TRUTH is Free... Sets YOU Free, Keeps YOU FREE

The greatest single skill of communication, particularly writing, is to create a context in which other people can think.  The Bible is an excellent example of creating contexts, situations and examples, that can help people think through ideas, concepts and ultimately the decisions one can make about life choices.

Development in thinking is a gradual process requiring plateaus of learning and just plain hard work.  It is not possible to become a critical thinker simply because one wills it to be so. Changing one’s habits of thought happens over years, not weeks or months. The essential traits of a critical thinker require an extended period of development.  That’s why God recommends that we be in His word and learn to meditate on it... day and night.  

How, then, can we develop as critical thinkers, sorting through the vast array of opinion and untruth that exists in our world? How can we help ourselves to practice better thinking in everyday life, especially in the context of God’s Word –– His Purposes and His Truths?  

One context that baffles many people is a thorny question... Are All Religions Good?

WE LIVE in a world of staggering religious diversity. One recent survey identified 19 major faiths and some 10,000 smaller religions worldwide. There are almost as many studies on the topic of religion as there are religions.  The variety of religions offers people unprecedented religious choice. So does it matter which religion you choose?

Some people say that different religions are like different roads leading to the same destination. For them, it does not matter which road one chooses, since all roads lead to the same place. They reason that there is only one Almighty God, so all religions must ultimately lead to him.  So religious choice becomes a matter of personal preference with the ultimate outcome being the same for all religions.

Do all roads [religions] lead to God?  What did Jesus Christ, one of the most respected religious teachers in history, say on this subject? “Enter through the narrow gate,” he told his disciples. Why? “For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:13, 14, NIV.

Was Jesus suggesting that some religions could lead “to destruction”? Or was he teaching that only “unbelievers” are on the broad road, whereas those who believe in God no matter what their religion are on the narrow road that leads to life?

Immediately after stating that there are only two roads, Jesus said: “Be careful of false prophets. They come to you looking gentle like sheep, but they are really dangerous like wolves.” (Matthew 7:15. Later he said: “Not everyone who calls me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only those who do what my Father in heaven wants them to do.” (Matthew 7:21.   If someone is called a prophet or claims that Jesus is his “Lord,” it is reasonable to say that he is a religious person, a practitioner of Christianity, not an unbeliever. Clearly, then, Jesus was warning that not all so-called religions that use his name, claiming to be followers of Christ or Christians, are good and following truth. That leads us to consider the vast number of Christian denominations, or types of Christian religion, and the doctrinal interpretations they follow and teach... can they or should they be trusted?

Can you identify the Narrow Road?  Since it is reasonable to conclude from the context Jesus presented, that not all roads lead to God, how can we find among the thousands of options the narrow road that leads to life? 

Consider this illustration: Imagine that you are lost in a big city. You decide to ask for help. One person confidently tells you to go east. Another urges you to head west. Yet another suggests that you choose whatever direction feels best to you. Finally, a fellow traveler takes out a reliable map and shows you the correct route. He then gives you the map so that you can refer to it along the way. Which one would you trust?  Would you not feel more confident following the one who gave you the map with precise directions for reaching your destination?

So, too, when it comes to choosing the right religious path, we need a reliable spiritual road map. Does one exist? Yes, it does. That map is the Bible, which declares: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” 2 Timothy 3:16, KJV.  The Bible is like a reliable road map that can help a person find the correct path for following Christ the right way. 

Keep in mind Jesus’ words regarding how we can distinguish good religion from bad. He said: “A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot produce good fruit.” (Matthew 7:17, 18.  That perspective sounds reasonable does it not?

So HOW does one know for sure that the religion they embrace is the true one?  Quite simple really.

It is natural that none of us want to be misled. But how can you avoid it?  How can you know for sure that your Christian denomination is following biblical truth?  Dig into the context of the denominations doctrinal teachings – its creeds and how much of God’s Word has been reworked by the interpretations of men.   Are the teachings supported by God’s Word, which Jesus said is the truth. (John 17:17) 

So the test is a relatively easy one to make. If a religion, denomination of Christianity, is not in harmony with what the Bible teaches, then it is not in harmony with God’s revealed truth. It is not a true religion. (Romans 3:4)  

You have nothing to fear in examining your beliefs by the standard of God’s Word, for if you have the true religion you can only be reassured by your investigation.  

And if what you believe is not in keeping with the Bible, then you should welcome truth, and work hard to find it.  Truth sets you free... Truth leads to eternal life.—John 8:32; John 17:3.

Life Changing Forgiveness

Christians have to be willing to forgive one another and willing to strive for grace. Micah 7:18 tells us why God forgives: "Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy."

God forgives because He delights in showing mercy.  God does get angry. He does demonstrate wrath, but that is not the way He wants to deal with humanity. God delights in showing mercy when we present ourselves to him open and willing to abide by His commands. Do we treat others the same?

