You

For Christians, it is of utmost importance to preach the Gospel. To let the world know that the free gift of salvation is available to all who will believe on Christ and His virgin birth, perfect life and atoning death.
Another like passion is discipleship – to help believers humbly yield, embracing the Holy Spirit’s transformative process of sanctification, growing in righteousness.

Matthew 7:21 is the verse that causes me the most grief in that as it underscores the fruit of a believer, it also upstages the personality of a God who watches. Saying Christ, but not being Christlike is dangerously regrettable.

Often, we can become stagnant, wondering what God’s will is for our lives. I do believe that God can, and often does have distinct specifics for our lives but there’s also SO much in the Bible that we can, and should be doing as we wait for that special word from ‘on High’.
We must remember: Our actions don’t purchase our salvation, they prove it and being near Christ is no substitution for being IN Christ. Looking through the Bible, you can easily fill your current season with things God tells us to do.

You endure hardship as a good soldier of Christ.
You hold fast to the Giver of the words of eternal life.
By God’s Holy Spirit, You keep continuing, being filled.
You reverence the fact the He Is God. Be still.

You give all diligence to add to your faith.
You purpose not just to run, but to win this race.
You do unto others as you would have done to you.
You hold to the words of the Faithful and True.

You be kindly affectioned, showing brotherly love.
You seek after wisdom that comes down from above.
You make sure you don’t cause your brother to stumble.
God resists the proud. Make sure that You stay humble.

You walk by faith and not by sight.
You yield to God’s Spirit - not your power or might.
You be unmovable. You be steadfast.
You reach for the things before, leaving behind the past.

Make sure you’re the whosover that shall believe.
Make sure it’s not in vain, the grace you receive.
Be serious about You being reconciled to God.
With the Gospel of peace, your feet need be shod.

You avoid evil motives, overcome evil with good.
If you have a hungry enemy, you give him some food.
You rejoice in hope and continue instant in prayer.
You be heavenly minded, and store your treasure there.

You study God’s Word, to show yourself approved.
You develop this fortitude - “I shall not be moved”.
You work out your salvation with trembling and fear.
Seek the Lord while He may be found, call while He’s near.

you show the same diligence, secure hope to the end.
You make sure to sharpen the countenance of friends.

Because of His commission, not to earn salvation,
You go be a witness for Him to all nations.
He’s given you power for what He asks you to do.
And in everything, Give thanks. This is God’s will for you.

In Him,
Cros

Judging Jesus

If you were to rate the subject matter of conversations between ‘the church’ and ‘the world’, I think you’d be hard pressed to find a more prominent topic than “judging”. This assessment is not about placing blame, just about looking at the situation realistically. The world resists being viewed in light of the standard of Scripture.

What exactly is the negative connotation associated with judging? Let’s clarify what it is we’re talking about.
It's about the perception: We don’t see “judgement“ as some harmless assessment of a person or situation. We see it as degrading or marginalizing in the sense that we’re intentionally looking at a person inaccurately, and therefore purposefully looking to see them as worse than what they are. To judge someone is to “lessen” them unfairly.
However, when you break it down and think of what it is that’s so negative about judging, many of us are guilty of doing just that.
How does The Word of God present Jesus?

Here’s The Word:

Mark 8:29(a) And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

Matthew 10:34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.

Matthew 10:37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

Colossians 2:9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

The last verse says that everything that’s in God, The Father - is also in The Son. Everything the Father loves and Hates – Jesus loves and hates. Seeing that we already have God’s Word and its accurate picture of Jesus, how is it that we disregard such an assessment and apply our own perception (or perspective) unfairly? Because of our own desires or ideas of ‘fairness’ or blessing or right standing, or a misconstrued value of works, we automatically assume that we have Jesus’ stamp of approval.

I don’t believe that there is anything more dangerous than this.

For most of us, we don't much mind if someone sees us "better" than we really are, but even this has a way of taking a turn. Think about how desirable it is to be perceived as kind, then think about how we feel when someone is obviously mistaking our kindness for weakness. What if Jesus feels this way?

We judge, and progressively, misjudge Jesus when we make much of only the ‘likable’ aspects of His character:
  - His compassion
  - His sacrifice
  - His dedication to our Perfection
  - His promises of Abundant Life
  - His tolerance for the destitute

Yet, we negate who He is when we deny other aspects of His character:
  - His confrontational side
  - His contempt for those who deceive
  - His exclusivity as the ONLY way
  - His disdain for “lukewarm”
  - The severity and totality of His Wrath at the end of the age.

