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SUFFERING FOR THE SINS OF OTHERS: COUNT IT ALL JOY (TRADING MY SORROWS)

It is sometimes the case that a Christian is forced to go through some seriously bad stuff not because of his or her own sin but due to the evil of others.

BEING SPIRITUALLY VULNERABLE

It is not exactly the same as being utterly defenseless though these two words are seen as synonymous. I would not think the Lord ever leaves His children completely defenseless in that He is always there watching over them. Any good parent always does his or her best to protect one’s children. The Scripture is clear:

“I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you” [Hebrews 13:5]

PAUL

However, we also have several Scriptural examples that such a promise appears untrue, especially during the worst of times when it seems as though God has checked out or is a million miles away. Every mature Christian has experienced this, many on multiple occasions, and a probable few as part of a discipleship lifestyle. One may be reminded of the life of the apostle Paul, for example, when it seems as though the poor man was always getting beat up, trashed, and run out of town. Paul’s ministry differs from the Lord’s in such a respect as there is no record that the Lord Jesus ever had a hand laid on Him until the time of His ultimate suffering and death.

So, why was Paul so vulnerable? Why didn’t God protect him? Why did he have to suffer such extreme persecution? For starters we know the New Testament states that persecution is a given, will happen, is a byproduct of spiritual warfare, and there is nothing to be done about it. It occurs because people are given a free will. When people exercise their free will for evil purposes then evil will certainly happen and does. The devil, however, never physically laid a hand on Paul though it can be construed that someone inflicting pain on him was possessed by the devil. We know Paul once wrote, “There was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me” (2Corinthians 12:7 KJV). This is an indication of physical suffering brought on by a demonic entity but does not necessarily fall into the category of persecution. The point is that it was not usually demonic entities but human beings who were responsible for Paul’s persecution, though such people could have been and likely were possessed by some such foul spirit.

The reason I am keying on Paul here is because of his unique position and standing as a zealous Hebrew of Hebrews:

…For we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh, although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee… [Philippians 3:3-5]

Prior to his conversion, Paul was perhaps the greatest representation of a powerfully strident Pharisee determined to invoke and follow what he believed was the apparent epitome of OT Scriptural teaching and doctrine who expressed no fear whatsoever toward the carrying out of what he deemed his official duty. His fellows knew very well who he was and the power of personality he held. Though likely less than five feet tall he was an otherwise ultra-feisty banty rooster one would not want to mess with. He had a fire in his gut pretty much unmatched by no one.

Because of his unique position within his religious crowd and the stature he held (along with the possible fact that he was meant to be the twelfth apostle but declined) the Lord reverted to extra steps to secure Paul’s conversion. When the Lord was successful in this and Paul submitted to Him, he instantly became public enemy number one. His former crowd would never forgive him. He was made a target early on and suffered through repeated assassination attempts. He was simply far too important a person in his nation in general and Pharisaism in particular to not be seen as a great loss and a prize for their avowed enemy—Christianity.

This does not mean he was special compared to other believers or more important, however, because every believer fills a niche no one else can, can do work no one else can, and reach particular people with the Gospel no one else can. What can certainly be discerned, though, is that Paul would have a lifetime great price to pay in that his spiritual vulnerability would be illustrated at the highest of levels but this only proved his great effectiveness as a disciple as well.

JOSEPH

A well-known Old Testament example of the innocent suffering for others is Jacob’s son Joseph. This young man had a heart for God and righteousness and through no fault of his own was rudely removed from a great life with his family and close relationship with his father. His young life was effectively destroyed. One can only imagine the great pain Joseph felt at being betrayed by his own and thrust into a hard difficult life surrounded by the uncaring and brutal who had no knowledge of who he was or concern if they did.

He had become highly vulnerable to the enemy and whims of humanity but it was all for a specific purpose which no other man could have had or performed.

The good news is that Joseph fulfilled God’s plan, as hard and little understood as it was early on. He submitted wholeheartedly and served as an effective savior of his family, his nascent nation in the making. Without Joseph’s sacrifice there would be no Israelite nation and no resultant Messiah and Savior of the world.

