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                                                     The Mind of Christ 

     “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.  (Philippians 2:5-8) KJV  

     In one of his sermons, G. Campbell Morgan related that the essence of the mind of Christ was love, the consciousness of that mind was joy, and the expression of that mind was self-sacrifice.  Since God is love, and Christ is God, it is clear to see that the essence of that mind would be love.  Being one with the Father, we can understand from John 3:16 that when it says “God so loved the world”, that this statement also included the love of Christ.  Jesus came to make the Father known, and in all His relationships with humanity this love was demonstrated.  It was His love for us that took Him to the cross. 

     The consciousness of His mind was that of joy as was recorded in His words to His disciples.. “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” (John 15:11)  We also see a reference to His joy in Hebrews 12:2.  “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” 

     The expression of that mind as one of self sacrifice is seen throughout the pages of both the Old and New Testaments.  “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)  “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  (Mark 10:45)  “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” (II Corinthians 8:9)  

     The challenging part of this passage in Philippians is found in the first six words.  “Let this mind be in you.”  It is not only daunting, but impossible in our strength to do this.  Paul warns against self effort in Galatians 3:3.  “Are you so foolish?  After beginning with the Spirit, are you trying to attain your goal by human effort?  We are never expected to do this except by depending on the Holy Spirit to manifest the life of Christ within us.  “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”  (Galatians 2:20)  It is His love, (Romans 5:5) and His joy, (John 15:11) that is poured out into our lives and enables the living Christ to be seen in and through our lives with self-sacrifice.  “We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so the the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.  For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body.”  (II Corinthians 4:9-10)  

     If we are to “Let this mind be in you,” we have encountered an enemy at the outset.  “For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature.  They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.”  (Galatians 5:17)  The sinful nature, or self, is opposed to self-sacrifice, particularly when asked to have joy in doing so!  The answer to this opposition is described by Paul in Galatians 3:16.  “So I say, live by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”  

     As I look back over my life, I can recall that on a number of situations, self-sacrifice was not demonstrated at all. The cost of time, effort, and other choices took precedent.  On other occasions, self-sacrifice was present, but the efforts put forth were done reluctantly or  grudgingly, wondering why someone else could not have done what I was asked to do. Those events where the Holy Spirit enabled me to say no to self and willingly, with joy, minister to others with self-sacrifice are memorable.  They were all characterized by a God given love for that person, a willingness to do whatever was needed to attend to their need, irregardless of the cost to myself.  There was also a joy in being able to be used by the Lord on their behalf.  There was a distinct sense of being led by the Holy Spirit in these situations.   

     We are all given periodic opportunities in life to express the love of Christ in situations where self-sacrifice is involved, even at times when it is unnoticed by others.  As the Holy Spirit leads us, we can also experience His joy as the Spirit manifests the life of Christ through us.  These opportunities come unexpectedly, and not on our agenda for that time or place. They come as we interact with others, perhaps at a place of employment, during travel, or chance meetings with others.  They come most often, however, with those with whom we have the closest relationships.  As we look back on our lives, we will always have the remembrance of the opportunities that the Lord has given us to minister to others with self-sacrifice.  These opportunities are fleeting.  We will not always have an opportunity to demonstrate Christ’s love to others. 

     A little more that three years ago, I walked into our bedroom and found the carpet was a total mess.  Beverly was unaware of an illness which had suddenly happened to her and she sat reading in a chair facing away from the carpet I was cleaning.   Although I did not know it at that time, it was the first symptom of a Covid illness.  As she sat and was looking away from me in the chair, I spent the next hour cleaning up the room.  It was a chance to minister to her that the Lord provided, even though she was unaware of what I was doing.  The Lord actually gave me a joy in serving her for which I am thankful to this day.  She slept that night in the chair, as she would often do.  I brought her McDonalds for her breakfast the next morning when she awakened.  She didn’t seem to know what to do with the food and all she could say was “I don’t know.”  She was unable to swallow and I was not even able to help her stand up.  I am not even certain that she even knew my name.  When admitted to the hospital that morning, all that she knew was her own name.  One month later, the Lord took her home to be with Him.  I will always be grateful for the opportunity to provide self-sacrificial love for her as the last thing I was able to do for her.  

     Major Ian Thomas was once asked what his purpose in life was.  He answered “To make the invisible Christ visible.”  It is in letting His mind be in us that He becomes visible.  As we do this, then the essence of our mind becomes love, the consciousness of our mind is joy, and the expression of our mind is demonstrated by self-sacrifice.  May the mind of Christ be richly evident in your life as you follow Him.   

In Christ, Richard Spann      

                            

                                                The Extravagant Life 

     We have known of those who live what we would call extravagant lives.  What immediately comes to mind is a life of opulent surroundings, including mansions, boats and airplanes.  We know of others who spend extravagantly on clothes, travel, hobbies or sports activities.  This type of life would be called lavish or excessive.  The dictionary describes extravagance as “going beyond what is reasonable, suitable or necessary.”  It may be surprising, then, to recall that what was considered by some to be extravagant was highly commended by our Lord.   It was an occasion of excess, it was lavish, and it was not reasonable even to Jesus’s disciples.  The story, as told in the Gospel of Matthew, is as follows.  “While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of man known as Simon the leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.  When the disciples saw this, they were indignant.  ‘Why this waste,’ they asked.  ‘This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.’”   “I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also told, in    memory of her.”   (Matthew 26:6-8,13)

     In the scriptures we also find other examples of excess beyond what is reasonable or necessary.  “And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches.  Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.  For I testify that they gave as much as they were able and even beyond their ability.”  (II Corinthians 8:1-3)  Amazing.  Extreme poverty, most severe trial, and yet producing gifts beyond their ability.  Extravagant!  

     We see, in the life of Job, a case of extravagant trust when faced with the loss of his children, his property, his reputation, his health, and was surrounded by friends who were his accusers.  Despite all this, the comment of Job was “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.” (Job 13:15)  He says the following in Job 23:8-10.  “But if I go to the east, he is not there; if I go to the west, I do not find him.  When he is at work in the north, I do not see him; when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him.  But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.”  Although Job could not see God in any of his troubles, he was certain that God saw him, was taking care of him and would accomplish what was best for him.  His trust was extravagant because his rest was in the person of God instead of just the provisions of God. 

