Priorities and Purpose in the Current Climate

Has the COVID-19 pandemic changed the way we as Christians go about our daily lives?  Many churches are still closed down, some are minimally operating and others simply continued to function as usual with nary a missed step.

ARE WE ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS?
Are we supposed to be "changing" things in our lives?

Here's what made me think along these lines; listen in and see what you think, or how the Holy Spirit may move in your heart about this.

ACCORDING to the Word of God my focus and priority is to SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS.  Matthew 6:33

          With reverence, respect, wisdom, fear and trembling, and AWE I am to seek the Lord through reading His word daily, praying, meditating on those things that are pure and true and noble....Philippians 4:8

THAT HASN'T CHANGED!

ACCORDING to the instructions to the Lords people found in Ephesians 4:10-16, I am to be purposeful and deliberate about sharing the Gospel to the end I am part of building the Body of Christ and equipping the saints for the work of the ministry.

THAT HASN'T CHANGED!

ACCORDING to Jesus' instructions to His disciples, of which I am one, His command is that we LOVE one another, just as He loves us, the Father loves Him and us, so we are to love one another.  John 13:35 and reiterated directly to the saints today in 1Peter 1:22.  

THAT HASN'T CHANGED!

The truth is that for the Christian who is endeavoring to walk with Christ and in obedience to His word, the constant turmoil, upheaval, chaos, insanity, politics, societal ills and cultural clashes of this WORLD are not to be the platform on which we stand nor the platform from which we speak.  

We are to STAND on the steadfast, immovable, unchangeable, strong and solid ROCK of Jesus Christ the Savior Who is the same yesterday, today and forever!

May the God of all Glory give you peace, strength, wisdom and the power through His Holy Spirit to stand firm in His truth today, tomorrow and every day, in Jesus name! 

AS IN THE DAYS OF NOAH, PAUL & TIMOTHY, SO ARE WE

The times are, at best, PERILOUS!  The command is PRECISE - Go and make disciples of all men!
The message was, is and remains simple but PROFOUND:  Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand!

There are many places throughout scripture where warning of the signs of "The End Time" appear, clear as a clarion call or cloaked in mystery.  Genesis, Daniel, Joel, Isaiah, Matthew and Revelation to name just a few.

Looking at one of the letters Paul wrote, we consider II Timothy chapter 3  where we discover Paul laying out an extremely serious warning to his young protege.

The references are to the very days in which Timothy finds himself attempting to preach the gospel and also a stern warning to each of us in our generations. 

Our problems aren’t simply the sin around us in the world or persecution from the world; that is all to be expected and Jesus Himself clearly told us we would be hated (John 15) because He was hated.

No, our problems begin with what is within!  Matters that twist and darken our own hearts, however much we might choose to blind ourselves to our own faults. We are in need of being separated from sin and our "old man" carnal nature just as gold and silver needs to be separated from the impurities that attach themselves to the precious metals! We as believers need to purified from the sin and corruption within the Body of Christ that defile us as Gods children!

The message found in this letter to Timothy can certainly be considered a warning to the present church and each believer individually as we experience circumstances and people of the same characteristics as those Paul described to Timothy.

For your study and understanding, we present a starting point as you continue to carry out the Great Commission of our Lord!

 We are by no means attempting to present a comprehensive study, but instead, as we each must study to show ourselves approved to God (II Timothy 2:15) as workman rightly dividing the Word of Truth, we share some insight to help you and guide you in your own study. 

May the Lord enlighten your eyes and quicken your heart as He leads you to His truth for your life!  We are ever praying for His saints!  Always, if you have questions, prayer requests or comments you are welcome to share!

II Timothy 3:1-5

Perilous times:  wickedness of the world in abundance; wickedness of religion that sets itself above God, which will make it difficult indeed for anyone to attempt to live a godly, righteous or holy life!  False teaching will have led so many astray that deceit will lead us to believe we are on a path of righteousness simply because the “majority” is found there!  God does not act by majority rule, but is wholly sovereign in all ways.

