15 – Faith and Doctrine

By / Base Theology Discipleship / 15 minutes of reading

We live in a world where the necessity for faith and truth is played down and minimised. The worldly concept of faith and truth is fluid, flexible, and without absolutes, to the point of irrelevance, except where faith and truth can be used for personal advantage. This is not new, as the world has always resisted the absolutes of spiritual and moral laws, especially ones found in God’s Word. Believers were confronted in New Testament times with the same battles against faith and truth as we are today.

When speaking of faith in Jesus Christ we are forced to think through the matter of truth and doctrine. “Doctrine refers to a set of beliefs that are held by a group of people. In this case, we are talking about a set of beliefs that are held by the church. The beliefs are clear enough to be taught by or to them. Doctrine can also refer to one of those beliefs, e.g., the doctrine of justification by faith. Again, it is sufficiently clear that it can be taught to people.” (Mbewe, Conrad. God’s Design for the Church. Crossway. Kindle Edition.) For the Christian, doctrine should rise from the Word of God as the only authoritative source of truth which governs our beliefs and our teachings.

The importance of believing truth and translating those truths into doctrines that we teach cannot be overstated. Our living is always determined by what we believe, therefore, to grow the Church to maturity we must have sound doctrine. Doctrine is a central expression of our faith in God and our service to those we disciple. The Church must express faith in Christ through understanding God’s truth and teaching those doctrinal truths to others. Wrong belief always leads to wrong living, and the Church is not exempt from this rule.

This is so central to Church life that the Lord made it a requirement of those who lead His people. Elders “must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it” (Titus 1:9). Beginning with the shepherds of the body of Christ, a tight grip on the doctrines taught through the Old Testament, plus those taught by Christ and the apostles must be maintained.

Elders are to be clear in their understanding of doctrine so that they are able to defend it when others come against it. Should the opposition to sound doctrine be aggressive, an elder should be able to rebuke the error of those who fight truth with the Sword of the Spirit, exposing the error for what it is.

Satan, being “the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4). Satan’s highest priority is to prevent people from knowing the truth of Jesus Christ. By doing this, he prevents unbelieving people from understanding the majestic glory of Christ who could be their Saviour if only they would repent. Unbelievers need to be taught the doctrine of Christ, even in the simplest of ways, so that they can see the son of God correctly. In understanding Christ correctly, a sinner will see themselves correctly, which leads to belief in the gospel truth.

Paul instructed Titus to warn God’s people against those who devote “themselves to Jewish myths and the commands of people who turn away from the truth” (Titus 1:14). Resistance and even rebellion against the absolutes of God lives in the heart of sinful mankind. Paul wanted Titus to realise the severity of this problem which can easily impact the Church if we allow it. If we fill our minds with cultural myths and human thinking about spiritual matters, we will certainly end up believing everything EXCEPT the truth. “For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers” (Titus 1:10). Titus had the job of countering all the false ideas and false beliefs through the clear teaching of truth. This is why biblical truths are called doctrines, and they are to be taught authoritatively.

As in all ages, we live in a time where people, generally speaking, do “not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” (2 Timothy 4:3-4). This is perhaps one of Satan’s most effective strategies within the Church, to convince people that they should only listen to teaching that satisfies their fleshly passions. Such people will only tolerate listening to sound doctrine for a short time. They will invariably rise to challenge Church leadership, demanding softer, more accommodating teachers. Sadly, if they do not get what they want, they will either go to war against the elders by causing division in the Church, or they will leave the Church all together.

These types of people can creep into the Church without being recognised for who they really are. Typically, they are people who are “always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 3:7). The absolutes of God’s Word are ugly to these people, and to be avoided at all cost. They will resist and complain about all kinds of definitive and authoritative teaching that makes the truth of God’s Word clear and believable. They are content to be on a journey of never ending spiritual exploration without ever arriving at the truth.

The apostle Paul addressed these kinds of people in the Corinth Church when he wrote “ I could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:1). Towards the end of the same letter Paul again challenges these people by saying “do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature” (1 Corinthians 14:20). God’s desire for the Church is for believers to grow to maturity in their applied knowledge of doctrinal truth. Mature believers are strong believers who remain faithful to Christ.

The Church is the Buttress of Truth
The Church has both the privilege and the responsibility of being God’s truth bearers to the world. Paul gave Timothy a number of precise instructions for this very purpose, so that he “may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15). The Church is God’s household, God’s place of dwelling through the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Twice in Isaiah 65:16, Isaiah states that Yahweh is “the God of truth.” Intrinsic to God’s holiness is His truthfulness. He is incapable of anything other than absolute and definitive truth. Therefore, the Psalmist proclaimed, “the sum of your word is truth” (Psalm 119:160). Jesus explained to the Samaritan woman at the well, “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). The only acceptable expression of worship that accurately reflects the nature of God is worship permeated with truth.

The Church is the household of God’s people who manifest truth. Therefore, the teachings of the Church must be characterised by a consistent presentation of God centred, God authored truth which flows out of God’s Word of truth, the Bible. Doctrine is simply the structured and orderly presentation of biblical truth on God’s behalf as His ambassadors (2Co 5:20). The Churches’ presentation of God’s truth is evidence that they are the living human “church of the living God.”

Paul unashamedly tells Timothy, that the Church, regardless of age or maturity, is “a pillar and buttress of the truth.” Paul uses common building terminology to describe the importance of these qualities. The pillar would have been a stone column that held up the upper levels of the building as well as the roof. While the buttress would have been any supporting structure, from the foundation to any other supporting or stabilising materials used in the building. Many Bible translations simply refer to the buttress and the foundation, which is true, but a little limiting.

Paul’s point is clear, as “a pillar and buttress of the truth” the Church is where people go to be presented with consistent and strong truth from God. In order to be a “pillar and buttress” the truth that is proclaimed must be strong enough to support the entire structure of belief and life as representative of God Himself. Paul is impressing heavily upon Timothy the absolute essential nature of teaching sound doctrines as structures for a correct faith in God. When the whirlwinds of life and error blast against the Church, it stands firm in Christ because it has been methodically built using Biblical “pillars and buttresses.” The Church is therefore, to be the safe house where people run for spiritual safety and security because the Church is built strong with the building material of God’s truth.

Paul’s description of God’s building material used in the Church enables us to understand more clearly the intensity of his exhortation to the Corinth Church. Having been purified by the Lord from all the fleshing sins detailed in 1 Corinthians, Paul writes again for restoration, reconciliation and strengthening of this revived Church. “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).

The “strongholds” Paul speaks of are the “arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God.” The Church is the strong house of God where truth is proclaimed with strength and clarity for the purpose of destroying wrong thinking about God. Whether it’s a non-believer with a completely wrong understanding of God, or a believer with an inaccurate or distorted understanding of God, Church is the place to have them corrected. In fact, the truth of God’s Word is to have the effect of destroying error.

