The Pruning of the Vine

I penned the following lines on January 7, 2003:

Dear Fellow Travelers,

I trust that each of you enjoyed a good holiday season, and, even more, I pray that you are looking forward to a great 2003. I am praying that your best day in 2002 will be equal to your worst day in 2003 (I hope I communicated what I was thinking)!

It is very apparent that the Holy Spirit is moving among us—a deep moving of God that is obviously the fruit of several years of severe pruning. I hate pruning not only because it hurts, but also because it involves the cutting away of what appears to be such good wood. Even so, I am well aware that pruning is necessary for the production of new life—fruit that remains.

Interestingly, when the Vinedresser has pruned the vineyard and the resultant life—new life—is formed, the pain of the pruning is seen for what it is—the exercise of life. God’s pruning of His vineyard so concentrates the life of Jesus in the remaining branches that new life—His life—explodes throughout the vineyard. Although both are beautiful, the contrast between a pruned vineyard and a fruit-laden vineyard is simply breath-taking; however, nothing can compare to the beauty of the vineyard when the blossoms are in full bloom. (Next spring, look one of our local peach orchards and you will see what I mean.)

Although I have seen it coming (the buds of life have been evident), this past Saturday night and Sunday morning it became unmistakably obvious that the work of the Vinedresser was paying off and paying off big time! The life of Jesus has filled the vineyard of Grace Christian Fellowship with the blossoms of life; blossoms that will soon become fruit— fruit that remains.

MY PERSPECTIVE: As the Vinedresser continues His work in His vineyard, we should give ourselves to the study of His Word—a life of meditation; to the celebration of His Supper—a life of thanksgiving; and to the discipline of His model—a life of prayer. As the vineyard begins to bear fruit, fruit that remains, you will be very thankful for this time of nourishment and enrichment.

Interestingly and thankfully, vineyards are pruned every year but my how painful the pruning is, especially to those of us who like to avoid pain. The fact is, however, that without the pruning the vine becomes worthless, at least as far as fruit-bearing is concerned. My, how much He must love the church and the fruit she bears!

Blessings with grace lavished,

Mac Goddard

Which Cure Would You Choose?

The following is an article I penned on July 9, 2000 and from my vantage point, it continues to hold true today:

Dear Fellow Traveler,

This past Sunday, I raised this question: If you could have a cure for cancer OR a cure for sin, which would you choose? I suggested that most Christians would choose the cure for cancer, and I did so because I know how well we have been taught to believe that we can somehow manage our sin(s). We have not only been convinced that we can avoid committing the really serious sins, but also that we can keep our “sin list” short enough to impress God and, thereby, convince Him that He should be merciful to us.

On the other hand, I also know that even the suggestion that one might have cancer brings tremendous fear, anxiety, and hopelessness. The truth is we see our ability to deal with sin as being much more effective than our ability to deal with cancer; not to mention, that most would choose a diagnosis of sin over a diagnosis of cancer any day.

It has become obvious to me that as long as we hold on to the mindset that anything (including cancer) is more devastating than sin; the One True Gospel will not be very attractive to us. Until God causes us to see the exceeding sinfulness of sin and our inability to overcome it, we will see no need for a gospel that offers us grace. In fact, the belief that we can manage our own sin will eliminate any perceived need for grace. We will simply try harder to overcome.

Interestingly, no one has come up with a cure for cancer; yes, progress has been made, but there is no blanket cure for cancer. Even in those situations where surgery removes the malignancy, there is always the possibility that the tumor will return. As a result, the patient is encouraged to return to his/her doctor at regular intervals for various diagnostic tests and, more often than not, for radiation and/or chemotherapy. As valuable as these tests and treatments might be for the health of the patient, they also serve as reminders of cancer, and, therefore, keep the patient cancer conscious.

Every cancer patient I have ever known really looked forward (anxiously and eagerly) to getting past the window of increased risk for the return of the malignancy—usually 5 years. Even then, however, some risk still exists.

The truth is every one of us is at risk and unfortunately there is no blanket cure. We simply live life at varying degrees of cancer consciousness—the greater the risk, the greater the cancer consciousness.

Well, I have some really good news! Someone has found a cure for sin—Jesus! I know it sounds too good to be true; nevertheless, it is true. God, through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus, has cured our sin problem. Interestingly, Jesus is also the guarantee that it (sin) will never return. There is no need for a return to the doctor for diagnostic tests and various treatments. There is no need for continued reminders of sin; sacrifices are a thing of the past! With faith the size of a grain of mustard seed, sin consciousness should be a thing of the past. There is no reason for continued guilt! God, the Great Physician, has declared every Christian to be sin free—as righteous as Jesus is righteous! Welcome into the Holy of Holies! Enter by the blood of The Lamb!

Consider the difference it would make in your life if you began to see yourself as God sees you. I find this quote from Mike Mason’s book, The Gospel According to Job (p. 74) very appropriate: Do not let the consciousness of your unworthiness keep you from believing what God has said concerning you. If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus, then the precious privilege of being in partnership with the Father and the Son is yours.

Listen to what the author of the letter to the Hebrews has to say; He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself (Hebrews 9:26b)!

It is my prayer that the Holy Spirit will reveal to you the incredibly good news of the gospel and that you will be receptive to it!

My perspective: This good news will be rejected by most because most have been brainwashed into believing they can manage their own sin—with, of course, a little help from Jesus.

The First Day of Heaven

The following is an article I wrote on June 5, 2000--seven years ago! Since heaven will be one eternal day, the title I chose might be a bit confusing; however, we are still earthlings, who think in terms of time, so bear with me.

When I wrote this article, I really believed what I wrote; however, I believe it even more strongly today. This world is not our home; we are, merely, passing through it on our way Home!

Dear Fellow Traveler,

The first day of heaven! When I said those words yesterday (in my message) they struck my heart like a lightning bolt. Although none of us can do much more than imagine what it will be like, I have an imagination that runs wild when I consider that day. The Bride of Christ will finally be gathered together in perfect unity! All our differences will be settled and we will be in one accord. Only one thing will matter—that Jesus is glorified. There will be people there from all walks of life and from every tribe and nation. It will have finally dawned on us that none of us deserve to be there! What was seen through a glass darkly will be seen through the perfect lens of the eyes of Jesus. What we had not been able to understand will finally make perfect sense. What we once feared, we will then embrace. The One we had all longed to see will reveal Himself to us in such a way that we will all become exactly like Him! There will be no more sorrow, no more tears of remorse, no pain, and no more death. There will be no need for the sun or the moon because the glory of God will illumine the whole city. There will be no darkness because the Light of the Lamb will always shine. We won’t have to carry keys because the gates to the City will never be closed. There will be no foreigners there, only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of life—the Family of God! It will be home and we will be—home!

