Treasures in Heaven

Many of us will be very disappointed as we watch our financial investments disappear during the economic down turn. Remember, Jesus warned, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth….But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven….For where your treasure is, there your heart will also be.”   

Try as we may, because we are still affected by the flesh, our humanity will lead us to trust in the world’s systems for storing our money. But the world cannot guarantee that the money will be there when we need it. So the sad stories will continue.

The command to invest in heaven is one of those commands that Jesus brought to Israel, was one of those that went beyond the written code. He knew that the people of the world and even His own, could not keep such a command. And why; because all of mankind is affected by the sinful nature. All have sinned. There is no one who is good, not even one. From this we see that Jesus was using the Law to reveal our sins. That is the purpose of the Law. It was never meant to be the way of righteousness. And it still isn’t, although one would think it is by the messages we hear. No one can use the law as a means to God. So how is this commandment fulfilled?

It has been fulfilled by Christ! His investment in you and me, has fulfilled the command. We all knew that somehow or somewhere we might lose the money we stored up in the world. I was born in 1929.  My early years were spent in years of depression. I learned that quickly. But I was told in college that 1929 could never happen again. Too many safe guards had been built into the system. So then, where has most of money gone? 

So the money is gone, but my heavenly treasure, Jesus Christ the Lord, will be with me eternally. And as He has invested in me, enough to rescue me from the world of darkness, I will always have all I need for life and godliness. The world cannot separate me from Him. And with that comes the peace of the Lord. True, it is hard on the flesh, but I don’t live by sight. I live by faith. And the world’s disappointments cannot be transferred into the kingdom of God, for the kingdom of God is not of this world.

The Melting Pot

The United States has been called a melting pot. This is of course, a reference to the acceptance of the various immigrants coming into our country from foreign countries. Actually, the coming of foreign people to our nation does not make us a melting pot. People coming from abroad, for the most part, have maintained their foreign identity even after becoming citizens. In fact, some of them are even allowed to register with dual citizenship. Many of the athletes that perform in the Olympics, represent their “native” land, instead of the America that they otherwise claim as their country. Even as this is written, many school districts throughout our country are challenged to offer two languages in the schools. Often, just by answering the phone, you will be asked to choose between English or Spanish. Those who choose to hang on to their native roots have not “melted” in. 

However, when the one world government comes into being, like the ages old Babylon, people will be required to speak one language. This may be an actual reality, or it could be the result of technology and the ability of the computer, making it possible for any foreign language speaking person , to understand any other speaker. Either way, when the one world government appears, the world’s population will be melted into the same pot. Today, our new president, Barack Obama, spoke of the one world government even if he did not intend to , or even if he did not use the terms specifically. Other governmental leaders, including other U.S. leaders, have done the same.

Now, if there are any of us who are not part of the “melting pot”, it is the Christian. In fact, we never will be. And for us to claim dual citizenship is simply wrong. We cannot be in league with the devil and with Christ at the same time. As noted before, in another post, we are aliens and strangers in this world and heaven is our home. As we live by faith, we have overcome the world. So there is no question of our loyalty to God through His Son, and no question of our enmity against this world. But while in this strange arrangement, which I call captivity, similar to the Babylonian captivity experienced by the nation of Israel, God has called on us to submit to the governing authorities which He has established. In its own way, Government has become a servant of God to reward the “good” and punish the wrongdoer. We only have the right to depart from this system when and if we find that we must obey God rather then man.

Presidential Memories

In view of the inauguration of president elect Barack Obama this coming week, I am moved to review the list of presidents who have served America during my life time. After each name I will supply a word or two of the memories which come to mind. These memories may not be the same as yours, but I would hazard a guess we will be very close in our assessments. Also understand that in my earliest years, the memories are gleaned from historical records.

Herbert Hoover: The Great Depression

Franklin Delano Roosevelt: The New Deal, “The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.”

Harry S. Truman: The Atomic Bomb used to end WWII.

Dwight D. Eisenhower: “Mamie”

John Fitzgerald Kennedy: From Camelot to Assassination

Lyndon Baines Johnson: Extended voting rights

Richard Milhous Nixon: The “Tapes”

Gerald R. Ford: The Pardon

Jimmy (James Earl) Carter: Christianity did not mix with politics

Ronald Reagan: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.”

