Tag: christianity

God is Just

1 John 1:9 (ESV)  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Our pastor has been teaching through 1 John the past few weeks, and though I’ve read and recited 1 John 1:9 for the nearly 50 years I’ve been a Christian, the word just really hit me during his exposition.  What struck me is God didn’t save us only because He loves us:

John 3:16 (ESV)  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Nor was it only because God is merciful that He saved us:

Titus 3:5 (ESV)  he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit

Putting His love and mercy aside for a moment, think of this: God was still justified in saving us.  So when Satan comes to accuse the brethren (Job 1; Rev. 12:10), he can’t accuse God of being a loving old softie.  God – the Judge of the universe – has a just, a legal, reason for forgiving us of our sins: the sacrifice of His Son.  The penalty has been suffered in full for our transgressions.

This thought led me to some questions I have long had in Romans 8:1-2 (NASB)  There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

What are these two laws mentioned in verse 2?  Well, I think the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus is in verse 1 and elsewhere in Scipture, that Christ has released us from the penalty of sin.  And this relates directly to 1 John 1:9.  God is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins because there is a law requiring this: Romans 8:1 and in other places.

So, what is the law of sin and death?  I used to think this was the Mosaic law, but I think now that it goes farther back all the way to the Garden when God basically said to Adam and Eve: “If you sin, you die.” This death, of course, is spiritual death: separation of fellowship with God.

Because these are God’s laws they are absolutes, they cannot and will not change. They are the same throughout the universe because God is infinite and infinitely consistent. 

These are not laws as we often think of them. They are not civil or criminal laws. These are laws in the sense of how things work.

There are laws of logic for instance.  The first law is the Law of Non-Contradiction states that A cannot be non-A at the same time, in the same way, and under the same conditions.  In other words, an object cannot be an apple and not be an apple at the same time, in the same way, and under the same conditions.  Now this seems obvious to most of us.  It’s like the Vulcan proverb Spok quotes in Star Trek 4: “Nothing unreal exists.”  Of course it’s true.  There can be no argument against it. It’s important, though, to know there is certainty in the universe, absolutes, things that only sound true but things that must be true or reality itself would crumble.

God’s laws of sin and death and of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus are just as certain as the Law of Non-Contradiction and Spok’s Vulcan proverb if not even more certain since they originate with the God who is the standard of truth and justice.

Why is this important?

God doesn’t just love us, He’s not just a God of mercy.  He has good reason to forgive us of our sins.  He is justified beyond all question to forgive us of our sins.  We only need to confess our sin, and we’re forgiven.  This is more certain than the law of gravity.  So, when we approach God to confess our sins, we’re not just asking for His love or His mercy, we can ask for justice, and He will apply the sacred sacrifice, the righteousness requirements of the law (Rom. 8:4) to our plea and judge us holy.

Another 10 Questions Christians Can’t Answer?

A while back, I said once in a while I’d offer some answers to the questions atheists say Christians can’t answer.  Here is the second installment of that quest.

  1. Why will God allow people to be born with defects?

The “Why questions” are often difficult ones since we are asked to read God’s infinite mind with our finite minds.  I think this one, though, is fairly clear: we have sin in the world.  Suffering is a result of the fall, of our own poor choices, sometimes it just has a specific purpose.  It can cause us to grow in Christ, for instance:

James 1:2-3 (ESV)  2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

John 9:1-5 (ESV) As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

  1. Why can’t dead sinners’ sins be forgiven?

I suppose for the same reasons dead murders can’t confess.  God’s requirement for salvation is to give our lives over to Jesus.  If we aren’t alive to do so, it seems clear we can’t ask forgiveness.  Death is separation.  The dead sinner is not just separated from his body but also from God due to his sin.  If he can’t connect with God, he can’t ask for forgiveness.

  1. Is God a tyrant for wanting everyone to worship Him alone?

No.  If He is the only God, and people are worshiping things or myths which are not the true God, it is only right to want them to act in line with the truth especially since the benefit is so great.  Are teachers tyrants for insisting 2 + 2 = 4?  Of course not.  Same reason.

