COMMENTARY:
TIDBITS FOR PIONEERS ON THEIR JOURNEY
Tom Snyder, VineLife Network
Personal Responsibility and Sovereignty
Too often I hear one of my sisters or brothers in Christ confusing their responsibility with God’s. Here’s what I mean. We humans cannot do what only God can do, but God will usually not do what he has declared we are responsible to do. So, when I recently heard a sister say, summing up her situation, “Well God is in control,” I realized that she was choosing not to do what she has been commanded to do in that situation. She was placing the responsibility on God. This mother was having trouble with her 4 year old’s bad attitudes. Instead of realizing God has placed her in the teaching and training slot for her child, she deceived herself into believing that if she will simply place her trust in God to fix the child’s developmental problem, that all will turn out well for her child.
Many are refusing to bear responsibility by expecting God to do what He has commanded them to do. I’ve heard family members make this error of immaturity and ignorance increasingly as Bible study has fallen into low priority status over the past 50 years. Folks apply this faulty logic to problems like child training, obesity, finances, inner healing, retirement, evangelism, home and car maintenance, to name just a few. Warning; God does allow his children to reap what they sow and to learn the hard way, but isn’t that so unnecessary in light of: 1.) the wisdom found in Holy Scripture, 2.) the abiding presence of God’s Spirit, and 3.) the resources of mature elders in Christ’s Body?
Who Are You?
We all decide who we really are as we progress through life. Some of us discover that we need to think a lot differently about this crucial subject. Experiences of our early years can cause us to think we are terrible people, broken and cannot be fixed. People use several reference points to determine their identity: The most valuable and accurate reference point is N.T. Scriptures (what God says about us), most use themselves, some use certain others, it is common to use our society, and some listen to our arch enemy, all to determine who they really are. Who are you?
Everyone who has taken Jesus’ sacrificial suffering as the payment for all of their sins and are making him the master of their life can use what the NT scriptures say about them. Let’s look at just a few:
- Christ has accepted you. Rom 5:7
- You have been made complete Col 2:10
- You were sanctified (made holy) 1 Cor 6:11
- Your new self has been created in righteousness and holiness Eph 4:24
- All of your sins, past, present and future were placed
upon Christ as he hung on the cross—God does not consider them as yours—debt
PAID Heb 10:16-17
Now ask yourself, “Do I believe God’s Word?” You do if you suffer no more twinges of shame, guilt or fear. You don’t if you are still a captive to the lies that say you are not what God says you are by his grace. You can decide to agree with him and appropriate your correct identity. If you do you will see immediate changes in your thoughts, feelings and actions. As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.
Setting Priorities
I have a friend who never calls me to ask how I’m doing. But he does call or email to tell me something important or to ask for my help. Does he love me, indeed he does. I think that if I was faced with grave danger he would immediately come to help me. But why does he not take time to simply be with me, be relational? Does he always need to include me as part of one of his projects? You guessed it; he hasn’t yet seen the heart benefits of brotherly love. Perhaps it has never entered his mind how much encouragement it would be to me to have him just want to spend time with me without having some project to accomplish?
I’ve been this person and to a degree I am still. Why? I had no close, long-term relationships as a boy. My parents and siblings never connected with my heart. Always too busy with work, their projects. So, I grew up to do the same. Then Holy Spirit began to mess with my head. He taught me that our Father wants and greatly enjoys my friendship. Imagine that! Radical idea to me. New light. As I have begun to yield to his beckoning to spend quiet, unstructured, “soaking” fellowship time with him (picture a dry sponge that is placed in a pan of water), I’m starting to sense an increase of His presence. The Word says that in his presence is fullness of joy—God knows I’ve needed that all my life! Sit in his presence and ask him to come and be with me, manifest his presence to me, show me “his face” (presence), change me to become like him—more of him, less of me. I’ve so desired the fruit of Holy Spirit to grow on this branch that I am—I must abide.
So, why didn’t this happen in me 50 or 60 years ago? Wrong priorities. I believed a lie and it ran most of my life. What a man believes rules him. “What you do and accomplish is most important,” deceived me. It isn’t true. That you have been birthed into the most wonderful family to ever exist IS. Who your dad is. How much you are loved is. Jesus taught us to abide, seek, surrender, let me live through you, trust, believe in this new identity I’ve given you. After finding this new road, we progress toward the life that wins, the joy of intimately knowing him. Then we can engage projects as he leads and empowers. I was a human doing, thanks be to him I am becoming a human being. Religion taught me to DO. True N. T. doctrine teaches me first to BE.