Be honest with yourself and honest with God: When you release somebody, when you tell him or her that you forgive, do you walk away with steam coming out of your ears, or do you yourself feel released, relieved, because you’ve removed a weight from your mind and heart? If we really have forgiven, we will feel relieved of a burden. Achieving that may take time, but the decision to forgive will set us on the right path.

In Luke 6:35, Jesus sets the high standard of kingdom living:  Love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

Being willing to forgive, in the end, is not grudging obedience to a God who is saying, "Can't we all just get along?" Being merciful happens, really happens, only when God's character is impressed on the warped hardness of our character.

Often the letting go of forgiveness happens only after the truth of a problem has been confronted and put squarely on the table. Confronting someone may not come easily for you, but it may be the most merciful thing you do for someone you care about. Jesus said in Luke 17:3... "If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him."

That's the ideal situation we'd all hope for — a mistake, a confrontation, an apology and finally, forgiveness. We should hope for the ideal, while realizing many times we'll have to let go of someone even if he or she isn't convinced he or she has done anything wrong towards us.

Forgiveness is a ministry. Jesus set out a protocol for forgiveness when in Matthew 18 He said: "If you have something serious against someone, something dangerous or scandalous, first of all go to him. Then, after that, you may need to draw other people into a process of confrontation; but you don't begin there."  Forgiveness is a ministry not just to the people you forgive, but as an example to a world that easily harbors resentment and revenge towards people.  Living with an attitude that forgiveness is a ministry shows that there is a better way to solving problems.

So this is how forgiveness works... when you need to be forgiven and you know it because you're being eaten up on the inside, you come clean with God, yourself and in some cases with someone you have offended. If you need to forgive someone else, you draw on the deep well of mercy, you confront the problem, you let go, and then you let the process of release begin.

Sounds easy, right? Sometimes forgiveness is amazingly easy, and sometimes there are huge roadblocks.

Let's say you know right now, today, that you need to forgive someone.  Forgiveness means taking the initiative, but there may be roadblocks. Bitterness can hold you back from forgiveness. We have to view bitterness as a toxin in our spirits. Talking to God about what went wrong or a trusted fellow Christian who will listen and offer counsel, may help us let go of bitterness.

Vindictiveness can be another roadblock. If you say you're willing to forgive, but only after you get revenge, then there isn't much chance you'll forgive.  Revenge is good for nothing, absolutely nothing.  It accomplishes no good purpose.  It ruins the person seeking revenge as your unwillingness to forgive prolongs rancor, reprisals and ruthless retaliation.

Are there limits to forgiveness? Jesus' disciple Peter asked Jesus one day (Matt. 18:21-22) if there was a maximum number of instances of forgiveness: maybe seven times? Jesus' famous reply: "No, not seven times, but seven times seventy," lets us know there is no three-strikes-and-you're-out policy when it comes to forgiveness. If that were the case, none of us could be forgiven by God.

There are however limits to forgiveness when the offender does not admit an offense. Let's say you come to the point of wanting to forgive your brother for having been cruel to you when you were growing up. You've resented him for years; but now you're an adult, you've got your own kids, and you just want to let the past go. You can do that. You can let him go, and you can tell him you've been bitter about the past and decided to let the matter go.

Now if your brother recognizes he did damage and apologizes, that's the best possible outcome; but maybe he won't feel and say those words. What if his response is... "I don't have a clue what you're talking about; and anything I dished out to you years ago, little brother, you probably deserved it "? Well, that certainly takes the joy out of forgiveness, but it does not prevent you from letting him go.  

Another limitation to forgiveness is when the offense is ongoing. An alcoholic may become remorseful and loathe himself when he gets sober. He may apologize profusely and swear he'll never drink again, but if family members cannot forgive because the same ugly cycle plays itself out again and again, then the limitation of forgiveness is not coming from unforgiving hearts.

Another limitation to forgiveness is that you cannot forgive someone for an offense against someone else. A woman cannot forgive her husband for abusing their children, for instance.

It's not an exaggeration to say that if you don't know how to forgive, you don't know how to live and know little of God's nature and character. Making it real means unleashing the liberating power of forgiveness.

In Jeremiah's prophecy about the new covenant (Jer. 31:34), God says: "I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."

It is not that God becomes unaware of history. God does not remember our sins in the sense that He doesn't hold them against us. God wants us to move, with Him, in a completely restored relationship into the future. If you have ever worried that you haven't forgiven because you haven't forgotten, remember that forgetting means the matter moves to the back file drawer of your mind.  It’s filed away, left in the past, but it does not mean you can wipe it from your memory.  It’s there... it’s just no longer a barrier to fellowship with your brother or sister.

Second Chronicles 7:14 says... "If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

Forgiveness is linked to health, health in the life of the individual, and health in the life of the church.  The people "who are called by [God's] name," the church, have to be ready at any time to repent and turn toward God. 

Forgiveness is not just what the world needs... forgiveness is what changes the world.  

Forbearance and Forgiveness...

