too soon.

You know, now’s not too late to get your miracle. You’ve still got a chance to get it. But you’ll need to apologize to God first if you’ve gotten angry with Him. Then ask Him for your miracle. Then wait for as long as God takes.

People today are so impatient. No one likes waiting. Especially me. I’m about as impatient as they come. But after waiting on God for years to answer a couple of my prayers, I’ve become convinced that GOD TAKES THE LONGEST TIME TO ANSWER THE PRAYERS OF THOSE WHO ARE IMPATIENT WITH HIM. I don’t have any Scriptures to back this up, so I’ll tell you right now that I may be wrong about this. If I am and if I’m charging God falsely I publicly apologize to Him for it. But, as far as my experience goes, God takes the longest time to answer the prayers of those who are impatient with Him. And HE TAKES THE LONGEST TIME BECAUSE HE’S TEACHING THEM TO BE PATIENT. THE SOONER WE LEARN THE LESSON AND BECOME PATIENT, THE SOONER WE GET OUR PRAYERS ANSWERED.

Now I don’t want to mislead you and make you think that God’s going to take years before He answers everyone of your prayers. That’s not the case. Some prayers He answers right away. Some within a reasonably short period of time. And others, after a few months or years. The timing is in God’s hands and we have no control over that.

God knows when you need an answer NOW. He knows when you need a miracle NOW. Because if you don’t get it NOW, you’ll be dead. If not dead, you’ll come to the end of your endurance and you can’t possibly endure the trial another minute longer. God promised that you won’t be tried longer than what you can endure,1 Cor. 10:13. When you reach the end of your endurance, that’s when the trial ends. That’s when you get your miracle.

Thankfully, God answers you NOW when you really need it NOW. GOD KNOWS WHEN TO GIVE YOU YOUR MIRACLE. AND YOU JUST HAVE TO REST ASSURED THAT YOUR MIRACLE WILL COME AT THE RIGHT TIME. IN GOD’S TIME.

I said that these two blind men cried out to Jesus and Jesus didn’t pay any attention to them. He ignored them and kept right on walking home. Note verse 28 with me, And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him. Jesus is at home now. There’s a knock on the door. Two guys want to see Jesus. Guess who they were. You got it. It was the two blind men. They set their fears and apprehensions aside, and asked, Is Jesus here? Would you mind if we see Jesus? The blind men, I’m saying, aren’t giving up. They really want to see Jesus and they’re not going to leave Jesus alone. They’re not going to let Jesus rest until He pays attention to them.

Well, you know how the story ended. They asked Jesus to heal them and that’s exactly what Jesus did.

So what’s the lesson that God would have us learn today? It’s this. There are times when answers to prayer come after, and only after, we’ve persisted and persevered in faith. Sometimes—not all the time—but sometimes, He lets us wait. And He even makes it look as if He isn’t paying any attention to us, He isn’t listening, He doesn’t care, He’s at the back of the boat sound asleep. But He does care, brethren. His initial No is His way of getting us to persist and not give up. Why does He want us to persist? Because it’s through faith and perseverance that we inherit what God’s promised us.

Don’t despair and think, just because you haven’t gotten the answer or the miracle yet, that it isn’t God’s will for you to have it. Listen, brethren. IF GOD MADE YOU A PROMISE, IT’S BECAUSE IT’S HIS WILL FOR YOU TO HAVE THAT PROMISE. IF IT WASN’T GOD’S WILL FOR YOU TO HAVE WHAT HE PROMISED, THEN HE WOULDN’T HAVE MADE YOU THE PROMISE. But He promised it. You have the promises. They’re written all over your Bible. It’s God’s will for you to have what He promised. You’ve assumed the wrong thing. You thought it wasn’t God’s will to give you what you asked. So you gave up and quit asking. But the fact of the matter is, it is God’s will to give you what you asked. Just not right now, but later.

Brethren, JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVEN’T GOTTEN IT YET DOESN’T MEAN YOU WON’T GET IT OR YOU’LL NEVER GET IT. DELAY IS NOT DENIAL. God’s seeming NO at first is really His YES—after you’ve believed and waited. Brethren, God’s teaching you persistence. So hang in there. Don’t throw in the towel! Don’t give up! God bless you and help you persist.

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DON’T GIVE UP PART 1

April 15, 2011 at 9:29 AM (Endurance, Faith, Life of Christ, Miracles)

IT TAKES FAITH AND PERSISTENCE TO GET AN ANSWER TO PRAYER

Faith is a requirement for answered prayer. But there’s another aspect of faith that God wants us to have because it’s also a requirement for getting miracles and answers to prayer. This aspect of faith is called perseverance, persistence, or endurance. It’s called not giving up. God wants you to persist and persevere in faith. He wants you to keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking, keep on confessing, keep on waiting, keep on enduring, keep on believing.

Why? Because PERSEVERANCE IS A CONDITION OR REQUIREMENT FOR ANSWERED PRAYER. Hebrews 6:11-12 tells us, And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: (12) That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Now the word patience literally means ‘endurance’ or longsuffering. It means to patiently suffer, wait, and endure. A lot of Jesus’ miracles in the Gospel accounts were performed immediately. That is, a person asked Him for help and, right then and there, the person got his/her miracle.

But when the Lord tells us here in Hebrew 6 that we inherit the promises by faith and patience, the Lord’s telling us what we already know from experience, namely, that not every prayer is answered right away as far as a manifestation is concerned. Not every miracle is performed instantly right after you’ve asked. Some miracles and answers to prayer take time. That’s just the way it is. We can’t have everything right away. And we can’t tell God what to do or when to do it. God’s the Giver, He’s the Healer, He’s the Miracle-Worker; and He’ll give, heal, and work a miracle, in His own good time and way.

By God’s design, He let us wait. He lets us suffer some more. He lets the storm rage on for just a little bit longer. Why? Because He wants to teach us to wait, persevere, and persist. Why wait? Because He’s decided that THERE ARE TIMES—NOT ALL THE TIME, BUT SOMETIMES—WHEN WE NEED TO BELIEVE AND WAIT BEFORE WE GET AN ANSWER TO PRAYER. In verse 15 of our Scripture text we read that Abraham, after he patiently endured, he obtained the promise. Do you know how long he waited and patiently endured before he got what God promised him? 25 years!

Thankfully, God doesn’t let us suffer and wait for 25 years every time we pray and ask Him for something. But still, when God decides that He wants us to suffer and wait before we get our miracle, He wants us to know that, EVEN THOUGH HE HASN’T ANSWERED OUR PRAYER YET OR HASN’T GIVEN US OUR MIRACLE; HE NEVERTHELESS STILL WANTS TO GIVE IT TO US. But we’ve got to wait, suffer a little bit more, hang on, and don’t throw in the towel. Brethren, don’t quit believing. Don’t quit asking. Don’t quit expecting. Don’t quit confessing. Don’t quit hoping. Don’t give up!

Now the text of Scripture here in Hebrews 6:12exhorts us to be followers of them who, through faith and persistence, get the promises. The word follow here literally means to mimic or copy; to imitate or be just like someone else. In other words, we’re supposed to be just like those persons in the Bible who got promises, miracles, and answers to prayer because they believed God, and suffered, and waited; they persevered, persisted, and endured; until they got what they asked God for; or got what God promised to give them.

Since we’re supposed to mimic these people who got their miracles, we’ve got to know who they are and see what they did. After all, we can’t copy someone if we don’t know who they are or what they did. So with this in mind, I’d like to spend the rest of our time looking at a couple of people who got what they wanted because they persevered.