Friendship and Obedience
The precious Holy Spirit wrote this through our brother John: "If you love me, obey my commandments. (21) Those who obey my commandments are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them, and I will love them. And I will reveal myself to each one of them." (23) Jesus replied, "All those who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and live with them. (24) Anyone who doesn't love me will not do what I say. And remember, my words are not my own. This message is from the Father who sent me. 14:15, 21, 23-24.
It's possible that you may never have realized that sensing Father's holy presence is tied to your obedience. Notice that he says that obedience (obey my commandments) is closely associated with depth of relationship (“I will reveal myself” and ”We will live with them”). I have noted a trend in the past few decades that endangers the church’s practice of the faith—a growing decline of obedience. I see it being replaced by attitudes that seemingly give permission to laziness, passivity, religious spirits, independence or rebellion. “I don’t feel the leading of the Spirit to do that,” or “he’s just being religious” or “I will pray about that,” or “I don’t believe doing that is my gifting or calling,” or “You must not make a law out of that because we now live by grace,” any of these, though valid sometimes, can be a deadly religious, flesh-driven avoidance, a sinful response.
They are often heard when an elder in the Body tries to lead in a direction that will deepen our commitment to Jesus and to more faithfully obey his commandment to love others. He planted the Kingdom of God on the earth nearly two thousand years ago. He is our King and is to be obeyed in all things. Grace does not do away with the great value of our obedience. We have been bought with a price, are not our own, and we are to do nothing on our own initiative. We are privileged to have become this King’s bond slaves! And we must not forget that the indwelling Spirit provides all the ability we will need to do what he prompts us to do.
Our liberty is not to be splurged on pleasing ourselves, for this liberty is the freedom from the bondage of our sins and from the sin nature that used to compel us to sin. We have become free to serve, to loose our lives to manifest his presence, power, glory, and worth-ship. We are not free to pick and choose how we will serve this King. The only way to not walk after the flesh is to be led by the indwelling Christ. Obedience is not a burden, but is a source of joy to those who are being saved from this corrupt world system.
A Vision of Restoration
In about 1975 I was standing alone in a room, looked up and saw a 4’ by 5’ map of a metropolitan area on the wall. It had hundreds, perhaps thousands, of very tiny white hot lights all over it. In my heart the Spirit spoke, “These are house churches. They are being shepherded by men and women who have my shepherd’s heart. They are bringing my people to maturity and you will see this.”
Spiritual maturity is not the same as the acquisition of Bible knowledge. It is not working very hard and long for Jesus. It is not being a servant. It is not being a good provider for one’s family. It is not being faithful to one’s ministry or profession. Though spiritual maturity might encompass all of these it is not primarily about externals and actions.
Though spiritual maturity will lead to these effects, this maturity has these fundamental characteristics: Loving and seeking intimacy with God more than any other endeavor, making Him first in all things. Humility with a healthy, biblically based understanding of who one really is in God’s eyes (identity in Christ) is also essential. Willful, consistent, unreserved (but not perfect) surrender of the flesh and it’s deadly motives to Jesus is an earmark of one of his disciples. The fruit of the Spirit growing in the servant of God is observable to those who know him well.
Anyone possessing these characteristics (and many in the Body of Christ do) can assist others, encouraging their growth process, in becoming mature followers. This process when multiplying in small groupings of followers can and will restore the Presence of God to any people group that will invest itself over two generations or more. We are in the beginning stages of the greatest reformation and outpouring of Holy Spirit this sick world has ever experienced. Saints, we have a wonderful future to look forward to.
Romans 13:1-7 Often Misunderstood
Correctly understanding scripture requires that the context be clearly understood. If not, distortion is likely. This has happened with these verses in the letter to the Roman church for they are often cited to justify passivity, even cowardice (“We must submit, obey, we must not oppose”). Look at these references:
Verse 3 “authorities do not frighten people who are doing right but they frighten those who do wrong.” These are just and good authorities, not evil ones. Consider the following verses in light of this:
Verse 4 “authorities are sent by God to help you. But if you are doing something wrong, of course you should be afraid, for you will be punished.” These authorities are established by God for that very purpose, to punish those who do wrong.”
Verse 5 “you must obey the government for two reasons: to keep from being punished and to keep a clear conscience.”
Verse 6 “Pay your taxes, too, for these same reasons. For government workers need to be paid so they can keep on doing the work God intended them to do.”
Verse 7 “give respect and honor to all to whom it is due.”
