Since Feb. 22nd I’ve been writing about the basics — the “elementary teachings” that St. Paul talked about in Hebrews 6. So let’s move on. What does Christian maturity look like? I asked my wife and her response was “fruitful.” As mature Christians, we should “bear fruit.” (I guess it doesn’t look like retired men playing golf in a gated community?)

Does that mean we’re supposed to be a fruit tree, standing around, doing nothing but letting fruit hang from us? Sounds pretty boring. Rain or shine, going through an annual cycle: Spring flowers turn into fruit; the fruit grows and matures until it’s harvested in the fall; pruning in the winter; and then the process starts all over again.

That’s not what I want my life to look like. And based on the drama throughout the Bible, God didn’t intend for us to live a boring life as a tree. Don’t get me wrong. I know He’s serious about our producing fruit. But I believe His intentions are for us to be farmers who produce much more than what one tree could… In the Garden of Eden He told Adam to be fruitful and multiply — to take dominion over His creation. So what does a mature, fruit-bearing Christian farmer look like?

Bountiful Harvest
The life of a Christian farmer will produce various kinds of fruit. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.”  (Gal. 5:22-26)

When we kill our sinful habits and live by the Spirit, we become winsome, like Christ, and attract others to the Father. When we’re filled with peace and joy, and demonstrate kindness, goodness and patience toward others, we’re loving them. When we’re faithful, gentle, forgiving, and exercising self control, we’re loving others. This is how mature Christians “keep in step” with the Holy Spirit.

In addition, those who are successful in ministry should not be conceited. And those who are not as effective as they would like to be, should not put down or envy those who have a thriving ministry. Here’s what Timothy heard from his mentor:

Teach and Endure
“You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs — he wants to please his commanding officer. Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor’s crown unless he competes according to the rules. The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.”  (II Tim. 2:1-7)

The purpose for all this fruit-bearing is to bless others — those who need love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and mercy. This includes believers and non-believers. As Christian farmers, we need to be sure we prune ourselves and those we mentor so that the fruit is low-hanging and accessible. When we do, others will flock to us like they did Jesus.

Farm Equipment
Farmers need seed, of course, to produce fruit-bearing plants. Our seed is the Word of God. Without the Word, we will not produce spiritual fruit. And just as a farmer needs a tractor, fertilizer, insecticide, and harvesters, we need spiritual tools to produce an abundant harvest. Thankfully, God provides our tools as gifts when we ask for and seek them:

“And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues^F3? Do all interpret? But eagerly desire the greater gifts. And now I will show you the most excellent way.” (I Cor. 12:28-31)

Miracle Grow
Our miracle fertilizer is love, empowered by God. “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.” (I Cor. 13:1-3)

“Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. … Now I wish that you all spoke in tongues, but even more that you would prophesy; and greater is one who prophesies than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may receive edifying. … Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature. Therefore, my brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak in tongues. But all things must be done properly and in an orderly manner.” (I Cor. 14:1,5,20,39-40)

Mature Mentors
As we walk in the Spirit, fully equipped and winsome, He showers His gifts and talents on us so we can impart them to others to help them mature. As St. Paul said, “It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Eph. 4:11-13)

When I’m excited about what’s happening — or going to happen — I am upbeat and happy. Like when we’re leaving for vacation and I’m full of anticipation and joy. But when our vacation is coming to an end, I don’t always hide my disappointment. (Don’t believe her if she tells you I pouted like a spoiled brat years ago on the final day of our Caribbean cruise. I was just having a particularly bad day – dispite the fact that everything had been just like the weather for seven days straight – perfect!)

I should be happy all the time. I am an amazingly blessed man in this life here on earth.  And knowing that I will someday spend eternity with Him, I should be filled with hope and joy every minute of every day. But how quickly I forget … and whine. (My wife actually has a sign in our kitchen that says ‘Thou Shalt Not Whine.’)

How sad. And scary.
If we are happy, joyful and excited only when things are going well, how are we any different than those who don’t believe in Jesus? We aren’t. And that’s the point Paul was making with the “elementary truths” in Hebrews 6. We can’t move on to maturity until the basics are automatically part of our everyday lives.

What we do with the first five “elementary truths” that I’ve written about for the past few days will determine what happens with the sixth “elementary truth” — eternal judgment.

On the one hand this should be terrific news. We get to determine how and where we spend eternity — blessed beyond our wildest dreams, based on how we love and obey Him (What no eye has seen … God has prepared for those who love Him. – I Cor. 2:9), or cursed (God ‘Will render to each person according to his deeds:’ to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. – Rom. 2:6-8).

On the other hand, knowing we will all face eternal judgment can be terrifying news if we know that we didn’t make the right decision regarding the basics of our Christian faith. We don’t want to face God at judgment if we did not: 1) Repent (turn from our sins to Him) and love Him with all our hearts and minds; 2) walk with Him daily in faith; 3) get baptized in water to demonstrate our faith and get immersed in His Spirit; 4) receive and use the power that is available to us through the laying on of hands; or 5) understand and share the fact that Jesus was resurrected from the dead — and we will be, too.