We value His presence when we’re feeling empowered, but question His love and distance when we feel empty.
The Bible talks about both power as well as purging– why would we expect only one, and not the other? Why would we try and preach a Jesus that loves, yet shy away from His disciplinarian side?
All of this is simply to bring to light the fact that we really do need much in the way of refinement. And thanks be to God that we have a Savior Whose blood has purchased us. And not only that: We have a Lord and He’s committed to changing more about us than we often realize. I pray that God open our eyes to Truth. That we would see Jesus rightly and trust ourselves totally to His care, not just to judge Him on what seems most convenient to us.

In Him,
Cros

nonsequitur

Here’s something a little different.
It's a thread from an online conversation I was involved in about a criminal being put to death. I don’t get into arguments, but I also don’t shy away from engaging. Initially, it can be hard to get used to sticking it out in these sort of conversations as people are obviously trying to belittle or upset you with provoking words, but over time, it does get easier and you appreciate it for what it is. A tool for growth.

So this is my initial comment about the story -
As much as people tend to discount and discredit The Bible, it's the only religious book that has accurately described the depraved heart of man and its general worsening as time goes on. Yes, the Romans were horrible, but they, like the Huns, Hitler and other "Power Play" political groups, were all simply exacting their rule - what we're seeing now is 'the common man" …and it's quite disheartening.

Someone responded with –
Every religion, every god is a fabrication to control the masses. I doubt there are really that many gods to suit everyone's belief. Go team Agnostic. If less people cared about living for something else, they might learn to get along better.

So I say –
Yep, all the way up until the day of reckoning.

Then, they say –
Oh cute, is that a threat. Because you believe what you believe for the reward at the end. cute. My cats follow me around because I feed them. Did you really think I was going to go tattoo a cross on my neck because you threatened me? Day of Reckoning? Really, you in charge of enforcing that now. So funny.

So I say –
Why would it have to be a threat?....AT ALL. If I say that driving fast is SUPER fun...until you get a speeding ticket or worse...a suspended license for reckless driving, does that automatically make it a threat? That’s a common use of "non-sequitur" logic (which basically refers to a statement that supports an illogical conclusion). Some people really do have good arguments, but you'd be surprised how uncommon it is. You'd be surprised at the number of arguments based on logical fallacies that are easily exposed.

I encourage Christians to engage in dialogue with our culture and the Internet is rich with opportunity. It’s like the gym; go, work out, lift what you can handle and when it gets too hard, walk away. Simple.
But it helps shape and firm up the foundations of our belief and helps us to get better at vocalizing it in the face of more common misconceptions. The more you involve yourself in the intricacies of how people rationalize their belief system, you’ll see just how valid the following quote is.

Few persons care to study logic, because everybody conceives himself to be proficient enough in the art of reasoning already. But I observe that this satisfaction is limited to one's own ratiocination and does not extend to that of other men. ~ Charles Sanders Peirce

Here’s The Word:

Proverbs 26:16 The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason.

Hebrews 5:14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

We're not to threaten anyone, but according to Colossians 1:28, we DO warn people as we preach Christ.
The 17th chapter Acts talks about Paul's engagements in dialogue with people; discussions and persuasion. First, I encourage that you consider your own thought processes and be honest about exposing your own logical fallacies. Then, to be about building the ability to stand soundly and consistently on God's Word.
And finally, to seek opportunity to engage the culture as a strengthening and refining of your faith and its verbal expression.

In Him,
Cros

Investigate

Ever seen one of those “Bible referral” things? Here’s an example.


For us as Christians, the Bible fulfills many varied roles in our lives. It’s a worship book. It’s the Law of Liberty where we hold ourselves up to The Light, It’s Marriage counseling, Child-rearing 101, Money management and the like and it exposes the intricacies of human tendencies better than our best psychoanalyst. If it pertains to life, God’s Word has it for us. As we learn, grow and become skilled at handling such a remarkable resource, God’s Word is also an investigative resource and it gives us a clear command to Investigate.

Here’s The Word;

1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

1 Thessalonians 5:21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

Revelation 2:2(b) …and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:

The logic of much of our lives is linear. It starts at a point and as it moves forward, it proves what it is. Like making a cake, you start with instructions and ingredients and in a particular order and particular quantities, things are combined and subjected to methods that produce….Viola! Cake. But what if someone set 3 cakes before you and told you that 2 of them are poisoned and only one is genuine yummy goodness. What would you do (other than disregard the situation altogether….that’s not an option here)? We didn’t see the cakes being made and we don’t know who made them. Sometimes we don't get the source first and move logically forward from there. Sometimes we stumble upon the evidence first and have to work our way back to discover the source.

