We all should know, as believers in Jesus that “It really doesn’t matter what you know, but who you know.” But does He know you?

Matthew 7:  21 “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. 22 On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ 23 But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’

From this passage, we discover that doing the “works” or miracles of God can be grievously overrated, but knowing the Lord on a personal level cannot. This is where the organized church can go painfully wrong.

John 6:  28 They replied, “We want to perform God’s works, too. What should we do?”

29 Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”

It’s about your relationship with Jesus

If the relationship of the seminary student and his/her God is not the foremost priority of an educational organization, (Christian school), then they will more than likely produce “workers” who are driven more by numbers, doing works and acts of service than learning how to become “true disciples”. If these workers, at the core, do not learn how to be a disciple themselves, how can they (or why would they) teach others to do the same? And if these students, who will be the next generation of Christian leaders are not going to be making disciples, who will?

1 Corinthians 13: 1 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.

Therefore, I think the “true disciples” are those that truly know God and His son, Jesus Christ. They are disciples based on love, not based on works. As the passage above makes this point clear: Works, in and of themselves, do not count for anything.

He is after the friendship. That is His greatest desire.

His friends will do His works out of their love for Him and have great joy in doing so. This passage reinforces and gives clarity to the first:

John 15: 1 “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. 3 You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.

5 “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. 6 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. 7 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! 8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.

The “others”, those that might be mistaken as disciples, do works out of obligation.

John 14:  15 “If you love me, obey my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.

This is why the “organized”, or should I say secularized church, has a rancid odor to so many because it is simply not bearing good fruit.

Beware of the leaven of modern-day teachers!

Matthew 7:  15 “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves.16 You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. 19 So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. 20 Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.

My friends, I love the body of Christ. I cherish my brothers and sisters who love God and are fighting alongside me. But I have some major, foundational concerns with what the organized church has established today. I see pastors caring more about their church activities than promoting their congregation to pursue God in daily devotion with Bible reading, prayer, and fellowship. It is these fundamentals that will make a healthy church that will bear good fruit. A church like this will not diminish, but be alive and growing.

Matthew 28: 18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Does it get any clearer than this?

The great excitement I receive from this knowledge is that it puts everyone on a level playing field and any can grow in Christ and pursue Him just as much as any other. Going to seminary or a Christian School does not necessarily get you any closer to God than what you can do without the schooling. If you seek God with all your heart, He will use you wherever you’re at and this will not require a degree of any kind.

Will you be His disciple?

“Dear God, have mercy on us. We’ve messed up as a church in so many ways and we need your help to know how to follow you even closer. Please open our hearts and encourage each of us to examine our own motives and plans. Thank you for your Word and how it convicts each of us, keeping us on your path. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

Have you seen my testimony?

http://thebibleteam.com/about.asp

Photo by Premkumar Masilamani on Unsplash

If there’s one thing I’ve learned since diligently seeking and having a relationship with Jesus, it is this:

If we humbly seek Him, giving our lives to Him and asking that His will be done in our lives, change is inevitable. Not only is it inevitable, but it is always meant for our good and for His purposes. This is what He promises. It is His character that He always creates a win-win for all His people and for Him. He gets the glory out of our story and our transformation.

Romans 8: ²⁸ And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

The catch, so to speak, is that we humans typically don’t like change. Change always comes with uncertainties such as “Where will I work?”, “Where will I live?”, “What if I don’t get the job?”, “How will I move on from this tragedy?”, etc.

How can we prepare for change?

The best thing we can do in order to prepare for change is to develop a close relationship with the One who created us. In other words, to know the One we’re seeking, the Lord Jesus Christ. Without a close relationship (or “walk with Him”), we are subject to the waves and turbulence that come with change. We absolutely need Him to be our stabilizing force so that we can endure change without appearing to be a fraud or worry like an unbeliever. He needs to be our solid Rock for us to stand on otherwise we’ll be sinking in the sand.

Luke 6: ⁴⁶ “So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say? ⁴⁷ I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. ⁴⁸ It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. ⁴⁹ But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house right on the ground, without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.”

How do we develop that close relationship with Jesus? (I’m glad you asked!)

It’s simple, we spend time with Him. Just like any other relationship, in order for it to grow and to develop into something more than just an acquaintance, time with the other person is absolutely essential.