Forgiveness is a radical and countercultural perspective on life.  If you believe in forgiveness... that God forgives even though He is not obligated to and that we'll have the best kind of life if we hold other people in our lives with a loose grip, then you will see people for what they can be and what they were intended to be, rather than as they are.  

Forgiveness means looking at people who have wronged you and deciding you'd like to set things right—but ultimately, you're not going to play God. Forgiveness means you view the deranged people who shoot up schoolrooms and then turn the gun on themselves as people who are going to be standing before the judgment seat of God. They will answer to God for their actions.  What they did or do, is not your problem.

Forgiveness Is a Decision and a Process

You can release someone from obligation to you personally, although the smoldering fires of resentment may keep burning in you for some time to come.

We would be terribly mistaken if we thought forgiveness was a kind of soft feeling, that soft-hearted people are capable of experiencing. The boldest act of forgiveness the world has ever seen was in the bloodied, beaten and torn body of Jesus Christ. To forgive is the toughest thing you will ever do in life. Forgiveness is not for the fainthearted. Forgiveness is the mark of the true man and the true woman of God.

The Responsibility of the Person Seeking Forgiveness (Ps. 32:1-5)

Psalm 32 is a landmark passage about the way forgiveness works:

"Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the LORD'—and You forgave the guilt of my sin."

First, to be forgiven is to be blessed beyond your wildest dreams, knowing that God the Creator,  is willing to forgive your mistakes and offenses. God is willing not to hold our sins against us. One's life–record is wiped clean, no debt owed, the account settled.

Notice the progression of the person's heart in this passage: "my bones wasted away... my strength was sapped." This is a person being "eaten up on the inside" as we sometimes say. Guilt will do that and though it is hard to believe, the tortured conscience is a gift, a reminder to get rid of the unforgiveness that plagues you.

What's the responsibility of the person seeking forgiveness? "Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the LORD'—and You forgave the guilt of my sin" (v. 5).

We are supposed to confess our wrongdoings, but to whom? The simple answer is: to the person or persons we've wronged. In every instance, its not just your words spoken to the person... you are also making a declaration to God.  In Psalm 51, David's heart-rending confession of his adultery with Bathsheba and his arrangement for the death of her husband, David says: "Against You, You only, have I sinned." Of course, he had sinned against people, but the epicenter of the earthquake of our sins is always our detachment [separation] from God Himself. So we confess to God, when we confess to the immediate person who has wronged us.

We're also supposed to confess our wrongdoings to the people we've wronged in many, but not all, circumstances. One has to judge the outcome. To say to your sister-in-law: "You know, I used to resent you all the time because I thought you were arrogant, but I've really learned how to tolerate you and to forgive your many shortcomings" may not be the most constructive thing to do or say. To confess to someone in your office that you've been attracted to him or her even though he or she is married is confession best made privately between you and God.  

Still, there are many times when a heartfelt apology is the right thing to do and if you know it's right, don't hold back.

The Responsibility of the Forgiver

Now, let's turn the tables. What about when you are the forgiver? Analyze the problem: when to forbear and when to forgive (Colossians 3:133)

The first thing to do when you think you should forgive someone who has wronged you is to make sure it really rises to the level of forgiveness. Colossians 3:13 says: "Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you."

There is forgiveness, and there is forbearance. You can think of forbearance as a kind of low-level forgiveness or more simply as exercising patience and tolerance in the face of the idiosyncrasies of the people in your life.  You know... we all irritate one another from time to time.

For example, if your spouse is chronically late in getting ready to leave the house for an engagement, that doesn't really rise to the level of serious sin. It may be irritating, but it just doesn't say in the Ten Commandments, "Thou shalt not wait until the last minute to put thy makeup on."  It doesn't say in the Ten Commandments that table manners are a matter of spiritual life and death.

You may have to forbear someone who talks too much, someone who wears really pungent perfume, someone in your house who chews with his or her mouth open or who leaves towels on the floor, someone who seems incapable of replacing the toilet paper roll. You may need to smile and tolerate some of the weird opinions of others, or if they have no opinions or are opinionated about everything... these things and many more like them are more about forbearance than forgiveness.

So here’s our marching orders: "Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you."

How do you do that?  We’ll examine the “doing it” in next weeks installment.

How Does Forgiveness Work?

Psalm 32:1-5... 1 Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.  2 Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit. 3 When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4  For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. 5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin.

We stumble in our lives and relationships.  We make mistakes, sometimes very serious ones. So it’s not uncommon for Christians to have perplexing questions about forgiveness. Forgiveness does not come easy for most of us. Our natural instinct is to recoil in self-protection when we've been injured or think someone is attacking us. We don't naturally overflow with mercy, grace and forgiveness when we've been wronged.  We also don’t easily seek forgiveness when we’ve sinned, which embodies the concept of discipline administered by shepherds of the flock as directed by God’s Word.  Every one of us needs to understand and come to terms with the issues of forgiveness. Forgiveness is part of God's plan, when properly understood, it will not and does not contradict God's justice.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines forgiveness as ‘to grant free pardon and to give up all claim on account of an offense or debt.‘  Some questions come to mind... How does righteous indignation figure into the shortcomings of humanity? How can we have justice and forgiveness at the same time?  How can we have accountability for violation of the laws of God along with application of the mercy of God?  Tough questions, that in one form or another are on the minds of Christians today.

