Eternal Promises

What comes to mind when you hear the words, “the end?” Most people think of the end of their lives. How will it end? When will it end? Questions like these can consume the mind, especially the mind with no eternal hope. How much time do you spend planning for the future, attempting to precisely predict when life events will occur? Most likely, it’s quite a bit. Perhaps nothing is more stressful than worrying about matters concerning the future, such as aging parents, retirement, household finances, job stability, a medical diagnosis, or when to have children. 

Daniel also pondered his future and for the benefit of all humanity, the Lord sent him a vision of what his future would look like.  Daniel asked the Lord for the wisdom to understand how the future would unfold, yet the Lord chose not to tell him everything, only what Daniel needed to know, which was more than sufficient. The Lord’s response is the same to us living today, but unlike Daniel we have the New Testament and the resurrection of the “man clothed in linen” (Daniel 12:7), Jesus Christ. 

After receiving the news about the great tribulation and the important numbers that pertain to it, Daniel is told “…go your way till the end; for you shall rest, and you will rise to your inheritance at the end of the days” (Daniel 12:13).

Daniel is given one command and two promises in this verse. In fact, these very words could be spoken to the modern day follower of Christ. Since 535 B.C. (when Daniel received this vision) to present day, God has remained unchanged and unmoved by the darkness that continues to permeate. Nevertheless, the command given to Daniel to “go on his way till the end” (emphasis mine, Daniel 12:13) is almost identical to the words Jesus spoke of those who will come to follow Him during the Great Tribulation, “but he who endures to the end shall be saved” (Matthew 24:13). Translation, believers are to endure through every kind of persecution, trial, and spiritual attack until the end of their lives and they should expect more to come as they surrender more of their lives to His will. 

Next, Daniel is given two supernatural promises. First is the promise of “rest.” The Hebrew context used here for rest is a euphemism for death. Meaning, Daniel most likely didn’t understand “that to be absent from the body is to be at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8). Nonetheless, this is how followers of Christ now understand death; rest in heaven from the stress of this world. Second, is the promise of being resurrected; this was even harder for Daniel to understand because during his life, being resurrected from the dead was an unknown doctrine and not fully understood. In summary, Daniel knew his future included eternal rest and bodily resurrection.

These promises from God are everlasting and unchanging, and like He told Daniel, the Lord is commanding His children to faithfully and obediently endure to the end until He brings them home for eternal rest.

Death or Dishonor

Words like obedience, consistency, dedication, and discipline describe a soldier of the cross. They are the natural response of a soul in love with the Lord. Why are these attributes so important for the disciple of Christ? Compare them to essential occupations that civilization relies upon. For example, a military solider without discipline is ineffective; a teacher without dedication is fruitless; a doctor without consistency is dangerous, and a Christian without obedience is worthless. Daniel possessed all four of these attributes and despite the efforts of the other Persian governors and satraps to discredit him, he was found without fault. 

You see Daniel, now in his eighties, was chosen to be one of three governors over the entire Persian Empire and most likely he was the only Jew in a leadership position. In fact, Daniel had so distinguished himself from  the other governors “because an excellent spirit was in him” that King Darius was considering “setting him over the entire kingdom” (Daniel 6:3). Have you ever envied another person for their accomplishments or success? Have you ever been angry because of a coworker’s recognition? This is what happened when the other leaders found out about Daniel’s potential promotion. They opposed Daniel for many reasons, but primarily they were concerned about losing money when Daniel became their boss. These other governors and satraps were dishonest, greedy, and they knew their financial schemes would come to an end if Daniel was promoted. 

So after they “could find no charge or fault” in Daniel they attacked him where it would hurt the most; they attacked his faith. Thus, after learning of the news that whoever prayed to another god other than the King of Persia would be thrown into the lion’s den, Daniel went “in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem…and prayed” (Daniel 6:10). 

Many years before Daniel was forced to chose between his Jewish diet and the Babylonian diet and now as an old man he would also have to chose and without hesitation Daniel demonstrated tremendous courage in the face of extreme consequences. Daniel chose God, the One true God, and he prayed. He didn’t seek to conceal his prayer toward Jerusalem, he obediently sought the Lord “three times a day on his knees.” Daniel knew what could happen, he knew disobedience meant being “thrown into a lions’ den,” yet he was unmoved. Daniel wasn’t thinking about rebellion, he was focused on obedience. Daniel was seeking to “obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). In short, Daniel was eventually thrown into the lions’ den, yet the Lord closed the mouths of the lions and Daniel was completely unharmed. 

Daniel chose death over dishonoring himself before Lord, Daniel was a man of courage and faith, he loved his Lord more than his own life, and ultimately Daniel only feared the Lord. 

Do you love the Lord enough to choose Him over your own life? 

Uncompromising Obedience

Temptation and pressure are always part of integrating into a new social environment or culture. It occurs when we join a new company, move to a new state or city, or perhaps even join the military. Whenever followers of Christ assimilate into a new culture they are faced with various kinds of temptations and pressures; pressures that make us choose. Since the days of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, God’s people have faced tremendous pressure to conform to the world and the people whom lived around them and since the beginning of time God has provided everything His people needed to know right from wrong. With Adam He defined his limits and instituted the first family, with Noah He established the institution of government, and with Abraham He promised to make him into a great nation. 

Imagine being a Jewish teenager whose entire family has been taken into captivity to a pagan nation. Imagine being an Israelite who is seeking to honor God amongst a people who don’t respect your beliefs or know anything about the One True God and His Law. This was the life of Daniel. Daniel loved the Lord and was determined to not defile himself within his new Babylonian culture. 

King Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had chosen Daniel from among other Jewish “youths” for a three year training program. Daniel was described as having no defect, good looking, and intelligent. As challenging as it would be to read the Babylonian literature and learn their language, Daniel was about to face an issue he could not compromise on; his Jewish diet prescribed by God's Law. The scripture reads “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank…” (Daniel 1:8). 

It’s important to understand that Daniel was a Jew and was strictly forbidden from eating foods and drinking wines that were dedicated to idols, but that is exactly what Nebuchadnezzar wanted Daniel and his buddies to do. It was now time for Daniel to choose, would he compromise his convictions or would he stand with God? His name Daniel meant “God is my judge,” so Daniel knew what was at stake if he compromised. It was an extreme honor to be chosen for the king’s training program which no doubt further intensified the pressure in his mind. Nonetheless, “Daniel purposed in his heart that he would no defile himself.”

