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| Who is the "Church?" The Church (in my definition) is, collectively, every person who has asked God for forgiveness for their sins, who believes Jesus is the Son of God, and has accepted Jesus as their Savior. Together we are the Body of Christ. Romans 13:11-14 says, "And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts." "Lord Jesus, heal us of our carnal, aberrant Christianity. Cause us to rise up in authentic Christianity that glorifies You in the world. May Your pure, spotless Bride come forth in all her splendor (see Ephesians 5:27). May the Church arise out of fear and doubt into overcoming faith to sit with You on Your throne (see Revelation 3:21). Father, purge the Church of our complacency, compromise and apathy (see Malachi 3:3). May we turn back to You in true repentance, with a holy fear of God, a holy hatred of sin, and a holy passion for Jesus in our hearts. Forgive us, Lord, for filling the soccer fields, football stadiums and amusement parks on Sunday mornings instead of filling your churches. Raise us up out of lukewarmness to be 'white-hot, enthusiastic lovers of our God.' May we be clothed with humility instead of being driven by pride. May the Church humble herself in Your sight and give up her prideful ways (see James 4:10). May we put away childish things and be perfected in Your holiness and love (see 1 Corinthians 13:10-11). Forgive us Father, for our friendship with the world that has made us Your enemies (see James 4:4). Help us, instead, to hunger and thirst after righteousness (see Matthew 5:6). Lord, increase our appetite for the things that attract Your presence: love and compassion for our neighbors (see Matthew 22:39), love and devotion to You (see Matthew 22:37), repentant and contrite hearts (see Psalm 51:17), obedience (see John 14:15), holiness (see 1 Peter 1:15-16), unity (see Ephesians 4:3), faith (see Hebrews 11:6), effective, fervent praying (see James 5:16), and true spiritual worship that will tear down idols and strongholds (see John 4:23) And send Your holy refining fire to purge from us all of those things that repel Your presence: complacency, compromise, apathy (see Ephesians 5:11), bitterness (see Hebrews 12:15), anger (see Ephesians 4:31), unforgiveness (see Mark 11:25), offense (see Romans 14:13), envy (see Romans 1:29), impurity (see Hebrews 12:14), pride (see 1 John 2:16), lukewarmness (see Revelation 3:16), and every other work of the flesh that stifles spiritual life and withholds Your blessing and manifest presence from us. Lord, may we the the salt and light in the world that You have called us to be (see Matthew 5:13-14)." Prayer taken from Praying with Authority and Power, by Barbara L. Potts. The Church has a tremendous responsibility to God, our Father. Jesus has commissioned us to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned." (Mark 16:15-16) Does that mean we go out and beat people over the heads with our Bibles? No, I don't think so. :) What that does mean is that we should be prepared to allow Jesus' love to be shown through us by our words and actions. We must allow the Holy Spirit to guide us (through prayer and discernment) in helping others come to know Jesus. Every believer should strive for a REAL relationship with God. Paul said in Ephesians 6:18 "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." Prayer (see this page for more and this page) can be classified into two basic categories: Petition and Praise. ** Petition is the easy one. We always seem to tell God what we want, or turn to Him in time of need. But, all too often as soon as that need is met, or that crisis passes, we forget our loving Father until the next crisis or need arises. Some are even good about "saying their prayers" before bed, or during a certain time of day. How often do we just go through the motions? How often do our lips say words, but our minds aren't tuned in to God? I too, am guilty of these things. That is what Paul means when he instructs us to "Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you" (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18). God does not want to hear us going through the motions. It must be an insult to Him when we just ramble on and don't get "tuned in" to Him when we are praying. God wants us to have a personal relationship with Him. He wants us to remain with Him AT ALL TIMES! Pray without ceasing and give thanks in everything. To pray without ceasing does not mean we have to be on our knees 24/7. I would venture to say that's not possible. It does mean we can (and should strive to) have a running conversation with Him. Just imagine God as your best friend. Aren't there things you tell your best friend that you would not, could not, say to anyone else? Think of God as your new best friend. He longs to have that type of loving, caring relationship with you. Please understand God DOES speak to us through the Holy Spirit, through the Bible (we may get a new direction or plan from a verse or passage) and through other believers. Anytime we are wondering whether it was God who spoke to us or another entity (or maybe just our own imagination) we (the believer) must do two things: We must make sure that whatever it is that was said to us is founded on the Word of God (the Bible). That is, we want to make sure the "voice"/direction does not contradict God's Word. Remember, God will NEVER tell anyone to harm someone or themselves, commit sin, or do anything that would contradict the Bible. The second thing we must do is STEP OUT in faith (see below for more on faith). As you go about your day, speak to God AND listen to God. God wants to hear everything you have to say to Him. He wants you to tell Him how you feel: emotionally, physically, spiritually, mentally, etc... That doesn't mean we just download on Him, but TALK to Him. That's what it means to "pray without ceasing." ** Praise and Worship is the other category of prayer. Not only is praising God a blessing and privilege, it is a commandment. We are instructed "In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thessalonians 5:18). We must raise up our voices in praise and worship to our Heavenly Father. God deserves our praise for He alone is worthy and just to receive praise and worship. Praise honors God. Psalm 51:15, "O Lord, open my lips, And my mouth shall show forth Your praise." Praise has a personal benefit for us too. It strengthens and edifies us to do battle with the enemy (Satan and his minions). Psalm 56:4, "In God I will praise His word, In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?" In Perry Stone's book Putting on your God Gear he edifies us by revealing, - Praise teaches us to pray with greater conviction.
