A Letter To Religion

Are we buying into false doctrine and abiding in a distorted view of the Gospel? In this post we will examine Jesus' metaphor of leaven.

"How is it that ye do not understand that I spake [it] not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? Then understood they how that he bade [them] not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees." Matthew 16:11-12

In the earlier scriptures, Jesus rebukes the disciples because of their focus on carnal things: bread itself. I find that interesting because sometimes we focus on the carnal things that do not matter, yet we miss the big picture. But, Jesus was not talking about physical bread. Rather, the spiritual bread which is the Word of God. Jesus warned the disciples to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. The Greek word used for leaven in this passage is, "ζύμης." The word literally is "a metaphor of inveterate mental and moral corruption, viewed in its tendency to infect others." Jesus was warning them of the infection that is false teaching. A couple chapters before, the Pharisees and scribes asked Jesus why he was breaking the tradition of elders by not washing their hands before they ate. Jesus responded, "[a]nd why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?" This is what Jesus talks about, I believe, when he warns of the corruption of false doctrine. Sometimes, what we are taught all of our lives-- especially the ones of us who grew up in a Christian home-- is not the Spiritual truth. The hard part is coming to the realization that some things that we are taught just are not what God teaches.

There is much debate over what I am about to discuss. But, this is what I believe the Word is trying to teach. Let us not focus on the different interpretations, but let us focus on the Truth.

In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul is getting on to the church in Corinth because they are boasting about how they are handling sexual immorality within the church by "mourning " for the decision of this brother in Christ. Paul then states, "Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our passover Lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8. The symbol of unleavened bread is the symbol of purity. We are called to be "unleavened Christians," not being conformed to the yeast-- which is sin. The dying on our cross has cleansed out the old leaven-- which may be traditions or sin (both are the same). Christ has been sacrificed; therefore, we are made holy and righteous. Our former lump was infected with traditions, malice, evil-- to put it simply, our old selves were sinners. But, Christ, the perfect sacrifice, has come in and made us pure.

But, the problem is the infection of ourselves. An infection effects the whole body. If we do not see the infection in ourselves, it will overtake us. In order to be diagnosed that we have an infection, we have to humble ourselves and hear God speak. The metaphor of leaven lines directly up with the metaphor of the vine and branches. Any branch that does not bear fruit is thrown into the fire; that is because the branch that does not bear fruit is indeed an infection. Because we are made holy, our old selves have been crucified. That crucifying of ourselves is the 'unleavening' of our ourselves. The cross is our purifier-- it is what allows us to be true Christians. We do not kneel at the cross, we go through the cross.

The question arises again: are we buying into a false doctrine just as the Galatians did? Are we living in sin and justifying it with, "Well, I have forgiveness. God loves me no matter what, and I am just a sinner." What a travesty! The sin is our infection. By living in sin, we buy into the wrong pictures of grace, righteousness, holiness, and purity. ²¹ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²² Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ ²³ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ They cast out demons and prophesied in His name. Yet, He said depart from me. I never knew you. Those people believe that they are saved and on a path to heaven, yet live lives of sin. They have deceived themselves. They built their house on the sand which is false doctrine that leads to self-righteousness and carnal contentment. The Gospel has been disfigured and changed from holiness, righteousness, and purity to a gospel that leads to an end of happiness and self-contentment. The laid foundation, therefore, is the infection that keeps them from fully knowing Christ. This is the infection of current religious circles. We must repent. That is the only way to be made pure. THE ONLY WAY.

What Have YOU Sacrificed?

Malachi 1:14-- "Cursed be the cheat who has a male in is flock, and vows it, and yet sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished. For I am a great King, says the Lord of Hosts, and my name will be feared among the nations."

Romans 12:1-2-- I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God which is your spiritual body. Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

Do we offer petty things to God that He could care less about? God wants our entire bodies- which is soul, spirit and fleshly body. Those two verses encompass so much; so we will dissect them and try to get to the root of the problem with "cultural Christians" as Wilberforce calls them.

The Greek word for sacrifice is thysia. The word literally means: a sacrifice or victim. I find that interesting-- we are presenting our bodies as victims for the sake of Christ! We are required, as Christians, to deny ourselves and offer our entire man to Him- if thats not being a victim, I do not know what is. We are honoring and glorifying God at the expense of our "own" lives. But, do we find ourselves offering pieces of our body that have no effect on bringing glory to Christ? Are we offering our hair to Christ? Or are we offering our heart and soul-- the very source of our life. The Old Testament is full of sacrifice because that was required until the perfect, holy sacrifice came-- Jesus. But now that Jesus accomplished what He came to do, we are still REQUIRED to sacrifice something. That something is our entire man! But, what does our bodily-- spirit, soul, body-- sacrifice look like?