If you stop to listen, I really do believe you can hear the instruments beginning to play a new song, a song that the angels cannot sing. There will be cymbals, even loud-sounding cymbals—even resounding cymbals! There will be harps and trumpets and guitars and clarinets and saxophones and timbrels and lyres. There will be dancing and dancing and dancing! We will be dancing all over Heaven! The fetters of shame and guilt and poor self-image will all be broken. We will be laughing and singing and dancing and clapping and drinking the strong drink of the Spirit of the Living God! All the stuff that used to control us will no longer be in control! All the baggage that used to inhibit us will no longer do so! We will be free—absolutely FREE! The Lord will take great pleasure in His people and His people will honor Him. We will be rejoicing and praising God. We will be living in wild and total abandon to Jesus!

To tell you the truth, I think it will be a lot like it was supposed to have been before Adam sinned, except better. It will be a love feast to beat all love feasts! We will finally realize what Jesus meant when He said, “Unless you become like little children . . .” Talk about wild abandon! I am sorry that Adam messed things up for himself and for us, but I am certainly thankful that Jesus fixed whatever Adam messed up! The Tree of Life will be along both sides of the River of Life and the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil will not even be there! No temptation! No having to listen to the serpent trying to beguile us. Such joy! Such unspeakable joy! Such peace! An everlasting peace!

LET EVERYTHING THAT HAS BREATH PRAISE THE LORD! LET THE TREES OF THE FIELDS CLAP THEIR HANDS! LET THE CHOSEN FROZEN THAW! LET THE WAVES ROAR AND THE MOUNTAINS BOW DOWN! LET THE REDEEMED OF THE LORD—SAY SO! LET EVERYTHING THAT HAS BREATH (AND EVERYTHING ELSE, FOR THAT MATTER) PRASE THE LORD!

My perspective:

PRAISE the Lord!

Praise God in His sanctuary;

Praise Him in His mighty expanse.

Praise Him for His mighty deeds;

Praise Him according to His excellent greatness.

Praise Him with trumpet sound;

Praise Him with harp and lyre.

Praise Him with timbrel and dancing;

Praise Him with stringed instruments and pipe.

Praise Him with loud cymbals;

Praise Him with resounding cymbals.

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord!

(Psalm 150)

The Eucharist

I wrote the following “perspective” on Tuesday afternoon, January 14, 2003:

Dear Fellow Travelers,

About an hour and a half ago, ten believers gathered for our regular “Tuesday Noon Eucharist.” What an incredible experience! In my opinion, there is nothing quite like the experience of a group of believers gathering for the sole purpose of celebrating the Eucharist—eating the bread and drinking the wine, both signs of something signified; namely, the body and blood of Jesus. In doing so, the participants are spiritually nourished, and today was no exception. Ten of us walked away from the table having received a miracle. Through a work of the Holy Spirit, the bread and wine became the Person of Jesus in us, our perception of our union with Him was clarified, and our desire to honor him was intensified.

It is becoming increasingly more obvious to me that our Lord takes great delight in our celebrating the Eucharist. This is evidenced by what we have seen happen in our lives since we determined to make The Supper a regular part of our worship experience. As a result, I am committed to celebrating The Eucharist with you, and I am committed to celebrating it as often as the Word is proclaimed. I am so committed because I truly see “the proclamation of the Word” followed by “the eating of the bread and the drinking of the wine” as being genuine spiritual nourishment for our hungry, thirsty souls.

MY PERSPECTIVE: We need to pay very careful attention to these words of Jesus: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life; and I will raise him up on the last day. For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in Him” (John 6:53-56).

As you can see, more than four years have come and gone since I penned those thoughts about the Eucharist, and to the best of my knowledge this small group of believers has celebrated this incredible supper at least twice per week ever since. From what I can observe, even after almost 52 months, it is the highlight of every service. I continue to believe that the Triune Godhead holds this supper in very high esteem.

Over the years, I have watched the church “water down” this supper, so much so, that it is seldom even celebrated, and certainly no longer appreciated—at least by most. In my opinion, this is a tragedy.

For some reason, I cannot get these words of Jesus out of my mind: “And while they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to His disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body.’ And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins’” (Matthew 26:26b-28; emphasis added).

No, I do not accept as truth the Roman Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation; however, I do accept as truth these very clear words of Jesus. I will probably never understand them (this side of Heaven) but my lack of understanding does not diminish my faith in His words; consequently, I will be faithful not only to “eat & drink” myself, but also to offer the privilege to others.

MY PERSPECTIVE: There needs to be a “revival of love for the Eucharist” within the church; after all, we are His bride.

Jesus the Outlaw

I can still remember anticipating the response of the listeners. I knew I would have their attention as soon as I announced the title: Jesus the Outlaw. I must admit that, although I sincerely believed the message was true and I sincerely wanted the listeners to hear it and to believe it, I also enjoyed (even back then) irritating religious people. As you can imagine, the looks on the faces of the listeners revealed their concern. What man in his right mind would accuse Jesus of being and outlaw? I had their attention and the religious were irritated!

The truth is I was thoroughly convinced that Jesus was an outlaw, at least to the Jews; after all, He intentionally violated so many of the laws the Jews held sacred. He refused, at least in the minds of the Jews, to keep the Sabbath Day holy; He had the audacity to heal the sick on the Sabbath; He touched the unclean, even lepers; He forgave sinners, even adulterers, and He encouraged others to do the same. There is no wonder that the Sanhedrin was out to get this outlaw. He simply did not conform to the cultural norms of the Jewish community. It was obvious that He was a renegade. He was marching to the beat of a different drummer. To use the words of Brennan Manning, He lived in wild abandon to His Father, His Abba.

