A Prayer is Heard

The Gospel of Luke opens by introducing us to “a certain priest named Zacharias…and his wife…Elisabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years” (Luke 1:5-7). God chose this faithful couple, elderly and childless, to become the parents of John the Baptist.

Zacharias was performing his duties as a priest, burning incense before the Lord in the temple, when “there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense” (Luke 1:11). The altar of incense was inside The Holy Place immediately in front of the veil which prevented access to The Holy of Holies. Only the High Priest could go into the Holy of Holies and that but once a year on the Day of Atonement.

Naturally, when Zacharias saw the angel, he was both troubled and fearful. “But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacarias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John” (Luke 1:13). We are not told exactly what his prayer was, but we can conclude from the context that he and his wife had prayed for a child. It is likely that those prayers had ceased long ago since they were both now quite elderly. Perhaps, he and his wife were resigned to the fact that they would have no children.

Yet the angel tells Zacharias that his prayer is heard. God never forgets the prayers of his children. He always answers them, either yes, no, or wait. Often, they are answered in a manner that is quite different than expected. But he answers our prayers!

Evidently, Zacharias had become so convinced with every passing year that he and Elisabeth would have no children that he could not bring himself to believe what the angel had said. “And Zacharias said unto the angel, whereby shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years” (Luke 1:18). We must not be too hard on him. We know how our own confidence dissipates as time goes by and our prayers are seemingly unheard. Time, however, is of no consequence to God. He is the “same yesterday, and today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

The ability of God to answer our prayers is never in question. The LORD challenged Jeremiah “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?” (Jeremiah 32:27). Job, amid his great loss and suffering declared “I know that thou canst do everything” (Job 42:2).

God, in his grace, promised a son to Zacharias despite his unbelief. The angel rebuked him for his unbelief and failure to rest in the source of the promise. “I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to show thee these glad tidings. And behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season” (Luke 1:19-20).

Child of God, your prayer is heard. Believe it.

Wisdom from Above

James’ epistle teaches us that true Christianity is a product of the new birth and results in a genuinely changed life – one that desires to glorify God.  This new life manifests itself in our speech.  This is natural when we recognize our speech reveals what is in our heart.  When God gives us a new heart, it follows that we have a new vocabulary!

But James goes beyond our speech to our whole manner of life.  He asks a penetrating question – who is a wise man? How can we recognize him? A genuinely wise man (or woman), James tells us, will “show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom” (James 3:13).   When he speaks of a good conversation, he is speaking about his manner of life. A wise man shows his wisdom by the way he lives. It adds credibility to his speech.

He is able to do this because he is governed by what James refers to as “wisdom from above.”

There is a wisdom that is not from above. It is earthly, sensual, devilish.  This is the wisdom of unregenerate man, of the life before Christ. It is the wisdom of pride that leads to envying and strife and bitterness. But the wisdom that is from above, James tells us, is “first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy” (James 3: 17).

That’s a mouthful. To put it in other words, a genuinely wise man is governed by that which God says is wise. His life is marked first by purity. By implication he is bound to truth. A man that is pure will necessarily love truth. It cannot be otherwise. Secondly, he is a lover of peace and, therefore, pursues it. Note, however, that purity precedes peace. True wisdom always looks for peace but never at the expense of truth. Why is that? Remember, this wisdom is from above, from God himself and God is truth. He cannot lie and will never act contrary to his nature.

Consequently, those who follow this wisdom are gentle and easily entreated.  They do not push themselves on others.  In fact, they put others before their own interests and desires. They are not impatient with the weaknesses or frailties of others. Ultimately, those filled with wisdom from above sincerely love others and show no favoritism in that expression of love.

This wisdom cannot be purchased online, manufactured from within, or borrowed from a friend. It is from above. Its author is God and He gives it to his children. Even so, it requires his grace to walk in its light day by day.

