1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 - Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.
Satan’s Advertising Campaign One of the most successful advertising campaigns perpetrated by Satan in our day is the idea that Christians are forbidden to judge anything or anyone for any reason. Even unbelievers know the Bible verse that teaches, so they think, that Christians are not to judge others in any circumstance. In this twisting of our Lord’s words, Satan has led many down an awfully slippery slope. But is that what Christ, Paul, and the rest of the Bible teach? No. What Christ and his chosen spokesmen spoke against was having a censorious or judgmental spirit or attitude. They taught us to resist the temptation of signing up to serve as God’s official fruit-inspectors. These are the folks who believe it is their spiritual gift to criticize everyone else. Instead, the exhortation of Jesus (Matthew 7:1-5), was for his followers to remove the giant telephone-pole-sized sin in their own lives first. Unfortunately, that’s where unbelievers, and many Christians, stop with Christ’s words. But Jesus had not yet finished his thought. The Rest of the Story Jesus actually taught we are to remove the beam or plank from our own eye first, and then (or, so that) we would be able to see clearly enough to remove the speck from our neighbor’s eye. Jesus wasn’t calling for the abolition of judgment, but for a godly attitude while exercising helpful discernment. We know this because less than ten verses later, our Lord said we must watch out for false teachers. Why? Because they are false teachers. Something isn’t right about what they teach or how they live. How do you “watch out” for false teachers? By judging the fruit they produce – their works – not their hearts. And yet, according to our Lord, their fruit does tell us something about what’s going on inside of them. He says a good tree produces good fruit while a bad tree produces bad fruit. In both cases, being precedes doing. We aren’t privy to all that goes on inside a person’s heart, so our Lord tells us to judge their fruit, whether it be good or bad. By What Standard? How can we make such a judgment? How can we know the difference between good and bad? By using the only sure measuring stick we have, God’s Word. The Apostle Paul said we are called to test everything. A word like “everything” pretty much says it all. Every idea, suggestion, worldview, moral teaching, news story, political platform, attitude, television program, and on and on and on, is to be tested. But how do you test these things? With Holy Scripture. God’s Word is sufficient to teach, reprove, correct, and train us for all of life (2 Timothy 3:16-17), whether by explicit teaching, command, law, or rule – or by implicit principles and implications. After you have tested something by God’s Word, you then must judge or discern whether that thing is good or evil. If it’s good you cling to it. If it’s evil you avoid or shun it. But you have to make a judgment. How else can you pursue holiness instead of sin? How else can you choose the hard and narrow road that leads to life rather than the wide and comfortable road that leads to destruction? You must exercise your faculties of discernment. The Heart is the Heart of the Matter Have Christians ever been guilty of having judgmental attitudes? Absolutely. And they should repent for it. But unbelievers have also been guilty of having judgmental attitudes. The difference is that followers of Christ have an objective and binding standard that tells them it’s wrong to have such an attitude. Every time an unbeliever tells a Christian not to be judgmental, they have to borrow from the Christian worldview to say so. The key point is this: Christians are commanded by Christ to judge good from evil, sin from righteousness, without being judgmental. We are to practice such discernment so we may lovingly correct and/or restore another person. That is why we must first deal with the sin in our own lives. It humbles us, reminds us of what Christ has done on our behalf, and enables us to better see how to help others. It’s a razor’s edge to walk, but we must not give up walking along that edge simply because it’s hard to do. Instead, we must pray for the power and guidance of God’s Spirit, his gifts of discernment, and for his Word to dwell in us richly so we may walk that edge faithfully, consistently, and lovingly. Walking Points
Prayer Great and awesome God, you are the Judge of heaven and earth. You alone are righteous enough to judge without an unrighteous attitude. You alone are wise enough to see all the angles of every situation. And you alone know a person’s heart through and through. Please help me faithfully discern good fruit from bad. Yet, let me do so with the goal of helping another person who may be struggling with temptation and sin, and not so I may point my finger at them (or talk about them behind their back) with a “holier-than-thou” attitude. Remind me of the giant log of sin in my own eye first. Help me remove it. By doing so I will better be able to approach others with greater humility and I’ll be able to see their situation more clearly. In Christ I pray. Amen. This Week’s Prayer Guide [You can use this prayer guide in your own personal prayer time. However, I encourage you to use it with a group of Christian men. Each week you should spend time praising God for who he is, confessing your sin to him (be specific) as well as expressing gratitude to him for his gracious forgiveness. Also, don’t forget to thank God for the many ways he has poured out his goodness in your life. Then, focus on the following areas of supplication, which will change from week to week.] Petitions – prayers for yourself · Lord, help me to faithfully participate in the life of my congregation and for the sake of my community… Ø By my prayers Ø By my presence Ø By my gifts Ø By my service Ø By my witness · Today’s events and interactions with others, planned and unplanned · Other needs Intercession – prayers for others · My family · For those who serve in government, at the national, state, and local levels · For those who serve in law-enforcement · For those who serve in fire and rescue · For those who serve in our nation’s military · Other needs