Are You Ready?
If you haven’t chosen to join the ranks of Christianity and gone through boot camp — the basics of the Christian faith — do it now. It’s not too late. Tell Him you want to know Him better. Turn from your selfishness — 180 degrees — and obey Him. Ask Him to empower you to be different, and believe that He will do it. Find a group of strong believers who can help you grow in your faith. If you do, you’ll face Him with confidence on the day of eternal judgment. And here on earth you’ll have hope. And you’ll act differently.

Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love has been brought to full expression through us. And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. All who proclaim that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in him. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we are like Christ here in this world.  – I John 4:11-17

Here are some more scripture verses on eternal judgment…

Jesus is Judge
“For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes. “For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. “For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.  – John 5:21-29

We Are Not
Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things. But do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who “Will render to each person according to his deeds:” to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God. For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law; for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified. For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.  – Romans 2:1-16

But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.” So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this — not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way.  – Romans 14:10-13

Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.  – I Corinthians 4:5

Each Of Us Will Face Him
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.  – II Corinthians 5:10

The sins of some men are quite evident, going before them to judgment; for others, their sins follow after. Likewise also, deeds that are good are quite evident, and those which are otherwise cannot be concealed.  – I Timothy 5:24-25

And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.  – Hebrews 9:27-28

Not Everyone Will Reach Heaven
For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and “The fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries.”   – Hebrews 10:26-27

Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter….  – II Peter 2:2-6

For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. Now I desire to remind you, though you know all things once for all, that the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe. And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day, just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.  – Jude 4:-7

Final Judgment
Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.” For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.  – II Peter 3:3-7

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God — having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth — men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone. – I Timothy 2:1-9

Paul’s Charge to Timothy — And Us
You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings — what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.  – I Timothy 3:10-17

This life is not all there is. Everyone will all be raised to life after we die. Christians will spend eternity in paradise with God, while those who reject Jesus Christ will spend eternity in hell, separated from Him. This is the fifth “elementary truth” that Paul mentions in Hebrews 6 — the resurrection.

The first and most important resurrection followed Jesus Christ’s death on the cross. His death and resurrection made it possible for us to spend eternity with Him after we die and are resurrected.

Our Great Hope
Resurrection gives Christians a unique perspective on life here on earth. When trials, tribulations and persecutions arise, our belief — our greatest hope — in the resurrection gives us the faith and strength to persevere and “endure to the end.”

If you believe in Jesus Christ and have chosen to follow Him as His disciple, you will see Him when you die. Your body will be permanently changed. Your attitudes and spirit will be permanently changed. You will be like Him. On the other hand, if you have rejected Him and don’t want to spend your life with Him, you will get what you want — separation from Him, eternally.

You could say you don’t believe in heaven or hell. But that won’t affect their existence anymore than not believing in gravity will keep you from hitting the ground if you jump out of an airplane. The resurrection is a fact that Jesus demonstrated and proved. Many of the most intelligent people who have lived — even those who at first didn’t believe — have been convinced of this fact after examining the evidence. Only our rebellion keeps us from accepting it.

It is crucial that we have a thorough understanding, belief and hope in the resurrection so we will endure in the coming days. God’s word promises the greatest trials are yet to come — trials so great that if He had not shortened the days, even the elect might fall (Matt. 24:22). We need to be convinced of our belief in eternity — and that we will spend it in paradise with Jesus Christ. We must know and believe that we have the same power that brought Jesus Christ back to life – His resurrection power — living within us (Phil. 3:10), in order to get through the days ahead.

Here are a few scriptures about the resurrection and eternal life to help you know what lies ahead…

What Jesus said about it.
“…for they cannot even die anymore, because they are like angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.” – Luke 20:36

“…and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.” – John 5:29

“I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” – John 11:25-26

What the apostles — most of whom died for their faith — said about it.
“But this I admit to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect I do serve the God of our fathers, believing everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets; having a hope in God, which these men cherish themselves, that there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.” – Acts 24:14-15

For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. – Romans 6:5-10

Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through His power. – I Corinthians 6:14

Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. – I Corinthians 15:12-14

But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep [died]. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. – I Corinthians 15:20-22

But someone will say, “How are the dead raised? And with what kind of body do they come?” You fool! That which you sow does not come to life unless it dies; and that which you sow, you do not sow the body which is to be, but a bare grain, perhaps of wheat or of something else. But God gives it a body just as He wished, and to each of the seeds a body of its own. All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of men, and another flesh of beasts, and another flesh of birds, and another of fish. There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the glory of the earthly is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. – I Corinthians 15:35-44

Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory. O Death, where is your victory? O Death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. – I Corinthians 15:51-57

But having the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I Believed, therefore I spoke,” we also believe, therefore we also speak, knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and will present us with you. – II Corinthians 4:13-14

But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 3:7-15

Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep [die], or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words. – I Thessalonians 4:13-18

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. – 1 Peter 4:12-13

Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. – I John 3:2

Believe it!

