The Successful Christian
The church builds many expectations of the Christian life. Preachers and Pastors promise prosperity, happy families, and successful lives if we but follow Biblical standards for living. They promise that in Christ, we will have all that everyone desires. It is a great sales technique, good for bringing in the lost to fill church pews, but it is not what God defines as the successful Christian life.
Psalm 17:13-14
Arise, O LORD,
Confront him,
caste him down:
Deliver my life from the wicked with Your sword,
With your hand from men, O LORD,
From men of the world who have their portion in this life,
And whose belly You fill with Your hidden treasure.
They are satisfied with children,
And leave the rest of their possession
for their babes.
As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness;
I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.
It is easy to be convinced that if we are obedient to Biblical principles, God will bless us with what everyone in the world desires; health, wealth, and a loving family. These are good things and they are from God but they are not the marker of a successful Christian. Success is not in blessings we have earned through our own good behavior but in Who's image we are being refashioned. It is even possible to not enjoy any of those blessings and yet, be a success in God's eyes. This success can't be earned but only submitted to. We are but clay in the Potter's Hands as daily He works to create in us the likeness of Christ.
Our faith is not of ourselves but is a gift from God. Our faith does not promise us a life free of pain and sorrow but instead, a life enabled to overcome pain, sorrow, and even death. In Christ, we are not promised a happy life, a painless life, but are gifted with the Power of Life from God at the moment we believe in Jesus. We suffer just as the ungodly suffer but we are not overcome because Jesus lives in us and He has already conquered all that seeks to conquer us. In Christ, we are empowered to overcome evil with good.
It is easy to listen to sermons that teach 'blessings earned' and be made to feel that somehow, we have fallen short. If one's children have rebelled and want nothing to do with God, it is very easy to condemn one's self by classifying one's self as a failed Christian. If one has bad health, this type of preaching can send us searching for some hidden sin that is blocking us from receiving the blessings of God. If one has lost their business or suffered some other financial loss, it is easy, according to this type of teaching, to begin to berate one's self for not giving enough to God's Work. Though Biblical principles are true and useful guides in daily life, to teach that abundant blessings are the norm for the Christian is deceptive. The abundant life is a life empowered by the eternal Life received in Jesus that is Jesus and cannot be overcome by all that a fallen world seeks to use to bring us down.
If we seek to live a Godly life and are met with persecution, we are a successful Christian. If our children turn from God and do all in their might to turn us away from Him also but we are unable to leave Him, we are a success in Christ. If we are stricken by poverty and even made homeless yet, we cling to Jesus, we are a success in God's eyes. If even all of our days are spent in physical and emotional pain and still we cry out to God, we are becoming what God has chosen us to be. If even in the face of death, we draw only closer to God, our success is near to receiving its reward. If we should fail at everything we have ever set our hands to do and yet, still believe, we have fulfilled what God intends in us, that the simple should confound the wise. A successful Christian realizes that what God desires to see in us is not our own good works that He might bless us but instead, His own redemptive work. Successful Christians are those who are being perfected in weakness and don't seek to perfect themselves.
We are not to be as the world who will believe only when their bellies are filled and their desires met. We must not be deceived into thinking that God has abandoned us when times are tough. Those of the world have their reward now. We who are in Christ seek a reward that comes in the future. All long for showers of God's blessings but for now, be content with those mercy drops that sustain us in this sinful and dying world. Our hope is not in the things of this world but in Christ, in an age yet to come. In that day, our Hope will be fully glorified and the pain we endure in this world will be remembered no more.
Hold on! Jesus is coming soon!
Psalm 17:13-14
Arise, O LORD,
Confront him,
caste him down:
Deliver my life from the wicked with Your sword,
With your hand from men, O LORD,
From men of the world who have their portion in this life,
And whose belly You fill with Your hidden treasure.
They are satisfied with children,
And leave the rest of their possession
for their babes.
As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness;
I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.
