An Army of One — Or — An Army of the One
We sometimes confuse our own culture with spiritual things. In America there exists within us an innate desire to succeed as an individual. Why else would we have team sports in order to learn teamwork? When we join the military we learn a new concept called unit cohesion. It is a long recognized phenomenon that is essential for successful war fighting. Unit cohesion goes well beyond the idea of mere teamwork into an arena where men and women place their lives and trust into the hands of those with whom they serve. General Krulac, Commandant of the Marine Corps (former), described it in this way: “We must do everything we can to enhance the transformation of young men and women into the marines that our corps needs to win battles. I firmly believe that unit cohesion is an integral part of the transformation process. Marines must possess and feel the absolute trust, subordination of self, the intuitive understanding of the collective actions of the unit, and the importance of teamwork.”
“I do not ask in behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be in Us; that the world may believe that Thou didst send Me” (John 17:20-23 NASB).
Bob Flynn, President/CEO
Unity is that gift from God that comes as an answered prayer of the Son so that the world (“Satanic System,” Lewis Sperry Chafer) may know the Father sent the Son. I have heard unity described in terms of what it is NOT, but sometimes we miss the point because we ask the wrong question. When unity is described as NOT being uniformity, the question should be, “Did Jesus think like His Father?” When described as NOT unanimity, the question should be, “Did Jesus and the Father completely agree?” Those who would make the NOT arguments are those who have NOT experienced this wondrous blessing! There is only ONE reason for NOT experiencing the Unity of the Holy Spirit — you do not belong to Jesus! We ARE one just as Jesus and the Father are one for the purpose of the Gospel! It requires more than teamwork, more than unit cohesion, it requires death to self that the Church may grow with Jesus Christ as the head. If you think you can make it on your own, I suggest you put jam in both your pockets, ‘cause you’re already toast!
“But they are not connected to Christ, the head of the body. For we are joined together in his body by his strong sinews, and we grow only as we get our nourishment and strength from God” (Colossians 2:19 NLT).
“Instead we will hold to the truth in love, becoming more and more in every way like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church . Under his direction, the whole body is fitted together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love” (Ephesians 4:15-16 NLT).
“The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up only one body. So it is with the body of Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:12 NLT).
“Be honest in your estimate of yourselves, measuring your value by how much faith God has given you. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are all parts of his one body, and each of us has different work to do. And since we are all one body in Christ, we belong to each other, and each of us needs all the others” (Romans 12:3b-5 NLT).
Asking the Right Question
“So Jesus used this Illustration: ‘If you had one hundred sheep, and one of them strayed away and was lost in the wilderness, wouldn't you leave the ninety-nine others to go and search for the lost one until you found it? And then you would joyfully carry it home on your shoulders. When you arrived, you would call together your friends and neighbors to rejoice with you because your lost sheep was found. In the same way, heaven will be happier over one lost sinner who returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!’” (Luke 15:3-7 NLT)
“All of us have strayed away like sheep. We have left God’s paths to follow our own” (Isaiah 53:6 NLT).
Bob Flynn, President/CEO
A young man called me from northern Iraq in much anguish over the perceived loss of his salvation. He had been engaged in a firefight and had inflicted casualties and had for the first time taken a human life. War in the best of circumstances (if there is such a thing) is at best ghastly. This warrior had experienced something that would change him forever. He had killed someone created in the image of God and was suffering from the experience. The reason God gave King David for denying him the privilege of building the temple was that he had blood on his hands. This is the unseen red badge of courage that the warrior carries with him always (wounded deeply with no visible wound). I suspect that if the truth be known, there are not many of us who contemplate the possibilities of combat before we enter the military. I certainly did not. I suspect that the most horrific experience for a believer would be to kill his brother in Christ in combat. Those who have the ears to hear the Holy Spirit grieve will confirm that the soul would know if this event would occur.
For this young man the angst was real and the weight upon his heart was great! He thought he had lost his salvation because of his combat experience. I suppose that in order to lose something one must first possess it. In the case of salvation one must recognize that we, the believers, are not the possessor but the possession! If the question is, What is my salvation?, then I am looking for something that I had never possessed to lose. If the question is, Who is my salvation?, then I will soon discover the correct answer. In the former I am lost. In the latter I am found. Our salvation is in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ! He is not lost. He is seated at the right hand of the Father. The question then should be, Is He sufficient to keep me?
“As he loved the unsaved enough to give His Son to die for them, even when they were ‘yet without strength’ and ‘enemies’; ‘Much more then, being now justified by his blood’ and ‘reconciled,’ they shall be ‘saved from wrath through him,’ and ‘saved by his life.’ Such is the unchangeable love of God” (Lewis Sperry Chafer, Grace).
This young man had not sinned in the taking of life in combat. However, he was surely wounded by his experience. Just as we are “without strength” when Christ died for us (Romans 5:6 KJV), we are often found “without strength” and bleeding from the wounds of life. The New Living Translation says, “When we were utterly helpless.” What has changed? Are we not “utterly helpless” in Romans 6 when we are a slave to sin? Are we not “ utterly helpless” in Romans 7 when we are under the law? We can see the victory only when in Romans 8 we see a new law in effect, “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.”
Whenever parables are taught, I have noticed a consistent phenomena; We reach the wrong conclusion because we are asking the wrong question. The aforementioned parable of the lost sheep is no exception. When the parable of the good Samaritan is taught, the question always asked is, who is my neighbor? The question taught by the parable is, whose neighbor am I. When the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican is taught, the thought that invades the conscience is, “I am glad I am not like that Pharisee. The lesson taught is, we are the Pharisee. With the parable of the lost sheep it is easy to focus on our waywardness, “All of us like sheep have gone astray” (Isaiah 53:6 NASB) and miss the “unchangeable love of God.”
“Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves” (Romans 15:1 NASB).
This young warrior just needed a hug and a reminder that God’s love is unfailing! Jesus said, “ I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand” (John 10:28-29 NASB). Eternal life given that is eternally secure in Christ Jesus! We are in good hands!
Blow Up Your T.V.
Back in ancient times (BC — Before Computers) in a land far away in the midst of a horrible war, I was looking through the resident collection of albums (the round plastic platters with a hole in the middle) when I spied one by some guy named John Denver (released before he was famous). There was a song on the album whose first line lyric caught my ear, “Blow up your TV, try to find Jesus on your own.” I don’t remember much about the song itself but the lyric has remained with me all of these years.
Having reached the age where my children have become adults, I now look back on the earlier years and see that life had some spots that were a blur of activity. Being involved, because of my children, in little league, Boy Scouts, soccer, Sunday School, youth group and also being a full-time sailor didn’t leave much time for anything else. Life seemed pretty full. There are indeed so many activities in our lives! Yet how many are profitable? How many are profitable for the kingdom? How much time do I devote to those things that are important to my health and well being as a believer? Sometimes I think that the world does a better job of conforming me into its mold than I do allowing the Holy Spirit to transform me by the renewing of my mind (Romans 12:2 paraphrase mine). I think in my case that the blur of activity was motivated more by my flesh (not wanting my children to miss out) than by the Spirit (wanting to draw me into a closer walk with Him). This doesn’t mean I couldn’t have done both. It means that my attitude wasn’t right.
Bob Flynn, President/CEO
As I was meditating upon Hebrews, chapter twelve, I was struck by the idea of “throwing off everything that hinders.” (NIV) As I looked up from my easy chair I found myself looking full on at one thing in particular that took up a great deal of my time, the huge one-eyed monster we call Television. My heart was shaken at its foundations. The Holy Spirit was showing me in a very clear way that I would rather spend time watching the political talk shows than with Him. Busted! So I got up out of my chair walked across the room and pulled the plug! I would like to say that the angels of heaven broke out in song (However, what really broke out was beads of sweat upon my brow. Several times that evening, as I was trying to read, I found my hand reaching for the ol’ remote control. I thought to myself, how many other things are in my life that have become a hindrance to fellowship with the Father. Am I really trying to work out my faith with “fear and trembling” or am I just busy? C.S. Lewis, in “Mere Christianity,” mentions that
one of the “cardinal virtues” is temperance. The first word that the dictionary (my copy was of course printed in the last century) uses to define this is moderation, “bringing within bounds, avoidance of excesses.”
If you find yourselves breathing hard at the end of the day, might I suggest in all humility (because I promise you that I am NOT the fount of all knowledge and wisdom) that you take stock of your activities and see if there isn’t some time that could be better used in your relationship with the Savior. “Blow up your TV (hyperbole mine) and try to find Jesus on your own!”
“As for us, we have this large crowd of witnesses round us. So then, let us rid ourselves of everything that gets in the way, and of the sin which holds on to us so tightly, and let us run with determination the race that lies before us. Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from beginning to end. He did not give up because of the cross! On the contrary, because of the joy that was waiting for him, he thought nothing of the disgrace of dying on the cross, and he is now seated at the right-hand side of God’s throne. Hebrews 12:1-2 (TEV)
Casualties of War — Friendly Fire
Iam grieved in my spirit of late at the breaking news about all of the terrorist activity reported in the news. Not the television network news, nor even the cable news, but reports from the front lines in the battle for souls. My ears are still ringing from reports of church splits, pastoral staff resignations, mischief and misbehavior at Christian universities. What fuels the flame of this seemingly continuous conflagration that destroys lives, churches and makes impotent the work of the Gospel? It is the sin of anger! Yes, you heard it here first. Anger is a sin.
Bob Flynn, President/CEO
I did not come to this conclusion by way of thoughtful consideration of my intellectual prowess. It came instead by incremental illumination by the Holy Spirit as He worked upon my heart during a ten-year long sojourn in the second chapter of the Epistle to the Philippians. It could not have happened any other way! It was and is a continuance of the work that God began and will finish on the day when Christ returns (Phil 1:6, paraphrase mine). For how can mere flesh and blood stand in the midst of Him of whom angels sing, “Holy, Holy, Holy.” For He who brings everything into conformity with His will had already spoken through the Apostle Paul and said, “Be humble, thinking others as better than yourself…In everything you do, stay away from complaining and arguing….” (Phil 2:3b, 14) Instead, our lives should epitomize the “attitude that was in Christ Jesus.” The only innocent man who lived did not cling to His innocence but rather sacrificed himself on the altar without complaint. He could have been angry at those who falsely accused and condemned Him. He could have clung to His excellence and rightly held us in contempt. Instead He went as a lamb to the slaughter. How then shall we live? Shall we continue giving aid and comfort to the Enemy? Shall we continue inflicting casualties upon each other because our lives are not “blameless,” “clean” and “innocent” “as children of God in a dark world full of crooked and perverse people.”? (Phil 2:15) How then can we be angry with another without thinking too highly of ourselves?
I know that there are those who would argue with me, but C.S. Lewis pretty much covers the basis for this conclusion in his book, Mere Christianity.
“The law of gravity tells you what stones do if you drop them; but the law of Human Nature tells you what human beings ought to do and do not. In other words, when you are dealing with humans, something else comes in above and beyond the actual facts. You have the facts (how men do behave) and you also have something else (how they ought to behave). In the rest of the universe there need not be anything but the facts. Electrons and molecules behave in a certain way, and certain results follow, and that may be the whole story. But men behave in a certain way and that is not the whole story, for all the time you know that they ought to behave differently.”
The Cause of Freedom is a Gospel Opportunity—by Bob Flynn
A Warrior's End
"No foreign power or combination of foreign powers could by force take a drink from the Ohio or make a track on the Blue Ridge in a trial of a thousand years. At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us it must spring up from among us, it cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die of suicide.” Abraham Lincoln
When Abraham Lincoln spoke these words I doubt that he could have conceived of a day when we would have a Department of Homeland Security. It is by design that America has NOT YET suffered another twin tower disaster! This success has been wrought at great cost!
“With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan—to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.” Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
Destination Assured
“The patriot who feels himself in the service of God, who acknowledges Him in all his ways, has the promise of Almighty direction, and will find His word in his greatest darkness, ‘a lantern to his feet and a lamp unto his path.’ He will therefore seek to establish for his country in the eyes of the world, such a character as shall make her not unworthy of the name of a Christian nation.” Francis Scott Key (1779-1843)
“And God has given us the task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. This is the wonderful message he has given us to tell others.” (2 Corinthians 5:18-19 NLT)
Destination Assured
We can ponder the significance of “A Warrior’s End” from many perspectives. There is the look on a mother’s face that can never be forgotten when she is told she will never hug her beloved son again; or the empty side of the bed that grieves the young wife’s heart; the empty chair at the dinner table where Daddy used to sit.
If together we could introduce each one of these young men and women to the Gospel before the crisis, their destination will be changed for an eternity! For those who return wounded of heart, there is one immutable fact: warriors talk only to warriors about warrior things.
Would you consider partnering with us in this effort to carry the Gospel to those yet unsaved and hug the wounded?
These are the needs:
- Local Representatives (that’s you) who are willing to facilitate fellowship groups at their location.
- Prayer warriors (that’s you) willing to pray daily for the concerns of the troops, their families and this ministry.
- Financial support (that’s you) for the ministry. Our general fund still lags behind the expenses. Please consider becoming a regular giver.
Our Dream:
- To have an active CMF fellowship group at each and every military installation, Veterans Hospital, and Active Duty or Reserve community in the world.
Christmas Waves a Wand Over This World
Bob Flynn, President/CEO
“Christmas waves a wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.” Norman Vincent Peale
“The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine. You will enlarge the nation of Israel, and its people will rejoice. They will rejoice before You as people rejoice at the harvest and like warriors dividing the plunder. For You will break the yoke of their slavery and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders. You will break the oppressor’s rod, just as You did when You destroyed the army of Midian. The boots of the warrior and the uniforms bloodstained by war will all be burned. They will be fuel for the fire. For a Child is born to us, a Son is given to us. The government will rest on His shoulders. And He will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of His ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!” Isaiah 9:2-7 NLT
Christmas is the day each year when we celebrate the arrival of the eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God in this world. God come down as a man. I would have thought that such an arrival would have been witnessed by the priests and kings of the nation to whom this was promised. Would not all of Israel wish to celebrate with festivals of grandeur at the fulfillment of the promised messiah?
But when the right time came, God sent His Son, to buy freedom for us who were slaves, so that He could adopt us as His very own children (Galatians 4:4 paraphrase mine).
“And you will recognize Him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” Luke 2:12 NLT
Instead, the God in whom, by whom, and through whom everything exists, and from whom the cherubim hide their faces, is born in a cave and is lying in a cattle feeder. A perfect time and a perfect way of His own choosing!
We could ponder a great many things about this amazing and wonderful demonstration of grace and humility. However, the one that screams out to me is that preserved for us in the First Epistle to the Church at Corinth:
“This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength. Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And He chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:25-29 NLT
By human standards this was a most ill-conceived event! For what would appear more weak or powerless than a newborn babe? God, in this apparent folly, did not choose the heralds of an earthly court to announce the arrival of His beloved Son. Rather he sent the angels (heavenly host—armies of heaven) to give this message to the cultural outcasts of this time ─ the lowly, roughhewn shepherds, lacking even a modicum of culture, men who spoke in terms that would probably make a sailor blush. This is who announced this glorious arrival of the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace!
Let us then pause and enjoy Christmas knowing that it is the immeasurable, magnificent love of Christ that stooped to save the most vile of sinners—”The people who walk in darkness will see a great light.” Rejoice, O Sinner! For God’s love “goes beneath the deepest stain that sin could ever leave, redeeming souls to live again who will on Christ believe!”
Yes, He picked the outcasts of society who were despised by the world to announce the arrival of the weakest person of all, a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger, who even at that moment held the world together with His might and caused all things to exist.
“For a Child is born to us, a Son is given to us.”
I certainly was not “wise in the world’s eyes, or powerful or wealthy” when the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to see the salvation that is in God’s Son! Oh what joy fills my heart!
Maranatha! Oh come, Lord Jesus! Let this Christmas be the last before you return. The arms of the warriors are heavy from the fighting, and wives and families weep at home because of their long absence. We look forward to that day when “the boots of the warrior and the uniforms bloodstained by war will all be burned. They will be fuel for the fire” and war will be no more.
“The LORD will mediate between nations and will settle international disputes. They will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer fight against nation, nor train for war anymore.” Isaiah 2:4 NLT
May Christ wave a wand over your world, dear brothers and sisters, as you celebrate Christmas. Hugs to all of you, from all of us!
Live Fire Exercise
Bob Flynn, President/CEO
We would never think of sending our troops into combat without first letting them experience a “live fire” exercise. There is absolutely no substitute for this kind of combat training. Whether soldier, sailor, marine, airman, or pilot, the culmination of the training includes some form of reality check. With spiritual combat this is even more crucial because we never leave the war zone. Yet, if the truth were known, most approach the daily travels through the mine fields of life with a less than attentive mind-set. I suspect that it is because we are self-centered by nature and think the world revolves around us. The Lord Jesus Christ, in order to continue the good work He has begun in us, allows these “live fire” exercises to come into our lives to help us become and remain “combat ready.” As we live and grow in Him, one could expect that the strength of faith would grow in proportion to the size of the bullets (trials) that come our way. However, we oft times do not stop to even realize that the situations that come our way might be for our edification. We usually find that we are dismayed, discouraged and even angry with the situation. Our prayers are not for His Grace to transcend, but for deliverance from the trials.
Hebrews 5:8 makes it very clear that even though Jesus was God’s Son, He learned obedience through His sufferings. Now I suppose that we could try to dodge around all of the other places in Scripture that tell us how we should approach trials, testing and suffering and even give our motorboat imitation (but, but, but, but). However, consider that if the Son of God had to learn obedience through suffering that perhaps we who are partakers of His magnificent Grace must likewise be trained to be combat ready.
God’s training then is to make us “perfect” or ready for the future operations that He has planned for us. The question then becomes are we willing to be trained?
“For you have been given the privilege of serving Christ, not only by believing in him, but also by suffering for him.” Phil 1:29 TEV
“Let us give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the merciful Father, the God from whom all help comes! He helps us in all our troubles, so that we are able to help others who have all kinds of troubles, using the same help that we ourselves have received from God. Just as we have a share in Christ’s many sufferings, so also through Christ we share in God’s great help. If we suffer, it is for your help and salvation; if we are helped, then you too are helped and given the strength to endure with patience the same sufferings that we also endure. So our hope in you is never shaken; we know that just as you share in our sufferings, you also share in the help we receive. We want to remind you, brothers and sisters, of the trouble we had in the province of Asia. The burdens laid upon us were so great and so heavy that we gave up all hope of staying alive. We felt that the death sentence had been passed on us. But this happened so that we should rely, not on ourselves, but only on God, who raises the dead. From such terrible dangers of death he saved us, and will save us; and we have placed our hope in him that he will save us again, as you help us by means of your prayers for us.” 2 Cor 1:3-11 TEV
“Yet we who have this spiritual treasure are like common clay pots, in order to show that the supreme power belongs to God, not to us. We are often troubled, but not crushed; sometimes in doubt, but never in despair; there are many enemies, but we are never without a friend; and though badly hurt at times, we are not destroyed. At all times we carry in our mortal bodies the death of Jesus, so that his life also may be seen in our bodies. Throughout our lives we are always in danger of death for Jesus’ sake, in order that his life may be seen in this mortal body of ours.” 2 Cor 4:7-11 TEV
“Instead, in everything we do we show that we are God’s servants by patiently enduring troubles, hardships, and difficulties. We have been beaten, imprisoned, and mobbed; we have been overworked and have gone without sleep or food. We are honored and disgraced; we are insulted and praised. We are treated as liars, yet we speak the truth; as unknown, yet we are known by all; as though we were dead, but, as you see, we live on. Although punished, we are not killed; although saddened, we are always glad; we seem poor, but we make many people rich; we seem to have nothing, yet we really possess everything.” 2 Cor 6:4-5;8-10 TEV
“I have worked much harder, I have been in prison more times, I have been whipped much more, and I have been near death more often. Five times I was given the thirty-nine lashes by the Jews; three times I was whipped by the Romans; and once I was stoned. I have been in three shipwrecks, and once I spent twenty-four hours in the water. In my many travels I have been in danger from floods and from robbers, in danger from fellow-Jews and from Gentiles; there have been dangers in the cities, dangers in the wilds, dangers on the high seas, and dangers from false friends. There has been work and toil; often I have gone without sleep; I have been hungry and thirsty; I have often been without enough food, shelter, or clothing. And not to mention other things, every day I am under the pressure of my concern for all the churches.” 2 Cor 11:23b-28 TEV
Crisis at the Constitutional Convention
The contemporary enemies of Christianity and our great nation often lean to a revisionist history in order to promote the endemic gerrymanders that seek to cause the ultimate demise of both. Why is it that so many should endeavor to bury the foundation stones of our nation beneath the graveyard created in the image of an autonomous mankind? Perhaps the words of a devout and prominent secular humanist educator, John J. Dunphy will enlighten us:
“I am convinced that the battle for humankind’s future must be waged and won in the public school classroom by teachers who correctly perceive their role as the proselytizers of a new faith; a religion of humanity that recognizes and respects the spark of what theologians call divinity in every human being. These teachers must embody the same selfless dedication as the most rabid fundamentalist preachers, for they will be ministers of another sort, utilizing a classroom instead of a pulpit to convey humanist values in whatever subject they teach, regardless of the educational level—preschool day care or large state university. The classroom must and will become an arena of conflict between the old and the new—the rotting corpse of Christianity, together with all its adjacent evils and misery, and the new faith of humanism, resplendent in its promise of a world in which the never-realized Christian ideal of ‘love thy neighbor’ will be finally achieved.” John J. Dunphy, “A Religion for a New Age,” The Humanist (January/February 1983), 26
Bob Flynn, President/CEO
From this rhetoric, it is not hard to see that a revisionist history is required to distance an unknowing population from the very Providence that gives life and breath to our sinews. As a product of the public school system, I had come to believe that our forefathers were not Christians but deists. According to Noah Webster a deist is: “One who believes in the existence of a God, but denies revealed religion, but follows the light of nature and reason as his only guides in doctrine and practice; a freethinker.”
Now let us consider the words of one of these “deists” as he endeavors to help his fellow countrymen find a way around an impasse that was, in a very real sense, about to sink the ship of state before it was launched. History tells us that in the morning hours of June 28, 1787, Dr. Ben Franklin gave the following address to the Continental Congress:
“Mr. President—The slow progress we have made, after four or five weeks’ close attendance and continual reasoning with each other—our different sentiments on almost every question, several of the last producing as many nays as yeas—is, methinks, a melancholy proof of the imperfection of human understanding. We indeed seem to feel our own want of political wisdom, since we have been running about in search of it. We have gone back to ancient history for models of government, and examined the different forms of those republics which, having been formed with the seeds of their own dissolution, now no longer exist. And we have viewed modern states all round Europe, but find none of their constitutions suitable to our circumstances.