It’s no different for the modern day soldier of the cross. Like Daniel the more you know about God and His Word, the more courageous and convicted you will be about not defiling yourself. Daniel was gracious towards the king’s officials, he wasn’t defiant nor did he start an argument. He proposed an alternative way, God’s way; and he and his friends would come out victorious.

How convicted are you about obeying God in the face of opposition, temptation, and defilement? Daniel “made up his mind that he would not defile himself”…wont you? 

Final Payment

The largest ransom ever paid to a kidnapper was $60 million in 1974, which is equivalent to $293 million in 2015. However, this pales in comparison to the ransom paid by Jesus. The ransom paid by Jesus is unlike any ransom the world has ever known. It’s a ransom rooted in love and it’s a ransom that is undeserved. It’s a ransom paid not just for one person or even two, but for “all.” While the ransoms we hear about in the news are motivated by money, the ransom paid by Jesus was motivated by love. Furthermore, the ransoms paid by parents or siblings of kidnap victims are almost always paid grudgingly, fearfully, and out of necessity, the ransom paid by Jesus was completely voluntary due to His willingness the save the world from its captivity to sin. 

Following his statement that Jesus was the Mediator between God and man, Paul states that Jesus “gave Himself as a ransom for all, to be a testimony in due time" (1 Timothy 2:6). This is miraculous news for the entire world. This verse begins with an incredible statement of sacrifice; that Jesus “gave Himself.” Translation, Jesus freely gave up His body as a sacrifice. He willingly humbled Himself to the point of death and suffered humiliation at the hands of the Roman government so  those who would come to believe in Him as their Savior could live forever. Jesus “gave Himself” up for those who loved Him and those who hated Him. For those who fed Him and those who spit on Him. He “gave Himself” up so His followers could live forever. That is love!

Jesus gave Himself “as a ransom for all.” This can be compared to Jesus’ own statement that He came to give His life “as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). This certainly doesn’t mean that Jesus will save everyone, however He will save those (many) who become His disciples through faith and repentance. But the key word here is “ransom.” To understand the word properly a person must think of a slave. A slave is always owned by someone and in spiritual terms, everyone is either owned by Jesus or by Satan. Unknowingly, most of the world is in slavery to Satan; while those who follow Christ are His slaves. Thus, when Jesus went to the cross He became a “ransom for all” by redeeming the souls of His past, present, and future believers. His blood payment was sufficient for the lives of all who come to Him as Lord. A payment that demanded blood, His divine blood.

Being completely innocent, Jesus “gave Himself” to free humanity from sin and deliver all who believe upon His finished work and resurrection from the eternal death we all deserve. His ransom has now become “a testimony in due time” for Paul and for every follower who has followed after him. The testimony of Jesus’ ransom humbles a believer to surrender all to Him and to call Him Lord. 

Are you being held in captivity to sin? If so, call upon the only one who can set you free, Jesus!

The Great Mediator

When two people have a disagreement there is often the need for a mediator. In our modern day we know a mediator as a go-between who seeks to resolve a conflict between two people or two parties. However, this is not how the apostle Paul refers to Jesus. In the Greek the word “Mediator” means a “trustworthy neutral.” Human beings are sinful by nature and the penalty for sin is eternal death (Romans 6:23), thus a Mediator is needed. The gospel tells us that a penalty had to be paid for our sins, so God sent His Son to the cross to satisfy this penalty. Since humanity could not pay this penalty Jesus served as Mediator between God and man. As the God-man, Jesus was the only one qualified to serve as Mediator. As both fully human and fully God, he was uniquely qualified to represent both humanity and God. 

Nearly two thousand years ago Jesus was nailed to a cross to permanently resolve (mediate) the issue of sin between God and man. Prior to that, humanity was spiritually separated from God and relied upon a High Priest and animal sacrifices to temporary atone for their sins. Access to God was restricted to a select few. So in order to accomplish His divine plan to redeem the world back from Satan’s grip God sent His Son to Mediate. 

Following Paul’s command Timothy to pray for “all men” he makes it clear that God “desires all men to be saved” (1 Timothy 2:4). Paul then follows this critical truth by stating “…there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). Only Jesus could ratify a new covenant with the Father. He stepped onto the earth as God in the flesh to mediate a peace treaty between God and sinful humanity. 

Finally, Paul identifies Jesus as “the Man Christ Jesus.” Paul does this to prove that Jesus was not just fully God but also fully human which was an essential qualification to enable Jesus to serve as Mediator with humanity. There is only one way to God and to heaven and its through Jesus (John 14:6). It’s not through Muhammad, it’s not through Buddha, and it’s not through good works. 

Mediation is complete, the new covenant is secured, peace has been obtained, eternal life is real, and God’s work to redeem man is finished. Jesus has granted humanity direct access to the throne of grace, the grace that has saved us. The only requirement is genuine belief in faith and repentance.

Jesus’ mediation work on earth is finished. Now He stands ready to intercede for all who believe in Him and have received their salvation through grace.

Will you allow Jesus to be your Mediator and Intercessor? 

Prayers, Petitions, and Thanksgivings

Genuine prayer is unbiased and without prejudice; it’s also deeply personal and very mysterious. Followers of Christ are commanded to pray for their enemies and their friends. They are commanded to pray for those they love being around and those they dislike being around. They are commanded to pray for those who love them and those who hate them. Genuine prayer is completely foreign to the way the world believes. The world curses those who do it wrong, genuine followers of Christ pray for those who do them wrong. Prayer will always be misunderstood by an unbelieving world. Why? Because only those who have an intimate connection with Jesus Christ have an understanding of God’s heart.

Paul writes the letter of 1 Timothy to provide Timothy instructions on how to confront and respond to the false teachers who had infiltrated the church in Ephesus. Thus, after making it clear that the church must return to doctrinal purity Paul wrote this about prayer, “…I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority…” (NASB) (1 Timothy 2:1, 2).

The first thing Paul commands Timothy to do is pray. There is a lot Timothy could do; he could confront the false teachers, he could preach, he could go door to door ensuring people were clear about the doctrine of Christ; nevertheless, Paul calls Timothy to pray first. In fact, Paul commands Timothy to pray in four different ways. First, he was to pray through “entreaties,” which means he was to present to God his needs with the hope of having them met. Second, he was to pray through “prayers,” which we know as the act of calling on God. Third, he was pray using “petitions,” which means he was to have informal and intimate conversations with God at all times, and fourth he was to pray with “thanksgivings,” which meant he was to express gratitude and appreciation in his prayers.

