TRANSFORMED INTO A MAN OF GOD

One of the most fascinating transformations in the New Testament is that of Peter. A fisherman by trade, impetuous Peter was also a man hungry for a real relationship with God. His brother, Andrew, after encountering Jesus, went to him and said, “We have found the Messiah . . . and he brought him (Peter) to Jesus” (John 1:41-42).

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The transformation in Peter was not instantaneous. He made a lot of mistakes and even denied that he was one of Jesus’s followers after boasting to Jesus, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death” (Luke 22:33).

We get to see the transformation more clearly when, after the infilling of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, Peter preaches the first post-Pentecost sermon and three thousand were added to the infant church (see Acts 2:41).

Peter became one of the leading apostles of the early church. While he was not as widely used as the Apostle Paul, the change in him is most clearly seen in the depth of his writings to the church in what we know as First and Second Peter.

  

In his first epistle, Peter encourages and teaches a church under severe attack. This is not the lightweight teaching of someone who had a one-time experience with the Lord but then never matured as a man of God. What we read, in both epistles, is the writing of a man greatly matured in his spiritual life; he had learned from his mistakes and had become a man of God. Jesus had challenged Peter to become a shepherd to the church and in his letters we can see that Peter had, indeed, become that man, a shepherd of God’s people (see John 21:15-17).

In First Peter 3:8 we read:

“Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.”

In the posts of this week and next, we will look briefly at the five different words that Peter is exhorting the church to understand and embrace as the people go through a very difficult time. These are just as important to us as we go through the encroaching darkness of the days ahead.

1.   Unity

2.   Sympathy

3.   Brotherly love

4.   A tender heart

5.   Humility

We will look at the first two of these words today and the rest in next week’s post. Please be reminded that Peter is writing to encourage and equip the church that was under siege by the attacks of the world around it. Peter was helping the church to see and to do what it needed to in order to survive the troubled times it was in.

1.   “Have unity of mind”

Why would Peter begin this list with the need for “unity”? He was with Jesus when He taught the disciples the need for unity. In Matthew 12:25, Jesus said, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand” (see also Mark 3:24-25 and Luke 11:17).

Unity of mind doesn’t mean that we have to agree on every minor point of doctrine and church conduct. We agree on the major issues and agree to not let minor issues cause division. Some of my legalistic friends have occasionally rebuked me because over my years in the ministry, I have moved freely among all segments of the Evangelical and Protestant community. But I have chosen never to make an issue out of the minors.

Peter is imploring the church is be united in mind because “united we stand and divided we fall.”

2.   “Sympathy”

In today’s world, sympathy carries the meaning of “shared feelings.” It allows us to casually say, “I sympathize with you on that.” That’s not the meaning of the word Peter chose to use that is translated for us as “sympathy.” Rather, the word he chose is an intense word that speaks of actually sharing in the suffering of a fellow believer.

Sympathy, as it is used here, demands action on our part — sharing in the needs of the other person. In other words, it means giving, or going, or doing something. It is not real biblical sympathy if it does not result an in action. Just as James said, “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:26), so sympathy without action is also dead.

Perhaps the reason so many contemporary churches are not really alive in the life and spirit of the Lord is because they are not following through and putting into action their sympathy. The church cannot just talk about prayer, or missions, or evangelism, it must follow through and engage with its talk. Perhaps understanding biblical sympathy will assist us in understanding why Christianity is in decline in America.

Next week we’ll carry on regarding 1 Peter 3:8.

HOW TO AVOID FALLING

Several years ago when I occasionally had a problem keeping my balance, I periodically used a cane. About a year ago I began using the cane all the time, as the balance problem had become worse. I was diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy, which causes pain, numbness in the feet, and loss of balance. The doctor prescribed medicine to help alleviate the pain and sent me to see a neurologist.

I was told that most people with this type of neuropathy are diabetic but I am not. The neurologist explained that some forms of neuropathy have no known cause and also have no cure. Please don’t think the reason I am sharing is to get attention or sympathy, because I am not looking for either.

   

A lesson that I have relearned in the last several months has been how to avoid falling. I’ve learned this the hard way by taking several spills and ending up with some rather large bruises as well as numerous bloody scrapes and gashes.

I’ve found that in order to avoid falling, I must have a firm hold on something that is stable and strong. When I do what I know I should, I don’t fall; when I don’t do what I should then I get into trouble. By the way, several months ago I retired my cane and began using a walker to get around, as it provides me with much more stability.

The Bible has a lot to say about our being stable. Let me share with you just a little of what I have learned from my physical struggles and how it relates to our walk with God.

I am not using the word “falling” to suggest that one becomes unsaved. I am saying that when we don’t have a firm hold on what we should, we can lose our balance and end up in unnecessary difficulties as a result of our own laxity.

