God Sent? Or God Allowed and Used?

Posted on November 15, 2024 by russellmckinney

Somewhere along the way in my ministry, I picked up a daily devotion book written by Phillips Brooks. Brooks was a famous Episcopalian pastor in the Boston area in the 1800s. In the devotion for May 2, he writes:

Faith says not, “I see that it is good for me, and so God must have sent it,” but “God sent it, and so it must be good for me.”

When I first read that quote years ago, I wrote it down and stuck it in my “preacher files” because I thought it was an interesting line. I have to admit, though, that when I read the quote now, I can’t get fully on board with it because I’m not sure exactly what Brooks meant by the words: “God sent it.” What I mean is, if Brooks simply meant that everything that God sends into our lives will somehow be good for us, I can go along with that. If, however, he meant that God sends everything that comes into our lives, I would beg to differ on that.

As I understand spiritual matters, everything that comes into our lives is decidedly not sent from God. Satan (the serpent) and sin came into the lives of Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:1-24), but those things weren’t sent by God. An unjust death came into the life of Uriah the Hittite (2 Samuel 11:1-27), but that death was sent by King David, not by God. John the Baptist was beheaded by Herod Antipas (Matthew 14:1-12), but it was Herod’s wife Herodias, not God, who orchestrated (sent) that death.

On and on the list goes. God didn’t send that drunk driver who killed that innocent victim in the car crash. He didn’t send that rapist who had his way with that innocent young girl. He didn’t send that temptress who stole that other woman’s husband. He didn’t send that crazed gunman who took the lives of those people in that shopping center. He didn’t send that con-man preacher who swindled all those church people out of their money. He didn’t send that sadistic dictator who ordered the executions of those thousands of people. He didn’t send that person in your life who has caused you so many problems and so much grief. Don’t blame God for the actions of people who aren’t submitted to Him, and don’t label something as His will that He didn’t order.

You say, “But God is sovereign. He could have stopped it all from happening.” Yes, He could have. No argument there. It must be noted, though, that allowing something is not the same thing as causing it or sending it. To be blunt, if God was going to prevent anything bad from ever happening to humans, He would have taken Satan and the other rebellious angels out of existence the moment they fell, rather than allowing them to reek their havoc on Adam, Eve, and the entire human race down through the eons of history. When He didn’t do that, He was giving us His method of working, a method He continues to employ today.

Rather than prevent anything bad from ever happening, what God does is take the bad stuff and use it to accomplish His purposes. I often think of life as a great chess match between God and Satan. Even though God might sacrifice some ground — and even some pieces — in the match, He is a great enough tactician to always remain one step ahead of Satan. The end result of the game is never in doubt, but you can’t always tell that by looking at the board.

So, as you are reading this, you should consider the fact that it is somebody’s move right now in regards to your life. Either Satan is about to send something (oftentimes sent through someone) your way, or God is about to countermove what Satan has recently done. I wish there was a third option, you know, the one where you and I aren’t pieces in an ongoing spiritual game of chess. Unfortunately, though, that option hasn’t been offered since Satan decided to turn rebel. Such is the world in which we live.

Posted in Adversity, God's Omnipotence, God's Omnipresence, God's Omniscience, God's Will, Persecution, Perseverance, Problems, Rebellion, Sickness, Sin, Spiritual Warfare, Trials, Trusting In God | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Does God Speak Through Dreams Today?

Posted on November 13, 2024 by russellmckinney

In the days before Christ’s death and resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit to indwell His followers (Acts 2:1-4), one of God’s primary ways of speaking to people was through dreams. This was especially true concerning His prophets. In Numbers 12:6, God even says, “Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream” (N.K.J.V.). For the record, Moses was the only prophet to whom God spoke “face to face” (Exodus 33:11).

But it wasn’t just prophets who received messages from God via dreams. The fact is, the Bible provides us with numerous stories in which God speaks to individuals through dreams. Here are 10 examples:

  • Abimelech (Genesis 20:3)
  • Jacob (Genesis 28:12, 31:10)
  • Laban (Genesis 31:24)
  • Joseph (Genesis 37:5,9)
  • Pharaoh (Genesis 41:1,5)
  • Solomon (1 Kings 3:5)
  • Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 2:1)
  • Daniel (Daniel 7:1)
  • Joseph (Matthew 1:20, 2:12,19)
  • Pontius Pilate’s wife (Matthew 27:19)

There are a couple of things to notice about this list. First, notice that God used dreams to speak to not only saved believers (Jacob, Joseph, Solomon, Daniel, and Joseph) but also to lost unbelievers (Abimelech, Laban, Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, and Pilate’s wife). Second, notice that every story on the list takes place before Christ’s death and resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

So, the question is not, “Can God speak to someone through a dream?” His track record in history definitively proves that He can. The more relevant question is, “Does God speak through dreams today?” Ah, now you’re on a subject.

In the New Testament’s record of the post-Pentecost years, there isn’t one example of God speaking to someone through a dream. In that record, God-sent dreams are replaced by God-sent visions. Ananias had such a vision (Acts 9:10-16) as did Cornelius (Acts 10:1-8) and Peter (Acts 10:9-23). Paul had at least two visions (Acts 16:9-10, 18:9-10). He had three if his account of visiting heaven (2 Corinthians 12:1-6) describes a vision rather than a literal out-of-body experience. The same thing is true of John and how he experienced The Revelation while he was on the island of Patmos. He does specifically use the word “vision” in Revelation 9:17, but in other passages — such as Revelation 4:1-2 — he speaks as if he is experiencing something much more than a vision.

As for dreams, there is only one post-Pentecost passage that mentions them. That passage is Acts 2:16-17, and it’s really just an Old Testament reference from Joel 2:28 that Peter incorporates into the sermon he preaches to explain what has just happened at Pentecost. As the whole city of Jerusalem is in a stir because of the effects of Christ’s followers becoming indwelt with the Holy Spirit, Peter begins his sermon by saying:

“But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams….’” (N.K.J.V.)