How do we go about offering our bodies as living sacrifices to God? Paul gives us the answer in verse 2. "Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." We are not conformed, or shaped, to this world. The carnal things of life are not our source of life. Rather, we renew our minds daily, and DAILY we become one with Christ-- and that is ONLY through the Holy Spirit. We have been transformed by renewing our minds. That transformation means that we have died-- and that Christ lives in us. But, in order to be transformed, we HAVE to be daily immersed in the Holy Spirit. In order to know the will of God, we must be in tune with the Holy Spirit. I like to think of a guitar. When a guitar is out of tune, the chords sound HORRIBLE. Even if just one string is out of tune. In order to be in tune, we have to daily be immersed into the Holy Spirit. When I say daily, I mean every second. Every second that we walk, we have to be in tune with Him. That one string will throw the chord of God's will for our lives out of tune. That one string may be a secret sin. That one string may be a public sin. But, most of the time that one string is pride. Christ humbled Himself when he came down to this earth to Redeem the sinner who repents. We must do the same thing in order to be in tune with the Holy Ghost. You must listen to the Holy Spirit-- and more importantly than anything else, you must obey. In order to listen, you must SHUT UP. Get on your knees and listen-- try it for once, it actually works. Who would have thought? Getting on our knees does not just mean physically, but, more importantly, spiritually. Getting on our knees spiritually means that we lay aside EVERYTHING that we want and desire and renew our minds in the Holy Spirit. Getting on our knees spiritually is climbing up our cross to our death-- and that death is to the glory of our Father. By renewing our minds, we can walk a life in PERFECT tune with Christ. And if we are in perfect tune with Him, we KNOW what His will is in our lives. By knowing His will in our lives, we can replace His will with ours. That just simply requires our full and perfect obedience.

God, let us be wholly in tune with You. Let us offer our whole man-- not just a piece of it. How much greater can You use the man who offers his everything? Lord, we desire to know You and know Your will. Let us be transformed by the by the renewal of our minds in the Holy Spirit. Let us live in You. Abide in us. Dine with us. Lord, we cry Abba Father. We thank You that Your mercies are new every morning. We are nothing without You, Father. Show us Your ways! We love you.

Have You Answered His Call?

"I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called. with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Ephesians 4:1-3

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me." Revelation 3:20

God has created every human being to desire things from Him. He has created a void in each person's heart that can only be satisfactorily filled with Him- He is the only thing we can successfully fill that void with. So, God has called every human being to be in relation- or to eat with Him. The true question is this: have you answered the call of Christ? Another question that needs to be answered is what does answering the call of Christ look like? When Jesus first called the disciples, he said: "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men." Matt. 4:19. The next verse is the key to knowing what the answering of the Upward Call looks like. "Immediately they left their nets and followed Him." Are you waiting for a sign from God to follow Him? Because God has sent the Perfect Sign: Jesus Christ. The disciples immediately followed Him because they had FAITH that He was the Son of God. But, are we waiting to follow Christ because we are too selfish to deny ourselves and our ambitions to replace them with His desire and His will. That is saying that you do not have faith that He is the Son of God! Utter idolatry- because you have created in you an idol, which is yourself. You are not guaranteed tomorrow, or the next minute. NOW is the time to pick up your cross and follow Him (Luke 9:23). Answering the Call starts with repentance. At the beginning of Jesus' ministry, one of the first things He said was, "[t]he time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is at hand; REPENT and believe in the gospel (Mark 1:15). That was the foundational doctrine that Jesus taught! Repentance. Repentance is transforming the thoughts of the flesh into the higher thoughts of God. Repentance is turning from the ways of your old self, and doing the will of the Father. It isn't some prayer; rather it is the miraculous transformation that only the humble can receive. It is simply replacing your thoughts with His thoughts. "We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5). In order to answer the Call of Christ we must obey Him! The disciples did not argue with Christ when He called them. They did not make excuses for why they could not follow Him. Rather, they gave up EVERYTHING to follow Him. It is the same now as it was then. "But Blake, I have secret sin that I cannot get rid of." Do you believe in the power of the Cross? Do you believe that He has bought you with a price and that He stands at the door of your heart and knocks? It starts with repentance my friends. Bringing things to the light so other brothers and sisters in Christ can hold you accountable- so they can exhort you! "But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God." (John 3:21) In order to answer the call of Christ we must first repent, then OBEY. "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." (John 14:15) God has called us to obedience, holiness, righteousness, and repentance. Because Christ lives in us, we are made holy and blameless before our Father. "Even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. (Eph. 1:4). We are to walk in the newness of life that is in Christ, and not delve into our past. That is obedience! Walking in perfect harmony with the Holy Spirit that lives inside of you is what you and every Christian is called to do. So let's do it! So let us walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls us into His kingdom and glory! (1 Thess. 2:12)