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Matthew 19:20-22 “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” [21] Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” [22] When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Superficial Understanding Here’s a classic example of Jesus teaching us what authentic discipleship ought to look like in a person’s life. All through the gospels Jesus taught that to be his disciple, you must deny yourself, pick up your cross, and follow him. In today’s text we have a young man who wanted eternal life. Therefore, he asked Jesus how he might fulfill this desire. Jesus answered him by telling him to obey the commandments, for that would show his love for God. Jesus then listed several of the commandments. The young man’s response? “All these I have kept.” His answer reveals at least three things. Three Wrong Answers First, the young man was ignorant about what “obeying the commandments” meant. His understanding was superficial at best. His claim was that he had obeyed all the commandments since his youth. And so Jesus simply pointed out that this man’s great wealth was a stumbling block to his pursuit of God and eternal life. In so doing, Jesus revealed the man was guilty of coveting, at the very least. He broke that commandment. Second, the very first commandment instructs us not to have any other gods before the one true God. This man seemed to have placed his great wealth before God, so much so, that when he was asked to give it away, he could not do so, not even for eternal life. There’s another commandment broken. Third, truly loving and serving God takes the shape of faith and obedience in a person’s life, not mere external conformity to a few of your favorite commandments. Jesus exposed the real motivation of this man’s heart by telling him to deny himself (give away his possessions) and follow Christ (give his life to Christ completely). The young man went away sad because he had great wealth. What’s Tripping You Up? Money and possessions were this man’s impediment to faithful discipleship. It is for many of us. We may hastily protest it isn’t. “But,” we quickly add, “Jesus’ words in this text are not a universal command for every person who would follow Jesus.” And that’s true. Material wealth was indeed this particular man’s barrier to faithful discipleship. But how many of us could downsize everything we own and give away the saved money to the church, missionaries, mercy ministries, etc.? How many of us could take lesser paying jobs that would enable us to spend more time with our families? How do you immediately and viscerally react to those suggestions? These examples show us we may be far closer to the rich young man than we care to admit. What is your obstacle to being a whole-hearted follower of Christ? Maybe your obstacle isn’t wealth. Maybe it’s your desire to please others more than God. Perhaps it’s the fact that you worry more about what others think about you than what God thinks about you. It may be that you don’t want to give up the particular sin you’re enjoying for a season. Or maybe there are a variety of struggles tripping you up in multiple areas of your life. Dying is Hard When it comes down to it, denying ourselves (dying to ourselves) is hard. And we don’t like “hard.” We prefer easy, convenient, and quick. Thus, we’ve created a culture of remote controls, drive-through windows, and microwave ovens. This mentality makes for poor sacrificial servants of the Kingdom. And of those who hold such an attitude, our Lord says, it is hard to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. If we would follow Jesus, we must rid ourselves of all encumbrances that inhibit the “following” to which we are called (Hebrews 12:1). We must “give it away” so our focus will be fixed keenly upon our King. We must take the long and eternal view instead of the alternative short and temporal ones. Because those who deny themselves and do the hard work of leaving their houses or brothers or sisters or fathers or mothers or children or fields (work) for Christ’s sake, will receive “a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life” (Matt. 19:29). And put that way, the decision seems like a no-brainer. Walking Points
