Imagine my heartache when I saw his hand a bloody mess. Just a few moments before I was happily talking to one of my managers about things that really don't matter. Just the week before I had spent patting my team and myself on the back for the awesome job that we were (I was) doing. But, here I stood helpless in a small little room packed with first aid supplies; a room that just the week before I had boasted was full of dust because we never used it. We were going to be the safest manufacturing facility on the face of the Earth; but it all came crashing down in one instant! How could he...? Why didn't we...? How could this...? These questions were running through my mind as I thought about the situation. Other questions ran through my mind like what was going to happen to this man and his family. How could I let this happen under my watch...
But...
One verse kept running through my mind...Romans 8:28...
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
After meditating on these words and thinking about all these questions, I wrote the following words:
Precious and Wonderful
As darkness closes in every side
When living here seems to be in vain
As our enemies are approaching
These are the times Your beauty shines through!
We love you Lord for your beauty shines in our lives
You have brought light to our darkness
You are a precious and wonderful Savior!
You are our precious and wonderful Lord!
We are wonderfully made by You Lord!
Yet marred because of iniquity
We struggle in our weakness
Yet in all this Your beauty shines through!
We love you Lord for your beauty shines in our lives
You have brought light to our darkness
You are a precious and wonderful Savior!
You are our precious and wonderful Lord!
You know us and our doings perfectly
You know what is best for your children
Hard trials You bring for our good
In all this Your beauty shines through!
We love you Lord for your beauty shines in our lives
You have brought light to our darkness
You are a precious and wonderful Savior!
You are our precious and wonderful Lord!
I hope you find Him to be Precious and Wonderful!
By the way, the person who was hurt should make a near full recovery! Again,
I hope you find Him to be Precious and Wonderful!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Musings
Honestly, I am not sure why I started writing this blog. There are a lot of things going through my mind right now. I want to have an impact on this world; but I honestly don’t know how to start. Ultimately, I need to start with my role as husband and father! As I wrote in my last entry, I just read a book about doing hard things; but I just gravitate to doing the easy things to just taking the easy way out. Unfortunately, that has been the pattern of my life. It is my pattern as husband and father as well as son and brother!
Everyone around me sees it. They may not know exactly what it is; but all the times I am late getting something done or when I have done barely enough preparation to get by…I am stuck in my world of taking the easy way out. My pastor-teacher sees the problem. He refrains from giving me too much responsibility because he doesn’t want me to stretch myself too far. It sounds good on paper; but I know that it is just a product of my habit of taking the easy way out.
I have been studying the life of George Washington over the past few weeks and months. He is a man who never seemed to take the easy way out. When it looked like the world was against him, and it was at times, he always seemed to have the capacity to press on to greater things. There were times in his life that he made horrendous mistakes that were devastating to the cause for which he fought yet he pressed on.
I want to live my life like George Washington lived his life! He lived his life through failure and triumph without giving up and by doing the hard things. I know that I am saying a lot of pretty cool things about him; but I have to admit that I am not certain of whether or not he was a Christian. When his writings are studied, he certainly believed that God exists and he professes trust in Him. More recent history would have us believe that he was not a Christian; but a deist. Based on his actions and based on his own words, I would lean toward him being a believer; but at this point there is no way to know.
I have to say that whether or not he was a believer, he was used in a mighty way by God Almighty to help start a nation and he defended that new nation against all its enemies. I pray that I can be used in mighty ways! I think I will start by being a great husband and father:). The Scripture says...faithful in little...
I just want to be found faithful and doing hard things when our Lord returns!!!
Brandon
Everyone around me sees it. They may not know exactly what it is; but all the times I am late getting something done or when I have done barely enough preparation to get by…I am stuck in my world of taking the easy way out. My pastor-teacher sees the problem. He refrains from giving me too much responsibility because he doesn’t want me to stretch myself too far. It sounds good on paper; but I know that it is just a product of my habit of taking the easy way out.
