Believe... or Believe In?4/5/2024 Romans 4:3 ~ "For what does the Scripture say? 'Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.'" There are two types of belief that occur in the arena of those who call themselves by the name of Christ. There are those who believe, and those who say they "believe in" God. Is there a difference? There is, and it is of such critical importance that a person's salvation rests upon it. Let's begin by asking the question--do you believe in God? It is a good starting point, and must be understood that way. There is a definitive need to believe in the Lord, for in such belief there is the possibility that the individual will move beyond it and put their trust in Christ. What is belief "in" God? It is the mental awareness of the existence of and substantive truth in the LORD. Hebrews 11:6 tells us, "And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." There is no "drawing near" to any individual if you don't even believe in their existence. This must be where it begins for all who come to Christ must believe that He is. Those who say they are Christian and only hold some philosophical view of the faith have never come to Christ at all--and may not even believe He exists. The problem is this: many stop right at this point and think they are saved. I've heard many a testimony of those who do not show the slightest interest in following the LORD while continuing their testimony of having "believed in" Jesus. But, dear ones, even the devils believe that God exists. James 2:19 states, "You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!" Imagine a demon, an enemy of Christ, fears God more than some of those who profess to belong to Him. Titus 1:16 says, "They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work." But as our text today clearly states, it is not "believing in" God that is counted as righteousness, but "believing" God. To believe God is to take the Almighty at His word and then go forward in life under the direct influence of His truth. Do you believe that Jesus was speaking the truth when He said that all who come to Him, He will never cast aside (see John 6:37)? And have you come to Him? Can you take God at His word and live in obedience to what He has commanded, knowing that He will fulfill all His promises? That is what Abraham did. The LORD promised Abraham offspring so numerous so vast that it would outdo the stars of the heavens (see Genesis 15:5-6). Abraham believed God's promise, and it was credited to him as righteousness. Let me explain by way of illustration. A young boy is lost at the market. His father told him that if he ever became lost to remain where he was and the father would always find him. So, despite all the encouragements from others to leave that spot, the boy believed his father and remained steadfast in the place where he was. Eventually the boy's faith was proved and his father did come and find him. Do you have that kind of faith? Many say they believe in Jesus. But we are not commanded to simply "believe in" Him, we are commanded to "believe" the Lord Jesus. Take God at His word and remain steadfast upon it. Believing "in" something is only the starting point of true faith. It is looking at the objective reality of something and then going no further. My friends, go further! Take God at His word and put it to practice. Believe Him. And know that He will count your faith in the Lord Jesus as righteousness upon you. In His Grace, Pastor Michael
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Avoiding Idolatry4/4/2024 Leviticus 26:1 ~ "You shall not make idols for yourselves or erect an image or pillar, and you shall not set up a figured stone in your land to bow down to it, for I am the LORD your God." The worship of an idol is an abomination to the LORD. And the history of the world is replete with mankind setting up false gods all around. But how easily does idolatry creep into the activities of God's people today? Let's think about the nation of Israel for just a moment. With a mighty hand, God delivered a nation from captivity in Egypt and called them to be His very own. The Almighty exacted judgment upon every idol set in Egypt, from the Nile River which was worshiped by the Egyptians, to Pharoah who was considered a deity. The LORD proved that there is no other God but Him, and then led them away from their enslavement into the land He promised to Abraham. Not long after, the Divine hand carved His laws into the stone tablets, and established for the people the governing truths that would mark them as His own people. Of those commands, the command to not worship an idol, or set up an image to portray the LORD was near the top. However, it did not take long before the people violated that very command and set a golden calf to be the image the wanted to worship (see Exodus 32:1-6). Now, let us journey to the end of the book and discover that the world will engage in the idolatrous worship of the evil one. In the midst of judgment from the Almighty, the enemy of God will have men set up an image, an idol, and all who do not belong to Christ will worship the image. Revelation 13:8 says, "And all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain." This great abomination of idolatry will ultimately bring the full retribution of the LORD. So we see what was then... we gaze upon what will come... but what about now? Are there idols among the people of God? Do you have any "household gods" (see Zechariah 10:2)? Let's set the parameters of an idol. There are two: First, it is an image or creation of man-made origins that