Sin

8/13/11

Greetings,

In my letters I usually spend a lot of time talking about concepts that are new, revolutionary, and often challenging. However, sometimes it is necessary to hit on concepts that are not new or exciting. Sometimes we need to get down to the bread and butter—so to speak.

It is my conviction that one of the greatest barriers to true unity is personal sin. That’s right; we are going to spend this entire letter discussing sin. The fact of the matter is that when a believer who is on fire for the Lord tries to be around a person that is under guilt or condemnation because of un-dealt with sin, it often leads to problems. The guilty party, in an attempt to cover their issues, will often reject or even lash out at the man or woman of God.

So what constitutes sin? Sin in a theological sense means to miss the mark. Imagine a target board with a bull’s eye. Sin is like when a person shoots an arrow and the board and misses the target. The target is the standard spelled out in the Word of God. Anything that comes short of this is sin.

Sin is your enemy. It’s an enemy of God as well. God doesn’t hate people but He does hate sin. Consider what he says of the deeds of the Nicolaitanes in the book of Revelation.

“But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.” (Revelation 2:6)

Who were the Nicolaitanes and what were the guilty of? They were a sect of Christians whose primary theological error was that they believed things done in the flesh had no effect upon the health of the soul or spirit. In other words, they believed that once a believer received the free gift of salvation by grace through faith they became free to sin in whatever capacity their heart desired. God hated their deeds. The following is an extraction from a Wikipedia article about them:

Hippolytus of Rome states that the deacon Nicolas was the author of the heresy and the sect. Several of the early church fathers, including Irenaeus, Epiphanius, and Theodoret mentioned this group. Irenaeus discusses them but adds nothing to the Apocalypse except that "they lead lives of unrestrained indulgence.” Victorinus of Pettau states that they ate things offered to idols. Bede states that Nicolas allowed other men to marry his wife and Thomas Aquinas believed that Nicholas supported either polygamy or the holding of wives in common. Eusebius said that the sect was short-lived.

There are many Christians today that come to the conclusion that sin is okay. They justify it, nurse it, and come up with religious excuses for it if necessary. However, when unity takes place according to God’s agenda, the removal of sin and the institution of unity will go hand-in-hand. Consider one of my favorite passages:

“Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13)

Is it possible to come to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ while nursing an addiction to pornography? What about the Christian who is having sex with two or three people while they can’t conclude which one they love more: their spouse, their boss, or the children’s nanny? Give me a break. It is easier for a passionate Christian to watch gold dust manifest during a prayer meeting than to unite with a group of Christians that have major issues with sin. I say this literally.

The following passage gives us a list of sins that are defined as sin in the New Testament. Let’s take a look.

“Now the doings (practices) of the flesh are clear (obvious): they are immorality, impurity, indecency, Idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger (ill temper), selfishness, divisions (dissensions), party spirit (factions, sects with peculiar opinions, heresies), Envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you beforehand, just as I did previously, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:19-21 AMP)

                I used the Amplified Bible in order to make this passage read as clearly as possible. For some reason when it comes to sin, Christians quickly begin to get confused. In order to bring a little further clarity let’s take a second look at verse 19 from the King James Bible:

“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness” (Galatians 5:19)

I would like to do a word study on each and every one of these offenses to God but space simply does not permit me to do this. Here’s the point: Get the sin out of your life. This is my three-step plan for success.

1.       Admit that what you are doing is wrong and repent.

2.       Ask God for His grace to never want to do it again.

3.       Repeat steps one and two every time you sin until the sin stops.

It is wrong to get drunk. It is wrong to curse at others including your spouse. It is wrong to entertain perversity and this includes pornography. It is wrong to have sex outside of marriage because this is fornication. It is wrong to commit idolatry by putting your children, your job, or you car before God. It is wrong to practice witchcraft even if the activity is a “family tradition.” It is wrong to give into jealousy and lash out against another Christian because their anointing or relationship with God makes you “uncomfortable.” The sin must stop in order for true unity to enter in!

Discussion

1.       What is God convicting you of right now?

2.       What is the three-step plan for getting sin out of your life?

3.       Can true unity come without dealing with sin?

4.       Who were the Nicolaitanes?

5.       Does God hate the sinner or the sin?

Love According to John part 2

7/23/11

Greetings,

                Last week we discussed the premise of John’s writings. When it came to the topic of love he only concerned himself with one type of love—the love of God. This is referred to as agape in the Greek language. As we discussed last week, this love has its origin in the heavenly dimension where God rules. It cannot be artificially generated but must literally be channeled through us. The degree to which we can love others with this love directly correlates to the amount of this love we are continually receiving. The moment we move away from our dependency on God, we shut off the flow.

