The World Is Not A True Believer's Friend

“If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you. They will do all this to you because of me, for they have rejected the one who sent me. They would not be guilty if I had not come and spoken to them. But now they have no excuse for their sin. Anyone who hates me also hates my Father. If I hadn’t done such miraculous signs among them that no one else could do, they would not be guilty. But as it is, they have seen everything I did, yet they still hate me and my Father. This fulfills what is written in their Scriptures: ‘They hated me without cause.’ [John 15.18-25] 

Seven years ago today, I wrote the article The World - Not My Friend. I would like to dig a bit deeper today...

Let's focus on verse 19:

The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. [John 15.19]

Seven years ago, I was just really beginning to recognize what I believe today is the great deception in the Church: idolatry. 

Mind you, idolatry is not idolatry to the world because the world does not have God. The world's systems of caring for itself are only idols to God's covenant people once they have vowed faith in God alone through Jesus Christ. In other words, man's industries of finance, insurance, medicine and technology are all admittedly quite brilliant designs for man without God. However, when any man called by God's grace is chosen by his reciprocal response of faith (giving up his own way, taking up his cross, and following Jesus), that man lives thereafter as a distinct child of God - no longer part of the world.

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24]

The alleged "Jesus-believing child of God" who refuses to give up the world and its systems lives in contradiction to the very faith they claim. For today's "Church" and its leaders to teach otherwise is false religion. The ire ignited by these words is the very hate Jesus predicted above and, it is evident in the world and all who embrace and defend the world: 

The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. [John 15.19]

What's worse, the alleged "Jesus-believing child of God" consequently enjoys none of the faith benefits described in Hebrews 11 - they neither live by faith nor die by faith (refusing to turn to the world by turning away from God). They are, in fact, children of hell who have effectively rejected the faith that could save them and deliver them (whether like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego or like the martyr Stephen).

The world and the "Church" both applaud the alleged "Jesus-believing child of God" who relies on the systems of the world (alarmingly, the world credits "science" and the Church credits "God"). As should be expected, the world hates and ridicules the "Jesus-believing child of God" who categorically rejects the world's solutions of finance, insurance, medicine and technology (as this author proposes). However, it is totally unbiblical and uncharacteristic for the "Church" to ridicule the "Jesus-believing child of God" who rejects these worldly man-made idol-solutions... and yet, that is exactly what happens.

Haters will hate, but it will only be idol-defying-world-giving-up-fearless-of-death-miracle-working-Jesus-followers-faith that inspires hatred. Otherwise, it is simply "to each his own" with the world and the Church dwelling together in symbiotic peace (oddly while the world profits from the Church's idolatry).

The world is not a true believer's friend.

Father, may the hatred of the world be incited by these words today revealing the distinction between the world and true believers in Christ. May all who read this test every word by Your Word - by Jesus - for their validity. May these words challenge every would-be believer in Jesus (myself included) to give up their own way, take up their cross, and follow Jesus. So be it.

Jesus-less Existence

“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father. [John 15.5-8] 

Religion makes religious people content in Jesus-less existence. 

These religious people, who do not actually do the things Jesus did are in fact headed for the fire.

Stay away from religion and don't be religious!

Be like Jesus.

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24]

Father in heaven, I understand that, if I am not like Jesus in this world, I will be gathered, not unto heaven but, into a pile to be burned. That is why my prayer remains that I be found giving up my own way, taking up my cross, and following Jesus. So be it.

How Much Have We Learned From Jesus?

After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them. [John 13.12-17] 

These are the same men who, just a few weeks later, after being baptized with the Holy Spirit, are documented for the following:

But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food. So the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. They said, “We apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food program. And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility. Then we apostles can spend our time in prayer and teaching the word.” [Acts 6.1-4]

There's a lot of teaching out there about "authority" in the Church. In contrast, how much "foot washing" is going on? How much have we learned from Jesus?

That's all.

