All or Nothing

First off, it has been quite some time that I have posted anything and I am sad that I didn't not set aside time to write, for there has been much on my mind. However, I am once again writing and the absence has given me a renewed desire to share what God has been putting on my heart.

What I was thinking about today originates in John 2:23-25.

²³ Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. ²⁴ But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, ²⁵ and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man. (NKJV)

This comes after the passage regarding Jesus cleansing the temple and seeks to show that Jesus knew the hearts of men and was therefore, deity. Verses 23 through 25 stuck out to me and I had to read them quite a few times to understand an important truth behind them.

The first thing we notice is that He was doing signs at Passover and many saw these signs. Once they saw them, they believed in His name and felt free to associate with Him because of the miracles. However, we see that Jesus does not entrust Himself to them because He knows what is in their hearts. Belief cannot be a mere claim one stakes based on a miraculous event. True belief is faith that is seen through actions and a way of life that is based upon those beliefs.

Furthermore, there are even those who believe in the name of Christ and from the looks of things, their lives seem to pretty good (i.e. attend church, help others, give generously, etc.). However, as John points out, Christ knew and knows all men. He knows what is in each person's heart and He is not fooled when it comes down to the truth of their lives. As John MacArthur points out in his commentary of verse 24, "Jesus looked for genuine conversion rather than enthusiasm for the spectacular." It is easy to claim belief when something amazing is displayed to you, yet it is another thing when your whole life and heart are changed when confronted with truth. A commitment to Christ and His truth must be a part of true conversion and not just a mere "intellectual assent" can be given.

To take this one step further, if we look at Matthew 16:24-26, we see what true belief entails:

²⁴ Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. ²⁵ For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. ²⁶ For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

I am sure we've heard this passage countless times and hopefully, the weight and meaning of it hasn't been lost in familiarity, but really think about how this ties into the previous passage. True conversion involves a desire to follow, a denial of self, and a donning of Christ's way of life. If we merely agree that Jesus is God but don't incorporate that into our lives, then we are still living for ourselves and we will desire to save ourselves because we value our life more than anything else. Yet, if we truly believe in Christ and therefore, live each day with Him as our guide, allowing changes to be made where they must, following His commands, and desiring to honor Him through ourselves, then He and His Kingdom are greater to us than our worldly selves and we will gladly follow Him and not the way of the world.

This hints at the section in James 2 where it is shown that faith is seen through action and not by words alone. I see that passage as a fitting way to end this discussion and I hope it is as much of a challenge to you as it is to me.

¹⁴What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?¹⁵Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. ¹⁶If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? ¹⁷In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

¹⁸But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds."
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.

¹⁹You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

²⁰You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless ²¹Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? ²²You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. ²³And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend.²⁴You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.

²⁵In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? ²⁶As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

Living Faith

There are so many topics I have been working on that I haven't posted yet because I want to develop them a little bit more. So, if this one is cut short, I will probably add something on to it. However, it seems like such an important topic, I couldn't let it rest!

Last night at a service at church, the pastor was talking about faith. Faith is a word that is tossed around a lot. However, it is a concept we use every single day of our lives. When we step into our cars, we have faith that they will get us to our destination safely. When we pick up a pen, we have faith that it will put down the words we write on a paper. When we send an email, we have faith that it will get to the recipient. When we deposit our money in the bank, we have faith that the teller will actually add the amount to our savings. We have faith in so many small things. However, we also all have faith in things in life we cannot necessarily see. We have faith that gravity will hold us down on the earth. We have faith that the earth will continue to orbit the sun and stay at its particular degree of tilt. We also have some sort of faith in whatever belief we hold to about the universe, where it came from, and where we will go once we no longer breathe.