It is easy to be convinced that if we are obedient to Biblical principles, God will bless us with what everyone in the world desires; health, wealth, and a loving family. These are good things and they are from God but they are not the marker of a successful Christian. Success is not in blessings we have earned through our own good behavior but in Who's image we are being refashioned. It is even possible to not enjoy any of those blessings and yet, be a success in God's eyes. This success can't be earned but only submitted to. We are but clay in the Potter's Hands as daily He works to create in us the likeness of Christ.
Our faith is not of ourselves but is a gift from God. Our faith does not promise us a life free of pain and sorrow but instead, a life enabled to overcome pain, sorrow, and even death. In Christ, we are not promised a happy life, a painless life, but are gifted with the Power of Life from God at the moment we believe in Jesus. We suffer just as the ungodly suffer but we are not overcome because Jesus lives in us and He has already conquered all that seeks to conquer us. In Christ, we are empowered to overcome evil with good.
It is easy to listen to sermons that teach 'blessings earned' and be made to feel that somehow, we have fallen short. If one's children have rebelled and want nothing to do with God, it is very easy to condemn one's self by classifying one's self as a failed Christian. If one has bad health, this type of preaching can send us searching for some hidden sin that is blocking us from receiving the blessings of God. If one has lost their business or suffered some other financial loss, it is easy, according to this type of teaching, to begin to berate one's self for not giving enough to God's Work. Though Biblical principles are true and useful guides in daily life, to teach that abundant blessings are the norm for the Christian is deceptive. The abundant life is a life empowered by the eternal Life received in Jesus that is Jesus and cannot be overcome by all that a fallen world seeks to use to bring us down.
If we seek to live a Godly life and are met with persecution, we are a successful Christian. If our children turn from God and do all in their might to turn us away from Him also but we are unable to leave Him, we are a success in Christ. If we are stricken by poverty and even made homeless yet, we cling to Jesus, we are a success in God's eyes. If even all of our days are spent in physical and emotional pain and still we cry out to God, we are becoming what God has chosen us to be. If even in the face of death, we draw only closer to God, our success is near to receiving its reward. If we should fail at everything we have ever set our hands to do and yet, still believe, we have fulfilled what God intends in us, that the simple should confound the wise. A successful Christian realizes that what God desires to see in us is not our own good works that He might bless us but instead, His own redemptive work. Successful Christians are those who are being perfected in weakness and don't seek to perfect themselves.
We are not to be as the world who will believe only when their bellies are filled and their desires met. We must not be deceived into thinking that God has abandoned us when times are tough. Those of the world have their reward now. We who are in Christ seek a reward that comes in the future. All long for showers of God's blessings but for now, be content with those mercy drops that sustain us in this sinful and dying world. Our hope is not in the things of this world but in Christ, in an age yet to come. In that day, our Hope will be fully glorified and the pain we endure in this world will be remembered no more.
Hold on! Jesus is coming soon!
21 Comments:
Nice post.
I've noticed the same things you have. Televangelists telling stories of how people gave $100 to their 'church' and got $300 back somehow. The supposed "prosperity gospel" teaches that the closer we are to God, the more money/prosperity we will have on the earth. It shocks me how some churches can preach the complete opposite of what you find in the New Testament. Jesus, and his followers who actually followed him, lived off the support and goodwill of fellow Jews. They had no home, and if they did they were often encouraged to sell it and distribute the money. Obviously not everyone can live this way, but Jesus promised his followers nothing but physical hardship and spiritual prosperity.
A common prejudice today is that poor people are lazy, dumb, and not blessed by God. Jesus said, in complete comparison, "blessed are the poor, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven".
Again, nice post.
Hi Timothy,
It's nice to meet you and thank you for the encouragement.