Before we go any further, we need to define forgiveness, but let's start with what forgiveness is not.

Forgiveness is not a compromise of morality. Don't think God would confuse moral clarity and moral responsibility with grace and forgiveness. God's justice ensures that a murderer will not get away with murder and a sex offender will not get away with molestation.  Or, anyone in flagrant violation of God’s commandments for holy living will be let off the hook for sinful conduct.

Forgiveness is not a violation or compromise of God’s justice. Forgiveness is not merely the avoidance of conflict. Most of us who do not like conflict. We don't want to share hard feelings or harsh words with someone else, so we skirt around issues of conflict. Sometimes forbearance is the right thing to do, but simple avoidance [or ignoring] of conflict is not the same as forgiveness.  

So, what really is the meaning of forgiveness? For a moment, try to forget everything you have heard or assumed about forgiveness. Let a single word impress itself on your mind: the biblical word, the new covenant word, in Greek it is aphesis, in English, release.

Now for a moment, don't make it any more complicated than that — release. Forgive means to choose to take someone whom you have been holding in your debt, holding in resentment and bitterness, and release him or her.  

Forgiveness is not calling something that someone else did that was immoral or destructive OK. It is not turning a blind eye toward injustice. Forgiveness simply means you choose to release somebody from personal obligation to you, even though that person will have to face the justice of God at some point in their future.

In Matthew 18, Jesus' disciple Peter asked Jesus: "How many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?"  Jesus answered with a parable in which a man owed a king 10,000 talents (around two billion dollars) and was on the brink of having to sell his wife and children into slavery to pay the debt, but the pleas of the man to the king were heard and his debt was cancelled. Forgiveness. Release.

However, the same man who was forgiven then demanded payment and could not forgive a man who owed him merely 100 denarii (about $20 bucks). When the king heard of this, he was incensed, saying, "You wicked servant, I canceled all that debt of yours. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant?" The king rescinded his forgiveness. Jesus' closing words are these: "This is how My heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."  Release means letting “it” go for good; don’t recall the debt as a means of leverage over someone.  

Forgiveness is release. Being released by God from a debt we could never pay through Jesus and his death for our sins on the cross, we are able to “release” other people who hurt us and sin against us.  

We're not finished with this topic of "forgiveness".  More to come next week.

God Disciplines in Love... Hebrews 12:3-17

C.S. Lewis said, "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world" (The Problem of Pain, p. 81).  The Psalmist sincerely believed he profited from his afflictions. "It is good for me that I was afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes" (Psalm 119:71).  Discipline is evidence that God accepts us as His treasured possessions.

God disciplines us so we will grow spiritually. The Lord God seeks to develop our intimate walk with Him, encourage us be to be more Christ-like, and to have victory over the power of sin in our daily life.  

God allows trials and hardships to impact our lives to strengthen our faith in Him as expressly stated in Hebrews... "For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, 'My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, Nor faint when you are reproved by Him; For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He scourges every son whom He receives.' It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons" (Hebrews 12:3-8 NASB).  The point of these verses is that discipline is a mark of genuine sonship.

Here’s the hard pill to swallow... if you lack discipline, you are not a true child of God, but rather illegitimate. Legitimate or illegitimate is the way God looks at every human.  Those who resisit God’s discipline are as illegitimate children who will have no inheritance.  Inheritance is a big deal... its eternal life.   To be an heir of the promise of eternal life, you best make sure that you are a genuine child of God through obedience and faith in Christ (Gal. 3:26). If you are His child, then trials are an evidence of His love, not of His neglect or opposition (12:6).

So the question we all must face from time to time... if we fall into sin, have we repented and are we willing to humbly accept rebuke and reproof... the discipline that God expects the church to administer?  

A true child of God submits to Him in the trial and seeks to grow in holiness. An illegitimate child shrugs it off as bad luck or, worse, turns against God and grows bitter. Also, if a true child of God sins, he will be troubled about it. David was miserable after he sinned (see Psalms 38 & 51). An illegitimate child will gloat that he got away with it or shrug off his sin as no big deal. But a true child of God submits to the Father’s discipline, because such discipline is an essential part of our relationship with the Holy God.

The important thing with regard to God’s discipline is the spirit in which we respond. If we resist and harden our hearts, we will miss the purpose of the discipline. God’s intention is that we respectfully submit to it. (Hebrews 12:9)  It’s possible to submit defiantly because you have a personal agenda or want to preserve relationships, however that’s not true submission. The psalmist reflected true submission when he proclaimed, “I know, O Lord, that Your judgments are righteous, and that in faithfulness You have afflicted me” (Ps. 119:75).

