WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS?

"If you love me you will keep my commandments." -Jesus in John 14:15

It is commonly thought that Jesus means by the commandments something like the ten commandments plus many others. If this is the true understanding, then do you keep the commandments? Can you name anyone who does? All the many people—mostly non-Christians—that I have asked have told me that it is not good to lower the standards or to compare oneself to other people. Therefore compared to Christ how are you doing keeping the commandments? The only honest answer for any of us is: FAILURE. Does this mean that you and I are not Christians? No, because there is another way to interpret Jesus' words where you do keep the commands compared to Christ.

If you read John's gospel closely looking for Jesus' commands, you will find that there really are just two: believe the gospel and love the brothers. I suggest that these two are identical. Read John 6:27-40 and ask yourself what is the work Jesus commands. [Note: work is the only command in the passage in the Greek text.] Read John 14:21-23 and notice that keeping the commands equals keeping Jesus' words and that if one does this, Jesus and the Father come to dwell with that person. Don't all Christians think that this is fulfilled when one becomes a Christian? It was true for me 37 years ago. Isn't true for you too?

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO ABIDE IN CHRIST?

"I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned."-John 15:5-6

Is abiding in Christ about your devotional life—about how well you are living the Christian life—your prayer, Bible reading, witnessing, generosity, bearing the fruit of the spirit, etc? Or, is it about your identity in Christ—about the simple fact that you are a true Christian? Jesus has done all the work to establish our identity and we never waver in the possession our identity. We all do waver in remembering our identity. This text declares that if a person doesn't abide in Christ, he is cut off and burned up. If abiding in Christ is not about your identity, then how low does God have to lower the standard for you to pass the test of abiding? If you are optimistic that you abide and think that abiding is not about identity, then compared to Jesus how well are you doing at obeying God? You are a failure just like I am. Let's be honest and get over ourselves. From beginning to end Christianity is all about seeing the finished work of Christ.

IS SIN ABOUT YOU OR ABOUT GOD?

"He has delivered us from the authority of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." -Colossians 1:13-14

Paul declares here (and in Ephesian 1) that forgiveness is redemption. But redemption from what? We tend to be self focused and see sin as a wrong moral action on the part of some human. But what if sin is something far greater, like the authority of God's law and goodness being mocked and violated by you? Rape isn't merely a wrong action, it is the mockery and violation of something and someone highly valued by God. See the difference? From God's view each and every sin is the violation and dishonor of His authority—of His goodness—of all of the moral law (James 2:10). Do we usually think that way? No.

God's vision of the death of Jesus is much grander that just providing a way for those He loves to be forgiven and avoid hell. But isn't that what we usually think? Dishonor of the law is evil and that evil must be dealt with for God to reestablish goodness. And He as a good creator was responsible to not leave evil unresolved. A new creation was needed—one that honored the law and excluded dishonor of it. God did this in a way that is radical and surprising. He became part of His creation taking on our identity under law. He honored the law in its fullness in life and then took on death in the place of lawbreakers. In short, Jesus died the death of all men to establish the law in its glory and honor. The way God did this is something to celebrate because it is the ultimate revelation of the lavish righteous generosity of a good God—"by his knowledge my righteous servant will make many righteous." (Isaiah 53:11) This is the celebration of the lamb and all people are commanded and invited to discard their identity as unrighteous lawbreakers under the old creation and be clothed in the new creation where the finished work of Christ is full completeness. Amen? Are you persuaded?

A Christian cannot sin—he cannot dishonor the law--because Jesus honored the law in its fullness and every Christian is a member of the new creation in Christ where His identity as perfect is our identity and our identity as lawbreakers is gone because He took it away. Do you see this identity as real or merely as a get-out-of-jail-free card? To think this way does not mean that we pretend that Christians don't do what appears to be sin—to do things that are a violation of goodness, to do what is a evil: lying, stealing, adultery, coveting, strife, envy, pride, and much much more. Those are all evil for a Christian to do, but they are simply the fruit of forgetting the new creation—forgetting that only perfection counts with God. Let's be honest about both the beauty of our identity above the law and the evil of our actions that result from forgetting perfection.

PARENTING BY GRACE

Children learn far more from the modeling of parents than from their instructions. Do you want to raise impatient and angry children? Then model it for them. Do you want your children to see that grace is a good way to relate to others? The simple way is to realize that imperfect obedience is disobedience. WHEN you are perceiving this, you will be kept glad and patient—no matter how much drama or trauma your children (and others) exhibit. Why is it simple? It is because we all live in hope of something. If your eye is on moral perfection, it is impossible to have any hope in any human obedience or improvement. While seeing perfection, your mind will rejoice that the only legitimate hope is the finished work of Christ. If you don't believe me, simply test it out. The next time you are impatient, irritated, frustrated, or mad at your children (or anyone else) simply ask yourself if you are seeing the other person through the lens of perfection. I predict that you will always find that you have in the moment forgotten God's standards and lowered or cheapened them.

DO YOU WANT TO BE A HUMBLE CHRISTIAN?