Just as Paul is getting ready to finish his first letter to the church at Corinth he says, “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the last days your labor is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58). 

Paul’s letter to the Corinthian church should have special meaning for us. Corinth was a pagan city with many of the same problems that are plaguing our society today. The new converts were coming out of this highly heathen community and Paul, who started the church, was helping the new believers learn how to live in victory. That’s what he is talking about in the verse we just read.

What does the word steadfast mean? Steadfast as it is used here means to be marked by firm determination, to be unshakable, to be firm.

How do we become steadfast? Let me just give you one verse of Scripture to chew on.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

After I began using the walker, I read the Proverbs 3 where says, “Do not lean on your own understanding.” I began laughing at myself as I thought about my arrogance in thinking that I did not need any help — and especially thinking that I would never need a walker. Carrying a cane is not too bad, as it can look rather aristocratic. But a walker? Babies use walkers! And, well, as you now know, so do I. And there goes my pride on that one.

The word acknowledge in verse 6 is really important for all of us to grasp. Our contemporary use of the word is to draw attention to something or to affirm the existence of something. But to think that is the meaning of the word here is totally wrong. The core of the meaning in Hebrew is from the word yada, which means to know, to know face to face, to know intimately (e.g., a married couple).

And here is the promise for those who acknowledge Him: “He will make your paths straight.” The word straight means to make level/smooth, to be upright (in contrast to fallen).

I cannot stress strongly enough the importance of our personal relationship with Him. It’s deadly to fall out of a daily time of communion with Him in prayer and in His Word. It’s in the simplicity of our personal contact with Him that we find ourselves in touch with the one thing in our universe that is fully stable — and it’s not a government; it’s not a leader; it’s not gold or silver. There is only one fully stable Person to hold on to and that is God.

“I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you” (Isaiah 42:6).

BOTH CANDIDATES ARE DISGUSTING

I came across the following quote a few days ago:

A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves money from the Public Treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the Public Treasury, with a result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by dictatorship. The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years. These nations have progressed through the following sequence:

• From bondage to spiritual faith
• From spiritual faith to great courage
• From courage to liberty
• From liberty to abundance
• From abundance to selfishness
• From selfishness to complacency
• From complacency to apathy
• From apathy to dependency
• From dependency back into bondage  (Alexander Fraser Tytler)

I am deeply burdened for our nation. I believe we are in the last part of the sequence that Professor Tytler laid out. In addition, Christianity is under attack and on the decline in America. Terrorism is on the rise. Islam is about to make its presence very strongly felt in our land. In the midst of all of the above, we are in the most contentious presidential election this country has ever seen. Many evangelical Christians are shaking their heads about who to vote for. Both candidates are, to my view, disgusting! But we must carefully consider the issues at stake . . . and vote!

I have taken my concerns before the Lord and will continue to do so, not only because of the election, and I’m pleading with you to join with me in prayer for our nation. While in prayer the Lord reminded me of what he did through Daniel’s prayer for the Jews in captivity in Babylon.

Daniel was a man of God who knew how to keep his faith alive in extremely difficult circumstances. The Jews had been in captivity in Babylon for nearly seventy years and faced a troubling and uncertain future. Daniels prayer for the deliverance of his people in Daniel 9:3-19 is one of the best models of prayer for us, as our nation sinks into the madness of the end times.

The brevity of this blog allows me to touch only the highlights of this powerful, intercessory prayer. I would encourage all who are burdened for our churches, our nation, and our world to take time to read, meditate on and pray over this passage.

Daniel’s prayer is a model of how to pray for the promise of 2 Chronicles 7:14 to be fulfilled.

Verse 3 — “I set my face toward the Lord God” (NKJV). Daniel was determined to touch God with his prayer. To “set his face” means he was intent on achieving a specific result. He was going to pray through!

Verse 5 — “We have sinned and committed iniquity.” Daniel did not point fingers at others. He took ownership of the sin and iniquity of the people. I call this a “we” prayer and the use of “we” establishes that Daniel identified with his people; he did not point at them and say, “They are to blame, they have done wrong.”

Verse 6 — “We have not listened to the messengers [the prophets] you sent to bring your word” (my paraphrase). We heard the words but we did not do what Your word instructed us to do.

Verse 7 — “Righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face.” There is nothing arrogant or proud in Daniel’s prayer. This is the expression of the humility that God says He will respond to, the humility spoken of in 2 Chronicles 7:14: “If My people . . . will humble themselves.”

Verse 10 — “We have not obeyed the voice of the Lord.” No excuses are being offered. “We are disobedient; we have taken the word of the Lord lightly and have not been obedient!”

Verse 12 — “He has confirmed His words.” Even in judgment God is faithful to His word — He promised that curses/judgment would come because of disobedience (Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28).

