Featured Book

This is my newest, and best, get rich quick plan. Every so often I plan on featuring a book that I have enjoyed, recommending it to you, and hopefully, you will buy it at my recommendation! If not, I hope that you can enjoy and learn from the books that I myself enjoy and learn from!

The Believer's Bible Commentary by William McDonald is a concise, conservative, and practical handbook on the Word of God that concerns itself with what the text is teaching, the practical application of it, and its proper place in Scripture. The author himself said that "the purpose of the Believer's Bible Commentary is to give the average Christian reader a basic knowledge of what the Holy Bible is all about." And I would say that he admirably accomplishes that purpose.

This volume is not a critical commentary, and it does not delve into theological issues at great length. However, it does not avoid theological issues or sidestep controversial passages. Rather, it treats them fairly, and seeks to answer the issue within the context of the verse and the greater context of Scripture. Again, I think it does an excellent job of this, understanding that its primary purpose is to give a basic knowledge of the Bible.

All said and done, I feel that this volume would be a great asset to the bookshelf of any serious, or casual, student of God's Word. For the casual student, it gives good insight, solid, practical theology, and a foundational understanding. For the more serious student, it compliments more in-depth study by giving a much needed practical emphasis to Scripture, without being overly devotional.

Paul's Heartfelt Prayer (Philippians 1:8-11)

As I was reading Philippians 1:8-11 in preparation for this, I began thinking of what I do for the people I love. How do I really know who I love, and who I just like? Because it isn’t enough for me just to tell myself that I love them, but I have to act on that love. This is the same way that it isn’t enough just to tell someone that I love them, instead, I have to show them. So what do I do, and how do I know who I love? Well, I’m pretty convinced that the primary way that I show my love for someone is by praying for them. They may not know what I’ve been praying, or when I’ve been praying for them, but that’s ok, because love is not self-serving, and I don’t need the credit.

For example, there are many ways, and things I do, to try and show my wife that I love her. But I spend more time praying for her than I do talking about my love for her, or buying her chocolates. And she doesn’t necessarily know what I pray, or when I pray for her, but she knows that I do pray for her. And to a believer that’s encouraging, as well as humbling. For that reason it’s good to let people know that you’re praying for them; it lets them know that you love them, and that you’re willing to petition God on their behalf.

By necessity prayer is a completely selfless exercise. It involves admitting your own inability to solve a problem, and relying on God to provide. Therefore praying for those that you love is good for you, and for them. And like I said, I think it is one of the deepest expressions of our love for someone, and it will only strengthen that love, because it is making God central to that relationship.

Husbands, if you want a strong relationship with your wife, you must pray for her. Wives, if you want a close relationship with you husband, you must pray for him. Church members, if you want a strong relationship with your brothers and sisters in the Lord, you must pray for them!

In verse 8 of Philippians chapter 1 Paul speaks strongly of his love for the Philippians. There he says:

“For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ.”

Here he calls God, in a judicial sense, to witness just how strongly he longs for the Philippians. Only in the most solemn statements would Paul call God to witness, but here he needed to, because his love was so great.

This is not the way I would long after a good hamburger, and I really enjoy my hamburgers. Rather, this is the way that a soldier who has been off fighting a war for years would long after his wife and family, the ones he loves.

During the American Civil War a soldier named J.C. Morris wrote a letter to his dear wife, in it he says:

“My Dear Amanda,

It has been a long time since I had an opportunity of writing to you, and I gladly avail myself of the present opportunity. I am not certain that I will have a chance of sending this but I will write a few lines any how and try and get it off to let you know that I am among the living...

I am in hopes that I will get a whole package of letters from you in a few days. I never wanted to see you half as bad in all my life as I do now. I would give anything in the world to see you and the children. I have no idea when I will have that pleasure. We can't get any news here - do not know what is going on in the outside world...

Write often I will get them some time. I will write every chance, do not be uneasy when you do not get letters, for when we are scouting around as we have been it is impossible to write or to send them off if we did write… My love and a thousand kisses to my own sweet Amanda and our little boys. How my heart yearns for thou that are so near and dear to me. Goodbye my own sweet wife, for the present.

~ As ever your devoted and loving Husband, J.C. Morris.

It is that “I would give anything in the world to see you” kind of love that Paul had for his fellow believers in Philippi. And you can sense that love as you read this letter. In Chapter 4:1 he calls them his “beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown…” Which is absolutely incredible to think about, because Paul was a once proud Pharisee who wouldn’t have even spoken to a gentile if it could be avoided, much less loved them!

The sacrificial love for the brethren that Christians are capable of is a mighty testimony to God’s work in their lives. I wrote in the last post on Philippians about how a love for the brethren is an evidence of salvation, and this is just one example of how powerful a testimony that is. Love will literally transform our lives. But Paul, in this declaration of his affection for the Philippians, is careful to give credit where credit is due: Namely, to Christ. He says: “I long for you all with (or in) the affection of Jesus Christ.” Paul’s love for the Philippians was born out of a love for Christ. Because he loved Christ so much, he loved the Philippians as Christ did. Paul had learned to love what Christ loves. In our walk with Christ we need to be sensitive to the heart of God, we need to love Him so much that it becomes natural for us to love what He loves, and to hate what He hates. We must love the things of God.