Although the Pharisees made it clear that Messiahs do not break laws concerning the Sabbath, touch lepers, or forgive adulterers, Jesus made it just as clear that this Messiah does WHATEVER He pleases, WHENEVER He pleases, AS LONG AS it pleases His Abba. After all, He is Lord of the Sabbath, Lord of healing, and Lord of forgiveness. In fact, He is Lord—PERIOD! Whatever He does is precisely that in which His Father delights. He always knows which rules are for following and which rules are for breaking. He knew then, and He knows now!

The truth is, Jesus was (and still is) too bizarre for most people. His behavior is too radical. Following Him is too dangerous. Following Him can lead only to what appears to be a premature death. There is no wonder that most of those who were following Him left Him. Who would want to follow an outlaw? Who would want to follow a man who always marched to the beat of a different drummer? Who would want to follow a renegade?

To be honest, I believe there is a remnant, a group of believers who, like Paul, sincerely want to continue with Him. I believe that God has a people who are far more interested in experiencing Jesus than they are in understanding Jesus. I truly believe that God has a people who are far more interested in following Jesus than they are in following the religious rules of our culture.

Has it dawned on you that, although Jesus repeatedly told us to follow Him, He never once told us to follow His rules? He did say this: If you love Me you will keep My commandments (John 14:15). You see, loving God and loving one another are the fruit of being His children; they are not rules we must learn to obey. His call is to follow Him, not His rules!

I really do believe that God has a people who truly desire to live in wild abandon to Jesus. Are you one of them? I can tell you one of the true indications that you are: you are struggling to abandon something. What are you afraid to abandon? Your comfort? Your religion? Your riches? Your career? Your reputation? Your theology? Your parent’s expectations? Your security? Be honest!

Remember this: The rich, young ruler could not abandon his riches and he, therefore, missed out on knowing the true riches of living in wild abandon to Jesus. The Pharisees could not abandon their religion and they, therefore, missed out on knowing the joy of living in intimate relationship with Jesus, an intimacy that only wild abandon could produce.

By the way, this was Jesus’ prayer: And this is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent (John 17:3). Did you notice how clearly He stated that eternal life has to do with knowing Him, rather than understanding Him or obeying Him? Did you notice that for Jesus, relationships were far more important than doctrine?

MY PERSPECTIVE: Until we are willing to live in wild abandon to Jesus, we will never truly know Him; instead, we will spend our lives trying both to understand Him and to obey Him. To say that another way, until we choose to live in wild abandon to Jesus, we will be nothing more or less than modern-day Pharisees—hypocrites. Rules will be far more important than relationships and doctrine will always take precedence over relationships. Unfortunately, most of us have spent our Christian lives learning what we cannot do (the rules of our religious culture) instead of celebrating who we are in Jesus. Come on! Take the leap into wild abandon to Jesus—THE OUTLAW!

Sunday is Coming!

Yes, I know that it is only Thursday but Sunday is coming and I am looking forward to it. After spending most of the morning in sermon preparation, I am convinced that He has given me as message. No, I do not have the "finishing touches" quite in hand, as of yet; however, it is not Sunday. For those of you who like titles for sermons, try this one on for size: "Practicing the Righteousness that is found in Jesus."

I am well-aware that Spring has sprung and our desires are for the great out-of-doors; however, I want to encourage you to make it your business to be present for our service this Sunday. In the meantime, be thinking about such things as the giving of alms, praying, fasting, what you treasure, who (what) you have allowed to be your master, and trust. Whatever you do, remember this: your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom!

This might even be a great Sunday for you to bring someone with you, you know, a visitor!

Love,
Your Pastor

I Am Not Dead!

For those of you who read this BLOG, I wanted to let you know that I am still alive and kickin! I will begin posting to this sight, hopefully tomorrow, continuing what I have been doing.

Hope to hear from you!

Blessings,
Mac

Hiding From God (Part VII)

As most of you know, we have been thoroughly taught that God, like Santa Clause, is out to catch us in our naughtiness; consequently, we need to develop some keen hiding skills in order to avoid being caught and having to suffer the consequences! Well, do I have some good news for you!Hiding from God’s Presence need no longer be a concern for you, even when your behavior is most despicable, because God chose to give to you unconditional access into His Presence, as is evidenced by this: Since therefore, brethren, we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water (Hebrews 10:19-22; emphasis mine).

In other words, you can now feel comfortable in God’s Presence even when you are doing the most despicable sin you can imagine. Never again do you have to hide from Him! As you remember, Adam and Eve had reason to hide because they owned their own sin. You, however, have no reason to hide because Jesus has already taken ownership of your sin (1 Peter 2:24), and God punished Him to the full extent of the Law’s requirement—death. Boldly, confidently, and unashamedly, run to Him! His arms are open wide to receive you!

In my not so humble opinion, this is good news--really good news!

Blessings,

Mac

Part VI & The Blessing of Blessings that Most Miss

If we know anything, we know that, as Christians, we need to stop sinning; however, none of us are able to get the job done. Thankfully, God knew that we would not and, therefore, graciously sent Jesus to do for us what we could never have done for ourselves--permanently and perfectly fix our sin problem! I cannot speak for you, but I can speak for myself and I will say this: I am very thankful that He fixed my sin problem--perfectly and permanently!

With that, on to Part VI:Striving to stop sinning, to overcome the power of sin in your life, need no longer be a concern for you because God chose to break the power sin had over you by releasing you from the Law—the Law of Moses, the Ten Commandments, the law of sin and death, the ministry of death, the ministry of condemnation—as is evidenced by these passages: (1) For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law, but under grace (Romans 6:14; emphasis mine); (2) Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree” (Galatians 3:13; emphasis mine). In other words, through Jesus’ death, God severed you from the very thing that gave sin its power, namely, the Law (Romans 7:8; 1 Corinthians 15:56); consequently, sin has no power over your life, unless, of course, you decide to give it power by placing yourself under the Law.

Whatever you do, do not do that!

Staying Focused on the One Necessary Thing

FIRST—

Remember Lot’s wife and choose to be more inclined to give your life away than you are to keep it. Jesus said it this way: “Remember Lot’s wife. Whoever seeks to keep his life shall lose it, and whoever loses his life shall preserve it” (Luke 17: 32-33).

SECOND—

Remember the widow’s mite, keeping in mind that it is more blessed to give than it is to receive. Jesus said it this way: “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on” (Mark 12:43b-44).