I have been studying the life of George Washington over the past few weeks and months. He is a man who never seemed to take the easy way out. When it looked like the world was against him, and it was at times, he always seemed to have the capacity to press on to greater things. There were times in his life that he made horrendous mistakes that were devastating to the cause for which he fought yet he pressed on.
I want to live my life like George Washington lived his life! He lived his life through failure and triumph without giving up and by doing the hard things. I know that I am saying a lot of pretty cool things about him; but I have to admit that I am not certain of whether or not he was a Christian. When his writings are studied, he certainly believed that God exists and he professes trust in Him. More recent history would have us believe that he was not a Christian; but a deist. Based on his actions and based on his own words, I would lean toward him being a believer; but at this point there is no way to know.
I have to say that whether or not he was a believer, he was used in a mighty way by God Almighty to help start a nation and he defended that new nation against all its enemies. I pray that I can be used in mighty ways! I think I will start by being a great husband and father:). The Scripture says...faithful in little...
I just want to be found faithful and doing hard things when our Lord returns!!!
Brandon
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Banishing Low Expectations
I have been reading a very impacting book called "Do Hard Things" by a couple of young adults (popularly known as teenagers) named Alex and Brett Harris. They are the younger brothers of Joshua Harris.
This particular book has been extremely encouraging to me because they have accomplished more prior to turning 18 than I have in my entire life. They are hitting me where I live so to speak.
Personally, my life has been built on low expectations. Funny enough while growing up in Southern Arkansas I was better than average; but I never had to push myself very hard to stay there until I went to college which was a big wake up call. At this alarm, I reacted by applying myself to get just ahead of the pack again. What a waste! I am just now realizing that I have wasted 38 years just being ahead of the pack when God wants so much more from us.
It is not as if I could repay the debt I owe...I don't have to do that...it is paid in full by the death of Jesus on the cross! I don't want to practically live life in such a way that even hints that I could repay Him for all that He has done...it just won't work! But, the King of the universe; the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings has saved me, yet I live my life as if I am a pauper not the son of a King! How can this be? We need to live our lives for the King in light of who He is!
I plan to write much more about this subject. This is only the beginning of exploring expectations for myself. Joshua Harris wrote a blurb about the book by his brothers...he mentioned that it is never to late to start doing hard things. I agree with him! It is never too late to raise expectations.
I believe we fall into a trap of low expectations. As lay guy in a church, I go to work and I am expected to do pretty well there; but there is a very low expectation of the impact I should have for the kingdom of God. I see this low expectation manifest itself in the my actions as well as the actions of other lay guys around me. It seems that we forget that the apostle Paul, the man who had arguably the greatest impact on the church outside of Jesus Himself, was a lay guy! He was a tent maker. How incredible is that! I wonder how he fit it all in? I am certain that he had very high expectations of himself and others around him.
If you are a lay guy (or gal), I challenge you to join me in working hard to create a lasting impact on the church. A Godly impact that will see the unbelieving believe and the believing mobilized for the cause of Christ. I challenge you to stay focused on the tasks ahead and help those around you to live Godly in this present age!
Brandon
This particular book has been extremely encouraging to me because they have accomplished more prior to turning 18 than I have in my entire life. They are hitting me where I live so to speak.
Personally, my life has been built on low expectations. Funny enough while growing up in Southern Arkansas I was better than average; but I never had to push myself very hard to stay there until I went to college which was a big wake up call. At this alarm, I reacted by applying myself to get just ahead of the pack again. What a waste! I am just now realizing that I have wasted 38 years just being ahead of the pack when God wants so much more from us.
It is not as if I could repay the debt I owe...I don't have to do that...it is paid in full by the death of Jesus on the cross! I don't want to practically live life in such a way that even hints that I could repay Him for all that He has done...it just won't work! But, the King of the universe; the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings has saved me, yet I live my life as if I am a pauper not the son of a King! How can this be? We need to live our lives for the King in light of who He is!
