4th
Quarter, 2000
The
Importance of Proper Thinking |
As ye have therefore
received Christ Jesus the Lord, [so] walk ye in him: Rooted and
built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been
taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
(Colossians 2:6-7 AV)
Today, too many professing Christians are content to remain
passive and complacent amidst the evil world that surrounds them.
This attitude extensively penetrates their lives causing them to
sit idly by, as dumb sheep, watching life happen to them. Thus,
they willfully forget their commission as kings and priests.
Rather than committing to the Biblical “pro active” position,
as to fulfill their individual commission, they take “it” a
day at a time, not planning or contemplating the various
possibilities their vocation offers. Neither do they examine the
consequences of ignoring such a great commission.
Functioning without concrete
goals, either short term or long term, Christians who ignore their
God given pro-active involvement in the world exist in a
Theological vacuum, not knowing “whither they goeth.” Unlike
the prophets of the Scriptures, and unlike the Reformers, Puritans
and Founding fathers of History, their existence is similar to
those of the reprobate; “eat drink and be merry, for tomorrow
we die.”
Today’s church is over-run with
so-called Christians who are nothing more than religious
hypocrites, or moral make believers. If the church lacks in any of
its “programs”, then these souls apparently have no real use
for that institution. Yet, God has not so instructed the True
Saint.
God’s Word engages all the
saints to actively plan and execute strategies for the promotion
of His Kingdom, and the Gospel of His Christ. Christ commissions
the saint to be as a city which is set upon a hill and a light
that is not, nor can ever be, hid under a bushel. Anything less
than a full exertion of energy and passion, for the work of the
Kingdom is simply poor stewardship.
"DUMBED DOWN" BY
CARNAL PHILOSOPHIES
Spiritual mindedness is the
principle character of the True Child of God. This does not mean a
mystical approach to life, nor does it infer that there is no
reality to be engaged.
To be Spiritually minded is to
understand that the Word of God is the Standard of all authority
and that all reality must be interpreted through God’s Word.
Spiritual mindedness is a Divine understanding that God alone can
legitimately dictate our actions, and lays just claims upon all
men.
On the other hand, to be carnally
minded is to take our dictates from the world and its claim to
wisdom. Today’s Christian has received so much of the poisons of
this worldly mindset, that it is almost impossible to discriminate
between the pure Truth of God and the counterfeit lies of sinful
men. Thanks be to God for His Holy Word which is our source of
light, and our lamp, in this “valley of the shadow of death”.
ROOTED AND BUILT UP
The Apostle speaks of being
rooted, built up, and established in the faith and power of the
Lord Jesus. Such language denotes a firm planting as in a
foundation, which brings forth a building of means with a
particular purpose in view. Furthermore, this reality of being rooted
and built up consequently brings the fruition of an
establishment. This establishment, no doubt is the establishment
of a strong, personal faith, witness and service.
In order to be a functional
Christian, one needs to be firmly settled in the Word of God, by
the Spirit of Regeneration. Without these fundamental particulars,
there can be neither Christian faith nor practice. The Word of God
must regulate our thoughts and our actions. Everything stands the
scrutiny of God’s Word. He alone is the Judge.
THE CHRISTIAN IDENTITY CRISIS
Today’s Christian derives his
or her identity from the world. If the world speaks well of them,
they are encouraged. If the world offers them hope or financial
substance, they are invigorated. If the world brings affliction,
despondency sets in. The modern Christian destructively draws his
or her cues from the world. The sad result is “disfunctionalism”
in the kingdom of Christ.
WRONG THINKING/WRONG DOING
A careful understanding of the
Scriptures would quickly put to death the malady of drawing our
identity from the world and outward situations. To begin with, the
Christian must never relate to the world in an effort to gain an
understanding of what he or she is, or what he or she should be
pursuing as a life’s goal. Furthermore, too many Christian
professors fall prey to depression or loneliness which stifles
them, and causes spiritual impotence. Both of these maladies are a
direct result of wrong thinking and a wrong identification of who
they are.
JUDE, A SERVANT OF JESUS
CHRIST
The apostle Jude understood who
he was. In his potent single chapter epistle he immediately
establishes his identity as “A SERVANT.” By pin-pointing his
relationship with the Absolute and only Sure Foundation, Jesus
Christ, he also established his vocation and goal in life. He
would serve Christ. This realization outlined both his identity
and his goal. Whatever he did, he would do it to further the
kingdom of Christ.
THE SYMPTOMS OF SPIRITUAL
SICKNESS
If circumstances dictate our
actions, rather than God’s clear call and commission, then we
will be plagued by fear, unbelief, impatience, murmuring,
bitterness, backbiting, discontentment, anguish and frustration.
When God’s church loses its focus, it begins to disintegrate.
Strife, division, malice, wrath and disobedience become
commonplace.
It is time for the serious
Christian saints to re-examine their lives. Let us ask the most
important questions. Who am I? Or rather Whose am I?
What is my life? What is my rule
and authority? How shall I execute the Will of Him Who has called
me?
May God be pleased to assist us
in a proactive Christian response to all that He has
prepared for us to do. Unto the praise of the Glory of His Grace. AMEN
RW
The
Reformed Bible Church Ministry Update
PO Box 2397 Appomattox, VA 24522 (804) 352 - 2667
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Other
articles by Pastor Paul Michael Raymond
www.HisGlory.com
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