The Church – The Body of Christ

We live in strange times. Not the strangest in history, but certainly very…strange. Never before have individuals had such capability to share their opinions and thoughts on so many things. Some might say this is a blessing, but I am not too sure. With every man-made leap forward, there is usually a man-made step back. There is an inherent loss in the gain. Consider the streaming of digital media. On the one hand we have gained unlimited entertainment and enjoyment at our fingertips. However, this has had an impact on our patience, as we no longer need to wait much for anything.

In our new ability to commentate on everything online, not only has this given the secular world the yet another means to attack the church, but it has allowed a place for the church to attack itself. There are many rooms in God’s house. Many denominations and many ways in which we study and worship The Lord our God. We are not always going to see eye to eye. Sometimes we will need to hold each other to account. Not judgement, but account. If we see the church doing something which is not in accordance with The Lord’s teachings, it must be called out. But we must also remember to be gentle. Afterall, the church is not a man-made invention. It is ordained by Christ and is in fact God’s chosen bride. It is not perfect, but it is the hands and feet of our Lord in this world.

Consider this reading from 1 Corinthians 12:

“This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭25‬-‭27‬ ‭NLT‬‬

There may be individuals within churches who make mistakes and walk incorrect paths. I encourage you, my fellow Christians, to always look at the whole. Don’t condemn a whole congregation or denomination by the small error by the few. Certainly, be aware of apostacy in the church. There will be false gospels being taught and messages being delivered which are not gospel-aligned. From such things, we must separate ourselves. If we, however, see a church teaching the true gospel in correct and balanced context, this must be acknowledged.

The apostle Paul said in the above quote, we are all a part of Christ’s body. If one part is honored, we are all honored. We must call out where things are not what they should be, but also glorify God in the true teaching of the gospel. Afterall, what would any of us be without the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ? Lost in this fallen world. Lost in our own sinfulness. Like ships in the storm with no rudder. So, let’s exercise discernment when viewing the actions of our Christian brothers and sisters. Ask God for guidance to know what is of Him and what is a deception. Our enemy is real and he will infiltrate the church if we are not on guard and know what to look for.

I would like to finish this post with a prayer.

Dear Lord, thank you for making us a part of your holy church on earth. Thank you for making your home in our hearts and blessing us with the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Help us to see your truth in all things and to be able to see what is of you and what is not, so we can always choose to align everything we do, with your teachings and guidance. Thank you that we are not of this world, but of your holy kingdom. Thank you that we can know this confidently because of your finished work on the cross and through the empty tomb. Help us each day to live in a way which pleases you and serves others.

In Jesus mighty name! Amen.

Christian: Christ Within

It’s been a couple of months since I last posted a Bible study, so I figured that it was about time.

The world we live in has changed in the last couple of months. It has become a lot more prejudice.  It has become a lot more brutal and a lot less loving.  At least, this true of some parts of our world.  In the Middle-East, humanity is subject to cruelty and violence which the world has not seen the likes of in hundreds of years.  On the other side of the world I sit and write a Bible-study – free to do so without persecution and without fear of losing my life.  So what can I offer my brothers and sisters who are being slaughtered for the same love of God which I carry?

I offer prayer for their strength.  I offer prayer for their ongoing trust in God.  I pray to our Heavenly Father for His divine intervention in a situation which is far beyond our ability to handle on our own.  And, I turn to the word of God.  The Bible is our life-line and our “how-to” manual on how to survive the trials of this life.  It says “we can” when the world points the sword and says “you can’t”. It opens doors and provides guidance against hate and against those who would use God as a weapon to justify hatred.  It allows the people of God to access God’s supernatural resolve where nothing seems at all possible.

So today I offer my brothers and sisters all over the world, a series of Biblical truths to help you through the fire without even the smell of smoke.  I offer you God’s promise for His power in weakness and light in darkness.  Satan would like to make the world believe that people kill for God.  He blinds them from the reality that they are in fact killing for him.