I plan to write much more about this subject. This is only the beginning of exploring expectations for myself. Joshua Harris wrote a blurb about the book by his brothers...he mentioned that it is never to late to start doing hard things. I agree with him! It is never too late to raise expectations.
I believe we fall into a trap of low expectations. As lay guy in a church, I go to work and I am expected to do pretty well there; but there is a very low expectation of the impact I should have for the kingdom of God. I see this low expectation manifest itself in the my actions as well as the actions of other lay guys around me. It seems that we forget that the apostle Paul, the man who had arguably the greatest impact on the church outside of Jesus Himself, was a lay guy! He was a tent maker. How incredible is that! I wonder how he fit it all in? I am certain that he had very high expectations of himself and others around him.
If you are a lay guy (or gal), I challenge you to join me in working hard to create a lasting impact on the church. A Godly impact that will see the unbelieving believe and the believing mobilized for the cause of Christ. I challenge you to stay focused on the tasks ahead and help those around you to live Godly in this present age!
Brandon
Saturday, February 7, 2009
The Killer Nature of Jealousy and Strife
1 Corinthians 3:1-4
(NASB)
And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly.
For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men? For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not mere men?
Have you ever wondered why there is division in the body of Christ? Have you ever thought, “Why do people including myself who have been redeemed by God through Christ still hurt each other?” Even more so have you said to yourself, “Why can’t I trust this person even more why can’t I trust myself, isn’t he/she a Christian…aren’t I a Christian?” Have you ever thought, “Why do I keep on sinning when I have been given so much even the power NOT to sin?” Have you ever asked, “Why can’t I control my tongue and keep from saying things that I should not say?”
We ask these questions because we want to believe the Christian life is easier than our lives as unbelievers; after all don’t we have all the advantages? We even have the mind of Christ according to 1 Corinthians 2:16. Yet, we struggle along in this world and can at times even look somewhat like the unbelievers around us. Paul gives us an indication of this problem in his own life when he says in Romans 7:14-20 (NASB):
For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing the Law is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.
Can you hear Paul’s anguish over his sin? He says that he wants to do good but cannot! The willing is in Paul; but the doing of good is not! This is the mighty Apostle Paul writing to and sharing his heart with the Romans. He is wrangling over the very questions that we ask ourselves as Christians everyday! His answer to this question is that sin dwells in him that is in his flesh! You see, while all Christians are given the mind of Christ at salvation, we still have the flesh for as long as we live on this earth.
As Christians, we are to fight against the flesh as Paul indicates in Romans seven. So, what happens if we don’t war against the flesh? What happens to a church, a group of called out ones, when they allow the world to enter their lives and the life of the church through the open avenue of the flesh.
We have all heard of problems in churches that lead to fighting, hurt feelings, smashed relationships, we see marriages dissolve and in some extreme cases even churches being split. How can this be in the body of Christ? How can we, who have been given so much, stoop so low as to have these things happen…yet we do!
All we need to do is look at the Scriptures to get the answers as these very things were happening in the Church of Corinth! Paul’s 2nd letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians) is written to address many of these issues.
In the passage we are studying (1 Corinthians 3:1-4), Paul, who just one verse before affirmed that all Christians are given the mind of Christ at salvation, describes to the Corinthians as well as all Christians the indication and the evidences of fleshly living in the life of the believer and the life of the church:
We have two points:
I. The Indication of Fleshly Living: Stunted Growth, vs. 1-3a
a. In the Life of the Believer
b. In the Life of the Church
II. The Evidence of Fleshly Living: Division in the Body, vs. 3b
a. Two supporting facts:
i. Jealousy and Strife exist in the Body of Christ!
