How Is It Glowing?

There is an old proverb dating back to the 13^th century or earlier that says, “Strike while the iron is hot!”  Another says to, “Make hay while the sun (son?) shines.” 

Revelation 3:20 says, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” 

God rarely comes to speak to me while I’m sitting in my favorite chair with an iced tea just waiting on Him.  His timing in my life runs more toward when I’m right in the middle of something I really want to do.  That’s when he’ll knock at the door to my heart and say, “Son, may I have a word with you?”  Sadly, my answer has often been, “Now Lord?  Can it wait 30 minutes?” 

God has never once answered that question.  He simply moves on to the next person on His list of blessings and sees if he or she is too busy.  Thankfully God is too loving and gracious to leave me there indefinitely; it just seems to be indefinitely.  You can of course do things to shorten the length of time God remains silent.  You can fast and pray and worship and consecrate.  All those things together will likely prove adequate to elicit a positive response from our Heavenly Father but nothing will make His joy as apparent as a quick original response.  Never forget that God says, “To obey is better than sacrifice.” 

There is an unsaid corollary to that verse.  If you do not obey, you will sacrifice…possibly painfully.

Habakuk 2:3 says, “For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.”

My reason for writing this tonight is not to scare anyone into obeying God but to provide a moment of introspection and thought.  “Are you where you ought to be in life right now?  Yes…?  No…?”  God has a purpose, a vision if you will, for each of us.  There is a day it should begin, a day for each individual step and a day of completion where God says, “Well done thou good and faithful servant.”  Any actions or lack of action on your part that prevents or delays His purpose is by definition and nature a bad thing.

You need to be swift to hear…slow to speak…slow to wrath…and let us not forget, swift to obey.  This is just a…public service announcement.  You may be right were you need to be in Christ.  If so, congratulations.  I give you your due honor.  If not, you want to be…don’t you?

In every school I have ever attended there have been tests.  After the test is scored the teacher will often go through your answers with you to correct any deficiencies.

Beloved, the next time God knocks on your heart’s door and asks to have a word with you; stop whatever you are doing and loudly proclaim, “Come on in Lord!” 

Father, I pray tonight for your beloved saints who read this message.  I pray you will be gracious with them and reset your door schedule to put them back up in front of the line.  I pray for their hearts that they be clear and pure toward you and that they have an ear to hear.  You said that whoever I forgive on Earth is forgiven in Heaven so Lord I forgive them in the name of your Son Jesus for ever putting you on hold.  I pray you will open up their hearts and ears and repeat the offer very soon; before they have time to forget their repentance.  Thank you Father; in Jesus Name.  Amen.

An Appeal for Reconciliation

2 Corinthians 5:16 Consequently, from now on we estimate and regard no one from a [purely] human point of view [in terms of natural standards of value]. [No] even though we once did estimate Christ from a human viewpoint and as a man, yet now [we have such knowledge of Him that] we know Him no longer [in terms of the flesh].

I’ve been struggling lately with my sense of value of my own person.  Part of me of course recognizes that apart from God we are nothing.  Another part sees myself from a strictly human point of view, how much income I produce, who cares whether  I am alive or not.  This Sunday school lesson addresses this idea.  It begins by stating we regard no one from a purely ‘natural’ human point of view and by human standards.  Jesus Himself was born as a man and altogether too many in the church continue to view Him as that human man. 

Paul’s statement here is that while he did indeed once view Christ from a purely human viewpoint, he does not do so any longer.   Paul’s first introduction of Christ Jesus was as a cult leader who appeared to be leading Jews astray.  He was vehemently and violently opposed to Christ’s ministry and went so far as to throw these deluded Christians into jail to keep the heresy from spreading.  Paul was as focused as he could possibly be until one fateful day on the road to Antioch.  It was on that day that Paul came face to face; not with Jesus the man, but with Christ the Messiah and King.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any person is [engrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!