  1. Since God knows and sees all, why did he deceive Eve?

I’m not sure why the questioner thinks God deceived Eve unless it is when He said she would die if she ate the forbidden fruit.  Death means “separation” in the Bible.  Eating the fruit was sinful.  Sin separates us from God.  Eve didn’t die physically but died spiritually at that moment.  Restoration was available through sacrifice and repentance, though.

  1. Since God is merciful, why can’t we all go to heaven?

Because God is also just.  It would be unjust for God to save those who spit on or even just ignored His Son and never repented.  We are accountable for our actions while here on earth.  This is also true when He forgives us of our sins: He must act justly.  The blood of Jesus makes it possible for Him to do this:

1 John 1:9 (ESV)  9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

  1.  If doing evil for evil is wrong, should God be punishing us for our sins?    

This is another question I’m not clear about what is meant.  Maybe they think God’s punishment is sinful.  God cannot sin since He is holy and He is the standard of righteousness.  Loving punishment is meant for correction or rehabilitation, good things.

  1. If God loves only those who love him, does that make him a sinner?         

There is no human being God does not love.  The premise of the question is flawed.

  1. Why do daily atrocities exist?

Daily atrocities exist because man has the free choice to do as he wishes.  We can choose to follow God, to align with God’s nature, or we can choose to do ungodly acts: atrocities.

  1. How did Noah get all the various species of living organisms into the ark?

Interesting question.  First, the animals were not separated into species but into kinds.  A kind is a category of animals that can interbreed.  So, two of the horse kind, two of the dog kind, two of the rabbit kind (not for long, probably), etc. were all that would be needed.  Also they don’t need to be adult animals.  Fish or other water wildlife wouldn’t need to be on the ark.  The ark was pretty big: at least a football field and a half long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet tall.  That’s at least a million and a half cubic feet (169,000 cubic yards).  It could hold a lot of creatures.  According to Creation Ministries International, John Woodmorappe’s book, Noah’s Ark: a Feasibility Study, says there would only need to be about 8000 kinds on the ark: 16,000 since two of each were needed plus those needed for sacrifice.

  1. Why does the Bible give the earth only about 6000 years while scientific research has found objects to be millions of years older?

The Bible doesn’t say the earth is about 6,000 years old: another false premise.  Some men say the Bible says that.   By the way, it is also men who says the earth is older.  Even within the church this is a controversial topic. 

These questions were taken from this site

God’s Plain People

God’s Plain People

1 Cor. 1:26-31 (ESV)  26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

Abraham Lincoln once said “God must have loved the plain people; He made so many of them.” I think he had something there. According to Paul’s quote above, the church is made up of plain regular people.

I’m sorry there has been such a long gap since my last posting. As some of you are aware I had a heart attack June 28th. As a result, I learned heart attacks mess with you mentally as well as physically. For about a week, I couldn’t read and had the attention span of a hyperactive squirrel.. Now that all that has settled down, I’m going to pick up where I left off on my blog.

A lot of Christians, I find, feel like they are the smallest cog in God’s “great machine” called the “Church.” They feel like they can do nothing of consequence, that their life compared to say, Billy Graham, is insignificant. That simply isn’t true. Look again at the list of Christians Paul describes in the opening passage. We are common, plain people. Yet, when we add God to the mix, extraordinary things happen.  Let me share something I think I stole from Greg Laurie’s website:

  • Ed Kimball was a Sunday School teacher, who in 1858 led a young Boston shoe clerk in his Sunday School class to give his life to Christ. The clerk, Dwight L. Moody, became an evangelist and the founder of the Moody Bible Institute of Chicago which still stands today (moody.edu).
  • 1876, D. L. Moody brought to Christ a student named J. Wilbur Chapman after an evangelistic meeting.
  • Several years later, Chapman, engaged in YMCA work, employed a former baseball player, Billy Sunday, to do evangelistic work. Mr. Sunday spoke to 80 to 100 million people before his death in 1935.  In 1934, Sunday held a revival in Charlotte, N.C.
  • A group of local men were so enthusiastic afterward that revival they planned another evangelistic campaign, bringing Mordecai Ham to town to preach. During Hamm’s revival November 1, 1934, a young man named Billy Graham heard the Gospel and yielded his life to Christ.
  • Billy Graham is estimated to have spoken to 215 million people in person and 2.2 billion people through radio and television.
  • All this because God used a plain local church Sunday School teacher to share the gospel with a shoe clerk.