Prayer Heavenly Father, I love you and desire to follow your Son, Jesus Christ. You have been, and continue to be, so very good to me. Your blessings in my life seem limitless. Realizing that makes it particularly hard for me to acknowledge that I am pursuing other things before you and holding onto them more tightly than I am holding onto you. Like the rich young man, I just won’t give them up. And this isn’t even including those things and desires in my life I’m not even aware of. Lord, please convict me of sin and cleanse me. Show me my idolatry and fill me with true repentance. I pray that you and you alone will be who I desire and pursue more than anyone or anything else in this this world. You alone are worthy of such a place in my life. Thank you for your grace and your patience. I thank you that the good work you have begun in my life will be brought about to completion. In Christ’s name I pray. Amen. This Week’s Prayer Guide [You can use this prayer guide in your own personal prayer time. However, I encourage you to use it with a group of Christian men. Each week you should spend time praising God for who he is, confessing your sin to him (be specific) as well as expressing gratitude to him for his gracious forgiveness. Also, don’t forget to thank God for the many ways he has poured out his goodness in your life. Then, focus on the following areas of supplication, which will change from week to week.] Petitions – prayers for yourself · Give me greater love for those who are hard to love. · Help me to be compassionate and kind to those in need, even when it’s inconvenient. · Pour out upon me your courage and boldness to love those who do not know you and to share with them your Gospel, in word and deed. · Today’s events and interactions with others, planned and unplanned · Other needs Intercession – prayers for others · My family · My family and friends who do not have a saving relationship with Christ · For those in my other spheres of influence who do not know Christ · For evangelists around our city, country, and world who risk much in sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with those who are lost · Other needs Psalm 119:13-16 – With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. [14] I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. [15] I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. [16] I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.
Matthew 22:29 – Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. A Good Reason or Two to Read Scripture I wonder if much of our aimless spiritual wandering isn’t self-inflicted. We are often content to grope in the dark when pure and undefiled light is offered us. This light I speak of penetrates our deepest being (Heb. 4:12), judges our thoughts and attitudes (Heb. 4:12), makes us wise for salvation (2 Tim. 3:15), is breathed out by God himself (2 Tim. 3:16), is truth (John 17:17), is the means by which we are sanctified (John 17:17), is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16), thoroughly equips us for every good work (2 Tim. 3:17), works as a mirror to show us our truest selves (James 1:23-25), endures forever (1 Peter 1:23-25), cannot be broken (John 10:35), counsels us in every sphere of our lives (Ps. 119:24), will not return to God empty but will achieve the purpose for which he sent it (Isaiah 55:11). As the sword of the Spirit (Eph. 6:17), it is our only offensive weapon in our war with the world, the flesh, and the devil. And so, if all of this is true (and it surely is, and more), why are we not plumbing its depths, mining its riches, and saturating ourselves in its mind-renewing, life-transforming power every available opportunity? Psalm 119 gives us a beautiful model of what a “piety of the Word” should look like in our lives. All through the Psalm we find a variety of synonyms for God’s Word, such as decree, statute, law, ordinance, precept, as well as word. Sometimes these words are used to communicate God’s “directives for our lives” and other times a word represents “his promises.” The first “calls us to obedience while the other calls us to faith – the two elements of godliness” (NIV Study Bible notes). Just Imagine Each of today’s verses contains enough material for its own sermon. That would require more time and space than is presently available. But just dream with me for a moment… Can you imagine a person, home, church, small group, or community that regularly recounts the law of God, rejoices in following his statutes as one rejoices in great riches, meditates day and night on God’s precepts and considers his ways for every thought, word, or deed? Can you conceive of such an individual or community that delights in God’s decrees and will not neglect his word at any time for any reason?What would such a person or church or small group look like? What would be their impact on the world in which they live? According to Matthew 22:29, Jesus says there would be great power that would attend such commitment, passion, and saturation. Can you picture the reformation and revival that would break out at God’s behest? Just One Humanly speaking, it all starts with one – one person who will saturate himself in God’s Word, and who, like Ezra, will study it, live it, and teach it to others. Are you such a person? Imagine what might happen if you were! What’s stopping you? Why not take God at his Word – trust his Word – saturate yourself in his Word – and then hang on. Walking Points
