SOMETHING WE ALL CAN DO:  OBEY

I've been writing about "Things We All Can Do."  Today, we are going to look about another subject that fits in that category.  I know that I recently wrote about obedience, but I felt the need to revisit the subject.  You see, obeying God is something every believer can do.

Here are 10 facts we need to learn about obeying God:

1.  OBEDIENCE IS NOT ALWAYS EASY

This first point is rather simple and obvious.  It is easy to talk about obedience but it is much more difficult to practice obedience.  God often requires that we leave our comfort zone, which we tend to resist. 

2.  OBEDIENCE IS OFTEN A PERSONAL ISSUE

Certainly there are certain commands all of us should obey.  However, obeying God may require me to do different things than you.  For instance, God calls some to preach.  Those who are called are expected to obey.  However, most Christians are not called to preach, thus they should not preach.  Each person will have unique opportunities to obey.

3.  OBEDIENCE MAY BE A CORPORATE ISSUE

Many times God calls a group of believers to obey.  Several of the New Testament epistles are written to churches.  Similarly, Revelation chapters 2 and 3 are dedicated to God's message to seven churches in Asia.  It was not uncommon for God to challenge local churches to obey Him in specific matters. 

4.  OBEDIENCE IS "FAITH IN ACTION"

Our faith is demonstrated through our actions.  Jesus said, "If ye love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15).  Obedience to God is a good barometer of your spiritual health.

5.  OBEDIENCE REQUIRES GOD'S HELP

We cannot obey God without His help.  Too many cocky Christians later regret their sinful attempt to do God's work their own way, instead of His way.  We need God's help, especially when it comes to obedience.

6.  PRAYER IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR OBEDIENCE

The enemy tempts us to substitute many things in place of obedience.  One of the most common substitutes is prayer.  Prayer is a glorious privilege, but prayer is never a substitute for obedience.  Church attendance, reading the Bible and giving are wonderful activities, but they are not substitutes for obedience. 

7.  OBEDIENCE IS OFTEN REQUIRED WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE

In many cases, obedience is required in a split second.  At that moment, you don't have time to debate the pros and cons of obedience.  If you fail to obey that precise moment, the opportunity will probably be gone.  I've often prayed for an opportunity to share my faith, but do you know when the best opportunities have come?  When I was least expecting it. 

8.  OBEDIENCE HAS CONSEQUENCES

We know that disobedience has consequences, but do you know that obedience to God also has consequences?  When you obey God, it may cost you a relationship.  Obeying God may cost you your job.  Obeying God may cost you money.  I've often said that salvation is a free gift, but discipleship may cost you everything.

9.  OBEDIENCE WILL BE MISUNDERSTOOD

Don't expect everyone to cheer when you obey God.  Unbelievers will consider you to be a "Jesus Freak," or a radical.  Believers may label you as "legalistic" or overly zealous.  Many will frown upon your obedience.  Some will even try to persuade you to stop obeying God.  Obedience will be misunderstood.

10.  OBEDIENCE WILL BE REWARDED

Ultimately, obedience will be rewarded.  Sometimes in this life, God graciously rewards us for our obedience and faithfulness.  Most of our rewards await us when we leave this world.  Be assured of this fact, God knows when you obey Him and He will reward you one day.

Sadly, many "believers" expect God to obey them.  God is not our servant --- we are His servants.  As His servants, we are expected to obey.

That is something all of us can do.

SOMETHING WE ALL CAN DO:  PRAY

"But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly." - Matthew 6:6

Last week, we began looking at some things that every Christian can do.  It is almost intimidating to look at very gifted Christians.  In fact, it is easy to get discouraged when we compare our talents with those who are greatly gifted by God.  Whether you feel talented or not, there are things you can do in the Lord's work.  Last week, we learned about something all Christians can do:  believe.  Faith is a major key to today's subject.  Today we are looking something else all Christians can do:  pray.

I do not intend to write an extended essay on the subject of prayer.  There are many excellent books about prayer that are available.  Instead, I want to encourage believers to pray.  Let's be honest about it.  Prayer can be hard work. Our flesh tends to fight against us when we pray.  Additionally, the devil can bombard our minds with other thoughts, distracting us from prayer.  Our appointment calendars can get so full that time with the Lord gets crowded out of our lives. 