A BLIND MAN THAT WE CAN MIMIC

Mark 10:46-52 And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. (47) And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. (48) And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. (49) And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee. (50) And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus. (51) And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. (52) And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.

Jesus and His disciples were traveling through Jericho on their way to Jerusalem. They were going there for the Passover feast. This was one of the yearly feasts where every Jew, thirteen years old and older, was required to attend. So, there’s a lot of people from all over the region, continent, and empire, traveling along with Jesus, going to the Passover in Jerusalem.

As they were leaving Jericho, a blind beggar was sitting by the side of the road. When he heard that Jesus was passing by, blind Bartimaeus cried out and said, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. Evidently, Bartimaeus had heard enough about Jesus and His miracles to know that Jesus could heal him of his blindness. Just as importantly, as every Jew would know, he knew that one of the things that Messiah would do when He comes is, he would restore sight to the blind (Isaiah 42:7,16). The Messiah, the Son of David, is here! He’s just a few short feet away! Here was Bartimaeus’ golden opportunity to get healed!

So he called out to Jesus. Now Bartimaeus isn’t talking in a conversational tone of voice or volume. There’s a huge crowd around Jesus. There’s a lot of talking going on, a lot of noise, so Bartimaeus has to yell and scream in order to be heard. So he yells, Jesus, thou Messiah of Israel, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. Saying have mercy on me, to a Jew, was the same as saying, heal me, or help me.

So here is blind Bartimaeus. He cries out to Jesus to heal him and do you know what? He doesn’t get a response. Maybe Jesus didn’t hear him. So he yells out a second time. And this time he yells out louder. And do you know what Jesus does? He keeps right on walking past Bartimaeus! So what does Bartimaeus do? He keeps on yelling and shouting, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. He was yelling so loud and persistently that the people who were traveling with Jesus came to Bartimaeus and told him to shut up. Now if these people who told Bartimaeus to shut up heard him yelling, then you can be sure, absolutely sure, that Jesus heard him too. But Jesus doesn’t stop to acknowledge or help him.

Do you know what Bartimaeus did after he was told to stop yelling? He went right back to yelling. And because Jesus just keeps on walking, now He’s farther away from Bartimaeus. So Bartimaeus yells out even louder. Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. Bartimaeus, you see, didn’t give up. He didn’t quit yelling when he was ordered to quit yelling. He didn’t listen to what people were telling him to do.

What’s even more significant, bold, and blatant about Bartimaeus is this. He’s yelled out to Jesus. Jesus doesn’t pay him any mind. He ignores him. He keeps right on walking past Bartimaeus. Jesus hasn’t stopped or skipped a heart beat. He’s continuing to walk towards Jerusalem. And if you and I didn’t know Jesus any better, we would have interpreted Jesus’ actions here to mean, Bartimaeus, Jesus is walking past you. He isn’t stopping. I guess He doesn’t want to heal you. If He wanted to heal you He would have stopped. But He didn’t. I guess it’s not His will to heal you. You’ll just have to live with it and get over it. Jesus is in a hurry to get to Jerusalem. He ain’t gonna stop for you. So shut up and quit yelling for Him.

Do you see what I mean? Jesus has ignored Bartimaeus and the message that Bartimaeus is getting is, Jesus doesn’t want to stop and help me. Bartimaeus ignores the message. He doesn’t let Jesus’ apparent “No” discourage, deter, or stop him from yelling and asking some more. He doesn’t take a No from Jesus! How bold, blatant, and presumptuous can you be? This guy wants to see. And he’s not going to let anyone, including Jesus Himself, stop him from at least asking. Bartimaeus will not be silenced. Bartimaeus will not be denied.

If you were Bartimaeus—if you were told by more than one person on more than one occasion to shut up and quit yelling; if the message you got from Jesus was that He wasn’t interested in healing or helping you; would you have stopped yelling?

Bartimaeus, you see, wanted to be healed bad enough. He was blind. He couldn’t follow Jesus around like the rest of Jesus’ followers. I’m convinced that, if he could, he would have followed Jesus to the ends of the earth until Jesus gave him what he wanted. But, alas, his blindness prevented his mobility. Jesus didn’t come to Jericho every day. But on this particular day, Jesus was here. Who knows when He’ll be by this way again. As it turns out in hindsight, Jesus would not be in Jericho again. He’s on His way to Jerusalem to die. This was the last known time that Jesus would be in Jericho. For Bartimaeus, and unknown to him, there is no second chance. There’s no other opportunity to get ahold of Jesus. Jesus is here right now. And now is all the time, the only chance, that Bartimaeus has to get ahold of Jesus. So Bartimaeus just keeps on persisting and calling out for Jesus. He’s gonna get ahold of Jesus if it’s the last thing he does.

Jesus has left Bartimaeus in the distance. But He stops now and tells His disciples to go back there and fetch this screamer. What do you want, Bartimaeus? And the blind beggar answers, Lord, I want to see. I’d like for you to see just how big, or how strong, Bartimaeus’ faith was. Bartimaeus was blind. And in those days, as even in ours, there was no cure for blindness. Blindness was something that you lived with for the rest of your life. But not Bartimaeus! He wasn’t content to live the rest of his life blind—not as long as Messiah was here. Not as long as the Miracle-worker was here. Bartimaeus believed he could be healed and see. Wow! What faith! And what persistence! If only we all could be like this blind beggar!

Jesus, in response, says, Go your way. Your faith has made you whole! Hallelujah! What a God! What a dramatic scene! What started out as a denial became a later miracle. An initial denial or refusal from Jesus could have been so discouraging, so devastating, so depressing, as to cause Bartimaeus to quit believing, quit hoping for a miracle, quit yelling. But Bartimaeus refused to take a No, even from the Lord! He persisted and kept on asking, kept on believing. He didn’t give up! And as a result, he went home seeing.

God’s initial refusal or no, my friend, does not mean that it’s not His will to answer your prayer or give you your miracle. God’s initial, continuing refusal is simply His way of getting you to yell some more and keep on yelling. Why? Because you need to believe and persist if you want your miracle.

Coming Up On My Next Blog Post, Part 2. The inspirational example of a couple of blind men who would not be denied.

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PRINCIPLES OF CHANGE: MEETING & SPENDING TIME WITH THE LORD

April 12, 2011 at 8:13 PM (Christian Living, Principles Of Change)

INTRODUCTION

THE CHRISTIAN LIFE IS MEANT TO BE A LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCE. 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us, If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. God loved us and saved us as we were. But He doesn’t leave us as we were.

When God saved us He had a definite plan and goal in mind for us. And one of these goals is that we be like Jesus. Romans 8:29 tells us, For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. I started out by saying that the Christian life is meant to be a life-changing experience. God, beloved, is out to change us because He wants us to be like Jesus.

Now because all of us here today are not entirely like Jesus right now, then it should not surprise us to know that there are some things about ourselves that the Lord wants us to change. We can talk about certain attitudes, thoughts, opinions, morals, beliefs, behavior, conduct, habits, lifestyle, relationships, friendships, and the like. The point is, there are some things in our lives that the Lord is out to change.

Now CHANGE CAN BE SHORT-LIVED. A perfect example is when a fornicator hears a really convicting message about his sin and repents of his fornication. The repentance lasts for several hours or days, until the next temptation comes around and he finds himself back in fornication.

The desire to change can be well-meaning. The intention, sincere. So many druggies and alcoholics have vowed to change, only to return a short while later to the drugs and alcohol that they still craved.