In this situation of this assembly, groping as it were in the dark to find political truth, and scarce able to distinguish it when presented to us, how has it happened, sir, that we have not hitherto once thought of humbly applying to the Father of lights to illuminate our understanding? In the beginning of the contest with Great Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayers in this room for the Divine protection. Our prayers, sir, were heard, and they were graciously answered. All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of a superintending Providence in our favor. To that kind Providence we owe this happy opportunity of consulting in peace on the means of establishing our future national felicity. And have we now forgotten that powerful Friend? Or do we imagine we no longer need His assistance?
I have lived, sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth—that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured, sir, in the sacred writings, that ‘Except the Lord build the house they labor in vain that build it.’ I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without His concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel. We shall be divided by our little, partial, local interests; our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves become a reproach and byword down to future ages. And, what is worse, mankind may hereafter, from this unfortunate circumstance, despair of establishing governments by human wisdom, and leave it to chance, war, and conquest.
I therefore beg leave to move that henceforth, prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this assembly every morning before we proceed to business, and that one or more of the clergy of this city be requested to officiate in that service.” (The Christian Life and Character of the Civil Institutions of the United States; Memoirs of the Life and Writings of Benjamin Franklin, LL.D. and http://www.house.gov/forbes/prayer/prayerincongress.htm)
Dr. Benjamin Franklin, LL.D. is known to have held many unorthodox religious views throughout his life. However, his quotation of Psalm 127 and overt statement that “God governs in the affairs of men,” and his paraphrase of the Savior’s words from Matthew 10:29, leads me to believe that his faith journey had arrived and his beliefs had matured to the point where he believed in more that some impersonal, far-away God. Rather, his assertions were to the contrary that the Lord Jesus Christ intervenes in the affairs of men.
Death Comes Unexpectedly
Bob Flynn, President/CEO
No matter how much we anticipate the pending loss of a loved one, knowing the result of age, ill health, or injury will have its way in the end, their death still comes unexpectedly. Our hearts are never ready to say goodbye. Isaiah says that “we all do fade as a leaf.” James says that our life is like a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Why is it then that as leaves or vapors we should cling so tightly to our sojourn here? It is because this is our home. It is true that, as believers, our citizenship is in heaven. However, Jesus is returning and even if we are with Him in Heaven, we will be returning also. It is then not surprising that we have a connectedness with this earthly estate.
Departure from this life into the next is unknown to those of us who remain. We are torn in our emotions between faith and uncertainty. In our earthly vessel we stand wavering between the life we know and the one hoped for in Christ. How can we reconcile our faith with our emotions while standing in the midst of the reality of death?
When faith call us onward and we trust to take another step, Grace supplies all that is required. At what point does Grace arrive to help us in our need? When we pray! Not necessarily a long commiseration upon our knees preceded by “Dear Heavenly Father” and followed by “in Jesus Name, Amen.” But rather, I think, something more akin to “Jesus help me!” In the midst of bereavement, Grace is the help we need to give the next beat to our heart. Will this world step aside for this faith exercised? Not likely! Will faith exercised change my circumstances? Not necessarily! Then what does that faith provide? A change of my heart.
Then what purpose is my prayer? Prayer doesn't give me what I want from God, rather it helps me want what God gives. The armor of the faith is the “peace of God.” This is the very “peace” of which the heavenly host praised God at Jesus’ birth—“on earth peace.” It was not a sensation of peace but the very person of peace who had been born into this hostile world. Did the world recognize this peace and step aside? Not hardly! Did not peace endure the most meager of beginnings? Absolutely! Was not peace nailed to a tree? Yes! Thus enters in “thanksgiving” (eucharistia − grateful language to God as an act of worship − the highest act of thanksgiving for the greatest gift ever given, Jesus, and His mercies poured out upon us, past and present). When death comes unexpectedly, pour out your heart to God and then give thanks. Trust in the armor of peace who is Christ Himself to guard your heart and mind.
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7 NASB)
Deception
Bob Flynn, President/CEO
Deception was the tool used by the Enemy that caused our parents to be cast out of the Garden and separated from their innocence. Deception continues to be Satan’s tool in the current age; however, self-deception is a horse of a different color. It, like the Nile, has multiple sources, one of which is self! So complete is this delusion and so rampant is its gain that we can observe its presence on the nightly news. Perhaps the Puritan John Flavel covered this when he said, “Conceits and whimsies abound most in men of weak reason.” John Flavel, Preparation for Suffering.
Watchman Nee, in The Latent Power of the Soul, describes this self-deception source as follows: “My hope for today is that you may be helped to know the source and the operations of the latent power of the soul. May God impress us with the fact that where soul force is, there also is the evil spirit. We must not use the power which comes from us, rather we must use the power which proceeds from the Holy Spirit. May we especially deny the latent power of the soul, lest we fall into Satan’s hand. For the soul’s power has, through Adam’s sin, already fallen under the dominion of Satan and has become the latter’s working instrument. We therefore need to exercise great caution against Satan’s deception.”
A.W. Tozer, in Man—The Dwelling Place of God, contrasts these deceptions by saying that when a man is deceived, he is being deceived against his will and is the victim of another’s guile. However when he is self-deceived, he has become his own worst enemy and is perpetrating a fraud upon himself. As a result of his life’s conditioning, he wants to believe the lie. He cannot resist the deceit because he has become a collaborator with it against himself. The battle is over before it starts because he has already surrendered. “He enjoys being deceived….The further we push into the sanctuary, the greater becomes the danger of self-deception. The deeply religious man is far more vulnerable than the easygoing fellow who takes his religion lightly. This latter may be deceived but he is not likely to be self-deceived.” (Tozer)
“Men can do many good things and yet not be holy in heart and righteous in conduct. They can do many good things and lack that spiritual quality of heart called holiness. How great the need of hearing the words of Paul guarding us against self-deception in the great work of personal salvation: ‘Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap’” E.M. Bounds - The Essentials of Prayer.
Arthur W. Pink asserts, in Practical Christianity, that there is indeed a faith in Christ which does not save! Hence, it is very easy to be deceived about faith despite the many pointed warnings from the Holy Spirit written in Scripture!
“A deceived heart has turned him aside” (Isaiah 44:20 NASB).
“The arrogance of your heart has deceived you” (Obadiah 3 NASB).
“See to it that you be not misled” (Luke 21:8 NASB).
“For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself” (Galatians 6:3 NASB).
“At no point does Satan use this cunning and power more tenaciously, and more successfully, than in getting people to believe that they have a saving faith when they have not. How many a Satan-blinded soul will read this and then say, It does not apply to me; I know that my faith is a saving one!” (A. W. Pink)
Today Lucifer continues to wield this mighty, effective tool because it works! Even while you are reading this article your soul is already putting up a defense! All the while, the Devil is turning you away from the sword point of conviction from Holy Scripture, as the concrete hardens around your feet making you a captive of unbelief.
“Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!” (2 Corinthians 13:5 NASB).
“Oh, my reader, heed that word now. Reader, if there is a reserve in your obedience, you are on the way to hell.” (A. W. Pink)
According to A.W. Tozer, in The Dwelling Place of God, we have created a panacea for all the ills and dubbed it prayer. We worship it as the secret key that will unlock every prison door. There is great privilege and every advantage to those who “pray in the Spirit,” but he who prays carelessly will find that this too will become a source of self-deception.
“To escape self-deception, the praying man must come out clean and honest. He cannot hide in the cross while concealing in his bosom the golden wedge and the goodly Babylonish garment. Grace will save a man, but it will not save him and his idol. The blood of Christ will shield the penitent sinner alone, but never the sinner and his idol. Faith will justify the sinner, but it will never justify the sinner and his sin. How may we remain free from self-deception? The answer sounds old-fashioned and dull but here it is: Mean what you say and never say what you do not mean, either to God or man. Think candid thoughts and act forthrightly always, whatever the consequence. To do this will bring the cross into your life and keep you dead to self and to public opinion. And it may get you into trouble sometimes, too. But a guileless mind is a great treasure; it is worth any price.” (Tozer)
Then come “‘the world-rulers of the darkness of this age.’ This name would suggest a ministry of deception, the keeping in darkness of the minds of men, and especially of the leaders of thought” J.A. MacMillan, The Authority of the Believer.
“So often activity, even Christian service, can be a cloak to hide the truth both from ourselves and from others. The Holy Spirit is against all such self-deception and sham. It is truth and not sacrifice which He requires in such a case.” Roy Hession, Be Filled Now.
“The circumspect walk is distinctly the will of the Lord for each and every child of God. Therefore, the present walk in the flesh is not only a folly of infinite proportion, but is a distinct disobedience and disregard of the revealed will of the One Who has saved us at measureless cost. The antinomian1 deception is, that exactness of conduct is an indifferent thing so long as there is soundness of doctrine; but such error is most serious. True piety is not a thoughtless security, but rather a watchful sobriety, which is a daily habit of mind. There is marvelous advantage to the one who knows the doctrines and stands secure in their glorious fullness; but there is need, as well, that the doctrine shall be adorned.” Lewis Sperry Chafer, Ephesian Letter.
“Satan’s ambition is leading him to make this age of his special opportunity, as near perfect as his wisdom and power will permit. And in this connection it may be noted that Satan’s ambition was not to become a fiend, but rather to become like the Most High. He will, therefore, strive for all that is moral and good: yet at the same time do all in his power to draw men from their natural reverence of God, that, in due time, they may acknowledge himself without fear. The Satanic ideal of this age is, then, an improved social order, a moral and cultured people, who are devout worshippers of himself, though for the present they may imagine they are worshipping Jehovah through their empty religious forms and ceremonies, while they are really in a state of God-dishonoring unbelief, and all their thoughts are energized by Satan alone. The Satanic message for this age will be reformation and self-development, while the message of God is regeneration by the power of the Spirit. The action of Satan may also be detected in that a humble messenger who is loyal to Christ and His Salvation by grace alone, will be almost unheeded at the present time: while the vast throng will be found supporting that which is religious only in its externals, but which is, in reality, a gospel of morality and subtle denial of the redemption that is in Christ.
Again, the opposing power of Satan may be seen in the matter of Christian giving. Millions are given without solicitation for education, culture, and humanity’s physical comfort, but real world-wide evangelization must ever drag on with its shameful limitations and debts.” Lewis Sperry Chaffer, Satan.
“Is it not God’s design that men should obtain assurance in any other way than by mortifying corruption, and increasing in grace, and obtaining the lively exercise of it? And although self-examination be a duty of great use and importance, and by no means to be neglected, yet it is not the principal means by which the saints do get satisfaction of their good estate. Assurance is not to be obtained so much by self-examination as by action!” Jonathan Edwards, The Religious Affections.
1. Antinomian—One who holds that under the Gospel dispensation of Grace the moral law is of no use or obligation because faith alone is necessary to salvation. (Merriam-Webster Online)
Effectual Calling — Reluctant Slave
As I gaze at the gorgeous winter scene that blankets the Rocky Mountains, my heart much appreciates this absolutely wondrous portrait that God has painted in creation. But the beauty that resides in this picturesque mountain setting is only a small part of the scene. God not only paints mountains into His portrait, He also paints visions into the hearts of His children. I cannot testify to the canvass that, by His hand, graces your heart but only the one etched deep within my own. I wish I could say that it was created over a span of years and that I was allowed to admire each brush stroke, contrast and hue—but it was created in an instant. I was struck to the ground and lay paralyzed and unable to move. I wept uncontrollably tears that seemed as if they would never end as the Holy Spirit allowed me to experience His grief over sin (mine included) and the lost souls serving in our military. God, in His tender mercies, had placed His call upon my heart in a way I would not soon forget.
Bob Flynn, President/CEO
I believe that God has called each one of us to be His missionaries. All that remains is our response to His calling. I remember that Moses was less than enthusiastic when He received his call from God. In Exodus 3:10 God called Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt. Moses’ reply, in verse 11, can be paraphrased as I HAVE NO ABILITY! (sound familiar?). God told Moses that He would be with him (verse 12). But you say, “that's O.K. for Moses, what about me?” Philippians 4:13 says “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
That would have been enough for me, but not for Ol’ Moses. His retort, in verse 13, was basically that I HAVE NO MESSAGE. But God gave him one. We too have the message that “...Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures…” (I Corinthians 15:3-4).
Now right after this, Moses rushed off to do God's bidding, right? Wrong-o!!! He complained, I HAVE NO AUTHORITY (Exodus 4:1). So God reminded Moses that He was his authority. Jesus told us, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” (Matthew 28:18-20)
Now wouldn’t you figure a big league player like Moses would be willing to quit after three strikes? In Exodus 4:10 he claims NOT TO HAVE ANY ELOQUENCE. The Apostle Paul shares with us in I Corinthians 2:1-5, “And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of man, but in the power of God.”
You would think at this point that Moses would be all squared away. But, like me, Moses tended to be a little thick between the ears (the texture of case-hardened peanut butter comes to mind). Finally he looked straight at the burning bush and fired off his last big line, admitting that he had NO INCLINATION to do what God had asked (Exodus 4:13). I believe I would have been looking for the big mushroom cloud after that one. But God was gracious. He worked with Moses and allowed Aaron to accompany him and help with his mission. God says to us in Philippians 2:13, “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” You see dear brothers and sisters, in Christ, we are without excuse. “We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.” (II Corinthians 6:1)
The fact that I share my faith means nothing, for the folks that come by my front door each week with a small magazine share theirs with fervor. The fact that I DO NOT share my faith says everything!
I pray that all of us in CMF would open up the canvas of our hearts so that God may paint a most wondrous portrait there; worthy of the sacrifices made for us by His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us not drag our feet like Moses, but go for the Gold like Paul. We can see that God has provided in every way for our journey. Let us be willing to go forth and spread the good news.
Quotes on Obedience
Various are the pleas and arguments which men of corrupt minds frequently urge against yielding obedience to the just and holy commands of God. But, perhaps, one of the most common objections that they make is this, that our Lord's commands are not practicable, because contrary to flesh and blood; and consequently, that he is ‘an hard master, reaping where he has not sown, and gathering where he has not strewed.’ These we find were the sentiments entertained by that wicked and slothful servant mentioned in the 25th of St. Matthew; and are undoubtedly the same with many which are maintained in the present wicked and adulterous generation. (George Whitfield, Walking With God)
Have you noticed how much praying for revival has been going on of late—and how little revival has resulted? I believe the problem is that we have been trying to substitute praying for obeying, and it simply will not work. To pray for revival while ignoring the plain precept laid down in Scripture is to waste a lot of words and get nothing for our trouble. Prayer will become effective when we stop using it as a substitute for obedience. (A.W. Tozer)
Faith, as Paul saw it, was a living, flaming thing leading to surrender and obedience to the commandments of Christ. (A.W. Tozer)
He will show us, to begin with, just one thing, and it will be our obedience and brokenness on that one thing that will be the first step into Revival for us. (Roy Hession, Calvary Road)
The principle involved is set forth in other places of the Word of God, in different phraseology it may be, but with equal cogency and clarity. Our duty is to draw near with the boldness of faith and in the attitude and readiness of full obedience. Faith will prove a key to unlock every mystery of the truth; obedience will secure our entrance through the door thus opened. (J.A. MacMillan, Authority of the Intercessor)
Many are willing to give up their theatre-going, and card-parties, who refuse to go forth unto Christ outside the camp. Others are willing to go outside the camp, yet refuse to deny their fleshly and worldly lusts. Reader, if there is a reserve in your obedience, you are on the way to hell. (Arthur W. Pink, Practical Christianity)
Ah, dear reader, it is far, far easier to speak in the open air than to uproot pride from your soul. It calls for much less toil to go out and distribute tracts than it does to cast out of your mind unholy thoughts. One can speak to the unsaved much more readily than he can deny self, take up his cross daily, and follow Christ in the path of obedience. And one can teach a class in the Sunday School with far less trouble than he can teach himself how to strengthen his own spiritual graces. To keep the heart with all diligence calls for frequent examination of its frames and dispositions, the observing of its attitude towards God, and the prevailing directions of its affections; and that is something which no empty professor can be brought to do! Give liberally to religious enterprises he may, but give himself unto the searching, purifying and keeping of his heart he will not. (Arthur W. Pink, Practical Christianity)
You shall learn how your great work is to listen, and hear, and believe what He promises; to watch and wait and see what He does; and then, in faith, and worship, and obedience, to yield yourself to His working who works in you mightily. (Andrew Murray, Abide in Christ)
"I ought to pray before seeing any one. Often when I sleep long, or meet with others early, it is eleven or twelve o'clock before I begin secret prayer. This is a wretched system. It is unscriptural. Christ arose before day and went into a solitary place. David says: ‘Early will I seek thee'; ‘Thou shalt early hear m y voice.' Family prayer loses much of its power and sweetness, and I can do no good to those who come to seek from me. The conscience feels guilty, the soul unfed, the lamp not trimmed. Then when in secret prayer the soul is often out of tune, I feel it is far better to begin with God—to see his face first, to get my soul near him before it is near another.”
Frequent, Fervent Prayer: by ADCS Bob Flynn, USN (Ret)
A man may measure himself in many ways. If he wishes to measure himself as a believer he need go no further than his knees. “What a man is on his knees before God, that he is—and nothing more” (Robert Murray M’Cheyne)
Robert Murray M'Cheyne
It is important to find the true and honest weight of our lives. The problem lies within our human judgment. The way we see ourselves does not balance with the way God sees us from within His Sanctuary. Perhaps that is why the Apostle Paul warns us not to think too highly of ourselves (Romans 12:3 paraphrase mine).
If we are Christians, then the reason for this measurement is to determine our readiness for war. The elite warriors of the ancient Roman Empire were called the triarii. When these combatants were engaged with the enemy, they had one duty: take the two feet of ground in front of them, clear it, then advance.
Whether we admit it or not, each of us lives in a combat zone. Around us the war rages unseen as the principalities, powers, and rulers of darkness try to prevent the furtherance of the Gospel. When we became a member of the family of God we also became combatants in this eternal battle for the souls of men. The war ensues whether we like it or not. Our only choice is whether or not we will be vanquishers or victims. In war there are only the quick and the dead; heroes and cowards; conquerors or casualties.
If we choose vanquishers, heroes and conquerors, then this requires preparation, training, and vigilance. The price of combat readiness is high! It will cost you everything! However, your sacrifice will bring with it the great rewards of perseverance and endurance.
In wartime, communication is the difference between life and death. As a Combat Christian you will engage in the daily war for the souls of the lost so do not forget that “A man is no bigger than His prayer life” (Arthur Wallis—Prayer Warrior). Remember, warrior, our lives in Christ Jesus began with a prayer. Prayer is not a liturgical activity (a prescribed ritual for public worship). Prayer is not a ritual (a ceremonial or solemn act). Prayer is a relationship between you and the Father, because of the Son and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Prayer is the most important weapon of combat in the Christian arsenal. Yet it languishes for lack of use. Prayer ought to be the first weapon drawn NOT the tool of last resort. We cannot be of much use to the King as a warrior if our muscles are atrophied. The only way to ensure their fitness is to engage in a well planned program of training!
Forgiving Versus Excusing
Bob Flynn, President/CEO
I find that when I think I am asking God to forgive me I am often in reality (unless I watch myself very carefully) asking Him to do something very different. I am asking Him not to forgive me but to excuse me. But there is all the difference in the world between forgiving and excusing. Forgiveness says, “Yes, you have done this thing, but I accept your apology; I will never hold it against you and everything between us two will be exactly as it was before.” But excusing says “I see that you couldn't help it or didn't mean it; you weren't really to blame.” If one was not really to blame then there is nothing to forgive. In that sense forgiveness and excusing are almost opposite. (C. S. Lewis, Virtue and Vice)
One day Jesus said to His disciples, “There will always be temptations to sin, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting! It would be better to be thrown into the sea with a millstone hung around your neck than to cause one of these little ones to fall into sin. So watch yourselves! If another believer sins, rebuke that person; then if there is G3340repentance, forgive. Even if that person wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, you must forgive.” (Luke 17:1-4 NLT)
G3340 μετανοέω metan oéo ; contracted metanoo , fut. metanooso , from metá (G3326), denoting change of place or condition, and noéo (G3539), to exercise the mind, think, comprehend. To repent, change the mind, relent. Theologically, it involves regret or sorrow, accompanied by a true change of heart toward God. In a religious sense implying pious sorrow for unbelief and sin and a turning from them unto God and the gospel of Christ. (The Complete Word Study Dictionary—Spiros Zodhiates, Th.D, General Editor)
Penitence — from poeniteo, from poena, pain, punishment. Repentance; pain; sorrow or grief of heart for sins or offenses; contrition. Real penitence springs from a conviction of guilt and ingratitude to God, and is followed by amendment of life. (Noah Webster)
We often needlessly wander through the darkened fortress of discouragement and despair—the high, impenetrable ramparts of our own building. Brick by brick they did rise from the hardness of our own heart—cemented indestructibly by the piteous mortar of our everbleeding soul. We are powerless to extricate ourselves from this fallen estate because of our self-deception. We think we are asking forgiveness for our sins, but without accepting responsibility. Did the Scriptures say that Christ would “excuse” our sins? No, He offered forgiveness if we confess them. If we look to the testimony of the Cross, we can see the Savior offering prayer on our behalf, “Father, forgive them.” He could not yet forgive us because we had not repented. Nevertheless, His example was to pray for our forgiveness and not (as we would) harbor ill will in the heart).
We are in darkness when we fail to wrestle with the responsibility of our own sin! Our honest confession must begin with the attitude of our heart. Are we really seeking “excusing” when the Scripture clearly teaches us to seek “forgiveness”? Our journey must begin at the gates of penitence—the work of the Holy Spirit that allows us to grieve over our sin and see its result through His eyes. Then is our repentance possible and our forgiveness assured. As we walk this path to forgiveness, the Holy Spirit will bring to light the true gravity of our offenses. Though clearly we are no longer the objects of the wrath of God, our sin still comes with its own reward. If we are the conduit through which the offense travels, the gravity looms large. But if we heed the conviction of the Holy Spirit upon our heart, then the road back into the Light of Christ appears before
us; and what we meant for evil will be transformed by Him who sits upon the throne of the universe.
Consider today the aforementioned words of Clive Staples Lewis and his warning to be careful that forgiveness petitions be not instead desires for excusing!