Finally, Paul commands that prayers “be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority.” “All men” means all men and “all men” means everyone. Followers of Christ are to pray for Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, atheists, democrats, republicans; essentially anyone they know who is without salvation. Paul’s intent was that believers are to be concerned with those who are on a path to eternal hell. The challenging part of this verse comes when he calls believers to pray “for kings and all who are in authority.” This is challenging because emotions are involved. This is not a suggestion, this is a command. Believers are commanded to pray for their bosses and anyone in authority, to include the President. Even when believers greatly dislike a President for his beliefs and decisions, and completely disagree with him, they are still commanded to pray for him; just like Paul prayed for the Roman Emperor Nero who was killing Christians when he wrote this letter to Timothy.

Is your heart prepared to pray for “all men?” Complaining won’t change things, but praying will change you and the situation.

Every Eye Will See

Everyone sees the world through a different lens, which is one of many reasons why we have so much conflict in this world. However, when Jesus returns to the earth “every eye will see Him.” There will be no doubt that Jesus’ is descending to the earth for His second coming. He will arrive back on earth with clouds of glory that will be unmistakable and undeniable. There will be no red carpet rolled out on top of the Mount of Olives and there will be no time to display gigantic welcome back banners, nonetheless, “every eye will see Him.”

But let’s back up for a moment. Envision Jesus seated at the right hand of the Father where He has been serving as Mediator, Intercessor, and High Priest while governing with absolute authority over the universe. Then God the Father tells Him its time, it’s time to return to earth. Jesus rises from His heavenly throne, puts on His mantle as Judge, His robe as the King of Kings, and descends through the clouds to the same city where He was crucified. The end has finally arrived. There will be no more opportunities for salvation or mercy, the only event left for this world will be judgment and hell.

With an introduction a King deserves, Paul introduces Jesus as “the One who is and who was and who is to come,” “the faithful witness,” “the first born of the dead,” and “the ruler of the kings of the earth” (Revelation 1:4, 5). The he writes “Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him…” (Revelation 1:7).

Jesus is coming back, that is a guarantee, and His return will be completely visible. Jesus will reveal Himself to an unbelieving world that is about to face final destruction and judgment. In fact it was the prophet Daniel who predicted that Jesus would come with the clouds (Daniel 7:13) and in this one moment every argument, doubt, or debate about Jesus being real will be put to an end. Those who are alive will stand in either jubilation or fear, depending on who their hearts and souls belong to.

Finally, “even those who pierced Him…” will see. But who are “those who pierced Him”? These are the Jews who were ultimately responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus. But you might say, these Jews died thousands of years ago, how will they see Him? Because scripture tells us so. The prophet Zechariah foretold that “the house of David” would pierce Him and they would mourn for Him as one mourns for an only son (Zechariah 12:10). Peter also referred to the Jews as the ones who “nailed Jesus to a cross” (Acts 2:23). The Jews living during Christ’s second coming will mourn and weep with genuine repentance for what their ancestors did to Jesus on the cross.

The reality is that our sinful nature is what pierced Jesus and nailed Him to the cross. While being completely undeserving God’s mysterious grace saves those who genuinely believe and repent.

Do you mourn over your sin? You should; it’s what draws you closer to Christ where inner peace and rest are found.

The Gospel

In the two thousand years since Jesus arrived on this earth, the gospel has been contaminated to the point where not even church members in good evangelical churches understand it in its purity, nor can they even begin to articulate it. Pastors have abandoned it in order to grow their suburban churches, leaving local churches powerless and dying. Leave no doubt there is only one gospel and it is simple, yet mysterious, meaning it is difficult to fully grasp God’s power to save through Jesus.

We are saved by grace and grace is undeserved. Paul writes that "for by grace you have been saved through faith" (Ephesians 2:8). Its God showing undeserved favor upon humanity when what we all deserve is eternal hell. So here’s the gospel (good news). You can avoid eternal hell by receiving the finished work of Jesus. Jesus was crucified, buried, and resurrected to defeat Satan’s hold on humanity and redeem humanity back from its slavery to sin.

But a person must receive this and believe this. For belief (faith) in Christ and His gospel to be genuine a person must see themselves as wicked, evil, sinful, and deserving of eternal death. If a person can acknowledge this within themselves they will have that inward desire to repent and they will be saved!

Genuine belief is always followed with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the regeneration of the human soul. If this doesn’t occur, then there is no salvation, because there was never true belief.

What the gospel does is humble a person. When the gospel is properly understood a person is humbled because they understand they deserve death, but Christ has saved them. That is good news! That is why the gospel is life changing and transformational. Any other so called gospel is worthless and leaves person unchanged and deceived.

The gospel message must remain unchanged when sharing it with children, adults, or people from other nations and cultures. The approach can change, but the message must not.

True belief leaves a person broken, yet joyful. True belief empowers a person to pursue the will of God. Finally, true belief enables a person to surrender themselves to Christ and die to self. But leave no doubt; belief is very spiritual and mysterious. I am still amazed at the different ways in which people come to understand the gospel, however there is no mistaking a genuine follower of Christ. Genuine followers of Christ hate sin and demonstrate a supernatural love for humanity.

This is the gospel!

Share this message and people will live.

By His Blood

When it comes to our bodies, all we are able to clean is our exteriors. There is nothing we can do to cleanse our hearts and minds. We can’t meditate on good thoughts, we can’t isolate ourselves from the world, we can’t work harder at becoming good people, we can’t become more educated or enlightened, nor can religion help. These things can do nothing to cleanse us from our inward sinful nature. There is only one person who can cleanse us, free us, and wash away the filth and impurities found within our hearts and minds, Jesus Christ. Our hearts are not made clean by a system of religious beliefs, or a pilgrimage, or rituals, or religious traditions, or sacrificing more, or through a religious/spiritual leader, but a Person, the Person of Jesus Christ. In fact, it has already been done; it was accomplished on the cross.

While not everything in Revelation is meant to be clear, Jesus wants everyone to be clear that He loves the church (His disciples), He has washed it from sin, He has freed it, He has made them kings and priests, and that He has done all of this by His blood.

In Revelation 1:5 the apostle John writes “To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood…” Translation, Jesus loved the world so much, that despite our sin and despite the fact we are completely undeserving, He has chosen to wash us and free us from our sin through His divine blood.