The day someone becomes born again is not a day like any other.  It’s not the beginning of a process to be Christ like and yet…it is.  On the one hand, the work is instantaneous.  Becoming born again is an instantaneous process that happens in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.  That is the process which transforms your spirit from death to life.  Having your mind renewed by the Word of God is a lifetime event that will last as long as you live on this earth.  We are told to press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14).

2 Corinthians 5:18 But all things are from God, Who through Jesus Christ reconciled us to Himself [received us into favor, brought us into harmony with Himself] and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation [that by word and deed we might aim to bring others into harmony with Him].

Everything we have since becoming born again we have from God and not flesh, not man.  We are reconciled TO God BY God THROUGH Jesus.  We are brought into the very favor of beloved children in this way.  Once we have become true and beloved children of God we receive the ministry of RECONCILIATION so that we might bring others into this same oneness.

We’re not perfect in flesh while we do this but we ought to be better, more loving and more gracious toward others than we were before coming to Christ.  God is love.  If I choose to curse and attack others…where is my love?  If I call others “Christ killers”…where is my love.  I ought to be someone that others are drawn to, not repulsed from.  If I am truly born again then the love of God ought to be shed abroad in my heart by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5).

2 Corinthians 5:19 It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself, not counting up and holding against [men] their trespasses [but cancelling them], and committing to us the message of reconciliation (of the restoration to favor).

If God Himself doesn’t count up and hold our sins against us in Christ, who are we to count the sins of others?  God actually cancels our sins when we accept the redeeming gift of Jesus into our hearts.  Notice it once again says that AFTER God’s forgiveness and AFTER receiving the justification of Christ we receive the message of reconciliation.  We CAN lead them to a holy relationship with God THROUGH Christ Jesus. 

2 Corinthians 5:20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors, God making His appeal as it were through us. We as Christ’s personal representatives beg you for His sake to lay hold of the divine favor now offered you and be reconciled to God.

An ambassador comes from the king; from the head of the government and makes a statement on behalf of that king or head of government.  Notice it says that we are Christ’s ambassadors and yet says that God (all of God) is making this ambassadorial plea THROUGH Christ.  Over and over we see this hint of the triune nature of God.  God the holy Father could not accept us as we were and so He had to make a way.  The way is explained more fully in John 1. 

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not… And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

Once we have become Christ’s PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVES it is our responsibility to beg others to come to Him in any way possible.  This says nothing of cursing the lost or condemning them to Hell in Christ’s name.  We have a ministry of reconciliation and not rage.  Why should we be angered at others for Christ’s sacrifice when that sacrifice was offered on OUR behalf for OUR sins?  Why should we be self righteous and even angry toward those who struggle to believe in God when many of us struggled even harder to believe? 

2 Corinthians 5:21 For our sake He made Christ to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become the righteousness of God, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).  Through Christ we have become the righteousness of God, approved and accepted.  God literally knows we can’t live the lives He requires us to live.  This is why we are to press TOWARD the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.  You will never arrive at His perfection apart from Jesus.  You MUST TRY of course but God’s grace is REQUIRED.  It is by HIS goodness…not ours.

Background

2 Corinthians 6:1 We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. 2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

God is appealing to us to become RECONCILED with Him.  Paul and the others with him BEGGED this worldly church to get their act together so they might not have received God’s grace in vain. This means that you CAN receive His grace in vain.  How?  By failing to accept His wonderful gift with all truth and all your strength.  Now is the acceptable time.  Now is the day of salvation.  Tomorrow is not promised to you. 

I remember reading in Foxe’s Book of Martyrs a story of a man who was being tortured for his faith in Christ.  He was in extremis and could not take it a moment longer.  He recanted and said Jesus was not Lord.  As they released the bands that had been tearing his body apart he died.  A young girl about 17 years of age jumped up on the device they were torturing him with and cried, “You FOOL!  But for one moment of peace you have condemned yourself to an eternity in Hell!”  The men grabbed her and put her in his place and she withstood it until she died.