Not only so, but the divine power of God through His Word goes onto “take every thought captive to obey Christ.” Every time Scripture is proclaimed it is an offensive weapon of God, the Sword of the Spirit, attacking Satan’s wrong thinking in the minds and hearts of the hearers. The Church is the household of God’s people who have had their thoughts, their beliefs, taken prisoner by Christ. The evidence of this divine work is that the Church is to obey the Lord Jesus Christ.

Sound Doctrine Sanctifies
The Church is unique, it stands alone in a privileged place of service for Christ as a body of redeemed sinners. “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19). Paul specifically told the Galatian believers that they were part of “the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10), as it is faith which is given by God (Eph 2:8) and it is faith that initiates salvation through the gospel. Saved sinners are immediately baptised into Christ and made members of Christ’s body, the Church (Rom 6:3). Now, joined together as saints of God they live for a new purpose, with new connected relationships with other saved sinners. Owned by God, for God, and energised by God, these citizens function as a family household for the pleasure and glory of their heavenly Father. This justified body of believers now wish to “do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

But the problem is, we saved sinners know that we “have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out” (Romans 7:18) in our own strength. We all know that we are not as holy in our living as we wish we were. Praise God, He has provided the lifelong ministry of the indwelling Holy Spirit to persistently carry on with the work of sanctification. Sanctification is the constant development of increasing holiness, increasing purity. Paul described it this way, “may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Every part of our lives is being purified continuously, and this will continue until the Lord Jesus returns. Sanctification is a spiritual work that practically strives to change us so that we become closer and closer to being blameless. This takes time and much patience, and the God of all grace perseveres at this work in our lives.

Realising this, the members of God’s household treat each other differently, “speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ” (Ephesians 4:15). When truth is spoken with a loving attitude and in a loving tone of voice, in loving relationships, truth becomes a powerful and effective tool for God. The goal of truthful love is Christlikeness. This is the wonderful ministry of sanctification, growing, changing, developing, forgiving, and kindly reconciling relationships for the glory of Christlike character. This is holiness in practice. This is the desire of the Head of the Church for His body.

Sanctification must touch every relationship in a believer’s life with the truth of God’s Word so that the fruit of righteousness can be produced. Paul taught on the ways in which believers are to treat each other in many of his letters. And he made an interesting application to Titus regarding the behaviour of Christian slaves towards their masters. “Slaves are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, 10 not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour” (Titus 2:9-10). Even in the most difficult and demanding relationships, the believer is to live Christ’s submission. A submissive attitude resists arguing, and it submits for the blessing of the other person.

This Christlike submission is the manifestation of good faith, genuine faith, a faith that comes from God. Now watch the connection Paul makes not in verse 10. Faith is to adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour. That is, faith decorates the believer for the public display of doctrine. God intends faith to be displayed for everyone to see the truths and teachings of God’s Word in your life. Doctrine is central to living by faith and living a sanctified life for Christ. Without doctrine we cannot know how to live because we cannot know the truth of God that is to be applied. Members of the Church are constantly “being transformed into the same image (Christlikeness) from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18). The Holy Spirit relentlessly works in our lives, through joyful and painful times, through victories and failures, to transform God’s children to be more like His Son. And sanctification requires the truth of doctrine to do this.

Some will resist doctrine
As we noted earlier in this lesson, wherever God is at work you will also find Satan at work. Satan will use any method at his disposal to dilute God’s truth and convince people that the doctrines of God are of no value. Most often Satan will employ the services of people who are happy to become a member of a local Church, because that is where they can cause the most damage on Satan’s behalf. Large portions of the New Testament are dedicated to instructing the Church on how to deal with such people and with their wrong teachings.

In the closing chapter of Paul’s letter to the Church in Rome, having written the most detailed and exquisite explanation of the gospel, he ends with a warning. “I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. 18 For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naïve” (Romans 16:17-18). Fifteen chapters of the most majestic doctrinal truths of God and salvation with many practical applications given, equipped the readers to defend against the enemies’ attacks from with. No matter how nice, how attractive, how smooth talking, or how wealthy a person may be, if they cause division over the doctrines taught in God’s Word, they are to be avoided. Doctrinal error can never produce purity. Error always promotes the self-righteousness of the person promoting the error, and it always seeks to divide the Church instead of building unity.

Often, Satan uses smooth talk and flattery (to) deceive the hearts of the naïve people in the Church who are not mature in their faith. This happens partly because those who are not knowledgeable with applied theology have minds open to worldly or fleshly thinking. Often error will sound appealing because it seeks to satisfy fleshly appetites. It is up the mature Church members, especially elders, to keep an eye out for such divisive people sneaking into the Church.

Paul carefully instructed the Ephesian Church on this very matter. Pastors, Teachers, and Evangelists all minister in the Church for the spiritual growth of believers. This is for the purpose that all members of your Church “may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes” (Ephesians 4:14). Faithfulness in teaching the whole counsel of God (Act 20:27) to the whole assembly of God’s people grows inoculation against Satan’s devious schemes of error, division, and sinful living. As the writer to the Hebrews cautioned, “let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God” (Hebrews 6:1). Gifted teachers are to be careful to mature the diet of Bible teaching as the Church ages. Satan uses human cunning to deceive believers who permanently remain babylike in the Christian faith.

Resistance against sound biblical doctrine is the devil’s work. Resistance never causes sanctification for greater holiness. Resistance always produces more and more sins of the heart. The sinful heart will eventually leak out sins of anger, unforgiveness, lying, carnal behaviour, outbursts of temper, and division of Christ’s Church. So, Paul says, watch out for such people, and protect God’s Church from such people.

Conclusion
The local Church is to be the school of truth, the local school of biblical theology, of gospel compelled doctrine. The local Church is to be the place where people in the community go to discover spiritual realities as spoken by God. It is the Church that teaches God’s truth for the purpose of persuading others to become believers of truth. There is to be NOTHING random, haphazard, or casual about the local Churches proclamation of sound doctrine. Biblical doctrine is evangelistic, it’s practical by nature, and it’s satisfying. Doctrine happily expresses faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

We shall give the last word to our brother Paul. “It is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God” (Philippians 1:9-11).

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14 – Christ and His Church

By / Base Theology Discipleship / 12 minutes of reading

For believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Church is the most precious place on earth, it is the household of God (1Ti 3:15). The Church is precious because “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Eph 5:25). In this lesson we shall consider just a few of the essential truths of Christ and His Church.

The Church is not a building, and it is not a manmade religious organization. Rather, the Church is made of repentant sinners, who, upon salvation were immediately placed into the universal body of Christ, the Church (1Co 12:12-13).