God urges all Christians to live consistent with the gospel: "with ALL humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love." (Ephesians 4:2) This is ALWAYS God's desire for every Christian in all circumstances. Is it yours? Is it yours for you? In practice, or just in theory? How is it going? What about when you are misunderstood,neglected, or mistreated? If you are honest, you have to admit that you are a failure—just like I am.

The real question is: do you want to grow in humility? If so, C.S. Lewis would suggest that the first small step is to admit that you are prideful. He declared that no progress can happen without it—and that actually it is a big step. I suggest the second step is the key one—to compare yourself with Jesus the perfect one, instead of with other people or your own past performance. Paul declares it unwise to do the two latter things (2Cor. 10:12). When we compare ourselves to Jesus we see our failure humbly—free from prideful comparisons to others—free from the pressure to promise to change—free from self-condemnation—free to thank God for his sin-bearing love—free to change drawn by a vision of that sin-bearing love—free to change far more and far quicker than others think possible for us.

The Mark of a Christian is Love—But is Love a Noun or a Verb?

"By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” -John 13:35

How do you read this verse? Is a person revealed to be a Christian by his loving behavior? Compared to Jesus, I fail at this. How about you? In the Greek text, as in some English translations, the word love is a noun. Therefore every true Christian possesses a thing called love (agape). What is that thing? I would like to suggest that it is something like a new way of thinking or an imprint on the mind or heart. It is an attraction to righteousness as perfection. The scripture might call it the testimony of righteousness.

Every Christian has it and no non-Christian has it. The trick in identifying it is to get past Sunday School answers and sanctification jargon. While you are actively perceiving a person as righteous in Christ without personal works, does your heart sing or scowl? Non-Christians commonly tell me that they have never even had the thought that righteousness didn't require works. Since church people are commonly trained to appeal to sanctification for proof of justification, patience is needed to get below the surface to hear if a person is trusting in Christ alone for their justification with God.

Love: The Wellspring of Mercy and Grace

"But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus" 

-Ephesians 2:4-6

Have you ever wondered how the love, mercy and grace of God fit together? The Christian life should be marked by "joy inexpressible and full of glory" and probably would be if we meditated continually on this question. His love for us is simply His disposition, inclination, habit, desire, and tendency to do good to us. Mercy is a demonstration of love toward one who is an adversary, something we certainly qualified for with God. Scripture declares that God's mercy abounded toward us. One would expect that from a heart full of love. Now self-focused human hearts can be stingy in extending mercy. This looks ugly, somewhat like tolerance of one who is undesirable—not exactly an enemy anymore, but certainly not a friend either. Grace goes beyond mercy because it is favor. While mercy is related to the alleviating in part or in full punishment that is deserved, grace is a change in the relationship to one of favor and blessing. Humans can give grace only in degrees because we are all flawed and weak. But God's glory shines because His heart is wide open toward sinners and His limitless love overflows in perfect righteousness through the sacrifice His dear Son.

John declares that "God is love" (1 John 4:8). He is eager to do good to us—continually! Because of this, mercy has flowed like a river from His heart. There is absolutely no stinginess with Him. The depths of His love could not be contained in mere mercy. His love filled up the measure of mercy and overflowed into grace (favor and blessing). This favor and blessing is beyond anything we see in human relationships. There is almost always some sense merit or hesitation in human relationships. Look again at Paul's words. Do you notice any hesitation on God's part for intimacy with sinners? We do NOT read that He gave us new life alone at a safe distance from Him so that He could maintain His holiness. Rather we read that His love for us is so great that when we were dead in our sins He made us alive together with Christ, raised us up together, and made us to sit together in Christ in the heavenly places. This is a done deal for all who know Him, or rather are known by Him (Gal 4:9). Do you see His heart of favor for you? There was absolutely no hesitation on His part to reach down into filthiness and lift you up and give you every spiritual blessing in Christ in the heavenlies (1:3).

The question is: do you trust His declaration of His unwavering love, even when trials buffet you, or do you heed the voices of the world that judge God by human desires for comfort or rules of fairness? This is the spiritual battle line. On page two of my Bible the serpent slandered God's favor toward Adam and Eve. They heeded Satan and their souls were thrown into darkness. They hid from God, who had only favored them. But God continued to favor them . . . He sought them out, moved into their darkness and declared what He had already planned, that one day the woman's Son would crush the serpent's head. The rest of the Bible is the unfolding of God's lavish grace (favor and blessing) on rebellious mankind.

Have you tended to rejoice that you are out from under God's wrath by simple faith without any works? Of course that is wonderfully true. But that is really just mercy. Favor is far more than that. God's grace is so lavish that we can doubt it, misunderstand it, and even forget it and it still remains all of our life and hope and glory. He has favored us with a life of intimacy with Him—the one who first loved us. So even if we only see His mercy we still have His grace. This is an amazing grace from the heart of love beyond our understanding.

How Did Jesus Christ Create Grace and Truth?

"For the law was given through Moses; 

grace and truth came to be through Jesus Christ." 

