The Vision

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A VISION

BY

GENERAL WILLIAM BOOTH

 

On one of my recent journeys, as I gazed from the coach window, I was led into a train of thought concerning the conditions of the multitudes around me. They were living carelessly in the most open and shameless rebellion against God, without a thought for their eternal welfare. As I looked out the window, I seemed to see them all – millions of people all around me – given up to their drink and their pleasure, their dancing and their music, their business and their anxieties, their politics and their troubles. Ignorant – willfully ignorant in many cases – and in other instances knowing all about the truth and not caring at all. But all of them, the whole mass of them, sweeping on and up in their blasphemies and devilries to the throne of God. While my mind was thus engaged, I had a vision.

I saw a dark and stormy ocean. Over it the black clouds hung heavily; through them every now and then vivid lightening flashed and loud thunder rolled, while the winds moaned, and the waves rose and foamed, towered and broke, only to rise and foam, tower and break again.

In that ocean I thought I saw myriads of poor human beings plunging and floating, shouting and shrieking, cursing and struggling and drowning; and as they cursed and screamed, they rose and shrieked again, and then some sank to rise no more.

I saw out of this dark, angry ocean, a mighty rock that rose up with its summit towering high above the black clouds that overhung the stormy sea. All around the base of this rock I saw a vast platform. Onto this platform, I saw with delight a number of the poor struggling, drowning wretches continually climbing out of the angry ocean. And I saw that a few of those, who were already safe on the platform, were helping the poor creatures still in the angry waters to reach the place of safety.

On looking more closely, I found a number of those who had been rescued, industriously working and scheming by ladders, ropes, boats, and other means more effective, to deliver the poor strugglers out of this sea. Here and there were some who actually jumped into the water, regardless of all the consequences, in their passion to “rescue the perishing”. And I hardly know which gladdened me most – the sight of the poor drowning people climbing onto the rocks, reaching the place of safety, or the devotion and self-sacrifice of those whose whole beings were wrapped up in the effort for their deliverance.

As I looked on, I saw that the occupants of that platform were quite a mixed company. That is, they were divided into different “sets” or classes, and they occupied themselves with different pleasures and employments. But only a very few of them seemed to make it their business to get the people out of the sea.

What puzzled me the most was the fact that though all of them had been rescued at one time or another from the ocean, nearly everyone seemed to have forgotten all about it. Anyway, it seemed the memory of its darkness and danger no longer troubled them at all. And what seemed equally strange and perplexing to me was that these people did not even seem to have any are – that is, any agonizing  care – about the poor perishing ones who were struggling and drowning right before their very eyes… many of whom were their own husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, and even their own children.

Now this astonishing unconcern could not have been the result of ignorance or lack of knowledge, because they lived right there in full sight of it all and event talked about it sometimes. Many even went regularly to hear lectures and sermons in which the awful state of these poor drowning creatures was described.

I have already said that the occupants of this platform were engaged in different pursuits and pastimes. Some of them were absorbed night and day in trading and business in order to make gain, storing up their savings in boxes, safes, and the like.

Many spent their time in amusing themselves with growing flowers on the side of the rock, others in painting pieces of cloth, or in playing music, or in dressing themselves up in different styles and walking about to be admired. Some occupied themselves chiefly in eating and drinking, others were taken  up with arguing about the poor drowning creatures that had already been rescued.

But the thing to me that seemed the most amazing was that those on the platform to who He called, who heard His voice and felt they ought to obey it – at least they said they did – those who confessed to love Him much and were in full sympathy with Him in the task He had undertaken  – who worshipped Him or who professed to do so – were taken up with their trades and professions, their money saving and pleasures, their families and circles, their religions and arguments about it, and their preparation for going to the mainland, that they did not listen to the cry that came to them from this Wonderful Being who had Himself gone down into the sea. Anyway, it they heard it, they did not heed it. They did not care. And so the multitude went on right before them struggling and shrieking and drowning in the darkness.

Then I saw something that seemed to me even more strange than anything that had gone on before in this strange vision. I saw that some of these people on the platform whom this Wonderful Being had called to, wanting them to come and help Him in His difficult task of saving these perishing creatures, were always praying and crying out to Him to come to them!

Some wanted Him to come and stay with them, and spend His time and strength in making them happier. Others wanted Him to come and take away various doubts and misgivings they had concerning the truth of some letters which He had written them. Some wanted Him to come and make them feel more secure on the rock – so secure that they would be quite sure they should never slip off again into the ocean. Numbers of others wanted Him to make them feel quite certain that they would really get off the rock and onto the mainland someday; because as a matter of fact, it was well know that some had walked so carelessly as to lose their footing and had fallen back again into the stormy waters.

So these people used to meet and get up as high on the rock as they could, and looking toward the mainland (where they thought the Great Being was) they would cry out, “Come, help us! Come, help us!” And all the while He was down (by His Spirit) among the poor struggling, drowning creatures in the angry deep, with His arms around them trying to drag them out, and looking up oh! so longingly, but all in vain to those on the rock, crying to them with His voice all hoarse from calling. “Come to Me! Come and help Me!”

Then I understood it all. It was plain enough. The sea was the ocean of life – the sea of real, actual human existence. That lightning was the gleaming of piercing truth coming from Jehovah’s throne. That thunder was the distant echoing of the wrath of God. Those multitudes of people shrieking, struggling, and agonizing in the stormy sea were the thousands and thousands of poor harlots and harlot-makers, of drunkards and drunkard-makers, of thieves, liars, blasphemers, and ungodly people of every kindred, tongue and nation.

Oh, what a black sea it was! And oh, what multitudes of rich and poor, ignorant and educated were there. They were all so unalike in their outward circumstances and conditions, yet all held by, and holding onto, some iniquity, fascinated by some idol, the slaves of some devilish lust, and ruled by the foul fiend from the bottomless pit!

“All alike in one thing?” No, all alike in two things. Not only the same in their wickedness, but unless rescued, the same in their sinking, sinking… down, down, down . . . to the same terrible doom. That great sheltering rock represented Calvary, the place where Jesus had died for them. And the people on it were those who had been rescued. They way they used their energies, gifts, and time represented the occupations and amusements of those who professed to be saved from sin and hell – followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. The handful of fierce, determined ones, who were risking their own lives in saving the perishing, were true soldiers of the cross of Jesus. That Mighty Being who was calling to them from the midst of the angry waters was the Son of God, “the same yesterday, today, and forever”, who is still struggling and interceding to save the dying multitudes about us from this terrible doom of damnation, and whose voice can be heard above the music, machinery, and noise of life, calling on the rescued to come and help Him save the world.

My friends in Christ, you are rescued from the waters. You are on the rock. He is in the dark sea calling on you to come to Him and help Him. Will you go? Look for yourselves. The surging sea of like crowded with perishing multitudes rolls up to the very spot on which you stand. Leaving the vision, I now come to speak of the fact – a fact that is as real as the Bible, as real as the Christ who hung upon the cross, as real as the judgment day will be, and as real as the heaven and hell that will follow it.

Look! Don’t be deceived by appearances – men and things are not what they seem. All who are not on the rock are in the sea! Look at them from the standpoint of the great white throne, and what a sight you have! Jesus Christ, the Son of God is, through His Spirit, in the midst of this dying multitude, struggling to save them. And He is calling on you to jump into the sea – to go right away to His side and help Him in the holy strife. Will you jump? That is, will you go to His feet and place yourself absolutely at His disposal?

A young Christian once came to me and told me that for some time she had been giving the Lord her profession and prayers and money, but now she wanted to give Him her life. She wanted to go right into the fight. In other words, she wanted to go to His assistance in the sea. As when a man from the shore, seeing another struggling in the water, takes off those outer garments that would hinder his efforts and leaps to the rescue, so will you who still linger on the bank, thinking and singing and praying about the poor perishing souls, lay aside your shame, your pride, your cares about other people’s opinions, your love of ease, and all the selfish loves that have kept you back for so long, and rush to the rescue of this multitude of dying men and women?

Does the surging sea look dark and dangerous? Unquestionably it is so. There is no doubt that the leap for you, as for everyone who takes it, means difficulty and scorn and suffering. For you it may mean more than this. It may mean death. He who beckons you from the sea, however, knows what it will mean – and knowing, He still calls to you and bids you come.

You must do it! You cannot hold back. You have enjoyed yourself in Christianity long enough. You have had pleasant feelings, pleasant songs, pleasant meetings, pleasant prospects. There has been much of human happiness, much clapping of hands and shouting of praises – vey much of heaven on earth.

Now then, go to God and tell Him you are prepared as much as necessary to turn your back upon it all, and that you are willing to spend the rest of your days struggling in the midst of these perishing multitudes, whatever it may cost you.

You must do it. With the light that has now broken in upon your mind, and the call that is now sounding in your ears, and the beckoning hands that are now before your eyes, you have no alternative. To go down among the perishing crowds is your duty. Your happiness from now on will consist in sharing their misery, your ease in sharing their pain, your crown in helping them to bear their cross, and your heaven in going into the very jaws of hell to rescue them.

Now, what will you do?

Desperate for Change

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           One of the great truths of the Gospel is that Jesus purchased humanity with His own blood so they could walk triumphantly over the power of sin.  Tragically though, there are many who never overcome habitual sin because they get stuck in a rut of apathy and hopelessness.  The truth is that they won’t put away their sin until they become so serious about their relationship with Jesus that they will do whatever it takes to walk holy. People must come to the point of desperation before they will be willing to recklessly abandon themselves to God.

            While pastoring in Detroit I ministered to alcoholics, prostitutes, junkies and drug dealers.  These people had been devastated by sin; they had lost everything in life.  One would expect to see a single-minded determination to break free from the stranglehold of sin, but amazingly, most of them seemed unwilling to change. They lacked the desperation that is always present in a person’s life that finds true victory from the power of sin.

 

THE LAW

            The struggling believer is in a much better position than the unsaved drug addict out on the street.  Sin may be controlling his life but at least he has the knowledge of God’s law that is constantly reminding him of the wrongness of his transgressions. Nevertheless, the law can never bring liberty to the sinner.

            Imagine if a person wrote the entire dos and don’ts of the Mosaic Law (moral laws) on the walls of his home.  They would not make him more holy, only guiltier.  These laws would point accusingly at him because every human being breaks those laws on a constant basis.  The law only kills and damns people because it reveals that they are actually lawbreakers.

            Though the moral law manifests a person’s guilt before God as a lawbreaker, it is powerless to change him or give him the desire to do so.  The law screams, “Stop lusting! Stop fornicating! Stop the homosexuality! Stop gossiping! Stop gambling! Stop sinning!” Yet the desire and power to break the chains of sin are not there.  There must be something more, a love more powerful than the person’s love of sin and self.

            The law was never meant to bring liberty; it was only meant to show people their great need for Someone who could save them from the power of sin. The law cannot make a person want to change because the knowledge of sin is not enough.  Even though a person knows he should quit his sinful behavior, he is locked into a terrible pattern of spiritual bondage and despair.  There must be something greater than his sin and if he doesn’t grab hold of the greater he will never have the desperation to change that is needed.

            When a man grows desperate for God he becomes willing to do whatever it takes to overcome sin.  His heart begins to change and a cry wells up from within, “God, I can’t break these chains. They are too strong for me.  Please help me!”  This is the point of desperation where God visits His people and sets them free.  Only a hunger for God that seizes the soul will produce the driving passion needed for holiness.

 

THE POWER OF SURRENDER

            One of the greatest obstacles people face in their pursuit of victory is the matter of control.  Most people want to be free from the chains of sin, but they want to do it while maintaining control over their lives.  “If I can just do this one particular thing, I will find freedom,” they tell themselves.  Nevertheless, as long as they believe there is a solution outside of abandonment to Christ, they will remain a captive to sin. Their efforts to win the battle by their own methods and strength are doomed to failure as long as they remain in control.

            The power to overcome sin will never be found in a person’s own determination or wisdom.  Freedom from the bondage of sin only comes through surrender to God.  The man must come to the point where he falls unreservedly at the feet of Jesus and cries out, “Oh God, I’m weary of my sin!  I can’t overcome it without you.  You are my only hope!”  It is at this point of helplessness that the man is closest to victory.

            General William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army said, “The greatness of a man’s power is the measure of his surrender.”  People who have done tremendous exploits for God did not possess great abilities in themselves but were people who completely abandoned themselves to the Lord of miracles.

            So it is with the battle with sin.  The victory is not found in self-effort but in self-abandonment.  Oswald Chambers put it this way: “What is needed in spiritual matters is reckless abandonment to the Lord Jesus Christ, reckless and uncalculating abandonment, with no reserve anywhere about it.”

 

THE FOCUS OF ONE’S AFFECTIONS

            Acquiring a relentless determination to live in victory will not happen through one’s own willpower but through one’s affections.  To put it simply, it is a matter of love.  People become addicted to some particular besetting sin because it is what the flesh loves.  And what’s more, the flesh will always love it and there is no amount of effort on a person’s part that can bring to an end his love of sin and self.

            His only hope of overcoming habitual sin is to replace his love for sin with a consuming love for God.  Until this love seizes the soul the person will never experience a driving passion for holiness.  Only when he looks into Christ’s lovely face will he find a love that will eclipse his love of sin and self.

            So herein lies the answer. It is to see Jesus, to fall in love with “The Lover of My Soul.” This is why the Psalmist declared, “My eyes are fixed on you, oh, Sovereign Lord.” (Psalm 141:8)  Every time a man falls into sin it’s because he has taken his eyes off of Christ’s lovely face.  In other words, he abandons his first or principle love.  That is why the devil and the world are relentlessly trying to get believers to take their eyes off of Jesus.  But godly men and women have learned the secret of making Jesus the focus of their entire life.

            The power for holiness comes through intimacy.  Look at Jesus, and His love will burn in your heart.  When He says, “Change,” you will say, “Yes Lord.”  Smith Wigglesworth once said, “No man can see God and live. That’s Scripture. That is why we all need to see Jesus that we might cease to be and that He might live through us.”  The greatest victory and joy you will ever know will be yours as you recklessly abandon yourself to Christ.

            I will share one final quote in closing.  Robert Murray McCheyne said, “Let the Holy Spirit fill every chamber of your heart so that there will be no room for folly or the world or Satan or the flesh.”  If you lack this kind of infilling of the Holy Spirit, get on your face before God and cry out for it.  Ask the Lord to help you grow desperate you for Him.  Ask Him to bring you to a place of absolute surrender.  It is there—in complete despair of being able to find the answer in your own abilities and strength—that you will find the One who can set you free from the power of sin.

 

            Glenn Meldrum has been a national evangelist since 1997. Prior to his calling as an evangelist he pastored for 15 years. He is ordained and holds an M.A. in theology and church history from Ashland Theological Seminary. Visit www.ihpministry.com for articles, sermons, books and information on Glenn Meldrum and In His Presence Ministries.

 

What Happens in Revival

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God has been described as “one pent-up revival.”[1] When saints live in the reviving power of God’s presence, the world takes note that there is a God, we have been with Him, and His name is Jesus.

Revival is God’s self-disclosure. It speaks of a Savior who yearns to dwell in the midst of His people. It is the positive work of the Spirit that deals with the negative character traits of sinful humanity.

Revival is the sovereign activity of God. No one can force His hand to act, or else He would not be the Almighty. Yet the Lord has chosen to place responsibility for revival in the hands of men. This is the great mystery of revival: the Lord sovereignly moves and yet acts in accordance with the prayers of His people.

For revival to come, we must comprehend that in and of ourselves, we can do nothing. Yet, our responsibility is real. This means that a cooperative effort between God and man takes place for the Spirit to be poured out. God has given us the privilege of pursuing revival through those means He has established in His written Word. The Spirit moves the hearts of men to move the heart of God—a mystery indeed.

Revival is a revelation of God’s holiness. Revival is a “person or a community saturated with the presence of God … an invasion from Heaven which brings to man a conscious awareness of God.”[2] This awareness of God includes the revelation of His holiness. The beauty of His holiness will always illuminate our sinfulness, which subsequently produces tremendous conviction of sin. When we look at our sin through the presence of God, we begin to understand how hideous our transgressions actually are. This is Christ’s goodness revealed to a race of rebels (Rom. 2:4).

Revival produces deep, heartfelt repentance. When the Holy Spirit descends, He convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment (John 16:8). Heartfelt repentance produces a change in character, and a change in character produces a change in lifestyle. History demonstrates that according to the depth of conviction will be the depth of repentance, and according to the depth of repentance will be the depth of the revival. Revival is always a move of the Spirit that produces repentance and personal holiness. It cannot be otherwise.

Revival is new life. Heartfelt repentance and a passion for holiness impart new life to the saved and the unsaved. The river of living water that pours forth from the throne of God gives life wherever it flows (Ezek. 47). When that river flows through the church, there will be power and desire to reach the unsaved. When it sweeps through the streets of our cities, radical conversions will abound.

New life produces new priorities. The light of God’s brilliance illuminates the meaninglessness of worldly pursuits. Compromise falls off as love for the Savior replaces the depraved love of the world and the twisted love of self. Vibrant worship and prayer become the norm.

New life in the soul means new life in relationships. When men and women abandon themselves to Jesus, the result will be transformed lives that affect every relationship they have. Marriages and families are restored as godly virtues replace wicked character traits. When rebellious teens are genuinely converted, their rebellion ceases. The power of God delivers the fornicator, adulterous spouse, or homosexual from their sexual addictions to live in pure and holy freedom. Revival is literally new life for individuals, families, churches, and nations.

Revival is spiritual revolution. “Revival is a divine method of operation in human history . . . an instrument of spiritual revolution.”[3] This spiritual revolution is birthed through radicals and martyrs who reproduce after their own kind. They see the world through the eyes of Christ and are willing to lay down their lives for the One who laid down His life for them. This is the place of desperate love and surrender to Jesus, where sacrifice ceases to be a burden.

An explosive missionary spirit is always a byproduct of revival. The Lord uses common saints who live in the light of eternity to turn the world upside down. They comprehend that people are eternal creatures who will live forever in heaven or hell. So they joyfully abandon themselves to the cause of Christ to rescue a self-destructing world no matter the cost.

The manifest glory of God is the greatest hope for the salvation of our loved ones, the most effective means of restraining the wickedness that is sweeping America, and the only power that can transform cities and nations.

[1] Leonard Ravenhill, Why Revival Tarries, Minneapolis, MN, Bethany House Publishers, 1959, p. 139.
[2] Stephen Olford, Lord, Open the Heavens!, Wheaton, IL, Howard Shaw Publishers, 1969, p. 60.
[3] C. E. Autrey, Revivals of the Old Testament, Grand Rapids, MI, Zondervan Publishing House, 1960, pp. 14, 16.

Excerpted from Rend the Heavens, by Glenn Meldrum, copyright © 2005.

Glenn Meldrum has been a national evangelist since 1997. Prior to his calling as an evangelist he pastored for 15 years. He is ordained and holds an M.A. in theology and church history from Ashland Theological Seminary. Visit www.ihpministry.com for articles, sermons, books and information on Glenn Meldrum and In His Presence Ministries.

Obedience

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Jesus, after going up a mountain to pray, “appointed twelve—designating them apostles—THAT THEY MIGHT BE WITH HIM and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons” (Mk. 3:14-15; emphasis mine). The most important point of this passage is that the disciples “MIGHT BE WITH HIM.” No greater privilege was ever bestowed upon mortal men than to have walked with Jesus as those first disciples did. Because of Christ’s work on the cross we are granted this same great privilege—to walk with Him in unbroken fellowship. The purpose for which God created mankind was to enjoy Him through intimate fellowship and to glorify Him in all we do. We will never bring Him glory unless we know and love the place of intimacy with “the One my heart loves” (Song 3:1-4)
Jesus designed discipleship to be relational. He wanted the disciples to be near Him so they could imitate His heart, lifestyle and mission. The only way they could grow in Christlikeness was for them to spend time with the Savior so they could know Him intimately and learn to obey His every command. According to Jesus, loving obedience was a non-negotiable part of discipleship. Those who refused to explicitly obey Christ either never followed Him (Lk. 19:22) or forsook Him (Jn. 6:66).
Our Lord’s standard of discipleship has not changed from when He first gathered around Him a ragtag band of followers. Because we live in the prosperous 21st century which is suffering under the ravages of humanism and moral relativism does not mean the Savior has altered His costly call to leave all and follow Him. We cannot be a genuine Christian, have a Christlike character or be pleasing to God until we enter into a personal relationship with Him and learn how to lovingly obey Him as Lord and Savior.
The church at large has erroneously believed that total obedience to God is not a compulsory requirement of discipleship. By perverting the love of God, we have concocted a deviant form of Christianity in which we claim that God would never impose upon His people the stringent obligation of absolute obedience. “We are all sinners” and “God knows my heart” are arguments used, not to state truth, but to justify one’s disobedience. What is being advocated is a cheap grace whereby we assert that since salvation is by grace we are not obligated to fully obey the Lord. These deceptions are from the pit of hell!
Obedience distinguishes a godly person from an ungodly one. The ungodly, whether church members or not, practice disobedience which is nothing other than self-idolatry and anarchy against Christ’s lordship. The Savior draws near to His obedient children, but is repulsed by the rebellious. He answers the prayers of His obedient disciples, but refuses to respond to the prayers of the disobedient unless they are the prayers of authentic repentance (Zec. 7:13). How arrogant it is to think God must answer our prayers and bless us when we live hostile to His very will.
The faith of our fathers is further corrupted by our embracing and propagating another damnable lie which claims that Jesus can be our Savior even if we have not surrendered to Him as Lord. The essential qualities that make Jesus Lord and Savior are indivisible. This means that for Jesus to be our Savior He must also be our Lord. The opposite is also true; if Jesus is not our Lord then He most certainly is not our Savior. Everyone that genuinely knows Jesus as Savior has pledged the entirety of their lives to Him as a Sovereign Lord and their lives become living testimonies to that fact. But all who refuse to submit to Christ’s absolute rule over their lives stand outside of His salvation and will face His wrath as enemies of God. Even so, Jesus is Lord regardless of our willingness to surrender to His lordship.