The Road of False Teaching

There is only one gospel, the gospel of Jesus Christ. Since the days of the early church, Satan, the destroyer of men’s souls, has provided many imitations of the true and only gospel. But there is at least one thing these false or pseudo-gospels have in common. They cannot save from sin nor deliver the soul from hell.

Paul warned the Galatian believers of those who would lead them astray from the truth. He wrote to them “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: which is not another: but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ” (Galatians 1:6-7). False teachers, “some that trouble you”, were at work in Paul’s day and they have been at work throughout church history.

Nonetheless, it is certain that these false teachers are under the judgment of Christ. Again, Paul reminded his audience “he that troubleth you shall bear his judgement, whosoever he be” (Galatians 5:10). Perhaps, this warning was meant to find its way to these perverters of truth and serve to turn them to the truth. Without such repentance, these purveyors of falsehood forfeit their own souls no matter their position or station in life.

Paul had to warn these dear saints in Galatia and many others on different occasions. This fact continues to stand as a warning to believers to this day. False teaching abounds! We must ever be on the lookout. Peter wrote “be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist steadfast in the faith” (I Peter 5:8-9). We must hold every teaching, every instruction, every practice to the lens of Scripture for “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). Then and only then can we resist steadfast in the faith.

The danger of giving ourselves over to falsehood necessitates that we be sober and vigilant. Satan does not attack us with boldfaced lies that gain no traction with our sensibilities. Rather, as rat poison is 99% pure corn, so are Satan’s devices subtle, inviting to the simple and the foolish. Often we fall prey to his wiles because we do not look circumspectly at those things we are encouraged or invited to believe. Solomon, the wisest of men, wrote “Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil” (Proverbs 4:25-27).

Every one of us is on the road carved out by our own choices. Those choices reflect what, or better yet, who we believe. Belief in a false gospel places one on a road that heads straight to hell. We all do well to regularly stop and examine the road we are traveling. That is what it means to ponder the path of our feet. What is the road you are traveling? Where is that road leading? It shows what and who you believe.

Loving as Christ Loved

The Apostle Paul taught the Galatian believers that the gospel of God’s grace in Jesus Christ purchased their liberty from sin, both its penalty and its power. Therefore, they were no longer to be governed by self-love, but use this liberty to serve one another in love (Galatians 5:13). Paul went on to remind them “For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Galatians 5:14). Consequently, he exhorted them “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10).

Frankly, in life’s daily repertoire of personal encounters, doing good unto others is seldom our first choice. Yet the Scriptures teach us that this was the very pattern of Christ himself. “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power who went about doing good…for God was with him” (Acts 10:38). In his Sermon on the Mount, Christ gave some instructive insight to this matter of doing good that provides us with eternal values that are to be lived out in time.

He began by teaching that love goes beyond what is expected. “But I say unto you which hear, love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you” (Luke 6:27-28). It is probably safe to say that few, if any, of us think in these terms when it comes to our enemies. Yet this command comes under the “good” we are called to do. To our surprise, our enemies are included in “all men”.  

He went on to say “as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise” (Luke 6:31). By saying this he taught that love seeks occasion, it is proactive. As we’ve read, the Lord himself went about doing good and we are to be like him. An outgrowth of this admonition is that love is more than mere reciprocation. Again, he warned “if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? For sinners also do even the same.”

Our expression of love is not self-seeking, but governed by an eternal perspective. “But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil” (Luke 6:35). We do not do good for earthly gain, but instead we should desire the reward of our heavenly Father. Consequently, in his likeness, we are to show kindness to the unthankful and to the evil. Yet how readily are we offended by the ingratitude of many that we encounter.

Christ’s Sermon on the Mount offered much to consider when it comes to what genuine godly love looks like in its “working clothes”. We take note of his teaching and shrink back from its claims. In ourselves there is no strength to live and walk in such a manner toward our fellow man. But God has given to his children the power to do good in the person of his Holy Spirit. Our Lord Jesus set the example in this matter for we read that he went about doing good because God had anointed him “with the Holy Ghost and with power”.  