-John 1:17 (literal translation from the NASB marginal note)

Didn't grace and truth exist before the incarnation? Could it be that they existed in the character of God and that the death and resurrection of Christ was the place where God made them a reality in the moral world? God passed over all sin before Christ so that the cross would be the place of the revelation of His righteousness. -Romans 3:24-26

If the cross is the place where grace and truth were established, then wouldn't it be good for you to always keep that at the front of your mind—goodness as all or nothing and provided by Christ—when others sin against you, hate you, reject you, and cast you out as evil? The cross is the place of celebration. Let's turn up the music.

WHY LOVE OTHER PEOPLE?

"He who is forgiven much loves much." --Jesus of Nazareth

Those of us who think that this is true have no excuse for our lack of love for other people, but we do have a reason for it. Are we paying attention? According to Jesus, I have no one to blame but myself for not loving the most obnoxious person around. Active awareness of the greatness of God's forgiveness for me would move me to overwhelm that obnoxious person with love. Apparently Jesus knows something we don't want or like to think about--that our Irritation, frustration, and lack of gladness toward others is caused by our lack of vision of the immensity of God's forgiveness toward us and even toward that other person. Let's get over ourselves and learn to laugh at our failures and those of other people. At our best moments we all are weak. Forgetfulness of the cross is the Christian's great enemy. For the non-Christian ignorance of the cross is the enemy.

HOLINESS: How Much Is Enough To Please God?

"Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord." -Hebrews 12:14

True or false 
1) Holiness is required to see God?
2) It is good to judge your holiness compared to that of other people?
3) It is good to sin once this year?
4) It is good to stop judging by appearances and to make a righteous judgment, such as to always compare yourself to Christ?
5) You are holy compared to Christ?

If only 1 and 4 are true, how can you possibly go to heaven without this verse being a lie? 

Could it be that holiness is all about God setting you apart to be different from the world to have your life in true righteousness—goodness as all or nothing and given as a gift in the death of Christ? The world is all about personal righteousness—doing your best to do what you think is good, but of course not perfectly. What if good behavior (joyful one-way love) is simply a natural response to actively remembering your life--the finished work of Christ in your place? This removes all heaviness and all hypocrisy from holiness for every Christian, in every culture in all times. It makes life a celebration rather than a chore.

Addendum. Today I posted this piece on the Oasis Books FaceBook page and later read it to a Christian friend who said that he thought all Christians would answer the true or false questions identically. If that is true, then we Christians have generally understood and explained holiness artificially at best, that is, far too much in terms of behavior with a natural connection to righteousness hidden in some fog. Have you ever heard Hebrews 12:14 explained as a statement of identity in Christ rather than of obedience to God's moral commands? 

THE MOTIVATION OF GRACE—the testimony of two non-Christians.

A few years ago while in conversation with students on campus, a student from India said that back home he had a Mercedes sports car which he loved to drive fast. I asked him if he was concerned that the police might stop him. He said that they did stop him. I asked what he did. He smiled and told me that he simply showed them his I.D. and then his father’s photo, and because his father was the chief of police, they smiled and always waved him on. This man had immunity from speeding tickets because of who his father was. He seemed to be saying that he takes full advantage of it, too. What is wrong with this picture?

Not long after, I met J___, a Muslim attorney from the Middle East. His wife is working on a Ph.D. here and he spends his days caring for their son and so has little pressure. His home country is ruled by a king who has real authority. This friend likely knows that the secret police there have real authority to torture people almost at will. One day I asked J___ what would happen if the King’s son raced his Mercedes through the capital city—would the police give him a ticket. He laughed at me, saying that he was the king’s son and so was above the law and could do what he wanted. I suggested that he could run over old ladies in crosswalks. He said that was true. He also said that everyone in the country wished to have this special relationship with the king so they would not have to be under the law. I then asked J___ how it would affect him if his king paid the fantastic and unheard of price to adopt him into the royal family which would give him that privilege. J___ smiled and said that he would be so thankful that he would always drive carefully watching out for the safety of others. He added that he would never do anything wrong out of thankfulness for what the king had done for him. I suggested that there would be a time where he might do something wrong. He said that would be impossible. I mentioned that if he forget the price the king had paid, he could do something wrong. J___ smiled and agreed.

Two men above the law. The first had no motivation of grace since he naturally was a son above the law. And so without the threat of punishment, he was careless about the law, being motivated by his own whims. The second man also had no obligation to law—and even a greater certainty of freedom. But he knew that his knowledge of the king’s love for him and the fantastic price paid to buy his adoption, was the obvious and sufficient motivation to always do good and not evil. The gift was so great that he didn't consider that he could ever not be thinking about it. Remembrance of the king’s grace would move him to always do good.

My Muslim attorney friend knows the heart of true Christianity. When I told him such and had him read Isaiah 53 and Hebrews 2 in a bilingual Bible, he smiled and asked if I could get for him such a Bible. He gladly took the one we were reading together. May his stay in the USA be a double blessing for him. Sadly it seems easy for us Christians to fall into the thinking of the man from India—that no threat of consequences means little or no motivation to do what is good.