This body of believers are the Bride of Jesus Christ (2Co 11:2; Eph 5:23-32; Rev 19:7-8), spiritually born again by the Holy Spirit with Jesus Christ as head (Eph 1:22; 4:15; Col 1:18). It is Jesus, who “has freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever” (Rev 1:5-6). Therefore, the Church is the human expression of Jesus Christ in the absence of Jesus’ physical body on earth.

The Church is seen in 2 ways on earth. First, the Church universal is the worldwide Church which is made up of all believers in Christ as Lord and Saviour. “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body – Jews or Greeks, slaves or free – and all were made to drink of one Spirit.14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many” (1Co 12:13-14).

Second, the local Church is the smaller groupings of believers seen in many different locations around the world. Paul described local Churches in Galatians 1:1–2, “Paul, an apostle… and all the brothers with me, to the churches in Galatia.” We see that in the province of Galatia, Paul said there were many churches, they were localized Christian ministries and were located throughout the province. They were local churches.

While there is only one worldwide Church universal, there are many local Churches. While believers are spiritually baptized into the Church universal, they must choose which local Church congregation they are to be a member of.

“The New Testament instructs those who are part of the universal church in every generation, scattered throughout the world, to meet together regularly in local assemblies. Such was clearly the pattern of the early church (cf. Acts 14: 23, 27; 20: 17, 28; 1 Cor. 11: 18– 20; Gal. 1: 2; 1 Thess. 1: 1). In keeping with that paradigm, the author of Hebrews offers this directive, “Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Heb. 10: 24– 25).” (MacArthur, John; Mayhue, Richard. Biblical Doctrine)

In the first century, following the birth of the Church at Pentecost (Acts 2), Church membership was less complex because there was typically only one local Church in a city. Plus, there were no denominations. The Church was simply the Church, with no Baptist, no Brethren, and no Methodist etc. There was only the Church universal who gathered in local Church assemblies.

The primary purpose for the Church is to glorify God the Father (Jn 17:1-6), “to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Eph 3:21). This is achieved through Jesus Christ, in the energy of the Holy Spirit (Jn 16:12-15; 1Co 10:31; 1Pe 5:10). The Church accomplishes glory for God through worship (Jn 4:21-23; Rom 12:1; Php 3:3), through building itself up in the faith with God’s Word (2Ti 2:2, 15; 3:16-17), through fellowship and keeping the ordinances (Communion and Water Baptism) accompanied by proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world (Ac 1:8) and making disciples of Jesus Christ (Mat 28:19-20).

Because the Church is Christ’s body, the Church is responsible for glorifying the Father as Christ glorifies the Father. Therefore, as the body of Christ, the Church is to manifest the character of Christ and continue Christ’s work on earth with a divine focus.

This simple but bold purpose of the Church gets the enemy’s attention. Satan is at war with God and at war with the Church of Jesus Christ. As the apostle Paul discovered, “again and again… Satan hindered us” (1 Thessalonians 2:18). Satan goes to extraordinary lengths to infiltrate and damage the body of Christ. Satan skilfully introduces “false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15). Satan carefully inserts his people into local congregations. They are often “fierce wolves (who) will come in among you, not sparing the flock” (Acts 20:29). They are often “scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” 19 It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit” (Jude 1:18-19). Just as the Church is precious to God, the church is also the enemy of Satan.

As the Church is assigned with such an exalted  responsibility, glorying God through the Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit is assigned to equip the Church for the mission. The Holy Spirit produces spiritual rebirth (Jn 3:5; Tit 3:5), baptizing every true believer into Christ’s body (Act 1:5). He also imputes each believer with the righteousness of Christ (Rom 8:10; 14:17), sealing and securing an unchangeable salvation (Eph 1:13-14). Unmistakably, the Holy Spirit gives evidence of His presence in a life by “the fruit of the Spirit, (which) is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).

The Holy Spirit also gifts every believer with unique giftedness to serve and build up the body (1Co 12:7-9). To protect and maintain Christ’s body, the Holy Spirit also provides  believers with armour (Eph 6:10-18). With His armour, the Holy Spirit also provides a weapon to defend the body, which the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God (Eph 6:17).

Therefore, the Church is equipped with everything needed to glorify God. The challenge rests with each body of believers, will they take up God’s resources and accomplish their mission of glorification?

Israel and the Church
A significant part of understanding the Church, is understanding the Church’s relationship with Israel. Galatians 3:28 states the equality that exists between Jew and Gentile in Christ, in the Church. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (See also Col 3:11). God is presently at work; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, building His multicultural international Church.

Care should be taken to maintain the biblical integrity of both ethnic Israel and the Church. Attempting to amalgamate the two creates serious Bible interpretation (hermeneutical) problems. Old Testament promises, judgements, or instructions applied specifically to Israel should never be spiritualized or allegorized, then wrongly applied to the New Testament Church or Gentile believers.

From the beginning, the Lord has clearly stated the nature of His relationship with Israel. “For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth” (Deu 7:6).

God has not finished with Israel, and He shall sovereignly re-engage the nation of Israel to bring to fulfilment every promise yet unfulfilled. Again, in Romans 11, Paul presents detailed information relating to Israel and Gentiles. “I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, ‘The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; 27 “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins’” (Rom 11:25-27. See also Daniel 9:24-26).

The New Testament uses the word Israel approximately seventy times, of which, most refer to Ethnic (The cultural group of people) Israel. These references refer to either the nation of Israel as a whole or a group of Jewish people. Therefore, when the New Testament speaks of Israel, the normal sense of national Israel is being spoken of. The apostle Paul speaks to this matter in Romans 11:1-2 by asking and answering an all-important question. “Has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew.” Israel has not been rejected, nor has she been superseded, replaced, or had her identity changed. The Israel that God foreknew by His sovereign will and power, He still holds onto. Paul continues to explain, “so too at the present time there is a remnant (of Israel), chosen by grace” (Rom 11:5). The immutable character of God will not change His relationship with Israel, even though Israel lives in disobedience to Him at present.

Some teachers insist that the Church has replaced Israel, with all the Old Testament blessings promised to Israel being transferred to the New Testament Church. This teaching is known as “replacement theology, or supersessionism” and it insists that the Church is the new Israel. The danger of this teaching is that the distinctions between Israel and the Church which are taught throughout the New Testament are lost (1Co 10:32).

In Romans 9:3-5, Paul states the permanent nature of Israel’s identity and her relationship to Yahweh. Paul speaks as a Jew when he says, “my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. 4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. 5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.”
As the New Testament distinguishes Israel from the Church, so believers should also maintain that same distinction.