Grace is the spring of the Christian's walk, and furnishes directions for it. He cannot with impunity (chapter 17) despise the weak. He must not be weary of pardoning his brother. If he have faith but as a grain of mustard seed, the power of God is, so to speak, at his disposal. Nevertheless, when he has done all, he has but done his duty (Luke 17:5-10). (Dr. John Darby)
We are here taught, That the giving of offenses is a great sin, and that which we should every one of us avoid and carefully watch against, Luke 17:1-2. We can expect no other than that offenses will come, considering the perverseness and frowardness that are in the nature of man, and the wise purpose and counsel of God, who will carry on his work even by those offenses, and bring good out of evil. It is almost impossible but that offenses will come, and therefore we are concerned to provide accordingly; but woe to him through whom they come, his doom will be heavy (Luke 17:2), more terrible than that of the worst of the malefactors who are condemned to be thrown into the sea, for they perish under a load of guilt more ponderous than that of millstones. This includes a woe, 1. To persecutors, who offer any injury to the least of Christ's little ones, in word or deed, by which they are discouraged in serving Christ, and doing their duty, or in danger of being driven off from it. 2. To seducers, who corrupt the truths of Christ and his ordinances, and so trouble the minds of the disciples; for they are those by whom offenses come. 3. To those who, under the profession of the Christian name, live scandalously, and thereby weaken the bands and sadden the hearts of God's people; for by them the offense comes, and it is no abatement of their guilt, nor will be any of their punishment, that it is impossible but offenses will come. (Matthew Henry)
Far different is the humiliating language of Christianity. From it we learn that man is an apostate creature, fallen from his high original, degraded in his nature, and depraved in his faculties; indisposed to good, and disposed to evil; prone to vice, it is natural and easy to him; disinclined to virtue, it is difficult and laborious; that he is tainted with sin, not slightly and superficially, but radically and to the very core. These are truths which, however mortifying to our pride, one would think (if this very corruption itself did not warp the judgment) none would be hardy enough to attempt to controvert. I know not any thing which brings them home so forcibly to my own feelings, as the consideration of what still remains to us of our primitive dignity, when contrasted with our present state of moral degradation,
“Into what depth thou seest, From what height fallen.”
(William Wilberforce, The Practical View of the Prevailing)
If I could completely comprehend the full stature of the moral depravity that lives within my flesh, I would be able to speak with authority in directly referencing the depravity of the world in which I live. But to do so would only display my hypocrisy like a beacon in the night and with due diligence parade my ignorance across the fields of man’s utter folly. For it is the likeness I see in the mirror each day that ought display the image of Christ in all of His fullness but does not. The reason it does not is that my heart remains hard and feels not the complete and utter despair of those who remain both called of God and lost in their sin.
Bob Flynn, President/CEO
So I endure all things for the sake of those chosen by God, that they too may obtain salvation in Christ Jesus and its eternal glory. (2 Timothy 2:10 NET)
Should I thus languish in my frustrations that those yet held in captivity by the blackness of sin that fills their hearts do not live as though they were numbered among the saints? Would I expect an elephant to fly? Then why is it that my heart is living in a world of impossible expectation? Because I think too highly of myself! Shall I exalt my expectations over those of the Almighty Who knows the end of all things? The complaints of my heart cannot live in the presence of Him who died for me. If the grapes of wrath should by their weight extinguish my earthly existence would all of my worry add one second to my life or accomplish an eternal task? Should not my eyes shed the tears of the Savior’s heart as he grieves for the lost? By divine decree have I been given life abundant, a life that should no longer be lived for myself but for Him who died for me. Whatever events life brings my way, will I glory in the Cross or cower in the perceived defeat? Did Stephen lose when stoned to death while a zealous Saul looked on? Or was this a divine appointment kept that would in due time break the heart of this very zealous Pharisee on the road to Damascus? Stephen was called to glory so that the Apostle Paul could become debtor to the whole world for Christ's sake.
For the love of Christ controls us, since we have concluded this, that Christ died for all; therefore all have died. And he died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised. (2 Corinthians 5:14-15 NET)
Oh America, from what height fallen. Did we not pray for salvation’s song to reverberate through our hearts and minds─only to abandon its Author within a generation? Did we not choose to stand idly by while one human owned another? Have we not now created an underclass of peoples here at home and around the world that toil for a menial wage because of our greed. Have we not mortgaged our future and that of our grandchildren? Do we not owe the unearned wages of generations yet to be born? Are we not financially bankrupt as a nation while our leaders keep cold cash in their government office refrigerators? Is that the American dream we offer from sea to shining sea?
At the very same time our church parking lots portray the true face of our inner heart when one lot is full of Mercedes while yet another is full of Hyundai. We strut like peacocks with our arrogant and prideful feathers spread wide because our successes are measured by the number of tires touching the fresh bituminous there laid! Our congregations are separated by the walls of culture, custom, class, color and tongue. All the while we sing a lie through our graveyard throats, “I’m going back to the heart of worship cause it’s all about you Jesus. I’m sorry Lord for the thing I’ve made it because it’s all about you.” What is that incessant and annoying knocking at the narthex doors that disturbs my worship every Sunday?
Listen! I am standing at the door and knocking! If anyone hears my voice and opens the door I will come into his home and share a meal with him, and he with me. (Revelation 3:20 NET)
Notice that this Scripture given to the church is for once used in context! I couldn’t hear the King of Glory knocking because I was blinded by the glow of a pulpit aflame with righteousness (NOT). But my eyes were diseased and the light I saw was really darkness!
The greatest obstructers of the success of the word are those whose bad lives contradict their good doctrine, who in the pulpit preach so well that it is a pity they should ever come out, and out of the pulpit live so ill that it is a pity they should ever come in. (Matthew Henry)
No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a hidden place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, so that those who come in can see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is diseased, your body is full of darkness. Therefore see to it that the light in you is not darkness. (Luke 11:33-35 NET)
I sought for the key to the greatness and genius of America in her harbors and her ample rivers … ; in her fertile fields and boundless forests … ; in her rich mines and vast world commerce … ; in her public school system and institutions of learning. I sought for it in her democratic Congress and in her matchless Constitution.
Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great. (Tocqueville, Charles Alexis Henri Maurice Clèrel de)
We have not only lost the secret but buried it where it cannot be found—in the depths of self-righteousness, willful disobedience and counterfeit worship. The pinprick of light emanating from the clergy pulpit or the one given to every believer for the sake of his neighbor is piteously small and ineffectual because our bad lives contradict our good doctrine. We look to each other and compare our chrome and fail to notice the absence of an undergirding steel. We furiously shout through the hawespipe of our gospel ─ without noticing the ship has no keel!
Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what does it benefit a person if he gains the whole world but forfeits his life? Or what can a person give in exchange for his life?" (Matthew 16:24-26 NET)
We in this postmodern world are more likely to cruise the river of denial rather than come to terms with the truth here spoken to us by our Lord. We think of self-denial as an act of giving up something—perhaps doing without certain delicacies or comforts. However, this is only an infinitesimal part of His greater calling upon the heart.
To deny oneself means in every moment of life to say no to self and yes to God. To deny oneself means once, finally and for all to dethrone self and to enthrone God. To deny oneself means to obliterate self as the dominant principle of life, and to make God the ruling principle, more, the ruling passion, of life. The life of constant self-denial is the life of constant assent to God. (William Barclay)
Brother Lawrence would call this “Practicing the Presence of God.” Pastor Andrew Murray would call this “Absolute Surrender.” This is to give up all that would come between us and the Savior and thus prevent us from doing His will; to push self off the throne and let Jesus truly become Lord of our life.
A slumbering faith is an inactive one. It is not exercised upon its appointed Objects nor performing its assigned tasks. It is neither drawing upon that fullness of grace which is available in Christ for His people, nor is it acting on the precepts and promises of the Word. Though there still be a mental assent to the Truth, yet the heart is no longer suitably affected by that which concerns practical godliness. Where such be the case a Christian will be governed more by tradition, sentiment, and fancy, rather than by gratitude, the fear of the Lord, and care to please Him. So too when his hope becomes sluggish, he soon lapses into a spiritual torpor. Hope is a desirous and earnest expectation of blessedness to come. It looks away from self and this present scene and is enthralled by “the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.” As it eyes the goal and the prize, it is enabled to run with patience the race set before us. But when hope slumbers he becomes absorbed with the objects of time and sense, and allured and stupefied with present and perishing things. Likewise when love to God be not vigorous, there is no living to His glory; self-love and self-pity actuating us. When the love of Christ ceases to constrain us to self-denial and a following the example He has left us, the soul has gone to sleep. (Arthur W. Pink, Practical Christianity)
Is the scene we see acted out in our lives and in the churches where we worship of the former torpor or the latter earnest hope? The vision most often cast is one of constant entertainment and incessant complaint—the sermon too long, the music too loud, not enough hymns, and too many choruses. Perhaps this can be overcome by the continuous gossip we send and receive in our holy intercourse each week at the I don’t care group. The Lord of the Universe is not amused, and His righteous anger burns white hot because of the dung we offer up in contempt and paint as a holy offering!
He must take up his cross. That is to say, he must take up the burden of sacrifice. The Christian life is the life of sacrificial service. The Christian may have to abandon personal ambition to serve Christ; it may be that he will discover that the place where he can render the greatest service to Jesus Christ is somewhere where the reward will be small and the prestige non-existent. He will certainly have to sacrifice time and leisure and pleasure in order to serve God through the service of his fellow-men. The really important thing is not the great moments of sacrifice, but a life lived in the constant hourly awareness of the demands of God and the need of others. The Christian life is a life which is always concerned with others more than it is concerned with itself. (William Barclay)
But above all pursue his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:33 NET)
Now large crowds were accompanying Jesus, and turning to them he said, "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, and wife and children, and brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:25-26 NET)
If we reduce this to the simplest of terms, we must push aside the television, video games, and even the O’Reilly Factor for the duties of elder, deacon, teacher, youth leader, or to visit those who are sick, discouraged or lonely. We perhaps will forgo the possession of certain conveniences that we might give more with hilarity.
He must follow Jesus Christ. That is to say, he must render to Jesus Christ a perfect obedience. When we were young we used to play a game called “Follow the Leader.” Everything the leader did, however difficult, and, in the case of the game, however ridiculous, we had to copy. The Christian life is a constant following of our Leader, a constant obedience in thought and word and action to Jesus Christ. The Christian walks in the footsteps of Christ, wherever he may lead. (William Barclay)
For to this you were called, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving an example for you to follow in his steps. (1 Peter 2:21 NET)
We have come to know love by this: that Jesus laid down his life for us; thus we ought to lay down our lives for our fellow Christians. But whoever has the world's possessions and sees his fellow Christian in need and shuts off his compassion against him, how can the love of God reside in such a person? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue but in deed and truth. (1 John 3:16-18 NET)
Now those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also behave in accordance with the Spirit. (Galatians 5:24-25 NET)
Why is this so important? What does this have to do with Christian military ministry? Because the enemy of our soul has chosen a strategy right out of the divine playbook! He will try to break America’s independence by breaking the military!
In fact, I will bring an end to Israel's independence. I will break its military power in the Jezreel Valley. (Hosea 1:4b-5 NLT)
We often forget that there is always a battle unseen and because of this there is always more at stake than meets the eye. Remember that it was on August 7, 1990, that Operation Desert Shield began. I am not sure how to quantify the prudent limit of endurance for troops, families, and machines. However, with the ever-increasing unrest in our world, our prayers ought to be more earnest and prolific for our troops and for our nation. Behold the Jezreel Valley looms large in the horizon!
Then if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14 NLT)
Temperance is true self-government. It involves the grace of self-denial and the spirit of a sound mind. It is that poise of spirit that holds us quiet, self-possessed, recollected, deliberate, and subject ever to the voice of God and the conviction of duty in every step we take. Many persons have not that poise and recollected spirit. They are drifting at the impulse of their own impressions, moods, the influence of others, or the circumstances around them. No desire should ever control us. No purpose, however right, should have such mastery over us that we are not perfectly free. The pure affection may be an inordinate affection. Our work itself may be a selfish passion. That thing that we began to do because it was God's will, we may cling to and persist in ultimately, because it is our own will. Lord, give us the spirit ever controlled by Thy Spirit and will, and the eye that looks to Thee every moment as the eyes of a servant to the hands of her mistress. So shall Thy service be our perfect freedom, and our subjection divinest liberty. (A. B. Simpson, Days of Heaven Upon Earth)
God Don't Play Second Fiddle — Encouragement From Belonging to Christ
Bob Flynn, President/CEO
“A good person produces good deeds from a good heart, and an evil person produces evil deeds from an evil heart. Whatever is in your heart determines what you say. So why do you call me ’Lord,’ when you won’t obey me?” (Luke 6:45-46 NLT)
Is Jesus Christ your Lord? Is he your vocation or your avocation? Is he your everything or just your hobby? There are a great many bellwethers in Biblical Christianity to which we must be intimately knowledgeable and exactingly proficient lest we too become deceived and crash upon the rocks of the sea of life. One of these bellwethers has to do with fruit. Unfortunately, fruit judging has become, more often than not, one deceived believer judging another’s fruit as unbecoming while their own has bred worms and stank. In the context of the Scripture cited above we see that the Lord Jesus Christ sets the standard for our deeds as the attitude of our heart and makes the judgment that is loud and clear but mostly unheard—probably because we tend to have our fingers in our ears.
In today’s world full of bigger, better, faster, it is not hard to live above our means. As gasoline and natural gas prices rise, as an after effect of Hurricane Katrina, our means may live above us. I remember when my wife and I were first stationed at Naval Air Station Moffett Field, California. The first thing we noticed was that the cost of living there was higher than our current income. So much higher, in fact, that though we had zero debt, covering the essentials left us deficit spending by $300 per month. The savings account was dwindling! We were both young in the Faith and were much worried that we could not meet the family needs nor give to the Kingdom. When we went to our Pastor for guidance, he acknowledged our situation and released us from any expectation on his part that we should be giving to the Church under the circumstances. Then he did one other thing! He began to pray with us that God would reveal to us what we should do!
During this time I was struggling with my addiction to cigarettes and was being convicted mightily by the Holy Spirit. I suspect that addiction, in any form, gets in the way of our fellowship with Christ and therefore is SIN, plain and simple. I was walking from the parking lot to the hanger to report to work one morning and was about to pass by a trash can. Just then the Holy Spirit spoke these words to my heart, “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not what I say?” Busted! You see I had purchased a fresh pack of cigarettes. In an instant I learned that His patience, while it has depth beyond measure, has a time limit (the iniquity of the Ammorites is not yet full). Needless to say, I threw the cigarettes into the trash can and went, cold turkey, on a journey with my Lord.
“Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ?...put into action God’s saving work in your lives, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him.” (Philippians 2:1a, 12b-13 NLT)
I suppose you can guess what happened next. God answered our prayers with regard to our finances! I received a promotion, a longevity raise, and something called Variable Housing Allowance (to offset high cost-of-living areas) was created. We went from the red to the black in one fell swoop! Now we were able to give to the Kingdom with glad hearts by virtue of His provision!!! Isn’t Grace Amazing?
The answer had been forthcoming all along BUT there was something in the way! ME! Instead of lowering the river (delivering me from my circumstances) God chose to raise the bridge (make me different). I think that I would have never discovered this unless I had first gone to see my Pastor. The problem looked like finances but it was really sin in my life!
“Are there any among you suffering? They should keep on praying about it. And those who have reason to be thankful should continually sing praises to the Lord. Are there any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. And their prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make them well. And anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven.” (James 5:13-15 NLT)
Does Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior love you any less than this old barnacled sailor? I think not! However, our choice to obey is always demonstrated in our action!
How are you doing, Christian? Look into your check book and see if you belong to Jesus or to the world!
“Stop loving this evil world and all that it offers you, for when you love the world, you show that you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only the lust for physical pleasure, the lust for everything we see, and pride in our passions. These are not from the Father. They are from the world. (1 John 2:15-17 NLT)
“You want what you don’t have...You are jealous for what others have…And yet the reason you don’t have what you want is that you don’t ask God for it. And even when you do ask, you don’t get it because your whole motive is wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure. You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again, that if your aim is to enjoy this world, you can’t be a friend of God. What do you think the Scriptures mean when they say that the Holy Spirit, whom God has placed within us, jealously longs for us to be faithful?” (James 4:2a, 2c, 3-4 NLT)
“But the Godly will flourish like palm trees and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon. For they are transplanted into the Lord’s own house. They flourish in the courts of our God. Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green. They will declare, ‘The Lord is just! He is my rock! There is nothing but goodness in him!’” (Psalm 94:12-15 NLT)
God's Unchanging Plan — Where Do I Fit?
How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to Christ. Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure….God’s secret plan has now been revealed to us; it is a plan centered on Christ, designed long ago according to his good pleasure. And this is his plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. (Ephesians 1:3-5, 9-10 NLT96)
Bob Flynn, President/CEO
We have been designed from before the foundation of the world to be a perfect fit in God’s plan. The problem arises when we do not see or experience this perfect fit. Generally speaking, in our culture of comfort, we are looking for a prize in the box of Cracker Jack rather than searching for the Pearl of Great Price! It is this same mindset that perceives prayer as a change agent useful only in effecting alteration in our circumstances. Thus we miss out on the true character of prayer─ that can transform us for God's glory while at the same time changing us so that we fit His plans. So when, in our instant societal expectations, we fail to receive an immediate answer, the fire goes out in our boiler, our passion sputters, and we falter in our intercessory perseverance. Our prayers are ultimately effective because of our intimacy and communion with God─which also enables our success in the completion of the plans He has for us. Because of this, the enemy of our soul will be resolute in persistently injecting error into our understanding. His goal is to force our commitment to wane in this vital ministry of which we are to be our own first fruit. King David exhorted his son Solomon to, “learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately” (1 Chronicles 28:9) because “this is the way to have eternal life—to know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the One You sent to earth” (John 17:3 NLT). David goes on to explain that we should “Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind.” This is where our failure begins to be seen: in the absence of righteous works that He has ordained for us to perform─because we are not willing of mind. It is this lack of true intimacy with Christ, our Savior, that leads to our overt rebelliousness and failure! For how could we truly worship and serve a stranger or mere acquaintance? When Paul spoke to the Corinthians about the Macedonian churches he said their “first action was to dedicate themselves to the Lord and to us for whatever directions God might give them” (2 Corinthians 8:5b NLT96).
53.48 ἑαυτὸν δίδωμι: (an idiom, literally ‘to give oneself’) to dedicate oneself to some activity in a completely willing manner, usually implying service on behalf of someone or something—‘to give oneself to, to dedicate oneself to.’ (eautous edokan proton to kurio kai emin dia thelematos theos) ‘they gave themselves first to the Lord and to us by God’s will’ 2 Corinthians 8:5. (Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament)
1 Chronicles 28:9-10 And Solomon, my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him. But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. So take this seriously. The Lord has chosen you to build a Temple as his sanctuary. Be strong, and do the work.
When the Lord Jesus Christ has drawn you into the Holy of Holies by the intimacies of your prayer life, you will begin to understand that He is conforming you to His blessed will. Then no matter how high the mountain of your trials, or how low the valley of your circumstances, and how impossible life’s travails become, you will begin to see through Christ’s eyes; and the attitude of your heart will have changed. This is all important because in the flesh, our righteousness is still like filthy rags! We can no more do the work of the eternal Gospel than fly. If we look to those who have gone before us in whom God has chosen to accomplish great things, perhaps we will also find time-honored truth that can be applied to our present world. William Wilberforce, who was instrumental in the termination of the vile practice of slavery, would no doubt say that we are hugging our chains!
Sensual gratifications and illicit affections have debased our nobler powers, and indisposed our hearts to the discovery of God, and to the consideration of his perfections; to a constant willing submission to his authority, and obedience to his laws….Left to the consequences of our own folly, the understanding has grown darker, and the heart more obdurate; reason has at length altogether betrayed her trust, and even conscience herself has aided the delusion, till, instead of deploring our miserable slavery, we have too often hugged, and even gloried in our chains. (William Wilberforce)
Now there are some who would with immediate response say that they have no sensual gratifications and illicit affections! For those dear believers I would respond that deception is so stealth that it does and has caused true partakers of Grace to think that they are serving the Lord─when all the while they are doing the work of the enemy! It is all too easy for us to assume that it is someone else who is deceived rather than consider that we, like Lot, may be affected by the world in which we live. With much energy we consider the great beginnings of revival, but we do not consider why their demise comes so swiftly! I could stand up and stick out my chin and say, “not me.” But then I would be disagreeing with someone who preached a “Great Awakening” in this land and has the “Jonathan Edwards Center” named after him at Yale University. It is us to whom he refers when he speaks of piteous Zion weltering in the blood of self-inflicted wounds.
It is by the mixture of counterfeit religion with true, not discerned and distinguished, that the devil has had his greatest advantage against the cause and kingdom of Christ….By this, principally, has he prevailed against revivals of religion in our nation….And, I think, I have had opportunity enough to see plainly, that by this the devil has prevailed against the late great revival of religion in New England, so happy and promising in its beginning. Here, most evidently, has been the main advantage Satan has had against us; by this he has foiled us. It is by this means that the daughter of Zion in this land now lies on the ground, in such piteous circumstances, with her garments rent, her face disfigured, her nakedness exposed, her limbs broken, and weltering in the blood of her own wounds, and in no wise able to arise; and this, so quickly after her late great joys and hopes: Lamentations 1:17 (Jonathan Edwards, The Religious Affections)
All too often we make our plans and ask the King of Heaven to rubber stamp them with his blessing. And if we see successes through our eyes we seem satisfied. Or we may not be involved in any ministry whatsoever but rather are basking in the warmth of what would appear to be Plato’s celestial plane! On the one hand we display arrogance and on the other we demonstrate passivity─the sinful ditches on either side of the highway of holiness. David told Solomon to “Be strong, and do the work.”
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
Why do we not engage in this work that is perfectly fit for us? For Jeremiah records that these plans are to give us “a future and hope!” Why then to we cling to gold mixed with copper rather than seeking the pure gold of Christ’s eternal Gospel? Why does the harvest work languish for lack of harvest workers? We have found comfort in our fallen estate “aided by delusion” with darker understanding “gloried in our chains.” We neither toil in the fields of harvest nor do we fall to our knees and pray! Thus the deeds “we have done” in our righteousness remain the manna that bred worms and stank. The Macedonian churches were up for the task that lay before them because they were fit! They were a perfect fit (round peg, round hole) for God’s plans because He made them fit (fitness) to do the work designed.
When I think of the wisdom and scope of God's plan, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and earth. I pray that from his glorious unlimited resources he will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit. And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soul of God's marvelous love. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God. (Ephesians 3:14-19 NLT96)
When Paul comprehended the eternal capacity of God’s plan there was but one reaction available—he fell on his knees. In the midst of that intimacy with the Savior of the world he realized that the whole purpose of the Gospel was that he would no longer live for himself! Why is it that the harvest fields are white unto harvest? Because the church is still singing Frank Sinatra’s song, “My Way!” God created the world for himself so that the creatures of this world would give glory to Him! Then man turned in rebellion and into sin, went his own way, and God sent His son to redeem them. Why? To get the world back on track and do what we were supposed to do in the first place. Our major occupation then is to please God constantly in everything we do. Not to please ourselves! Not to do our thing! Not to pursue our happiness! It may be an American inalienable right to have the pursuit of happiness but it is not a Christian right. Happiness is always a byproduct of pleasing God and giving Him glory!
2Corinthians 5:15 He died for everyone so that those who receive His new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.
Proverbs 16:1-3, 9 We can make our own plans, but the Lord gives the right answer. People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their motives. Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed….We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.
Have you completed the three briefs (Orientation, Developing a Local Ministry, Pray and Plan Process) on the Become a Leader section of our website? Have your recognized your calling and submitted yourself to God’s plan? Can you see your perfect fit?
