Truth and Error

I’ve been reading the three epistles of John, and it struck me how blunt he is about the false teachers that were creeping into the early church. He repeatedly points to signs of the truth. Here are just a few:

“If we say we have fellowship with Him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth” (1 John 1:6 ESV).

“Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness” (1 John 2:9).

“No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also” (1 John 2:23).

“If you know that He is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of Him” (1 John 2:29).

“By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother” (1 John 3:10).

“By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God...” (1 John 4:2-3a).

“Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son” (2 John 9).

John obviously thought that false teachers were a significant danger to the church, and he warned the believers to be on their guard. I think we can tend to be guilty of “chronological snobbery” (to use C.S. Lewis’s excellent term) and think that we are immune to that danger. Obviously the early church didn’t have all the Scriptures compiled and Christians didn’t have multiple copies of the Bible sitting on their shelves, so they didn’t have a quick reference for orthodoxy. But on the other hand, they also didn’t have access to billions of books, podcasts, blogs, and Facebook posts that claim to be proclaiming truth but could be based on anything from rumor and innuendo to the so-called prophets of other religions. If anything, we need even more discernment to sift through all the information that bombards us every day.

All around us there are people who claim to have some kind of relationship with God, and they may even claim to know Jesus Christ, but they aren’t pursuing righteousness and living in the light. There are those who say they are Christians, but they do not love others as Scripture commands. Even within the church there are many who are “cultural Christians” but don’t have true faith. Although the image is alarming, I think there will be a long line of people to whom Jesus says, “Depart from Me, I never knew you” (Matthew 7:23), because “The gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction and those who enter by it are many” (v. 13).

In our culture of tolerance and acceptance, we may unwittingly be allowing heretics to preach their own gospels in our churches and homes. We each need to seek truth in God’s Word and allow the Holy Spirit to cultivate discernment in us. Only when we know well the One who is the Truth can we be free from the deceptions that the enemy throws our way.

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:15-16a).

© 2019 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated all images are copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.

Be the Light

Several recent discussions and sermons have reminded me of these Scriptures:

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12b).

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden... In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14, 16).

“Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:14-15 ESV).

John the Baptist is introduced in John 1:7-8 by saying, “He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.” In many ways, the same could be said about every Christian. We are to bear witness about the Light of the World. We are to be conduits of His light in this dark world. I wonder how we’re doing these days? In many situations it seems easier to hide the light in order to avoid conflict with unbelievers. Yet there are other topics unrelated to our faith where we embrace conflict just to state our own opinions. It seems a bit incongruous, no?

I believe we could all be more effective bearers of the light, and perhaps the first step is to learn to be “quick to listen and slow to speak” (James 1:19). As nice as social media can be, the biggest problem is that it makes us all quicker to speak and less likely to actually listen. We feel compelled to like, comment, or share posts without considering whether it is wise or helpful to do so. Since it is true that there is “a time to keep silence, and a time to speak” (Ecclesiastes 3:7b), we all need to slow down and ask which time it is.

Another aspect of bearing the light is revealed in Ephesians 2:10: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” We are all called to good works that God has prepared for each of us. Some of those works are fairly routine—providing for our family members by earning a living, praying for one another, participating in a local church and supporting its ministries. Some good works may be a bit more radical—moving overseas as a missionary, loving our enemies, simplifying our lifestyle in order to commit more resources to ministry. There are all sorts of Christian good works and each life will be a little different.

The real question is whether an unbeliever would see anything unusual about your life that would point them to the light of Christ. Can they tell that you are not just a good person but a faithful Christian? As the old saying goes, “If being a Christian were a criminal offense, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” Or how many of us would dare to say with the Apostle Paul, “Join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us” (Philippians 3:17)?

Since the New Year is often a time for evaluating our lives and making changes, I would suggest that prayerful consideration should be given to how to let God’s light shine through us in the year ahead.

“Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith” (Hebrews 13:7).

© 2019 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated all images are copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.

It'll Be Okay

I ran across this quote from John Lennon today:

“Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.”