Verse 10 “Love does no wrong to anyone, so love satisfies all of God's requirements.”
Each of these verses interpret and modify the verses in this passage. We so often hear them quoted out of the context in which they were written, particularly 1, 2 and 6—misinterpreted to mean we are to obey ALL government and ALL authorities for they are established by God. We know such an interpretation violates these clarifying verses. Plus we know that God does not establish the authority of sex offenders, who are fathers, violent men who beat wives and children, nor does God establish governments who are very much like the anti-Christ. For heaven’s sake, when will be begin to believe Jesus when he says, “If you’ve seem me, you have seen the Father.”? Interpret all scripture from that understanding of God’s heart instead of the way a Pharisee would do so. Do not use only the words in a verse, but consider the motive of the heart and the intent of God that is expressed in the passage.
Why “Son of Man”
In the gospels the NASB has eighty references where Jesus refers to himself as the “son of man.” There are four more uses of this phrase: Acts, Hebrews and The Revelation. In three of these places the phrase is telling the reader this man is a human being and from the context it is clear that he is Jesus. In referring to himself, Jesus might easily have used the pronoun “I” but, no it was important to him to make a point, “I want you to notice my humanity.” Remember he said in one place, “The works that I do, you shall do also, only you will do greater works”? In another place he says, “I no longer call you servants (underlings) but I call you my friends (equals).” He gave his disciples the order go to other towns and do what he had been doing; do healings, deliver from evil spirits, work miracles and they did,
Here’s how we should benefit from this. Realize that it isn’t super saints that he calls to do the works that demonstrate the Kingdom of God is now on earth. He wanted us to know that anyone who will obey the leading of the Spirit will do the works that he did. When he says “I do what I see the Father doing” that is what he means. Any human who is Holy Spirit led is thus qualified. Jesus came as a son of man to show us what a normal son of man is like when God’s Spirit is leading and empowering. This was God’s desire, intention and plan from the beginning.
The first 300 years of the church abounded with ordinary people doing the works of Christ. The faith spread because people are drawn to God’s love as they see him heal, deliver and manifest his presence. The original preaching of the gospel did not rest upon rationalism. It relied upon God to witness to the living savior king by doing what destroys the works of the devil. Sickness, disease, pain, bondages are Satan’s works and we are called to destroy them by offering the good news of his demise with a gospel that does not rest upon cleaver words or presentations, but is built upon the unmistakable fact that the power of God is here and now a reality and thus it is demonstrable. So, what are you waiting for? Go and pray for the sick and the oppressed. Prove God’s word is true. Demonstrate the Kingdom of God.
What We Eat—Is That Important?
Have you ever heard the strange expression, “he’s an Old Testament Christian” or “That church teaches O. T. Christianity”? It refers to those who have not clearly seen the light of the mystery of the New Covenant in the Blood of Jesus and the awesome grace of God. When this occurs people remain in bondage to seeking God’s approval and pleasure instead of accepting the position that “becoming partakers of the divine life” that Peter spoke about (2 Peter 1:3&4). They are continuing to believe pleasing God by our actions brings his blessings and sinning brings is displeasure,
Mar 7:18-20 “Are you so dull?" he asked. "Don't you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him 'unclean'? (19) For it doesn't go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body" (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods "clean.") (20) He went on: "What comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.'
Rom 14:14 As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean.
Rom 14:20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble.
1Ti 4:3 They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth.
Heb 9:10 They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings--external regulations applying until the time of the new order.
How To Stop Sinning
I heard you, you said, “impossible!” Now why would your mind go so quickly to that conclusion? Because, you say, “Whatever I do that is not from faith is sin. Since we no longer live by trying to keep the law, isn’t that the New Testament’s definition of sin? I don’t always operate out of faith, sometimes I do what I want and I don’t even check with God to see if He is pleased with my desire.” And I would have to agree, yes, you are correct. But there is some really good news beyond that we are not perfect.
What have you done with the Romans 6, verses 2, 4, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14? These verses, and others, declare the power that indwelling sin has over a natural person (one who must live from the flesh) does not exist anymore for the spiritual person (a person who can live from the Holy Spirit), one who has become a child of God because he has been born of God. The usual honest answer to that question is, “I never realized that God declares that the power that used to press me to sin has been demolished.” Saints, any promises or declarations of God that I do not believe I cannot see effective in my life.
