The Half-Hearted Grace Gospel

A popular idea running through many churches now-a-days is the idea that “there is grace for you.” While this is indeed a true and powerful statement, many Christians and even church leaders have ended up watering down the Gospel with these words. We see women dressed inappropriately as they walk into church or even for a social gathering of believers, and no one opens their mouth against it, even if there are brothers in Christ present who may stumble as a result. I’m the guy who would say to someone in private, “Don’t you think someone should say something to her, so she knows what she’s doing?” The person I’m talking with would likely say something like, “Well, you don’t want to condemn people or sound critical. There is grace for her, Joel.” Blah, blah, blah, I say! I hope you’re beginning to see where I’m going with this. If you need more clarity, then read what Proverbs 27:5-6 says: “Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.” And yet I rarely, if ever, see any kind of rebuke at all! And if it means protecting many people from stumbling in their ways, then why would we not want to attack sin and indecency in our lives? Otherwise we are letting the devil win in our lives!

Now don’t think this applies only to dressing immodestly; that was merely one example of ways I’ve seen the ‘Grace Card’ used to excuse people’s sins. For instance, we may see someone smoking or cursing or doing any number of things we see as wrong, and we don’t even begin to confront the issue. Instead we become passive and complacent and excuse ourselves by saying, “There is grace for them! Praise Jesus!” But let me challenge your thinking for a moment. What is the grace of God without the wrath of God? I tell you, if God’s wrath was not real, powerful and imminent, then there would be no need for grace and therefore no need for Jesus’ death on the cross. We spit off these ridiculous half-truths about how grace is sufficient and that we should just turn a blind eye at certain things, but this is not the case! We are called to be “bold as a lion” (See Proverbs 28:1) and to show open rebuke. Sin, especially in the church, should be addressed without fear or restraint.

I know in the past the “fire and brimstone” speeches have scared Christians away from talking about God’s wrathful side, but if we ignore God’s wrathful side, we ignore a part of who God is and therefore believe in a false version of God. Indeed, God MUST be wrathful, for He hates sin; and if He hates sin, He will one day do away with it. And if we are all sinful, then He must do away with us, for He is Holy. God cannot just forgive sin; if He did, without the sacrifice of Jesus, then He would be denying His character. If this were true and He allowed people to dwell with Him in eternity, He would have fellowship with darkness and would lose His holiness. In order for God to be Light and Love and remain fully Holy and perfect, He had to send His son as a propitiation for our sins. This was the only way; it is the truth that leads to life. But grace means nothing without maintaining the perspective of the reality of God’s wrathfulness that is to come. So let us stop teaching people only about the grace of God that ignores His wrathful side and remember that the wrath of God is part of the reason we come to have the fear of the Lord!

Can You Turn the Other Cheek?

In Matthew 5:39, Jesus teaches us: ‘I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.’ How many of us can so willingly deny our urges to retaliate and submit to this command from Jesus? But Jesus is challenging us to become doormats. What? Did I mean to say that just now? Absolutely. After all, our Lord and Savior essentially became the most well known doormat for our sakes. When he was mocked, accused falsely, beaten, even killed, he didn’t speak one word against the people doing those evil things to him. In fact, ‘He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth’ (Isaiah 53:7).

So wait, am I trying to say we shouldn’t oppose those who try to persecute us? Why should we? If we are being persecuted for the sake of Jesus Christ, then that is a joy and a blessing. ‘Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted’ (2 Timothy 3:12). Jesus even teaches us that we should be glad and rejoice when we are persecuted, and he tells us that our reward in heaven is great when this happens (See Matthew 5:11-12).

But you say to yourself, ‘Jesus was both God and human; I am only a man, so surely this kind of restraint isn’t expected of me.’ But if you think this, you are wrong! Jesus does expect this of you, if indeed you are of God, filled with the Holy Spirit, a disciple of Jesus. And read these words also found in Matthew 5: ‘Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you’ (verse 44). And Jesus was the perfect example of this, for when he was crucified, he called out to God and said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do’ (Luke 23:34). Jesus had every right as the perfect Son of God to condemn every last one of those people. But he knew his calling was from God and always remembered to pray, ‘not as I will, but as you will’ (Matthew 26:39). Jesus obeyed God perfectly and died for us without speaking a word against anyone. And in the end he prayed that God would forgive them. In his last moments, Jesus forgave those men; he turned the other cheek.

