Ignore God and Die

It can be very easy to ignore God. Like a child with selective hearing, we can listen to God when He is offering us a blessing and ignore Him when, in our perception, He is restricting or correcting us. But we ignore God to our own peril.

When God first created, He placed Adam and Eve in the garden,

And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Genesis 2:16-17 (ESV)

Now, Adam and Eve were clearly listening but only in part. They heard that they would die, but they did not really listen to God. Like so many of us, they heard what it fit there needs to hear, but when a more satisfying idea was presented they ignored God. Satan said,

“You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:4-5 (ESV)

He convinced Eve that what she thought God intended for her good was really not for her good and that God was withholding good from her. She believed the lie and chose to ignore God, and while she did not perish at that moment, she and the entire human race died an awful death that day. The very wholeness that she sought to find in eating the fruit was lost to the entire human race.

Don’t ignore God. He truly does want what is good for you, in fact He is storing up goodness for you (Psalm 31:19). Trust Him and receive the goodness. Ignore Him and die.

What are some of the good things God has done for you?

Mandate to the Church, Part Four – Church Discipline

When we talk about church discipline the reaction is varied depending on who is in the conversation. Some are uncomfortable with the idea and even revolt against it. Some are receptive to the idea but too timid to practice it. Some are receptive to the idea and too eager to practice it. Some are simply obedient to God and therefore seek to understand it, look for ways to prevent its necessity and engage in it when necessary.

The final group holds that perspective because they understand why church discipline is so necessary. Those who are convinced that it is necessary are typically better at preventing the need of doing so through sound teaching of new converts and candidates for church membership as well as biblical instruction concerning the responsibilities of each individual to the body.

Let me first say what church discipline is not. It is not simply kicking people out of the church who do not comply with the church’s rules. Sometimes church discipline results in a person being removed from the privileges of church membership, but only as an ultimate measure and even that is discipline not punishment. The two are different.

So why practice church discipline? I will give my first reason today and return to other reasons in the following days.

First, church discipline is commanded of each of us by Jesus.

Matthew 18:15-17 “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. “But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. “If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. NASB95

Note that there is a progression to church discipline and each stage involves showing a person his or her fault. The goal is to seek to win them over – to gain their repentance. Jesus expects me to love you enough that I am willing to seek your purity through the act of confronting your sin. It is a weighty responsibility for all believers but is a command of the Lord that we should obey, albeit with trembling hands and prayerful lips.

Please feel free to share your thoughts with me on the subject.

To gain an understanding of the background to this post please see the previous posts listed below

• Part One
• Part Two
• Part Three

Michael Horton on the Manhattan Declaration

Today I read Michael Horton’s “A Review of the Manhattan Declaration”, and I found it enlightening. I don’t think his arguments are designed to convince the reader to sign or not sign the document. They did not sway me in either way. They seem to be designed to give the evangelical some clarification on why the document is not a truly evangelical document, which in and of itself is enlightening.

I encourage you to read the review and comment back here on your impressions. Should one be persuaded to sign or not sign by Mr. Horton’s arguments?

• Michael Horton’s “A Review of the Manhattan Declaration
• The Manhattan Declaration

“Crazy Love” and My Sorrowful Reaction

I just finished reading Francis Chan’s book entitled “Crazy Love”. Many people talk about this book and their love for it. Chan states in the last chapter that he hopes his readers walk away “encouraged”. I can’t say that I did, at least not like others.

Chan talks about how the Christian life is to be radical. His overpowering message is that as a Christian I should be radically in love with God such that I would do anything that He calls me to do. Now, I agree and have no problem with that concept. Where it gets tough is in the application.

I found myself angry at times reading this book. Is it right to put such a high standard of devotion on Christianity such that the assurance of many fails? Is true love for God really a love that is not only willing to sacrifice anything for Christ but actually does? It was impossible for me to escape it. After all he was simply repeating the preaching of Christ. The answer to both questions is yes.

My response, as I finished reading, was an overwhelming sorrow. I kept asking myself, “What will it cost me and my family to follow Christ? Am I willing to pay that price? Am I making excuses by waiting for God to call me or should I simply move out in faith?”

Such is the nature of a book like this. It creates questions, which only God can answer. Chan is right to acknowledge that God called no two people to express there love for Him in the exact same way save that they love and obey Him. So, I will seek to love and obey Him for I want nothing more than to serve Him with all my life.

What about you?

I Am A Nobody! What About You?

My pastor preached from the gospel of John yesterday, and last night, as he discussed the testimony of John the Baptist, he hit on a very powerful one liner from The Baptizer.

“A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven.” John 3:27

That is a most humbling and comforting statement. Think about it. You and I have nothing that God did not give to us. That is humbling because it confirms the fact that we are completely dependent on another, namely God. This thought and the ability to construct it in sentence form is mine because God gave it to me. Literally, everything that I have comes to me from God.

This is a comforting statement, but only for those who follow Christ and confess Him as Lord and Savior. It is comforting because as a child of God I have a perfect and loving Father who is perfect in blessing me with good gifts and perfect in correcting me with righteous and loving discipline. Everything that I need He can and will give to me, because He loves and redeemed me with a great price.

I am nothing, and that is good, for in being nothing I put God in His rightful place as above everything. What do you think? Do you believe John’s statement and if so, what are the implications for your life? Please share your thoughts.

Blessings, Mark

Unity in the Church – A Sure Path

There is no question that our Lord desires the Church to be unified. However, achieving unity in the church is difficult. We are sinful creatures who are driven by our individual passions, and those passions conflict. As a result, we choose to avoid each other, or we openly fight with each other. In either case, we are not in unity.

The question is, “can we obtain unity”? James says, “yes, you can, but you have to understand why you lack unity and what it takes to achieve unity.” He begins by asking some questions to which he gives the answer.

”What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.” James 4:1-3

It is all about personal pleasure. We are guided by our passions, and when our passions are fueled by the motive of personal pleasure, we come into conflict with each other.

It is interesting that James’ answer does not primarily involve changing our passions but changing our activity along with our passions. His instruction to us is to pray; ask God for the things that we want. “You fight with each other because you don’t have what you want, but did you ask for it?” So, one of the reasons we fail to achieve unity in the church is because we don’t ask God to give us what we want; we don’t pray.

However, it does not stop there. Some of us ask but still, we don’t receive. This is where our passions come into play. When our passions are driven by selfish motives (personal pleasure), then our prayers are not answered. Our motives too, must change (Spiritual pleasure must win out). Our motives must be driven by the will of God. “You quarrel with one another and commit murder in your heart, because you do not seek the will of God.”

To achieve unity in the church, the people of the church must pray, asking God for the things they desire in accordance with the will of God. We must be Spirit lead people and people of prayer. This is a sure path to unity.

To Sign or Not to Sign – The Manhattan Declaration

Recently a document was presented to the National Press Club entitled “The Manhattan Declaration”. It is a document written and signed by leaders of the Roman Catholic church, the Orthodox church and Evangelical churches. The aim of the document is to make a statement concerning the collective resolve of these leaders and the other signatories that we “reaffirm” and “defend” such “fundamental truths” as “the sanctity of human life, the dignity of marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife and the rights of conscience and religious liberty.”

At the time of this post 123,115 individuals have signed this document. However, it has not been without disagreement among evangelicals. If you are still not sure whether you should sign the document, please consider reading the document and the opposing evangelical reasons concerning signing the document. I provide you with the links below.

• The Manhattan Declaration
• Albert Mohler’s reason for signing
• John MacArthur’s reason for not signing

I hope you will consider this issue prayerfully.