Father, for all the "teaching" that goes on among Your people today, the very idea of serving others is basically foreign. I could ask You to help us give up our own way, take up our cross, and follow Jesus, except that, You won't do that for us - I know I must decide and do this myself - I know this IS my faith - I know it is my decision to let everything else go and simply follow Jesus. May Your Word, Who is Jesus, be my guide. So be it.

Satan's Invitation To Hell

“Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware, like a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth. Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man.” [Luke 21.34-36] 

Carousing and drunkenness make a person's heart dull. This dullness has an adverse effect upon a person's readiness for the Lord's return. This dullness adversely affects a person's ability to "watch" for Jesus. This dullness is directly related to a person's inability to "see" Jesus' return. This dullness is likened to a trap preventing a person from standing before Jesus. Carousing and drunkenness prevent a person from entering heaven.

Carousing and drunkenness however are not the only things that prevent a person from entering heaven. The worries of this life do everything carousing and drunkenness do.

Jesus spoke emphatically to this issue earlier in His ministry:

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. “Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is! “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money. “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today. [Matthew 6.19-34]

"Seeing" is as much a spiritual word as it is a physical word in the Bible, and certainly so in the two scripture passages referenced heretofore in this article. It should be noted that "seeing" is also very much affected by idolatry.

Their idols are merely things of silver and gold, shaped by human hands. They have mouths but cannot speak, and eyes but cannot see. They have ears but cannot hear, and noses but cannot smell. They have hands but cannot feel, and feet but cannot walk, and throats but cannot make a sound. And those who make idols are just like them, as are all who trust in them. [Psalm 115.4-8 bold added]

The idols of the nations are merely things of silver and gold, shaped by human hands. They have mouths but cannot speak, and eyes but cannot see. They have ears but cannot hear, and mouths but cannot breathe. And those who make idols are just like them, as are all who trust in them. [Psalm 135.15-18 bold added] 

Idols and idolatry prevent a person from "seeing." They prevent a person from "watching out." It is just as much an affront to God to be "blinded" by carousing and drunkenness as it is to be "blinded" by the worries of this life (food, clothing, etc.). God's desire is that His people very soberly and intentionally look to and trust in Him ALONE. It is God's desire that His people "watch out" for Jesus. Carousing and drunkenness foolheartedly ignores the issue, and worrying about the cares of this life foolheartedly thinks the issue can be fixed by human means. Both are dulling distractions from "watching out" for Jesus.

The faith Jesus repeatedly demanded of His followers is not optional. If we can "see" it, the consequences of not "watching out" for Jesus was demonstrated when Peter took his eyes off Jesus and looked at the wind and waves (worries of this life) instead...

But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. [Matthew 14.30]

The carnal, imposter, false church today, while to some degree discouraging carousing and drunkenness, unashamedly excuses and even defends the worries of this life (after all, a person has to have food and clothes, right? ...and God knows our hearts, right?). If the church today is not so much blinded by carousing and drunkenness, it is very much blinded by the worries of this life. Saying it isn't so is just a lie. There is little, if any, distinction between those who are God's and those who are not when it comes to the worries of this life.

It is not possible to "watch out" for Jesus while "watching out" for the worries of this life.

How important is this matter, really? It is important enough that Jesus addressed it at length as His earthly ministry drew near its end (profoundly discussed in today's One Year Chronological Bible reading).

"Watching out" for the worries of this life screams, "I do not trust God!" The only remedy for this is to "watch out" for Jesus Who said:

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24]

What is my "own way" if it is not my own idolatrous solutions to the worries of this life? And, in amazingly preemptive forethought, Jesus addressed what we all ultimately fear if we do not tend to the worries of this life - that we might die - when He said we must take up our cross... Following Jesus is "watching out" for Him with no concern whatsoever for the worries of this life (even unto death).

So, just real quick, let's go ahead and address the "where's the grace?" question. The grace is found in faith: grace is not found where there is no faith.

