It is Simple...He Lives

As I was listening to a radio station today, they started playing a snippet from a local minister's sermon.  His topic: Why I believe in Jesus.

"Okay", I thought.  "This should be interesting."

Then the man proceeded to speak about all the evidences for Jesus' resurrection and how the accusations trying to dispel this fact - such as Jesus' body being stolen by his disciples - just didn't make sense.

I was immediately saddened to hear this.  THAT is why he believes in Jesus?  Because his mind tells him that such is the logical choice?  What about when it comes to things he doesn't comprehend? What happens when someone is able to poke "logical" holes in his understanding?

It is wonderful to have logical evidence to support your faith in Jesus Christ.  He is after all the logos (John 1:1, 14) and there are many evidences to His existence.  However, that alone cannot be the foundation of your faith.  Your faith in God cannot merely be the product of your own mind, your own way of thinking, or what you think is provable in the here and now.  In such cases, you are no better off than the Buddhist or the Muslim, who have sincere faith, but are sincerely wrong.

"And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God." I Corinthians 2:4-5

There is only one reason that you can have lasting faith in Christ, and that is because you have met and come to know Him...and He in turn lives in you.

The reason to believe in Christ is because He lives!  He is real!

He is not the figment of an intellectual or logical mind.  There is nothing to debate or argue.  He lives.  You can meet Him.  You can know Him.  You can speak to Him and hear from Him for yourself.  He has likes and dislikes.  He has a personality.  He has preferences.  There are things He demands and things He will not accept.  You must get to know Him for yourself so that Jesus is no longer simply a religious idea.  Don't be like those on Mars Hill, offering sacrifices to a God you do not know (Act 17:22-23).

How many people proclaim to believe in Jesus, but have never really come to know Him?  Such a faith based upon the wisdom of man will not endure.  Do not stop seeking Him until you too can say that you know Him.


 

You're In The Army Now

"Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier." II Timothy 2:3-4

I have been traveling quite a bit with my job lately.  On a recent trip, I was in a shuttle van with military doctors.  The most senior doctor told us many stories on the way, but this one in particular stuck out to me.  He stated:

I was assigned for three months on the base, and a soldier came in to have his wisdom teeth pulled.  The soldier said, "My brother-in-law is a dentist, and he said that I don't have to have my wisdom teeth pulled."

I asked him, "Son, is your brother-in-law a military dentist?"

"No", he replied. "He is a civilian." 

"Well son," I said, "From the day you signed up for this Army, your life and your body have belonged to Uncle Sam.  And Uncle Sam has decided that you need to get your teeth pulled.  So you can either sit in this chair and get your teeth pulled or you can walk out and be discharged from the Army." 

Still, the soldier kept questioning, "But I don't understand why I have to do this...Can you just explain to me what the reasoning is...Why can't I just leave them in?"   

I said, "Look, you have two choices.  Sit in this chair or leave and get discharged from the Army."  Honestly, I was so tired of all his sissy talking that I was ready for him to leave either way.

This guy actually wrote a letter to my Colonel complaining about how I didn't properly explain to him why the procedure was needed and what I was going to do.  When my Colonel called me before him, I thought I might be in trouble, but he balled up the letter and threw it in the trash saying, "We don't have time for this.  We are trying to fight a war."  

"What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?" I Corinthians 6:19

As I listened, it occurred to me how alien the military life can be to those who are not used to it. There is not a lot of talk.  Not a lot of explanations.  There are orders given and obedience expected.  You want to continue in the Army?  Then you obey orders given.  Don't want to obey?  Then you can be discharged.

Similarly, when we join the salvation army, we are expected to obey our Commander and Chief, Jesus Christ.  Our lives are no longer our own, but in Him we live, move, and have our being (Act 17:28).

Stop seeking advise from those who are not saved - and therefore, not in this fight - in order to justify your own rebellion.  How do you know they are not saved?  Because they live according to the desires of their own hearts in direct opposition to the word of God.  There is only one Command authority we must obey, and that is Christ.  This authority can be seen in His word and in every vessel which belongs to Him.

If the God you serve does not have obedience to His word as the anchor for your soul, then you are not serving the True & Living God.  If obedience to Christ is an affront to you, then you are serving the god of this world.  Why obedience?  Because obedience is the evidence of your faith; it is the proof of your love (Matthew 8:5-10; Exodus 20:6; John 14:15).

Do not get it twisted.  If you are at odds with God's word, it is because there is something in your soul at odds with God.  You are not alright with God and He is not 'leading & working through you' while you are walking in willful disobedience to Him.

This is the time to come clean. Let go of your own understanding and let your mind be washed and renewed (Ephesians 4:23, 5:25-27).  Getting all emotional when you think of God or starting to cry when listening to Gospel music does not mean you love God.  When you truly love the Lord, you obey Him.  I pray that the below message from Omega Ministries on the true definition of love is a blessing to you.

What is Love?