Lennon’s views on religion are questionable, but this quote is particularly apropos for Christians. We know this world is broken, and we all suffer in various ways, but one day it will be made right. After Christ returns, those who belong to Him will get to experience the “new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwell” (2 Peter 3:13 ESV). But until that day, things are not okay because it’s not the end.

Today’s reading in Daily Light on the Daily Path goes along well with that thought:

“Ye are not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance, which the Lord your God giveth you. This is not your rest. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. Within the veil; whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus.

“In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. With Christ; which is far better.

“God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away. There the wicked cease from troubling: and there the weary be at rest.

“Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. (Deut. 12:9,   Mic. 2:10, Heb. 4:9, Heb. 6:19-20, John 14:2-3, Phil. 1:23, Rev. 21:4, Job 3:17, Matt. 6:20-21, Col. 3:2)” -Public domain

As we start a new year, some people may be optimistic about the days ahead, others (like me) may be cynical, and many will be somewhere in between. The older I get, the more I hope that Christ’s return is soon. I’ve never exactly had any “youthful optimism,” and I’m ready for that final day to come. There is nothing about this life that I will miss, because the things I most enjoy here will be even better in eternity.

However, assuming that there is at least another year of life ahead, Peter reminds us that we are to be people of holiness and godliness as we wait (2 Pet. 3:11-12). We should proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and let our lights shine before men (2 Cor. 4:5-6) as we love and serve one another. We can remind one another and share the good news that for all those who follow Jesus as Lord and Savior there is coming a day when everything will be okay.

“We look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:18).

 © 2019 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated all images are copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.

Do You Hear What I Hear?

Recently while reading through Luke 8 I noticed how the headings that editors have added to the text can actually distract us from the continuity of the text. Verses 4-21 have a common thought, yet many Bibles break it up into multiple sections.

Verses 4-15 talk about the seed being sowed. In this and in the parallel passage in Matthew 13, Jesus explains that He is talking about how people respond when they hear the word of the kingdom. Those who truly hear the Word are those who act on it and bear fruit. Verse 16 at first seems to be a new thought, but really is just an example to illustrate what He has just said. Those who are hearing and are bearing fruit are lights shining in the darkness. If we’re hiding the light, we are failing to obey what we’ve been told. Then in verses 19-21 Jesus reiterates that those who hear His word and do it are part of His eternal family.

The question I’ve been asking myself is whether there are things God has told me to do that I am not doing. Am I really listening to what He has to say? I’ve been convicted on that this week in one particular area. I had made a decision based on human logic and didn’t really seek God’s will. It seemed pretty straightforward at the time, but there were unexpected complications that made me reverse the decision. What I heard from various Scriptures was “Are you going to trust Me with this?”

In the Bible there are many references to hearing and listening. The book of Proverbs alone has more than thirty admonitions to listen to God and His wisdom. “Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance” (Proverbs 1:5 ESV). We all tend to hear what we want to hear. We listen to people who affirm our preconceived notions, while often ignoring those that challenge us.

We need constant exposure to words of truth. As Jimmy Needham wrote, “You cannot love [God] with all your heart, soul, and mind without a steady diet of Scripture.” I would suggest that should include both reading and listening. We need to see the words on the pages of our Bibles, but we also need to hear it taught and explained in the fellowship of a local church. I am continually surprised by the statistics of how many people who call themselves Christians don’t read the Bible and/or don’t participate in weekly worship. Some of them may one day hear the dreaded words, “Depart from Me, I never knew you” (Matthew 7:23). Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27). If we aren’t hearing and following, can we really say that we know Him?

As we prepare for a new year, perhaps we all need to make a greater effort to hear and heed what God is saying to us. We may discover we’ve been tuning Him out more than we realize.

“This is my beloved Son; listen to Him” (Mark 9:7b).

© 2018 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated all images are copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.

Fighting for Peace

Advent and Christmas are often associated with peace, specifically the coming Prince of Peace. Though the angels proclaimed “peace among those with whom He is pleased” (Luke 2:14b ESV), I think we can all agree that there is a real lack of peace on earth.