Discipline requires humility on our part. We can resent God for His disciplining hand and be angry at the elders who must administer biblical discipline. We can accept it with self-pity, thinking we really don't deserve it. Why pick on me? Or... we can respond to it with a grateful submissive attitude in appreciation of God's love, grace and purpose that we become holy in our daily lives.

All discipline is designed to produce the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Righteousness (12:11) is synonymous with Holiness (12:10). Both terms mean godliness or conformity to Jesus Christ, who is the embodiment of godliness (Rom. 8:29). Christ shows us what it means to be a righteous person in thought, word, and deed. True holiness or righteousness is not just external, but begins in our thoughts and heart.  A truly righteous person has godly motives in everything contemplated, every choice and action undertaken. Such a person seeks to glorify God in everything.

Righteousness and peace always go together. You cannot have true righteousness without peace, or true peace without righteousness. God’s discipline produces the peaceful fruit of righteousness by teaching us the terrible consequences caused by sin.

When David sinned with Bathsheba and murdered her husband in an attempt to cover up their sin and get what he wanted, the Lord forgave the sin, but He also took the life of the son born to them.  Were there consequences?  Oh yes... the Lord raised up evil against David from within his own household (2 Sam. 12:11). His son Amnon raped his half-sister, Tamar. Tamar’s brother, Absalom, murdered Amnon and later led a rebellion against David.  For the rest of David’s life, his family was in turmoil.  But he learned a valuable lesson by being the humble man God dearly loved... “a man after His own heart.”  By letting us suffer such painful consequences for our sin, God teaches us that sin causes devastation and death, so that we will flee from it when we are tempted.

Our very human nature works against us!  We’re all prone to trust in ourselves, rather than in the Lord.  We’re all too focused on this life, in spite of the fact that life is a vapor (James 4:14). Sometimes we are unaware of our sins or shortcomings until God allows some trial to touch our lives that exposes them. The psalmist testified, “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word” (Ps. 119:67). There is no indication that this man was openly rebellious before he was afflicted. Rather, the affliction made him aware of hidden sins that needed to be outed and dealt with.

That said, sometimes we are very well aware that our choices, decisions and subsequent actions and conduct are in direct opposition to God’s law.  For example, our culture has a casual attitude towards sexual promiscuity, so we often ignore God's boundaries regarding intimacy.  Sex outside of marriage between a man and a woman is a sin, period.  If you're openly living in unrepentant sin... that's walking in premeditated rebellion to God and His provision of saving grace through Jesus Christ.  That’s a dangerous place to be. 

One day we will stand before the Lord and give account of how we have lived our lives here on the earth. Like the apostle Paul, we don’t want to “run the race” and then be disqualified. It is worth the discipline and chastisement now so that we can declare: ". . .  the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing" (2 Timothy 4:6-8). 

We can trust what God has demonstrated with the ancients and recorded for our warning and edification through His Word the Bible.  These examples of His dealings with the ancients are practical ways of looking at our own lives and measuring ourselves against His requirement that we be righteous and holy.

Consider these... "The Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one" (2 Thess. 2:3).  Be nothing less than a person who is fully and wholly consecrated to Him.

God the Father disciplines us for our good and His glory. He brings into our lives whatever is necessary to accomplish His eternal purpose which is Christ-likeness. Life’s painful experiences and accepting the discipline that can be learned cause us to grow in His likeness.

We should learn to view our lives as training for what is to come and trust our trainer. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to knock off the rough edges of our character, convict us of sin, bring us to repentance and submission to the Father's will. When we do not respond to His gentle urging, He will use whatever hardship necessary to accomplish holy objectives in our lives. He will put us through the fire to make us holy. His goal is our holiness not our happiness.

This is a hard principle to digest, but we need to see trials and suffering as evidence that God truly loves us. It is essential that we view our sufferings as the Lord's discipline rather than His displeasure or judgment.  God allows trials and hardships to strengthen our faith in Him. 

If we submit to Him, He will produce the peaceful fruit of righteousness in us.  What else could you possibly want from this life???

God’s Discipline...

No one like’s to be told they made a mistake!  No one really enjoys the prospect of being held accountable for something they did, but don’t think it’s all that big a deal.  It’s human nature to resist discipline.  

Trials, mistakes and yes that infernal three-letter word... sin, are a fact of life in a fallen world.  How we respond to what comes from being caught in sin is our choice.  A personal choice.  A person when confronted with sin, responds with anger, resentment and pride.

Nothing breaks my heart more than to hear someone who is caught in a sin, usually a serious sin, say they won’t be coming to church anymore because they feel as if the churches discipline is unfair and unwarranted.  Like... "what's the big deal?"