We will start with:
I. The Indication of Fleshly Living: Stunted Growth, vs. 1-3a
a. In the Life of the Believer
First and foremost, we need to take notice that Paul called the folks in the Corinthian Church “brethren”. This is no light word. Paul would have never called them brethren if he didn’t believe them to be brothers and sisters in Christ! It is incredible that while they were struggling with many grave issues, Paul did not shrink from calling them “brethren”! Actually, he addressed this letter to the “church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,” (1 Corinthians 1:2).
The problem with the Corinthian believers was not whether or not they were believers as there were many true believers in the church; the problem was that these believers who possessed the mind of Christ were not growing in Christ. There growth was stunted.
Because of their stunted growth, Paul could not speak to them as Spiritual men. This was a huge problem for the Corinthians and for all believers in our Lord! Paul could only talk to them as men of flesh or as infants in Christ. This, no doubt, grieved Paul’s heart! Oh how Paul would have desired to speak to them as mature Christians who were growing in the knowledge of the Lord and in holiness!
Paul wanted to give these believers solid food to eat; but could not because they were unable to handle it. It is beautiful when a baby suckles the breast for its mother’s milk! Peter even says in 1 Peter 2:1-3…Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord. This passage can be paraphrased in this way, “Quit acting fleshly so that you will long for the spiritual milk of the Word that will cause you to grow in respect to salvation and cause you to be able to receive the solid food of the Word!”
God tells Ezekiel in Ezekiel 3:1-3: Then He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” So I opened my mouth, and He fed me this scroll. He said to me, “Son of man, feed your stomach and fill your body with this scroll which I am giving you.” Then I ate it, and it was sweet as honey in my mouth.
While it is a beautiful thing for babes to long for milk; it is a very ugly thing when adults long for milk in the same way. The very milk that sustains babies and causes them to grow will stunt the growth of adults.
In the same way, the believer who has known and walked with the Lord for many years must grow to eat solid food. If he doesn’t his growth will be stunted; he will never “leave the elementary teaching about the Christ” (Hebrews 6:1).
The writer of Hebrews tells us, “For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness’, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.”
You see: those who have their senses trained to discern good and evil are the mature in Christ. They are accustomed to the word of righteousness. Those who have succumbed in a habitual fashion to the flesh acting as men of flesh and babes in Christ are not accustomed to the word of righteousness and therefore are vulnerable to Satan and his devices in this fallen world which leads to an inability to eat solid food and a plethora of other sins that affect the man, his family and the Body of Christ!
b. In the Life of the Church
I am only going to spend a moment on this point as this becomes obvious from the previous point. If the people that make up the local body of Christ are allowed to be fleshly then the church’s overall growth will be stunted. The church will be unable to discern good from evil and will be unable to protect itself from savage wolves (Acts 20)! This is a tragedy and leads to further maladies in the Body of Christ!
So…
We see that the Corinthians inability to understand spiritual things was the indication that they were leading fleshly lives. You see, there conversations were shallow. They did not understand the deep things of the living God; therefore Paul knew they were being fleshly men!
This leads us to the second point:
II. The Evidence of Fleshly Living: Division in the Body, vs. 3b
a. Two supporting facts:
i. Jealousy and Strife exist in the Body of Christ!
We know that the Corinthians inability to partake in solid food indicated that they were living according to the flesh; but what evidence did Paul have that this was true? Could it be that a church can live together in a state of fleshliness with little or no effect from that fleshliness?
Liberal preachers have long thought and taught the same thing. They seem to think that a church can stay fleshly and not have an effect on the entire church. Preachers in the pragmatic circle think that very thing. They think they can bring the world into the church in order to evangelize them without affecting the church in a negative way. They actually make it their aim to be more like the world in order to attract people to their churches. They make it sound great! They are evangelizing the lost and reaching a dying world for Christ. But, is this true or is the effect much graver than we could ever imagine.
What about the church that tolerates fleshly living by not practicing church discipline. They do “church” things like sing, pray, and listen to "sermons or sermonettes" but they have a live and let live attitude toward fleshly living.
Actually, Paul knew the answer all along! He knew that the evidence of fleshly living bore itself out in division. Divisions could be seen by the fact that there was jealousy and strife in the body.
