How Can You Say to My Soul

“In the Lord I take refuge;

how can you say to my soul,

    ‘Flee like a bird to your mountain,

for behold, the wicked bend the bow;

    they have fitted their arrow to the string

    to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart;

if the foundations are destroyed,

    what can the righteous do?’

“The Lord is in his holy temple;

    the Lord's throne is in heaven;

    his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man.

The Lord tests the righteous,

    but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.

Let him rain coals on the wicked;

    fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.

For the Lord is righteous;

he loves righteous deeds;

    the upright shall behold his face.” (Psalms 11:1-7 ESV)

I was just commenting to my husband this morning that if anyone has the title of “missionary” that people appear to be likely to get behind them and to support them and to lift them up, many times without even questioning them as to what they are actually doing and teaching. It is like being called “missionary” raises them up to some superior status above the rest of us regular people who are being missionaries in the spreading of the gospel, and just because they have a title of “missionary.” This should not be!

Now, occasionally I will read what the commentators of old had to say about particular passages of Scripture, and when I read “Benson Commentary” on Psalms 11:1, it immediately struck me that this goes right along with my comment to my husband this morning. For this was the first sentence:

“In the Lord put I my trust — It is not in fortresses or strong holds that I place my confidence, but only in the Lord, in his power, and love, and faithfulness.”

Amen! I love it! We are not to put our trust in titles given to people, such as pastor and evangelist and missionary and apostle and prophet and the like. We should not put our trust in the title of “Christian,” either. For someone is not who he is based on a title but on what he does, how he lives, and what he practices. For if someone calls himself a doctor or a dentist, it doesn’t mean he actually is one unless that is what he practices. So we have to guard ourselves against raising up titles, especially without question.

We are not less just because we don’t have a title. And I believe that is what this passage is teaching. You are not a missionary just because you have the title of missionary. You are a missionary if what you do is spread the TRUTH of the gospel of Christ, as he taught it, to the people of the world, in practice. And that is because being a missionary is taking the message of the gospel of our salvation to the ends of the earth, to the people of the world, and even to those professing faith in Jesus, for not all have faith.

And so you don’t have to go through some training in being a missionary at some college or seminary where they may or may not be training you in the ways of the Lord and in following the leading of the Holy Spirit. And you don’t have to physically go to another country to be a missionary. You can be a missionary from your own home on the internet, sharing the gospel of our salvation in writing or in video talks or in song. And depending upon where you live, these messages can go to people of many nations. These do!

Now you may be treated as less, as though what you are doing is not important, while others who are called “missionary” may get all kinds of praise and support and encouragement, regardless of what they are literally doing, in practice. For not all missionaries or mission organizations are actually spreading the message that Jesus taught and that his NT apostles taught, but many of them are just “do good” organizations, which we need, but who are diluting the gospel message to make it more acceptable.

But don’t let that discourage you. Don’t accept that you are less or that you have no value just because you don’t have a title or just because you are not supported by some institution of human origin, many of which are incorporated under the state and which are beholding to particular church denominations and to their theologies. And many of which are not teaching the whole counsel of God but who are altering the character of God/Christ and of his gospel message and of his church, the body of Christ.

So, be wise about who you support and who you raise up to a status above the rest of us common people, for those people are just humans like us, and they may not even be living up to the status of “missionary,” but they may be worldly people who are just “good deed doers” who are not giving the people the message that they need to hear that will save their souls from hell and which will give them true hope of salvation from sin and eternal life with God in heaven. So test everyone and everything!

So let God be your fortress, not some human institution. Let the Holy Spirit be your guide, not the theologies of human beings. And get your praise from God, not from men. And get your peace in knowing that you are in the center of God’s will doing what he has called you to do regardless of whether or not anyone praises you, or encourages you, for that matter. And test everyone and everything, and don’t accept titles as proof of practice. Ask questions. Find out what the people are actually teaching. It may be lies.

For Jesus taught that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and to self), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to our old lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if for the sake of Jesus we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow him in obedience, then we have the hope of eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING the will of God the Father who is in heaven.

So, know what the Scriptures teach. Read them IN CONTEXT. Read them carefully and prayerfully, and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and not in accord with the theologies of humans. And follow the Lord in obedience in doing whatever it is he has called you to do regardless of how other people treat you, and regardless if you are treated as a nothing while others with titles are raised up above all the rest of us. Just do what God has called you to do and leave the results to God, and test everything and everyone.

THE GOSPEL MESSAGE

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-11; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 10:23-31; 1 Co 10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

Courageous!  

An Original Work / December 24, 2013  

Based off Various Scriptures

The Word of God throughout taught.

Some people heard but did doubt.

Still others had faith in Christ.

By grace He purified them.

They turned from sin

And they obeyed Christ.

He opened up their blinded eyesight;

Turned them from darkness 

To the true Light;

Forgave their sin by His might.

He strengthened them in their faith.

He said, “Remain my faithful.”

He called them to obedience.

By faith, they were so grateful.

By faith, they were to follow Jesus;

To daily sit and listen to Him;

To have such faith 

That mountains could move;

To love those whom He gave them.

Be on your guard; courageous.

Stand firm in faith. Be thankful.

Take up the shield of your faith;

Protect against all evil.

Do not move from 

The hope that you have.

Your faith in Jesus let it endure.

Hold to the truth; 

Your conscience be clear.

Endure with perseverance. 

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