LOVE AND OBEDIENCE
There is yet another error that has gripped the church that relates to the subject of obedience. Many self-proclaimed Christians maintain that they love Jesus even though they live self-willed, rebellious lives. Such assertions express a vast ignorance of what it means to be a disciple of Christ and what constitutes love from God’s point of view. Love and obedience are irrevocably intertwined. As a result, they cannot be divorced from each other. Disobedience, whether it is perpetrated against God or man, is always a willful act of rebellion which is an expression of idolatrous self-love. Authentic love is selfless, therefore, it will not be rebellious. The only way we can have the will and desire to explicitly obey the Lord is that we must love Him supremely; otherwise, there is no compelling force to obey Him at any cost.
To love God supremely means that we love Him more than any person in our lives, whether spouse or children, parents or siblings, loved ones or friends. It includes loving Him more than our wealth, comforts or material possessions. To love Him supremely requires that we love Him more than our ambitions, dreams or desires; that we love Him more than our occupation, ministry, recreation or retirement; that we love Him more than our sin; and ultimately, that we love Him more than ourselves. The Lord firmly established that for our love to be acceptable to Him it must be with the entirety of our being (Mk. 12:29-30; Deu. 6:4-5).
When Jesus is our supreme love then He will be our supreme source of pleasure. Anything that robs us of intimacy with Jesus is sin, no matter how good it may be in and of itself. If Jesus is not our supreme source of pleasure then we have become idolaters, breaking the greatest commandment. And if we do not love being with Jesus more than anyone or anything else, we have proven ourselves to be idolaters. To love God supremely means we prize communion with Him more than any activity or form of entertainment. Take TV for example. When people spend more time watching TV then they do in prayer they have verifiable proof that they love their TV more than God, which means they are idolaters. To love God supremely we must mature in the faith to the point where we fervently enjoy the place of prayer and worship because we love being with Jesus above all else.
When we love God supremely we will obey Him supremely. He will be the definer of our lives, relationships, activities, morality and reason-for-being. His Word will be our life’s guide, which we will obey though it costs us our possessions or very lives. Those who love Him supremely will find it a joy to quickly obey His every word. With a burning passion they will strive to live pleasing to Him through a life of personal holiness. For those who love themselves and their sin above Christ, His commands are considered heavy chains and His service as harsh bondage.

CHRIST’S TEACHING ON LOVING OBEDIENCE
One day Jesus taught the disciples saying, “If you love me, you will obey what I command” (Jn. 14:15). Reiterating this thought He declared, “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me” (Jn. 14:21). Then a third time, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching” (Jn. 14:23). The repetitiveness of Christ’s teaching on this subject emphatically proves that love and obedience are mandatory in the life of any disciple.
To add further impact to this point Jesus addressed the issue from the negative: “He who does not love me will not obey my teaching” (Jn. 14:23). This forceful statement emphasizes the fact that anyone who does not obey Jesus does not love Him (this also applies to professing Christians). The Savior was confronting our natural propensity to self-love which is a form of idolatry. Anyone who alleges to love the Lord, but does not fully obey Him, possesses little more than sentimental feelings for God. In the end, these sentimental feelings will serve only to eternally haunt countless souls in hell who did not love Jesus and therefore did not obey Him.
Six times in two chapters Jesus proclaims this truth to firmly establish that love and obedience are indissoluble (Jn. 15:10, 14-15). The Savior was confirming His divine right to rule over His disciples as Sovereign Lord. He was defining for all generations the quality and standard of true discipleship, which unequivocally includes loving and obeying Him supremely. Yet many people make lofty claims about loving God while living like the devil. So let’s look at the logical conclusion of what it means to not love the Lord supremely. According to Jesus we cannot love God without wholeheartedly obeying Him; if we are not obeying Him then we are rebelling against Him; if we continue in our rebellion we place ourselves at war with Him; if we are at war with God then we have become His enemy; if we are His enemy then we do not have His salvation; this means we are left in our sins; if we are left in our sins then we are destined for damnation.
Through Christ’s atoning sacrifice we are freely offered the priceless gift of salvation. Though we cannot buy or earn this gift, it nonetheless, costs us everything. That is why our eternal destiny is uniquely tied into whether or not we live a life of loving obedience to God. According to our passion to know Jesus will be our desire to obey Him. Does your life boldly declare that you love the Lord or does blatantly declare the opposite?

Glenn Meldrum has been a national evangelist since 1997. Prior to his calling as an evangelist he pastored for 15 years. He is ordained and holds an M.A. in theology and church history from Ashland Theological Seminary. Visit www.ihpministry.com for articles, sermons, books and information on Glenn Meldrum and In His Presence Ministries.

Radical Christianity

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There is a disturbing paradox that most Christians do not know exists or is not willing to address. The problem arises over our claims that we believe in the divine inspiration and infallibility of Scriptures and then question whether Jesus really meant what He said in many of His challenging statements.  Either “All Scripture is God-breathed,” or it is not (2 Tim. 3:16). When Jesus claimed that He was the Truth He was also declaring that everything He taught was absolute truth (Jn. 14:16). He meant what He said, whether those difficult teachings are convenient to our comfortable lifestyles or not. The nitty-gritty of this issue revolves around whether we are living what He taught.

A simple examination of the life of Christ will reveal that everything about Jesus was radical—His incarnation, life, teaching, death and resurrection. It will also be found that this radical Jesus clearly commanded His followers to live like He did.  This necessitates that Biblical Christianity is utterly radical in all of its demands to all generations and cultures.

One example of Christ’s radical teaching is found in Matthew 16:13-27.  It begins with Jesus asking His disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”  After their varied responses He personalized the question, “Who do you say that I am?”  Peter quickly proclaimed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  Then the Lord told the other disciples that Peter received this revelation from the Father.

Immediately following this event Jesus began sharing with the apostles His coming death and resurrection. Once again Peter was ready with a dramatic declaration, this time reproving Jesus for saying He must die on the cross.  Peter’s selfish act received the Master’s stern rebuke, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”  How astounding!  One moment Peter was in the Spirit and next he was used by Satan.  Scary, isn’t it?

Jesus turned this event into an object lesson for all the apostles.  He established the fact that, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Peter and the disciples understood a principle that most American Christians totally miss—that the student is not above his teacher (Mt. 10:24-25).  Peter knew what this involved: if Jesus went to the cross then he would have to go also.  Since Peter did not want to die on a cross he was left with only one alternative; to talk Jesus out of going to the cross.  We, like Peter, aggressively resist crucifying our old, sinful nature.

One principle of living the crucified life is, “whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.”  In our relentless pursuit for happiness we have rejected the only source of true joy—the crucified and resurrected Christ.  Our resistance to die to our sinful nature has only served to separate us from God and fill us with the pain and sorrow that comes through the deceitfulness of sin and rebellion.  The wonder of Christ’s resurrection is known and enjoyed only after we have willingly embraced the cross by purposely crucifying our sin, selfishness, lust and pride.

Crucifixion finishes the work it begins. “The old cross is a symbol of death,” wrote A. W. Tozer.  “It stands for the abrupt, violent end of a human being.  The man in Roman times who took up his cross and started down the road had already said good-bye to his friends.  He was not coming back.  He was going out to have it ended.  The cross made no compromise, modified nothing, spared nothing; it slew all of the man, completely and for good.  It did not try to keep on good terms with its victim.  It struck cruel and hard, and when it had finished its work, the man was no more.”  If we had truly nailed our old nature to the cross it would not be causing us all the trouble it does.

There is a beautiful practicality with the Scriptures. John taught, “Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did” (1 Jn. 2:6).  This is not an option, but a mandatory condition of true discipleship.  Christians will obtain Christ’s victory over the world when they walk as He did. We live defeated lives every time we choose to live like the world.  Only through death to self can we live resurrected lives that overcome the world.  L. E. Maxwell stated that a true understanding of the Cross “takes possession of us; it overcomes and absorbs us, and tears us ruthlessly from everything else.” The Christ of the cross demands that our entire life becomes a perpetual living sacrifice (Rom. 12:1-2).

The radicalness of Jesus is again revealed when He said, “In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple” (Lk. 14: 33).  Notice that Jesus did not say we would be a bad disciple if we did not give up everything, but that we COULD NOT be His disciple.  Mournfully, many who claim to be Christians in reality are not because they have not given everything to God. One commentator proclaimed that this passage “is perhaps the most unpopular term of Christian discipleship and may well prove to be the most unpopular verse in the Bible.  Cleaver theologians can give you a thousand reasons why it does not mean what it says, but simple disciples drink it down eagerly, assuming that Jesus knew what He was saying.”

In our secularized, pleasure driven version of Christianity we have come to loathe the demands of the cross. Since our crossless Christianity is powerless to save, the world ignores the claims of Christ. The unsaved clearly see that we are not willing to live, much less suffer or die for what we believe. It’s obvious to them that most Christians are as pleasure driven as any acclaimed hedonist. Many non-believers have heard about our church splits and know the sum and substance about our divorces, adulteries, drinking, gambling and a host of other sins. They see our children fleeing the church because our lukewarm religion has proved hypocritical and worthless. Jesus puts this all in perspective by warning, “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?” (Mt. 16:26).

Our only hope of victory comes through two crosses. The first is Christ’s, where He purchased us with His own blood. This cross reveals the depth of our wickedness and our powerlessness to save ourselves. It proclaims that salvation is by God’s grace alone.

The second cross is the one that bears our name, the one we must voluntarily pick up and claim as our own. For the love of Christ we must die to every form of selfishness and sin, for these destroy our relationship with God and with others. We must then follow Him wherever He leads no matter the cost. Only when we lose our life in Christ will we find His victorious resurrected life.

Jesus said that He would “reward each person according to what he has done” (Mt. 16:27). For those who refuse to pick up their cross and walk with Him through intimate holiness (whether a self-proclaimed Christian or not), there is only sorrow and bondage to sin that comes from a life without God—both now and through eternity.

Those who through loving obedience pick up their cross and follow Jesus will walk in His victory. “Christ Himself shall be the greatest reward of His people,” stated Robert Murray McCheyne. “Any place would be heaven if we were with Christ.  No place would be heaven without Him. . . . Oh, to talk with Him as Moses and Elijah did on the mount of transfiguration, to hear Him speak gracious words, to lean our head where John leaned his, to hold Him, and not let Him go . . . to have Him turning upon us His eyes of divine tenderness and holy love–that will be a reward.”  Biblical Christianity is radical and it is worth the cost!

Glenn Meldrum has been a national evangelist since 1997. Prior to his calling as an evangelist he pastored for 15 years. He is ordained and holds an M.A. in theology and church history from Ashland Theological Seminary. Visit www.ihpministry.com for articles, sermons, books and information on Glenn Meldrum and In His Presence Ministries.

Unredeemable

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I fear the United States is hastening towards judgment. Where that line of no return is I do not know, but the nation’s rapid moral and spiritual decline is hurtling us towards that terrifying line at breakneck speed. Only divine intervention can turn us from our self-destructive course. We have forsaken the God which gave us a country immersed in a strong Christian heritage; we have abandoned the ancient paths to become a modern barbaric culture (Jeremiah 6:16).

Just prior to my ministering at an urban church the youth pastor taught his unsaved, street level youth group that homosexuality is sin and those practicing it will spend an eternity in hell. One 14 year old girl replied, “Then everyone in my school is going to hell.” This same young woman responded to an altar call I gave while preaching to that youth group. While my wife was ministering to her she asked a serious question: “How can I be a Christian when all my friends are lesbians and my mother is a drug addict?” Bob Just was right when he stated: “Today’s culture is a child molester.” [1]

How can the Lord hold back his just wrath when we are destroying our nation, beginning with our youth? Law Professor Kelly Howard declared, “According to sworn testimony before the U.S. Senate, experts reveal that by the time a female in this country is 18 years old, 38 percent have been sexually molested. One in eight women will be raped. Fifty percent of women will be sexually harassed on their jobs during their lifetimes. In fact, sexual dysfunction is on such a rampant rise that experts are calling it a sexual holocaust.” [2]

UNREDEEMABLE CULTURES

There are cultures and nations that are simply not redeemable. This means that they have collectively crossed a line in the practice of evil where they refuse to turn from their sin and are therefore left to God’s wrath. Because a culture becomes unredeemable does not imply that individuals within that culture cannot be saved. It just indicates that the culture has become so immersed in wickedness that the only thing left for it is destruction. This happens in part because the nature of evil is not understood to be exceedingly wicked and offensive to a holy God, so the practice of evil becomes culturally acceptable.

The fact that cultures can become unredeemable does not mean that the doctrine of limited atonement is true. The Lord gave mankind an authentic free will and desires every person to be saved. That is why He declared, “I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?” (Ezekiel 33:11; quoted in 2 Peter 3:9). Though salvation is available to everyone, only those who repent will be saved.

Cultures are made up of individuals who make the conscience moral choices that define the character of a nation or people group. Some cultures become so immersed in evil that they harden themselves against God. Since they reject God’s salvation, He turns them over to their own self-destructive ways (Romans 1:18-32). In essence, they cross a line in their practice of sin where evil is so ingrained into the culture that the only thing left to them is divine wrath.

Examples of unredeemable cultures are abundant in Scripture. The Lord destroyed the world with a flood in Noah’s day. He hailed fire and brimstone down on Sodom. Israel could not conquer the promise land until the evil practices of the Amorites was at its worst (Genesis 15:13-16). King Saul was commanded by God to fully destroy the Amalekites because they had plummeted to the depths of depravity in their pursuit of evil (1 Samuel 15).

The only safe way we can say that a culture was unredeemable is by looking at Scripture. Otherwise we are left to subjective claims that are based upon our small-minded opinions and highfalutin paradigms. Only God knows the hearts of men, therefore, He alone is able to justly judge them and their cultures. Since He is all-knowing and perfect in righteousness He is able determine which nation or people group has crossed the moral and spiritual line becoming unredeemable.

For mere mortals to label people and nations as unredeemable is counterproductive to Christ’s command to go into all the world and preach the Gospel. We must always believe that grace is available to everyone and faithfully strive to present them with the Gospel. Ours is not to decide who is to be saved, but to reach out to everyone no matter their lifestyle or sin.

If all this is true then what is the value of understanding that cultures can become unredeemable? So that we seek God’s face for a national awakening and prepare the way for Him to come to us. In the end, we are either going to experience revival or judgment. Yet even if we had a revival where five million people were genuinely converted, would that deliver the nation from the vile explosion of homosexuality? Would it rescue us from the evils of fornication (which includes people living together outside of marriage)? Do you think that the porn and prostitution trades would cease their practices? Would our state governments and Indian reservations abandon the decadent, yet lucrative business of gambling? Would Hollywood cease propagating the moral and spiritual filth it relentlessly vomits out of its studios?

A JONAH EXAMPLE

My fear is that we are nearing the line of no return. Nevertheless, we must remember that all things are possible with God and the story of Nineveh is the perfect example of mercy being shown to an evil culture. The Lord decreed the judgment of Nineveh “because its wickedness has come up before me” (Jonah 1:2). After Jonah preached, the people repented, so the Lord granted mercy. If the Savior was “concerned about that great city” of 120,000 souls (Jonah 4:11), will He not be concerned about America’s millions?

There are two ways we can respond to our nation’s aggressive pursuit of evil. The first is to run away from our responsibility as Jonah did at first. This is what the majority of professing believers are doing today—hiding in their churches, keeping the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ from the mass of perishing humanity. The second is to follow Jonah’s example and repent. Here lies our only hope—that a deeply repentant church would become a catalyst for an authentic awakening that would transform secular society. The First Great Awakening in America began in the 1730’s. There were approximately 340,000 people in the country, with roughly 100,000 alcoholics. At the end of the awakening 50,000 people were saved. An equivalent awakening today would produce 50 million authentic conversions.

Jesus warned that prior to His second coming the world would become unredeemable like it was in the days of Noah and Sodom (Luke 17:26-30). This is literally being fulfilled before our very eyes. Mankind’s practice of evil will reach a depth unequaled in history. There will come the time when they will literally fight against God at Armageddon, but will suffer a fate similar to Sodom. Then the Lord will make a new heaven and earth “wherein dwelleth righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13).

People, cultures and nations that cross the line in the practice of evil have something worse to fear than the destruction of their culture or of creation itself, and that’s the Great White Throne Judgment. Here the Lord will judge the people as individuals who made their own conscience choices. All who refused to own Jesus as Lord while on earth will suffer an eternity without Him in the Lake of Fire. Even the eternal fires of hell will not purge them of their love of evil. In the Lake of Fire they will be unredeemable forever.

 

Glenn Meldrum has been a national evangelist since 1997. Prior to his calling as an evangelist he pastored for 15 years. He is ordained and holds an M.A. in theology and church history from Ashland Theological Seminary. Visit www.ihpministry.com for articles, sermons, books and information on Glenn Meldrum and In His Presence Ministries.

[1] David Kupelian, The Marketing of Evil (Nashville, TN, Cumberland House Publishing, 2005), 78.

[2] David Kupelian, The Marketing of Evil (Nashville, TN, Cumberland House Publishing, 2005), 129.

Get What You Deserve

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In 1997 the Lord graciously called my wife and I into the ministry of the evangelist. We live in a motorhome and travel across the nation preaching at churches, camp meetings and conferences. No matter how busy we get there always seems to be a few holes in our schedule. Major holidays are difficult to fill because churches usually don’t want evangelists on Thanksgiving, Christmas and Mother’s Day. We often fill those empty slots by ministering at Christian rehabs such as Teen Challenge.

While traveling south to a minister at a Teen Challenge we attended an authentic Spirit filled, on fire church. The worship was awesome and the preacher delivered an anointed sermon that was firmly grounded in God’s Word. No namby-pamby preaching here. It was truly refreshing.

We then began ministering for a few weeks at the Teen Challenge that was further south in that state. Since our Sunday mornings were free for a few weeks we began looking for an on fire church to attend. We could not find one. The one’s we did attend were the exact opposite of the on fire one mentioned above. The people were slaves to their watches and the pastors were slaves to the people. The song services were anemic, the preaching pitiful and the Spirit was perceptibly absent. At one church the pastor preached gross error to tickle the people’s ears. When we left that church my heart was broken over their error and the deadness of the other churches we visited.

As I got before God that afternoon I called out to Him, “Where are the men of God? Where are the pastors that fearlessly preach the Word through the love of God? What happened to churches that love your presence more than popularity, finances or buildings? Where are the men of God that can marshal a spiritual army and lead them into winning a perishing world?” My heart was in agony.

This experience helped me sympathize with all the people over the years that told me they could not find a good church. Now I believe them. After searching the internet for a genuine Spirit-filled church that was sound in the faith I came up with nothing. I am not saying that there was not a church in that area which fit the criteria; it is just that I could not find it. Nor am I saying that the other churches did not have some authentic believers. The travesty is that American Christianity has mutated into a lukewarm religion that is void of the Spirit. There are not many truly Spirit-filled, Biblically sound churches left in America.

My search for an on fire church began with scratching off my list those that posted on their web sites their “core values.” You can go to major corporations or local grocery and department stores and read virtually the same “core values.” “Core values” are the pop church growth buzz phrase that was directly stolen from the corporate world. They are worthless! Those who use that form of church growth principle become cookie-cutter churches offering people little in the way of spiritual vitality, but they do offer programs—lots of them.

I was looking for a church where the Word was faithfully preached under the anointing and God showed up in a tangible way; my heart was aching for His presence. So the next group to be checked off my list was the “good old boy” kind of churches that put you to sleep during their song service and preaching. Off the list were churches with cowardly pastors that speak fluff to the people or aspire to be a motivational speaker (I have no use for such worthless preachers). Nor did I want a church that was trying to be hip with Hollywood style song services and “talks” that teach the people how to suck down beer and sip wine. I have seen the devastation that alcohol and drugs do to people for the last 34 years of ministry and what it did to me before I became a Christian. I had no desire to attend a backslidden, apostate church.

Now let me get to the point of what I really want to say. The problem of the spiritual bareness of the church at large is the result of the spiritual condition of the pastors and parishioners. The fault begins with pastors who are called to shepherd God’s flock, God’s way no matter the cost. Yet many pastors are so terrified of their people that they obey the will of men rather than God. This often happens because pastors have been bitten enough times by rebellious and complaining sheep that they do not want any fresh wounds. At one large church where I ministered the pastor apologized to the people for my preaching before I even said a word. This man was cowering before a flock of contentious sheep that had very sharp teeth. He was their slave, not their shepherd.

Success in ministry has nothing to do with the size of the church (notice the above example). Genuine success is about obedience to the Lord which means a pastor gives the sheep what God says they need, not what is popular or feeds their flesh. In the Old Testament the Lord often rebuked the pastors because they failed to lead the people for their eternal good. Jeremiah prophesied, “The shepherds are senseless and do not inquire of the LORD; so they do not prosper and all their flock is scattered” (Jer. 10:21). Many pastors have become “senseless” because they no longer obey God by preaching the unadulterated Word. Instead of preaching truth they give them fluff; instead of bringing them into the tangible presence of God they give them dead religion. I have preached to congregations where long time church goers were weeping at an altar next to board members who were weeping next to teenagers, all repenting of practicing sin. Where was the senior pastor? Where was the youth pastor? Why were they not preaching repentance and holiness to the people? This is why the Lord declared, “Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!” (Jer. 23:1).