That term “the last days” is a sweeping one that encapsulates the period of history that began with Christ’s birth and ends with His Second Coming. Basically, it covers everything from the time Jesus first walked this earth until the time when He walks it again (Hebrews 1:1-3; James 5:3; 1 Peter 1:20, 1 John 2:18). Therefore, Peter’s point is that what occurred on that famous day of Pentecost was the beginning of the portion of “the last days” in which the followers of Christ would be indwelt with the Holy Spirit, and that indwelling would produce certain tell-tale signs in those people.

It must be understood, though, that the events of Pentecost were not a complete fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy concerning the Jewish people (read all of Joel 2:28-32 and Acts 2:17-21). Those events were merely a foretaste of it. The complete fulfillment won’t occur until a remnant (one-third) of the Jewish people believe in Jesus as their Messiah/Savior at the close of the tribulation period (Zechariah 12:10-14, 13:7-9), are welcomed into Christ’s 1,000-year reign upon this earth at His second coming (Matthew 25:1-30), and have the Holy Spirit poured out upon them in that kingdom age (Zechariah 12:10).

Think of it this way: What God began doing with the Jewish people on the day of Pentecost, He won’t completely finish until the days of Christ’s 1000-year reign upon this earth. Evidently, then, it will be during those days of Christ’s millennial reign that the Jewish sons and daughters will prophesy, the Jewish young men will see visions, and the elderly Jewish men will dream dreams. This seems to be an accurate interpretation of Peter’s words.

To be clear, I’m not completely ruling out the possibility that a dream can be from God. I would never take the question to such an extreme answer. I’m simply saying that if someone tries to use Acts 2:17 as a proof text to say that God spoke to them through a dream, he or she is on dicey ground interpretation wise. We just can’t go around yanking passages out of context to make them back up what we want to believe.

I myself dream pretty much every night, sometimes two or even three per night depending upon how much I wake up during the night. My dreams are always in color and they are oftentimes quite vivid. I am 58 years old, which means that I have spent over 21,000 nights on this earth. That adds up to a whole lot of dreams. But have I ever had a dream in which I honestly felt that God had spoken to me? I can think of two such dreams. I had one in the days following the death of my grandmother, and I had the other one in the days leading up to the first time I ever stood in a pulpit and spoke. I’ve had some other dreams that remain fresh in my mind because they were so “real,” but these are the two of which I would most entertain the idea that God actually spoke to me through them.

In light of all this, I guess my standing word on this whole subject would be a word of warning. In the Old Testament, God warned the Jews about giving heed to the dreams of false prophets (Jeremiah 23:25-40, 27:9-10). Furthermore, under the Mosaic law, if a supposed prophet used a dream to convince people to worship a false god, that man was to be put to death (Deuteronomy 13:1-5). Even in the New Testament, in Jude verse 8, Jude gives the apostate teachers who were defiling the flesh, rejecting authority, and speaking evil of dignitaries (literally, “glorious ones”) the uncomplimentary title “dreamers.”

Needless to say, the last thing that God ever wanted anyone to do was get all worked up over some dream and run off to make a half-baked decision based upon some highly questionable interpretation of that dream. This held true for the people of the pre-Pentecost period, and it holds even more true for us today. We live in an era in which we have so many reliable sources by which we can glean guidance and direction for our lives. We have the completed Bible. We have excellent books and commentaries written by God-gifted teachers to help us understand the Bible. We have churches. We have Christian ministries on television, radio, and the internet. We even have Christian websites and blogs (shameless plug there).

Most importantly, at least for those of us who are authentic Christians, we have God the Holy Spirit dwelling inside each of us, offering us His wisdom, discernment, and help. Why then would we ever base our decisions upon dreams that are most likely more indigestion than inspiration? That makes no sense.

So, when it comes to your dreams, always approach each one like you would approach a roaring fire. That fire, if used properly, can be a good and helpful thing. But if used improperly, that same fire can burn you badly and burn down your house. You see, it’s not that God can’t speak through a dream, it’s just that nowadays it is surely an exceedingly rare thing when He does. That is assuming, of course, that He ever does at all.

Posted in Choices, Decisions, Discernment, Dreams, God's Will, Personal | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Is Every Christian a Saint?

Posted on November 11, 2024 by russellmckinney

Christianity offers a whole list of strange words that all end with the letters “t-i-o-n.” We have: “justification,” “regeneration,” “glorification,” “propitiation,” “imputation,” “predestination,” and “transfiguration.” One little boy, whose parents made him go to church every Sunday, got into trouble at his local school for turning in his math assignment late. The teacher asked him, “Son, do you know what procrastination means?” The boy said, “No, but I’m sure the people at my church are for it.”

Another word we can add to Christianity’s list is “sanctification.” And what does this word mean? Well, since “sanctify” means “to be set apart for service to God,” “sanctification” can be defined as “the state of having been set apart for service to God.”

The first time the Bible uses the idea of sanctification is in reference to the Sabbath day of the creation week (Genesis 2:3). That day was especially set apart for service to God. But the Old Testament era featured a lot of other things that were classified as “sanctified.” That list included:

  • the people of the nation of Israel (Exodus 19:14)
  • the Jewish tabernacle (Exodus 29:43)
  • the various items of service that were used by the priests at the tabernacle (Leviticus 8:10)
  • the Jewish temple (2 Chronicles 7:16)
  • the various items of service that were used by the priests at the temple (2 Chronicles 29:17-19)

I’m mentioning all of this because the word “saint” is simply a shortened version of the term “sanctified one.” You see, to be a “saint” is to be a “sanctified one,” one set apart for service to God. Therefore, the answer to the question, “Is every Christian a saint?” is a resounding, “YES.”

As evidence of this, the apostle Paul addresses his letter to the Christians in Rome by saying, “To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints” (Romans 1:7). Likewise, he addresses his letter to the Christians in Philippi by saying, “To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons” (Philippians 1:1). Also, he addresses his letter to the Christians of Ephesus by saying, “To the saints in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 1:1).