Grace Killers — A Self-inflicted Wound
Bob Flynn, President/CEO
In the movie, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, the father of the bride, while welcoming the guests to the reception, mentions that the last name of the bride’s family means orange, and the root of the groom’s family name means apple. “So there you have it; Apple and Orange. We are different but in the end we are both fruit.” We are all the same! We are social animals. We spend our time in this world with other people. No doubt we find that many things these folks say or do irritates us. The fact that we are irritated stands out as a statement of who we are!!! This is the seed of death—the great Grace Killer of our day! For after the irritation comes the complaining and after the complaining comes the gossip and after the gossip comes the bitterness. By then we are in the ditch alongside the highway of holiness instead of walking thereon.
Complaining: goggusmos {gong-goos-mos’} The early instances yield the sense “to be dissatisfied,” “to grumble because of disappointed hopes.” A murmur, murmuring, muttering; a secret debate; a secret displeasure not openly avowed.
“Who may worship in your sanctuary, Lord? Who may enter your presence on your holy hill? Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking the truth from sincere hearts. Those who refuse to slander others or harm their neighbors or speak evil of their friends. Those who despise persistent sinners and honor the faithful followers of the Lord and keep their promises even when it hurts. Those who do not charge interest on the money they lend, and who refuse to accept bribes to testify against the innocent. Such people will stand firm forever” (Psalm 15 NLT).
“In everything you do, stay away from complaining and arguing, so that no one can speak a word of blame against you. You are to live clean, innocent lives as children of God in a dark world full of crooked and perverse people. Let your lives shine brightly before them. Hold tight to the word of life, so that when Christ returns, I will be proud that I did not lose the race and that my work was not useless” (Philippians 2:14-16 NLT).
Said another way, “If you want to have joy, don’t complain!” The book, “How to be Free from Bitterness” is a well-written book that will help you turn away from the other great American pastime. It is a must-read for every serious believer! But you decide! Is the joy of the Lord Jesus Christ bubbling out of your life like a river? CMF will send a copy ‘free’ to our membership who ask. You may order this and other materials on the Members Only portion of our website.
I Hear You Knocking But You Can't Come In — Tis Tepid
I once heard an experienced chef describe the best method for baking a turkey. He explained that the only sure way to determine when the turkey is properly cooked is to insert a cooking thermometer in the thigh. When the thermometer indicates 175 degrees, it’s done. He said, "you can cook it longer but it just dries out the meat, which is why we invented gravy." Jesus Christ is also concerned with the temperature of His Church:
“But because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I am going to spit you out of my mouth!...I rebuke and punish all whom I love. Be in earnest, then, and turn from your sins. Listen! I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with them, and they will eat with me” (Revelation 3:16, 19-21 TEV).
Bob Flynn, President/CEO
There are a great many bellwethers in the Christian Faith. Probably the strongest and most ignored is disobedience! According to Arthur W. Pink, in Practical Christianity, disobedience is a result of unbelief and "Scripture depicts unbelief as a virulent and violent principle of opposition to God." In fact unbelief and disobedience are so closely related (same Greek word) that the translators struggle as to which word to render in English.
"...and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief…" (Hebrews 4:6b KJV).
"...lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief" (Hebrews 4:11b KJV).
"...but to them that believed not?" (Hebrews 3:18b KJV).
"...but to those who were disobedient?" (Hebrews 3:18b NASB).
"...that, if any obey not the word…" (1 Peter 3:1b KJV).
"...if any of them do not believe the word…" (1 Peter 3:1b NIV).
"...them that obey not the gospel of God?" (1 Peter 4:17b KJV).
"...those who do not believe the Good News from God?" (1 Peter 4:17b TEV).
Therefore, in a coarse sense, the fact that I pray is NOT a sign of genuine belief (folks with prayer rugs pray) but the fact that I DO NOT pray is a sign of disobedience. The fact that I am a cheerful giver is NOT a sign of genuine belief (Bill Gates is a philanthropist) but the fact I DO NOT give is a sign of disobedience.
"Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:17 NASB).
"Now this I say, he who sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly; and he who sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully. Let each one do just as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:6-7 NASB).
“He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me; and he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him, and will disclose Myself to him" (John 14:21 NASB).
Satan's plan is to deceive you into thinking you are saved when you are not, to deceive you into thinking you are walking in the light when you are not. Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer says, in his book Satan, "Satan’s ambition was not to become a fiend, but rather to become like the Most High. He will, therefore, strive for all that is moral and good: yet at the same time do all in his power to draw men from their natural reverence of God, that, in due time, they may acknowledge himself without fear." So stick the thermometer in our thigh. If it doesn't read "hot," fear not, that is why God extended His Grace!
"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life" (Galatians 6:7-8 NASB).
In Trust, Being Called, Abraham Obeyed
As we begin a new season of the year, perhaps it would be good to consider our spiritual seasons as well. This world, filled with the fallenness of man, brings with it a host of uncertainties and insecurities that pervert the intention of the original design. The only eyes that can see through this perpetual darkness are the eyes of faith. We must learn to walk by faith lest our lives be swallowed by the darkness. The learning must never cease, for each step will discover new hazards that require renewed sight to avoid. Whether we are babes in Christ or ancient saints, the requirement of the faith walk remains. Faith living is obedient living: we must apply the truths given us by holy writ ─ that are also inscribed upon our innermost parts. It matters not whether our feelings tend to lead us in an opposite direction, or perhaps circumstances arise that pressure us to alter course. Maybe we foresee negative consequences which would inundate us with aspersions from the “darkness dwellers” of the day. The season in which we live is the season in the kingdom where leaves do not wither but rather continue to bear fruit in the continuous season of God’s perfect light. Recognize that your enemy is also engaged in the salvation of souls (though it be counterfeit) and you will be mightily tested just as was the Patriarch Job. But when you appear on the other side of the fire, your life will have the purity of fine gold. For you were called into this faith by the very hand of the Almighty, and it is by this same hand He will lead you if you are obedient to follow. Hebrews 11:8 says that by faith Abraham obeyed (πιστει καλουμενος αβρααμ υπηκουσεν) — pistei kaloumenos abraam upekousen). Literally, “In trust being called, Abraham obeyed.” There is a reason the translators struggle with Ephesians 2:2, whether to render the phrase “the children of unbelief” or “the children of disobedience.” For unbelief and disobedience are toes on the same foot ─ contrasted with faith and obedience on the other. Therefore, we must be careful to watch our step! Will our steps lead to “the Way, the Truth, and the Life” by Whom we have been called? Will we steer a course of obedience into His glorious light ─ or meander in disobedience to be smashed upon the rocks of the “Prince of the power of the air?”
Bob Flynn, President/CEO
Job 23:10 But He knows where I am going. And when He tests me, I will come out as pure as gold. (NLT2)
Heb 11:8 It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. (NLT2)
ἀπείθεια apeítheia; gen. apeítheias, fem. noun from apeithḗs (G545), disobedient. Disobedience, unwillingness to be persuaded, willful unbelief, obstinacy. In the NT, it corresponds in its use with the verb apistéō (G569), to be unbelieving, opposing the gracious word and purpose of God; a stronger term than the syn. apistía (G570), disbelief, unbelief (Heb 3:12, Heb 3:19); hence we have the sons of apeitheías, disobedience, unbelievers, i.e., heathen, pagans (Rom 11:30, Rom 11:32; Eph 2:2; Eph 5:6; Col 3:6; Heb 4:6, Heb 4:11). (The Complete Word Study, General Editor: Spiros Zodhiates, Th.D)
Disobedience and unbelief have as their center, SELF. It is our SELF that rises to claim freedom over liberty, seizing the throne of our life from Him who has justly earned all honor and glory ─ as if our shield of arrogance would dare try to reflect the light of His righteousness.
Self lives on the selfishness of others, and uses the same principle in them for the gratification of its ends. Abimelech appealed to the men of Shechem by ties of race and blood, and by the inducements of their own self-interest. And so self-aggrandizement becomes a web of countless coils woven and interwoven with the selfishness of others, until hand joins in hand, and a thousand chords of mutual self-interest bind together political parties, commercial monopolies, criminal confederacies, and the baneful associations of evil men which so largely constitute human society. Each is bound to the other by his own selfishness, and the man who knows best how to play with the selfish passions of others makes them all tributary to his own needs, while the devil sits supreme as king over all. When you see a man appealing to the selfishness of others you may be very sure that he is selfishness incarnate.
We see self in partnership with Satan. Abimelech goes to the house of idols and gets the means for his unholy war from the temple of Baal. The devil is always ready to advance the funds to carry out any scheme of human selfishness. He is a very liberal investor in selfish trusts and sinful monopolies. You can always get money for a political campaign and a whiskey trust even when missionary societies are threatened with bankruptcy. Millions and millions of dollars are being thrown away every day in Satan's investments and sin's cooperative societies, and the cause of Christ is languishing by reason of the selfishness of its followers. The devil has his providences as well as the Lord, and the man who wants to plunge into the depths of Satan will find plenty of capital waiting his call and wonder often at his own success.
Then let us take another look, and gaze on Calvary. What is this that lacerates our Savior's brow and wreathes His gentle face with such a rude, tormenting crown? Ah! it is the old bramble again; it is the crown of thorns. What are those drops of blood that stain His face, and the tears that mingle with them and flow down His cheeks? Ah! they are the brambles of my selfishness; they are the thorns of my pride. It was this selfish "I" that I let not only crush my fellows, but even murder my Lord. It was not only for our sins He died, but it was for our selfishness, and in that death we die. (A. B. Simpson, Danger Lines in the Deeper Life)
As I look around the our world today I see that we have somehow, through the transition of the years, lost the essence of what it really means to be a Christian. For we, like the Jew, have been called for a special purpose to praise and glorify God and to exalt His name among the nations. We are as a people, set apart. There is a whole host of things whose origin is from this carnal reprobation that must not be part of our lives. The inhabitants of the satanic system may extol the virtues of the despicable habits they so much enjoy, because they are on the way to hell and are simply living their lives consistent with their character. But when those in the body of Christ start emulating this same wantonness that through holy wrath was abandoned unto eternal judgment, then contradiction of profession becomes a perversion concert casting aspersion toward Him who sits upon the throne of heaven by those called by His name.
When Paul wrote to Timothy, he said that all who belong to the Lord must turn away from evil. There is no room for compromise for those who are called of Christ. You bear His name and therefore have no business living as you please and doing what you want. For when you do, blasphemy will come from the world and rightly so. They'll say, "if that is Christ, I want nothing to do with Him." Are you a Christian? Is your life like a light upon a hill illuminating everything it touches or is it a “dark absorber” drinking in the contents of the cesspool?
But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God's very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for He called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light. "Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God's people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God's mercy." (1 Peter 2:9-10 NLT)
But God’s truth stands firm like a foundation stone with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and “All who belong to the Lord must turn away from evil. (2 Timothy 2:19 NLT2).
In the Holy Scriptures we have a standard of right and wrong upon which we can always depend for the general principles at least which should direct our actions, and in the voice of the Holy Spirit we shall always have the special guidance which we need in particular circumstances. But there are certain conditions which we must ever observe. "The meek will He guide in judgment." The yielded and willing heart will find His way. The selfish will, the heart that chooses its way and then comes to God to have Him indorse it, will be very likely to go astray. (A. B. Simpson, Danger Lines in the Deeper Life)
Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way
Bob Flynn, President/CEO
The title is a famous quote attributed to Thomas Paine, a voice of the common man and author of the book, Common Sense, a strong defense of American independence from England. Some would say that to quote someone who holds extreme views toward religion, is tantamount to giving aid and comfort to the enemies of all things religious. However, the wisdom expressed is time-honored and, sadly, much ignored.
We live in an age where technology allows the masses to express an opinion (good, bad, indifferent, true, or untrue) that travels at light-speed literally around the world. Popular thought would espouse that all opinions are of equal value, especially when expressed by the “epitome of moral turpitude” on “The View.” Truth is, there are good opinions and bad opinions; there are opinions that hurt others when expressed. For the last several months a zealous attorney has been attacking with great exuberance Christian organizations (ours and one other specifically) that serve the military society. His rhetoric demeans our existence in every way—complete with comparisons to Hitler and Stalin. His assertion is that no one should be allowed to share his faith anywhere— no matter how softly—which seems to me to be diametrically opposed to, “nor preventing the free expression thereof.”
I agree with Thomas Paine that:
THESE are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated. Thomas Paine, The American Crisis, 1776
The time in which we live is certainly trying. Our Nation has been engaged in combat operations for seventeen years in the Iraqi theater of operations. The price of our democratic freedom has been paid for dearly by the lifeblood our neighbors. The certain reality for a nation that runs on energy is that 100,000 of our troops will continue to be deployed in support of our national security for years to come! The cost on marriages and families defies description. For the returning warrior there is an inexplicable emotional wound that burns like a furnace within the soul, that can only be quenched on Jesus’ breast.
Shall we then cower in the midst of adversity? Should we not consider with a caring heart the arguments of those who wish to do us harm?
There are reasons why my favorite book is entitled, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners—that is the name emblazoned upon my cheek. I am grateful daily that it was not the end of the story: for on my forehead is another name, “Belongs to Jesus”—a name that makes a difference for all eternity. In this book, John Bunyan relates his personal anguish and daily struggle to find a single thought that was not depraved. If ever there was an extra-biblical articulation of the Apostle Paul’s distress expressed in Romans Chapter Seven, this is it. It was this very same pit where I lay trapped when Christ’s love lifted me.
I have had people tell me that Romans 7 was written about a time before Paul was a believer. I believe it was written expressing the day he penned the epistle. The “peace of God that surpasses all understanding” is not a place absent of struggle. It is the armor. This is why Paul said that he buffeted his body daily to bring it into bondage so that the spiritual man feeding daily upon the manna of the Word would thrive.
“Instead I subdue my body and make it my slave…” (1 Cor. 9:27 NET)
How does the Chief of Sinners follow the Lord Jesus Christ? By spending ten years before the mast. One might think that a sojourn with the Lord that lasts a decade seems rather long. But when you compare it with eternity, it hardly seems long enough. Ten short years soaking and bathing in the vast truths of Philippians Chapter Two.
First impossible truth:
“Be humble, thinking (G2233 –esteem, regard, lit. to lead the way) of others as better than yourselves.” (v 3b NLT)
Before truth can be imparted, it must be communicated. Receiving eternal truth requires undivided attention. I am a bond-slave of Christ Jesus—a servitude by choice. In earthly practice when this choice was made, the master pressed the servant’s ear to the doorpost of the house and pierced it with an awl. A piece of the ear was permanently made part of the doorpost. Said another way, Jesus now has my ear.
Bond-servants: (G1401—doulos) A slave, one who is in a permanent relation of servitude to another, his will being altogether consumed in the will of the other.
Paul expresses the Philippians truth another way in Romans 12:3, “Don’t think too highly of yourself”(paraphrase mine). In considering others, I am following and leading at the same time. But “I” must get out of the “Way” and let my will be altogether consumed in His. This consideration of others is in the light of letting the mind of Christ be in me — the mind of Christ that sacrificed Himself to give liberty to the lost. The question then becomes, does this mind of Christ express itself with a “regard” for those with whom you serve? Are you leading them in the way everlasting? Or are you stuck in the “I” chorus of Romans 7, not able to do those things to which you are called?
Look around. If you don’t see a thriving CMF fellowship where you are standing, look in the mirror and see if you discover the local leader willing to follow Jesus in starting one. Is the chapel program in need of helping hands willing to serve alongside the chaplain in support of the command religious program? Look in the mirror and see if there is a servant looking back at you.
Made in the Shade — Don't Dis the Tan
In our fashion-conscious world, it is amazing how much time and money is devoted to improving the external appearance. Hours are spent each day trying to make hair softer, shinier, and sexier. Preparations are offered to protect our skin from the sun and at the same time produce the coveted golden tan. Some even gain their brown exterior in an artificial way with “space age, state of the art” tanning machines. A movie star complexion can be attained by investing just minutes each day.
Bob Flynn, President/CEO
What if, as a Christian, I spend too much time and energy on my exterior? I am talking about that part of me that I show to the world. Christians are expected to look and act a certain way. Even among ourselves, we maintain appearances. It would be very easy for me to put on my Sunday face and appear to be something that I am not. Armed with everything I have heard at Sunday service, seen on Christian television, and read in Christian books I could venture forth into this world displaying a face that glows in the dark. Now I am “looking good!” I really have it “made in the shade,” right?
“If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth” (I John 1:6 NAS).
How does shade fit into this verse? The darkness mentioned in this verse represents sin. I believe that anything in my life that gets in the way of my relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ is sin. Within this definition, sin may not appear as darkness. It might appear as shade or even light. But God is not a half-stepper, “...God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all…” (1 John 1:5b NAS). If I am not walking fully in His light, then I am walking in darkness.
How can I use this in my life each day? Let me try to explain. Flashlights are familiar objects to all of us. They're made up of batteries, a bulb, and a switch. Turn on the switch and light emanates from the bulb. But what happens if the switch is left on too long? The light grows dim. Why? Some would say that the batteries are weak. I think it is because they are full of darkness. Batteries, contrary to popular belief, are dark absorbers. I am also an absorber. The Lord Jesus wants me to be full of light, but I can absorb anything I choose. Now if the battery in my car goes dead, I may be able to start the engine by getting a “jump start” from another battery. But this will be only temporary if my car’s charging system is inoperable. Likewise, if I do not make time each day for fellowship with the Lord Jesus, I am depending on a “jump start” instead of plugging into the Source.
When I became a Christian, I discovered the ministries of the Holy Spirit. First, He came to live inside me (indwelling). Second, I learned that if I asked, He would fill me with His presence (filling). However, here is a key problem. I cannot be full of light if I am already full of shade; “but if I confess my sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive my sins and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9 NAS). Having been cleansed by God Himself, there is room to be filled with His light, and I can have fellowship with Him, “...and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ” (I John 1:3b NAS). He speaks to my heart through prayer. He feeds me through His Holy Word. If I fellowship with the T.V. instead of the Master, I have in effect chosen the sun lamp instead of the SON LAMP! The tan may look the same, but we know it was made in the shade.
The Letter to Mrs. Bixby From President Abraham Lincoln
Executive Mansion, Washington, November 21, 1864.
Mrs. Bixby, Boston, Massachusetts:
Dear Madam: I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant-General of Massachusetts that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle. I feel how weak and fruitless must be any words of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering to you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save. I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.
Yours very sincerely and respectfully,
Abraham Lincoln.
Memorial Day, Mother's Day, and the National Day of Prayer
What can Memorial Day, Mother’s Day and the National Day of Prayer all have in common? Grace! “Charis” quite literally is a love that stoops to bring benevolence to another.
Bob Flynn, President/CEO
Grace came into this world born of a woman. Motherhood is perhaps the highest calling of all. Every mother has experienced this most miraculous process where a new life is brought into this world. This new life is nurtured within the mother’s body at no small sacrifice until the birth day arrives. Then for years afterward there is continued nurture and care given the child in patient continuance. Mothers endure unspeakable hardship, with little praise or recognition. During time of war their pain and loss at the combat death of their child brings anguish no man can understand nor fully appreciate. President Abraham Lincoln in just a few words captured (as best as any man can) the breadth of this grief in a letter to a bereaved Civil War mother. Mothers are one of God’s living illustrations of His Grace.
Memorial Day, in times past, was called “Decoration Day” and was a day of remembrance by us who remain alive for those who have died in our nation’s service. Toward that end there are a great many time-honored traditions that help us to show our appreciation of the fallen and remember their sacrifice. One such tradition is that the 3rd U.S. Infantry place small American flags at each of the more that 260,000 gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery.
“This is My commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:12-13 NLT)
There is no exclusive arena for the fulfillment of this commandment from Christ. The battlefield may be one of the extreme examples where temporal fruition is demonstrated. However, this is not the only example that is available in the war fighting genre. For the many believers in Christ Jesus who also served in our military, the sacrifices started long before their earthly vessels were extinguished. The Grace of God was made manifest in their daily lives, and their investment in others was day by day ─ this daily giving of themselves to others being eternally significant, and their temporal mission being the opportunity for its conveyance. I have said before that the love of God and the love our nation are not mutually exclusive. We are each called to a vocation. The reformers were cognizant of this. But somewhere along the way we have allowed this calling to be hidden in the din of neo-modern thought. Every vocation called of God is “full-time” Christian ministry. It then would be my assertion that the Christian who serves our nation in its military is twice called. Thus, Memorial Day becomes for us a time to remember more than the sacrifice of their earthly temple, but rather the investment of their whole lives in the Gospel of His Grace and the protection of this country raised by Christ’s holy providence.
Every year our country sets aside a day for corporate prayer. Since before its beginning, our founding fathers have recognized that no nation can rise without the beneficence of the Creator of the universe. As you may recall from previous articles, our Constitutional Convention had reached an impasse in their deliberations. This dispute would have continued were it not for the comments of Dr. Benjamin Franklin who prevailed upon his colleagues to remember the Providence that delivered them from the recent hostilities with England and how they had labored with tears in their prayer closet for His divine blessing. Why was it then that they had abandoned this earnest seeking of God’s favor in their present ministrations? Their successes became our present! The question is, can we learn from this and pray for our future. Or shall we languish in the answered prayers of our forefathers?
What do Memorial Day, Mother’s Day, and the National Day of Prayer have in common? The grace and mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ!
Men Are From Mars — Women Are From Venus — Pass The Salt
“So therefore, no one of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions. Therefore, salt is good; but if even salt has become tasteless, with what will it be seasoned? It is useless either for the soil or for the manure pile; it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Luke 14:33-35 NASB).
Bob Flynn, President/CEO
I often give newlyweds a book entitled “Men Are From Mars and Women Are From Venus.” I think it is helpful for couples to learn how differently men and women think, act and communicate. When we begin to understand one another, we begin to appreciate one another, and as a result may find true love. The two becoming one flesh is not, contrary to popular belief, the woman becoming the female version of the husband, but rather the two becoming more as one than they were as two (God's math).
I once had a the opportunity to view the stereotypical man-woman conversation in progress. The wife, in exasperation, told her husband, “You never listen to me!” He replied, “Of course I listen to you, I can repeat back every word you said!” Was the husband really listening? I think not! Ironically, perhaps even providentially, as I have lost much of my hearing, I have learned to become a better listener! But I must confess that I have been not unlike our stereotypical husband. Not only so in temporal life but also in the spiritual realm as well. I am part of the “Bride of Christ” yet I am sure that I have said to “the Most High,” “I hear you Lord, I can repeat back to you everything you say!” In doing so I was rebelliously and disobediently ignoring His words, “Take heed what ye hear” (Mark 4:24 KJV) . Instead I was hearing only the weeping of the Holy Spirit as He grieved over my sin, because I was forsaking not my sinful will for His most perfect and holy will! “Jesus help me follow.” And Grace answers:
“And now that I am away you must be even more careful to put into action God's saving work in your lives, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him” (Philippians 2:12b-13 NLT).