Why is this important?

We all have our part to play in God’s plan.  It could be that God has something great, evangelizing millions like Rev. Graham did, or it may simply be He wants us to share the gospel with a simple shoe clerk, and He’ll do the rest.

Never think God doesn’t use plain common people to do exciting uncommon things.  We are exactly who He uses.

God’s Praise of Men

1 Cor. 4:5 Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.

We seldom think of praise for men as a godly act, but here in 1 Cor. 4:5, Paul tells us God will praise men for their deeds.  He points this out again in Romans. 2:28:

But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.

So, How do we get praise or commendation from God?  Well, we know God doesn’t look at the outside but at the heart.  We see this with God’s choice of David to be king of Israel:

1 Sam. 16:7  But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 

It’s not our appearance or social status, our wealth or fame.  God will commend the man or woman who is like David and has a sincere heart for the Lord.

But, even with this, those of us who have a good idea of the sinners we truly are can hardly believe God might praise us even for a sincere heart.  We need to remember God says He wants praise us if our hearts are right.  It is that grace thing again where God favors us for no other reason than because He loves us.

Paul’s mention of circumcision in Romans 2:29 speaks of holiness, of dedication to the one true God.  Circumcision in the Old Testament was a sign to foreigners that those with that mark were to be considered holy, were the people of the great God YHWH.  The New Testament speaks differently of circumcision. It speaks of the heart, that God has set us aside, holy and separate from the world: His people.

When our hearts fully seek to separate from worldly thoughts and desires, God commends us for this. 

There is another type of praise for men that I need to mention here, of course, and that is the praise of other men.  Jesus, in Luke, tells us to be careful of the praise of other men:

Luke 6:26 (ESV)  “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.”

We can fall into a heightened self-image, think better of ourselves than we should, become puffed up, conceited:

Rom 12:3 (ESV)  For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

 Why is this important?

As Christians we need to keep our minds and hearts on the path of seeking God’s will and His good pleasure.  In this way, we seek God’s praise and commandment regarding our faith in Him.

Next week, ways we can praise God.

God’s Tool Kit

Jeremiah 9:23-24 (ESV)  Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, 24 but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”

The first verse in this passage, verse 23, could be understood this way: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom [for God has given him that wisdom], Let not the mighty man boast in his might [For it is God who has made him mighty], let not the rich man boast in his riches [for it is God who has given him his riches].

Wise men, mighty men, and rich men all have places in God’s kingdom to do particular jobs.  God has made the wise men to counsel people, the mighty men to protect the flock, and the rich men to provide for His people.  We each have a job in God’s church, a job God has uniquely qualified us to do.

Let me look at some of the tools I have around my house and use them as metaphors to illustrate this.  Let’s look at the straight-slot screwdriver.  It has one specific use for which it was designed: to turn straight-slot screws, but we can use this tool for so many things: as a pry bar, to open paint cans, as a sort of chisel, many things.  But, it’s only designed for one purpose, and it only does that one purpose well.

We have screwdrivers in our church as well as pry bars, paint can openers (yes there are tools designed just for that purpose), and chisels.  A screwdriver can do the job of a chisel poorly, but it can get done.  Using the tool that is actually designed to open paint cans, pry things, and so on, makes the job much easier and creates a better result.  The problem is many times only the screwdriver will volunteer for a job, so the task gets done but not as well as if some tool actually designed to accomplish the task were used.

I’m a teacher.  We might look at me as a partly full computer thumb drive.  I have a lot of information to share if you can access it.  The other day, the fan belt on my truck started to squeal.  That almost always means the belt is stretched and needs to be tightened a little.  I didn’t run into my study and grab the thumb drive to fix that.  I grabbed my 14mm wrench to loosen the pulley and adjust it.