George H. W. Bush: “Read my lips; no new taxes.”

Bill (William Jefferson) Clinton: A Sin

George W. Bush: A divided nation

In review of these men, there is only one who openly and often, confessed his faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. Sadly, his own constituents, mainly from the south, abandoned him because of the failure of his economic policies. But didn’t Jesus say that where your heart is, there will your treasure be? Even Christians have never learned about the power of the pocketbook.  

Although we know that God has established governments, most government figures are not in tune with the Establisher.

My assessment of the rest of our presidents, in my life time, is that all belonged to the worldly idea that we all worship the same God, although Jimmy Carter vouched for the faith of his friend Gerald Ford, at the latter’s funeral. And that was rather ironic, because President Ford named President Carter as the worst president ever, up to his time. Perhaps he was angry with President Carter for defeating him in the election.  

To see how the devil works in high places, I have always wondered why President Nixon did not destroy the tapes that drove him from office. Of course I do know why. It is the devils work to steal, kill, and destroy. The devil’s kingdom is a divided kingdom. It seems that our nation is close to being divided at the moment.

It is also apparent to me, that the first few years of our lives, my wife and I lived through the hardships of a depression. But as the New Deal began to take shape, depression changed to recession. It was then that WWII changed the economic climate and the “middle class” emerged. Now we are at a place where the pocket book, mentioned above is once again under attack. It will be interesting to see how people reveal where their heart is. The middle class seems to be disappearing.

I am sure it is the hope of those who are excited about the election of Barack Obama, that he will be able to solve the economic situation so as to rescue the nation from economic collapse. It is during times like these that many will lose their treasures, while believers will know that they have all they need for life and godliness. 

From the Cross to the parking lot.

The other day my wife and I had to go out to run some errands. Our first stop was at a large out door mall. For the most part the parking lot was plowed and the temperature was just above “bitter”. I pulled up as close to the door as possible, then I went around the parking lot to find a spot to park where the front of the store was in my sight. When the errand was finished, my wife would then come to the door, where I could see her, and them I would drive around to pick her up. I was parked in an area where there were no other cars. My vision was unobstructed.

Now, when I dropped her off, I noticed another car parked in front of the store where the driver was obviously waiting for someone. But suddenly, while parked in the middle of no where, this other car came around and parked right in front of me, blocking my vision to the door of the store so that I could not see when my wife approached the front door of the store. Thus, I had to pick another place to park. The whole incident was one of frustration. And my flesh said, “Why did that guy do that?”

Now I live by faith, right? So if I live by faith, what would faith do in this situation? 

When I am confronted by these and similar situations, I sometimes respond beyond my own thoughts, and at other times I respond from the flesh, just like you do. Whichever the case, I eventually retreat to the Cross. Here I remember, Jesus’ words, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” When Jesus said those words He wasn’t just talking about the Jews and the Romans. He was speaking to mankind, who with a sinful nature and from God’s perspective, never knows what it is doing. So I cannot believe this guy actually did what he did on purpose. He literally did not know what he was doing. But what if he did, from his own point of view? Well, still from God’s perspective, and from ours as well, he did not know what he was doing.

And by the same token, If I respond to these human situations in the flesh rather than by faith, then for a moment, I don’t know what I am doing. When that happens, I thank God for taking me back to the Cross in order to see the thing for what it is. Evil, at any level, is always the result of someone who doesn’t know what they are doing.

Robotics Perfection

The situation in the world is this; we are closer to the end now, than we were yesterday. The apostle Paul said something like this in one of his epistles. Prior to this economic down-turn people in high places were declaring the need for what is called high tech training for high tech jobs. And this message is now being heralded even more as the government and industry begin to look for ways to bring the nation out of the economic slump.

This must have been the scene centuries ago when men declared, “Come let us build for ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens so that we may make a name for ourselves….” The people then began to build the city and the tower using high tech methods of those days. This in turn, called for a reaction from the Lord. He declared, “If as one people….they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.”  To stop this movement, the Lord confused the language of the people and scattered them over all the earth.

So when you review the advances of mankind in the areas of technology it seems we are at the same place today; namely, nothing will be impossible for mankind. It seems that it does not take long for one technological advance to be replaced by another very quickly.