Physical healing, deliverance from demon deceivers, improved life conditions, inner healing from past hurts all come to us by first hearing the Word then by placing my trust in it, believing it will come to pass because of God’s love, faithfulness, mercy, forgiveness, kindness, goodness and grace. I don’t have the kind of faith necessary if I only give mental ascent to a teaching I must adhere to it, lean on it, and trust it will happen. That comes when God reveals something to a person but not only when he
Inside Every Person
There is something inside that must be absolutely surrendered before every born-again person can be transformed into the likeness of Jesus. It is imperative that you not make any mistake about what that is. For if you do, that will lead you down the path of religious bondages. This stronghold is the hard inner core that holds on to, does not want to release the managing of our lives. It insists on living life according to logic, education, rational thought, religion, and coping. In short it is the lust to stay in control. That is the unsurrendered life. Jesus said so clearly, "If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. (27) "Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. (28) "For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? Luk 14:26-28 NASB
He said, “Hate, cannot, carry his cross (a death instrument), cannot (said again), calculate the cost”—sounds like he means it. He says this because he understands the root problem in us and wants us to stay focused on it. Why? The whole of the N.T. makes it clear that new birth opens the door to transformation, the picture of a worm becoming a butterfly, a most mysterious event. This is the entry to the abundant life Jesus promises. It can only be found when we make him Lord, dictator of our life.
His Holy Spirit has been given to us to enable us to constantly hear is voice
Who is hard of hearing?
I recently attended a four day conference. Every session was begun with a worship team leading the church with music so loud that it was painful to me, to the point that I moved to the foyer until they completed their set. So, the question I am posing to Holy Spirit is “does the volume help or hinder our worship?”
For me it was a continual distraction, focusing me on the painful assault of my hearing sense, thus preventing my attention from staying upon the One I wanted to consider and where I think it should have been. I’m seventy two and grew up in the years when ballads where popular. I shut off my near daily listening of popular music when Elvis and others became popular, continuing to listen to classical and gentle popular music when I could find them. So, I am not saying that I represent the mind-set of most people alive today, nor that I want them to return to what makes me happy.
But I do have doubts that this kind of worship activity pleases Our Lord. Here’s why. Some time ago Holy Spirit told me to read through the four gospels and pay particular attention to any statement of desire or command of Jesus that is mostly ignored these days by the churches. There were so many it amazed me. So, this makes me wonder if we are not deceiving ourselves when we think exuberant “worship” can be a pleasing aroma to Him, when we are discounting his desires and saying we love you Father or something similar over and over and over again.
Consider Jesus’ words in John 14:
15 "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
21 "He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him."
23 Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. NASB
When we cry out “I want more of you, I love you, etc. are we not realizing he has promised just what we need and want if we will obey him and cease to grieve the gentle, sensitive Holy Spirit. After all, he is God’s presence. How can we expect our prayer to be answered if we do not do the thing he says will give us more of his presence and power?
Marriage
We are drawn to the opposite sex and usually to those whose temperaments are very different from ourselves. Easy going/steady men are drawn to powerful/energetic women. Each sees the need for the traits the other person possesses (those traits they don’t have). These traits enhance our attraction to that person. This is especially so when we also enjoy common values and interests. But watch out. Positive, desirable temperament characteristics are accompanied by at least a few unlikable factors. We become increasingly aware of those after marriage when the pressures of normal everyday life begin and our ever present self-centeredness and selfishness tell us we deserve, must have what we want/need—women need love, men need respect and honor.
If both partners are mature (mind, will and emotions yielded to Holy Spirit so that His fruit of agape, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control) and have not been greatly damaged by childhood developmental trauma, they will grow together. However, if they are not mature and/or have been hurt and damaged, usually in their early years, the faults and weaknesses in their mate often function as triggers, which can be overwhelmingly strong.
What does Jesus tell us to do? He mentions the Kingdom of God/heaven 82 times (in contrast Jesus spoke of the church only 3 times). He emphasized the Kingdom because the person who decides to live under his Lordship is thereby given the ability to become like him, able to agape our mates and families, instead of stumble over their sins and weaknesses. While the Scripture tells us that women search for love while men search for honor and respect, we quickly admit, “yes but I can’t always do that, I just fail.” Our solution is to so surrender to the indwelling Spirit of Jesus that we are allowing him to live his life through us. Jesus points out in John 7:17 that our willingness to do his will is what enables us to know what he wants. We must cease trying to do God’s will by the power of our flesh, embrace dependence, and become Spirit-led. By grace we can do this!