     The life of David was one of constant demands on his time.  The wars, as well as the requirements of the supervision of a vast kingdom were always on his to-do list.  There was no end to the many activities that needed to occupy his time.  Yet, he focused on one activity, and one Person.  “One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek:  That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.” (Psalm 27:4)  He was extravagant in the use of his time simply to seek the LORD and to be with HIm.   

     One of the most striking areas of extravagance was in the worship offered to the LORD by Habakkuk.  When told of the desolation and destruction of his country, his response was as follows.  “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no castle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.  The sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.” (Habakkuk 3:17-19)

     It is easy to praise God when everything is going well with our lives and our ministry.  What about the times when people won’t listen?  What do we do when the message God has called us to deliver is rejected?  What is our response when those with whom we have spent most of our time remain unmoved and distant from God?  Our Lord experienced all of these thoughts and feelings, as expressed in Matthew 11:20-26.  The towns in which the Lord had spent much of His time included Korazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum.   These towns were singled out specifically as those who did not repent. (Mathew 11:20)  The response of Jesus was as follows.  “At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.” (Matthew 11:25)  Such praise, in the mind of many, may seem excessive, unnecessary, and going beyond what is reasonable.   

     All of the above accounts demonstrate an extravagant life.  They include praise to God when the ministry He has given to us is seemingly unsuccessful.  The list contains worshiping in the face of imminent disasters we face in our lives and in our country.  The seeking of time alone with God and making Him the priority of our lives when faced with the many demands of life is extravagant as well.  These passages contain the story of those, who, in the face of poverty, demonstrated rich generosity going beyond what was reasonable, suitable or necessary.  We also see, in this list, one who has reached the depths of his life.  He has found the very bottom of his existence, and, yet there, his faith in God is still affirmed.  He knew that when he reached the bottom, he was in the arms of God.  “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.”  (Deut 33:27)  

     Everyone has faced situations in our lives that are similar to those mentioned in the scriptures.  If we haven’t yet experienced them in the past, then we will in the future.  We may lack financial resources, become incredibly busy in our lives, face extreme disappointments and failures in our ministry, experience significant health issues with no hope of resolution, and have challenges in our lives for which there is no solution.  When those occur, the Lord invites us to lead an extravagant life. 

     Are we able to worship like Habakkuk?, praise God like Jesus did?, spend time with God like David?, be generous like the Macedonian churches?, and trust God like Job?  There is only a small window of time for us to live by faith in our lives.  When we are with our LORD, all worship, praise and thanksgiving will be done by sight.  It will be easy and natural for us to do these things when we are with Him.  What is most pleasing to God, however, is the extravagance of trust, praise, worship, time and generosity that is manifest to Him, by faith, in our lives during the time that we have left.  (Hebrews 11:6) May the Lord give us all a closer glimpse of His beauty, glory and grandeur which will generate an extravagant life in each one of us.  

In Christ, Richard Spann                     

  

                

                                                                  IF

     “If Only.”  Those are among the two most paralyzing words in the English language.  They take us back to events, to people, and to places in our past.  There may have been regrets, disappointments, and perhaps guilt or shame.  “If only I had not responded in the manner that I did.”  “If only I had not said what I did.”  “If only I had not been a part of that activity.”  “If only I had treated that person differently.”  These words ‘“If only” stop our thoughts and other activities while we review and consider the “Might have beens” had it not been for the moments under our review.  There is a halt, a pause in our mental process from which it takes time to recover.  For some there may have been years that were wasted, opportunities missed, and gifts and talents left unused.   

      Our greatest “If only” may be to think about what the years would have been like had we turned to Christ and followed Him earlier in our lives.  When we look back on those years, we discover that our eyes are focused only upon ourselves and our failures.  To consider and review the past “If only’s” of our lives is to be preoccupied with self.  It is to say, in effect, “I really am better than that.”  “I expected more of myself than that.”  “It was not like me to make that mistake.”  “I am a more caring person than was reflected in that situation.”  To look back and have vain regrets is one of the reasons that Jesus gave us these words in Luke 9:62.  “Jesus replied, ’No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.’” If our eyes are on the past, they are of no use to us in the present.  Our view of the future is obstructed by our laments of the past.  To be imprisoned by the past leads to failure in the future. 

     The Apostle Paul had many reasons to say “If only” as he regarded his life.  In I Corinthians 15:9, he stated that he did not even deserve to be called an apostle because he persecuted the Church of God, yet his life was dedicated to the present and not to the past.  In Philippians 3:13, he states the following. “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal.”   What mattered to Paul was not what he used to be, but what he was now in Christ.  He was a new creation in Christ. (II Corinthians 5:17)   Christ was his life (Galatians 2:20), and his adequacy. (II Corinthians 3:5-6)  By contemplating his union with Christ in the present, he was set free from the “If only’s” of the past.  It is these truths that also free us from the “If only’s” of our lives.  

     “What if?” No other thought pattern occurs so frequently in our minds as the “ What if’s.”   The “What if’s” have many sources.  “What if I am not able to support myself and my family financially?”  “What if I lose my job?”  “What if my health fails?”  “What if this relationship doesn’t work out?”  The list goes on and on.  The “What if’s” of life have their beginning in the third chapter of Genesis.  In an act of rebellion against the rule of God, man asserted his desire to be God, to make his own rules, and to govern himself.  This he was not able to do.  He was created to be dependent, not independent.  Mankind’s intellect, emotion, and will were created to reflect God, to have fellowship with God, and to have their highest function met by a continued dependence upon Him.  When man cast God aside, he rejected the very source of his completeness, the One who by His very name, JEHOVAH, assured man that He would become all that man needed to be.  Man was not designed with the capacity to control himself nor his future.  God Himself was the only One who would take care man’s present and future needs.  Mankind, as a result of his declaration of independence from God, created his own “What if’s”.  Having lost his connection with the One true God, he answered his “What If’s” by creating his own deity, which is Mammon.  G. Campbell Morgan states that “The worship of Mammon is the rendering to wealth for the sake of its power, of all that man ought to render to God.”  G. Campbell Morgan, The Crises of the Christ,  Hardpress Publishing, Fifth Edition, Pg 26.  