This is where we need to realize how important it is that we have a good understanding of testing. First thing to realize is that since God Himself requires it, He’s also given us all that we need to become good testers, and He uses situations to help us get better at it. Another thing to realize is the impressive ability of our enemy, he’s a master deceiver and unless we’re capable and carful investigators, we’ll all fall victim to poisoned cake. My last point, although I’m sure there are many others, is that being a good investigator provides way more benefits than simply identifying (and choosing) good over bad.

Here’s The Word:

2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Since it’s obviously pertinent, as a test – let’s look at this verse forensically.
If we walked in on the “shame” of someone’s walk habitually being misled, what could we surmise? Of course, there may be more going on, but the easy things we can put into right alignment is helping someone study The Scriptures better and to DO what they learned that hopefully their life would show more ‘favor’ or approval with God. 2 Peter 3:16 -18 talks about the benefits of steadfastness when we study The Word.
When we’re serious about our studying, we will also employ the same critical observation, careful investigation and deductive reasoning that we use in “Examining, testing and proving” like the Bereans who, according to Acts 17:11 “searched the scriptures daily, whether those things (presented by Paul & Silas) were so.”

Final test,
1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
Let’s investigate – Now torment is not the same as torture. It’s important to really flesh out certain words that have, through years of ‘assumptive’ reasoning, developed misleading connotations. Torment can mean truly horrible situations or something as light as correction or penalty. Just like certain symptoms require different types of medicines, it’s important to identify the symptoms rightly because if we mis-identify torment, expecting something big, dark and dangerous – we won’t know that we’re dealing with the underlying root of fear. See how that works?

So I pray that we would take the investigative portions of our Christian walk more seriously. That God would help our eyes to see past the linear and the obvious. There’s SO much more in the Bible than what comes out easily on the surface and many more distractions and dangers in our daily walk designed to misdirect and confuse us. I pray for the desire and stamina to wrestle with The Word that we would be approved & unashamed as we look at ourselves, prove all things and test the spirits.

In Him,
Cros

Surrounded

I do enjoy writing but sometimes I feel like I’m pushing too hard or I’m lacking in gentleness. I’m keenly aware that it is the work of the Holy Spirit from the goodness of God and nothing else that draws men to repentance. It’s a wonderful reminder to me to take a step back and balance things out. I know that there’s nothing wrong with desiring GOOD for people and I will continue to speak on and encourage obedience but at the end of the day, it’s really that I desire GOD for people. Not just to see how ungrateful we can be, but how gracious and merciful He is.

Sometimes, I look around and my mind becomes confounded.
At a world lacking so much, yet true love has abounded.
In Your righteousness, Lord, keep me planted and grounded.
In the beauty of holiness, Lord, keep me surrounded.

Magnificent beyond measure and beauty unsurpassed.
All that is, simply spoken and burst forth in a flash!
And still in quiet tenderness, with gentle embrace.
Love warmly surrounding us, what a joy to seek your face!

How appropriate, a Shepherd, desiring good for His sheep.
That The Shepherd gave His very life, Oh! I can’t help but weep.
Sunshine days, and misty mornings, waters calm and still.
Silent nights and stars shine bright, according to Your will.

Such a wonderful grace, as You work out Your plan.
What’s been prepared hasn’t entered into the heart of man.
However, each day brings mercies, all shiny and new.
Rainbows and flowers owe their splendor to no one else but You.

And Oh! The beauty of a melody, sung softly on the wind.
That echoes on through times and seasons, continues without end.
The warmth of the Sun against my face, eyes just barely closed.
Visions of rapture burst on my sight, of depths nobody knows.

In the midst of our strivings, help us still be impressed.
Help us trade life’s frictions, for an occasional caress.
The chirpings and chatters and beasts great and small.
Realizing that their Maker is the Ruler of All.

You’ve set eternity in our hearts, it’s all beautiful in its time.
I long expectantly for the day when I’m Yours and You are mine.
That Day I’ll stand in joy unspeakable, amazed and astounded.
Thinking back over time to the very first instant, I became surrounded.

Here’s The Word:

Psalm 32:7 You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah

Psalm 42: 1 – 2 & 8 1-2 As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.2 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?

8 Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the day time, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.


In Him,
Cros