Today, a Jewish person comes to repentant faith in Christ the same as a Gentile. And upon salvation, they are both baptized into the body of Christ, the Church. Therefore, a Jewish believer is included in the Church with all Gentile believers, but this does NOT change their ethnic identity or inheritance as being an Israelite.

The unity between Jewish and Gentile believers in the Church today changes nothing of Israel’s relationship to God. God keeps all His Old Testament covenant promises to Israel. The church also shares in the blessings of the new covenant with Jewish believers (Luk 22:20; 2Co 3:3-8; Heb 8:7-13; 9:15), but this does NOT alter the existing Old Testament promises to Israel.

Headship of the Church
When God, who is the Father of all glory (Eph 1:17) exercised His great power in raising Jesus Christ from the dead, He “seated him (Jesus) at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come” (Eph 1:20-21. See also Col 1:18). The Lord Jesus Christ reigns supreme over all that exists in both this present time and in the ages to come. Christ’s authority and power are beyond challenge in all spheres of physical and spiritual life. Therefore, God the Father has “put all things under his (Jesus) feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all” (Eph 1:22-23).

As Head of the Church, Christ reigns from His heavenly throne, administering all spheres of Church life. It is Christ, through His written Word and the ministry of the Holy Spirit, who builds the Church. As “the chief Shepherd” (1Pe 5:4) of His Church, Christ delegates earthly leadership to His under-shepherds, who we call elders. Elders serve as willing shepherds of “the flock of God,” not domineering over God’s people but leading as humble examples of Christ’s character (1Pe 5:2-3). Elders especially “do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than” themselves (Php 2:3).

Elders in the local Church have the heavy responsibility as “the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph 4:11-13). That is an enormous task for Christ’s undershepherds. This is why it is important to “obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you” (Heb 13:17).

The Church Body
The flock of God are the people in the body of Christ. Together they live and serve to worship God, to minister to the needs of one another, and to spread the gospel message. Together, elders and all believers “are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ” (Eph 4:15).

The local Church congregation should seek to live the body principles outlined in 1 Corinthians 12. Identifying the gifts given by the Holy Spirit, they are to combine their energies to serve. This is because “to each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (1Co 12:7). Believers in each local Church have been gifted to each other to compliment and strengthen the giftedness of each other (1Co 12:14-21). This enables “the members (to) have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together” (1Co 12:25-26). Humility and service are critical in Church family life to build up unity and manifest Christ. Today, as in the first century Church, “faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1Co 13:13).

1 Peter 3:8-9 further explains some of the essential attitudes that must be turned into behaviour to protect and nurture the body of Christ. “Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 9 Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.”

Mutual accountability and transparency between all believers (Pro 27:17; Mat 18:5-14) is the healthy Christlike  character for all believers to live. This mutually open-hearted living (2Co 6:11-13) creates a loving, caring environment for biblical growth, support, and discipline (Gal 6:1-2) should a believer become trapped in sinful behaviour (Mat 18:15-17).

The local Church has the privilege and responsibility to actively express the unconditional love of God by living out the grace and mercy of God (Mat 18:33; Rom 5:5; Jam 2:12-13; Jude 1:23). May we grow in or understanding of how to live Christ in His Church, and how to speak and behave in ways that others perceive the presence of Jesus Christ as Lord. With God’s help, may we be the servants of grace in our local Church for Christ’s glory. Amen.

 

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13 – Christ and Your Character

By / Base Theology Discipleship / 13 minutes of reading

In this lesson we shall consider the connection between our relationship with Jesus Christ, and our character. This subject addresses our heart character, which fuels our thoughts, which then enables our behaviour. God intends our knowledge of Christ to achieve more than good doctrine and good Sunday behaviour. A genuine understanding of Christ must produce Christlike character. For a believer, Christ’s character is to dominate our heart, our mind, our speech, and our behaviour, until we can say with Paul, “to live is Christ” (Philippians 1:21).

This lesson builds upon lesson 11, Applied Theology, and seeks to extend our understanding of Bible application in the areas of heart, thought, and behaviour. Yahweh is interested in far more than superficial good behaviour, He wants the heart, for “everything you do flows from it” (Proverbs 4:23 NIV). Whatever, or whoever, controls the heart, controls the whole life, and that needs to be Christ.

Ezekiel prophesied much about the day when the Lord will restore Israel. When that time arrives, the Lord will deal with Israel’s heart. Ezekiel 36:26, “I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” In that coming day, all living Israel shall be regenerated, born-again, and indwelt by the Holy Spirit.

Only the Lord can do this supernatural work of removing a sinfully hard heart, and replace it with a soft, submissive heart that is compelled by love for Yahweh. You see, the Lord desires for our righteous behaviour to be an accurate outworking of a soft and righteous heart. This requires a new soft heart, and a renewed mind to produce Christlike character. There are no short-cuts, and there is no cheating or pretending in this Christ compelled inner work.

Paul’s writes to the Church in Rome, explaining in just a few verses what we are considering here. “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:1-5).

Paul presents the foundation of our Christian relationship with God and how the Spirit of God works within us. These essential truths give us an understanding of what it means to glorify God through our character. Plus, these verses show us the qualities of a truly born-again Christian. Here, Paul presents us with the most basic fruits of salvation that should be evident in a believer’s life.

Christian character grows out of salvation. Without faith in Jesus Christ as our substitute on the Cross of Calvary, there is no justification. No faith equals no forgiveness of sin. If we are not forgiven by God, we are still dead in our sins, weighted down under the wrath of God. Justification by faith is the only way any sinner can be declared innocent before God who is Judge.

We deceive ourselves if we do not stand firm on the truth of the gospel in this area of character development. Many church attendees fail to manifest Christlike character because they have never placed faith in Christ as Saviour and Lord. In other words, because of their lack of faith they are not justified before God. Consequently, they attend church with hard and deceived hearts, unable to see their own sin or “the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4). Satan blinds their minds so that they are unable to see the beauty of Christ in the gospel. They are often perplexed and saddened by worshippers who stand in awe of God’s majesty displayed through Christ on the Cross and in the gospel.

God is not looking for church attenders! God does not want us to convince unchurched people to become church people. God is not trying to convince sinful societies to behave better so that they can feel better about themselves and have less problems. God is not trying to improve people so that they will find the gospel attractive. God does not want sinners attempting to work their way into Church life by their good works. God is not seeking religious people who become skilful at spiritual deception and manipulation.

No, God’s message to mankind is to “repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, 20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19-20). This gospel message is humanity’s only hope. God calls them to “confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, and you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved” (Romans 10:9-10). Having placed repentant faith in Christ, the believer now realises that they stand cleansed and secure in God’s grace. They now rejoice in their new position of innocence before God, washed clean by the blood of Christ (1Jn 1:7). They now look to the future with certain hope of heaven and the call of glorifying God through their living (1Co 10:31). Paul defines this spiritual change by saying that “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Faith in Christ changes the entire life, it’s unmistakable.

