Stand for Truth

For the past month or so I have been studying the Epistles, doing all I can to understand what the body of Christ is truly to be about—how we are to view one another, the proper form of interaction between members of the body, as well as how God would have the church interact with the church. I have arrived at any number of theories (which I am still studying) and have been enlightened and strengthened with some facts that I believe are worthy of sharing and even further study. One thing that is a certainty I believe far too many so-called believers need to understand is the body of Christ (believers) truly does have a different set of guidelines than those who have yet to believe. The guidelines for believers being very specific, in many cases stringent, the reality is that we as believers are to be set apart and we are to be united. Now when Paul speaks of united as one body fit together (Ephesians 4), I do not believe for one minute he is speaking of a denomination being fit to a denomination. No, I believe the Lord intends for the body (believers in Christ) to be fit together as one. It is also my opinion satan has, by dividing the body, pulled off one of his most powerful feats of all time. He has fragmented the body of Christ. I also believe he has succeeded in influencing the birth of many so-called bodies of believers who, in fact, are leading people astray. So where do we go from here, you ask? In order for any body of believers to be fit together they must have certain biblical truths in common, foundational beliefs that are not contrary to the Word of God. To tackle all of these at once would take a book, and currently, I have little interest or calling to write another; however, we can and should pursue this issue one writing at a time. In my opinion, the first area is that of identifying true believers in Christ, those who have surrendered their lives to God and His Lordship. Belief in Christ is truly a conditional and purposeful choice. It is not something that can be partial or happenstance; it is a serious, life-transforming event. Those who know you will begin to see change. Your coworkers, children, family, they will all see something different. They may not know what it is and yet without you saying a word, they will know. Why? Because you are being transformed, and in your heart and mind something has changed. You now know the truth and have been set free, and suddenly you desire to be free from your past because your future has been changed. Don’t get me wrong. I am not saying we go from imperfection to perfection by our works. No, we do so by the blood of Jesus, by His payment for our sins. In John 3:3–8, when Jesus was approached about who He was and how a man could see the kingdom of God, His answer was very clear: “unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” This born again is speaking of a metamorphosis, a complete transformation, such as from a caterpillar to a butterfly or a tadpole to a frog, complete transformation! Again, He did not say perfection as in the eyes of man. No, we all fail; however, He is making it very clear that one who is born again is someone who has been made new, transformed, and no longer the same. Therefore, a believer cannot be one who continues without care, change, or transformation in the same old habits of sin without regard of the consequences. Oh, they may believe there is a God and that Jesus came down and gave His life shedding His blood for the remission of sin, but even the demons know that to be true! The reality is that unless there is life-changing transformation taking place (often over time), how can there be glory to God? I have had countless encounters with those who profess to believe yet are actively participating in blatant sin, and I can tell you firsthand I have a hard time believing that those who consistently produce unpleasant or rotten fruit are children of the God I serve, a reflection of His character. Am I willing to come alongside those who are struggling with sin and disciple them? Of course; however, I am not willing to stand alongside those who attempt to justify their blatant sin with grace and condone their actions. “To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled. They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work” (Titus 1:15–16). “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth” (1 John 1:6). These are just two passages we as true believers can stand on and know as truth. I desire to fellowship with true believers. I desire and love being with people who love Jesus, no, not perfect people, but yes, those who love Jesus enough to work at denying their own fleshly desires, admit their failings, walk in grace and humility. Those who are ready to deny this world that the enemy has control of and take hold of the Spirit waiting to rescue each and every one of us from certain suffering, I end with this passage, and I ask you, “Is the Bible true?” “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissentions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19–21). This is not the behavior of believers, and my words are not judgment; they are truth. Do we run from those who do such things and profess to believe? No, we do, however, hold them accountable, and if they choose not to change, if they choose to infect others with their lies of sin covered by grace, then we do not have fellowship with them, for they are liars and deceivers. Hard to swallow, yes; true, yes; and the enemy would love to have us all deny these truths and allow the body of Christ to be powerless because of sin. This, in my mind, is where we are today. We have become so unaware of the power of God, we have become so fearful of offending or judging, we have become so ashamed of our own failures even though they are covered by the blood, that we sit idly by and watch Christianity become diluted to the point of acceptance of any behavior (2 Timothy 3). Stand up and unite body of Christ, stand for truth, and be a reflection of God, loving all men yet not allowing the love of man to dilute your love for God and His power. The Pharisees and scribes were wrong on many occasions, and Jesus never once agreed with their sin—He called them out on it. He revealed their lies, He spoke truth in love, and He is our model! Gene Burroughs, Missio Dei, Navarre, FL