TRADING MY SORROWS

This is the title of a popular worship song from several years ago. It was written on the fly in a church service by Darrell Evans in 1997 and has long since gone worldwide enjoyed by multiple millions. If you are not aware of this song or haven’t heard it in a while I encourage you to look it up. The lyrics are based in part on a passage of Scripture from 2Corinthians:

I’m trading my sorrows

I’m trading my shame

I’m laying them down for the joy of the Lord

I’m trading my sickness

I’m trading my pain

I’m laying them down for the joy of the Lord

Yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord Amen…

I am pressed but not crushed

Persecuted not abandoned

Struck down but not destroyed

I am blessed beyond the curse

For His promise will endure

And His joy’s gonna be my strength

Though the sorrow may last for the night

His joy comes with the morning

I’m trading my sorrows…[1]

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death works in us, but life in you. [2Corinthians 4:7-12] [3]

And later on into the future as these new believers ministered to by Paul become spiritually mature, death will begin working in them also so life can live in others.

TWO SUFFERINGS

These distinct forms of suffering experienced by real believers have their purposeful origin in the life of the Lord. As the apostle Paul wrote, “we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake.” The mature Christians of that time were therefore subjected to a spiritual suffering meant as a purposeful and effective means of ministry which somehow resulted in spiritual life for others. And though this suffering may have appeared as a violation of the Lord’s protection and fidelity, it was actually necessary to birth new life not at all unlike a woman delivering a child.

The second form is suffering due to the sins of others. Many Christians have suffered large losses in life because of those choosing to act out willfully in an evil manner. Excellent reputations have been maligned by malicious gossip. Many have had their lives demolished by unrepentant Judases stubbornly and selfishly insistent on having their own way. Many other righteous ones have actually been murdered. As such events were allowed by God it means they were in accordance with His allowable will. The victims of these attacks certainly knew they were essentially unprotected and even betrayed but not by God.

We must remember that the Lord Jesus Himself went through the worst persecution and suffering of anyone and was brutally killed. But it did not mean He was abandoned or forsaken even though He certainly felt that way for a moment while on the cross. Rather than be defeated by His suffering, however, He was the great Victor through it! His example must therefore encourage us to continue fighting the good fight of faith regardless of circumstances.

Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. [Hebrews 12:2-3]

What we must remember is that He was soon removed from the cross and three days later resurrected to new life. Whatever suffering we may go through, therefore, has its limits and is temporary. And if a disciple went through it in faith and obedience, completing the course as it were, something truly wonderful, miraculous, and life-changing occurred in another or maybe several others, as well as bringing a great benefit to the sufferer. The New Testament clearly explains these things and gives many examples. It is simply all a part of real Christian ministry and the lives of those who love the Lord.

Therefore, let us all know and acknowledge that though—

We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed

Perplexed, but not despairing

Persecuted, but not forsaken

Struck down, but not destroyed

—We can joyfully sing:

Though the sorrow may last for the night

His joy comes with the morning!

I’m trading my sorrows

I’m trading my shame

I’m laying them down for the joy of the Lord!

I’m trading my sickness

I’m trading my pain

I’m laying them down for the joy of the Lord! [2]

[1][2] © Darrell Evans

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Tags: Apostle Paul, Christian Persecution, Discipleship, Embracing Suffering, Enemies of God, Joseph, Lord Jesus, Pain, Real Christianity The Nature of the Church, Spiritual Battle, Spiritual Maturity, Spiritual Suffering, Suffering, The Great Awakening, The Sufferings of Christ

“THE LORD IS A WARRIOR; THE LORD IS HIS NAME”

Feb 10

Posted by RJ Dawson

Spiritual warfare is not optional. Battling the enemy is mandatory. The Christian spiritual warrior must do all in his or her power to FIGHT.