There is a parallel here to the church.  Some of us are more sensitive to the needs of others than we.  Some are better able to teach.  Some are better cooks.  Some spend hours in their prayer closets supporting those on mission fields.  We all have our jobs, and God has designed us to perform those jobs.

Sometimes the more obvious servants: ushers, pastors, teachers, helpers, cooks, etc., are seen as more “spiritual” because they are serving out in the open.  We don’t often see the gifts given to missions or the poor.  We don’t see the hospital visits, the hands held when a loved one is lost, the prayers that uplift the entire church.

Charles Spurgeon was asked after a Sunday service why he thought his ministry was so successful.  He took the person downstairs to his church’s basement and showed him the dozens of people who prayed throughout the service for God’s hand to work in the lives of those listening and through the words of Spurgeon.

Why is this important?

You and I often may feel like we aren’t doing all we can.  If we feel that way, we should be careful in what we choose to do.  We can take on the job to test and see if it is what God has called us to do, but if it becomes clear it is not, we are probably standing in the way of someone God has perfectly prepared for that job.  We are a screwdriver trying to open a paint can when God wants to use the paint can opener.

Whatever tool God had fashioned you into, you are perfect for the job. You might “hang on the wall” for a while like a wrench in my garage, but when the task arises, you are the perfect tool to get it done. While there are tools in the church that are not being used properly, there is no tool more important than another, so find your place if you haven’t already and get to work.

Women Pastors?

Women Pastors?

1 Tim. 2:12-15 (ESV)  I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve; 14 and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. 15 Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.

Over the past several decades we’ve seen a growing controversy over whether women should be pastors or even teach men.  The above passage seems to tell us they can’t, but are there conditions on this?

For a few years, we attended a church where the pastor’s wife would teach women’s groups and was a wonderful teacher, but if a man entered the room while she was teaching, she would politely stop until he left.  I’m thinking that might be a little extreme, but it was how she felt, and most conservative Christians prefer to err on the conservative side rather than not. Some, though, will take this to the extreme. I belonged to a church which would not allow women ushers.

Missionaries are usually asked to speak to at the churches who support them financially on the mission field when they come home on furlough.  I was a driver for a woman missionary who did this.  We arrived at a very conservative church, and since the pastor had not yet arrived when she was supposed to speak, she began her report from the pulpit to those in attendance.  Now I’m a pretty conservative guy, but I saw no problem with this.  She was simply telling of her adventures on the mission field, but the pastor told me afterward he would not have allowed her in the pulpit had he arrived before her talk.  I think that’s taking it a bit far.

Another passage that seems to apply is just after the one above where Paul gives Timothy a list of qualifications for elder/overseer:

1 Tim. 3:1-7 (ESV)  The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 2 Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, 5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.

There is no mention of women as elders here or anywhere else in Scripture.  The entire passage is masculine and even refers to “the husband of one wife” as a qualification.  So, it is generally accepted by conservative Bible churches that women cannot be elders.  Since pastors are elders, it follows women cannot be pastors either.

“But then what is the role of women in the church?” you might ask.  Well, right after this passage comes Paul’s qualifications for deacon:

1 Tim. 3:8-13 (ESV)  Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. 9 They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. 11 Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. 12 Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. 13 For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

The interesting thing here is that verse 11 mentions wives.  The Greek word for wives here is the same as the word for women.  The verse could read “The women, likewise must be dignified . . . .” and many scholars believe it does mean women.  In fact, the NASB translates the verse this way.  The “husband of one wife” qualification here, of course, would apply to men deacons.

Another passage which points to women deacons is found in Romans 16:1 (ESV)  I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea.

The word for servant here (diakonos) describing our sister Phoebe is also the Greek word for deacon.  So, many churches are recognizing this and are fine with women entering the ranks of deacons in their body.

Why is this important?