Love: Forgiveness God's Way Is Effortless

"Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long suffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfections." 
-Colossians 3:12-15

In the last post you may have been shocked at the suggestion that saints can forgive continually and effortlessly, no matter the abuse received. Please don't misunderstand. This is not a statement that I or other saints always forgive effortlessly and continually. It is a statement of the greatness of the power of our God, who has poured out His love into our hearts by His Holy Spirit (Romans 5:3). This verse does not say that God gave us more of our love by our strength. Rather, He poured out (not dribbled out) His love, by His Holy Spirit, in our hearts. It is all about Him and His love from His Spirit flowing out of you in all directions at all times. Love is the first fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22) and forgiveness simply flows from a heart filled with love.

So, if God's power is more than sufficient and His Holy Spirit is always in us, why is there such a lack of the fruit of the Spirit among God's elect and beloved children? Unforgiveness, bitterness, self-centeredness, self-protection, impatience, irritation, anger, unkindness, envy, and much more seem all too commonplace among those washed clean in the blood of the Lamb. And why are so many Christians so easily offended? Are not these evidence that continual love and forgiveness are extremely difficult, and maybe even beyond the reach of the average Christian? How can I say (and insistently so) that such should be effortless and indeed are effortless? Here is the first key: it is not about you and your ability, but rather all about Christ and His strength. Do you believe this? The second key is that our gracious God has seen ahead and has already given you everything you need to love and forgive everyone who will ever abuse you in any way (2Peter 1:2-4). Do you believe this? The third key is that Christ loved you first and simply commands you to love His way—as He has already loved you. Do you believe this? Notice the "as" in Colossians 3 above: forgive as Christ has already forgiven you.

How has Christ forgiven you? If you are a Christian, when did Christ pay for your forgiveness? Was it not on the cross of Calvary nearly 2000 years before your first sin? And does not His forgiveness of you mean that you wronged Him and He chose to suffer for you? And was not the Father pleased to bruise His Son on the cross for your sin (Isaiah 53:10)? And if the Son is the exact image of the invisible God, then must not the Son also have been pleased to suffer for your sins? And when did Christ offer you forgiveness? Was it after you realized that you were a sinner? No, it is clear in scripture that you did not seek Him (Romans 3:11); He sought you. Did He decide to forgive you after you confessed your sin? No, rather His forgiveness was waiting for your confession, and even anticipating your first and every sin. Did you catch that? This is an important part of the vision of Christ's forgiveness of you. His forgiveness in full was ready and waiting before your first sin. He continued to wait--maybe many more years—until you confessed yourself a sinner and rested in the work of the cross. All the forgiveness you would ever need was waiting for you to receive it. Do you see the beauty of this precious gift of forgiveness? God in Christ pre-forgave you all your sins.

God's pre-forgiveness of you includes:
*God saw ahead that you would wrong Him.
*God loved you and chose to pay the penalty of your abuse of Him.
*God planned from before the foundation of the world to send His Son to the cross for you.
*God chose to forgive you before you wronged Him.
*God had no hesitation to forgive you.
*God even sought you out to give you that gift.
*God's gift of forgiveness was ready for your need and more than enough for your need.
*God gave you forgiveness; you did not take it; you simply received it.

Love is the source of forgiveness. A heart filled with God's love is full of generosity that anticipates need. Here is a simple illustration of what it should look like in your life (or mine) to forgive all other saints as Christ forgave you. Envision yourself carrying a gift box everywhere you go. This box is filled with love and forgiveness which Christ has bountifully supplied. You eagerly want to give from your box to every needy saint to bless them, remind them of the cross and to glorify God. These saints are so precious to God and the gift so valuable, that you always keep it outstretched toward every saint you might meet. For any saint to mistreat you, he must reach through your box of love and pre-forgiveness. The more he attacks the more gift he receives. Onlookers may wrongly surmise that your abusers are "taking" from your box and even taking advantage of you. But your gift cannot be taken, rather only received. You are free to see their need and not their abuse. And since the Lord continually fills your box, you are glad to be in fellowship with these whom the Lord loves and has gladly forgiven. Some may need (attack) little and others much, and even often. But that is God's business. He did not hesitate with you so you have no need to hesitate with any of His children. It matters little if they confess to you, since you business is loving them to the end as Christ loved you, with patience and hope. Their confession is Christ's business with them. And you never weary of carrying the box, since Christ is your supply, and the box reminds you of Christ's great forgiveness of you.

Are you beginning to get the picture? This simple illustration only scratches the surface of the depths of God's way of love and pre-forgiveness. The Christian life is much more than this, but it is at least this. The more you meditate on Christ's love for you the more your love and forgiveness will flow to all those around you, especially toward those who abuse you. That is after all what you and I did to Christ. If it takes effort or is difficult, then you are "trying" to love or forgive in your own strength. But if you walk in the Spirit, love and forgiveness will flow like a river from your heart. Of course there is pain in betrayal and abuse, but we get to choose if our hearts are hardened or softened by the pounding. Do you want to love and forgive? If you do, I would suggest praying often, at least daily, for God to help you learn to love His way. Thank Him often for giving you everything you need to love all the saints He has placed around you. And expect Him to answer by giving you opportunities to practice love! You may find yourself becoming more sensitive to your lack of love. But don't be discouraged; this is a good sign. The Spirit should make you sensitive to where you are not like Christ. The Father sees you as perfectly accepted in Christ. If you do not want to love and forgive, . . . does your lack of desire bother you?