Why are some changes short-lived? THEY’RE SHORT-LIVED WHEN OUTWARD CHANGE IS NOT ACCOMPANIED BY AN INWARD CHANGE OF HEART OR MIND.

You see, as long as your heart is given to stealing, you’ll steal. As long as you love fooling people, you’ll keep on lying and pulling the wool over people’s eyes. You’ll do whatever you love to do.

But when you change your mind about fooling people, you’ll quit fooling people. When you change your mind about stealing, you’ll quit stealing. YOU’LL DO WHATEVER YOU LOVE TO DO—EITHER GOOD OR BAD.

SO FOR ANY CHANGE TO BE LASTING IT HAS TO BEGIN WITH A CHANGE IN YOUR HEART AND MIND BECAUSE THAT’S WHERE YOUR TRUE LOVE LIVES.

Here are some soul-searching, thought-provoking questions that I’d like for you to consider. How do we change something that we don’t think needs to be changed? How do we change when we think we’re alright just the way we are? How do we change our mind about some things when we’ve already got our mind made up?

I would like to share with you a series of messages that the Lord gave me entitled ‘PRINCIPLES OF CHANGE’. These principles are the Biblical truths that enable and empower us to change. Chances are, you already know what most of these principles are. So, instead of rehashing things you already know, I’d like to show you these principles in action in the lives of Bible characters just like you and me. If these principles of change succeeded in changing people just like you and me, then we can be encouraged with the fact that—no matter how bullheaded or incorrigible we may be—these same Biblical principles can also change us. So without further adieu, let’s get started.

THE PRINCIPLE OF CHANGE

In order for us to change our minds about certain things that we just don’t think we need to change we need to have a life-changing, saving encounter with Jesus Christ. If we’re already saved, then we need to go to Him and listen to whatever He says to us. The principle of change, simply put, is this. IN ORDER FOR US TO CHANGE WE’VE GOT TO MEET THE LORD AND SPEND SOME TIME WITH HIM.

SAUL OF TARSUS

A prime example of a changed life that results from a saving encounter with Jesus Christ is Saul of Tarsus. Now Saul was a very devout Jew. He was a Pharisee who was so committed to the Law of Moses and the elders that he came to have a murderous hatred of Christians. Why was that? Because Saul was firmly convinced that Christianity was a perversion of Judaism. In our day, it would be the same as saying that Christianity is a cult, it’s a false religion. Christ and His followers contradicted and violated many of the laws that the Jews held to be sacrosanct. In Saul’s view, the only way to preserve Judaism from being corrupted and perverted was to get rid of, and kill, the Christians who were perverting it.

Acts 9:1-2, And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, (2) And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.

Now from his own standpoint, Saul believed he was right to persecute and murder Christians. He didn’t think it was wrong. He was doing the right thing. He reminds me so much of ourselves. WE’RE SO CONVINCED WE’RE DOING THE RIGHT THING. BUT, UNBEKNOWNST TO US, WE’RE AS WRONG AS WRONG CAN BE!

So what will it take for us to see we’re wrong? What will it take for us to change our hearts and minds about some things? It’ll take a saving encounter with Jesus Christ.

Acts 9:3, And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven. God knows how to reveal Himself in such a way that the person knows beyond all shadow of a doubt that he’s met God. As a Jew, Saul knew that God and light were synonymous. The psalmist wrote in Psalm 104:2 that God covers Himself with light. When you couple the light with a voice from Heaven, then, for a Jew, this was pretty irrefutable proof that God Himself Is speaking directly to you.

(4) And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? Saul finds it strange that God would accuse him of persecuting him. Saul wasn’t persecuting God. So if this isn’t God talking to him, who is it? Saul decides to ask.

(5) And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. By revealing Himself to Saul in this supernatural manner, and speaking to him from Heaven, Saul can come to only one logical, unmistakable conclusion: Jesus is God! You see, for the Jews, when a guy dies he doesn’t go up to Heaven. He goes down to Hades. But Jesus isn’t down there. He’s up there. And if He’s up there, then this can only mean He’s God because God’s in Heaven.

I said earlier that God knows how to reveal Himself in such a way that the person knows beyond all shadow of a doubt that he’s met God. Here in verse 5 we see that God knows exactly when to reveal Himself and get a person saved.

Consider this. Saul was in Jerusalem during Jesus’ earthly ministry. I have no doubt in my mind that he saw Jesus in person when Jesus was in Jerusalem; and he heard Jesus teach when Jesus was teaching in the Temple. But Jesus and Saul never got together, one-on-one, like here at the Damascus Road, because it wasn’t God’s time. Saul was a Jesus-hater at this time and, if Jesus had a one-on-one with him, I’m sure Saul would have tried to kill him on the spot. He wouldn’t have succeeded because Jesus had to be crucified in order to fulfill prophecy. But still, Jesus isn’t going to give Saul a chance to kill Him in private—that’s why He never had a one-on-one with Him.

But now that Jesus is in Heaven, He gets His one-on-one with Saul because Saul isn’t in a position to kill Him and Saul isn’t in any position to argue or deny anything that Jesus is getting ready to say to him. Now’s the right time to get Saul saved. Notice Saul’s response. He doesn’t get off the dirt, look up to Heaven, shake his fists at Jesus, and call Him all kinds of dirty names. He doesn’t cuss Jesus out and blame Him for corrupting Judaism. The fight, the hatred, the murder, is gone. Why is that? Because Saul knows that the Heavenly Light and the Heavenly Voice are a God-thing. Saul is changing. He was so sure that Jesus was a false Messiah. For the first time in his life he’s coming to grips with the fact that he was wrong about Jesus. He’s beginning to see that all these disciples who he killed, arrested, and imprisoned were right about Jesus after all. Jesus is God! Saul now sees that YOU CAN BE SO SURE ABOUT SOMETHING AND BE DEAD WRONG ABOUT IT.

(6) And he trembling and astonished. I laugh and lament within myself whenever I see someone get so haughty and in-your-face with God. When they meet the Lord—either here on Earth or before the Judgment Throne of God—they’ll hit dirt, like Saul, and they’ll learn to fear and respect the Lord. Talking about fear, some people respond best when fear is involved. Fear will get them to change or to get saved. If fear’s the only thing that will get you saved, God knows how to scare the dickens out of you and bring you to a point where you’re so afraid of your life that you want to give your life to the Lord.

(6) And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? Saul went to Damascus knowing what he was going to do. He was going to arrest Christians and drag them back to Jerusalem to stand trial. But all that has changed. The important thing now is, What do you, Lord, want me to do? WHEN YOU MEET GOD YOUR HEART CHANGES FROM WHAT YOU WANT TO DO TO WHAT GOD WANTS YOU TO DO. YOU’LL WANT TO DO GOD’S WILL, NOT YOUR OWN.

And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. (7) And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man. (8) And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus. (9) And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.

Saul’s encounter with Jesus changed his life forever. Acts 9:20-22 records Saul’s drastic turnaround, And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God. (21) But all that heard him were amazed, and said; Is not this he that destroyed them which called on this name in Jerusalem, and came hither for that intent, that he might bring them bound unto the chief priests? (22) But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ.

Look at how Saul’s heart, mind, and life were changed when he met the Lord. He was so sure of himself. As far as he was concerned, Jesus was not the Messiah. He was not the Son of God. There was no way Saul was going to believe otherwise or change. Like a lot of us. Like a lot of your loved ones and friends who swear they’ll never believe in God or Jesus. But when Saul met the Lord and spent three days talking to Him, Saul had a genuine change of heart and mind. The Jesus that he once preached against and denounced now became the Jesus that he boldly proclaimed to be the Son of God.