     Since the “What if’s” were created by our independence from God, the answer to the “What if’s” is met by a return to dependence.  We need to depend first on Him for our redemption and then acknowledge His Lordship over each aspect of our lives.  His promises to us, as we grow to trust Him fully, are designed to erase the “What if’s” from our vocabulary.  “The Lord himself will go before you.  He will be with you.  He will not leave you or forget you.  Don’t be afraid and don’t worry.”  (Deuteronomy 31:8)  “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:14 KJV)  “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39 KJV)  Our faith in Him is the only appropriate response to the many truths which He has given to us.  He has given us His Name as the guarantee of supplying every need.  “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” (Proverbs 18:10)   We will always find safety when we run to Him.  Bring all your ”What if’s” to Him and lay them at His feet.  

     If.  The Bible is not silent on this word.  It is a word proclaiming possibilities, a word of promise, a word that guarantees abundant blessings to those who listen and follow Him.  

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (II Chronicles 7:14) 

“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”  (Luke 9:23) 

“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be given you.”  (John 15:7)

“If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your light will become like the noon day.  The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame.  You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.  Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations.  You will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings. “ (Isaiah 58:10-12)  

     May His Grace lead us to forsake the “If only’s,” and the  What ifs” and concentrate on the “Ifs!”   

In Christ, Richard Spann      

       

                                                   When His Answer is ‘No”

     This is something we all have experienced.  It may have been for ourselves or for a loved one.  The causes are multiple.  Perhaps there was a disability resulting from birth or an accident that occurred causing limitation of function.  Diseases of all kinds may have produced chronic suffering without any relief.  Situations with our families, our neighborhoods, or workplaces may be trying and difficult, yet they continue without any resolution.  In some cultures, those who follow Christ are shunned, persecuted, and even killed.  In each of these situations, we seek the Lord and ask for healing of our infirmities, physical protection, or alteration of the circumstances which are such a pressure to us.  Despite our continuing prayers, however, His answer to our repeated requests has been “No.” 

     His answer to me when I was 14 years of age was “No” when He took my mother to be with Him.  His answer for the healing of my wife was “No” when He gathered her into His arms and took her to heaven 2 and 1/2 years ago.  Again He answered “No” when He took my oldest daughter home to be with Him 2 years ago.  Many others have experienced His “No” during illnesses or lifelong debilitating illnesses.  Although the Lord does not give us specific reasons for why He allows His children to be in distress and disease, He does offer us some clues in His word as to why His answer is sometimes “No.”

     II Corinthians 1:3-4 is as follows.  “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”  In this passage, the Lord assures us that He comforts us in whatever situation we are in.  His purpose for doing so is that we might extend the comfort we have received from Him to others who have similar afflictions.  Everyone can provide comfort to others by praying with them and for them.  Scriptures that are shared in a wise, timely manner may also be used by the Lord to provide comfort.  The greatest degree of comfort, however, comes from those who have experienced and are experiencing what others are going through.  They have walked or are walking where others walk.  The pain they experience has been felt by them.  The depth of comfort is greater when provided by those whom the Lord has permitted to go through similar trials.  They are used by Him for His Glory in a profound way that no one else can provide.

     II Corinthians 12:7-10 is a familiar passage to many.  “To keep from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.  Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.  But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then i am strong.”   Because the Grace of the Lord was sufficient, he no longer looked to his own wisdom or abilities, instead, he celebrated in his weakness.  It was in learning compete dependence that the power  of Christ was made perfect in and through his life.  Most of us are yet to learn this lesson.  We still depend somewhat on our own efforts.  It is only as we are conscious of our weakness, perhaps through infirmity permitted by His Grace, that we learn that His Grace is sufficient, and that we can trust in His perfect control of our lives.   

     Philippians 3:10 also sheds light on a reason for suffering.  “I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.”  We all want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection, but Paul continues with this additional comment, “and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings.”   It is helpful to look at John 17:3 in order to understand the purpose of sharing in His sufferings.  It states the following, “Now this is eternal life:  that they may know you the only true God and Jesus  Christ, whom you have sent.”  Eternal life is equated with the knowledge of Christ.  The sufferings we are permitted to have enable us to know Him more deeply, increasing our appreciation of the unity we have with Him, and deepening our trust in Him. 

     II Corinthians 4:17 suggests another reason for our ongoing trials.  “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”  Here the Lord is actually saying that the very things in our lives that we are going through, the heart aches, the disappointments, the tribulations of disease and difficulties, are the very substance  which He is using to produce an eternal glory for us!  He is using the momentary sufferings to produce an eternal benefit!   None of them are wasted.  Every one has a purpose to produce eternal joy and pleasures at His Right Hand!  They, themselves, are being used by Him for His Glory and our eternal benefit.  

     Revelation 2:10 also reminds us that the Lord sets a time limit on our trials.  “Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer.  I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days.”  Only ten days!  The Lord controls every action of our enemy.  The devil is only permitted to interfere with our lives in order to accomplish the purpose of the Lord in and through us.  I also like the thought of His control of our daily struggles as expressed by Habakkuk 2:3. (Living Bible)   “But these things I plan won’t happen right away, Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled.  If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass.  Just be patient.  It will not be overdue a single day.” The relief that God has designed for each of us will not be overdue a single day!

     We also have a promise from the Lord in Daniel 3:23-25.  As Tony Evans describes this verse, “It is a promise that if the Lord does not deliver us from, He will join us in.”  “And these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.  Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, ‘Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?  They replied, ‘Certainly, O king,’  He said, ‘Look!  I see four men walking around the fire unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.’”  As stated in Deuteronomy 31:8, “The Lord Himself will go before you.  He will not leave you or forget you.  Don’t be afraid and don’t worry.”   

     The most foundational truth in the life of a Christian is the assurance that all sins have been atoned for, that they are now united with Christ through His resurrection and that He is their life.  The second most foundational truth is the sovereignty of God.  In the life of a Christian, there are no accidents, only incidents.  The words chance and coincidence should be removed from their vocabulary.  Each second of their lives is governed by His infinite knowledge, His perfect control, and His infinite love.  All hindrances to His answer to our needs are but to help His eternal purpose in some way we cannot understand.  There is always a meaning in His delay. 

We can, therefore, have full confidence in Him and His purpose in our lives as stated in Philippians 1:6.  “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

In Christ, Richard Spann  

                                                        The Longest Journey

     When we think of long journeys, our minds may go back to the Lewis and Clark expedition, or perhaps Magellan or Captain Cook.  We will most likely never take any of those journeys!