Heavenly Love Flows From a Vision of Heavenly Love

"Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long suffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfections." 
-Colossians 3:12-15

The cross is the place where God's love triumphed over the powers of evil. The Father, in His pleasure, chose to send Christ to the Cross. Christ "desired us to be with Him where He is" and chose to lay His life down to "purify for Himself His own special people". When you think of the cross, do you see yourself as God sees you? Yes, your sin sent Christ to the cross. Yes, He is the total sacrifice for your sins. But is that all you see yourself as—a sinner saved by grace? The apostles frequently revealed that God's vision of you in Christ is far more glorious than that.

In the above passage, Paul declares through the Spirit, that if you are in Christ, then you are God's elect and therefore holy and dearly loved--not just loved but beloved or dearly loved. The Father loves you just as He loves the Son (John 17:23). Christ is all your holiness and righteousness (1Cor 1:30) and much more. At your "worst" as at your "best", the Father loves and see you this way. It is not about you. It is all about Him—His love, sanctification, and election of you in Christ. Notice in the above passage that God commands, and seems to simply expect, all of us saints to put on these beautiful qualities of kindness, patience, forgiveness, and love in all circumstances with all other saints no matter the mistreatment we receive. This may seem unrealistic to you. And it will, if you are looking at yourself, your past, your circumstances, or your abilities. But if you look at at God's love for you in Christ, you will see that same love toward all other saints around you, and your heart will overflow with His kindness, grace, forgiveness, and love. Such should be natural and effortless on our part. Paul said that he labored with all God's energy that mightily worked in him (Col 1:29). So what is our problem?

You are His beloved. Do you see that the Father's thoughts toward you are always ones of love, forgiveness and grace, no matter how much you fail or are misunderstood, mistreated or abused by other saints? And those saints who mistreat you, do you see that God's thoughts toward them are always ones of love, forgiveness and grace? Do you really see it? Or, have you forgotten? God's love is true and secure for all His children all the time. But we get to choose whether we see ourselves and other saints through eyes of God's love and grace or through eyes of human performance. God does not empower us to love when we choose the latter, but He does when we choose the former. Why do we fail to love? It is very simple, we have forgotten to see His love. Please don't misunderstand. This does not mean that you have stopped believing He loves you. You need to simply "fix your eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of your faith." Then God's love through you, to even the most obnoxious of saints, will be natural and effortless—though not necessarily painless. The effort should all be God's.

If natural and effortless love seems unreasonable to you, I would encourage you to begin thanking the Father often for the riches you already have in Christ. Let this soak in you mind. You may be surprised at how God will slowly change you without your effort. For a testimony of God's faithfulness to work in the life of a weak brother who began to give thanks, download freely and read Thankfulness and Confession at: http://ccmbooks.org/free-literature/

Next time I hope to write on the way to continual and effortless forgiveness, no matter the abuse.

An Example of Loving a Very Difficult Brother

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protests, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." 
-1 Corinthians 13:4-7

WHAT LOVE LOOKS LIKE

In the 1800's, in a small town in England, in a very poor neighborhood, there lived a kind old pastor, Mr. Robert Chapman, who was well known, even outside England, for his loving and humble character. The church that he pastored for 70 years was very divisive when he moved to that town. As the years passed, he patiently loved these saints and taught them to love one another. Many years later, a short conversation was preserved which gives us a window into the soul of a man marked by unusual humility and love. Let us pay attention to his attitude that we might see higher into the heavenlies.

A Christian man moved to town and joined the church pastored by Chapman. Years later an enquiry was made about that man by someone from his previous church in another town. The enquirer was curious about how Chapman got along with him as the man had been very difficult to deal with. "Chapman replied that he was a valuable brother, a very valuable brother; and added: 'We did not know our need of patience till he came among us.'"

DO YOU WANT TO GROW IN LOVE?

Did you notice Chapman's attitude? He considered the very difficult brother to be God's instrument to reveal the church's need to grow in patience. Chapman clearly learned that lesson of love well, seeing the man as a "very dear brother." Do you want to learn to love? Are you willing to welcome the difficult saints in your life as God's chosen instruments to reveal you need of patience? If not, what does that reveal about your real desire to grow in love? Does this bother you? How wonderful it is that our loving Father is patient with us when we are not so with each other.

Reading about God's gracious work in and through Robert Chapman has been a great blessing to me. The first post on this blog is a recommendation of Agape Leadership: lessons in spiritual leadership from the life of RC Chapman. If you want to grow in love, or become more sensitive to your lack of love, this books would be a great help. You friends would benefit from you reading it, too. The above excerpt was taken from a book recently reprinted entitled: Robert Chapman, by Frank Holmes
"Father in heaven, help us to see the difficult people around us as a blessing from your hand of grace to show us our need of more love. Convict us when we only tolerate them instead of loving them. Please do this soon. Thank you for loving us even when we neglect to love. Amen."