Joshua 1:9 NIV

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

It does not matter what the world see when they look at a child of God, and a follower of Jesus.  The non-believer does not see the difference between faith and religion.  They think that they are the same thing.  It is religion, a creation of the enemy which separates man so far from God, that they can no-longer hear Him.  It is the true believer who cannot be destroyed.  Who like Christ, cannot be killed.  Their faith endures against all that the world, and all of its hate can muster.  We carry the same Holy Spirit within us, whom raised Jesus Christ from the dead.  Our life is not linear.  It is not measurable by only our time on this planet.  We serve the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.  Even in our darkest moment, He holds us close and promises us eternity.  Even when we feel furthest from Him, there He is in our hearts and souls.

Psalm 110:1-3 NIV

The Lord says to my lord:  “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” The Lord will extend your mighty scepter from Zion, saying, “Rule in the midst of your enemies!” Your troops will be willing on your day of battle. Arrayed in holy splendor, your young men will come to you like dew from the morning’s womb.

What is God saying here?  Is He saying that we should do what our enemy does?  No.  This scripture is applicable to so many levels of struggle which the children of God will face in this life.  To the world events currently at hand, I believe that this scripture is saying that we must hold true to fellowship and love of God.  God tells us to “Sit at His right hand”, just the same way that Jesus does.  Through the finished work of Jesus Christ, are we not all heirs of the Father?  God is telling us to trust in Him as He is our vindicator.  He will fight the battle on levels that the enemy is not prepared for.  He will bring His people to safety, peace and victory if we trust in Him for deliverance and wisdom.

I was once in Church, and the Pastor told us a story about a British soldier, caught behind enemy lines in Germany during World War 2.  He was seemingly alone and needed to make it a large distance to a friendly stronghold, however it was night and the region he was in was flooded with German army who were actively searching for him.  As he scrambled across the countryside, he found a cave.  He sat in the cave and called out to God.  He said: “Lord, help me through this situation I am in.  My enemy are searching for me!  Please deliver me!”  As he sat in the cave, hours past and he could see the patrols of the enemy soldiers drawing closer and closer.  He was beginning to realise that as the minutes past, he was becoming ever-more surrounded and freedom was looking less and less likely.  Over the hours, he had watched spiders in the cave, meticulously building webs across the cave entrance.  The webs grew more and more dense as he sat and watched, giving up on the situation and preparing to be killed or captured.  He prayed to God as he heard the enemy soldiers only meters away.  He prayed: “Lord, why have you abandoned me?”  In that moment, he saw several soldiers look into the cave and he hid in the shadows.  He could understand rudimentary German, and he heard the soldiers say:  ” Er ist nicht drin. Schauen Sie sich die Spinnweben! Wie dick sie sind. Niemand hat hier in einiger Zeit.”  Which roughly translates to: “Look at the spider webs.  How thick they are!  No one has been here in some time.”  The soldiers moved on.
The Lord our God, moves in mysterious ways.  I have witnessed times when the enemy has created a situation to destroy the people of God, an our God has twisted that situation for our benefit and victory.  Often the Lord takes a trap which the enemy has set for us, and causes him to fall into it himself.

Psalm 57:6 NIV

They spread a net for my feet— I was bowed down in distress. They dug a pit in my path— but they have fallen into it themselves.

I would like to share one more scripture with you today, and for my brothers and sisters being persecuted and pursued in the middle-east, I will update this Bible study regularly with encouraging words from the Holy Bible.

John 10:28-30 NIV

I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.  My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all  ; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.  I and the Father are one.”

Against all the evil of the enemy, which is in this world; the Lord your God will see you through.  There is nothing which can separate us from the hand of Jesus Christ.  There is no evil which can come against us which can break the bonds which hold us firm to God.  When Jesus was on the cross and said “it is finished”, His work was finished indeed.  From the moment, we never have to be without our Lord again.  The struggles we face are part of a much larger journey and a road we have not yet traveled, lies ahead.  Stay true!  More so in the fire.  Never give up the faith and know that all over the world, your Christian family keep you in their prayers and hearts everyday!

