One of the great attributes of goodness is its divine power to overcome evil. Consider that the Word does not tell us we can overcome evil with a good sermon, it does not tell us we can overcome evil with a good song, but it does state unequivocally that we can overcome evil with good.
Romans 12:21, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
This is one of those deceptively complex verses in God’s Word that is easy to read, but difficult for many implement practically in their lives. The desire to go on the offensive, to return evil for evil is engrained deep within the genetic makeup of man. We see it in children not yet old enough to speak, as they will attempt to strike back at whoever struck them. It is one of those instinctual reactions which we must subjugate, and have under submission.
When God asks something of a believer, it means that the believer is able to accomplish it; it is within the believer’s power to do it. God will only ask of those who have already received His grace in abundance, because first God gives, then He requires.
When we are commanded not to be overcome by evil, but rather to overcome evil with good, as children of God we have already been given the power by which to accomplish this task. We know evil exists, we know evil wars against righteousness, but we also know, by God’s Word how to overcome it. So often when we face a trial, when we face an attack of the enemy we grow discouraged, because we only see the problem before us, and not the solution that God has also provided. For every hurt there is a balm, for every hardship there is guidance, for every trial, there is a means by which we overcome. When we receive the whole counsel of God, when we stand on His Word, when we know what we have access to as His beloved, we walk in strength, and authority knowing that we can indeed overcome evil, because God said we could.
Much of our Christian walk is an inward issue of the heart. We do not physically pick up our crosses every day, except for that one man who walked all over the world carrying a huge wooden cross, but by denying ourselves, by picking up our crosses, by allowing righteousness to flow in us, it also flows out of us. That which is inside a man, will inevitably manifest outwardly. This is the beauty of goodness, that when it has a place in our hearts, it readily manifests in our actions and our conduct as well.
There is a story I once heard of a small business owner who had given his heart to Christ. He was still a babe in the Lord, still learning the way of the cross, and as he read his Bible he happened upon the verse that described the fruit of the Spirit. The man became sad in his heart because he knew he could not produce this fruit due to the fact that he hated the business owner across the street from him, who also happened to be his competition. There had been an ongoing animosity between these two men going back many years, and whenever one would have a chance to poach the other’s customer, he would do so gladly.
Going to his pastor, the man opened his Bible and pointed to the verse in Galatians and with sorrow in his eyes said, ‘I cannot fulfill this passage in the holy Book, I still harbor animosity toward my competitor, and he still harbors animosity toward me. How do I go about changing my heart on this matter?’
The man’s pastor thought for awhile, and said, ‘try doing good. If you have a customer who can’t find what he’s looking for in your store, send him to the store across the street.’
The man did as he was instructed, although it was no easy task for him. Days turned into weeks, and the shopkeeper across the street began to notice the pattern that was emerging. People would come out of his competitor’s store, cross the street, and walk into his own. As he began to ask the people walking into his store how they had heard about his business, to his great amazement he discovered it was his enemy that was now sending him customers.
The man’s heart was so moved by this gesture, that he in turn began sending customers across the street when he didn’t happen to have what they were looking for in his own store. In this way, the believer unfettered himself from the evil that had bound his heart for all those years. He had learned what it was to overcome evil with good.
Our Christian life is not measured by the knowledge we amass, but by the life we live, and the fruit that is evident in the smallest and most insignificant areas of our existence.
Goodness is neither an emotive weakness, nor is it the inability to say no to people. Goodness is the practical character of God that is daily growing in us. Goodness not only makes Jesus visible in us, but also accessible.
When Peter preached Christ to the house of Cornelius in the tenth chapter of Acts, he used the following description: ‘God anointed Jesus of Nazareth, with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.’ – Acts 10:38
‘There he goes talking about works again!’ No I am not talking about works; I am talking about having the nature of Christ. Goodness, like all the other ingredients that make up the fruit of the Spirit, are not works, but the byproduct of your fellowship and maturity in Christ.
Men today love to make blanket statements when they disagree with anything you’re saying. They take one verse and run with it, until they can run no more, dismissing the rest of Scripture as unnecessary for them in their present predicament. Yes, it is true, and Biblical, that by grace we have been saved through faith, and that not of ourselves. Yes, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
However it is also Biblical that James 2:24 says that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.
I’m not trying to get off topic, but I am trying to make a valid point. The Scripture is a symphony, yet many today choose to bang one key on the piano over and over again. Continuing in the vein of this analogy, God is the composer, Jesus is the conductor, and we are the orchestra. Our duty is to know the sheet music, and follow the conductor’s direction.
We cannot reject such attributes as kindness and goodness, gentleness and self-control, simply because we keep repeating the same mantra of ‘no works, no works’, over and over again. These attributes grow in us as a natural byproduct of our relationship with Christ, they reveal our heart and character, showing the world that we are not what we once were, that Jesus did indeed change us, and we have received a new mind and a new heart. Remember, the Bible is a symphony, not one solitary note.
So how do we develop and grow goodness in our hearts? One of the surest ways to develop goodness is to daily return to Calvary and gaze upon the One who was and is the pinnacle of goodness. When we sincerely ask Christ to fill our hearts with His presence, it is unavoidable that goodness will be one of the attributes with which we are filled.
In order for the fruit of the Spirit to continue maturing in us, we must also keep our hearts pure. The inward sins of the heart choke off the fruit of the Spirit, and as such we must continue to be watchful, looking into the mirror God’s word to see if any undesired seeds have been planted that will upon their maturing attempt to destroy the virtuous attributes growing in us.
Above all, we must continually remain aware of the fact that we are not the authors of goodness, but the receptacles for goodness. God pours goodness in us, and our duty as His ambassadors is to disseminate and disperse it.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea jr.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Unrestrained Liberty Part 2
Numbers 11:4-6, “Now the mixed multitude who were among them yielded to intense cravings; so the children of Israel also wept again and said: ‘Who will give us meat to eat? We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks the onions, and the garlic; but now our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!”
What many fail to understand concerning this particular time in human history is that Egypt was the most powerful nation on the face of the earth. Egypt’s slaves were not exclusively Jewish, but an amalgam, or a mixed multitude from all the nations they had conquered and overtaken.
When Pharaoh finally relented and released Israel from its captivity and bondage, there were some from other nations and peoples that saw their opportunity to flee the shackles of slavery. As the great exodus took place, there were some not of the people of Israel, who fled with them.
These selfsame individuals that the Bible classifies as them mixed multitudes that were among them, yielded to intense cravings, so much so that they conveniently forgot the shackles and the whips, the labors and the degradation, and only remembered the leeks, the onions the meat, and the cucumbers they had access to while under bondage.
As never having known the God of Israel, they did not understand the miracle that was taking place before their very eyes every morning, as God provided manna for their sustenance.
Rather than rebuking them and showing them how wondrous the manna that appeared for them before they awoke every morning truly was, the children of Israel also began to murmur, as they too gave in to their cravings. They became as nothing more than spoiled children, dissatisfied with what their Father gave them, rejecting their provision and lamenting their fate.
Today there are those within the house of God, that are not of God! Today, a mixed multitude has invaded what ought to be the fellowship of the brethren, and giving in to their intense cravings attempt to pervert the gospel, and minimize God’s providence toward His children. Such men are dissatisfied with God’s standard, such men are dissatisfied with God’s Word, and rather than being confronted and rebuked, those who ought to know better begin to act accordingly and murmur against God. Rather than seeing God in the beauty of His holiness, and acknowledging all the wondrous blessings He bestows upon His children every day, the mixed multitude has convinced God’s children that He is indeed a cruel taskmaster, and as though the kingdom of God were some great democracy, if enough believers disagree with Him, God will change His mind and bend the rules, lower the standard, and be more tolerant.
Call me old fashioned, call me a stickler for reason and common sense, but before one can call themselves a Christian, there are certain truths they must confess and adhere to. If you cannot unequivocally say that Jesus is Savior and Lord, if you cannot unequivocally say that He is the only way to the kingdom of God, the only truth that sets us free, and the only life that is eternal, then perhaps you shouldn’t call yourself a Christian.
It takes a spark to start a forest fire, and today this destructive fire is spreading throughout the houses of worship in America. Biblical relativism is spiritual death!
“We don’t like this manna, it’s too bland, there’s no kick. Remember the robust flavors of Egypt? Remember the melons, and the onions, and the garlic? If God really did love us, he’d make this supernatural provision taste better, maybe even throw in some meat. Remember the fish in Egypt? Those were the days!”
Remember also that you were slaves! Remember also that you were subject to the whims of those who kept you in shackles and made you labor until you passed out, and whipped you mercilessly to within an inch of your life!
Why is it that so many look back to their lives in the mire with such fondness? Why is it that they only remember a romanticized version of the bitter fruit that sin produced in their lives?
Today men are attempting to offer the ‘spiritual experience’ without all those pesky requirements like repentance and righteousness. As such they have erected idols, just as Israel erected the golden calf, and they have an experience. They dance around their idols, they bark, they cluck, they feel euphoric, but in the end it’s just a dead thing with no permanent or lasting effects. The only thing that an idol can offer is a passing feeling of elation and excitement that wanes and dissipates altogether with the passage of time. Even so, men still flock to idols, because idols permit them to manifest their lusts, desires and cravings, without being convicted of their wrongdoing.
One of the greatest fallacies being taught by the proponents of unrestrained liberty is that there are no consequences to rebellion, there are no consequences to sin, and there are no consequences to disobedience.
One thing we must keep in mind is that God had already established how He was going to provide for the children of Israel throughout their journey through the desert. When the dew fell on the camp in the night, the manna fell on it as well, and the manna was to be their provision. This will become an important aspect of this teaching shortly.
After Israel’s incessant complaining, sparked by the mixed multitudes that were among them, and after Moses’ complaints about the people before God, God tells Moses to inform the people that they would have meat to eat for a whole month, until it comes out of their nostrils, and becomes loathsome to them, because they have despised the Lord who is among them.
Now Israel should have had a clue that this wasn’t going to end well by the words which God spoke through Moses, but all they heard is that they were going to be eating meat for a month. Nothing registered after that initial declaration, not even the harsh rebuke by God that they had despised the Lord.
We could go into Moses doubting God’s ability to provide meat for six hundred thousand people, even after seeing all that God had done, but it would make this teaching far too long. In the end, after God opened Moses’ eyes by saying, ‘has the Lord’s arm been shortened? Now you shall see whether My word will before you or not”, Moses went out and did as instructed, declaring to the people that they would have meat to eat for an entire month.