In Christ, Blake

Do We Require A Sign?

Do we as Christians demand something out of God? Do we require that He show us something, or give us some "feeling" to let us know that He is real? Where is our faith? Where is our unquestioning Hope that is in Christ? Let us examine our hearts.

The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven.

He replied, "When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah." Jesus then left them and went away.

Are we doing this in our walks with Him? Are we demanding that He show us something so that we can believe? God does not need to show us a sign. He gave us the ultimate sign: His Son's death on a cross. If we have no faith to believe that His son died, and that God sits on His throne, then why would God show us a sign? We can interpret the sky and the weather, but we do not know how or what God wants? That is the situation the Pharisees were in. They saw the things He performed and the miracles He worked, but they still did not want to believe. They did not want to believe what He was teaching because it was uncomfortable. Jesus preached love, humility, patience, kindness, and most importantly, repentance. The Pharisees are a perfect example of the religious people of today- just like they were then. They saw the things He did, they heard the things He preached- but they refused to believe because it went against modern theology of the time. It went against what they were taught. Does that not sound familiar? When repentance is preached, we shake in our boots. We do not listen and do what Jesus asked. We would rather have fun and live in the sin that God calls us out of. That is the exact place the Pharisees found themselves in. Because they were too prideful, they refused to see the things which Jesus was doing. Are we too prideful to have faith to believe? "For the righteous shall live by faith." Why do we need to see a sign? Why do we seek a feeling? God is not a feeling, or an emotion; He is Truth, and the Truth will set you free. When we enter into a covenant relationship based on faith with Him, He will reveal Himself to us. Faith is a belief that does not require a sign. If our faith was based on God showing us signs, then what would be the point of Faith? I found this online and I really like it, "Faith indicates persistent action, devotion, and direction of self, and is often charged with emotion. When there is faith within someone, they become faithful, and when they have faith in someone, that loyalty can grow into a covenant. In the Hebrew Scriptures, this is the meaning of Heb. 'emunah. 'Emunah is also used to describe the covenant of marriage, as what the husband and wife have in each other. Faith can grow stronger or become weaker, changing with each situation. Life eventually puts it to the test." Is our faith continually being put to the test? Have we entered a covenant marriage with Christ? Our situations in our life do not define our faith, rather our faith is tested when He asks us to obey. Those that do not keep His commandments do not love Him and they also have no faith. But the faithful will continually do what He asks, no matter the cost. That is why the Pharisees and the religious people of today seek signs. Because they have NO FAITH. My challenge to my brothers and sisters in Christ is to start building our faith by following His Voice. Faith is action without requirement. So live in Him, and drink out of the Well of the Holy Spirit where it never runs dry. And build yourselves up in your most Holy Faith.

He Will Get Glory

Ezekiel 1:12- "... Wherever the spirit would go, they went, without turning as they went."

Are we willing to go wherever the spirit leads, without turning? Are we willing to lose our life so that His will, His majesty, and His glory can be brought to light? God does not, and will not, use a vessel that is being guided by our desires; or a vessel filled with lawlessness. He wants to use us, but if we do not get out of the way and let Him guide us-- through the Holy Spirit-- then we will be useless to Him. In order to fully surrender our lives to Christ, then we must fully obey His word and change the way we think. In order to change the way we think, we must humble ourselves. In order to humble ourselves, we must get to a place in our lives where nothing else matters to us but the surpassing worth of knowing the Creator of all things. We must abide in Him, and He in us. How do we know that we are abiding in Him and He in us? "By this we may know that we are in Him: whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the SAME way in which He walked. " That scripture from 1st John separates the True Christians from the religionists. We are called to walk in the light just as Christ walked. If we walk in the same way Christ walked, then our lives will be forever changed, and our vessel will be useful to God-- and He will get the glory He requires! So be it! But, it IS NOT about us and what WE want!