As his children “God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). If Christ is our Savior, we have his Spirit. We are to walk as he walked and love as he loved.

Looking on the Things of Others

Paul wrote to the believers in Philippi “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others” (Philippians 2:4). He was instructing his audience to be mindful of the state of affairs pertaining to those around them, whether spiritual or material. Paul was not advocating that they should be nosy or meddling, but rather that they should minister aid as opportunity permitted. To be contrary to what Cain implicitly maintained, we are our “brother’s keeper” (Genesis 4:9). Underpinning this admonition is the fundamental principle that God intends for believers to “serve one another with love” (Galatians 5:13).

One way that we serve one another is by ministering to spiritual need. Paul commanded the Galatians, “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted” (Galatians 6:1). As a Christian, we should be concerned for a brother or sister that has fallen into a sin and seek to help them see its destructive influence and overcome the sin. This must be done prayerfully, scripturally, and humbly in love. To help a brother or sister walk in obedience to the Lord is indeed loving. Unfortunately, it is too often the case that our own example gives little credence to a loving voice of concern and we are viewed as hypocrites. We must love the expression of truth in our own lives and in the lives of others.

Another way that we serve one another is by helping to bear the heavy burdens that fall to each of us in the course of our lives. Immediately after Paul wrote of helping those overtaken in a fault, he wrote “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ…But let every man prove his own work…for every man shall bear his own burden” (Galatians 6:2-5). Paul’s instruction seems contradictory. On one hand, we are to bear one another’s burdens, but on the other hand, we are to bear our own burdens.

The answer lies in the two different Greek words used for “burdens”. The first “burden” has to do with an overly heavy weight. There are burdens in life that come to each of us that are not intended to be born alone, e.g., the death of a loved one, overwhelming sickness, job loss, etc.  It is on these occasions where we seek God’s direction how we might minister to such needs that afflict our brothers or sisters.

The second “burden” is a word that has reference to the freight of a ship, its cargo. Specifically, it has reference to what the ship was designed to carry. In this case we are reminded that each of us has our own duties and responsibilities that belong to us in the various roles we play, e.g., husband/wife, employee, neighbor, etc. God intends for us to bear these ourselves and, consequently, not be a burden to others.

There are many ways that the Lord intends for us to help others in their journey. Perhaps, the larger issue for us is that we haven’t made it past “looking on [our] own things”. To minister to others, I must move beyond myself first.

Cut Off From the World

Have you ever thought that you just don’t fit in? I’m sure we’ve all found ourselves at one time or another feeling ill at ease with our surroundings as though we just did not belong there. For the Christian that should be a common or recurring experience as we make our journey through this life. The Apostle Paul understood well the nature and cause of this estrangement from the world in which we live. He wrote to the Galatian believers, “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world” (Galatians 6:14).

Those in Paul’s day were well familiar with the cross. Rome had proliferated its use as a means of death. But Paul has reference to our Savior’s cross upon which he died in our place for our sins. It is through this cross that Paul was crucified unto the world and the world unto him. And this is true for every Christian.

Listen to Paul’s explanation of this phenomenon. “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore, we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:3-4). The Christian is a new creation created in Christ Jesus through the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Our new life in Christ is in polar opposition to the world and all of its ways. The Apostle John wrote, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world” (I John 2:15-16). Christ prayed for his followers because they had been delivered from this world. “I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:14-17).

What it boils down to is this. When Christ saved us, he made us new creations. We have new life that is not compatible with this world’s affections and pursuits, which are in opposition to all that pleases God. We are now citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:20) and we “look for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God (Hebrews 11:10). As we increasingly follow Christ’s word, his life in us becomes more evident. As a result, this world grows less attractive to us and the world’s hatred for our Savior as seen in us more apparent. As the old song teaches us, “This world is not my home; I’m just passing through”.