Prayer God of Light, you have revealed your Light to us so we can know you, love you, and follow you. Not wanting us to lose our way and stumble through life in the dark, you revealed yourself, your will, and your ways to us in Holy Scripture. It’s all there for us to read, study, meditate upon so that we might become more like your Son, the Word made flesh. Please, Father, fill me with your Spirit and encourage me to saturate myself in your Word each and every day. Let my life be marked by a consecrated faith in you that shows itself in and through godliness and obedience. And let my life bear a faithful witness to all the world so you will be glorified and others will be blessed and drawn to give you praise in heaven. In the name of Christ I pray. Amen. This Week’s Prayer Guide [You can use this prayer guide in your own personal prayer time. However, I encourage you to use it with a group of Christian men. Each week you should spend time praising God for who he is, confessing your sin to him (be specific) as well as expressing gratitude to him for his gracious forgiveness. Also, don’t forget to thank God for the many ways he has poured out his goodness in your life. Then, focus on the following areas of supplication, which will change from week to week.] Petitions – prayers for yourself · Give me greater knowledge, depth of insight, and understanding of God’s Word. · Remind me daily of who I am in Christ. Let me be defined by who God says I am, not the world around me. · Guide me into greater understanding and faithfulness of God’s call in my life. · This week’s events and interactions with others, planned and unplanned · Other needs Intercession – prayers for others · My family · My pastor(s), church staff, and missionaries · Those struggling with anger, anxiety, or the overwhelming desire to please people at all costs · Other needs Ecclesiastes 3:11 - [God] has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
Restless Hearts Great saints of God have beautifully, if feebly, attempted to capture the height and depth and weight of such a majestic verse as this. In his Confessions, Augustine wrote, “You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you.” Pascal’s oft-quoted idea that people have a God-shaped vacuum in their hearts only God can fill strikes a similar note. We do have a longing in our hearts for eternity, or better, the God of eternity. Perhaps C.S. Lewis in, The Weight of Glory, best expressed this deep desire of our hearts. He wrote, In speaking of this desire for our own far-off country, which we find in ourselves even now, I feel a certain shyness… I am trying to rip open the inconsolable secret in each of one of you – the secret which hurts so much that you take your revenge on it by calling names like Nostalgia and Romanticism and Adolescence… We cannot tell it because it is a desire for something that has never actually appeared in our experience. We cannot hide it because our experience is constantly suggesting it, and we betray ourselves like lovers at the mention of a name. …The books or music in which we thought the beauty was located will betray us if we trust to them; it was not in them, it only came through them, and what came through them was longing. These things – the beauty, the memory of our own past – are good images of what we really desire, but if they are mistaken for the thing itself, they turn into dumb idols, breaking the hearts of their worshippers. For they are not the thing in itself; they are only the scent of a flower we have not found, the echo of a tune we have not heard, news from a country we have never yet visited.” Homesickness Eternity has been placed in our hearts by the King of eternity. Our longing is a homesickness of sorts. For though this is our Father’s world and was created good, it is now fallen. And when touched by the Holy Spirit we can no longer remain content with the things of this world alone, things that are temporal and destined to fade away. Perhaps some do not experience such a longing for their true homeland because their hearts and minds are not yet set on things above where Christ our King is seated. Perhaps the ravages of sin have so infected their hearts and minds that a shadow has veiled their sight. We can only pray that the same gracious and sovereign Spirit who touched and re-created us will do the same for them. In the end there is no end, for we were created for eternity. We are pilgrims and aliens traveling in a foreign land, longing for the City of God, not built with human hands, but eternal in the heavens. May the longing of our hearts for things unseen serve as our true north, that we might one day arrive Home. Walking Points
Prayer God of eternity, I praise you for planting deep within my heart a longing for you, my true Home. I thank you that you are not content watching me move through this world with little desire for you. The penetrating calling and conviction of your Spirit ever draws me back to you. Please keep my heart and mind set on you. As St. Augustine put it, please make me restless until I am finally and fully resting in you. Continue to give me a heavenly homesickness that will continue to move me toward you. In Christ I pray. Amen. This Week’s Prayer Guide [You can use this prayer guide in your own personal prayer time. However, I encourage you to use it with a group of Christian men. Each week you should spend time praising God for who he is, confessing your sin to him (be specific) as well as expressing gratitude to him for his gracious forgiveness. Also, don’t forget to thank God for the many ways he has poured out his goodness in your life. Then, focus on the following areas of supplication, which will change from week to week.] Petitions – prayers for yourself · Help me to grow in wisdom and become who you created and redeemed me to be. · Renew my mind and enable me to cultivate a godly perspective and attitude regarding the various spheres and circumstances of my life. · Today’s events and interactions with others, planned and unplanned · Other needs Intercession – prayers for others · My family, immediate and extended · Those struggling with sin, illness, or relational difficulties · Other needs Acts 19:35-41