The sad thing about all of this is that it works so well for those who are seeking to build a kingdom for themselves by manipulating people. They would not make these promises if we did not bite. The differences are subtle and are spiritually discerned because these teachers are usually deceived themselves and have verses ready to prop up their message. If we are not walking close to God ourselves and taking the time to know what the Bible teaches then we've no one to blame really, but ourselves. It is up to believers to hold teachers and preachers accountable and to do so, we have to be able to discern when the true message of the Bible is being taught and not merely being used as a tool to manipulate.
I believe the bible verse Timothy was quoting was Matthew 5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (KJV)
Poor in spirit is being dead to self, "the old man," and alive with Jesus living from the inside out. You put others before yourself as Jesus did on earth. "Poor in spirit" does not in any way mean financially poor. However, I do concur "prosperity gospel" for the sake of personal gain and manipulation is heresy. Spiritual discernment granted by God is the key to discerning the pure in heart from the greed driven.
Are we seeking worldy possessions, or are we seeking God before all things. If we are seeking worldly things, then we will be inclined to make rash decisions and blame others for the outcome.
However, God does honor and bless those who honor him with a pure heart. If God is first in our lives then we will be good stewards of the things both spiritual and temporal that he has so graciously allowed us to use during our time on earth.
1 Peter 4:10
"As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." (KJV)
Matthew 6:21
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." (KJV)
God blesses us, IF we are using what he has given us to bring glory to His kingdom and not ourself. - Blessing are not just in the form of worldy possessions! Many God fearing men throughout the Bible were blessed beyond belief both with spiritual and worldly possessions.
The bottom line is all our desires must align with the desires of Christ Jesus. Put Jesus first and your life will be filled with joy unspeakable.
Psalm 16:11
"Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."
Of course not all blessings are material yet, if we believe for the blessings then we are out of step with God. Even nonbelievers can make good choices and live a good life but their reward is temporal. I have Jesus living in me Who is not temporal but eternal and even when I make bad choices, He is working the good and the evil to my good simply because I belong to Him. He did not call me out of the world because I am worthy rather the scripture teaches that we are called because we are base. Any good thing wrought in me is the work of God for the glory of God it is not my work for my glory. God blesses me because I belong to Jesus and for no other reason. Because of Jesus even when my life is bad, life is good. In Jesus I have joy in the midst of all sorrow.
Well said joyindestructible.
Your faith in Christ Jesus is strong, and I thank God for you.
I pray God will continue to bless you with all the gifts of the Spirit in Jesus'holy name. Amen
Thank you, scot. I pray for God's blessing in your life as well. We're safe in Jesus because when our faith wavers and we begin to let go, we are assured that He will never let go of us!
Actually scot I was quoting Luke 6:20,
"And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God."
The greek used two words for poor, and the one used here is the worse of the two, literally meaning "destitute". It did mean poor financially, and Jesus audience was likely made up of alot of heavily taxed (very poor) subsistence farmers.
I don't believe Matthew's version was talking about what you described either. More likely is that it simply means humble in life and behaviour. Remember that both Matthew and Luke report this to be a pretty early teaching of Jesus, up to this point Jesus has said nothing of the "old man" and being alive with Jesus and other pauline terminology.
JoyIndestructible,
I am certain this is the best post I have read in a long time. I found the passage you shared to be SHOCKING. I can't imagine hearing this passage at my church, and -to be honest- I have doubts I would have the courage to speak it myself. The shadow of Abraham falls over the words in this passage, and I can hear Christ whispering, 'I did not come to bring peace, but a sword...'.
Some comments:
God validated Abraham when he gave to God his only son, but it was Abraham's belief that God would return Isaac that made him a man of faith. Although (I believe) God wanted to give Isaac to Abraham, He wanted more than anything to see faith in Abraham (or as you put it, God's redemptive work inside us).
The sales pitch in most churches is, "Give X and you get Isaac." When the message should be: "...in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God". If God did not withhold His own Son on our behalf, how will He not also along with Him graciously give us all things? The discipleship factor, however, is whether one is of faith or of restless human appetite.