                This is incredibly important to the topic of unity because unity in the body of Christ should be established in the love of God. However, if we don’t understand love and continue to try and generate it in the flesh we will never advance towards our corporate calling. Our corporate calling involves us coming to a place of unity and maturity. Without the love of God our attempts to advance ourselves towards this corporate calling will undoubtedly seem impossible and frustrating.

Have you ever been frustrated? We all get frustrated. It’s a part of life. Even if we do get to a place of spirituality where frustration is virtually conquered, the fact of the matter is that we weren’t born that way. People are frustrating and sometimes the frustration that others bring us can lead to negative feelings.

                Severe negative feelings can cause us to experience a terrible thing. It’s called hate. Have you ever hated a person? I remember that when I was growing up my mom would never allow me to tell anyone that I hated them. I always had to say “I really dislike them.” What my mom was doing was training me to think a certain way. As a Christian, I wasn’t supposed to give in to hate and go around hating people. Understanding the power of words, she helped me to avoid a negative lifestyle. Did a change in verbal expression really change anything? What if I really did hate the person?

“He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.” (1 John 2:9-11)

God is light. Therefore, when John talks about being in the light He is referring to being found in Christ. This means that we have received Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. He goes on and says that people who say they are in the light and hate their brother are actually in the darkness. John describes darkness as separation from God (1 John 1:5). Not only are they in the darkness, but he says that they have always been in the darkness.

How is it possible that if I hate my brother I am disqualified from being in the light? I have personally met many Christians that struggled with feelings of hate towards others. What about the boy who was raped by his step father and all of his step father’s friends at the age of eight? How is it that if he struggles with hate he is not in the light?

                This is undoubtedly a tough question. Is John saying that any hate that remains in us after our salvation experience disqualifies us from actually being saved, regardless of our past circumstances? Isn’t there grace to help us overcome these negative things from our past only after we receive Jesus Christ?

John is writing to us from “another level.”As we discussed last week, John is describing the human condition and the engaging of God from a spiritual angle. Our lives originate from our spirit, and when we receive Jesus Christ we become one spirit with the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17). This places the image of God in our spirit. When we are talking about our true nature in spirit, the regeneration of the new birth actually makes it impossible for our true nature to hate. John is actually talking on this level.

                Just because our true nature cannot hate, it does not mean that our soul (mind, will and emotions) ceases to experience things according to the un-regenerated state. Although we might feel like we still hate people, the reality is that it is impossible of our true nature to hate. This is where the enemy trips us up because he will point at our experience of hate and lie to us. He will tell us that because our experience does not line up with our true nature we are hopeless and doomed. He will beat us up with condemnation until we are so deceived we can no longer see the light we are standing in. This happens all too often and is why Peter explains that the salvation of the soul is a process that continues to the end of our faith:

“Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:9)

                Just like there is a deeper revelation regarding hate, there is a deeper revelation regarding love. John says that “He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.” This love is agape. This means that those who allow the love of God to flow from God’s dimension through them are abiding in the light. This is the right way to do things.

               

Discussion

1.       What type of love is the Apostle John concerned with addressing?

2.       How does God intend for us to access His love?

3.       Are there people in your life that you hate, and if so what are you going to do about it?

4.       Does our true nature allow us to hate?

5.       What does it mean to be in the light?

Ephesians 4:13

5/21/11

Greetings,

                 Jesus is returning for a glorious church without spot or wrinkle or any such thing.

                “That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” (Ephesians 5:27)

What does it mean to be a glorious church? In Ephesians chapter four we find God’s purpose for instituting the five-fold ministry (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers). God wants to use the five-fold ministry to get the church to this glorious state. The five-fold ministry is given until certain things are true of the corporate body of Christ. When these things are true of us, we will be the “glorious church” that the Apostle Paul says will be presented to Jesus at His coming. Consider the follow Scripture:

                “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;  For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:” (Ephesians 4:11-13)

Notice that this passage lists several qualities that constitute the fulfillment of the mission for the five-fold ministry. Let’s break down the qualities and provide some working definitions:

Ø  Unity of the Faith: This will occur when the church believes the same thing about God that He believes about Himself, the same thing about ourselves that God believes, and when we understand the Bible to say what God intended to communicate. This is a place of doctrinal and operational unity based on fully revealed truth. Does this sound impossible? Sure, but that doesn’t mean that it is. Until people have united around fully revealed truth as opposed to their denominational handbooks of doctrine, this will not be true, and Jesus cannot return. Where is this principle found? In Daniel 12:4 the prophet is told to seal the book until the time of the end. This means that there will be certain things that God will not even reveal to His people regarding His Word until the last days. These unsealed truths will need to be received and understood in unity as part of coming to the “unity of the faith.”