A CHANGE OF HEART AND MIND, I’M SAYING, TAKES PLACE WHEN YOU MEET THE LORD AND GET SAVED. The Lord knows just what to say to open your eyes, convict you of your wrongful ways, and get you to change your mind. MEETING JESUS IS A LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCE. THAT’S WHERE TRUE, LASTING CHANGE BEGINS. Jesus can change your heart. Your mind. Your life. But in order for Him to do that, you’ve got to meet Him.

JESUS’ FIRST, OR EARLIEST, DISCIPLES

Jesus’ first disciples were disciples of John the Baptizer. They were Andrew and John. Now because Andrew and John were disciples of the Baptizer, they were very well informed of the coming Christ. The Baptizer taught them well. One day, the Baptizer, Andrew, and John were standing on the banks of the River Jordan when Jesus showed up.

John 1:35-39, Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; (36) And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! (37) And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. (38) Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou? (39) He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.

Andrew and John spent the rest of the day with Jesus—talking to Him, listening to Him, finding out who He was, what He believed. By the time they were done listening to Him, they were convinced that Jesus really was the Christ. John 1:40-41, One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. (41) He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.

The same thing happened to Philip and Nathanael. John 1:43-49, The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me. (44) Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. (45) Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. (46) And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. (47) Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! (48) Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. (49) Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.

THE TIME YOU SPEND WITH JESUS HAS THE POWER TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE, YOUR HEART, YOUR MIND, YOUR BELIEFS. This principle of change is how Jesus’ first disciples became His disciples. They met Him, spent time with Him, believed Him, and ended up following Him. CHANGE REQUIRES CONVERSION FIRST OF ALL. THEN COMMUNION.

AS LONG AS YOU MAINTAIN A COLD, LONG-DISTANCE RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS; AS LONG AS YOU AREN’T PRAYING OR READING THE BIBLE A WHOLE LOT; AS LONG AS YOU’RE SPENDING VERY LITTLE TIME WITH JESUS, YOU’RE NOT GOING TO CHANGE. Why is that? Because change requires communion.

Could it be you haven’t changed because you haven’t met the Lord? Could it be you haven’t changed a whole lot because you haven’t spent a whole lot of time with the Lord?

You know, if you don’t like being with your wife, or if you can’t stand being with your husband; something’s wrong with you and your marriage. If you don’t like being with your kids, or don’t care to be around them; something’s wrong. It works the same way with the Lord. If you don’t like, or enjoy, spending time with the Lord, something’s wrong. Now’s a good time to get things right with yourself and the Lord. You can have the best year ever if you get back in sync with God.

So spend some time with the Lord, listen to His voice, and you just might be surprised at what He says to you. You just might change some things that you never thought needed to be changed or thought couldn’t possibly ever be changed. May God bless you, meet with you, and change you from the inside out.

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CIRCLE THE WAGONS

April 8, 2011 at 7:42 PM (Church Life & Ministry)

A Word Of Introduction. The following message is one of the most anointed and memorable sermons that I have ever preached. I am happy to share it with you for such a time as this. I pray that God will use the message to inspire all God’s people to love and care for another as if our very lives depended on it. In truth, it does.

INTRODUCTION

During the 1800’s we had what is known in American History as the westward expansion when many settlers in the east packed up their belongings, joined a wagon train, and headed west to settle the frontiers. The wagon trains were headed by a wagon master. Whenever there was an Indian attack the wagon master would issue the order to circle the wagons. The wagon in the lead, and those behind it, would circle around and form a complete circle with the last wagon in the train. This circular barrier was like a makeshift fort out in the open. It gave the settlers a wall of protection and they would stave off the attack, shooting their guns from behind their wagons. When night came, the wagon train would once again circle the wagons so that the settlers could eat, rest, and amuse themselves behind the wall of protection that their wagons gave them. Based on this familiar scene of a bygone era, the title for our message today is ‘Circle The Wagons’.

SCRIPTURE TEXT

Exodus 17:8-13, Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. (9) And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. (10) So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. (11) And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. (12) But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. (13) And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

THE AMALEKITE AGGRESSION

The Israelites have been delivered from a long, dark night of bondage in Egypt. They’ve crossed the Red Sea where the Lord destroyed the great Egyptian army. They’ve entered the Desert of Sin and, coming to a place called Rephidim, the great company of about 3 million Israelites was attacked by the Amalekites. Now this is a significant page in the annals of Israel’s history because it marked the first time in their history that a heathen nation went to war against Israel. Out of all the nations of the Earth, the Amalekites were the first to make war with Israel.

Deuteronomy 25 sheds additional light on how the Amalekites carried out their attack: they attacked Israel from the rear. Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt; {18} How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God (Deut. 25:17-18).

As you would imagine, a nation of roughly 3 million people formed a rather long caravan line, stretching out for miles in the desert. As is often the case, the weak and weary lagged behind the main body of Israelites. They were the stragglers and they made up the rear.

Now when the Amalekites attacked, they did not attack the front, as is customary in battle. But rather, they attacked the rear. And because these Israelites at the rear were weary and weak, many of them were killed. They were simply not physically strong enough to defend themselves and thwart the Amalekite attack.

Like these weary Israelites at the rear, THE PEOPLE WHO ARE MOST SUSCEPTIBLE TO SATAN’S ATTACK AND SLAUGHTER ARE THOSE WHO ARE SPIRITUALLY WEAK AND WEARY. Brethren, when you find yourself getting tired of walking with the Lord; when you start questioning, and resisting, and defying, the Lord’s will for your life; when you’re tired of believing, hoping, and praying for a miracle; when faith turns to doubt and hope turns to despair; that’s the time for you to really be careful and watch your rear because Satan will attack you from the rear.

He’ll attack the rear first because these are the people who are the weakest and weariest of the bunch; they’re the ones who offer him the least resistance; and because they offer him the least resistance, they hand the Devil his easiest victories. Brethren, do not be weary in well doing. Keep pace with Lord. Keep up with the church. Don’t lag behind because you’ll be the first to be attacked—and quite possibly, the first to be slaughtered. IT’S DANGEROUS TO LAG BEHIND!

THE ISRAELITE RESPONSE

So what did the Israelites do? They fought back. And won! It was the first war they ever fought and they won! The victory is really quite signal when you consider the fact that the Israelites had just come out of Egypt. They were shepherds, farmers, brick makers and pyramid builders. They were not experienced warriors. They didn’t have a trained, professional army. They never saw combat before. They were caught completely off-guard in this surprise, unprevoked attack. But the Israelites fought back. And the marvelous, amazing thing of it was, they won! They defeated an experienced army! With God’s help, of course! But it just goes to show what we as God’s people can do—what we can accomplish—when we have God as our Help.

What I’d like for you to focus your attention on is the fact that the Israelites did something they never did before. They never fought a war before. They didn’t know how to fight. They were inexperienced and ignorant in war. But their inexperience aside, they gathered all able-bodied men and went to the rescue and the fight at the rear. They did something they never did before: they started shooting their arrows, throwing their spears, and swinging their swords. And in the process, God gave them the victory. Hallelujah! Not by might, nor by power; but by my Spirit, saith the Lord (Zechariah 4:6).

DOING WHAT WE’VE NOT DONE BEFORE

In much the same way, brethren, we’re under attack. Some of us, on a personal level, are engaged with the Devil in a serious fight for our life. And as an assembly of believers, the Devil is attacking the church that God built through our Pastor. Brethren, God didn’t build a church so that the Devil can come along and wreck it or close it down. We’re all engaged in an on-going war with the Devil. And in order for us to win this war—I repeat, in order for us to win this war—we’re going to have to start doing some things that we’ve not done before. Like what?