External measurements are incomplete when God blesses us in ways which are obvious to everyone and ways which only we know. Many people suffer because of the gospel, and they are blessed by God. Peter warns us that a lot of people also suffer because they are wicked evil-doers. The important thing is not to evaulate one's life by the circumstances, but by the inner condition of the heart -the recepticle of the true blessedness God wants to give us.
Again, excellent post. I hope to see more just like this. Sorry for trying to respond to everything ;)
Interesting discussion between Tim and Scot. Thanks for sharing.
I've often wondered who Jesus is refering to when he mentions the poor in spirit. I'm leaning toward Tim's view, although the implications are daunting to me.
I liked this part from Scot: "However, God does honor and bless those who honor him with a pure heart."
Scot: I hear the phrase "dieing to self" a lot. Is there a verse where this phrase appears or is basically derived from? It sounds like a verse ... but I fear some use it to suggest it's okay to live without examining our thoughts/beliefs/behaviors.
Timothy,
I apologize for the false assumption on the particular bible verse. Thank you for explaining and God bless you.
God grant us all Your divine wisdom to unequivocally understand and apply Your Word, the Breath of Life, for the glory of Your Kingdom. In Jesus' most Holy name, Amen.
To all viewers,
I am terribly sorry if I offended anyone in previous post.
BB,
"dying to self" I did not mean to imply that I am no longer accountable for my behaivior/actions, or that I
enjoy guiltless sin because I am saved by God's grace. I believe in a repentive heart for all sin knowingly or unknowingly committed, and the Holy Spirit convicts me but does not condemn me. I am just striving to allow Jesus living in me to shine through by denying my own wants and desires and showing Agape love to all in all cicrumstances. By not allowing circumstances to control my behavior and gratitude for God. My words will probably not explain fully my desire to "dye to self", which in itself is a generic phrase. What I mean when I say "dye to self" is: letting the indwelling Holy Spirit reveal the areas of my life that are unlike Christ and allow the power of God to manifest in me becoming more like Christ in my heart and renewing my mind to think and act like Christ. Knowing that this power is not my own but God's. I am merely one of his servants. So, in order for me to serve Him more I have to serve myself less. I allow Jesus to take control of my life by selflessness and undoubtedly realizing I cannot do anything on my own. I NEED JESUS! God is the very reason for my existence. God does not need me, but oh I so desparely need him every second of my life! Dying to myself is an ongoing process, which is not only in my actions, but also in my words, body language, trust, faith, patience, thoughts, prayers, time, appreciations, and dissatisfactions, and etc.
Some scriptures referring to "dying to self": John 3:30, John 12:24-25, 2corinthians 4:10-12, Galations 2:20, Colassians 2:20, and 2Timothy 2:11.
Thank You God for all that love His Son Jesus, which is our indestructible unification.
Ooops - I meant to write:
Thank God for all that love His Son Jesus, which is our indestructible unification.
Scot,
I was not offended. I don't think anyone was. It takes a lot more than that to offend me. Besides, who am I that no one dare to disagree with me? Anyway, I don't think we disagree. If we do it doesn't matter because it is as you say, we are unified in Jesus Christ. He is the only true unity we can hope to have.
BB, Dieing to self comes from Paul's teachings. He speaks of dieing daily. It is in reference to our daily dieing to our own desires as we submit to Christ who dwells in us. When we sin, we definately are not dieing to self so I have a hard time seeing how people could bend it to being able to do what they want but I know people are creative and when it comes to sin, we are creatively evil!
I like good discussion and I like to hear the chords struck in others by the words the Lord lays upon my heart to write. Even if they are words in disagreement. Disagreeable words are another thing but I may also, at times, deserve even those words. We are all growing and learning. None of us have arrived at full knowledge of God or scripture and in this lifetime, we never will.
