Imitating Evil or Good
Our choices in life are our choices in life. There are choices we make on a daily basis. We make choices on who to call, who to visit, whether or not to call in sick to work....you get my point. If you are a Christ follower, your choices should be reflective of that spirit of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, leading you to interact with people a certain way. The Spirit leads you to do what is Godly. So when those thoughts come, do you follow what the Spirit say, or do you make your own decision to do something different. In 3 John 1:11, we are instructed to imitate what is good, not what is evil. What is evil is not of God but what will pull you away from God. When you are evil you have not known God. Why would you know God and then continue to do evil? Misstep is one thing...but a consistent practice is another.
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Verify the Teaching
2 John 1:9 tells us that anyone who is teaching the word needs to abide in the Father and the Son. Anything less or more is incorrect. Don't let these teachers in your house. Furthermore, why would you want to let them in your house? If they teach that Jesus isn't the son yet you know differently, why would you allow falsehood into your life? Anything more than the Father and the son is like saying Jesus isn't good enough. Look, we do include the Holy Spirit but not as an extra, but as an inclusive part of the Father and Son. The Spirit comes from God, not some extra reach from another culture. You are responsible fore the teaching you allow in your life and do not check. If your math teacher tells you that 20 + 20 is now 60, would you not disagree, argue or consider them a fool? Do the same thing with Scriptural teachings.
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Continuity of Sin
What have you allowed in your life? What exists in your life that is okay based on what culture thinks? Is it okay with God? Is it God honoring? Look we all mess up and fall short and fail and sin. It's what happens because we are fallible and we are human. In 1 John 5:18 we have to understand (just like in previous books and verses) that once you are born of God (born again, seeking His will consistently) then that sin life that was apart of you can be no more. Let God in to that part of you that you are not willing to give up yet. When you have something big coming up, do you work and get anxious and doubt yourself? That is not of God and that is how Satan uses you and your circumstances to pull you away from God. Seek God's will in your life. Consult the Scriptures and let the Holy Spirit guide you.
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Loving the World
When you see scripture telling us to not "love the world" I hope people don't take it out of context. This is not anti green peace or go ahead and litter because what does it matter. This is the "world" in terms following what seems right to people that is actually not in line with God's will. The world can mean culture as it changes depending on the decade, century, era or millennium. Not loving the world is the best way to say "keep God at the center of your life." In 1 John 2:15 we are told " Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." That means if you have put culture over that which is of God in accordance with His will, then God is not in you directing your path because He would not lead you astray.
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Paul's Final Greetings and Warnings
Paul sends personal greeting in this last chapter in Romans. He tells the Roman church that there are numerous people coming and to greet them and details some of the people are that he is sending. It was customary to kiss people upon greeting them as part of the culture. In our culture we shake hands or hug. Sometimes we kiss on the cheek, but not always. When we do that, we can do that with holiness. Not just shake hands and not care about someone, but shake and care as God loved us. Hug with love as if it were from God (Romans 16:16).
Paul then warns the church, which is also applicable today. He warns us about those in the church who cause dissension and problems. People will cause division on the church and create obstacles for others. It can be hard to learn and learn properly for that matter if there are others who teaching the opposite of the doctrine that the church has taught. Paul knew that they did not serve the Lord, but they served themselves. Paul also tells us that the God of peace will crush Satan under His feet. So, while there are those who do wrong, God will win in the end (Romans 16:17-20).
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Jesus and the Samaritan Woman
If there is one thing to learn from Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well, it was that Jesus did not care about public perception. If the culture said one thing, Jesus did not follow that. His primary and even only concern was is it in God's will. If it is in God's will then Jesus did that. If it was not in God's will, Jesus would not go along with it.
In John 4:7, Jesus is at a well with a Samaritan woman and tell her to give him a drink. She was surprised by this because Jews thought Samaritans were cursed and did not deal with them. Jesus is breaking so many man made rules here by speaking with a woman in public as he is a Rabbi. A rabbi would not even speak to his own wife in public. He also, as seen in verse 18, was speaking with a woman known to have numerous husbands. She had sex with 5 other men in addition to the one she was living with at that time that was not her husband. Jesus knew this and spoke with her anyway. Jesus knew that their nationalities did not mix, but he was far more concerned with sharing living water with her.
In breaking cultural man made barriers Jesus was able to share living water (John 4:10-15) which is the Spirit of God. Have you ever been on fire for God? In other words there is a passion that cannot be extinguished fueled by the Holy Spirit to serve God. What that passion is aflame you don't need anything else. That desire to serve God overwhelms your whole being. There is no other need that surfaces. With water that you drink, you will need another drink again. But living water fulfills forever. When we look past the skin we have more opportunities to give the living water of the Father.
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He Stirs Up the People
As Jesus was bought before Pilate, Pilate could not see why the people wanted him crucified. Their reasoning was that Jesus "stirs up the people" with teaching in various places. They didn't say he was wrong. They didn't say that he lied. They said that he stirs up the people. Is that really a crime?
People were so concerned with keeping things the way they were (afraid to change, much?) that they would rather have a murdered named Barabbas released to them rather than be "stirred." They felt more comfortable with someone who was guilty of murder than they were around Jesus. Jesus made them think. He challenged the culture. He challenged their traditions and their beliefs. He challenged their connection to and understanding of God. Jesus was God in the flesh and that scared people so much that they would rather have him killed than be challenged.
This leads me to ask the only question I can think of; what are you allowing in your life that is taking priority over Jesus? Yes, we all slip up from time to time and make mistakes, but to me there is a difference between slipping up and living a lifestyle that is not Christ-like. Please remember, just because you are "stirred up" does not mean that it is a bad thing. It takes a clam to be irritated in order to create a pearl. Let Jesus "irritate you" to show you the pearl you can be with him.
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Watch Yourselves!
This chapter outlines several things from sacrificial giving (giving that really makes you sacrifice) to the destruction of the temple, wars and persecution and Christ's return. But something else struck me. Jesus gave us a warning. It is easy to miss if you are just reading and maybe even distracted, but I wanted to point it out.
In verse 34, Jesus says to "watch yourselves." He tells us to watch our hearts so that they are not filled with "dissipation, drunkenness and cares of this world."
Jesus know that if our heart isn't aligned with him, then it is aligned elsewhere, like the world. The world then and now often says things like "everything in moderation." Folks, not everything is legal and not everything is good for you even if it is legal. Jesus is warning us to not let culture be our guide. Culture changes, but the word of God stands firm.
For those that know of my former employment, you will remember that I was a bouncer/security guard for bars. A bar's focus is to sell alcohol to you. Some to many places will even sell it to you even after you have had enough. The world celebrates this lifestyle, but the world doesn't show you what happens to your liver and other organs from years of that lifestyle. The world doesn't show you the broken homes and lost souls that come from spending too much time drinking and not enough time with Jesus.
Jesus warns us of being hungover (surfeiting/carousing/dissipation) from alcohol and in other words, being hung over form the world's way. When you are hung over you have had too much alcohol and the body begins to shut down. Have you ever seen someone pass out from too much alcohol? Maybe it has happened to you. That is the body's way of rejecting more consumption. But, with the world's way and culture we don't get that feeling like with alcohol, it just overtakes you and then you look up one day wondering how you got there. You may even try to make excuses for why it is okay to be where you are, but where you haven't been was aligned with Christ in obedience with God's will.
This blog post was not to bash bars or my former employment, but to shine light on a culture that is dictated by reformed ways of thinking that separate you from God's path. How culture thinks today will not be that way tomorrow. Stand firm with God's word.
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