I believe Scripture says women can hold any leadership office except pastor/elder.  I’ve heard many women who are excellent teachers, but I just can’t go against what I believe is clearly taught in the Bible and shouldn’t do so.  My stand has always been that 1 Tim. 2 is speaking of doctrinal teaching, typical Sunday morning teaching.

Women are clearly encouraged to teach each other and children.  There is no limitation there.  This is simply a role issue for men and women.  God has assigned functions in the body of Christ for each of us and limits us or promotes us as He wills.

Little Things

Sometimes it’s the little thing that mean a lot, especially in Bible study.  I usually find something that catches my eye usually means God wants me to look into it more deeply.  Let’s look at Mark 10:32-34, for instance:

And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, 33 saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. 34 And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.”

This is near Passion Week. The disciples were afraid of what was about to happen, and Jesus described exactly what they feared in detail.  The point I had missed all the other times I read this passage is that Jesus was walking ahead of the disciples.  He was anxious to reach Jerusalem and suffer for us as He described.  Hebrews tells us why:

Heb. 12:2 (ESV)  looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

What a blessing to see this! You and I are the joy set before Jesus that He treasured enough to rush ahead of the disciples to pay that price.

Just this past couple of weeks, I’ve been reading about Noah and Abraham, and I noticed a term that is grammatically incorrect: “between you and me.”  When I was in English class, I was told if you don’t know how to write a particular sentence or how to punctuate it, look in a Bible.  They take special efforts to keep their English correct.  Yet, it is incorrect in Genesis 9:12, as an example, and it’s God who said it:

Genesis 9:12 (ESV)  And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations:

One interesting thing is this isn’t the only time the phrase appears in Scripture.  It shows up 13 times and only in the Old Testament (in the ESV).  It also appears this way in the NASB, the KJV, the NIV and others.  So, it isn’t an issue to a particular translation.  What do we do with something like that?  We can look to see if these passages have anything in common:

The first two mentions are God speaking to Noah about His covenant never to destroy the earth through a flood again (Gen. 9:12, 15). 

The next four mentions are God speaking to Abraham about His covenant to create a great nation through him (Gen. 17:2, 7, 10, 11). 

The next mention is in Exodus 31:13 where God talking with Moses saying the Sabbaths will be a sign between God and His people. 

In 1 Samuel 20:42, it is Jonathan speaking to David about their covenant with the Lord between them both. 

The next two places, 1 Samuel 24: 12 & 15, are calls for God to judge between David and Saul that David wouldn’t kill him. 

The next two speak of a covenant between King Asa and the king of Assyria (1 Kings 15:19 and 2 Chronicles 16:3). 

The last is God speaking again to His people telling them to keep His Sabbaths as a sign between Him and His people. (Ezekiel 20:20)

So, from this I can see the difference in grammar from the norm appears only during some sort of agreement, most often by God to His people, but also among kings and the child of a king.  So, maybe this is a sign of position or royalty. More study is required.

I did look into a couple of commentaries, but no mention of the odd grammar.  I’ve just started looking into this, and I’ll keep looking and mention it here if it leads to something profound. Maybe I’ll write a Hebrew scholar or the ESV translation committee.

Why is this important?

This is important because too often I find myself reading a passage and not really seeing the oddity it might contain.  Sometimes researching these sorts of passages brings very little.  Sometimes it brings great rewards.  We never know when we begin, and even sometimes something simple connects later on with another point to bless us. Bible study is like mining for gold. Sometimes you find a nugget. Sometimes you strike a vein and follow it to great wealth. Then again, sometimes you find very little.

I thought it would be good to look at the process midstream and see ways we can research the things God brings to our notice. While my research is still in progress and may amount to nothing more than just a figure of speech like the royal “we,” it may well lead me to something more.

So, let’s keep our eyes open for these sorts of things.  God speaks to us through His Word.  I, for one, need to spend more time listening and not just hurrying through passages.  Maybe you have the same problem.

Secondhand Witness

Secondhand Witnessing

Luke 7:2-3 (ESV) Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. 3 When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant.

