Pastor John’s Blog

Don’t Fight God

Most of us enjoy having control over our lives. We enjoy the freedom we have to make any changes in our lives that we deem necessary and have the ability to change. The thing is that once we come to Christ He begins to work in us and shape our lives. Sometimes, however, the Lord does things in our lives that we may not like and are tempted to resist. It is in these moments that we should heed the words of Ecclesiastes7:13 that say, “Accept the way God does things, for who can straighten what he has made crooked?” (NLT). When God shapes our life in a way that at first we may not like it is best to accept it, otherwise we may find ourselves fighting God. In the end, everything that God does in our lives is for our good. Let’s learn to accept God’s will.  

Coming to faith in Jesus Christ requires us to shift our complete allegiance to him. This means that His authority must be supreme in our lives even if this comes with a heavy cost. Many in Ephesus came to understand this as the Apostle Paul came to their town preaching the gospel message. Acts 19:18-19 captures this when it says, “Many who became believers confessed their sinful practices.¹⁹ A number of them who had been practicing sorcery brought their incantation books and burned them at a public bonfire. The value of the books was several million dollars” (NLT). Sorcery deals with the occult. It is satanic in nature. However, a number of sorcerers fell under conviction by the preaching of God’s word and came to faith in Christ. After having done so they realized that they had to burn all of their incantation books for these represented an allegiance to their old master—Satan—and that having these books would divide their allegiance between Christ and the Devil. This came at a high cost to them for books in those days were very expensive. Keep in mind that the printing press had not yet been invented. Books were written by hand on expensive parchment paper. This is why we are told that “The value of the books was several million dollars.” Yet despite the cost these new converts burned this bridge to their past. We must do the same. Like the Ephesians we must burn the bridges to our sinful past. This may mean letting go of past relationships, or discontinuing visiting places where we used to indulge our flesh, or stopping sinful practices or even getting rid of items that are connected to our sinful past. The question that you must answer today is this: Is there anything in your life that stands in defiance to Christ that you must burn (or simply throw away), whether literally or figuratively?  

As explained in yesterday’s devotion, Paul and the Philippians were partners in ministry. As partners they contributed their time and efforts, gifts and talents, plus their finances to the success of the Kingdom. However, there was one more area that their partnership covered and it had to do with emotional and spiritual support. Paul says in verse 7, “So it is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a special place in my heart. You share with me the special favor of God, both in my imprisonment and in defending and confirming the truth of the Good News” (NLT). The first part of verse 7 connects with everything stated in the previous verses. The Philippians held a special place in Paul’s heart because they had partnered with him in ministry while he was still in a Roman prison. However, it is the next sentence of verse 7 that truly explains why the Philippians were so loved by Paul. Paul says in the second sentence of verse 7 “You share with me the special favor of God, both in my imprisonment and in defending and confirming the truth of the Good News” (NLT). The word “share” is the English translation of the Greek word sugkoinonous that means to share or participate together in something. This word sugkoinonous reminds us of koinonia in verse 5. Both words have the idea of shared participation. Paul loves the Philippians because they participate with him in the special favor of God (the grace of God) both in his imprisonment and in defending and confirming the truth of the Good News. The special favor or grace that God had given Paul was the ability not only to withstand imprisonment but also to preach and defend the Gospel. The Philippians participated in this grace with Paul by giving him emotional and spiritual support throughout this ordeal, in addition to the financial assistance they offered him and the assistance they provided him by preaching and defending the Gospel themselves. In other words, God used the Philippians to give Paul the comfort and strength he needed to continue. In this way they shared or partook of the grace of God given to Paul. This means that as partners in ministry we are expected to contribute our time, our effort, our gifts and talents, our finances and also our spiritual and emotional support to one another, and all for the success of the Kingdom. So today take a moment to think of someone that can use some spiritual and emotional support. Then become a source of God’s grace to them and in this way partner up with them in the business of the Kingdom.

Doors

We left Southern California, along with family and friends to move some three thousand miles to Miami, Florida in obedience to a calling my father felt to plant a new church. It had been six years since we first arrived to this great nation and six years since my father last pastored. A lot of uncertainty shrouded over the eight of us as we moved to the East coast to plant a small church. Toward the end of my father’s short, eleven-month tenure things soured at the church. As factions tried to divide the church we were left wondering what our future would be like. One night we all gathered around the kitchen phone as my father received a phone call from a strong, mid-sized church that we had faithfully attended in California. They had elected my father as their new pastor. Excitement raced through our household at the news. However, this was short lived for just a couple of days later the district superintendent that had presided over the election called my father to inform him that some of the board members, as well as some ministers that attended that church had gone to his office with the accusation that election fraud had taken place. The superintendent assured my father that he was the duly elected pastor, as did other members of that church, but he informed my father that a new election needed to be made. At this point my father informed the superintendent that he no longer wanted to run as pastor, but after being convinced to do so the election took place, and this time my father lost. A door had been closed and the uncertainty of our future increased with it. However, a short time later a smaller church in Southern California informed my father that they had elected him as their pastor. With that news my father gathered us to tell us something that has been with me ever since. He said to us that God had closed one door because He was about to open another. Revelation 3:7 captures Jesus saying, “This is the message from the one who is holy and true, the one who has the key of David. What he opens, no one can close; and what he closes, no one can open” (NLT). So often we are tempted to force our way into those closed doors in our lives not realizing that closed doors are there for a reason—to keep us from entering where God does not want us to be. Instead of forcing closed doors we should look for the door that God is opening for us. Oh, and by the way, this is the same church my father has been pastoring now for over thirty years. When God opens, no one can close!