Now, obviously, a Christian being a saint doesn’t mean that he or she will always behave in a saintly manner. In other words, saints are still sinners. They are saved sinners, but they are sinners, nonetheless. But what being a saint does mean is that the Christian lives his or her life in a constant state of having been set apart from the rest of the world for service to God. Some Christians do a good job of operating in that state, while other Christians do a poor job of it. Whatever the case may be, though, no Christian ever loses the status of being sanctified.

Actually, the Christian’s sanctification has no less than three aspects to it. First, it has a past aspect. This means that, in one sense, the Christian’s sanctification is a done deal because it’s something that got accomplished the moment the Christian believed in Jesus as Savior. At that moment of saving belief, the Christian was set apart from the rest of the world for service to God. The passages on this are 1 Corinthians 1:1-2, 1 Corinthians 6:11, and Hebrews 10:14. In those passages, Paul explains that Christians either “are” or “were” sanctified. We can rightly call this the Christian’s positional sanctification.

Second, the Christian’s sanctification has a present aspect to it. In 2 Timothy 2:21, Paul says, “Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter (referring to the “vessels of dishonor” he mentions in the previous verse), he will be a vessel of honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work” (N.K.J.V.). Notice Paul’s use of the word “if” at the beginning of that verse. His use of “if” implies that, in another sense, the Christian’s sanctification is not a done deal but is instead an ongoing process.

Paul gives us this same kind of thought in 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4 when he says, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor” (N.K.J.V.). Here again, he is telling us that the Christian’s sanctification is in one way contingent upon behavior. As Paul describes it, the Christian will be sanctified if that Christian abstains from sexual immorality and possesses his own vessel (body) in sanctification. This is the ongoing, present aspect of sanctification. We can rightly call this the Christian’s practical sanctification.

Third, the Christian’s sanctification has a future aspect to it. In Ephesians 5:27, Paul talks about a day when Jesus will present the church — which is made up of all the Christians who have ever lived — to Himself as a church that is glorious, holy, and without blemish. This will be the great wedding day between Jesus (the bridegroom) and the church (the bride). Paul talks about this same day in 1 Thessalonians 3:13, where he says that the hearts of Christians will be established blameless in holiness at the coming of Jesus. John speaks of this day as well when he says in 1 John 3:2 that when Jesus is revealed, we Christians will be like Him.

And what is this great day of the wedding between Jesus and the church? When is this time when Jesus will come and the hearts of Christians will be established in perfect holiness? What do we call this moment when Jesus will be revealed and we Christians will become like Him? The answer to each of these questions is one and the same: the Rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians 15:35-58; John 14:1-4). The Rapture is that moment in history when the body of every Christian who has ever lived — dead or alive — will be transformed into a glorified body that is suitable for spending eternity with Jesus. The Rapture, then, is the future moment when the Christian’s sanctification will be eternally finished, completed, and realized. We can rightly call this the Christian’s prophetic sanctification.

So, in conclusion, a summary of the Christian’s process of sanctification would read as follows. First, the moment the Christian believed in Jesus as Savior, that Christian was saved from the PENALTY of sin by experiencing POSITIONAL sanctification. Second, at that same moment of saving belief, God the Holy Spirit came to indwell that Christian, and the Holy Spirit’s spiritual energizing and influence allows the Christian to be saved from the POWER of sin by experiencing PRACTICAL sanctification. And then, finally, at the moment of the Rapture, the Christian’s body will be transformed into an eternal, glorified body that is free from the Adamic, sinful nature. This, then, is when the Christian will at last be saved from even the POSSIBILITY of sin by experiencing PROPHETIC sanctification.

Posted in Backsliding, Discipleship, Holiness, Personal Holiness, Prophecy, Resurrection, Salvation, Sanctification | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Relationship Between Salvation & the Truth

Posted on November 9, 2024 by russellmckinney

In the last part of 1 Timothy 4:3, the apostle Paul describes Christians as “those who believe and know the truth.” This description ties in with 1 Timothy 2:4 where he says that God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” Then we have 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 where he describes lost people as (first) “those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved” and (second) as those who are “condemned who did not believe the truth.” You see, the common thread that runs through all of these passages is this: salvation = the truth.

Continuing on with this theme, in Galatians 2:5 and 2:14 Paul uses the phrase “the truth of the gospel.” Likewise, in 2 Thessalonians 2:13 he equates salvation to “belief in the truth.” Finally, in 2 Timothy 2:25-26 he says that lost people need repentance, “…so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.”

Sadly, we have reached a stage of civilization wherein some people are now denying that absolute truth even exists. Such a person will say to the one who tries to proclaim truth, “That’s your truth; it isn’t my truth.” The idea is: What’s true for you doesn’t have to be true for me.

The hypocrisy of those who deny absolute truth staggers the mind! Try convincing these same people that 1 + 1 doesn’t have to equal 2. Can you imagine a student saying to a math teacher, “1 +1 = 2 is your truth; it isn’t my truth.” Or try stepping out of an airplane at 5,000 feet without a parachute and saying, “I don’t believe there is any absolute truth to this whole gravity business.” I guarantee you that as you are plummeting to the ground, you’ll know that your personal opinion of whether or not gravity is true doesn’t amount to a hill of beans.

And here’s the thing: If there must be absolute truth in regards to mathematics and physics, why wouldn’t there be absolute truth in regards to not only the existence of God but also to the plan of salvation that He offers the human race? According to the Bible, that truth is this:

  • Jesus was God in human flesh.
  • He was born to a virgin.
  • He lived a perfectly sinless life upon this earth.
  • He died as a substitutionary sacrifice for the sins of the world.
  • He arose from the dead in a resurrected/glorified body.
  • He ascended back to His rightful place in heaven.
  • And He now offers salvation to one and all who place their belief in Him as Savior.