The fourth “elementary truth” of the Christian faith is the laying on of hands. This is the primary method God used throughout the scriptures to impart His blessings. It is the same method He uses today.

The supernatural gifts He imparts through the laying on of hands include a) special anointing and gifting for His service (commissioning); b) healing and miracles; c) infilling or baptism of the Holy Spirit; d) general blessing; e) combinations of the above.

When it comes to commissioning someone for ministry — in church leadership, missions, etc. — we are not to be hasty. Scripture is clear that this is to be done after prayer and careful evaluation, and with wisdom and discernment. Paul said, “Do not lay hands upon anyone too hastily and thereby share responsibility for the sins of others; keep yourself free from sin.” (I Timothy 5:22)

However, scripture also demonstrates that Jesus and the apostles were quick to lay hands on those who demonstrated faith and sought healing, the Holy Spirit, and other blessings from God.

This method of personal connection through the laying on of hands dates back thousands of years to the Old Testament. It is also common in the New Testament. And in my personal experience I have seen God’s blessings and anointing be imparted through the laying on of hands.

The first time I remember God working through the laying on of hands was almost 40 years ago. During a prayer meeting several of us were at the front of the group when someone suggested we pray for those who needed healing.

As soon as the suggestion about healing prayer came up, a young man came forward and asked us to pray for him. A day or two earlier, this fellow had broken his thumb while laying concrete block on his job. He had been to a doctor who x-rayed it and told him it was broken. The doctor wrapped his hand with a metal brace on his thumb. As a result, he couldn’t work.

When he came forward, three of us began to pray for him. To our surprise he yelled out that he had been healed and he immediately tore off his bandages and brace. I was so shocked I almost told him to stop taking off the bandage! (He obviously had more faith than I did.)

I haven’t seen things like this on a daily basis, but I’m confident the holdup isn’t God’s doing. It’s my lack of faith… Jesus and the apostles regularly did the miraculous. And I believe God wants to do amazing things — consistently — through us as well. Based on the “early and late rains” mentioned in James 5, I believe we will see more laying on of hands and experience more of God’s supernatural manifestation.

Here are some biblical examples of the laying on of hands…

Anointing, Gifting & Commissioning
So the LORD said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him; and have him stand before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation, and commission him in their sight. “You shall put some of your authority on him, in order that all the congregation of the sons of Israel may obey him. “Moreover, he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before the LORD. At his command they shall go out and at his command they shall come in, both he and the sons of Israel with him, even all the congregation.” Moses did just as the LORD commanded him; and he took Joshua and set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation. Then he laid his hands on him and commissioned him, just as the LORD had spoken through Moses.   – Numbers 27:18-23

Now Joshua the son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; and the sons of Israel listened to him and did as the LORD had commanded Moses.  – Deuteronomy 34:9

“Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. “But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” The statement found approval with the whole congregation; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch. And these they brought before the apostles; and after praying, they laid  their hands on them. The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.  – Acts 6:3-7

While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia and from there they sailed to Cyprus.  – Acts 13:2-4

Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery.  – I Timothy 4:14

For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 
   - II Timothy 1:6

Healing & Miracles
And a leper came to Him and bowed down before Him, and said, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  – Matthew 8:2-3

He touched her hand, and the fever left her; and she got up and waited on Him.  – Matthew 8:15

And He could do no miracle there except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.  – Mark 6:5

Then again He laid His hands on his eyes; and he looked intently and was restored, and began to see everything clearly.  – Mark 8:25

While the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and laying His hands on each one of them, He was healing them.  – Luke 4:40

And He laid His hands on her; and immediately she was made erect again and began glorifying God.  – Luke 13:13

God was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul…  – Acts 19:11

And it happened that the father of Publius was lying in bed afflicted with recurrent fever and dysentery; and Paul went in to see him and after he had prayed, he laid his hands on him and healed him.  – Acts 28:8

General Blessing
“Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” And He took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them.  – Mark 10:15-16

Holy Spirit Baptism
For He had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit.  – Acts 8:16-17

And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying.  – Acts 19:6

Both Healing and Spirit Baptism
So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”  – Acts 9:17

I’ve been writing since Feb. 22 about getting back to basics — Christian basics — to help us get through the tumultuous days ahead. The third “elementary truth” that Paul mentioned in Hebrews 6 is baptisms.

That’s not a typographical error. It’s baptisms — plural — in the original Greek because there’s more than one way that we need to be immersed. John the Baptist said, “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” (Matthew 3:11)

Water for Repentance
First we need to be immersed in water. If you’re not sure about infant versus adult baptism, or sprinkling versus total immersion, pray about it. God will answer your questions. I believe Jesus set the perfect example for us to begin our new life of faith. He was an adult when He was baptized. And this was the event that preceded his amazing life of ministry. When we repent and start walking with Him in faith, I believe we begin with our personal water baptism as our first act of faith.

