Re: Kung Pow 2 Tongue Of Fury Torrent Conversion Series Ma
Alhueche Orton
We must note the distinction between being a believer in Jesus and a disciple of Jesus. We trust Jesus, believing He is the Messiah, the Son of God, our Savior. That is a believer. Some believe in Jesus and have received the gift of eternal life but are weak in discipleship. While all persons with true faith in Jesus are also disciples, some have the potential to be heroic, and some have yet to realize their strength. Dorcas or Tabitha was in the heroic category, a testament to what we can all aspire to.
When we focus on doing good to others, our problems fade into the background. God helps us resolve those complex life issues because He knows that frees us to do good works. When we allow the storm clouds of life to overwhelm us, we are not much good to ourselves or anyone else.
Once again, I remind you that salvation is a gift given to all who honestly and sincerely believe in Jesus. A gift is always a gift. It is never earned. Dorcas was not seeking to attain salvation. She responded to Jesus by living her life in a manner that honored him. But, some wonder, if salvation is a gift, why do I need to worry about living a life full of good works?
The second test was more difficult. Our friend Daniel was a very wise man. He was so close to God that God revealed things to him that others did not know. King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that disturbed him. He called for his astrologers to come and interpret the dream. In the dream, he saw a giant statue. The head was gold, the chest and arms were silver, its belly and thighs were bronze, its legs were iron, and its feet were a mixture of iron and clay. In the dream, a rock appeared, but not by human hands. It struck the statue, and it became like chaff. The rock became a huge mountain that filled the earth.
Nebuchadnezzar thought about the dream. If the gold head represented his reign, perhaps if he made a statue entirely of gold, his kingdom would endure forever. Nebuchadnezzar was a bit of an egotist. He had the statue built on the plain of Dura. He ordered the band to play, and everyone was to bow down and worship the statue when the music sounded. If anyone refused, he was to be thrown into a fiery furnace. If the king issued a decree, you had better follow it or pay the price.
The soldiers bound us and approached the furnace. It was so hot that as the soldiers threw us into the furnace, they were burned to death by the heat. Then something very unusual happened. I felt no heat. I looked at my two friends, and they were not burning up. Only the bonds that held us were burned. I looked again and saw a fourth person with us in the furnace. Was it an angel, or had God Himself joined with us? I leave it for you to decide.
We did not know whether God would deliver us from the furnace. If He did or did not, we would not disobey Him. We could have become crispy critters like the soldiers who threw us into the furnace, but God delivered us. We had no assurance that God would save us from the flames. We decided to be faithful to Him no matter the cost. What about you? Are you willing to obey God when it costs you something? I hope you are never tested as we were, but will you pay the price if faithfulness costs you something?
Narrator: That is a question for all of us to ponder. Are we willing to pay the price if our faith costs us something? We are in a situation not unlike the Book of Daniel. Daniel and his friends lived a life of ease in Babylon. They were given high positions. Their faith cost them no hardships. Suddenly, everything changed. They were commanded to engage in idol worship, a clear violation of the Ten Commandments. They refused, and the furnace was the result. They entered the furnace, not knowing whether or not God would deliver them. Whether He did or not deliver them, they were unwilling to compromise their faith.
Someone once asked if you were given a dollar for every kind word or deed you said or did and then had to give back a dollar for every unkind word or deed, would you be rich or poor? Think about it. We are to love kindness. Are you a kind-hearted person? God requires it of you.
The church tried to be kind to these poor boys. They would offer presents at Christmas time. Their families would receive charity and holiday turkeys. The church would pray for the little boys working in those coal mines. However, one day, some determined leaders in that island nation passed a much-needed law. The law said that little boys could no longer work in coal mines. The law also insisted that these boys attend school instead of going to the coal mines to work. That was a move from kindness to justice.
There is a difference between acts of kindness and doing justice. Kindness gives Christmas presents to disadvantaged boys in coal mines, kindness gives families turkeys during the holiday season, and kindness prays for them. Doing justice is working to change the laws so that it is illegal for little boys to work in the coal mines in the first place.