As an outflow of Paul’s love for Christ, and for the Philippians, we see that he prayed: Which shows both his love for Christ, because that is who he is praying to, and his love for the Philippians, because that is who he is praying for. In verses 9-11 Paul tells them the content of his prayers for them; and I don’t think that this is one of his prayers written out as an example of exactly what he prays for them. Instead, I think it is Paul telling them, in general, what He is praying for God to accomplish in their lives. In verses 9-11 he says:

And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

In verse 9 we see that the first thing Paul prayed for was that their “love may abound still more and more.” Why is this the first thing he prayed? Because everything else that God wanted to do in their lives needed to flow out of a love that was abounding still more and more. And this principle is the same for us. God won’t do a mighty work in our lives if we won’t first learn to love as He loves. That is what is meant by love abounding “still more and more.” An overflowing, controlling, love that is from God. 1 John 4:16 says:

“And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.”

You see, love not only proves our salvation, but it provides for our sanctification. God works on us, sanctifying us, because He loves us. In turn, we desire to be sanctified, to be set apart for the Lord’s purposes, because we love Him.

You cannot live the Christian life without love, and you cannot live the Christian life to its full potential without a love that is abounding still more and more. And that love comes as we learn to abide in God, who is love.

But Paul doesn’t stop there; he doesn’t want them to exercise careless love. Rather, he wants them to have an overflowing love, but he wants it to be controlled by “knowledge and discernment” as it says at the end of verse 9. What Paul’s saying to them in this verse is that he wants their love to be tempered by a knowledge of God that has been gained through real life experience with Him. And because of that knowledge of God, they are able to use discernment as they act in love.

Question: Are you growing in experiential knowledge of God? Do you know what it means to trust Him, more today, than you did last year? Do you know the presence of God as you worship, in a greater way than ever before? Are you more consumed with the beauty of the Lord than ever before? And finally, do you know the heart of God, because of time spent in prayer and in reading His Word, better than ever before?

That is what I mean by experiential knowledge of God. Knowing Him, because you speak with Him daily, knowing Him, because you know His Word, and knowing that you know Him, because you practice what His Word teaches. That is how love is exercised “in knowledge.” The better you know God, the better you know how to work where He is working, and how to act as He would act.

Love cannot freely express itself without the proper boundaries of knowledge and discernment.

Discernment, the ability to see the difference between ‘good and bad’, or ‘better and best’ is one of the most necessary things for a proper walk with the Lord, but sadly, nothing is lacking as much in North American Christianity today as discernment: it is a lost art. The vast majority of people no longer know how to tell the difference between ‘truth and error’ or ‘truth and half-truth.’ All they know is what they’ve been told, or what they “feel” is right. There are countless examples I could give you, of areas in our own lives, that we don’t have a clue why we believe, except that we were told, or feel, that it’s right. And neither of those are good enough reasons.

In Acts 17:11 the Bereans are praised because they didn’t just believe what Paul and Silas were teaching them, but they “searched the Scriptures daily” to be sure what they were teaching was true. It wasn’t enough to have an apostle tell them, or to have their hearts pricked so that they ‘felt’ it was true. It was only enough when what they were taught could be confirmed by the Word of God. That is where discernment starts: By filtering everything through the “grid” of Scripture.

Just because I or anyone else in any position of authority tells you something, it is not automatically true. So I challenge you, make sure that what you are being taught is from Scripture, and that it remains true to Scripture. And then, make sure that the decisions you make in your life are guided by a knowledge of God, and a knowledge of Scripture.

You must be full of overflowing love that operates within the bounds of “knowledge and discernment” so that, verse 10:

“… You may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ.”

Love, operating within the bounds of knowledge and discernment, will enable you to choose the things that are the most excellent. There are many “good” things, but often “good” is the enemy of “best,” and to have an effective life you must be able to discern between the two.

Basically the opening of verse 10 is just taking our need for discernment one step further. It’s talking about the ability we need in order to discern between two seemingly, equally, good things. Or the ability to discern what the heart of God is on an issue that may not be spoken of clearly in Scripture.

To “approve the things that are excellent” is moving beyond simply a knowledge of what to do, and what not to do. It is confidently placing your stamp of approval on something because you know that it is right in the eyes of God. And you know that it’s right in His eyes because you have an intimate knowledge of Him and His Word.

I cannot belabour our need for discernment enough. The vast majority of North American “Christians” make a mockery of God and His Word because they cannot discern the truth! They don’t know His Word, they don’t know His heart, and so they live like fools. We must be able to discern the Will of God with confidence! Especially in this world that seeks to destroy the very idea of Him. We must show discernment in all of our choices. Why? “That you may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” You will live a life of discernment so that God will be glorified. Anything less and you are serving yourself.

By the way, it’s very easy to make good moral choices for selfish reasons. For example: what is the reason that you don’t smoke? Because it glorifies God in your body, Or because you don’t want to take the health risk? Or why aren’t you out late at the bars with strange women? Is it because God sees that as wickedness, or is it just because you have a reputation to uphold?

What it comes down to is this: Do you make the proper moral decision because it honours you? Or because it honours God? And actually, it’s pretty easy to tell. If you live like the rest of the word, or like the majority of North American Christianity, then you’re probably only making your choices so that you look like a “respectable” citizen, or a “good” Christian. But if you live a life that is extremely devoted to Christ, a life that the world thinks looks stupid, then chances are, you’re doing it for the glory of God.

Having said that, there are benefits for us as well when we live a life of discernment, namely: “that you may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ…”

The word “sincere” literally means “judged by sunlight” the way you would hold something under a bright light if you want to be sure that it is genuine. Likewise, a Christian who shows discernment will have a life that is free to be examined. If you show discernment, you can live your life like an open book, without fear of being “found out” or “caught” in some sin.