Numbers 11:31-32, “Now a wind went out from the Lord, and it brought quail from the sea and left them fluttering near the camp about a day’s journey on this side and about a day’s journey on the other side, all around the camp, and about two cubits above the surface of the ground. And the people stayed up all that day, all that night, and all the next day and gathered the quail (he who gathered least gathered ten homers); and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp.”
Just to get an idea how much quail there really was, they extended for about twenty miles in every direction from where the Israelites camped, and were about three feet high. It takes a man much wiser than I to extrapolate and crunch the numbers, but needless to say, that was allot of quail.
Although there is no specific unit of measurement concerning the homer, the most widely accepted definition is the amount a donkey could carry. So the person who gathered the least quail among the people gathered enough for ten donkeys to carry. Taking a conservative estimate of one hundred pounds per donkey, the least among the people gathered roughly one thousand pounds of quail.
It is painfully obvious that even a large family couldn’t devour one thousand pounds of quail within a thirty day period, but such is human nature, that when that which it craves is placed before it, common sense takes a holiday.
At this point some of you may be wondering what the point of all this is, and why I would go into such a lengthy discussion about quail. The short answer is because of what happened next, and the spiritual implications and lessons we must glean from this chapter in Israel’s history.
Numbers 11:33-34, “But while the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord was aroused against the people, and the Lord struck the people with a very great plague. So he called the name of that place Kibroth Hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had yielded to craving.”
Translated from the Hebrew, Kibroth Hattaavah means the graves of lust, or the graves of the longing. Seeing as all those who yielded to craving were buried there, Moses picked an apt name. The first thing that struck me about this passage should be obvious to us all, and that is, not all of Israel yielded to their cravings. There were those among the people of Israel who were satisfied with the manna from heaven, who were satisfied with the sustenance their God provided, and so did not go about gathering quail. As such, there were those who survived, whom God did not strike with a plague.
The second thing that must be pointed out is that what the flesh desires, is contrary to the will of God, and if we give in to the desires and the cravings of the old nature, they will lead to our death.
Third, God will not force you into obedience. He has made it abundantly clear in His Word what is acceptable unto Him, and what is not, what is right in His sight and what is evil. He is faithful, and has therefore made provision for His children throughout their journey through the desert, and the wise among His children are satisfied with His provision, desiring no other.
Deuteronomy 30:19-20, “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”
If God has led you out of Egypt by the power of His might, look back on it with the disgust that it should rightly provoke in your heart. Do not glamorize your time of ignorance, but rather remember that you were a slave, born into slavery, and destined to die a slave if not for the grace and mercy of God. You were bought with a price, and you belong to another now.
Do not lend your ear to the mixed multitudes in the camp who insist that unrestrained liberty is an acceptable practice in the eyes of God, for you know full well that you cannot serve two masters. Heaven and earth stand as witnesses against mankind, and testify that truly God is good; truly He has set before us life and death; truly He continues to nourish those who follow after Him, and blesses those who do not murmur, but are thankful for all that He does in them, through them and for them.
You were dead in your trespasses and Jesus gave you life! You were imprisoned by your sin, and Jesus set you free! Wonder of wonders, the Son of God came in the flesh and hung on a cross for a wretched soul such as yours and mine! Be satisfied in Him!
1 Corinthians 10:12-13, “Therefore let him who things he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”
No man can flirt with sin indefinitely and not be adversely affected. No man can trust in his own strength, and not be proven impotent.
If we run the race keeping our eyes firmly affixed on the finish line, we will not run the risk of tripping over our own feet, or running into an obstacle. Always look at the path that is before you! Do not look to the left or the right of you, do not look behind you, always look ahead, for Jesus is there lighting the way.
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man. Whatever it may be, know that others have gone through the same, if not worse, yet overcame.
“But brother you don’t know what I’ve been going through.”
What part of ‘common to man’ didn’t we understand? No man is unique when it comes to temptation, no man is tempted beyond what he is able to endure, and the Word tells us this. With every temptation, the way of escape has already been prepared, that we may be able to bear it. It is when we allow seeds of doubt concerning God’s standard, or His ability to make a way of escape, to worm their way into our hearts, that we become indifferent, or stop resisting the enemy altogether.
James 4:7, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
What many fail to understand concerning this particular time in human history is that Egypt was the most powerful nation on the face of the earth. Egypt’s slaves were not exclusively Jewish, but an amalgam, or a mixed multitude from all the nations they had conquered and overtaken.
When Pharaoh finally relented and released Israel from its captivity and bondage, there were some from other nations and peoples that saw their opportunity to flee the shackles of slavery. As the great exodus took place, there were some not of the people of Israel, who fled with them.
These selfsame individuals that the Bible classifies as them mixed multitudes that were among them, yielded to intense cravings, so much so that they conveniently forgot the shackles and the whips, the labors and the degradation, and only remembered the leeks, the onions the meat, and the cucumbers they had access to while under bondage.
As never having known the God of Israel, they did not understand the miracle that was taking place before their very eyes every morning, as God provided manna for their sustenance.
Rather than rebuking them and showing them how wondrous the manna that appeared for them before they awoke every morning truly was, the children of Israel also began to murmur, as they too gave in to their cravings. They became as nothing more than spoiled children, dissatisfied with what their Father gave them, rejecting their provision and lamenting their fate.
Today there are those within the house of God, that are not of God! Today, a mixed multitude has invaded what ought to be the fellowship of the brethren, and giving in to their intense cravings attempt to pervert the gospel, and minimize God’s providence toward His children. Such men are dissatisfied with God’s standard, such men are dissatisfied with God’s Word, and rather than being confronted and rebuked, those who ought to know better begin to act accordingly and murmur against God. Rather than seeing God in the beauty of His holiness, and acknowledging all the wondrous blessings He bestows upon His children every day, the mixed multitude has convinced God’s children that He is indeed a cruel taskmaster, and as though the kingdom of God were some great democracy, if enough believers disagree with Him, God will change His mind and bend the rules, lower the standard, and be more tolerant.
Call me old fashioned, call me a stickler for reason and common sense, but before one can call themselves a Christian, there are certain truths they must confess and adhere to. If you cannot unequivocally say that Jesus is Savior and Lord, if you cannot unequivocally say that He is the only way to the kingdom of God, the only truth that sets us free, and the only life that is eternal, then perhaps you shouldn’t call yourself a Christian.
It takes a spark to start a forest fire, and today this destructive fire is spreading throughout the houses of worship in America. Biblical relativism is spiritual death!
“We don’t like this manna, it’s too bland, there’s no kick. Remember the robust flavors of Egypt? Remember the melons, and the onions, and the garlic? If God really did love us, he’d make this supernatural provision taste better, maybe even throw in some meat. Remember the fish in Egypt? Those were the days!”
Remember also that you were slaves! Remember also that you were subject to the whims of those who kept you in shackles and made you labor until you passed out, and whipped you mercilessly to within an inch of your life!
Why is it that so many look back to their lives in the mire with such fondness? Why is it that they only remember a romanticized version of the bitter fruit that sin produced in their lives?
Today men are attempting to offer the ‘spiritual experience’ without all those pesky requirements like repentance and righteousness. As such they have erected idols, just as Israel erected the golden calf, and they have an experience. They dance around their idols, they bark, they cluck, they feel euphoric, but in the end it’s just a dead thing with no permanent or lasting effects. The only thing that an idol can offer is a passing feeling of elation and excitement that wanes and dissipates altogether with the passage of time. Even so, men still flock to idols, because idols permit them to manifest their lusts, desires and cravings, without being convicted of their wrongdoing.
One of the greatest fallacies being taught by the proponents of unrestrained liberty is that there are no consequences to rebellion, there are no consequences to sin, and there are no consequences to disobedience.
One thing we must keep in mind is that God had already established how He was going to provide for the children of Israel throughout their journey through the desert. When the dew fell on the camp in the night, the manna fell on it as well, and the manna was to be their provision. This will become an important aspect of this teaching shortly.
After Israel’s incessant complaining, sparked by the mixed multitudes that were among them, and after Moses’ complaints about the people before God, God tells Moses to inform the people that they would have meat to eat for a whole month, until it comes out of their nostrils, and becomes loathsome to them, because they have despised the Lord who is among them.
Now Israel should have had a clue that this wasn’t going to end well by the words which God spoke through Moses, but all they heard is that they were going to be eating meat for a month. Nothing registered after that initial declaration, not even the harsh rebuke by God that they had despised the Lord.
We could go into Moses doubting God’s ability to provide meat for six hundred thousand people, even after seeing all that God had done, but it would make this teaching far too long. In the end, after God opened Moses’ eyes by saying, ‘has the Lord’s arm been shortened? Now you shall see whether My word will before you or not”, Moses went out and did as instructed, declaring to the people that they would have meat to eat for an entire month.
Numbers 11:31-32, “Now a wind went out from the Lord, and it brought quail from the sea and left them fluttering near the camp about a day’s journey on this side and about a day’s journey on the other side, all around the camp, and about two cubits above the surface of the ground. And the people stayed up all that day, all that night, and all the next day and gathered the quail (he who gathered least gathered ten homers); and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp.”
Just to get an idea how much quail there really was, they extended for about twenty miles in every direction from where the Israelites camped, and were about three feet high. It takes a man much wiser than I to extrapolate and crunch the numbers, but needless to say, that was allot of quail.
Although there is no specific unit of measurement concerning the homer, the most widely accepted definition is the amount a donkey could carry. So the person who gathered the least quail among the people gathered enough for ten donkeys to carry. Taking a conservative estimate of one hundred pounds per donkey, the least among the people gathered roughly one thousand pounds of quail.
It is painfully obvious that even a large family couldn’t devour one thousand pounds of quail within a thirty day period, but such is human nature, that when that which it craves is placed before it, common sense takes a holiday.
At this point some of you may be wondering what the point of all this is, and why I would go into such a lengthy discussion about quail. The short answer is because of what happened next, and the spiritual implications and lessons we must glean from this chapter in Israel’s history.
Numbers 11:33-34, “But while the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord was aroused against the people, and the Lord struck the people with a very great plague. So he called the name of that place Kibroth Hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had yielded to craving.”
Translated from the Hebrew, Kibroth Hattaavah means the graves of lust, or the graves of the longing. Seeing as all those who yielded to craving were buried there, Moses picked an apt name. The first thing that struck me about this passage should be obvious to us all, and that is, not all of Israel yielded to their cravings. There were those among the people of Israel who were satisfied with the manna from heaven, who were satisfied with the sustenance their God provided, and so did not go about gathering quail. As such, there were those who survived, whom God did not strike with a plague.
The second thing that must be pointed out is that what the flesh desires, is contrary to the will of God, and if we give in to the desires and the cravings of the old nature, they will lead to our death.