According to Webster, one definition of secondhand is to receive something indirectly.  When we read a newspaper or watch TV news, we’re receiving the news indirectly and is, therefore, secondhand.

When we share Christ with others, it too can produce a secondhand effect.  I was talking with a woman who had accepted Christ but was swept into the Watchtower organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses.  She was about to be baptized, and her husband asked me to speak to her.  During the time I spent explaining and defending the gospel, she came back to Christ.  The secondhand effect was, unbeknownst to me at the time, her husband also came to Christ through listening to what I had shared with her.

If we are active and open Christians, I think this effect, the secondhand effect, may occur more often than we might think.  This may well have been the reason Nicodemus came to Christ: he had heard someone talking about Him and was intrigued enough to seek Him out.

Nowadays even simple acts of courtesy may be enough to catch someone’s attention as a Christian act.  A simple “God bless” or “How can I pray for you?” which is overheard by others could as well. Even saying grace at a restaurant may well not only give boldness to other Christians to do the same but is a secondhand witness to those around us.

I spend a lot of time on social media defending the faith and trying to encourage fellow Christians.  Secondhand witnessing is broadly effective here.  While I may be defending the truth of God’s Word with a recalcitrant antagonist, it is not he alone who is reading my remarks.  He may be there to attack the gospel, but there are dozens of “lurkers” reading our conversation and hearing the Truth being defended and expounded: secondhand witnessing.

There have been times when we have visited a friend in the hospital and prayed over them for a quick recovery.  Those walking by the room and seeing this are reminded of a power greater than that of the medical professionals on staff.  I know when I see others praying in a hospital, it is a testimony to me of God’s great power.

When we were first married, the neighbor, also a young husband, and I were working on some project and needed to go to the hardware store.  We took my car, and when I started the engine, the radio came on and was set to a local Christian radio station.  My neighbor sort of mumbled under his breath, “Sheesh, even his radio station is Christian!”  I don’t remember ever sharing Christ with him or doing anything overtly Christian for or with him.  Somehow he understood our faith – Secondhand Witnessing, I guess. People are watching us.

I’m happy to say the church I attend is a praying church.  On a weekly basis I see people praying for one another on the patio in front of the sanctuary: sometimes one-on-one, sometimes in fairly large groups.  Others who witness this see we rely not on ourselves but on the God we pursue in prayer.

Why is this important?

Whether it’s a hospital visit that turns out to move a passerby, a witness overheard by someone else, even a bumper sticker, tee shirt, or hat that carries a Christian message, we effect the world around us by our life, our attitude, and how we show Christ in us, these all speak to others secondhand.

I sometimes wonder if when we all are seated at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, someone or several people will seek us out to tell us something we unknowingly did or said moved them to consider Christ and were saved or encourage in their walk. Perhaps someone will come to us and say “I saw you standing firm during a tough time I could never face.  I was inspired.  And it was that faith and courage which caused to look again at Who your God is.” – Secondhand Witnessing.

Reasoning Together

Sometimes when we try to share the gospel with others, we end up in an angry argument.  This isn’t the way we should be behaving according to Scripture:

1 Peter 3:15 (ESV)  but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

I find this instructive.  We are not told to run from discussions, in fact seven times in Acts, Paul is seen reasoning with the Jews in the synagogues as well as with the general population in Ephesus at the hall of Tyrannus.  The passage says “This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.” (Acts 19:10)

Acts 17:2 (ESV) says And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures.  It was Paul’s custom to seek out places where he could start discussions, but not arguments.

When we begin discussions, we need to be sure we do so with “gentleness and respect” for the others involved.  My wife and I occasionally went to the Los Angeles County Fair.  One year, a splinter group from the Watchtower called the International Bible Students, had a booth at the fair answering “Bible” questions.  Since their beliefs are closely aligned with Jehovah’s Witnesses, I stopped by the booth to discuss some questions I had.  I spoke with a man for ten minutes or so before he called over others in the booth.  “Listen to this guy.” He said, ”He doesn’t agree, but he isn’t getting angry either.”  As a result we had an audience of a few rather than just the each other and I was allowed to share the truth.