Yet, someone may rightfully observe, “Knowing what to do is only half the story. A lot of people know what to do, but have difficulty with how to do it.” Some wrestle with this issue all their lives, others do outrageous things and call it being led by the spirit. It is unfortunate that things like establishing beneficial personal relationships, and establishing an ever deepening relationship with Father are a low priority for many Christ-followers, a problem especially for those in large traditional churches. Pursuing these two values will significantly increase a person's ability to learn how to let Jesus live His life through us, and be truly Spirit-led.
Idols In My Life? No Way!
“If you want more of me, stop looking elsewhere.” That’s what I heard Father say one morning as I was asking him to fill me afresh and take me deeper. Could it be that the depth of many Christ-followers has been slowed or stopped because we have made room in our lives for replacements. Think that is impossible? Consider these substitutes:
Junk food and drinks which slowly destroy our health, overeating that leads to obesity and sicknesses, extending ourselves into credit purchases for things we want now but cannot yet afford, enjoying entertainment we would not feel comfortable inviting our best friend, Jesus to enjoy with us, are a few very common examples. These are generally recognized as not good, yet we dare not call them sinful, for in our society we risk being wrongly labeled as judgmental or legalistic—as if mislabeling such corrections does away with them. They still effectively cause us to lose the Presence and the power of a healthy and victorious life. Some, even those in “full-time ministry” have not yet known Father’s Presence and power, so they don’t miss it. Scripture assures us it is for the fully devoted followers.
But wait! There is a truly deadly form of substitution that is not generally recognized. I wish to deliver you from this if you are bound to it as I have been. It is looking to sources other than our Lord to give you what you need to feel good about yourself. It involves swapping the created for the Creator. When I am sick or in a time of heavy emotional pressure and I grasp at (read demand) receiving encouragement, good feelings from my spouse, my family, my church, God’s servants, any substitute, I am either a babe, for that is natural for babies, or I am refusing to draw from the spring of Living Water the kind of supply He has promised. There are after all two kinds of life in me; the life of the Spirit of God and the life of my soul. Which is my source for getting the significance, value, confidence, peace, joy, and love that I need, especially when life is difficult?
Have I always been willing to learn a new habit of going to Calvary, to lose my life so that I can live from his life within me? For many years—NO. I’ve thought, “I want (read demand) what you are supposed to be giving to me!” But the Sanctifier has led me repeatedly back to Calvary to learn the lesson of life in Christ. Have I arrived. No, but I am headed in the right direction—thank you, Jesus for being relentless!
Have You Been Resurrected Already?
Weird question? No. But, if you think it is, your beliefs may be more a reflection of our culture’s influence than a correct understanding of N.T. scriptures. You see, much of our western understanding of the New Testament has been popularized, causing certain parts to fall into disuse, while others are overemphasized. Neglecting some of Jesus’ words can be seen when we look at his clear admonitions, “If you want to be my follower you must love me more than your own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters-yes, more than your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. (27) And you cannot be my disciple if you do not carry your own cross and follow me.” Luke 14:26-27 NLT. You will seldom, if ever, hear this preached anymore, yet this is what they live daily in other parts of the world, where Christ-followers are persecuted. Does it not apply here? We can easily escape from this one. In our nation one can even be in “the ministry” and pay no attention to this reality.
An overemphasized part of scripture is illustrated by those who do not accurately understand God’s word when they and tell seekers, “Pray this prayer with me. Dear Jesus, Thanks you for loving me and dying for me on the cross. I ask you to come into my life and give me the gift of eternal life.” Of course all of this is the truth, however by omitting the good news of the Kingdom of God that Jesus preached, one can be mislead to believe that is all God expects of him. No mention of: Repentance from sins, Water baptism and especially what it symbolizes, The necessity of being guided daily by God’s word, our need to be in regular fellowship, etc.
Some believe that saying these things to a seeker will diminish one’s understanding of God’s grace, his free gift of salvation. Yet, all of these other things are also part of God’s grace-gifts—greatly expanding the magnitude of our blessings, his necessary provisions for his children. Our loving Father does not bring an infant into the world and then not give that baby everything he will need to live and thrive. Today we see so many trying to follow the Lord Jesus but are without the fullness of truth that they must have to nurture their new life. Perhaps the greatest of these is this: One who becomes born from above is privileged to functionally identify with the death, burial and resurrection of our Savior (see Romans 6). Here’s what that means. It is the key to living in Romans 8 and Galatians 5, where we see that living the Spirit controlled life is where abundant life is found. This is the will of God for all of his children.
More to come...
Tom Snyder