THIRD—

Remember the Pharisees and choose to take your focus off yourself and place it upon others. Jesus said it this way: “But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; . . .” (Matthew 23:5a)

FOURTH—

Remember Peter and choose never to think more highly of yourself than you ought. Jesus said it this way: “Truly I say to you that this very night, before the cock crows, you shall deny Me three times” (Matthew 26:34).

FIFTH—

Remember the woman with the issue of blood and do not be afraid to leave your comfort zone. Jesus said it this way: “Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well” (Matthew 9:22a).

SIXTH—

Remember the lad with his five loaves and two fish and be assured that your “little” is “much” when Jesus is in it! Jesus said it this way: “They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat” (Matthew 14:16)!

SEVENTH—

Remember the harlot and her “wasted” vial of costly perfume—pure nard—and be encouraged to “waste” your very life out of your love for Jesus. Jesus said it this way: “Your sins have been forgiven” (Luke 7:48)!

EIGHTH—

Remember Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, and spend lots of time sitting at Jesus’ feet—lots of time. Jesus said it this way: “. . . Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:42b).

NINTH—

Remember the Samaritan, who showed compassion to the Jew who had fallen among thieves and been left to die in the ditch, and choose to be a neighbor to your enemy. Jesus said it like this: “Go and do the same” (Luke 10:37).

TENTH—

Finally, remember Peter and never take your eyes off Jesus. Jesus said it like this: “O you of little faith, why did you doubt” (Matthew 14:31b).

Christmas Morning!

Now, do you believe in Santa Clause, or not? Someone told me the other day that if I did not believe in him, I would not get anything, so I decided to renew my belief in him! As you can tell from the picture, I have no proof, as of the writing of this article, because I am waiting for my grandchildren to arrive to open presents. So far, I have seen no evidence of him in my behalf but I am continuing to remain filled with expectation!

Anyway, I hope you are having a great day today, enjoying your children and your grandchildren, if you are so fortunate as to have any.

By the way, have you noticed that Fox News has been airing Rick Warren almost non-stop since last night, maybe even the night before. I am certainly not a Rick Warren fan but I am thankful that Fox is brave enough to take the risk of giving Christianity it rightful place during Christmas (I only wish they had aired John Calvin but one doesn't always get everything he wants!).

Speaking of getting what one wants: I really hope Santa brought you what you really wanted, but even more importantly, I hope you have received from Jesus the greatest of all gifts--His love and forgiveness!

Merry Christmas!
Your Pastor

Merry Christmas!

I want to thank each of you who have so faithfully read my blogs during the past months, and a special thanks to those of you who respond with various comments. I also want to wish each of you a very blessed Christmas Day!

"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord!"

What more can or needs to be said?

Blessings to you!

Mac

Part V and the gift of gifts

Dear Fellow Travelers,

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve 2006, the eve of the day we have set aside to celebrate the birth of Jesus! Interestingly, each of us has our own way of participating in this celebration but for the most part, we will gather as families, eat lots (too much) of food, and open gifts. It is my guess that some will receive gifts that will prove to be very useful; others will wonder, “What do I do with this?” Hopefully, yours will be something that will prove to be very useful, something that you will treasure for years to come.

In any case, I want to offer you something (a gift from Him) that, at least in my opinion, should be treasured and valued above any other gift you might receive, and it is this: Striving to maintain your relationship with God, so that He will not distance Himself from you by breaking fellowship with you, or by severing you from Himself altogether, need no longer be a concern for you because He chose to allow the New Covenant, unlike the Old Covenant, to be a covenant between Jesus and Himself; albeit, in your behalf, but excluding you from the covenant altogether, as is evidenced by these passages: (1) In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory (Ephesians 1:13-14; emphasis mine); (2) And for this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, in order that since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. For where a covenant is, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it (Hebrews 9:15-16; emphasis mine). In other words, the success of the New Covenant depends upon Jesus, not you. Devotions, solitude, prayer, repentance, confession, et al can be very beneficial, provided, however, that you do not do them in an effort to keep your end of the covenant and to, thereby, help to maintain the relationship. Jesus is your guarantee that this marriage will last eternally! Cease striving and rest in Him.

You know, when this truth dawned upon me, it forever changed my life, and I am trusting that it will do the same for you.

Blessings to you as you celebrate His birth!
Mac

Part IV & The Real Reason for the Season

As you well-know, one week from Sunday is Christmas Eve 2006—one Christmas Eve closer to the coming of Jesus for His Bride. You might be thinking, “It took a rocket scientist to figure that out!”; however, in my mind, it is very pertinent. You see, we celebrate Christmas for a reason—a good reason—and it might not be what most think. To be sure, when we celebrate Christmas, we are celebrating the birth of Jesus, BUT we do so with an incredible, anticipatory celebration of the future, namely, His return for the church—an anticipation that pales not only His birth, but also His death, burial, and resurrection! The fact of the matter is this: without His expected return for His Bride, the rest would not really mean very much. Unless there is eternal life in Jesus, we are of all people most to be pitied! So, celebrate Christmas but remember to keep in mind the reason for the celebration—His return for the Church!

Now, having said that, I know that many get more-than-somewhat-anxious when His return is mentioned because of their unfounded fear of the JUDGMENT SEAT OF GOD, you know, the “wide screen show” that everyone will see; consequently, they are most content keeping the focus of the season on the birthday party and want no mention of His return.

If you are one of these, I have a wonderful gift for you (part 4 of my present series) and it is this: Facing God at the Great White Throne Judgment and having Him reveal to everyone the secrets of your life need no longer be a concern for you because He has chosen not to give you what you deserve, but to set you free from all judgment and condemnation, as is evidenced by this: There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:1-2; emphasis, added). Not to mention that He chose never to remember your sins again, as is evidenced by this: And their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more (Hebrews 10:17; emphasis, added).

In other words, God chose to provide a scapegoat for you and for your sins in the person of Jesus; He gave Jesus what you deserved and gave you what Jesus deserved. Amazingly, Jesus took your record (your certificate of debt) upon Himself, and, even more amazingly, He gave you His record—His spotless, blemish-less, perfect, righteous record. Go figure! I do not understand it, either.

Anyway, as a result, God, being the just God that He is, has already judged Jesus guilty for your sins AND (again, being the just God that He is) He has judged you “righteous!” In my mind, this is GRACE LAVISHED! What an incredible gift!