What I am getting at is that faith is something we exercise everyday and it is proven through the actions we take. We sit in that car. We use that pen. We deposit the money. We don't jump off a tall building.
The illustration many of us have heard is that of faith in a chair. You walk into a room and see a chair and usually don't stop to think of whether or not you should sit in that chair, in case it collapses beneath you. You sit in it. That is pure evidence of your faith in that chair.
Taking this one step further, the chair is that which holds you up. It is not your faith in the chair that keeps you from meeting the floor in a less than graceful manner.
What I am aiming to get across here is that faith is something that requires evidence for it to be faith. If we went around saying I have faith in chair to support me but refused to sit in it...that would be pointless and quite ridiculous.

Therefore, if we claim to have faith in God....we had better check to see if that is true. Do you have faith that there is a God or do we really have faith in God, so much so that there is evidence in our lives of that faith?

I have more to say but must be going for now. Please let these words sink into your heart.

James 2:14-26

14What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
18But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.
19You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
20You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless[d]? 21Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,"[e] and he was called God's friend. 24You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.
25In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

How Shall We Truly Live?

Worldviews....I have heard that word quite a lot lately. It has been mentioned everyday for the past month that I have been at Summit. It has gotten to the point where it is just another word, nothing particularly special rings in my mind when I hear it. However, today while listening to a speaker focus his whole talk on it, I began to see a special association between it and another word we too often ignore: truth. I began to see that truth and worldviews go hand in hand and should be considered together.

The first question I asked was:

How does a worldview affect the way we live?

• Our actions will follow the way we believe. Usually, the way we act doesn't shape the things we hold to be true. We already have certain beliefs about all aspects of life.

How are worldviews and truth related?

• We all have a set of beliefs. Our beliefs define how we view the world. Our beliefs are what we hold to be true about life. Truth, however, isn't dependent on our beliefs. Truth can't be changed. It doesn't vary from one person to another. Truth is truth whether we personally believe it or not. Everyone has a worldview but not all are based on truth.

How do we know what truth is?

• Psalms 119:137-144
• John 8:12-32, 34-36, 42-51
• John 14:5-7, 12-17
• Romans 1:18-23
• Ephesians 4:1-16, 21-22, 25
• 2 Timothy 2:14-19, 24-26; 3:1-9
• 1 Timothy 2:1-8

Is our worldview based on truth? Why do we need to understand truth and live by it?

• Because truth is truth no matter what! We need to understand what is true and believe it so our actions will follow. We are commanded to speak the truth so that others may know.

How will you live in truth? I know this passage seems long to include but it all seems to important to take just one section out of context. Please read through it and see how it gives direction in how we are to live in light of the Lord's truth.

Psalm 86

1 Hear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.
2 Guard my life, for I am devoted to you. You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you.
3 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long.
4 Bring joy to your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
5 You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you.
6 Hear my prayer, O LORD; listen to my cry for mercy.
7 In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me.
8 Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord; no deeds can compare with yours.
9 All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, O Lord; they will bring glory to your name.
10 For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God.
11 Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.
12 I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.
13 For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths of the grave. 14 The arrogant are attacking me, O God; a band of ruthless men seeks my life—men without regard for you.
15 But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
16 Turn to me and have mercy on me; grant your strength to your servant and save the son of your maidservant.
17 Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for you, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me.

"For Such a Time as This"

The subject of worldviews has become more and more common in my conversations due to the ministry of Summit. As a student, I was introduced to this concept and as a staff member this year, I am learning to relate it to the small group. Worldviews are so very important to understand, mainly because everyone has one. Whether we know it or not, our choices are shaped by our worldviews. Another issue I have been reading about is related to Esther. There is a particular passage that is a challenge for us.

Esther 4:10-16

"Then Esther spoke to Hathach and commanded him to go to Mordecai and say, 'All the king's servants and the people of the king's provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law - to be put to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter so that he may live. But as for me, I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days.' And they told Mordecai what Esther had said. Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, 'Do not think to yourself that in the king's palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?' Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, 'Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I an my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish."