Unfortunately, many Christians have allowed their perception of discipline to turn them away from God.  How a person responds is critical.  Turning away from God because you made a mistake doesn’t make God nonexistent.  Leaving the fellowship of a church family that loves you and wants to restore your relationship with God does not solve your problem.   God has and always will be the final and absolute authority on all matters of human life.  Whether you like his program for human life or not, it is wise not to rebel against it. 

How you respond to God, the people of His Church and pastoral counsel to help you overcome sinful conduct largely depends on how you see yourself in a family environment.  The word “submit” grates on many souls.  Secular psychologists say that those who grew up in dysfunctional homes have a problem with authority figures and don’t easily “submit” to anyone.  

Psychologists will urge submission averse people to respond to an authority figure by being disagreeable, so as to assert their own individuality and personal authority.  In the Church, discipline for serious sin is administered by Holy Spirit appointed older men, elders or pastors, who try their very best not to hurt or shame anyone.  That said, sin does have consequences and they are simply following God’s biblically prescribed ways for restoring a sinner to God’s grace.  

For spiritual shepherds protecting the Church is paramount as they deal with sin.  Everything they do must bring glory to God and enhance the testimony of the flock.  They must seek to restore, heal, and build up sinning believers, doing so according to God’s ways. (Matt. 18:15; 2 Thess. 3:14-15; Heb. 12:10-13; Gal. 6:1-2; Jam. 5:20; 2 Tim. 2:24-26).  They desire to produce a healthy faith, one sound in doctrine for all members of the flock. (Titus 1:13; 1 Tim. 1:19-20).  (2 Tim. 2:24-26).  While never pleasant, corrective discipline of sinners silences false teachers and their influence in the church (Titus 1:10-11). Shepherds must set an example for the rest of the body and promote godly fear by their actions with a sinner (1 Tim. 5:20).

Discipline for sin sounds more harsh than it really is.  God’s loves us like a father and is only trying to help us grow in holiness.  Listen to what Hebrews says... And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”  It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?  If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.  (Hebrews 12: 5–11)

I suppose it would be much easier if God himself came down to earth and administered spiritual discipline every time we needed it, but that’s not the way He works.  Listen to the writers of Hebrews and Proverbs on how God expects discipline to be lovingly administered...

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. Hebrews 13:17 (ESV)

My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in. Proverbs 3:11-12 (NIV)

God uses discipline as a last resort. If all God needed to justify mankind to himself was a bigger cattle-prod, then Christ died for nothing! No, God's plan for the earth is love first, discipline when needed. 

To get us to listen and repent of sin, God will use deep conviction, the rebuke of friends, coincidental sermons, the quickening of Scripture, and every other means before disciplining us. But if we resist God's mercy, we are promised the rod of correction. Never forget... it’s His discipline not man’s.  When God disciplines, the punishment fits the crime. Time and again, we realize that we cannot get away with unrepentant sin. God is sculpting us into holy vessels, and the process can at times... be painful.   "Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. For he wounds, but he also binds up; he injures, but his hands also heal." Job 5:17-18 (NIV)

Though church discipline is a very difficult area of doctrine and one hard to practice, it nevertheless rests upon the divine authority of Scripture and is vital to the purity, power, progress, purpose and holiness of the church. The responsibility and necessity for discipline is not an option for the church if it obeys the Word of God, but a church must be equally concerned that Scripture is carefully followed in the practice of church discipline.  Again, older men – spiritual shepherds, are administering God’s discipline, not their own.

Sin in the life of the church grieves the person of the Holy Spirit and extinguishes His power. If sin remains unchecked by the loving application of church discipline in a body of believers, the Holy Spirit will abandon such a church to its own carnal resources. The unavoidable result will be the loss of the Lord’s blessing until the sin is dealt with.

When we know certain sinful things exist but ignore them or simply look the other way because it is difficult to deal with or because it involves one of our friends and we do not want to risk causing problems in the relationship... we are mocking the Holy God.

As His ambassadors to a lost and dying world, God has called the church to be a holy people, a people who, standing out as distinct from the world, proclaim the excellencies of the works of God in Christ (1 Pet. 1:14-16; 2:9-15). If this is to occur, we must be different from the world and church discipline helps us to both remember and maintain that purpose. 

One of the recurring criticisms against the church today as evidenced in various polls taken across the country, is the fact there is little or no difference between the church and the secular world when it comes to attitudes, values, morals, and lifestyle. 

A church that is reluctant to practice church discipline will see its ministry and purpose decline. The church may want to grow and reach out and it may try all kinds of stop gap measures, promotional campaigns, and programs in an attempt to turn things around, but if there is sin in the camp, it will all be to no avail.  Revelation 2:5 and 3:16 offer illustrations of this principle.

Church discipline is vital to the purity of the local body and its protection from moral decay and impure doctrinal influences. Why?  Because a little leaven leavens the entire lump (1 Corinthians 5:6-7).