Ø  Knowledge of the Son of God: The word used for knowledge is the Greek word epiginosko, which means know, acknowledge, perceive, take knowledge of, have knowledge of, or know well. This type of knowledge involves a degree of intimacy with the object (or person) that is being known. In this case, it requires intimacy with the Savior of our souls. This goes beyond anything you can get from going to church on a regular basis, serving on the local PTA (Parent Teacher’s Association), volunteering at the soup kitchen or teaching a Bible study. This is a walk with God that can be described with one simple word—romance. You can’t fake this. Before a bride is given away in marriage to the groom, she is (or at least she should be!) head over heels in love with him. This is different than reading His bio and hearing others talk about His qualities. We must corporately come to a place of intimate knowledge of the Son of God.

Ø  Unto a Perfect Man: The word translated perfect is the Greek word teleios and can also be understood as coming of full age. When we are born again, we are born spiritual infants. Our spirit needs to grow and develop just like our natural bodies will grow and develop. There are four stages according to the apostle John (1 John 2:12-14). He first uses the Greek term teknion in verse 12 which refers to infants or new Christian converts. This is translated as “little children” in the KJV. Then in verse 13 he uses the term paidon which is also translated “little children” in the KJV. However, paidon refers to young children or immature believers that have been converted for some time. John then uses the term neaniskos which is translated as young men. These are maturing Christians that are moving towards manhood in the faith. Lastly he uses the term patēr which means father. These are mature Christians. This does not mean that they have been warming the pew for 40 years. This has nothing to do with involvement in their local church or the number of literal children they have conceived. This has to do with true spiritual maturity. They have had Christ formed in them (Galatians 4:19) and like Jesus, they will fully complete the course given to them by God (2 Timothy 4:7, John 17:4). Paul said that in the first church there were not many fathers (1 Corinthians 4:15), but in the last generation God is going to change this.

Ø  Unto the Measure of the Stature of the fullness of Christ: This is a place where it becomes difficult to tell the difference between the church and the God of the church, Jesus Christ. In the book of Revelation chapter 1 John sees a vision of Jesus in the midst of the seven lamp stands. The seven lamp stands are the seven churches. With Jesus in their midst this illustrates a fusion, and this fusion goes far beyond the spiritual fusion between us and the Holy Spirit when we are saved (1 Corinthians 6:17). This means that the body of Christ will look like, act like, and function like Jesus. In the same way that Jesus had control over His physical body when He lived on earth, He intends to have control over His body of believers prior to His return. He is the head, we are the body.

From my perspective Ephesians chapter four is the heart cry of Jesus for His church. It also provides His strategy for seeing His people come to our appointed destination. Next week we are going to continue talking about this chapter.

Discussion

1.       What is the unity of the faith?

2.       What is the knowledge of the son of God?

3.       What does it mean to come to a “perfect” man?

4.       What does it mean to come to the measure of the statures of the fullness of Christ?

5.       What role will unity play in fulfilling the mission of the five-fold ministry?

The Temple and the Bride

4/30/11

Greetings,

                I want to begin by reminding you that you are precious in the sight of God. He loves you so much and no obstacle or challenge in life can change that. You are special, you are gifted, and you were created with a purpose. You are mighty in Christ!

                This week we are going to discuss a little eschatology. Eschatology is fancy terminology for “the study of the last things.” In light of the last things, we are going to discuss the cost of unity. We are also going to define the timeframe where unity will finally be achieved.

                Many Christians are familiar with the term antichrist. This term has been popularized not only in Christian circles, but also by media. It is a fearful term that reminds us that Satan has a plan to counterfeit our very Savior. The interesting thing is that the only place where the Bible uses this term to describe this person is in 1 John 2:18. Other terms that are used for this person are little horn, king, son of perdition, man of sin, and beast.

                This antichrist is on earth for an indeterminable amount of time. However, we do know that from the time he signs a covenant with the nation of Israel (and possibly several other nations) there will be a period of seven prophetic years before the return of Christ (Daniel 9:27). We also know that this seven year period has two halves. After the first half of this seven year period, the antichrist will break his covenant and end the sacrifice and offering in the temple of Israel. He will also place the abomination of desolation at this time. The second half of this period is referred to as the great tribulation. The great tribulation begins immediately after the sacrifice is ended.