It is understood that if several parties are going into business together that each one will be expected to actively contribute their time and finances to the business if it is to be a success. Well, there are similarities between a partnership in business and a partnership in ministry. Luke 5:10 says, “His [Peter’s] partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed” (NLT). This passage tells us that Peter, James and John were business associates. The Greek word for partners is koinonoi from koinonos that means partner, associate or one who shares. This is definitely a commercial term used to describe a business relation. What is interesting is that Paul uses a similar word to describe a partnership in ministry. Paul says in Philippians 1:4-5, “Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy,⁵ for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now” (NLT). The Greek word Paul uses for partner is koinonia that means fellowship, sharing or cooperation. Here it is used in the widest sense of cooperating. The Philippians cooperated with Paul financially and in helping him preach the gospel. As the NLT translates it, Paul referred to them as “my partners.” To drive this point further, the words koinonos used of Peter, James and John as business associates has the same root as koinonia. Therefore, Paul referred to the Philippians as his ministry partners. Their business was the business of the Kingdom. What Paul says next in verse 6 is very important. He says, “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns” (NLT). The good work that he is referring to is this sense of partnership in sharing the gospel that the Philippians had since day one. This tells us that latent in all believers is the desire to partner with others in the business of the Kingdom. This is something that has been placed there by the Holy Spirit. This means that we are all ministry partners in the business of the Kingdom. Therefore, just as in the case of business partners we are expected to contribute our time, our effort, our gifts and talents and our finances to the success of the Kingdom. This is something the Holy Spirit started in us and will complete when Jesus returns. It is up to us to yield to this impulse that resides within us. Let’s partner up in ministry.

I was twelve years old when I was baptized. Since my father had just been elected the pastor of the church he let my uncle, the outgoing pastor, baptize the group that I would be baptized with. Being more concerned about being dunked in the baptistery than anything else I held on nervously to my uncle’s T-shirt awaiting the words “I baptize you in the Name of the Father, and the Son and of the Holy Spirit” that were the cue that the dunk was about to happen. Those two seconds under water felt like a minute as I squirmed to be brought back to the surface. Coming out of the water I gasped for air as if I had swam twenty laps, all due to a fear of water brought on by not knowing how to swim. As the church sang a song and a towel was draped around me as I walked up the steps to exit the baptistery, I felt two things. I felt wet and I felt a conviction that I had died to my former life and had risen to a new life in Jesus Christ. I walked away from that baptistery fully aware that baptism signaled living a life of complete surrender to Jesus. I had heard it from the pulpit on numerous occasions that if someone wants to be a follower of Jesus they must learn to become obedient to Him, and that starts by obeying Jesus command to be baptized as stated in Matthew 28:19: “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (NLT). Discipleship and obedience go hand in hand as Matthew 28:20 says, “Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you” (NLT). Decades later that experience remains vivid in my mind as does my conviction that I promised the Lord that I would walk with him so many years ago. The question is have you honored the meaning of baptism? Have you been living a new life under the power of the Holy Spirit? Have you been learning to obey all that Jesus commanded? If you have then continue to grow in God’s grace. However, if you have not then it is time for you to recall your baptism experience and meditate on its meaning, as found in Romans 6:4: “For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives” (NLT).

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In our society people judge status in socio-economic terms, as well as in levels of education and sophistication and by the zip code one resides in. Although this upward drive for status has led to the creation and growth of the middle and upper-middle class, it has also augmented a negative side effect that is inherent in all human beings. This negative side effect has to do with the sense of superiority that comes with moving up the social ladder. Almost unconsciously people tend to esteem others as less because of their lack of vocabulary, education or financial means.  However, as believers we are not to act this way. Just the opposite is required of us, as Romans 12:3 says, “Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us” (NLT).  Not only are we NOT to think that we are better than we truly are, but we are also not to treat others as less, as James 2:3-4 says, “If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, ‘You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor’—well,⁴ doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?” (NLT). Jesus does not measure our greatness by the number of degrees that hang on our walls but by the towel we wear around our waist to wash and dry the feet of others. Ask the Lord to help you see any prideful areas in your life and ask Him to help you stay humble.