Now think about the demand of Jesus on the people of the world and upon us as well. He said “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.”  Remember, He causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. The Lord does not show favoritism.

We know also that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. And we know that Christians are controlled by the Spirit of God. Therefore, there is a spiritual divide separating the two. For the Christian, perfection is a spiritual reality that is attained as a gift through the power of Christ living in us. But for the world there is no such thing, spiritually. However, the world is on the brink of discovering a perfection that few have ever dreamed of. The devil has taken on the challenge issued forth by the Lord to attain to his own definition of perfection. And of course he is thinking, as the people of the tower thought, that he will be able to accomplish whatever he desires.   

On New Year’s Day, during the Rose Bowl parade, a huge monster constructed by the Honda Motor Company, was rolled out onto the parade route. It was a huge robot, symbolic of the smaller working robots their company makes. Now link the idea of high tech robotics being the force of the future with regard to manufacturing, the medical profession, and the domestic and space related areas being currently tied to the world’s future. 

And why is the robotic industry so important to the industrial world? It is because robotic machines are much more capable of perfection than humans. Robotic medical devices and industrial machinery have so far proven to be much more precise while doing the same tasks. And so as Christ creates perfection through us in the kingdom of God, so the devil hopes to achieve the same results in his kingdom. Only His coming will stop this advance. 

The image is back.

Originally, man was created in the image of God. At the fall, all was lost and mankind became totally corrupt, with no chance of recovery by human effort. Now, if God desired to have a people for Himself, and He did, He had two problems. One problem was man’s sins. The solution is found in God’s Son Jesus Christ, through whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. The second problem was the sinful nature of man, the spiritual condition of man after the fall. From the fall, it was man’s nature to sin or to act under the influence of evil. The solution came at the Cross in conjunction with water baptism (Rom.6:3-4, 6-7). Here we find that we were crucified with Christ. And not only did we die, that is our old self, but we were also buried with Him and then raised from the dead in order to live a new life. This new life is called “the new way of the Spirit” (Rom. 7:6), where we are now free from sin and free of our sinful nature and able to participate in the divine nature of God (2 Pet.1:4) Also, since we are now in Christ, we are new creations. The old is gone and the new has come. (2 Cor. 5:17). Further, God has raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms. So the image is back! “In this world we are like Him “(1 John 4:17)

It is remembered here, that we live by faith, a faith that is certain of the things not seen. Therefore, we cannot prove these truths by any measure of proof demanded by the world, which is, for the most part, behavior. Like St. Paul we still live in this tent; the body. It still sins, But under God’s judgment, the body does not describe who we are. That is why it is important for the Christian to know who he is in Christ. 

Today, I leave you with this truth: Gal 2:20-21) I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing.

The Lost Image

You know of course, that man was created in the image of God. 

Gen.1:27, So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he him; male and female he created them.

Then came the fall. The image was lost. Man became totally corrupt. By the time of the flood, “The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.” (Gen.6:5)

And over the centuries, that has not changed. That is still the condition of man in relation to God. Quoting from OT sources the apostle Paul said, “There is not one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands God,  no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no onw who does good, not even one.” (Rom.3: 10-12) Yes, right down to the thoughts of man, mankind is evil. “Therefore, no one will be declared righteous in His (God’s) sight  by observing the law;….”(Rom.3:20). Can you see that the image has been lost? How would mankind then, be able to heed the command of Jesus, to be perfect as the heavenly Father is perfect?

It is no wonder that Paul declared himself incapable of doing the “good” thing and always bound to doing the evil thing. When I ask people if this is the way they feel, and if they are honest, they always answer,”Yes”. Then I say, “Join the club”.

But then just listen to the messages that come from the church. They are written and delivered in such a way as to motivate the people to do good when they are incapable of pleasing God according to their fallen humanity. There is none good, no, not one. Think for a moment! Jesus came preaching a message that was more difficult to keep than the written code. He commanded his hearers to “seek first the kingdom of God”. How could they do this if there is none who seek God? He came and commanded his disciples saying, “Deny yourself”. No, they couldn’t do it. Self will not be denied. With the self, every inclination of the thoughts of the heart is only evil all the time.