Still you might think, ‘Jesus was God! How do you not understand that? I’m just a man.’ Well then let me give you another example–the disciple Stephen. Read Acts chapters 6 + 7 to learn about Stephen. When he had testified about the Lord Jesus, he was stoned to death (See Acts 7:54-58). And Stephen in his last moments mirrored the words of Jesus on the cross by saying, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them’ (Acts 7:60). There is your fully human example to show us that this type of life isn’t just some unattainable fantasy. If you are being persecuted for being a disciple, then remember to endure no matter what type of verbal, physical or emotional pain is inflicted upon you. This is the will of God.

The True Power of the Holy Spirit

Looking at Acts chapter 5, we see some incredible things happening in and through the apostles by the Holy Spirit. In the beginning, Ananias and Sapphira (husband and wife who lied about how much money they earned from selling their  field) were struck dead by the Holy Spirit. We learn an important lesson here from Peter: ‘You have not lied to man but to God’ (See verse 4). Now this by no means implies that every time we lie, the Holy Spirit will strike us dead. However, we must look at how incredibly powerful the Spirit of God is. We cannot despise the Holy Spirit or act as though He isn’t part of God.

The apostles were absolutely on fire for God. They believed ever so strongly in the power of the Holy Spirit (see verse 32). Verse 12 says, ‘Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles.’ The apostles were so close in their relationship to God that many signs and wonders were done regularly by their hands. The people even began to bring the sick to the streets so Peter’s shadow might fall on them (see verse 15). What’s incredible is that the more sincere and bold we are, indeed the more we ignore what matters to man and devote ourselves to what matters to God, then the more powerful the Holy Spirit will be in our lives. It says in verse 16 that all who were brought before the apostles were healed! This is incredible! Do we, in our comfortable lifestyles, believe that healing exists today? Are we confident that if we live obediently to God in everything, that such things will happen through us by the power of the Holy Spirit? I personally believe our faith is wavering. These things are real! But we treat them as fairy tales.

Continuing on, we see the Holy Spirit act in a more powerful way when the apostles are arrested. He sets them free without anyone noticing! (See verse 17-25). Let’s be honest: weird things happen when the Holy Spirit is present. Being filled with the Holy Spirit can be scary with all the strange things talked about in the Bible regarding Him. But we should not be uncomfortable with this. We should be a Spirit filled people. And when we are, we can be certain that suffering and persecution are waiting for us. Indeed, the apostles suffered time and time again for the name of Jesus (See verse 40-42). They were beaten and only rejoiced afterwards! Then, they continued to preach and teach. The Bible says, ‘they did not cease…’ How many of us would want to go preaching the name of Jesus after being beaten and threatened? The apostles not only continued but rejoiced! This is the life of a true disciple, someone being led in an intimate way by the Holy Spirit. ‘Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds…’ (See James 1:2-4).

If we would just believe, great things would be done in and through us–even greater works than Jesus performed (See John 14:2). Let me encourage you, brothers and sisters in Christ, to believe in the name of Jesus, to know that there is no other name by which you must be saved, and to live a life of obedience to God that you might bring great glory and honor to Him. Over time, you will be sanctified and made holy and blameless in the presence of God; then maybe the Holy Spirit will be poured out upon us to do ‘greater works than these.’

Called to Be Bold

In Acts chapter 4, we see Peter and John brought before the leaders of the church after healing a lame man in the name of Jesus. They were brought before the priests and leaders because they were annoyed that Peter and John were proclaiming the name of Jesus (See Acts 4:1-3). And even with opposition and the threats of the leaders, there were five thousand who believed in Jesus as a result of Peter and John’s boldness. They were then asked in the presence of the high priestly family, ‘By what power or by what name did you do this?’ Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and told them it was in the name of Jesus of Nazareth that the man was healed. This is a bold statement especially being in the presence of the same people who sent Jesus to be crucified. Peter showed no fear. What happens after Peter’s response is incredible: ‘Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus’ (Acts 4:13).

This is what gives a person like me hope. Peter and John weren’t some well-learned, intelligent, ‘valuable’ members of society. After all, Peter was a fisherman. And yet, despite the fact that they lacked the qualities that man deems important, they astonished the members of the high priestly family. The priests took note of their boldness and even recognized that they had been with Jesus, which posed a threat to them.  But God took care of them, for the people were shouting praises to God, and there was no reproach they could bring before them (See Acts 4:14-22). The priests even went so far as to ask them to stop speaking the name of Jesus. Of course, Peter and John refused.

