Tuesday, October 29,
2013, 5:17 a.m. – the Lord Jesus woke me with the song “Who Believes?” playing in my mind. Speak, Lord, your words to my
heart. I read Isaiah 44 and 2 Corinthians 10.
By
the humility and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul, who am “timid”
when face to face with you, but “bold” toward you when away! I beg you that
when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people
who think that we live by the standards of this world. For though we live in
the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are
not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to
demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets
itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to
make it obedient to Christ… We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves
with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves
and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise… ~ 2 Co. 10:1-5, 12
The Standards of this
World
Evidently there were those critics of Paul’s ministry who
were trying to discredit him and his ministry by accusing him falsely of operating
out of the flesh of man rather than from the Spirit of God, so he wrote this to
correct their faulty thinking. It was important for Paul to defend his ministry
and his calling against his opposition because the credibility of the gospel of
Jesus Christ was also at stake and was brought into question by these
accusations, since Paul was an appointed minister of the gospel of Jesus
Christ.
Then, Paul explained the manner in which he and his fellow
apostles conducted themselves as true ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
They did not live or operate in the flesh or by the standards of this world.
Amen! While it was true that they lived in the world, they did not use worldly
methods to win a spiritual battle against the flesh, sin and Satan. And, they
did not promote the gospel of Jesus Christ using worldly means. Amen! Do you
hear what this is saying? Why is it, then, that today’s institutional church
here in America relies so heavily upon humanistic philosophy, business
marketing schemes and techniques, entertainment, and the teachings of humankind
on how to build their “churches”?
We are not supposed to live by the standards of this world.
God has called us out from the world to be separate and to not love the world’s
system or the things of this sinful world. So, what are some of the standards
of this world we might tend to live by? There are many, but some that come to
mind are feeling as though we have to lie, cheat, steal, step on people,
manipulate, and discriminate based upon human philosophy on how to get ahead
and to be successful in this life. There is also the sense or belief that we
have to entertain the world with worldly means and methods in order to attract
the world to the (worldly) church. We think we have to use gimmicks and advertising
techniques and have giveaways and make everything fun, comfortable, and
appealing to human likes and wants.
We tend to tolerate sin and are even entertained by it
ourselves, because we think we are supposed to be more like the world if we
want to win the people of the world to Christ. After all, reason says, “Who
will we win if we separate ourselves from the ways of this fallen world? People
will think we are holy-rollers, better-than-thous, superior, know-it-alls,
crazy, etc., and they won’t want to be associated with us.” We also think we
need to make the gospel less offensive and more acceptable so that more people
will want to “accept Christ.” But, is Christ really who they are accepting?
The Gospel of
Salvation
What does the Bible say concerning the gospel of Jesus
Christ and how to win people to Christ? First of all it says that Jesus Christ
died on the cross for the sins of the entire world so that the world might be
saved from sin and have the hope of eternal life with God. It says that Jesus
Christ is the only way to heaven, and that no one comes to the Father except
through Jesus Christ. It says that no one can come to Christ, though, unless the
Father first draws him, i.e. this is of the Spirit, not of the convincing of
man. It says that salvation is a free gift that we receive by faith and it is
not of the works of humans, so none of us can boast that we earned our
salvation. It says that when we come to faith in Jesus Christ that we are
transformed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God, the old life of living for
sin and self is crucified with Christ, and we are raised with Christ to newness
of life. In other words, this is the work of the Spirit of God, and cannot be
accomplished using worldly means, methods or standards.
Yet, we must accept God’s free gift of salvation by faith.
Jesus said that if anyone wants to come after him, he must deny his self-life,
die daily to sin and self and follow Jesus in obedience and surrender to his
will for their lives. He said if we hold on to our old lives of living for self
and sin we will lose them for eternity, but if we willingly die to our old
lives of sin, for the sake of following Jesus Christ, then we will gain eternal
life (See Lu. 9:23-25). Paul said that the way we come to know Christ is by
putting off our old lives of sin, by being transformed in heart and mind (of
the Spirit of God) and by putting on our new lives in Christ Jesus, “created to
be like Christ in true righteousness and holiness” (See Eph. 4:17-24). He also
said, “For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body
ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to
sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin” (Rom. 6:6-7). So,
faith means death to our old lives of living for sin and self, transformation
of heart and mind, and new lives in Christ Jesus – all the work of the Spirit
of God as we yield to his work by faith.
Power to Demolish
Strongholds
Jesus told his disciples that by the authority of Christ
they were to go and to make disciples of Christ of all nations, baptizing them
and teaching them to obey Christ’s commands. He also said that when the Holy
Spirit comes upon us - I believe in regeneration when we are indwelt with the
Holy Spirit of God - that we will be his witnesses throughout all the earth.
Although this was spoken to his disciples at those specific times in history, I
believe scripture teaches that we, as his disciples today, have also been given
a divine commission to spread the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ to people
throughout the world. We are told that we should not hide our lights, but that
we should let them shine before all people. We are also told that whoever turns
a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death.
Paul was given the commission to open the eyes of the blind
and to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God so
they might receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are being
sanctified and made holy in Christ Jesus (See Ac. 26:16-18). I believe each and
every one of us have been given this commission, for the Spirit dwells within
us, and he lives Christ’s life out through us, and that is exactly what Christ
would be doing. Jesus Christ said we would do even greater things than he did.
Yet, we don’t do this in our own strength, willpower, and/or
knowledge, etc. No weapons against evil, which are fought by this world’s
system, have the power of God to demolish the strongholds of sin that have
people in bondage. They have no power to wage war against Satan and his evil
forces and against his evil schemes which come against us and that come against
Christ and his gospel. We may supply people with fun, entertaining,
comfortable, non-threatening places of “worship,” but if we don’t preach the
true gospel of salvation, in the power of the Spirit of God within us, then we
are trying to win people with the standards of this world instead of using the
spiritual weapons with which God has supplied us to win this spiritual battle
against evil and for God.
So, instead of waging war the way the world does, and rather
than conducting our lives by the standards of this world as a means of winning
people to Christ, we should demolish (defeat; annihilate) every argument and
pretension (trick; con; deception; charade; scheme; gimmick; fantasy – false gospel)
which sets itself up against the true knowledge of God found in the scriptures
and in the gospel of Jesus Christ. And, we should take every thought – every human
device and intellectual thought or idea or notion that comes against the true
gospel of salvation, and we should take it as a captive and make it obedient to
Jesus Christ, i.e. it should have no sway in our lives.
Who Believes? /
An Original Work / October 3, 2013
Based off Isaiah 53
Gospel message, who believes?
Jesus Christ died on a tree,
Saving us from all our sin,
So we might be cleansed within.
Had no beauty found in Him,
That we should desire Him.
Man of sorrows, suffering;
Crushed for our iniquities.
Surely He has borne our griefs;
From our sadness, brings relief.
Bore the stripes; forsaken, He,
So forgiven we might be.
We, like sheep, have gone astray,
Each of us turned his own way.
Jesus calls, “Repent today;
My commandments, now obey.”
Jesus said, to come to him,
We must die to all our sin.
Crucified with Him, we live,
Walking in His righteousness.
Suff’ring servants, we will be,
Taking His identity on us,
When confessing Him
As our Savior, Lord and King.
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