Let me make this very simple and it is something that I learned first hand from the Lord Himself (That’s another story)

There are…

3 essential, regular activities that we must pursue…

in order to develop our relationship with God.

These activities are:

Spend time in His Word

This should be no surprise. When Jesus says “listens to my teaching“, either hearing the Word or reading it is how we listen to His teaching. And this is not just the New Testament, but the Old Testament is just as valuable. He wrote that Book as well, with the help of His friends, of course.

We need to devour it just as we devour any good book or novel. It is our daily Bread, for our souls. Our spiritual life depends on reading the Word of God. If you’re not reading His Word consistently then I don’t know how you can expect to grow much without it.

Spend time in Prayer

I shouldn’t have to tell you this. I think it is a given. But I know first hand that prayer is one of the most difficult things for a person to do, especially when they’re just starting to develop the habit.

There’s just something about prayer to a Holy and Righteous God that offends our flesh and we look for all kinds of distractions and/or excuses not to pray. It always seems to be a challenge, at least starting out.

Prayer is the simple act of conversing with God. Just talk to Him. When you’re driving, when you wake up, when you’re waiting in line or when you talk with a friend who’s losing their home, pray with them! And continue to pray for those that God has put in your life.

Once this habit is developed, a believer realizes just how important it really is and I’ve never met a believer who thinks they pray enough, honestly.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 “pray without ceasing” (ESV) or “Never stop praying”

Luke 10: ³⁸ As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. ³⁹ Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”

⁴¹ But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! ⁴² There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Spend time in regular Fellowship

I define fellowship as spending time with other people that love Jesus. Where the focus of your conversation is about the Bible, sharing your lives and your burdens. It’s having meaningful discussions about living out our faith. Fellowship can come in many flavors but it is always worthwhile and never superficial. Maybe it’s over food, coffee, going on a road trip, in Bible Study, or prayer meeting. It’s going on a hike or after a long day at work sharing your life with someone over the phone.

This is how relationships are developed, real, meaningful relationships, with Christ being at the center.

Galatians 6: ² Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.

We can’t do this without meaningful fellowship.

Hebrews 10: ²⁵ And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

After spending this time with Jesus, alone and with His family we will not only have a strong foundation in Christ, but we’ll also have a beautiful family that will also endure the seasons of change with us. That, my friends, is invaluable! Can I get an “Amen”?

“Dear Father, thank you for leading me to you and opening my eyes so that I might know you, a Holy and loving God. You are magnificent and I want to know you more. Please help me to develop a closer relationship with you so that I can have confidence and a peace that the world couldn’t possibly understand. Thank you for leading me closer to you. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

Photo by Will Swann on Unsplash

Over the last four posts, we’ve been discussing the transformation process. The theme, in the form of a question, has been: “How Bad Do You Want To Be Transformed?”.

Have you been asking yourself this question? God will transform you if you offer yourself to Him. Consider this key passage:

Romans 12: ¹ And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. ² Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

If your definition of worship is limited to singing and praising God, let me suggest that you study these verses carefully. God deserves our worship, doesn’t He?

What does it mean to you to “give your bodies to God”? I must confess that this is a tough verse for me. What it means to me is to allow Him to totally take over my life. He wants me to yield my time, my activities, my attitude, what I eat, what I drink, who I spend time with, what I consume with my eyes, my ears, and even what I think about!

Consider this verse:

1 Corinthians 6: 19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

That is what a “living sacrifice” is all about.

This means we can sing and worship in church all we want, but unless we are yielding our lives to Him with a soft heart, it is only lip service.

Can you relate to the following verse at all? Would you say it applies to many sitting in our pews today?

Isaiah 29:
13 And so the Lord says,
“These people say they are mine.
They honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
And their worship of me
is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote.

I can certainly relate to singing hymns of praise and walking out of church feeling far from God. I’ve had a hard heart before and that’s not a good place to be.

Of course, transformation cannot begin unless we have a soft heart. The very fact that you are reading this message would lead me to believe that you are open to change and that your heart is not hard. The key now is to make yourself available to God and pursue Him with all you’ve got.

Be careful that you don’t end up like so many incapacitated and powerless believers described in this way:

Luke 8: ¹⁴ The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity.

Wouldn’t you rather be described like this?

¹⁵ And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest.