Lovers of themselves:  No love for God, no love for neighbor, carnally minded – more concerned with fleshly pursuits than holiness, no regard for the well-being of their families, only regard for SELF

Lovers of money: the root of all evil is the love of money; well Jesus declared "You cannot love God and mammon"

Boasters: of themselves, no glory to God, only thing of importance is SELF (self-esteem, self-awareness, self-sufficiency, personal truth)

Proud: thinking highly of themselves without fear (awe, respect) of God

Blasphemers: reviling God and man alike

Disobedient to parents: and all authority

Unthankful: no sense of loyalty to anything but self

Unholy: professing devotion to God but without action portraying that devotion

Unloving: “without natural affection” – lack of familial or brotherly love

Unforgiving: irreconcilable to God, refusal to accept the means to be reconciled - rejecting salvation

Slanderers: does not acknowledge God sovereignty

Without Self-Control:  whatever feels good, do it, without regard for how it affects others or what the consequences may be

Brutal: fierce (matt 8:28) malicious, cruel

Despisers of Good: seeking everything BUT the truth ( understand that TRUTH is not a concept but a the person of Jesus)

Traitors: No loyalty to any but self! No boundaries, no rules, no inhibitions to consider

Headstrong: answering only to self

Haughty: thinking only of self

Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God (refer back to first, lovers of self)

HAVING A FORM OF GODLINESS (Worship!) but denying its power; FALSE WORSHIP – actions that look like, appear to be, but are not!  IDOL WORSHIP – anything but the true God – the music, your emotions, the church you belong to, the band playing the music, the person delivering teachings...

FROM SUCH TURN AWAY! 

Can the church turn its back on the false teaching and worldly culture and be restored? YES!  All who call on the name of Jesus shall be saved!  
REPENT, and turn from wickedness!
Galatians 3:26-29  
For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.  For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.  And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Recognize the signs of times, Brothers and Sisters, and examine your own hearts according to the truth found in scripture.  Then share that message of salvation, repentance and forgiveness of sin with others in the Love of Christ.  This is our reasonable service (Romans 12: 1-4) of obedience to our Lord.

In Public or In Private; Speaking the Truth

We are not responsible for the behavior of others or their response to the truth in love we speak.

When we know we have done our part, in love, no matter how uncomfortable the situation may become, having done all, we are to stand. (Ephesians 6:13 and forward)

A recent public encounter:

I had been overcharged for product and would like to be refunded the excess amount. Speaking the truth in love, I was kind, polite and requested the error be corrected.  I was not rude or degrading to the cashier.  I also turned to the two people in line behind me and apologized for the delay.

Each response was different:

The cashier was flustered; she required further instruction to move forward with my request.  I had to remind her to please find a manager to handle the request if she were unable.

The first person in line behind me received my apology with grace.  She then waited patiently after affirming she would do the same if it were her who had been overcharged; she came into agreement with me and experienced the peace of God that passes all understanding.

The second person in line chose to be rude, bullying and overbearing.  Focused only on his own selfish need and want, he had no time for anyone else and wanted only that everyone else get out of his way.  He experienced frustration and anger.  It didn’t shorten his wait time or get him any sympathy from anyone.

The manager who finally responded to the cashiers request for assistance was either new or incompetent.  In any case it was obvious she didn’t know how to execute a refund for an overcharge.  Although I quietly suggested she void the initial transaction and simply re-ring my purchase correctly, she chose to ignore the suggestion.   

Instead of sharing her solution with us, thereby easing nerves and tension, she contributed to increased tension by fumbling about, failing to explain what she was doing, taking too long to do it and behaving with indecision.  Then she simply appeared to give up and without a word to any of us, she walked away without explanation.

Oh this is such a picture of the chaos and turmoil the Body of Christ suffers too often in this overly “politically correct” culture we find ourselves attempting to function in!

1 Thessalonians 2:1 -12

In Apostle Paul’s day it was no different.  He had to deal with many responses to his delivery of the word of God.  Some received it with gladness and were blessed, like the woman in line directly behind me.

Others had stone hearts and suffered because of that, while blaming Apostle Paul, so they lashed out at him in anger.