The longest journey that each of will take is not measured in miles, but rather in time.  It is the length of time that it takes information about what God has done for us in Christ to travel two feet, from our heads to our hearts.  The scriptures are clear in the information given to us, that we are one with Him, seated in Heaven, while He is one with us in our lives.  The lives we live are not lived by us, but rather by Christ. (Galatians 2:20)  We can look forward each day, not to what Christ would do, but to what He will do, in and through us.  Every sin is forgiven, the old man is crucified and buried with Him, our lives are now hid with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3-4), He abides with us and we abide with Him (John 15:4), and we are complete in Him. (Colossians 2:10)  The Apostle Paul, well into his years of ministry, expressed this realization when he stated these words in Philippians 3:12.  “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”  Paul was conscious of this journey and pressed on to close the gap between his head and his heart.

     Some of us, like Paul, are conscious of this gap and desire to close that gap by the daily appropriation of all that Christ has done for us.  Others, although aware of the gap, have grown to settle for less than they were given in Christ.  They may have made efforts in the past to change, but these attempts may have been ineffective due to self effort.  Some may have given up hope of progress, seeing little immediate change.  The enemy may have convinced them that there is no more to appropriate than what they have already experienced.  They have settled for a “mediocre” relationship with Christ which is not satisfying to them or to Christ.

Still others, although born-again by the Holy Spirit, may not be aware of all that the Lord has done for them.  They think that their current experience of being accepted by God through Christ is all they need to know and are experiencing but a small fraction of what God has made available to them.  

     Regardless of which group of the above three we find ourselves in, we can be assured of God’s promise in Philippians 1:6.  “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”  To those who need the light of His word, He will instruct them.  To those who need hope for the journey, He will supply hope.  To those who earnestly desire, like Paul, to have the daily experience of seeing Christ be manifested fully in their lives, He brings the encouragement that it will come to pass in His time.  We may grow impatient, however, wanting to speed up the Lord’s process.  We forget that He works from eternity and for eternity.  This is His process and we cannot speed it up.  The Holy Spirit uses the means of Grace, which include the written word, prayer, and fellowship with other believers to accomplish His work.  He also uses circumstances in our lives to produce the transformation of our lives.  As we set our hearts to follow Him and seek the experiential oneness with Him, we are prone to suffer discouragement because of the slowness of change which we experience.  Habakkuk 2:3, however, reminds us of God’s promise.  “But these things I plan won’t happen right away.  Slowly, steadily, surely the time approaches for the vision to be fulfilled.  It it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass.  Just be patient.  They will not be overdue a single day.” 

     Although we are not able to speed up the work of God in our lives we have the capacity to slow it down. The Holy Spirit’s use of the word, prayer and fellowship with others is dependent upon availing ourselves of these means of Grace.  They are the Lord’s chosen methods of instruction about all we have in Christ and our neglect of them hinders His work.  As Dallas Willard once remarked, “God is not opposed to effort, He is opposed to earning.” 

Our maximum growth can be attained in experiencing oneness with Christ by fully availing ourselves of the means of Grace:  memorizing, meditating, reading, hearing, and studying the word of God, along with prayer and fellowship with other believers.  

     It is not only the exposure to the means of Grace that is important.  The critical element in our growth is our response to the means of Grace!  Paul describes the response needed in the following passage.  “All of us who are mature should take such a view of things.  And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.  Only let us live up to what we have already attained.”  (Philippians 3:15-16)  If we are to appropriate fully our oneness with Christ, we need to live up by faith to what we have attained by God’s Grace in Christ.  We need to, by faith, appropriate what has already been attained for us by the Cross, Resurrection and the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Belief, as referred to in the scriptures, is always accompanied by the Greek word, “eis,” which refers to an action that accompanies belief.  This indicates that faith is not intellectual understanding only, but it involves activity. It is a response to truth, an application of understanding received, and progress made by an accompanying effect on our lives.  The faith that lays hold upon all that we have been granted in Christ is described well in the five following statements by G. Campbell Morgan.   

     The faith that saves is the answer of the will to the truth of which the reason is convinced.  

     Faith is the handing over of the life to the claim of truth.

     That belief saves which compels the surrender of the whole life to the conviction of truth. 

     The following of light is the faith that saves a man.  

     Unbelief is the refusal to obey that truth of which I am convinced intellectually.  

     If we apply this type of faith to our continued exposure to His means of Grace, we will be able to claim His promise to the Psalmist in Psalm 138:8.  “The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever-do not abandon the works of your hands.”   We can rest assured that the journey from our head to our heart will not prolonged, not even by one day!     

In Christ, Richard Spann 

                                          

                                           Shrewd as Snakes, Innocent as Doves

     Have you ever heard a sermon about snakes, or read a book entitled “The Pursuit of Shrewdness?”  Both snakes and shrewdness seem foreign to our concept of what we are called to do, yet our Lord specifically told us that this is what we needed to be!  When we think of the word shrewd, our minds turn to “cunning” or “craftiness.”  The Greek word, translated as “shrewd,” is “phronimus,” and means “prudent,” “sensible,” and “using practical wisdom in relationships with others.”  When Jesus sent the twelve out to unbelievers, He gave them these instructions.  “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves.  Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” (Matthew 10:16)  To be as shrewd as snakes, (Their relationship with the lost), is persuasion of the Gospel.  To be as innocent as doves, (Their relationship with the Lord), is the affirmation of the Gospel.  Both of these are needed.  Much thought and writing has gone into the “innocent as doves” part of His command.  Comparatively little effort has been given to “using practical wisdom in relationships with others.”  The wolves deride and accuse the lambs if they are not proved to be genuine in their relationship with the Lord.  Likewise, the wolves will defend and barricade themselves against the truth if prudence and practical wisdom are not employed in our efforts to reach them with the Gospel.    

     Ephesians 4:15 tells us that we should be “speaking the truth in love.”  I Peter 3:15 also directs us in our relationship with others as follows.  “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.  Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.  But do this with gentleness and respect.”  The lack of wisdom (Matthew 10:16), love (Ephesians 4:15), and gentleness and respect (I Peter 3:15), has helped produce a culture with the following views of the Evangelical Christian.