I offer you this prayer.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Your people are in so much need.  We lift up our struggles and our situations to you in faith, knowing that you are our vindicator.  You are our sword and our shield.  You are our Father, our councillor and our strong tower.  Lord, please carry your people out of the snatches of the enemy.  No matter what comes against us, please invigorate your strength within us and lead us to draw ever closer to you.  We are not of this world and its ways.  We are of your Kingdom.  Please keep the fight and your promise in us always and see us through to a brighter day!

We love you Lord.  You are our everything!

Amen

This Is Relationship, Not Religion

I’m going to start this study with a very bold question.  Why do people hate God?  Now I’m not talking about all people, of course.  But I am talking about some.  This question general at best, but it can be further broken down to ask questions like: Why do people blaspheme?  And, why do people find it fun to mock Jesus Christ?

Have you ever asked yourself these questions?  Why is it that the Church is pursued by the media?  In general, I have found that you never hear much about the good that the Church does in the world community, but it’s all over the media when there is a scandal or controversy.  You see, what the non-Christian world never seems to realise is that if people do evil things, it is not because of the Church or their personal pursuit of God that caused them to do that.  Even the men and women of God in this world are still flesh and blood.  We hold ourselves to a tighter discipline than many, but we still make mistakes.  There is still weakness in our minds and bodies.  We fail God when we lose sight of Him.  There are examples of this teaching all throughout the Bible:

Matthew 6:24 MSG

“You can’t worship two gods at once. Loving one god, you’ll end up hating the other. Adoration of one feeds contempt for the other. You can’t worship God and Money both.

Colossians 3:1-2 MSG

So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective.

Proverbs 16:3 MSG

Put God in charge of your work, then what you’ve planned will take place.

But I digress.

So what is it about Christianity that the secular world finds so offensive?  What is it about the story of Jesus Christ which makes the non-believing world feel the need to defend themselves from it?

Have you noticed that in the western world, Christianity cops way more flack than most other belief systems?  Do people cry out “Buddha” when they’re angry or startled?  Do TV series like Family Guy make fun of Hindu gods?  In my personal walk with Jesus, I have had many debates and arguments with non-believers who try very hard to get me to see things the way that they do.  And, to be perfectly honest with you, I have been able to recognise their position based on what they say.  Although I say this, no-matter what the topic of the debate was, there was always one underlying factor which was going unnoticed by my combatant: I am not religious, I am spiritual.  This has spun some people out when I have stated this.  You see, what I have found is that a great deal of non-believers and atheists think that Christians are following a theory or an assumption which is based on nothing but doctrine and tradition.  They do not actual perceive that there is a difference between believing in God, and knowing Him.  Some people live their whole lives just going through the motions.  They go to Church every Sunday morning.  They take communion.  They pray and sing the songs.  But they become so accustomed to the religiosity and routine that they lose sight of their capability to actually connect with their saviour.

This is the issue the non-believer has with trying to leave Christians away from God (not that they even realise they’re doing that).  They believe that we are trapped in a world of lies and that we have blinkers on.  In fact, what they fail to understand is that there is more to the faith than the Bible.  The Bible is a bit like a College degree.  It is the foundation and the open door to everything else which can potentially be learned if you continue your studies after the course.  It is a “how-to” guide on how to discover Jesus Christ and how to live a righteous life.

I have personally discovered God.  I won’t go into enormous detail, but to cut a long story short; it was during one of my lowest points.  I was more animal than man.  I was so far from the righteous path for so long that I had forgotten what God’s calm, quiet voice actually sounded like.  Once day, I was in Church and the Pastor asked the congregation if there was anyone who felt that they had wondered from God and needed to get right.  And if there was, to say this prayer with all your heart.  I said the prayer, and it was like a fire was ignited within my chest.  All the burdens and guilt of the past was lifted.  I still remembered it, but all of a sudden I could see it from a distance and I realised that it was not who I was anymore.  When I got home, I fell to my knees and prayed.  I asked God: “Why have you saved me?  I’m so far from worthy of forgiveness for all these things I have done.”  And in the still of my studio apartment I heard these words, and I can’t hold back the emotion even just typing it now.  “I never stopped loving you.”  I cried….a lot.