Still others, who were leaders in their communities, were stumped as to how to react to the truth of God being shared.  After trying to wrangle the truth to make it fit into their theology, they just gave up and walked away.  They refused to accept the truth or allow change into their hearts.

We who call ourselves Christian continue to have the same mandate as the first century believers. 

• To be witnesses to Christ (Acts 1:8)
• to preach the gospel, instant in season and out of season (2Timothy 4:2)
• to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) as mature Christians so the light of Christ is shining for all to see; and hopefully to respond positively to!

Whether we are sharing the message of Hope, sharing a gospel truth or simply speaking truth in a given situation during the course of living our everyday lives such as the one I've described above, we should treat them all the same.  Speaking the truth in love.  Being in public, private or in a church setting should not change our behavior.

 

In this current cultural climate, we desperately need to be encouraged and reminded as Joshua was reminded and encouraged (Joshua 1:9)

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage, do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you WHEREVER you go!"

The Body of Christ

God has it all set up from beginning to end and everything in between and it 

ALL WORKS TOGETHER FOR GOOD TO THOSE WHO LOVE GOD                                       AND ARE CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE!

Lowest Common Denominator of Denominational Doctrinal Differences

Does it ever just get to you?  Have you ever read the words “Unity in the Spirit” and thought, does that really mean everyone, no matter what they believe?  Does it only apply for certain belief systems? Does that mean only the people who believe the same exact way I believe? Is there a standard that can't be disputed?  Why does the Bible seem so clouded in some areas?  Why isn't it all just plain and clear and straightforward?

Have you ever thought that perhaps it is clear and plain and straightforward and the problem lies with us and our understanding or lack thereof?

 I’m certain I am not the only one who has wondered about why there are so many denominations!  Don't we all share the same basic belief premises?

·         That in the beginning God Created the Heavens and the Earth

·         That Jesus is the Savior Who died to pay the penalty of all sin for all people

·         That obedience to God is the surest way to blessings in this life now and Eternally after physical death occurs

And then all the divergent thought processes begin.

You must be dipped in water; You must be sprinkled with water blessed by a clergyman; You must be fully submerged in a tub of water; You must be baptized to be considered Saved and able to enter Heaven at your death on earth; Baptism is only a symbol and doesn’t play a significant role in Salvation or eligibility for Heaven

You must repeat this set of words in this way to pray; You must pray straight from the heart; You mustn't be repetitious in prayer; You must pray out loud; You must pray silently; You must pray privately in a closet or closed room; You must pray corporately

You must accept Christ as Savior and confess Him Lord; (wait, there is scripture that clearly supports that doctrine.  Romans 10: 9-10)

You can’t wear makeup or cut your hair if you are female; Outward things are not important for God looks on the HEART, not the flesh; You must dress this way; You must dress that way; How you dress has no bearing on where you stand with God, it is only the spiritual connection that is significant in relation to where you stand with God

You must bow before a statue; You must not bow before a statue; You must NOT have graven images of any kind (oh, yea first commandment Exodus 20:4) Symbols and pictures and statues are fine; Symbols and pictures and statues are satanic and distract from worshiping God in Spirit and in Truth; How you Worship isn’t significant but only that you Worship; God accepts many forms of Worship; God only accepts these certain types and styles of Worship

There must be music for Worship; There must not be music for Worship; It must be this type of music to be Worship; it doesn't matter what type of music you choose;

Dancing is a sin; Dancing is not a sin (David danced in Worship before the Lord, was he sinning?  Some say yes and that's why his wife despised him.  Others say no and that's why he took a new wife and forsook Michal)

You will act this way; You will not act that way and on and on and on with many rules and regulations, most of which can be proven and/or dis-proven depending on which scripture you read and how you read it and what version of the bible publication you happen to be reading.

I believe the Bible clearly states several doctrine that are set in stone.

1.     There is clearly a blessing, a reward to believing God. Hebrews 11:6 addresses this simply.  To come to God at all starts with believing that He exists AND that He rewards those who seek Him.