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. [Ephesians 2.8 underline added]

In other words, "if there is no faith, then there is no grace." Grace is not mandatory, but faith is. Faith is "watching out" for Jesus while the wind-and-waves-worries-of-this-life are Satan's invitation to hell.

Father, I find no Biblical excuse for my worries of this life. May I be found watching out for Jesus - giving up my own way, taking up my cross, and following Him. So be it.

Enduring Is Intentional

But the one who endures to the end will be saved. [Matthew 24.13] 

First off, there is no way a person who is ignorant of God's Word can understand Jesus' description of the last days...

We can be sure that those "who endure to the end" are one and the same as God's "chosen ones."

In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, not a single person will survive. But it will be shortened for the sake of God’s chosen ones. [Matthew 24.22]

No matter what our understanding of the last days is, two things are certain: 1) we must prepare to endure, and 2) we must be chosen.

How do we prepare to endure? We learn and know God's Word more than we learn and know anything else. In a day where there is no lack for materials to occupy God's people otherwise (even "Christian" materials - yes, and even this author's writings), God's people are spending less and less time directly in God's Word for themselves. They read books, watch videos, and hear every imaginable opinion-laced sermon and teaching, but they do so with only a minimal diet of reading the Bible for themselves. The most complete library of Christian books and media in the world does nothing to prepare a person to endure the last days. Only the direct truth of God's Word - an intentional diet of the Bible - can prepare a person to endure what lies ahead.

Furthermore, it must be understood that non-Christian books and media - no matter how much intelligence (or entertainment) they impart - are absolutely useless for the time Jesus describes in Matthew 24.

How then are we God's chosen ones? We simply live by faith in God alone. God does not (never has, never will) "choose" idolaters - He instead blatantly rejects them. When we prepare to endure, making God's Word the priority of our lives, we come to the understanding that God fully intends to be God ALONE to us. The Bible is clear that God's provision (in whatever form) is unavailable to all except those who singularly trust God ALONE. When we learn God's Word directly from the Bible, we will "see and hear" the truth about the timeless role of idolatry in man's demise that started in the Garden of Eden and continues right up to this day. The knowledge of God found in His Word illuminates the damning nature of idolatry thus inspiring intentional faith in God ALONE in all who heed it. God "chooses" those with this undivided faith. God preserves those with this undivided faith. To make this intentional act simpler for man, God sent His Son, Jesus, Who preemptively and exhaustively disallowed idolatry in His demand:

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24]

Enduring is intentional. If God's people do not intentionally "feed" on God's Word and subsequently reject every idol so that they might be "chosen," they will be woefully unprepared for the last days and Jesus' return. Any person who gives up his own way, takes up his cross, and follows Jesus has intentionally and specifically prioritized God's Living Word and has rejected every form of self-preservation in so doing.

Father in heaven, may Your Word occupy our lives and may we be found giving up our own way, taking up our cross, and following Jesus. In this, may we be found watching and waiting for His return. So be it.

The Definition Of A Fanatic

Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins. Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.” [Mark 12.41-44] 

It's not the measure of what is given, but the measure of what it costs us that counts in Kingdom terms.

Why?

The more (percentage-wise) we give to God and His Kingdom, the more we trust Him. To give God everything is to trust God implicitly. To give to God sparingly is to trust Him sparingly... and that is where the problem lies because God is unapologetically all-or-nothing in regard to where we place our faith:

“I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. “You must not have any other god but me. “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. “You must not misuse the name of the LORD your God. The LORD will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name. [Exodus 20.2-7]

Jesus did not come to relieve mankind of the demands of Exodus 20.2-7, but rather to "flesh them out:" 

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24]

In a world full of "solutions," we must decide today if we trust God implicitly or sparingly. As harsh as it may sound, to trust in man's solutions to any degree is idolatry. Every degree that we trust man's idols is a degree that we do not trust God. It seems though that God (as revealed by Jesus) consistently requires one hundred percent or nothing.