When they returned to their friends, they revealed what happened in the presence of the chief priests. Then they prayed a mighty prayer together: ‘And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus’ (Acts 4:29-30). Despite the threats and despite their success in being bold, they prayed for more boldness. After praying their prayer, they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak with boldness. This inspiring moment even led them all to sell their possession and share according to each one’s needs.

God can do mighty things through the one who is bold in the name of Jesus. But where is that boldness today? Jesus said we would do mightier works than he did (See John 14:12). And yet our faith is wavering. Healings are happening less; people don’t cast out demons in the name of Jesus as much. Instead, we focus our energy on constant service, the only thing we know we can do without God’s help. But God called us to be bold, not lazy and fearful. With even the faith of a mustard seed, we can move mountains (see Matthew 17:20). But our faith is failing.

MAIN POINTS: Never let anyone or anything stand in your way. Be considered foolish by the world for the sake of Christ and be bold in the name of Jesus, being not ashamed of the gospel of our Savior. It’s time to be a nation, a generation, that rises up and boldly proclaims the name of Jesus to the ends of the earth. Be strong and courageous; be bold; always love; stay in oneness with God; and be humble.

What is your foundation?

Continuing through 1 Corinthians, we come to chapter 3. Paul continues to address the issues in the church at Corinth. Sadly, the issues experience then are reappearing all throughout our churches today. Paul had to spend much of his time feeding them spiritual milk like infants when they should have been ready to eat solid spiritual food. This is the difference between the spiritually immature and the spiritually mature in Christ (See 1 Corinthians 3:1-3). ‘…for you are still of the flesh,’ refers to how the believers in Corinth were living their lives. They cared more about who their leader or pastor was than they cared about Christ, their true foundation. They were calling out the name of Apollos or Paul or Cephas, being Peter, instead of calling out the name of Jesus as their true leader. Sadly, many congregations place their leaders, their pastors, on pedestals and exalt them as something greater than human, whether directly or indirectly. No matter how great a teacher our pastors are, they are human and we should never be so attached to any person that we can never leave them and go where God is truly calling us (See Luke 14:26).

Here again, we see that Paul and Apollos count for nothing. God uses people according to His greater purposes, but they are nothing. Only God matters. We must remember this truth well. And since God uses us despite our worthlessness, we become ‘God’s fellow workers’ (See verse 9). We are God’s field, His building. He works in each of us to grow individually but also to grow corporately. Once the spiritual foundation is lain, that being Christ our true foundation, then someone must build upon it. This could happen individually or corporately, but the point is this: ‘Let each one take care how he builds upon it’ (1 Corinthians 3:10). This is no easy task. We are fellow laborers with God, and God desires that no man perish (See Ezekiel 18:32); thus we must be extremely careful how we build upon our foundation. We must allow no idolatry or selfish ambition into our lives. We can only attain this through the changing power of the Holy Spirit.

Too often we are led astray. ‘Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw…’ (see verses 12-13). Unfortunately,  this happens all too frequently. We build on what WE believe is important rather than building on the foundation of Christ. But brothers and sisters, this should not be! Our will, our desires, should never get in the way of God’s greater purposes. If something IS in the way, we should be rid of it at once. We focus so much on building a giant church buildings and bringing in thousands if not tens of thousands of church attendees. But the building is not the Church. We are the Church. ‘ Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple’ (1 Corinthians 3:16-17). So why should we spend so much time building up our own church buildings when we should be ministering to the lost and needy? We must become fools for Christ! (see verse 18)

We must never boast in man and what man can accomplish. Remember: let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord. Yes we need church homes and communities, but should we be so concerned with who our pastors are and how big we make our churches? Are we beginning to lose sight of the foundation, who is Christ, our salvation and sanctification? We have too many churches and church attenders but not enough laborers with Christ (See Luke 10:2). Pray that God will send out more laborers today. Don’t pray for churches to be filled with half-hearted, fence-sitting, lazy Christians, but pray that God will send out passionate, devoted, loving disciples.