Scripture tells us, “He [John the Baptist] went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” (Luke 3:3) “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:16) Jesus demonstrated the importance of water baptism when He went to His cousin John and was baptized in the Jordan River.

This “outward cleansing” in water baptism demonstrates the inward cleansing God does through the atoning death of Jesus Christ. When we repent, turn to God from our old life, and are baptized, we are raised to a new life with Him. Baptism itself does not save us, but it points to the cleansing that took place by Christ’s death on the cross — the just dying for the unjust.

We are set apart by God through water baptism. But the spiritual rite of water baptism is only the beginning…

Holy Spirit and Fire
At some point we will also be totally immersed in the Holy Spirit — the third person in the Trinity. Some people believe this happens when we are baptized in water. I believe the Spirit of God seals us for Himself through water baptism — similar to a bridegroom and his bride at a wedding. However, the “consummation” of our intimate relationship with God — being immersed in the Holy Spirit — can happen in a variety of ways and in many different stages of our spiritual lives. Here are a few examples: 

• John the Baptist’s mother Elizabeth was filled with the Spirit when she saw Mary (Luke 1:41)
• John’s father Zechariah was filled with the Spirit shortly after John’s birth (Luke 1:67)
• John the Baptist was filled with the Spirit from birth (Luke 1:14-16)
• The Spirit descended upon Jesus after He came out of the water (Matthew 3:16)
• The Spirit fills people after they have prayed (Acts 4:31)
• The Spirit has filled people during or following the laying on of hands (Acts 8:14-17)
• It can even happen before prayer, water baptism, or the laying on of hands (Acts 10:44-48)

According to scripture, people have actually been told about Jesus and believed in him without receiving the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:1-7). I believe this happens when Church leaders don’t understand the Holy Spirit and as a result put little emphasis on being filled with the Spirit. Their disciples want and try to walk with God and please Him, but they have little joy, power, or anointing — and they often fail as a result.

Paul instructed Christians in Ephesus to be filled with the Spirit — not drunk with wine: “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” (Ephesians 5:18) As you can see, Paul is insinuating that we determine how filled with the Holy Spirit we are, just as we decide whether or not to drink too much. By insinuating this, he is telling us we have a choice: we can be filled with the joy of the Lord through the Holy Spirit, or try to find our happiness in a bottle.

Not There Yet?
I believe the coming days will be tumultuous beyond our imagination. Scripture tells us that during the last days there will be tribulations like the world has never seen. Christians will need to be filled with the Holy Spirit in order to survive, let alone draw others to Jesus Christ. How will they do that?

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. – Jeremiah 29:13

Get with God every day. Meet with Him early, even before the sun comes up, like Jesus did. Read His word and pray. And if you’re not meeting regularly with people who are filled with His Spirit and seeking Him with all their heart, find a group that is. “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:25).

Most importantly, ask God to fill you with His Holy Spirit. He will do it…
“If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”  – Luke 11:13

We exercised faith when we originally believed in Jesus Christ and what He did for us. For those of us who have repented the way I described in my last blog entry – giving our whole lives to Him – we have experienced the rebirth Jesus discussed with Nicodemus. We’ve been born again.

But staying there would be like leaving a new born baby on the delivery table. That’s not where we want to remain if we want to get through the tough times ahead — and regardless of the economy or political landscape, all of us will eventually face trials and tribulations, and some of us more than others.

So let’s get on with the “boot camp” basics of the Christian life. Following repentance is faith in God. And faith in God is every bit as important as repentance. As a matter of fact, repentance was our first act of faith in God.

When you enter this new life and are born again, you’ve arrived in your Promised Land. But this isn’t where you just walk around picking low-hanging fruit. It’s not easy. Like the Israelites who finally crossed the Jordan River after wandering in the wilderness for 40 years, this new land of milk and honey is where your battles really begin. And you have two powerful weapons: God’s word and your faith.

The best thing I’ve ever read about the subject of living the new life of faith in God is the book Believing God by Beth Moore. If you haven’t purchased it, do yourself a favor. Buy one. Don’t check it out from the library. It’s the kind of book you’ll need to read, underline, highlight, and go back and read again. If more of us exercised the insight, courage, and conviction — the faith — that Beth Moore talks about, we’d be demonstrating the real Christian life … and we’d be turning the world upside down. Here’s an excerpt from the beginning of Beth’s book…

“Is it working? Your belief system that is. Is it really working? God’s intention all along has been for the believer’s life to work. … God meant for His children to succeed. … The only way we are going to impact the world and the next generation is to prove that our faith in Christ is real and that it works. … The sad part of it is that some of us are working pretty hard at something that’s hardly working. … Why are we doing everything we can to convince others to do something that hasn’t worked terrifically well for us? … God’s willingness and unwavering desire to bless His people is one of the most repetitive concepts in both testaments of His word. He is the giver of all good gifts and greatly exalts when a child cooperates enough to receive some.”