The word “washed” is better translated as “freed” in the Greek language. When Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation  Proclamation he declared “that all persons held as slaves within the rebellious states are, and henceforward shall be free.” This is the perfect illustration of what happened on the cross. Jesus willingly shed His blood, freeing those who would come to believe, from the slavery of sin and Satan’s grip. In other words, Jesus emancipated humanity from their slavery to sin. This freedom and cleansing is available to all who acknowledge their sinfulness and truly believe upon Jesus’ finished work on the cross.

But what about His blood? Most people do not want to talk about blood because the thought of blood being shed is gruesome and traumatic. However, the scriptures tell us that “…all things are cleansed with blood and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22). Nevertheless, there was no way animal blood could forgive human sin permanently. Only the blood of Jesus’ could completely satisfy the wrath of God and His judgment against sin.

Jesus wants to free you from sin and wash it away forever as a free gift, but His work on the cross will demand a response from you. Will you believe, repent, and follow Him?

The gospel will cost you nothing, but it will demand your whole life.

The Time Is Near

Visualize yourself living under constant persecution and being hunted for your allegiance to Jesus Christ. Imagine all of your closest spiritual brothers being killed through unimaginable brutality. Envision being imprisoned and brought before the Roman Emperor to be slaughtered in front of thousands. Now picture yourself being lowered into a tub of boiling hot oil and finally, imagine being exiled to an isolated rocky island for two years. These events represent some the last years of the apostle John’s life. Miraculously John was unharmed by the boiling oil and his time on the island of Patmos was spent receiving a vision of the final events of world history that we now call the book of Revelation.

The first couple of verses of Revelation tell us this book has “unveiled” Jesus Christ’s full identity and God’s plan for the end of the world. To accomplish His plan the Lord delivered John from Roman persecution for the very purpose of receiving this apocalyptic vision. Please don’t miss the sovereignty of God as He intervened to preserve the life of John. It once again proves that nothing can thwart God’s plans, not even boiling oil and ruthless Emperors determined to exterminate Christians.

The book of Revelation should be viewed as a blessing, why? Because God says so. Revelation 1:3 states “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it, for the time is near.” (NJKV)

What does the apostle John mean by “blessed is he?” He means if believers will read the words of Revelation, hear the words of Revelation, and most importantly keep in their heart all that is written inside of it they will experience a life in the center of God’s will, they will grow spiritually, and they will possess a tremendous confidence about the future. Translation, you will be blessed if you are a genuine believer. However, don’t miss this. It is never sufficient to simply read, hear, or even study any book of the Bible. A believer must “keep those things which are written in it,” meaning they must obey and apply what they learn. This is the first of seven different blessing statements in the book of Revelation.

Finally, John states “the time is near.” In our modern world just about everything is scheduled or on a timetable; jobs, school, vacation, church, sports, etc…We live our lives in constant anticipation as our scheduled events and responsibilities approach and then quickly pass. Almost 2,000 years have passed since John wrote “the time is near,” which could certainly lead a person to doubt his statement or even doubt God. Nevertheless, God’s timetable is His and with each passing day we are closer to His second coming than before. Thus the prophetic events found inside of Revelation are “nearer”  than before. Our responsibility is to be ready, live as faithful witnesses to Christ, and keep the gospel before us.

The time is near…are you ready for Christ to return?

There will be no second chances once He does. 

Dead To Sin, Alive In Christ

Whether you acknowledge it or not, grace has been and will be poured out upon you during your life more times than you can count. Grace has been shown to you by people and most importantly by God and there are three ways to receive grace; with thankfulness, with contempt or by abusing it. Grace is defined as undeserved favor, graciousness, and mercy. That is exactly how the first century church understood it and it is precisely how Paul understood it. God’s grace not only saves you and forgives your sins, but it will also deliver you from sinning in the future. Grace transfers a person from his or her sinful state into a state of righteousness. A follower of Christ is no longer “in sin,” even though a follower will still sin. When a person is in Christ there is complete freedom from condemnation (Romans 8:1). The gospel of grace should fill your heart with gratefulness or you simply don’t understand the grace of the gospel.

In Romans 6:1, 2 Paul proclaims “…are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” For some reason the people in Rome seemed to believe that God’s grace gave them the right to sin even more. Most likely, the people with this belief were those who assumed their new found freedom from the Law gave them permission to sin without consequence. However, they could not be more wrong.

This scenario would be like the child of a county sheriff who feels he or she can break the law anytime they want simply because his or her father is the sheriff and will show them grace. The Roman believers Paul was addressing behaved this same way, believing that God’s “grace would increase” as they continued in sin. Thus, Paul firmly corrected them and reminded them that if they were truly in Christ they had died to sin. So, does a genuine believer persist in sin? Absolutely not.

What does it mean to die to sin? It means the mind and soul have a new found sensitivity to sin and have come to hate it. It means a believer now views themselves dead to the appeal and power of sin because of the victory of Christ. It means a believer now understands the sinful nature that still exists inside of him or her. It means believers have been given the Holy Spirit so they are able to walk in the Spirit and not in sin (Galatians 5:16). Finally, it means that because of Christ death and resurrection, believers will never have to die for their sin eternally. The transformation comes as a believer dies to sin and is made alive in Christ.

Have you died to sin?

Are you alive in Christ?

Examine yourself and find out…your life and eternal destiny hangs in the balance. 

Put On Jesus

Can you imagine what would happen if a Soldier forgot to “put on” his body armor and combat equipment prior to war? It would be unbelievably dangerous and would most likely result in his death. The uniform and battle equipment a Soldier “puts on” are very much part of his identity. Even for a regular person, clothing speaks volumes about his or her identity. In western cultures and more than anywhere else in the world, clothing defines a person. Keep this in mind as Paul speaks about “putting on” the armor of light and the Lord Jesus Christ.

After Paul instructs the Roman church to “…put on the armor of light” (Romans 13:12), he commands them to “…put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts” (Romans 13:14). 

What does it mean “to put on the Lord Jesus Christ?” It means becoming like Jesus. It means having His character. It means cooperating with the Holy Spirit in the sanctification process and being sanctified means being made more and more into the likeness of Christ. In Galatians Paul told believers that they had clothed themselves in Christ (Galatians 3:27). Because of a person’s belief and spiritual union with Christ they have become one with Him. Paul uses the word “clothe” because we must continually “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” as we would put our clothes on every day. Ultimately, “putting on the Lord Jesus Christ” means putting on His characteristics, such as His compassion, His righteousness, His kindness, His humility, His love, His, gentleness, His purity, His holiness, His patience, and His goodness. It means becoming like Jesus. When we “put on Christ” we are identifying ourselves with Him and all that He is. We take off our old self (our previous life and sinful behavior) and put on our new life (our new way of living).