What does this mean for you when you stand before God at the Great White Throne Judgment? It means that the only record that will be revealed is Jesus’ record! Yours is separated from Him as far as the East is from the West—never to be remembered again! His word to you will be—WELCOME HOME, NO CONTINGENCIES!

So, go ahead and celebrate Jesus’ birth and do it gusto, BUT remember why you are doing so—HE IS COMING AGAIN and THAT is what THIS is about! There is much more to this than merely swapping materialistic presents, placing colored lights in windows and upon trees, playing Santa Clause, and feeding the hungry at the soup kitchen! Folks, JESUS IS COMING AGAIN—SOON—AND YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE AFRAID; well, you do not if you belong to Him, and I, certainly, hope you do!

The Benefits & Blessings of Being a Participant of the New Covenant Part 3

I trust that you have finished all of your Christmas shopping and are now resting in the glory of the birth of Jesus—no more commercialization, no more materialism, no more over-the-limit credit cards, no more fussing over what to buy, no more standing in long lines to pay, and no more sweating over who you might have forgotten! Shucks, I will go so far as to hope that you have already nailed down where you will spend Christmas day, and really are looking forward to it.

For some reason, I have been wondering of late why we get so discombobulated over Christmas; it is as if we somehow think our going to Heaven depends upon how much we enter into the fray! I cannot think of any other reason that would explain why we become so, well so discombobulated. I mean people are standing in line all night just to buy that absolutely necessary, cannot-get-along-without-it, end-of-the-world-will-come-if-I-don’t-get-it toy, even killing one another in order to get of all things a play station (whatever that is). Listen, common, ordinary people are stressed to the max in an effort to make all the office parties, and party-parties, and whatever-else-kind-of-parties they have had scheduled for them. I mean life is intense, to put it mildly! Surely, at least getting to Heaven is at stake!

Well, listen up because I do have some good news for you (part 3 of my series on the benefits and blessings of being a New Covenant participant): Striving to get to Heaven need no longer be a concern for you because God has chosen to give you a seat on the same return flight that Jesus took when He ascended back to Heaven, as is evidenced by this: But God being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:4-6; emphasis mine). In other words, you are already in Heaven and comfortably seated at God’s right hand in Jesus (notice the verb tenses), even better than a front-row seat!

Now, I know that many of you have been hoping just to make it into Heaven on a shoestring, and maybe, just maybe, not have to sit in the epistaxis (nosebleed) section; however, you can rest now. Stop! Get off the treadmill of performance! No longer be driven by guilt! It is now party time and Someone else has done ALL the work and you are already at the party—dressed in completely appropriate attire—and there is no “nosebleed section,” only “front and center seats.” Every invitee is seated at the feet of the Birthday Boy and you are one of them! The rush is over, so stop scurrying so! Get out of the long lines because everything needed (and then some) has already been purchased! Forget about your lists because everyone who is supposed to be invited is already at the party and they have been given the gift-of-all-gifts, one mere money cannot buy! Throw away your credit cards, even your checkbook, because all the bills have already been paid in full! LOOK! Can’t you see it? It is party time! Look at the myriad of balloons and that humongous birthday cake and that ocean-sized bowl of punch. LISTEN! I think I can hear the music and everyone beginning to sing, “Happy Birthday to You, Happy Birthday to You, Happy Birthday Dear Jesus, Happy Birthday to You!”

Wow! Do you realize how easy it would have been for you to have missed this, had He not chosen to give you a seat on the same “flight” that Jesus took when He ascended HOME? The truth is some of your would have missed it anyway (had I not reminded you of where you are) because you have been too busy trying to pull off what He has already accomplished!

There really does remain a Sabbath rest for the people of God and this is probably a very good time for you to cease from your labors and join the party. I dare you to join the ranks of the remnant, those who are more-than-satisfied to CELEBRATE JESUS!

The Benefits & Blessings of Being a Participant of the New Covenant Part 2

IT IS DECEMBER! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? CHRISTMAS IS COMING—FAST! I hope you have all of your Christmas shopping done by now, so you can concentrate of the true meaning of this season (dream on, right?) Anyway, maybe you can give someone you love (or are trying to love) a copy of these “Benefits & Blessings of Being a Participant of the New Covenant” and strike at least one name off your list. I can promise you that you will get a response; maybe not a “thank-you-note” but at least a response (reaction is probably the better word).

As I said last week, one would think that the message of the New Covenant—the covenant of grace—would be so attractive to God’s people that they would be willing to stand in line overnight in the cold rain to hear about it; however, that is, simply, not the case. For reasons beyond anything I can comprehend, most Christians are far more attracted to the Law and to its requirements than they are to the New Covenant and the benefits and blessings it brings. Go figure! On to benefit #2!

Living in a Continued State of Forgiveness

Need No Longer Be a Concern for You!

Living in a continued state of forgiveness need no longer be a concern for you because God has chosen to make you perfect—forever perfect, as is evidenced by this: “By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every Priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time onward until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet. For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified (Hebrews 10: 10-14; emphasis mine).

In other words, because of the death of Jesus, the once-for-all-time-death—the offering of the body of Christ as a sacrifice for sin—the penalty for every sin you will commit during your entire lifetime has been paid in full. As a result, you are holy and perfect; consequently, forever forgiven. Granted this might sound a bit strange to your ears; however, please do not allow what seems a bit strange to cause you to throw the baby out with the bath water.

We have been well-trained by the religious that our living in a continued state of forgiveness before God is up to us. Somehow, we have been led to believe that our sin-debt still belongs to us; consequently, we must be constantly doing whatever might be necessary to convince God that we are seriously repentant and sorry for our sins. The truth is most of us think that the degree of our sincerity determines to a large extent whether or not God will forgive us. There is a Greek word for this belief system—hogwash! Of course, we understand the English term much better—heresy!

Anyway, Jesus died because He knew that we could never earn God’s forgiveness; thankfully, He earned it for us by doing the wildest thing—paying the penalty for our sins! Surely, you understand that when a debt is paid, it is also forgiven—this is what “paid-in-full” means, for Pete’s sake. Once you pay off a debt, no one can ever come against you for that debt—ever! Forgiveness is so sweet, especially when you cannot pay and someone does it for you!

Why don’t you just go ahead and life as if your entire sin-debt has been paid in full? It has, if you are His, so you might as well enjoy your freedom. Now you know why debt is often called MORTgage!