But our heavenly journey is not without an earthly purpose. Christ prayed to the Father, “As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world…neither pray I also for these alone, but for them which shall believe on me through their word” (John 17:18-20). It belongs to us to testify for Christ in the paths that he has placed us that others may come to know him.

Is heaven your home? Or, are you comfortable in this present world? Are you becoming more like the Savior? Or, is his word far removed from you? In essence, are you related to Christ or to this world?

Abstain from Fornication

Many Christians struggle to know the will of God for their lives. What profession should I pursue? Should I get married? How will I know the “right” one? Where should I settle down? All of these considerations are natural to man. As believers, we can be confident that God has a plan for our lives. Yet much of God’s will for us is already recorded in the Scriptures and we pass by it.

One such testimony concerning God’s revealed will is found in Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians. He writes “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication” (I Thessalonians 4:3). There are three important considerations in this brief statement worthy of attention.

First, Paul indicates that what he is about to say is God’s will. He is not making a suggestion or sharing a recommended guideline for living. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he is proclaiming God’s determined purpose and plan for those who know Him as their heavenly Father. Our response is to obey. There are no other acceptable responses.

Second, it is God’s will that His children are sanctified. The word means to be set apart, especially in the context of holiness. In fact, later in this same passage and context, Paul declares “For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness” (I Thessalonians 4:7). Peter confirms this expectation of God when he quotes from the Old Testament in his first epistle. “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation [behavior]; because it is written, be ye holy; for I am holy” (I Peter 1:15-16).

Third, the specific outworking of sanctification in this context is that we should “abstain from fornication”. The Greek word translated fornication here is the word from which we get our English word pornography. The word used in this passage and elsewhere in the Scriptures embraces every kind of sexual sin – adultery, harlotry, homosexuality, lesbianism, sodomy, pedophilia, and every other kind of sexual uncleanness. Our society has turned its head away from condemning these practices, but be assured God has not. We are told “Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge” (Hebrews 13:4). God created marriage and its sexual intimacies. He will judge those who despise his command and pervert this gift.

Modern America is given over to sexual promiscuity. One would have to be willfully ignorant to think otherwise. Humor, advertising, clothing, entertainment, and just about every other arena of life has been touched to one degree or another by a growing appetite for sexual expression. We would do well to earnestly reflect on the will of God in this matter of fornication. Often, sin’s encroachment is subtle, barely noticeable, as it makes its way into our daily path. But once we have grown comfortable to its presence, it becomes bolder in claiming new areas in our lives. Even so, what God has commanded, he enables us to do. God help us to abstain from fornication.

Whether It Be Right…

The spread of the gospel message in the early church was accompanied by signs and wonders performed by the Apostles. These miracles served to authenticate the message and the messenger as one sent from God. These miracles later became unnecessary with the completion of the New Testament Scriptures. We now have in His word all the revelation of God that He is pleased to give us and His Spirit testifies to the veracity of that word.

One of the early miracles was performed by Peter shortly after Pentecost as he was going to the temple at the hour of prayer. He encountered a lame man who sat at the gate begging for alms. Fixing his eyes upon the lame man, Peter said “Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.” The Scriptures then relate that “immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into temple” (Acts 3:6-8).

Now for the rest of the story. Naturally, this kind of thing did not just happen every day. So “all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon’s, greatly wondering” (Acts 3:11). When Peter saw this, he took the opportunity to testify to the death, burial, resurrection, and exaltation of Jesus Christ and that faith in his name “hath made this man strong, yea…hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all” (Acts 3:16). Peter went on urging the people to “repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19).

The Bible tells us that the religious leaders “being grieved that they [Peter and the other apostles] taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead…laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day” (Acts 4:2).  These leaders feared that the teaching of Jesus might spread among the people and so “commanded them [the apostles] not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus” (Acts 4:17-18).

Peter and John answered them with words still profitable for us today. “Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19-20; emphasis added). They owed their obedience to the God of heaven and made it plain that they would honor Him.