This new life, which has been gifted to them, produces rejoicing even while suffering. In Christ, they see that suffering can accomplish more than they ever imagined, but only if they maintain a humble and submissive attitude. Paul continues to say that suffering for Christ “produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope” (Rom 5:3-4). Suffering is for the purpose of character development, which is evidence of God’s love existing in their hearts by the Holy Spirit.

Once reborn and indwelt by God’s loving Holy Spirit, He empowers the suffering believer to grow endurance, character, and hope which brings God glory. These inner qualities of grace take the believer towards maturity in Christ. The Christian lives for God and NOT for self. They do not live for greedy or selfish pleasures. Personal convenience and comfort are secondary to them. They live for Christ! “For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s” (Romans 14:8). This is why Paul could honestly say, “for to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).

This highlights our need to preach the Lordship of Christ when we proclaim the gospel. We are not trying to convince people to add Jesus to their existing beliefs. Nor do we tell them to place Jesus to one side where He has no place of authority in their lives. Rather, we are to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its (sinful) desires” (Romans 13:14).

Paul shows us God’s perspective on our salvation in Romans 8:29; “for those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.” Simply believing about Christ has never been God’s plan. God the Father exercised His will (Jn 6:37, 44, 65) for the purpose of bringing people into a relationship of conformity to the image of Christ. The Father’s will in salvation is to reproduce Christ’s character in every believer. This requires humble submission on the part of the repentant sinner.

Sinners do NOT come to Christ to find themselves or to improve themselves. No, they come to Christ to loss themselves and put on Christ. Paul explains it this way, “for as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27). In context, the baptism Paul speaks of here is dry, no water. This is the baptism by God’s Spirit into Christ through justification by faith.

Christlike character growing in the believer is the persistent ministry of the Holy Spirit following salvation. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says, “we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” Just as Christlikeness was the Father’s will in salvation, so Christlikeness is the Holy Spirit’s will through sanctification. We are NOT set apart for holiness so that we can be the better version of who we are. No, we are set apart for holiness to be like Christ. We are to be imitators of the Lord Jesus Christ (1Th 1:6) who is the very best from God.

Jesus taught this principle in Luke 6:40, “a disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.” When we call people to come follow Jesus, we are calling them to surrender their all so that they can increasingly become like Jesus through spiritual rebirth and sanctification. This is the opposite of how the religious person thinks. Religion says, if you do good works and become more like Jesus, you may be able to win God’s favour and go to heaven – WRONG!

Jesus, “calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it” (Mark 8:34-35). Self must be denied if a person is to be saved through the gospel of Jesus Christ. If self-denial is the attitude of a repentant sinner at the time of salvation, then it should continue for life.

Repentant sinners need to realise that through salvation Christ is going to change them. When confronted by the chief priests and elders in Matthew 21:32, Jesus addressed their unwillingness to change. Jesus said, “for John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.” Change of belief and behaviour towards Jesus Christ is God’s normal, and it is good. Personal change should be expected, it should be preached, and it should be included in all discipleship.

The apostle Paul serves as an example through his willingness to change in practical ways. He told the Galatian church, “I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you” (Galatians 4:20). Many believers fail in the simple sanctification of attitude and speech towards others. The tone of our voice always expresses the attitude of our heart. Paul realised that if he were with the Galatians in person, he would change the way he was speaking to them. This is because, as he was writing to them from a long distance, he was perplexed about them and struggling to understand what was happening in their lives.

To grow in Christlike character, we submit ourselves to the changing ministry of the Holy Spirit. This is a never ending ministry of sanctification, making us more holy, and more like Christ. Therefore, ongoing change is the inescapable path of sanctification as “he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). The rapture will bring this earthly process to completion when “we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).

In Romans 12, Paul instructed the Roman Church on the relationship between having physically pure lives and worship. “Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship” (Romans 12:1). He immediately follows with an instruction which goes much deeper than physical holiness; “be transformed by the renewal of your mind…” (Romans 12:2). Growing in Christlike character impacts our bodies and our minds. This is God’s will for every believer in Christ.

Believers are to praise God for the privilege of being called into a life of growing sanctification towards greater Christlikeness. “We are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ” (Ephesians 4:15). Notice that Paul says the growth should always be upwards towards greater Christlikeness. Going backwards, or even standing still is not God’s will for us. Notice also, that this growth is to be “in every way.” No area of life goes untouched. No part of our lives, including our characters, can escape this all important work of God the Holy Spirit. To grow more and more into Christlike character is our earthly act of worship! This we need to understand, and this we need to be committed to as we proclaim the gospel and disciple people to be followers of Christ as Lord and Saviour.

Our sanctification is never challenged more than in our relationships with others, especially our brothers and sisters in the Lord. “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5 NIV). While it’s true that in 1 Corinthians 2:16 Paul tells us that “we have the mind of Christ,” we are responsible to action Christ’s mind. We are the ones who must choose to put personal preferences and feelings to one side, permitting the mind of Christ to dominate our character towards others.

We do this because, in Christ, we have been equipped by the Holy Spirit to change. He energises us to be like Christ, to be different from our old nature. Now, in Christ, believers are able, if they submit, to “do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3).

Only in Christ are believers empowered by the Holy Spirit to “look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4). Therefore, our attitude towards others is a good thermometer of the level of Christlike character which you have permitted the Holy Spirit to achieve in you. Relationships with others can tell a powerful story of our submission to the Lordship of Jesus. Sadly, the opposite is also true. Our relationships can tell of the sadness of a belligerent believer who resists change, and resists Christlikeness. May this never be true in us?

Jesus commanded “that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:12-13). This deep love for others does not just happen overnight. No, it takes time as the child of God grows in Christlike love, in self-sacrificing love. It begins with changing attitudes towards others. Then, it develops Christlike motives as the reason for serving others without expectation of reward. This love exists “because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:5).

May we meditate on God’s Word and think often of Jesus Christ. As we think of Christ may our hearts become more and more soft to the controlling of God’s Holy Spirit. And as our hearts soften, may we pray more often, with greater passion, with greater urgency, seeking greater glory for Christ. May God continue to transform our hearts to be completely like Christ. Remember, “above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Proverbs 4:23 NIV).

The final word in this lesson shall go to the apostle Paul from Philippians 3:7-11. “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith –  10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”

13 – Christ and Your Character Read More »

12 – Prayer and God’s Grace

By / Base Theology Discipleship / 13 minutes of reading

Today’s lesson is about prayer, and prayer is simply us talking with God. Prayer is an essential part of Christian life, yet it is often one of the areas we struggle with most. There is much misunderstanding and misinformation about prayer in the world. Often prayer is thought of as an activity only for the super spiritual people, which is wrong.