1. STAY TOGETHER AND SUPPORT THE CHURCH. Do you know what happens when a shepherd is smitten? The flock is scattered. On the night that Jesus was arrested He predicted that His sheep would be scattered. Matthew 26:31, Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. The eleven apostles vociferously objected and proclaimed their undying loyalty to Jesus: they would die with Him if need be. But within a couple of hours, they all forsook Him and fled when the mob came out to take Him.

Brethren, we risk fulfilling the Lord’s prophecy if we choose to leave the church because the pastor and the church are under attack. God’s will is for the unity and continuation of the church. He preserves and keeps together the church that He has founded.

Jesus knew that the apostles would fall apart and be scattered. But He gave them a promise. Matthew 26:32, But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee. In other words, the Shepherd will reunite His scattered flock and lead them once again. Most of His disciples were from Galilee. They were recruited in Galilee. And Jesus was going there to band them once again as the church triumphant against whom the gates of Hell shall not prevail. Hallelujah!

Brethren, God’s calling all of us to band together. Jesus is leading this wagon train to glory. Now’s not the time for anyone to abandon the train. It’s not His will!

The Devil has split many churches. He’s gotten so many Christians fighting against one another. As a result, many lie buried beneath the desert sands in Rephidim. The Devil’s trying to score another victory here. And I, for one, urge and implore you to join the Pastor and the Associate Pastor to put his winning days to an end! Enough of our feeble complaints! Enough of our age-old criticisms! Enough of our strifes that make us sick and weary and diseased! It’s time we score one over the Devil! It’s time we do something we’ve not done before. And that is, let’s stay with the train, support the assembly, and let’s find our safety and security—not only in the Lord, but in the sheepfold that we call the local church. We’ll overcome and we’ll survive Amalek’s aggression. But we’ve got to stay together! Keep the unity. Keep the peace. Not separate. And not lag behind!

2. CARE! In order for us to repel the Amalekites we’ve got to love and care for one another and be willing to fight the Devil back on each other’s behalf and in each other’s defense. You see, when the Israelites at the rear were attacked, their brethren in the middle and up front didn’t leave them behind. They didn’t keep on marching to Canaan.

To the contrary, as soon as Moses heard what happened he authorized the formation of an army, appointed Joshua as its commander, and he sent them to the rear to go to the help and defense of their weary, feeble, aged brethren.

You see, the rest of the Israelites cared enough about their brethren to put themselves in harm’s way, take up the sword, enter the battlefield, and risk injury and death. For what reason or purpose? To defend their brethren who were under attack!

Their care for their brethren is all the more marvelous and magnanimous when you consider who it was they cared for. Who’s at the rear?

THE FEEBLE. They’re the ones who are too tired to do you any good. They’re the ones you’ve always got to help. It seems they can’t do anything for themselves.
THE SICK. They’re too sick to help you or do anything good for you. You have to stop what you’re doing to help them. They eat up your time and resources.
THE AGED. They’re going to die anyway. They don’t have much time left to live. Why lay your life on the line for these who are going to die anyway?
THE WEARY. They’ve done nothing but drag feet, moan, and complain. Frankly, we get sick and tired of hearing their lip.
THE FAINT. They don’t have any energy to keep on going. In the natural, they’re not going to make it with us to the Promised Land. So why bother with them?
THE BACKSLIDERS. They’ve sown their wild oats. Why not let them reap the harvest of their own destruction?
THE GRUMBLERS. They’re the ones who don’t really want to be here. They’d rather be back in Egypt than here in the hot desert. Why not leave them behind?

Why fight for these? Why lay our lives on the line for these? Why get injured and killed for these feet-dragging people at the rear? Why love and care for these? In a word, because they’re our brethren for whom Christ died and He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. And sometimes, their coming to repentance involves us running to them in the rear and plucking them out of the fire, hating even the garments spotted by the flesh.

3. CIRCLE THE WAGONS. Third, in order for us to overcome the Amalekite aggression we’re going to have to go beyond caring, and put caring into action. Your love, prayers, and concern are commendable. We thank you for caring!

But the Lord wants action! Instead of each one of us thinking only about ourself, God wants us to start thinking about the rest of the people who make up this wagon train. We need to get off our duffs and go to the defense of those who are under attack. Friends, we’ve got to care enough to do something good for the brethren. We’ve got to rescue those who Satan seeks to devour and take away from our midst.

Here’s a backslidden brother. Circle the wagons, go and bring that brother back.
There’s a fallen sister. Circle the wagons, pour in the oil and wine. Bandage her wounds. And restore her to health.
Here’s a teen brother who’s battling serious sexual temptation. Circle the wagons, get on your knees with that young man, fight the Devil, and pray that temptation away.
There’s a teen sister who’s looking for love and acceptance from the wrong crowd. Circle the wagons, reach out to her, love her, and show her that love and acceptance don’t have to come at the expense of her virginity and her walk with the Lord.
Here’s a mother weary with the toils and stress of the children.
There’s a father who’s lost his love for wife.
Here’s a brother struggling with fear and doubt.
There’s a sister who’s battling condemnation, rejection, and unforgiveness.

Brethren, we need to love and care enough for one another that we would help each other out. Brethren, we can’t stand idly by and do nothing while our brethren perish or fall at the tip of Amalek’s sword. Jesus bids us, Circle the wagons! To the rescue! To the rear!

4. FIGHT THE ENEMY, NOT ONE ANOTHER. Lastly, in order for us to overcome the Amalekite aggression we need to fight the enemy, not one another. Notice that when the Israelites were attacked, they didn’t start fighting one another. They didn’t bicker and blame Moses for this attack. They could have fought among themselves and blamed Moses and Aaron for not having strong, able-bodied men at the rear to help the weak and weary in their travels. He should have stationed the strong among the weak in order to protect them in case there was an enemy attack. This was a colossal lack of foresight on Moses’ part and the nation could have bogged down, fought against their leaders, and replaced them. The war with the Amalekites could easily have become a civil war with Israelites fighting Israelites.

But they didn’t do that. There was no time for that. The battle was on. There were people dying at the rear. Now was not the time to fight one another. It was time to fight the enemy.

Brethren, don’t let the Devil fool and distract you into fighting with one another. We’ll only end up killing one another while the Devil goes scot free to continue killing the weak and weary at the rear. GOD DOESN’T SUPPORT, SANCTION, OR COUNTENANCE INTERNAL STRIFE OR CIVIL WAR. A house divided against itself cannot stand. DIVISION AND FIGHTING ARE THE DEVIL’S WORK—NOT GOD’S. We must not fight one another. If we do, we’re only helping the Devil win.

Brethren, if we’re going to push the Devil back and thwart his attack we’re going to have to rally around one another. You see, when the Israelites at the rear were attacked, the rest of the Israelites stopped their march to Canaan. They formed an army and went to the rescue of their brethren at the rear.

And those who didn’t go to war didn’t sit still. They got involved in the war effort. The women bandaged the wounded. The aged men kept the fires burning. The aged women cooked the food. The little children gave water to the wounded and the helpers. The older children took care of the babies. Everyone had a part to play. And everyone did what they could to help.