Then it goes on to say “without offence until the day of Christ,” Not meaning that if you show discernment you’ll never sin, but that you’ll sin a lot less, and when you do, you will repent and be restored into fellowship with God, being preserved until the day of Christ, until we are with the Lord and are rewarded according to our works.

Then verse 11 says:

“Being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”

I find this to be a neat verse because it shows how similar God’s plan for believers is in the New Testament, to what it was in the Old Testament. Isaiah 61:3, talking about God’s plan for believers, says:

“…That they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”

Now let me parallel those for you:

Isaiah: “That they may be called trees of righteousness”

Philippians: “Being filled with the fruits of righteousness”

Isaiah: “The planting of the LORD”

Philippians: “which are by Jesus Christ”

Isaiah: “that He may be glorified.”

Philippians: “to the glory and praise of God.”

God’s plan, from the beginning, is that our lives should be full of righteousness, “filled with the fruit of righteousness” and that they should be lived “to the glory and praise of God.” Which we know can only be done because of what Christ has done for us.

In closing I want you to remember some of the things we talked about.

First, has God given you an overflowing love for Him and for others? If not, why not? Because it’s not that He’s unwilling, but it could be that you are, or that you’ve never asked.

Second, do all that you can to grow in experiential knowledge of God. Absorb His Word! Apply it to your life! And consistently seek His face in prayer.

Third, discipline yourself to learn discernment. The only way that you will be able to honour your saviour is if you are able to discern what will bring Him honour. Never make an uninformed decision. Instead, know the Scriptures, and know God, so that you can know His will. Two very important questions that you should ask yourself before you do anything are these:

1. Is this God’s will or my own?

2. Am I doing this for God’s glory, or for my own?

If it’s of God, then do it! But if it’s of self, flee from it. Don’t entertain any more thoughts about it!

Fourthly, pick someone, your spouse if you have one, and model a prayer off of verses 9 and 10, and pray it for them daily. Pray that your spouse would abound in love, would grow in knowledge and discernment, would approve the most excellent things, and would be preserved blameless and pure until the day of Christ. Don’t be ritualistic and pray the same words over and over again, but if you commit to pray daily for your spouse with this as the spirit of it, you might be surprised what God does in their life. And also, pray these things for yourself. Pray that you will live in this way, and that you will live for the glory and praise of God.

How Social Networking Has Changed My Life

Today I was struck by just how deeply Facebook has forever transformed the way that we receive information. I am sure that all of us have been absolutely shocked at one time or another by the things we learn through the venue of Facebook; whether it be a change in someone's relationship status, a change in location, a change in career, etc., etc., the list goes on. Often it is just a matter of passing interest, as most of our "friends" on Facebook are not friends at all, but simply acquaintances. However, the odd time we find out a bit of information that we truly would only expect "straight from the horse's mouth" so to speak.

Well today, as I nonchalantly perused Facebook, I saw that I had been tagged in a picture, so naturally I was curious to see what it was, and to my surprise, it was a drawing of the newly chosen wedding party for my brother's October, 2010 wedding! And there I was, tagged as "the man" (not "the very best man", or "the best man" mind you).

So there I was, in an entirely foreign situation... Never before in my life have I been in a wedding party, and never before in my life have I been informed of such an auspicious event, where I am to hold a position of honour, by means of a social networking site! But alas, this is the future I see for all of us. So by no mean am I disappointed by this, rather, I find it humorous, and I find it a good lesson for all of us in the way things are.

Information is no longer shared via the means that we ordain, instead, it travels to all those waiting to see it by whatever means the first person we tell would like it to be shared; and in some cases, such as mine, it can be a strange drawing used to inform you of a very important event! Being aware of this, we need to take care that we control what information is on Facebook by taking care what information we divulge, and at what time we make it known. It cannot be assumed that your personal information is your personal property once it is shared, even with close friends. So guard you mouth, and in so doing, guard your private information.

Also, as I thought about this, the importance of living a life of integrity became an even more stark reality. Basically anything that I say or do, even in a small group of friends, can quickly become information for the world to revel in. Definitely a sobering thought, because I can say some pretty stupid things just to be funny, or just because I don't think, and stupidity comes forth. And maybe it happens because I'm comfortable with those people, but if it ended up in front of everyone, I may not be so comfortable, in fact, I'd be feeling downright awkward.

Not that Facebook is the ultimate accountability device, because there is a holy God who watches everything that I say and do... And the real kicker, even everything I think. So if that doesn't stop me, friends surely won't. Nevertheless, it is still a good reminder to be wary what I say, because who knows who'll know.

Finally, I was reminded how it is continually becoming harder and harder to live a double life. At one point, you could hide behind MSN lingo and emoticons, but no longer. Facebook now gives people a fairly clear picture into your life... What vibe are you giving off? Hardcore Christ follower? Or does your wall, status updates, and posts, look just like everyone else's? I am often criticized on Facebook for what I post, but the reason for that, I am convinced, is because it is true, and the truth is offensive. If you want to make everyone happy, be like everyone else. Otherwise, speak the truth in love, look like a Christian, and take the criticism that will inevitably follow.

Basically, there are two ways that we can use Facebook: As an idle, time wasting, means to connect with our friends. Or, we can seek to use it for the glory of God. And as Christians, we should certainly seek to do the latter.