The only thing that proves my devotion to God more than my willingness to give one hundred percent, is to give up my own way, take up my cross and follow Jesus - to actually lay down my life for His Kingdom.

Following His time on earth, Jesus, Who rose from the dead, went back to heaven to be seated at the Father's right hand. So significant is it when a person lays down their life for the Kingdom that Jesus would stand to His feet from His sitting position:

But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand. [Acts 7.55]

So, we'd better believe Jesus noticed the widow giving all she had... nothing more clearly declares undivided, unreserved, unadulterated, idol-free faith in God ALONE than to give Him everything. 

In conclusion of Jesus' parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18, Jesus asked a pertinent question:

But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?” [Luke 18.8]

Could Jesus have already answered this question elsewhere?

“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it. [Matthew 7.13-14] 

Anyone who takes the Bible seriously (as opposed to religiously) meets all the criteria of a fanatic. It was pure fanaticism for the woman to give her last two coins away. It was pure fanaticism for Stephen to give his life. But, at the end of the day, and, if the Bible is indeed true, there is no question, according to the one hundred percent faith demands of the Bible, about whether or not these two are in heaven with God at this moment. 

Do we dare live to a degree any less than that of a fanatic?

The sad truth is, most people determine for themselves that their faith is sufficient for God's grace. Even among those who profess to be Christ followers, few even give ten percent of their income to God, and even fewer (if any at all) give away all. Any reason however that a person holds back anything from God is an idol.

Of course, religion comes to our rescue with explanations why we should not be fanatics... or, to be more Biblically accurate... religion comes to our damnation...

The ENTIRE story of the Bible is God's desire for fellowship with man. That undeserved gracious call to fellowship with God, defined throughout the Bible, is answered only with pure, undivided, unreserved, unadulterated, idol-free faith in God ALONE by "Way" of Jesus Christ. God said it unapologetically. Jesus said it unapologetically. A fanatic believes it unapologetically. 

Religion however misleadingly says, "God knows your heart" as if that makes adulterous, idolatrous, faithlessness okay, while religious but Bible-ignorant people self-determine that their heart-intentions are "good."

But here is what God says about that:

This is what the LORD says: “Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the LORD. They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness, in an uninhabited salty land. “But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit. “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due  rewards, according to what their actions deserve.” [Jeremiah 17.5-10]

All this fuss over two small coins... that has to be the definition of a fanatic. 

Father, Your Word is no lie. May we be found giving up our own way, taking up our cross, and following Jesus. May we see the widow's example in Mark 12.41-44 as our model. So be it.

Grace And Holiness (Parable Of The Wedding Feast)

Jesus also told them other parables. He said, “The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son. When the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to notify those who were invited. But they all refused to come! “So he sent other servants to tell them, ‘The feast has been prepared. The bulls and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the banquet!’ But the guests he had invited ignored them and went their own way, one to his farm, another to his business. Others seized his messengers and insulted them and killed them. “The king was furious, and he sent out his army to destroy the murderers and burn their town. And he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, and the guests I invited aren’t worthy of the honor. Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone you see.’ So the servants brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike, and the banquet hall was filled with guests. “But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn’t wearing the proper clothes for a wedding. ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how is it that you are here without wedding clothes?’ But the man had no reply. Then the king said to his aides, ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ “For many are called, but few are chosen.” [Matthew 22.1-14] 

This story is about grace and holiness.

It is the grace of God that calls all men to the wedding feast.

It is holiness that gives them the right to be there.

Giving up our own way and taking up our cross is the attire required for the wedding feast of the Kingdom of God.

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24]

That's it.

Father, Your Word is really quite clear on the topic of Your undeserved invitation (grace) that requires proper attire (holiness). Help us to see how this story not only indicts the people of Jesus' day, but also us today. May we be found giving up our own way, taking up our cross, and following Jesus. So be it.