 

Phony	Pushy	Manipulative
Politically Conservative	Socially Conservative	Intolerant
Know-it-all	Out of touch	Out of date
No sense of humor

    Not only are Christians viewed in this regard but the following societal attitudes themselves have become an obstacle to the Gospel.

Resistance to Persuasion	High value on  tolerance	Deeply imbedded skepticism
Insistence on privacy	Commitment to diversity	Relativistic view of truth

(Tim Downs, Finding Common Ground, Moody Press, 1999, pg 115, 120)

     If we are to penetrate these societal attitudes and antipathy toward Christians, it is critical that we learn to be prudent, sensible, and use practical wisdom in our relationships with others.  The first place in which we find practical wisdom in relationship with others is found in the life of the Lord.  We need to learn to see with His eyes, and have our hearts touched with His compassion for others. (Matthew 9:36)  Lorne Sanny described this as “Freely accepting  them and seeking their good.”  The first individual in the state of Kansas with what was to be later known as AIDS was one of my patients.  I needed to learn to see Him as the Lord saw him and respond with the compassion of the Lord in my relationship with him.  The Lord desired that I freely accept him and seek his good.  His ultimate good, in the eyes of the Lord, was to come to know Jesus as his Savior, which he did before the Lord took him home. 

     The book of James also counsels us on practical wisdom. “My dear brothers, take note of this:  Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.”   (James 1:19)  I visited with a returning Navigator missionary to Japan several years ago.  I asked him how he managed to gain a hearing in such a diverse culture.  His answer was straight forward.  “All I did was to listen.”   He also used wisdom as he listened to people.  It enabled him to know whether it was a time to sow, or a time to reap.  In foreign cultures, as well as in our current culture in America, significant effort needs to be made in sowing before there is a harvest.  In fact, the soil is not even ready for sowing in the lives of many people today.  World views, a lack of a correct concept of truth and other cultural issues need to be changed before the seed can even be planted.  The following list from Finding Common Ground describes the importance of sowing before we can expect a harvest.  

The Harvester focuses on:	While the Sower focuses on:
The end result	Preparing the way
Proclamation	Persuasion
Immediate Results	Gradual Change
Individual Effort	Team Impact
Points of disagreement	Common Ground
Answers	Questions
Justice	Love
Courage	Wisdom
Innocence	Shrewdness

     To sow, the sower needs to cultivate, to plant, and to nurture.  Tim Downs states that a sower’s first job is to cultivate the soil-“to work in the listener’s life to create an atmosphere where belief is at least possible.”  Planting is best done by questions for four reasons.  

       1) Questions are non-threatening.

       2) Questions communicate humility.

       3) Questions allow listeners to discover truth for themselves. 

       4) Questions demand return questions.  

Good Questions are as follows:

       1) Questions about the listener’s background. 

       2) Questions asking the listener’s opinion or advice. 

       3) Questions that involve the listener’s imagination.  

       4) Questions that ask for the listener’s emotions.  

Tim Downs, Finding Common Ground, Moody Press 1999, Pg  102, 129-132.   

Nurturing involves watering the garden, pruning and caring for the vine and tending the soil  This requires much prayer, perseverance and patience.  Jesus tells his disciples the following in John 4:38.  “I sent you to reap what you have not worked for.  Others have done the hard work and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”  Our culture is one in which hard work is necessary.  The three hallmarks of this work include freely accepting them, listening, and asking questions. Although some reaping is present, it is growing less with each passing year.  Unless we sow there will be no harvest for the future!  It is my prayer that the Lord will enable you to be “prudent, sensible, and use practical wisdom with others” so that His harvest will continue!  

In Christ, Richard Spann

                                     

     

     

                                                                 SIN

     Sin is a topic that our culture disregards, although it is the root cause of the deterioration of the culture in which we live.  Those with spiritual awareness are familiar with the theological definition of sin as “missing the mark.”  In the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord used a word in Aramaic for sin which includes both sins of offense, (Trespasses) and sins of neglecting to do what we ought to do. (Debts) (James 4:17)  Romans 4:23 adds another to the list.  “Everything that does not come from faith is sin.”  The following comments from a devotional entitled “New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp characterize the personal aspects of sin.  

    “I wish I could say that sin always appears horribly ugly and destructive to me, but it doesn’t.  I wish I could say that all the time and in every way I hate what God hates, but I don’t.  I wish I could say that I always love to do what is right, but I don’t.  I wish I could say that I never think that my way is better than God’s way, but I can’t.  I wish my heart were forever settled with staying inside God’s boundaries, but it isn’t.  I wish I could say that my war with sin is over, but it’s not.

     Here’s the danger for me and for you: sin doesn’t always look sinful to us.  It’s hard to admit it, but sometimes sin actually looks beautiful to us.  The man lusting after the woman in the mall doesn’t actually see something ugly and dangerous.  No, he sees beauty.  The guy who is cheating on his taxes doesn’t see the moral danger of deception.  He sees the excitement of having additional money to satisfy his desires.  The woman gossiping on the phone doesn’t see the destructiveness of what she’s doing because she is taken up with the buzz of passing a tale.  The child who is rebelling against the will of her parents doesn’t see the danger that she’s placing herself in because she is captivated by the thrill of her temporary independence.  Part of the deceptive power of sin in my heart is its ability to look beautiful when it is actually terribly ugly.” Paul David Tripp, New Morning Mercies, Crossway, 2014, December 20.  

     The most direct definition of sin, however, comes from I John 3:4.  “Sin is lawlessness.”  A fuller definition of lawlessness and its effects are supplied by G. Campbell Morgan.  “Sin is not a thing to be pitied.  It is a thing to be smitten, to be punished.  Its punishment lies in the line of its own activity.  If a man will turn away he turns to death, for mark the last word of James, The sin, when it is full-grown, bringeth forth death.  The man who is indeed alive, desires fulness of life, vision, sense of God and turns to find fulfillment for these things in the evil and pernicious ways of ungodliness, is not after God, he is attempting to get round God and win something which his nature wants without God, and he never succeeds.  This is sin, not merely against himself, not merely against the community, but against the cosmic order.  Sin as the willful choice of wrong is not a part of God’s cosmic process.  It is rebellion.  It is treason,  It is chaos.  Let every man who feels allurement to satisfy desire apart from the way of God know this, that when he turns in answer to it to the house of evil, to the method of wrong, he is not after God, but lifting the fist of rebellion in the face of God.  There can be but one issue for all such high treason, and that is the nemesis and the ruin of alienation from God and the consequent cutting off of the possibility of all that man most seeks after.” G. Campbell Morgan, The Westminster Pulpit, Baker Book House, 1954-1955, Vol. 2, Page 73.           