The fault of a dead church rests not only on the shoulders of pastors, but on the people as well. Jeremiah stated, “The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way. But what will you do in the end?” (Jer. 5:31). Pastors would not preach Christless, crossless messages filled with fluff or heresy if the people did not want it that way. The people have gotten what they deserve. When people refuse to be ruled by God they will seek out pastors that will satisfy their carnal nature or tickle their itching ears.

Paul, speaking on this issue wrote, “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths” (2 Tim. 4:3-4). Those who do not want the truth will settle for anything the tickles their fancy, while those who want the truth will settle for nothing less. Returning home after visiting the above mentioned church with the heretical pastor my wife put on an internet sermon preached by a man that fearlessly presents the truth through God’s anointing. At the end of his sermon people ran to repent at the altar. What a loving message that shook the people out of their damnable condition and what refreshing it brought to my soul. The preacher that truly loves people will warn them of sin, point them to the crucified and resurrected Christ and then command them to repent. Those who do not warn of sin and faithfully present the demands of discipleship do not truly love the people.

So what is the solution to the problem of spiritual deadness in our churches? It is not to run away from the church and hide in our safe little homes where we will not be hurt. The answer is complicated because of the ramifications of doing what is right. However, if we want to please God we must do what is right no matter the cost. The solution begins with pastors. First they must become men and women of prayer above all things. Better to neglect business at the office than to neglect God in prayer. Powerless preachers are always powerless in prayer.

Second, pastors need to preach the Word fully, faithfully, fearlessly, lovingly and under the anointing or do not preach at all. Preachers need to remember that they will give an account before God for each sermon they preach. “But what will you do in the end” if God declares that you have been unfaithful to Him and His Word? (Jer. 5:31). Better that you incur the wrath of man, be expelled from the church or even beaten than to face the wrath of God. Better to be hated by the people for telling them the truth than to hear the truth when you stand before God that you were a traitorous shepherd.

Finally, pastors must become like Steven who was full of faith and the Holy Spirit. We desperately need leaders that are authentically Spirit-filled so they can lead the congregation into the very presence of God. To our everlasting disgrace the church has become like Samson who, after breaking covenant with God, did not know the Lord had left him. We can do church without God and do it well, all the time never realizing that the Lord has left us. Why? Because the church is backslidden! The fact remains that we are not desperate for His presence and He knows that. Any church that does not have God tangibly show up has absolutely failed, even if thousands of people attend the church.

Now what can average church goers do to change the situation of the deadness of the church? First you must become a people of prayer that helps build a house of prayer. If the church is prayerless it is your fault. Don’t blame the pastor. If you are not praying there is no one to blame but yourselves. If the prayer meetings are empty it is your fault! If you settle for a dead church then you are getting what you deserve. So do not blame God for your spiritual barrenness.

Next, do not settle for namby-pamby, cotton candy preaching. Lovingly and kindly encourage your pastor to preach the whole truth and preach it boldly. If he refuses, do not start a war in the church or begin gossiping about him. If you do, you will be guilty before God and that should make you very afraid. All that is left for you to do is peacefully and lovingly leave the church and find the most on fire, Spirit filled church that faithfully preaches the cross.

When you work with ice, ice will get into your soul! Therefore, at all cost, get into the fire of God so that holy fire will consume you. Fan into flame a passionate desire for God and then guard that flame so it never goes out. The joy of salvation is intimate fellowship with God, who is a consuming fire. When we fellowship with a fiery God His holy fire will burn in us.

Glenn Meldrum has been a national evangelist since 1997. Prior to his calling as an evangelist he pastored for 15 years. He is ordained and holds an M.A. in theology and church history from Ashland Theological Seminary. Visit www.ihpministry.com for articles, sermons, books and information on Glenn Meldrum and In His Presence Ministries.

I Need Thee Every Hour

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Like a priceless vase, we all break when dropped. Our frailty is a subject that unsettles us because it reveals just how weak and vulnerable we are. That is why we do not like feeling our neediness, much less admitting it.

Whenever we begin to sense our neediness we can feel like our lives are spiraling out of control. We hate this feeling because we are control fanatics. At times we would rather believe a host of lies about ourselves than to face the raw truth of our frailty and fallenness. As fiercely independent people we fight to retain control of our lives, even when we are self-destructing.

In spite of denying our neediness, we know deep down inside things are otherwise. If only we were honest with ourselves we would cry out with heartfelt passion the old great hymn “I need thee every hour, most gracious Lord.” Unfortunately we can sing this hymn without its truth touching our lives to any great degree.

Through the prophet Isaiah, Lord asked Israel four rhetorical questions which He asks us today. Along with those questions are stated some profound facts. “Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded? He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing” (Isa. 40:21-23).

Today, the Lord is asking the church, “Do you not know? . . . Have you not understood?” We are as ignorant of the magnificent character of God today as Israel was of old. Since Israel did not recognize their gross ignorance about God they became willfully ignorant of the compromise and rebellion that defined their lives. An honest evaluation of the American church will reveal that we are repeating in our own ways the same crimes of idolatry and spiritual prostitution that ancient Israel committed.

In the above verses God’s awe-inspiring perfections are starkly contrasted with mankind’s frailty, neediness and sinfulness. The Almighty is still able to dethrone boasting kings and presidents, topple egotistical politicians, attack the prideful self-will of men, and bring down corrupt nations. In our arrogance we exalt ourselves one over another, ignoring the fact that there is one King and Lord that one day we will all answer to and bow before.

UNDERSTANDING OUR FRAILTY
History can only boast over a few righteous leaders that have graced this planet. King David is one that stands out among that number. His greatness as a man and ruler was rooted in his profound understanding of his frailty and desperate need for God. In one of David’s heartrending prayers he pled, “Show me, O LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life. Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro: He bustles about, but only in vain; he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it. But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you” (Ps. 39:4, 6-7).

David found true security by trusting in the All-sufficient God. To trust in the Lord David had to understand how foolish it was to trust in man’s faulty and unreliable wisdom and strength. “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.” (Ps. 20:7). Experience taught David that victory does not come through his mighty army or the insight of his advisors, but from the All-wise and All-powerful Lord. The king’s wisdom is seen in his willingness to comprehend his weakness, which in turn caused him to trust in the Lord.

One major reason why we do not overcome sin and the difficulties of life is that we think we can prevail over them if we only have enough information, self-determination and time. Yet whenever we strive to obtain the needed victory through our own strength and abilities the Lord leaves us to be our own self-made saviors. The problem is that we make horrible saviors.

The starting point for overcoming sin and our self-life is to know the wonder of Christ as Lord. From that vantage point we can begin to comprehend our weakness and tremendous neediness. It is actually a great gift to see our neediness since we are not naturally predisposed to recognize it. Such wisdom opens the door for the Savior to stoop down in divine tenderness to show Himself mighty to save. This wisdom also sets us free from our natural inclination towards self-reliance that is a constant source of pain.

RECEIVING A GIFT FROM GOD
One church where I was ministering was suffering under the ravages of lukewarmness. Their lifeless worship and lack of spiritual vitality testified to their deadness. After coming into the pulpit to preach, it would take a little time to begin to sense the moving of the Holy Spirit. After the altar call on the third night of services, I prayed for the worship leader in a special way: “Lord, give my sister a great gift. Show her how desperately needy she actually is.”

Though I did not know it at the time, this woman grew very angry with me over that prayer. Infuriated, she went home complaining, “Who does that preacher think he is to pray such a prayer over me? I’ve been at the altar every service.” The Spirit robbed her of sleep that night as He began revealing to her the depths of her sin and neediness.

When service began on the fourth night, the worship leader opened with a humble confession. “I’ve been at this altar weeping over issues that God has shown me through the preaching. Last night brother Meldrum prayed that God would give me a gift to see my neediness. I was furious with him. But after going home the Spirit began a deep convicting work and showed me how desperately needy I am. O how good Jesus is to me.” The church experienced a marked change as the Holy Spirit was tangibly present in the worship for the first time during those meetings.

When King David was in the agonizing throws of seeing his profound neediness he proclaimed, “But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you” (Ps. 39:7). Dependence upon Christ begins by seeing our tremendously needy condition which then causes us to throw ourselves upon the compassion and tender mercies of God. This is the place where true liberty is found and victories are won, where we can know how “wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ” (Eph. 3:18).

An independent spirit is always a sign of spiritual immaturity no matter how spiritual a person may boastfully act (this is a great crime and offense against God). True spiritual maturity produces greater dependency upon God—it cannot be otherwise. This dependency happens when believers mature in the knowledge of God’s magnificence and their own frailty and neediness. Great joy is found when we see our neediness and grow dependent upon an All-sufficient, All-powerful and All-loving God.

Through dependence upon the Savior we grow in sweet fellowship with Him, obtain the victory and become useful in building His kingdom. We were created to be dependent upon God, to need Him every hour; anything else is rebellion.

Glenn Meldrum has been a national evangelist since 1997. Prior to his calling as an evangelist he pastored for 15 years. He is ordained and holds an M.A. in theology and church history from Ashland Theological Seminary. Visit www.ihpministry.com for articles, sermons, books and information on Glenn Meldrum and In His Presence Ministries.

Lovers of Truth

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Because I love your commands more than gold, more than pure gold,
and because I consider all your precepts right, I hate every wrong path
Ps. 119:127-128

It takes a passionate love for God and His Word to develop in us the motivating force to “hate every wrong path.” It is God’s will that we become lovers of truth so that we will not be partakers of evil. If we do not hate evil then we will not have a strong enough incentive to turn from evil in our actions, thoughts and desires.

Christians should be lovers of truth not only in relation to who God is, but also as it relates to life in general. We should want truth to permeate all of life—family, church, entertainment, society, business, culture, science, education and government. However, this is not the condition of America as a whole and the church specifically.

One sign that we are not being lovers of truth is when we begin to separate truth from practice. Today’s Christians are not disturbed over this grave incongruity. If we do not love the truth then we will by default love evil. It is irrelevant if we repackage evil with religious words or politically correct rhetoric, evil will always be evil.

Shortly after Barak Obama was sworn in as president, I was ministering at an urban church. The pastor’s daughter proudly wore her Obama shirt displaying that her candidate of “Change” was now president. There was a large disparity between her political views and Biblical Christianity. Without the least inclination to the fact, she had developed a secular worldview rather than one that was authentically Christian.

There are serious inconsistencies with this young college student’s faith on an intellectual, moral and spiritual basis. Though she is Christian, her decision to vote for an unrighteous man – that aggressively promotes abortion, homosexuality and many other issues blatantly anti-Christian – are irreconcilable with the teaching of Scripture. One primary reason she voted as she did is that she failed to be a lover of truth.

To claim that we love truth but not promote the truth as it relates to all of life is a contradiction— a form of hypocrisy. How can we be lovers of truth while we practice or support evil in any form? Similarly, how can we vote for a candidate that advocates evil? The Lord commands us to, “Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts (Amos 5:15). This means that we should be lovers of truth as it relates to politics and government just as much as we love it working in our home or church.

While sitting in the kitchen of the pastor’s house I asked his daughter why she voted for a candidate that aggressively promotes the killing of unborn children. Her response typifies how people can sanction and promote evil while claiming to be Christian. “Well, I don’t believe in abortion, but abortion is a woman’s own choice and I have to respect the personal choices of others.” Her statement betrays her secular worldview that is permeated with moral relativism. Women should never have the right to murder anyone, whether it’s their unborn babies, husbands or parents!

One reason why we live with this personal dichotomy between believing in truth and practicing evil is that we do not love God as we claim. Paul taught that, “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth” (1 Cor. 13:6). And the Psalmist admonished, “Let those who love the LORD hate evil” (Ps. 97:10). Love for God will always produce hatred for evil, but never of people. To love any expression of evil is to hate the truth and hatred for truth is actually hatred for God Himself.

The Scriptures teach that the reason people die in their sin and spend an eternity in hell is because, “they refused to love the truth and so be saved” (2 Thes. 2:10). When people choose to love God they begin to hate evil. At times we may be ignorant of what constitutes evil. Nevertheless, to remain ignorant of evil causes us to practice or justify evil. We were given God’s Word so that we can walk securely in this corrupt world. If we do not know the Word, then we have nobody to blame but ourselves. We cannot blame others for our willful ignorance of the truth.

Another reason why people love evil is that they do not fear God (this includes professing believers). Solomon wrote, “To fear the LORD is to hate evil” (Pr. 8:13a). Take for example watching TV and movies. “Christians” that do not fear God will watch that which is evil. This exposes their blatant hypocrisy. If we hated evil, we would hate every expression of evil, even that which touches entertainment.
It is interesting to note that the next statement in Pr. 8:13 is made by the Lord, “I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.” God declares once again that He unequivocally hates all evil. Since God hates evil, who do we think we are to love it, promote it, vote for it or cover it up?

True believers are called to hate evil just like God does. That is why Paul admonished us to, “Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil” (1 Thes. 5:21-22). Hatred of evil causes people to abandon every practice of evil and to avoid its mere appearance. This includes the evil of self-righteousness which is the ugliest form of pride. Religious pride is self-exalting and people debasing. It makes people think that they are good when they are inherently wicked. Self-righteousness turns believers into Pharisees and sets them on an equal path to hell as Jesus proclaimed (Mt. 23:15).

So what are we to do when we see our hypocrisy, when truth and evil collide in our very bosoms? We need to apply three truths to our lives. The first is to do a thorough job of repenting. Fall at Jesus’ feet and plead for forgiveness and character transformation. We are powerless to change ourselves for good by ourselves. By living a lifestyle of repentance, we will keep a tender heart before God so that He can reprove us as necessary. To live a lifestyle of repentance we must be quick to repent which produces the desire to straighten out the crooked areas of our lives and correct our erroneous ways of thinking.

Next, we must become good students of the Word so that we know, love and live the truth. When we know the truth, we will be able to discern good and evil so we can apply the truth to all of life, not just in matters of faith. By knowing the Word we can develop an authentic Christian worldview that can empower us to stand against all the lies and assaults of hell.

Finally, we must become true lovers of God. Those who are lovers of God will fear God and be passionate about knowing and living the truth. Anyone who loves God will hate lies. Since God is Truth, He is the author of truth and speaks nothing but truth (Jn. 14:6). When we truly love God we will love, practice and promote the truth. It cannot be otherwise.

Glenn Meldrum has been a national evangelist since 1997. Prior to his calling as an evangelist he pastored for 15 years. He is ordained and holds an M.A. in theology and church history from Ashland Theological Seminary. Visit www.ihpministry.com for articles, sermons, books and information on Glenn Meldrum and In His Presence Ministries.

Jesus + A New Man by Jessica Meldrum

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“Jesus wants to bless you like He blessed me. All you need to do is come forward and say a little prayer with me.”

I was half listening to the woman giving her testimony and half watching the expressionless faces of those I was serving food to. My husband, Glenn and I were helping with an outreach in Phoenix just a few days before Christmas. The event was planned by an organization whose purpose is to meet the needs of low income families and present the gospel “after their stomachs were full.” This outreach was being done in an empty lot in the heart of the city and the turnout was very good. Flyers had been handed out a few days before advertising a free meal and Christmas presents for all children attending.

“Let me tell you about what Jesus did for me,” the woman with the microphone continued. “Before I got saved, I had a terrible marriage. My husband was no good. But then I got saved and Jesus got rid of my old husband and gave me a new one and this one is ten years younger than the old one! He can do the same for you! Just come forward and pray a little prayer with me.”

My eyes shot over to the area where the children’s gifts were stacked high. No, none of them looked big enough to contain a new, young husband.  Maybe she had a catalog and every woman in the crowd that came forward to say the prayer would be able to place their order.            This was perhaps the worst presentation of the gospel I had ever heard. It grieved the heart of God and it is very doubtful that any true salvations occurred that day. What has happened to Christianity in the West that people can think this kind of invitation is attractive or necessary to bring people to Christ?

A few years ago I was at a flea market and came across a man demonstrating the amazing Wizamatic Vegetable Chopper. A small crowd had gathered and right before our eyes he made salsa in less than five minutes by just throwing the vegetables under the gadget and pushing down on the plunger a few times. He asked the group of us that had gathered what we would expect to pay for such a valuable kitchen appliance. Before he told us the price though he showed us how easy the Wizamatic was to clean, told us all the ways we could use it and assured us that we would need to find a new hobby because we would be cutting our meal preparation time by half. Still he would not tell us the price because today, just for us, he was going to throw in a professional paring knife (the kind used by trained chefs) and an all vinyl designer cover for the chopper.

I don’t know what happened to me. I have never fallen for these kitchen gadgets before but for some reason that day I believed the salesman when he said this vegetable chopper would make my life easier. And besides, even if the Wizamatic did not live up to its claims at least I would still have the professional paring knife and designer cover. I took my gadget home and used it with satisfaction the first and second weeks but by the third week I was thinking that  either I had a disease that was causing my arm muscles to deteriorate or the blades on the chopper were getting very dull. By the fifth week I knew what my new hobby would be: weight lifting. Finally the blades were so dull I could cut nothing but ripe tomatoes so I stored my Wizamatic away and threw out the paring knife that was badly bent from use in less time than it took for the chopper to go dull. I had been taken in. I should have known the chopper was not valuable because other items had to be thrown in with the deal before anyone would buy it.

Haven’t we done the same thing with “selling” Jesus? This woman at the outreach was trying to make Jesus more appealing to her audience by throwing in other tempting items. She assumed that the women in the crowd would not take her up on her offer to pray a little prayer unless she spiced up the deal with a new man. Not only that but her “testimony” spoke of a God that responds like our culture – if you can’t get along with your spouse what you need is a new one. The tragedy is if these women would have agreed to say a prayer only because “today, just for them” a new husband was going to be thrown in with the deal, they would not have experienced true conversion. The only way for the lost to be found is for them to see that they are in desperate need of a Savior and are willing to forsake all to follow Him.

The injustice being done to the Savior and to the lost is obvious here because this example is so extreme. However, as I have thought back on my own witness to people, I’ve found that I am guilty too. How many times have I felt that I had to spice up the gospel to make it more desirable to people? In doing this I led them to believe that Jesus is not enough so I have to throw in His blessings with the deal. This can easily happen when we share our testimony (which we should be doing). The problem is we can often communicate the message that the best thing about Jesus is His assets. The best thing about Jesus is Jesus!

In John chapter 4, we are told the story about Jesus encountering the woman at the well, a woman who was thirsty for more than just water. In verses 13 and 14 Jesus said to this woman; “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

I believe that Jesus was comparing this woman’s need of water to the deeper spiritual need in her. In essence, he was saying to her; “You keep coming to this well because your thirst is never quenched; in the same way, you keep getting a new man to try and satisfy your spiritual thirst but that also leaves you thirsty and unsatisfied. What I have to give is like living water that always abides in you. No longer will you have to keep coming to the well of human affection to try to get some temporary relief. But I will abide in you so that you will never thirst again.”

Notice Jesus did not offer her anything but Himself; not a new man, not a better situation, nor more material possessions. He exposed her need and offered Himself as the answer. This is consistent throughout the New Testament whether it is a one on one encounter or a sermon to the multitude. Jesus and his disciples preached a pure and simple gospel to people who were weary, broken and guilty – those who wanted to be reconciled to God. This gospel demanded that those who choose this road be willing to forsake all to follow the Savior with no extras thrown in.

Those first preachers did not spice up the deal or promise people a happy life. If their message was refused then they prayed for more power – but they did not compromise the message. This is where we fail. When people are not coming into the Kingdom through Biblical preaching or personal evangelism, we feel we must make the gospel more appealing by listing the many benefits that may go along with the deal. Instead we need to take the example of the early church; abandon ourselves to Jesus, pray and be filled with the Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that does the work of drawing and convicting. If at least one of these things is not evident when speaking of Christ then either the Holy Spirit is not full in us or He is not drawing the person we are speaking to. Either way, it’s when nothing is happening that we are often tempted to resort to other methods like promising things we should not to get people’s attention.

I have been trying in the last few years to be more careful about how I present Jesus to those who do not know Him. I try to talk about Him rather than talk about what He has given me. I was speaking about Jesus to a young woman named Kia a few months ago. She told me that the “Christian thing” had not worked for her even though she said “that prayer.” When I questioned her further I found that she had been led to believe that she could just say a little prayer, then God was obligated to make all her dreams come true and in addition she would receive a guaranteed ticket to heaven. I showed her from Scripture that being a Christian meant surrendering your life completely to Jesus and that she could not have a Savior if she did not want a Lord.

Kia confessed that she still wanted to practice her sin so I was able to convince her that she was not a Christian and to not to let anyone tell her otherwise. She understands now that He will only accept her prayer of repentance when she becomes desperate for a pardon for her many crimes against the Savior and is so sick of her life that she is willing to trade it in for another – one under Christ’s control. I ended the conversation by saying, “Kia, knowing Jesus makes me complete, quenching my deepest needs and surpassing anything this world has to offer. If you only knew Him you would fall in love with Him too – you just can’t help it once you gaze upon His beauty and goodness.” Before we parted Kia seemed genuinely interested in finding out the truth about God and promised me that she would begin to read the gospels to learn who this Jesus really was.

Someone had tried to sell Jesus to Kia by spicing up the deal with “testimonies” and false promises because they mistakenly thought it would make Christianity more desirable. One look at the places in the world where true Christianity is flourishing quickly dismantles this wrong view. Why is it that nations experiencing persecution are the ones seeing so many radical conversions?  What kind of testimonies do they have to share? “I came to Jesus and my family forsook me. I lost my job, I now live in poverty and may soon go to prison for preaching the gospel.” There is nothing in the natural about this kind of testimony that would appeal to people yet they are flooding into the Kingdom. Could it be that what people really want to know is if this Jesus is worth losing all to follow? We must demonstrate with our words and our lives that Jesus is the prize above all prizes; no gift or blessing can ever compare to knowing Him. For a world that keeps going to the well and still finds itself thirsty; the answer has not changed it is still Jesus – Him alone.