The average believer loses contact with his or her friends by the second year of coming to faith in Christ. The problem with this is twofold. First, the non-Christian friends of the new believer feel that their former friend deserted them over a religion. This causes them to form a negative view of Christianity. Second, the influence that the new believer has over his or her non-believing friends diminishes as the relationship grows distant, which reduces his or her chances to share Christ with them. The reason for this growing distance in the relationship can be explained by 1 Corinthians 2:14-15 that says, “But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.¹⁵ Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others” (NLT). The words “people who aren’t spiritual” is the translation of the Greek word pychikos that means “natural” or “having to do with the physical life.” This term describes a person without the Holy Spirit in his or her life. To such a person not only are things of God foolish but also those that follow after God. This is seen in verse 15 that says, “Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others.” The word “spiritual” here is the translation of the Greek word pneumatikos that means “spiritual person” or “someone that has the Holy Spirit to reveal God’s truths to them.” The spiritual person is able to “evaluate all things” or “discern the things of God.” However, the spiritual person cannot be “evaluated by others” or “discerned/understood by others.” This is why your non-Christian friends have trouble understanding why you are so given over to Jesus. To them you are being foolish for having walked away from them to live a new life with new Christian friends. You, on the other hand, have probably distanced yourself from your non-believing friends because you feel that they don’t understand you anymore. All of this explains why your relationship with your non-believing friends has grown distant and why they are more turned off to Christianity than ever because of it, but it does not offer a solution. For now, this is what you need to do. Pray that God will open their eyes to the truth of the Gospel and pray that God will give you an opportunity to reignite those friendships in order that you might share Christ with them.  Make your unbelieving friends the focus of your prayer throughout this entire week.

If you have ever discussed Jesus’ atoning work on the cross with someone that has absolutely no Christian background then you know firsthand how utterly nonsensical they find it to be. Even as a believer you have to admit how distant and far removed the archaic practice of crucifixion seems from our twenty first century. Yet, when we read Romans 3:25 the foolishness of the cross fades as we behold the awesome power of Christ’s redemptive work on the cross. It says, “For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood” (NLT).  This tells us that only through Christ’s death on the cross can we be forgiven of our sins and be declared righteous. And only through the Christ’s death on the cross could all of our sinful record be erased as Colossians 2:14 declares, “He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross” (NLT). And only through the cross of Christ could we find redemption, i.e. freedom, as Ephesians 1:7 says, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses” (ESV). Rightfully then does 1 Corinthians 1:18 say, “The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God” (NLT).  The words “being saved” are the translation of the Greek word sozomenois, which is a present, passive participle. The fact that it is in the present indicates an ongoing process. The fact that it is passive indicates that we are not doing the saving but God is. This means that through the cross of Christ God’s power is at work in us saving us, sanctifying us, maturing us and forming Christ in us! Although some may find the cross foolish we are experiencing its ongoing power in our lives. Therefore, we should reflect on Christ’s work on the cross and give God all of the glory for what He has done and continues to do in us.  

Pressure and intimidation brought on by people in authority is one of Satan’s favorite tactics to get us to compromise our faith and ethics. We see this in action in Exodus 1 when the most powerful king on the planet, the Pharaoh of Egypt, tried to pressure and intimidate two Hebrew midwives by the names of Shiphrah and Puah. In an attempt to get them to compromise their faith and ethics Pharaoh said to them, “When you help the Hebrew women as they give birth, watch as they deliver. If the baby is a boy, kill him; if it is a girl, let her live” (Ex 1:16, NLT).This was the pharaoh’s way of controlling the population size of the Hebrews that he had come to fear. However, we are told that these two extraordinary Hebrew midwives, which in my estimation don’t seem to get enough attention, did just the opposite. Exodus 1:17 says, “But because the midwives feared God, they refused to obey the king’s orders. They allowed the boys to live, too” (NLT). These two women placed there fear of Pharaoh aside and chose instead to fear God and honor their faith and conscience. Upon hearing this, Pharaoh called them back and said to them, “Why have you done this?” he demanded. “Why have you allowed the boys to live?” (Ex. 1:18, NLT). The two women replied, “The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women,’ the midwives replied. ‘They are more vigorous and have their babies so quickly that we cannot get there in time’” (Ex 1:19, NLT). The Pharaoh stood speechless! The most powerful man on the planet at that time could not force these two humble, uneducated and unarmed women to cave in to the pressure and intimidation that he was bringing to bear on them. This teaches us that no matter how much pressure we feel we do not have to compromise our faith and ethics for anyone, no matter how powerful that person may be. In the end, because of their uncompromising fear of God we are told that “God was good to the midwives, and the Israelites continued to multiply, growing more and more powerful.²¹ And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own” (NLT). Never compromise!