First off, I see that Mordecai and Esther become aware of this threat to their people and then the need for them to speak up. They identified a huge thing going on in their culture that they couldn't be silent about. Today, we as youth need to be aware of what is going on on a daily basis. Sometimes, I find myself getting lost from day to day-letting time go by without being informed of what steps are being made away from the truths we hold to.
The next important thing that I see is that Mordecai makes clear that God is in complete control. He informs Esther that she will not escape death more than any other Jew and whether she says something or not, deliverance will come. God has the people in His hands, whether or not Esther will decide to say what she know needs to be said. We must realize that God has the authority and control that we so often seek to take into our own hands.
The last major point I see in this passage is that Mordecai puts an important and wonderful question to Esther: "And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" God has a plan and purpose for each of us and if we choose to ignore that, we are not fulfilling His blueprint for us. We are not just here to squander away each moment, letting the truth in our hearts be buried deeper and deeper. Just as Esther realized that God had put her in a certain position to be an influence, we need to be ready to step up to what God has called us to.

Just a Quick Note...

This has no real context except that I will on occasion grab an interesting book and find a bit of information that must be shared. I found "The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin" at my school library and thought it would be fun to take a look and see if I could understand his position a little better. Just this quote is enough to think about:
" But I may say that the impossibility of conceiving that this grand and wondrous universe, with our conscious selves, arose through chance, seems to me the chief argument for the existence of God; but whether this is an argument of real value, I have never been able to decide. I am aware that if we admit a first cause, the mind still craves to know whence it came, and how it arose. Nor can I overlook the difficulty from the immense amount of suffering through the world. I am, also, induced to defer to a certain extent to the judgement of the many able men who have fully believed in God; but here again I see how poor an argument this is. The safest conclusion seems to me that the whole subject is beyond the scope of man's intellect; but man can do his duty." (p.276-277)

I thought it quite interesting to see his reasoning and it gave a little more insight into how he saw things. Anyways, time is short but let me know your thoughts on this.

A True Relationship

The other day gave me opportunity to really see the importance of being strong in the Lord. All around we can see many who live whatever way they want. We also see those who claim to have salvation of the one true God and who also seem to have a disregard for His Word and His standards. True, we don't want to be judgemental or legalistic but there is a responsibility as His children to help those who claim to be His - to sharpen iron with iron.
Knowing that it is so easy to fall into my own wants and desires, I speak to myself just as much. I have the assurance of salvation but I still need to be aware of the importance of being in His Word that I will be able to grow in my walk with Him. Sin is always there, trying to draw us away from our Savior, trying to get us to disobey and feel okay with it. Yet, the more we are in His Word, in prayer with Him, in a relationship with Him, the more we will see they way He wants us to live as believers, the commandments we should follow, the Word we should spread to others. Therefore, when we are in communion with Him, our desires begin to mirror His. There will always be times when we follow our whims of the moment but we are to be aware of that and come back to His open arms.
Let us not live a comfortable life that is unchallenged. The sweetest times can sometimes be the hardest. May our lives reflect His truth and may we be set apart, lights in a very dark world.

"How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my whole heart I have sought You; oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You."
Psalm 119:9-11

Putting It to Practice

Fearing God is truly important and what we must keep our mind focused on during the day. It has an effect on what we do and what we think about. It is not easy to consistently do so either. I struggle with it probably during every week. There are times when I feel so confident and strong in the Lord and I am able to stand for Him. Yet, there are many times, too, when I feel weak, unwilling to step out a little, avoiding conflict by holding back what I know to be true in Him. There is good news, though! He is still there. He will not leave. If you refocus on Him as most important, He will give you strength. It just goes to show that it is a daily process. We can't just one day decided for the rest of our lives we will fear God and then never think about it again. We must abide in His Word so we may know His paths for us and we must talk with Him through prayer so we may draw near. Then, we may walk accordingly with godly fear.
May you find hope in His presence and live to honor and fear Him.

In Him