 

Jessica Meldrum has been a national evangelist with her husband Glenn since 1997. She speaks to women’s groups, is a freelance author and wrote the book Floods on Dry Ground: The Story of the Hebrides Awakening. Visit www.ihpministry.com for articles, sermons, books and information on Glenn and Jessica Meldrum and In His Presence Ministries.

A Culture of Violence

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What a hypocritical nation America has become. We have developed a culture that loves violence while simultaneously condemning it. Violence permeates the very fabric of our nation and the entertainment industry is one of its primary propagators. What hypocrisy! The celebrities that act out the violence Americans are obsessed with often claim to be proponents of nonviolence. What about the citizenry itself? Though they may state with political correctness that violence is wrong, they have, so to speak, an umbilical cord attached to the secular media that feeds them the violence and moral decadence they crave. If we did not love violence then the entertainment industry would not be producing such evil.

This fallen world is an incubator of rebellion against the Lord and His kingdom. We have created a spiritual and moral environment that has caused us to grow numb to the culture of violence we made. Yes, this includes the church. Christians must shoulder the greater guilt in creating this problem because we should be the guardians of truth and biblical morality. To our shame, we have become proponents of evil. A vast number of Christians support the culture of violence with their time and money. Just look in the average self-proclaimed Christian’s video cabinet, examine their cable bill, peruse their video games or search their computer’s history for the internet porn they watch. It will not take long to find just a few ways that supposedly “good” people actively advance evil.

The news media loves to exploit acts of violence for their own profit and we Americans just love to be exploited. In those cases of violence that the media uses to capture the attention of the nation our consciences may be awakened to a small degree. These news blitzes excite the feeble sympathies of our hearts or may enrage our thoughts to some kind of anemic response. Yet a few days after the tragedy we once again fall asleep to the evils we have breed of our own free will. Of course, we foolishly trust that our elected officials will run with the political tide created by the most recent media feeding frenzy. Out of self-love and self-preservation these mercenary politicians pass laws in the heat of the moment that, more often than not, do more harm than good.

The culture of violence in which we find ourselves today had its origin in Adam’s sin. In the Garden of Eden violence was nonexistent. Scripture records that the first act of violence was the sacrifice Adam and Eve offered up to God as atonement for their sin (Genesis 3:21). From that point on violence became an integral part of this fallen world. Every act of violence this world has ever known or will experience is the consequence of Adam and Eve’s deliberate act of rebellion against God. What they set in motion we now continue through our own conscious acts of breaking God commands. The wages of sin always produces death and separation from God (Genesis 2:17; Ezekiel 18:4, 20; Romans 6:23).

The violence that mankind perpetrates one upon one another is inspired by hell. At times, the evil people inflict upon others is so heinous that our minds cannot fathom the horror nor words express the depths of their malevolence. It seems like devils inspired with hellish hatred motivate weak people to abuse, mutilate and ruin the very creatures God created His own image.

Through the authority of Scripture we can say that mankind created violence, not God. However, in our present situation the Lord uses violence to advance His kingdom. Now please do not misunderstand me here. The violence God uses is diametrically opposed to that which came through the Adam’s rebellion. Terrorism, murder, natural war and all the other expressions of violence and hatred are not part of God’s kingdom.

Jesus taught the correct means by which violence is used to advance the Kingdom of Heaven, “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force” (NKJV; Mt. 11:12). The violence the Savior refers to incorporates two ideas. First, it speaks of people entering Christ’s kingdom. The Lord relentlessly labors to bring people to the place where they comprehend their desperate need of salvation and are willing to flee into Christ’s loving embrace. When they reach that imperative condition to salvation they will violently (forcefully) strive to enter the kingdom of God at any cost. The Lord, through His infinitely astounding abilities, uses the evil we created, practice and promote to drive us to Himself. The greatest example of this is demonstrated when God, who did not create violence, allowed the most horrendous act of violence to be preformed against Himself—crucifixion. Why did He allow this? So that mankind could be saved from the eternal violence of hell.

The second way that the Lord uses violence to advance His kingdom deals with the way true disciples are called to aggressively expand the Kingdom of God. This is accomplished in the same manner that Jesus advanced the Kingdom of God when He walked this earth, through the laying down of His life. Let me use a story Duncan Campbell told about a soldier during WWI to illustrate this point. During an attack at Passchendaele Ridge, Belgium, Campbell stated, “I saw on my right a young 42nd Highlander. He was wounded in his arm and trying to tear the tail of his shirt to bind it. Another soldier in front of us lay wounded beckoning for help. I heard that 42nd Highlander say, ‘I’m sure that’s Jock!’ I saw him spring to his feet with that wounded arm lying beside him as he climbed out of the trench saying, ‘Yes, that’s poor Jock and I’ll save him or die in the attempt.’” In like manner, through the love of God we are to lay siege to people, families, communities and nations until we see them saved or die in the attempt to rescue them. That is what Jesus was talking about—aggressive, loving evangelism.

There is a violence ordained of God. Not the heartless brutality that flows out of hell through susceptible humans, but that which our Lord and Master modeled. This is a high calling, the obligation placed upon the shoulders of every true believer to be like Jesus in both life and death. What does this privilege of infinitesimal value include, even demand? That out of love for Christ we lay down our wealth, reputations, comforts and lives for His glory and the salvation of the lost.

Walter Henley, a former White House staff member that turned pastor said it this way: “Militant love is life attacking death, light coming against darkness, truth colliding with lies. . . . Militant Islam, for example, may call for the death of the ‘infidel,’ and may issue death warrants against its enemies, but Jesus of Nazareth will not allow His followers to call down the fire . . . His militant love will minister healing, deliverance and hope. Jesus shows that militant love does not inflict suffering on others, but is willing to receive it on itself for the sake of others. Militant love does not nail its enemies to the cross, but goes to the cross on behalf of the enemy. . . . Militant love does aggressive acts of kindness towards those who would cause it hurt. It washes the feet of those who would betray it.”

True love demands that we respond to the desperate needs of others that are within our ability to meet. How can we say we love family, friends and community while remaining indifferent to the reality that the majority of people we know are rushing to a literal hell? How can we say we are part of a kingdom whose Lord and King was crucified so we could be saved and be senseless about the multitudes of perishing immortal souls? And how can we live in the selfish pursuit of pleasure while hell grows larger by the second? The existence of hell demands our response.

Violence rages around us, incessant and unmerciful. We cannot get away from it. Try to run if you will, but the violence of hell will only pursue you. Either stand and fight or cower and hide. To the one is a victor’s crown, to the other shame and disgrace. But if you think that you can act like the proverbial ostrich that sticks its head in the sand know that the vicious predators of hell which are seeking to devour your mother and father, children and siblings, friends and acquaintances are also coming after you. This moment, this day and age demands that God’s people respond to the violence of hell with the good, holy and compassionate violence of God’s love operating through His genuine followers even if it costs us our reputations, comforts, wealth or lives.

Glenn Meldrum has been a national evangelist since 1997. Prior to his calling as an evangelist he pastored for 15 years. He is ordained and holds an M.A. in theology and church history from Ashland Theological Seminary. Visit www.ihpministry.com for articles, sermons, books and information on Glenn Meldrum and In His Presence Ministries.

Angry With God by Jessica Meldrum

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The young woman that sat across from me was very pregnant and extremely angry. Her features, which were probably very pretty, were so distorted with bitterness it was impossible to see any beauty. I have known people who have allowed a consuming anger to destroy their lives but I still don’t understand the desire to hold on to such an ugly emotion, especially when it is directed towards God.

I met Amanda last week while my husband, Glenn and I were ministering at a Christian drug and alcohol rehab for women and their children. It is a tremendous program that provides the opportunity for these women to surrender their lives to Jesus and let Him conquer their addictions. Needless to say, all these women come into the program with lots of baggage including a history of physical abuse or incest. Amanda is one of these. She was sexually abused by her father and now she cannot forgive. I’m not talking about forgiving her earthly father; I’m talking about forgiving her heavenly Father.

She began her life story by telling Glenn and I how she came to be in the program. Although she is only 25, Amanda has been in jail often for drug related crimes. Two months ago as she stood before another judge he shocked her by offering an alternative to jail. He suggested she consider entering a year long Christian program to get help for her addiction. He then offered to pay her entrance fee out of his pocket. Amanda chose to enter the program and acknowledges that God did a miracle for her.

At this point the conversation took a turn. Amanda confessed to being in and out of Christianity for many years and said the reason for this was that she had not been able to forgive God for the abuse she suffered. Glenn responded by questioning her as to why she would lay the blame on God for what her father did to her. She explained that she was angry with God because it was His job to make sure nothing bad ever happened to her and He had failed her in this. Of course we tried to show her the error of thinking this way using Scripture and trying to help her understand the nature of man’s freewill, but she was determined to make God as evil as her father. 

What became clear was that Amanda felt that God did not take good care of her and that she believed that she was a much better parent than He. She proclaimed her love to be so great for her children that she would give her life for them; she would never let anything bad happen to them. In other words she condemned God by claiming herself more kind and compassionate than He was. After questioning her about her “children” I learned that in addition to her unborn child, Amanda had a six year old daughter who had been taken from her. She wouldn’t tell me why but I did get her to admit that her daughter had to be taken away because Amanda was not a good mom. Yet again Amanda declared she would lay her life down even now for her daughter and her unborn child. Obviously she has not yet understood that she would never die for her children because she has not been willing to live for them.

As the conversation came to a close I asked Amanda to pray that God would show her the cross; the reality of our wickedness, Jesus’ incredible sacrifice and the gift of forgiveness offered to rebels such as us. I suggested that the real reason that she is experiencing anger towards God is because she has not truly seen Him or known Him; she does not understand who He is. She replied that she knew all about the cross, God and Jesus and there was nothing more to learn about Him. Now it was up to God to bless her so that she might one day forgive Him. Until that time she would continue to be angry with Him.

To believe that God has done anything for which He needs our forgiveness is a polluted, twisted idea. Only created, sinful beings are guilty of crimes that need to be forgiven. The Lamb of God is pure and holy. Jesus has never committed an evil act. In this Amanda showed her complete ignorance of the character of God, the sacrifice of Jesus and her own wickedness. However, the struggle with anger towards God is a very real issue for many of us.

To feel anger towards God is something we all have experienced at times even if we dare not tell anyone about it. Sometimes we don’t recognize it for what it is or we try to dress it up in religious garb to make ourselves appear righteous. Anger is a strong emotion and we will not begin to conquer it until it is confessed. It is not sin to feel an emotion, at times we cannot help feeling anger, but it is what we do with the emotion that matters. If we are angry at God we must drag that anger up the hill to Calvary and lay it down it in the shadow of the cross to see whether we really have any right to our anger. Then as we walk by faith back down Calvary’s hill we must determinedly surrender our emotion and cry out for a heart that “would see Jesus.”

From some of Job’s statements it appears that he had his struggle with anger at God. He accused and questioned God. He wanted some answers for what he perceived as injustice on the part of God. But notice at the end of the book of Job God does not address Job’s questions and Job no longer requires any answers. In fact all his questions were forgotten. Why? Because instead of responding to his inquires God gave him a revelation – He answered Job with Himself. It is here we find Job acknowledging the foolishness of his anger when he confesses; “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”  (Job 42:5&6)

When Job had an encounter with God two things changed; Job’s perception of God and Job’s perception of Job. How much better it would have been if early on Job had said; “I do not understand what is happening, but I will yield my emotions to the Character of God. By His Word I know He is loving and He is merciful. I choose to surrender my emotions and conception of God (surrender to who) because I only know Him but a little.” Would this have immediately caused Job’s anger to die? – probably not (at least it doesn’t for me). Yet statements of truth are expressions of faith that will subdue the emotion until a fresh encounter with Jesus puts to rest our questions. Consider David’s Psalms of lament in which he brings out a complaint, yet soon afterwards makes statements like this; “But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth. (Ps 86:15)

The abuse suffered by Amanda is not the obstacle to her finding freedom from her anger; it is her unwillingness to surrender her emotions to God. Until she is willing to “despise herself and repent” she will remain blind to her true condition and her need of mercy. She has heard of Jesus, but she has not seen Him. At this point Amanda will not even consider the possibility that God is other than what she believes Him to be. The freedom for which she longs will elude her unless, in brokenness, her heart begins to cry out; “I have only heard of You, but now let my eyes see you.”

Jessica Meldrum has been a national evangelist with her husband Glenn since 1997. She speaks to women’s groups, is a freelance author and wrote the book “Floods on Dry Ground: The Story of the Hebrides Awakening.” Visit www.ihpministry.com for articles, sermons, books and information on Glenn and Jessica Meldrum and In His Presence Ministries.

Character Matters

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            While in the midst of preaching a series of meetings at a church the pastor came to my motorhome for a visit. He apologized for not coming by earlier but had two marital counseling sessions that took his entire morning. One of the couples had a fight the night before where they physically beat each other and bore the marks to prove it. The other couple consisted of a woman who had five affairs on her husband and he had ten on her. Obviously, both marriages were in shambles even though they all claimed to be Christian.

            At another church where I ministered a woman had divorced her husband because she could not forgive his besetting sin – he was unwilling to help with the house cleaning. She believed God would never want her to be chained to such a man for the rest of her life so before the divorce was final she found another man that she hoped would make her happier.

            Then there has been the string of well known “Christian” pastors and recording artists that have been practicing homosexuals. Some claim to still love Jesus asserting that God doesn’t have a problem with their homosexuality. And what about the evangelist that shot into fame but was actually a falling star? Not only was he propagating gross heresies, but within a week of his public coronation as an “apostle” by some influential leaders the facts surfaced about his adulteries, drunkenness and breakdown of his marriage. Now add to all of this the increase in adultery, pornography and divorce among spiritual leaders and we still only see the tip of the iceberg that is shipwrecking the American church.

            How has the church fallen to such a low spiritual and moral condition that people can live in such blatant wickedness yet still claim to be Christian? Because growing portions of professing believers have abandoned the Biblical truths that define what it means to be Christian. Godly character is no longer thought of as a valuable prize to be passionately sought, a beautiful adornment to grace our lives and the only path in which to draw near to God (Isa. 35:8-10; 1 Thes. 4:1; Heb. 12:14). Even though most believers would assert that godly character is important, few are actually pursing it with abandon. The low spiritual condition of our churches verifies this distressing fact.

            One major reason why we are having such a spiritual and moral crisis in our nation and churches is because we are failing to recognize that character matters. At one time the church knew this truth and promoted it. But the secular lies of moral relativism and tolerance have crept into our congregations stripping us of the moral absolutes based upon the Scriptures that are integral to building godly character.

THE PRIVILEGE OF BEING CHRISTIAN

            It was in the ancient Syrian metropolis of Antioch where Jesus’ followers were first called Christians. This designation indicated that they completely devoted themselves to Christ’s teaching and strove to be like Him in character (Acts 11:26). We do not know if they were called Christian by their enemies as a derogatory label or if they called themselves by that name. Either way, they counted it a complement of the highest order. All who were privileged enough to receive such a title paid for it at great cost.

            Those early disciples were not identified as Christians because they belonged to a particular denomination, attended a specific church or prayed a “sinner’s prayer.” They were called Christians because they bowed their will to Christ’s lordship and had a Christlike character to prove it. This caused them to experience sporadic outbreaks of persecution, some of which were widespread and brutal. They understood that to be Christian meant there was a good possibility that they could suffer for the faith, even to the point of death.

            It is ridiculous to think that anyone willing to suffer persecution for Jesus would not be vigorously striving to develop a Christlike character. If we do not want to pay the price to be Christlike now, then we will not pay the price to follow Jesus in the face of persecution and suffering. Our unwillingness to suffer for Christ is one reason why we are not willing to crucify our sinful nature that destroys marriages, devastates churches and disgraces Christ before the world.

            Husbands and wives that authentically love Jesus will cultivate a Christlike character so their marriage will be pleasing to God. They will crucify their hellish behaviors that devastate their marriage and children. How can people say they love the Lord yet refuse to repent of the wicked character traits that are causing their marital breakdown?

            Since salvation is the gift of God we are not saved because we are Christlike. However, those who are truly born again will actively pursue a Christlike character because salvation is evident and operating in them. In other words, those who are authentically Christian will be laboring through divine grace to be like Jesus. Their lives and character will give clear testimony that they belong to Him.

            On the other hand, everyone who professes to be Christian but does not bear the mark of a Christlike character is not in true fellowship with God. The harsh reality is that they do not belong to Christ. There are multitudes claiming to be Christian that do not genuinely know Jesus. Their character proves that they are of the world, and not of Christ. They act like the world because they love the world.  

            We always imitate whoever, or whatever, is our real spiritual and moral teacher. If Jesus is really our Savior then our character will reflect His transforming influence in our lives. But if the world is our teacher then our character will be a reflection of the world. A vast number of professing Christians are more defined by TV, movies, sports, secular music and the internet than by Christ and His Word. Since Satan is the prince and the power of this world’s systems, all who are schooled by the world bear the character of Satan, even if they call themselves Christian.

            We can only be Christlike if we are truly Christ’s. Because people call themselves Christian does not mean they are the genuine artifact. Imagine the eternal horror of those who claim to be believers but in reality are not. They will stand before God and hear Him say, “Depart from me, you worker of iniquity” (Mt. 25:41). Those words will torment them forever. At Christ’s judgment bar it will be too late to develop a Christlike character, too late to repent and too late to own Jesus as Lord. Now is the time to, “Examine yourselves to see whether we are in the faith; test ourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?” (2 Cor. 13:5). To fail the test holds damnable consequences!

            Glenn Meldrum has been a national evangelist since 1997. Prior to his calling as an evangelist he pastored for 15 years. He is ordained and holds an M.A. in theology and church history from Ashland Theological Seminary. Visit www.ihpministry.com for articles, sermons, books and information on Glenn Meldrum and In His Presence Ministries.

Crisis in the Church Series #1 – On Being Born Again

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The evangelical church in the west is experiencing a major crisis; a crisis that that goes to the core of its identity and the majority of people involved don’t even know it exists. What is the crisis I am speaking about? – The redefining of what it means to be Christian. More specifically, how a person becomes a believer and then how one is to live in this world. Through a slow process of redefining what it means to be “Christian,” we have forsaken the faith defined in the Scriptures. Instead, we have substituted a pop cultural, politically correct version that advocates a deceptive form of tolerance and an unbiblical concept of inclusiveness. This is another gospel, an anti-Christian religion.

Let me give a couple of examples. After 15 years of pastoring the Lord called my wife and I to be evangelists. Since the end of 1996 we have traveled the country speaking at churches, conferences and ministries. To help pay some bills my wife, Jessica, took a seasonal job in a southern, Bible-belt town during the Christmas season of 1997. She was excited to find that most of the women in the business claimed to be Christian. However, as time went on she learned the ugly truth that many of them were either living with their boyfriend or practicing other immoral behaviors. Either way, they were in blatant rebellion against God by living in fornication and willfully sinning. When Jessica tried to share the true Gospel with them they were not interested.

A few years ago I was preaching at a church that ran a homeless shelter. As Jessica and I ministered to the homeless we found that most of them were very hard to the Gospel. Why? They had once said the “sinner’s prayer” and then were informed that this prayer made them Christian. Now they could no longer see any problem with being a “Christian” while strung out on drugs or living a sexually immoral life – after all they did say the prayer. They had been lied to and chose to believe the lie.

Thirty, fifty or a hundred years ago it would have been unthinkable for people living in fornication or doing drugs to be considered Christian or to regard themselves as one. But through a relentless series of small compromises the very definition of Christianity has been changed. We are building churches without Christ, offering salvation without a cross and calling people to a discipleship without cost. Rather than depopulating hell to populate heaven we are allowing hell to infiltrate the church and entrench itself into our very heart and doctrine. Much of the so-called-church is inviting people to join their club and pay their weekly dues so they can receive the benefits and rewards such membership offers. Their slogan could easily be: “Join our club and live as you want.”

The spiritually bankrupt condition of the church at large compels me to proclaim that we are in desperate need of another Great Reformation; a spiritual revolution that will take us back to our Biblical roots where we will recover once again the true Christian faith. To do this we have to abandon all the religious baggage we have accumulated from both the church and the world. We need men and women of God who will lovingly, yet boldly proclaim the Reformation battle cry; “Sola Scriptura,” – that faith must be based upon Scripture alone. For too long we have allowed our religious beliefs to be defined by modern day Protestant popes that pontificate their doctrinal errors for their own selfish agenda. Multitudes within the visible church freely embrace aberrant views of Scripture because they want practice their sin.

With all this said, I think it imperative that we begin our search for the Biblical faith by examining Christ’s simple, yet revolutionary phrase that we must be “born again” to enter the kingdom of God. The phrase “born again,” has been horrendously abused and carries with it a lot of unscriptural baggage. Nonetheless, we need to restore Christ’s beautiful phrase to its pure and rightful place in helping to define true conversion, faith and practice.

Salvation, from God’s point of view, is absolutely radical, both in the price Christ paid that we might be saved and the cost for those who genuinely want His salvation. Jesus used the phrase “born again” to paint a graphic picture of the revolutionary nature of conversion. When a child is born he goes from the darkness of his mother’s womb to the brightness of new life in a new world. It is an absolutely radical change for the child, and is no less radical when a person is authentically born again.

Nicodemus, a Pharisee and member of the Jewish ruling council, went to Jesus one night honestly inquiring into the way of salvation. Jesus immediately addressed his true need, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again” (Jn. 3:3). Nicodemus, not understanding what Jesus meant, questioned how a man can be born a second time (Jn. 3:4). Jesus responded, “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit” (Jn. 3:6). The new birth is a spiritual birth, no less radical and obvious than its natural counterpart.