And now, having said all that, I am very excited for the opportunity to participate in my brother's wedding, I will be praying for him and his future bride, and I am glad that I found out via "unconventional" means, because it has taught me a great lesson.

God bless!

Rejoice in Your Salvation (Philippians 1:1-7)

Our main text for today is Philippians chapter 1, verses 3-7, which is where Paul really begins his letter to the Philippians. But I would be remiss not to mention his introduction in verses 1 and 2, there he says:

Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is basically the same way that he opens every single one of his letters. Sometimes it has just his name, or sometimes it has someone else’s name, like Sosthenes in 1 Corinthians, instead of Timothy, and sometimes it’s a little longer, but basically they all have the same elements that we see here.

1. Paul’s position in Christ.

2. Who the letter is written to.

3. And his very common greeting: “grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

So to open this letter off we see Paul and Timothy, both servants of Christ, for the sake of Christ. And what we see in their lives is a great model of discipleship. When Paul wrote Philippians he was an older man, nearing the end of his life and ministry, whereas Timothy was much younger, and his ministry was just beginning to flourish. And we know a bit of the relationship they had from the books of 1^st and 2^nd Timothy, wherein Paul calls Timothy “a son in the faith.” This is because He was led to the Lord by Paul, and discipled, or taught, in the things of the Lord by Paul. And this was done largely, as we see in 2^nd Timothy chapter 3, simply by Paul’s lifestyle and the way that he modeled Christ before young Timothy. As we see from Paul’s example, discipleship is much more than simply imparting what we know; it’s demonstrating how what we know changes our life, and that was the substance of Paul’s relationship to Timothy; a life demonstrating Christ to another life. 2^nd Timothy 3:10, 11 says:

“But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, persecutions, afflictions…”

In essence, Timothy’s life looked a lot like Paul’s life, and Paul’s life looked a lot like Christ, which is what qualified him to disciple young Timothy. If you don’t act like Christ, then you have no business discipling someone else. But the thing is, we should all be discipling someone, which means that we should all be living a life of integrity, which allows us to take someone under our wing, and teach, and show them, the things of God. So make sure that you are living your life in such a way that you are able to teach godliness, without being a hypocrite. Do this by being a “bondservant of Jesus Christ.” A word that literally means “slaves of Jesus Christ.” Or someone who is owned by, and lives for, Jesus Christ.

Ok, there’s the first-half of the first verse; the second-half tells us exactly who he wrote it to: The saints, or “believers,” in Philippi, as well as the church leadership which consisted of bishops, which just means “overseers,” like pastors or elders, and deacons, the ones who serve the church. He then greets them in verse 2 the way I think he greeted everybody; with a mixture of the traditional Greek and Hebrew greetings, while giving them an undertone of the gospel. First, the Greek word meaning “greeting,” slightly tweaked, becomes charis, meaning “grace.” While the traditional Jewish greeting, Shalom, is preserved, meaning peace. And the undercurrent of the gospel that I see in his greeting is this: “Grace to you” is the sum-total of God’s activity towards His children, “And peace” is the result of God’s activity towards His children, which is from God the Father, by the Lord Jesus Christ. And I’m fairly sure that he worked that into his greeting on purpose.

Now reading verses 3-7 it says:

I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace.

In these five verses there are some very practical and very important things for us to understand, and in order to do that we need to be sure to keep them all in context. So to give us an overview, what Paul is saying here is that: Everything that the Philippians had done for him, especially their participation in furthering the gospel, and their belief in it, gave him cause to rejoice and thank God for them, as well as make supplication on their behalf; knowing, because of their attitude toward the gospel, that Christ would complete the good work that He had indeed begun in them: that being their salvation. And the more I read and thought about these verses, the more complicated they became; because they deal, not only with Paul’s prayer and rejoicing for the Philippians, but with his assurance of their salvation, which made him pray and gave him joy. Now the complication I face is this: how do I convey Paul’s joy over the Philippians and their proven, genuine, state of salvation, while at the same time hold up one of the “measuring rods” we’re given in Scripture that show us whether ours is a genuine state of salvation. As I thought about this I realized that I could adopt Paul’s joy and rejoice with you over your salvation, but the thing is, I don’t know that you’re saved, even if you think that you are. Now you might be reading this thinking “Joel, that’s harsh! Of course I’m saved!” But I say that because your salvation is between you and God, I only know what you say to me, and what I can see on your life; so if you tell me that you’re “saved” I’ll believe you, I will always work with people under the premise of trust, but I can’t know for sure! Only you and God can be absolutely assured of your salvation.

I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that I’m saved because I consistently measure my life against Scripture, and I ask you to believe me when I say that, and I trust that I show you evidence of my salvation by the way that I live, but you wouldn’t want to bet your life on the state of my salvation, because you can’t know for sure.

Recently my wife and I were over at the house of an old pastor-friend of ours and we were talking about something similar to this, and he looked up at me from across the table and said “Joel, I can’t even be sure that you’re saved. I trust that you are, but I wouldn’t bet my life’s earnings on it.” And he went on to tell me that one day, in the church where he pastored, someone came to him after the service and asked, “why do you always preach to us like we’re not saved?” So he responded by telling them basically the same thing he told me; that he trusts that they’re saved, but if not, it was his responsibility to make sure that they knew it. And that is the position that I’m in for the rest of my life, so please, don’t read this and feel all dejected, doubting whether you’re a child of the Lord. Instead, prove to yourself that you are His child by the way that you live your life.