Remember the church at Corinth.  They showed a serious lack of concern for purity. They neglected the responsibility to discipline and suffered as a result. Their insensitivity to one moral issue may have led to their compromise on other issues. The Corinthians engaged in lawsuits, misused their liberty, profaned the Lord’s Supper, neglected the primacy of love, failed to regulate the use of their gifts, and questioned the resurrection.  Failure in church discipline in Corinth could be compared to a lump of unattended leaven that caused numerous problems for the flock.

Facing up to one’s personal sin and how it will affect other Christians is not easy.  Compound that by facing God’s discipline in the presence of your church family... well, that just might be one of the toughest challenges anyone will ever face.  

Take heart and remember this... God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in His Holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time its necessary.  It can’t be anything but painful and humiliating. However, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who allow themselves to be trained by it.  So it is written for our edification...

"...My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son."  Hebrews 12:5-6 (NIV)

Choose Wisely

Joshua called the people of his time to make a choice about the god they would serve.  He laid out for them... four choices they could make.  The options were like four points on a compass, because whatever choice made, would lead in a different direction. A simple axiom... the choices we make in life ultimately will determine our direction and final destination.

Choice 1: Gods of Our Fathers 

"The gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River" (Josh. 24:14).

Long before God spoke to Abraham and told him of the future of his people, a people with a special standing before God, the ancestors of Abraham worshiped the gods of the region where they lived. There were three cosmic deities, three astral deities, and a whole bunch of specialized benevolent gods and corresponding malevolent demons. Dead people came back as spirits to haunt their children.  Animism was widely practiced... the hills, rocks, trees and mountains were considered to be alive and have powers.

Abraham came from a society that believed in such gods and held such beliefs. In fact, the Bible specifically tells us Abraham's father was an idol worshiper. Belief in these gods persisted even after the rise of the Hebrew people, right up to Joshua's era. Joshua wanted to know if they were going to default to the gods of their forefathers.

It's still a valid question today.  We raise our children in the church and hope as they grow to adulthood they will continue fellowship in the church. We may not do so consciously, but we constantly are erecting idols in our homes and teaching our children about who or what is worthy of our worship.

Think about how this is true for you and the family in which you were raised. Is it possible the gods at war in your life today are the same gods your parents or grandparents worshiped when you were younger?   Offspring often end up worshipping whatever gods their parents worshiped.

The basic premise supporting this generational transference is that our lives are determined by our thoughts, and our thoughts are determined by the things, the ideals we are exposed to.  Our minds absorb, habits are formed and our lives reflect the attitudes to which we are most frequently exposed. It shouldn't surprise us that we tend to worship the gods of our fathers and mothers.

Money. Perhaps nothing was more important to your father than a successful career. His life revolved around his job. He was willing to sacrifice days off and family vacations to work his way up the ladder of success. His mood was determined by what kind of day he had at work. His temple was his office, and he worshiped there 60 hours or more each week. Is it possible that you now worship the gods of success and achievement? Instead of finding your identity and worth in Christ, do you find it in your career?

Some of the gods worshiped today... Sports, Sex, Money, Status, Alcohol, Shopping, Career, Children, Entertainment... anything that occupies our time and captures our undivided attention.  Don't dismiss those examples. Think about what was held up for you in your childhood home.  Your parents wanted you to be successful in life and would hold their “gods” up to you as the path to a happy and productive life.  The most natural path in the world is to adopt the gods of our parents.

Choice 2: Gods of Your Past

"The gods your ancestors worshiped...in Egypt" (Josh. 24:14).

Joshua specifically mentioned the gods of Egypt. These were the gods of the previous generation, gods from the past that never completely went away from the Hebrew people.

The Egyptians had a diverse and highly developed pantheon of deities. The Egyptians had their popular gods, but they actually worshiped almost everything, including the sun, moon and stars. Smorgasbord worship, [pick one or two that suit your lifestyle] was their thing.

The Hebrews were slaves in Egypt longer than the United States has been a nation. Almost twice as long!  There was no way they were going to endure that long period of time without absorbing some of the culture around them. When Moses led his people out of that land, the local gods weren't about to give up without a fight. Old habits, including old worship patterns, die hard.

Do you ever find yourself struggling with things from the past that you thought you had left behind a long time ago?   Here's the point: A lot of people become Christians, but never quite “unload the old self.”  Everything is great until they get bored, or their expectations are not realized, or something they wanted from God doesn't happen and they begin to drift back to what was comfortable and known.  In reality, what they did was bring into their walk as Christians the gods of their previous worldly focused life.  Bad habits, unwholesome attitudes, all the stuff that should have been completely eradicated from their lives, has managed to come along for the ride, lurking quietly in the background waiting for an opportunity to raise havoc.

