Prayer Works

⁹ “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ¹⁰ For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. ¹¹ If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? ¹² Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? ¹³ If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” Luke 11:9-15

Just a quick reminder of something you already know, or should know. Prayer works. This passage gives us two reasons to believe in the power of prayer.

The first is that Jesus Himself commands us to ask.  “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you.” In this verse, Jesus is commanding that His followers ask. He also promises that when we ask we will receive. Put your faith in this promise.

The second reason to believe in the power of prayer is that God is good. Jesus tells us that if a sinful, fallen, earthly father would give his child bread when they ask for it, how much more will your Father in heaven give to you? God is good and He meets His children’s needs.

So turn back to the simple faith you once had and pray. Pray knowing you’re praying because Jesus told you to. Pray knowing that Jesus said “everyone who asks receives. “ Finally, pray with the expectation that God will answer your prayer because He is the good Father and will meet His children’s needs.  

An Evangelical’s Perspective on Abortion

As far as topics go, abortion is always a lightning rod. Not only do people differ on their opinions,  but people are passionate about their beliefs. People have their reasons for why they are passionate about their stance on abortion. The pro-life movement believes that everyone has the right to life, no matter how old they are. The pro-choice view seems to stem from the belief that a woman has the right to choose what to do with her own body, even if it means ending the baby’s life that is inside her body.

My purpose for this article is not to win an argument, but articulate the Evangelical pro-life perspective on abortion.  As an Evangelical, I believe the Bible is the written Word of God. The Bible is the foundation for my beliefs and morals. 

We see in the Bible that God told Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”(Jer. 1:5 ESV) I believe this passage is very relevant when it comes to the subject of abortion.

God declares that He formed Jeremiah in the womb. In the womb, God ordains and oversees the creation of a human life. To me, this stands against the argument of “my body, my choice.”

One of the key questions in the abortion debate is “When does life begin?”  God had plans for Jeremiah even before Jeremiah was formed in the womb, even ordaining him to be a prophet before he was born.  It is not up to us to say how long it takes after conception to become an actual person, whether in the first trimester or second. Being that God “knew” Jeremiah before he was formed, we cannot put less value on a baby in the first trimester of development than we do just before it is delivered.

As an Evangelical, I know that the Bible attributes life and its creation to God. Because of my belief in God and that His Word is truth, I believe that abortion is wrong: life itself is a gift from God. I feel blessed that God has given me life, and I believe that we should not deprive innocent unborn babies from the right to life.

A Time to Move On

⁶ “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.” Matthew 7

This is a tough one. What does Jesus mean? Many commentators believe this verse is a continuation of the first five verses where Jesus talks about judgment. Many Bible translations include this verse under the same heading as verses on judging. If you look at the flow of thought in Matthew 7, it seems likely that verse six would be included with the preceding five verses. They deal with judgment, the next five deal with prayer. It’s possible, though not probable that Jesus would introduce a subject for a single verse and move on.

If you connect the preceding verse, verse five, to it, “First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye,” you get a sense of where this is going. In other words, “Take care of your own walk first, and then offer Biblical truth to others.” Then followed by “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.” In other words, if they do not receive it, and reject truth, move on.”

Jesus is saying “Don’t offer God’s truth to those who just laugh at it.” The problem is, how do you tell who is a dog or pig? At least in the spiritual sense, some people who seem the furthest from the Kingdom of God readily receive the Gospel. On the other hand others who seem as if “they would be good Christians,” reject the truth of God and proclaim their own righteousness.

The answer is found in the individual’s response to God’s truth. If an individual hears the truth and rejects it, or mocks it, you have your answer. If someone is scoffing at, or mocking God’s truth, move on.  This interpretation is in accordance with Matthew 10. Jesus sent His disciples out bearing the Gospel, and told them that if  they are received, great! However, if they were rejected, and thus the Gospel, they were to move on and shake the dust from the town off their feet.  

We must offer people God’s truth. However, if God’s truth is ridiculed we must also realize the only thing happening is that God’s truth is being trampled by dogs. Shake the dust off and move on.

Judging Others is a Slippery Slope

“Judge not, that you be not judged. ² For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. ³ Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? ⁴ Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? ⁵ You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. Matthew 7

This passage may be one of the most misunderstood texts in the Bible. You frequently hear people that are caught in adultery, or some other sin, try to use this passage to defend themselves.  Going to the other extreme, many judgmental and legalistic Christians pretend it does not exist.