HEAVENLY LOVE IS AN ACT OF FAITH

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."

-Hebrews 11:1

"In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." -1 John 4:10

"But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them." -Luke 6:32

TWO KINDS OF LOVE

There are two kinds of love. Natural human love operates on an earthly level of worthiness and performance. It takes little effort to respond well to a person who respects you and gives to you. But, if that person is cool toward you, despises you, or even abuses you, then much changes, doesn't it? But God's heavenly love is not rooted in worthiness. Thus, the love He fills a man with and expects him to overflow with, has no connection to worthiness either.

WHAT GOD SEES

God declares, and thus sees, every believer as pure, prefect, holy, righteous, dearly loved, free from condemnation, welcomed without hesitation, and with all sins no longer remembered. This is what God sees all the time when He looks at every true believer. This is beautiful. So apparently when God disciplines me, he sees my sin withour remembering it. The implication is that God's disclipine is a restoration of, or growth in, my vision to see what He sees. God also declares, and thus sees, all those outside of Christ as condemned, under His wrath, and awaiting destruction, if they do not flee to Christ. God sees people as either 1) dead in sin or 2) alive in Christ and justified freely by His grace (Rom. 3:24). The cross of Christ is a great hope to move a man from group 1 to group 2. In God's vision, the only thing that matters for believers is, "faith working through love . . . and . . . through love serve one another" (Gal. 5: 6,13).

SOURCE OF HEAVENLY LOVE

True faith is a resting in the work of Christ—His death as a substitution for mine. The moment a man is recreated in Christ, he has everything he needs for life and godliness through his knowledge of Christ and has God's great and precious promises (2Peter 1:3,4). From that point on, God calls him to live by that same faith, and not by sight (2Cor. 5:7). And he can do all things through Christ, who gives him strength (Phil. 4:13).

THE CHOICE

As Christians, we get to choose 1) to walk by faith and see with God's eyes of love and grace, the world and all those around us; or 2) to walk by human sight and judge the world and all those around us (even ourselves) with eyes of performance. This latter way, the way of the flesh, bears ugly fruit: impatience, anger, envy, contentions, and much, much worse (Gal. 5:19-22). The world presses on us to walk this way. Those of the world are trapped in this "trying and striving" and want us to wallow in it with them. Because God loves His children, He disciplines us when we choose the way of performance. The Spirit is quenched, the Christian life "feels" difficult and maybe even burdensome, and relationships grow cool and distant. Onlookers are rarely discomforted by God's holiness in our lives--the cross is hidden to them.

But to walk by faith is to see with spiritual eyes what God sees. This is walking in the Spirit. The Spirit's fruit is: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal 5:22,23). Notice that this is not our effort. It is the Spirit's effort, which is limitless. Thus, walking in the Spirit is effortless, though it may be accompanied by pain or sorrow, depending on circumstances. Paul said that he was always sorrowful yet always rejoicing.

Let us be clear about this: that for believers, 1) the only thing that matters is faith working through love (Gal. 5:6), and 2) the Spirit empowers every believer to have this abundant love in every circumstance—no exceptions—if one looks with eyes of faith. The uncomfortable implication is that loving very difficult believers is super easy, even effortless. The burden is on our loving Father to keep His promises. He provides all the energy when we walk by faith.

WHY DO WE GET IMPATIENT OR WORSE?

What do you see when you notice a fellow saint sin in some way? Do you see a person who is: dearly loved by God, free from condemnation, and holy and righteous in His sight? If so, your first reaction should be one of tenderness and grace, with a desire to draw close to remind that dear saint of the cross. Irritation, impatience, envy, avoidance, bitterness, or worse, are all the overflow of noticing that dear saint with eyes of performance rather than faith. You simply forgot to consider all the promises he has in Christ. Christ is all his righteous. Should not we also think Christ sufficient for him?

RESPONSE

"The only thing that matters is faith working through love." When a brother sins we should restore him to faith—a vision of the cross. The brother has not lost his faith, he simply has forgotten to use his faith. The world tempts us to restore him to proper human performance or worthiness standard. The standard chosen does not matter.

Which vision will you choose: "Faith working through love" or human performance?
Your life will bear the fruit of your choice: Gal. 5:22,23 or Gal 5:19-21

Rwanda, Africa: A Love that Overflows in Persecution

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." -1Thes. 5:16-18

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."
-Matt. 5:9

Civil war devastated the small central African country of Rwanda in 1959-62. For many years the Hutu people had been downtrodden by their Tutsi feudal overlords—a small minority. The Belgian colonial rulers educated, supported and used the Tutsi.

Christian missionaries arrived about 1920 and preached the love of God for sinners to both Hutu and Tutsi. In 1931 God gave a few missionaries and locals such a vision of the greatness of God's love in the cross of Christ, that they began to confess their sins to one another and embrace one another open-heartedly. The gospel of God's grace began to spread rapidly in the power of the Holy Spirit—not just with missionary perseverance as before, but with an overflowing love, joy and thankfulness. Western missionaries began to see Africans as equals. Barriers between brothers came down as vision of the cross grew. Even the hostility between Hutu and Tutsi was overcome as believers rejoiced in the cross.