I believe that it is clear from Scripture that the gospel and salvation are to be understood, not simply as a one-time event where Christ is accepted, but as the continuation of repentance, and saving from sinful habits, in every day life. That’s why I say I like to say that if your faith hasn’t changed you, it hasn’t saved. Not to make salvation by works, and not to make it more difficult, but to show that genuine salvation does result in a changed life.

Having said all that, I’m not saying that we should go around doubting everyone’s salvation, because for many people we can be confident that they are indeed saved as we observe their lives, all I’m saying is, we can’t know for sure. We can be pretty sure, but we can’t know.

And I say all that to say that the way I solved my problem is this: to the saved person, everything I say will be joyful to read, it will be refreshing to be measured according to God’s word. To the unsaved, it couldn’t possibly be.

So, please rejoice with me as we look at verses 3-5:

I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now.

Here Paul is saying that every time he remembers anything about the Philippians, he thanks God for them, and in every one of those thankful prayers, which is actually the word for supplication, he asks things of God for them.

Why this joyful, thankful, asking, prayer when he remembers them?

“For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now.”

He rejoiced in the memory of them because of their commitment to him, and their commitment to the gospel. The word fellowship in verse 5 literally means “a joint participation in a common interest and activity.” So to be in fellowship with someone means that you have adopted their interests as your own, and together are pursuing the same goals; that is why we can not say that we have fellowship in the gospel, or fellowship with God, yet disobey Him. 1^st John makes this abundantly clear when it says:

“If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.”

So Paul’s prayerful rejoicing was based on the Philippians fellowship with him in the gospel: On the fact that they had taken the gospel to heart by applying it to their lives, and committed to furthering it with Paul. Which we know from the last post, they did by continually supporting him, even when no one else would. And notice, at the end of verse 5, that their fellowship in the gospel was not just a one-time event; it was from “the first day until now.” It continued in their life, and on that basis Paul could say in verse 6:

“Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

Paul’s confidence was not in a prayer they prayed, or a profession they made at some point in time, but it was in the continual working of Jesus Christ being evidenced in their life! On that basis he could have confidence that God had indeed begun a good work in them. And if God begins it, He will finish. It is consistent with the nature of God for Him to do what He says He will do, to finish what He starts, and to perfect what has been corrupted.

Our salvation isn’t ultimately realized until the day of Christ, until we’re in heaven, perfectly conformed to His image, and freed from this body of sin and death. But the power of God is working in us now, delivering us from evil.

Your salvation was not simply a point in time where you prayed and asked Jesus into your heart; that is not in the Bible. Rather, your salvation is a point in time that was preceded and followed by repentance! A turning from sin, towards God, that didn’t just happen once, but continues to happen today. If it only happened once, you need to question whether it happened at all. You see, God did not come only to save you from the penalty of your sin, but from the power of it. 1^st John 3:5-8 says:

And you know that He was manifest to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

This verse is not teaching sinless perfection, that you’ll never sin again once you’re saved, but it is teaching that sin will never again be a lifestyle once you’re saved. If you find yourself sinning as a child of God, you will be uncomfortable, you will be broken, and you will repent! That is a sign of a true believer, not just a one-time turning from sin, but a continual forsaking of sin, and a turning more fully towards God. And Paul saw that in the Philippians lives as they continued in the gospel; which gave him confidence that God had begun a good work in them. And since God had begun it, He would complete it.

In verse 7 Paul continues giving reasons for his confidence that God was working in their lives and that they were His children. He says:

Just as it is right for me to think this of you all (to think that God had started, and would complete, the good work in them), because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace.

Here Paul further iterates why it is right for him to believe that God had started, and would complete, His good work in their lives. The first reason he gives is “because I have you in my heart,” which can just as properly be translated to say “because you have me in your heart.” And I like the way that fits the context better, however they both lead to interesting conclusions.

The way it’s translated in my Bible, “because I have you in my heart,” leads me to the conclusion that, because of the worshipful joy they brought to Paul’s heart, he concluded that they must belong to God. Their fellowship with him in the gospel, his holding them in his heart, convinced him that they were indeed his brothers in the Lord.

The second way of looking at it, “because you have me in your heart,” is also a very convincing proof of their salvation. It reminds me of 1^st John 3:14 which says:

“We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.”

And the heart is a good place, in fact, it’s the only place, to hold someone you love. Do you love the brethren? Do you hold them in your heart? Do you know that you have passed from death to life because you love the brethren? Do you love to be with, and fellowship with fellow believers? These are important questions to ask yourself, and don’t underestimate the implications of your answer. It really is a matter of life or death.

So we’ve seen two reasons for Paul’s confidence that there’s was a genuine state of salvation. First, they continued in the gospel. 1^st John 2:19 says:

“They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.”

Secondly, they showed that they were saved because they loved the brethren.

And third, it says in verse 7 that, “both in my chains, and in the defence, and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace.” What this is saying is that they were willing to suffer persecution, and be affiliated with Paul, and with Christ, despite what it might cost them.

A true believer’s life is characterized by sacrifice for the sake of the gospel. Romans 12:1 says:

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”

Because of what Christ has done for us, it is only reasonable that we sacrifice for Him. If He asks you to lay down your life for Him, He’s not asking too much. Just think of what He’s done for you, and what He’s saved you from… Nothing is too much for Him to ask.