The Natural Life Vs. The Spiritual Life

‘For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes’ (1 Corinthians 11:23-26). With this practice, we remember the sacrifice Jesus made to wash us clean and make us right before God. Jesus became broken bread and poured out wine for our sakes, sacrificing himself and disregarding anything that was not in accordance with his Father’s will. As disciples, are we willing, after counting the costs, to become broken bread and poured out wine for Jesus and his kingdom?

‘And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. (1 Corinthians 2:1-2). Are we willing to rid ourselves of our own way of thinking and doing to the point of saying, ‘I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified?’ As Christians, we MUST get to that point. That is the way of the spiritual life. It is not natural for us to be that way, for our nature is of sin and death. But the nature of the Spirit of God is holiness and life. That is the same nature that dwelt within our Lord Jesus, and we must seek always to be one with that same Spirit, to be one with our Lord Jesus Christ. When we learn this lesson, we will slowly but surely become one with God the Father.

The natural life is always waging war against the Spirit of God within us. ‘And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ’ (1 Corinthians 2:13-16). For the one who does not know God and does not have the Spirit of God in him, he can never know God or know the mind of Christ. But to us who become broken bread and poured out wine for Christ’s sake, ‘we have the mind of Christ.’  You can see that in the natural life a person is concerned with human wisdom and lofty speech, but with in spiritual life, there is no room for such things.

Let your words reflect the apostle Paul’s: ‘…and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God’ (1 Corinthians 2:4-5). Genuine faith is not built upon the wisdom and eloquence of man, but is only built upon the saving grace of Jesus Christ, in the power of God. We get to the point of having the nature of the Spirit by knowing ‘nothing except Jesus Christ and him crucified.’ If you are not yet being broken bread and poured out wine for Jesus, then start today. Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Jesus! (See Matthew 16:24).

The Wisdom and Power of God

‘For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power’ (1 Corinthians 1:17). These are the words of the apostle Paul to the church at Corinth. Read very closely the last part of this verse: ‘lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.’ Paul was no cowardly or unintelligent man, yet he refused to do anything that would empty the cross of Christ of its power–even by avoiding the use of eloquent speech and human wisdom.

So why is man so set on relying on his own abilities and wisdom? I love this quote from Oswald Chambers in his devotional book entitled My Utmost For His Highest: ‘We tend to say that because a person has natural ability, he will make a good Christian. It is not a matter of our equipment, but a matter of our poverty; not of what we bring with us, but of what God puts into us; not a matter of natural virtues, of strength of character, of knowledge, or of experience— all of that is of no avail in this concern. The only thing of value is being taken into the compelling purpose of God and being made His friends (see 1 Corinthians 1:26-31).’ Nothing we have counts for anything; the only matter of importance is God and what God can do in a through us. In fact, when we try to ‘spice up’ the Bible with our own methods and eloquence, we demean the power of God and empty the cross of its power.

‘For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom…’ (see verses 22-25). How true this is today! Many people in our American society seek wisdom, chiefly charismatic, eloquent teachers who sound nice and make them feel good inside. And yet when we fall into this trap, it is easy to ignore lies that are being told. We are expected to accept every word from our pastors and elders, and thus we fail to ‘test the spirits’ (see 1 John 4:1). We should listen to any rebuke or correction or teaching from any individual regardless of church status if they are indeed speaking the truth in love; however, we must be certain we are testing these spirits instead of blindly accepting everything they say. Don’t disrespect your elders or teachers, but test every word they say by going to the Bible to see what God has to say about the matter. If they are in fault, do not be afraid to confront them in private. Remember that status is not everything, for the Bible says, ‘ For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.’ (1 Corinthians 1:26-29).

The main point: We should never think we are anything, for we are nothing. Without God, we would not be. Without Jesus, we could do nothing for God’s glory or ever be saved.  Without the Holy Spirit, we would never change and become holy. Never do or say anything that puts the focus on you, ‘lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.’ If the focus is put on you, make sure you are quick to point the glory back to God. Let us be a generation who praises God, not man. ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.’

What Are We Relying On?

‘When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.’ (1 Corinthians 2:1-5).

This passage of Scripture beats down on a major issue in modern day churches. I have seen it happen far too many times where pastors rely on their own eloquence of speech and their own wisdom to persuade others to Christ. These verses are written by the apostle Paul who was as capable of speaking eloquently as anyone. However, he had the knowledge that such things were unnecessary for the advancement of the Gospel; in fact, persuasive words, eloquent speaking and human wisdom are harmful to the body of Christ and get in the way of the Holy Spirit’s work. When we rely on ourselves and our talents in speaking, we demean the power of God. Do we think God needs our help in reaching the lost? After all, man is only capable of planting and watering, but God alone makes a seed grow. And man cannot change a person’s heart; only the Spirit of God can do that.