The words that proceed our quote from Luke speak of counting the cost of following Jesus Christ. I know you must have counted the cost before you gave up your freedom to join the list of the thousands of American warriors who have gone before you into the battle. When I was in the Navy and gave someone an order, I expected immediate action and if not observed an act of correction ensued. Yet when the King of Kings commands (“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” Matthew 28:19 NASB) we find new and clever ways to rationalize our “direct disobedience to a lawful order.” So it ought not to be a surprise when we are chastised by the Lord. He does not even have to raise a finger but allows us to fall prostrate upon the threshing room floor under the weight of our own sin.
“My child, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, or lose heart when you are punished by him; for the Lord disciplines those whom he loves, and chastises every child whom he accepts” (Hebrews 12:5b-6 NRSV).
If we say we love Christ and yet live in disobedience to Him we are deceived! Then what we see today touted as Christianity begins to make sense. It is another gospel (Galatians 1:6), or living a “form of godliness but denying the power thereof from such turn away” (2 Timothy 3:5 KJV). But if we belong to Jesus, He gives us the “desire to obey” and the “power to do what pleases Him.”
Natural Law
“The law of gravity tells you what stones do if you drop them; but the Law of Human Nature tells you what human beings ought to do and do not.” C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
There is the unwritten law in the mind of humankind that I call the law of “expectation.” Depending upon the circumstances, our minds will have certain preconceived notions as to how things ought to be. This is a good thing because it enables us to see. According to the experts, sight is 90 percent imagination. If it were not for our experience, our minds would not be able to rightly interpret the images that our eyes deliver to our cerebral cortex. Our sight and our memory play a harmonic role in allowing us to see both familiar things and those things new to us without becoming disoriented.
Bob Flynn, President/CEO
However, when it comes to actions, we have another law in effect that is called prejudice. It is also based upon experience (whether good or bad, right or wrong). We see, we judge, and we react accordingly. This allows us, more often than not, to operate our automobiles alongside those belonging to our neighbors, in rather close proximity without creating a total catastrophe. But what happens when our expectation leads us to a false prejudice? We pick up the phone and call our insurance agent to inform him that we have had an accident. Hopefully it was not beyond the scope of repair for the car and healing for our bodies!
Unfortunately, in our personal relationships with others this law of expectation takes on unrealistic proportions. We often expect of others what we do not demand of ourselves. We may have a whole host of societal standards based upon where we live, work, or worship. These standards may or may not match those held by someone else. What results is the inevitable collision of standards of conduct where feelings are injured and relationships destroyed. “But like a good neighbor, State Farm” isn't there to help you pick up the pieces.
Let us now call in the accident investigator to determine the cause of the calamity. Perhaps we can listen to the cockpit voice recorder and hear what was really said in the minutes that preceded the event. We could check the flight recorder (black box) in order to ascertain the attitude of the heart. Perhaps we could check the weather forecast to see if there was an air of deception present that hindered visibility. The accident investigator looks through all the evidence and then comes to the conclusion that this accident was preventable and assigns fault (oftentimes to both parties).
The world looks upon us believers as though our faces were engraved upon Mount Rushmore. There is an expectation of absolute perfection in all we say or do. It is a bit like being an airline pilot whose reputation is only as good as his last landing. It would not matter if the pilot had made thousands of perfect landings if the last landing resulted in a crash. When the world holds us to account in response to these crashes, some of us believers would say of our own conduct, “I am not perfect, just forgiven!” When we are rebuked by the brethren, we counter with, “Judge not, lest ye be not judged” ─ the mantra of those who use Grace to self-justify a careless life.
It was no accident that the Apostle Paul called upon us to, "clothe yourselves with the armor of right living, as those who live in the light" (Romans 13:12b NLT1996). Perhaps said another way, the word used could be “virtue.” Virtuous living is no accident; it is a volitional choice that is based upon right experience. Right experience leads to right expectation, and right expectation leads to right prejudice.
But where does the right experience come from? Answer: “The Light!” The Light has a Name, “Jesus.” In Him there is no darkness at all! Therein lies the whole answer to the whole question. The near context of the verse quoted is:
“Another reason for right living is that you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for the coming of our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So don't live in darkness. Get rid of your evil deeds. Shed them like dirty clothes. Clothe yourselves with the armor of right living, as those who live in the light. We should be decent and true in everything we do, so that everyone can approve of our behavior. Don't participate in wild parties and getting drunk, or in adultery and immoral living, or in fighting and jealousy. But let the Lord Jesus Christ take control of you, and don't think of ways to indulge your evil desires” (Romans 13:11-14 NLT1996).
Sound familiar? It should! Let us render this in a more literal update of this same translation:
“So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living…Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 13 NLT2004)
Paul says in Ephesians:
“throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception”
(Ephesians 4:22 NLT2004).
We are tested every day, all day, even while we sleep! We are only as good as our last landing! Collisions occur with the world and with the brethren. They are caused by expectations that are corrupted by lust and deception! This causes us to trip! And when we trip, we should know that it was Jesus, the “Chief Cornerstone,” over whom we stumbled. Another landing failed!
“He is the stone that makes people stumble, the rock that will make them fall” (1 Peter 2:8 NLT1996).
Virtue or vice, the choice is ours, and the fault of our failures lies within.
The final questions (plural) remain. How are you doing? Even more importantly, how are we (the Body of Christ) doing? Answer: Abysmally! Don't believe me, just ask your neighbor! Read the newspaper. Jesus changed the world with twelve unaccomplished men. Yet we live in a time when “mega-churches abound” and sin super-abounds. If the law of proportion applies, then a mega-church should change the universe. What was that thing that happened in 1740? An awakening? Who was that guy who was preaching then? What was that phrase we just passed over? “Wake up, for the coming of our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.”
As it seems to challenge an excellency above all His other perfections, so it is the glory of all the rest; as it is the glory of the Godhead, so it is the glory of every perfection in the Godhead; as His power is the strength of them, so His holiness is the beauty of them; as all would be weak without almightiness to back them, so all would be uncomely without holiness to adorn them. Should this be sullied, all the rest would lose their honor; as at the same instant the sun should lose its light, it would lose its heat, its strength, its generative and quickening virtue. As sincerity is the luster of every grace in a Christian, so is purity the splendor of every attribute in the Godhead. His justice is a holy justice, His wisdom a holy wisdom, His arm of power a “holy arm” (Psalm 98:1), His truth or promise a “holy promise” (Psalm 105:42). His name, which signifies all His attributes in conjunction, “is holy,” (Psalm 103:1) Stephen Charnock, Existence and Attributes of God,1682.
Navigation 101 — Know Where You Are
Many years ago there was a Navy flight crew that had launched on a very important mission. Right after takeoff the inertial navigation system experienced a seemingly catastrophic failure. It looked like all was lost until the gnarly old Master Chief Flight Engineer went back to the Navigator's station to investigate. After a couple of minutes he made the following comment to the Navigator: “You know these inertial navigation systems are really smart. But you have to tell them where they are before you tell them where to go!” You see the Navigator had aligned the system using the destination coordinates instead of the coordinates for their point of origin. We too as believers must know where we are before we can know how and where to go.
"I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.” (John 10:9 NIV)
Anytime I see the word "I AM" associated with the words of God the Father or God the Son it thrills my heart. For it reminds me of how the blessed Creator identified himself to Moses from the midst of the burning bush.
“God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:14 NIV)
Bob Flynn, President/CEO
Everyone enters into this wonderful salvation by the same way. Jesus is the gate. We all must enter in to His salvation by this gate which is Himself. There is no other way. In fact we discover, by reading the beginning of John Chapter 10, that to enter in by any other way would make us thieves and robbers.
So What!
When I was a young man I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to be a Sea Explorer. I was a member of Sea Explorer Ship 225, San Pedro, California. The organization was led by a Navy Warrant Officer named T.N. “Whitey” Chalman, Jr. and his wife. It was their custom, before we closed any meeting, to gently admonish us to remember who we were and to whom we belonged.
Before we can enter into the battles of the day we must first recognize who we are and to whom we belong! Our salvation is in Jesus Christ. Get it? Our salvation is a person and He is the Lord Jesus Christ. Our salvation is not an it. It is not some mere thing that we can misplace or lose. We entered into this salvation through the gate provided by this selfsame Jesus. On this we can depend. On this we must depend because Jesus is the “gate.” There is no other way.
Said another way: How can we journey forth into a new day with a new destination until we first know where we are? How can we know where we are until we know where we have been and how we got there? We came via a life of sin to the gate of salvation which is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Navigation 102 — Know Where You Are Going
Bob Flynn, President/CEO
A long, long time ago in a far away galaxy there was a Navy flight crew that was heading home after a long deployment to Naval Air Station Home Port from a certain island on the Pacific rim. They used the very in-vogue computer generated flight plan that was the state of the art for the day, to determine their route of flight and fuel requirements. The weather along their route was notorious for the ability to change without warning. I guess the forces of nature have never been really big on following what the forecaster predicts. Instead we usually find that the weather does pretty much what it pleases. In this case nature delivered a very healthy thunderstorm about the size of Australia. Consequently the flight crew, suffering from an extreme case of get-home-itis, attempted to climb the aircraft to the maximum attainable altitude in an effort to get over the weather rather than make a pit stop. To accomplish this amazing feat of aviation they turned off the engine and propeller anti-ice systems to squeeze out the last available Bernoulli (pound of thrust). About twenty minutes later the grand silence befell them as three of the four engines flamed out (quit running). After losing twenty thousand feet of altitude they were able to stir the languishing horses back to life and finished their journey to Home Port after making an unplanned fuel stop at the island home of the famous Albatross (Gooney Bird).
“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’” (John 14:6 NIV).
It is quite easy for me to look at the aforementioned horror story and equate it to my spiritual life. When I first met Jesus Christ as my Savior I was filled with the same kind of exuberance to be on the journey. I wanted to get on down the road at the best possible speed. Yes, I to ran into unexpected heavy weather and nearly crashed and burned. Why? Because I was ignorant of the precepts of spiritual travel and navigation. I had the brazen audacity to think that I could plan my spiritual life as if it were just another mission.
As you can see in Isaiah 35, the flight plan has already been filed and the right amount of fuel is onboard. We are destined to travel on the “Way of Holiness.”
“And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it. No lion will be there, nor will any ferocious beast get up on it; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there…” (Isaiah 35:8-9 NIV).
But where can I find this Way? You already have! Perhaps it would be better said if the question were phrased: Who is this Way? We see by reading the Key Verse from John that Jesus is the Way. Jesus is the Highway of Holiness. He is also the on-ramp (gate). We enter the Way at the Gate which is Calvary—the Gate where the vilest of sinner may enter into Him who is the Way.
There are many other paths in this world available for us to trod. However, we are not to stray down these by-paths but are to stay on the “ancient paths.”
“Yet my people have forgotten me; they burn incense to worthless idols, which made them stumble in their ways and in the ancient paths. They made them walk in bypaths and on roads not built up” (Jeremiah 18:15 NIV).
So What!
As we continue on our journey we will find that we already know the Way because He is our blessed Savior, Jesus Christ. We are not lost because the Way of Holiness is always before us and He is Truth. We need not hurry because the Way is already with us and He is life.
Peace Be Still
We live in a fallen world where terrible things happen. We are plagued by wars, rumors of wars, sickness, injury, hunger, etc., that add to the tremendous toll of human suffering. Life is at best fragile. James was correct when he compared our lives to that of a vapor. Now that I am old enough to say that I have “become my parents,” I am able to appreciate more fully how precious each day is as God creates it fresh and new. Yet I am mindful that my presence here will be erased soon enough.
I had opportunity recently to listen to the recorded sermons preached by the pastor of a large church that I was privileged to attend in the formative years of this faith walk. His observations and insights were crisp and concise, and they provoked my mind to much contemplation. Yet now that he has been in the grave for twenty plus years, the church he faithfully shepherded has not given even an honorable mention of him in their history. We are like a vapor; only the things of Christ will last forever.
Bob Flynn, President/CEO
How then are we to face the challenges that are set before us? Simple obedience! Notice that I did not say, “It’s easy, simple obedience!” Obedience is not complicated, but in my experience it has never been easy. My sinful nature rebels at the very thought of any kind of obedience. One could wonder how I thrived in the military for 23 years! Yet I am called to be yielded fully to the mind of Christ, that His will might be at work in me for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:5,13 paraphrase mine). For every time my flesh asserts itself, the arrogant "I" must be made to bow low so that it might be bent into a "C" at the foot of Calvary’s Cross (Roy Hession, Calvary Road, paraphrase mine). For there is only one Lord and it is to Him I now belong. In the simplicity of obedience I will see true liberty unfold. I need not climb into the heavens (that is, to bring Christ down), nor must I descend into the depths (that is, to raise Christ up). He is immediately accessible because He has chosen to make His abode in my heart: that place of Sabbath rest where neither wind nor rain disturb; that place where Jesus says, "Peace, be still."
Will the world continue to defile, corrupt, and rail against its rightful authority? Most certainly! Will the winds of despair blow across our paths? For sure! Must we see our loved ones suffer in the midst of many hardships and trials? Without a doubt! Yet Paul challenges me to be “anxious for nothing” and instead to pray thankfully about everything so that the “peace that surpasses all understanding” might “guard” my heart and mind in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7).
What choices will I make today? Will I kick against the goads, not wanting to walk the path set before me? Shall I cower at the “fellowship of His sufferings,” hoping only for the “power of His resurrection?” (Philippians 3:10) Or will I trust that I am truly yoked to the King of Kings and that my place is to walk beside Him in obedience, trusting that whatever the day may bring is by His sovereign hand, while letting my lips be engaged in prayer for all the saints everywhere.
Our prayers are the weapons of warfare aimed at an enemy unseen. But they cannot seek the target unless they are launched! We live in a nation founded upon the principles ordained in holy writ. Yet today we see, even in the church, the Word discarded and abandoned while the children of a counterfeit God pray for wisdom and power. And all the while the deceiver lulls us into thinking that we are serving a risen savior when we are really serving ourselves with great zeal—and instead doing real harm to the Body (Jonathan Edwards, The Religious Affections, paraphrase mine).
It should not surprise us then when we see the “best and brightest” of this generation chasing after the “impossible dream” of a cure for a nation—who thought they could defy economic gravity with impunity. Is this not the very thing that the Apostle John warns us against when he said:
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him, because all that is in the world (the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the arrogance produced by material possessions) is not from the Father, but is from the world.” (1 John 2:15-16 NET.)
The Greek here shouts at us:
G212 αλαζονεία alazoneía; gen. alazoneías, fem. noun from the adj. alazṓn (G213), a boaster. Ostentation, boasting about what one is not or does not possess. Someone going about with empty and boastful professions of cures and other feats. An alazṓn shows off that which he thinks or pretends he possesses. An ostentatious quack. A boast or boasting (James 4:16). As joined with “bios” (G979), life, it means “the period of extension or duration of life” as contrasted to “zōḗ” (G2222) which means “the breath of life.” Therefore, alazoneía toú bíou in 1John 2:16 means “showing off to fellow mortals; the pride, pomp, or manner of life; the ambitious or vainglorious pursuit of the honors, glories, and splendors of this life; the luxury of life for the purpose of showing off, whether in dress, house, furniture, servants, food.” (The Complete Word Study Dictionary, General Editor: Spiros Zodhiates, Th.D.)
Can we not hear John asking, “Where is your treasure invested?” Do we not see our nation and ourselves “alazoneía toú bíou”? We have thought ourselves wiser than the most wise God and chose to live “high on the hog.” But now the herd has run full-tilt over the edge of the cliff and is accelerating toward our just reward at 32 feet per second squared!
Numbers 11:4 Now the mixed multitude who were among them craved more desirable foods, and so the Israelites wept again and said, "If only we had meat to eat!
Numbers 11:34 So the name of that place was called Kibroth Hattaavah, because there they buried the people that craved different food.
Psalm 78:18 They willfully challenged God by asking for food to satisfy their appetite.
Psalm 78:30 They were not yet filled up, their food was still in their mouths,
Proverbs 6:25 Do not lust in your heart for her beauty, and do not let her captivate you with her alluring eyes;
Matthew 5:28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to desire her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Romans 13:14 Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to arouse its desires.
1 Corinthians 10:6 These things happened as examples for us, so that we will not crave evil things as they did.
Galatians 5:24 Now those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Ephesians 2:3 among whom all of us also formerly lived out our lives in the cravings of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath even as the rest…
Titus 2:12 It trains us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,
Titus 3:3 For we too were once foolish, disobedient, misled, enslaved to various passions and desires, spending our lives in evil and envy, hateful and hating one another.
1 Peter 1:14 Like obedient children, do not comply with the evil urges you used to follow in your ignorance,
1 Peter 2:11 Dear friends, I urge you as foreigners and exiles to keep away from fleshly desires that do battle against the soul,
1 Peter 4:2 in that he spends the rest of his time on earth concerned about the will of God and not human desires.
2 Peter 2:10 especially those who indulge their fleshly desires and who despise authority. Brazen and insolent, they are not afraid to insult the glorious ones,
2 Peter 2:18 For by speaking high-sounding but empty words they are able to entice, with fleshly desires and with debauchery, people who have just escaped from those who reside in error.
Jude 1:16-18 These people are grumblers and fault-finders who go wherever their desires lead them, and they give bombastic speeches, enchanting folks for their own gain. But you, dear friends — recall the predictions foretold by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. For they said to you, "In the end time there will come scoffers, propelled by their own ungodly desires."
Psalm 119:36-37 Give me a desire for your rules, rather than for wealth gained unjustly. Turn my eyes away from what is worthless! Revive me with your word!
Ecclesiastes 5:10-11 The one who loves money will never be satisfied with money, he who loves wealth will never be satisfied with his income. This also is futile. When someone's prosperity increases, those who consume it also increase; so what does its owner gain, except that he gets to see it with his eyes?
Matthew 4:8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their grandeur.
Psalm 73:6 Arrogance is their necklace, and violence their clothing.
Daniel 4:30 The king uttered these words: "Is this not the great Babylon that I have built for a royal residence by my own mighty strength and for my majestic honor?"
James 3:15 Such wisdom does not come from above but is earthly, natural, demonic.
Revelation 18:11-17 Then the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn for her because no one buys their cargo any longer — cargo such as gold, silver, precious stones, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, all sorts of things made of citron wood, all sorts of objects made of ivory, all sorts of things made of expensive wood, bronze, iron and marble, cinnamon, spice, incense, perfumed ointment, frankincense, wine, olive oil and costly flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and four-wheeled carriages, slaves and human lives. (The ripe fruit you greatly desired has gone from you, and all your luxury and splendor have gone from you — they will never ever be found again!) The merchants who sold these things, who got rich from her, will stand a long way off because they are afraid of her torment. They will weep and mourn, saying, "Woe, woe, O great city — dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet clothing, and adorned with gold, precious stones, and pearls — because in a single hour such great wealth has been destroyed!" And every ship's captain, and all who sail along the coast — seamen, and all who make their living from the sea, stood a long way off
(All quotations from the NET Bible)
Preparing For Combat
The thought of “preparing for combat” invokes a great many visions in my mind—most are temporal but a few are eternal. After having been in attendance at many goat-ropings (wars that politicians refer to as police actions, peacekeeping missions, etc., if they acknowledge them at all) I can say without reservation that in the eternal sense there were not many occasions when, as a Christian, I was combat ready. I was ready neither as an individual, nor as a part of God’s army. The reason I attempt to broach this subject is in hopes that you will catch a vision in your heart about the mission of the Christian Military Fellowship. Thinking in terms of mortal combat, one would expect an army to know some essential things like the enemy’s identity, strengths and location. In addition it could be expected that from this intelligence a mission (to defeat the enemy) and a strategy for its successful implementation would be devised. One could also expect that in this army the soldiers would not only know its own members but also their strengths, skills and their vital role in completing the mission.
Bob Flynn, President/CEO
Having said that, I would like to add that in the Kingdom of God the successful war is totally clandestine (to the extent that this word means behind the scenes or without being seen). I say that because Christian ministry must be God centered and God initiated if there is to be any eternal success! Our old buddy Isaiah found this out and wonderfully recorded it for us. In the first five chapters of the book that bears his name you will discover the tone of his ministry was the pronouncement of woes (Woe to you who do this…). However, a great change takes place when you turn the page to chapter six. When Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up, he experienced an attitude adjustment, “Woe to me!…I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips…and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.” Isaiah 6:5 NIV). Here our great God gives Isaiah a new vision of Himself. What did Isaiah see? He saw the Glory of the Lord that filled the temple and the seraphim serving before the throne. The seraphim had six wings but used two wings to cover their faces and two wings to cover their feet. They flew (or served) with only two of their wings. Although beautiful themselves, they made it their task to hide their beauty with four of their wings so that only the beauty of the Lord on the throne might be seen! In the midst of this, Isaiah discovered that his chief ministry had been to display himself rather than the Glory of the Lord. He had been doing what my old friend (and CMF Board Member) SGM Dan Cartwright,USA (Ret) calls “ODF—‘Out Der Flappin.’” Isaiah had been ODF on all six wings and hoping people would see it all. Isaiah said he was a man of unclean lips because our lips (words) are the portals of the heart. His lips were unclean because his heart was unclean as well. Isaiah was a preacher and his lips were the tool he used to serve God. What he had, up to this point, counted as gain—in reality was loss. “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.” (Isa 64:6 NIV)
Now there is only one rank in God’s army, Lord, and that is thankfully already taken! If we then are his soldiers (bond-slaves [by choice in this all volunteer army]) it would seem to me that we should be about the task of finding out what the Lord wants us to do, and then doing it. Hopefully what I said earlier about being clandestine, God initiated and God centered starts to make more sense. We should be praying that God would open our eyes to what He is already doing! This is the vision of the Christian Military Fellowship! We want to continue to build an army, whose members know each other and who together seek (in the prayer closet) what service the Lord would have them to join (His work in progress). Our desire is this ordained mission be accomplished with only the “wings of service,” so the world will see only the Glory of the Lord.
Are you prepared for combat? One of my oldest and dearest friends (a now retired Navy Chaplain) once invited me to come join him in serving at the Base Chapel. He said that I should not bother to come unless I could consider this serving in ministry. Serving at that Base Chapel was certainly the most rewarding experience I had while wearing the uniform. But if you choose to enter the combat zone you must enter by the “wicket gate” (Watchman Nee, The Normal Christian Life) where you will experience a crisis of the faith! Because God will ask you to do something that is absolutely impossible without Him.
Reclining in the Grass
Bob Flynn, President/CEO
"Live in such a way that God's love can bless you as you wait for the eternal life that our Lord Jesus Christ in his mercy is going to give you." (Jude 21 NLT96)
I have heard it said that life is all mind over matter. “If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.” (Mark Twain) In the midst of a universe, that from my humble perspective, whose length, breadth and depth are seemingly immeasurable, how can I matter at all? And if my plight should bring me to picturesque mountain top or dark and cavernous valley, what matter?