This is the same God who, when He spoke, galaxies came forth, the earth was created, He said to the sea, “you will come this far and no further.” In the New Testament He rebukes the wind and the waves and they obey Him. Then He looks at us, and gently asks us to do His will, and we say NO! Not wanting to be uncomfortable, not wanting to give up the sin we love. Not wanting to be a living sacrifice, which is the one reasonable thing that we should do.

Are you saved? That’s the question you need to ask, and answer, for yourself. I’ve only given you the tools Paul presents here:

1. Are you continuing in the gospel?

2. Do you love for the brethren?

3. Are you living a life of sacrifice?

If you see those things in your life, then you can have assurance, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that God has begun a good work in you, and that He will complete it. But if not, or if you struggle with these things, repent. Confess your sin and turn to God. 1^st John 1:9 says:

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Just imagine the freedom in a life cleansed from ALL unrighteousness! That freedom is ours in Christ. And we can rejoice in the fact that we are saved. And we can rejoice with each other that our lives testify to the fact that we are saved. Basically, as saved people, we can be rejoicing all the time!

In conclusion, I want you to think of this: The worst mistake you could ever make is believing that you’re saved, when all the evidence says that you’re not. 2 Corinthians 13:5 says:

“Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? Unless indeed you do not stand the test.”

All that I’ve tried to do in these pages is give you tools from the book of Philippians that will allow you to asses yourself, so please, do that. And then, after measuring your life next to Scripture, act accordingly. If you need to repent and settle accounts with God, then do it! Or if you find that the life of Christ is indeed in you, that you are continuing in the gospel, that you do love the brethren, and that you are sacrificially obedient to Christ, REJOICE! Knowing that the good work which God has begun in you WILL be completed! NOTHING can stop the process once it’s been started, and that is GREAT cause for rejoicing! God is so good!

The Macedonian Call (Acts 16)

I’m sure that most of you have a favourite book of the Bible; one that you turn to when you’re not sure what to read, one that you enjoy memorizing from, a book that, for whatever reason, stands out above all the rest. For me, that is the book of Philippians. I love how joyful, personal, and open Paul (the author) is in this letter, and how easily his love for the church, and his love for Christ can be seen while reading it. I also enjoy how practical Paul is throughout this letter; he’s always sharing from His own life experience how to have joy and how to properly live the Christian life. And of course, as in all of Paul’s letters, the person of Christ is central, making it a beautiful, and practical, letter that we can all learn from.

However, before we start dissecting the book of Philippians, it is important that we have a thorough understanding of the church at Philippi and Paul’s relationship to it. Then as we study the letter itself, in the context of who the Philippian church was, why Paul wrote them a letter, and what its major themes are, we will have a much better sense of Paul’s, and God’s, heart in this epistle. So we will begin, not in Philippians, but in Acts chapter 16, which is part of a narrative outlining Paul’s second missionary journey, and his first trip to the European continent.

In Acts 16 we meet Lydia, the very first recorded convert to Christianity in all of Europe, and we also see the founding of the church at Philippi, which was the very first church on the entire European continent. And ultimately, we see God’s sovereign working throughout the entire situation.

The first thing that we see as we read verses 6-10 is that the only reason Paul ever ended up in Philippi was because God directed him there, and because he was willing to obey God’s direction. It says:

"Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go to Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them. So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them."

Now, I don’t know specifically how the Holy Spirit “forbid” them to go east into Asia, or north to Bithynia, but I do know that often we have plans, or things we want to accomplish, then God works in our heart, forbidding us to do it. And I also know that sometimes we persist with our plans, instead of God’s, and get ourselves in big trouble. C.S. Lewis once said: “There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, “Thy will be done,” and those to whom God says, “All right, then, have it your way.”” And thank goodness, or thank God, that Paul was not that way. Instead, when he was forbidden by the Lord to do one thing, he didn’t give up, he didn’t persist to do the wrong thing; he tried another way. And again God somehow “closed the door,” and again Paul sought God’s will. A lot of times we’re s quick to give up when something doesn’t work, but we must learn from Paul to do things God’s way, not our way. I am very encouraged when I see people who are tired of doing things the same old way that doesn’t work, and instead of giving up, seek to see things done God’s way. And I want to encourage you, and help you, as you strive to do that, because it is not going to be easy. It’s going to take a lot of hard work, and a lot of prayer. But as long as God is in it, and it is done God’s way, it will be accomplished.

So twice Paul thought he knew what to do, and twice God forbid him, then all of a sudden God supernaturally “shows up” and tells him what to do by a vision. Now don’t expect a dream from God to tell you the next step you should take in life, things like that are almost exclusive to the apostles: God can work however He wants, but we have the Holy Spirit in us, and the complete canon of Scripture to rely on, so we do not need that direct revelation from God in the same way that they did before the canon of Scripture was completed. Instead we need to rely on God’s guiding through His Word, His Holy Spirit, and through different people and circumstances. Each one of us is exactly where God wants us, by divine appointment, to further His work in that place. And as believers, we need to seek to do it God’s way. And when you know God’s way, when you’ve discerned His will, when you get that “vision,” you need to do it immediately! That’s exactly what Paul, Silas, and Luke, did. In verse 10, it says: “Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia…” Immediately! That’s the example we need to follow.

To carry on the story, verses 11, 12 say:

"Therefore, sailing from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothorace, and the next day cam to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, which is the foremost city of that part of Macedonia, a colony. And we were staying in that city for some days."