We are faced daily with a multitude of choices. Many of them are morally indifferent, e.g., what shirt to wear, what to eat, etc. But, many are not without greater significance. We are called upon to always do what is right before God regardless of the consequences. “Whether it be right…” must always be determined first and followed faithfully. Sometimes, what is right is easy to discern and sometimes not so easy. In those cases, it is wise to seek godly counsel from a trusted pastor or godly friend who knows the Scriptures. Ultimately, God is the Judge of what is right and “every one of us shall give account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12).

What is a Christian?

The Bible tells us that the “disciples [of Jesus] were called Christians first in Antioch” (Acts 11:26). Over the centuries, the term “Christian” has grown in its embrace of peoples and practices that are anything but what those who coined the term observed of believers in first century Antioch.  Reviewing the term in its origin will give us a clear perspective of its scriptural distinctives.

Luke writes for us “Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution of Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but the Jews only. And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which, when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord” (Acts 11:19-21).

At the heart of the term “Christian” is Christ himself. We are told that the people in Antioch responded to those “preaching the Lord Jesus”. One simply cannot be a Christian unless he or she is a believer in Jesus Christ. To believe in Jesus Christ is to accept his testimony that he is the Son of God and Savior of the world. Concerning the Lord Jesus, the Scriptures declare “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Jesus Christ himself claimed “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). Being a Christian requires an exclusive belief in the deity of Jesus Christ and his death, burial, and resurrection. It’s one thing to acknowledge him as a good teacher. But it is quite something else to own him as Lord and Savior. We may want to enlarge the circle of who we call Christian, but faith in Christ is non-negotiable.

A second distinctive of those called Christians is they had a changed life. We note that in response to the preaching, they “turned unto the Lord”. The lives of those who believed went in a different direction after they came to Christ than the direction they were headed before Christ. These ones turned from their sin unto the Savior. Their lives took on a distinctive character of righteousness. This should be no surprise for Christ “gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world” (Galatians 1:4). Paul wrote to Timothy, “Let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity [sin]” (2 Timothy 2:19).

Those who believe in Christ follow Christ. They are called “Christians” because they are followers. They desire to be like Christ. They follow him by obeying his word. Barnabus went to Tarsus to “seek Saul [later called Paul] …and he brought him to Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people” (Acts 11:25-26). Through the Scriptures we learn of Christ and follow him. Christians follow a book, the Bible.

These three things distinguish Christianity, faith in Christ, a changed life, and obedience to his word. Would people call you a “Christian”?

We Ought to Obey God…

Following Christ is a path that regularly encounters opposition. In fact, the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy “all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). If you are walking close with Christ, you know whereof Paul spoke. The world is not a friend to Jesus Christ nor his followers. Jesus prayed to the Father as it related to his disciples “the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world” (John 17:14).

In Acts 5 we see a clear illustration of this truth. Following the death of Ananias and Sapphira (for lying to the Holy Spirit), Luke records “by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people…and believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women” (Acts 5:12, 14). The spread of the gospel and the advance of Christianity met with fierce resistance by the Jewish leaders. “Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him…and were filled with indignation, and laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison” (Acts 5:17-18).

The Jewish authorities thought to silence the witness of the apostles by putting them in prison. “But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said, Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life” (Acts 5:19-20). The following morning the high priest along with the council and senate were quite surprised to find the apostles not in prison, but preaching in the temple. They confronted the apostles “Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name [Jesus’ name]?… ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine” (Acts 5:28-29).

It was at this point that the narrative touches each of us as believers personally. We read “Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, we ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). God had opened the door (of the prison) and given the command (speak these words in the temple). The apostles had no choice but to obey. Therein is the lesson for us today. God gives command through his word and He opens the door of opportunity. But it is our responsibility to go through that door in obedience.

Paul wrote to the Corinthian believers of his ministry in Asia, “For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries” (I Corinthians 16:9). For the Christian, every open door comes with opposition. Even so, we ought to obey God rather than men. What door has God opened for you? Will you obey?