Afflictions and trials

Doomsday Preppers

/ Richard Bargas / 2 Comments

“For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, just as it has come to pass, and just as you know.”

(1 Thessalonians 3:4, ESV)

Over the last several decades, many within the American Church have moved from an attitude of expectancy for the imminent return of Christ, to one where the world isn’t so bad and, since we kinda like it here, we should make our stay more comfortable. After all, the world was much more accepting and tolerant of Christian ideals and the gospel message (so long as we modified it a bit and kept all those judgy parts out).

What too many evangelicals forgot was that embedded in the Christian message of Christ is a subversive element that demands that rebellious sinners must bow the knee to Christ and come to him as King and Savior. Somehow evangelicals thought that they could woo and attract the world to like us, then maybe our softer, gentler message, and before they caught on, they’d be loving Jesus. There are still many churches that continue on believing this fantasy.

But as Paul wrote to the Christians in Thessalonica, the church should have maintained its course to proclaim an uncompromising message that would eventually result in a head-on confrontation between Christ’s servants and the servant of the ruler of this world.

Instead of settling in for a long, delightful stay here in this world system that rejects our God, the Church and her ministers should never have capitulated to the spirit of the age, and should have stayed the course. And instead of a watered-down gospel message to the world, the Church should have been proclaiming the message of faith in our God who will carry us through the fire and the water, and will lead us home, even amidst a world that is burning with rage against the King.

“Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.”” (Psalm 2:1–3, ESV)

Now, in 2020, the climate has changed, and in many churches where the softer, kinder message of cultural sensitivity has ruled and where being buddies with Jesus was the goal, the people of God are largely left unarmed to defend against an openly hostile public. They have failed to become battle hardened and ready. Many are filled with fear instead of faith. Some are placing their trust elsewhere, like when Israel called upon the pagan nations to save her.

And it’s not as if these things should have surprised Christians. The world has never really been favorable to our faith. They have been more tolerant at times. They have let us speak, and meet and even testify of the Lord. But we have been tolerated, not embraced. Why should we be surprised? Did not our Lord warn us? ““Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.” (Luke 6:26, ESV)

It is still not too late to be prepared. If those who have bought into the softer-gentler form of Chrisitanity will faithfully return to the Word of God, we will find that it contains all we need to refocus upon the truth and find our greatest comfort and hope. When we once again place our hope in Christ, our eyes on heaven as our true home, our needs satisfied in Him alone, we will no longer love nor need this world. When we see sin and wickedness more clearly, we will long to be free from this world that drags us down. We will long for our resurrection, for our glorification, for our eyes to see Him face to face, as He is.

We must suffer in this world. We must face persecution. We must be reviled because of Christ. We must be ready. It is coming.

But we must not be afraid. We must not shrink back or compromise. We must not fear man who can only kill the body. We must cling to the One who has saved our souls. We must cling to the promises. We must cling to the cross.

Are your prepared? Are you ready? Jesus is coming soon. Until he comes, may we be engaged in the good warfare, taking as many with us to heaven as we can.

The Gospel-Effect Upon Society

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Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Ephesians 6:1–4 (ESV)

I keep hearing that the Church needs to do something to address the social issues of the day, and that this means it needs to do more than simply say that the gospel of Jesus Christ is enough. By this some imply that it isn’t. Social action is the desire, and the timing for that action is now.

But Scripture is clear, we sow what we reap (Job 4:8; Prov 22:8; Hos 8:7; Gal 6:7-8), and America has been sowing some nasty seeds for a long time. Add to this the failure of the American church to faithfully proclaim the truth of Scripture and its application to the life of the home and society, and we have a recipe for disaster. The culture has changed and the salt of Christians has in many places lost its saltiness (Matt 5:13; Mk 9:50; Lb 14:34). As a result, the Church in general has very little impact upon the culture today. We have traded our inheritance of influence for a bowl of political-alliance stew, as it were. The solution for when you find yourself in a pit is not to dig faster, but to stop digging.