So what’s missing?
Our faith. Why aren’t we succeeding and receiving the “good gifts” He promises? As Beth says, many of us believe in God, but we don’t believe God. We don’t think His promises are for us, so we don’t take him at His word, trust Him, and do everything He says. We hold back, and don’t take risks. We don’t expect much, and as a result, we don’t see much. God’s waiting for us to believe him and obey, and stop sitting on our hands and go where He leads, so He can intervene, empower, bless, and reveal Himself to us.

Why don’t we put aside our doubts and go into battle with Him? What’s defeating us? Fear. We’re scared we aren’t worthy. (We weren’t, aren’t and never will be.) But He took care of that through Jesus on the cross — and as newborns into His kingdom, we are now full citizens. Better than that, we are His children — royalty, joint heirs with Jesus Christ. And as heirs, God wants to use us to demonstrate His power, goodness, and love, which will bring Him glory, honor, praise and thanksgiving.

What’s that look like?
The last few years of my business were filled with some amazing adventures in faith. One battle after another, followed by one blessing after another.

In 1995, paper prices were increasing astronomically every month. At the same time, the Internet was ramping up and I was looking for a way to use it to communicate our news. In the spring of ‘95 I received a call from a computer programmer in Pennsylvania who said that his pastor had passed away recently. Before he died, his pastor had asked the programmer to contact us about putting our newsletter, National & International Religion Report, on the Web. (Until then, I had been totally unsuccessful in my search for a Web programmer.) I didn’t know how he was going to do it or what it would look like, but I did what he requested. I sent him copies of back issues on floppy disks. Within a day or two the content was online. It  was fully indexed and searchable by date, title, phrase or topic. I could hardly believe it.

When I saw it, I immediately contacted the programmer to thank him. We discussed the additional potential of the Web for Christian communications. But the recent paper price increases had created a serious cash flow problem for me and I didn’t see any way I could do anything more. The programmer wanted to come and visit. By the end of the week he was in my office, along with his wife. The more we talked, the more excited we got about the possibilities. We went to lunch and near the end of our luncheon his wife asked if I believed in fasting for guidance. I said I did, so she suggested we each fast over the weekend to see what might come up. I agreed, and they went back home.

On Monday morning, when we talked by telephone, I asked them if they had heard anything special. I hadn’t… my bank account was still pretty empty.  Regardless, they told me they were moving to Virginia! I had no idea how I was going to pay him for his work, but it didn’t seem to matter. They were trusting God and moving anyway.

Battles and Blessings
Even before they moved, the battles began. The programmer got estimates for the equipment — a router, dedicated T-1, and server – and found out it would cost around $36,000. That may not sound like much, but it seemed like Mount Everest at the time. I told him I didn’t know where I would find the money.

Then my brother called out of the blue to see if I wanted to take my sports car on an outing. I told him I couldn’t afford it — “if I do anything with that car, I’m going to sell it” (it was our “third car” that sat unused most of the time in my garage). That’s all I needed to say. He promised to give me $12,000 for it in a few days.

As I drove home that night from work I wondered what else I could sell. When I pulled into my garage I saw a ‘for sale’ sign in a box on the floor. I stuck it in the back window of my Jeep Cherokee. The next day my neighbor stopped in to my office, saw the sign in my car and told me he wanted to buy it. He gave me $12,000. By the end of the week, I had $24,000. But I was still nervous. Where would I get the final $12,000 for the equipment?

Soon afterward the programmer told me he had done some more searching and a little negotiating, and found all the equipment we needed for $24,000 (he didn’t know I had sold my cars or how much I got for them).

A few days later while I was driving my wife’s car to work, the doubts started to flood my mind. Have I gone off the deep end?! I’ve sold both of my cars. My wife has no transportation. I have a new staff member coming to work for me, and I don’t know how I’ll pay him.

I stopped at the last traffic light before my office and said a prayer. It was something like, “Lord, I think I’ve gone too far and I’m losing it. If this is really you leading me in all this, please do something extraordinary to confirm it. Provide a free car for me to get to work.”

When I got to my office about 60 seconds later and walked through the door, I was greeted by my oldest son. He said, ‘”Hey dad, what are you going to drive now? Do you want the Subaru my father-in-law gave me? It’s just sitting out back behind my house.”

Faith in God
Needless to say, the Lord came through. But that was just one of the many times I’ve gone through trials and put my faith in God. His consistent faithfulness is what makes the Christian life so great. We go into battles as He directs, exercise our faith, and He gives us the victory, one way or another.

To quote Beth Moore once again… “God loves big prayers. …seasons will come when He reauires so much from you that you feel like you can’t bear it. You do have a choice. You don’t have to do it His way. You can choose bitterness, resentment, carnality, or mediocrity. Or you can go for it. With everything you’ve got. You can experience the unmatched exhilaration of partnering in divine triumph. The stakes are high. The cost is steep. But I’ll promise you this: there is no high like the Most High. Don’t miss it for the world!”

That’s what faith in God is all about… believing in what He has done for you. Believing in what He is doing for you right now. And believing in what He will do for you in the future. “Don’t miss it for the world!”