BB, I also wanted to touch on the fact that if we become serious students of the Bible is isn't long before we find that we have embraced concepts that are never expressed in the simplified version we hear in church. Each denomination, it seems to me, has it's 100 or so verses that they teach on to the exclusion of others (especially the ones that don't seem to agree with the doctrinal stance of that denomination). The only cure, I believe, for this watered down teaching is for church goers to take more responsibility and study on their own. I believe that scripture interprets scripture and a true and full understanding can't be found by reading commentary. Mining the scripture itself is rewarding but will probably make you appear a bit eccentric among those happy with the shallow form of faith embraced today. I prefer being a bit eccentric to faith an inch deep.
Scot said "I apologize for the false assumption on the particular bible verse. Thank you for explaining and God bless you."
Oh, that's no problem! To be honest it was only very recently that I came across Luke's version of the saying, I always assumed it was just 'poor in spirit'.
BB said "I'm leaning toward Tim's view, although the implications are daunting to me."
You aren't alone, I find the implications of the things Jesus says to be constantly daunting!
Hi Scot,
Thanks for clarifying that. You sound very genuine in your intentions, and I hope I didn't sound like I was calling them into question at all. Also, I don't feel like there's anything you should apologize for (although, it is more important to listen to your own conscience and the word God speaks to you than to listen to any of us).
There are two parts of your last response that I am trying to understand. On the one hand you say:
"I am just striving to allow Jesus living in me to shine through by denying my own wants and desires and showing Agape love to all in all cicrumstances."
And you also say:
"I NEED JESUS! God is the very reason for my existence. God does not need me, but oh I so desparely need him every second of my life!"
Probably the difference has a lot to do with your stream-of-thought writing style (which I happen to like a lot ... premeditation rarely improves the quality of any writing, I find). On the one hand you are setting aside "your own wants and desires" and on the other you seem to want Christ so very much -as if this is the most important thing of all.
I need to look up these passages you have listed!
Thanks for the response and for stopping by, Scot!
Here are the passages:
"He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. So this joy of mine has been made full.
"He must increase, but I must decrease."
John 3:29-30
"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
"He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal."
John 12:24-25
"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me."
Galations 2:20
If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as,
"Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!"
Colossians 2:20-21
"It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him;"
2 Timothy 2:11
Thanks for sharing them with me, Scot. Really, I do feel indebited to you because I feel like you've presented something which I need to hear ... I need to spend some time reflecting on these passages.
Hi Pam,
Thanks for shedding some light on the phrase. I hear it so often, and I think to myself, "I just don't understand it!" And then I think, "You're just being a grouch! Accept it!".
Here is my concern. When I hear "dieing to self" I think of someone who is tormented with being who they are. When I think of "dieing to self" I think of suicide, the very opposite of what God's empowering life gives us. Two very close people to me have attempted suicide.
And yet, these verses truly communicate God's divine message for us (specifically for me). Scot is not a snobby professor trying to impress us with his knowledge. I am certain he writes in earnest. I want to understand this!
BB, we hear so much about self-esteem these days that I think most people have a knee jerk reaction to 'dieing to self'. Maybe we need to find a more modern way to express what we are saying but then again what God teaches us as good will always be upside down to the world.
I surely don't think of dieing to self as suicide but truly, the opposite. As I die to my own wrong-headed desires and obey God, I am becoming the person I was created to be instead of the one who, before knowing Jesus, was twisted by being born into a fallen world. I am free in Christ and each day as I die to the flesh, I realize a little bit more of that freedom that is mine.
This comment has been removed by the author.
joyindestrutible,
Thanks be to God for sharing the words laid on your heart.
"God blesses me because I belong to Jesus and for no other reason.
"And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work." Romans 11:6
"and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—" Romans 3:24-25
You are right, I stand corrected, and thank you.
There is nothing, "no work" I could possibly ever do to gain God's acceptance. It is only through the grace of God sacrificing His Son Jesus for the atonement of my sins, and the faith of Jesus' beyond painful and bloody death that I can even call myself a child of God.
"God blesses us because" we "belong to Jesus and for no other reason." Thank you God and Amen
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