You say, “But I don’t believe that to be the truth.” Well, you have that privilege, but what you don’t have is the privilege of getting the final say as to whether or not your assessment is accurate. Absolute truth doesn’t rise or fall based upon your opinion of it, and as long as you continue to reject Jesus and His offer of salvation, you will continue to blunder around in spiritual darkness, remaining in the vice of the snare of the devil, being held captive by him to do his will. That, whether you agree with it or not, really is the truth, and here’s hoping that you acknowledge it as such.

Posted in Atheism, Belief, Christ's Death, Christ's Resurrection, Eternity, Heaven, Salvation, Satan, The Devil, The Gospel, Truth | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

God Loves the Word “Through”

Posted on November 7, 2024 by russellmckinney

Have you ever noticed that God loves the word “through”? Take Isaiah 43:2, for example, where He says to Israel:

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame touch you. (N.K.J.V., emphasis mine)

Another one is Psalm 23:4, where David writes:

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. (N.K.J.V., emphasis mine)

We, of course, don’t like the word “through” because we rarely associate it with a pleasant experience. How many times have you said something like, “I’m so glad I finally got through that”? That’s why, in passages such as these I’ve quoted, we would replace “through” with prepositions such as: “around,” “beside,” “above,” “below,” or “near.”

I don’t know what you are dealing with right now, but there’s no guarantee that God is going to come sweeping in to rescue you from that something. No, the chances are higher that He will walk with you through it rather than pull you out of it. I myself have had more of those dealings with God than I can recount, and my guess is that you’ve had your share of them as well.

But let give you a helpful thought about all this. The good thing about you having to go through something is that the experience allows you the opportunity to learn lessons and glean wisdom that you would miss out on if you were spared the ordeal. This is the great reward that comes with any “through” experience. If you learn what God wants you to learn from the trial, you come out the other end of it with a deeper understanding, a fresher perspective, more relatability to others, and, ideally, a reinforced faith.

Therefore, whenever you find that God isn’t aborting the process of what you are having to endure, just stick with Him as He takes you through the circumstance. And don’t lose sight of the fact that He is trying to teach you some things along the way. You see, any such time in your life can be a time of major spiritual growth for you. The only question is: Are you willing to pay the price to do that growing?

Posted in Adversity, Attitude, Complaining, Courage, Disappointment, Discipleship, Encouragement, Faith, Fear, God's Guidance, God's Provision, Needs, Patience, Persecution, Perseverance, Problems, Spiritual Warfare, Suffering, Teaching, Trials, Trusting In God, Waiting, Worry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“What Are You Doing Here?”

Posted on November 5, 2024 by russellmckinney

Elijah had recently experienced one of the greatest victories of his life in defeating and executing Queen Jezebel’s 450 prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:17-40). Afterward, he probably hoped that Jezebel would admit defeat and stop her attempts to convert all Israel to Baalism. Perhaps he thought she might even surrender herself to him. At the very least, he maybe figured that she would fear him enough to leave him alone as he went about his ministry.

Jezebel, however, didn’t respond in any of these ways. What she did was turn downright nasty. Instead of fearing Elijah and leaving him alone, she went gunning for him. Rather than go into hiding, she went on the offensive. When she got word that her 450 prophets had been executed, she sent a messenger to Elijah, who was in Jezreel at the time. In regards to all those dead prophets, the message was: “So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time” (1 Kings 19:1-2).

Now the ball was in Elijah’s court. What would he do? I’ll tell you what he did: He ran for his life! Not only did he flee, he took off dead south and didn’t stop until he got to Beersheba (1 Kings 19:3). That was a trip of about 100 miles. To understand the depths of his fear, you need to understand that Queen Jezebel and her king, Ahab, ruled over Israel’s northern kingdom (called Israel). Mount Carmel and Jezreel were located in that northern kingdom. Beersheba, on the other hand, was located far south, down in Israel’s southern kingdom (called Judah). As a matter of fact, Beersheba was about as far as Elijah could have gone and still been in Judah. The point is, he ran as far as he could in the complete opposite direction!

Upon Elijah’s arrival in Beersheba, he went another day’s journey into the surrounding wilderness and sat down under a tree. There he prayed and asked God to take his life (1 Kings 19:4). When God didn’t do that on cue, Elijah laid down and went to sleep under that tree. Obviously, the man was physically exhausted by that time.

Elijah awoke at the touch of an angel, with the angel saying to him, “Arise and eat.” Since the angel had provided him with a cake of bread and a jar of water (1 Kings 19:5-6), the prophet did as he was told. After eating and drinking, he then went back to sleep.

Later, the angel came back a second time and the whole process was repeated. Unfortunately, however, now that Elijah was physically refreshed, he resumed his fleeing by embarking upon a journey of forty days and forty nights to Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19:7-8). Mount Horeb was another name for Mount Sinai, the mountain upon which Moses had received the 10 commandments (Deuteronomy 5:2), and it was located even further south, way down in the Sinai Peninsula region between Judah and Egypt.

You see, Elijah was still trying to get as far away as he could from Jezebel in the north. Interestingly, though, it doesn’t take forty days and nights to make the 200-mile trip from Beersheba to Mount Horeb. Basically, Elijah’s trip took double the time it should have taken. Why was that?

The best answer seems to be that there was a spiritual component to the trip. Just as the Israelites had once experienced a spiritual failure and been sentenced to forty years of wandering in the wilderness before being allowed to claim their promised land of Canaan (Numbers 14:1-45), Elijah spent some time wandering around in that same wilderness. Perhaps his trip time was doubled because he was spending so much time in hiding as he continued to duck and dodge a Jezebel who couldn’t possibly have been that far south but was still dominating Elijah’s thoughts. That’s what becomes of us when we get out of God’s will and let fear dominate our lives. We wander around aimlessly as the wasted days imperceptibly turn into wasted weeks, months, years, and decades.