It all starts with a 180.
When we hear about the Way, the Truth and the Life — Jesus — we must make a choice: Will we follow Him?

Once we’ve heard that Jesus died for our sins and God made Him pay for our transgressions, will we continue as we have always lived, or become a genuine disciple of His? If we have tasted the grace of God — His totally undeserved mercy, forgiveness and favor — will we repent?

Jesus immediately starting preaching about repentance after His 40-day fast in the wilderness:

From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”  – Luke 4:17

Here are a couple of other passages (there are dozens in the New Testament) about repentance:

When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  – Acts 2:36-38

In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.  – Acts 17:30

The verses above indicate how critically important repentance is for our salvation. But there are many other references to ‘repent’ and ‘repentance’ in the New Testament. To read them, do a search at Studylight.org.

We can’t fool Him.
Like the guy in the 1990s “I Love You, Man” Bud Light commercial, we can’t fool God. So if you’ve ever wondered what genuine repentance looks like, and whether you’ve really done it, here are a few definitions:

Webster’s: to repent is “to feel so contrite over one’s sins as to change or decide to change one’s ways.”

Baker’s Dictionary of Christian Ethics: Repentance is “not just feeling sorry, or changing one’s mind, but turning right around, radically altering the course and directions of one’s life, its basic motives, attitudes and world view.”

Eerdman’s New Bible Dictionary: “Repentance consists of turning from sin unto God and His service. The necessity of repentance as a condition of salvation is clearly inscribed on the biblical witness.”

In a nutshell, it’s not just about feeling sorry for your sins.  It’s not about good intentions. It’s about taking responsibility for your sinful actions and deciding to stop and live for God. It’s about completely turning around and going the other way — a whole new way — and not continuing to do what scripture clearly tells you is wrong.

Turn from what?
Sin. It’s not what you think is right or wrong. You must submit to what God says is right and wrong. Search His word in the scriptures. Start with the Ten Commandments. Those are the basics — about worshipping, serving and glorifying God, murder, stealing, slandering, lust and covetousness. When asked what the greatest commandment was, Jesus put it this way:

” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”   - Matthew 22:37-39

Paul didn’t mince words when he talked about who was and wasn’t getting in the Door…

Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.  – I Corinthians 6:9-10

Still not sure?
Although He used many different parables to describe our new life with Him, and what it looks like to follow Him, one of the most popular is the one about the sower and the seeds…

A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop — a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.  – Matthew 13:3-8

Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.  – Matthew 13:18-23

What kind of crop are you producing?
When you think honestly about your life, what’s it look like? Has the word been snatched from your heart? Do trials tear you away from your walk with Him? Do the things of this world get your attention more than He does? If so, it’s time to turn around. Your life here on earth won’t get any better until you do. And even worse, you’ll spend eternity separated from Him.

After I sat down with my wife for breakfast and told her how I felt, she immediately recited verses to remind me of God’s love, mercy, grace and faithfulness. And then she asked what I was going to write today in my blog. When I told her I didn’t know, she said that whatever it was, Satan didn’t want me to write it. Her words brought this scripture passage to mind:

Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God,
and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses
them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They overcame
him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not
love their lives so much as to shrink from death.     – Revelation 12:10-11

Did you get that?
Based on Dictionary.com’s definition of “overcame” — to conquer, defeat; to overcome the enemy — some of our Christian brothers have kicked Satan’s butt. I’m ready for some of that. He’s kicked mine for too long.

Like a sports team that talked a good game but was sorely defeated, it looks as though the gates of hell are prevailing and the Church is losing ground. We’re being defeated by an adversary that knows much more about fighting than we do, and if we don’t get back to basics, we won’t be prepared for tougher times ahead.

What are the basics of the Christian faith? Hebrews 6 refers to five “elementary teachings” about Christ:

1) Repentance from acts that lead to death;
2) Faith in God;
3) Baptisms;
4) Laying on of hands;
5) Resurrection of the dead;
6) Eternal judgment.

Paul also mentions “the powers of the coming age“ in Hebrews 6 — and I’m ready to “taste” those powers again. How about you?

No shortcuts.
Like I said, we’ll first have to get the basics down, and practice them daily, before we see the “powers” part. We can’t go on to maturity — or win any battles — without them. We must live the “elementary truths” or we’ll be totally unequipped to deal with Satan’s attacks.

Train Like the World's Best Soldiers

Many Church leaders have watered down the basic Christian message. We’ve adopted a Christian version of Thomas Harris’ self-help book I’m Okay, You’re Okay. Rather than rock the boat, we ask people to “accept Christ” and offer them a free pass to heaven with no strings attached — no repentance, no life changes, no requirements.

I mean, why cloud the picture with reality? Why tell them that if they become a genuine follower of Jesus Christ, it may cost their very lives?

Funny thing is, that’s exactly what captures the hearts of most guys. That’s why they linger over the R-rated action movies at the video store, while their wives look for chick flicks. Men are made for competition. On the one hand we’re scared to death, and on the other we love a good fight. Sadly, the church continues to serve up the Saturday Night Live church lady, while guys long for passion and adventure.

