I heard on the radio of an article written by a woman who has known many famous persons before and after they were famous. I could not find the article, though I wish I could. But She wrote how becoming famous made all of the people worse off. She said they were normal pleasant to be around persons until they got the fame. Then they became angry and unpleasant. She is not a Christian, from what I understand, but was simply writing down her observations. The host of the radio show, Brant Hansen, talked about how Christ being the only thing to fulfill us. Not Christ plus something. He even mentioned marriage, saying that marriage will not make you happy. What I found interesting and sad at the same time was the guy who called in. This gentleman asked Brant, "What makes you happy then?" By the tone of his voice you could tell he had believed the lies of the enemy and was quite confused with what Brant was saying. If the Church does not get that only Jesus is sufficient, that He is ALL we need; how is the world to begin to understand? 2 Cor 6:14 says "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers." How can anyone read this and think it is ok, much less God's will for them to marry an unbeliever? Paul says in 1 Cor 9:5 that he has the right to marry a believing wife. And in 1 Cor 7:39 he says women have the right to marry whom they choose in the Lord. Does this not make it clear that believers are not to marry unbelievers? Not mention the fact that Paul encourages people to stay single. In 1 Kings 11 we see King Solomon in trouble because he married foreign women, whom the Lord told him not to marry. Why? Because God knew they would turn his heart away from himself. I do not think it is any different for us. There is no relationship more intimate than that between spouses. So, if we are not to be yoked with unbelievers in friendship, then we certainly are not to marry them. In 1 Cor 7:12-13 Paul addresses couples who are already married where one spouse is not a believer. This is not the same thing as a believer choosing an unbelieving spouse. If you are single you are to marry a believer. In addition, why would Paul even have to tell these couples to stay together? I think it is because the believing spouse knew they no longer had the same goals and values making it difficult to relate to one another. John 10:19- "Again the Jews were divided because of these words." These words were the words of Jesus. And it seems to me that this very same thing could be said of the Church today. The church is often divided over things that Jesus said or the words in the Book of Life. Of course the real body of Christ consists of those that hear His voice and follow it. It consist of those who humble themselves before the Lord and recognize him as the head. If only we would look to God he will be faithful to lead us, lead us together. I know for me, God has always been faithful to correct me if I had the wrong understanding of something. So it seems maybe we should trust God to convict, if one needs to be convicted, and focus more on humbling ourselves. We don't know everything and can't know everything, so why fight over things we know little of in the first place? These days there is much talk about the events (such as storms, political changes, and etc.) happening today being the beginning of the birth pains. This may be so, but in the Body of Christ there seems to be a lot worry over these things. Jesus makes it very clear we are not to worry for one. And for two he says specifically regarding the birth pains, "Do not be alarmed." (Mark 13:7) This is written in three of the four gospels. Therefore we need not be alarmed and as Christians should only be more motivated to preach the gospel. Keeping silent is one of the most difficult things to do. Elisabeth Elliot says in Passion and Purity that we should keep silent about the things we feel most deeply about. I have come to agree with her. She wrote this in the context of dating and relationships, but I don't think it's limited to that. Luke 23:9 says Jesus gave no answer when questioned while on trial. We know that Jesus did indeed care about his life (Mat 26:39 and Luke 22:42), so we can rest assured that it was difficult for him to keep silent when his life hung on the line. We must remember that some things are to be kept between just ourselves and God; some for a little while and others always. Sin is the exception. The bible tells us to confess our sins to one another (James 5:16). Thus sin should not be kept in the dark, but revealed in the light. A quick side note; some people think we are just to confess our sins to God. This is true, but we are also to confess them to one another. Confessing them to God is easier than confessing them to others most of the time. It is our thoughts and feelings that are best kept to ourselves. |
What I write AboutMy posts are all about the Christian walk in some way or another. I do my best to make what I post worth reading, thus there are many more things that I write about but do not post. Some of my posts are my reflections on scripture or a quote, other posts are simply my testimony, and others still are letters of encouragement. I hope that you will be encouraged or challenged in your walk with Christ as a result. God Bless you, my friend.
Categories
All
Archives
September 2015
|