Jesus is not saying that we can’t call sin “sin”. He is not saying that we cannot hold others accountable for their sin. That view point would pretty much contradict the entire Bible. Galatians 6 instructs us that we are to even to go those stuck in sin and try to gently restore them. (Gal 6:1)

So what is this passage teaching about judging others?  Let’s look at three things Jesus instructs us on when it comes to judging others:

1.      Take care of your own relationship with God. “First take the log out of your own eye.” No one ever commits their lives to Christ without having many areas in  which they need to grow. The top priority for all disciples of Jesus is to examine their own lives in light of scripture, and then change as necessary to conform their lives to Christ.

2.      Avoid hypocrisy.  The most judgmental Christians are often the ones that are stuck in perpetual immaturity. They have confessed Christ for years but don’t have much to show for it. These people often like to find flaws in others to make themselves feel better about their own relationship, or lack thereof, with Christ.  

3.      If you are to judge, remember that the same standard of judgment you use on others is going to be applied to you. That means if you judge someone by external appearances, for example, you are going to have to stand next to that same measuring stick. If you judge the inside by the outside, then you will be measured in the same way.

Judgment is a slippery slope, and it is hard to engage in it without taking a fall yourself.  Going outside of what is obvious sin and judging by external appearance is bound to come back to you.  

Why Christians should “Save Saeed”

Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest ² and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

³ As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven.⁴ Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” Acts 9:1-3

Before the Apostle Paul was the Apostle Paul he was Saul of Tarsus. Saul was so zealous for Judaism that he dedicated his life to stamping out “any who were of the Way” (Christians). This meant he subjected those professing faith in Christ to beating, imprisonment and even death.   

Saul actually became a convert to Christianity, when in dramatic fashion; he encountered the living risen Lord Jesus.  Notice that Jesus said to him “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” Jesus didn’t say “why are you persecuting My followers?”, but “why are you persecuting Me?” According to Jesus, when His people are persecuted, He is being persecuted.

As Christians we should not be indifferent to the persecution of believers around the world. Not only are our brothers and sisters in Christ suffering, but Christ is being persecuted. When we stand for the persecuted we are taking a stand for Christ. “³⁹ Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ ⁴⁰ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’” (Matt. 25)

One of the many persecuted Christians in the world today is a man named Saeed Abedini. Saeed is an Iranian American pastor imprisoned in Iran for sharing his faith in Christ. Saeed has been in prison since September of 2012. According to Fox News, last January he was sentenced to “eight years in prison for threatening the national security of Iran through his leadership in Christian house churches.”[1]  Because of his faith in Christ, Saeed has endured numerous life-threatening beatings while imprisoned.

How can you stand for Saeed? Commit to praying for Saeed’s strengthening while in prison. Pray for his release. Take part in a prayer vigil that Saeed’s wife, Nagmeh, is organizing on September 26^th. You can also go to savesaeed.org to sign a petition for Saeed’s release, or write him a letter in prison.

Remember, what we do for the least of our brethren we do for Jesus.

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[1]  http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/01/27/iran-sentences-american-pastor-saeed-abedini-to-8-years-in-prison/#ixzz2aR2VIA7g

Redeeming Time

¹⁵ Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶ making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:15-16

I believe that the Lord is coming back in my lifetime. If you snicker at that thought, recognize that no matter what, your time on earth is limited. The Lord may not come back in your lifetime, but your lifespan has an end. One day you will stand before the Lord. Not only is our time on earth limited, but it’s moving by very quickly. We’ve all had the feeling that time is slipping away. Seems like just yesterday I was twenty. For some of you it seems like you were just forty but now you are sixty. Time goes by and we can’t get it back.

The Bible tells us to not take our time on earth for granted and to make the most of the time we have. The wisdom of the world tells us to be preoccupied with making money and finding ways to use it on our selfish desires. God’s wisdom tells us to look for ways to advance the Kingdom of Heaven. Life, although short, is full of opportunities to serve God. Make the best use of the precious time you have -- reach out to the lost, encourage believers, and worship God.

Contemplate this: When we spend our time living for ourselves, we know that time is running out -- time is our enemy. When our time runs out, the party is over.  However, when we spend our time living for the coming Kingdom, time is our friend. The more time passes by, the closer we are to our heavenly reward which will last forever.

Saved For Works Not By Works

⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not of works, lest anyone should boast. ¹⁰ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Eph. 2:8-10

We are not saved by works. No amount of works we can do will earn our salvation with God. We are saved because we trust in what Jesus did on the cross for us.

However, the fact that we are not saved by works, does not mean that we are not to do them.  We are not saved by works, we are saved for works.  Jesus said “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matt 5:16)   Our good works demonstrate God’s workmanship. When we encounter the Living God, we don’t stay the same—we are forever changed. A tree that was once barren and dead is now alive and bearing good fruit. 

We do need to decide to “walk” in good works. Look for opportunities to serve others and demonstrate God’s love to them. God gives us chances every day to do good works. Pray that God will open your eyes to see the opportunities you have to carry out the good works He has prepared you to do.