     In view of the severity of sin and its effects on us and our relationship with God, it is critical that we look at sin carefully to understand its development in our lives.  What is the genesis of sin?  What are the methods of the enemy?  What thought patterns lead to sin in our lives?  For  these answers we will look to the book of James and to the book of Genesis.   

      Sin is the answer to the suggestion that I break law to satisfy desire.  The desire is not wrong.  The temptation to satisfy that desire outside the will of God is not wrong.  James describes the process in these following verses.  “But each is one is tempted, when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.  Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death.” (James1:14-15)  G. Campbell Morgan has these comments on this passage.  “‘Dragged away’ is a hunting figure, and the word means seduced from safety into snares.  The next word, ‘enticed,’ is a fishing figure, and includes the thought of a bait held out.  The thought of the word enticed is ‘seduced by a fancied advantage.’  There is desire.  Here is a suggestion that I shall satisfy that desire by being drawn away from the straight line I see in front of me.  I am enticed by the bait that offers me immediate realization of the thing I am after.  The desire is right; the peril is that I am asked to satisfy proper desire by breaking law.  The temptation itself is not sin.  When the will within us decides to turn from the life of rectitude, take the suggestion, lay hold upon it, seize it, and capture it, then the act is committed.  That is sin.  When I seize the bait, the hidden hook seizes me.  The hook is not sin. The hook is the penalty, the first pang of hell.  The sin is the deliberate choice of the will and the determined act by which I turn aside to answer, not my desire, but the allurement to the fulfillment of desire in an improper way.  A man wins when he says, ‘Desire is perfectly right.  It is right that I should desire vision and life at it fullest, but I must find these things along the line of law.’”  G. Campbell Morgan, The Westminster Pulpit, Baker Book House, 1954-1955, Vol. 2, Page 72.       

     In the book of Genesis, we are also given insight into the method of the enemy.  “The method of the enemy was full of all subtlety.  He first asked a question which was calculated to create the sense of restricted liberty, and so cast an aspersion on the goodness of God.  Whereas the limitation in the purpose of God was wholly beneficent, and intended to hold man within the only sphere in which he could make progress towards the largest and fullest possibility of his being; the enemy suggested that it was imposed by a desire on the part of God to keep man from progress and enlargement of capacity.  Thus it is seen that at the back of the method of the devil is an aspersion cast upon the character of God.  Man was made to question the goodness of law.  By this declaration he created in the mind of man a question as to the goodness of the God who had made the law, and thus imperiled the relation of the will to God, as he called it into a place of activity outside, and contrary to, the will of God.  When man, listening to his suggestion of evil, asserted his will, it was upon the basis of a doubt of the Divine Love, which he had allowed himself to entertain.”  G. Campbell Morgan, The Crises of the Christ, Baker Book House, 1954-1955, Vol 2, Pg 14, 20.  To allow myself to entertain, then, a doubt of the Divine Love is to initiate a pathway which leads to sin.  

     One of the statements of G. Campbell Morgan that he makes in the the above book is that “To know God is to know Love, to know Love is to love.”  It naturally follows, then, that the best way to guard our lives against doubting the love of God is to deepen our relationship with Him.  Hosea 6:3 states the following about the knowledge of God. “So let us know, let us press on to know the Lord.  His going forth is as certain as the dawn, and He will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain watering the earth.” (NASB)  This verse speaks of the certainty and of the abundance of the Lord’s provision for us.  The word “press” implies that effort will be required and that there will be opposition to that effort.  As we press toward that knowledge, we will become aware that each step we take is governed by His Infinite Light and His Infinite Love.  As we draw near to Him, our doubts of His Love will diminish and our wills will increasingly become one with His.  It is my prayer that the Lord will lead you into further comprehension of the methods of the enemy and enable you to be triumphant over sin by the supply of His Gracel  

In Christ, Richard Spann          

                                                    The Great Commission

     When we think of the Great Commission, our minds automatically go to Matthew 28:18-20.  One of the speakers at the Navigator conference in Glen Eyrie reminded us years ago that it was only one of five times that the Great Commission was given.  In each situation there was a different emphasis to be considered.  It was the last command, and in each of these five instances, it was only given to the eleven apostles.  The reason for this is that only a disciple is able to make another disciple.  In Matthew 28:18-20, we see the substance of the Great Commission.  In Mark 16:15, we see the scope of the Great Commission.  In Luke 24:46-47 we see how it is to be accomplished.  In John 20:19-21, we see the cost involved in proclaiming the Gospel and in Acts 1:8, we see the strategy of the Great Commission.

     The substance of the Great Commission has been extensively studied in Matthew 28:18-20.  The main verb is to “make disciples,” and there are three participles to this command.  “Go,” or “as you go,” “bring them into identification with Christ” {Baptize them into Christ), and “teach them to obey everything that I commanded you.”  All three of these are important.  Wherever we are, whatever we do, we are to allow the invisible Christ to be made visible in our lives.  “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him.” (II Corinthians 2:14)  This part of the Great Commission will require time, prayer, and much cultivation in preparation for the planting.  The sowing is usually a gradual process involving patience, prayer and perseverance.  Following regeneration in Christ, the third aspect of making disciples must not be neglected, which is transformation into Christ likeness.  “We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.” (Colossians 1:28) 

     In Mark 16:15, we find the scope of the Great Commission.  “He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.’” The focus on “all creation” reminds us that there is no one who is outside the reach of His Grace.  Not only your neighbors, but the immigrants, the homeless, and those in prison must be a recipient of our prayers, compassion, and communication.  God has called some to travel, to translate languages, and to penetrate different parts of the world with His message of salvation  It is incumbent upon those He has not called to this particular mission, however, to give themselves to prayer and financial support to these efforts  “Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.  Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’”  (Matthew 9:37-38)  As we stand before Him in Glory, He is going to have an interest in our faithfulness to his command to pray for, and to support these laborers.