Yet we need to pray.  We need the Lord each moment.  We need His provisions, power and protection.  Prayer is not just a spiritual discipline; it is a necessity of life.

For the Christian, prayer is more than a religious exercise.  Prayer is the means by which we communicate with God. 

There's no better expert on the subject of prayer than Jesus.  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught His followers many practical lessons for life.  Among the instruction He gave, Jesus gave us specific insight about personal prayer.  Our text today is Matthew 6:6.  From this verse, Jesus teaches us how to pray.

1.  PRAY INTENTIONALLY.

First of all, we should pray intentionally.  Jesus said, "But thou, when thou prayest..."  He didn't say, "If thou prayest," but "WHEN thou prayest..."  The Lord expects us to pray.

I realize that there are times in which the Lord leads us to pray spontaneously.  That is wonderful.  I still believe that we need to intentionally set aside time daily for prayer.  Set aside time daily to meet with God and talk with Him.  Prayer and the Word go hand-in-hand.  I suggest that you plan a time daily to read from the Word and pray to the Lord. 

Pray intentionally.

2.  PRAY PRIVATELY.

Also, we're taught to pray secretly.  Jesus said, "... enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret."  Jesus is not teaching us that it is wrong to pray in public.  Jesus prayed in public several times.  There are many instances when public prayer is needed.  However, most of our praying should be done privately.

Jesus said "... enter into thy closet..."  If you're like me, there's not enough room to even get in your closet, yet alone spend time in prayer in there.  What Jesus is referring to in this text is a special, quiet place, free from distractions.  I've heard of people who've built a special, small room in their house just for prayer.  They refer to it as their prayer closet.  I like that.  However, you don't have to make major changes to your home.  You just need to find a private place to meet with God.

The emphasis on private prayer is in sharp contrast to the Pharisees' form of prayer.  Pharisees prayed publicly just to be seen and praised.  Jesus wants His followers to avoid that.  Instead, He wants His people to pray in private.

3.  PRAY EXPECTANTLY.

Finally, we should pray expectantly.  Pray with faith.  In fact, R. A. Torrey wrote that believers should focus, by faith, on the Lord before praying.  Faith is a vital part of effective prayer. 

Jesus promised, "... and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly."  This is an exciting guarantee from Jesus: we will receive a reward for our prayers!   We should pray with such confidence.  In Matthew 21:22, Jesus said, " And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, BELIEVING, ye shall receive" (emphasis added). 

By faith, we approach the throne of grace when we pray.  By faith, we focus on the One who occupies that throne, which allows us to address Him personally.  By faith, we talk with Him, knowing that we'll be rewarded for our prayers.  By faith, we know that He hears and will answer our prayers. 

Pray intentionally.  Pray privately.  Pray expectantly.  Put Jesus' teaching to practice in your own life.  If we prayed according to Jesus' instruction, we may be amazed at the things the Lord does in response to our prayers. 

What a blessing and privilege it is to pray!  Take time to pray --- and then pray throughout the day.  Paul wrote, "Pray without ceasing." 

God is here with us.  He is available to hear our plea.  Call upon Him in prayer today.

That is something all us can do.

SOMETHING WE ALL CAN DO:  BELIEVE

"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." - Hebrews 11:6

For the next few weeks, I intend to dedicate my weekly blog message to the concept:  "Something We All Can Do."  This message is written for believers who feel like underachievers compared to the "superstar" saints who seem so gifted and talented. 

The good news is that every born again believer can contribute to God's work.  You may never preach to a stadium of unbelievers.  You may never sing a great anthem that inspires millions.  You may not have the ability to teach with enthusiasm, impacting the lives of your students.  But there are some things you CAN do.  Today, let's look at one thing all of us can do:  believe. 

Faith is not a flashy subject.  Yet all of us can live and walk by faith.  God has given us the wonderful gift of faith, but it is up to us to faithfully use it.  Instead of impressing or inspiring others, our main goal should be to please God.  According to Hebrews 11:6, faith pleases God.  A great singing voice does not always please God.  Great oration doesn't necessarily please God.  A well-presented Sunday School lesson doesn't automatically please God.  Yet a believer, greatly gifted or not, can please God by living and walking by faith. 

How can we live and walk by faith?