I had occasion to “recline in the grass” of late for an extended period of time. Truth be known, I am lying there still. More thought provoking yet, I will be lying there for all eternity. If the Lord tarries, then those who come after me may see the end of all matter, yet the "only immortal, invisible, God only wise" will live on and we with Him who have believed in His only begotten Son.
Perhaps the events of life ought to be looked upon as an opportunity for God's love to bless. I have often found myself saying, "God is good" after seeing a joyous event in the lives of His people. But wasn't He also good at the memorial service for the dearly departed? Was His goodness somehow absent as I celebrated my 60th birthday not knowing that a cancer was growing within? Some days later, prostrate in the surgical suite, as well-trained hands deftly removed the “poisoned pill” from my kidney and preserved its function, was goodness lacking? Yet only an hour before, another sojourner lost this same organ and was put upon a path of longsuffering and uncertainty called chemotherapy. Was my fate now changed? Or was it only illuminated?
I cannot testify for others but for me His love surrounded me in ways that defy description. Though He did make me lie down in green pastures, I was not alone. Family, friends, elders, and pastor were physically present there with me. I felt the warmth of the prayers of the thousands of saints who were interceding for me "in light inaccessible hid from our eyes." Not only these but "most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days, almighty, victorious," whose great Name I "praise" was also there in our midst.
Where could I choose to go that would be better than to recline in the grass prepared for me in a universe created by Him, for Him and through Him where, because of His "clouds which are fountains of goodness and love," my life matters. It matters to Him!
Is life better if it is longer? Or does the child who dies while yet in the womb held less precious by Him who “To all, life thou givest, to both great and small; in all life thou livest, the true life of all.” When we are allowed to sojourn in green pasture, it is during this reclining that we are able to see Him more fully. Though our gaze be veiled for now, the light revealed to us is most precious! It is the hope upon which we cling until that day when we are allowed to gaze fully upon His face — the face of Him who died for us.
When that day comes, would it not be made more blessed because we have remembrance of the blood moon of Calvary? Will not the first gaze be given greater grandeur because of the travail of tears shed in living sacrifice by the mercies of God?
Peter is right when he reminded us:
So be truly glad! There is a wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while. These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold — and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold. So if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trial, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on that day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. You love Him even though you have never seen Him. Though you do not see Him, you trust Him; and even now you are happy with a glorious, inexpressible joy. Your reward for trusting Him will be the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:6-9 NLT96)
Resting or Striving?
Had we duly felt the burden of our sins, that they are a load which our own strength is wholly unable to support, and that the weight of them must finally sink us into perdition, our hearts would have danced at the sound of the gracious invitation, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). But in those who have scarcely felt their sins as any encumbrance, it would be mere affectation to pretend to very exalted conceptions of the value and acceptableness of the proffered deliverance. This pretence accordingly, is seldom now kept up; and the most superficial observer, comparing the sentiments and views of the bulk of the Christian world, with the articles still retained in their creed, and with the strong language of Scripture, must be struck with the amazing disproportion. (William Wilberforce)
Bob Flynn, President/CEO
I have been wrestling with a verse in the Epistle to the Hebrews for some time now. It is one of those questions that itches at the back of your mind and refuses to be soothed until it is answered. In this case the question was provoked by reading a familiar phrase in a different translation.
So we must G4337 listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may G3901 drift away from it. (Hebrews 2:1 NLT)
My question was, "How does one listen very carefully to what one has already heard?" The translators necessarily struggle to find the words to transmit this from the original. The modern literalist attempts this conveyance with, “pay closer attention.” The more time-honored versions render it, “give more earnest heed.” Literally (when you add the word “perissoteros”), it is, “to give heed more abundantly.” If we look more closely at the word, “prosecho,” we see the idea of holding the mind or ear toward (“listen very carefully”). In the nautical sense it is, “to take up a heading towards" the truth we have heard.
This is an inference from the author’s discourse in the previous chapter where this truth is defined as that which was spoken by the Son, Who is infinitely superior to all of creation. His Gospel then should be given our undivided attention. It is the hearer’s duty to listen carefully so that the heading will steer clear of the rocks and shoals of pernicious nature and instead, chart a course toward the shores of good and profitable. If our attention be split, then our observation of the Guide Star is made unsuitable for navigation, and "our striving thus becomes losing."
Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing (A Mighty Fortress is Our God, Martin Luther)
G4337 προσέχω prosécho ; pros: toward + echo: to have and hold, implying continued possession. To have in addition, to hold the mind or the ear toward someone, to pay attention. As a nautical term, it means to hold a ship in a direction, to sail towards.
This has to be contrasted with the word, “pararreo” that means to drift away, perhaps even imperceptibly. Why is this important? Since the beginning, when our Parents were deceived in the garden of Eden, the enemy of our soul has been using the same means to lead us toward destruction. You would think that after these thousands of years we would wake up to the fact that we are repeatedly led astray by this spiritual sleight of hand. But church history gives us the real outcome. We continue to be hoodwinked by the slow drifting away from the pure truth of the Gospel, until half-truths and counterfeit truths become our steady diet. With our course no longer Christward, we set sail for perdition’s flame.
G3901 παραρρέω pararréo ; contracted paararruo , fut. parareúsomai, from pará (G3844), by, past, beyond, and rhéo (G4483), to flow. To float by or drift past as a ship, or to flow past as a river. Figuratively to slip away, suggesting a gradual and almost unnoticed movement past a certain point. Of a person, to move stealthily as a thief. It is used figuratively of persons meaning to glide away, to swerve or deviate from something, such as the truth, law, precepts; equivalent to parapípto (G3895), to fall aside. It occurs only in Hebrews 2:1 where it is used in an absolute sense "lest we drift away from that which we have heard" (a.t.), transgress.
The slow, imperceptible slouching toward Gomorrah has been occurring in our nation since the quenching of the Great Awakening ─ with America's greatness now inversely proportional to the size of the National Debt!
Romans 1:21 "For although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give him thanks, but they became futile in their thoughts and their senseless hearts were darkened." (NET)
The reason we must “listen very carefully to what we have heard” is that we must refresh our hearing of it each and every day as we enter into Christ’s Sabbath Rest! He has created a new day and called it, “Today” whereby we may enter into this blessed repose and blessed abode (katapausis). But if we fail to do so we will find no rest; our course will not be straight, and we will drift slowly away from His perfect will in our lives.
God's promise of entering His place of rest still stands, so we ought to tremble with fear that some of you might fail to get there. For this Good News—that God has prepared a place of rest—has been announced to us just as it was to them. But it did them no good because they didn’t believe what God told them.” (Hebrew 4:1-2 NLT96)
I sought for the key to the greatness and genius of America in her harbors and her ample rivers … ; in her fertile fields and boundless forests … ; in her rich mines and vast world commerce … ; in her public school system and institutions of learning. I sought for it in her democratic Congress and in her matchless Constitution. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great. (Alexis de Tocqueville)
Rift in the Bedrock
A good person produces good deeds from a good heart, and an evil person produces evil deeds from an evil heart. Whatever is in your heart determines what you say. So why do you call me ‘Lord’ when you won’t obey me? I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then obeys me. It is like a person who builds a house on a strong foundation laid upon the underlying rock. When the flood waters rise and break against the house, it stands firm because it is well built. But anyone who listens and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will crumble into a heap of ruins. (Luke 6:45-49 NLT96)
Bob Flynn, President/CEO
The headline read, “Parish Rift Forms Between Descendants of Prominent Evangelical Leaders.” The underlying text conveyed that the descendants of two well-known ministers were wrestling for control of “a mega—church that is a bedrock of the religious right.”
How loud must be the moans of the Holy Spirit when He grieves over our sin! If this were a new phenomenon, then we could all be surprised! However, this is the result of thousands of years of undetected deception. It is pretty difficult to be “diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” if “unity” has never been part of your experience! (Ephesians 4:3 NASB) I suspect that is why unity has been described in terms of what it isn’t. I have heard it said by well-intentioned believers that unity is not uniformity nor is it unanimity (an undetected deceptive logical argument derived from another world religion).
If we look to the Scripture for insight, we will find the words of Christ as He prayed for us the night before He was crucified.
“My prayer for them is that they will be one, just as you and I are one, Father—that just as you are in me and I am in you, so they will be in us, and the world will believe you sent me.” (John 17:21 NLT96)
If we put forth a couple of questions we will begin to see the danger of accepting logical arguments that are not substantiated in the Word. Did Jesus Christ think like the Father? Then there was uniformity! Did Jesus Christ agree with the Father? Then there was unanimity! The last question then should be, “Did the Father answer the Son’s prayer?”
The deception of which I speak is darkness masquerading as light. Of this we were forewarned by Christ Himself, “Make sure the light you think you have is not really darkness” (Luke 11:35 NLT96). I believe we should consider that this is an exact description of “counterfeit.” While it may seem rudimentary that we should be able to tell the difference between darkness and light, the reality is: a pinch of darkness that is mixed with light may not be distinguished. It is this concept that Jonathan Edwards warned us of at length.
It is by the mixture of counterfeit religion with true, not discerned and distinguished, that the devil has had his greatest advantage against the cause and kingdom of Christ. (Jonathan Edwards, The Religious Affections)
It was his assertion that until we could distinguish between the true and the counterfeit that the Gospel would not be furthered. However, we continue to fritter away the years pretending that a thousand rivets flying in close formation is the same as an aircraft. We are in proximity but not unity!
Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; (Philippians 1:27 NASB)
I suspect we misunderstand what it truly means to be “standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.” We incorrectly think that we must look, think and act like each other for unity to exist. This could not be further from the truth! Rather we all should look, think and act like Christ! That is why Paul goes on to say that the mind of Christ must be in us. If not, there is no hope of “being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose” (Philippians 2:2 NASB).
But practicing the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ, who is the head. From him the whole body grows, fitted and held together through every supporting ligament. As each one does its part, the body grows in love. (Ephesians 4:15-16 NET)
The “one mind” is Christ’s and He is the head to whom we are to be subject. We are to be yielded to His will just as He yielded Himself to the will of the Father and “took the humble position of a slave” for our sake and “humbled Himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross” (Philippians 2:7b-8 NLT2ndEd).
Jesus said to the people, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me you won’t be stumbling through the darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life” (John 8:12 NLT96)
Why is it that we fail to see His light? There are two lights in this world to be seen: Jesus, the light of the world; or Satan, pretending to be the Most High. Which one we see depends upon our eyes.
“No one lights a lamp and then hides it or puts it under a basket. Instead, it is put on a lamp stand to give light to all who enter the room. Your eye is a lamp for your body. A pure eye lets sunshine into your soul. But an evil eye shuts out the light and plunges you into darkness. Make sure that the light you think you have is not really darkness. If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight is shining on you” (Luke 11:33-36 NLT96).
Here we have a passage that is paralleled in Matthew’s Gospel account (Matthew 6:22), though the context there is generosity and investing treasure in heaven. In each case there is the presence of a Hebrew idiom and an emphatic warning. The idiom speaks to the condition of our eyes. A single eye, pure eye, or generous eye lets sunshine into the soul. However, a crooked eye, evil eye, or stingy eye shuts out the light—not only so, but plunges us into darkness. The warning: “Make sure that the light you think you have is not really darkness” (Luke 11:35); “If the light you think you have is really darkness, how deep that darkness will be!” (Matthew 6:23b NLT96).
Why is it that we cannot see the light of Christ? Because the church in America is full of “dark corners!” For the two hundred sixty-three years since the death of the great awakening, we have been seeing the fallen light and following a counterfeit gospel and worshipping an Anti-Christ and all the while telling ourselves that we are serving the Lord with great zeal!
However, there is a hope if we are willing to seek it.
“These are evil times, and this evil generation keeps asking me to show them a miraculous sign. But the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah. What happened to him was a sign to the people of Nineveh that God had sent him. What happens to me will be a sign that God has sent me, the Son of Man, to these people. The queen of Sheba will rise up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, because she came from a distant land to hear the wisdom of Solomon. And now someone greater than Solomon is here—and you refuse to listen to him. The people of Nineveh, too, will rise up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah. And now someone greater than Jonah is here—and you refuse to repent (Luke 11:29b-32 NLT96).
“Yet it is evident, there will come a time of much greater purity in the church, than has been in ages past. And one great reason of it will be, that at that time, God will give much greater light to his people, to distinguish between true religion and counterfeits” (Jonathan Edwards, The Religious Affections).
Then you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not. (Malachi 3:18)
Sexual Purity—On the Rock Or Under It?
Bob Flynn, President/CEO
“A tree is identified by its fruit. Figs are never gathered from thorn bushes, and grapes are not picked from bramble bushes. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart. So why do you keep calling Me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say? I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to Me, listens to My teaching, and then follows it. 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.“ Luke 6:45-48 NLT
Why would I start an article about sexual purity with this particular Scripture reference? It is because in our present world, where atheistic humanism is rampant with all manner of alternative standards, we need an unshakable, unwavering, undeniable, and perfect standard. Here it is! Pastor Andrew Murray probably said it best in the title of his book, “Absolute Surrender.” That is our standard—perfect obedience!
We are surrounded by an environment where standards are mixed. The byword in the military culture is “Professional Excellence.” However, if we scrutinize this phrase a little more closely, we shall see that it falls short of perfection. Excellence by its very nature makes allowance for something less than perfection.
Excellence
EX’CELLENCE
EXCELLENCY, n. [L. excellentia.] The state of possessing good qualities in an unusual or eminent degree; the state of excelling in any thing.
- A valuable quality; anything highly laudable, meritorious or virtuous, in persons, or valuable and esteemed, in things. Purity of heart, uprightness of mind, sincerity, virtue, piety, are excellencies of character; symmetry of parts, strength and beauty are excellencies of body; an accurate knowledge of an art is an excellence in the artisan; soundness and durability are excellencies in timber; fertility, in land; elegance, in writing. In short, whatever contributes to exalt man, or to render him esteemed and happy, or to bless society, is in him an excellence.
In the commercial world we find businesses seeking after excellence. One could hope that they would also be in search of perfection; however, the reality is that perfection would be too costly and would diminish the bottom line on the financial reports. Business would rather create the perception of perfection for their customers and instead find an acceptable balance between quality and cost (best practices). (“Every Man’s Battle,” Arterburn & Stoeker)
How does this compare with the Bible’s standard for our sexual purity?
“But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Matthew 5:28 NLT
Here Christ reveals to us that the commandment did not apply only to an external act, but also to the secrets of our hearts, and even the movements of our eyes. “He declares that they who indulge a wanton desire, that they who look on a woman to increase their lust, have already, in the sight of God, violated the commandment, and committed adultery in the heart. Such was the guilt of David, whose deep and awful crime fully shows the danger of indulging in evil desires, and in the roving of a wanton eye. See 2 Samuel 11; Psalm 51. See also 2 Peter 2:14. So exceeding strict and broad is the law of God! And so heinous in his sight are thoughts and feelings which may be forever concealed from the world!” (Dr. Albert Barnes)
“If voluntary and deliberate looks and desires make adulterers and adulteresses, how many persons are there whose whole life is one continued crime? Whose eyes being full of adultery, they cannot cease from sin, 2 Peter 2:14. Many would abhor to commit one external act before the eyes of men, in a temple of stone; and yet they are not afraid to commit a multitude of such acts in the temple of their hearts, and in the sight of God!” (Dr. Adam Clarke)
A very short sojourn on television, a walk on the beach, or even driving by a billboard in the world of today will, by this standard, leave you defiled and an adulterer.
“For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.” Mark 7:21-23 NLT
So how are you doing, shipmate? Is the secret life of your own eyes leaving you the benefactor of the evil that lives within your heart? Be Encouraged! All the power of the universe is available to separate you from your sin! The question Jesus asks is, “Do you want to be healed?” Do you want to live on “the Rock” or under it?
So then, where is the victory for those of us who have a pulse, can fog a mirror, and have the tendency to see the world through earthly eyes? The secret has been revealed, Jesus Christ, the Lord!
The aforementioned quote from Luke 6 is one of the places where we can find the victory. It speaks of our obedience (or lack thereof) and the condition of our heart! Faith and obedience are toes on the same foot!
If we wait for God to change us before we act, we are cowering in the ditch of passivity! If we act apart from the Lord (being yoked together with Him) we are lying in the ditch of arrogance! (Roy Hession, “Calvary Road,” “We Would See Jesus,” paraphrase mine) But if we claim the promise of Romans Chapter 8:1-2, “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to Him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.“ (NLT), and put it into practice (take the first step with one foot and two toes) we will find the victory assured with each step! Because now we will be walking on “the Rock.”
God is not slack in His promise; each day is by His “command.” The question then, warrior, is can you take an order issued by the King of Kings and Lord of Lords? Do you want to be healed?
What then is the cause of our failure? Is this not the “lust of the eyes and the lust of the flesh and the boastful pride of life” that John warned us about—the following of our “evil, lustful desires” as we “despise authority”? (1 John 2:15-16, 2 Peter 2:10) God’s forgiveness is not license to make light of our sin! Christ’s death on the Cross exclaims for all time how seriously God takes our sin! God’s mercy is not an excuse for us to grow lax and live careless lives so that His Grace will super abound. (Romans 6)
Sexual immorality is one of the chief causes of divorce! That is why I continue to bring up the necessity for living the lives of purity to which we are called. It is time for the men of this country to take the hint from Job and make a covenant with our eyes! (Job 31:1)
Then we will be following God’s plan for our eyes to be focused on our wives, “forsaking all others, according to God’s holy ordinance I do pledge thee my troth” (fidelity, faith, belief, truth, verity, veracity).
My heart sinks with every e-mail, every phone call that tells me yet another marriage is in crisis. And as we work together to seek the causes and peel back the layers of a lifetime, the god of this age emerges, (pornea).
Fornication: The incontinence or lewdness of unmarried persons, male or female; also, the criminal conversation of a married man with an unmarried woman. (Noah Webster)
Incontinence: Want of restraint of the passions or appetites; free or uncontrolled indulgence of the passions or appetites, as of anger. Want of restraint of the sexual appetite; free or illegal indulgence of lust; lewdness; used of either sex, but appropriately of the male sex. Incontinence in men is the same as unchastity in women.
“What are the distinguishing qualifications of those that are in favor with God, and entitled to His eternal rewards? Or, which come to the same thing, What is the nature of true religion? And wherein do lie the distinguishing notes of that virtue and holiness that is acceptable in the sight of God? But though it be of such importance, and though we have clear and abundant light in the word of God to direct us in this matter, yet there is no one point wherein professing Christians do more differ one from another. It would be endless to reckon up the variety of opinions on this point, that divide the Christian world; making manifest the truth of that declaration of our Savior, “Straight is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life, and few there be that find it.” Dr. Jonathan Edwards, “The Religious Affections”
“Unless the LORD builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the LORD protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good.” Psalm 127:1 NLT
The First Rule of War
“No foreign power or combination of foreign powers could by force take a drink from the Ohio or make a track on the Blue Ridge in a trial of a thousand years. At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us it must spring up from among us, it cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die of suicide.” Abraham Lincoln
When Abraham Lincoln spoke these words I doubt that he could have conceived of a day when we would have a Department of Homeland Security. It is by design that America has NOT YET suffered another Twin Tower disaster! This success has been wrought at great cost!
“With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan—to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.” Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
“The patriot who feels himself in the service of God, who acknowledges Him in all his ways, has the promise of Almighty direction, and will find His word in his greatest darkness, ‘a lantern to his feet and a lamp unto his paths.’ He will therefore seek to establish for his country in the eyes of the world, such a character as shall make her not unworthy of the name of a Christian nation.” Francis Scott Key (1779-1843)
“And God has given us the task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. This is the wonderful message he has given us to tell others.” (2 Corinthians 5:18-19 NLT)
Bob Flynn, President/CEO
We can ponder the significance of “A Warrior’s End” from many perspectives. There is the look on a mother’s face that can never be forgotten when she is told she will never hug her beloved son again; or the empty side of the bed that grieves the young wife’s heart; the empty chair at the dinner table where Daddy used to sit. If we can introduce each one of these young men and women to the Gospel before the crisis, their destination will be changed for an eternity! For those who are wounded of heart, there is one immutable fact: warriors only talk to warriors about warrior things.
“How well do you reflect the Gospel in the pain-filled eyes of a frightened seven-year-old girl whose grandparents you just helped kill? This is not merely a rhetorical question. I had to rip the answer from myself one day in 1965 as I stared into those terrible eyes at a devastated village in Vietnam. Moral dilemmas are by no means the private territory of men at war. However, wars do provide acute crises in moral and ethical decision-making” (LtCol Tom Hemingway, Serving God in the Jungles of War: Moral Dilemmas of Combat).
These are the kinds of wounds that never heal but cover over with scar tissue and if not healed by the Savior, become the future cancers that kill the soul.
Yet serving in the military provides an opportunity to live the Gospel and share it with those with whom one is surrounded. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not part of a believer’s life ─ it is his life. Therefore, to do anything less than share one’s faith with a lost and dying world would be to hide the light under a basket. The manner in which believers live and their stated convictions must be consistent. Anything less will have a negative impact on the believer’s credibility. The act of evangelism itself will carry with it risk with regard to promotion. Sharing one’s faith openly will bring criticism and scorn from those who most need its benefit. LtGen John Grinalds, USMC (Ret), Evangelism in Command —Paraphrase mine.
This is an impossible dream absent the fullness of the Holy Spirit in the warrior’s life. The battle is waged in the temporal battlefield, while at the same time there is battle in the heavenlies. Victory cannot be achieved lest both foes be vanquished. The same can be said for the wounds of the body and the wounds of the soul. Neither will heal unless both be salved.
In these stressful times we see the military continuously being made smaller while its role is being changed from war fighting to peace keeping. This has created increased deployment schedules, lengthier family separations, and greater stresses on the service member and family alike. If Christ is our vocation and not just a hobby then we should feel the call of a sovereign God upon our lives. Paul, writing from prison to the Philippians, shared the experience of having been buffeted by life, beaten by foes, forgotten by friends, and rejected by those he loved ─ all for the sake of the Gospel. This is the message to the Christian in the military today that settles whether or not military service is a calling from God. Left unconvinced the military believer misses the joy, contentment, and effectiveness also expressed by the Apostle Paul. COL Richard Kail, USA (Ret), What is Your Spiritual Climate? — paraphrase mine).
This is why there is a Christian Military Fellowship ─ the building of character that makes our great Christian nation unashamed. The Fellowship is here to help.
The Holy War
Bob Flynn, President/CEO
The war in Iraq, the war in Afghanistan, the war against terror, and the war for the souls of men are all one and the same! The war has been continuous since its beginning. Each generation manages to add the names of the conflicts of their day, but it is merely a continuation of that which came before.
There was a man who once wrote of this war against “man’s soul.” It was written in allegory, because this style was his timeless gift. His name was John Bunyan. In his autobiography, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, he shared vividly of the torment of his soul and his ultimate deliverance by Christ’s wondrous and glorious Grace. You are probably most familiar with his more famous book, Pilgrim’s Progress. However, the work to which I now speak is called, The Holy War. In it Bunyan, who spent 12 years in prison for preaching the Gospel, tells of the assault against the town of Mansoul brought by a mighty enemy named Diabolus.