Can the image be regained? Can God’s people meet the standard of perfection? Can God’s people return to that Garden relationship? The answer is yes! But you will not understand it unless you are willing to believe in the death of the self. A change in behavior will not do. Watch for the next post!

Charity Scams

The other day I received a phone call from a well known charity. The pitch went like this: Someone has promised to donate X amount of funds if the charity can match the promised donation through phone solicitations. I’m sorry, I don’t play those games. I do not donate money to any organization because someone else demands matching funds. The caller suggested that these kinds of presentations bring in more money than usual. But this is not an honest way for any charity to operate. What if the matching funds were not forth coming. Would the charity then let me know and return my money? Of course not.
Another scheme is to send products in the mail and expect payment for these products. I cannot tell you how many address stickers I have run through the shredder. This scheme revolves around guilt. A Christian never lives with guilt. Remember, there is now no condemnation against those who are in Christ. And where there is no condemnation there is no guilt.I believe that most charitable organizations, even Christian, are more concerned about perpetuating their own organizations than they are with the kingdom of God.

Jailhouse Conversion?

Then there is the story of another correctional officer. Well, she used to be a correctional officer. Now she is an inmate. Dissatisfied with life in general, and her husband, she shot and killed him. That’s one way to change things. Of course she was sentenced to life. Although she did not know it, in prison she was being observed by the correctional officer who did not trust jail house conversions.
She entered prison not wanting anything to do with Christianity. But often God picks those who do not want to be picked. St. Paul was one. Did you know that the real servant of God doesn’t want to be a servant of God. They try every trick and every excuse in the book not to be called. Remember, God said to St. Paul, It is hard for you to kick against the pricks.” Moses told God he was not good at speaking. I don’t know what the former correctional officer told God, but it didn’t work. God chose her. That was it.
Suddenly she learned that she had eyes to see and ears to hear. She could now see that her husband was not a bad guy after all. In fact she said her husband had been a good man who did not deserve what she did to him. Who knows how many other revelations came her way. Some say she changed. But that is not so. Change would mean that she was responsible for her own conversion. So what really happened.
Briefly speaking, she was crucified with Christ through water baptism. To be more specific, she died! Human change would never do it. And when one dies to the old self, one is then resurrected to live a new life. It’s like Jesus told Nicodemus, “You must be born again.”
Now if an observer judges such a person by their behavior, there will be reason to doubt. However, behavior is never the measure of kingdom activity or never the measure of a jailhouse conversion. And to be honest, sometimes it is faked. But that is not ours to judge. God knows.
In the Bible fakers are known or identified as tares or goats. They are good at what they do. So good in fact that only God can identify them and will do so on judgment day. We might call the fakers hypocrites. But actually, they are so good at what they do that they fool all of us except God. Thus some fakers are found out, but hypocrites meet their fate on Judgment Day.
So yes, there are tares in prison, but there are those who are the real thing. They are called sheep. We hope the former correctional officer became one.

Christianity is not what you think, No.5

“I don’t trust these people. When they leave this place they are just like the rest.” This was the conclusion of a correctional officer in one of the prisons covered by MSNBC’s “Lock Up.” He was over seeing a worship service being held in the prisons’ chapel and speaking of the inmates in attendance. Was he right? Absolutely; from his vantage point. This points to one of the frustrating things about Christians who measure themselves according to their humanity. According to their behavior, they find themselves just like the rest, just like the world. 

For years I have told Christians that they suddenly do not stop sinning because they became Christians. It is true, our sinful nature was killed on the Cross. But not our human sinfulness. Here is St. Paul’s response to his own discovery. In relating this response I am going to enhance the text to show you what he really discovered. He said, The good (the Godly, the perfect which Christ demanded) I do not do, but the evil (the good or bad defined by Satan in the Garden and adopted by humans as the standard for behavior) I do.” (You should remember that Satan is father of lies.)

But now, look at the rest of the story which I have never heard of any pastor anywhere make reference to. “If I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.” This points to life in the new way of the Spirit. This points to the truth that Christians are new creations in Christ, beings that never existed before the Cross. The corrections officer was only telling the truth about what he could see.  Spiritually speaking and not having eyes to see, the correction officer could not see what went on between Christ and the Christian in terms of a life in the Spirit. From God’s point of view, Christians are always separated from the sin because of Christ’s perfection.