- Praise focuses on God, who helps us overcome our disappointments.
- Praise gives us a greater glimpse of God's will, way and plan for our lives.
- Praise enables us to honor, worship and give glory to the only One who deserves it.
- Praise lifts out hearts in song, with thankfulness.
- Praise helps us to please the Lord and do His will.
- Praise increases the process of maturity as we grow up in all dimensions into Christ.
- Praise creates a deep hunger in us for more of the knowledge of God.
- Praise reminds us of how rich we are through God's blessings.
- Praise reminds us to lean on His strength, not our own.
- Praise builds our spiritual self-esteem.
- Praise grows us in wisdom and knowledge, and helps us to better understand God's character.
We are to follow Paul's example in prayer for each other as he outlined in Colossians 1:9-14, "For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." We must shun and repent of all sin. As Paul exhorts each of us in Philippians 4:8, "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things." What this means is we are to continually think and meditate on those things that are WORTHY for a believer to consider: · TRUE things -- All that is in harmony with eternal truth in creation and revelation. · HONEST (noble) things -- All that is grave, decent, honorable, and Christian. · JUST things -- All that is in harmony with justice and righteousness. · PURE things -- All that is chaste and holy for body and soul. · LOVELY things -- All that is pleasing and tends to bless others. · Things OF GOOD REPORT -- All that is in harmony with the best public good, virtuous and praiseworthy. Jesus instructs believers to have faith in Mark 11:22-26, "So Jesus answered and said to them, 'Have faith in God (literally, have the Faith OF God). For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, "‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’" and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.” There is NO ROOM for both faith AND fear in the same spirit. If you live in fear for anything, your faith will be diminished. That's why Jesus instructs us to have the faith of God. When we come upon anything that is a hindrance, stumbling block, need, yes and even our wants, Jesus tells us to say to THAT mountain (hindrance, stumbling block, need, want) "Be removed and cast into the sea." We are to command our "mountains" and they must obey. We have the Power of Attorney to use the name of Jesus. And finally, "Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen" Galatians 1:3-5. How Great is our God!
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| This is a question I read on a Christian Forum I frequent What is "the law"
"I'm not interested in debating the subject but only trying to understand what 'the law' consist of in scriptures. People speak about the law, the law this and the law that, we are not under the law but yet I see others quote from what I thought was the law in defending what they believe. I have been told that it was the books of moses, the complete old testament, etc. I would like to know so that when people speak of "the law" I will have some idea of what they are talking about instead of the complete old testament.
My question is: What makes up what is known as 'the law' in Christian teaching?" Answer: Essentially what is properly meant by "the law" is the external obedience to a written code representing the commands of God. Primarily these are the Decalogue (the 10 Commandments), the Levitical (or Ceremonial) laws (which regard the acquisition of uncleanness and the various methods for cleansing that uncleanness through various sacrifices and offerings), and the Judicial laws (which govern the behavior of man towards man). According to the Rabbis, there are 613 separate laws (or "mitzvot" —the plural of mitzvah) in the Torah, to which the Talmud (the writings of the ancient Rabbis) adds 7 more.
When Paul wrote about "the law", he was referring to ALL of these and when he wrote of "keeping the law" he was referring to the theology that taught that only by keeping all of these laws continually could one be righteous and accepted by God. In other words, salvation by works.
Nowadays those denominations that teach a form of works righteousness attempt to separate out the types of law and say Paul was only referring to the ceremonial law. They have to do this because if ALL of the law was nailed to the Cross then they have no basis for their theology.
The fact is that ALL of the law was nailed to the Cross. Not one whit of keeping it will ever result in the salvation of a single soul. Salvation is by the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ alone. It is ALL resident in the Cross.
So are we not to keep the law? Well, no ... and yes. After all, Jesus said, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil." (Matthew 5:17) Therefore it is God's will that the laws of God be kept. But our keeping of the law is the cart that follows the horse of salvation, not the horse that pulls the cart of salvation. In other words we are not saved by keeping the law, but we keep the law by being saved. Simply put, salvation through faith in Christ alone will result in the indwelling Holy Spirit producing the image of the nature of Christ within us.