You see, to truly discover God is to lose the ability to deny Him.  That is why there are parts of the world where Christians are put to death for not denying God.  They can’t.  We are a part of Him and He is a part of us.  Once we have lived a life which walks hand in hand with Christ, there is no turning back.  There is no want to turn back.  And just like continuing studies after the conclusion of a college degree, we are taught so many things by God if we just open our lives to Him and accept Him.  The things that I know about the theology of this Christian walk, cannot be measured.  I know these things because they have been revealed to my by God.  It is difficult to explain, but I promise you this: Now that I have chosen this life, I wouldn’t want it any other way.

John 16:16-23 MSG

“In a day or so you’re not going to see me, but then in another day or so you will see me.” That stirred up a hornet’s nest of questions among the disciples: “What’s he talking about: ‘In a day or so you’re not going to see me, but then in another day or so you will see me’? And, ‘Because I’m on my way to the Father’? What is this ‘day or so’? We don’t know what he’s talking about.” Jesus knew they were dying to ask him what he meant, so he said, “Are you trying to figure out among yourselves what I meant when I said, ‘In a day or so you’re not going to see me, but then in another day or so you will see me’? Then fix this firmly in your minds: You’re going to be in deep mourning while the godless world throws a party. You’ll be sad, very sad, but your sadness will develop into gladness. “When a woman gives birth, she has a hard time, there’s no getting around it. But when the baby is born, there is joy in the birth. This new life in the world wipes out memory of the pain. The sadness you have right now is similar to that pain, but the coming joy is also similar. When I see you again, you’ll be full of joy, and it will be a joy no one can rob from you. You’ll no longer be so full of questions. “This is what I want you to do: Ask the Father for whatever is in keeping with the things I’ve revealed to you. Ask in my name, according to my will, and he’ll most certainly give it to you. Your joy will be a river overflowing its banks!

So why is Christianity so targeted?  I believe it is because there is something in its core values and in its purpose which goes against the rebellious motives of every man.  You see, we are raised to believe that freedom is to not have conform, but there is a soul in each and every one of us.  We can try to bury it and mute it, but it’s there.  And that soul is aware of things which we may try to ignore.  It is edging us home to the Lord.  I believe that on a certain level, man people feel threatened when they are confronted with the Godly, because there is something within it which defies they’re understanding and opens the door to supernatural possibilities.  It opens the door to a life lived without vice.  It is the pursuit of something infinitely bigger than we think we are.

“Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows.  But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” ~ John 16:33

So many people have asked me: “What if you’re wrong?”  To them I say this.  “What if I am?  What if I live my whole life on this earth in pursuit of a God and a belief system which is not real?  Then I live my life happy and with righteous purpose and when I die, you and I have the same fate.  Now consider this.  What if I’m right?”

I’d like to leave you all with one last question.  Do you know God the way you once did?  Have you ever known Him the way I have been describing in this study today?  Would you like to?  If you find yourself wondering what this Christian life is all about, then I offer you this prayer.  Say it as many times as you like, but I urge you to let go of doubt and say it with honesty.  Nothing to lose, everything to gain.

Dear Heavenly Father,
I ask Jesus Christ to come into my life.  I ask to be born again.  Make me your child.  I am tired of living my life without you and I want to know you.  Thank you for your everlasting love.  Thank you for the cross.  Thank you so loving us that you gave your life for me.  Thank you for the three nails.  Thank you for the empty tomb.  Thank you for the heritage and future you have in store for me.  I chose to turn away from my wrongs, and I chose you.  I chose eternal life.  Please lead me in your ways.  I willingly receive you into my heart.  Hold me and guide me in this life to be everything you have called me to be.
Thank you Lord.  Thank you for being my personal saviour.
Amen!

Congratulations!  Welcome Home!