Now the thing of it was, they helped without fighting each other. The officers on the battlefield didn’t resent Moses up on the mountain holding up his hands. The soldier swinging his sword didn’t resent his neighbor back home standing sentry over the women and children. The young women who tended the wounded didn’t resent the aged women who were cooking the food. The teenaged waterboys didn’t resent the grandpas who were minding the babies. Do you see what I mean? Each Israelite had a part to play and they played their part without arguing or fighting with one another. They all had a common enemy—the Amalekites. And they all devoted their energies towards defeating that enemy. No matter what a person did for the nation, no one was unimportant. No one was unnecessary. The nation needed everyone, rallying together, working together, for the common good of the entire nation.

In like manner, brethren, this church needs each one of you. We need each other—that’s why the Lord put us together in the same wagon train. Each of you—regardless of your age, gender, or gift—is important. We need all of you here in church, functioning in your gift, doing your part to insure that we all—as a train—make it safely to our destination in glory. Our survival as a church, just like the survival of the Israelite nation, depends on all of us—no one excepted, no one excluded—working together, doing what we can, to insure the preservation and well-being of the church.

The truth that we need all of us to fight and survive the Amalekite aggression is manifestly seen in the clearest moral of the story. What is the moral? ONE MAN CAN’T DO IT ALL BY HIMSELF. Moses couldn’t hold the rod up all day without the help of Aaron and Hur. Joshua couldn’t win the battle without his soldiers. The weak and weary couldn’t survive without the help of the strong. The wounded couldn’t recover without the help of the medics. The women couldn’t tend the wounded without the help of their assistants, the waterboys, the babysitters, and the cooks.

The Pastor has carried the burden of this church all by himself since its inception. But the burden has become too great, now that he’s sick and the church has grown numerically. He needs his Aaron and Hur to help provide spiritual oversight of the church. He needs his Joshua and all his soldiers to engage in the hands-on, practical work of taking care of the physical needs of the church. And he needs all the womenfolk, the children, and the elderly, to pray for, and help, the hurting people in the church. Everyone without exception is needed!

Brethren, it’s time to circle the wagons, roll up our sleeves, and do what we can to help one another survive this attack and make it safely through the desert. With God’s help, we can survive our desert trials! We’ve been overrun by our modern Amalekites. But with God’s grace we can recover, rebound, regroup, fight the Devil back and beat him! We can make it to glory! But we’ve got to circle the wagons. May God help us to this end. May He help us love, care, and help one another. God bless you richly.

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CONDITIONAL LOVE PART 5

March 30, 2011 at 3:23 PM (Conditional Love, Ethics)

GETTING RID OF CONDITIONAL LOVE, continued

Despite your best intentions and well-meaning desire to see God’s people walk in righteousness and truth, you’ve got to give up control. How do you do this? (A) Come to grips with the fact that God will indeed clean up His people. He may not do it your way and He may not do it in the timely way that you would. But you can be sure of the fact that God’s going to clean His people up.

(B) Instead of forcing your beliefs and convictions on others, pray for them and trust the Lord to deal with whatever’s wrong in their life. You see, it’s not wrong to be concerned about the waywardness of the brethren. It’s not wrong to confront the brethren with the things that are wrong in their lives. Brethren, whether you’re on the right side of an issue or the wrong side, you all have to understand that GOD HAS GIVEN ALL HIS PEOPLE THE LIBERTY AND RESPONSIBILITY TO TALK TO THE ERRING AMONG THEMSELVES AND HELP THEM GET WHAT’S WRONG, RIGHT. See Romans 15:14, 1 Thessalonians 5:14, James 5:19-20, Jude 22-23. But loving concern for the brethren is one thing: forcing yourself upon them is another. Brethren, trust the Lord for wisdom in dealing with your brothers and sisters. Get control out of your loving concern for the brethren. Seek the Lord’s wisdom and guidance in using your loving concern to help God’s people without giving them the impression that you’re trying to control them.

(C) Lastly, remember that your job is not to make other believers look like you. Your job is for you to become like Jesus Himself. And that, dear friends, is a full-time job that doesn’t leave you any time to force people to be just like you. Friends, learn to rest in God’s love for His own. He will mature and perfect them. It may not be your way or time. But the work will get done. Remember that salvation is instantaneous, but maturity and perfection take a lifetime. Give God’s people time. And, with lots of prayer, faith, and love, they’ll become the kind of Christian that God wants them to become.

IDENTIFY THE CONDITIONS AND GET RID OF THEM. Conditional love, as we’ve shown you, comes with all sorts of conditions, requirements, and expectations for God’s people to fulfill before you will love them. Identify what these conditions are. Think about them. Write them down if you have to and make yourself a list. Taking the time to do this and see these conditions face-to-face is a good way for you to come to grips with what you’re doing wrong. It helps you to remember what’s wrong. Once you’ve identified these conditions, repent to the Lord for conditionally loving the brethren. Then resolve in your heart that from now on you’re going to love your brethren without any strings attached.

LOVE AS GOD LOVES. Lastly, to get rid of conditional love we’re going to have to determine to love people the same way God loves them. Many people think that loving as God loves is something that they’ve got to work up or try very hard to get from God. But the truth of the matter is, like faith, YOU ALREADY HAVE GOD’S AGÁPE LOVE IN YOU. AND LOVING THE BRETHREN IS SIMPLY A MATTER OF YOU USING THE LOVE YOU ALREADY HAVE.

Look at what John 17:26 says, I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them. Romans 5:5 goes on to say, And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

You see, brethren, you already have God’s love in you. God’s love is sovereign, self-sacrificial, unmerited, unconditional, and unending. Now take this love and begin loving God’s people the same way God loves them. God bless you and may He help us all become lovers of the brethren.

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CONDITIONAL LOVE #4

March 23, 2011 at 11:37 AM (Conditional Love, Ethics)

GETTING RID OF CONDITIONAL LOVE

So how do we rid ourselves of conditional love? Well, since conditional love is motivated to a large extent by control, then in order to rid ourselves of conditional love we first have to relinquish control over God’s people.

Now there are many aspects of control and many different reasons why people seek to control others. Some control others for selfish reasons. That is, they’re doing it in order to amass a cultic following for themselves. Others do it because they want people to wait on them hand and foot and serve their own selfish interests, ambitions, or needs.

Others, however, use control in a sincere, well-meaning desire to see God’s people believe the truth and walk in the paths of righteousness. They force people to believe what they believe. Do what they do. Live the way they live.

Brethren, we may be right. We may mean well. We may be sincere in wanting God’s people to live up to the Scriptures. But DICTATING OUR BELIEFS, MORALITY, AND CONVICTIONS OVER THE BRETHREN IS NOT GOD’S WAY OF DEALING WITH HIS PEOPLE. RIGHTEOUSNESS DOESN’T COME BY ADHERING TO RULES AND LAWS, NOR DOES IT COME BY FORCING RULES AND LAWS UPON GOD’S PEOPLE.

A. CONTROL DOESN’T MAKE ANYONE RIGHTEOUS IN GOD’S SIGHT. Look at a couple of verses with me. Galatians 2:21 reads, I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. Galatians 3:21 repeats the same thought: Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. In other words, NOBODY BECOMES RIGHTEOUS BY KEEPING THE LAW.

We can talk about any kind of law—whether it’s men’s laws or God’s laws. These two verses in Galatians are speaking about God’s laws. Think about this for a moment because it’ll floor you. NOT EVEN GOD’S DIVINE, INERRANT, RIGHTEOUS LAWS COULD MAKE ANY ONE RIGHTEOUS! Why? Because the laws were so righteous that if you broke just one of the laws you were automatically judged unrighteous and a violator of the whole law: For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all (James 2:10). Brethren, if God’s laws cannot make any one righteous, then who are we to presume that God’s people will become righteous if they keep our rules and laws? Will we accomplish what God’s law could not, or did not, accomplish?