When we have a wrong understanding of prayer, we can easily become disinterested and disconnected in our hearts towards God. Sometimes, because we do not see immediate answers, or sense God giving us the things we ask for, we become despondent and disbelieving in the God of prayer.

In Luke 11:5-13, we read an extension of Jesus’ teaching to His disciples about how to pray (The Lord’s Prayer, or the disciple’s prayer). Here, Jesus tells a story for the purpose of application. This is a practical story with a splash of humour, to illustrate the nature of prayer which He has just instructed the disciples on.

Jesus tells this story in such a way that you are to imagine that you are the person Jesus is speaking of in this story, and you have a friend. Luke 11:5, “which of you who has a friend…”

The Greek New Testament word for friend in this verse is Philos, and it refers to anyone you have affection for. Jesus is NOT speaking of 2 strangers in this story or even acquaintances, but friends. They know each other and a relationship exists. As friends, conversations are usually extended, with verbal exchanges and expectations being more advanced than with a stranger. The verbal outworking of the friendship is different from other non-personal acquaintances in your life.

Luke 11:5-6 A friend of yours comes to you at midnight and says to you, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, 6 for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’ (This was probably Flatbread, which is a small thing to ask for).

Your friend moved into your space at the most inconvenient time (Midnight), causing you and your family the greatest disturbance and possibly discomfort or anxiety. He’s calling out to you from outside your house. There’s nothing whisper-like about this, he is speaking loud enough to wake you from your sleep. The neighbours would have heard the whole thing. Likewise, your neighbours will know what sort of a friend’s response you give him (Your testimony is on the line here). All this friend wants is 3 pieces of bread at midnight. It seems such an insignificant matter to you, but to him it’s very important.

You see, your friend has had the same thing done to him (Lk 11:6) by someone else. Your friend has had one of their friends arrive unexpectantly and demand feeding in the middle of the night.

Your friend is obviously so poor that they can not even afford to have a few bits of bread spare in the cupboard, or any other food for that matter. Obviously, your friend is in a worse state than you. They are looking to you and your resources from a place of need and inability to help themselves. They look to you to meet their basic need for 3 small pieces of bread.

NOTE:
Often God introduces weakness or needs into our lives to drive us to prayer in desperation – and that’s NOT a bad thing! Life often puts our faith to the test. This is not for God’s benefit, but for our benefit, so we can learn what we truly believe about God. Our response to life through prayer is a good thermometer of our spiritual health. When it comes to prayer, your greatest advantage is your weakness. Your spiritual bankruptcy is your greatest wealth in God’s eyes.  Your awareness of your inability to solve difficulties is your greatest asset. Our weakness creates humble room for God’s strength to operate.

Luke 11:7, “and you will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot (or will not) get up and give you anything’?”

  • You are not willing to go to any inconvenience, other than yelling at your friend from your bed.
  • You think that your friend’s need is insignificant compared to your comfort, and the comfort of your family.
  • Your response is clear and unmistakable. Sadly, your friend now understands precisely what you think of him, and so do your neighbours.

Luke 11:8, Jesus says, I tell you, though he is your friend, you will not get up and give him anything, yet because of his impudence (Shameless persistence) you will rise and give him whatever he needs.

Now comes the crunch, the real point for Jesus telling this story. Your relationship is NOT enough to stir you to serve your friend through the slight discomfort of getting out of bed. Let’s face it, your wife and kids would have been awake by now, not to mention your neighbours.

Then your friend takes his request to the next level because his need is real and significant to him. He has no other option; he has no-one else to plead his midnight bread case to except you.

He now starts speaking with impudence (Shameless persistence). Relentless and verging on rude. Speaking confrontationally in an attempt to motivate you. Jesus’ point is that your friend is right to speak to you this way to motivate you to get out of bed and meet his need.

Impudence (Shameless persistence) is acceptable and even desirable at times of greatest need. Prayer is like that at times. Our desperation motivates strong pleading in order to get the need met.

Shameless persistence in prayer can be seen in Hebrews 4:16, “Let us then with confidence (Based on our relationship with God) draw near to the throne of grace (We plead on the basis of the gracious nature of God), that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

We pray according to a different heavenly relationship with a different set of rules than what applies here on earth when making a request of another person. Therefore, we approach God with respectful and courageous prayer in ways that we cannot approach other people.

In our prayerful persistence, we speak forthrightly to God, who will always respond to His children with grace. We plead with confidence, understanding that mercy is the only response our relationship with God can deliver.

In this story its important to recognise that you finally get out of bed and meet your friend’s need. You do NOT supply him with a whole bunch of things he does not require, but what he needs.

In Jesus’ story, He explains that God will also rise to His feet, as it were, and meet your needs when you persistently plead with Him. Fear of rejection should NOT stop you pleading your case. We are to reject any wrong thoughts that say God is not interested in our small requests. It is false humility if we say that God has more important things to attend to.

With our gracious and generous God, nothing is an inconvenience to Him. He welcomes our bold requests, and He responds by meeting our needs. Plus, He is even known to lavish some extra comforts on us also.

Your persistent petitions (Detailed requests) are both welcomed and invited by our Heavenly Father. Your prayers will grow you, changing you as you live and explore your relationship with the Lord through circumstances and prayer. God has sovereignly preordained your persistent prayers into the working out of His will. Your prayers have always been integrated into His eternal plans and purposes.

Back to Luke 11 and Jesus’ prayer story.
Your friend’s shameless persistence succeeded where your friendship with him had failed. His relationship with you failed to get you out of bed, but his persistent requests did get you out of bed. However, with God, both your relationship with Him and your prayers with Him work together to bring about God’s desired result in your life. In Jesus’ story, your friend got the food he needed, and it was set before his guest. Both your friend, and their friend, shared the blessing of shameless persistence.

Jesus then states the promise for believers who pray courageously. Luke 11:9-10, “I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” Then Jesus repeats Himself, 10 “For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”

Therefore we are to pray according to God’s will.
1 John 5:14-15 “this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.”
So, what should we think when we do not receive God’s answers to our needs in the way we expected? When this happens, we can be assured of the following:

  • When we asked, we were answered, but with a different answer than we expected. Or, possibly the answer we received was a “No.”
  • When we sought, we did receive the thing we were seeking but possibly within different packaging than we expected. Possibly God used a totally different method of answering than what we thought He would.
  • When we knocked, the door, or the way, was opened to us. However, we were prevented from walking the distance down that path that we had expected. Possibly the door or path that the Lord lead us down took us to a different future than we had expected.

When God answers differently to our expectations, that is His invitation for us to engage in the process of personal evaluation of both our beliefs and our living. This is one reason why we check if we are really praying according to His will, or are we praying to have our will fulfilled?