When a woman gives birth to a baby there is verifiable proof that a child has been born. This means that there is objective evidence—a new born baby rests in the arms of the mother. The birth of a child is never subjective, existing only in the woman’s mind. This stands true in the spiritual realm. When a person is genuinely born again there will always be objective, verifiable evidence. That proof consists of a radical change of life that will be seen through the transformation of a person’s heart, mind and character. If there is not a radical change of character, then no matter what the person claims, he has not been born again.

The birthing process is a painful ordeal for both mother and child. As the birth pains increase in intensity and frequency it becomes obvious that the time of delivery draws near. Jesus used the illustration of child birth to show how traumatic it can be to go from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. It can be an excruciating experience to come to the knowledge that we are sinners by nature and by choice, that our sin is always a deliberate act of rebellion and that we deserve eternal damnation as a result. When a person nears the time where he can be born again the emotional pain of the sin can increase in intensity and frequency. Yet without the pain that would bring them to the new birth they would die in the womb of the world.

As the crowds went out to be baptized of John he confronted them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance” (Lk. 3:7-8a). Most of the people didn’t want to hear such strong words, especially those that were religious. They would have liked John to preach positive messages that lifted them up. Since they thought their problem was low self-esteem, all they needed was encouragement, not rebukes. But the path from darkness to life is painful. We must come to a true knowledge of our spiritual condition or we will not flee from the “coming wrath.” If preachers, or lay people, keep from the unsaved the message that can bring them to the point of being born again, they are committing spiritual abortions by killing the people in their spiritual womb. Love warns! It is not love that does not warn! Salvation is radical! So the process of coming to salvation is also radical.

The womb is a necessary environment for a child to grow until he or she is ready to be delivered. If a child does not come forth at the proper time it means death for mother, child or both. The womb then becomes a tomb. So it is with being born again. The world is the womb that allows us to come to the point where we can be born again. If we rebel against the consequences of our sins and the convicting work of the Holy Spirit (birth pains), the very world that we seek to find refuge and happiness in will kill us.

Imagine if a child communicated from the womb that she did not want to leave the warm, comfortable world she had grown so familiar with. Since she didn’t know what was on the other side of the womb she decided to stay right where she was. Besides, she did not want to go through all the emotional and physical pain involved with child birth. Would it not seem reasonable for those outside the womb to try to convince the infant at all costs that she would die if she stayed in the womb? Not just that, if she stayed in the womb she would kill the mother she claimed to love. Yet how many people will inflict pain and suffering on their loved ones and then spend an eternity in hell because they did not want to forsake the world to be truly born again. Some people may think that if they go to church, pray a sinner’s prayer, are baptized or do some good works that they are born again. But if people will not take God’s ordained path to life, even though they hang around the cross, they will never enter the kingdom of God.

It is impossible for those who come out of their mother’s womb to ever live the life they once lived in the womb. Nor can anyone share both worlds at the same time. Yet a host of self-proclaimed Christians try to mingle the kingdom of heaven with the kingdom of hell and think that God does not have a problem with it. Oh, what depths of deception! Jesus used the illustration of being born again so we could see the absolute difference between the two kingdoms. He wanted us to know that we could forsake one kingdom for the other, but we could not have them both. Those who choose to love this world will find themselves enemies of God (Jam. 4:4; 1 Jn. 2:15-16); those who are born again will forsake this world for new life in Christ.

Unconverted people, both in the church and the world, live lives that are contrary to Christ. They are filled with lust, pride, rebellion, fornication, homosexuality, greed, contention and a host of other sins. We cannot expect those who have not been authentically born again to live the Christian life. Only when we have the living and incarnate Christ dwelling in us and transforming our lives to be like His own will we manifest the verifiable proof of a person that has been born again.

Without fail, Biblical Christianity produces the Biblical results of salvation, life and character transformation. Unbiblical Christianity also produces Biblical results; however, here the Scriptures tell us that the results are only death and damnation. Dear reader, this is not a game! Your eternal destiny depends upon whether or not you have been truly born again. Religion cannot save you! Your church or denomination cannot save you! A sinner’s prayer cannot save you. Baptism cannot save you! Good works cannot save you! Only Jesus Christ can save you! But know this: that He will only save you if you choose to totally abandon the womb of this world, with all of its wicked ways. To do so you must be born again into His kingdom that will produce the verifiable proof of a genuine Christian life.

Glenn Meldrum has been a national evangelist since 1997. Prior to his calling as an evangelist he pastored for 15 years. He is ordained and holds an M.A. in theology and church history from Ashland Theological Seminary. Visit www.ihpministry.com for articles, sermons, books and information on Glenn Meldrum and In His Presence Ministries.

Crisis in the Church Series #2 – On Surrender

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With the explosive increase in knowledge that we have experienced in the last hundred years it’s ironic that we are more ignorant today about what it means to be Christian then we were early last century. This goes for those within the church as well as those that are without. This high-speed increase in knowledge has not done the average professing Christian much spiritual good. In spite of the never-ending flood of Christian books, music, CDs, DVDs, TV celebrities, teachings and conferences, we are degenerating into worldliness at an alarming rate. We are willfully ignorant of our moral and spiritual decline and love it that way.

The glitz and sleaze of Hollywood has made its way into the church. How tragic it is that the more a church looks and acts like Hollywood the larger it grows numerically even though it deteriorates spiritually. Instead of seeking to know the true faith as revealed in Scripture we are embracing a belief based upon feelings, pop trends, celebrities and political correctness. One reason for this departure from the truth is that many self-professed Christians want a belief system that fits their lifestyles rather than a faith that their lives must conform to. The bottom line is that we do not want to surrender to the truth; we want the truth to surrender to our desires and opinions.

Through almost 30 years of ministry I have seen a consistent problem that runs through the lives of so many people that call themselves Christian—an unwillingness to fully surrender to Christ. I consider this lack of surrender to be the primary reason why so many people do not overcome sin, have bad or failed marriages and why they are unfulfilled in their lives. Surrender is not a peripheral issue to the Christian faith, but absolutely central to it. Without surrendering to Christ a person will never become a believer, mature in the faith, overcome sin, find the joy that comes through knowing the Savior or be used by Him in a tangible way.

One section of Scripture that clearly addresses the issue of surrender and beautifully sums up what it means to be a Christian is Romans 12:1-2:

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Paul’s use of the phrase “I urge you” was a passionate appeal that his readers would carefully listen to the vital message that would follow. He thoroughly believed that what he wrote was of such paramount importance that he begged them to understand and put into practice this teaching.

The apostle was urging the Romans, and now us, to understand that only by the grace of God could we live the truth he was about to introduce. He was establishing the fact that the Christian life is impossible to live except through divine grace. Paul understood human nature well enough to know that we are prone to seek a righteousness that comes through our own merit and ability. That is why we often equate being Christian with not doing the “bad” things other people do while doing the good things we ought to do. Yet left to ourselves, all our supposed good works are little more than expressions of self-love and self-trust which are anathema to God.

The reformers of the early 1500s courageously trumpeted the truth restored to them that the organized church had abandoned for a thousand—Sola Gratia—through grace alone are we saved. Yet in our modern day version of Christianity rather than herald this reformation truth we are embracing a cheap grace that costs us nothing or are resorting back to manmade religion based upon human merit. Paul’s warning that the Christian life is obtainable only by grace alone remains true today. To abandon this truth is to reject the very message that would bring us to a saving faith in the Savior.

In Romans 12:1-2 Paul specifically urges his readers to grow dependent upon divine grace or they will never give themselves to Christ as living sacrifices. The Lord only accepts holy sacrifices; He will never accept unholy ones. Never! That is why it’s imperative we recognize the impossibility of being holy through our own merit or ability. This is a very hard lesson to learn! No matter how hard we try our efforts to be holy through good deeds, church affiliation, doctrinal orthodoxy or separation from the world will never make us holy. Holiness comes solely through relationship with God which is uniquely tied into the issue of surrender. Until we actually surrender to the Lord we will never enter into fellowship with Him, therefore, we will never be made holy through His grace and sacrificial death.

In the Old Testament, if the people wanted to be in right fellowship with the Lord they would have to offer the prescribed sacrifice in an approved manner. But there is far more to offering a sacrifice than just doing it in the prescribed method. The Lord was, and is, more interested in the motive behind the sacrifice than the sacrifice itself. The motive determines whether or not the Lord will accept the offering. The outward appearance of the sacrifice might look right, but God looks upon the heart. If the heart is not right with God then the sacrifice is never accepted by Him. This is why surrender is such an integral part of being a living sacrifice.

One primary reason we do not fully give ourselves to the Lord as living sacrifices is because we want to control our lives. This can take a lot of courage and soul searching to admit, but we will never become authentic believers, or mature as ones, until we understand our natural propensity to be in control of our lives. We not only want to be in control of our own lives, we love controlling the lives of others as well. If we were honest enough to admit it we would even go so far as to say that we would like to control God, well, at least enough to get our own way and to be blessed by Him according to what we think we deserve. Yet the true blessings of God do not come through getting our own way or receiving the fulfillment of our twisted illusions about what we deserve, but through surrender.

Because we passionately want to control our lives, living surrendered to God is one of the hardest things we will ever have to do. From the moment of birth we are on a quest for independence—to be our own boss. Not just that, as we grow older and experience pain, suffering and loss, we endeavor to protect ourselves by striving to have greater control over our lives. In our effort to not be hurt we futilely attempt to be in charge. At other times, when we want our desires to be fulfilled we fight to be in command of our lives. One way or the other, multitudes of people use their religious belief as a means to control their lives and the lives of others rather than their faith being a path of surrender.

Biblical Christianity, on the other hand, is one hundred percent the opposite of being the boss of our lives because it’s all about dependency upon God. The moment we offer ourselves as living sacrifices we loose all say and rights over our lives. The only way we can grow dependent upon Christ is to comprehend to depths of our neediness, cry out for His grace to conform to His likeness and then purposely sacrifice (crucify) our hurts, desires, possessions and self-righteousness. Out of love for Christ we must sacrifice every portion of our being, down to the minutest desire or attitude. Without living the crucified life we will never be a living sacrifice to God. We may be religious, but never a holy offering to the Lord. That is why the sacrifice must be slain on the altar or it will never be a sacrifice at all.

A living sacrifice will not be conformed to this world because it will have a different way of thinking, loving and acting than non-Christians. However, the only way we will not be conformed to this world is through surrender. It is at this point that many people fail. We often equate conformity to the world as acts we define as worldly and nonconformity as abstaining from those worldly ways. But worldliness is a state of the heart and mind. People can be worldly in their hearts while abstaining from outward worldly acts. Jesus told us that if we lust after a person we have committed adultery (Mt. 5:27-28). Though a person does not commit adultery outwardly, yet inwardly they can still be thoroughly guilty. This is the same with worldliness. We can abstain from those things that are outwardly worldly while our hearts still long for the world as did Lot’s wife (Lk. 17:32). Or we may congratulate ourselves on our supposed unworldly lifestyle and yet, in fact, be opposing God through a worldly heart of pride and self-righteousness (Jam. 4:6, 1 Pe. 5:5).

Here again, it is all about relationship with God. Only when we are living sacrifices will we be set apart to God for the purposes of God. It is not about what we do or do not do, but about who we are in Christ. That is why Paul said that our minds must be transformed by the grace of God. We are not only to stop living worldly lives; we are to stop thinking like the world because we have ceased loving the world. To think, love and act differently we must be transformed through divine grace because it is not in the power and nature of man to change himself for the better. Without Christ’s transforming grace we will think and love like natural men whether or not we go to church, think religious thoughts or act in religious ways. All we have done is to cloak our worldly ways with religious garments. No, we must be changed from the inside out and this comes only through yielding our entire being to the crucified Savior for our undoing and remaking.

It is impossible for the natural man, whether religious or not, to be pleasing to God. There is nothing in our sinful nature that can fulfill God’s “good, pleasing and perfect will.” When we surrender to Him all the past, pain and anger, all our dreams and ambitions, all of our loved ones and possession, and all our religious baggage, we will find the transforming power of God that we might know His “good, pleasing and perfect will.”

We forfeit so much joy and victory because we refuse to be living sacrifices to God. When we live surrendered to Him we will find the sweetest, safest, most joyful place to be is when we are living in His “good, pleasing and perfect will.”  We will then wonder why it took us so long to begin learning how to live the surrendered life through the grace of God.

It is worth it all!

Glenn Meldrum has been a national evangelist since 1997. Prior to his calling as an evangelist he pastored for 15 years. He is ordained and holds an M.A. in theology and church history from Ashland Theological Seminary. Visit www.ihpministry.com for articles, sermons, books and information on Glenn Meldrum and In His Presence Ministries.

Crisis in the Church Series #3 – Forsaking God’s Word

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It seems of late as if I have been awakened out of a deep sleep. I thought I had a fair understanding of the spiritual condition of the American church, but I was wrong. As an evangelist I preach repentance across the country because the church has predominately embraced worldly lifestyles and is apathetic towards unbelievers. For many years it has been obvious to me that the church was in desperate need of authentic revival. But until recently I did not know how bad the situation had actually become.

Within the circles I normally preach there is, for the most part, a reverence for the Word of God. Some of the people may not be living the truth, but at least they have a basic belief that truth can be known and that it is found in the Bible. But I am now beginning to see that a large portion of the church in all of its Protestant branches is forsaking the Word; abandoning the truth for lies and illusions. Many who once believed in the infallibility of Scripture are now picking and choosing what they want to believe. Others are relegating Jesus to a position of an enlightened teacher on par with Buddha. And a growing number of people are turning Christianity into a spiritual high where truth is defined according to experience.

Though there are many reasons why people are forsaking the Word of God there are four that I will briefly outline in this article: 1) Ignorance of the Word. 2) Influence of the secular culture. 3) Believing the Word is not enough. 4) A growing apostasy.

1. IGNORANCE OF THE WORD

We Americans are busy people, so busy we do not take time to study the Scriptures. Our lack of genuine hunger for God and His Word has caused us to fill up life’s voids with meaningless pursuits. We have time for TV, sports, books and a host of other non-essential activities. This reveals that our ignorance of the Word is a choice; a deliberate act of rebellion against God. This is also an indictment against Almighty God implying that He is not worth seeking and that knowledge of Him is irrelevant to life.

It is astounding how ignorant most professing Christians are of the Scriptures. How can we stand against lies if we do not know the truth? How can we say we love God and not love His Word? Because a large majority of self-proclaimed Christians do not know the Word they cannot articulate why they believe they are Christians or offer verifiable evidence that they are genuine believers. They have incorporated into their belief system views they have heard from TV preachers, parents, friends, sitcoms, news shows, movies, music, Internet and a host of other sources.  But they do not know the truth for themselves and this is keeping them from knowing the true and living God.

When professing believers are ignorant of the Scriptures their worldview will be secular by default and not Christian. Their secular worldview causes them to act, talk and live like the world. It cannot be otherwise. This means they will have marriages like the world, raise their children like the world, pursue money like the world, seek pleasure like the world, talk like the world, dress like the world, think like the world and in the end, spend an eternity with those of the world.

Only by basing the entirety of our lives upon the Scriptures will we be able to think and act differently from the world. The voices of secular society are screaming at us from all sides, while the spirit of the world is wooing us to forsake Christ. We must have a purposeful pursuit of God and His Word or we will not stand against the wiles of the devil. If we do not strive to know the truth, and have the truth define our lives, then we are left to believe lies that are powerless to save us.

2. INFLUENCE OF SECULAR CULTURE

If the Word of God does not define our lives then the world in which we live will. Those who do not know the Scriptures will live worldly lives because they do not know what it means to be Christian and how to please God. Their ignorance of the Word will never allow them to develop a Christlike character. On the flip side, there are many professing Christians that are doctrinally orthodox, but are applicatively derelict. They know the Word but do not live it. We could call both types of “Christians” practical atheists and practical humanists.

What do I mean by practical atheists? These are people who say they believe in God but live like He does not exist. Their lives are not defined by the teaching of Scriptures because they have allowed their way of thinking to be developed through the propaganda machines of the secular world i.e., TV, movies, music, Internet, etc. Their lives and marriages look like the world because they think like the world and therefore act like the world.

Practical humanists are professing Christians that live no different than committed humanists. Humanism is an atheistic belief where man is the center of all things. Human passions and desires rule supreme because the individual is all important. Practical humanists have perverted the true faith by turning it into a humanistic religion in which man is the center of Christianity. By placing themselves at the center of their faith they have relegated God to the peripheral areas of life. Many have turned God into a sugar daddy that exists to satisfy their every lust and desire.

Relativism is also defining a vast portion of the church because we have been deeply influenced by the world. What is relativism? It is the belief that there are no absolutes. Therefore, morality and truth are changeable principles subject to culture and situation. This is an abandonment of what the Scriptures clearly teach—that truth can be known and morality is based upon the changeless character of God. Whenever people embrace relativism they abandon the truth of Scripture to pick and choose what they want to believe and how they want to live. This is a belief for convenience sake, so people can live as they like and feel no guilt over their actions. 

The only way we will not be practical atheists or humanists is to make Christ and His teaching central to our lives. Since we are inundated on every side with relativism we must make the choice to turn off the voices of the world that are within our power to do so or these same philosophies will degrade the true faith.

3. BELIEVING THE WORD IS NOT ENOUGH

There are a lot of professing Christians who live as if Jesus and His Word are not enough to satisfy their lives. They add to the Scriptures or take from them for their own selfish reasons. There are three primary reasons for this. The first comes through liberal theology in which the Scriptures are dishonored at every level. Religious liberals, whether clergy or laity, do not believe that the Bible is the infallible Word of God. They claim that the Scriptures are of human origin and only contain portions of God’s words, or are little more than moral stories. Whenever the Word does not define our lives then we will seek other sources that will. Here you find the idolatrous practice of incorporating into the Christian faith false religions and worldly philosophies.

The second reason people live as though the Word is not enough comes through those who are willfully ignorant of the Bible. Their ignorance of the Scriptures causes them to espouse extra-Biblical teachings, superstitions and opinions. They reject those portions of the Scriptures they disagree with or do not like. Their ignorance of the truth opens the door for them to believe lies and consequently, become idolaters.

The final reason why people live like the Word is not enough comes through portions of the Charismatic Movement and those that are being influenced by it. We can define two types of people that make up this diverse group. There are those who have remained basically orthodox in belief but are adding to their faith the extra-Biblical teachings of self-proclaimed prophets and apostles. Then there are those who are unorthodox in doctrine while holding to extra-Biblical teachings.

In the first case, you have professing believers that accept the basic doctrines of Biblical Christianity but are basing their faith more upon experience then upon the Scriptures. Truth and spirituality has come to be defined by experience rather than the Word. Consequently, they have ceased to be authentic God seekers and have become experience seekers instead.

One of the catalysts that have propelled people to be experience seekers rather than God seekers is that they have become enamored with the latest “prophet,” “apostle” or movement. Whenever people become experience seekers they will become the followers of men because they will look for the newest experience that comes through the hottest new “prophet” or conference speaker. This causes them to add to the Scriptures the unorthodox teachings of men and subtract from the Word those teachings that are contrary to their “prophets,” teachers and doctrines. 

A disturbing problem that arises as a result of people becoming the followers of men and pop-movements is that they refuse to judge the words of their prophets and teachers by the infallible Scriptures. They unquestioningly hold to their prophets’ prophecies, visions and teachings as if their words were equal to God’s written Word. In fact, this is one major reason why they will not question their prophets. This is socially very cultish and can lead to the development of religious cults.

Those who question the prophets are labeled as spiritually dead and unenlightened people that are not in the “river of God.” They further refer to them as those who hold to the old wineskins of doctrine while rejecting the new wineskins of the Spirit. This manipulative teaching is used primarily to control people and make them mindless followers. Any teacher, preacher or prophet that does not welcome honest scrutiny of his or her doctrine is hiding something sinister. Here you have the Word of God set aside for the doctrines of men. Many sincere people are being deceived and drawn away from the truth.

The second type of people referred to above are those who are unorthodox in doctrine. These we will look at in the final section of the growing apostasy that is touching all segments of the church.

4. A GROWING APOSTASY

Jesus told us that in the last days “many false prophets will appear and deceive many people” (Mt. 24:11). Paul warned, “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons” (1 Tim. 4:1). Why do we think that these false teachers are only men like Joseph Smith (Mormonism) and Charles Russell (Jehovah Witnesses)? Did not Paul tell us that they would come from within (Acts 20:29)? And why do we think that they would not come in this hour of history?

There are two ways false prophets and teachers advance their deceptions. The first is that they twist the plain meaning of the Scriptures to propagate their lies. The second is that they elevate their own teachings, prophesies and visions to be equal to, or greater than, the Scriptures. Then they remove, explain away, or ignore those verses that contradict their doctrines.

There is nothing new under the sun; the new false teachings are the old false teachings remarketed. What believers would have blatantly called heresy 30 years ago many now embrace as new revelations. The preaching of the cross is abandoned for soft speeches that offend no one; the preaching of repentance is forsaken for positive confession and teachings on self-esteem; the preaching of holiness is deserted for messages that God loves us as we are; the Scriptures are cast aside for the idols of experience and worldly ambition. We have forsaken the right way and are chasing after that which feeds the lusts of our flesh. A great falling away is upon us, but we have failed to discern it.

What is the answer to the Word being forsaken? To return to the Lord and His Word. But will we return? Are we really any different than Israel of old? Jeremiah prophesied, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.’ But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ I appointed watchmen over you and said, ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ But you said, ‘We will not listen’” (Jer. 6:16). The old way of the cross is rejected by many today because they have forsaken God and His changeless Word. The truth remains the same, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor. 1:18).