The title of this article quotes Exodus 15:3 from the Song of Moses, a wonderful and worshipful testament to God’s greatness and faithfulness as our Saving Deliverer. In the original Hebrew, the word “Lord” is actually the second level revealed Name of God—YHWH—which, due to its great holiness, the scribes replaced with the written Hebrew word Adonai (Lord). God the Creator’s first level revealed Name—Elohiym—is found initially in Genesis 1 where it is used exclusively. We first see His Name YHWH in Genesis 2:4. His third level revealed Name first appears in Exodus 3:14. It was during the burning bush experience of Moses when he received his commission to go to Egypt to deliver his people. He asked for God’s Name:

God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” [Exodus 3:14]

THE LORD IS A WARRIOR

We see parallels to these Names of God in the New Testament, especially many instances of the Lord Jesus referring to Himself as “I AM.” In fact, there are a great many parallels in the NT matching up with the God of the OT. The final and greatest revelatory Name of God is, of course, YeHoshua (Jesus), the Name above every name, which combines the Tetragrammaton—YHWH (Yahweh)—with the Hebrew word Yasha, or Salvation. Hence the Name of Jesus means “Yahweh Sets Free” or “Yahweh Saves.”

As mentioned in a recent post, the Lord Jesus was and remains the greatest spiritual Warrior in existence. There is no one greater. During His ministry He knew more than anyone that He must fight every day or would have no chance whatsoever to win spiritual victories and complete His mission. Judging by everything He managed to accomplish—an absolutely perfect ministry in which He achieved every single predetermined goal—He proved Himself to be the greatest of all time.

His enemies greatly feared Him. And they still do. They know they have no chance. Remember, however, that when God took on the greatest challenge of His life in a be-all and end-all battle that would decide everything, He did not decide to take on His enemies by roaring from the sky and tossing down furious burning lightning bolts to obliterate His foes but chose to enter the battle as one of us. By this He not only greatly curtailed His overwhelming ferocious inherent ability to crush His wimpy foes like bugs but do it through an otherwise rebellious and cantankerous medium which NT Scripture refers to as the flesh.

Therefore, not only would He be taking on—

The devil and the entire forces of hell
A fallen evil kosmos constructed by multiple generations of errant and immoral human beings not only apart from and out of communication with God but in willful opposition to Him (the “world”), and
Sinful flesh, that is, predisposed sinful human nature, our greatest enemy, and even wrapping Himself with it, as per the ancient prophecy in Psalm 40 written by His ancestor David, quoted here in the NT Book of Hebrews:

Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says,

“Sacrifice and offering You have not desired,

But a body You have prepared for Me;

In whole burnt offerings and sacrifices

For sin You have taken no pleasure.

“Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come

(In the scroll of the book it is written of Me)

To do Your will, O God.’” [Hebrews 10:5-7]

Now, think about this. It was always His plan to become a human but when the time came to engage in the greatest battle of His or anyone’s life He approached it in the most unconventional manner imaginable. Rather than getting physically ripped and bulking up by consuming mass quantities of grain-fed beef, equipping Himself amply with the normal warfare implements of physical weaponry and armor, and psyching Himself out to take on the equivalent of Roman Legions, He instead planned on a forty-day fast and ultimately using the Word of God as His chief weapon of choice. As Paul wrote,

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds)… [2Corinthians 10:3-4 KJV]

This should cause all Christians believers to think a tad more seriously about the battle at hand, how we approach it, and get a better idea why American Christianity in general is getting beat to death, destroyed all over the battlefield, and humiliated by a scheming deceiver never hesitating to laugh in our faces over our collective unskilled ineptitude. Could it be that American Christianity in general is stubbornly clinging to methods that never work in the spiritual realm but are great in the natural since social standing, dead religious tradition, and buckets of money are far more preferable? Is this not obviously the case since the majority of Christians prefer this world to the next and would rather run alongside the sinful culture than stand against it and even rebuke it?

As James wrote:

Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. [James 4:4 KJV]

Again, this word “world” is translated from the Greek κόσμος kósmos (kos’-mos). It is the same in essence as that which the devil controlled/controls and which he offered to the Lord during the Lord’s temptation in exchange for worship. Can we not see then that this worldwide construct of sinful man apart from God is intricately connected to the tempter and that this tempter has obviously made great headway in successfully tempting all manner of Christian institutions and churches? Have not so many of these sold out and taken the deal? Have they not also been granted great success as the tempter promised?