Finally, at last, Elijah arrived at Mount Horeb, where he spent the night in a cave. It was in that cave that God spoke to him with the question, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:9). The story then continues on from there, but I won’t go any further into it because I’ve now reached the application point of this post. All I’ll say is that once God got Elijah back focused upon ministry, He commanded him to go to the Wilderness of Damascus and anoint Hazael as king over Syria (1 Kings 19:15). Not surprisingly, the Wilderness of Damascus was located in the north, up in the area of Jezebel’s kingdom. If Elijah needed proof that every step he had taken southward had been a step taken out of God’s will, that was it.

So, in closing, let me ask you the following questions: Where do you find yourself right now? Are you in God’s will for your life right where you sit or are you someplace south of it? Are you doing what He has called you to do or have you abandoned your calling and find yourself wandering around aimlessly in some wilderness somewhere?

I hope that you currently have more in common with the Elijah of Mount Carmel than the Elijah of Beersheba and Mount Horeb, but if you’ve allowed some “Jezebel” to push you south of where you need to be, let me encourage you to take this post as a wake-up call. God is asking you, “What are you doing here?” And the best answer that you can give Him in response is, “I’m out of your will, Lord, but I’m going to fix that starting right now.”

Posted in Adversity, Angels, Backsliding, Change, Choices, Courage, Depression, Disobedience, Faith, Fear, God's Will, God's Work, Ministry, Obedience, Persecution, Problems, Service, Trusting In God, Worry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Judgment Seat of Christ

Posted on November 2, 2024 by russellmckinney

It has been said that Satan gives his rewards up front, while God gives His on the back end. This raises the question, “How does God give His rewards?” The answer is: the judgment seat of Christ. The judgment seat of Christ is the place in heaven where each Christian will stand to receive the rewards of how he or she lived the Christian life on earth.

Please understand that the judgment seat of Christ is not about salvation gained or lost. It is about heavenly rewards gained or lost. Salvation comes by way of God’s grace through faith (belief) in Christ and has nothing to do with works (Ephesians 2:8-9). At the moment of salvation, the believer is forgiven of all trespasses (Colossians 2:13), guaranteed no condemnation (Romans 8:1), and saved from God’s wrath (Romans 5:9). After that moment, though, there is a Christian life to be lived, and one day the Christian will give account for how that life is lived.

There are two Bible passages that mention the judgment seat of Christ by name. The first one is Romans 14:10-12, where the apostle Paul writes to the Christians of Rome:

But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written: “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. (N.K.J.V.)

The second passage is 2 Corinthians 5:10, where Paul writes to the Christians of Corinth:

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. (N.K.J.V.)

The term “the judgment seat of Christ” in these passages translates the Greek word bema. In the Greek way of life, a bema was a raised, throne-like platform upon which the judges stood at athletic games and gave out rewards at the end of the games. Over time, bemas also became places where orators addressed not only the citizens but the courts of law. In the Greek court system, each of the two parties in a dispute would be granted a bema upon which to stand as they presented their arguments. The original bema was in Athens, Greece, at Pnyx Hill.

Because the Romans held the Greek way of life in high esteem, they incorporated many of its elements into Roman society. This included the concept of the bema. Pontius Pilate was sitting on a Roman bema in Jerusalem when He judged Jesus (Matthew 27:15-26, John 19:13). Herod Agrippa I was surely sitting on a bema in Caesarea as the people of Tyre and Sidon appeared before him and he gave a public oratory, after which God struck him dead (Acts 12:19-24). Paul appeared before Gallio, a Roman proconsul, at a bema in Corinth (Acts 18:12-16).

Under the inspiration of God (2 Timothy 3:16), Paul played off the concept of the bema to describe how each Christian will ultimately stand before Jesus in heaven to either be granted certain heavenly rewards or denied them. In 1 Corinthians 3:11-15, Paul uses the illustration of fire consuming wood, hay, and straw, but not being able to consume gold, silver, and precious stones, to explain the difference between works that are worthy to receive eternal reward and those that aren’t. Again, though, the clear teaching of the passage is that no one loses salvation at the judgment seat of Christ. As Paul puts it, even those whose works all get burned up will be saved “as through fire.”

But what kind of rewards are we talking about? Well, just as “crowns” (olive wreaths) were placed upon the heads of victorious athletes at the Greek/Roman type of bema, crowns will be handed out at the judgment seat of Christ. The New Testament names five of these crowns. They are:

  1. the crown of life (James 1:12, Revelation 2:10): This crown is given to the Christian who endures temptation and remains faithful to Christ, even unto death.
  2. the imperishable crown (1 Corinthians 9:24-25): This crown is given to the Christian who exhibits discipline, temperance, and self-control in all areas of life.
  3. the crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:8): This crown is given to the Christian who lives life in personal holiness, being constantly hopeful and anticipatory of Christ’s appearing.
  4. the crown of glory (1 Peter 5:4): This crown is given to the Christian pastor who does a good job of shepherding the flock that God has entrusted to him.
  5. the crown of rejoicing (1 Thessalonians 2:19-20): This crown is given to the Christian who wins others to Christ.

While it is possible that these “crowns” should not be understood as literal, it is much more likely that they should be. In Revelation 3:11, Jesus says to the Christians in the city of Philadelphia, “Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one take away your crown.” Likewise, in Revelation 4:4, John sees the 24 elders (who symbolically represent the entirety of the church) around the throne of God, and the elders have crowns of gold upon their heads.

But when does the Christian stand before the judgment seat of Christ? The New Testament indicates that it will be immediately following the Rapture of the church. Consider the following passages (boldfaced emphasis mine):

  • In 1 Corinthians 4:5, Paul says, “Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, Who will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.”
  • In Luke 14:13-14, Jesus promises His followers that they will be “repaid at the resurrection of the just.” (The resurrection of all Christians happens at the Rapture.)
  • In 2 Timothy 4:8, Paul says that he will receive his crown of righteousness on “that Day” (the day of Christ’s appearing in the Rapture).
  • In Revelation 22:12, Jesus says, “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.”
  • In 1 Corinthians 15:58, a verse which ends a section on the subject of the Rapture, Paul says, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”

Evidently, the judgment seat of Christ is exclusively for the Christians of the church age. This would explain why the judgment doesn’t occur until after the Rapture, which ends the church age. It would also explain why John said to Christians, “And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming” (1 John 2:28). If this understanding of when the judgment seat of Christ takes place is correct, it means that the Old Testament believers, the tribulation period believers, and the kingdom age believers receive their eternal rewards in some way other than standing before Christ’s bema.