So, what does jealousy and strife mean?
Jealousy: a disposition or attitude of being hostile toward a rival or one believed to enjoy an advantage.
Strife: bitter sometimes violent conflict or dissension.
Being jealous is an attitude of being hostile toward one believed to enjoy an advantage! How can this be in the body of Christ except by those who are unable to discern good from evil and have not had their senses trained by the Word of God. As Christians, we are all given gifts by the Holy Spirit in order to serve in the body. These gifts are for the edification of the body according to Ephesians 4:12-13. Oh it is a major tragedy when we see someone exercising their spiritual gift while others are jealous of it.
As Christians, we are also blessed in different ways. One Christian may have more in this present world than others! Oh what a tragedy when we are jealous for what others may have when the Scriptures are clear that we are to be content with our current situations.
If jealousy is the inner attitude then strife is the outward actions that result from those inner attitudes. We can sometimes disguise what is in our hearts but we can never completely hide our heart attitudes. Our mouths will always betray us! Jesus said, “What proceeds from the mouth which is from our hearts is what defiles the man!”
Paul’s point in this passage is that he could see the evidence of their fleshliness in that he could see jealous attitudes and the strife that results from those attitudes. He is clear in saying that where jealousy and strife exist where there are many immature believers who are acting like babes in Christ!
We might be tempted to believe that jealousy and strife are not major sins! Oh how wrong we would be to believe this! These sins can easily be shrugged off as not as serious as some others. These are very serious sins that lead to division in the church. Jealousy and Strife proliferate where many immature people exist.
Conclusion:
We have seen the indication of fleshliness: stunted growth; and the evidence of fleshliness: division in the body. We know that fleshliness leads to immaturity and stunted growth. Worse yet, we have seen that stunted growth leads to inability to discern error which leaves the church unprotected.
So, how are you doing as a Christian? How are you doing as a church? Here are a few questions:
Are you growing in Christ? It is imperative that Christians grow; if you are not growing then that indicates a serious issue in your life. Conversely, if you see others growing in Christ, make sure to tell them so they may know!
Is your church growing? Do you love one another? Are you able to discern error?
Do you struggle with jealousy when you see others enjoy an advantage? Does it make you happy (even a little bit) when others struggle? Conversely, do you genuinely want others to do well?
Do you find yourself leaning toward one leader over another? Do you find yourself seeking out those you agree with or those who will flatter you?
Ponder these questions and prayerfully confess your sin! If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins (1 John 1)!
Brandon
(NASB)
And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly.
For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men? For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not mere men?
Have you ever wondered why there is division in the body of Christ? Have you ever thought, “Why do people including myself who have been redeemed by God through Christ still hurt each other?” Even more so have you said to yourself, “Why can’t I trust this person even more why can’t I trust myself, isn’t he/she a Christian…aren’t I a Christian?” Have you ever thought, “Why do I keep on sinning when I have been given so much even the power NOT to sin?” Have you ever asked, “Why can’t I control my tongue and keep from saying things that I should not say?”
We ask these questions because we want to believe the Christian life is easier than our lives as unbelievers; after all don’t we have all the advantages? We even have the mind of Christ according to 1 Corinthians 2:16. Yet, we struggle along in this world and can at times even look somewhat like the unbelievers around us. Paul gives us an indication of this problem in his own life when he says in Romans 7:14-20 (NASB):
For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing the Law is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.
Can you hear Paul’s anguish over his sin? He says that he wants to do good but cannot! The willing is in Paul; but the doing of good is not! This is the mighty Apostle Paul writing to and sharing his heart with the Romans. He is wrangling over the very questions that we ask ourselves as Christians everyday! His answer to this question is that sin dwells in him that is in his flesh! You see, while all Christians are given the mind of Christ at salvation, we still have the flesh for as long as we live on this earth.