Whatever you do…
Don’t rock the boat. Don’t make waves. Remain silent. Rather than tell the truth, let’s package and market the truth so it’s more appealing. Problem is, there’s no power behind the messages being preached. Our own doubts — our own lack of faith — convinces us that we don’t have the answers, so we avoid discussing what’s required of us in order to see the powers of the coming age. We practice a theology of over-used quotations and gloss-over the vital, elementary teachings about Christ. Our justification:

“In Essentials, Unity; in Non-essentials, Liberty; in All Things, Charity.”
                         – or -
“We speak where the Bible speaks, and are silent where the Bible is silent.”

Sounds just like something Paul would say, doesn’t it? Or Jesus. Not exactly. So why do we do it? Why do we tell our listeners that the Christian life is all about our “quiet time” and “intimacy with God”? Why do we avoid discussing the war going on in the heavenlies and tell them to be nice, quiet people who shouldn’t stand up or speak out?

All the while there’s someone prowling around like a roaring lion to see who he can devour. I’m sorry, but I don’t want to be his next meal. I’d much rather know — and live — the basics of Christian combat so I won’t get blindsided again.

Tea Party Result
Rather than being coaches who insist our teams are grounded in the basics and equipped to fight the good fight, many Christian leaders take the easy route. Their lack of faith — and backbone — has left the door wide open for wolves in sheepskins to come in.  They’ve abdicated their responsibility to instruct their congregations by not covering the “controversial” basics. As a result, Christian men and women are being massacred by an enemy they don’t know how to fight.

Christians are desperately seeking someone who will speak the truth and lead them. They see their “American Dream” slipping away and they think they’re losing their Promised Land. They want to know who’s ruining their world. Is it the progressives? The liberals? Communists? Socialists?

Knight in Shining Armor
That’s what Glenn Beck believes. He’s preaching his message to conservative Christians and they’re soaking it up. But similar to his Mormon theology, Beck’s conservative political views are a poor imitation of the real thing. It looks and sounds good (who doesn’t hate communism?), but blaming Progressives misses the real issue. The battle for righteousness and truth in our government has been lost by the Church. And it won’t be won back with a tea party. It’s going to take millions of changed hearts who have heard the truth and been moved to repent.

Nationwide repentance is our only chance of winning the war that’s been going on — underground — for 2,000 years. It’s completely invisible, but incredibly powerful. It’s a war we don’t want to discuss or believe exists, let alone figure out how to fight. Sadly, it’s consuming more and more people every day.

No More Tickling Ears
My wife and I spent two years at the largest evangelical “seeker” church in our area. Several thousand people worship there every Sunday. We also spent two years at a large Catholic church with several thousand members. And we’ve spent several years at a neo-charismatic Presbyterian church. But in all the churches we have attended over the past 40 years, we seldom — if ever — heard a minister do an in-depth sermon series on the Hebrews 6 basics of the Christian faith. And it wasn’t because their congregations had a full understanding of the “elementary truths” and were already kicking Satan’s butt.

I’m personally going back over these basics in the next few days. It may be a difficult exercise. (Boot camp and basic training always are.) But I’m confident the results will be worth it. I hope you’ll join me.

Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on
to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that
lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying
on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.  – Heb. 6:1-2

We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order
to make your hope sure. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate
those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.  – Heb. 6:11-12

The verse above really stood out this morning when I read it. It made me go to God again before I wrote my observations about Pastor Andy Stanley’s The Principle of the Path.

I don’t want to be “a fool … who delights in airing his own opinions.” And Lord knows I could be all wrong. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time. So be prayerful as you read what I’ve written below. My intentions are not to be critical or disagreeable. But after reading Andy’s book yesterday, I have to admit I was disappointed.

In a nutshell, I don’t think he said all he needed to say about the principle of the path.

Feeling Lost
Some of us are in places we don’t want to be. We thought we were obediently exercising faith, doing what God asked us to do. But the outcome doesn’t look anything like what we expected. So in the first four chapters of his book, when Andy asks, “Didn’t you see this coming?” many of us honestly answer, “No, I didn’t.”

There are times, of course, when all of us take the wrong path (some of us much more than others). And in those cases, Andy’s response is appropriate for us: “You should have seen this coming. And what you couldn’t see coming you should have been prepared for.”

But many people today need a more compassionate response. What should we say to the millions of hard-working people who faithfully served a company, but are now unemployed? I’ve heard that our nation’s real unemployment rate is close to 20 percent, and more than 3 million jobs have been lost in the past year. I’ve watched my sons from a distance as they were forced to take cuts in pay and lay off workers at each of their companies. I read reports of thousands of car dealers who ran profitable businesses for decades, only to be shut down by the manufacturers. Plus, these dealers laid off 300,000 employees from their dealerships across the country. Here in Wilmington, a successful Christian owner of a large dealership committed suicide.