The flesh is weak and corrupt, translation, our human nature is weak and corrupt. Paul is drawing the contrast between being in Christ versus walking in the self-centered nature of sinful flesh. We are instructed to crucify the flesh (Galatians 2:20) and to never again think about how to satisfy its sinful desires. Never fail to remember that our sinful nature is still present within us, which is the reason why we are to “make no provision for the flesh.” Darkness must flee in the presence of light. Thus when a person “puts on the armor of light” the darkness flees from their life.

What is keeping you from putting on the Lord Jesus Christ?

God's Great Love for Humanity

What if you were convicted of murder and sentenced to die by lethal injection. Now imagine on the day you are to be put to death a complete stranger walks in and offers to take your place. It would undoubtedly be the greatest act of love any person would have ever shown you. You deserved to die for your crime and the man who took your place did not. That is what the gospel is all about! That is what Christ did for the world!

There is no such thing as being good enough for God and there is absolutely no way to earn His love. His love for us never has been and never will be conditioned upon anything we can do for Him. Furthermore, there is nothing so bad or so sinful a person could ever do or ever has done that God’s wrath did not atone for on the cross through Jesus. The cross represents the worst of mankind and at the same time represents the greatest act of love ever known to humanity.

There is no way we could have took the place of Christ on the cross. The reality is that Jesus was the Godman and He perfectly fulfilled the Law. Jesus lived the perfect life in preparation for being the final sacrifice as God’s perfect Lamb.

Paul wrote that “God demonstrates His own love toward us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

This scripture tells us five very important truths:

1)    The word “demonstrates” is present tense, which proves an important point; God showed undeserved favor (grace) for sinful mankind while we were still in our sin.

2)    His love for us is not dependent upon anything we can do for Him or how “good” we are.

3)    The sin in our hearts renders us helpless apart from Christ

4)    Christ died for us “while we were still sinners.” Jesus went to the cross to fulfill God’s wrath while we were still depraved in His eyes.

5)    Jesus’ death completely paid for all the sins of the world; past, present, and future. All a person must do is believe in faith and repent. 

A child doesn’t have to earn the love of their mother or father; a parent’s love is unconditional. In the same way God’s love is not dependent upon us earning His love. God’s love is fully expressed in Jesus. His gave His Son to the world because He loved us first.

We are saved by grace alone, by faith alone, and by Christ alone. Let God’s love for you fill your heart full of gratitude and then give Him your whole heart and your whole life. 

Do You Stand Upon the Gospel?

We all deserve eternal death. That is the reality of sinful humanity apart from Christ and it’s also the necessity of the gospel. Anything a person receives above and beyond the gift of salvation should be received with extreme gratitude. It’s the love and grace of God that sustains life and grants eternal life. At the center of the gospel is Jesus Christ and the good news is that He came to save the world from sin (John 3:16).

Beginning with Cain and Abel offerings and sacrifices have perpetually been made to please God. Through the institution of the Law, God provided the Jews with an extensive sacrificial system of offerings to temporarily atone for sin. However, whether it was a sin offering, a trespass offering, or one of the other voluntary offerings, all offerings pointed to Christ and all were fulfilled in Christ. The true significance of every Old Testament sacrifice can be found in the sacrificial death of Jesus. He was the “Lamb of God” who had come to take away the sin of the world (John 1:29). His blood would secure the salvation for all who would come to believe, even for the Old Testament saints who lived prior (Hebrews 11:40).

The gospel is truth that never loses its power, unless you have never believed or have “believed in vain.” Paul wrote to the Corinthians “…I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved,…unless you believed in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:1, 2).

“Believed in vain?” What did Paul mean by this statement? Obviously, Paul recognized that many of these Corinthians had a superficial faith or a non-saving faith (Matthew 7:13). Some most likely believed as the demons believed (James 2:19). Like many, they heard the gospel preached by Paul and perhaps were convinced that the gospel was true, but they didn’t love Jesus or follow Him. Translation, they had “believed in vain.” They had not “held firmly” to the gospel message.

When a person doesn’t “hold firmly” and “stand fast” upon the gospel (the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ for the forgiveness of sins) he or she is not a true believer. Thus, they are easily swayed by other messages, worldly desires, and false gospels. The gospel must be professed and possessed, otherwise a person will never stand upon.

If you want to have complete assurance of your salvation then examine yourself against God’s Word. If your belief doesn’t match what you read in scripture, then it’s not belief at all. Your faith might be worthless. Don’t be a person who “believed in vain.” The consequences are eternal!

Do You Understand the Scriptures?

Do you understand the Scriptures? Well it wasn’t until after the resurrection that Jesus’ disciples understood. Luke writes “then He opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:45). These men spent three years living with, walking with, and learning from Jesus, yet they didn’t understand the Scriptures. If they had understood and believed the Scriptures they wouldn’t have been sad or confused following Jesus’ death.

It was on the road to Emmaus following His resurrection where Jesus told some of His disciples that they were “foolish and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken” (Luke 24:25). Then He proceeded to “expound to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” (Luke 24:27). Jesus returned from the dead to ensure His disciples and the world would understand the Scriptures concerning His death and resurrection. Jesus would later commission Paul to open the minds of both the Jews and the Gentiles.

The Lord opened the minds of the disciples to understand the Scriptures and he wants to do the same for you. As Easter weekend passes for another year, don’t let the opportunity “to understand the Scriptures” pass you by for another day. If you want to understand the Scriptures then the Holy Spirit will have to be at work inside of your heart and mind. Sure, you can read and study the Bible, but it will never become real and living until you place yourself under its authority and commit to obeying it through a life surrender to God’s will.

The mind is dull apart from the Holy Spirit; to understand the Scriptures the mind needs to be enlightened supernaturally. However, don’t miss the reason Jesus stayed around for 40 days following His resurrection. He was about to launch a revolution that would change the world and He had chosen His disciples to build off His foundation of blood and righteousness. Jesus was solidifying their faith, summarizing His earthly ministry, and preparing them for kingdom building without His physical presence.

Let Jesus prepare you for kingdom building by “opening your mind to understand the Scriptures.” Jesus has a message that the world needs to hear and wants to use you as His messenger. 