We may often wonder how much of the success of American Christianity in general is the result of the Lord’s blessings and how much has come from the evil one but there is no doubt that at least some and quite possibly the greater percentage has been due to the latter. This should give us serious pause. It should also alert us to the clearest method of distinguishing the two: That which agrees with the ministry form and lifestyle of the Early Church of the first century AD is the standard to be embraced. They represented the prototype of all succeeding generations. Yet for some reason their example is often shunned and opposed as if one has taken another suitor.

Regarding the previous passage, James, the blood brother of our Lord, is adamant that spiritual adultery is a vile offense which makes a relationship with the Lord impossible. This was obviously the entire problem with ancient Israel in that it simply could not keep itself chaste unto God and was forever straying.

It is why only a relatively small Remnant of the nation, perhaps 10% if that (a tithe), stayed faithful. The surviving Remnant during the Lord’s time are the people He chose—all Israelites initially—and worked through to begin His ministry and wider movement spreading into and throughout the world of that time. They succeeded in great part because they were ferocious spiritual warriors who gave no quarter to the enemy and were determined with all their heart to fulfill the Lord’s directives.

The Lord’s people of our time are currently doing the same though are often working in obscurity. Many not only battle in the Spirit but also battle to survive. The devil hates them, the world hates them, and the flesh hates them. It reminds one of the following:

“You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.” [Matthew 10:22][1]

I encourage you all to continue to fight for and with the Lord in the great battle against the enemies of God. Continue to be strong and consistent spiritual warriors. In the Lord’s time and timing we each will continue to have spiritual victories in the Lord’s service, that many will be saved, delivered, set free, and raised up to spiritual maturity in the Lord as His Kingdom advances.

The Great Awakening continues and is gaining ground. The Lord is winning!

FIGHT ON

Posted in Teaching

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Tags: America, American Christianity, Discipleship, Fight the Good Fight of Faith, Lord Jesus, Real Christianity The Nature of the Church, Spiritual Battle, Spiritual Warfare, The Great Awakening, The LORD is a Warrior, The Remnant, The World The Flesh The Devil, They Hated Me Without a Cause, YHWH-Salvation

Choose For Yourselves This Day Whom You Will Serve

Jun 30

Posted by RJ Dawson

The invisible war rages. There are two competing kingdoms. Real Christians know the real fight is between the Lord Jesus and Satan. These two are the only leaders of the only two kingdoms that exist on the planet.

Thus, the fight is not between this country and that. It is not a fight between Christians and Muslims. It is not a fight between Republicans and Democrats. And it is not a fight between Catholics and Protestants.

The devil has authority over the entire world of unregenerate sinful mankind:

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. [2 Corinthians 4:3-4]

The Lord Jesus is the King of His kingdom:

I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He will bring about at the proper time—He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen. [1 Timothy 6:13-16]

The devil offered the Lord all the kingdoms of the world as his second in command, which means the devil controls all the kingdoms, nations, and countries of the world, or he could not have made the offer. This means he even controlled and sat atop the powerful Roman Empire.

If one purports to honor and believe the Word of God, one must believe this. Therefore, if a person wants life and real freedom, he must at some point leave the devil’s kingdom and join the Lord’s. Otherwise, do nothing. The Lord Jesus is only in authority over those who have confessed His Name and bowed before Him. He is the Father of those who have accepted His sacrifice on their behalf and have been released from their bondage to sin.

According to His teachings, everyone else is under the authority of Satan.

Thus, the devil creates sub-battles within his kingdom to deceive the lost and even Christian believers about the real battle. He divides us through political parties, culture, race, denominations, and a myriad of other subsets in order to take our focus off of him.

This is why the only real change takes place when the Lord Jesus is able to rule in an area where the devil had previously ruled.

In the present battle, Jesus gains authority through the submission of a human being to Him. It is the only way He gains authority. And it must be through a person’s free will and love for Him, and not by coercion. He has only ONE kingdom. He has only ONE community of believers. And He is the ONE leader of His community. Everyone else within it is on equal footing with one another. He created no hierarchies or clergy-laity divisions. He created no men ruling other men within His kingdom. He is the only Ruler.