The solution for the Church is not to engage in more social action, but instead to return to her charter: bold, faithful, gospel proclamation.

At the end of Ephesians 5 and following into chapter 6, Paul lays out the way that the Church is to “walk in the Spirit” in practical, everyday terms. The gospel life has an effect upon marriage and addresses the practical life of the wife and the husband. It reaches into the home further and makes clear the way that children are to live and how parents should raise them up. It also speaks about the relationship of servants and masters, who in the time of Paul’s writing, were house-servants. Although this could be applied to the employee/employer relationship today, in Paul’s day he was still addressing issues of life in the households of believers.

In the very next section, Paul then transitions to speaking about spiritual warfare. This isn’t an accident. Paul didn’t just lose interest and abruptly change the subject. He knew, as the Church once knew better, that to engage in spiritual battle begins in our homes and our communities. When we fail to parent as Christians, and we send our children off to school and they absorb the wisdom of the world because of the vacuum we have left in their souls, they will soon enough take on the lies and philosophies of the evil one. And as we forsake our marriage vows and live no different than the pagan world around us, indulging in the lust of the flesh and calling it “entertainment,” we will find our vows are crumbling. And when the love of Christ does not inhabit our homes so that husbands will not lead the family before the throne of grace, and wives will not lovingly follow her husband as he follow Christ, we are sowing seeds of destruction that the enemy will water and tend.

Why are we in such a state in our nation? There are many reason, some of which we cannot influence directly. After all, our God moves the nations by his sovereign hand for his good purposes. But we can be faithful to proclaim the gospel from our churches, into the hearts of God’s people, and repeatedly echo those truths in our homes with love and joy, so that our spouse, our children, our neighbors, and our community smell the fragrance of life lived in Christ. We will be salt and light as we are supposed to be. Salt will have its effect on the spoiling world around us, and the light will shine bright against the darkness.

We don’t need a revolution of society. We need a revolution of our souls. We need revival in our churches and homes. We need to return to the fundamentals.

When the Struggles Run Deep

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“But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light”

(Ephesians 5:3–8, ESV)

What happens when a sinner is redeemed? Do all of their sinful habits and lifestyles instantly disappear, with no trace or spot left? Yes and no. Before the holy eyes of God, our sins, every one of them, vanish beneath the blood of Christ. But for now, there remains in us an ongoing struggle that is a battle between the desires of the flesh and the desires of the Holy Spirit who now resides in us. At times, the battle cools and the temptation will lay dormant. At other times it will be sparked and set ablaze like a fire in a powder keg.

As Paul has laid out in Epehsians 4, we need to live or “walk” in a manner worthy of our calling, and this new lifestyle must be empowered by the Holy Spirit filled life (Eph 5:18). The new life in Christ is too often described as something it is not. The miraculous redemption we receive is described in terms that are over-realized; making young Christians think that their new life in Christ has given them complete mastery over their sin. But that sort of idea is dangerous for two reasons: It does not warn of the power of the flesh and the strength of temptation, especially in those areas of past habitual sin. The second reason this idea is dangerous is the fact that most new Christians are told very little about the need for dependence upon the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit to defend against the overwhelming urges to give in to sin. The result is that they try to overcome their temptation with will power and fleshly means and end up failing.

In Ephesians 5, Paul deals with some pretty strong sins that were affecting some of the Christians at Ephesus: sexual immorality, impurity, covetousness (v. 3), filthiness, foolish talk, and crude joking (v. 4). These sins, like all sin, have been conquered by the cross of Christ. Those who place their trust in Jesus Christ alone for salvation have been cleansed and set free from the filthiest of sins. We need to say that more. We need to let the man or woman who is mired in shame and guilt know that Christ can set them free and cleanse them from all unrighteousness. They don’t need to clean up themselves in order to come to Christ. As a matter of fact, they can’t. As the song says, “What can wash away my sin, nothing but the blood of Jesus!”