Good Friday: Agony and Blood

Can you imagine knowing the exact details of your death? Imagine knowing every graphic and specific detail of your last days. It’s one thing to know you are going to die, but it’s another to be able to completely visualize the excruciating and painful aspects of your death. This was the life Jesus lived and this was why His humanity cried out as He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Jesus was the creator of everything in heaven and on earth (Colossians 1:15) and was now about to be crucified by His own creation. The same creation He was about to save and redeem from sin. Jesus knew every ounce of spit that would fall upon His face, He could visualize every fist that would strike His face and body, He knew about the crown of thorns that would be forced upon His head, He knew how many times their reeds would strike His head, He possessed the foresight to see the number of slaps that would cross His face, He could already hear the insults and curses that would be spoken against Him, He knew that His disciples would abandon Him at His time of greatest need, He knew that Judas would betray Him and hand Him over to the Sanhedrin, He knew that His closest disciple Peter would deny he even knew Him, He knew He would be scourged and His fleshed ripped off His body, He visualized the nails being driven through His hands and feet, He looked ahead and could see every ounce of blood that would drip from His body, and He knew His life would be offered up on a cross to fulfill the wrath of God.

Picture a dark garden just outside city of Jerusalem and imagine Jesus kneeling down before His father and crying out in agony. Luke wrote that Jesus “being in agony, was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground” (Luke 22:44).

Is it important to note that debate exists among scholars on whether Jesus actually sweated blood or whether Luke meant this verse figuratively. However, there is a condition called  hematidrosis where blood is infused into one’s perspiration. This condition is caused by extreme anguished or physical strain. Both of which Jesus experienced that night in the Garden of Gethsemane.

What’s important is that Jesus was on the threshold of death and was beginning to experience separation from His father for the first time in His life, which caused Him great agony. Does your own separation from God cause you agony?

Good Friday is about the wrath of God being satisfied through Jesus going to the cross. Express your gratitude this Friday and every day of your life for the gift of eternal life and the forgiveness of sins found in Christ.

His agony and blood were for you!

Spiritually Fit

Pastor A.W. Tozer once wrote that “complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth.” But how does a believer grow spiritually? It requires training. Paul wrote to Timothy “…train yourself in godliness for the training of the body has a limited benefit, but godliness is beneficial in every way…” (1 Timothy 4:7, 8 HCSB). It’s the word “train” that is imperative in this verse. In the Greek, the word “train” is gymnazo. It’s where we get the word “gymnasium.” It means to exercise enthusiastically, to train thoroughly, and to discipline yourself. When a first century Olympic athlete would prepare for the Olympics they would “train” and this is exactly what Paul had in mind when he wrote this to Timothy about growing spiritually.

Paul is telling believers they are to “train themselves in godliness.” In the same way an athlete prepares and dedicates himself or herself to their respective sport, so is the follower of Christ. An athlete disciplines himself or herself to a life of training. Discipline can be difficult, but living without it is disastrous.

You see, Paul is telling Timothy that in order for him to be a “good servant of Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 4:1), he needs to “train himself in godliness.” If we will only “nourish” ourselves on the word of God and seek the Lord through prayer, can we train ourselves to become spiritual athletes, but only if we are in Christ. He must dwell in us! Professional athletes don’t train once a month or even once a week, they train daily or for a lifetime. However, training the physical body has only a “limited benefit,” but training in “godliness holds promise for this life and the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:8).

Physical fitness doesn’t just happen by being passive and inactive, nor does spiritual fitness. I encourage you in the power that is in Christ, to be strengthen spiritually by “training” yourself in the written Word, through a strong relationship with the Living Word, Jesus Christ. When the apostle John called Jesus the Word (John 1:1), he emphasized that Jesus was the revelation of God and He now dwells inside of believers through the Spirit.

Set your spiritual fitness goals, develop a spiritual fitness plan, gather the resources you will need (your Bible, prayer journal, other Christian books, sermon pod casts, etc…), and set aside the time you will need to grow.

Godliness is beneficial in EVERY WAY, so don’t delay your training!

Set Free By Grace

In our carnal minds we can’t imagine one person’s sin affecting the rest of humanity? It just doesn’t seem possible. But this is exactly what happened through Adam’s sin. Nevertheless, grace was coming to set humanity free.

Just about everyone has heard of Adam, the very first human being ever created by God. He was created perfect and lived in a perfect world. Adam lived in paradise and talked directly to God and like us He was created in the image of God. Adam was given clear instructions, the tree of life, and the authority to rule over the earth. So what went wrong? Satan arrive on earth. The father of all liars (John 8:44) had come to wage war against God’s newest creation and against God Himself. Satan manifested himself into a serpent and began to attack God’s character. Through temptation, deception, accusing, and denying the truth of God’s word, Satan played off the human freedom of Adam and Eve tempting them to choose their will over obedience to God. Tragically, Adam’s sin brought about the fall of humanity which has wrecked havoc upon this earth ever since.

The apostle Paul clarifies Adam’s sin and the remedy that is found in Christ when he wrote this; “So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men” (Romans 5:18).

Let me put it this way, the sin and disobedience of Adam determined the destiny of every person after, a destiny that would end in eternal death without the intervention of our Creator and Savior. Adam’s original sin brought about God’s judgment on all humanity since he was the father of all mankind, while Jesus’ “one act of righteousness” brought about life to all who believe, because He was God in the flesh and the Creator of Adam (Colossians 1:16).

Acknowledge this in your life and you will live forever with Christ. Adam brought death, bondage, and depravity. But “the last Adam” (1 Corinthians 15:45), Jesus Christ, has reversed the effects of “the first Adam.”

Jesus Christ grants all who believe in Him the opportunity to receive the gift of eternal life and forgiveness in exchange for a life of eternal death. This is grace and this is love. Understanding this eternal transaction should cause us to fall down broken before such a loving Savior.

Jesus awaits to justify (to be declared not guilty before God) all who seek after Him and His grace. It is truly amazing!

When Scripture Speaks, God Speaks

What is your view of the Bible? How you answer this question affects every aspect of your life, especially your perception of God and sin. The Bible must shape and inform every aspect of a believer’s life; there should never be a separation of public and private or work and church.   Having doubts about the inspiration of scripture or it’s inerrancy directly impacts a person’s ability to believe in faith. Most importantly, both the Old and New Testaments affirm the inspiration of God’s Word. Can a person trust everything that the Bible says? Absolutely! Most importantly the Bible itself claims to be the Word of God when Paul wrote to Timothy that “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16, NKJV).