As independence from Belgium (1960) drew near, the Hutu began to see their opportunity to gain power and get revenge. What were Christians to do as the massacres spread and terror reigned? How could they be peacemakers when faced with attackers carrying axes, machetes and torches? Christians were from both tribes. Who should they help? Most were intimidated by the terror, but a few saints shone the light of Christ brightly. A missionary doctor who was among that first small group in 1931 to be overwhelmed by a vision of sin and forgiveness, received the following letter from one such African Christian in 1961.

"We are all well because Jesus has turned death into victory through the wonderful Gospel you brought to us. You know all that has happened to us in Rwanda. Here, we have had our home destroyed, and after it happened I was beaten for four days and left for dead. But this time was a blessing to my soul. All the time they were beating me, I couldn't help singing and saying, over and over again, 'Jesus be praised.' I kept praying for them very much all the time, and in my heart I was thankful because they said they had nothing against me except the fact that I was a Tutsi.

"Now, in case we shall never meet again before I die, I want to tell you that you and the other missionaries who brought the Gospel to us have done a great work. When I think how you found me in those days, I love you more than you know. Only Jesus knows how much I love you. I know quite well that you did not come for any personal gain or for what you could make out of it, so I want to comfort you in all suffering that may come to you 'even unto death' not to be downhearted; it is not in vain. Jesus will give you your reward. It is I, A. Mandari (Gahini, 2.3.62)."

This is a love letter--love for the torturers, love for Christ and love for the missionary who had shown him the glory of the cross. What an encouragement this letter must have been to the old missionary. Did you notice who this suffering brother was concerned about? We have the same God of all comfort, the same throne of grace to run to, and the same Holy Spirit of power. Do you want to overflow with heavenly love as this brother did? Do I? The lack is only in our vision of God's love. Let us pray often for God to give us together with all the saints a fresh vision of His great love for us—a love that passes knowledge. And let us expect Him to do it.

[Breath of Life: the story of the Ruanda Mission, by Patricia St. John, page 210]

God's love in Kenya: preaching while cycling

"Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching." 
-2Timothy 2:2

Pictured below are two of the brothers we encourage prayer and support for in Nakuru, Kenya. Benson Nganga (with the big smile), who directs the Fiwagoh Mission Orphanage Minnistry, was in our home last year. The other brother, Kennedy Nyakundi, a dear friend of his, has spent much time walking in the hot sun to villages to preach the gospel and encourage the believers. In January we sent $100 to purchase a good quality bicycle to speed Kennedy on his journeys. God was not slow in opening doors for Kennedy with the bicycle. Following is from an e-mail he sent January 29. I have clarified it a bit.

Mighty things are happening through the gift of the bicycle you gave me. I was coming home from a fellowship of a church that I started early last year— 2/5/2007. I came in contact with a man who had a bicycle on the highway, and I started sharing with him while cycling the bicycle. I introduced myself and he also introduced himself. I said to him I am a pastor and he said that he said that he was a medecineman [witch doctor?]. For a long time I shared with him the gospel. I asked him if can give his life to Jesus, he agreed and we stopped our bicycles on the roadside and he gave his heart to Jesus. Praise the lord! .......When I asked him where he comes from, I discovered that he is one from the neighbourhood where we have the church. Now he is coming to the church. Dear brother Brad the bicycle is making the gospel go faster. Many people have given their lives to Jesus in one of the markets in the city of Nakuru. Last week I was sharing in the market why Jesus came [John 10:10-12] and 13 people gave their lives to Jesus, 9 women and and 4 men. I will be briefing you what is going on here. May God bless you.
Your brother in Kenya,
Pastor Kennedy Nyakundi




Please pray for God to move these brothers (and their co-workers) to preach with great love and boldness. May God add many to his church there. Among these brothers there are still several evangelists who walk to the villages because a $100 bicycle equals two months wages. Pray that God would move saints here to sent money to equip the evangelists with bicycles to speed the gospel on its way. If you want to be part of the answer to that prayer, you can get a tax-deductible receipt by sending your donation to:
Community Christian Ministries
PO Box 516
Moscow ID 83843
Attach a note specifying for Oasis Books-Kenya Orphanage-bicycles

If you don't need a tax receipt you can contact us directly by mail or phone at:
Oasis Books
25 W Center
Logan UT 84321

Either way 100% of the donation will go to Kenya.

SINGING OF GOD'S LOVE

Here Is Love, Vast As An Ocean

Here is love, vast as the ocean,

Lovingkindness as the flood,

When the Prince of Life, our Ransom,

Shed for us His precious blood.

Who His love will not remember?

Who can cease to sing His praise?

He can never be forgotten,

Throughout Heav’n’s eternal days.

On the mount of crucifixion,

Fountains opened deep and wide;

Through the floodgates of God’s mercy

Flowed a vast and gracious tide.

Grace and love, like mighty rivers,

Poured incessant from above,

And Heav’n’s peace and perfect justice

Kissed a guilty world in love.