This necessary eradication of the “old self” is hard to understand, when the Bible tells us a person’s sins are forgiven.   If someone has been thoroughly cleaned, why does “stuff “ still clinging to them? It’s more than forgiveness of sins... its about changing everything that drives a person to the very core of one’s soul.   Conversion means little if a person clings to old desires, attitudes and habits.  You can’t have it both ways.  You can’t have Jesus in your life and still covet the old gods that ruled your previous life. That’s the challenge for many Christians today.  The problem isn't that we need to choose to follow Jesus... the problem is that we have tried to follow Him without leaving our old gods behind.  

Joshua knew there was a bit of Egypt’s gods still lurking in the hearts of his people. Old gods die hard. They hold on, creep in and quietly reinvade our most inner being. Never, never doubt their power over us.  Just because you’ve committed your life to Christ, doesn’t immediately free you from the corrupting influences of your old gods.  Those old gods fall silent for a while, but they surface, when you give them an opening.  They want to rule our hearts to our destruction.

So even if you've chosen the True God in the past, the challenge of Joshua is to choose “this day and every day ever after... who you will serve.”

Choice 3: Gods of Our Culture

"Or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living" (Josh. 24:15).

The Israelites were challenged to conquer a land where false gods and sinful living prevailed, similar to our contemporary society. There were many people groups and many different gods. The dominant deity was Baal, whose name meant "owner, master or lord" (sound familiar?). When the Israelites would conquer these peoples, they would continue to be a thorn in Israel's side.  Their weapon was proximity, these were the gods who existed in plain sight.

There was a goddess named Ashtoreth. She presided over temples devoted to abhorrent human sacrifices and sexual rituals.  The lifestyle of the Amorites was alluring to the Israelites.  Why?  Because these gods had home field advantage... they were right there operating in plain sight, right where the Israelites lived.  The True God had warned them.  He told them to eradicate those peoples and their gods from their land... they didn't and the consequences were devastating and destructive.

Two of the most significant factors that consistently determine which gods win the war in our lives, are time and place. We struggle with the gods of our culture every day. We live immersed in what is known as the spirit of the age, so prevalent, and yet it often seems to be invisible to us. Could it be that we have our own idols that are hiding in plain sight that we don't recognize simply because they're so common [comfortable] to us?  

Paul said, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Rom. 12:2). "The pattern of this world" is his way of describing the spirit or gods of this age. To go with the flow is to conform to the pattern of this world. The Bible advises us to renew our minds by plugging into the eternal, unchanging truth of God.  God’s Word and His ways are like an antibiotic that can eventually overcome the diseases within us... a lurking virus of false gods that seek to overtake our bodies, minds and very soul.  For the  antibiotic of truth to eradicate the demonic influences within us, we need to be constantly feeding on the healing power of God’s Word.

Choice 4:  The One and Only True God

"But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD" (Josh. 24:15).

Joshua's fourth option was the Lord of Heaven and Earth, the One True God. Joshua might well have been the consummate pitch man, because he saves the best and they only real choice till the end of his presentation. It’s the final option. None of the other options are real. They may look promising, but they do nothing to satisfy our quest for alignment with Deity.

Before Joshua gave the people these four options, he stacked the deck a bit by describing all the things God has done for His people through the years. The Lord God had been active and worked powerfully among them redeeming, protecting, guiding and providing. So in making their choice, the obvious question for the people to ask of these other gods... What have you ever done for us?

In making your own choice, maybe you should ask yourself the same question. What enduring value has the god of wealth really bought anyone? Did the gods of pleasure ever once deliver true and lasting happiness? What about the gods of pleasure? Can they provide a joy that is more than that of a passing moment?  What have these gods done for you?  If anything, they have enslaved you. They have robbed you. They have disappointed you.

People are insecure and uncomfortable when they can’t touch or see something they put their life’s trust in.  The True God requires steady trusting faith.  Not easy.  God delivers invisible, intangible things that are not convertible to currencies and assets in our world. Followers of Jesus Christ have moved beyond the “gods of this world” and accepted and hold firmly to such things as forgiveness, fulfillment, hope, contentment, joy and peace.  Psalm 86:8 says, "Among the gods there is none like You, Lord; no deeds can compare with Yours."

How did the people respond to Joshua’s great four-way challenge?  They said exactly the right words (see Josh. 24:16-18).  Even so, he didn't let them off the hook easily. Joshua warned them about the jealousy and the holiness of God. He described the disaster that would come upon them if they didn't live up to the words they were speaking.

Joshua had watched the Hebrew people all his life. He knew how fickle their hearts were, how quickly their attention wandered. He knew how easily they said the right things only to turn around and make the wrong choices. It's so simple to produce the right platitudes on cue as they often did, but it's so hard to keep living the truth. So Joshua warned them about their relationship with the One True God.

This story of the fledgling nation of Israel did not have such a good outcome.  They tried to “have no others gods before me” but they failed to live up to their words and promises to God.  

The “gods of this world” will never surrender.  They know how to work the “ebb and flow” of Christian people.   They may lose a generation, but even then, they know they’ve got a very good shot at the next one. They may lose you for a year or several years, but they'll wait quietly and patiently for you to stumble... they never give up.