Wise and Courageous Leadership The Ephesian city clerk was wise. He was a real leader. In the midst of an unjust riot against two Christians, Gaius and Aristarchus, the clerk took a bold stand. There is no indication this man was a follower of Christ, so I take it that his intercession was the result of God’s special grace, while his wisdom and leadership was the fruit of common grace. As John Maxwell says, “leadership is influence,” and this man certainly had it. First, he connected with the “Men of Ephesus” by recalling for them the ego-stroking perspective that the entire world knew Ephesus was the “guardian of the temple of the great Artemis…” At this point he reminded them that the whole world knew of their important position, as well as the respect such a position held. Then, he cleverly inserted a “therefore” to indicate that such an honored position in the world required decorum and order. This unnamed man saw the injustice against the two Christians and was not going to allow it. He told the mob these men had committed no crime or wrong-doing at all. Message to crowd: Refined and respected citizens of Ephesus ought not behave like uncouth and uncivilized barbarians. Moreover, his rhetoric seemed to suggest that because they were so refined and civil, they could rightfully address any legitimate grievances with the local legal authorities. He told them if they continued in such unrest, they themselves would be the transgressors of civility and the law. Chalk one up for the city clerk. The Result After making his case he dismissed the crowd. And Acts 20:1 gives evidence that he must have succeeded in his efforts. The text reads, “When the uproar ended…” It is gratifying to see God’s common grace alive and well in the lives of unbelievers, even more so in the lives of unbelieving leaders. I wonder how many Christian leaders placed in a similar situation would have handled it as well. Lesson Learned There are many lessons to be learned from this historical snapshot of an anonymous Ephesian city clerk, but I want to highlight one in particular. It’s worth noting the clerk didn’t bend and bow to the mob’s desires in an effort to gain favor with them. That’s sometimes my personal failing. The idea of putting a finger to the wind to see which direction it is blowing is all too tempting to those of us who loathe confrontation. But that’s not leadership, it’s cowardice. It’s the fear of man, not the fear of God. There is no character or integrity in such weakness. The city clerk chose to do what was right, even in the face of possible opposition. How many times has a Christian pastor backed down from a position (even a God-ordained one) because of pressure from the mob? To be sure, no one ought to die on every single hill that comes along, but there are some principles (convictions and/or values) that should be tenaciously held to – ones that should yield no quarter. My children don’t always know what’s good for them. They would be content to eat nothing but junk food for the next five years. But that would be harmful to them. I’ve been entrusted to shepherd them, and shepherd them I must. Sometimes, adults aren’t much farther down the road than children, especially when the mob mentality is at work. God-appointed leaders must exercise wisdom and courage in such situations. For though it is often true that, “all of us are smarter than one of us,” and that many counselors may surely provide good advice, that is not always the case, as the episode in Ephesus reveals. The city clerk was able to make the distinction (wisdom) and acted on what he knew was right and best (leadership). Whether you are the shepherd of a family, business, classroom, or church, pray for God to give you the same character and willingness to exercise godly leadership as God gave to that anonymous city clerk. Walking Points
Prayer Heavenly Father, I thank you for the example of that anonymous city clerk from Ephesus. He showed true wisdom and leadership in a very difficult situation. Surely your grace was working in and through him. I pray that I too may stand against the current of popular opinion in those difficult times that require such faith and courage. Joshua and Caleb did so when everyone else was afraid to go into the promised land. The Lord Jesus Christ did so regularly. I humbly ask you to fill me with his Spirit that I too may represent your grace and truth well in all seasons… when it’s easy and when it’s hard. In Christ’s name I pray. Amen. This Week’s Prayer Guide [You can use this prayer guide in your own personal prayer time. However, I encourage you to use it with a group of Christian men. Each week you should spend time praising God for who he is, confessing your sin to him (be specific) as well as expressing gratitude to him for his gracious forgiveness. Also, don’t forget to thank God for the many ways he has poured out his goodness in your life. Then, focus on the following areas of supplication, which will change from week to week.] Petition – prayers for yourself · Help me to mature in my faith and to increasingly please God by my thoughts, words, and deeds. · Particular struggles in various relationships · My activities for this day · Other needs Intercession – prayers for others · My Family · My local church · My denomination · Para-church ministries, particularly Christian education and discipleship · Evangelistic ministries · Other needs |
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