So while your heart is soft, follow through with the rest of it. “hear God’s Word” (read the Bible), cling to it (meditate on what you read), and be patient, the harvest in your life will come. All the while we can plead to God in prayer to change our hearts. I have first-hand knowledge that He likes to answer these types of prayers.

In order to be successful with a continual habit of reading the Word, it is highly recommended to associate and fellowship with others who do the same. In order to be successful at anything, it is required that you run with those seeking the same results. If you are not currently spending time with the likes of those seeking a closer walk with God, consider the Bible Team calls where some of them congregate on the phone.

As you continue to expose yourself to His Word, seeking Him in prayer and getting to know other like-minded saints you will be staying in good soil and spiritual growth will happen, He’s promised.

Always consider what God truly desires:

Hosea 6:
⁶ I want you to show love,
not offer sacrifices.
I want you to know me
more than I want burnt offerings.

What better way to know Him that to read the Book He personally wrote?

We started this message with Romans 12: 1-2 which happens to be a very popular passage. Now let’s read the next three verses:

Romans 12: ³ Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. ⁴ Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, ⁵ so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.

Do you realize that your personal faith and relationship with God has a tremendous impact on the lives around you? People are watching you, believers and non-believers alike. We all have a responsibility to each other and we, by default, either encourage or discourage others with our daily choices.

I urge you to take the time to meditate on what I’ve compiled here and I’ll close with this:

Philippians 4: ⁸ And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

How bad do you want to be transformed?

Pray this prayer (I couldn’t have written it better myself.) 🙂

Psalm 119:
³³ Teach me your decrees, O Lord;
I will keep them to the end.
³⁴ Give me understanding and I will obey your instructions;
I will put them into practice with all my heart.
³⁵ Make me walk along the path of your commands,
for that is where my happiness is found.
³⁶ Give me an eagerness for your laws
rather than a love for money!
³⁷ Turn my eyes from worthless things,
and give me life through your word.
³⁸ Reassure me of your promise,
made to those who fear you.
³⁹ Help me abandon my shameful ways;
for your regulations are good.
⁴⁰ I long to obey your commandments!
Renew my life with your goodness.

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Over the last three parts of “How bad do you want to be transformed?”, we discussed Bible reading and prayer for the purposes of being transformed. To me, these are essential for steady growth and formation. But they are not enough.

There is a third essential element to complete the trilogy.

You may be able to guess what this element is, I’ve mentioned it more than a few times in my posts… you got it! Fellowship

 The Bible reading and prayer I’ve discussed are individual events. Fellowship is where we can share what we’ve learned and combine all three elements. Besides, if all our Christian activity is done in a vacuum, how can we know whether or not we are on a good path, much less learn solid doctrine?

 Proverbs 16: 
²⁵ There is a path before each person that seems right,
but it ends in death.

The personal and private knowledge from reading and praying is then shared and used to teach, learn and correct our theology.

Colossians 3: 16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.

Let’s define fellowship for the purpose of this message.

There may be many thoughts that come to mind regarding fellowship. You might think of fellowship dinners, socials or simply hanging out with friends.

The fellowship I wish to discuss is a deliberate meeting among a very small group (2-6) of like-minded believers that meet with regularity.

Acts 2: 42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.

Note that this says “All the believers”.

Fellowship is for everybody.

The purpose of this very small group will be to get to know more about God and each other. They will have Bibles in hand, prepared to talk about what they’ve been reading. This is not a formal gathering by all means but the intent to draw closer to God will be a serious one.

I believe this is the ideal fellowship that any seeker that desires growth should be participating in.

It is in these meetings that their lives are shared and personal issues are discussed. The Bible and common spiritual sense will be used to lovingly counsel one another.

Proverbs 27: 17 As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.

Such a group I believe should be constrained to one gender. Simply due to the more delicate nature that the conversation could lead to.

Hebrews 10: ²⁵ And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

Be careful who you hang around with

Consider your current circle of “believing” friends. Do you have friends that enjoy talking about the Bible? It is my guess that if a person doesn’t favor discussing God’s Word in a Christian setting then there’s a good chance that they are not reading it. It is a human tendency not to discuss something that one is not engaged in. Especially when they might be embarrassed by their unfamiliarity.

So if you have Church friends that are more interested in discussing politics, sports or the latest movies than the Word of God that is a pretty good indicator that they are not suitable for the fellowship we’ve been discussing.