Here we see how Paul came to Macedonia, which is present-day Greece, and how he ended up in Philippi, “the foremost city.” Called that because it was a Roman colony and military outpost, which meant that the citizens of Philippi enjoyed special privileges and were treated as Roman citizens, unlike most Greeks at that time. It also meant that there were very few Jews in Philippi, which explains why instead of meeting in a synagogue to pray, they met by the riverside, as we see in verse 13-15 where it says:

"And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there. Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” So she persuaded us."

And here we have the very first convert in all of Europe, and the birth of the first church, which we know, from verse 40, continued to meet in Lydia’s house. Now just imagine how much this church meant to Paul. I know that often churches are proud of their heritage, and that often their heritage plays a large part in keeping them going; so imagine Paul’s love for the church at Philippi, and his desire to keep her doctrine pure, being the first one on the entire continent! And we’ll see that love and desire as we work our way through the book of Philippians.

As we carry on the story in verses 16-34 we see God work a bad situation for His glory. What happens in 16-24, (yes the number disagreement is intentional) is that Paul and Silas are ministering in the city, but they have a demon possessed girl following them everywhere they go, proclaiming “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” Which was very true, they were servants of the Most High God, and they did proclaim the way of salvation, but having someone possessed by a demon saying that about them would discredit the truth in the eyes of a lot of people.

Could you imagine if I’m here, trying to write about the truth, and I tell you that next to me is a pot-head co-authoring this with me, and right now he’s smoking some dope? I mean, you know what kind of lifestyle this guy lives, but here he is, confirming the truth, and saying that it will change you life. That would make my message look crazy, because there would be this guy whose life obviously hadn’t changed, but he’s saying that what I teach is true. It would discredit the message, and that is what was happening here to Paul.

Similarly, there are a lot of people who say that they’re Christians, which means they’re claiming that Christ has changed their life, but they don’t live like it. And to the world, in a lot of ways, that makes Christ and His message look stupid. Brennan Manning once said: “The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.” Which is why we must live properly before this world in the power of Christ!

Ok, back to the story! This demon possessed lady was discrediting their message because she was saying that it was true, while living a life opposed to it, so Paul, rightly so, was annoyed and cast the demon out of her, which made her masters very upset because they were making a lot of money from her by having her prophecy. So they took Paul and Silas before the city council, lied about them, and had them beaten and thrown into prison, which was against the law, because Paul and Silas were Roman citizens and you could not punish a citizen of Rome without a fair trial. And we see this come into play later, but first, verses 25-34 tell the familiar story of their time in prison. They say:

"But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. And the keeper of the prison, awakening from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.” The he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household."

In the midst of a very bad situation Paul and Silas chose to worship God in prayer and singing, and that is when God delivered them.

We need to remember that we go through hard times so that we will call on God (Zech. 13:9). Don’t expect deliverance from your trials if you’re not willing to worship God in the midst of those trials.

And we see that not only did God deliver them, but He also saw the jailer and his entire family saved. Which I’m sure, to Paul and Silas, made it worth the whole ordeal, because they were more than ready to sacrifice for the glory of God. We too, if we want to see the Church grow, and the lost brought to a knowledge of Christ, will have to sacrifice. It will take a sacrifice of time, of money, and of comfort to see the lost reached and the Church grow. That’s what we see here, a complete sacrifice on Paul and Silas’s part, but the Church grew that day as the jailer and his family were saved.

To wrap up the story of Paul’s time in Philippi, we see in verses 35-40 that the magistrates, the governors of the city, send to the jailer to release Paul and ask him to leave the city, but Paul tells them that he is a Roman citizen, and needs to be released publicly, with an apology, so the magistrates came, brought them out of prison, and begged them to depart: Which they did only after visiting Lydia’s house, where the church met, and encouraging the believers there. And from that inauspicious beginning the great Philippian church was born!

We know from Acts chapter 20 that Paul visits the church again on his third missionary journey for a period of three months, but that’s all the time that he had with them prior to writing this epistle, yet they are one of the best churches in New Testament times. I say that because when no one else cared for Paul, or would provide for him financially, they did. Philippians 4:15, 16 tells us about this when it says:

"Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only. For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessity."

Now this provides a very nice segue into why Paul actually wrote the book of Philippians. What happened was this: Ten years after his first visit to Philippi Paul found himself in prison again, this time in Rome. He was there as a political prisoner for preaching the gospel, which, as we all know, was strictly forbidden during the time of Nero, and his court date was quickly approaching. While he was in prison the Philippian church heard of his situation and sent money to provide him with some necessary things; probably food, and clothing to keep warm. Stuff like that. So a man named Epaphroditus delivered this gift to Paul and decided to stay in Rome and help him, but while he was there, he became very ill and nearly died. But God restored him to health, so Paul sent him back to his home church in Philippi carrying a thank-you letter, which we now know today as the book of Philippians!

So this is a very unique book. Unlike most other New Testament books, written to teach something specific, or to correct a problem, Philippians was written basically as a missionary would write a thank-you letter to his supporters. It contains updates on his condition and ministry, as well as practical teaching. In Philippians we see Paul’s heart for the ministry and his love for Christ. The book of Philippians also has several easily identifiable themes, and it will be good to know these as we study the book, because then we can fit everything that we learn into that basic framework.

Christ!
The most prevalent theme in Philippians is Christ! There are four key verses in this book, one for each chapter, that show how Christ was absolutely central to Paul’s life and ministry.