Glenn Meldrum has been a national evangelist since 1997. Prior to his calling as an evangelist he pastored for 15 years. He is ordained and holds an M.A. in theology and church history from Ashland Theological Seminary. Visit www.ihpministry.com for articles, sermons, books and information on Glenn Meldrum and In His Presence Ministries.

Crisis in the Church Series #4 – A Crisis of Leadership

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National mourning erupted when Israel’s first king, Saul son of Kish and his son Jonathan, were slain in battle against the Philistines. When David and his men, who were hunted by the king, heard the news, “they mourned and wept and fasted till evening” (2 Sam. 1:12). Saul’s death inspired David to pen the poetic elegy, Lament of the Bow. Three times in this dirge the psalmist bewailed, “How the mighty have fallen!” (2 Sam. 1:19, 25, 27). The sword of Saul would no longer subdue the enemies of Israel.

If we only had the discernment to see the spiritual condition of a growing number of church leaders we would cry out like David, “How the mighty have fallen!” Many of our spiritual leaders have fallen in battle. They have grown emotionally and spiritually weary in the fight and have lost the strength to brandish their swords and wield their shields. Scores of others have dropped their swords—the Word of God—due to the pressures of family and ministry. Whole contingents of leaders have forsaken their sword thinking that it is irrelevant in this more enlightened age. They are spiritual traitors, anarchists against the Most High because they have discarded Biblical truths to embrace politically correct lies.

No matter what motivates spiritual leaders to abandon the preaching, teaching and ministration of God’s Word they have done it nonetheless. Consequently, the church-at-large is abandoning the Scriptures for a tantalizing array of fad teachings that are detrimental to the true faith, and at times, even damnable. This problem is at a crisis level in western Christianity. Since America influences the world, we are spawning an international, spiritual crisis. Like Israel of old, the church is prostituting herself with the world and spreading that spirit of prostitution.

As goes the shepherds, so goes the flock. When men of God courageously preach the truth then you will find the people being lovers of the truth. But when the shepherds forsake the Word, then the sheep will follow them to their own peril. We will now examine four issues that cause leaders to forsake the Word of God.

WEARINESS

The pastoral ministry is emotionally draining, spiritually exhausting and physically taxing. This can cause weariness to seep into the very bones of pastors. The natural challenges of ministry in a fallen world is amplified in America due to our self-indulgent, individualistic society that produces a lot of mean-spirited people that take out their frustrations and pent up anger on the pastor (a good dose of repentance can transform mean-spirited people into lovable saints).

When pastors grow weary of fighting with parishioners and board members there are four different directions they can take: 1) They can passionately seek healing from Jesus and continue the good fight. 2) They can leave the ministry and go into secular work. 3) They can take another church hoping to find a congregation that is not as self-absorbed and contentious. Unfortunately, this is more than likely a fantasy. 4) Or they can accommodate the people by becoming maintenance pastors that don’t want to rock-the-boat or stir up a hornet’s nest of cantankerous people by preaching the truth. But this is a failure of duty!

If you asked weary pastors if they believed that the Bible was the inerrant Word of God they would invariably say yes. They would also affirm their belief in the orthodox doctrines of the faith. But their spiritual and emotional fatigue can cause them to water-down the Word so that they do not have to deal with belligerent church people. Such pastors need to become desperate for God’s healing so they are not found unfaithful when they stand before Him.

Burned-out and weary pastors need to be loved back into spiritual and emotional health by faithful saints. Woe unto the wolves and predatory sheep who chew up God’s pastors, who abuse them, attack them and malign them with gossip and deceitful scheming. Jesus pronounced “woe” unto those that cause others to sin (Mt. 18:5-10) and accused obstinate religious people of killing the prophets (Mt. 23:29-32). We would do well to remember that the Lord hates those who cause dissension among the brethren (Pr. 6:16-19). What John the Baptist preached is still relevant for all who will face the just wrath of God, “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance” (Mt. 3:8).          

COWARDICE

Some pastors preach watered-down sermons because they are cowards. They suffer under the fear of man which causes them to so abhor confrontation that they avoid the appearance of it in pulpit ministry, pastoral counseling or administrative duties. Pastors can become slaves to the people when their congregation gets deep in debt. Fear of people leaving the church and taking their tithes with them can drive a pastor to preach non-confrontational messages so no one is offended. Small church pastors and those facing internal struggles can also be afraid to preach the truth out of fear of people leaving.

While preaching at a large church on the east coast the pastor introduced me to the congregation with an apology for bringing in such an evangelist. It was obvious that he was terrified of the people. Some pastors are afraid of the people because they never had a spiritual backbone that caused them to stand in Christ’s strength in the midst of conflict or to preach the truth that the people so profoundly need. At other times their backbone has been crushed by contentious church attendees.

Cowardly pastors are to be greatly pitied. They find little joy in ministry because they suffer under the fear of man and do not know the strength that the fear of God gives. They will find when they stand before the Savior that their cowardice caused them to preach an impotent message that was powerless to save and transform lives. What a tragic condition for ministers to find themselves in when they could have lived and died for the glory of God.

The only hope for cowardly pastors is to repent of their fear of man and passionately seek to be instilled with divine courage. They have to love Christ more than their position, comforts or the praise of men. They must be willing to lay down their ministry, yes, even their lives for Christ.

EASY-BELIEVISM

There is a price to pay to grow a large church, and more often than not, the price is the forsaking of the truth. In such cases the pastor preaches accommodating messages that will draw a larger variety of people. The popular approach is to preach positive messages that offend no one and makes people feel good about themselves. But such messages lack the fullness of truth that manifests the power of God to change people for their eternal good.

We must understand that whatever it takes to draw people is what it takes to keep them. Draw people with a Christless, crossless, costless message and you will have a church full of people rushing to hell. Compromising pastors must continue preaching compromised messages to their unconverted people lest they seek another lukewarm church or expel the pastor.   

Most of our nation’s largest churches are propagating a gospel of easy-believism, which is basically a message that we can have heaven while still living like hell. This anti-Christian message is powerless to save or transform people. Smaller church pastors and future pastors look up to the big churches as models to emulate. The idol worshiped is a large church and the truth must be scarified on its altar. Shamefully, a vast number of church leaders are afraid to ask if the sermons preached, and the church model they are using, is soundly Biblical. The answer will reveal whether or not the preacher and church is advancing the kingdom of heaven or the kingdom of hell, for there is no middle ground.

Whenever the truth is compromised the results are always eternally tragic. By telling people they are “Christian” when they have not been authentically born again is a damnable practice. They are given a false sense of security when they are actually dangling over the brink of hell. When people do not manifest the fruits of repentance and regeneration you have verifiable proof that they are not saved.  

Spiritually dead congregations are the result of spiritually dead pastors. The Lord will hold the shepherds accountable for all the souls they damned to hell with their worthless preaching (Ezk. 3:17-21). Their only hope is to return to the firm foundation of Scripture and begin to minister according to the example Jesus gave us. He preached through the power of the Holy Spirit and gave the people the truth that they so desperately needed regardless of whether they loved or hated Him.

HERESY

The Great Reformation of the 1500s brought deliverance from many of the religious tyrannies of the age. As religious freedoms grew, a purer faith unfolded and expanded. Since the Reformation the Protestant church has splintered again and again. Some of this was necessary so that the life of the church remained vibrant and Biblical; most of the time it was the result of unconquered characters that caused division or wanted to keep the status quo. Occasionally the divisions were the results of heresies.

Not so very long ago most Christians could discern between truth and lie. However, in our day a growing percentage of believers are having a difficult time with this. The devious secular teachings of moral relativism and tolerance is creeping into the church and thwarting her ability to recognize error and speak against it. Now we are afraid to judge righteous judgment or offend anyone (Jn. 7:24). This is a grave deception!

Cults that once were known as heretical are now gaining acceptance among many Christians. Even blatant New Age teachings are being propagated by self-proclaimed prophets and teachers within the evangelical church. Divorce and immorality have become a plague in the ministry, disgracing the church before the world and the people in the pews are not greatly disturbed over it. So where is the outcry of the shepherds, where is their defense of the faith, where is their preaching on holiness, where is their protection of the sheep? Most shepherds are virtually silent on those truths that are of true eternal worth. Either they are immersed in the errors, afraid of the people or in love with numbers.

How have heretical doctrines and immoral practices wormed their way into our churches? Because the watchmen on the walls have fallen asleep, they are not defending the truth. Why are so many professing believers ignorant of what constitutes truth and lie? Because the preachers preach comfortable messages and are afraid to proclaim the unadulterated Word. The growth of lies among the people directly corresponds with the absence of truth that comes from the pulpits. There is a crisis in our leadership today; “How the mighty have fallen!”

Take “Christian” TV for example. Does the average viewer know the difference between what is Biblical and what is error? No, because the pastors are silent. People are enamored with smooth talking preachers that advocate a gospel of cheap grace, promote “new” truths or promise financial prosperity. People follow such teachers because they love the lies that feed the lust of their flesh more than the truths of God’s Word (Jer. 5:31).

I know pastors that have forsaken sound Biblical truths for heresies because they were emotionally moved by a new preacher or prophet. They were unwilling to examine whether what was being advocated was doctrinally sound. If they did recognize some of the errors they believed that a little bit of error was harmless to the sheep. When pastors are taken up with lies the sheep will follow.

Spiritual experiences can be powerful influences upon people. The preaching of truth should always be accompanied with the demonstration of the Spirit’s power. But here is an important truth—because spiritual power is present in a speaker does not mean that the power is from God. Many Christians have been deceived because they equate spiritual power with truth. This is a very dangerous error. The Lord established only one standard to define our faith and that is Scripture. When a preacher advocates errors we are obligated to question the source his power. If we are not solidly planted upon the Word then we will be taken captive by “every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming” (Eph. 4:14).

If the truth has not changed then what has? Our willingness to base the entirety of our faith upon the changeless truths of Scripture. In this evil and corrupt generation our desperate need is for fearless pastors and preachers. It is also of paramount importance that Christians only sit under real men of God who soundly minister the Word through the power of the Spirit. When we stand before God He will not be impressed with our pet-doctrines, pop-preachers, comfortable churches and new experiences. The Lord proclaimed, “This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word” (Isa. 66:2).

Glenn Meldrum has been a national evangelist since 1997. Prior to his calling as an evangelist he pastored for 15 years. He is ordained and holds an M.A. in theology and church history from Ashland Theological Seminary. Visit www.ihpministry.com for articles, sermons, books and information on Glenn Meldrum and In His Presence Ministries.

Crisis in the Church Series #5 – Revival, God’s Work or Man’s

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It does not take great discernment to comprehend that America in general, and the church specifically, has fallen to its lowest spiritual condition in history. Not just that, the church seems powerless to stop America from forsaking her Judeo-Christian roots and plunging deeper into an abyss of wickedness that will bring divine judgment. What makes this situation so catastrophic is that the church doesn’t realize that she is in a major crisis. Those who do recognize the crisis are often looking in the wrong places for the answer.

Though there are many reasons why the American church is suffering under these spiritual maladies there is an extremely important one this article will address—how the kingdom of God advances; through God or through man. Individuals, churches and denominations have a philosophy of ministry that determines their approach to this subject. The eternal destiny of multitudes hang upon our theological and applicative response to this issue.

One challenge we have in answering how the work of God advances is in how we reconcile verses that appear contradictory. Take for instance the seemingly incompatible differnces between Zechariah 4:6b and 2 Chronicles 7:14.  Zechariah 4:6b reads, “‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.” Second Chronicles 7:14 says, “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” The verse in Zechariah establishes that the work of God is done by the Holy Spirit alone, while 2 Chronicles teaches that before God will revive, man must do specific things.

BUILT BY GOD OR BY MAN

Leaders and lay people alike are naturally prone to trust in themselves, even when it comes to ministry. This is a result of our fallen nature. Churches and denominations can be built without God. Intelligent people can apply the latest marketing techniques or church growth principles to create large churches while Jesus stands outside their doors knocking to get in.

The compromise of the church stinks in the Lord’s nostrils. The smell from ten dead people can be mighty bad, but the stench of a thousand corpses is far worse. Large dead churches are no better than small dead ones. The cemetery is only larger for the one.

If our church growth methods grieve the Holy Spirit then we are left to build the church through the strength and wisdom of man. Far too often, we want Jesus’ stamp of approval upon our religious undertakings while never being overly concerned if His will is being done. The majority of churches are not growing. Of those that are growing a vast number do so only by robbing from other churches. Some may call it “marketing the church,” but if a church has grown through thievery it will never be considered successful by God.

A pragmatic approach to church growth (the end justifies the means) can be anathematized by God. Men that grab hold of the proverbial bull by the horns to build Christ’s kingdom may find the only horns He wanted them to grab were the horns of the altar in passionate prayer and repentance. Self-trust is always repulsive to God and is akin to rebellion and compromise. Arthur Wallis defined compromise as, “‘A partial surrender of one’s position, for the sake of coming to terms’ (Oxford Dictionary).  For the Christian it means that he concedes something that God has given, or sets aside something God has revealed, for the sake of coming to terms with the situation he faces. . . When we are dealing with truth, to conceded is to compromise. . . . We never compromise out of ignorance, only out of knowledge.”[1] So what works in filling pews is not always what is right in God’s sight. 

Moreover, what right do we have to compromise Christ’s message? His love for humanity compelled Him to teach the truth so as to pierce sinner’s hearts and bring them to repentance. Successful preaching from God’s point of view is diametrically opposed to much of the preaching in the 21st century, especially with what is found on “Christian” TV and through big name preachers. In contrast stands the Biblical preaching of men like James Glendinning (Oldstone, Ireland, 1626):

Behold the success! For the hearers finding themselves condemned by the mouth of God speaking in His Word, fell into such anxiety and terror of conscience that they looked on themselves as altogether lost and damned. . . I have seen them myself stricken into a swoon with the Word; yea, a dozen in one day carried out of the doors as dead, so marvelous was the power of God smiting their hearts of sin.[2]

Though such preaching may appear to the compromised church as ignorant, archaic, harsh and irrelevant, God sees it otherwise and anoints it. Results like this will never come out of a watered-down, pop-gospel that is palatable to the sinful nature.

The world will never be converted through compromise.  Buildings may be filled through such methods, but heaven will never be populated by conceding the truth. “Christianity is divine life within individuals. When the proportions of the Christian drive and fervor become less than revolutionary, it ceases to capture the imagination and attention of the world.”[3] When the Biblical faith is preached, and the Spirit is poured out, the explosive nature of Christianity will shake a dying world.

In one sense it is understandable why churches turn to pop church growth methods. The old, dead, traditionalism is not working, so why beat a dead horse; get a new one. But don’t replace a dead horse with a sterile mule that is powerless to reproduce. There is an endless stream of programs and seminars that claim they can help pastors out of their numeric plateaus. This may be little more than dead horse meat or a fresh mule. Neither can reproduce. In the end, leaders and churches grow cynical and are immobilized. When pastors grow weary of seeing little fruit from their labors they look to manmade plans, leave the ministry or go back to the upper room to get authentic Holy Ghost power. 

Because something appears new and imaginative does not mean it has come from the Spirit. Singing and shouting are not proofs of spiritual life; social action is not evidence that a church is alive; busyness will never be an honest gauge of spiritual vitality. Life in the church can only be equated with the saint’s ability to reproduce new life. Dead people cannot produce living babies. Empty altars reveal that the people are spiritually barren. Many innovative or emerging churches may find that all they have been doing is feeding a sterile mule.

Scores of churches tenaciously hold to their traditions. There is nothing inherently wrong with traditions unless they are void of the Holy Spirit. The problem arises from our dependence upon rituals and programs and not upon the Spirit. Traditions are birthed and die with each generation. If each generation does not strive to have new life, rather than tradition, their practices bring death. This was the state of the church in Wales before the 1859 revival:

By and large the churches were orthodox in their beliefs, but ineffective in their witness.[4]. . . For in spite of past revivals, powerful preachers and present orthodoxy, a general apathy and indifference prevailed. This was coupled with a spiritual bankruptcy and stagnation, a lukewarmness and aridity, which were symptomatic of an almost apostate Church.[5]. . . By and large, however, the watchmen on the walls of Zion had fallen asleep, and they were few in number who saw her peril and desperate need.[6]

Spiritual stagnation and trust in rituals have become the death of many a denomination, church and individual

So why do we keep beating our dead horses of tradition or continue seeking for the newest sterile mule? Because we erroneously believe that all we need is the latest teaching, the right formula, or a breakthrough. If we trust in self rather than abandoning ourselves to Christ, then there is little difference between churches that call themselves renewal, emergent, seeker-sensitive, plain, Pentecostal or traditional. Dead churches are dead no matter their size or denomination.

100% GOD

So what percentage of God is needed in an authentic move of God? 100%!  Only God can save, convict, deliver, heal and revive. He does not need our talent or ability; He has more than enough to accomplish the work. Such power does not come from man, for it is not inherent in him. As long as we think we can do the work that only God can do we will never be Biblically successful. When Christians finally abandon themselves to Christ, they will also come to an end of self-trust. When believer’s long for the true prize–Jesus Christ—they will freely lay down self at any cost.

People who have died to self don’t want to play church any more; they want to see the face of Jesus. They don’t want a counterfeit move of God, but the real thing that will always be true to the Scriptures and glorify the crucified and resurrected Savior. Programs become almost meaningless because people finally learn that only God can save sinners and fill hearts with joy unspeakable. A passion for the presence of God begins to burn that nothing on earth can quench but Christ Himself. This is the depths of man calling out to the deep of God saying, “I cannot live without your nearness. Show me your face or I perish with longing.” David Brainerd expressed this well when he wrote, “When I really enjoy God I feel my desires of Him the more insatiable and my thirstings after holiness the more unquenchable. O’ this pleasing pain. It makes my soul press after God.”[7] It is at this point where God uses people in phenomenal ways.

100% MAN

Authentic revival is when the manifest presence of God flows through His people transforming secular society. This is the greatest church growth movement the world has ever known. This means that man also has a part to play in revival.  His part is also 100%. Nothing less will ever be acceptable to God. Man’s part revolves around repentance, prayer, seeking God’s face and total dependence upon the Holy Spirit. This is wholehearted devotion that can turn the world upside down (Jeremiah 29:13; Psalms 119:2; Joel 2:12-13; Matthew 22:37; Acts 2:42). 

In closing, let me bare my heart.  I ache to see authentic revival. But I am weary of manmade versions that do little more than parade the works of the flesh. After seeing genuine revival, the counterfeit appears even uglier than before. I long to see revivals such as the Hebrides Awakening or the 1857 Prayer Meeting Revival. Both of these revivals, among a host of others, were free from the arrogance of man and superstar preachers. Duncan Campbell, the evangelist of the Hebrides Awakening testified, “A force was let loose in Barvas that shook the whole of Lewis. God stepped out; the Holy Spirit began to move among the people. God seemed to be everywhere. What was that? Revival? No evangelist; not a special effort; not anything at all organized on the basis of human endeavor. But an awareness of God that gripped the whole community.”[8]  

God is glorified whenever His people get out of the way and let Him take center stage. The world has not seen the beauty of Christ because we have clouded His majesty with dead traditions, spiritually sterile church growth methods and our repugnant fallen nature. The Holy Spirit could do great things through us if only we would fully surrender to Him and passionately seek Christ’s face.  God is looking for believers who desire a move of God more than their own comforts and ambitions. In the words of A. W. Tozer, “We have only to prepare Him a habitation in love and faith and humility. We have but to want Him badly enough, and He will come and manifest Himself to us.”[9]

 

Glenn Meldrum has been a national evangelist since 1997. Prior to his calling as an evangelist he pastored for 15 years. He is ordained and holds an M.A. in theology and church history from Ashland Theological Seminary. Visit www.ihpministry.com for articles, sermons, books and information on Glenn Meldrum and In His Presence Ministries.

[1]Arthur Wallis, The Radical Christian (Columbia, MO, Cityhill Publishing, 1987), 11.

[2]Iain H. Murray, The Puritan Hope (Carlisle, Banner of Truth Trust, 1971), 30.

[3]C. E. Autrey, Revivals of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, Zondervan Publishing House, 1960), 16.

[4]Eifion Evans, When He Is Come (London, Evangelical Press, 1967),  23.

[5]Eifion Evans, When He Is Come (London, Evangelical Press, 1967), 26.

[6]Eifion Evans, When He Is Come (London, Evangelical Press, 1967), 95.

[7]Michael L. Brown, Its Time To Rock The Boat, (Shippensburg, Destiny Image Publishers, 1993), 74.

[8]Duncan Campbell, from an audio tape entitled, “Revival Fire,” (No editor, publisher, or date).

[9]A. W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy (New York, Harper and Row Publishers, 1961), 49.

Crisis in the Church Series #6 – Crisis Between the Word and the Spirit

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King Solomon wisely told us to avoid all extremes (Ecc. 7:18). This is good commonsense theology. Ah, but how inclined are we to heed such rational advice? Like pendulums we swing from one extreme to the other, all the while believing that our life and faith are relatively in good balance. However, does such reasoning hold up to reality and the Scriptures?

Our out of balance lives can be most acutely seen in our life theology. What do I mean by life theology? I am talking about what we live from day to day which is the true expression of what we actually believe. It’s easy for professing Christians to believe a set of doctrines that they do not authentically live out. What we really believe is what we live on a regular basis, not necessarily what we doctrinally assert.

We could develop this idea of believing one thing and living another in a tremendous amount of ways, but I want to concentrate on one area in this article—the great problem we have of finding balance between the Word and the Spirit.

People of the Word

It is reasonable to claim that genuine Christians believe that both the Old and New Testaments are God’s inspired and infallible Word of God. Why is it then that at one moment we can testify to the inerrancy of the Scriptures and the next live the total opposite? Some people maintain that they stand on the Word even while they strive to explain away those verses that rebuke the way they live or refute their pet doctrines.