holds a valued place of equal or greater worth than the LORD God Almighty. Second, it is anything made by man or of creation that is meant to portray the Living God. Both are a wicked attempt to either worship a false god or worship the true God in a false way. And both, my friends, must be avoided. The first is to proclaim that there are more gods than the One True God. And if you do that, then there are sets of standards that are not from the LORD whereby a man may live in the observance of them. And though we may not see many carved images today, there are false religions that set standards contrary to the revealed will of God. The second is to say that man can determine for himself the means by which God will be honored and glorified. It makes God less than absolutely authoritative and sovereign. Worshiping the LORD in a way that is false is to diminish God and elevate man to a position superior to the One who created him. The list of idolatrous activities is too long to pursue in this brief reading. But I want to provide you two questions to use as the means to evaluate your own worship of the LORD. First, is your worship of God informed by His word or by your imagination or opinion? Only God's word can give you clarity on how you are to worship the LORD. Second, does your worship of God look to the Almighty as of greater worth than all other considerations or does God sit in your heart as one of many considerations and all of them of equal worth to you as Christ? How you answer these two questions, I pray, will help you better understand if you have any idols still remaining. If so, surrender them all to Christ. In order to worship the LORD with reverence and awe (see Hebrews 12:28), let us avoid all idolatry. In His Grace, Pastor Michael Fight or Flight4/3/2024 1 Timothy 6:11-12 ~ "But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses." It has been said that there are two general responses that people will experience in a dangerous situation: fight or flight. That is, the basic reaction will be to either rise up to face the danger, fighting to overcome the particular peril, or to run from the danger and flee as far away in order to rescue yourself. First responders such as the police, fire departments and military are trained to overcome the flight response, for their work will invariably put their lives in jeopardy. Often citizens are encouraged to not engage in dangerous situations for fear that, without the necessary training, they will be overwhelmed and suffer great harm. Very rarely will a sane person put themselves in danger except that the danger is their only or best option. So, what about the greatest threat that endangers the soul? What about sin? First, it has to be seen as a danger. For most people in the world, sin is a mild irritation of the conscience that can be overlooked. But believers in Christ know that it is the greatest danger that will ultimately destroy the soul if not confronted and abandoned. James 1:15 warns about the danger of sin, "Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death." Even at the beginning, when God spoke to Cain, He gave warning about sin--a warning that all people ought to heed: "If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it" (Genesis 4:7). In our text today, Paul gives both responses as an appropriate action for the Christian. The first is the "flight" response. In the first part of our text today we read is this: "But as for you, O man of God, flee these things." What are "these things?" In the context of today's verse, it is the love of money. Paul writes in the verse just before our text, "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs" (1 Corinthians 6:10). In essence, it is the greed of a man's heart that corrupts the pursuits of his life. In whatever way that greed takes form, it will leave a trail of compromise indicative of a person wandering from the faith. And here we are, commanded to flee these things. In the latter part of 2 Timothy 2:19 we read, "Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity." Then there is the "fight" response. In the second portion of our text today we are commanded, "Fight the good fight of the faith." The dangers are real, and it requires the Christian to stand and fight for that which is of the faith. When compromise comes into view and the question is raised whether to walk in faith or to stray into sin, let the believer in Christ fight against the draw to sin and engage in the battle for righteousness. We must "fight the good fight." It is not a battle against a person, but against the flood of wickedness that surrounds us and the fleshly desires that war against our own soul (see 1 Peter 2:11). So, dear ones, what is your response when the dangers of sin rise up and come against you? Do you see sin as a danger? If so, then your response is both "flight" and "fight" as you contend to walk in righteousness. You flee the temptation and you fight to walk in obedient faith. In His Grace, Pastor Michael The Great Romance4/2/2024 Song of Solomon 6:3 ~ "I am my beloved's and my beloved's is mine." Do not forget the great romance between Christ and His church. The "Beloved" is Christ and His love for the church springs forth so mighty that He gave His life to redeem her. He loves the church with such unwavering desire that there was no expense spared in the reclamation of His bride. Consider what Jesus said in John 15:13, "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." And did not our Lord display that "greater love" far more abundantly than we could possibly imagine? Let us look