2 Corinthians 6: ¹⁴ Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness?

I know this verse pertains to unbelievers, but should also apply to the lukewarm.

This may be the greatest reason for fellowship:

Matthew 18: ²⁰ For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.”

Are you meeting on a regular business?

Are you meeting with a few people on a regular basis for the purpose of getting to know God more and each other? What better way is there to practice the two greatest commandments? This should be the heart of the Christian lifestyle. Finding and sharing with others that are serious about God will push you and encourage you to be a better follower of God.

Matthew 22: ³⁷ Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

What else could be more important?

Will you share with others?

“Dear God, Thank you for all the friends you’ve placed in my life. Will you please help me find those friends that are serious about getting to know you? I desperately need fellowship, that’s how you made me. Help me get connected with others so that we can get to know you better and serve each other with companionship. Thank you in advance for transforming me into a new creation that will bring glory to you. In Jesus name, amen.”

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

This is it! This is the last installment of the Loving God series, I hope you enjoyed it!

I want to focus on the work He’s given us and how we do it.

So what work do we have to do? Read these verses carefully:

Luke 13:  ²² Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he went, always pressing on toward Jerusalem. ²³Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few be saved?”

He replied, ²⁴ “Work hard to enter the narrow door to God’s Kingdom, for many will try to enter but will fail.

John 6: ²⁷ But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval.”  ²⁸ They replied, “We want to perform God’s works, too. What should we do?”  ²⁹ Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”

Jesus was talking to the general public in both of these passages, not just His chosen twelve. I take this to mean that, at the very least, we should be working hard to seek eternal life. I don’t think this is something that should ever stop.

So how do we do this work? If we know that God/Jesus is the only One who can offer eternal life, then where do we seek it? It’s not a trick question. You got it, the only Book that God takes credit for writing, the Bible!

John 17: 3 And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.

Reading and careful study of His Word with prayer is the best way to get to know Him. Asking others is a good way too, but make sure that they are in the Word as well or you could easily be led astray.

I know that there are many things that God can ask of us, but I believe that this is one task that is common to all of us. It is this task that leads us into all truth and establishes a growing relationship with and in Christ.

Here is another passage that I think relates and it was directed to just the 12 disciples:

John 15:   “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.³ You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. ⁴ Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.

To summarize, our work consists of seeking eternal life and remaining in Him. This is at the very least.

Have you ever been given a job to do that took a long time and you started out doing it alone? Then eventually someone is told to work along with you? Wasn’t it nice to have someone share in the work?

It causes me to think of this verse:

Genesis 2: ¹⁸ Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.”

I believe the part that says :”It is not good for the man to be alone.” not only applies to needing a partner in marriage but in life in general.

This verse reinforces the idea:

Proverbs 27:¹⁷ As iron sharpens iron,
so a friend sharpens a friend.

Just as this states that we are sharpened by a friend, I think it implies that we are dull without a friend.

Of course, Jesus knew this as He sent them out in pairs:

Luke 10: ¹ The Lord now chose seventy-two other disciples and sent them ahead in pairs to all the towns and places he planned to visit.

Luke 22: 8 Jesus sent Peter and John ahead and said, “Go and prepare the Passover meal, so we can eat it together.”

Here are examples of the early church imitating what Jesus did:

Acts 13: 4 So Barnabas and Saul were sent out by the Holy Spirit. They went down to the seaport of Seleucia and then sailed for the island of Cyprus.

Acts 17: 10 That very night the believers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. When they arrived there, they went to the Jewish synagogue.

They even wrote letters together:

2 Thessalonians 1: 1 This letter is from Paul, Silas, and Timothy. We are writing to the church in Thessalonica, to you who belong to God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

What do these verses mean to you? Are you doing work for God in a vacuum? Are you reading the Bible and not discussing what you’re reading with anyone? Do you have someone in your life that will challenge you and raise your standards?

The philosophy of the Lone Ranger is not compatible with God’s plan for our life. We were designed to work together with others. If there is no one working along with you, then you might consider praying about who you could meet with or ask God to send someone to you.

Will you work with someone?

“Dear Lord, thank you for the friends you put in my life. Help make it clear to me what my work is and provide someone for me to do it with. I know that your faithful love endures forever and you’ve designed me to work with others. In Jesus’ name, Amen”

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