The town of Mansoul was built within walls and ramparts that were designed to withstand any attack. Even its five gates (Ear Gate, Eye Gate, Mouth Gate, Nose Gate and Feel Gate) could not be breached or traversed unless permission to enter was given by the townsfolk within.
Diabolus got together with his generals and strategized how they might conquer Mansoul and make it theirs. They decided not to use an overt frontal attack against the impregnable ramparts. Instead they decided to take Mansoul by stealth and deception. They would approach in a form familiar to the townsfolk ─ a form over which they thought they had dominion.
So the bad guys put on their armor and turned on their cloaking device, approached the town of Mansoul and walked right in.
The Battle:
Through deception, Diabolus put the town of Mansoul into bondage and purposed further to corrupt them as well. He ordered Mr. Filth to proclaim in the streets that the inhabitants were free to do anything their lusts might desire. There would be no one in authority allowed to hinder them for fear of prosecution from Diabolus. Thus Mansoul would grow weak to the point that even if the news of their redemption were broadcast from the rooftops, they would not have the ability to believe, or the hope to choose it (John Bunyan, The Holy War—Paraphrase mine).
The inhabitants of Mansoul should have been impervious to this attack, but alas, they had succumbed to the thinking of the day and were living as if they belonged to this world.
The Exhortation:
“Don't be fooled by those who say such things, for ‘bad company corrupts good character.’ Think carefully about what is right, and stop sinning. For to your shame I say that some of you don’t know God at all” (1 Cor 15:33-34 NLT).
The Exhortation:
“Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world” (1 John 2:15-16 NLT).
The Armor:
“Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness” (Ephesians 6:14 NLT).
The Counterfeit:
My breastplate is a breastplate of iron….In plain language it is a hard heart, a heart as hard as iron and as unfeeling as a stone. If you wear it you will show no mercy to others. (John Bunyan, The Holy War—Paraphrase mine).
The Armor:
“In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan” Ephesians 6:16 NLT).
The Counterfeit:
My shield is unbelief—the calling into question the truth of the Word and all the sayings that speak of the judgment that Shaddai has appointed for wicked men….But in the record of the wars of Immanuel against my servants, many have testified that he could do no mighty work because of their unbelief. (John Bunyan, The Holy War—Paraphrase mine).
The Armor:
“Put on salvation as your helmet…” (Ephesians 6:17a NLT).
The Counterfeit:
My helmet is the hope of doing well in spite of the circumstances. Those who wear it say that they will be safe even though they insist on doing things their own way. This stubbornness of heart if you wear it, will protect you against many blows. (John Bunyan, The Holy War—Paraphrase mine).
The Armor:
“Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere" (Ephesians 6:18 NLT).
The Counterfeit:
“Another piece,” said Diabolus, “of my excellent armor is a silent and prayerless spirit, a spirit that despises crying for mercy” (John Bunyan, The Holy War—Paraphrase mine).
The Exhortation:
“A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:10-12 NLT).
The Exhortation:
“Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus”
(Philippians 4:6-7 NLT).
The Escape:
“When you lift up your hands in prayer, I will not look. Though you offer many prayers, I will not listen, for your hands are covered with the blood of innocent victims. Wash yourselves and be clean! Get your sins out of my sight. Give up your evil ways. Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows. ‘Come now, let’s settle this,’ says the LORD. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool. If you will only obey me, you will have plenty to eat. But if you turn away and refuse to listen, you will be devoured by the sword of your enemies. I, the LORD, have spoken.” (Isaiah 1:15-20 NLT).
The Letter to Danbury Baptists from Thomas Jefferson
The affectionate sentiments of esteem and approbation which you are so good as to express towards me, on behalf of the Danbury Baptist Association, give me the highest satisfaction. My duties dictate a faithful and zealous pursuit of the interests of my constituents, and in proportion as they are persuaded of my fidelity to those duties, the discharge of them becomes more and more pleasing.
Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should “make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” thus building a wall of separation between church and State. Adhering to this expression of the supreme will of the nation in behalf of the rights of conscience, I shall see with sincere satisfaction the progress of those sentiments which tend to restore to man all his natural rights, convinced he has no natural right in opposition to his social duties.
I reciprocate your kind prayers for the protection and blessing of the common Father and Creator of man, and tender you for yourselves and your religious association, assurances of my high respect and esteem. Thomas Jefferson
The Separation Myth — A Wall by Our Own Design
Amendment I: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Amendment X: The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
I have often wondered that if there were a real separation of church and state articulated in Amendment I of the United States Constitution, why there continues to exist a “White House Press Corps?” The press is, after all, mentioned in the same sentence. Considering that the very specific prohibition delineated is against the Congress, how then has this transcended into a time when the United States Government is regulating religion in the many states? Was this the intention of James Madison, who is the chief principal involved with its authorship? I think not, for history does record that he subsequently issued at least four Thanksgiving Day proclamations!
Bob Flynn, President/CEO
What has ensued in the intervening years that has so soured the hearts of many ─ that such an upside-down philosophy should have invaded this “one nation under God, with liberty and justice for all?” Simply put, the Gnostics won! If we are absolutely honest, we must admit that all (every single one) of the churches founded by the Apostles are but a faint memory ─ each one succumbing to the assertions of the flesh. What has become of the spiritual offspring of the great awakenings preached by Edwards, Whitfield and Sunday? Was theirs no lasting legacy?
The methodology that quenched every awakening since the beginning, is the same one now being used to subvert and revise the foundation laid by our forefathers ─ deception. Today the partial truths of those who would see our Nation separated from the God whose blessings the founders in prayer petitioned are transmitted and replicated at light speed from blog to website to blog until the vilest gossip becomes “fact.” Then the talking heads speculate and analyze ad nauseam—seeking to be heralded as the accomplished purveyors of the latest secret truth. Instead, because of original unregenerate depravity, they have become the “Typhoid Marys” of an infectious disease that spreads the ever-tolerant political correctness syndrome until the societal patient succumbs, unaware of the arrival of his ultimate demise and eternal fate.
Who then shall we believe? Shall it be the unanimous Supreme Court of 1892 that ruled in Holy Trinity Church v. U.S., while citing 85 precedents, that this is a Christian nation and others will have to make allowances? Or shall we believe the later Supreme Court who misquoted the Jeffersonian letter (enclosed), and used his vague metaphor (that had no legal standing), cited no precedents, and erected a wall between our government and its Benefactor? How does this “wall” protect the “free exercise thereof?” The history since this latter decision has been one of continued suppression. Perhaps it would have been better for the later court to have quoted Jefferson’s method of discerning original intent:
“On every question of construction, carry ourselves back to the time when the Constitution was adopted, recollect the spirit manifested in the debates, and instead of trying what meaning may be squeezed out of the text, or invented against it, conform to the probable one in which it was passed.” (Jefferson in a letter to William Johnson, June 13, 1823, University of Virginia online library).
Justice Joseph Story, of the U.S. Supreme Court, said:
“The real object of the First Amendment was not to countenance, much less to advance Mohammedanism, or Judaism, or infidelity, by prostrating Christianity, but to exclude all rivalry among Christian sects [denominations] and to prevent any national ecclesiastical establishment which would give to an hierarchy the exclusive patronage of the national government.”
He also said:
“Probably, at the time of the adoption of the Constitution, and of the [First] Amendment...the general, if not the universal, sentiment in America was, that Christianity ought to receive encouragement from the State so far as was not incompatible with the private rights of conscience and the freedom of religious worship. Any attempt to level all religions, and to make it a matter of state policy to hold all in utter indifference, would have created universal disapprobation, if not universal indignation.”
Since this was the original intent, it is not surprising that in 1854 the United States Congress resolved that:
“The great vital and conservative element in our system is the belief of our people in the pure doctrines and divine truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
So why is it that “the freedom for this” and “the freedom from that” organizations go on tilting at the wind? It isn’t that they don’t get it! The problem is, they can’t sell it! All they can do is tell us poor and unenlightened members of the “third estate” citizenry what our problems are and who is to blame for them. That is how it becomes the vogue for Hollywood celebrities to call the disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ the “Christian Taliban” and “Satan’s Whores,” while at the same time encouraging us to come to the theater to see their new movie, or to be sure to tune in for the next episode of the view from the cesspool! “However, Christian, don’t you dare impose your morality upon me!”
That, my friend, is how you sell newspapers, win elections, and have a hit television show! The question that remains though is, “how did this happen?” The Gnostics won! How did they win? Deception! Will the real Lucifer, son of morning, please stand up! We fantasize that the god of this world is responsible for all of the evil things that happen, because we have not peered into the vile blackness of our own hearts! We seem pleased to read John Bunyan’s, Pilgrim’s Progress, with warm pleasure while at the same time ignoring The Holy War and Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners. For therein can be found the cause for this inherent evil ─ it is the face you primp or shave each morning! The real mission and methodology of the god of this world is to “be like the most high.” So if you are looking to find his presence in this world, look for the most amazing, beautiful, holy, etc., Christian, who is too good to be true; and you will have found Satan in all his counterfeit glory. If instead you find a believer struggling each day to find the victory (over sin) that is his in Christ Jesus, then you will have found the genuine believer. How can I say that? I didn’t! Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer said it in his book entitled, Satan.
Why is there now a wall of separation between church and state? Because we built it brick by brick! We were not pulled off course by turning into a blinding sun. We were lured off course a half a degree at a time until we were convinced in our own minds that true North was now true South. The man who became our first President was asked why the Constitution contained no references to the Almighty. This was his reply:
“I am persuaded you will permit me to observe that the path of true piety is so plain as to require but little political direction. To this consideration we ought to ascribe the absence of any regulation respecting religion from the Magna Charta of our country. To the guidance of the ministers of the gospel this important object is, perhaps, more properly committed. And in the progress of morality and science, to which our Government will give every furtherance, we may confidently expect the advancement of true religion and the completion of our happiness.” George Washington
In today’s politically-correct world, even the Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University edits away the foundational thoughts of their benefactor and replaces them with the stealth dots of the ellipsis so as not to offend those who might invest in their estate. You won’t find these words iterated in their copy of “The Religious Affections,” but rather they are preserved for us by the Project Gutenberg. In the forward to this grand book you will find Dr. Jonathan Edwards’ transcendent words:
“Many will probably be hurt in their spirits, to find so much that appertains to religious affection, here condemned: and perhaps indignation and contempt will be excited in others by finding so much here justified and approved. And it may be, some will be ready to charge me with inconsistency with myself, in so much approving some things, and so much condemning others; as I have found this has always been objected to by some, ever since the beginning of our late controversies about religion. It is a hard thing to be a hearty zealous friend of what has been good and glorious, in the late extraordinary appearances, and to rejoice much in it; and at the same time to see the evil and pernicious tendency of what has been bad, and earnestly to oppose that. But yet, I am humbly but fully persuaded, we shall never be in the way of truth, nor go on in a way acceptable to God, and tending to the advancement of Christ's kingdom till we do so. There is indeed something very mysterious in it, that so much good, and so much bad, should be mixed together in the church of God; as it is a mysterious thing, and what has puzzled and amazed many a good Christian, that there should be that which is so divine and precious, as the saving grace of God, and the new and divine nature dwelling in the same heart, with so much corruption, hypocrisy, and iniquity, in a particular saint. Yet neither of these is more mysterious than real. And neither of them is a new or rare thing. It is no new thing, that much false religion should prevail, at a time of great reviving of true religion, and that at such a time multitudes of hypocrites should spring up among true saints. It was so in that great reformation, and revival of religion, that was in Josiah's time; as appears by Jer. 3:10, and 4:3, 4, and also by the great apostasy that there was in the land, so soon after his reign. So it was in that great outpouring of the Spirit upon the Jews, that was in the days of John the Baptist; as appears by the great apostasy of that people so soon after so general an awakening, and the temporary religious comforts and joys of many: John 5:35, "Ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light." So it was in those great commotions that were among the multitude, occasioned by the preaching of Jesus Christ; of the many that were then called, but few were chosen; of the multitude that were roused and affected by his preaching, and at one time or other appeared mightily engaged, full of admiration of Christ, and elevated with joy, but few were true disciples, that stood the shock of the great trials that came afterwards, and endured to the end. Many were like the stony ground, or thorny ground; and but few, comparatively, like the good ground. Of the whole heap that was gathered, great part was chaff; that the wind afterwards drove away; and the heap of wheat that was left, was comparatively small; as appears abundantly, by the history of the New Testament. So it was in that great outpouring of the Spirit that was in the apostles' days as appears by Matt. 24:10-13. Gal. 3:1, and 4:11, 15. Phil. 2:21, and 3:18, 19, and the two epistles to the Corinthians, and many other parts of the New Testament. And so it was in the great reformation from Popery. It appears plainly to have been in the visible church of God, in times of great reviving of religion, from time to time, as it is with the fruit trees in the spring; there are a multitude of blossoms, all of which appear fair and beautiful, and there is a promising appearance of young fruits; but many of them are but of short continuance; they soon fall off, and never come to maturity.
Not that it is to be supposed that it will always be so; for though there never will, in this world, be an entire purity, either in particular saints, in a perfect freedom from mixtures of corruption; or in the church of God, without any mixture of hypocrites with saints, and counterfeit religion, and false appearances of grace with true religion, and real holiness: yet it is evident, that there will come a time of much greater purity in the church of God, than has been in ages past; it is plain by these texts of Scripture, Isa. 52:1. Ezek. 44:6, 7, Joel 3:17. Zech. 14:21. Psal. 69:32, 35, 36. Isa 35:8, 10, chap. 4:3, 4. Ezek. 20:38. Psal. 37:9, 10, 21, 29. And one great reason of it will be that at that time God will give much greater light to his people, to distinguish between true religion and its counterfeits. Mal. 3:3, "And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness." With ver. 18, which is a continuation of the prophecy of the same happy times. "Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God, and him that serveth him not."
It is by the mixture of counterfeit religion with true, not discerned and distinguished, that the devil has had his greatest advantage against the cause and kingdom of Christ, all along hitherto. It is by this means, principally, that he has prevailed against all revivals of religion, that ever have been since the first founding of the Christian church. By this, he hurt the cause of Christianity, in and after the apostolic age, much more than by all the persecutions of both Jews and Heathens. The apostles, in all their epistles, show themselves much more concerned at the former mischief, than the latter. By this, Satan prevailed against the reformation, began by Luther, Zwingli, and company, to put a stop to its progress, and bring it into disgrace; ten times more, than by all those bloody, cruel, and before unheard of persecutions of the church of Rome. By this, principally, has he prevailed against revivals of religion, that have been in our nation since the reformation. By this he prevailed against New England, to quench the love and spoil the joy of her espousals, about a hundred years ago. And I think I have had opportunity enough to see plainly that by this the devil has prevailed against the late great revival of religion in New England, so happy and promising in its beginning. Here, most evidently has been the main advantage Satan has had against us; by this he has foiled us. It is by this means, that the daughter of Zion in this land now lies on the ground, in such piteous circumstances as we now behold her; with her garments rent, her face disfigured, her nakedness exposed, her limbs broken, and weltering in the blood of her own wounds, and in no wise able to arise, and this, so quickly after her late great joys and hopes: Lam. 1:17, "Zion spreadeth forth her hands, and there is none to comfort her: the Lord hath commanded concerning Jacob, that his adversaries shall be roundabout him: Jerusalem is as a menstruous woman among them." I have seen the devil prevail the same way, against two great revivings of religion in this country. Satan goes on with mankind, as he began with them. He prevailed against our first parents, and cast them out of paradise, and suddenly brought all their happiness and glory to an end, by appearing to be a friend to their happy paradisiacal state, and pretending to advance it to higher degrees. So the same cunning serpent, that beguiled Eve through his subtlety, by perverting us from the simplicity that is in Christ, hath suddenly prevailed to deprive us of that fair prospect, we had a little while ago, of a kind of paradisiacal state of the church of God in New England.
After religion has revived in the church of God, and enemies appear, people who are engaged to defend its cause, are commonly most exposed, where they are sensible of danger. While they are wholly intent upon the opposition that appears openly before them, to make head against that, and do neglect carefully to look all around them, the devil comes behind them, and gives a fatal stab unseen; and has opportunity to give a more home stroke, and wound the deeper, because he strikes at his leisure, and according to his pleasure, being obstructed by no guard or resistance.
And so it is ever likely to be in the church, whenever religion revives remarkably, till we have learned well to distinguish between true and false religion, between saving affections and experiences, and those manifold fair shows, and glistering appearances, by which they are counterfeited; the consequences of which, when they are not distinguished, are often inexpressibly dreadful. By this means, the devil gratifies himself, by bringing it to pass, that that should be offered to God, by multitudes, under a notion of a pleasing acceptable service to him, that is indeed above all things abominable to him. By this means he deceives great multitudes about the state of their souls; making them think they are something, when they are nothing; and so eternally undoes them; and not only so, but establishes many in a strong confidence of their eminent holiness, who are in God's sight some of the vilest of hypocrites. By this means, he many ways damps and wounds religion in the hearts of the saints, obscures and deforms it by corrupt mixtures, causes their religious affections woefully to degenerate, and sometimes, for a considerable time, to be like the manna that bred worms and stank; and dreadfully ensnares and confounds the minds of others of the saints and brings them into great difficulties and temptation, and entangles them in a wilderness, out of which they can by no means extricate themselves. By this means, Satan mightily encourages the hearts of open enemies of religion, and strengthens their hands, and fills them with weapons, and makes strong their fortresses; when, at the same time, religion and the church of God lie exposed to them, as a city without walls. By this means, he brings it to pass, that men work wickedness under a notion of doing God service, and so sin without restraint, yea with earnest forwardness and zeal, many with all their might. By this means he brings in even the friends of religion, insensibly to themselves, to do the work of enemies, by destroying religion in a far more effectual manner than open enemies can do, under a notion of advancing it. By this means the devil scatters the flock of Christ, and sets them one against another, and that with great heat of spirit, under a notion of zeal for God; and religion, by degrees degenerates into vain jangling; and during the strife, Satan leads both parties far out of the right way, driving each to great extremes, one on the right hand, and the other on the left, according as he finds they are most inclined, or most easily moved and swayed, till the right path in the middle is almost wholly neglected. And in the midst of this confusion, the devil has great opportunity to advance his own interest, and make it strong in ways innumerable, and get the government of all into his own hands and work his own will. And by what is seen of the terrible consequences of this counterfeit religion, when not distinguished from true religion, God's people in general have their minds unhinged and unsettled in things of religion, and know not where to set their foot, or what to think or do; and many are brought into doubts, whether there be anything in religion; and heresy, and infidelity, and atheism greatly prevail.”
The reason a lost and fallen world calls us the “Christian Taliban” is because that is who, in their eyes, we have become! We no longer are here to “seek and save the lost” but rather to enlighten the masses to the plan that God has for their life—“Gospel-lite.”
In Dr. Edwards’ words is found a great rebuke! But also there appears an earnest hope! The lost are not the enemy! They are the souls for whom Jesus died! When we are, by Grace, able to see them thus, then will our Savior give blessing again to our Land. This, not because we deserve such providence, but because the virtues of the people will be that of “faith, hope, and charity” that come from Christ Himself. Maranatha!
Transformed for Service—God's Sharpened Tool
Bob Flynn, President/CEO
There are no unimportant members in the body of Christ! However, the enemy of your soul will try to make you feel as if you are not needed because you perceive that your abilities aren’t as advanced as those of someone else. The truth is that each of us has providential opportunities that no one else has! The reality is that you are God’s sharpened tool prepared in unique ways to accomplish His mission! “But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where He wants it” (1 Cor 12:18 NLT2E). But how do I get around the perceived inadequacies? What if my life is not currently victorious?
“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. 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” (Romans 12:1-2 NLT2E).
Transform (metamorphoo) means “In theology, to change the natural disposition and temper of man from a state of enmity to God and his law, into the image of God, or into a disposition and temper conformed to the will of God.” Noah Webster
Changing—Renewing (anakainosis) means “The act of renewing; a making new after decay, destruction or depravation; renewal; as the renovation of the heart by grace.” Noah Webster
Renovate means “To renew; to restore to the first state, or to a good state, after decay, destruction or depravation.” Noah Webster
"This transformation, it must be conceded, rather than representing the greatest thing impotent man can do for God, represents the greatest thing the infinite God can do for man; for there is nothing to be conceived of beyond the estate to which this salvation brings one, namely, ‘like Christ’ and ‘conformed to the image of his Son.’” Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer, D.D., Litt.D., Th.D., Salvation
Grace is that attribute residing in the heart of God that allows Him to extend to us (who trust in Him) His love, kindness and favor rather than visiting His just wrath upon us according to our sins and inequities. However, experiencing God’s Grace day to day can become an act of futility and endless frustration in our American culture because of our innate obsession with self. The self-determined, self-centered, self-sufficient, self-actualized, lean Six Sigma American Warrior saint says, “I can do this!—I can live the Christian life!” In doing so, we become, like the words from the Grammy award-winning song, “A Man of Constant Sorrow.”
“But we are not godly. We are constant sinners, so your anger is heavy on us. How can people like us be saved? We are all infected and impure with sin. When we proudly display our righteous deeds, we find they are but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall. And our sins like the wind, sweep us away.” (Isaiah 64:5-6 NLT).
Our Access
The Grace of God is not obtained by exercising some “If...Then...Else” statement. Grace is not lavished upon the chosen because we rubbed the Genie in the bottle, said the perfect prayer, or read the right book. The very verses that prohibit our self-striving guarantee our access!
“But the way of getting right with God through faith says, ‘You don’t need to go to heaven’ (to find Christ and bring him down to help you). And it says, ‘You don’t need to go to the place of the dead’ (to bring Christ back to life again). Salvation that comes from trusting Christ—which is the message we preach—is already within easy reach. In fact, the scriptures say, ‘The message is close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart.’” Romans 10:6-8 NLT
Grace comes in the midst of our daily relationship with the Father because Jesus is the door (John 10:7). We have no need to climb into a second story window, or tunnel under the street. Jesus is available at street level—right where we are.