Do you really believe God is listening and will answer?
James 1:6-7 “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord.”
Check your motives for asking. James 4:3, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.”

You see, God always answers, He always gives, and He always opens. But it is our unfulfilled expectations of God that sometimes deceive us into thinking that God has not answered or even acted.

So, how are we to respond to this problem?
Colossians 4:2 provides an insight. “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.”
We are to pray, and we are to watch. Then we respond accordingly, changing our prayer language and discussion with the Lord to match what we are, or are not, observing.

  • We are to keep praying and always with gratitude.
  • Remember, prayer is when you have the undivided attention of God, regardless of how you feel, He sets His focus on you, inclining His ear to you (Psa 40:1).
  • Prayer challenges us to align our thinking with God’s will as we watch and learn.
  • Prayer includes us in God’s means, in God’s mechanism of administering His sovereignty over our lives.
  • By praying and watching we are then able to adjust our prayers and pray some more. Then, we watch our lives more to see how God’s responds. This causes us to change the way we think about God and how He answers us.

 I think it’s safe to assume, that in Jesus’ Luke 11 story, when your friend realised that friendship was not enough to motivate you out of bed, he then adapted his language and ramped up his words to forcefully make his case to you. Obviously, his change of language is what motivated you to get out of bed. And just in case Jesus’ disciples had not understood the point Jesus was teaching, He explained the following. Luke 11:11-12 “What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?”

God never gives inappropriate or wrong answers. But He does give different answers to what we may have expected. According to His sovereign purposes, He often answers outside of our expectations.

God’s motive for answering your prayer may be different to your motive for asking Him for a thing in prayer. Hebrews 12:5-6 offers insights on this subject. “Do not regard lightly the discipline (Training) of the Lord… 6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises (Corrects) every son whom he receives.”
The Lord may answer your prayers differently to how you expected because He is providing spiritual training for you. Or, possibly He is correcting something within you, an area of sin, or an area of immaturity that needs to grow. Possibly, your prayers do not seek His glory correctly, so He answers in a way which will bring Him glory in the way that He wants.

Check that your expectations of God match the character of God. Look again at Jesus’ story in Luke 11.
Luke 11:13, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
You may be thinking, this doesn’t sound right. Is Jesus speaking about salvation or prayer? What has receiving the Holy Spirit got to do with my prayer life as a believer who already has the Holy Spirit?

  • First, verse 13 explains the generous nature of God who is our Heavenly Father as compared to our earthly fathers who have many faults and sins.
  • In this story the Holy Spirit is not given because the person asked to be given the Holy Spirit. Rather, the Holy Spirit is activated, or set to work, in response to those who simply ask the Father for something in faith. The Father answers by supplying the activity of His Spirit in our lives to ensure that the prayer is answered according to His will and for His glory.
  • This has nothing to do with salvation, spiritual gifts, second blessings, tongues, or any other thing that our imaginations may think of.

 John MacArthur explains:
To those who ask for a gift, He gives the giver; to those who ask for an effect, He gives the cause; to those who ask for a product He gives the source; to those seeking comfort He gives the comforter (Acts 9:31); to those seeking power He gives the source of power (Acts 1:8); to those seeking help He gives the helper (John 14:26); to those seeking truth He gives the Spirit of truth (John 16:13); to those seeking “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22-23) He gives the producer of all those things. The indwelling Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:9, 11; 1 Cor. 6:19; 2 Tim. 1:14) is the source of every good thing in the Christian’s life (Eph. 3:20). (MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Luke 11:13)

When we understand Jesus’ teaching in Luke 11, we are equipped to respond to God as the Apostle Paul says in Ephesians 3:20-21. “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
Often, when we pray, God’s answer to us includes far more than we intended when we asked. He uses our prayers and our lives as a launching pad for Him to express His power in ways we never imagined. In this way God is glorified through the people of His Church in ways that they would never have thought of.

Things to remember about God when we pray:

  • God favours the underdog (1Sa 17 David & Goliath).
  • He prefers the last people compared to the first one (Mt 19:30).
  • He takes sides with small and insignificant people by this world’s evaluation (Mk 8:7; 12:41-44; Lk 19:3).
  • He shares His strength with the weak (1Co 15:43).
  • He is attracted to the humble and repulsed by the proud and self-reliant (1Pe 5:5).
  • He is compassionate towards the broken-hearted and repels the self-righteous and legalistic (Jas 5:11).
  • He provides comfort for those who mourn, food for the hungry, clothing for the naked, resources for the poor, peace for the anxious, contentment for the dissatisfied, joy for the depressed, and hope for the downcast (Job 22:29; 2Co 7:6).

    He is the God who listens to you! (1Jn 5:14-15).

    Conclusion:
  • Pray with bold confidence.
  • Pray expectantly with open and watching eyes.
  • Pray gratefully as the recipient of God’s mercy.
  • Pray with an open and soft heart attitude.
  • Pray as one who is being listened to and answered.

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11 – Applied Theology

By / Base Theology Discipleship / 11 minutes of reading

The Lord never intended mankind’s knowledge of Him to be useless, or redundant. Instead of being theoretical data, all understanding of God is to be for the purpose of glorifying Him, which is why humans were created in the image of God (Gen 1:27).

As the name suggests, ‘Applied Theology’ looks for real ways of applying God’s truths into believer’s lives. It is more than obeying rules and traditions, it seeks to replicate the character of God into the lives of those reborn into Christ (1Jn 2:29).

In this lesson we shall consider a little of what needs to happen to transition a Bible student from knowledge to Christlike character. Knowing something changes nothing until the person with the knowledge decides to act upon that knowledge. This involves recognising two spiritual realities which must work together. The first is the holy and immutable character of our Saviour God. The second is the fleshly and changeable character of redeemed sinners.

The apostle Paul struggled with these realities just as all believers do. Romans 7:15 explains the struggle well, “for I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” Simply knowing truth and having good desires does not guarantee that we will do right behaviour. Sadly, many believers have fallen into serious sin because of their lack of understanding of the relationship between knowledge and behaviour.

All study of theology should begin with careful study of God’s Word. This should lead the Christian towards a loving desire for glorying God as “we make it our aim to please him” (2 Corinthians 5:9). Knowing God is the primary reason for Bible Study, so that we can bring God glory and pleasure through both our knowledge and our living, beginning with salvation. This is all part of our life-long walk of Holy Spirit sanctification which aims for holiness (1Co 10:31; 2Co 3:18; 1Pe 4:11). A Christlike mind should lead to Christlike behaviour, and it is this inner relationship which we shall think upon in this lesson.