You may never be forced to endure such things in your walk with God but Romans 8 makes it apparent that you probably will endure something.  God has not promised you peace and safety.  He has promised you eternal life with trials here and peace there.

ASV 2 Corinthians 6:3 We put no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4 but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6 by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; 7 by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8 through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9 as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.

Paul’s entire message here was to win the Corinthian church back to full fellowship with God.  In the next verses he insists that he is not going to do anything that might cause anyone to wonder if he himself was fully committed to this walk.  Paul points back to all they have had to endure for this walk.  He says that his pedigree doesn’t come from any degrees he might have, but from what he has had to put up with in his daily walk with God.  Look at this list.  He says it took great endurance to stand in the face of afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights and hunger. 

Paul endured these things by the same gifts of the spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23; purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, true Agape love, honesty and God’s Dunamis power!  He insists that he held the weapons of righteousness in both hands and has continued while being honored and dishonored, slandered and praised, accused of being a liar while desperately holding to the truth.  Sound familiar?  I certainly hope so.  It should be a reflection of our lives.

As important as he was to Christianity he was still largely unknown in many circles and yet well known both positively by his true friends and negatively by the nay sayers.  He was ready to die but walked in the newness of life, was beaten down and afflicted and yet still eternal.  Paul knew how grievous this life can be but even more so understood its joys.  Whether in poverty or wealth in desperate straits or swimming in money, Paul knew how to live before God and man.

2 Corinthians 6:12 There is no lack of room for you in [our hearts], but you lack room in your own affections [for us].  13 By way of return then, do this for me—I speak as to children—open wide your hearts also to us.

Paul’s humility in Christ did not mean that he never called others on their failure toward God and God’s children.  In this case he chided them about their lack of love and grace toward those who brought the life giving Word to Corinth.  His whole purpose here was for them to open their hearts wide.

It is always difficult to overcome custom, tradition and community.  Even today in America there is a great gulf fixed between many of God’s children based on no more than skin color and race.  I read the post of a young man who declared that the God who passionately loved bright colored flowers must have also lived the diversity in racial characteristics.  He created DNA which could not breed between human and animal but is fully successful between ALL THOSE HE CALLS HIS CHILDREN.  Black, White, Red, Yellow and Brown can blend and mix the palate of life until we are one soul if we will but allow it.

God says, “My beloved children; OPEN YOUR HEARTS!  Receive one another as I have received you.  See the Christ in one another. “

2 Corinthians 6:14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers [do not make mismated alliances with them or come under a different yoke with them, inconsistent with your faith]. For what partnership have right living and right standing with God with iniquity and lawlessness? Or how can light have fellowship with darkness?

There IS a group that we should not breed or wed or do business with.  Unbelievers.  There are times when you must work for them to have income but what happens when your boss expects you to lie for the company or about your taxes.  When the truth will both set you free and cost you your job, what will you do?  Now the rubber is on the road and you know what your faith might cost you.  God expects much from us in this respect.  He never meant separation to be racial or color coordinated.  He meant it to be SPIRITUAL.

Key Scripture

AMP 2 Corinthians 7:2 Do open your hearts to us again [enlarge them to take us in]. We have wronged no one, we have betrayed or corrupted no one, we have cheated or taken advantage of no one.

Paul is trying once again to open up the way of fellowship.  Because of the tension in America there are races who would call me a liar if I said I have only the most noble and honest desire for them.  I might be called a mocker and a fool if I tried to make them believe that I would put their welfare ahead of my own.  I’ve done this many times over the years and still can feel the doubt from others that I am not fully trusted.

Unless you can prove that someone did you harm with a will, accept the good.  Unless you see or they have told you that they want to hurt you, believe only the good.  Open up your hearts and understand that there are those who are not like you who none the less love you with a powerful love.  Receive them beloved and appreciate the diversity of God’s love.

I love you.

Bishop J