But we must also acknowledge that once a person has come to Christ and been washed clean, and they are justified with Christ, they are not incapable of the temptation to sin. If this were the case, then Paul’s words of warning would make no sense. Neither would all of the exhortations in the New Testament about fleeing from sin and temptation. And since we are to grow in holiness, and to learn to grow in dependence upon the power of the Spirit, and to wield the Sword of the Spirit, we need to also acknowledge that the young Christian is in need of discipleship, patience, and brotherly oversight. And this is especially true when the struggles run deep.

In our society today we have been hearing more and more about the “gay Christian.” In this passage, Paul is pretty clear–there is no such thing. But that doesn’t mean that we will not have new believers who will need us to walk with them as they battle sin and temptation. They will need much prayer, Bible instruction, love, friendships, and hospitality. So will the Christian struggling with other forms of sexual immorality, and adultery. So will those struggling with anger, gossip, ingratitude, coveting, bitterness, and shame. The list is never ending. We need one another. None of us has arrived, but we are all making our way.

We cannot accept that Christ saved us so we can remain in our sin, therefore we can continue to wallow in it. But neither can we say that Christ saves us and therefore, temptation is stricken from our hearts so that we no longer struggle with it anymore. If that were true, we wouldn’t need the Church, we wouldn’t need each other. And we wouldn’t need Christ or the Spirit of God. May the Lord help us to reach out to those who are struggling. And may we be prepared to go with them for the long haul, knowing that this is how Christ uses the Church, the Spirit and the Word to bring about our sanctification.

Be On Guard!-For Others and Yourself

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Further Thoughts on Galatians 6:1

“Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.” (Galatians 6:1, ESV)

(Galatians 6:1, ESV)

Having explained what the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit look like in Galatians 5, the Apostle Paul continued his letter in the direction of the practical outworking of Christians who are overtaken by the works of the flesh and those spiritually mature Christians who should help carry their burdens and restore them in love.

This idea of a Christian being “caught in any transgression” speaks of the danger of “falling into sin.” In other words, it is not a premeditated act of open rebellion against the Lord, but may have come about by a carelessness and lack of watching ones own life carefully. This word “caught” is used of a Roman military legion being overrun by a Jewish military force.

There are times when we know we are walking into trouble, and then there are those times when we get swept up into it, never intending to do so. The Bible describes the open and brash sinner as a scoffer and a mocker, while the person caught up in sin as foolish and sometimes naive. While there is danger in both, the Christian who find himself or herself in sin would hopefully be the one who slowly wandered into it because they were careless.

So, what is the responsibility of those who are walking in the Spirit? The “spiritual” person in Galatians 6:1 is not a reference to “the mature in Christ” only. Going back to the previous chapter, a spiritual Christian is one who is walking in step with the Holy Spirit (5:25), made manifest in the fruit of the Spirit (5:22-23). Since every Christian has the Holy Spirit living in him or her (Rom 8:9; 2Tim 1:14), we are all “spiritual” and are not to submit to the fleshly desires that can still present a problem to the Christian. But the reality is that we may all act in a fleshly way at times.

The goal of all of this care is for restoring our brother or sister to a right relationship with Christ. Yesterday’s post addressed the truth that for far too many Christians, the attitude is one of self-preservation and personal faith that has no room for confrontation or personal accountability. Bearing one another’s burdens is itself a burden. So many avoid it.

In comments regarding the parable of the Lost Sheep (Matt. 18:12-14), James Montgomery Boice shows how to seek after the lost, wandering sheep is to be like Christ:

“What were the disciples thinking about when Jesus told them about the lost sheep? They had been arguing about which of them should be greatest in the kingdom of heaven. With that in the immediate background, presumably they were thinking of themselves as among the ninety-nine who were still on the hillside and were wondering which of the ninety-nine would be the “top sheep.” As long as they were thinking of such things, they would never be concerned for the one who was lost, and they would never do anything to help find him or her. Who will be greatest? We should be beginning to understand the answer to that question by now. The greatest believer is the one who is most like the Shepherd, who gave himself for us. Like little children? Yes. But like the Shepherd too. We are never more like God than when we exert ourselves to help others, and if God rejoices over the one we help to bring home, he is probably rejoicing over what we are doing too.”[1]

James Montgomery Boice

But, unlike Jesus, there are dangers for us. We are still sheep. We all struggle with temptation and a desire to wander ourselves. And so, Paul added the warning to “keep watch for yourself, lest you too be tempted.” The temptation might be the same sin that caused the other brother or sister to fall, but that is not necessary. It might be another sin altogether. And even more possible, is the temptation to think of yourself as being more godly than the one who was taken by sin. We must remember our Lord’s words in Matt 7:1-5.

““Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”  

(Matthew 7:1–5, ESV)

So how can we put all of this together? Bear one another’s burdens, seek after those who have gone astray, don’t be too proud and watch out for yourself so that you don’t get taken down by sin yourself? It all seems so complicated! Perhaps a simple scenario will help illustrate the idea.

Imagine the Christian life like a tribal people who need to use the river for bathing. Lining the banks of the river are man-eating crocodiles. Each person takes his turn watching out for the others, and sounds a warning when the crocodiles come close. When they attack, everyone is called to pull the victim away from the killer reptile. But we need to watch out! It will soon enough be our turn to bathe in the waters and the gator may get us just as easily. Would you want the others to watch out, or would you be foolish enough to think that you are smart enough and fast enough and alert enough to avoid the danger without any other to help you?

We need each other. That is why we were given the Church. Tomorrow is the Lord’s Day. May we have this mindset as we enter into the House of Prayer and worship our great God.

[1] James Montgomery Boice, The Gospel of Matthew (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2001), 389.

The Sin of Standing Back and Watching When Help Is Needed

/ Richard Bargas / 1 Comment
Retired NYPD detective beaten unconscious by Manhattan homeless man

“Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.…Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

(Galatians 6:1-2, 7–10, ESV)

Yesterday I watched a news story of a retired NYPD cop who was beaten by a homeless man. You can see the security video clip here. The violence on our streets on a daily basis has a way of numbing us to these things because similar things happen so often now. But what caught my attention in this story is also something that frequently occurs in almost every altercation today–the bystanders who do nothing to step in to help, but stay at a safe distance to protect themselves.

My intention isn’t to debate the dangers of acting in such situations. I know that we need to take into consideration all sorts of additional issues, such as legal threats, murderous hatered, the possibility of a weapon, our own strength and ability, the mental state of the aggressor, etc.

But this attitude of self-perseveration serves as an excellent illustration–a mirror. I want us as Christians to think about how we behave in regard to stepping in and offering help to those who are our brothers and sisters in Christ when there is a chance that we might get berated, burned, verbally beaten, or worse. In Galatians 6:1-2 the Word of God calls us to bear one another’s burdens, and particularly this requires us to deal with those who are caught in any transgression. But who likes confrontation? As a matter of fact, so many Christians have a distaste for it, that biblical church discipline is a rare thing to find practiced in most evangelical churches today.

But as Paul later wrote in verse 7, God is not mocked, and when we fail to sow seeds of righteousness and lovingly deal with one another’s sins and burdens, we will find that our churches will reaping a harvest of destruction, abuse, open sin, rebellion, back-biting, gossip, and more. In other words, it will lack genuine, Christlike love.

In fact, we aren’t very different from the bystanders who watch as someone is attacked on the streets and we are reluctant to step in. We might call 911 (which in the church would be a call to the pastor), but then we want to slink away and go on about our business. After all, we reason, it’s not our problem. We have enough to handle. Isn’t that why we pay the pastor?

My brothers and sisters, please do not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. This is a Christian responsibility, not simply a pastoral duty. And many deep-seated habitual sins are not simply dealt with by a quick prayer and a Bible verse. They take time, patience, love, and continued attention.

A church full of loving disciples who are looking out for one another, caring for one another, sharpening each other, and walking through temptation and sinful heart issues with each other will not only find that this lifestyle is hard work, but they will also find that if they don’t give up too quickly, that their church will soon begin to thrive as they reap a harvest of souls that are being conformed to the image of their Savior.