I fear that sometimes, in the church, we are content to be kind. Kindness is great. It is the first step in following Jesus but only the beginning of that journey. It is the bare minimum. We are to love kindness, but we are also to do justice.
You believe in Jesus; now what? I hope you are engaged in these three simple but courageous activities: doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with God. Micah does not describe these three as options. He does not present them to us as multiple choice. We cannot pick one or two while we ignore the rest. When others look at you, what do they see? Do they see kindness? Justice? Humility? Our text reads, WHAT DOES THE LORD REQUIRE OF YOU. A requirement is not a suggestion. Are you DOING justice? Are you a KIND person? Do you walk daily with God in HUMILITY? Does the word REQUIRMENT ring a bell?
Paul speaks of two categories of Christians: those carnally and those spiritually minded. This is not a distinction between the saved and the lost. It is a distinction between spiritual Christians and carnal, also described as babes in Christ.
It must be said that none of us are 100% spiritual. We must ask, where do we stand on a sliding scale? If a 10 is a 100% spiritual Christian, how close am I to that goal? Am I a five (half and half!), or am I leaning more toward a 6, 7, or 8? Or am I a babe in Christ content to live at the 3 or 4 level of Christianity? We certainly want to move beyond the half-and-half stage. The spiritual Christian intends to move as close to 10 on the scale as possible.
There is a difference between being born of the Spirit and being filled with the Spirit. All who trust in Jesus are born (baptized) in the Holy Spirit. But to be Spirit-filled is a command given to all Christians. God commands us to be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). Spirit-filled means that the Holy Spirit directs your life. The command is given not as a means of obtaining salvation. That has already been provided to us as a gift by the atoning death of Jesus. The Spirit-filled life is the normal Christian life. God does not ask us to believe and live as babes in Christ. The Spirit-filled Christian knows joy and peace in an overflowing manner.
The Bible speaks of the flesh (Greek sarx), our human nature, as the enemy to be overcome. Evil will overcome us if we allow our human nature to be in control. If we walk by the Spirit, we overcome the evil in the world. We live not by willpower but by Spirit power, which comes from faith in Jesus. The more active our faith, the more the Holy Spirit will manifest Himself in our lives.
In four points, Lewis Sperry Chafer summarizes what it means to be a spiritual Christian. 1. Every Christian is still of the flesh and is called upon to wage a ceaseless warfare against the old nature. 2. Every Christian is indwelt by the Spirit and is thus equipped with the power to be victorious over the flesh. 3. Christ has died the judgment death against the sin nature (Our sins have been judged and wiped away at the cross) 4. Deliverance from the power of the flesh is wrought on the principle of faith or dependence upon the Spirit rather than on any supposed resources of his own. In other words, the spiritual Christian lives according to the words of Jesus. Thus, the will of God is accomplished IN the believer but not BY the believer.
Spirituality does not mean we neglect the things of this world. We all need a place to live, food, and an income to provide these things. We must attend to daily living, provide for our family, and pay the bills. All of this takes time. The spiritual Christian does not neglect these tasks but invites Christ to guide us daily. The spiritual Christian does not make a distinction between the secular life and the Christian life. Whether he prays or pays the bills, faith is behind every decision.
In closing, according to Paul, there are two kinds of Christians. Do I trust in Jesus but live by worldly standards? If so, I will be a worldly (carnal) Christian. I may not look much different in my behavior than an unbeliever. Do you prefer to be an immature Christian and deprive yourself of the blessings God promises to the faithful? Or would you prefer being a spiritual Christian who lives by faith? God wants us to be spiritual. What do you want?
Paul states that if Christ has not risen, he and the other apostles are liars, false witnesses of the worst kind. The apostles went throughout the ancient world announcing that Jesus Christ was the long-awaited Messiah of Israel. His resurrection verified that He is indeed the Son of God and Savior of the world. If that is not true, they have lied to us. Perhaps Jesus is not at fault. Maybe He was a simple prophet, but not the Son of God, not the resurrected Savior. Possibly, the apostles made up all those miracles. Perhaps they were so distraught after His crucifixion that they imagined He was still with them. Or maybe they wanted to justify their faith in Him, so they embellished the story. They tried to make Jesus into a superhero.
7fc3f7cf58