It is the same in Satan’s kingdom. Though it appears on the surface to be ruled by many different and disconnected leaders, rulers, presidents, dictators, financial kingpins, and religious quacks around the world, all of these are under his command whether they know it or not. If one has not submitted to the Lord Jesus, then one does not belong to Him and one does not have salvation. Such a one remains in His sins regardless of his station in life and receives his or her motivational feed from the original Beastie Boy.

If sin rules a person’s life (and it will unless the Lord is allowed to remove it and its power), then one is prone to powerful deception. Sin is blinding, and those who live in sin are subject to it, controlled by it, and are easily deceived by the devil into believing any number of lies.

And the devil is a master liar.

When one submits to the authority of the Lord Jesus and accepts His only payment for sin, then one is released from the power of sin and the blinders come off. This is a very, very powerful event, and one becomes an entirely new creation. Old desires pass away and new desires come forth to serve God and live a holy life. This is why the Lord referred to a true conversion experience as being “born again.”

This does not happen by merely converting to some branch of “Christianity.” It does not happen by merely joining a church or submitting to it and its particular doctrines. It happens only by submitting oneself to the Lord Jesus with one’s whole heart. He is the only One who can set a person free from the disease of sin, and give a person power over sin.

In fact, His Name means that very thing: YHWH-Salvation, or YeHoshua. The real meaning of salvation is being set free. It is the granting of freedom. Everyone wants to be free, but sin is the one thing endemic to mankind that one will never be set free of without the Lord. He lived a perfect sinless life and thus gained power over sin, and shares that power with whoever will join Him. There is no salvation without Jesus. He is the only One who can bestow spiritual life.

Yet, the devil has a field day dividing up Christians. It was not the Lord who created a million different Christian denominations. It is not the Lord who advocates hating one president and loving another, or siding with one political party and hating the other, or fighting for one Christian denomination and hating all others. The Lord’s community is in perfect unity, and is composed of all those who have bowed the knee to Him and no other.

If the Lord Jesus could be president, then real Christians would vote for Him. Otherwise we should vote for a real Christian. If neither candidate is a real Christian then it doesn’t matter which one is elected, since both belong to the kingdom of the other guy and nothing significant will change.

When the Lord Jesus is in charge there is liberty and blessing. When He is not in charge there is very little liberty and blessing. It should be obvious to Christians, since they supposedly know God’s written Word, that when the Lord is honored, the land of the people who honor Him is blessed. When the land is otherwise cursed, then…

Ask yourself if America is presently in good shape. Does it look like the Lord Jesus has been given governing control of Washington D.C.? Does it appear that He has been given governing control of the fifty states?

Some states are certainly in better shape than others, but most have very serious problems. People have been warning for decades that America is going in the tank, that the nation is filled with sin and murder, and that things are regressing ever faster. Yet, what do we do? We think a particular non-real Christian candidate is better than another? We think sinful human beings will somehow make the necessary gargantuan changes that are required?

We need to look at the big picture. Look back at the last 100 years and one will see a steady downhill slide that keeps accelerating. Yet we do nothing to actually change it. We engage in a bunch of cosmetic garbage that has no effect. The Word of God even predicts that things will continue to grow darker:

Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. [2 Timothy 3:12-13]

But there is a reason for this. It is not set in stone. It is because most people refuse to give themselves wholeheartedly to the Lord. We as a nation refuse to repent and submit to His authority so He can fix things.

And why is this surprising? The majority of churches don’t want Jesus in charge!

Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the LORD guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain. [Psalm 127:1] [1]

So, with all the constant drivel on the airwaves and the ongoing political process, Americans are fools if they think anything other than our submission to the Lord Jesus will change things substantially for the better.

Until then, the devil is in control of all those who refuse to bow the knee to the Lord, and if such people are in high office, the devil has that much more control.

At the end of the day, whether we like it or not or understand it or not, each of us will either serve the devil or serve the Lord Jesus. There is no in-between. There is no third party.

