Measure of Christian Maturity

 1 Corinthians 13:11-13

“When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” NKJV

 

In this portion the Apostle Paul writes about moving from childhood to maturity in our speech, understanding, and thought. This transition is purposeful. We don’t mature naturally over time any more than a child growing big makes him more mature. It takes willful, intentional decisions with the discipline to carry them out. He says we have to “put away childish things.” This is a process from seeing dimly and knowing in part to seeing Christ face to face and knowing Him as He knows us. It is a life-long process that we must pursue with our whole being.

 

The measure of maturity is faith, hope, and love. The Apostle says, “now abide these three.” These are the three pillars of the Christian life that we should constantly be developing which produce eternal results. This is a progressive work that the Holy Spirit wants to do in us. Romans 1:17 says, “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith.” 2 Corinthians 3:18 says, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” Unveiled faces mean that we have to be transparent before God, if this maturity process is going to happen.

 

Maturity in faith comes through the Word because “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17) Maturity in love is a development of our character. I Corinthians chapter 13 clearly demonstrates that anything that is done that does not spring from love has no value. Love is manifested in obedience. Jesus said in John 14:21,“He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.” The manifestation of love is in the fruit of the Spirit. Maturity in hope is demonstrated in ministry because hope exalts God and His kingdom. 1 Corinthians 9:10 says, “For our sakes, no doubt, this is written, that he who plows should plow in hope , and he who threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope.”

 

Maturity requires that we grow in all three areas: faith, hope and love. Some people may exude love but have no faith or hope, and so produce little. Others may have great faith and hope resulting in great ministry, but their life is bankrupt of love. We often measure ourselves and others by our strongest area, when, in fact, our level of maturity is as great as our weakest area. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

 

“When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things….And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

 

Surprise

Luke 1:26-33

“Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her,"Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!.... Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end."

 

I know the announcement above was a huge, off-the-chart surprise to Mary, an unwed virgin from an unknown family of an unexpected village called Nazareth. In fact, the saying of the time was, “What good thing could come out of Nazareth?” But we serve a God of surprises, a God of the unexpected, who loves to do the impossible. 1 Corinthians 1:27-29 says, “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.”

 

The hall of faith in Hebrews chapter eleven is a chapter full of surprises. God creates a world out of nothing, has a carpenter build a huge boat on dry land for a flood that would cover the earth, and chose a barren woman to be the mother of a people that would be as numerous as the stars of the heaven and sand on the seashore and through whom all the nations of the earth would be blessed.

 

If your life is kind of boring and mundane with no surprises, then you are not walking with the creative God of the unexpected. There are a few basic key elements to walking with the God of surprises. 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 says, “But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.”

 

These surprises are for those who love Him. This love is a commitment to God above all others and above all things. It means putting God first and trusting Him all the time, no matter what happens in our lives. Secondly, we have to be in tune to the Spirit because God reveals these surprises to us by His Spirit, and they are fulfilled as we walk in the Spirit and not according to the flesh. These surprises are birthed into our life by the Spirit and always fulfilled by the power of the Spirit. They are impossible for man to understand or to fulfill.

 

Are you ready for a surprise?