As Christians, we are to fight against the flesh as Paul indicates in Romans seven. So, what happens if we don’t war against the flesh? What happens to a church, a group of called out ones, when they allow the world to enter their lives and the life of the church through the open avenue of the flesh.
We have all heard of problems in churches that lead to fighting, hurt feelings, smashed relationships, we see marriages dissolve and in some extreme cases even churches being split. How can this be in the body of Christ? How can we, who have been given so much, stoop so low as to have these things happen…yet we do!
All we need to do is look at the Scriptures to get the answers as these very things were happening in the Church of Corinth! Paul’s 2nd letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians) is written to address many of these issues.
In the passage we are studying (1 Corinthians 3:1-4), Paul, who just one verse before affirmed that all Christians are given the mind of Christ at salvation, describes to the Corinthians as well as all Christians the indication and the evidences of fleshly living in the life of the believer and the life of the church:
We have two points:
I. The Indication of Fleshly Living: Stunted Growth, vs. 1-3a
a. In the Life of the Believer
b. In the Life of the Church
II. The Evidence of Fleshly Living: Division in the Body, vs. 3b
a. Two supporting facts:
i. Jealousy and Strife exist in the Body of Christ!
We will start with:
I. The Indication of Fleshly Living: Stunted Growth, vs. 1-3a
a. In the Life of the Believer
First and foremost, we need to take notice that Paul called the folks in the Corinthian Church “brethren”. This is no light word. Paul would have never called them brethren if he didn’t believe them to be brothers and sisters in Christ! It is incredible that while they were struggling with many grave issues, Paul did not shrink from calling them “brethren”! Actually, he addressed this letter to the “church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,” (1 Corinthians 1:2).
The problem with the Corinthian believers was not whether or not they were believers as there were many true believers in the church; the problem was that these believers who possessed the mind of Christ were not growing in Christ. There growth was stunted.
Because of their stunted growth, Paul could not speak to them as Spiritual men. This was a huge problem for the Corinthians and for all believers in our Lord! Paul could only talk to them as men of flesh or as infants in Christ. This, no doubt, grieved Paul’s heart! Oh how Paul would have desired to speak to them as mature Christians who were growing in the knowledge of the Lord and in holiness!
Paul wanted to give these believers solid food to eat; but could not because they were unable to handle it. It is beautiful when a baby suckles the breast for its mother’s milk! Peter even says in 1 Peter 2:1-3…Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord. This passage can be paraphrased in this way, “Quit acting fleshly so that you will long for the spiritual milk of the Word that will cause you to grow in respect to salvation and cause you to be able to receive the solid food of the Word!”
God tells Ezekiel in Ezekiel 3:1-3: Then He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” So I opened my mouth, and He fed me this scroll. He said to me, “Son of man, feed your stomach and fill your body with this scroll which I am giving you.” Then I ate it, and it was sweet as honey in my mouth.
While it is a beautiful thing for babes to long for milk; it is a very ugly thing when adults long for milk in the same way. The very milk that sustains babies and causes them to grow will stunt the growth of adults.
In the same way, the believer who has known and walked with the Lord for many years must grow to eat solid food. If he doesn’t his growth will be stunted; he will never “leave the elementary teaching about the Christ” (Hebrews 6:1).
The writer of Hebrews tells us, “For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness’, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.”
You see: those who have their senses trained to discern good and evil are the mature in Christ. They are accustomed to the word of righteousness. Those who have succumbed in a habitual fashion to the flesh acting as men of flesh and babes in Christ are not accustomed to the word of righteousness and therefore are vulnerable to Satan and his devices in this fallen world which leads to an inability to eat solid food and a plethora of other sins that affect the man, his family and the Body of Christ!
b. In the Life of the Church
I am only going to spend a moment on this point as this becomes obvious from the previous point. If the people that make up the local body of Christ are allowed to be fleshly then the church’s overall growth will be stunted. The church will be unable to discern good from evil and will be unable to protect itself from savage wolves (Acts 20)! This is a tragedy and leads to further maladies in the Body of Christ!