So many times in our lives we lose sight of what REALLY matters. The one thing that is held of higher importance than anything in this world is bringing glory to the Father. But sometimes, we focus on what we want, when we want it, and how we want it. We want to be 'happy.' If we are not happy, then God is not doing His job! What a perfect example of Humanism! But, is that what scripture teaches us? When are we going to say; not my will but yours, oh Lord? If we walk as Christ walked, then where is our Gethsemane attitude? Even to the point of a gruesome death on a cross, Christ spoke- "...not as I will, but as you will." There is no other portrait than that of perfect obedience. Christ obeyed His Father. And because of His obeying, He DIED. But God, where is MY happiness? I am supposed to be happy! No, He is supposed to be GLORIFIED at our expense. God let His OWN SON die-- so that He would be glorified. God demands nothing less than perfect obedience just as His own son displayed in the moments before His death. So, let us cling to that.

God, let our sight not be blurred by our desires, but let our eyes focus on your will and OBEY your word. We love you, not for what you have done in our lives, but for who you are. You are sovereign! You are Holy! We want nothing more than to see you HIGH AND LIFTED UP! God, open the eyes of the blind and strengthen the legs of the weak. Let us see who You really are. We want You, Your heart, Your will, and Your holiness! Fill us to the brim and let our cup not run dry! Forever yours Lord.

I'm Killing Myself

When are we going to kill ourselves so that Christ can fully live in us? When are we going to look past our feelings and wants, and walk the path that Christ has for us? When are we going to stop living our lukewarm lives and get ON FIRE for Christ (Hebrews 12:28)? When are we going to stop living for ourselves? When are we going to wake up and stop compromising who He is?

These are all questions God asked me recently. "How can we say we have died to sin and still live in it?" We walk in the newness of life. We do not live from our past, but rather breathe the air of today. We do not have to keep sinning. If we claim to know Him and we keep sinning, then we really do not know Him (or love Him-John 14:15). For if Christ lives in us, we have been resurrected with Him. Resurrection implies a new life, a transformation that only God Himself can do. It is not our power, but through Him. Our old self has been crucified with Him, so we no longer are enslaved to that sin. It has no dominion over you. Satan has NO dominion over you. He has overcome our sin on the cross. We just have to believe and DO the things He asks. "Doing" is not trying. "Doing" is whole heartedly following Him-- even at the cost of yourself and your possessions. We have been set free from the bondage of sin. The chains have been severed, and we now walk in the newness of life that is in Christ Jesus.

It is time for the true Christians to arise. It is time to stop compromising, and start contesting the true Christ. Stand firm in who He is, and let Him reign in our lives forever and ever. So be it.

Worrying Does NOTHING

I worry about things. I worry about what people will think. I worry about what others feel. I worry about who I am going to marry. I worry about her (really, because she is going to have to put up with me). I worry that my feelings don't mean a thing to another person. I worry that I will make a mistake. But what does the Bible teach us about worrying, or being anxious, in Matthew? Matthew 6:34 states, "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." But the verse before that is equally, if not more, important, "But seek FIRST the KINGDOM of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Does that mean I seek her first? Does that mean that I seek marriage first? Does that mean I seek earthly love first? BY NO MEANS! Seek FIRST His Kingdom, and everything else will take care of itself (not by me or you, but by Him- just to clarify). I may have a want to marry a girl or even a STRONG feeling that I WILL marry her. But, what if I or she dies tomorrow? OR what if His plan is different for our lives? Will my love for Him be sufficient? Will my love for Him stand firm, even when I cannot stand? That is the only thing that matters. I may marry her, but I may NOT. SO what? He is sovereign and He knows what He is doing. That is what I cling to. Everything on this earth that we, as humans, desire is nothing compared to the Glory of our Father. Not even the girl you marry. (Now, that does, in no way, mean that you do not love her- trust me). But what matters most in the beautiful scheme of eternity is God and His holiness, purity, greatness, splendor, sovereignty, and beauty. That is what He wants. So, let us not worry about the things of tomorrow, but focus on the prize that is Christ. The prize that comes with the yearning and pursuing of Him alone! HE IS faithful!