“The Whole Story”

Everyone has a life story and unfortunately, there are times when others focus only on half of a person’s story.  Many people highlight the faults of the early apostles.  However, that is not the END of their story.  As we study history we discover that each of the apostles, with the exception of John, were killed because of their refusal to reject their faith in Christ.  It is common knowledge that Peter denied Christ three times before Jesus was crucified but in the end, Peter was crucified upside down because he refused to deny Christ.  Thomas is frequently referred to as “doubting Thomas” because of his skepticism regarding the resurrection of Jesus.  But he was stabbed with pine spears and burned to death by the enemies of Christ because he fully believed in the risen Savior.  The other apostles abandoned Jesus while He was being held as a prisoner, but in the end they were beaten to death, stabbed to death, stoned, crucified, and beheaded because they would not abandon the Gospel of Christ. 

Paul was known to imprison and murder Christians prior to his encounter with Christ.  However, the second half of his life was spent evangelizing in order to lead more people to Christ than he had killed because of their belief in Jesus.  God sees us as the individuals He created us to be and forgives us of the sins we have committed along the way when we are repentant.

Romans 3:23-26

²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, ²⁵ whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness,  because in God’s merciful restraint He let the sins previously committed go unpunished; ²⁶ for the demonstration, that is, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Romans 8:28-30

²⁸ And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. ²⁹ For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters; ³⁰ and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

 

“The Knowledge of God”

No one can ever obtain true knowledge of God until they have first submitted themselves to His righteousness. Having zeal alone will not give us the ability to know or understand God.

Romans 10:1-3

¹ Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation.

² For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. 

³ For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.

 

“The Importance of Self Denial”

When Steven was being stoned, he prayed that God would not charge the men with their sin:  his murder. 

Steven was a humble man and full of the Spirit.  If he had requested that God avenge him instead of denying himself, God may have obliged him.  If that would have happened, we would not understand the requirement of salvation, or recognize that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us (Romans 8:18, 10:9).  We would not understand that the most important attribute to have and display is love (1 Corinthians 13).  We would be oblivious of the fruit of the Spirit that God requires us to have (Galatians 5:22-23).  We would not be aware of the armor of God that is essential for us to wear while engaging in spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6:13-17).  We would not know to meditate on the things that are noble, pure, just, true, lovely, and of a good report (Philippians 4:8).  We would not understand how to address sin and the necessity of avoiding sin (Colossians 3:1-17).  We would not understand that not only do we need to avoid evil; we need to abstain from all APPEARANCES of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22).  We would not understand that we are to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).  And we would not understand sound doctrine (1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus). 

The reason we would be ignorant of all of this DOCTRINAL information is because Paul is the person who instructed us in these areas.  He was present at the time of Stephen’s murder and would have suffered God’s wrath if Stephen would have prayed for vengeance and God would have honored his request.  Stephen’s self-denial has benefitted the Body of Christ for the past 2 millennium.

It is difficult to experience ill treatment by others and refrain from retaliation.  Although we may desire to “handle” the situation our way, God expects for us to respond righteously.  We have to remember that our vision is myopic, but God has a panoramic view.

Romans 12:17-21

  ¹⁷ Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. ¹⁸ Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.

¹⁹ Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord.

²⁰ Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
    If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap
    burning coals of shame on their heads.”

²¹ Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

 

“Spiritual Gifts”

Staying in Our Lane

When a construction company gets a contract to build a building, that is their main function.  While they may be responsible for painting and other duties, they only build the building.  They will subcontract a painting company, electrical company, plumbers, and other companies to fulfill specific tasks.  Painters do not install drop ceiling or work on the foundation, they paint.  Plumbers are not responsible for ensuring that there is sufficient lighting throughout the building, they handle the plumbing. 

God expects each of us to function in the gift that He has given us.  When we operate out of our specific gift, we do not function very well.  Everyone is not called to the mission field and everyone is not qualified to teach.  It is essential that we LEARN or DISCOVER what OUR gift is.  We also need to understand HOW God expects for us to function in that gift.  The gift is perfect and flawless and when used properly, it will fulfill all that God intends for it to fulfill.

Romans 12:4-8

⁴ Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, ⁵ so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.

⁶ In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. ⁷ If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. ⁸ If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

 

“Blessings of God”

Recognizing Godly Prosperity

Many times, we have become discouraged because we have observed ungodly individuals or lukewarm Christians obtain what we believed to be blessings from God.  There have been times when we have wondered why it seems that individuals who lack reverence for God, prosper more than those who make an effort to live righteously.  As we learn more about the character of God and how He operates, we will stop wondering. 