It may be the devil

Or it may be the Lord

But you’re gonna have to serve somebody [2]

WATCH VIDEO: Gotta Serve Somebody [Won Grammy Award in 1980]

[2] Bob Dylan, Gotta Serve Somebody, from the album Slow Train Coming 1979.

Posted in Real Christianity

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Tags: Bob Dylan, Choose For Yourselves This Day Whom You Will Serve, Gotta Serve Somebody, King of kings and Lord of lords, Kingdom of Satan, Kingdom of the Lord Jesus, Lord Jesus, Real Christianity, Spiritual Battle

Cruel To Be Kind: Destroy Your Life to Save It

Sep 8

Posted by RJ Dawson

God is not so interested in how a sinful world perceives His children. It seems as though He is not so interested in our credibility. He will probably not bless our attempt to become a successful and respectable member of society. If one is already a solid secular citizen within one’s chosen social and business circle, as opposed to being a member in good standing within His kingdom, it was most likely achieved without His help.

And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? For what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” [Mark 8:34-38]

The word “lose” in the above passage is from a Greek word that means to utterly destroy. In other words, to save one’s life one must destroy one’s life. One must destroy the old before the new can come forth. Demolition precedes construction. Winter precedes spring. Night precedes the dawn. One must die before one can be born again. Real repentance is as death. The second birth is a resurrection. Without a new birth, one will die in their sins and both body and soul will be destroyed in hell. [1]

The glorification of sinful flesh is not one of the Lord’s priorities. There are people who become very successful in this life without any of God’s help. They strive and achieve only to leave it all behind at death. Imagine the people who lost their homes and livelihoods recently in the northeastern floods and Texas fires. These are terrible tragedies. But death is often like that, in that everything a person has ever built, accumulated, and worked for remains behind within the tiny closed parameters of this physical world.

You cannot take it with you. Wealthy people don’t have a Brink’s truck following their hearse to their gravesite. And while we are in this material realm, anything we may possess is subject to loss.

The best way to protect your stuff is to give it to God. Let Him have control. Subject it to His authority. He may tell you to get rid of some stuff. He may tell you to keep this and that. He may instruct you to give stuff away. But one thing is certain: Whatever He may want you to keep, you will keep; at least until it is time to let it go.

Isn’t this a better way to live? Isn’t this exactly how the Lord Jesus taught us we must live? If we can’t take it with us, why do we insist on clutching onto all our stuff and our own authority in the present?

It is the same with our reputations. We often spend years building up reputations that later come apart in an instant, sometimes through no fault of our own. If our reputation is based on being an honest person, not much of it will be lost. But honest people tell the truth, and that means they even tell the truth about themselves. They don’t hide their faults and shortcomings. They are humble. They know they often come up short against standing societal mores and spiritual directives, but are more interested in being honest and trying to get better than securing a fake resume inflated like a hot air balloon.

It is such false biographies and fake reputations that eventually blow up and come crashing down. All things phony bite the dust. Only the real survives. And only the real, based on God’s definition of the term, makes a successful trip into eternity. As our foundational example, consider the life of the greatest Man who ever lived:

Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. [Philippians 2:1-8] [2]

For the real Christian, he or she belongs to God. And that includes all our stuff. It also includes our credibility. It includes anything we may be and anything He wants us to be. In this light, it makes little spiritual sense to hoard up a bunch of stuff, whether material or not, that might in all probability be weighing us down and grounding us to this world.

The Bible clearly states that real Christians are not of this world. The Lord Jesus is not of this world. We are supposed to be born again OUT of this world and INTO His kingdom. So who cares what anybody else may think? The Lord certainly didn’t care what others thought about Him. He was on a mission, He would not be stopped, and the world was only doing what came naturally when trying to destroy Him in any way it could. He caught it from everyone, including His own nation, friends, and family. Rather than recognizing Him as God, this is how almost everyone actually perceived Him:

Because He drank wine, He was thought to be a common drunk. [Matthew 11:19, Luke 7:34]

Because He ate the same food as everyone else, He was thought to be a glutton. [Matthew 11:19, Luke 7:34]