So…
We see that the Corinthians inability to understand spiritual things was the indication that they were leading fleshly lives. You see, there conversations were shallow. They did not understand the deep things of the living God; therefore Paul knew they were being fleshly men!
This leads us to the second point:
II. The Evidence of Fleshly Living: Division in the Body, vs. 3b
a. Two supporting facts:
i. Jealousy and Strife exist in the Body of Christ!
We know that the Corinthians inability to partake in solid food indicated that they were living according to the flesh; but what evidence did Paul have that this was true? Could it be that a church can live together in a state of fleshliness with little or no effect from that fleshliness?
Liberal preachers have long thought and taught the same thing. They seem to think that a church can stay fleshly and not have an effect on the entire church. Preachers in the pragmatic circle think that very thing. They think they can bring the world into the church in order to evangelize them without affecting the church in a negative way. They actually make it their aim to be more like the world in order to attract people to their churches. They make it sound great! They are evangelizing the lost and reaching a dying world for Christ. But, is this true or is the effect much graver than we could ever imagine.
What about the church that tolerates fleshly living by not practicing church discipline. They do “church” things like sing, pray, and listen to "sermons or sermonettes" but they have a live and let live attitude toward fleshly living.
Actually, Paul knew the answer all along! He knew that the evidence of fleshly living bore itself out in division. Divisions could be seen by the fact that there was jealousy and strife in the body.
So, what does jealousy and strife mean?
Jealousy: a disposition or attitude of being hostile toward a rival or one believed to enjoy an advantage.
Strife: bitter sometimes violent conflict or dissension.
Being jealous is an attitude of being hostile toward one believed to enjoy an advantage! How can this be in the body of Christ except by those who are unable to discern good from evil and have not had their senses trained by the Word of God. As Christians, we are all given gifts by the Holy Spirit in order to serve in the body. These gifts are for the edification of the body according to Ephesians 4:12-13. Oh it is a major tragedy when we see someone exercising their spiritual gift while others are jealous of it.
As Christians, we are also blessed in different ways. One Christian may have more in this present world than others! Oh what a tragedy when we are jealous for what others may have when the Scriptures are clear that we are to be content with our current situations.
If jealousy is the inner attitude then strife is the outward actions that result from those inner attitudes. We can sometimes disguise what is in our hearts but we can never completely hide our heart attitudes. Our mouths will always betray us! Jesus said, “What proceeds from the mouth which is from our hearts is what defiles the man!”
Paul’s point in this passage is that he could see the evidence of their fleshliness in that he could see jealous attitudes and the strife that results from those attitudes. He is clear in saying that where jealousy and strife exist where there are many immature believers who are acting like babes in Christ!
We might be tempted to believe that jealousy and strife are not major sins! Oh how wrong we would be to believe this! These sins can easily be shrugged off as not as serious as some others. These are very serious sins that lead to division in the church. Jealousy and Strife proliferate where many immature people exist.
Conclusion:
We have seen the indication of fleshliness: stunted growth; and the evidence of fleshliness: division in the body. We know that fleshliness leads to immaturity and stunted growth. Worse yet, we have seen that stunted growth leads to inability to discern error which leaves the church unprotected.
So, how are you doing as a Christian? How are you doing as a church? Here are a few questions:
Are you growing in Christ? It is imperative that Christians grow; if you are not growing then that indicates a serious issue in your life. Conversely, if you see others growing in Christ, make sure to tell them so they may know!
Is your church growing? Do you love one another? Are you able to discern error?
Do you struggle with jealousy when you see others enjoy an advantage? Does it make you happy (even a little bit) when others struggle? Conversely, do you genuinely want others to do well?
Do you find yourself leaning toward one leader over another? Do you find yourself seeking out those you agree with or those who will flatter you?
Ponder these questions and prayerfully confess your sin! If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins (1 John 1)!