Let’s examine the words “all Scripture.” “All” means exactly that, “all.” Any scripture that is read in the 66 books of the Bible is inspired by God. The word Scripture in this verse actually refers to the Old Testament, however the words “all Scripture” refer to the New Testament as well. We know this from Peter who grouped Paul’s letters with “the rest of the Scriptures” in 2 Peter 3:16. However the words “given by inspiration” are the most important. These words tell us that Scripture is divine, its supernatural, it means that God literally breathed out “all Scripture.” The bottom line is that the Holy Spirit worked through all 40 plus authors over a period of 1,500 years to write entirely and exactly what God intended. Much more could be written about this subject, but this one verse is sufficient for every believer to affirm, trust, and stand upon the Holy Bible.

With the words that follow Paul’s confirmation that all Scripture is inspired by God, we see a few  of the applications in which Scripture should be used. First, believers should use Scripture to determine and to learn correct “doctrine” or teachings. Second, believers should use it to rebuke or “reproof” themselves or others for false beliefs or ungodly behavior. Third, believers must measure themselves against Scripture as the absolute standard and use it “for correction” when they stray from being like Christ. Finally, believers are to use Scripture to “instruct themselves in righteousness.”

Remember when Scripture speaks, God speaks. Trust it and live!

With Fear and Trembling

Salvation comes by grace through faith in Christ. But so many false religions, to include the Catholic Church place a tremendous emphasis on good works to earn salvation. Scriptures are twisted and contorted to support their beliefs while many scriptures are completely ignored. Christians have always been saved for good works, not by their works, which makes a believer seek an explanation behind the meaning of what Paul commanded the Philippians in verse 2:12 when he wrote “…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” The verse does not say we are to earn our salvation. Jesus didn’t go to the cross so we could earn our salvation. The work of salvation has been finished once and for all. When something is finished and completed, the payment has been received. However, people still feel the need to earn their salvation or some may feel as if they are going to lose their salvation, as some denominations and false religions teach.

So what does Paul mean by “work out”? The Greek meaning is that of a miner who would dig all of what God had put under the earth’s surface. I think of a coal miner who “works” to remove the valuable resources God has placed inside the mountains. Deep within the mountains is “black gold” just waiting to be dug out. By God’s hand something hidden so deep can be brought to the surface for the benefit of millions.

This is what Paul meant for the Christian. Hidden deep within every believer, the Holy Spirit is at work. As the believer studies the word, they learn the truth and are able to rightly divide God’s word and apply it. Most importantly they are able to grow into the likeness of Christ, the ultimate individual goal of every born again believer. Christians are able to “work out” everything holy and good that God has deposited inside of them. However, most importantly Christians are able to continually work to fulfill God’s plan for their individual lives and take an active part in their sanctification. Translation, believers can “work out” while the Holy Spirit sanctifies.

Finally, “with fear and trembling” believers are to “work out” their salvation. In other words, Paul is saying “work out” your salvation with a healthy fear of God and a deep reverence for His holiness and righteousness. 

Are You Coming After Him?

When the gospel is shared with unbelievers, there are critical elements that are often left out. There is the carnal desire for evangelists or chaplains like myself to “get decisions” for Christ, especially in environments that are often not conducive for properly sharing the full aspects of the gospel. Frequently non-believers are misled into making decisions to follow Christ with no understanding of the three primary conditions for becoming a disciple. All three of which are essentially non-existent in the lives of Christian’s today, particularly in America.

Jesus says “If anyone wishes to come after me” (Luke 9:23). Let me stop there for a moment. This phrase means to follow me, to be my disciple, to become a Christian. This cannot be skipped over. When we are giving an invitation to someone to receive Christ are we not asking them to come after Jesus? We better be. The world is already full of false converts or those who have received the gospel seed on rocky ground (Matthew 13:20, 21). With the current state of the American church and the continual onslaught of moral relativism, a greater focus must be placed upon making disciples and not getting decisions of people “confessing the sinner’s prayer.”

Our mission must be to make disciples who have been made aware of the conditions that Jesus set in Luke 9 and are willing to strive towards them. These conditions should be discerned and posed to those whom we share the gospel with. The first element is “denying self.” I once shared the gospel with a person and I mentioned self-denial and giving up his self-interests and he said he believed in Jesus, but he wasn’t willing to put Christ above his own needs or even his girlfriend. A person can’t do the will of God or obey the teachings of Jesus without denying self. The second element is “taking up one’s cross.” This means a person is willing to suffer and die for the sake of Christ and His gospel. This is a daily act. It’s like a military solider marching into war unafraid of dying for their country. The final element is to “follow Jesus.” This is to be done continually, as a military soldier following their platoon leader into battle.

Ensure you are asking those questions when sharing the gospel. If a person has acknowledged their sin and depravity before God and truly believed upon Christ for their salvation, then they will be willing to come after Jesus, deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Jesus without question, even to the point of death.

This is what will revive the church and save our nation.

Active Duty for Christ

We are at war. When Satan invaded the Garden of Eden to attack Adam and Eve, he launched a war that continues to this very day and will continue until the second coming of Christ, and even then he will be released at the end of Christ’s thousand year reign to deceive the nations once again (Revelation 20:7-10). But until he is thrown in the lake of fire and brimstone, the war will continue. The soldier of  Christ is called to endure and suffer as God’s will is advanced against the tactics and schemes of the Devil. Yes, Satan is a defeated enemy and doesn’t do anything the Lord doesn’t allow, but he is still a formidable foe who ages war against Christian missions, prayer, and the genuine proclamation of the gospel around the world. His goal is to keep people in the dark and away from the good news of the gospel. His goal is to keep people’s lives so messed up they simply don’t have time to think about eternity or the things of God. One must understand that Satan’s warfare is waged in the invisible realm, however it often becomes visible in the form of false religions, cults, starving children, terrorism, homosexuality, sex slavery abortion, child abuse, video games, etc…

Please do not be deceived, the problems in America are no worse than they were in the days of Paul and Timothy. The Roman Empire was guilty of some extreme atrocities, to include homosexuality, abortion, and pedophilia. Did Paul not tell us that “in the last days difficult times will come” (2 Timothy 3:1)? Paul was referring to his time and ours, the “last days” began at Pentecost and will continue until the second coming of Christ. So as it occurred in the first century, so it does today. Sinful people will be sinful and crooked. We shouldn’t be surprised that sinful people abort babies, or murder each other, or have affairs, or that Islamic terrorists blow people up and cut off heads. We shouldn’t be surprised because Satan still “roams about on the earth and walks around on it” (Job 1:7).