B. CONTROL CAN’T CLEAN UP THE INSIDE. There are two basic aspects of righteousness: external and internal. External righteousness is the kind of righteousness that is outward and can be seen. Internal righteousness, on the other hand, is the kind of righteousness that isn’t readily seen or obvious. It’s what’s going on inside of you. The thoughts you’re thinking or the things you’re pondering in your heart are part of what makes you either righteous or unrighteous in God’s sight. TO BE RIGHTEOUS IN GOD’S SIGHT YOU’VE GOT TO BE BOTH EXTERNALLY AND INTERNALLY RIGHTEOUS.

Now there is a sense in which the laws of God and/or the laws of men could make men righteous, but righteous only as it relates to external righteousness. If people conformed to your good or Bible-based laws, if they obeyed your rules; chances are, they will look good from all outward appearances. CONTROL CAN MAKE PEOPLE LOOK GOOD ON THE OUTSIDE. BUT IT CAN’T CLEAN A PERSON UP IN THE INSIDE. This is where Pharisaism went wrong. It produced good-looking people. But their attitudes, thoughts, and even their behavior were abominable and godless.

Read what Jesus had to say to Judaism’s most religious men in Matthew 23:25-28, Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. {26} Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. {27} Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. {28} Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

Do you know what this rebuke and denunciation says? It says that IT’S POSSIBLE FOR PIOUS, RELIGIOUS, TOTALLY-COMMITTED PEOPLE TO LOOK GOOD ON THE OUTSIDE, AND STILL MISS THE KINGDOM BY MILES BECAUSE THEY’RE FILTHY AND SINFUL IN THE INSIDE. Pharisaism couldn’t clean up the inside. It couldn’t produce internal righteousness. If we would be honest with ourselves, we would have to acknowledge that legalism, shepherdship bondage, or control cannot succeed in cleaning God’s people up. Only God can do that.

C. CONTROL CAN’T GIVE CONVICTION. Christian conduct has to be accompanied by Christian conviction. You can force people to do certain things. But YOU CAN’T FORCE THEM TO HAVE A CONVICTION THAT THEY JUST DON’T HAVE. YOU CAN’T FORCE THEM TO BELIEVE SOMETHING THEY JUST DON’T BELIEVE. That’s why controlling people by dictating your beliefs or by legislating your morality and convictions just doesn’t work. It doesn’t produce good, lasting fruit.

D. NO ONE IS AUTHORIZED TO CONTROL. God forbids His ministers from lording, or ruling, over the flock. I Peter 5:3 commands them, Neither be ye lords over God’s heritage. In the vernacular, don’t be domineering or controlling. The apostolic prohibition is simply a restatement of what Jesus already told His ministers: Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. (43) But so shall it not be among you (Mark 10:42-43).

Friends, if ministers can’t be controlling, what makes you think you can? WHEN YOU EXERCISE CONTROL OVER OTHERS YOU’RE IN DIRECT DISOBEDIENCE TO GOD. You’re engaging in a prerogative that is not yours to have. You have no God-given right to rule or control.

E. GOD GAVE US LIBERTY, NOT CONTROL. Consider this thought carefully. IF LEGALISTS COULD MAKE GOD’S PEOPLE RIGHTEOUS, GOD WOULD HAVE CHOSEN AND USED THE PHARISEES AS HIS DISCIPLES. HE WOULD HAVE COMMISSIONED THE JUDAIZERS TO BE THE LEADERS OF HIS CHURCH.

But instead of doing that, God broke ranks with these power mongers and took Christianity down the path of liberty. He gave every believer the freedom to be fully persuaded in his or her own mind about the convictions they’ll have.

Romans 14 catalogs some of the differing convictions that the Roman believers had. Do you know what God said to this church full of disagreements and differences? He said, One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind (Romans 14:5). BY GIVING HIS PEOPLE SUCH LIBERTY OR FREEDOM, GOD, IN EFFECT, IS TELLING US THAT OUR DICTATING OVER EVERY FACET OF PEOPLE’S LIVES AND FAITH IS NOT HIS WAY OF CLEANING HIS PEOPLE UP.

Coming Up On My Next Blog Post, Part 5. This final installment looks at the practical things we can do to rid ourselves of conditional love. Don’t even think about missing it!

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CONDITIONAL LOVE PART 3

March 17, 2011 at 3:55 PM (Conditional Love, Ethics)

THE PROBLEM WITH CONDITIONAL LOVE, continued

4. CONDITIONAL LOVE LEADS TO HATRED. Another problem with conditional love is it leads to hatred. You see, when your love is conditional you’ll eventually come to a point where you quit loving a person because they’ve messed up. Now when you quit loving a brother or sister, you have a different attitude towards them. You treat them differently. You behave and act differently towards them. You may, or may not, try to hide the change that’s come over you. But the change is pretty noticeable and obvious to the person you’ve quit loving.

Now this change in your attitude, conduct, or behavior arouses the baser sentiments of human nature. More often than not, it leads the person you’ve quit loving to hate, despise, or resent you. They see what kind of friend you really are, what kind of love you really have for them, and they hate or despise you for it. You were a hypocrite all along, pretending you were a lifelong friend with an undying love for them. I can’t begin to tell you how many people I’ve run across who hate and despise many of us who’ve been faithful and obedient to the Lord and His Word. They hate us because we cut them off and treated them badly the moment they did something we didn’t like or agree with. Conditional love, I’m saying, eventually leads to hatred.

In the framework of our human love for one another, there is a broad spectrum between love and hate. It’s possible to be right in the middle where you don’t love a person, but, at the same time, you don’t hate him either. You would never hate somebody: you just don’t love the person in question.

The only problem with this is it isn’t Scriptural. You see, THE BIBLE SPEAKS ONLY OF LOVE OR HATRED WITH NO MIDDLE GROUND IN BETWEEN. YOU EITHER LOVE SOMEONE OR YOU DON’T. AND WHEN YOU DON’T, OR WHEN YOU QUIT LOVING SOMEONE, GOD SEES THAT AS HATRED.

1 John 2:10-11 makes this real plain, He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. {11} But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes. The Scriptures make it plain that the only thing you can do with your brother or sister in the Lord is, you can either love them or else hate them: there’s no middle ground in between. We hesitate using the word ‘hate’ because we know Christians aren’t supposed to hate anyone. But as far as God’s concerned, if we don’t love someone, then for all practical purposes, we hate them. God sees lovelessness and hatred as one and the same thing.

1 John 3:14-15 bears this truth out, We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. {15} Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. You see, friends, the Bible doesn’t make a distinction between the failure or refusal to love someone and the decision to hate him. Not loving someone is the same thing as hating him. 1 John 4:20 sums and seals up this truth, If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

Seen in this light, HATRED IS NOT ONLY THE DECISION TO HATE: IT’S ALSO THE DECISION NOT TO LOVE. HATRED IS NOT ONLY ACTIVE HATRED, BUT ALSO PASSIVE LOVELESSNESS. Brethren, when you refuse to love someone or when you quit loving someone, God sees you as you hating that person—they’re both one and the same thing. And the sooner you admit this truth the sooner you’ll take seriously your decision not to love someone anymore. Why is it such a serious thing to quit loving someone? Read on.

5. CONDITIONAL LOVE WILL ULTIMATELY KILL YOU. Sooner or later, your conditional love will kill you. Let me tell you what I mean.