Third, God will not force you into obedience. He has made it abundantly clear in His Word what is acceptable unto Him, and what is not, what is right in His sight and what is evil. He is faithful, and has therefore made provision for His children throughout their journey through the desert, and the wise among His children are satisfied with His provision, desiring no other.
Deuteronomy 30:19-20, “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”
If God has led you out of Egypt by the power of His might, look back on it with the disgust that it should rightly provoke in your heart. Do not glamorize your time of ignorance, but rather remember that you were a slave, born into slavery, and destined to die a slave if not for the grace and mercy of God. You were bought with a price, and you belong to another now.
Do not lend your ear to the mixed multitudes in the camp who insist that unrestrained liberty is an acceptable practice in the eyes of God, for you know full well that you cannot serve two masters. Heaven and earth stand as witnesses against mankind, and testify that truly God is good; truly He has set before us life and death; truly He continues to nourish those who follow after Him, and blesses those who do not murmur, but are thankful for all that He does in them, through them and for them.
You were dead in your trespasses and Jesus gave you life! You were imprisoned by your sin, and Jesus set you free! Wonder of wonders, the Son of God came in the flesh and hung on a cross for a wretched soul such as yours and mine! Be satisfied in Him!
1 Corinthians 10:12-13, “Therefore let him who things he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”
No man can flirt with sin indefinitely and not be adversely affected. No man can trust in his own strength, and not be proven impotent.
If we run the race keeping our eyes firmly affixed on the finish line, we will not run the risk of tripping over our own feet, or running into an obstacle. Always look at the path that is before you! Do not look to the left or the right of you, do not look behind you, always look ahead, for Jesus is there lighting the way.
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man. Whatever it may be, know that others have gone through the same, if not worse, yet overcame.
“But brother you don’t know what I’ve been going through.”
What part of ‘common to man’ didn’t we understand? No man is unique when it comes to temptation, no man is tempted beyond what he is able to endure, and the Word tells us this. With every temptation, the way of escape has already been prepared, that we may be able to bear it. It is when we allow seeds of doubt concerning God’s standard, or His ability to make a way of escape, to worm their way into our hearts, that we become indifferent, or stop resisting the enemy altogether.
James 4:7, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Unrestrained Liberty Part 1
(We will continue with the teaching on the fruit of the Spirit shortly, but as an intermission of sorts I decided to post this two part teaching. God bless.)
A dangerous wind is blowing through the churches of America, one that threatens to further destroy what little remains. This wind is both insidious and destructive, with far reaching and eternal consequences. It is not a new doctrine, it is not a new teaching, it is old, and notwithstanding a few minor alterations has been racking up a hefty body count since the time of Israel’s exodus from Egypt.
It’s not that the enemy isn’t inventive, but why fiddle with what works? If it’s not broken, don’t attempt to fix it. Although the enemy is well aware of this old adage, it seems the modern day churches haven’t gotten the memo yet.
I am speaking of course, of the doctrine of unrestrained liberty, of experience absent of prudence, of the mentality that once we come to Jesus we can do what we want, when we want how we want, and He still has to save us. Be different? Act different? Speak different? Feel different? Why when we can have the best of both worlds?
The enemy is more than happy to do his part and fuel the fires of unrestrained liberty, by approaching those who still cling to righteousness, who still believe in the standard of God, and pointing to those who claim to be saved and sanctified yet adrift in the sea of this world by having given in to their cravings and saying, ‘see, if they can do it why can’t you?’
When the fox stands outside the chicken coop and proceeds to tell the chickens how sorry it is because they’re stuck in that enclosed space, behind a fence, how horrible their master is for fencing them in from the outside, it’s not because the fox feels empathy for the chickens, but because it knows that it can’t get to the chickens unless it can somehow get them beyond the protection of the fenced in area.
This is how the enemy approaches the children of God many times, pointing out the fact that they can’t enjoy the things the world enjoys, that they can’t participate in the revelry, and frivolity, but it’s not because he feels that we have been shortchanged. On the contrary, the reason the tempter tempts, is that the children of God might be beguiled to come out from under God’s protection and covering by willful sin, and as such be fair game.
When sin is present in the life of the believer, he no longer possesses the armor which repels and quenches the fiery darts of the wicked one. He is in essence defenseless, and becomes easy prey.
‘Why shouldn’t you enjoy the trappings of this life? Surely you’re strong enough to keep from forming an addiction, surely you’re strong enough to keep from getting hooked, and surely you’re strong enough to keep from falling! Remember now, you have liberty!’
This is perhaps the enemy’s vilest and most effective form of attack. He convinces us that we can flirt with sin, that we can flirt with the world, but that we won’t give in, and we won’t succumb. He lulls us into a false sense of self-reliance, wherein we lean on our strength, and consider ourselves invincible. Long forgotten is the admonition ‘let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall’, long forgotten is sovereign warning to flee even the appearance of evil. We gravitate toward the fire, telling ourselves we’re not really getting burned.
‘Sure other men, some who were superstars of Christendom succumbed, sure other men who were well versed in both theology and doctrine fell into sin, but I’m stronger than them, I’m smarter than them, and my will is more steadfast than theirs.’
As previously stated, this is not a new doctrine, this is not a new snare the enemy recently happened upon, it is one he has successfully refined over the centuries, and although it goes by different names, it remains equally dangerous for believers. At a certain point in his ministry Paul the Apostle had to confront it, and attempt to open the eyes of the Corinthian church to the reality that privileges do not guarantee success, nor does a good beginning ensure a good end.
Paul begins his teaching with a history lesson. When we fail to learn from the mistakes of those who came before us, we are doomed to repeat the same mistakes, and worse.
1 Corinthians 10:1-6, “Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.”
There are many worthwhile lessons for the children of God within this six verse block. Paul is writing to the church of Corinth, a church plagued by sin and vice, a church that has been fractured by division, wherein some claimed to be of Paul, others of Apollos, others still of Cephas, and some of Christ. It was also a church that was chasing after the spectacular, more concerned about satisfying their curiosity, and feigning religiosity, than following after Christ.
The news had traveled of Corinth’s many flaws, and as Paul wrote his letter of rebuke and correction, he also focuses on the topic of unrestrained liberty.
The first thing that Paul did, for anyone attempting to rewrite history, was remind the church of Corinth of some key truths. Men have a tendency to forget, or at least minimize the uncomfortable episodes in their nation’s history, their family lineage, or their own personal lives. From the beginning, Paul wanted to make it crystal clear that he was not about to sugar coat the truth, no matter how much the church of Corinth would have liked for him to do just that.
Paul was a Jew; in fact a Jew who was taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, but his patriotism and lineage did not keep him from speaking the truth.
The first thing that Paul points out is that all of Israel saw the providence, power, and protection of God. They had traveled under the cloud that led them, they had walked through the sea that God parted for them, and they had all been baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.
Now why would Paul begin his rebuke here? Because many within the church of Corinth had come to believe that the act of baptism in and of itself was some supernatural experience that ensured their salvation. What Paul was trying to teach them was that baptism, absent of repentance, absent of a new mind and a new heart, was nothing more than taking a dip in a river or a lake. When we are immersed in water baptism, we are immersed into Christ, and there we must remain! It is not the act of being immersed in water that is the beauty of baptism, it is being baptized in Christ, and putting on Christ every day of our journey here on earth.
Romans 6:3-4, “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”
Galatians 3:27, “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”
Paul was pointing to the history of Israel and saying to the church of Corinth, your forefathers were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, yet they all died in the desert, and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
Any symbol, ceremony, or religious formality that does not have a deep spiritual reality as its foundation, is worthless. Of what value is it to a man to dip himself in a body of water, only to continue being a slave to the sins and vices of this present world? The practice of religiosity absent the nature of Christ in us is as sinful as denying God outright.
Paul continues and reminds the church of Corinth that not only had they been baptized, but their ancestors had all eaten the same spiritual food, and drank the same spiritual drink.
The purpose of a spiritual life is not merely to eat the food and drink the drink of God’s Word, but to live in the holiness and righteousness that the truth produces in us. We are to be fruitful and live in the light; we are to be ready for every good work at any given time; we are to be obedient to the leading of the Spirit; we are to walk humbly with our Lord; we are to bring our lives in their entirety as a sacrifice on the altar of love and truth!
God does not desire for us to merely eat and drink of His Word, but also to produce fruit in accordance with that which we’ve consumed. God takes no pleasure in our reading His Word with regularity, in our singing in the church choir, in our attending service regularly, if after having done these things a new, holy, and fruitful life is not evident in us.
It is in the following sentence, after informing the church of Corinth that all of Israel had eaten and drank the same spiritual food and drink, that Paul makes an astounding declaration:
1 Corinthians 10:4, “For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.”
It is no small thing to drink from the Rock! It is no small thing for the Rock to follow you that you might never thirst!
As the Rock followed Israel through the desert after their exodus from Egypt, so too does the Rock follow us today after our exodus from the bondage of sin. If you are thirsty, drink! If you are hungry eat! He is our provision, He is our nourishment!
So taking into account that Israel drank of the spiritual Rock that was Christ, why is it that they died in the desert? What was it that displeased God so?
Although they had partaken of Christ, they did not remain in Christ. A relationship is reciprocal. One cannot have a relationship with a fellow human being or Christ for that matter without implementing the concept of reciprocity. A relationship is a two way street!
John 15:4, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.”
A singular experience, no matter how profound, is not enough. We must abide in Christ, that we might bear fruit just as the branch must abide in the vine in order to bear fruit.
Israel of old did not return the love that God had shown them, they did not abide in Him, they did not remain obedient, and so became rebellious and unthankful for all the things that He had done for them.
If ever there was a nation of privilege it is the nation of Israel. The Bible repeatedly tells us that they are God’s chosen people. Yet having been His people, having enjoyed all the privileges of being called the sons and daughters of God, they still strayed, rebelled and disobeyed, and as consequence to their actions suffered much hardship. No, privilege does not guarantee success.
“I was born in a Christian family, I was brought up in the church, I’ve even memorized some key verses, surely this entitles me to receive my inheritance, and be welcomed into heaven.”
No it does not! Nothing entitles us to anything, it is all grace, it is all love, and the only means by which we will traverse the desert of this world, and enter God’s eternal Canaan, is to abide in Him.
I think it is necessary for us to also study one of the root causes of Israel’s rebellion, because it will shed some light on why the modern day churches are in the spiritual condition they are in today. To Be Continued....
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
A dangerous wind is blowing through the churches of America, one that threatens to further destroy what little remains. This wind is both insidious and destructive, with far reaching and eternal consequences. It is not a new doctrine, it is not a new teaching, it is old, and notwithstanding a few minor alterations has been racking up a hefty body count since the time of Israel’s exodus from Egypt.
It’s not that the enemy isn’t inventive, but why fiddle with what works? If it’s not broken, don’t attempt to fix it. Although the enemy is well aware of this old adage, it seems the modern day churches haven’t gotten the memo yet.
I am speaking of course, of the doctrine of unrestrained liberty, of experience absent of prudence, of the mentality that once we come to Jesus we can do what we want, when we want how we want, and He still has to save us. Be different? Act different? Speak different? Feel different? Why when we can have the best of both worlds?
The enemy is more than happy to do his part and fuel the fires of unrestrained liberty, by approaching those who still cling to righteousness, who still believe in the standard of God, and pointing to those who claim to be saved and sanctified yet adrift in the sea of this world by having given in to their cravings and saying, ‘see, if they can do it why can’t you?’
When the fox stands outside the chicken coop and proceeds to tell the chickens how sorry it is because they’re stuck in that enclosed space, behind a fence, how horrible their master is for fencing them in from the outside, it’s not because the fox feels empathy for the chickens, but because it knows that it can’t get to the chickens unless it can somehow get them beyond the protection of the fenced in area.
This is how the enemy approaches the children of God many times, pointing out the fact that they can’t enjoy the things the world enjoys, that they can’t participate in the revelry, and frivolity, but it’s not because he feels that we have been shortchanged. On the contrary, the reason the tempter tempts, is that the children of God might be beguiled to come out from under God’s protection and covering by willful sin, and as such be fair game.
When sin is present in the life of the believer, he no longer possesses the armor which repels and quenches the fiery darts of the wicked one. He is in essence defenseless, and becomes easy prey.
‘Why shouldn’t you enjoy the trappings of this life? Surely you’re strong enough to keep from forming an addiction, surely you’re strong enough to keep from getting hooked, and surely you’re strong enough to keep from falling! Remember now, you have liberty!’
This is perhaps the enemy’s vilest and most effective form of attack. He convinces us that we can flirt with sin, that we can flirt with the world, but that we won’t give in, and we won’t succumb. He lulls us into a false sense of self-reliance, wherein we lean on our strength, and consider ourselves invincible. Long forgotten is the admonition ‘let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall’, long forgotten is sovereign warning to flee even the appearance of evil. We gravitate toward the fire, telling ourselves we’re not really getting burned.
‘Sure other men, some who were superstars of Christendom succumbed, sure other men who were well versed in both theology and doctrine fell into sin, but I’m stronger than them, I’m smarter than them, and my will is more steadfast than theirs.’
As previously stated, this is not a new doctrine, this is not a new snare the enemy recently happened upon, it is one he has successfully refined over the centuries, and although it goes by different names, it remains equally dangerous for believers. At a certain point in his ministry Paul the Apostle had to confront it, and attempt to open the eyes of the Corinthian church to the reality that privileges do not guarantee success, nor does a good beginning ensure a good end.
Paul begins his teaching with a history lesson. When we fail to learn from the mistakes of those who came before us, we are doomed to repeat the same mistakes, and worse.
1 Corinthians 10:1-6, “Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.”
There are many worthwhile lessons for the children of God within this six verse block. Paul is writing to the church of Corinth, a church plagued by sin and vice, a church that has been fractured by division, wherein some claimed to be of Paul, others of Apollos, others still of Cephas, and some of Christ. It was also a church that was chasing after the spectacular, more concerned about satisfying their curiosity, and feigning religiosity, than following after Christ.
The news had traveled of Corinth’s many flaws, and as Paul wrote his letter of rebuke and correction, he also focuses on the topic of unrestrained liberty.
The first thing that Paul did, for anyone attempting to rewrite history, was remind the church of Corinth of some key truths. Men have a tendency to forget, or at least minimize the uncomfortable episodes in their nation’s history, their family lineage, or their own personal lives. From the beginning, Paul wanted to make it crystal clear that he was not about to sugar coat the truth, no matter how much the church of Corinth would have liked for him to do just that.
Paul was a Jew; in fact a Jew who was taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, but his patriotism and lineage did not keep him from speaking the truth.
The first thing that Paul points out is that all of Israel saw the providence, power, and protection of God. They had traveled under the cloud that led them, they had walked through the sea that God parted for them, and they had all been baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.
Now why would Paul begin his rebuke here? Because many within the church of Corinth had come to believe that the act of baptism in and of itself was some supernatural experience that ensured their salvation. What Paul was trying to teach them was that baptism, absent of repentance, absent of a new mind and a new heart, was nothing more than taking a dip in a river or a lake. When we are immersed in water baptism, we are immersed into Christ, and there we must remain! It is not the act of being immersed in water that is the beauty of baptism, it is being baptized in Christ, and putting on Christ every day of our journey here on earth.
Romans 6:3-4, “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”
Galatians 3:27, “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”
Paul was pointing to the history of Israel and saying to the church of Corinth, your forefathers were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, yet they all died in the desert, and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
Any symbol, ceremony, or religious formality that does not have a deep spiritual reality as its foundation, is worthless. Of what value is it to a man to dip himself in a body of water, only to continue being a slave to the sins and vices of this present world? The practice of religiosity absent the nature of Christ in us is as sinful as denying God outright.
Paul continues and reminds the church of Corinth that not only had they been baptized, but their ancestors had all eaten the same spiritual food, and drank the same spiritual drink.
The purpose of a spiritual life is not merely to eat the food and drink the drink of God’s Word, but to live in the holiness and righteousness that the truth produces in us. We are to be fruitful and live in the light; we are to be ready for every good work at any given time; we are to be obedient to the leading of the Spirit; we are to walk humbly with our Lord; we are to bring our lives in their entirety as a sacrifice on the altar of love and truth!
God does not desire for us to merely eat and drink of His Word, but also to produce fruit in accordance with that which we’ve consumed. God takes no pleasure in our reading His Word with regularity, in our singing in the church choir, in our attending service regularly, if after having done these things a new, holy, and fruitful life is not evident in us.
It is in the following sentence, after informing the church of Corinth that all of Israel had eaten and drank the same spiritual food and drink, that Paul makes an astounding declaration:
1 Corinthians 10:4, “For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.”
It is no small thing to drink from the Rock! It is no small thing for the Rock to follow you that you might never thirst!
As the Rock followed Israel through the desert after their exodus from Egypt, so too does the Rock follow us today after our exodus from the bondage of sin. If you are thirsty, drink! If you are hungry eat! He is our provision, He is our nourishment!
So taking into account that Israel drank of the spiritual Rock that was Christ, why is it that they died in the desert? What was it that displeased God so?
Although they had partaken of Christ, they did not remain in Christ. A relationship is reciprocal. One cannot have a relationship with a fellow human being or Christ for that matter without implementing the concept of reciprocity. A relationship is a two way street!
John 15:4, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.”
A singular experience, no matter how profound, is not enough. We must abide in Christ, that we might bear fruit just as the branch must abide in the vine in order to bear fruit.
Israel of old did not return the love that God had shown them, they did not abide in Him, they did not remain obedient, and so became rebellious and unthankful for all the things that He had done for them.
If ever there was a nation of privilege it is the nation of Israel. The Bible repeatedly tells us that they are God’s chosen people. Yet having been His people, having enjoyed all the privileges of being called the sons and daughters of God, they still strayed, rebelled and disobeyed, and as consequence to their actions suffered much hardship. No, privilege does not guarantee success.
“I was born in a Christian family, I was brought up in the church, I’ve even memorized some key verses, surely this entitles me to receive my inheritance, and be welcomed into heaven.”
No it does not! Nothing entitles us to anything, it is all grace, it is all love, and the only means by which we will traverse the desert of this world, and enter God’s eternal Canaan, is to abide in Him.
I think it is necessary for us to also study one of the root causes of Israel’s rebellion, because it will shed some light on why the modern day churches are in the spiritual condition they are in today. To Be Continued....
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Kindness
‘Neither genius, fame, nor love show the greatness of the soul. Only kindness can do that.’
-Jean Baptiste Lacordaire
Fifth on the list of ingredients that make up the fruit of the Spirit, is kindness. Although kindness is synonymous with such words as generosity, sympathy, humanity, benevolence and tenderness, it also encapsulates one of God’s attributes. Yes, God is kind, and we see His kindness manifest both in nature, in His judgments, in His teachings, and in His relation with mankind.
Psalm 85:12-13, “Yes, the Lord will give what is good; and our land will yield its increase. Righteousness will go before Him, and shall make His footsteps our pathway.”
God’s heart is filled with kindness, and He gives what is good. However, God’s kindness is tempered by God’s sovereign righteousness, wherein He gives what is good to those who follow in His footsteps, who pursue Him, and desire to know Him more fully.
We cannot surrender our hearts to evil, and continue to live with the expectation of receiving what is good from God. We cannot reject righteousness, and sanctification, and then get angry when the land does not yield its increase. Whether man acknowledges it or not, everything in this universe is wholly dependent upon the kindness of God. As He spoke the universe into existence, He can just as easily speak it out of existence. His tenderness and sympathy however, keep Him from pouring out His wrath in the measure that mankind truly deserve.
Although God shows kindness, and kindness is also one of the components of the fruit of the Spirit, countless Christians today are lacking it. We show no sympathy, no tenderness, not even the humanity that is commonplace in the word when we proceed to savage and tear down each other, as though it were a national sport. I have no problem with standing firm against a false doctrine, I have no problem with defending truth and being bold in proclaiming Biblical teaching, I do it often and vociferously so. What I do have a problem with is the glee and abandon with which Christians eviscerate other Christians, because they disagree with them on a personal level.
Kindness has been stricken from the hearts of many believers, and replaced with the overwhelming need to build themselves up by tearing others down.
‘You pray standing up instead of on your knees? Well, then Ichabod, Ichabod, the glory has departed. You are hereby and forthwith banned from the halls of heaven!’
No one ever questions who appointed such people to be heaven’s gatekeepers, or if they are self appointed; no one points out the fact that it is unbecoming to use a hatchet when a scalpel will do; no one looks for evidence of the fruit of the Spirit in the hateful vitriol that passes for discernment, because let’s face it we all like carnage. That’s why people slow down when they see an accident.
If only God were as unkind in His judgment, as we are of our fellow brothers! I wonder how many would have the temerity to pray and ask God to judge them with the same kindness that they judged others?
Philippians 2:12-16, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Do all things without murmuring and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.”
Rather than strive to imitate the Samaritan who saw the broken, bleeding, half dead man by the side of the road and had compassion on him, we emulate the priest, the Levite, and sometimes even the thieves who strike out and wound with indifference anyone who happens to land in our crosshairs. We go through every word, and every syllable the person has ever uttered hoping to find something, anything, that we can twist, or that we happen to disagree with, and then with blind fury and zealous determination we attack.
Work out our own salvation with fear and trembling? Do all things without grumbling and arguing that we might become blameless and harmless children of God? Hold fast to the word of life? No time for such things, too busy kicking wounded half dead men about the head and shoulders as they lay in the dirt by the side of the road, all the while wearing our ‘what would Jesus do?’ bracelets.
What separates our reactions from the gleeful reactions of the world when one is felled by the enemy due to either absence of watchfulness, indifference, or sin? We ought not revel, but rather mourn. Another soldier has fallen, another bruise has been dealt to the body of Christ, and another victory checked off by the enemy. We must continually and ceaselessly search our hearts for those hidden sins that can pollute a man as readily as the sins of the flesh and remind ourselves that we are His children because of His abundant grace. Not because we were better, or came from a more proper lineage, but because God showed us grace, and it is in His grace that we walk every day toward eternity.
Luke 13:2-5, “And Jesus answered and said to them, ‘do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”
It is time to once again embrace kindness; it is time to once again be image bearers of Jesus; it is time to be more concerned with healing the wounded, than exterminating them.
Matthew 11:29, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
There is a cost to possessing kindness that too few are willing to pay nowadays, and that is the sacrifice of our personal pretensions, our self-importance, and unjustified demands of distinction and merit. If there is any good in us it is Jesus; if there is anything remarkable in us, it is Christ. If we claim to be of Christ, may we also walk in the footsteps of Christ, trusting in Him, leaning on Him.
The Pharisees aren’t dead; they just redefined their job descriptions, sitting in judgment of everyone, everywhere, appropriating the authority and sovereignty of God unto themselves.
If you desire to possess the fruit of the spirit, if you desire to possess kindness, weep with those who weep, feel for those who are hurting, comfort those who are mourning, mend those who are broken, and defer all merit, all distinction, all glory all honor to Jesus Christ the Son of God.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
-Jean Baptiste Lacordaire
Fifth on the list of ingredients that make up the fruit of the Spirit, is kindness. Although kindness is synonymous with such words as generosity, sympathy, humanity, benevolence and tenderness, it also encapsulates one of God’s attributes. Yes, God is kind, and we see His kindness manifest both in nature, in His judgments, in His teachings, and in His relation with mankind.
Psalm 85:12-13, “Yes, the Lord will give what is good; and our land will yield its increase. Righteousness will go before Him, and shall make His footsteps our pathway.”
God’s heart is filled with kindness, and He gives what is good. However, God’s kindness is tempered by God’s sovereign righteousness, wherein He gives what is good to those who follow in His footsteps, who pursue Him, and desire to know Him more fully.
We cannot surrender our hearts to evil, and continue to live with the expectation of receiving what is good from God. We cannot reject righteousness, and sanctification, and then get angry when the land does not yield its increase. Whether man acknowledges it or not, everything in this universe is wholly dependent upon the kindness of God. As He spoke the universe into existence, He can just as easily speak it out of existence. His tenderness and sympathy however, keep Him from pouring out His wrath in the measure that mankind truly deserve.
Although God shows kindness, and kindness is also one of the components of the fruit of the Spirit, countless Christians today are lacking it. We show no sympathy, no tenderness, not even the humanity that is commonplace in the word when we proceed to savage and tear down each other, as though it were a national sport. I have no problem with standing firm against a false doctrine, I have no problem with defending truth and being bold in proclaiming Biblical teaching, I do it often and vociferously so. What I do have a problem with is the glee and abandon with which Christians eviscerate other Christians, because they disagree with them on a personal level.
Kindness has been stricken from the hearts of many believers, and replaced with the overwhelming need to build themselves up by tearing others down.
‘You pray standing up instead of on your knees? Well, then Ichabod, Ichabod, the glory has departed. You are hereby and forthwith banned from the halls of heaven!’
No one ever questions who appointed such people to be heaven’s gatekeepers, or if they are self appointed; no one points out the fact that it is unbecoming to use a hatchet when a scalpel will do; no one looks for evidence of the fruit of the Spirit in the hateful vitriol that passes for discernment, because let’s face it we all like carnage. That’s why people slow down when they see an accident.
If only God were as unkind in His judgment, as we are of our fellow brothers! I wonder how many would have the temerity to pray and ask God to judge them with the same kindness that they judged others?
Philippians 2:12-16, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Do all things without murmuring and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.”
Rather than strive to imitate the Samaritan who saw the broken, bleeding, half dead man by the side of the road and had compassion on him, we emulate the priest, the Levite, and sometimes even the thieves who strike out and wound with indifference anyone who happens to land in our crosshairs. We go through every word, and every syllable the person has ever uttered hoping to find something, anything, that we can twist, or that we happen to disagree with, and then with blind fury and zealous determination we attack.
Work out our own salvation with fear and trembling? Do all things without grumbling and arguing that we might become blameless and harmless children of God? Hold fast to the word of life? No time for such things, too busy kicking wounded half dead men about the head and shoulders as they lay in the dirt by the side of the road, all the while wearing our ‘what would Jesus do?’ bracelets.
What separates our reactions from the gleeful reactions of the world when one is felled by the enemy due to either absence of watchfulness, indifference, or sin? We ought not revel, but rather mourn. Another soldier has fallen, another bruise has been dealt to the body of Christ, and another victory checked off by the enemy. We must continually and ceaselessly search our hearts for those hidden sins that can pollute a man as readily as the sins of the flesh and remind ourselves that we are His children because of His abundant grace. Not because we were better, or came from a more proper lineage, but because God showed us grace, and it is in His grace that we walk every day toward eternity.
Luke 13:2-5, “And Jesus answered and said to them, ‘do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”
It is time to once again embrace kindness; it is time to once again be image bearers of Jesus; it is time to be more concerned with healing the wounded, than exterminating them.
Matthew 11:29, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
There is a cost to possessing kindness that too few are willing to pay nowadays, and that is the sacrifice of our personal pretensions, our self-importance, and unjustified demands of distinction and merit. If there is any good in us it is Jesus; if there is anything remarkable in us, it is Christ. If we claim to be of Christ, may we also walk in the footsteps of Christ, trusting in Him, leaning on Him.
The Pharisees aren’t dead; they just redefined their job descriptions, sitting in judgment of everyone, everywhere, appropriating the authority and sovereignty of God unto themselves.
If you desire to possess the fruit of the spirit, if you desire to possess kindness, weep with those who weep, feel for those who are hurting, comfort those who are mourning, mend those who are broken, and defer all merit, all distinction, all glory all honor to Jesus Christ the Son of God.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Longsuffering
Longsuffering is one of those attributes or virtues that is either looked down upon or discounted altogether by many people. However, it is the fourth ingredient in the fruit of the Spirit. God thinks enough of longsuffering to place it after love, peace and joy, and if God thought so highly of the virtue of longsuffering it would be wise of us to understand its full meaning, and realize its importance.
Longsuffering is defined as long and patient endurance of injury, trouble or provocation. Although it is not widely taught on today, longsuffering has a prominent place both in the old and new testament.
Some perceive longsuffering to be indifference, others perceive it to be weakness, while others perceive it to be fatalism, when in fact it is none of these things. Although it has been called by different names, such as discretion, being slow to anger, or possessing a patient spirit, when you boil them down to their essence, one discovers longsuffering as the root of all these things.
Proverbs 19:11, “The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger, and it is to his glory to overlook a transgression.”
This is the foundation upon which longsuffering is built, and upon which it stands even in the face of storms. When the proverb speaks of overlooking a transgression, it does not mean to overlook sin, but rather a wrong that was committed against the individual. It is to your glory, if one has wronged you yet you overlook the wrong. This requires longsuffering as often the old nature is stirred up whenever we are wronged, or when we perceive that we have been wronged. Longsuffering, in the face of being transgressed against, is to a man’s glory.
The good judgment, or the maturity of a man, or as the proverb states it, the discretion of a man also makes him slow to anger. As we grow and mature in God, we grow in good judgment, and we consistently resist the desire to become reactionaries.
Too often even those we consider mature in the faith, react to a slight or an affront impulsively and hastily, forgetting the great lesson that the discretion of a man makes him slow to anger.
Longsuffering is also an integral building block of humility. It is in humility that we learn to submit to the authority of God, and learn to be dependent upon Him and His strength, rather than on ourselves and our aptitudes.
Ecclesiastes 7:8-9, “The end of a thing is better than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools.”
One of the consistent marks of great men of God throughout the Bible is humility. Whatever capacity God used them in, however many miracles God did through them, they remained humble knowing the source of their power, knowing that absent of His leading they were as anchorless boats beaten about by the storms of life.
The world looks upon humility and despises it; they see it as a weakness rather than as strength; as a shortcoming rather than a virtue. The children of God however, find strength in humility, because the humble soul trusts God for its might.
Proverbs 16:32, “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.”
There are many attributes to longsuffering that make it a necessity in the life of a believer, and it is an attribute that God shares as well. Yes, God is longsuffering, and due this virtue, due to this attribute, He terries in sending judgment waiting for the sinner to repent, and be reconciled unto Him. If not for God’s longsuffering, the world would have been destroyed long ago, but God’s wrath is tempered by His longsuffering.
Joel 2:13, “So rend your heart, and not your garments; return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm.”
God’s graciousness, His mercy, and His great kindness, as well as His being slow to anger are all byproducts of His longsuffering. This however does not mean God does not get angry, but that He is slow to anger. Words ring hollow to God’s ears, and outward shows of repentance without true repentance of the heart are as a stench in the nostrils of God. When He sees true repentance in the hearts of His creation God relents from doing harm, when it is only formality however, when merely rend our garments but not our hearts, His righteousness demands that He judge justly.
Psalm 103:8, “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.”
‘Well, it all sounds good, but up until now you’ve only quoted verses from the Old Testament.’
True, but this does not mean that there are no scriptures in the New Testament that encourage us to pursue longsuffering. I wanted to divide the need for long suffering between the Old and New Testament, to show the continuity of thought throughout the Bible concerning this ingredient in the fruit of the Spirit.
Ephesians 4:1-3, “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to have a walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
We live in an age when the idea of walking a walk worthy of the calling with which we were called seems archaic and antiquated. To many the only thing they must do in order to get saved, and so have access to abundant prosperity is raise their hand in a public setting, repeat a prayer, and live out the rest of their lives as they please. If we have been called out of the darkness into the light, if we have been called from death to live, then we must have a walk worthy of the calling with which we were called.
We love and embrace all the great privileges that God’s gracious calling bestows upon us, but we often shy away from the solemn responsibilities. One cannot have the privileges, without appropriating the responsibilities. When we are called of God, God’s calling establishes the criterion to which our conduct must conform.
When we have a walk worthy of the calling with which we were called, lowliness, gentleness, and longsuffering are a constant companion on the path toward eternity.
The Word is clear on the fact that we serve a God who changes not. We see the continuity of God’s nature and the attribute of His longsuffering into the New Testament as well. We must also endeavor to keep at the forefront of our minds, that if God’s longsuffering and love for mankind is constant and perpetual, so are His standard, His righteousness, and His justice.
2 Peter 3:14-15, “Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation – as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him has written you.”
Peter makes the extraordinary claim that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation. This is the epitome of God’s expression of His restrained love, grace and mercy. He is longsuffering in regards to the world, that He may perfect those who are His. God’s longsuffering extends only to His children, because with the wicked He is angry every day and merely forebears with them until the day that His wrath is poured out.
If one of God’s attributes is longsuffering, and if one of the ingredients that make up the fruit of the Spirit is likewise longsuffering, ought we not also strive to possess a longsuffering spirit?
When we possess the virtue of longsuffering, we grow in the likeness of Jesus. We learn to bear the burdens of our brethren, we learn to forgive, and we learn to have a patient spirit. Longsuffering compels us to forgive the slights and the insults; it keeps us from simply reacting to an affront on our character; it strengthens us in the face of the scornful, and manifests the character of Jesus in us. May we be wise, and seek to be longsuffering in all things.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Longsuffering is defined as long and patient endurance of injury, trouble or provocation. Although it is not widely taught on today, longsuffering has a prominent place both in the old and new testament.
Some perceive longsuffering to be indifference, others perceive it to be weakness, while others perceive it to be fatalism, when in fact it is none of these things. Although it has been called by different names, such as discretion, being slow to anger, or possessing a patient spirit, when you boil them down to their essence, one discovers longsuffering as the root of all these things.
Proverbs 19:11, “The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger, and it is to his glory to overlook a transgression.”
This is the foundation upon which longsuffering is built, and upon which it stands even in the face of storms. When the proverb speaks of overlooking a transgression, it does not mean to overlook sin, but rather a wrong that was committed against the individual. It is to your glory, if one has wronged you yet you overlook the wrong. This requires longsuffering as often the old nature is stirred up whenever we are wronged, or when we perceive that we have been wronged. Longsuffering, in the face of being transgressed against, is to a man’s glory.
The good judgment, or the maturity of a man, or as the proverb states it, the discretion of a man also makes him slow to anger. As we grow and mature in God, we grow in good judgment, and we consistently resist the desire to become reactionaries.
Too often even those we consider mature in the faith, react to a slight or an affront impulsively and hastily, forgetting the great lesson that the discretion of a man makes him slow to anger.
Longsuffering is also an integral building block of humility. It is in humility that we learn to submit to the authority of God, and learn to be dependent upon Him and His strength, rather than on ourselves and our aptitudes.
Ecclesiastes 7:8-9, “The end of a thing is better than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools.”
One of the consistent marks of great men of God throughout the Bible is humility. Whatever capacity God used them in, however many miracles God did through them, they remained humble knowing the source of their power, knowing that absent of His leading they were as anchorless boats beaten about by the storms of life.
The world looks upon humility and despises it; they see it as a weakness rather than as strength; as a shortcoming rather than a virtue. The children of God however, find strength in humility, because the humble soul trusts God for its might.
Proverbs 16:32, “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.”
There are many attributes to longsuffering that make it a necessity in the life of a believer, and it is an attribute that God shares as well. Yes, God is longsuffering, and due this virtue, due to this attribute, He terries in sending judgment waiting for the sinner to repent, and be reconciled unto Him. If not for God’s longsuffering, the world would have been destroyed long ago, but God’s wrath is tempered by His longsuffering.
Joel 2:13, “So rend your heart, and not your garments; return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm.”
God’s graciousness, His mercy, and His great kindness, as well as His being slow to anger are all byproducts of His longsuffering. This however does not mean God does not get angry, but that He is slow to anger. Words ring hollow to God’s ears, and outward shows of repentance without true repentance of the heart are as a stench in the nostrils of God. When He sees true repentance in the hearts of His creation God relents from doing harm, when it is only formality however, when merely rend our garments but not our hearts, His righteousness demands that He judge justly.
Psalm 103:8, “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.”
‘Well, it all sounds good, but up until now you’ve only quoted verses from the Old Testament.’
True, but this does not mean that there are no scriptures in the New Testament that encourage us to pursue longsuffering. I wanted to divide the need for long suffering between the Old and New Testament, to show the continuity of thought throughout the Bible concerning this ingredient in the fruit of the Spirit.
Ephesians 4:1-3, “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to have a walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
We live in an age when the idea of walking a walk worthy of the calling with which we were called seems archaic and antiquated. To many the only thing they must do in order to get saved, and so have access to abundant prosperity is raise their hand in a public setting, repeat a prayer, and live out the rest of their lives as they please. If we have been called out of the darkness into the light, if we have been called from death to live, then we must have a walk worthy of the calling with which we were called.
We love and embrace all the great privileges that God’s gracious calling bestows upon us, but we often shy away from the solemn responsibilities. One cannot have the privileges, without appropriating the responsibilities. When we are called of God, God’s calling establishes the criterion to which our conduct must conform.
When we have a walk worthy of the calling with which we were called, lowliness, gentleness, and longsuffering are a constant companion on the path toward eternity.
The Word is clear on the fact that we serve a God who changes not. We see the continuity of God’s nature and the attribute of His longsuffering into the New Testament as well. We must also endeavor to keep at the forefront of our minds, that if God’s longsuffering and love for mankind is constant and perpetual, so are His standard, His righteousness, and His justice.
2 Peter 3:14-15, “Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation – as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him has written you.”
Peter makes the extraordinary claim that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation. This is the epitome of God’s expression of His restrained love, grace and mercy. He is longsuffering in regards to the world, that He may perfect those who are His. God’s longsuffering extends only to His children, because with the wicked He is angry every day and merely forebears with them until the day that His wrath is poured out.
If one of God’s attributes is longsuffering, and if one of the ingredients that make up the fruit of the Spirit is likewise longsuffering, ought we not also strive to possess a longsuffering spirit?
When we possess the virtue of longsuffering, we grow in the likeness of Jesus. We learn to bear the burdens of our brethren, we learn to forgive, and we learn to have a patient spirit. Longsuffering compels us to forgive the slights and the insults; it keeps us from simply reacting to an affront on our character; it strengthens us in the face of the scornful, and manifests the character of Jesus in us. May we be wise, and seek to be longsuffering in all things.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Peace
The third ingredient that makes up the fruit of the spirit is peace. In the context of this teaching when we speak of peace, we do not speak of it as the absence of war, but rather an inward peace that can only come from a divine source. Peace for the children of God is a positive blessing growing out of a right relationship with Him. True peace can only be attained by knowing Jesus, by following after Him, and giving Him the rightful place in our hearts.
John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
These were words uttered by Christ, the Prince of peace, the only one able to make this promise to those who would deny themselves and follow after Him. We cannot hope to attain true and lasting peace, without the giver of peace, and we cannot hope to know true peace, without knowing Jesus. The world is looking for means and methods by which to attain what they define as peace, which is the absence of war, but in reality true peace goes far deeper than the absence of conflict between nations. True and lasting peace, the peace that Jesus offers, is not a temporal or passing emotion, but a continual and perpetual state of being.
Psalm 4:8, “I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.”
There is an old expression in the country of my birth that says, I would rather eat a crust of bread in peace, than have a feast in anxiety. David in his wisdom has discovered the true peace of God, and all the benefits that it brings. He looks at others who have gladness in their increase, and concludes that his gladness is greater still because it is not contingent upon possessions, it is not contingent upon whether or not grain and wine increase, but upon the peace of God that resides in his heart. This peace allows us to both lie down and sleep, allowing us to dwell in safety.
What many fail to realize is that the fruit of the spirit, peace being one of the main ingredients, have far greater worth than earthly treasures. We can amass great fortunes, and have full storehouses, but they become worthless and burdensome when we have no love, when we possess no joy, when peace is absent from our lives, when goodness has been replaced by greed, kindness by cruelty, faithfulness by faithlessness, gentleness by harshness, longsuffering by bigotry, and self-control by self-indulgence.
One can posses the fruit of the spirit, and have a joyful, and peaceful life, filled with love, goodness and kindness, without having material excess. On the other hand one can have material things, and still be empty, unfulfilled, and hopeless because the fruit of the Spirit does not reside in them.
I submit to you that it is better to be poor in the eyes of the world and possess the fruit of the Spirit, than to be rich in the eyes of the world and not possess the fruit of the Spirit.
When speaking of peace in the context of the fruit of the spirit, we discover that this peace describes the perfection of relationships.
The first byproduct of peace is friendship with others. We are living in an age wherein if one so chose they would never have to leave their home. Via the internet one could get groceries, clothing, medicine, books, and even furniture delivered to their front door, without having to step outside. The downside of this cocooned lifestyle is that human interaction is becoming a rare thing indeed. Fewer people than ever before are making friends, or having others over for dinner, fewer people than ever take the time to establish, nurture and grow a friendship, and so a large majority of today’s population are islands unto themselves. God however, created us for companionship, for friendship, to have that human connection and interaction that is so lacking in today’s fast paced world.
We have adopted this mentality that we are born alone, we live alone and we die alone and as such when we have hardships, heartaches, or just need someone to talk to, no one is there.
Job 2:11, “Now when Job’s three friends heart of all this adversity, that had come upon him, each one came from his own pace – Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad, the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. For they had made an appointment together to come and mourn with him, and to comfort him.”
Seeing how the story plays out, and that Job’s friends really weren’t that much of a comfort to him, one might wonder why I would use them as an example. Because as judgmental as they became in the latter part of the book of Job, their intentions were pure, and the love for their friend Job was evident. Three men, each having their own place, each having their own lives, yet when they heard of Job’s adversity they decided to get together, and go mourn with him and comfort him. They loved Job, so much so that they put their lives on hold and traveled to see their old friend.
I’ve been thinking about this aspect of Job’s relationship with his friends for some time, and found myself wondering how many of my friends would set everything aside and come to comfort me in my adversity. The number is not large to be sure, but then again as the old adage goes, the man with one true friend is blessed indeed.
The peace of God also establishes the foundation for a true and lasting relationship between man and God.
In his first letter to the exiles, Jeremiah writes inspired by the spirit of God, to those that God had allowed to be carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon. Even though God had allowed this tragic even to come over them, even though they were now exiles, God’s intent and desire were still for their good and benefit.
Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
When we possess the peace of God, even in our trials, even in our afflictions, we know that his thoughts of us are not of evil, and that whatever we might be going through is for our perfection, that we might have a future and a hope.
True peace, the peace that Jesus gives us extends into every area of our lives, whether in our relationship with our spouses, with our children, with our neighbors, or our brothers and sisters in the Lord. True peace allows us to be tranquil even in the face of adversity, and it allows us to rest in the knowledge that our heavenly Father’s intentions toward us are always righteous and just.
The work of peace is always a work of healing and restoration. Peace confirms us as being children of God, as those whose ways please the Lord and even transforms our enemies in that they are at peace with us.
Proverbs 16:7, “When a man’s ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. “
Knowing all the benefits that possessing the peace of God affords, the question that remains is what are the practical steps we must take toward having it?
The first thing we can do to ensure that peace is a constant companion is to make sure that God is a constant companion. Since God is the source of true peace, we cannot possess it absent of Him. Too often men believe they can have the blessings of God, while rejecting God himself. In order to have true peace, one must walk with God, and obey Him.
The second thing that we can do to ensure that we possess the peace of God is to strive for it, and desire it. There are many teachings floating around the spiritual ether that completely remove man’s responsibility and accountability from the equation. While this may please the flesh to no end, the Word tells us that we must do our part in order to facilitate peace.
Romans 12:18, “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.”
The last thing that we can do to ensure that peace is with us in perpetuity is live a life of prayer.
We reveal the desires of our hearts in our prayers, as well as our level of maturity in God. The first portrait we see of Job is as a father praying for his children. At the end of his trial, at the finality of all that Job endured, after all the ridicule heaped upon him by his friends, Job did not pray for himself, but rather for his friends.
Job 42:10, “And the Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the Lord gave job twice as much as he had before.”
Consider that God only restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. It was not when he prayed for himself, it was not when he lamented his condition, but when he prayed for his friends was Job given twice as much as he had before.
If we are Christ’s then we must possess His peace, along with all the other attributes that make up the fruit of the Spirit. The peace of God keeps us in the day of trial, it encourages us to pray for others rather than ourselves, and it compels us to reach out and do what we can to live peaceably with all men.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
These were words uttered by Christ, the Prince of peace, the only one able to make this promise to those who would deny themselves and follow after Him. We cannot hope to attain true and lasting peace, without the giver of peace, and we cannot hope to know true peace, without knowing Jesus. The world is looking for means and methods by which to attain what they define as peace, which is the absence of war, but in reality true peace goes far deeper than the absence of conflict between nations. True and lasting peace, the peace that Jesus offers, is not a temporal or passing emotion, but a continual and perpetual state of being.
Psalm 4:8, “I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.”
There is an old expression in the country of my birth that says, I would rather eat a crust of bread in peace, than have a feast in anxiety. David in his wisdom has discovered the true peace of God, and all the benefits that it brings. He looks at others who have gladness in their increase, and concludes that his gladness is greater still because it is not contingent upon possessions, it is not contingent upon whether or not grain and wine increase, but upon the peace of God that resides in his heart. This peace allows us to both lie down and sleep, allowing us to dwell in safety.
What many fail to realize is that the fruit of the spirit, peace being one of the main ingredients, have far greater worth than earthly treasures. We can amass great fortunes, and have full storehouses, but they become worthless and burdensome when we have no love, when we possess no joy, when peace is absent from our lives, when goodness has been replaced by greed, kindness by cruelty, faithfulness by faithlessness, gentleness by harshness, longsuffering by bigotry, and self-control by self-indulgence.
One can posses the fruit of the spirit, and have a joyful, and peaceful life, filled with love, goodness and kindness, without having material excess. On the other hand one can have material things, and still be empty, unfulfilled, and hopeless because the fruit of the Spirit does not reside in them.
I submit to you that it is better to be poor in the eyes of the world and possess the fruit of the Spirit, than to be rich in the eyes of the world and not possess the fruit of the Spirit.
When speaking of peace in the context of the fruit of the spirit, we discover that this peace describes the perfection of relationships.
The first byproduct of peace is friendship with others. We are living in an age wherein if one so chose they would never have to leave their home. Via the internet one could get groceries, clothing, medicine, books, and even furniture delivered to their front door, without having to step outside. The downside of this cocooned lifestyle is that human interaction is becoming a rare thing indeed. Fewer people than ever before are making friends, or having others over for dinner, fewer people than ever take the time to establish, nurture and grow a friendship, and so a large majority of today’s population are islands unto themselves. God however, created us for companionship, for friendship, to have that human connection and interaction that is so lacking in today’s fast paced world.
We have adopted this mentality that we are born alone, we live alone and we die alone and as such when we have hardships, heartaches, or just need someone to talk to, no one is there.
Job 2:11, “Now when Job’s three friends heart of all this adversity, that had come upon him, each one came from his own pace – Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad, the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. For they had made an appointment together to come and mourn with him, and to comfort him.”
Seeing how the story plays out, and that Job’s friends really weren’t that much of a comfort to him, one might wonder why I would use them as an example. Because as judgmental as they became in the latter part of the book of Job, their intentions were pure, and the love for their friend Job was evident. Three men, each having their own place, each having their own lives, yet when they heard of Job’s adversity they decided to get together, and go mourn with him and comfort him. They loved Job, so much so that they put their lives on hold and traveled to see their old friend.
I’ve been thinking about this aspect of Job’s relationship with his friends for some time, and found myself wondering how many of my friends would set everything aside and come to comfort me in my adversity. The number is not large to be sure, but then again as the old adage goes, the man with one true friend is blessed indeed.
The peace of God also establishes the foundation for a true and lasting relationship between man and God.
In his first letter to the exiles, Jeremiah writes inspired by the spirit of God, to those that God had allowed to be carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon. Even though God had allowed this tragic even to come over them, even though they were now exiles, God’s intent and desire were still for their good and benefit.
Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
When we possess the peace of God, even in our trials, even in our afflictions, we know that his thoughts of us are not of evil, and that whatever we might be going through is for our perfection, that we might have a future and a hope.
True peace, the peace that Jesus gives us extends into every area of our lives, whether in our relationship with our spouses, with our children, with our neighbors, or our brothers and sisters in the Lord. True peace allows us to be tranquil even in the face of adversity, and it allows us to rest in the knowledge that our heavenly Father’s intentions toward us are always righteous and just.
The work of peace is always a work of healing and restoration. Peace confirms us as being children of God, as those whose ways please the Lord and even transforms our enemies in that they are at peace with us.
Proverbs 16:7, “When a man’s ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. “
Knowing all the benefits that possessing the peace of God affords, the question that remains is what are the practical steps we must take toward having it?
The first thing we can do to ensure that peace is a constant companion is to make sure that God is a constant companion. Since God is the source of true peace, we cannot possess it absent of Him. Too often men believe they can have the blessings of God, while rejecting God himself. In order to have true peace, one must walk with God, and obey Him.
The second thing that we can do to ensure that we possess the peace of God is to strive for it, and desire it. There are many teachings floating around the spiritual ether that completely remove man’s responsibility and accountability from the equation. While this may please the flesh to no end, the Word tells us that we must do our part in order to facilitate peace.
Romans 12:18, “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.”
The last thing that we can do to ensure that peace is with us in perpetuity is live a life of prayer.
We reveal the desires of our hearts in our prayers, as well as our level of maturity in God. The first portrait we see of Job is as a father praying for his children. At the end of his trial, at the finality of all that Job endured, after all the ridicule heaped upon him by his friends, Job did not pray for himself, but rather for his friends.
Job 42:10, “And the Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the Lord gave job twice as much as he had before.”
Consider that God only restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. It was not when he prayed for himself, it was not when he lamented his condition, but when he prayed for his friends was Job given twice as much as he had before.
If we are Christ’s then we must possess His peace, along with all the other attributes that make up the fruit of the Spirit. The peace of God keeps us in the day of trial, it encourages us to pray for others rather than ourselves, and it compels us to reach out and do what we can to live peaceably with all men.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Joy
The second component that makes up the fruit of the Spirit is joy. There are different kinds of joy, but the source of all true and divine joy is God. One of the most common of these joys that we have a tendency to overlook or otherwise dismiss is the joy of Christian fellowship.
If you have a house of worship, if you have brothers and sisters who are of like mind and like heart, if you are in a community or a group of souls who are as sincere in their love for Jesus as you are, then rejoice, and be thankful to the heavenly Father. One of the most common heart cries that comes across my desk, is letters and e-mails from faithful brothers and sisters in Christ who have no place to worship, who have not found a fellowship wherein they can grow and mature in the grace and wisdom of God.
Some have been disheartened and disillusioned because they attend a certain church for a season, only to discover that they are not being spiritually fed, others simply refuse to fellowship with congregations that imitate the world more than they do Jesus, and others still are seen as divisive and strange simply because they ask Biblical questions of elders who ought to know the answers.
The joy of Christian fellowship is often taken for granted until it is gone, and only then do we realize how precious it is. True Christian fellowship gives us comfort, it brings us joy, and it strengthens us as individuals.
2 Corinthians 7:6-7 “Nevertheless God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, and not only by his coming, but also by the consolation with which he was comforted in you, when he told us of your earnest desire, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced ever more.”
There is also a joy that comes from preaching the Word, from evangelizing and seeing people come to faith in Christ. Life on the road is not easy. For one, you’re always far from those you love. The weariness of sleeping in a different bed every other day, driving thousands of miles per month, and getting ‘picked at random’ six times in a row for an extra special wand search and bag check whenever you have to fly, aren’t particularly fun either, but all that goes away the instant I start talking about Jesus. It doesn’t matter how large a group, or how big a church I’m speaking to, as long as I can preach Jesus and see people being affected by the message of the cross I am happy, and feel a sense of fulfillment I have not felt doing anything else. The message of the Gospel that falls into good soil, begins with the joy of the angels, and ends with the joy of the believer.
Luke 15:10, “Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
One of the greatest examples of the message of the gospel taking root in the heart of man is a short tax collector by the name of Zacchaeus. The only thing that set him apart from all the other men of his time was his incessant desire to see Jesus. There was a crowd that followed after Jesus, but they all wanted to see what He could do rather than see Him for who He was.
Zacchaeus was not interested in seeing miracles, but the worker of miracles, the Christ who had never before been to Jericho. So running ahead of the crowd, Zacchaeus climbed up into a sycamore tree, just to get a glimpse of Jesus, and because of His desire to know who He was rather than what He could do, Zacchaeus got allot more than what he had hoped for.
The Word tells us that Jesus came to the place where Zacchaeus was, looked up and saw him and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.’ Zacchaeus did not delay, he made haste, and came down, and received Jesus joyfully.
Not only is there a joy in preaching the gospel, but there is also a joy of receiving it, and allowing it to transform your life from the inside out. Zacchaeus was instantly transformed by his encounter with Jesus, and this is evidenced by his decree that he would give half his goods to the poor, and if he had taken anything from anyone by false accusation, he would restore it fourfold. If we do the math, this man, once consumed with his standing, his wealth and his possessions, would be broke in the material sense, but his joy was full because he had not only met Jesus, but Jesus would stay with him in his house. True joy follows after faith, and absent of faith in Christ, true joy, that inexpressible joy of the heart, cannot be experienced.
Zacchaeus experienced the joy of faith, the joy of believing, which is always intertwined with faith itself. When we come to faith in Christ, we receive the joy of knowing that He walks with us, that He cares for us, that He comforts us, and that He strengthens us.
For those who have been called to preach the Gospel, there is also the joy of seeing the power of God manifest in the lives of others. Doing the work of an evangelist is not an easy labor. I know of what I speak since I have been traveling throughout the world preaching the Word since I was twelve years old. Living out of a suitcase, driving countless hours, having flights delayed, finding the bed in the motel you happen to be staying in uncomfortable, all these things put an added stress on one’s countenance, yet they all disappear when you are finally able to preach Jesus to those willing to hear.
Preaching is very similar to planting seed in the ground. Very rarely is the fruit of one’s labors instantly visible, but there is strength in the joy that comes with the knowledge that you are walking in the will of God, and fulfilling your calling.
Yes there are times when the hand of God is instantly visible, as was the case of the seventy who returned to Jesus overjoyed at seeing demons flee at the name of Christ, but those cases are rare indeed, and one will inevitably face more rejection than acceptance when preaching the true and living Word of God.
Acts 11:23, “When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord.”
True and lasting joy, the joy that comes from God alone cannot manifest in us when we have hidden agendas, or vested interests, when we want to build and promote our own kingdoms rather than the Kingdom of God. Our joy comes from seeing those that were once in darkness walk in the light, from seeing those that were once dead in their sins, alive in Christ. Any other joy is temporary and fleeting, contingent upon our circumstances rather than a continual and perpetual experience.
As children of God we also have joy in our trials and tribulations. This is perhaps the most important part of having the joy of the Lord considering the times in which we live, and the downward spiral the world seems to be caught up in. We are not subject to our circumstances, and though trials and afflictions may come, we know that we can have the joy of the Lord in spite of these things.
Habakkuk 3:16-18, “When I heard, my body trembled; my lips quivered at the voice; rottenness entered my bones; and I trembled in myself, that I might rest in the day of trouble. When he comes up to the people, he will invade them with his troops. Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; thought he labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls -yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.”
So what had Habakkuk heard and seen? Habakkuk had seen a vision of the Lord approaching a season when He would intervene and destroy the wicked, while saving the righteous. This so stunned Habakkuk that his body trembled, his lips quivered and rottenness entered his bones. After the initial shock of having seen what the Lord was getting ready to pour out upon the earth, he came to the realization that there was the possibility, even the probability that he would himself suffer loss, whether from the fields yielding no crop, or there being no herds in the stalls, but through it all, Habakkuk resolved to rejoice in the Lord, and joy in the God of his salvation.
In sharp contrast to those who were to be judged by the righteousness and justice of God, who openly manifested both their unbelief and spirit of complaint, Habakkuk openly recognizes the coming loss of all luxury, and even some of life’s necessities, but he believes nonetheless. The promised mercies of God to His people extend well beyond all material losses. Though the world may pass away, and all that we know shaken to its very foundation, God’s grace to His people will endure.
The joy of the Lord compels us to trust God even in the darkest of times, because our goal is not this earth, or the things of this earth, but heaven and the eternity that awaits us. We too might tremble at times as Habakkuk did because of the terrible devastation that God’s own people must endure prior to their full possession of the promises of God, but our trepidation is tempered and altogether nullified by the joy we posses in the God of our salvation.
1 Peter 1:6-9, “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith – the salvation of your souls.”
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
If you have a house of worship, if you have brothers and sisters who are of like mind and like heart, if you are in a community or a group of souls who are as sincere in their love for Jesus as you are, then rejoice, and be thankful to the heavenly Father. One of the most common heart cries that comes across my desk, is letters and e-mails from faithful brothers and sisters in Christ who have no place to worship, who have not found a fellowship wherein they can grow and mature in the grace and wisdom of God.
Some have been disheartened and disillusioned because they attend a certain church for a season, only to discover that they are not being spiritually fed, others simply refuse to fellowship with congregations that imitate the world more than they do Jesus, and others still are seen as divisive and strange simply because they ask Biblical questions of elders who ought to know the answers.
The joy of Christian fellowship is often taken for granted until it is gone, and only then do we realize how precious it is. True Christian fellowship gives us comfort, it brings us joy, and it strengthens us as individuals.
2 Corinthians 7:6-7 “Nevertheless God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, and not only by his coming, but also by the consolation with which he was comforted in you, when he told us of your earnest desire, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced ever more.”
There is also a joy that comes from preaching the Word, from evangelizing and seeing people come to faith in Christ. Life on the road is not easy. For one, you’re always far from those you love. The weariness of sleeping in a different bed every other day, driving thousands of miles per month, and getting ‘picked at random’ six times in a row for an extra special wand search and bag check whenever you have to fly, aren’t particularly fun either, but all that goes away the instant I start talking about Jesus. It doesn’t matter how large a group, or how big a church I’m speaking to, as long as I can preach Jesus and see people being affected by the message of the cross I am happy, and feel a sense of fulfillment I have not felt doing anything else. The message of the Gospel that falls into good soil, begins with the joy of the angels, and ends with the joy of the believer.
Luke 15:10, “Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
One of the greatest examples of the message of the gospel taking root in the heart of man is a short tax collector by the name of Zacchaeus. The only thing that set him apart from all the other men of his time was his incessant desire to see Jesus. There was a crowd that followed after Jesus, but they all wanted to see what He could do rather than see Him for who He was.
Zacchaeus was not interested in seeing miracles, but the worker of miracles, the Christ who had never before been to Jericho. So running ahead of the crowd, Zacchaeus climbed up into a sycamore tree, just to get a glimpse of Jesus, and because of His desire to know who He was rather than what He could do, Zacchaeus got allot more than what he had hoped for.
The Word tells us that Jesus came to the place where Zacchaeus was, looked up and saw him and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.’ Zacchaeus did not delay, he made haste, and came down, and received Jesus joyfully.
Not only is there a joy in preaching the gospel, but there is also a joy of receiving it, and allowing it to transform your life from the inside out. Zacchaeus was instantly transformed by his encounter with Jesus, and this is evidenced by his decree that he would give half his goods to the poor, and if he had taken anything from anyone by false accusation, he would restore it fourfold. If we do the math, this man, once consumed with his standing, his wealth and his possessions, would be broke in the material sense, but his joy was full because he had not only met Jesus, but Jesus would stay with him in his house. True joy follows after faith, and absent of faith in Christ, true joy, that inexpressible joy of the heart, cannot be experienced.
Zacchaeus experienced the joy of faith, the joy of believing, which is always intertwined with faith itself. When we come to faith in Christ, we receive the joy of knowing that He walks with us, that He cares for us, that He comforts us, and that He strengthens us.
For those who have been called to preach the Gospel, there is also the joy of seeing the power of God manifest in the lives of others. Doing the work of an evangelist is not an easy labor. I know of what I speak since I have been traveling throughout the world preaching the Word since I was twelve years old. Living out of a suitcase, driving countless hours, having flights delayed, finding the bed in the motel you happen to be staying in uncomfortable, all these things put an added stress on one’s countenance, yet they all disappear when you are finally able to preach Jesus to those willing to hear.
Preaching is very similar to planting seed in the ground. Very rarely is the fruit of one’s labors instantly visible, but there is strength in the joy that comes with the knowledge that you are walking in the will of God, and fulfilling your calling.
Yes there are times when the hand of God is instantly visible, as was the case of the seventy who returned to Jesus overjoyed at seeing demons flee at the name of Christ, but those cases are rare indeed, and one will inevitably face more rejection than acceptance when preaching the true and living Word of God.
Acts 11:23, “When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord.”
True and lasting joy, the joy that comes from God alone cannot manifest in us when we have hidden agendas, or vested interests, when we want to build and promote our own kingdoms rather than the Kingdom of God. Our joy comes from seeing those that were once in darkness walk in the light, from seeing those that were once dead in their sins, alive in Christ. Any other joy is temporary and fleeting, contingent upon our circumstances rather than a continual and perpetual experience.
As children of God we also have joy in our trials and tribulations. This is perhaps the most important part of having the joy of the Lord considering the times in which we live, and the downward spiral the world seems to be caught up in. We are not subject to our circumstances, and though trials and afflictions may come, we know that we can have the joy of the Lord in spite of these things.
Habakkuk 3:16-18, “When I heard, my body trembled; my lips quivered at the voice; rottenness entered my bones; and I trembled in myself, that I might rest in the day of trouble. When he comes up to the people, he will invade them with his troops. Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; thought he labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls -yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.”
So what had Habakkuk heard and seen? Habakkuk had seen a vision of the Lord approaching a season when He would intervene and destroy the wicked, while saving the righteous. This so stunned Habakkuk that his body trembled, his lips quivered and rottenness entered his bones. After the initial shock of having seen what the Lord was getting ready to pour out upon the earth, he came to the realization that there was the possibility, even the probability that he would himself suffer loss, whether from the fields yielding no crop, or there being no herds in the stalls, but through it all, Habakkuk resolved to rejoice in the Lord, and joy in the God of his salvation.
In sharp contrast to those who were to be judged by the righteousness and justice of God, who openly manifested both their unbelief and spirit of complaint, Habakkuk openly recognizes the coming loss of all luxury, and even some of life’s necessities, but he believes nonetheless. The promised mercies of God to His people extend well beyond all material losses. Though the world may pass away, and all that we know shaken to its very foundation, God’s grace to His people will endure.
The joy of the Lord compels us to trust God even in the darkest of times, because our goal is not this earth, or the things of this earth, but heaven and the eternity that awaits us. We too might tremble at times as Habakkuk did because of the terrible devastation that God’s own people must endure prior to their full possession of the promises of God, but our trepidation is tempered and altogether nullified by the joy we posses in the God of our salvation.
1 Peter 1:6-9, “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith – the salvation of your souls.”
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
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