The Benefits & Blessings of Being a Participant of the New Covenant Part I

Several years ago now, I wrote an article entitled, “The Benefits & Blessings of Being a Participant of the New Covenant” and I did so because it was obvious to me that many of God’s children preferred to live as if they were still bound by the Old Covenant—attempting to keep the Law; celebrating the various Jewish holidays; and making various sacrifices (not animal, of course)—in an effort to please God and, thereby, to be accepted by Him. Sadly, this propensity has only worsened over the years.

One would think that the message of the New Covenant—the covenant of grace—would be so attractive to God’s people that they would respond to it with exuberance; however, that is, simply, not the case. For reasons beyond anything I can comprehend, most Christians are far more attracted to the Law and to its requirements than they are to the New Covenant and the benefits and blessings it brings. Go figure!

So, for the next several weeks, I am going to be reminding you of these incredible benefits and blessings. I can only pray that the Holy Spirit will use them to stir your heart and cause you to desire to become a bona fide member of the International Association of Those Who Enjoy the Benefits and Blessings of the New Covenant! With that, let us get started-

Meeting the Requirements of the Ten Commandments
Need No Longer Be A Concern for You!

I will bet that this will cause a stir but wait before you jump into the fray because there is, actually, good reason for this: God did for you what the Law could not do for you! “For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit (Romans 8:3-4; emphasis, mine). In other words as a bona fide member of the New Covenant, you can cease striving to meet the requirements of the Ten Commandments because Jesus satisfied the Law’s requirement for you, namely, that sin be punished by death.

Wow! This brings the often forgotten (yet very Biblical) concept of “rest” to center stage. The writer of Hebrews makes it clear that there is a Sabbath rest for the people of God (see Hebrews 4:9) but, tragically, few ever experience it because they are so busy trying to accomplish what God has already perfected. Somehow, we just cannot get it through our thick religious skin that when Jesus said, “It is finished,” He really meant it. There is nothing left for us to do because the work He finished was a perfect-in-every-way work!

Dear ones, we simply cannot improve on “perfect,” try as we might. Agreed! We live in a world of “imperfect,” a world that needs to be “perfected” or at least improved upon. This, however, is NOT the case when it comes to the Kingdom of God and to those of us who live therein. We have been made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus—fully and completed accepted in Him! There is only one way that any of us could have qualified for such a high calling and that way is this: Jesus did for us what we could have never done for ourselves—He gave His life in exchange for our lives!

Have you ever stopped to think about the message you are sending when you attempt to improve upon what He has deemed perfect and complete? If you should, I think you would reconsider your position and immediately cease striving and begin to rest in Him.

The Basics of Evangelism

The more I observe how the church attempts to “polish” the gospel in its attempt to make it less offensive, the more I wonder why God allows it to continue to exist (my use of the term “church” refers NOT to the Body of Christ but to this monster we have created that sits on most street corners). If it were possible to offend God, then I must believe that He is about at His wit’s end (if it were possible for Him to be at His wit’s end). Thankfully (a fitting term for this time of the year), He is in control and not the least bit discombobulated! All I can say is this: He is quite patient!

Take for example the heretical concept of evangelism that the church has propagated for years and years in its effort to evangelize the masses; a tragic role-reversal concept where God is made the victim not only of man’s shenanigans, but also of man’s choice (actually, where God is made man’s victim and man elevates himself to the position of God!). Even a casual look at this would lead one to believe that God left the responsibility of redemption up to man and to his ability to contrive an effective plan.

Just for the record, I want to offer the following for your careful and prayerful consideration:

1. The gospel is the power of God for salvation, not the shenanigans of man.

2. The gospel is not for everyone; therefore, the masses cannot be evangelized.

3. The gospel is for the elect of God and ONLY for the elect of God; therefore, only the elect of God can be evangelized.

4. The antics used to evangelize the masses actually offend the elect; whereas, the gospel offends the masses.

5. No one, not even the elect, can come to the Father (be evangelized), unless He grants it and unless He draws them to Himself.

6. When the Father draws one of His elect to Himself, he/she will come to Him and that in His time.

7. The Son gives life to whom He wishes and only to whom He wishes.

8. God did not design evangelism to be some complicated, manipulative effort that man carries out; instead, He designed it to be something that He accomplishes through the power of the Holy Spirit.

9. The effectiveness of evangelism is not determined by the efforts of man—the one who wills or the one who runs—but by the power of God, who has mercy and lavishes grace.

10. What we win them with is what we win them to; consequently, we should never attempt to win anyone with anything other than the preaching of the gospel. Actually, we never win anyone because He has reserved that for Himself.

It is my prayer that you will become one of those who refuses to continue to attempt to polish the gospel, by merely submitting to the glorious and wonderful fact that God will get His elect Home—everyone of us—before dark, AND to the equally glorious and wonderful fact that He will get’er done with the offensive gospel and without our help!

Blessings and love,

Mac

The Offensive Gospel

“For though I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it—for I see that that letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while—I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, in order that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation; but the sorrow of the world produces death” (2 Corinthians 7: 8-10).

Whatever else we might say about this passage, this is very obvious: it sounds very contrary to what we would expect a believer to say, especially one like Paul—I caused you sorrow and though I did regret it, I no longer do. There is something in most of us that simply does not like to cause sorrow in others and we certainly do not take the position that when we do, we should not regret it. But this is the position Paul takes in this passage.

Now, let me put Paul’s position in context: he makes it clear that he is not dealing with the sorrow the world brings—sorrow that produces death; instead, he is dealing with the sorrow that produces repentance—the kind of repentance that leads to salvation.

Even this clarification does not, however, simplify the text because even though we have been taught the incredibly good news of the gospel, we have also learned that the gospel is offensive foolishness to those who are perishing! Because of our desire not to repel the perishing by offensive foolishness, we attempt to add things to the gospel that disguise its offensive foolishness and, thereby, make it sound more reasonable and appear more attractive to the perishing masses. Sadly, we have developed this tragic mindset: let us do whatever might be necessary to polish the gospel so that we can reach the masses for Jesus. Whatever we do, let us not hurt anyone’s feelings by causing them sorrow, i.e. by telling them who they really are in the eyes of the Holy God.