Verse 13 — “All this disaster has come upon us; yet we have not made our prayer before the Lord our God.” All that had happened to the Jews had not brought them to a place of prayer nor had they turned from their sinful and unfaithful ways. Are we any different?

Daniel then appeals for God’s intervention. Verses 16-19 are, I believe, the heart of Daniel’s prayer as he asks God for four things:

1. First, he asked that the Lord turn away His anger and wrath from Jerusalem (verse 16).
2. Second, Daniel asked that a new day of blessing would come for His temple: “Cause Your face to shine on Your sanctuary” (verse 17).
3. Third, Daniel appealed to the Lord to open both His ear and His eye to the desolation (spiritual dryness) of the people. Daniel appeals to God for mercy and acknowledges the lack of righteousness among the people (verse 18).
4. Fourth, Daniel calls on the Lord to forgive His people and to take action to return them to their land, to the city of Jerusalem and to the temple (verse 19).

The church of today is looking for the fulfillment of 2 Chronicles 7:14 without having to meet the conditions of the promise. We want the healing of the land without humility, without repentance, without prayer.

  

It is time for us to humble ourselves and ask God to forgive us for our failures and to extend His great mercy to our land. And if we will, He will!

THE LAST ACT OF A DYING MAN

Hebrews 11 is the “faith hall of fame.” The chapter begins with the classic definition of faith and then walks us down the hallway of fame with vignettes about some of the great heroes of faith displayed like portraits on the wall. Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah and others are beautifully pictured and briefly sketched in a sentence or two that capture their acts of obedience and walk of faith. These brief reminders are there to encourage us and build our walk of faith.

Verse 21 has arrested me: “By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff” (NKJ).

At first reading, this hardly seems like the kind of act to be included with Noah “building an ark,” Abraham “going out not knowing where he was going,” or Moses “leading the children of Israel through the Red Sea.” But there it is — in the midst of the “hall of fame” with all the others!

By the time Jacob’s life was at an end, his natural eyesight was gone, but his “faith sight” was crystal clear. When Joseph brought his sons in for the blessing of his father Jacob, Joseph carefully arranged his sons so that Jacob’s right hand (signifying the greater anointing and blessing) would be upon his firstborn and his left hand would be on the son born second. However, by the “eye of faith” Jacob knew that the second-born son was to be used by God in a greater way than his brother and so, even though blind, he crossed his hands and laid his right hand on the second born and the left on his older brother. Both grandsons were blessed but not in the order that tradition dictated.

The Scripture says that after blessing his grandsons, Jacob leaned on his staff and worshiped. This phrase is difficult to translate from the original. It probably does not mean that Jacob literally stood up, leaned on his walking stick, and worshiped. Most likely it means that he lay back on his bed and worshiped. Frankly, exactly how it happened is immaterial. What is really important to understand is that Jacob valued his relationship with God so strongly that he went out of this life, and into eternity, worshiping. The last act of a dying man was to worship his God!

What does this say to us about the value of worship? Authentic worship is not about us, it is all about Him. Authentic worship is an act of faith, not a declaration of war, not an assertion of rights, not a condemnation of the devil . . . it is an act of faith as we express praise and adoration to God. Trite little songs and poems about dancing and jumping, about exercising our dominion and our rights, are hardly worship; at best they are expressions of pleasure and joy in serving Jesus. Authentic worship is not a performance; instead, it is a humble and unrestrained act of adoration of the Creator. Real worship is totally focused on Him and has nothing at all to do with me or you or anybody else!

What does it say to us that the final act of a dying man is worship? I believe this act of faith shows us how deeply Jacob valued his relationship with God. Jacob had gone through some very serious challenges in his life and he had seen God provide for him and his family in miraculous ways. He knew the pain of being lied to by his sons after they had conspired to kill their brother Joseph. He knew the terrifying pain of believing that he had lost one son only to find out that another had been taken hostage by the Egyptians.

Jacob thought Joseph was dead, but he later saw God’s magnificently sovereign plan being unfolded by Joseph’s advance entrance into Egypt. Jacob had seen the extremes of life, the lowest of lows and the highest of highs. He easily could have chosen to finish life as a cynical and beaten man, but instead he chose to finish his life in an act of faith, an act of worship. Maybe Jacob, in this act of faith, one more time slowly pushed himself up from his bed, and one last time took up his walking stick. Slowly, so slowly, he pushed himself upright in defiance of his age and infirmity and, using his staff for balance, begin to magnify the Lord with the verbal sacrifice of praise and worship. I can almost hear the tired voice of Jacob as he begins to worship and give praise to the Almighty!

I like that imagery — it is a picture that belongs in the “faith hall of fame.” May we all learn to walk by faith as worshipers of El Shaddai/The Almighty!