Part 2
Christians have been called to suffer
with Christ and it’s not a senseless instruction. There is a specific reason
why we need to suffer. Think of it like this, when the body is struck with a
fever, how do we get it to break? Well, one on the ways we do it is to sweat it
out. The body is place under pressure and works against the fever and if all
goes as planned, eventually the fever breaks through perspiration. In like
manner, when we walk in the Spirit we deprive our carnal desire of their
lustful wants. The process God has implemented for the Christian to walk
worthily is a painful process and it’s only when we shun our responsibilities
as Christians, when we fail to arm our minds with truth that we remain babes in
Christ, or worse, do not even belong to the household of God. We obviously
cannot earn our salvation, which in itself is a gift from God. Positionally we
are saved by grace through faith and that is a gift from God, not according to
works (our efforts) least anyone boasts. Boasting has been excluded. However,
sadly for so many, we like to live with this banner as a declaration to our
lives. Because we are covered by the grace of God, which we always will be,
excusing sin as our right, is a default weakness, and therefore we don’t pay it
the due benevolence we should. I confess, I lived here for a long time, because
I could never understand why I still struggled with temptation if I was a new
creature in Christ. This was my bout, and therefore I decided to live with one
foot in church and the other in the world. But God who is rich in mercy has
opened my eyes to see a little clearer. Once we are saved, we must understand
the call God has placed upon our lives, we need to be refined through the
process of suffering, which in turn helps us understand what our Saviour went
through on our behalf. Look at this verse; “and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and
fellow heirs with Christ, provided
we suffer with him in
order that we may also be glorified with him.” (Romans 8:17) - Without this process in our
lives we live lives of lasciviousness and our example is tainted with
hypocrisy. Our beloved brother Paul exhorts us like this; “What
shall we say then? Are we to continue
in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do
you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were
baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into
death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of
the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:1-4)
The only way for us to kill off the
acts of sin in our lives is through the “sweat of sufferings”. How is this then
achieved? “For those who live according to the
flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according
to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind
on the flesh is death, but to set the mind
on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the
flesh is hostile to God, for it does not
submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8: 5-8)
All we need to ask ourselves is how do
we process and deal with the sin in our lives, no one is immune. We will only
put off this body when we die or are raptured and until then we need to arm
ourselves with this mind-set - pay careful attention to Peter’s instruction;
“Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with
the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has
ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no
longer for human passions but for the will of God.” (1 Peter 4:1) - But I thought Christ said
“it is finished?” He did! And it is. Positionally the true born again believer,
the one whom God has saved, the one who has not come to Christ for selfish
gain, is covered by the finished work of the cross. Because of this truth in
our lives we now look to “present our bodies as a living sacrifice unto
God, which is our spiritual worship”. We do not run with the world, we
have a new understanding. It’s now about the will of God and not our selfish
ambitions and lustful wants. Not to say that we do not fight against them, the
war is fierce and at times we give in to the craving of our flesh, we all sin.
But we do not live nonchalantly, giving them a free pass. If we do, then we
need to check our birth certificates. Have they been stamped with the blood of
Christ, or has someone creped in and deceived us, is the ink fake? I am fully
aware of the deceitfulness of sin and the way it tricks us into believing lies.
It’s only the goodness of God that rescues us from such a predicament. Praise
His name, Amen!
As the clock winds down and the day of
the Lord Jesus’ return quickens, the surge from the enemy will increase and
deception will surround us. (See 1 Timothy chapter 4:1-5) Therefore we need to value the warnings found in
scripture, and I am reminded and now remind you that it’s for our benefit; “I charge you in the presence of God and
of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing
and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience
and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching
ears they will accumulate for themselves
teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from
listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” (2 Timothy 4:1-4) – Notice Paul’s instruction to
Timothy, “reprove, rebuke and exhort”. In other words reprove (criticise the
error), rebuke (bring the inaccuracy to the surface and correct it) and exhort
(encourage). What would be the point in encouraging each other if we remain in
error? And the two of the three directives is about exposing the mistake.
There seems to be two thirds of his attention addressing the error and only one
third deals with encouragement. It is obvious that waves of people will wander
off to suit their own passions, not enduring wholesome teachings from the Word
of God. The only question we need to ask, where do we fit in and what is
required from me to seek out God’s grace for my life to bring Him the glory, He
alone so richly deserves?
Hopefully I will be able to tackle
dreams and vision with my next post. Foundationally, I felt the need to unpack
the truths I’ve discussed in these two posts. Without an awareness to our
surroundings we often trustingly eat whatever is placed in front of us.
It is never a pleasant thing to expose
error, but if God exposes it and then reveals it to us, who are we to shirk our
responsibility in highlighting what He has declared through His Apostles so
that we remain faithful to Him.
Father God apply a special portion of
your grace to the reader and the one that is offended by what I have penned.
You are the One who has it in His power to be merciful, be merciful! I love you
Father God and I thank you for my beloved Saviour, Jesus Christ my Lord.
To God be the glory now and forever
more…
Signing off
Tyrone
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