Furthermore, I would point out that the judgment seat of Christ will involve every nook and cranny of the Christian’s life, right down to the Christian’s motives for doing things. In Colossians 3:23-24, Paul says, “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality.” As for the Christian’s motivations being judged, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 4:5 that the Lord will “expose the motives of men’s hearts” (N.I.V.).

It should also be noted, however, that Christians won’t wear their crown or crowns for very long in eternity. Earlier I mentioned that the 24 elders of The Revelation symbolically represent the entirety of the church in heaven. It is significant, then, that John (in Revelation 4:9-11) watches as shortly after the Rapture (Revelation 4:1-2) those elders cast their crowns before the throne of God in praise to Him.

And so, here, Christian, is your motivation for living the Christian life in such a way as to receive a “full reward” (2 John 8) at the judgment seat of Christ. By doing so, you will be able to cast the most crowns you can possibly cast in that moment of ecstatic praise and worship to God. Again, the judgment seat of Christ is not about getting into heaven. It is, instead, about you being allowed to experience heaven to its fullest measure. Heaven will be sweet for everybody, but it will be the sweetest for those who have served the Lord most faithfully during their lives on earth.

Posted in Adversity, Character, Christ's Return, Coming Judgment, Commitment, Discipleship, Doing Good, Eternal Security, Eternity, Faithfulness, God's Work, Grace, Heaven, Perseverance, Resurrection, Reward, Salvation, Sanctification, Service, The Judgment Seat of Christ, Witnessing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

God’s Fiddle

Posted on October 31, 2024 by russellmckinney

Bob Jones Sr., who founded Bob Jones University (a Christian university in Greenville, S.C.), used to tell the story of a student from North Carolina named Dorothy. Dorothy came from a family that wanted nothing to do with Jesus Christ and she had played the fiddle in a dance hall band before becoming a Christian. Once she had gotten saved, however, Dorothy had started thinking of her “fiddle” more as a “violin” and had determined that she would play it exclusively for the Lord. As for her attending B.J.U., she had decided to attend there because the preacher who had held the revival in which she had gotten saved was a “preacher boy” at B.J.U. Also, the school had a good music program and a reputation for having godly students and a godly staff.

Dorothy had been on campus about three months when she walked into the office of Bob Jones Sr. one day and said, “Dr. Bob (as Jones was affectionately known), I want to talk to you. I do not have the joy I ought to have as a Christian and I wonder if you can help me find the trouble.” Jones was fairly amazed at the confession because he considered the young girl to be one of the most spiritual in the entire freshman class. Nevertheless, he promptly set himself to the task of figuring out what was going on with her.

He first asked Dorothy if she had any obvious sin in her life other than the momentary sins that crop up in every Christian’s life from time to time. Dorothy answered, “No, not if I know my heart.” Next, he moved on to the issue of Dorothy’s family and learned that she hadn’t heard from them since she had arrived on campus. Not only had her family wanted her to attend the state school in her hometown in North Carolina, they had warned her that if she attended the Christian B.J.U. it would result in a complete break from them. Sadly, they had been true to their word.

As bad as that was, though, Dorothy didn’t believe that being alienated from her family was her real problem. After all, she had known that the alienation was coming and had still made up her mind that B.J.U. was God’s will for her life. No, something else was gnawing at Dorothy, robbing her of her Christian joy. So, Bob Jones Sr. kept probing and somehow discerned that the problem had to do with the girl’s lack of complete surrender to the Lord.  

Seizing upon this insight, he brought up the subject of Dorothy’s fiddle and asked what was going on with her playing. Dorothy said, “Don’t you know I told you I was going to play it just for the Lord? It’s is the Lord’s now.” “That’s fine,” said Jones, “your fiddle is God’s and you are going to play it for Him. But suppose God tells you to keep your fingers off His fiddle. How about that?” Dorothy, in her shock, barely managed to get out the question, “You mean not play?” “Yes, I mean never play another note,” said Jones. “But Dr. Bob,” she said, “you don’t think God wants me to give up my music, do you?” Clearly, Jones had struck a nerve with this line of questioning.

It was then that he began to explain himself. He said, “Dorothy, I don’t think that God wants you to give up your music. He gives us talent to be trained and used and invested. But it may be that He wants you to lay this ‘idol’ on the altar. It may be that He knows you love music too much. It may be that He knows that music is taking His place. Suppose it is more for His glory for this instrument to be mute than to be breathing out melody? How about that, Dorothy?” Dorothy, breaking into tears, replied, “Dr. Bob, I could not live without my violin. I will use it for the Lord, but I just couldn’t give it up!” Jones concluded, “Dorothy, I think we have found your trouble.”

The following day Jones studied Dorothy as he watched the student body sing a congregational hymn in chapel. Whereas most of the students had faces that beamed like the sun, she looked thoroughly miserable. And that pattern continued in chapel for the next two days. On the third day, though, as Jones put it, “I could hardly see her face for her mouth – she was smiling all the way across. I thought, “She has settled it!”

Later that day Dorothy walked into Jones’ office again, and this time she laid her cherished instrument on his desk. “Dr. Bob,” she said, “I want you to see God’s fiddle. If He wants me to play it, I will play it for His glory. But if He says, ‘Don’t touch it again; do not ever play another note,’ that is alright, too. I love Him more than I love music or anything else.”