“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)…then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” (Matthew 24:15, 21)

Before Jesus made this comment, many of the Jews believed that the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel had already happened. They believed this because Antiochus Epiphanies, a Greek general, slaughtered a pig on the altar of the temple several hundred years prior to this comment. When Jesus said this, it was shocking. In essence, Jesus said that there was yet a future fulfillment of this prophecy. The destruction of the temple in 70 AD and the absence of a state of Israel left many confused for thousands of years

Some have suggested that this prophecy is entirely symbolic of what the antichrist wants to do to Christians because there is no literal temple in Jerusalem. I see no logical reason to conclude this. The temple will be rebuilt in Jerusalem at some point in the near future. As evidence, consider these notes I took from a sermon by Jimmy DeYoung on March 11, 2011.

• Erecting the temple can be done in six months
• 28,000 priests are necessary to operate temple. A Rabbi at a Yeshiva has a computer that serves as a database for Jews qualified to be priests. They have called them all to Jerusalem to be prepared and trained because they are going to build a temple.
• The priests need a special garment made out of a single piece of cloth. There are currently 28,000 special garments already made to biblical specifications and they are in storage
• A mizrok is necessary as well. This is a container made out of pure gold and pure silver. It doesn’t have a base but a point so that it cannot be set down. These contain the blood from the blood sacrifices. If blood sits it will coagulate. The form of these containers makes it so that they cannot be set down but must be carried around by the priests at all times. Four thousand mizroks are needed and four thousand have already been prepared
• They have the table of showbread prepared
• They have the altar of incense prepared
• Two years ago they made the menorah, the seven branch candle holder, and it is on display in the Old city, the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem
• David had called for 10-string harps to be made for worship in the temple. A 10-string harp was made by Micah and Shoshanna Harrari and reported on by the paper: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/126936.
• It was reported on by the newspaper that this was the first 10-string harp made in Israel in 2000 years. According to the Talmud, when the 10-string harp reappeared in Jerusalem it would be time for the Messiah to arrive.
• 2 years ago 70 Jewish wise men came together and reformed the Sanhedrin. They operate the temple and elect the high priest. Professor Weiss, spokesman for the Sanhedrin, says that the high priest has been elected.
• A conference was held a few weeks prior to March 11, 2011 for qualified priests from all over the world to receive their final training in priestly duties for the coming temple.
• 2 Rabbi’s claim to have been within 25 feet of the Ark of the Covenant and say they will bring it out from its hiding place when they have a place to put it.

                Once the temple is built, the sacrifice will resume as it did thousands of years ago. It will be conducted according to the outline provided under the Old Covenant. This is the sacrifice that the antichrist will end halfway into the seven year period we discussed.

                “And arms shall stand on his [the antichrist’s] part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.” (Daniel 11:31)

                We must understand that the eleventh chapter of Daniel, from where we take the above scripture, is entirely chronological. This means that verse 2 does not happen before verse 1. Verse 10 happens after verse 9. This is extremely important because the following verse comes after the sacrifice is taken away. It is written:

                “And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed.” (Daniel 11:35)

                Since this passage is occurring after the sacrifice is removed it must occur during the great tribulation. Remember that Jesus told us the great tribulation begins when the sacrifice is removed and the abomination of desolation is placed. This passage discusses that some of them that have understanding of the True God and His ways will die during that time. These individuals will die for the purpose of making their brethren white. White means clean and pure. It also symbolizes righteousness. Where else does the Bible speak of similar activity?

                “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” (Ephesians 5:26-27)

                God intends to present His Son a bride without blemish. This means she will be white, clean, and righteous. This also means that she will be unified (Ephesians 4:13). In other words, she will come to a place of maturity. Jesus is not coming back for a little girl, He is returning for a mature bride. The timeframe where people are specifically prophesied to die for this occurs during the great tribulation. The idea that God comes to catch His church away before a great tribulation is entirely illogical. According to scripture, the great tribulation will actually be the necessary medium through which God will perform this work in His church. Are you prepared?

Discussion

1.       How many prophetic years are there between the time the antichrist makes covenant with Israel and the return of Christ?

2.       What happens halfway into this seven prophetic year period?

3.       Are people prophesied to die for the sake of God’s purpose in the church before or after this midpoint event?

4.       What kind of church is Jesus returning for?

5.       Do you consider yourself mature in Christ?