7 Ways to Stop the Adultery Epidemic

It happened again. For the third time in six months, the pastor of a large church in my hometown of Orlando, Fla., has resigned from his pulpit because of adultery. I’m sad. I’m sick. I’m sorry for the pastors, and sorrier for the congregations that are having to deal with the fallout caused by bad choices.
I’m also cringing because an increasingly hostile public sees these train wrecks as evidence that Christians are hypocrites who preach one thing and live another. We stand for biblical marriage between one man and one woman, but in many cases those marriages are failing. No wonder the gay community hates our flimsy platitudes.
Why are we witnessing this epidemic of moral failure? Many factors could be cited (easy access to pornography, sex-saturated entertainment, the devil and his demons, etc.)—but I don’t think we need a list of excuses today. I’m tired of excuses. The devil does not make us do this. It is totally possible for Christian men and women to live in holiness today. The power of His grace is not affected by social trends or hell’s attacks.
Maybe we’ve made this too complicated. Let’s go back to some basic ways we can stay pure:
1. Practice regular “fire drills.” Paul told Timothy to “flee” from youthful lusts (2 Tim. 2:22). But you can’t flee a burning building if you don’t know where the exits are. If you don’t map out your plan of escape, you won’t run when you are confronted with a lustful glance, an X-rated website or a brazen proposition. When faced with temptation, don’t play with it, talk to it, stroke it, analyze it or revisit it in an hour. Just bolt for the door!
2. Don’t live in isolation. Many people are vulnerable to moral compromise because they spend so much time alone. God designed us to live in community. If King David had not left his brothers on the battlefield and returned home, he would not have seen Bathsheba skinny-dipping on the roof. You are less likely to succumb to temptation if you are surrounded by family or Christian friends.
3. Stay faithful in spiritual disciplines. Nothing makes the heart colder than a lack of quiet time with God. Charles Spurgeon said, “Prayer will make you leave off sinning, or sinning will make you leave off praying.” If you have spent time with Jesus in the morning, you are not going to invite Delilah to cut your hair off that evening. If you are too busy with your work to pray and read the Bible, you are already headed for a spiritual train wreck.
4. Be ruthless with temptation. Today’s wimpish Christian culture encourages us to be soft toward sin. Yet the apostle Paul used athletic imagery when he taught about the strenuous effort of resisting sin. He wrote, “I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified” (1 Cor. 9:27, NASB). If you can’t resist looking at a pornographic website, you are a spiritual baby. If you can’t run when Potiphar’s wife turns on her charm, you need to get your jellyfish spine in shape. Grow up and quit making excuses for your weak morals.
5. Confess your sins regularly. Last weekend during a men’s conference in Philadelphia, one brave brother shared openly how he had been molested as a child—and how the trauma of abuse led him into a pattern of fornication. After he shared his weakness, dozens of men felt the freedom to come to the altar and confess their sexual sins. Transparency is the path to sexual purity. You cannot expect to be pure if your inner life is a cesspool of ugly secrets. Tell somebody. Get the monkey off your back.
6. Keep the home fires burning. I’ve met many Christian men who struggle with all kinds of sexual temptation. But after talking with them, I learn that they have no regular intimacy with their wives. The apostle Paul taught that husbands and wives have an equal responsibility to fulfill each other sexually (1 Cor. 7:3). If the fires have gone out in your marriage, find a counselor or enroll in a marriage course in your church. God can rekindle romance and repair your communication breakdown before your chilly marriage freezes beyond repair.
7. Get regular spiritual checkups. Adults are supposed to see a doctor annually to prevent heart ailments, cancer and other problems. Yet many of us never open our lives to input from pastors or mentors. (And many pastors have no one to examine them!) Learn to ask for prayer and counsel. Share your struggles and weaknesses. If you detect a weak spot in your armor, don’t wait until the devil blows you out of the water to ask someone for help.
J. Lee Grady is the former editor of Charisma and the director of the Mordecai Project (themordecaiproject.org). You can follow him on Twitter at @leegrady. He is the author of Fearless Daughters of the Bible and other books.

Right Sacrifices

Are you making sacrifices for God and His kingdom. This is good if it is right sacrifices.

Psalms 4:5 - "Offer right sacrifices,  and put your trust in the Lord.

When we look in the Old Testament, they offered many sacrifices to the Lord. Yet, not all sacrifices were equal in the eyes of the Lord. Not all sacrifices were right and pleasing to Him. We this with Abel and Cain. 

Genesis 4:5-7 - "but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.⁶ Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? ⁷ If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it."

We could look at many examples through out the O.T. of sacrifices that were not pleasing to the Lord. As believers, it good when we are willing to make sacrifices, but are the right sacrifices. Some Christians make great sacrifices seemingly for the kingdom of God, but in reality they are doing it for their kingdoms. Sacrifice alone is not enough, but what is the motive behind the sacrifice. God was not pleased with many of the Israelite's sacrifices because they were given with wrong motives. They were given only to appease Him, but not in repentance. They were only giving God lip service. They often were not given in the manner prescribed by God. Often they would give the sacrifices to see what they could get from God.

Maybe you are making sacrifices for the kingdom of God, but in reality you are doing it please others, seek others praise or to build your own kingdom. God wants sacrifices that come from a repentant and clean heart. I believe sometimes we make unnecessary sacrifices, ones that He has not required.

Let us give right sacrifices.

Results of Expectation

1. Expectation causes us to seek God with persistence.

 

Psalms 123:2 “Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until that he have mercy upon us.”

 

Matthew 7:7-8 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”

 

Luke 15:8 “Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?”

 

2. Expectation causes us to believe God fervently.

 

Matt 17:20 “For assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”

 

Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

 

3. Expectation causes us to yield to God.

 

John 4:34 “Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.’”

 

The problem is that we want to bring God into the limitations of our lives. We expect God to do things in a certain way within the limitations of human thinking, understanding, and ability. We often want to maintain control. Do things our way. The only way to get out of our box into a limitless God is to totally yield to Him. When you get on a plane, you lose all control. If you are afraid to give up control, you will never fly.

 

Ephesians 3:20-21 says, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

 

Let God do far above or beyond what you could ask or think by the power that works in you.

We are no longer our own

We live in a culture that requires that we get what we want, how we want it, and when we want it.  I was thinking of some very successful advertising slogans.  Here are a few:

·           Burger King -  “Have it Your Way”

·           McDonalds – “We Do It All For You”

·           Kit Kat  - “Give Me A Break”

·           Staples – “That was Easy”

·           Los Vegas – “What Happens Here, Stays Here”

·           McDonalds – “You Deserve a Break Today”

·           Loreal – “Because I’m Worth It”

Have you seen the theme?  It’s about me, the consumer.  It’s about my wants, my comfort, my appearance, me, me, me! We have become a very “me centered” culture.  Jesus, of course, had a very different message.  It was Jesus who said, “Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men.” And amazingly enough, the response to this was, “They immediately left their nets and followed Him.” (Matt 4:18-20)

The disciples had a choice to make. They could follow Him, or not follow Him. At the time they were invited, they couldn’t know to what they were following Him. What did it mean to become “fishers of men anyway?” Could they have known the long-term implications of this life-changing decision? There was no promise in the invitation other than that they would become “fishers of men.” Not exactly a complete ministry description! Had they know what changes their lives would go through, perhaps at that moment they may have declined.