Jesus gave an alarming warning found in Matthew 7:22-23 concerning the coming day of judgement. “On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” Somewhere in the thinking of these false believers, there existed disbelief. Somehow these people thought belief in Jesus meant doing super spiritual works for Jesus while their hearts remained self-righteous and separated from Jesus. Sadly, this is an easy trap for sinners to fall into. External works can never save a sinner. Works alone are terribly deceptive.

In Mark chapter 9, we read about the father of a boy with an unclean spirit. The father made a clear confession of two active types of belief within himself. This desperate father comes to Jesus with his son and says, “if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us” (Mark 9:22). Jesus immediately challenges the man’s statement of “if you can,” by informing this poor father that with Jesus “all things are possible for one who believes” (Mark 9:23). Now, this weak but courageous father makes an amazing statement followed immediately by an equally amazing request of Jesus, “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24).

His belief told him of all that Jesus ‘may be able to do.’ But this was not a convincing  belief that should have said, ‘Jesus will do.’ The wonderful thing in this story, is that this father recognised the limitation of his little belief, and the danger of his unbelief. Plus, he realised that only Jesus could help him with his unbelief, so he chooses to ask Jesus to help him with his confessed unbelief.

Similarly, it is possible, for both belief and unbelief to exist side by side within the human heart of Christians. The challenge for us is to invite the Lord Jesus Christ to make the connection between our belief and any unbelief. This is a spiritual work that only God can do, but we are involved in the process as the Holy Spirit does His inner work.

It begins by recognising when unbelief exists within our hearts. For the Christian, unbelief can manifest in many ways, possibly through our unwillingness to forgive others, to forget their offenses, to pray for and do good to our enemies (Mt 5:44; Lk 6:27). Maybe it’s our unwillingness to accept difficult circumstances that the Lord had brought into our lives. We may refuse to follow James’ instruction,
“count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness” (James 1:2-3).

Maybe we are unwilling to invite the Lord to examine our doctrine and make changes according to His will and His Word. It could be that unbelief shows itself by our unwillingness to remove a favourite sin which lives comfortably in our thought life and our behaviour. Secret and protected sin is a major area of unbelief that can exist within the heart. All these must be confessed as sinful unbelief, then surrendered to the lordship of Jesus for change.

It is at this point that the difficult work of sanctification really begins as the Holy Spirit opens our hearts for ongoing purification and maturing towards spiritual adulthood.

Paul details some of the more obvious areas of heart and behaviour unbelief which must be put to death. He explains in Colossians 3:5-10, “put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” Genuine belief in Jesus looks at the unbelief parts of our lives and says, ‘you must be dead and gone from my life.’ Belief brings the areas of unbelief close so that belief can dominate by putting to death the areas of sin and be victorious over unbelief.

Unbelief will always resist this work of belief. Unbelief will always try to justify its existence because unbelief will always lead to a greater comfort with sin in both heart and behaviour.

Therefore, it is extremely important for the child of God to be committed to “applied theology.” Genuine belief must overrule and master unbelief. Belief in truth must transition into humble and growing righteous thoughts and behaviour.

There are many challenges for genuine Christian faith. The worldly attacks from others may be many, and sometimes vicious. The weaknesses within are also many, requiring the Lord’s constant grace to be at work. Therefore, we must “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil” (Ephesians 6:10-11). The believer strengthens their belief by putting on the spiritual armour that God provides. This involves understanding the nature of Christian life from salvation through to life in heaven.

Salvation is wholly of God “who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began” (2 Timothy 1:9). God enabled our belief in the gospel (Eph 1:13) by gifting us with the necessary faith (Eph 2:8-9) for us to place in Christ. But from the time of salvation onwards, we are to be engaged with God in growing more and more to be “his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).

Just as there needs to be a genuine connection between our God given salvation and our living, so there also needs to be an equal connection between our theology and our Christian behaviour. What we truly think of God will show in our behaviour. If our thoughts and behaviour are ungodly, this tells us that we are disconnected from our knowledge of God, and we need help. Confession of this sin followed by repentance should drive the Christian back to God’s Word with humble prayer seeking correction.

Therefore, a solid foundation of the doctrines of God are essential. A believer who knows God should instinctively know the godly character which the Holy Spirit desires to manifest in them. The knowledge of God also educates the believer’s conscience so that they are aware of inner and outer violations of God’s character.

A disconnection between what is known of God and the behaviour of a person can be both subtle and extreme at the same time. You see, knowledge without humble repentance will always breed self-righteousness. Once a person learns how to grow intellectual knowledge of God while silencing their conscience, they can deceive themselves. Paul warned Timothy of such people, they are “always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 3:7). Their knowledge never reaches the destination of truth manifested in righteous behaviour, which is the intention of God’s Word and the intention of the gospel and salvation.

The apostle John speaks to this matter in 1 John 3:6-10; “No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.”

Solomon gives a stern warning in Proverbs 26:23-25, “like the glaze covering an earthen vessel are fervent lips with an evil heart. 24 Whoever hates disguises himself with his lips and harbours deceit in his heart; 25 when he speaks graciously, believe him not, for there are seven abominations in his heart.” As we disciple others to follow Jesus, we must always aim for their hearts. Aim for that place of greatest spiritual weakness and deceit (Jer 17:9). Aim for that place of inner control over the entire person.

Sins of the heart are deadly because they deceive the sinner into thinking that if their outer behaviour is good by this world’s standard, they are safe – WRONG! Sins of the heart will say that if you have good traditional doctrines, you are safe – WRONG! Sins of the heart looks good on Sunday, sounds good in prayer meetings, and smiles as the heart sins manifest in wicked behaviour.

It is the disciplers responsibility to teach God’s Word in such a way as to make the heart connection between correct belief and correct behaviour.

Knowledge of God’s truth will change nothing until a believer moves that knowledge into action. This requires choices of faith to be made. These faith choices demand a sacrifice of old and sinful pleasures. Old and weak ways of thinking that fail to produce righteous living must be challenged. It is through this inner process that the genuine believer discovers that they are able to destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). Thoughts made captive to Christ must get converted into right attitudes, right desires, right motives, right choices, and right actions. Biblically correct thoughts still require action by our volition, which is our God given choice maker. To be victorious over sin, over unbelief, and over spiritual weakness, our volition must prioritise God over all thoughts and all appetites and desires. This is the responsibility of every believer in Jesus.

The believer who experiences the transforming power of God is the believer who chooses to direct their knowledge of God in correct beliefs of God and then into Christlike  behaviour.

We shall give the apostle Paul the final say. “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:1-2).

As believers, we examine ourselves to ensure that our behaviour matches our theology. In this way, the study of theology is the most practical study any believer can be involved in. It is our responsibility to humbly bring together our knowledge of God and our behaviour for God. Then, we go and assist others to do the same (Mat 28:19-20).

11 – Applied Theology Read More »

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