And did God ever let Dorothy play His fiddle again? Of course, He did. God never wanted her to lay aside the talent He had given her. He only wanted her to resist the temptation to cross over into idolatry with her music. You see, whatever else God is, He is jealous. In Exodus 34:14, He even says, “My name is Jealous.” That means that He won’t allow anything to come between Himself and His servant. So, Christian, whatever your particular “fiddle” happens to be, don’t ever let it rise to a place higher than God in your life.

Posted in Balance, Brokenness, Desires, Discipleship, Disobedience, Dying To Self, God's Name, God's Will, God's Work, Idolatry, Joy, Music, Obedience, Priorities, Sanctification, Service, Submission, Talents | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

When God Doesn’t Make a Way

Posted on October 29, 2024 by russellmckinney

My previous post was entitled “God Can Make a Way” and was based upon the story found in Acts 12:1-19. That post focused upon how God made a way of escape for Peter as Peter sat in a Roman prison awaiting execution the following day. Now, with this follow-up post, I want to take the same story and use it as evidence that there are times when God, for reasons known only to Him, doesn’t make a way.

What we Christians tend to forget is that the story in Acts 12:1-19 features not one but two apostles. Yes, Peter is in there, but so is James (the brother of John). And while Peter experiences a marvelous delivery from death, James surely doesn’t. Acts 12:1-2 says:

Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church. Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword. (N.K.J.V.)

The Herod spoken of here is Herod Agrippa I, who was the grandson of Herod the Great. Herod the Great, infamously, was the Herod who ordered the children of Bethlehem to be put to death in his attempt to kill the young Jesus. Herod Agrippa I was also the nephew of Herod Antipas, the ruler who ordered the beheading of John the Baptist. Needless to say, the Herods were a despicable family. It isn’t so surprising then that Agrippa I ordered the execution of James, thus making James the first of the apostles to be martyred. The words “with the sword” seem to indicate that James was beheaded.

The only reason given for James’ execution was that Agrippa I “saw that it pleased the Jews” (Acts 12:3). This particular Herod was known for doing things to win favor with the Jews over whom he ruled. Obviously, the death of one of the strongest leaders in the early Christian church would have pleased the Jewish religious elite. Peter’s death would have pleased them all the more, but they didn’t get to enjoy that one.

Why, though, did God sit up in heaven and watch the sword take James? Were there no angels in Jerusalem that day? Was it because the execution happened so quickly that the Christians in Jerusalem didn’t have time to offer up enough prayers for James’ deliverance? Or was it something else?

Many commentators note a possible tie-in between James’ martyrdom and the fact that he and his brother John, with the help of their mother, had once requested that Jesus grant them prominent thrones — one on His right hand and the other on His left — in His kingdom (Matthew 20:20-23; Mark 10:35-45). In response to that request, Jesus had asked the brothers, “Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” In their foolish overconfidence, they had answered, “We are able.” Warren Wiersbe, in The Bible Exposition Commentary, says of that answer:

Of course, they did not know what they were saying, but they eventually discovered the high cost of winning a throne of glory. James was arrested and killed, and John became an exile on the Isle of Patmos, a prisoner of Rome (Rev. 1:9). Indeed, they did drink of the cup and share in the baptism of suffering that their Lord had experienced!

While I don’t dismiss the possible tie-in between James’ martyrdom and that request he and John had once made, I’m not going to say that it was the sole reason why God allowed James to be killed. For the record, Warren Wiersbe didn’t take his explanation that far, either. As evidence of that, He went on to say:

Why was James allowed to die while Peter was rescued? After all, both were dedicated servants of God, needed by the church. The only answer is the sovereign will of God, the very thing Peter and the church had prayed about after their second experience of persecution (Acts 4:24-30).

J. Vernon McGee, in his Thru The Bible commentary, offers the same explanation when he writes:

I’m sure there were many who asked, “Why in the world was James put to death and Peter permitted to live? Why would God do that?” Many ask that same question today. The answer is that this is the sovereign will of God.

I think it is G. Campbell Morgan, though, who speaks to my heart the most on this whole subject. Therefore, I’ll offer an extended quote from his The Acts of the Apostles. He writes:

It is impossible to read the story and declare that God’s government can be finally explained. Why did God permit James to be slain, and deliver Peter? Why did He allow Herod to arrest James and slay him; and then, to use the word that is always indicative of our human limitation, miraculously deliver Peter? There is no answer to these questions. I also have seen James slain when I thought we could not spare him. I also have seen a man full of fire and enthusiasm and force removed swiftly and suddenly, by a way of pain; and I have said, “What is God doing? His is a government which does not attempt to explain itself finally to watching men…

…God did not deliver James, but immediately afterwards He delivered Peter. That reveals the fact that if He can deliver Peter, He could have delivered James. There is infinite comfort in that; the comfort of the revelation of the fact that One who could deliver Peter, and in wisdom did so, was equally wise when He did not deliver James. Life can never be perfectly understood in the process of its living; we must wait. Just beyond the gleam and flash of the sword, and the overwhelming agony of the moment, James came to the explanation.

Perhaps you, too, have seen times when you could put no rhyme or reason to what God was doing. Why did He allow this? Why did He cause that? Why didn’t He prevent this? Why didn’t He stop that? I can assure you that I myself have been there on numerous occasions. Unfortunately, however, I haven’t been able to come up with any more answers than Warren Wiersbe, J. Vernon McGee, and G. Campbell Morgan did. God just does what He does, and He doesn’t concern Himself very much with explanations that satisfy our human reasoning.

One thing I have learned is that if you absolutely have to have all the answers and explanations before you will serve God, you will NEVER serve Him. It’s that simple. In many ways, God is an easy Master to serve, but in other ways He isn’t. Sometimes the only word you’ll receive from Him is, “I’ll explain later,” and He’ll fully expect you to keep forging ahead with Him even as that explanation tarries. Even worse than those times are those in which you don’t even get, “I’ll explain later.”