The other two themes that I want to draw to your attention are unity, and joy. And both of them are built on the person of Christ, showing yet again how important, and how central, He is to this entire book.

Unity!
True Christian unity, we learn in Philippians, is only possible through Christ. With Him as our leader we can enjoy a oneness of purpose, attitude, goal, and labour. Basically we enjoy a unity in anything that we seek to do for the glory of God.

Joy!
And joy, the theme Philippians is most well known for, can only truly be had in Christ. If you think about it, Paul was in no situation to be joyful by this world’s standards; being in prison and condemned to die. Yet he had true joy in Christ, and He passes the ‘secret’ to this on in his letter to the Philippians. He teaches them how to have true joy despite their circumstances! He does this by presenting 4 different “joy stealers” and also by presenting the appropriate response to each one of those. And if you think about it, I’m sure you could guess what they are… But we will discuss them as we come across them in the text.

To say the least, I am very excited to work our way through the book of Philippians, and I would have liked to start now, but I thought that it was very important for us to understand Paul’s relationship with the church in Philippi, as well as his reasons for writing this letter. And hopefully everything that we talked about will play into what we study in the future!

So in conclusion, I would encourage you to read the book of Philippians this week. It’s only 104 verses long, so it can’t take more than 10 or 15 minutes, and it will help you have the big picture as we go through it much more slowly.

I would also encourage you to remember and think about what we looked at in Acts. Not only because it will help you remember where Paul is coming from in the book of Philippians, but because much of it applies to us.

Just to remind you what we already talked about: We need to discern what God’s will is for us, both in our personal lives, and in our home church. Then when we know, we must do it immediately! There is no excuse for delay! We also need to remember the sacrifices that it took on Paul’s part to see God’s will done, and we must expect the same. If we want to see God’s will done in our lives and in our church, every single one of us will need to sacrifice; from our time, from our money, and from our comfort zones. Often when we here that in Christ we can live a life of fulfillment, we automatically think of a life filled with comfort and pleasure. But the truth is, the life of fulfillment that we are called to in Christ means being satisfied in Him, even when everything around us is falling apart. If you want fulfillment, then you will need to sacrifice everything for the cause of Christ. That’s what it takes. And that’s what your community needs, a group of believers that will sacrifice to see them reached with gospel.

Will you pray that you will be a man or woman who seeks to see God glorified in your community through your life, despite what it may cost you?

"Pure and Undefiled Religion..."

I wrote this almost four years ago. Enjoy!

I have a Bible verse I would really like to share with everyone. James 1:27 says: "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." This verse has been running through my mind for a while now and I really think it's one of those things everyone needs to consider. I mean, shouldn't we all be striving towards pure and undefiled religion? And if the instructions are right here, why not give them a second thought? Visiting orphans and widows in their troubles, surely all of us can take time to be caring for God's people. Later on in James 2:18 he says "I will show you my faith by my works." Good works don't save us, but they are proof of a vibrant living faith. After all "faith without works is dead." Now, before I digress to far, the main thing I want to bring out is the end portion of this verse "and to keep oneself unspotted for the world." What exactly does this mean? According to Websters "unspotted" means "free from moral stain" or "unblemished." So if we are to have the kind of religion that God approves of we must NOT become stained by this world. After all, we weren't called to be like the world. James 4:4 says: "Adulterers and adulteresses! do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." That's pretty easy to understand if you ask me.

friend of the world = enemy of God

Christians who try to walk as close to the line as they can are living as friends of the world and THAT IS WRONG. Christ never said being a Christian would be easy, in fact he made it quite clear in Matthew 10:22 (and many other places) that "you will be hated by all for My name's sake." Sadly, the hating doesn't only come from the world. Christians are involved far to often in gossip and slander concerning their brothers and sisters in Christ. I hear so many sad stories about Christians tearing other Christians down over the DUMBEST issues. And why? All because of pride, or maybe because someone's pointed out something you've done wrong, and instead of realizing it, and being willing to change like we should, it's easier to attack the person correcting you and justify what you're doing. It's sad really what we'll all do to get our own selfish ways.

Are you, my friends, keeping yourselves unspotted from the world? I know it's hard, and I know we all have our own struggles, but there is hope! 2 Thessalonians 3:3 says: "But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one." We know God wont allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bare, and with that he gives us a way out. (1 Corinthians 10:13) But just because there is a way out, doesn't mean we have to take it. It's up to you, and there is no excuse for living a worldly lifestyle. God demands that we are committed to Him and that we live separate from the ways of the world. May we all enjoy these molding years of our lives at college/university and keep ourselves unspotted from the world.

Examine Yourself

Dear friends, I am writing this post as an explanation and an encouragement. I want to explain to you the newest addition to my blog, and I want to encourage you to benefit from it.

Brother Paul Washer of Heart Cry Missionary Society has been a tremendous encouragement to me in my walk with the Lord. I find His messages to be both Biblical and powerful. Often I am deeply convicted and driven to prayer when I listen to what he has to say. That is why I have posted some of his sermons on the right hand side of this blog. Because I want you to benefit from them as much as I have. I understand that each of us are different, and each of us may find different theological points that we disagree with, but I know that the Lord has used this man in my life, and I trust that He will see fit to use him in the lives of others as well.

I heartily encourage you to listen to the sermon entitled "Examine Yourself" and take what it teaches to heart. If the Lord can use that to spur you on towards Christ-likeness then Paul Washer's goal, and my goal, have been accomplished.

You're brother in Christ,
- Joel