Draw Near to God
Dr. Charles Ryrie, Th.D., Ph.D., outlines James Chapter Four this way:
Worldliness
- Its Cause (1-2) “What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Isn’t it the whole army of evil desires at war within you?” (v. 1)
- Its Consequences (3-6) “And even when you do ask, you don’t get it because your whole motive is wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.” (v. 6)
- Its Cure (7-10) “So humble yourselves before God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you….” (v. 7-8)
- Its Characteristics (11-17). “Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.” (v. 17)
“The one counsel concerning sin is—bring it daily to the only One who can take it away, God Himself. You should learn that one of the greatest privileges of a child of God is the confession of sin. It is only the holiness of God that can consume sin. Through confession I must hand over my sin to God, lay it down in God, and get God’s acquittal of it. I must cast it into the fiery oven of God’s holy love which burns against sin like a fire. God, yes, God Himself, and He alone, takes away sin. The Christian does not always understand this. He has an inborn tendency to want to cover sin, or to make it less, or to root it out only when he desires to draw near to God. He considers covering the sin with repentance, self-blame, or with contempt for the temptation which caused him to sin. He tries to conceal sin with the fruits of the works he has done or still hopes to do. Christian, if you want to enjoy the peacefulness of a complete forgiveness and a divine cleansing of sin, see to it that you correctly use the confession of sin. In the true confession of sin, you have one of the most blessed privileges of a child of God, and one of the deepest roots of a powerful spiritual life.” Andrew Murray, The New Life
“It is important that we get still to wait on God. And it is best that we get alone, preferably with our Bible outspread before us. Then if we will, we may draw near to God and begin to hear Him speak to us in our hearts. I think for the average person the progression will be something like this: First a sound as of a Presence walking in the garden. Then a voice, more intelligible, but still far from clear. Then the happy moment when the Spirit begins to illuminate the Scriptures, and that which had been only a sound, or at best a voice, now becomes an intelligible word, warm and intimate and clear as the word of a dear friend. Then will come life and light, and best of all, ability to see and rest in and embrace Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and All.” A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God
Accepting the Transformation
We must allow for His planned renovation of our hearts by using the means owned by the Spirit of God for this purpose (Dr. John Gill, paraphrase mine). “Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.” (Ephesians 4:23) We must accept that the promises of God are true and that His grace is there, in order to be able to receive it. There is absolutely one inescapable condition that must be met if grace is to change a person, and that is, God’s grace must be believed. We have to respond to God with an answering trust. And He will act.
“The overwhelming testimony of the Word of God is that every aspect of salvation, every blessing of divine grace, in time and eternity is conditioned only on what is believed.” Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer, D.D., Litt.D., Th.D., Grace
What is sanctification? Answer: Sanctification is a work of God’s grace, whereby they whom God has, before the foundation of the world, chosen to be holy, are in time, through the powerful operation of his Spirit applying the death and resurrection of Christ unto them, renewed in their whole man after the image of God; having the seeds of repentance unto life, and all other saving graces, put into their hearts, and those graces so stirred up, increased, and strengthened, as that they more and more die unto sin, and rise unto newness of life. Westminster Larger Catechism
Hindrances and Pitfalls
“Faith is manifested by a godly walk. Where there is lack of faith, the outward life may for a time seem to be consistent with the Christian profession, but eventually the old carnal nature will assert itself and there will be a turning back to the world.” H.A. Ironside, Hebrews
“The carnal or fleshly Christian demonstrates his carnality by his inability to receive the deeper truths which are compared to meat in contrast to milk. A carnal Christian, though saved and not needing regeneration, is in need of sanctification to become a suitable person instructed by the Holy Spirit.” Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer, D.D., Litt.D., Th.D., Systematic Theology
“More certain than the healthful growth of any tree or animal is the growth and increase of the child of God who surrenders himself to the working of the new life. Two things hinder this power and the reception of the new spiritual life. The one is ignorance of its nature—its laws and workings. Man, even the Christian, cannot conceive of the new life which comes from God. It surpasses all of his thoughts. His own distorted thoughts of the way to serve and to please God—namely, by what he does and is—are deeply rooted in him. Although he believes that he understands and receives God’s Word, he still thinks humanly and carnally on divine things.
God must give salvation and life. He must also give the Spirit to make us understand what He gives. He must point out the way to the land of Canaan. We must also, like the blind, be led by Him every day. The young Christian must try to cherish a deep conviction of his ignorance concerning the new life, and of his inability to form correct thoughts about it. This will bring him to the meekness and to the childlike spirit of humility, to which the Lord will make His secret known.” Andrew Murray, The New Life
“Shall we not then give place to a pure Christianity? Christ cannot possess us, and cause the rivers of Living Water which He has promised, to flow forth from our hearts with healing, renovating, transforming, abounding force, unless we are willing to be dispossessed of our own life. Christ will not rear His edifices upon the old foundations of selfishness. It is not a case of simply denying ourselves certain things; but of a complete renunciation of ourselves.” F.J. Huegel, Bone of His Bone
Counterfeit
“Satan, in his counterfeit systems of truth, is said to have ‘deep things’ to reveal (Revelation 2:24) and ‘doctrines of devils’ (1 Timothy 4:1, 2) which things, on the other hand, are as certainly not received by the true child of God; for it is said, ‘And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers’ (John 10:5). Yet the ‘deep things’ of Satan are strangely adapted to the blinded, ‘natural man’ and are, therefore, received by him. Every modern cult is evidence establishing the truthfulness of this statement.” Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer, D.D., Litt.D., Th.D., He That is Spiritual
A Case for CMF
When I retired from active duty and began this current sojourn on the staff of CMF, I knew full well that I was getting out of the MINISTRY to go into the ministry. Never again would I have the kind of opportunities and access that were available while I wore the uniform and walked the warrior’s path. Combat forever changes its participants! There was a reason that King David was NOT allowed to build the temple—he had blood on his hands. Was he also a man after God’s own heart? Yes! Nevertheless, he was changed forever by combat. The truth still remains that warriors talk only to warriors about warrior things. I must have standing before my words will be heard. God came down to earth as a man (He had standing) and became our kinsman so that He could become our redeemer. Whose kinsman are you?
“In warfare the offensive is the means by which one takes the objective. It is an aggressive advance against an enemy to wrest the objective from his possession.” Jim Wilson, Principles of War
If you think you can win the war all by yourself, then you have lost already. Battles are won when the victor delivers a concentration of force. When a warrior shoots at the enemy, the enemy shoots back! Sometimes warriors get wounded and require care. Fellowship is a concentration of force...salve...etc. CMF is a fellowship with standing!
Twice Called—Once Answered
Bob Flynn, President/CEO
We have many examples from Scripture where God has clearly called people into His service. On some of these occasions the folks receiving the call resisted and even rebelled. Perhaps the most well remembered was Jonah, whose rebellion won him a no-frills sea cruise in the belly of a fish and probably made him the first submariner.
One of my dear friends on active duty in the Navy was Chaplain Vic Walker. He shared with me that he also rebelled against God’s call upon his life. He was an active duty submariner at the time and actually reenlisted in order to refuse following God. He thought this would make it impossible to follow his calling. Needless to say his self-extended tour of duty was not much fun! Every day that he was on patrol and submerged, he thought about his disobedience. Just like Jonah, he was praying for an early release from his self-inflicted circumstances. But God had him first finish his enlistment and then He reiterated the call. By the time he graduated seminary he was too old to join the chaplain corps. But God opened the door by special dispensation and the rest is history. I promise you that my life and our Navy were very much blessed because of this man’s service!
Sometimes the flesh dies hard! We can turn away from the very path to which we are called and turn to our own ways. The result is we reap the whirlwind of our sin and lose the blessing of God’s fellowship in our lives. The lesson I learned from Chaplain Walker’s story was to swallow hard, then follow God’s calling. I too received the call to go into full-time Christian ministry. This call was diametrically opposed to my own wants and desires to continue in research and development at the Pacific Missile Test Center as a civil servant. But in His mercy, God had brought many into my life to affirm the calling. He also brought Vic Walker into my life to display the cost of disobedience ─ or I too would have been in the belly of a fish!
“So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls. But don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves” (James 1:21-22 NLT).
Martin Luther, in his commentary on Galatians, expresses the importance of this calling!
“The call is not to be taken lightly. For a person to possess knowledge is not enough. He must be sure that he is properly called. Those who operate without a proper call seek no good purpose. God does not bless their labors. They may be good preachers, but they do not edify. Many of the fanatics of our day pronounce words of faith, but they bear no good fruit, because their purpose is to turn men to their perverse opinions. On the other hand, those who have a divine call must suffer a good deal of opposition in order that they may become fortified against the running attacks of the devil and the world.”
So far we have seen examples of those who have a call from God but did not follow Him, and those who went without a call. I would postulate another possibility as well: those who have a call but have not heard it! Clearly if God does not build the house we labor in vain! (Psalm 127:1 paraphrase mine). However, are we studying the architect’s plans to see how the house is to be built?
A life in military service to our country is a calling in itself. We have a long and proud heritage of Americans who have devoted themselves to this most important calling. Our nation would not be here today if it weren't for the brave men and women who have served us so selflessly throughout our history.
For those of us who call ourselves Christians, there is also a call, a twice call! We are called to make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20) and to reconcile the world unto Christ (2 Corinthians 5) What does this have to do with me? I am not a minister!
“I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope He has given to those He called—His holy people who are His rich and glorious inheritance” (Ephesians 1:18 NLT)
Dr. John Gill gives us a good sense of this calling with his commentary on this text. He iterates that this is the “effectual calling of the saints; which is not a call to an office, or a call merely by the external ministry of the word; but which is internal, special, powerful, high, and heavenly: and this is the calling of God, of which He is the author.”
No small wonder that the Apostle Paul later on begs us to lead a worthy life! Why else are we here?
“Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God” (Ephesians 4:1 NLT).
Every believer has a call! A high and heavenly call from God Himself! It is the Word God has planted in our hearts. Not only a call to follow Him and to serve, but also a call to remain where you are planted!
“Each of you should continue to live in whatever situation the Lord has placed you, and remain as you were when God first called you. This is my rule for all the churches.” (1Corinthians 7:17 NLT)
John Wesley explains it thus:
“But as God hath distributed - The various stations of life, and various relations, to every one, let him take care to discharge his duty therein. The gospel disannuls none of these. And thus I ordain in all the churches - As a point of the highest concern.” John Wesley
How does this affect our military calling?
“‘As the Lord hath allotted to each, as God hath called each, so let him walk’ (so the Greek in the oldest reading); let him walk in the path allotted to him and wherein he was called. The heavenly calling does not set aside our earthly callings.” (Jamieson, Fausset, Brown)
My observation through the years has been that many do well at serving within their local church but few do well serving at work. It is as if our “Christian” lives and our “temporal” lives were lived on separate planets. Are we to be witnesses only at church or are we to bloom where we are planted? It is this compartmentalization that overshadows this phenomena. We either belong “all” to God or belong “not at all.” Many tell me that they are too busy to serve God at work as though the very same God that created time was impotent to order their steps and bless the work of their hands. Does not this display the real inner person who has yet to set aside self to become the servant of Christ? What if Christ had clung to His perquisites as the Son of God the way we cling to our careers and possessions? There are no incremental Christians; we are only incrementally deceived or deluded. Perhaps Elisha Hoffman said it best:
You have longed for sweet peace,
And for faith to increase,
And have earnestly, fervently prayed;
But you cannot have rest,
Or be perfectly blest,
Until all on the altar is laid.
Is your all on the altar of sacrifice laid?
Your heart does the Spirit control?
You can only be blest,
And have peace and sweet rest,
As you yield Him your body and soul.
Would you walk with the Lord,
In the light of His Word,
And have peace and contentment alway?
You must do His sweet will,
To be free from all ill,
On the altar your all you must lay.
O we never can know
What the Lord will bestow
Of the blessings for which we have prayed,
Till our body and soul
He doth fully control,
And our all on the altar is laid.
Who can tell all the love
He will send from above,
And how happy our hearts will be made,
Of the fellowship sweet
We shall share at His feet,
When our all on the altar is laid.
Paul said that God’s light “is the brightness of the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ...and is held in perishable containers, that is, in our weak bodies. So that everyone can see that our glorious power is from God and is not our own...that the life of Jesus will be obvious in our dying bodies” (2 Corinthians 4:7,11 NLT)
We are to be illuminated and powered by God so that the world will see and know the difference! This is possible because “our spirits are being renewed every day” (2 Corinthians 4:16 NLT)
What legacy will we leave behind when we leave the military or even leave this world? I do not care whether anyone remembers Bob Flynn. I very much care that those with whom I served after becoming a Christian know and remember the Lord Jesus Christ. “For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in our bodies” (2 Corinthians 5:10 NLT)
Remember your calling when your body is weak, so that through it you will “be fortified against the running attacks of the devil and the world” as you “suffer a good deal of opposition.” Without Christ active in our lives it is easy to lose heart and quit. Don’t let criticism, pain, and fatigue drive you from your sacred ministry.
Vision 20/20
“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:” (Ecclesiastes 3:1b KJV)
Bob Flynn, President/CEO
I would imagine that this verse is more well known to some of us because the words were put to music by Pete Seeger and then later recorded by a folk-rock band known as “The Byrds.” It is the heartbeat of our Fellowship that every believer serving in the United States military would seize the providentially provided opportunity to share with their fellow service members the most wonderful Gift ever given! I think we shirk this opportunity for many reasons—possibly because we have preconceived notions as to what this must look like. But as Dick Price, CMF Camp Lejeune Field Staff, often reminds me (using the words of Saint Francis of Assisi) we are to “Preach the gospel at all times—if necessary, use words.” This of course presumes that our lives actually reflect the love of our wondrous Savior and Lord. We serve Him because we are comforted by His love and have continuous fellowship with Him in the Spirit. In turn, we find joy in taking an interest in others, thinking of them more highly than we do ourselves (Phil 2:1-4 paraphrase mine).
For God says, "At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you." Indeed, the "right time" is now. Today is the day of salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:2 NLT)
I cannot quantify how many times I heard the Gospel before (at the “right time”) I listened, and my life was changed forever! But the Lord sent many across my path! So how is your vision? Is it 20/20? Have you discovered your “purpose under heaven”?
When Marriage SUX
SUX, a Naval Aviation weather term (invented for the Simoom—A strong, hot, sand-laden wind of the Sahara and Arabian deserts) describing a brown cloud with an indefinite ceiling, visibility fully obscured in blowing sand; a bad day to fly)
Bob Flynn, President/CEO
We frequently awake from the bed of our own choosing into the often grim reality of a life full of pain and regret. We think there is no way out from under the weight that holds us there. We seem destined to be the last one to see that eagles wings await all who would wish to soar! Were it not for this negative propensity, there would be no need for encouragers.
There continues to be an innate force, perhaps written upon our DNA, that leads us as though we are predestined to look for the fulfillment of life in all the wrong places. Our culture inculcates in us expectations that climb to unachievable heights! One glance in any direction within our world and it is plain to see that is exactly who we are ─ self-centered, selfish, and fallen, the proud possessor of a mind deemed reprobate! A decayed papyrus upon which we wish to write the wonderful stories of life as if we were the masters of our own fate! The liberal tries to write a decayed story on the decayed paper and succeeds. The conservative tries to write a righteous story on decayed paper and always fails. After all we have successfully armed ourselves with all the wisdom of the ages that we have gleaned from the “Christian How-to books” we have read in endless streams. We suppose that we will change our plight by the numerous cause and effect actions applied in our midst. However, manipulation is not a fruit of the Spirit but rather a sin of the flesh. Instead of removing the lumber yard from our own eye, we intend to mold our mate into our own image and of course as a result, the marriage lies in piteous ruin while drowning in the pool of blood coursing from self-inflicted wounds.
We would argue on our behalf whether marriage is a covenant, sacrament, ordinance, or contract, that we might escape its stifling hold upon our dreams of a better life with another not our spouse. But here is the unvarnished truth announced: If your marriage SUX so does your faith! “Do not be deceived, you reap what you sow” (Galatians 6:7 paraphrase mine).
My oldest and dearest friend, CDR Jerry Bruce, CHC, USN (Ret), oftentimes told me that apart from Christ, people will make the same mistakes over and over ad nauseam. We will flutter between relationships as a bee between flowers intoxicated by the nectar while dragging along the disease from our past failures and thus dooming our present. I speak of my friend Jerry, because he has the gift of mercy. I have been blessed to see firsthand the mercies of Christ flow through him to save more lives than the emergency room at the local hospital. I have seen a risen Savior and Lord turn the impossible into the possible with such regularity that a reasonable person would conclude that this is the “Normal Christian Life.” How can this be? Because Christ's Mercy is the perfect blend of His Grace and His Truth! Were all the other spiritual gifts absent, the body would flourish still because Grace and Truth needs nothing else.
We probably have all heard the exhortation from Ephesians 5:25 that men are to love their wives as Christ loved the church. However, we fail to consider that it is an extension of verse 21, “out of reverence for Christ”! If you have no genuine reverence for Christ, then the rest becomes the wood, hay, and stubble of life lived in the power of the flesh no matter how sacrificial the actions may look!
Noah Webster gives us cause to ponder this word in our hearts:
Reverence — Fear mingled with respect and esteem; veneration. The fear acceptable to God, is a filial fear, an awful reverence of the divine nature, proceeding from a just esteem of his perfections, which produces in us an inclination to his service and an unwillingness to offend him.
Respect — That estimation or honor in which men hold the distinguished worth or substantial good qualities of others. It expresses less than reverence and veneration, which regard elders and superiors; whereas respect may regard juniors and inferiors. Respect regards the qualities of the mind, or the actions which characterize those qualities.
Veneration — The highest degree of respect and reverence; respect mingled with some degree of awe; a feeling or sentiment excited by the dignity and superiority of a person, or by the sacredness of his character, and with regard to place, by its consecration to sacred services.
Esteem — To prize; to set a high value on; to regard with reverence, respect, or friendship. To hold in opinion; to repute; to think. To compare in value; to estimate by proportion. High value or estimation; great regard; favorable opinion, founded on supposed worth.
Does this really describe the soil in which today’s believer sows in holy matrimony? You decide! You reap what you sow! Remember, though, that throughout the passing of each moment of your pain, you are one cubit from victory (the distance from standing in sin to that of kneeling in penitent prayer) and one second from Christ’s amazing and wonderful Sabbath Rest! That prayer might go something like this: I confess today, dear Jesus Christ, that my heart knows not what it is to truly revere you in the way Paul describes. My heart is full of me and I do not know what it is to grieve over my sin, let alone repent of it. Yet I continue on day after day in my own might and see failure in my marriage, the most cherished estate that you created from the beginning for me to live within. Forgive me because of your great mercy and lead me today into your Sabbath Rest.
“Who will not fear You, Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy.” (Revelation 15:4 NLT)
“This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in Him at all.” (1 John 1:5 NLT)
“But You are pure and cannot stand the sight of evil. Will You wink at their treachery?” (Habakkuk 1:13 NLT)
If you desire help in finding the blessings that are yours in knowing the Lord Jesus Christ, give us a call! (800) 798-7875
“Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.” (Philippians 2:12-13 NLT)
Marriage and Family — Wives, Submit — Written to Husbands
“Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:22 NET).
The greatest problem with this verse─and the concepts there illuminated─is the English language itself! For this very reason it has been misused, abused and wrongly applied for over 1900 years. I suppose we could fill a library with what it doesn’t mean. However, critical thinking would preclude trying to describe something by referencing what it is NOT.
Bob Flynn, President/CEO
Our first observation is that the words “husbands” and “wives” does not appear in the original language ─ and with good reason! A woman is NOT called to submit to all men but rather, “A woman to A man” – A wife to HER husband! This is what the text says. This in itself should dismiss a great deal that has been wrongly inferred through the centuries.
If we look at what I call the Greek “Hupo” words (words that are preceded by the prefix “hupo”), we begin to see the problem with a consistent concept being rightly translated from the original to the English without losing the full flavor of the meaning or adding error in the process. The word “hupo” means “by” or “under.” When added to other words it adds to or amplifies the meaning of the word to which it is joined. Let us use a familiar word as an example. The word “hupomone,” is translated “patience, patient continuance, or long-suffering.” The question we need to answer then, is what is “mone,” that we should be “by” or “under” it?
Thayer’s Greek Definitions yields the following: “G3438 mon-ay, a staying, abiding, dwelling, abode; to makes one's abode; a metaphor for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit indwelling the believer.” Therefore, G5281 hupomone means literally then to “abide under,” “to bear up courageously under suffering” (Vines) ─ a rather robust definition not fully captured by the word patience!
As we return our focus to Ephesians 5:22, it will help us in our understanding if we look to a list of words that were not chosen to be used here and discover something significant:
- Hupeiko - under yield, submit
- hupoballo - suborn
- hupodeiknumi- admonish
- hupodeo - to underbind - bind under one's self - bind on
- hupodema - what is bound under - sandal
- hupodikos - under sentence, condemned
- hupozugion - under the yoke - a beast of burden
- hupozonnumi - under gird
- hupopodion - under foot, footrest, footstool (definitely not this one)
- hupostasis - a setting or placing under - foundation - support - the substantial quality or nature of a person or thing
- hupostello - withhold under - cower or shrink
- hupotage - subordination - subjection (Listen up men!)
The intent, then, of the word in this passage is NOT to convey suborning, admonishing, binding on or under, condemn, to yoke or burden, footstool, placing under, cower or shrink, subordination or subjection. Rather the word joined in our verse is: “tasso - to arrange in an orderly manner, that is to assign, addict, appoint, determine, ordain, or set.”
Imagine that! The God of the universe considers that within the Body of Christ, the Husband and Wife should be arranged in an orderly manner! When the co-pilot submits or yields to the pilot, is that a bad thing? They are both capable of guiding the aircraft. But could you imagine what it would be like if they were fighting each other at the controls?
Since Paul was a linear thinker, we understand that this verse is a logical extension of the previous verse: “And further, submit (same word) to one another out of reverence for Christ.” Ephesians 5:21 NLT. In fact, in the earlier manuscripts, the verb in question does not appear in verse 22 but is implied from verse 21. Perhaps it would be good here to introduce the husband and wife to each other as “one another”! Two persons, created in the image of God, joined into one flesh, in mutual submission or yieldedness to each other out of reverence for Christ ─ who have been arranged in an orderly manner!
In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God's gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered. 1 Peter 3:7 NLT
God has made one woman to become a wife to one man, and she is so constituted by God Himself. But this is not due to her being inferior to her husband, for they are both equal before God. It is a willing, personal subjection demonstrated in Eph 5:21, “submitting yourselves [hupotassómenoi] one to another in the fear of God.” The word translated “one to another” is “allelois” (G240), in the plural dative, indicating equality of all concerned. In society all humans, all men and women in various positions of leadership or following and dependence, are equal, yet their functions vary and their responsibilities are diverse. We are all equal before God and the laws of society, and yet we have varying functions and responsibilities. If we accept certain functions under a fellow- human, we must subject ourselves to that individual to accomplish a common goal. So it is with a wife placing herself in the proper and divinely-fitted position under her husband. Only a wife can bear children, and to do this she must subject (hupotássetai) herself to her husband. The functions are equally important although different. And they are different not because we want them to be, but because God made them to be so. (The Complete Word Study Dictionary, Spiros Zodhiates, Th.D., General Editor)
For us men to fully understand this concept of wives willingly submitting, we must recognize that we ourselves are the bride of Christ! We have this very same obligation to submit to our husband─who is Christ himself! In so doing, we may recognize that out of the fullness of that union we will understand that we are created to be givers. We can give to our wives the love of Christ that is so great it cannot be measured. Then we will discover that our wives are created to be responders. When our wives are loved with an unfailing love, they will respond!
What is the aroma of your marriage? Is it honeysuckle covered by a morning dew or something that lies dead in the tomb?