     Luke 24:46-47 tells us how the Great Commission is to be accomplished.  “He told them,       ‘This is what is written:  The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.’”  The preaching is to include the need for repentance, a “changing of the mind,” as well as forgiveness in His name.  In our eagerness to have others receive Christ, repentance may be easily bypassed resulting in “a decision” for Christ but without regeneration.  The first word that Jesus spoke when He began to preach was “repent.”  “From that time on Jesus began to preach ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.’” (Matthew 4:17)  Those who heard Peter’s sermon on the day Pentecost asked “Brothers, what shall we do?, Peter replied,’Repent and be baptized, everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.  And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:37b) 

     In John 20:19-21, we are given a visual demonstration of the cost involved in sharing the Great Commission.  “On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’  After he said this he showed them his hands and side.  The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.  Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you!’  As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’”  His wounds were a visible testimony of the cost that would be involved.  As He was sent into a hostile world which crucified Him, we are also being sent.  In John 15:20, Our Lord said the following words to them.  ”Remember the words I spoke to you!  No servant is greater than his master.  If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.  If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.”  He also gave them his promise in John 16:33.  “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world.” 

     The strategy of the Great Commission is given to us in Acts 1:8.  “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  The strategy is first and foremost dependence upon the Holy Spirit to live the life of Christ in us, to direct, empower and accomplish His work through us.  It cannot be accomplished otherwise.  To allow this to take place, we must be ever attentive to not grieve the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30), to quench not the Spirit (I Thessalonians 5:19), to be filled (Be being continually controlled with the Spirit)(Ephesians 5:18), and to be led by the Spirit. (Galatians 5:18)   

     The Lord, on five separate occasions, gave the Great Commission to these eleven men.  It was only until the coming of the Holy Spirit ten days later that they received His life anew and were enabled to obey His last and greatest command.  Our relationship with and dependence upon the Holy Spirit is vital to accomplishing anything the Lord has for us to do.  It is my prayer that the Holy Spirit will lead you into a life that fully reflects our Savior and accomplishes His work in and through your life.  

In Christ, Richard Spann                

     

                                                Exceeding Abundantly Above

     These three adverbs are only vaguely familiar to those who have not read the King James Bible recently.  They describe something that is not only above, but abundantly above.  It is not only abundantly above, but it even exceeds that!  Our imaginations find it hard to go anywhere to that degree of description, but it is one of God’s promises to us.  It is found in Ephesians 3:20.  “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.”  It is the perfect description of how the Lord answers our prayers.  A striking illustration of this is found in the prophecy of Zechariah in Luke 1:67-79.  His words were a request, a prayer that God would fulfill the oath He swore to Abraham.  One of his requests is found in verses 74 and 75.  “That he would grant unto us, that we, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness all the days of our life.”

     Zechariah’s prayer included a past, (freedom from enemies), a present (serving Him without fear), and a future (in holiness and righteousness before him, all days of our life).  He had only a dim concept of that for which he was asking.  It is probable that Zechariah was thinking only of the Romans who occupied Israel at that time.  He, no doubt, regarded fear as being produced by the extreme circumstances in which he lived and hoped to be free from that oppression.  The holiness and righteousness of which he spoke were likely due only to the daily cleansing of the temple rituals.  God’s answer to his prayer was exceedingly abundantly above all that he asked and was able to think.  

     The Lord’s answer to the prayer that Zechariah would be free from his enemies did not involve Rome.  The Lord knew what Zechariah did not know, that his true enemies were the world, the flesh and the devil.  The Lord’s answer included freedom from all three.  Galatians 6:14 states that freedom from the world and the flesh is obtained by the cross.  “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world.”  By the cross, we have been given these freedoms.  We are enabled, then, by His power, to deny self (Luke 9:23), and love not the world. (I John 2:15-16)  I John 3:8 tells us further that the Lord came to destroy the devil’s work.  

     The fear that Zechariah wanted to be delivered from was not only of temporal origin.  Their system of worship, derived from the old covenant, was one which produced a fear, as Moses described in Hebrews 12:21.  “The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, ‘I am trembling with fear.’”  In contrast to the fear produced by the old covenant, the new covenant contains this promise in I John 4:18. (Living Bible)   “We need have no fear of someone who loves us perfectly; his perfect love for us eliminates all dread of what he might do to us.  If we are afraid, it is for fear of what he might do to us, and shows that we are not fully convinced that he really loves us.”  

     Zechariah’s longing to experience holiness and righteousness all the days of his life was dependent solely upon the duties of the priest.  Hebrews 10:11 relates that “Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.”  Hebrews 10:1b has this comment about the law.  “For this reason it can never by the same sacrifice repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship.”  It was impossible for him to conceive that the provision of the Lord was so exceeding abundantly above his concept of holiness and righteousness that it would involve oneness with Christ Himself!  “It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God-that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.”  (I Corinthians 1:30)

     Zechariah’s prayer was based upon his limited temporal understanding of God’s plans for Israel.  God’s answer was based upon His eternal plans for mankind before the foundation of the world.  Zechariah’s prayer was based upon his own knowledge of what was needed.  God’s answer was based upon His perfect knowledge, complete authority, and infinite love.  In our prayers to God, we sometimes struggle with the correct terminology to describe what we are asking Him to do.  We cannot see the future.  We don’t even know, at times, what is best for ourselves and others.  Our prayers cannot begin to address the immense needs in the countries and cultures of the world whose problems are beyond our understanding.  We can be encouraged, however, by the prayer of Zechariah.  He was faithful to pray and to ask to the degree of which he was able.  His faithfulness was answered in ways that he was not able to comprehend.  It is the same with our prayers.  We need only to bring our requests to Him.  We see through a glass darkly but He does not.  He answers according to His wisdom, not ours.  His answer embraces the eternal, not just the temporal.  We are able to pray Ephesians 3:20 with confidence, knowing that His answers are, indeed, exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or think.   

In Christ, Richard Spann              

        

                  

                                                       Releasing Control

     In the book of Jeremiah, we find the following statement from God.  “My people have committed two sins. They have forsaken me, the spring of living water and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.”  (Jeremiah 2:13)  Paul David Tripp states that these two sins of mankind are autonomy and self-sufficiency.  Autonomy is saying to God that “I am responsible to no one.  I have a right to rule my own life.”  In the words of A.W. Tozer,  “He challenges God’s selfhood in relation to his own.  In all else he may willingly accept the sovereignty of God; in his own life he rejects it.  For him, God’s dominion ends where his begins.  For him, self becomes Self and in this he unconsciously imitates Lucifer, that fallen son of the morning who said in his heart, ‘I will exalt my throne above the stars of God….I will be like the Most High.’”  A.W. Tozer. The Knowledge of the Holy, Harper and Row, 1961 Pg 36.