I walked away with two important lessons: people will listen if you can keep the discussion on a friendly level, and most Christians this man had met that day had gotten angry with his beliefs.  That’s not “gentleness and respect.”  The Holy Spirit through Paul has good reasons to tell us to be gentle and respectful. 

When people see you respect them enough to hear them out, they will offer the same respect to you.  Getting angry and throwing dozens of Bible verses at this fellow at the Fair would have accomplished nothing but to convince him Christians are angry and argumentative.

We need only look at how Paul handled the philosophers in Athens to see how this is masterfully done (Acts 17:22-34).  With Paul’s efforts and the work of the Holy Spirit on the hearts of men, some became believers.

Why is this important?

We all get into discussions about our faith whether we mean to or not.  We need to understand it is not a sprint but a marathon, a relay race really.  We share with someone, maybe someone at work will do the same later, then a family member, and so on.  Our job isn’t to save people but to inform them and let the Holy Spirit do His work of salvation.  We’re all in it together. Paul talks about this process in First Corinthians:

1 Cor. 3:6-9 (ESV)  I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. 9 For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.

When we talk with someone about our Lord, we mustn’t think we’re necessarily going to see them drop to their knees and confess Christ.  While that will happen at times, our job is to plant and water.  Greg Koukl describes it as putting a pebble in their shoe, give them something to think about that will lay the groundwork for the Holy Spirit to speak to them. 

When we give long drawn out presentations, there is so much content, and person hearing the presentation could never remember it.  Often the best thing is to offer a point or two.  If they ask questions, the rest of the discussion should be to answer those not present new points.  We want to drop a pebble in their shoe not fill it with gravel.  And remember it’s a discussion, two sided discussion.  We need to listen at least as much as we speak – maybe more.

The Fruitful Body of Christ

1 Cor. 12:12-20 (ESV)  For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

Gal. 5:22-23 (ESV)  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

These passages of Scripture speak of the unity of the church, the body of Christ.  Together we show each other and the world Christ in a very physical sense.  Elsewhere in the passage, Paul gets into instruction about spiritual gifts and how they edify the church itself, but I’d like to talk about how the body of Christ is also displayed before the world.  There are traits, fruit, I see in the church which give us and the world a glimpse of the God we serve.

A lot of years ago, we belonged to a Southern Baptist church in California, and there was a share night, a sort of talent show.  Some members of the congregation sang songs, one gentleman whistled all four stanzas of Amazing Grace, some recited Scripture from memory, and I had written a pretty poorly constructed poem to express my relationship with God, His church, and me. 

I recited the poem at a men’s group this past week, and they thought it was significant enough to ask for written copies.  Being me, it occurred to me I could do this by sharing it here to see if it might help some of the readers of this blog better understand Christ and His church, and it would give a written record of the poem for those who asked.  Please remember this was written to be given to a group within a church sanctuary setting:

When I was a boy

I asked God to show Himself to me,

Not in a spiritual sense

Something tangible I could see.

He didn’t appear to me that night.

He wouldn’t show Himself.

So, just to show Him who’s the boss,

I put His book back on its shelf.

As the years went by,

His book came down.

Now I know Him as my Lord.

But He never forgot my prayer.

He remembered every word.

As I look around the room,

I see some very dear friends of mine

Who show me through their lives and loves

God’s qualities divine.

In some I see the joy of God:

His patience and His kindness.

While others share His love in Truth

To cure the World’s blindness.

With some, it’s His authority that comes bursting through.

With other, His sense of humor in the funny things they do.

So if you ever prayed a prayer like that

On some dark and lonely night,

Just look around.

He’s wall-to-wall.

Behold the body of Christ.

Why is this important?

Although the gifts of the Holy Spirit are most certainly awesome, wonderful, supernatural, and even necessary for the health of the church, the fruit that display God’s joy, love, and compassion come every day nearly unnoticed through the people who make up His body.  This fruit is important for the world to see. People can better discern Christ in us because He lives in us, lives through us, and exhibits His person by us.  It is through us they see the body of Christ.