I was forcefully reminded that our peace is not in temporal things when my house was broken into for the second time in twelve months. I witnessed it from across the street where I do my running around the church parking lot. In many ways, I think that made it worse this time, because of the overwhelming powerlessness of waiting for the police to arrive and hoping they would get there before the men left (which of course they didn’t). I’ll be looking for that car, and I’ll long have the image in my mind of one guy kicking my front door. At least there was nothing left worth stealing this year.

My peace and comfort have been disturbed. I’m doing what I can to improve the security of my house, but in reality, earthly security is an illusion. We can’t control the actions of people or of much of nature (as attested by the fallen trees in my yard after this week’s ice and wind). We build our lives around the things we can control. Any situation that removes the element of control makes us uncomfortable and disturbs our peace.

Jesus says in Luke 14:33, “So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be My disciple.” I would suggest that includes our illusions of control. Anything that we believe we have control over is in danger of usurping God’s sovereignty over all things. I believe that is one of the lessons of the book of Job. When his good life disappeared, Job had to deal with the fact that all that he thought was in his domain was really transient, and he wanted to blame someone. In the end, God reminded him Who was really in control. If our treasures are on earth, they will eventually be destroyed (Matthew 6:19-21).

I’ve had many wakeful hours at night with my mind spinning with thoughts of “what if” and “I wish.” One of the Scriptures that often comes to mind is Psalm 121.

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all evil; He will keep your life.
The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.

When the world is full of dangers and strife, God doesn’t promise freedom from the effects of evil, but He does promise to keep watch over our eternal security. He won’t allow anything to happen to us that will separate us from Him (Romans 8:35-39). We can choose to dwell on the dangers and discomforts of this world and live in fear, or we can dwell on God’s goodness and faithfulness and rest in Him.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things… and the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:6-9).

I find that to be a daily, sometimes hourly, battle to think upon the things that will calm my mind and enable me live in peace. God knows every detail of this broken world and He is still in control. He is at peace, so that should give us peace if we remember that and truly believe it. He is our Mighty Fortress in a world at war.

“And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us, we will not fear for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us… Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also. The body they may kill; God’s truth abideth still. His kingdom is forever.”

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27).

© 2018 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated all images are copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.

Praying Scripture

In the newly formed women’s group for our church, we watched the movie War Room and talked about prayer. Several years ago I received a bookmark of Scripture-Based Prayers to Pray for Your Pastor, and I’ve used that regularly ever since. I’ve also collected other such prayers as I’ve read through the Bible. Here are some suggestions to get you started praying Scripture for yourself and others.

1. I pray that You will make ______ worthy of Your calling and that You may fulfill his/her every resolve for good and every work of faith by Your power, so that You may be glorified (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12).
2. I pray that You will fill ______ with knowledge of Your will in wisdom and spiritual understanding, so that he may walk in a manner worthy of You, fully pleasing to You and bearing fruit in every good work (Colossians 1:9-10).
3. I pray that ______ would put off the old self with its practices and put on the new self in Christ—kindness, humility, meekness, and patience (Colossians 3:9-10, 12).
4. Lord, strengthen _____ by Your Spirit, that he would know the breadth and length and height and depth of Your love (Ephesians 3:16, 18-19).
5. I thank You for the faith of _____ and the joy and comfort he has been to me, and I pray that the sharing of his faith may aid others in knowing every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ (Philemon 4-7).
6. Father, thank You for ______ and his partnership in the gospel, and I pray that his love would abound more and more, with knowledge and discernment, that he may be filled with the fruit of righteousness (Philippians 1:4-5, 8-11).
7. I pray that You would make all grace abound to ______ that his needs may be supplied so that he may abound in every good work (2 Corinthians 9:8).
8. Sovereign Lord, I pray that You would keep ______ from stumbling so that You may present him blameless before God with great joy (Jude 24).
9. I give thanks for _______ and he work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in Christ. May he continue to be an example for others to follow (1 Thessalonians 1:2-3, 6).
10. Lord, enable _____ to be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that his labor in the Lord is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58).
11. Let _____ stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God (Colossians 4:12).
12. I pray that ______ would know that You alone are his rock and salvation and fortress, that he will not be shaken (Psalm 62:2).
13. Comforter, I pray that _____ will be able to lie down and sleep in peace, knowing that You alone make him to dwell in safety (Psalm 4:8).
14. May ______ abide in You so that he may bear much fruit (John 15:4).
15. Lord, keep _____ from fear because You are with him. Let him not be dismayed, but strengthen him and uphold him by Your hand (Isaiah 41:10).