Brandon
Traveling
I named this blog "The Meanderings of a Man" for a reason. I seem to move around a lot. No, I don't move my family...I just get on airplanes and fly around the nation and, at times, the world quite a bit. I travel a lot for my job. I am currently sitting in Las Vegas waiting on an airplane! Funny enough I will be at the airport for seven hours before the plane even leaves. Though I love the time I get to spend studying, meditating, and praying; in truth, I dislike traveling because I have to be away from my family for long stretches of time.
My wife is strong and seems to do okay without me; though she would rather me be there. I want to lead her in the right way! She definitely faces challenges when I am gone. I know that I don't appreciate her as much as I should especially in light of how strong she is when I am away!
On the other hand, my children seem to struggle mightily without me there. Oh, they make it through the day to day stuff fine; but their sinful attitudes really show when I am not around. My wife, Angie, does a great job with the kids! Actually, she is much better than me in so many ways. The Lord seems to bless our wives in this way; but children need the loving and strong presence of their father! Deuteronomy 6 tells us that we need to teach our children along the way in all that we do. Being away from my family makes this very difficult!
Ultimately, our Lord is faithful even (especially) when we fail. I see His faithfulness in my life everyday! I especially see His faithfulness in times like these when I have time to reflect on things. Actually, while sitting at the airport, I am watching people walking through...it is interesting to note how much sin and strife there is in this world. It can be disheartening; but the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ keeps us going. This world is very messed up with sin; but we are to be salt and light to a lost and dying generation.
The good thing is that we are being sanctified in the midst of the sinfulness around us. My wife and I were discussing how much open sinfulness there is in the city of Las Vegas. It is very difficult to be here as a believer with all the nastiness that happens here; but we are being sanctified even in the midst of Las Vegas. What a thought! Romans 8:28 says that God works all things for the good of those who love Him. Being away from my family and sitting in a grimy city are being used to sanctify me and deliver me to glory!!!!
Well, until next time...
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all!
Brandon
My wife is strong and seems to do okay without me; though she would rather me be there. I want to lead her in the right way! She definitely faces challenges when I am gone. I know that I don't appreciate her as much as I should especially in light of how strong she is when I am away!
On the other hand, my children seem to struggle mightily without me there. Oh, they make it through the day to day stuff fine; but their sinful attitudes really show when I am not around. My wife, Angie, does a great job with the kids! Actually, she is much better than me in so many ways. The Lord seems to bless our wives in this way; but children need the loving and strong presence of their father! Deuteronomy 6 tells us that we need to teach our children along the way in all that we do. Being away from my family makes this very difficult!
Ultimately, our Lord is faithful even (especially) when we fail. I see His faithfulness in my life everyday! I especially see His faithfulness in times like these when I have time to reflect on things. Actually, while sitting at the airport, I am watching people walking through...it is interesting to note how much sin and strife there is in this world. It can be disheartening; but the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ keeps us going. This world is very messed up with sin; but we are to be salt and light to a lost and dying generation.
The good thing is that we are being sanctified in the midst of the sinfulness around us. My wife and I were discussing how much open sinfulness there is in the city of Las Vegas. It is very difficult to be here as a believer with all the nastiness that happens here; but we are being sanctified even in the midst of Las Vegas. What a thought! Romans 8:28 says that God works all things for the good of those who love Him. Being away from my family and sitting in a grimy city are being used to sanctify me and deliver me to glory!!!!
Well, until next time...
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all!
Brandon
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Just Starting Out
I am not certain how this will all go. I have never blogged before. As a matter of fact, I am usually one of the last to do things especially things technological. I guess you could say that I just meander through life. Actually, nothing could be farther from the truth. In Christ, I have all the direction that I need. He is my all in all.
Well, I don't have a lot more to say at this point. I will be back later for more installments!
Brandon
Well, I don't have a lot more to say at this point. I will be back later for more installments!
Brandon
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