GOD DOESN’T CONSIDER YOU HIS OWN IF YOU DON’T LOVE YOUR BROTHER OR SISTER IN THE LORD. As far as He’s concerned, you don’t belong to Him. 1 John 3:10, In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

YOU ARE A LIAR. 1 John 4:20, If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? You say you love God. But God sees that as one big fat lie. As far as He’s concerned, you don’t love Him–not if you don’t love your brother or sister in the Lord at the same time. We give ourselves the liberty of loving God and not loving a brother or sister. But God doesn’t give us that liberty. God makes no such distinction. If you don’t love your brother or sister in the Lord you don’t love God either. For you to say otherwise only makes you a liar. And as a liar, you won’t be living in Heaven: But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death (Revelation 21:8).

You see, from God’s point of view, you cannot love Him and hate your brother or sister at the same time. You cannot love Him without loving the brethren too. If you love God, you’ve got to love the brethren too. 1 John 4:21 makes this very clear, And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also. 1 John 5:1 goes right on to say, Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat (the Father) loveth him also that is begotten of him (one who has been born of God, a Christian).

YOU ARE A MURDERER. 1 John 3:15, Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. You may never have pulled a gun or knife on someone and taken the life of another human being. But there’s more to murder than just murder. There’s another form of murder, another way to kill, and that is hatred. Hatred is murder! WHEN YOU HATE SOMEONE, WHEN YOU DON’T LOVE THE BRETHREN, YOU BECOME A MURDERER IN GOD’S EYES. AND AS LONG AS YOU REFUSE TO LOVE THE BRETHREN IN QUESTION YOU REMAIN A MURDERER.

AS A HATER AND MURDERER OF THE BRETHREN, YOU DON’T HAVE ETERNAL LIFE. You are abiding in death, which is to say, for all practical purposes, it’s as if you never got saved. 1 John 2:9-11 reads, He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. {10} He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. {11} But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes. 1 John 3:14 echoes the same truth, We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.

Friends, YOU CANNOT HATE THE BRETHREN AND STILL LIVE. YOU CANNOT LIVE WITH HATRED OR LOVELESSNESS IN YOUR HEART! IT’LL EVENTUALLY KILL YOU. When you decide you aren’t going to love a brother or sister in the Lord anymore, at that point, you’re jeopardizing your place in glory. It’s just not worth it! NO PERSON—NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU HATE THEM—IS WORTH GOING TO HELL OVER.

Brethren, take your decision not to love a brother or sister in the Lord seriously, very seriously, because it’s a serious thing to hate and murder the brethren. It’s a crime punishable by eternal death in the lake of fire.

Coming Up On My Next Blog Post, Part 4. To stop loving conditionally we’ve got to relinquish control. It’s a tough one. But not nearly as tough as Hell. Drop by and let’s bury conditional love. Everyone in your life will be glad you did.

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CONDITIONAL LOVE PART 2

March 14, 2011 at 3:48 PM (Conditional Love, Ethics)

THE PROBLEM WITH CONDITIONAL LOVE, continued

2. WHEN YOU CONDITION LOVE YOU SHORTEN ITS LIFESPAN. When you condition love and make it dependent on how other people behave, people will, sooner or later, mess up because people aren’t perfect. And when they mess up, there goes the end of your love. Herein lies another problem with conditional love. It doesn’t last very long. It ends the moment you’re hurt or disappointed. It’s lost the moment a person fails to live up to your standards, expectations, or demands.

Agápe love, in contrast, lasts a lifetime. 1 Corinthians 13:8a reads, Charity never faileth. True love, that is agápe Christian love, never fails. It never quits loving. Which is to say, brethren, IF YOU QUIT LOVING SOMEONE THEN YOU NEVER REALLY LOVED THEM—not in the Biblical sense of the term. You may have loved them with the love that humans have for one another. But you never loved them the way God told you to love them: you never agápe loved them.

Brethren, when you agápe love someone you’ll never quit loving them. That’s how you can tell what kind of love you have—by how long it lasts. Agápe love lasts a lifetime. Through all the griefs and disappointments you face as the result of people’s failures, agápe keeps on loving. It never quits loving.

How is that possible? Because agápe love isn’t conditional. It keeps on loving in spite of people’s imperfections and sins because that is its nature. Brethren, IT’S POSSIBLE TO KEEP ON LOVING PEOPLE EVEN WHEN THEY’VE SINNED OR FALLEN SHORT. THAT DOESN’T MEAN YOU CONDONE THEIR SINS OR IMPERFECTIONS. BUT TRUE LOVE WAS NEVER CONDITIONED OR DEPENDENT ON PEOPLE’S FLAWLESSNESS OR PERFECTION. True love keeps on loving because it was meant to do that. It was meant to last a lifetime. It was meant never to fail or end.

Brethren, WE’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO QUIT LOVING ONE ANOTHER. IT’S WRONG, AND WE’RE WRONG, TO QUIT LOVING THE BRETHREN. Yet some of us do it all the time. We quit loving because

they left the church.
they quit believing what we believe.
they’re hanging out with people we don’t like.
they weren’t nice to me.
they hurt my feelings.
they said some pretty bad things about me.
the preacher stepped on my toes.
ad infinitum.

These are reasons enough for us to quit loving one another? Brethren, THERE’S NO VERSE IN ALL OF SCRIPTURE WHERE GOD TELLS US IT’S ALRIGHT TO QUIT LOVING SOMEONE. You won’t find a single verse! I can tell you where God says don’t pray for someone, don’t hang around with someone, don’t eat with someone, don’t listen to someone, don’t bring or welcome someone into your home, don’t bid someone godspeed. But don’t love someone? Brethren, we’re supposed to love even our enemies! How much more the brethren! Despite what they’ve done. True love lasts a lifetime. It lasts forever.

3. CONDITIONAL LOVE LEADS TO A BREAKDOWN IN RELATIONSHIPS. When you make your love for people conditional or dependent on their actions, your love for them will eventually end, and with it, your friendship or relationship with them. Why is that? Because no one’s perfect. Imperfect people will eventually mess up. And when they do, friendships that are built or based on conditional love will crumble and end. This is something that we’ve seen proven time after time after time. The high rate of divorce and familial alienation tell the story in an endless litany of tragic refrain. Relationships are temporary, they aren’t lasting, when they’re built or based on conditional love.

IF WE’RE TIRED OF LOSING FRIENDS AND ALIENATING OTHER CHRISTIANS WE’RE GOING TO HAVE TO STOP LOVING THEM CONDITIONALLY AND START LOVING THEM UNCONDITIONALLY IN SPITE OF ALL THE THINGS THAT ARE WRONG OR DISAGREEABLE ABOUT THEM. Brethren, if we want the fighting and divisions to stop, we’ve got to learn to keep on loving one another in spite of our differences. We need to find a way to keep the unity and peace.

The longer I live, the more I’m convinced that THERE ISN’T A PROBLEM THAT LOVE, PRAYER, FAITH, AND THE LORD CANNOT FIX. THE SAME GOD THAT KEEPS ALL OF CREATION TOGETHER WITHOUT IT FALLING APART SURELY HAS THE POWER AND KNOW-HOW TO KEEP OUR RELATIONSHIPS TOGETHER. And He’s showing us how He’s going to do it. He’s telling us what it’s going to take to keep our friendships intact. It’s called loving one another unconditionally.

Coming Up On My Next Blog Post, Part 3. Another couple of things wrong with conditional love. It’ll be a sobering look at the devastating effect conditional love has on you if you love conditionally. It may well be the death knell that sets you free. So don’t miss out!

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