I’ve shared this link before, but it’s worth repeating. Nancy Guthrie gave this list of things to pray for in the midst of suffering. It is not always God’s will to heal or to remove suffering, but He will always use it for His good purposes.

• To put God's glory on display (John 9:3)
• To make the life of Jesus evident (2 Corinthians 4:10-11)
• To live out genuine faith (1 Peter 1:6-7)
• To cause us to depend on him more fully (2 Corinthians 1:8-9)
• To reveal hidden sin or keep us from sin (2 Corinthians 12:7)
• To experience that Christ is enough (2 Corinthians 12:9)
• To discipline us for holiness (Hebrews 12:10-11)
• To equip us to comfort others (1 Corinthians 1:3)
• To make us spiritually mature (James 1:2-5)
• To make us fruitful (John 15:2)
• To shape us into Christ's likeness (Romans 8:29)
• To share in the suffering of Christ (Philippians 3:10)

Perhaps this can refresh our efforts to pray for one another and see how God may answer.

© 2018 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated all images are copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.

Pursuing Holiness

CCEF recently posted this podcast on addictions with Alasdair Groves and Mike Emlet. They made several good suggestions in how to cope with addictive patterns and behaviors:

• Recognize the triggers in your life—specific stresses that contribute to a desire to escape.
• Walk in the light with others about how you’re struggling. “Sometimes we put just enough on the table to keep people from looking under the table.”
• Fail well—using failure as an opportunity to turn away from sin and back to holiness, not minimizing sin or diving back into addiction.
• Watch out for the “micro-steps” in the wrong direction—is my heart inclining toward sin?
• Celebrate “micro-steps” in the right direction—changes in attitude and heart.

We all have some addictive tendencies (sin patterns) though they have varying degrees of intensity and consequences. I know my own “preferred sins” and I know many of the stresses that lead me to desire sin. I often think of a comment C. S. Lewis made in one of his letters that when he had made some progress against obvious temptations the devil then had to resort to “stratagems and ploys” to trip him up. Over time the ploys change, so we have to “be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8 ESV).

 “[What is] miserable is when we go for years and years in the bondage of sin and see no way out. Of course the enemy wants us to believe that ‘this is just the way I am’ or ‘this is the best I can hope for’ when in reality that is the furthest thing from the truth… Sin has a way of keeping us subdued and alone—even in a crowd—by threatening to expose us and humiliate us.” –Dennis Jernigan (Daily Devotions for Kingdom Seekers, Nov. 27-28).

“What a person needs is not an expert [on sin] but a friend to walk with them.” –Christopher Yuan

I think one of the biggest hindrances to the pursuit of holiness is the lack of close friends we can trust to keep us accountable and walk in the light with us. We all need a few such people in our lives.

Listening to Alistair Begg’s messages on Remorse or Repentance this week on Truth for Life, I pictured some people I know who seem to have fallen off either side of the narrow road. Some made a declaration of faith, but later withered away because they had no root (Matthew 13) and today are nowhere to be seen around the church. Others appear to be actively involved in ministry, but below the surface they are living in unrepentant sin. Both types of people are in danger of eternal judgment, and often only God knows their hearts. If they had maintained close relationships with strong Christians, they would have been much less likely to slide off the path.

May we be quick to repent to God and to a close friend, and may we be the kind of friends who can be trusted to listen and help those who are struggling.

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:13-14).

© 2018 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated all images are copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.