Let me word it another way. Replace persuasion and eloquent speech with the word ‘charisma.’ In modern day churches, we as the body of Christ love and adore charismatic preachers. But why? It’s because they inspire us to be better with their excellent speech. But let’s ask ourselves something: is that God working through us, or man simply persuading us with attractive language?

I’m going to quote Oswald Chambers, because he addresses this issue much better than I am able. ‘He [the preacher] is there to present the gospel of God. If it is only because of my preaching that people desire to be better, they will never get close to Jesus Christ. Anything that flatters me in my preaching of the gospel will result in making me a traitor to Jesus, and I prevent the creative power of His redemptions from doing its work.’-Oswald Chambers.

Nothing is worth destroying the movement of God’s Holy Spirit. God needs absolutely no help from us. Men cannot better the gospel or improve God’s Word. What the body of Christ needs to rely on again is the Holy Spirit who transcends all our wisdom and understanding and works more effectively than even the most charismatic preacher. When we preach God’s Word, let us speak and act, but let Him do the real work.

All Things Work For Good

‘His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”‘ Genesis 50:18-20.

Isn’t it marvelous how God can turn even the worst situations for good? Take a look at Joseph’s life. He was favored by his father and it was shown by the many-colored cloak his father gave to him. But his brothers despised him and sought to end his life. They beat him and tossed him in a pit to be left for dead. But unknown to them, he was taken and sold as a slave to Egypt. Before long, Joseph was second in command only to Pharaoh himself. God allowed Joseph to experience great tribulations, and that is what led Joseph to a position of great authority and honor. It was those hardships in his life that brought him face to face with God. When Joseph was finally reunited with his brothers, did he despise them? Did he punish them for the wrongs they committed against him? Not even in the slightest. His response was that of a true man of God: ‘Do not fear, for am I in the place of God?’ Joseph recognized all that God had done even in the midst of his sufferings.

And we all go through horrible trials. Maybe our trials differ from Joseph’s, but we certainly all have struggles. But it is Old Testament stories like this one that make the New Testament verses relevant. I believe this story connects directly to Paul’s words in Romans 8:28, ‘And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.’ That was true of Joseph and it is certainly still true for us today. If you are experiencing hard times, remember that ALL things work together for good for the saints of God.

The Trials for Youths

I have read these words many times: ‘Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity’ (1 Timothy 4:12). I must say that this is a struggle for me to accept. I am young, only 25 years of age, and all my life I have been treated as though I’m stupid or incompetent. I understand that the Scripture teaches that those who are younger should submit to our elders (1 Peter 5:5), but what do you do if your elder is teaching falsehoods? What if the church you attend or the brothers and sisters around you are following after lies and deceits?

I have always believed that it is our duty as Christians to always be on guard and bring reproach when some kind of sin or falsity enters our lives or the lives of a brother or sister in Christ. Yet, whenever I have approached a pastor or elder about an issue, despite my approach being one of love and concern, I have always been turned away; their reasoning is that I’m not mature or wise enough. And yet, haven’t we learned that maturity doesn’t necessarily come with age? For anyone who reads this, have you ever experience disrespect or insult because of your age? I mean what if I went around discrediting an 80 year old man because I developed the idea that all 80 year olds are senile and crazy?

It seems like modern day churches aren’t open to younger people having knowledge or insight. And yet, wasn’t Daniel only 15 when he entered the Babylonian empire and soon after become second in command next to Nebuchadnezzar himself? And wasn’t Jesus just a small child only twelve years of age asking questions and amazing the leaders of the temple? I am merely seeking truth here, and I would like to hear others’ opinions. I don’t ever want to become prideful or stubborn; I just want to seek the truth and teach the Word of God properly. I just don’t think a person should be discredited for their age, whether old or young, for I believe the Holy Spirit has the power to enable anyone to be wise and bring forth reproach.

What are your thoughts? Should even youths have a strong voice and influence in the church? Or should the elders just be what they are, and the youth ignored? I just don’t see that lining up with 1 Peter 5:1-3 (particularly verse 3). Comment with your thoughts or opinions. God bless!