Interestingly, however, God designed the gospel for His elect, not for the masses and Paul knew this and he knew it quite well. To be sure, neither Paul nor Jesus did anything to “polish the gospel” in an effort to reach anyone; instead, Jesus identified Himself as “the rock of offense” and Paul did everything he could to bring about Godly sorrow in the hearts and lives of his listeners. His words are clear and distinct: “For the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18). It was as if both of them were on a mission to discourage rather than encourage followers!

Follow Paul’s line of thought with me: I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful according to the will of God—sorrow to the point of repentance, the kind of repentance that leads to salvation! I do not think it takes a “rocket scientist” to see this but I will, nevertheless, make my point: no one comes to this kind of repentance until and unless they have been so offended by the gospel that they run to Jesus in utter desperation for redemption and salvation. You see, the gospel is offensive because it reduces man to mere “sackcloth and ashes”—helpless, hopeless, undone, and lost, while at the same time, it elevates God to, well, to God! The gospel is offensive because it brings man to the place where he can no longer worship himself! Isn’t that a novel thought?

Today, I learned that one of the large churches in Macon has asked for the preacher’s resignation. No one had to tell my why because I, well I may be dumb but I ain’t stupid: “The church is going in the wrong direction!” Translated, that means this: “Relative to the other churches in Macon, we are not effectively reaching the masses, so we need another pastor—one who will do whatever it takes not to offend anyone, while at the same time, implementing the kind of programs that will attract more of the perishing masses.” This, however, is my question: what would happen if the leadership of this church took the same position that Jesus and Paul took and simply preached the offensive gospel until it (the gospel) had offended everyone to the very core of their being, until it caused such sorrow that everyone came to repentance, the kind of repentance that leads to salvation?

How in the wide-world have we come believe that we must attempt to improve on the modus operandi of Paul, even Jesus Himself, by making the gospel attractive rather than allowing it to be what it is—offensive?

PASSION or passion?

Dear Fellow Travelers,

The following is an article that my mother, Naia Goddard, wrote about me; unfortunately, the date is unknown:

Mac’s Childhood

Born: February 15, 1942.

First grandson—everyone delighted.

I was saved before you were 4. I realized the awesome responsibility of where you would spend eternity—I knew I couldn’t do what I needed to do, so I spent a lot of time on my knees—seeking the Lord. He knew the desire of my heart and somehow used my mistakes for your good and His glory. When you wanted to do something I felt like Jesus did not want us to do, I always tried to give you an alternative and let you decide—usually, you decided the right way—(The movie episode; I was taught it was sinful to go to the movie). I took you and Kikky to all day prayer meetings and Bible study—you cut your teeth on the old altars—I guess you learned more than I realized. You accepted Jesus when you were five—you didn’t know anything else—it was our way of life. I guess you were tuned to Jesus as we never had any problems with you; you always wanted to please us. You worked hard at the store; Daddy kept you busy where you had very little free time to get into trouble, if you had wanted to. Ray and I taught the children in Sunday school and Bible school. As you all grew, I worked with the youth—I felt called to do youth work as surely as you have been called to preach. Then all those years we went to camp meeting at Indian Springs. As teenagers, the peer pressure was “if you aren’t a Christian, you aren’t anything.” But we had many decisions for Jesus during those years. So you all just fell in love with Jesus, and as you sang choruses and witnessed for Him, you just grew up and suddenly you’d missed all the “junk” and were rooted and grounded in Him.

As I read this brief bio, several thoughts came to my mind, not the least of which was this: from the moment of my Mother’s justification, she was very, very serious about knowing truth—her desire for it was insatiable. She read and studied the Bible, as if it would be taken away from her without a moment’s notice; she attended Bible studies and prayer meetings several times per week; and she never missed a church service—regardless of which church in the area might have been holding it. As you can probably tell from what she wrote, her early teachers were all dyed-in-the-wool Wesleyan-Arminian regarding their theological persuasion. Because she desperately wanted to know truth, she became easy prey for her “teachers.” Whatever these men (and women) said, she accepted as truth—no questions asked! Unfortunately, men like Calvin and Luther were in their opinions heretics, so she assumed the same posture. As you might imagine, before long, her list of “dos” and “don’ts” was well-formed and seen as the “one-and-only-correct-list.” (As you can see, one of the “don’ts” on her list was “Don’t go to movies because doing so is sin!”) Just for the record: she was very committed and just as determined to obey the list of rules given to her by her teachers, and compared to some, she did it quite well (at least in her mind).

My point is this: I know many people who have embraced the Gospel of Grace just as fervently as my mother embraced the Wesleyan-Arminian “gospel”; however, from what I have been able to see, their continued passion for what they believe doesn’t even come close to the on-going passion my Mother had for what she believed. One would think it would be the other way around! Why is there so much complacency within the lives of those who embrace the true gospel? Why is there such a lack of commitment? Why is there such a lack of participation? We should be the people who are most committed to what we believe but—

Thankfully, several years before her death, my mother saw the error of what she had been taught and she became even more passionate about the Gospel of Grace than she had ever been about the Wesleyan-Arminian heresy. She even burned her “beloved” list of “dos’ and “don’ts” and began to attend movies—even dance! Go figure—

I really pray that you can hear my heart in this—I really do!

HAVE YOU CONSIDERED MY SERVANT?