Don't Get Too Comfortable

Today, we hear much talk in our world about the sin of homosexuality. It seems that on every form of media we cannot avoid the subject. It is in our face. It is today’s hot topic. Why? Because there is a struggle, a battle between good and evil; the same battle that has existed for all time with many previous immoral subjects. Man has constantly desired to live his own life his own way, satisfying his physical desires since the first man and woman—Adam and Eve. Anytime there is sin, there is always a struggle. For some, the struggle stays within; the conviction in their hearts causing repentance and restoration. For others, the desire of their flesh is so overwhelming the battle becomes external or one of justification: “I have a right to feel this way” or in the case of homosexuality, “I was born this way.” When people have a desire to justify their sin, they tend to find others who are like-minded. They gather together; the need to feel justified is being fulfilled. After all, everyone you surround yourself with is seeking the same feelings of justification and acceptance. It’s like the old saying: “Birds of a feather flock together.” We fellowship with those we are comfortable with, those who make us feel good. As is often the case, this gathering can cause the desire to help others feel justified or, as I believe is most often the case, helping others feel good causes our justification to be bolstered and strengthened, something we desire. You see, when mankind is in an unnatural situation or committing any sin, no matter what form it takes, he will never feel completely at ease. There is always the inherent feeling given to us by our creator that what we are doing is in some way wrong or unnatural. Oh, don’t get me wrong, yes, there are those who are so in love with their sin and seeped so deep in guilt that God has given them over to a reprobate (or worthless) mind (Romans 1:27–32). Of these, there is little hope; never no hope mind you, for Christ is always available for those with repentant hearts. All of this said, the reality and truth is that no matter how many people stand with you and agree with you in your sin, the fact remains it is sin, and sin always has negative consequences. No matter how much money you raise, no matter how many people agree with you, no matter how many books are written, no matter how many are saying it’s okay, or no matter how much media coverage you receive, you know deep in your heart that what you are doing is wrong and often unnatural! Why? Again, because the God of all creation has identified and established within each of us borders, boundaries we are not to cross, and we naturally within ourselves know what they are. Few of us need to be told we have sinned, and even fewer of us want to be told we have sinned—we already know! The God who created us is impossible of sin or immorality of any kind. He is the very essence of holiness, and we are all descendants of this same God, created in His image (Genesis 1:26). Am I writing today about homosexuality? The answer to that is a simple no, because, you see, gossips hang out with gossips, liars hang out with liars, thieves hang out with thieves, addicts hang out with addicts, heretics hang out with heretics, bitter people hang out with bitter people, and so on. I am truly making the point today that just because a lot or a few people agree with you on a point or in your action, nothing changes—sin is sin and sin has consequences. It truly does not matter what people think or how many people agree with you about any given behavior. If it is wrong, it is wrong. By the way, if you are influencing others who are unsure about their convictions to set those convictions aside and participate in your sin, well, the Bible says it would be better that you were never born, for your judgment will be great (Matthew 18:6–7). Let me conclude with this: “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13–14). Just because many people say it is correct, right, or good, just because people say you are judging if you don’t agree, no matter what pressure you are under to conform, remember wrong is wrong and right is right, and the Bible truly is your greatest guide to know the truth. It is, after all, the written Word of God, and God is never impressed by any man’s opinion, belief, or action that is contrary to His (God’s) Word, no matter how wise, eloquent, or convincing it may be. As painful as it may seem or be, do not have fellowship with those who attempt to justify sin, especially if they profess to be believers, for these are the sorts who lead people astray (2 Corinthians 6:14–15). Gene Burroughs, 1/14 PS: I am not saying you cannot be around sinners (read the scripture). How else will they know? (1 Corinthians 6). That is a story for another day.