This is what is meant by the "new man". You see, God is not telling us that He makes us better when we are saved, but that He makes us completely new. In 2 Corinthians 5:17 God tells us, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." The Greek phrase "new creature" in this sentence is καινὴ κτίσις (ki-NAY kuh-TEE-sis). The word "kainos" in Greek refers to something that is made brand new, not something that is altered or improved, but rather made from scratch, something superior that replaces something inferior. The word "ktisis" is the same Greek word used of God creating the heavens and the earth. It is a creation out of nothing. So when we are saved, when we are in Christ, we are not merely changed or improved, we are newly made as a brand new creation. And this newly created being WANTS to keep the law. In fact he cannot help but keep it since it is his nature, being the nature of Christ.
Sanctification is the process of the feeding and growth of the new man, and the consequent decaying of the old man. And since we are all progressing in that sanctification, it takes varying degrees of time for us to begin to live as the new man, following HIS desires more than our original desires ... desires which spring from the old man, the old nature that still resides within us. Attempts to kill or destroy the old man are doomed to failure as are attempts to produce the works of the new man. All self-effort is flesh. It is using the old creation to try to grow the new creation. It is trying BY the flesh to destroy the flesh. And that can never succeed because the flesh can never kill itself. It will go through all kinds of self-mortification, religious activity, ANYTHING to preserve itself. But it is only as we rest in Christ and HIS all-sufficient work on the Cross that we can destroy the old man. This is what is meant in Hebrews 4 by entering into "the rest of God". It is what Jesus was speaking of in Matthew 11:28 when He said, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." The remainder of the New Testament makes it clear that the rest He offered was from the burden of attempting to keep the Law by self effort so that one could possibly enter into Heaven.
So resting in Christ's finished work is a work of faith that will allow the Holy Spirit to produce HIS work in you-- what the Bible refers to in Galatians 5:22 and 23 as "the fruit of the Spirit." This fruit is God's nature as manifested in Christ while He was on this earth and is described as "love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance." And those who walk in these qualities WILL—without even trying—fulfill the law. But this can happen ONLY by feeding the new nature through the Word and prayer and by yielding to God's will as He manifests it into our lives. In short, it is by developing of a real and close personal relationship with Jesus Christ ... not a construct of the mind but a very real living relationship. Only the growth of the new man through this type of daily surrender (of daily taking up our cross and reckoning ourselves dead to self and alive to Christ, praying and feeding on the Word) will cause the old man to shrivel. It is the only way ... and is the only infallible way. It will NEVER fail.
Sorry, I got off topic a bit here ... but it is so important to understand the context of law and faith in order to fully comprehend the significance of the Law, in order to appreciate what the New Testament writers mean when they refer to it, and in order to understand how we are to relate to it. Answer written by "mattfivefour" (as he is known on various Christian forums). | | Psalm 37 Do not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
And wither as the green herb.
Trust in the LORD, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the LORD,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the LORD,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,
And your justice as the noonday.
Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;
Do not fret—it only causes harm.
For evildoers shall be cut off;
But those who wait on the LORD,
They shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more;
Indeed, you will look carefully for his place,
But it shall be no more. But the meek shall inherit the earth,
And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
The wicked plots against the just,
And gnashes at him with his teeth. The Lord laughs at him,
For He sees that his day is coming. The wicked have drawn the sword
And have bent their bow,
To cast down the poor and needy,
To slay those who are of upright conduct. Their sword shall enter their own heart,
And their bows shall be broken.
A little that a righteous man has
Is better than the riches of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
But the LORD upholds the righteous.
The LORD knows the days of the upright,
And their inheritance shall be forever. They shall not be ashamed in the evil time,
And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied. But the wicked shall perish;
And the enemies of the LORD,
Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish.
Into smoke they shall vanish away.
The wicked borrows and does not repay,
But the righteous shows mercy and gives. For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth,
But those cursed by Him shall be cut off.
The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD,
And He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;
For the LORD upholds him with His hand.
I have been young, and now am old;
Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,
Nor his descendants begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lends;
And his descendants are blessed.
Depart from evil, and do good;
And dwell forevermore. For the LORD loves justice,
And does not forsake His saints;
They are preserved forever,
But the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off. The righteous shall inherit the land,
And dwell in it forever.
The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom,
And his tongue talks of justice. The law of his God is in his heart;
None of his steps shall slide.
The wicked watches the righteous,
And seeks to slay him. The LORD will not leave him in his hand,
Nor condemn him when he is judged.
Wait on the LORD,
And keep His way,
And He shall exalt you to inherit the land;
When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it. I have seen the wicked in great power,
And spreading himself like a native green tree. Yet he passed away, and behold, he was no more;
Indeed I sought him, but he could not be found.
Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright;
For the future of that man is peace. But the transgressors shall be destroyed together;
The future of the wicked shall be cut off.
But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD;
He is their strength in the time of trouble. And the LORD shall help them and deliver them;
He shall deliver them from the wicked,
And save them,
Because they trust in Him. | |
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