1.            TRUST IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD

First of all, trust in the presence of God every moment.  Realize that God is always there with you.  You never face a situation alone.  The ever-present Lord is there for you regardless of the circumstances you face.  Jesus has promised to never leave us (Matthew 28:20).  I used to think that we enter God's presence when we pray, however, we are always in the presence of the Lord because He is with us all the time.

One of my favorite songs is the old Stamps-Baxter song, "Hand In Hand With Jesus."  The chorus summarizes a life of faith:

            "Hand in hand we walk each day,

            Hand in hand along the way;

            Walking thus I cannot stray,

            Hand in hand with Jesus."

Although I'm walking hand in hand with Jesus, it is His hand that is securely holding mine.  He is leading the way.  Through faith, we embrace the unseen reality of God's presence. 

2.            TRUST IN THE PROMISES OF GOD

Secondly, trust in the promises of God.  According to 2 Peter 1:4, God has given us "... exceeding great and precious promises."  Faith is taking God at His Word.  God has given specific promises to us.  These promises are found in His Word, the Bible.

The Bible says, "... faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Hebrews 10:17).  Faith is based upon the promises of God's Word.  We were saved when we believed God's promise of salvation.  We are victorious when we obey the Word.  If you want your faith to increase, spend more time in the Bible.  The Word of God feeds your faith.  You'll either feed your faith or starve your faith.  If you study the lives of great men and women of faith, you'll find that these saints were faithful in reading, studying and obeying the Word of God.

3.            TRUST IN THE POWER OF GOD

We should trust in the power of God.  God can do all things.  It is not our education, training or intelligence that ultimately makes a difference.  When God indwells a person and lives His life through that person, amazing things take place.

God has not designed us to live victoriously on our own.  When we die to ourselves and allow God to live and work through us, victory is imminent.  God has the power to do what we could never do alone.  No wonder Paul could write, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." (Philippians 4:13) 

God is trustworthy.  We can trust Him.  We should rely on Him.  Believe His Word to the extent that you obey His commands.

It is not faith, but the object of our faith, that makes a difference.  Don't trust in your faith --- trust in God.  Trust in His presence.  Trust in His promises.  Trust in His power.  God is pleased when we live and walk by faith.

That is something all of us can do.  

LEAVING THE LUKEWARM LIFE

"...be zealous therefore, and repent." - Revelation 3:19

The church of Laodicea closely resembles the American Church today.  On the surface, the Laodicean church seemed impressive.  From all appearances, they seemed to have so many things going right.  However, the Lord reveals to us that their spirituality was superficial at best. 

The church of the Laodiceans failed in three areas: pride, perception and power.  First of all, there was an issue of pride.  Revelation 3:17 reveals a spirit of pride among the Laodiceans:  "Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing..."  Notice that THEY said this of themselves.  They were proud of their situation.  Secondly, there was a problem of perception.  They felt that because they were rich, they were spiritually successful.  Sounds familiar, doesn't it?  Actually, if you trace it back, this belief has a pagan origin.  Pagans believed that financial prosperity was a mark of spiritual success.  Finally, there was an absence of power.  They felt that they had "...need of nothing."  They felt self-sufficient.  When the Lord called them lukewarm, it revealed that they lacked spiritual power. 

Doesn't the Laodicean church sound like American Christianity today?  We have impressive church buildings (some resembling small malls), paved parking lots, comfortable seating, professional choirs and orchestras & polished ministers.  We are proud of it all.  Have you noticed that most churches try to promote themselves instead of Jesus?  We suffer from pride.  Also, we suffer from perception.  We, like the Laodiceans, are superficial and spiritually lukewarm.  We compare ministry statistics with other churches...just to see if we are ahead of others.  Many view think that a large crowd, a huge sanctuary and a massive budget prove that they are deeply spiritual.  What deception!  Finally, there is a lack of power.  We talk about power, sing about power and preach about power, but power is noticeably absent from churches these days.  The American church is no longer impacting society.  At the end of the day, we must admit that we are not reaching the masses with the Gospel.  Instead, we are content to have church "as usual."  The American church is powerless.  The American church doesn't even remotely resemble the church in the book of Acts.

What was God's prescription for the Laodicean church?  "...be zealous therefore, and repent" (Revelation 3:19).  Most ministers avoid the subject of repentance. It is an uncomfortable subject.  It is easy to preach about repentance when addressing unbelievers, but I am convinced that believers need to hear about repentance!  Perhaps the reason we're not seeing many sinners repent is because sinners aren't seeing many believers repent.