If we claim to believe the Word then its time we live what it says, not what is doctrinally comfortable, socially acceptable or convenient. Paul taught Timothy to “Watch your life and doctrine closely” (1 Tim. 4:16). He admonished Titus to, “teach what is in accord with sound doctrine” and to “encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it” (Titus 2:1. 1:9). Both Jesus and Paul warned that in the last days people would not hold to sound doctrine but follow lies that feed their sinful nature. Since Christ is the Author of Truth we ought to love the truth as He does and hate all untruths in an equal manner. It does not take a rocket scientist to comprehend that both believing and living sound doctrine is of paramount importance to the Lord God.

There is something terribly wrong with our concept of being a people of the Word if we are spiritually dead. We cannot be truly full of the Living Word and be empty of the Holy Spirit. To be full of the Word and empty of the Spirit is both unscriptural and illogical. If we really became a people of the Word then we should be full of faith and of the Holy Spirit as was Stephen (Acts 6 &7). Yet many professing believers that claim to believe the Word do not live like those New Testament saints that were truly full of the Holy Ghost.

If we believe that Jesus is who He said He is then we should literally believe everything He taught; and if we believe everything He taught then we should be willing to live out those truths at all cost. How can we be people of the Word and yet ignore Christ’s teaching on the Spirit and the tremendous importance He placed upon the subject? Are we wiser then God? Do we think that the infilling of the Spirit is a meaningless teaching that should be relegated to ages past when the Lord Christ said otherwise? Many people downplay the work of the Spirit or outright reject Him because such teaching goes against their lifestyles or church doctrine. This is a tragedy!

Everything Jesus did when His ministry began was done through the power of the Spirit (Lk. 4:1, 14-19, 31-37). John told us that, “Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did” (1 Jn. 2:6). Using Christ’s example, the entirety of our life and ministry should be lived out through the power of the Spirit. To be faithful to our Lord we must return in faith and practice to His plain teaching on the Spirit and those of the remaining New Testament.

Jesus commanded the first disciples to “tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:49, KJV). Paul commanded the Ephesians to “be filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18b). The example of Christ’s life and the principles of these commands are as relevant today as they were 2000 years ago. Jesus knew that the early church could not survive, much less triumph, without the infilling of the Spirit. How arrogant we are to think that as modern believers we do not need the Spirit baptism even though those early saints could not live without it. The book of Acts gives us a snapshot of the life of the early church which made being filled with the Spirit the norm for every believer.

People of the Spirit

One of the primary ministries of the Holy Spirit is to glorify Jesus (Jn. 16:13-15). So the Spirit will never do anything that will not bring glory to Christ. Not just that, the Spirit will never act in a way that conflicts with the Word of God. Because the Spirit of Truth is part of the triune God, He will never do anything that is contrary to the character of Godhead. Those who are truly baptized in the Spirit will live lives that glorify God because they walk in harmony with the Word and the character of God.

Just as those who call themselves people of the Word can live contrary to the Word so those who call themselves people of the Spirit can act in ways contrary to the Spirit. Being filled with the Spirit will never make us act stupid. This happens when people do not rightly know the Word, the character of God or the workings of the Spirit. If they were truly operating in the Spirit they would not act in ways that are contrary to the Word or disgraces Jesus.

It’s just as dangerous to twist the Word for our own selfish ends as it is to twist what some call the outpouring of the Spirit for selfish reasons. Either way, we are being unfaithful to the Word and the Spirit. Reject the Word and we end up in error whether or not we claim to be filled with the Spirit. We can have all kinds of programs, activities or manifestations in the church without the Spirit having any part of it; and if the Spirit is not part of it then neither is Jesus.

There is a terrifying error creeping into many of the camps of those who consider themselves people of the Spirit. It is the exaltation of experience over the Word. If we claim to be led by the Spirit but do that which is contrary to the Word then we have unequivocal evidence that we are not being led by the Spirit, but by self or Satan. The more we are led by the Spirit the more we will live the Word and see the Spirit’s fruit authentically revealed. It cannot be otherwise!

Some people have become spiritual experience junkies that go from conference to conference or from “revival” to “revival” seeking the latest experience or impartation. But they never change, nor do they become agents of godly change in their home, church or world. I have known many people that claimed to be in the “river” while their marriages were in the sewers and their characters more resembled Satan’s then Christ’s. This is the fruit of deception.

There can be terrible peer pressure among many who claim to be Spirit filled. Whenever something is labeled a work of the Spirit there is an unwritten taboo that forbids them from questioning its authenticity. Those who question what is going on are often considered people that do not know the workings of the Spirit or have not been in the “river.” This is a blatant lie. The Spirit will never work against the Word of God. If those in leadership are afraid to be scrutinized by the Word then they should leave the ministry or they may lead multitudes astray.

I have seen gross errors spread because people would not question whether or not their experience lined up with the Scriptures. Since they refused to allow anyone to question their experience, “outpouring” or teacher/preacher they became stubbornly unteachable. I have also seen crowds follow a teacher, give them enormous amounts of money and act in ridiculous ways, all because they refused to examine whether or not what was being taught and experienced was of the Word and the Spirit. This is the exaltation of experience over the Word and is nothing other than a Christianized version of existentialism and hedonism.

What takes place in many churches and meetings are culturally learned reactions to religious cultural influences. We can respond in particular ways because we have learned how to act under certain cultural conditions. Understand that I am not speaking against authentic moves of the Spirit which I have experienced and strive to correctly seek (abuses never nullify that which is authentic and Biblical). The issue at hand is whether or not we are governed by subjective experience or the infallible Word of God. Unfortunately, many believers who consider themselves people of the Spirit have become exceedingly gullible.

Conclusion

Much more could be said about the various errors of those who call themselves people of the Word and people of the Spirit, but let me conclude with the core issue of both: neither are being people of the Word or people of the Spirit.

If we love the Word then we will strive to be true to it in every dimension of its teaching. To love the Word means that we love what the Lord loves and hate what the Lord hates. We would then love the infilling and work of the Holy Spirit as the Scriptures clearly teach and seek to have all that the Spirit has for us. We would ache for the Spirit’s power and life to be pulsating through our very bones and in our churches. We would also hunger to have the gifts of the Spirit operating in our lives. On top of this, we would passionately seek to have all the fruit of the Spirit gracing our character so that we would look as Christlike as is humanly possible.

If we are really a people of the Spirit then we will want the Word of God to be the absolute authority over our lives. Then we will only embrace those things that the Scriptures tell us is truly from Him and reject everything that deviates from the Word because it is absolutely objectionable to the Spirit. To be Spirit lead we must be Word based in our thinking, acting and experiencing. It is only by the Word that we can know what pleases and displeases the Lord, what is holy and unholy, how to live in this present evil world, and what it means to be human. Remove the all-encompassing influence of the Word and we are left with a religious form of humanism where man and his desires are what define life and experience.

To avoid all extremes means that we must be a people of the Word and the Spirit. We cannot be a people of the Word and reject any dimension of the Holy Spirit. Nor can we be truly a people of the Spirit and not define the entirety our lives by the Word. To reject one or the other, in part or in all, we then become neither.

Glenn Meldrum has been a national evangelist since 1997. Prior to his calling as an evangelist he pastored for 15 years. He is ordained and holds an M.A. in theology and church history from Ashland Theological Seminary. Visit www.ihpministry.com for articles, sermons, books and information on Glenn Meldrum and In His Presence Ministries.

Desesperado por Cambiar

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Escrito por Glenn Meldrum
Traducido por Alfonso Ramírez de El Salvador

Una de las grandes verdades del Evangelio es que Jesús compró la humanidad con Su propia sangre para que pudiéramos caminar triunfantes sobre el poder del pecado. Trágicamente, hay muchos que nunca superan el hábito del pecado porque se atascaron en una ruta de apatía y desesperanza. La verdad es que no van a poder apartarse de su pecado hasta que no tomen en serio su relación con Jesús, de manera que hicieran cualquier cosa para caminar en santidad. La gente debe llegar al punto de desesperación antes de estar dispuestos a abandonarse a Dios sin reservas.

Siendo pastor en Detroit ministraba alcohólicos, prostitutas, drogadictos y distribuidores de drogas. Estas personas habían sido devastadas por el pecado; habían perdido todo en la vida. Uno esperaría ver una gran determinación mental para romper con las estranguladoras garras del pecado, pero increíblemente, la mayoría de ellos no parecía tener la voluntad para cambiar. Carecían de la desesperación que está siempre presente en la vida de una persona que encuentra la verdadera victoria sobre el poder del pecado.

LA LEY

Un creyente que lucha está en mucho mejor posición que alguien no salvo en las calles con una adicción a las drogas. El pecado podrá estar controlando su vida, pero al menos tiene el conocimiento de la ley de Dios que esta constantemente recordándole lo erróneo de sus trasgresiones. Sin embargo, la ley no puede nunca traer libertad al pecador.

Imagine que una persona escribe la lista completa de lo que se debe y lo que no se debe hacer (leyes morales) de la ley en las paredes de su casa. Esta lista no lo haría más santo, solo más culpable. Estas leyes le señalarían acusadoramente porque cada ser humano rompe esas leyes de manera constante. La ley solo mata y condena a la gente porque revela que son transgresores de la ley.

Aun cuando las ley moral manifiesta la culpa de una persona ante Dios como un trasgresor, esta carece del poder para hacerlo cambiar o para poner en él, el deseo de cambiar. Las leyes claman: “alto a la lujuria!, Alto a la fornicación! Alto al Adulterio!, Alto a la homosexualidad! Alto al pecado!” Aun así el deseo y poder para romper las cadenas del pecado no está ahí. Debe haber algo más, un amor mayor que el amor de la persona por el pecado y por si misma.

La ley no fue creada para traer libertad; fue creada para mostrar a la gente su gran necesidad por Alguien que pudiera salvarlos del poder del pecado. La ley no puede hacer que una persona quiera cambiar, porque el conocimiento del pecado no es suficiente. Aún cuando una persona sabe que debe dejar su conducta pecaminosa, está atrapado en una terrible tendencia de esclavitud espiritual y desesperación. Debe haber algo más grande que su pecado y si él no se toma fuertemente del Mas Grande, nunca tendrá la desesperación por cambiar que se necesita.

Cuando en un hombre crece la desesperación por Dios, tendrá la voluntad para hacer lo que sea necesario para vencer el pecado. Su corazón comienza a cambiar y un clamor emana desde adentro, “Señor, yo no puedo romper estas cadenas. Son muy fuertes para mi. Por favor ayúdame!” Este es el punto de desesperación en que Dios visita a Su gente y los libera. Solo un hambre por Dios que toma control del alma producirá la pasión que conduce a la santidad necesaria.

EL PODER DE RENDIRSE

Uno de los más grandes obstáculos que las personas enfrentan en busca de la victoria es el asunto del control. La mayoría de las personas quieren ser libres de las cadenas del pecado, pero quieren hacerlo mientras mantienen el control sobre su vida. “Si tan solo puedo hacer esto en particular, encontraré la libertad,” se dicen a si mismos. Sin embargo, mientras crean que hay una solución fuera del abandono a Cristo, se mantendrán cautivos del pecado. Sus esfuerzos de ganar la batalla por sus propios métodos y fuerza están condenados al fracaso mientras ellos mantengan el control.

El poder de vencer el pecado nunca se va a encontrar en la determinación o sabiduría de una persona. La libertad de la esclavitud del pecado solo viene a través de la rendición a Dios. El hombre debe llagar al punto en que cae sin reserva a los pies de Jesús y clama, “Oh Dios, estoy cansado de mi pecado! No puedo vencerlo sin Ti. Tue res mi única esperanza!” Es en este punto de impotencia que el hombre está más cerca de la victoria.

El General William Booth, fundador del Ejército de Salvación dijo, “La grandeza del poder de un hombre se mide por su rendición” Gente que ha hecho tremendas hazañas para Dios, no poseen grandes habilidades en si mismos pero son personas que se abandonaron completamente al Señor de los milagros.

De igual manera es la batalla con el pecado. La victoria no se encuentra en el esfuerzo propio sino en el abandono propio. Oswald Chambers lo dijo de esta forma: “Lo que se necesita en el tema espiritual es un abandono temerario al Señor Jesucristo, abandono temerario y sin especulaciones, sin ninguna clase de reservas”

EL ENFOQUE EN EL AFECTO

Adquirir una determinación implacable de vivir en victoria no va a suceder a través de la fuerza de voluntad de alguien sino por medio del afecto. Para ponerlo sencillo, es una cuestión de amor. La gente se vuelve adicta a algún tipo particular de pecado obsesivo porque esto es lo que la carne ama. Y aún más, la carne siempre lo amará y no hay ninguna cantidad de esfuerzo de parte de una persona que pueda terminar con su amor por el pecado y por si mismo.

Su única esperanza para vencer el hábito de pecado es reemplazar su amor por el pecado por un amor que le consume por Dios. Hasta que este amor toma control del alma, la persona nunca experimentará una pasión que lo guíe a la santidad. Solo cuando la persona vea al amoroso rostro de Cristo, encontrará un amor que va a eclipsar su amor por el pecado y por si mismo.

De manera que aquí reside la respuesta. Es ver a Jesús, enamorarse del “Amante de mi Alma.” “Mis ojos están puestos en Ti, oh, Soberano Señor.” (Salmo 141:8) Cada vez que un hombre cae en pecado es porque quitó sus ojos del amoroso rostro de Jesús. En otras palabras, abandona su primer amor. Por esa razón el Diablo y el mundo están sin cesar tratando que más creyentes quiten sus ojos de Jesús. Pero los hombres y mujeres de Dios han aprendido el secreto de hacer de Jesús el enfoque de su pasión.

El poder de la santidad viene por medio de la intimidad. Vea a Jesús, y Su amor arderá en su corazón. Cuando El dice, “Cambia,” tu dirás, “Si Señor.” Smith Wigglesworth dijo una vez, “Ningún hombre puede ver a Dios y vivir. Eso es de la Escritura. Por eso es que todos necesitamos ver a Jesús, para que podamos dejar de vivir y El viva en nosotros.” La mayor victoria y gozo que conocerás será tuya en la medida que sin reservas te abandones a Cristo.

Voy a compartir una cita final para cerrar. Robert Murray McCheyne dijo, “Deja al Espíritu Santo llenar cada espacio de tu corazón de manera que no quede ningún espacio para disparates, para el mundo, para Satanás o para la carne.” Si usted carece de este tipo de llenura del Espíritu Santo, pon tu rostro delante de Dios y clama por ello. Pídele al Señor que cree una desesperación por El dentro de ti. Pídele que te lleve a un lugar de absoluta rendición. Es allí – en completa desesperación por no ser capaz de encontrar las respuestas en tus propias habilidades y fuerzas – que vas a encontrar al Único que puede liberarte del poder del pecado.

Glenn Meldrum es un evangelista ordenado (Asambleas de Dios) y tiene un M.A. en teología e historia de la iglesia del Seminario de Teología Ashland. Si algún pastor tiene interés en tenerlo como conferencista puede recibir una cinta gratis de su predicación, para esto deje su nombre y dirección en el buzón de voz de Glenn (651) 247-3979.

Everyman’s War

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Whether we like it or not, or for that matter, even acknowledge it or not, there is a spiritual war raging all around us at this very moment. This war is no less real then those that nations fight. The implications of natural war are temporal, nations either rise or fall. However, the consequences of this spiritual war are eternal. Given that we cannot see the invading armies or the relentless violent skirmishes that surround us does not diminish the fact that this war exists. To comprehend the validity of this fully engaged war all we have to do is look at the ravages of sin that engulfs this world.

To conquer an individual or nation the archenemy of mankind does not issue a surprise attack to overwhelm his opponent like a horde of barbarians or crazed terrorists. Otherwise, we could easily identify him and stand against the flagrant assault in open battle. No, with subtlety our adversary creeps into our ranks, infiltrating families and culture, striving to look like friends rather than fiends. As the hordes of hell slowly gain access to our minds, hearts and culture they begin to define the way we think and how we live. Once the enemy of our soul gains enough control over the minds and hearts of people they begin to show themselves more openly and in greater force. This is where the moral decline of a people becomes blatant, defiant and rapid.

Since the greatest warfare this world will ever know is spiritual, it can be hard for the majority of people to discern unless they have spiritual eyes to see. Those who strive to warn the populous about this demonically inspired invasion are often called alarmists, fanatics or lunatics. “But wisdom is justified of her children” (Luke 7:35). Whether it was during the Old Testament era or down to our present day, the people of God have always desperately needed true prophets and evangelists to help them see what they cannot naturally see.

History abounds with stories of how armies pit weapon against weapon and whoever had the latest, greatest instrument of war most often won. This principle stands true in this spiritual war as well. On God’s side is the weapon of truth empowered by the work of the Holy Spirit. In the end, this weapon will prove itself invincible. The opposing side is armed with half-truths, illusions, deceptions, outright lies and the means to tantalize mankind’s fallen nature is a host of devious ways. The battle is fought in the minds and hearts of humanity and the prize each side seeks to claim as the spoils of war are the souls of men. Whoever captures the hearts and minds of the populous gains control over the culture at large and of individuals specifically.

The war is at a crisis level! Much of the professing church is either in denial that this war exists or refuses to engage in the conflict. The once mighty Bride of Christ has fallen into a deep, spiritual sleep, mesmerized by the same lying devils that have gained control of our world, country, government and media. Truth is fighting against lies and the life and identity of the church is at stake. The combined forces of hell, which is “the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient” (Eph. 2:2), are striving to defeat the true church by redefining her spiritual and moral character. Satan and his minions do not want authentic believers to be like the radical Jesus, for all the forces of hell cannot stand against a holy, Spirit empowered church.

At first glance it outwardly appears that Christ and the truth are losing the present day battle. It seems that as the world grows in wickedness that the church is endeavoring to keep the same pace of worldliness. What may actually be happening is that a vast number of people that where living on the fence between the two opposing kingdoms are being forced to make a decision and most are joining the ranks of God’s enemies. The Scriptures promise that all who choose to remain true to Christ will be refined with holy fire so that they look and act more like Jesus.

This war stops for no one, passes no one, spares no one. We will either swear loyalty to Christ or become His enemy—there is no neutral ground. If we become loyalists to Christ then Christ must be the standard by which we live and the Scriptures our sole authority for faith and life. Oh, that the old reformation battle cry Sola Scripture would once again be fearlessly declared in our churches—that Scripture alone would define our faith. Tradition, morals and cultural norms are as changeable as man, but the Word of the Lord stands forever true.

Devils and men have a better chance of stopping a tornado then of defeating Christ and His Word. They violently attack the truth because they hate Jesus and refuse to bow to His rule. Their God hatred drives them to relentlessly assault true believers. If our spiritual enemy can manipulate professing believers into abandoning the truth then these devils have affectively hindered believers from being conformed to Christ’s likeness. Whenever Christians cease to be true radicals like Jesus they also cease to authentically build Christ’s kingdom by bringing men, women and children to genuine faith in Christ. Our compromise leaves the world to the ruination of hell, where godless philosophies and ambitions spread like a noxious plague; where the brute appetites of the flesh are gorged without restraint. Withhold the convicting influence that the true church brings upon the world as bearers of the Holy Spirit and evil will prosper with seeming impunity.

In spite of all this, each of us will stand before the Judge of all the Earth. Will we be hailed as heroes, condemned to the pit as traitors or damned as enemy combatants against Christ the King? What will you and I say to Him at that moment? If He damns you as a traitor to His person and kingdom, what defense will you offer for living like the enemy while claiming to be Christian? Every deserter from God’s army will not find a single excuse to hide behind for running away from the divine command to fight this spiritual war to the death. And what of those who went AWOL, who left their required duties without permission, but never intended on fully deserting? These church attendees that never fulfilled their required duties due to cowardice, laziness or love of pleasure will find this judgment most terrifying.

The rewards of battle belong to those who fight on the front lines, not to those who seek to live in safety, comfort and ease. Mere mortal armies of every nation, stripe and era have always despised cowardice, laziness and the self-preservation that makes people run from the battle or never engage in it. So why do we applaud such behavior in the church when it has always been the downfall of every military that suffered its devastating influence?

Life is too short to squander and eternity too long to neglect. To hear from Christ’s lips that we were good and faithful followers will produce a joy that will sweetly linger in our hearts throughout eternity. Eons from now we will still rejoice over what Christ did for us. We will joyously declare that everything we suffered for Him on earth was worth it all, even to the laying down of our lives. If regrets had any place in heaven, they would consist of the fact that we did not give Him enough, that we did not honor Him all that He deserves. On the contrary are those that hear the voice of the Great I Am declare, “Depart from Me”. The perpetual haunting of those words will be a never-ending nightmare echoing through their conscience because they refused to bow their will to the Lord of Heaven and Earth.

We are actively in Everyman’s War where no one is exempt. Either we fight for the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Hell—but fight we will. Many that claim to be Christian are enemies of God because they have not truly surrendered to Christ; they live for themselves which is a state of being antagonistic to God. To be victorious in Everyman’s War we must be fully engaged in it for the glory of Christ alone.

Outside the Kingdom of God are only rebels; inside only true followers of Christ. Seemingly between these two kingdoms is a fence that many people sit upon, thinking it is safe in spite of the fact that they are sitting in the midst of a raging battlefield. What these fence sitters fail to realize is that the fence actually sits in enemy territory—they are on the wrong side.

Glenn Meldrum has been a national evangelist since 1997. Prior to his calling as an evangelist he pastored for 15 years. He is ordained and holds an M.A. in theology and church history from Ashland Theological Seminary. Visit www.ihpministry.com for articles, sermons, books and information on Glenn Meldrum and In His Presence Ministries.

