Cold Satan?

Yea, cold and Satan are two words you usually don’t hear together or associate with each other. Anytime you think of temperatures associated with Satan, it is usually on the warm side not cold. But that is just what I thought of as I was pushing the half inch of snow we got this past week off the sidewalk at the church building. In the cold I thought of Satan. Why was it so cold?!? Oh yea, it is January and January is cold. But for the first week we had been lulled into a false sense that these higher temperatures were normal for this time of year. Satan likewise lulls us into thinking certain things are normal, and a normal life is ok. But God has never called us to be normal. He calls us to be different, set apart for Him in this world. And if we are not careful, Satan lulls us into thinking normal is the life God wants us to live.

God wants us to know the scriptures. Satan wants us to know what the world desires. If we are not careful we end up thinking what the world desires is normal. And it is hard not to because most of the entertainment we deal with-- from television to movies to the events we attend--does not promote God or His ways. A show I was watching the other day had a couple making a commitment to move in with each other, saying they may someday get married. That is normal in this world, but not for those who follow God. I watched a lot of football the past couple of weeks, probably more than I should have. I look at the actions and attitudes of a lot of these players and thought how we have accepted it as normal. God does not. How do we know what is pleasing to God? By being in the scriptures and making sure they are influencing our lives.

God wants our friends and neighbors to know His Son. Satan just wants you to be “good”. I’m not saying we shouldn’t be good, but it doesn’t stop there. Being “good” has almost become the “normal” now days among those who follow Christ. And it is just where Satan wants you to be, a normal follower. I am trying to figure out where in scriptures it tells us to be a normal follower and I can’t. If anything the Bible tells us just the opposite: we are set apart for a purpose. That purpose is that God may be glorified and His kingdom will grow.

Think about it for a moment, if your neighbor lived a good life next to you for many years, but knew what it was to be with God eternally and never said anything to you, how would you feel? If a friend knew what to do in order to escape hell and never told you, just lived a good life around you, how would you feel? They had lived a good life around you—wasn’t that enough? Satan wants you to be a good friend. God wants you to be a godly friend. Satan wants you to work at making people happy. God wants you to be intentional about helping people become holy. Unfortunately Satan has lulled us into normal lives.

Mother nature will slap us in the face over the next few weeks with what is normal weather this time of year. When you feel those freezing temperatures, think about how Satan has convinced the world that following Christ is just about being “good.” Let that cold slap be a reminder to reject this deception of “normal.” Make sure you are in God’s word. Be more than a good person around your friends and neighbors. Step out and invite them--to services, a small group or some other activity we have here. That’s real friendship.

Not settling for good,

Randy

KNOWING THE TRUTH OR BEING RIGHT

Look at these two questions; "Do you believe in God?", and "Do you believe that God exists?" Do you believe in God? What kind of belief? Do you simply believe God exists? What is different about these two questions? Are they really the same question asked in different ways, or are they two different questions?

As a child I was raised to believe, and in my child's mind, my belief was in the existence of God; that He was there, in Heaven. My family went to services on Sunday (sometimes), and in my smaller world, everybody believed because everybody was at church. And my world view was that my belief in God simply meant that God existed; He was!

This position is a tacit belief that God exists. It’s merely a mental assent and recognition of a supreme being. This position assumes that God is there, watching over His world. This belief simply asserts that there are two positions; belief and non-belief. Belief (there is a God), and non-belief (there is no God).

Perhaps the most familiar and most quoted bible verse is John 3:16; "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." NIV

I have had many conversations over the years about what this verse really means. Some would say that simply believing in God's existence (or presence) is what this verse implies. If mere belief in His existence is what this verse means, then anyone who holds to the tacit belief inherits eternal life. My question to us is this; 'What is the truth regarding this verse?'  What kind of belief are the scriptures speaking of?

In the letter from James (the oldest of Jesus' four younger brothers) to the scattered Jewish people throughout the known world, James admonished his fellow countrymen regarding belief; "You believe that there is one God. Good. Even the demons believe that - and shudder." James 2:19NIV. This is an example of mental assent or agreeing that God does in fact exist.

The apostle Paul writes: "For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made (created), so that people are without excuse." Romans 1:20 NIV. So then, we see that the creation itself testifies to the existence of God. We should be able to bring ourselves into the belief of God’s presence simply because of the world around us (and the stars for that matter) that He created.

Now, back to the question of belief. Does mere belief in God’s existence bring us is into the state of inheriting eternal life [John 3:16]? If the devil and his angels believe and tremble [James 2:19], then a mere admission or belief that God exists is not sufficient to inherit eternal life. Our belief must be more than an acknowledgment that God does indeed exist. Our belief must be a belief that includes faith, and faith is the catalyst that moves us to think and act in the way our God wants us to live, not just a mere acceptance that God is. “Faith comes from hearing (understanding) and hearing (understanding) comes from the Word of God.” Romans 10:17

Our spiritual maturity is directly connected to our understanding – more understanding, more maturity. One way to look at this is to think about how we read our bible. Do we read it like a magazine subscription or do we study it? Look at it another way; what was the last scripture or passage that changed the way you think or behave? When you can answer that, you can know that your belief and faith are moving you in the right direction.

Always seeking truth,

Tony

A Refugee?

I have a policy of staying out of the political weeds. That is not to say I am not active, or don’t have some strong political views; but, too often our political views can be greater than our Christian views and actually hinder the spreading of God’s love. So I choose to keep my views about how our government is run to myself, unless it is a private conversation. But every now and then I have to address something that distorts our view of God and His Son.

Recently a politician compared Jesus’ flight with his parents to Egypt to those who were coming up to our southern border. And technically, if you look at the definition of refugee, a comparison can be made. But it is not a good comparison, and more importantly it misses the grander picture of what was taking place that caused Jesus’ family to temporarily relocate to Egypt.

It wasn’t the fear of the king that caused them to go south for a time, but the word of God. They weren’t fleeing for their lives or their livelihood, but for the preordained plan God had set in motion centuries ago. I am not saying it wasn’t a bad situation Herod had created--it was. But it was one God was aware of and had already put in motion a plan--a way to show the world He was God and Jesus was His Son, the Messiah. It wasn’t the king who caused the flight, but God’s plan for us to know Him and eventually be with Him in Heaven.

We sometimes look microscopically at a situation and lose sight of the bigger picture. We may get frustrated when we are in a hurry and that light turns red just before we get to it, and thus we have to wait a minute or so before we can move on. What we may not see is the accident that didn’t happen because the light didn’t stay yellow another five seconds for us to rush through it. Or maybe the person sitting at the intersection who desperately needed the light to turn green to get to a loved one who was in need. We just don’t know, but we need to look beyond what is right in front of us to God’s love and the bigger picture of what this life is all about.

Jesus wasn’t a refugee, but part of God’s plan. You also are part of that same plan. That plan is for everyone to know about God’s love for them and the reason the child was born into this world. I encourage you to start the new year by looking beyond the immediate to who God is and what life is all about. Then look back to what is in front of you and how you can be used in that situation as part of God’s plan.

A good way to stay focused on this is to be in daily connection with God. As you start the new year, set aside time each day, even if it is as little as 30 seconds, to talk with God. We call it prayer. And set aside time each day to read a passage, a verse or two or a chapter of God’s word. If you don’t know where to start, let me know. Holly and I have a number of different plans to read God’s word--as short at 30 seconds to as long as you like. Make it your resolution to stay focused on what God is really all about, not what the commercials, the store fronts, or the politicians say about it.

Resolving to stay focused,

Randy Schilling