While imprisoned in Rome and suffering for righteousness sake, Paul gave Timothy some vital instructions about how to endure and respond through wicked and immoral times. He didn’t say to retaliate, to seek revenge, to publicly rebuke, or to seek political retribution. The moral issues of our day are certainly bad, but the answer is held in the gospel, not in the entangling of ourselves with the divisive issues of the day. Paul told Timothy “no soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier” (2 Timothy 2:4). Translation, if certain affairs are counterproductive to a Christian soldier’s singular mission of making disciples and proclaiming the gospel, then it has become distracting and unproductive. That is why Christians must be cautious and use discretion when responding to the moral issues of the day. They will always be before us, but sometimes there is only once chance to reach a  person’s soul and to demonstrate love.

The warfare of the Christian soldier requires the same concentration as that of the military soldier. Time is short and God’s mission must be our priority.

Rice Christians

Every believer who shares their faith has been guilty of offering a non-believer an insufficient version of the gospel. As a compromise we offer people and others our form of the “American gospel” which promises that God will bless their life, make them happy, forgive your sins, and grant them a ticket into heaven. In most instances we do this by having our willing participant recite the sinner’s prayer. With our carnal minds we seek to pat ourselves on the back and congratulate ourselves for “bringing another person into the kingdom,” while most likely overstepping our boundaries as His disciples and pressuring a person to make a decision without fully explaining the costs of becoming a follower of Christ. In a sense we offer them only what Jesus can provide them, without telling them He demands their life and their full devotion. What we do is share an “insufficient gospel” that doesn’t address their depravity and sinful nature. We fail to confront them about their sin, the reason Jesus went to the cross. Confronting a person about their sin requires what the world labels as “judging,” but what the Bible calls a universal fact (Romans 3:23).

On the day after Jesus fed the 5,000 near the Sea of Galilee, the people came looking for Him and this is what He said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled” (John 6:26). As the one who searches the hearts and minds of people (Revelation 2:23) Jesus knew all they wanted was more physical food. Their desire to follow and seek out Jesus was superficial and was not based upon true belief, but was self-serving.

There is a phrase used in various parts of the world called “Rice Christians.” It’s a phrase used to describe false converts who were offered material possessions and incentives in conjunction with Jesus, but when the possessions were taken away or the incentives were removed, these “Rice Christians” reverted back to their previous religions. They were never regenerated by the Holy Spirit, thus they never became committed disciples. This was the case with the people who sought out Jesus the morning after He fed them.

Meeting  a person’s physical or emotional needs will never make him or her commit to Christ. The fullness of the gospel must be presented, including the cost of losing everything to gain “ALL.”

Evangelism is not completed until a new believer becomes a disciple. 

Willing to Suffer Shame

How many people are truly willing to suffer shame for sharing and teaching about Christ? Not many in the American church I’m afraid. Even more, how many people would rejoice for being arrested and imprisoned for teaching about Christ? Even fewer I suspect. Not only are pastors preaching prosperity, happiness, and comfort, but millions of American Christians are biblically illiterate. First, there is a disparity between luxurious and comfortable suburban churches and an environment that trains a person to suffer for Christ. If all a Christian knows is self-centered, self-help preaching and superficial fellowship centered about social activities void of the word of God, then they will be extremely unprepared when persecution comes calling. Unfortunately too many Christians are pursuing career, hobbies, sports, and self at the neglect of knowing and suffering for Christ.

Consider a military Soldier for a moment. What would happen if the soldier arrived at basic training, was ushered into a comfortable seat and then given a 45 minute pep talk? What would happen if they reviewed the field manuals on how to fight a war, had another motivating speaker, graduated, and were then sent off to war without ever having been tested and tried? Is this how we train our war fighters who will engage in physical war? No, not even close. Military training is challenging, tough, hard, and involves a certain level of suffering. Its designed to prepare the soldier to defeat the enemy during military combat. Is spiritual training any different? No, a soldier of the cross is willing and yielded to encounter whatever the Lord brings into their life as they are prepared, refined, and tested for spiritual warfare. This is how they learn to put on the Armor of God.

The point is that comfort and ease are counterproductive to having the mindset that is willing to suffer for Christ. It was following Pentecost that the disciples began to experience the effects of their bold faith and preaching, and in Acts 5:12-42, the disciples were arrested and put on trial. Following their release and the command to not speak in the name of Jesus ever again, the disciples departed “rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for Christ” (Acts 5:41).

The disciples didn’t complain, they didn’t grumble, they didn’t plead to their governmental officials for help, they rejoiced! They viewed their suffering for Christ as a blessing. These men were commissioned and were on a mission. When a person has surrendered themselves to Christ they expect and then prepare themselves to suffer shame for His name. 

On Alert

In the military, personnel are often put “on alert” in preparation for pending deployments or when a threat is imminent or possible. Most Americans have heard of the DEFCON system to alert military forces of potential threats and most might remember the threat level being at DEFCON 3 immediately following September 11, 2001, which simply meant that military personnel were to be “on alert” above their normal level.

Being “on alert” means to be watchful, to be ready, to stay awake, and to be vigilant. Christians are to be vigilant about their faith, to include the rapture of the church and the second coming of Christ. When speaking to His disciples Jesus commanded them “…to be on alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming” (Matthew 24:42). As Christians we are to observe the events that will unfold in this world as signs of His second coming, not to be afraid, but to be watchful and expectant that the end is near. Being on alert is the posture in which a soldier of the cross is to be in. Jesus said that we can expect false messiahs, false religions, wars, rumors of wars, famines, pestilence, earthquakes, and a whole lot more. These things should not surprise a soldier of the cross who is “on alert.” Being in a state of preparation means understanding the orders of our General, Jesus Christ, while becoming more and more like Him each day. There is no better preparation than that. He increases and we decrease. He is exalted and we are humbled. He has already led by example and now commands His disciples to follow. He has suffered and now we are to share in His sufferings (1 Peter 4:13).

Perhaps most concerning of all is what will happen to those who are asleep and not alert to the events leading up to Christ’s second coming. For the unsaved who have rejected Jesus’ final payment for their sins or for the “evil servant” who has gone bad, they have been warned with the words of Matthew 24:50, 51. Jesus said “the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, and will cut him in pieces…” Translation, they will spend eternity in hell apart from the presence of the One in which they rejected and failed to be “on alert” for.

The solution is to live everyday expectant of our Lord’s return and “on alert” as the general signs of His coming continue to unfold right before our eyes.