I realize that posts such as this one do not make for easy reading. I mean, everybody wants to hear that God can make a way, but who wants to hear that He doesn’t always do it? And yet, oddly, this is the only type of word that speaks to that dark place in my soul, the one that harbors all my questions, doubts, and fears. I wonder, does that make me abnormal or normal?

As I live in this world that is awash in books, sermons, devotions, and blog posts about Peter’s angelic deliverance, I’m told as a preacher that it’s only the upbeat, positive theme — the one where the Christian wins, experiences deliverance, gets healed, and becomes rich — that resonates with individuals. But I’m an individual myself, a Christian no less, and I’ve seen plenty of times in my life when I related much more to James than to Peter when I read Acts 12:1-19. And my guess is that I’m not the only one who can say such a thing. It’s just that we are afraid that if we dare lower our shield of outer spirituality and start asking hard questions about why God did or didn’t do something, someone might think less of us as a person or a Christian.

I for one am beginning to retrain myself in regards to how I read the Bible. That’s why I no longer do a blow-by of the execution of James as I race ahead to the deliverance of Peter. I also don’t ignore the fact that those soldiers who guarded Peter ended up executed themselves simply because they couldn’t outdo an angel and keep Peter in prison. Tell me, were those deaths the “sovereign will” of God or were they exclusively the will of Herod Agrippa I? You see, that line gets very blurry very quickly. Like I said, if you have to have all the answers and all the explanations before you will serve God, you will never serve Him. I don’t know why He sometimes makes a way and other times doesn’t. All I know is that walking with Him in the dark still beats walking without Him.

Posted in Adversity, Angels, Belief, Bible Study, Death, Disappointment, Discipleship, Faith, Faithfulness, Fear, God's Omnipotence, God's Omniscience, God's Sovereignty, God's Will, Human Life, Justice, Patience, Persecution, Perseverance, Personal, Prayer, Prayer Requests, Preaching, Problems, Scripture, Suffering, The Bible, Trials, Trusting In God, Waiting | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

God Can Make a Way

Posted on October 25, 2024 by russellmckinney

One of the better-known stories from the book of Acts involves an angel breaking Peter out of a Roman prison. The story is found in Acts 12:1-19. Herod Agrippa had Peter arrested with the intention of trying him and executing him to gain favor with the Jewish religious leaders. However, lest he stir up the Jewish population to riot, Herod couldn’t carry out that trial and execution during the Jewish feast time of Passover and the following seven days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Consequently, Peter was left to languish in prison, awaiting his trial and certain execution, until the weeklong Feast of Unleavened Bread was completed.

Peter was kept in chains and guarded by four tetrads of Roman soldiers. Each tetrad consisted of four soldiers and the tetrads worked in rotating shifts. When Peter laid down to sleep at night, he slept in chains between two soldiers while two other soldiers guarded the prison door. His situation couldn’t have been more dire.

All that Peter had working in his favor were the constant prayers the church in Jerusalem were praying on his behalf. As things turned out, though, those prayers were enough as on the night before Peter’s trial and execution, God sent an angel to lead a jailbreak. While Peter was sleeping, the prison suddenly became filled with light as the angel appeared. The angel struck Peter on the side to awaken him, caused the chains to fall from his hands, told him to put on his garments, and then supernaturally walked him straight out of that prison without any guards seeing them. When Peter and the angel got to the iron gate that led out to the city of Jerusalem, the gate opened all by itself. The angel then accompanied Peter down the adjoining street before departing from him.

After the angel’s departure, Peter made his way to the nearby house of Mary (the mother of Mark) and knocked on the door. A group of Christians were gathered at Mary’s home to pray, and no doubt the top item on the prayer list that night was Peter’s scheduled trial and execution the next day. The way the story unfolds is somewhat humorous as it takes a while for Peter to convince those Christians that it’s really him and that they should open the door. They could believe that the man knocking on the door was Peter’s angel but they couldn’t believe it was actually Peter himself!

There are several details that are worth noting from this story. Here are four of them:

  1. Peter was sleeping soundly on the eve of his trial and execution. The angel actually had to strike him to awaken him. Obviously, Peter was at perfect peace either with living or dying. He must have had the same attitude that Paul would later express in Philippians 1:21: “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
  2. Even though Peter, along with the other apostles, had previously been broken out of prison by an angel (Acts 5:17-42), Peter wasn’t expecting a repeat jailbreak that night. As evidence of that, he didn’t initially think the angel was real or that what was happening was actually taking place. Instead, he thought he was experiencing a vision. He didn’t realize that his jailbreak had literally occurred until he was out on the street and the angel had departed.
  3. The fact that those Christians had real trouble becoming convinced that it was actually Peter who was standing at their door proves that prayers prayed with imperfect faith can still produce the desired results if the requests are God’s will.
  4. The next day, after Herod Agrippa I had thoroughly questioned the soldiers who had been assigned to guard Peter, he had them put to death. We aren’t told if the entire group of sixteen were put to death or if it was just the four who were on duty the night of the escape, but either way it makes for an unpleasant part of the story. I can’t imagine that those Christians who prayed so earnestly for God to rescue Peter realized that their prayer request would lead to the deaths of at least four men. While I don’t mean to imply that those Christians were wrong to ask God to rescue Peter, all of us need to understand that our prayer requests, if granted by God, might produce unintended consequences – sometimes unpleasant ones.

In the end, though, the main thought that I’ll leave with you from this story is this: God can make a way where there seems to be no way. If He chooses to do so, He can fix your situation by natural means or by supernatural means, and He can do it by using people or angels. Whatever problem you are facing right now, it’s probably not as potentially fatal as the one Peter faced as he lay there asleep in that prison that night. And yet, God made a way for him where there didn’t seem to be a way. So, don’t underestimate what God can do. Remember that He is still on the throne, His angels still walk among us, and He still responds to prayer.

Posted in Adversity, Angels, Belief, Death, Faith, Fear, God's Provision, God's Sovereignty, God's Will, Needs, Prayer, Prayer Requests, Problems, Suffering, Trials, Trusting In God, Worry | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments