632. Summarizing the Scripture (Part 3): Adam’s Temptation to Be More Like God
Chris Cornell, Prescription Drugs and the Things that Steal Our Peace
As a child of the 90’s my friends and I were avid Soundgarden fans. The whole Seattle grunge scene spoke to me. That sort of depressed, disenfranchised with society world view…it kind of defined me. I grew out of the thrift store clothing and cut off my long hair but the music stayed with me. I wasn’t one of the Christians that threw away my CDs when I got saved, those lyrics still spoke to me and
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Whose Responsibility are the Poor?
Solomon was one of the great kings in Israel's history, and he was known worldwide for his wisdom. In a Psalm ascribed to him we find his advice for those who rule.
Give your love of justice to the king O God, And righteousness to the king's son. Help him judge your people in the right way; Let the poor always be treated fairly. May the mountains yield prosperity for all, And may the hills be fruitful. Help him to defend the poor, To rescue the children of the needy, And to crush their oppressors. (Psalm 72:1-4)
It is the responsibility and privilege of all who rule to care for those who are struggling. Jesus has affirmed that "the poor you have with you always." (Mark 14:7) There will always be the opportunity to display the heart of God in sharing what we have with those who need it. It is what we do as image-bearers. The presence of the poor reminds us that our abundance is not just for our own consumption. We are blessed to bless.
Everyone has Something to Offer
A terrible thing has happened to the poor. Corrupt leaders have used their plight for political leverage. They promise to be for them what only God can be, and the poor are disappointed and disrespected. Even well-intentioned charities have aided in diminishing the dignity of struggling people.
The poorest people are those who feel worthless. That kind of poverty starts inside when a person begins to believe that, because of his or her economic status, he or she is of less value than others. Handouts can confirm that lie. When nothing is asked in return for the handout, it shouts aloud that the person has nothing of value to trade. The truth is that everyone has something to give. It might be as simple as a song, a poem, a joke, advice, a story, a task or their time.
The true church of Jesus Christ will not be pushed to the side when it comes to caring for the poor.
Of course, many could find meaningful labor if we took their plight seriously. There is the rub. We are very busy and helping the poor is time-consuming. It is much easier to peel off a few bills and hand them over without ever looking into the eyes of the needy. Somehow, we know that if we ever look into their soul, we will be connected.
That’s Where the Church Steps In
But those in the body of Christ, indwelt by the Spirit, have it in their spiritual DNA. The God who cares shares his life with them. They care. It bothers them that civil government has pushed the church to the periphery and taken the job of managing the poor. Handouts from an impersonal entity enables poverty.
The true church of Jesus Christ will not be pushed to the side in this important assignment. We cannot be content with laws that allow us to worship in our churches but forbid us to engage in the issues of societal life.
It is revealing to hear political leaders strategizing to remove the tax advantages of ministries and charities. They are saying that the church's people are not valued nor wanted in the realm of taking care of the needy. They see the government as the solution and want the church to get off the turf. But we can take the field again by each member of Christ's body getting involved with a person of need. It doesn't have to be a sponsored program. It is our daily privilege.
Working Together to Find a Solution
It’s time for there to be mutual respect and collaboration between the church and the government in addressing the weak and poor.
As church people repent of neglecting our task, we will refuse to be supplanted by those offering a bribe to the poor in exchange for a vote. We accept our role as representatives of the kingdom of God. We admit that our abundance is our opportunity to find and meet the needs of others who struggle. We will also stand against policies that reflect injustice toward the weak. We will hold leaders in the government and the church to account. We know that we are more than a social service, but we also know that the good news we proclaim transforms people; and people make culture.
The government has the power of the sword. It can be intimidating. The body of Christ has the power of the cross -- where love defeated all the principalities and powers that rule by manipulation. We may not be intimidating to those who only observe the circumstantial, but the powers of darkness know us. The light of the world has come and we are reflections of that light. Because we are ruled by the love of God, we proclaim the good news that a new creation has been launched -- and that anyone can participate by trusting Jesus the Lord.
We also promote justice in all arenas and stand against every expression of injustice. Our Lord came to set the world right again. We work with him. His love compels us to equip people to live in the knowledge and wisdom of God -- as citizens of his kingdom and as citizens of this world. It is time for there to be mutual respect and collaboration between the church and the government in addressing the weak and poor. They have suffered enough. It is our opportunity.
Information VS Instruction
Believers have the mind of Christ. Our problem is not a lack of information. Our problem isn’t even a lack of “spiritual” information.
I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. John 15:15
Did you catch that? Jesus has revealed EVERYTHING to you that he learned from his father!!!
You don’t need more information, Jesus has already taught you everything you need to know by giving you a new heart when you were born again. You need wisdom and instruction to apply what you know.
Wisdom is less about information and more about a way of seeing. The wise are able to shift their lens to God’s perspective. Christ’s finished work is the lens of God’s point of view. In Christ we are complete, lack no thing, have all blessings, have all sufficiency and are righteous before the Father. These are spiritual truths that God is seeking to establish in our physical and emotional lives. His spirit is continually instructing us in the application of wisdom but many times we are too distracted by our focus on the world to be in agreement with His wisdom.
Our “task” as believers is to yield to God’s inner influence (grace) and allow his wisdom and truth to shift our inner environment to Heaven’s environment. Heaven’s atmosphere is righteousness, peace and joy.
Wisdom isn’t necessarily information on what we’re supposed to do but rather an acknowledgement of what we are (in him). Wisdom is a manifestation in our hearts, minds and souls that brings us into agreement with God’s perspective of the world, our lives and our specific circumstances. Heaven says there’s enough grace to overcome temptation, Heaven says there’s more than enough provision to meet that need, Heaven says the blessing you think you lack is present in Christ who is in you. Wisdom will teach your mind to be in agreement with Heaven’s state of existence which will change the way you see your world.
When wisdom bears fruit:
- those situations that seem impossible become possible
- You’re reminded of God’s promises
- you’re reminded of Christ’s finished work
- you make decisions from victory
- you speak things that are spiritually true
- fear is not an option
- lack doesn’t drive you
- money is not the thing you think about the most
- and the list goes on… (what would you add)
We know what Jesus knows. The problem is we don’t always know how to apply of walk in the truth that he’s revealed to us. God says we can ask for wisdom and he’ll give it to us. Wisdom is not information, it’s a way of seeing situations through God’s eyes. You then need proper instruction to walk our truth. Make sure you’re not confusing instruction for information. You have enough information, seek instruction.
Godly instruction comes form many places but if you start from a place of completeness in Christ, then you can apply good instruction within the physical world to see success and fruit. Instruction is not works, just healthy principles to adhere to as we live life. Applying principles do not make God move or release blessings, they simply line up your thoughts and actions with your spirit so you’re not hindering the increase of the kingdom in your life.
Find good instruction and be diligent to move forward from a place of victory and completeness in Christ.
Check our these video and audio messages.
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Universe Building, Large Hadron Collider Kind of Faith
Physicists have a problem, they don’t know why the universe works. They know much about how it works and what it’s made of but are missing the information about why matter behaves in such an organized fashion.
The Standard Model of physics includes quarks, leptons and 4 forces but the model is missing the bits that give it it’s intelligence to function the way it does.
Believers know that the unseen force that holds everything together is God, specifically, the word that God has spoken.
You can use this video in your small group for discussion purposes:
1. Do you believe God can work in your life?
2. How are you limiting God?
3. What would happen if you stopped limiting God?
Like what you hear? You will like this series:
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The Paradox of Life
Life is a paradox. We want to plan for the future and provide for our loved ones but must also learn to live in the “now.” We want to enjoy living our lives and explore everything yet we have a deep sense to fulfill our call and only live for the Lord. Spiritually, believers are complete in Jesus but we are in a state of continual mind renewal to be transformed into the very image of Christ in this world. We want Jesus to “come quickly” but we are to be about our Father’s business seeing the continual increase of his kingdom through our influence in the world. Each human on the planet has their own responsibility to follow God and experience His provision yet we are to clothe and feed the poor, take care of widows and preach the Gospel in all the world.
These ideas are not either/or, they are to be lived simultaneously. Living content in everything, in every situation but always desiring God’s glory to be fully manifested in every situation. I don’t call it tension, I call it life. These ideas create tension when we approach our “call” from a mind set that we’re somehow not fulfilling our purpose if we’re not doing enough. Lack, in any form, should never define our call.
Have you ever felt like you weren’t fulfilling your call?
Have you ever felt like you were always waiting for something to happen?
Have you struggled with feeling like you’re not doing enough?
Everyone feels that way at times, you’re not alone. The truth is we can never do enough to repay God for the salvation we’ve been given in Jesus. The good news is he’s not asking us to repay him, he’s wanting us to enjoy our salvation. In fact, He created this planet for us to enjoy life and our relationship with Him. Life has never been about finding out what we’re supposed to do for God.
Our purpose is to be God’s child. Once we receive Christ’s righteousness, we have fulfilled our purpose. From there we are free to discover our call. But if we never walk out our call we are just as valuable to God, just as righteous, just as spiritual, just as saved as any who does many great works in His name.
We find a tension in our redeemed state. The greatest strength and source of peace we can experience is through resting in the complete work of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. The paradox arises as we’re resting. Never again are we to work for righteousness, blessing, favor, wisdom or acceptance but when these spiritual blessings bear fruit in our hearts, all we want to do is make an impact in people’s lives with the love of God.
A mature believer’s paradox is to rest in him but give up our lives to the degree that the only things we do are the things that our Lord would lead us to do. Every believer wants to only say and do what God’s spirit would lead us to say and do but the believer who doesn’t do that from a place of completeness in Christ will experience a conflict, feeling like they’re not doing enough.
The only way to truly discover your call is to be rock solid in your purpose of being God’s child.
Philippians 4:6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 11 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. 13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
Take some time to listen to this message in which I go into much more detail about these ideas.
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Wisdom from Heaven
I love discovering principles in the Word of God that reinforce the kind and loving character of God. This week I’m continuing my study in the book of James. I want to show you something hidden within chapter 4 verse 13.
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.
In this passage we discover that humility comes from wisdom.
Where does wisdom come from?
James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
Wisdom comes directly from God. And as a bonus he gives it generously without beating you up about what you’ve done wrong in the process. Again, 4:13 says humility comes from wisdom…I thought humility came from God knocking you down a few notches to teach you lessons the hard way? God’s a tough love kind of god, right? Not according to James. You’d think James would say that God teaches you through trials and difficulties but he actually says the opposite.
A thorough reading of James reveals the perspective that a seemingly fiery Apostle actually has of God.
- In chapter 1, James says God will give you more wisdom than you need in difficult times
- Then he says to not blame God for your trials and temptations
- He then says it’s the good things that come from God
- And in chapter 4 he says that this wisdom that God has given you will teach you humility
Why do so many people think that James says trials are from God and he humbles you with difficulties? They have a little too much religion if you ask me.
In the following free message I expound on this idea and also discuss the concept of resisting the devil. I pray you take time to listen to this empowering message.
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