Because He reached out to the lost, He was thought to be an associate of sinners. [Matthew 11:19, Luke 7:34]

Because there were serious questions about His birth, He was thought to be illegitimate. [John 8:41]

Because everyone else was stupid and dense, He was thought to be insane. [Mark 3:21]

Because He had spiritual abilities no one else had, He was thought to be demon-possessed. [Mark 3:22, 30]

Because He humbly downplayed who He really was, He was thought to be a nobody. [Matthew 13:54-56]

Clearly, the Lord Jesus did not care about a worldly reputation. His focus was on doing the will of the Father and accomplishing His purpose. This should be our focus as well. When we drift from this, should we wonder why the Lord does not seem to care about the things we hold most dear? If one decides to live for God, one will be persecuted. People will think you’ve gone off the deep end. They will hate you, think you’re crazy, call you every name in the book, and run your name into the ground.

If you consider yourself to be a real Christian and these things are not happening in your life, you better check your oil. The more a believer attacks the gates of hell to rescue the lost and reveal truth, the more the enemy will fight. If one is not in the fight, one is not with the Lord and the Lord is not with him. If one is more concerned with one’s worldly reputation or comfort level than serving the Lord, one has little spiritual reputation and is no threat to the devil.

And though the unbelieving world hates real Christians, the adversary is well aware of his enemies. They are known in hell: The evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” [3]

[1] Matthew 10:28

[3] Acts 19:15 NKJV

Posted in Teaching

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Tags: Apostle Paul, Born Again, Christianity, Cruel To Be Kind, Lord Jesus, Lose Your Life To Save It, Materialism, Real Christianity, Reputation, Spiritual Battle

Victory!

May 24

Posted by RJ Dawson

The New Testament teaches that there will be times of weariness for the believer. We are often pulled in many different directions and subjected to what can only be termed spiritual onslaughts. Christians have often failed to acknowledge the fact that a spiritual war goes on all around us. For those uninvolved, there is little fight. But for those openly attacking the forces of evil through their moral standard of living, their strong faith and obedience to the Lord, and even in direct spiritual confrontation, they are often subjected to a very tough fight.

Because the devil doesn’t fight fair, real Christians sometimes get shot in the back. I remember when I was a kid watching westerns on television, I learned early on that one of the worst things a man could ever do is shoot another man in the back when he was unable to defend himself. No real man ever does it. Well, the devil does this routinely. It is one of his major methods of warfare—shoot ‘em in the back when they’re not watching. Veteran believers have been attacked this way many times.

Yet, despite the enemy’s underhanded tactics, there is victory for the one who fights alongside the Lord: He or she recovers to fight another day and is much stronger and aware as a result. Victorious spiritual battle results in greater maturity and power for the believer. He or she also becomes wiser. How else did the apostle Paul withstand all the underhanded attacks against him, and still live to collect his social security check? He was a force. But it wasn’t actually him. It was the Lord in him.

The Lord Jesus is the greatest Man who ever lived. He withstood everything. He won every battle. The enemy threw everything he had at Him and failed. So it is for the real Christian. We must never back down. Even though some attacks are vicious and vile, if we stand our ground and stand with the Lord, we will win. How demoralizing it must be for the devil to know he has used every wicked weapon in his arsenal, and has not only failed miserably, but actually helped foster great awakenings and strengthened spiritual giants? Godly wisdom regarding the battle at hand is often counterintuitive, and completely escapes the natural mind.

Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; but just as it is written, “THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD, AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.” [1Corinthians 2:6-9]

May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob set you securely on high! May He send you help from the sanctuary and support you from Zion! May He remember all your meal offerings and find your burnt offering acceptable! Selah. May He grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your counsel! We will sing for joy over your victory, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners. May the LORD fulfill all your petitions. Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven with the saving strength of His right hand. Some boast in chariots and some in horses, but we will boast in the name of the LORD, our God. They have bowed down and fallen, but we have risen and stood upright. Save, O LORD; May the King answer us in the day we call. [Psalm 20:1-9] [1]

The Lord Jesus became the biggest loser in order to become the greatest winner. Savvy?