Saul of Tarsus had his life in order.  He was a rising star among his peers.  He was a leader whom men would follow. One day, he met Jesus.  On that Damascus road, in a blinding show of glory, Saul came face to face with Jesus.  His response was to ask two very important questions. Those two questions were, “Who are you, Lord?” and “What would you have me do?” (Acts 9:5-6)

Jesus never came to fit in with our plans.  He came to change our lives, and with that, change our life’s direction and goals. I can say with 100% certainty that before I met the Lord, the last thing in the world I would ever want to be is a proclaimer of the Gospel. Yet, it is now a call that I embrace with all my heart.  There was no negotiating with Saul.  Saul had a created purpose, and his choice was simple.  He could embrace it, or reject it.  There is no modifying it.  Let me say here that Saul’s life was not going to be an easy one.  The Lord gave a glimpse into Saul’s future as a follower of Christ with the words He spoke to Ananias regarding Saul.  He told him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.  For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name's sake." (Acts 9:15-16)  Saul’s life was mapped out before he was even born. His choice was simple.  He could say yes to it, or he could say no.

For some, every new opportunity is met with a process of determining whether to say “yes” or “no.”  Questions like, “what’s in it for me?” and “does this fit into my plans?” are asked to determine one’s availability.  When you leave your nets to follow Him, when you ask Him “what would you have me do?” or when you say, as Isaiah did, “Here am I, send me,” you have put your future choices in His hands. A simple yielding to the Lord’s leading is all that is required.

God is not looking for endless negotiations with His people.  He wants us to embrace the reality that we are no longer our own, we have been bought at a price, and we are to glorify God in our bodies! (1 Cor. 6:19-20) We accept that we are members set in the body as it pleases Him! (1 Cor. 12:18) This makes our lives so much less complicated. We said yes to Him, now we do as He instructs.

There was a time when starting our first church in Buffalo, NY, that I was being called upon to go full-time.  The church was an inner city church, and it required that I leave a secure, very well-paying job, and accept a 2/3 annual pay cut, and lose all benefits.  It was a serious decision.  I remember coming to Elim for a week to pray and fast, and seek the heart of God on this.  During that week, I heard absolutely nothing!  I was totally frustrated when I got into my car to drive back to Buffalo. When I made the turn on Rt. 20, I clearly heard the Lord speak to me.  I remember it as though it had just happened.  He said, “If you are looking for me to promise you security or position, I won’t do it. But, if you want to serve me, I promise to let you.”  Not only did I have my answer for the issue at hand, I had a word that would guide me through the rest of my life.  My choice is as simple today as it was back then.  I can say “yes” to Him, or I can say “no.” I can’t negotiate for better terms!

It was in the opening session of Paul Johansson’s class on the Book of Romans that I received what I call “my life’s verse.”  That is, a verse that gives me guidance and perspective in the most confusing of times. “Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God.” (Rom 1:1) All at once it all became so clear, so simple. It’s not about endless choices, do this or that, say yes or no, follow or not follow.  It’s about one basic decision.

This verse says three things:

1)    Paul, a bond slave - Slave by personal choice

2)    Called to be – A divine decision

3)    Separated unto the Gospel – He has a plan for me

We can choose to serve or not to serve.  That is our right. But if we choose to serve, we cannot choose how to serve.  That is His choice.

“Have it your way,” “That was easy,” and “Because you’re worth it,” are not slogans that support a life sold out to God. The choice is simple, as it has always been. Each of us must make it for ourselves. Saying “yes” never was a promise to ease and comfort.  On the contrary, it’s through many tribulations that we enter the Kingdom of God. (Acts 14:22)

As you face the choices and decisions of your life, face them with the conscious awareness that you gave your life to Him, you are His bond slave, it is His decision how and where you will serve Him.

The Glory of Christ

The book of Revelation is a revelation of Jesus Christ and we have glorious description of Him in chapter 1:12-16. Here the apostle John describes Him. Let us look at these verses and see what insight we can gain into who Christ is.

    1) He sees Christ in human form, even as we will see Him when He comes for us.

    2) His kingship and wealth is shown in the gold sash wrapped around His chest.

    3) His holiness represented by His white hair.

    4) His penetrating eyes that burn everything hidden away.

    5) His feet like fine bronze fired in a furnace speaks of His strength.

    6) His deafening voice. No one can stand against their power.

    7) His sharp edged tongue that brings life and death.

    8) His face radiates His glory, and those who look on it can find strength and consolation or be   

        scorched by its glory.

Now there may be other symbolism in this description. Yet, when all is said and done. We serve an almighty God who is multifaceted. Who can fully know Him? Who can fully comprehend the length, width and depth of Christ?