Last Words
The final chapter of Andy Stanley’s book, The Principle of the Path, is entitled “Road Closed.” He starts the last chapter with these words:

“The subtitle of this book implies that there is always a way to get from where you are to where you want to be. But we both know that that’s not always the case. …Time, bad decisions, and experience put some destinations out of reach. There are dreams that can’t come true.”

Then he says, “I want to answer the question, What do you do with the dreams that can’t come true?”

Andy’s answer, and the final words in the last chapter of his book are, “You pray, not my will, but yours be done. And then you rest in the fact that you have done all you can … and all you should.”

I’m sure Andy didn’t mean that we should just give up and throw in the towel. But I wish he had better demonstrated the hope that we have in this life as we walk with the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

I totally agree that it would be much better to avoid wrong turns, shortcuts to nowhere, and dead ends. (He quoted Proverbs 27:12, “The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.”) And Andy accurately makes the case that we should avoid problems by looking ahead, and turn around quickly when we discover we’re lost. But I think he could have better demonstrated the hope we have when we are not where we want to be, or think our dreams will never come true.

Dead End vs. Detour
When we make mistakes, get off the path, and find ourselves where we don’t want to be, that’s not the end. Never. Not even for those who are dying of cancer or who have lost their jobs and everything else that is important to them. We may not be where we expected or hoped, but I believe that is because God is showing us a new path so we can end up in an even better place — both here and in the afterlife.

Eternity with God is our greatest hope. But there is also one example after another in scripture that here in this life God provides new paths when we reach the end of one.

When Jesus said, “Not my will, but yours be done,” those weren’t his last words. The dream wasn’t over. It wasn’t the end of the story. Not by a long shot. He didn’t throw up his hands and say, “Oh well, I gave it my best shot.” He went on to heroically redeem the world! He courageously suffered, demonstrated His love for us, hung naked on the cross and died for our sins. Then He was raised from the dead, ascended into Heaven, and was given all authority in heaven and on earth.

I’d say He reached His dream, even when it looked like there was no hope. (He died trying to reach it!)

In fact, that was the beginning of a whole new story. Read the book of Acts. Jesus traveled a rough path to end up at His coronation ceremony as a demonstration for us. That is our path. An exciting journey, full of twists and turns, mountain tops and valleys, battles, victories and defeats.

Jesus couldn’t take a shortcut to reach His dream, and neither can we. But this is no time to give up and throw it all away. We’re closer than ever to reaching it. So keep working toward your dream. Do as Andy said and focus on the right things. And do the right things. Because eventually you’ll end up where you want, even if you didn’t know it was the right place.

The first session led by Johnny Hunt at his 18^th annual Men’s Conference last weekend was about our being useful to God. He quoted II Timothy 2:20-21…

But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.

“When you got saved, Jesus, like an artesian well, over-flooded your life with God the Holy Spirit and began to flow through you and use you for His greater glory,” Johnny said. “And then we allowed different things to come into our life and it’s dammed up the flow, and you’re no where near the believer you used to be. You’re not of value to God’s kingdom because of choices you’ve made and things you’ve allowed to come into your life.”

He went on to say that most of us desire to be of value to God’s kingdom. We want to enrich the lives of others and help them grow as a result of our influence. But many of us have made poor choices. We crossed the line, missed the mark, yielded to our sinful nature and willfully rebelled against God. As a result, we have become less useful and less effective than we once were in our service to God.

There’s Hope
“God is eager to get you where He wants you to be — actually more eager than you to get your there,” Johnny said.

Then he reminded us of King David’s failures — his adulterous affair with Bathsheba, his scheme to murder her husband, and his attempt to cover up and hide his sins. Your beaver dam may be alcohol, drugs, pornography or a sexual relationship. For years my stronghold was smoking. It separated me from other believers and kept me from being effective in ministry. It made me feel dirty, and I became spiritually hard of hearing.

I knew what it meant to live in the joyful, purposeful presence of God. I had experienced the excitement of walking with Him and serving Him. But I continually rebelled and created a distance between Him and me. I lost the sense of satisfaction, joy and peace that comes from obeying Him.

Father’s Discipline
Thankfully, in 1999 God let me suffer the consequence of my sin through a heart attack. Suddenly I had no choice but to quit. The doctors put a stent in one artery, performed angioplasty in another, and told me the nicotine would kill me if I didn’t quit immediately.

Of course God gave me the strength to do it. Then He restored my joy, peace and hope. Hopefully He’s making me useful again to His kingdom.

Come Home
If you’re feeling disgraced, distant, and depressed, and like nothing can cleanse your sin-stained soul, listen to these words from Johnny: “If you knew what I knew about God’s character, you’d feel greater liberty to come home… to know that He is a God of loving, tender mercy.”

So don’t do as I did and waste years of your  life. Instead, do as King David did. Cry out to God, obey Him, and get the River of Life flowing again…

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.
Surely I was sinful at birth,  sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you.
Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.
You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
                                                                      – Psalm 51:1-17