     The second of these two sins is Self sufficiency.  It is to say to God and ourselves that we are adequate to control ourselves and our environment so that all of our needs will be met.  Indeed, our very schooling and culture endeavors to teach and affirm to us that such is the case.  If we only had the right education and the opportunities, our efforts would lead to success.  We multiply efforts, change jobs, attend special seminars, move to new locations, and try new investments.  All of the above can be exhausting and lead to anxiety, depression, and damaged relationships.  The more we try to control our own lives and the environment around us, the more anxious and depressed we may become. Those who are apparently successful in control of their lives may be the most prone to experience problems.  If we assume control of our own lives we become focused upon ourselves, on others, and on our circumstances.  Such was the case with a man named Asaph.  

     In Psalm 73, Asaph describes his plight in these words.  “But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold, for I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.” (Psalm 73:2-3)  In this statement he reveals his own effort to be self sufficient and finds that he compares unfavorably with others.  Because of his inability to control and manage his life with his own efforts he concludes the following in verse thirteen.  “Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence.” He admitted failure in his effort to control his surroundings and his own life in order to produce the satisfaction he desired.  The recognition that one is not able to control their own life to their own satisfaction is the first step toward relinquishing control of one’s life. 

     The second step is to recognize that there is Someone who is abundantly able to guard, to control, and to fulfill that which is best for our lives.  He is the only One who knows us perfectly, who has designed us with an eternal purpose, and who is aware of our past, present, and future.  He alone knows what each day will bring, because he has written it in His book before the beginning of time. (Psalm 139:16)  Deuteronomy 31:8 tells us that “The Lord Himself will go before you. He will be with you.  He will not leave you or forget you.  Don’t be afraid and don’t worry.”  It is when we are most aware of our need that we can be assured of His care.   Job was a man who was under duress of a degree which few have experienced except the Lord Jesus.  His torment was unexplained to him.  All his friends but three deserted him, and they accused him.  Yet, even in his worst moments he realized the truth of God’s control of his life.  “But if I go to the east, he is not there; if I go to the west, I do not find him.  When He is at work in the north, I do not see him; when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him.  But he knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” (Job 23:8-10)

     The truth is that it is impossible to escape the fact that the Lord has complete knowledge  (El Roi-the God who sees), complete control (El Elyon ), and is the One who pours forth spiritual and temporal blessings on our lives. (El Shaddai)  This knowledge should produce a trust in the Lord as to His infinite love and perfect control of our lives.  Such a One as this is the One who created each of us for His glory and will prepare us to share His Glory for eternity.  Knowing these truths intellectually, and living in the power of them, however, are two different things.  If we are convinced that He is able to control our lives and that He is the only One able to do this, then why don’t we trust Him to do it? 

     In his book, Disciples are Made, not Born, Walt Henrichsen states that both God and mankind want the same thing, namely, what is best for mankind.  The problem is that mankind wills one path, while God wills another path.  It is, ultimately, our will that stands in the way of relinquishing control. It is only in relinquishing that control that we are able to enter the path that God has chosen for us.  In His will and in His path there is to be found the security and significance which our hearts desire.  Ray Stedman once commented that to ask in God’s will meant three things. 1) What God wants.  2) Dependence on Him to do it.  3) Dependence on His process to do it.  If we are to release control of our lives and rest in Him, it will come from trusting Him for these same three things in our lives. Firstly, what God wants is that the Lord Jesus be manifested in our lives each moment of every day.  We are united with Him for that purpose.  Paul states in Galatians 2:20.  “I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me:  and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (KJV)  It is God’s will that the invisible Christ is made visible in our lives each moment of every day. 

     Secondly, we are dependent fully upon the work of the Holy Spirit to manifest the risen Christ.  As the Lord Himself depended fully upon the Holy Spirit to manifest the Father through His life, we are to depend moment by moment for the Holy Spirit to manifest the life of Christ.  Indeed, He tells us this in John 17:18.  “As you sent me into the world I have sent them into the world.”  

     Lastly, to be controlled by Him, we are dependent upon his process to accomplish his will.   This process is described in II Corinthians 4:10-11.  “We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.  For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body.”  This process provides opportunities to depend upon His power to manifest His presence.  The circumstances that come our way each day are orchestrated by our Heavenly Father for one purpose, that the risen Christ may be made visible in and through our lives.  The response that we make to each event in our lives is made in dependence upon the Holy Spirit with one end in mind, that Jesus would be made visible and the Father would be glorified.  Some of these situations in which we find ourselves are pleasant, and we are thankful for them.  Others seem to have no meaning or purpose at all.  Still others represent difficulties for which there is no explanation.  Some, however, we can see in retrospect have represented situations in which the Lord clearly wanted to manifest Himself.  Such an event was described by Jim Peterson in his book, Living Proof.    

     While in Brazil, he had labored for months with one man, sharing the Bible at length, exposing him to different people, various authors, meetings and requiring much prayer.  When he at last confessed that he had trusted Christ, Jim asked him what the key event was that had convinced him. He asked about various talks, conversations, scripture references, etc.  His friend looked at him and said, “No, none of those things.”  “Then what was it?,” asked Jim.  His friend said that one evening Jim’s family was in an uproar during the Bible study and they could hardly concentrate on the topic.  His wife was in tears and Jim calmly went over to her, held her and spoke words of comfort to her.  His friend then said that his response to that trying situation was what convinced him of the reality of the message that Jim had been teaching him.  He then said “That was the kind of life that I needed, and your faith in Christ is what I wanted in my life.”    

     We were created by the Lord to be controlled by Him.  As J.I. Packer once commented,  “When we stand before Him in glory, we will then see that nothing that was needed for our perfection in Him was omitted.  We will also see that nothing was permitted that was not necessary to complete His work in us.”  As we release the control of our lives to Him, we enter into a security and significance from Him and with Him that glorifies Him and will prepare us for our role in His eternal Kingdom.  May the Lord direct you in His will, by His power, and through His process to accomplish His work through your life.     

In Christ,  Richard Spann