This song came out of the Welsh revival of the early 1900's and is all about God's great love for us. We can sing it in complete honesty even on our bad days, because it is not about our love, but only about his. God has greatly blessed me in my 30 years in his grace in the singing of hymns as prayers and meditations. As such, I much prefer songs that focus on God's glory and his love for me rather than on my love for him. I feel a bit guilty singing about my good points. As we sing songs about him, our minds rise into the heavens in remembrance of his greatness and love. I have not found the piano music for this hymn online or in the many hymnals that I have searched. You can listen to it at http://nethymnal.org/htm/h/e/herelove.htm to hear the tune to learn to sing it.

LOVE: MEDITATION ON THE CROSS

"Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love as Christ also has love us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma."

-Ephesians 5:1-2

The cross of Christ was a sweet-smelling aroma to the Father in heaven. The most joyful man who ever lived (Hebrews 1:9) gave his life as a sacrifice for our sins on the altar in heaven (his cross). Christ said that he did only that which pleased the Father. Scripture records how on several occasions the Father spoke from heaven declaring his pleasure in his Son. But at the cross the heavens seemed to be silent as the great multitude beheld "the Lamb of God take away the sin of the world." When the Lamb died, the veil was torn from top to bottom, the earth shook, the rocks split, graves were opened, and the three-hour darkness was over. It was over. It was finished! The multitude had watched the mystery of the ages unfold. The way into the presence of the Father was open, simply awaiting the Ascension and Pentecost.

The Father did not need to speak at the cross because he had already declared his pleasure there in that great Messianic passage, Isaiah 53: "Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him." How could the Father be pleased to bruise so horrifically his only Son--whom he loved from before the foundation of the world and in whom he was well pleased? How great must our sin be and how perfect must his holiness be. Our sin separated and alienated us from him and yet the Father in Christ said in John 17, "I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am that they may behold My glory." He desired to dwell with us, and he, our gracious Father, loved us while we hated him. His perfect righteousness and his exceedingly abundant love met at the cross to reconcile us—unclean, disobedient, and abominable sinners—to himself. It is no wonder then that Christian communion is a "celebration" of the cross. Our souls ought to be overflowing with thankfulness and joy in every thought of the cross. Do we see it?

Let's not tolerate any complacency concerning the cross to grow or even linger in our hearts. Oh how he has loved us. And our sin is far more vile to him than it is to us. But he sees us through the cross. When you see your sin, do you see his cross? He always does. Let us thank him and seek to see more as he does.

"Dear Father, thank you for loving us while we hated you and for loving us just as you love your Son. Thank you for putting your love for your Son in our hearts. Please give us a fresh vision of how wide and long and high and deep your love is for us. Please begin today. In Christ name. Amen."

God's Love in Kenya: What One Christian Can Do

I would like to introduce you to some Kenyan brothers who minister the Word and care for orphans in Nakuru district of Kenya. Please pray for God's work in and through them.

Meeting a brother

"Oh how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity." -Psalm 133:1

About five years ago, Benson Nganga, a pastor in Kenya, called me. Someone there had given him a copy of my pamphlet, Thanksgiving and Confession: The Way to an Overflowing Heart. He wanted more copies to giveaway. I mailed to him a small box of encouraging materials in addition to his request. I sent him the pdf file of the pamphlet so he could print his own copies. He told me a little about God's call to him and his wife, Florence, to care for orphans. At that time, only a few orphans were in their care. Over the years we have prayed on the phone and corresponded.

What one Christian can do

In early 2008 God led him to travel to the U.S. to visit saints here who supported his work. He stayed with us for two days in June. We called some friends together to meet him, to hear his story and to hear a word from the Lord from him. His words were a great blessing.

Benson's parents died when he was a young boy. After a short stay with an aunt who had many children, Benson and his three older brothers were put out on the street. They slept under a granary and begged food from house to house. One day they they knocked at the house of a Christian man who told his wife to give the boys all their leftover food. He then told the boys to return the next day. Every day he gave them all the leftovers. He began to teach the boys the Bible and tell them of God's great love for sinners. He paid for the boys to attend school. The boys grew up to love God under this Christian man's care.

Benson sensed a great desire to care for the physical and spiritual needs of orphans as he had been cared for, and prayed for a wife who would want to give her life caring for orphans as well. God gave Florence a heart to join that vision as He brought them together. Benson and Florence began Fiwagoh Mission Orphanage Ministries. His brothers and others help care for the orphans. They also visit nearby villages to preach, give away Bibles and Christian literature, and give away food and clothing. They oversee several village churches. Currently they care for 85 orphans. Their new orphan home on 17 acres, which will house 400 orphans, is nearly completed.

Benson reminded us that we need to not underestimate what God can do through one Christian man--like that one who, with his wife, loved four orphan boys and taught them the love of God and instilled in them a love for God's Word.

May the great God of heaven raise up an army of Christian families in Kenya to love many of the 3 million orphans there. And may God give His saints across the world a spirit of prayer and generosity to support them in this ministry. May God receive much glory.