Fasting Part 1 – Fasting Makes Me Hungry by Glenn and Jessica Meldrum

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“I fasted once but it made me hungry so I haven’t done it since.”  This humorous, yet illogical statement was actually made to us by a Christian woman while discussing the topic of fasting. She went on to explain that if Christians went on God ordained fasts they should never feel hungry. Obviously she had no personal experience in this matter. Only in self-indulgent Western culture would such an idea be considered reasonable; believers in the suffering nations would either laugh at us or weep for us.

There have been many books written on the subject of fasting, and if you look hard enough you can even find a few sermons on it. But like the issue of prayer, we may have an abundance of information yet still not put it into practice. To the average American Christian fasting is as popular a topic as suffering. The unpopularity of the subject does not change the fact that it is an indispensable discipline that needs to be restored to the church.

There are numerous reasons why we don’t fast. One major reason is because we hold erroneous beliefs about fasting which demonstrates our ignorance of the Scriptures. Many believers have mistakenly convinced themselves that fasting makes little or no difference in this world, so why bother with the inconvenience. Probably the biggest reason we steer clear of it is that we don’t want to make ourselves uncomfortable.

We struggle with fasting because it goes against the natural order of life. Unless there is something very wrong with us, we usually don’t intentionally do anything that causes ourselves pain or discomfort. Also, there’s something within us that cherishes life and cutting off what we need to sustain life goes against nature. Even our social life can be upset by fasting because much our interaction with friends and family revolves around eating.

Commanded to Fast

The Lord places great importance on fasting. That is why we need to understand the Scriptural truths that define this spiritual discipline. With a right understanding of fasting we will hopefully find the right motivation to make it a regular part of our service to God and His kingdom.

Jesus, in obedience to the Holy Spirit, was led into the wilderness to fast and be tempted for forty days. Although He never required His disciples to perform a similar fast, He did expect them to fast. That is why He said in the Sermon on the Mount “When you fast” (Mt. 6:16). He included the discipline of fasting with prayer and benevolence (Mt. 6:1-21). Once while Jesus was reproving the Pharisees for their self-righteous, powerless fasting He informed them that fasting would be a normal part of the disciple’s life after He ascended to the Father (Luke 5:35).

The Scriptures are full of examples of His people fasting. Whether it was in times of pending danger, mourning, during national repentance, the Day of Atonement or to find His will, all true fasting was done in obedience to God. This act of denying ourselves food is an expression of brokenness and humility which communicates to God our desperate need of His intervention. It is one of the means He has given us to fulfill the purposes for which He put us in this fallen world. 

Fasting to Break Chains

Through the prophet Isaiah the Lord informs us that fasting with pure motives breaks chains, sets the oppressed free and speeds healing.

Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?  Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard (Isa. 58:6-8).

We have personally witnessed God fulfill all His promises in this section of Scripture through fasting and prayer. While the Lord never violates a person’s free will, He does create circumstances that will make a way for the bound to obtain freedom and the oppressed to be treated justly.

As evangelists we minister at a different church or rehab almost every week of the year. Over 13 years ago when Jesus called us out of pastoral ministry into the evangelistic field we wondered how anything of value could be accomplished in just four or five services. We knew from pastoring that change is a slow process and unless the Spirit does a quick and powerful work we would just be wasting people’s time and money. 

This realization brought us to a deeper understanding that in ourselves “we have no power” (2 Chr. 20:12). Unless we give ourselves to prayer and fasting for each church we cannot expect change that will last for eternity. Every week we pray and fast for conviction upon the lost so they will be saved, that prodigals will come home and that the church will be awakened. We admit that it was God putting this in our hearts – not our own thoughts and understand it is the Holy Spirit who does the work. So in the end we can only say, “all we have accomplished you have done for us” (Isa. 26:12).

The Lord yearns to liberate the oppressed and break the yoke of bondage people suffer under Satan’s slavery. He could do this without our help, yet He allows us to share in His sufferings in a very small way through prayer and fasting. One story that stands out in our memory is of an unsaved man whose wife had been begging him to come to church with her for years. Matt emphatically claimed that he would never set foot in church especially “that church.” One Sunday morning Matt shocked his wife by informing her that he would attend church with her. It happened to be the Sunday that we began a series of meetings at “that church.” Not only did Matt come to the service, he surrendered his life to Jesus. The pastor was amazed because the few times he had talked to Matt he found the man very hard to the gospel. The pastor informed us later that Matt gave convincing evidence that he had truly been converted.

God often works through prayer and fasting to bring a person to the point of surrender who is suffering under the bondage of addiction. A young man told Glenn recently that a year ago he had repented of his pornography addiction after hearing one of Glenn’s messages on holiness. He said that he has not looked once at pornography since that service and God healed his marriage. A similar story of being set free from addition was told to us just a few months ago at a church in Arizona. This young man had heard Glenn preach a few times at a Christian rehab eight years prior while he was in the program. He said those messages transformed his life and he is still serving Jesus because of them.   

In Isaiah 58:8 we find that God will heal the body in response to fasting. Glenn was healed over ten years ago in this way. For many years he suffered with severe asthma to the point of needing three inhalers a day as well as a rescue inhaler. Through the urging of the Holy Spirit we felt that we should take several days to pray and fast for healing. Jesus healed Glenn and never again has he used any asthma inhalers or medication.

Fasting does break chains therefore it is one of the most formable weapons God has given us. Prayer is another powerful armament made available to all His people. He has given the church both of these disciplines because without them we would be left with only our skills or intellect in which to revolutionize this world.  When fasting and prayer are combined and habitually used in spiritual warfare the oppressed will be freed, eternity can be changed and hell will tremble.

Glenn Meldrum has been a national evangelist since 1997. Prior to his calling as an evangelist he pastored for 15 years. He is ordained and holds an M.A. in theology and church history from Ashland Theological Seminary. Visit www.ihpministry.com for articles, sermons, books and information on Glenn Meldrum and In His Presence Ministries.

Fasting Part 2 – Show Me Your Glory by Glenn and Jessica Meldrum

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Prayer and fasting are indispensable disciplines that believers must restore to their rightful place in faith and practice. Both of these disciplines are some of the basic expectations that Jesus established for every believer, not just a select few. The motive behind prayer and fasting, though, decides whether or not they are acceptable to God.

During our early Christian years we knew a man in his twenties that was deeply confused over the subject of fasting. He decided to fast 39 days because he did not want to compete with Christ’s 40 day fast. As the fast progressed he started to get sick and had to be hospitalized— he was actually killing himself. One long term effect of this self-imposed fast was that the young man lost every bit of his hair which never grew back.

It is interesting to note that the only fast God commanded in the Old Testament was on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). All other fasting was voluntary. The huge list of required fasts that the Hebrews eventually observed predominately developed after Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple and then deported a large portion of the people to Babylon. God never required these extra fasts, the rabbis and religious system did. By Jesus’ time, the Pharisees were fasting at least twice a week (Lk. 18:12). Although the New Testament does not mandate any special or regular fasts, Jesus did expect His disciples to practice the discipline.

The problem the Lord often had with Israel’s fasts was not so much over the fasts themselves, but with the legalistic and selfish motives that defined them. They became dead rituals that were detrimental to the spiritual wellbeing of the people. Once the Lord questioned the people to expose their wicked motives, “When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted?” (Zec. 7:5). They were deceived into thinking that religious acts made them righteous rather than living a surrendered life to the Lord through contrition, personal transformation and authentic love for God. The people had an outward form of godliness but did not have a true relationship with the Lord. Jesus exposed the corrupt motives behind the religious practices of Israel’s leaders by saying “Everything they do is done for men to see” (Mt. 23:5).

Their fasts had degenerated into worthless, selfish rituals that they believed would appease God’s wrath and grant them personal prosperity. What their cold hearts failed to understand was their religious rebellion against God was actually fueling the approaching Day of Wrath. His righteous, holy anger could only be assuaged through heartrending repentance. But repentance is a byproduct of surrender and love to God; both of which they refused to do. Their fasts were all about themselves and not about God (Isa. 58:2-4). They were deceived into believing that self-denial and self-abuse was equivalent to right standing with the Lord (Isa. 58:5). However, if the heart is not right with God, or seeking to be so, then fasting becomes an offense to Him.

The motives behind true fasting are not selfish, but selfless. This is why the one who fasts for incorrect reasons is no better than the one who refuses to fast – both are selfish. Those who begin to understand the privilege of sharing in the fellowship of Christ’s suffering will selflessly subdue their flesh to accomplish that which can be done no other way. They are driven by the knowledge that fasting will “loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke” (Isa. 58:6). Their deepest desire is that the hunger they feel when fasting will cause an intense spiritual hunger for Jesus in the one that desperately needs to be freed.

Let’s look at Moses’ example of fasting which Scripture tells us was the type of fasting that God receives. Moses spent forty days interceding through prayer and fasting that the Lord would not destroy Israel because they had built and worshiped the golden calf. Through his selfless act men, women and children were spared from having to face the wrath of God. Is it not the same today? Do we truly believe that fasting and prayer loosens the yoke of those enslaved to Satan, the world and sin? While it is true that our fasting will not save a soul from hell (Jesus is the only mediator), yet this story teaches us that we can prevail with God when we have a heart like Moses – which is really a heart like our Savior.

As the account of Moses’ intercession unfolds we find an incredible petition uttered from the lips of this great spiritual giant: “please forgive their sin—but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written” (Ex. 32:32). What Christlike compassion—Moses was willing to go to hell that his people might be saved. Obviously, God was moved by Moses’ sincere and heartfelt prayer, even though He would never grant Moses’ request in the literal sense (Ex. 32:33). The Lord did spare the nation, but there were consequences for their sins. Mercy coupled with severe discipline was granted to the repentant people, judgment to the unrepentant.  This very account begs us to ask a heart-wrenching question: “Who among us could pray such a prayer today in all honesty?”

The intercession of Moses comes to a climax. It is at this point that prayer and fasting either becomes truly successful or a dismal failure. It speaks of the primary motive behind why we do, or do not, fast and pray. While Moses was in the Tent of Meeting continuing to intercede for the people he prayed, “Now show me your glory” (Ex. 33:18). Though Moses prayed and fasted for the people, his spiritual craving to know the Lord is what drove him. Without a passion for God, Moses would have never had compassion for the people that drove him to his knees for hours, days and even weeks at a time. He understood the prize to be coveted from fasting and prayer was to see God’s glory.

The ultimate prize we are to seek through fasting and prayer is Christ Himself. That is why we must guard our hearts when we practice the disciplines Christ demands of us lest they become dead religious practices. Jesus must always be the ultimate prize we seek, even when we are interceding for the needs of others. When the motive of the heart is right then the promises attached to fasting will break forth upon us: “Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I” (Isa. 58:9). So what is the greatest reward of prayer and fasting? Christ Himself! When we seek Him with all of our being then we will hear Him speak to us the most beautiful of words, “Here am I.”

Glenn Meldrum has been a national evangelist since 1997. Prior to his calling as an evangelist he pastored for 15 years. He is ordained and holds an M.A. in theology and church history from Ashland Theological Seminary. Visit www.ihpministry.com for articles, sermons, books and information on Glenn Meldrum and In His Presence Ministries.

Fasting Part 3 – A Fasted Lifestyle by Glenn and Jessica Meldrum

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 Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?  Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard (Isa. 58:6-8).

 One primary reason we are commanded to fast according to Isaiah 58 is so we will have food to share with the hungry, clothes to give the naked and shelter to provide the for wander. Can such work be accomplished by skipping a meal or two a week and using those savings for others? It can help a little. But maybe there is something more to this than first meets the eye. Could not the Lord be calling His people to live a life of fasting that goes beyond the forsaking of food for the salvation and well-being of others? Might not this be part of our Lord’s call for His people to take up their cross by living a lifestyle of fasting?

What is a lifestyle of fasting? It is applying Jesus’ teachings regarding the wise use of this world’s material goods in living out our everyday lives for the purpose of bringing Him glory. Through submission to Christ we are compelled to live simply so we will have more money to give to missions, churches, the poor or to any need He shows us. Though this simple way of living is thoroughly Biblical it is also blatantly contrary to the American way of life that focuses upon the self-indulgent pursuit of wealth to squander it upon ourselves.

Wealth is not the issue—it is how it is used. Selfish people, whether they call themselves Christian or not, will live for themselves and this will be revealed in how they make and spend their money. True Christians strive to live like Christ (1 Jn. 2:6). His was a selfless life: “though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich” (2 Cor. 8:9). Jesus freely gave us the wealth of salvation so that we could spend our lives for His glory.

The Lord did not save us to live self-absorbed lives in the pursuit of wealth and pleasure. No, He saved us to promote the very purpose that compelled Him to come into this world: “to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10). The nitty-gritty of the matter rests upon who will be lord of our lives—the Lord Jesus or our sinful, selfish nature. K. P. Yohannan addresses this issue stating:

The most important goal is to employ material things for the kingdom of God rather than ourselves. This is one of the truest tests of where our affections really lie. Christ demands nothing less than lordship of our whole being, including the material blessings we have accumulated in this life. It’s not how much we give that counts – but how much is still left sticking to our fingers. That is the way to measure correctly the simplicity of one’s life (Road to Reality, 159).

When we yield to Christ’s lordship He will be Lord of our finances, time, relationships and recreation.

It seems that in the Western church we have forgotten that we are only stewards of our lives and will give an account of it to our Lord and Master. In Luke 12:16-21 we find the parable of the Rich Fool. One character trait patently glares out—that he was a self willed, selfish man. All of his financial decisions were based upon his desires to live in ease and comfort now, and to secure this lifestyle for the future. His repeated use of statements like; “I will do”, “I will build”, “I will store” speaks volumes about his spiritual condition. The Rich Fool does not acknowledge God in any of His decisions.

In verse 20 we find that his life ended much sooner than he anticipated. The Lord decreed that the man’s soul would be required of him that very night. The Greek word for “required” comes from two root words, one meaning cessation or completion and the other to call for or desire. It means his life has ended and God was calling for a reckoning of what was entrusted to him. The Rich Fool mistakenly thought certain things were his, “my crops”, “my goods”, “my soul”, but in truth they were merely on loan to him. He discovered too late that his soul was on loan as well as his possessions. There is no escaping this Day of Reckoning. 

We also must give an account for how we live in this world and what we do with the loans we are entrusted with. The bookkeeper does not make the decisions about how money is spent, he only receives directions from the owner and distributes as he is told. Many Christians think they are good people because they take a certain, comfortable percentage of their income and give it to missions or a local church but it hardly affects their lifestyle. When our finances are surrendered to Him we will live very differently from the world; we will not buy as they buy or vacation like they do or be motivated by money in employment choices. To live simply for the sake of the Gospel “costs”!   

There have been many good examples of those who lived the fasted life. One that stands out is John Wesley, a man that could have been wealthy yet chose to live simply. He gave to churches, orphanages, the work of spreading the gospel and printing Christian literature. Very little “stuck to his fingers”, which is why he died with only pennies in his pocket.  But look at Wesley’s legacy—he turned England upside down and set America ablaze through the Methodist revivals. This very moment Wesley is enjoying the true wealth that can never be taken from him.

The fasted life is not one that seeks poverty believing it to be a noble thing, but rather lives as simply as possible so that others might know Christ. Instead of spending money and time on extravagances and frivolous pursuits we lavish it on Christ for His glory. We should freely give to grow the kingdom of God out of the abundance that Christ has poured into our lives.

We need to rightly hear what Paul taught the Ephesian elders, “In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive'” (Acts 20:35). Paul was not teaching the greedy false doctrine of giving a supposed faith seed so that we get a tenfold return. What selfishness! That kind of thinking was anathema to Paul. He was compelling the elders to give everything to Christ for the sake of His glory and the growth of His church. By teaching the spiritual leaders how to live a fasted life he was securing the expectation for the people to live the same.

In this world we live only a few short years and only in this life are we given the privilege to suffer for Jesus. We may not have to bear in our bodies the marks of the Lord Jesus as Paul did, but we better have some kind of scar upon our life for the Gospel’s sake when we stand before Him. Our wallets should testify of sacrificial giving. The lack of comforts in our homes, vehicles and possessions should prove our hearts were fixed on the city whose builder and maker is God. Both our prime years and retirement years should bear the marks of selfless service for the kingdom. Amy Carmichael warned her potential missionary recruits that they should expect to bear scars in their service, for did they not follow a wounded Savior? She later wrote the poem Hast Thou No Scar:

Hast thou no scar ? . . . Hast thou no wound? . . .

Yet, as the Master shall the servant be,

And pierced are the feet that follow Me;

But thine are the whole: can he have followed far

Who has nor wound nor scar?

Glenn Meldrum has been a national evangelist since 1997. Prior to his calling as an evangelist he pastored for 15 years. He is ordained and holds an M.A. in theology and church history from Ashland Theological Seminary. Visit www.ihpministry.com for articles, sermons, books and information on Glenn Meldrum and In His Presence Ministries.

Flirting with the Enemy by Jessica Meldrum

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May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through.

May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming

of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thes. 5:23).

 

 Recently I was reading a Christian novel based on a Biblical character. Right away I could tell it was well written and the author seemed to possess a good knowledge of the culture. Suffice it to say, I was quickly drawn into the book. However, I wasn’t too far into it when I began to experience an uncomfortable feeling in my spirit.

 Since everything Christian publishing companies produce is not always genuinely “Christian,” I am very cautious about what authors and subjects I spend my reading time on. In the above mentioned novel there were no obvious “sins” in the story. So I took a moment to pray about this uncomfortable feeling and asked the Lord to show me if it was from Him. It only took another page or so until I understood that this book grieved the Holy Spirit that dwells in me. He showed me that the author was endeavoring to make the reader believe that the main character’s acts of disobedience towards her parents were not only small issues, but even ones that should be viewed as noble conduct. Also, the author described her appearance (of course she was extremely beautiful) through the eyes of a man that was bordering on lustful thoughts. 

The point of this story is to confess that I almost missed the Holy Spirit’s still small voice. I am constantly asking Jesus to reveal to me not only my sin but also anything questionable that is in my life. God is holy and I want to put away that which is unholy in me, that which keeps Him from drawing near. Not all books are sinful in themselves, however if we  continue to read a book after we have been convicted or even skip to the back to see how it ends, that would be “flirting” with rebellion.

Charles Spurgeon in his book, My Conversion, made the statement, “I cannot [flirt] with the evil that killed my best Friend. I must be holy for His sake. How can I live in sin when He has died to save me from it?” This way of thinking will greatly help to keep us from sin, compromise or even the questionable things. We need to understand that even the “little things,” the flirting, is the same evil that killed the One that poured out His life to rescue us. How can we give refuge to the enemy of Jesus? How can we harbor His murderer in our heart? We who know the truth about His costly sacrifice must not supply the enemy with a place to hide out and even thrive.

Believers who are mature and have sought to live a life pleasing to their Heavenly Father will eventually find themselves in the biggest battles in their Christian experience, the battles of the mind. “Spiritual sins” are the evils we can many times ignore or justify; sins such as pride, self-love, criticalness, evil thoughts, indulging in self-loathing, etc. Because spiritual sins are so hard to see in ourselves, we are often blind to them. This is why the danger is so great and we can easily yield to the temptation to flirt with the enemy. The Christian who would never outwardly flirt with a person of the opposite sex can at times flirt with the spiritual sins.

Using my illustration as an example let me be honest about the tendency of my heart to engage in flirtatious thoughts. When I first felt the Holy Spirit’s prompting and considered throwing the book away, I questioned whether I was just being too religious or rigid in my views. After all, finishing the book would not have sent me to hell. Following this line of thinking would have soon brought me to the point of flirting with “cheap grace”.

My thoughts then turned in another direction. If I threw the book away, I might have the opportunity to tell people about how I never finished this book and would appear spiritual. This of course is the spiritual sin of self-righteousness and to be honest this is usually my greatest temptation. Continuing on in that vein, I even very briefly considered the possibility that if I limited my reading to the Scriptures alone I could gain points not only with men but also with God. How ugly legalism is and how it disgraces Him.

These kinds of temptations should never surprise us because left to ourselves our heart is bent to thoughts such as these. We should not condemn ourselves when we experience these temptations. If however, it goes past a fleeting thought and we find that we have begun to flirt with spiritual sins there is only one thing to do – repent and kick the enemy out! Do not give sanctuary to the murderer of Jesus!

Be careful if you believe you never experience these kinds of thoughts. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9) We cannot discern our own hearts so we must plead for help from the Holy Spirit. Only He knows the truth about who we are. Without His revelation, we can think too highly of ourselves as the Pharisees did. The other danger is we may entertain thoughts of self-abhorrence, which is just as sinful because it is an offense against His grace and questions His power to transform His people into the image of His Son.

So why should we stop our flirting with evil? Why be concerned about the questionable things? Not because it will better our lives nor improve our relationships. These things are the benefits of a holy life, not the reason. The reasons to strive for holiness are because sin breaks His heart and because the only way to ascend the hill of the Lord is to have “clean hands and a pure heart” (Ps. 24:4). He deserves our unreserved devotion; He should receive the glory a pure heart brings to Him. In truth, throwing out a book, turning off the TV or choosing to face the truth about ourselves are not hard things to do if we are in love. Lovers never wish to grieve the heart of their beloved. True friends would never consider giving refuge to the evil that killed their best Friend.

 

Jessica Meldrum travels full time across the country with her husband Glenn ministering in churches, rehab programs, conferences and camp meetings. She teaches women’s groups and is a speaker for the Christian Women’s Club. Jessica’s life experiences have included foster parenting, church planting and a career as a business manager. She has also authored a book entitled Floods on Dry Ground, an extraordinary account of the Hebrides revival. For scheduling call 651-247-3979 or visit the Meldrum’s website: www.ihpministry.com for more information.