First of all, if people receive anything that diverts or removes their attention from God, it did not come from God.  In Luke 5:1-11, Peter, James and John spent all night fishing but failed to catch any fish.  Jesus instructed Peter to take his boat into the deep water and let his net down to catch some fish.  After Peter obeyed Jesus, he caught so many fish that he had to call James and John to bring their boat and assist him in bringing the fish to land.  Both boats almost sank and the nets were barely strong enough to secure the fish.  Peter, James, and John caught more fish than they had ever caught in their lives because they obeyed what Jesus had instructed them to do.  However, after their most successful day on the job, they left EVERYTHING to follow Jesus.  God will NEVER give us anything that will immediately cause us to focus our attention somewhere other than on Him.  What He gives us will cause us to INCREASE our focus on Him.  God gives us what He knows we are mature enough to handle. 

Secondly, if people receive anything that did not require them to live by God’s standard in order to obtain, it did not come from God.  In Deuteronomy 28:1-14, God told the Israelites that if they were faithful to obey His commands, He would cause blessings to overtake them.  Satan is a deceiver and he will do whatever is necessary to keep us from drawing closer to God and living by His standards. 

Jeremiah 17:11

As a partridge that hatches eggs which it has not laid,
So is a person who makes a fortune, but unjustly;
In the middle of his days it will abandon him,
And in the end he will be a fool.”

Proverbs 11:18

Evil people get rich for the moment,
but the reward of the godly will last.

 

“Purpose”

God’s Design

Everyone was born with a specific purpose, but our purpose is not determined by us; it is uniquely designed and defined by God.  Our purpose is not determined by how hard we work toward a goal.  It is also not determined by the quality of our character.  Sometimes tragedies or unpleasant events are used to develop us and position us so that we can function as God desires us to. 

There are times when we may question the reason for us experiencing some of things that we go through, but a better question could be why did He let us SURVIVE?  God already knows the end result of the lives of each individual that visits this planet and nothing happens without His knowledge or approval.  God’s decisions display His POWER and brings Him the greatest GLORY.

Romans 8:28-30

²⁸ And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. ²⁹ For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters; ³⁰ and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

Romans 9:9-12

⁹ For this is the word of promise:  “At This Time I Will Come And Sarah Shall Have A Son.”

¹⁰ And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac;

¹¹ for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls,

¹² it was said to her, “The Older Will Serve The Younger.”

Romans 9:17-18

¹⁷ For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For This Very Purpose I Raised You Up, To Demonstrate My Power In You, And That My Name Might Be Proclaimed Throughout The Whole Earth.”

¹⁸ So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.

 

“Proper Perspective”

False Evidence Appearing Real

Fear can paralyze us when our perspective is faulty.  While we should be AWARE of the events that are occurring on earth, our FOCUS should not be a slave to these events. 

In 1 Samuel 17, the Israelite army was being terrorized by Goliath from the Philistine army and they were frightened of him.  During one of his visits, David came on the scene and inquired about the reward for disposing of this man who had the audacity to defy the army that belonged to God.  While the soldiers feared Goliath, David saw a defeated foe. 

After David assured Saul that Goliath would die like the bear and the lion that he had previously killed, he went out to engage the giant in combat.  When Goliath squared off with David, he may have been baffled by David’s confidence since he was almost five feet taller than David.  However, 1 Samuel 5 provides some history which could explain David’s lack of fear.  In that account, the Philistines captured the ark of God and took it to the house of Dagon, their god.  The next morning, they found Dagon on his face bowing down to the ark of God.  They set Dagon upright in his previous position.  The following morning, they saw that Dagon had once again fallen before the ark of God.  This time his hands and head had been broken off.  Following this incident, God afflicted the Philistines with tumors which caused them to realize that they needed to return the ark of God to the Israelites. 

God had already proven that when He intervenes in any situation, there isn’t any force that can contend with Him.  However, as the Israelite soldiers stood in front of Goliath, they feared him because they only saw how big he was.  David was not afraid of Goliath because he only saw how big God is.  It’s all a matter of having proper perspective.

Proverbs 3:25-26

²⁵ Do not be afraid of sudden danger,
Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes;
²⁶ For the Lord will be your confidence,
And will keep your foot from being caught.