2.    We are Saved through Jesus.  Acts 2:21 and Romans 1:13 clearly indicate salvation comes to any and all who call on the Name of Jesus.  Romans 10:9-10 again speaks of confession of Jesus as Lord and believing in our heart that God raised Him from the dead.

3.    There are certain obedience behaviors expected to show themselves as evidence in the lives of those who profess to be Gods children. James 2:14 speaks clearly to committing actual works that line up with our confession to trusting in and having faith toward God.  It isn’t enough to confess, there must be evidence in our actions.

4.    None of us gets it right all the time. 1John 1:8 leaves no room for doubt that we all sin, but that repentance with confession to the Lord gains us forgiveness.  Not just at the first instance of salvation, but throughout our lives from there forward, as we sin, we repent, we ask forgiveness and we receive that forgiveness.

 Why then all the infighting and disunity in what is supposed to be, according to Ephesians 4, one unified Body of Christ?  In 1Corinthians 9:19 and on, Apostle Paul speaks of being all things to all people. This section of scripture in Corinthians covers a lot of if not all the reasons there are so many "denominations" with different practices. Stop and think, and I believe you will see the sense of it.

None of us is exactly the same as others of us.  We all want and actually need different things in order to feel "right" in ourselves.  We need different experiences we can respond to and be comfortable with. 

 Some personality types need tight structure to thrive and be fulfilled.  Others crave far less restrictions in order to thrive and fulfill our purpose.  Some people must have excitement and change on a regular basis to suit their hearts desires.  Other people prefer the steady stability of sameness and feel best when they've planted deep roots.  While some people desire traditional ceremonial behaviors to feel close to God, others simply must try new and unique things to achieve that sense of unity and closeness to Him. 

The point is that we are all wonderfully and fearfully made (Psalm 139) each of us with unique characteristics and personalities.  There is nothing boring or bad or wrong, there is just the joy of all the infinitely diverse ways God has seen fit to bless us!  

We are blessed in that God makes room for all of it.  There is a framework within which it all works; boundaries that when kept to, allow for all the freedom we could ever ask for to explore and experiment and find our own comforting space; the way to Worship and serve and honor and fully enjoy fellowship with the Lord our Creator.  

The TRUTH sets those boundaries, not us.  

We with all our human failure in the flesh have decided that those who don't think or act or dress or perform like us are not part of the unified Body with us.  We find it very difficult to let go of our need to control and our ego that insists on being "right".

The TRUTH tells us that those who put their faith in God, trust in Jesus as their Lord and Savior and their lives show some kind of evidence of those beliefs are all part of ONE BODY OF CHRIST.

The rest?  The Worship styles, the times and places of gathering, the ceremonial stuff?  Shouldn't be the focus.  These are all flesh based acts designed to bring us to the Spiritual.  Using these things against us is how the devil divides and conquers us.  

We can stop him cold in his tracks so easily.  

Keep our eyes on Jesus.  Love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and Love our Neighbors as ourselves.  

Who cares if they use bread or crackers or wafers of some kind to celebrate Communion?  Or if they call it the Lords Supper?  Focusing on such insignificant and unimportant things is to be deceived out of enjoying fellowship in the Spirit with Brothers and Sisters in Christ. 

Go back and read the scriptures, not with an eye toward proving your personal thought process, but with a heart humbled that asks God to show you His truth.  I think you may come away very, very blessed.

When we seek out those who believe in God and confess Jesus as Savior and accept them as we want to be accepted, we will find STRENGTH and UNITY and BLESSINGS.  We don't have to act the same, to be of the same BODY. In fact, those differences are one of the things that strengthen the Body.  Everyone has their own gift, their own ability that serves a unique purpose that blesses the whole Body of Christ.

  And in that unity and strength, I know, because God declares it is so, that we will find VICTORY THROUGH JESUS, individually and as a Body.  Here in America there is outcry by some for restoring our nation.  This is how we will find strength as a nation.  

Because - "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord" Psalm 33:12

You are very welcome to click on Comments and share your thoughts.  God bless us, everyone!