Repentance is a change of mind that leads to a change of behavior.  In essence, the Lord was telling the Laodicean church to change their attitude and their actions.  Furthermore, they were told to be zealous in their repentance. 

I feel that we need revival in our churches, yet I know that revival will never come apart from repentance.  Corporately and individually, we need to confess our worldliness, selfishness and sinfulness before our mighty Lord.  We need to seek His face in genuine humility.  We need to be burdened about our sins. 

Repentance involves turning from our independence and cast ourselves before the Lord in total surrender.

We tend to think that lukewarmness is better than coldness.  Yet lukewarm Christianity was revolting to the Lord --- to the extent that He promised the Laodiceans, "I will spew thee out of my mouth." 

Instead of comparing ourselves to other Christians, we need to compare ourselves to the perfect Lamb of God.  Instead of comparing our churches to other churches, we should compare our churches to God's standards.  Instead of selfishly promoting ourselves, we should be proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Instead of worrying about what others think of us, we should boldly share the Gospel and just let the chips fall where they may.

Honestly, American Christianity is more American than Christian. 

God calls us to repent.... today.     

GOD'S WOODSHED

"As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten..." - Revelation 3:19

Corporal punishment in the schools is a controversial subject at this time.  Some believe that allowing corporal punishment in schools would drastically reduce discipline problems.  I believe the greater problem lies in the lack of discipline in the home.  Parents refuse to be responsible for their children's discipline.  Sad, isn't it?

Some go so far as to say that any parent (or teacher) who practices corporal punishment is a bad parent at best and an abuser at worst.  Missing from the argument is the fact that God has advised parents to correct their children.

I think that all Christians would agree that God our Father is the example that parents should seek to emulate.  While many try to portray our Father as only a loving, kind parent that never hurts anyone, the Bible says otherwise.  In fact, our heavenly Father disciplines His children.  No, He does not use a literal switch, paddle or belt, but He does implement discipline --- often through situations that are painful and personal.  The old timers used to refer to the act of spanking as taking a child "out to the woodshed."  Sometimes God must take one of His children to the woodshed.  It would not surprise me to know that someone reading this message may be in the woodshed right now! 

Here's some facts we need to know about God's woodshed.

1.  GOD DISCIPLINES HIS OWN CHILDREN

God only disciplines His own children.  The Lord never spanks the devil's children.  Hebrews 12:7-8 says, "If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?  But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons."  

2.  GOD DISCIPLINES WITH LOVE

Under proper conditions, discipline is carried out because of love.  The word "discipline" and "disciple" are very similar.  You see, discipline is part of the process of learning.  When we were children, we had to be taught to behave.  Sometimes discipline was used in this instruction.  God disciplines His children because He loves them.  In Revelation 3:19, our Lord states, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten."

3.  GOD DISCIPLINES WHEN WE SIN

God only disciplines us when we sin.  While the Lord's pruning may come at any time (for the sake of fruitfulness), His discipline comes only when we sin.  Just as a good parent disciplines his child only when he does wrong, our heavenly Father only takes a child to the woodshed when he or she does wrong.

4.  GOD DISCIPLINES US WITH A GOAL

God's discipline is intended to do more than teach us a lesson.  Hebrews 12:10 states that discipline is given "that we might be partakers of his holiness."  Furthermore, the following verse in Hebrews 12 reveals, "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby."  God is serious about our sanctification and we should be, too!

Think about a few things.  First, God's discipline helps us to maintain a healthy fear of Him.  When I was growing up, I had a healthy fear of my earthly father.  I loved him, but I also knew that if I misbehaved, harsh discipline could be expected.  That healthy fear of him helped me to slowly develop a respect for authority. 

A second benefit of discipline is the assurance that Someone cares enough to steer us in the right direction.  I pity the children that grow up without knowing that their parents really care enough to discipline them.

A third benefit of God's discipline is the realization that God will do whatever it takes to keep us on the right road.  He cares too much to allow us amble off into rebellion and self-destruction.  The chastening rod is actually a security rod.

God's chastening is never pleasurable, but it is beneficial. 

We should thank God for His woodshed.