There is a part of Christianity that is, indeed, warm, fuzzy, exciting and incredibly wonderful! For example, have you ever been present when someone was being born into the Kingdom of God? Have you ever seen the power of prayer bring healing to someone you knew and loved? Have you ever been overcome with the excitement and warmth of The Presence of the Holy Spirit? Have you ever attended the ordination of one called by God into the ministry?
I could go on and on; but, suffice it to say that there is that part of Christianity that is warm, fuzzy, incredibly exciting, and outrageously wonderful! However, Christianity has another side that most of us do not like to face—one that is far removed from warm, fuzzy, excitement. Although, I realize that in all probability Job did not know Jesus by name, I think you can see this side of Christianity in God’s dialogue with Satan when He asked him this question: Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth? “And the Lord said to Satan, Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil” (Job 1:8).
Had you not read the rest of the story, you might think that God was recommending Job for a job promotion with Satan; however, that was not the case because Job was not an employee of Satan! No! God’s question for Job has a way of bringing into focus the truth that most of us don’t want to face, namely, this: Christianity is not what we think it is! It is a far cry from the whitewashed, prosperity-if-you-believe, apple-pie-in-the-sky, no-problems-religion that most of us have been taught that it is!
Just prior to our text verse, we read this: “And the Lord said to Satan, ‘From where do you come?’ Then Satan answered the Lord and said, ‘From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it’” (vs. 7). Let me ask you this: Why does Satan roam around on the earth? He does so because He is seeking someone to devour. Remember 1 Peter 5:8: “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
With that in mind, it is not too difficult to see what Satan was about in his dialogue with God. Interestingly, however, God apparently assisted him in his search! His words were unmistakably these: “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth!” In other words, God was saying, “If you can get him you to come over to your side, you will have accomplished something huge—really huge!”
Now, let’s be honest: This doesn’t sound like the God we know! Let me say it this way: we hope this isn’t the God we know! The last thing we want to think that God might do is to invite Satan, in his search for someone to devour, to consider one of us. However, it is God (the Father of our Lord, Jesus!) and He did speak these words to Satan: “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth” (1:8) and He spoke them knowing full well what Satan was about!
He also knew something else! He knew what He was about in Job, and He knew that Satan was under His control! He had a very clear purpose in mind and He was in complete charge!
Now, having said all of that, there are several truths that must come into focus or none of us will be able to handle this text! Without them, I cannot imagine anyone even approaching this text without so much fear and anxiety that they would run from it! Yes! There is a piece of it that sounds exciting: “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth!” That might well be the highest compliment God ever paid anyone; however, when you realize what Job is being considered for, without the following truths firmly implanted, this passage is very, very hard! (Even then, it is no “walk in the park!”)
First – The sufferings of this present time are not worth being compared with the glory that is to be revealed in us! Listen to the words of Paul: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18).
The question seems to be this: Are the blessings of heaven really going to be worth the sufferings on earth that being a Christian brings? At least for Paul, the answer is a resounding – YES! No comparison! The glory that is to be revealed to us when we get home will be so incredibly wonderful that we won’t even have the thought, much less, raise the question.
Now, look with me at 1 Peter 1:6: “In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials.” Greatly rejoice in what? The blessings of heaven, of course! Look at verses 3-5: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
What is our living hope; rather, who is our living hope? Jesus and all that He has prepared for His elect! Unless you really believe that the “sufferings of this present time” are nothing in comparison to the glory that is to be revealed in us, you will approach this text with so much anxiety and fear that you will run from it. Let me say it this way: You will never personalize it, as you do so many other passages!
Allow me to bring this home: today Satan is roaming about seeking someone to devour! He has not changed, neither has God! Are you prepared for God to assist Satan in his search, and this time to pick YOU out of the crowd for Satan to consider?
Second – It is much better to die and be with Christ than to continue on in this earthsuit, but it is to the advantage of others that we continue here! I know that that sounds a bit morbid; however, it is true because Paul said it: “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake” (Philippians 1:21-24).
There can be no mistaking what he said: It would be much better to physically die and be with Christ than to continue on in this earthsuit. We have a hope that does not and will not disappoint us! In my opinion, this is why Paul could say some of the other things he said. For example: “We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh” (2 Corinthians 4:7-11). Unless this is firmly planted in you, our text will leave you filled with so much anxiety and fear that you will run from it!
Third – Suffering because you are a Christian, is a privilege and a blessing—a thing of grace—not an act of divine punishment! Paul also said this: “For you have been granted the privilege for Christ’s sake not only to believe in Him but also to suffer in His behalf” (Philippians 1:29; Amp).
Look with me at 2 Timothy 1:8-12: “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, or of me His prisoner; but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher. For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know in whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.”
We simply cannot get around the fact that for Paul suffering was a privilege and a blessing—a thing of grace—and so it is for you and me! Why? It is because when we suffer because we are His, we are being identified with Him.
Maybe this will help you see it: “And they took his advice, and after calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them to speak no more in the name of Jesus, and then released them. So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name” (Acts 5:41). Again, unless this truth is firmly rooted in your life and mind, our text will leave you so filled with anxiety and fear that you will run from it!
Fourth – Suffering is not without divine purpose! Again, Paul probably said it best in Romans 5:3-5: “And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
In Philippians 1:6-7 Paul said this: “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel you all are partakers of grace with me.”
Suffering because we are His is never without divine purpose! God never finds Himself surprised in our suffering – never! No Christian ever suffers outside the parameters of God’s prescribed purpose!
If you cannot see this in the life of Paul, then certainly you can see it in the life of Jesus: His suffering was not without divine purpose. Neither is yours! Unless this is firmly planted in your heart and mind, our text will arouse such anxiety and fear that you will certainly run from it!
Fifth – It is through suffering that we learn obedience! This, too, might be a bit frightening; however, it is true! Believe it or not, it was also true for Jesus. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews said this: “Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered” (Hebrews 5:8).
The problem with this is that most Christians believe that suffering is the result of their disobedience; however, Jesus was NOT disobedient—even so, He learned obedience from the things He suffered, and, I might add, so do we!
Let’s look at the next verse (9): “And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation. This is even more frightening! He became to those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation!” What is it that we have been asked to obey? The Ten Commandments? Yes! But we have all miserably failed! What then? Job was a righteous man who feared God and hated evil, yet he suffered!
Look at Hebrews 4:9-11: “There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall through following the same example of disobedience.”
What is the obedience? It is this: Believing that Jesus is enough! Unless this is fixed in your mind, our text will leave you with such anxiety and fear that you will certainly run from it!
Finally – suffering exacerbates our weaknesses and allows His strength to be made perfect in us! From what I have been able to see, we do everything possible to keep from exposing our weaknesses because we do not want others to think we cannot handle life. However, it seems obvious to me that God is determined to expose our weaknesses—whether we like it or not, but He does so with purpose—to show Himself strong!
Listen to the words of Jesus to Paul: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in your weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Again, unless this is fixed in your mind, our text will leave you with such anxiety and fear that you will run from it!

MYTEXT

“And the Lord said to Satan, Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil” (Job 1:8).

MY QUESTION

Are you praying that God will do for you what He did for Job and invite Satan to consider you? If not, don’t worry because if He decides to do so, He will do it without your permission. Do remember this: God causes all things to work together for good for those who love Him and are the called according to His purpose!!

I just thought I would give you something to think about in your spare time!

Blessings with grace lavished,

Mac