at the relationship posed in our text for today. "I am my beloved's." What a tremendous statement of identity. There is, in that simple phrase, the full connection of those who have been redeemed in the blood of the Lamb. It's not mere ownership that Jesus has over us. It is not mere servitude that we offer to the Lord of glory. In truth, both those would be far more than any sinner deserves at the hands of the King of kings. But what Jesus does is embrace us as a husband would embrace His wife. The union of love and fellowship of joy is profoundly ours--for we, if we have been born-again, are His. And consider that once you are in Christ, you are His. All that you are is His. Dear ones, even your failures, struggles and hardships are HIS! He does not fail, nor is He weak as we are, but He is in such union with you that there is no separation from your travails and His love. And then the second part of that statement is rich with promise: "and my beloved is mine." How is it that this is missed so often in the life of a Christian? Hear what the Apostle Paul said concerning the promises of Christ. "For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory" (2 Corinthians 1:20). Oh, Christian, look up to Christ and know that He is yours! He is your Savior, your Friend, your Brother, and for the church, He is the Husband. All that He has promised is gifted to the church. He opens up the vast storehouse of His love to His bride and will withhold nothing good. Truly, it may seem that for the brief moment of time upon this earth we go through the tempests and storms of life. But He allows that only because He knows it is best for those He loves. But soon He will wipe every tear, calm every sorrow, and fill every heart with an everlasting joy. Oh that Christian husbands and wives would see each other with such wondrous delight and say of each other: "I am my beloved and my beloved is mine." What an image it would bear to the world of the reality of the love from Christ for His bride and from the bride to her Husband. Soon the Son of God will come to claim His betrothed--the church. But even now, my friends, look upon the Lord with the loving eyes of a bride to her husband, and know that the Lord of Glory looks down upon His church as a Husband to His bride. In His Grace, Pastor Michael Fools for Christ4/1/2024 1 Corinthians 3:18 ~ "Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise." Around the world people will be celebrating the day known as: April Fool's Day. This iconic non-holiday began in the 16th century as France was changing their calendar to follow the more accepted Gregorian calendar, changing the beginning of the year from Spring (April) to Winter (January). For those who did not want the change and continued to observe the old date were known as "April Fools." Soon the term was spread across the globe and many countries adopted the first day of April as the day where harmless pranks and jests were set upon the unwary. Even to this day, the idea of an "April Fool's joke" is meant to convey humorous antics to disrupt the drudgery of life. Dear Christian, let us step into this day with the pursuit of becoming "fools for Christ." The world looks upon the church as an archaic, dusty old religion that is long past its date of expiration. We hold to the old truths, seek the ancient paths and want to walk according to the ways of Christ as the Scripture teaches. The LORD says in Jeremiah 6:16, "Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’" Who are "they" that refuse to walk in the ways of God? It is those who believe that their own worldly understanding holds greater wisdom than God. There are some in the church that have taken such a stance. In our text today, Paul identifies them as those who think they are "wise in this age." They believe that they hold a better understanding than the Word of God and so they dismiss the Scriptures as unfit for a modern society. You see them as those who call themselves by the name of Christ yet hold to all manner of worldly notions. They will twist the Scriptures to suit their own desires (see 2 Peter 3:15-17). But, in the end, they only deceive themselves. But let us become fools for Christ's sake. Paul tells the Corinthians church, "For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men" (1 Corinthians 1:25). Are you concerned that holding to the ancient ways of God, the ways of holiness and truth, of righteousness and faithfulness to His word, will cause you to seem foolish to those around you? So be it. Be a fool for Christ. Hold very little concern that the world might mock and ridicule you for your faithfulness. In the end, they will acknowledge that their ways led them to destruction and the ways of God are the ways of life. Calendars notwithstanding, the world is changing all the time. They call it progress and social advancement. Some improvements are good: medicines, technologies, advancement is architecture, etc. But for the most part, the world is accommodating sin and rebellion against the Lord. And that, beloved, is what they call wisdom. So as you enter this April Fool's Day, let it illuminate your determination to be a fool for the sake of Jesus. In the end, it will prove to be the wisest move of all. In His Grace, Pastor Michael From the Mountains to the SeaEvery step we take on this journey called life ought to be used for greater understanding. I've lived from the mountains to the sea, and this blog is my personal thoughts and observations with a desire for Biblical understanding. Welcome. 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