When You *Think* You’re Doing God’s Work

Last year at this time we introduced you to SeekGrowLove.com which features different authors each day. The writer of today’s thoughts is Mackenzie McClain. I just finished reading seven different devotionals at this site — they’re not that long — and encourage you to do the same. The one we chose for today is also linked in the title which follows.

Sometimes Like Saul

“I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting” (Acts 22:8b, NIV).

Old Testament: 2 Samuel 23 & 24

Poetry: Proverbs 28

New Testament: Acts 22

Have you ever seen a street-corner evangelist shouting into a megaphone about hell? I recently saw such a guy carrying his cross down the sidewalk—literally—he was pulling along a giant cross on wheels. It’s easy to point fingers at these people and think that their tactics are the very opposite of what Jesus intended (and his cross definitely didn’t have wheels).

But what if it’s not just these people? What if my actions and attitudes are contrary to the very heart of Jesus?

In Acts 22, Paul shares his testimony to the crowd after his arrest. It’s a scary story:

“In one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you (Jesus). And when the blood of Stephen your witness was being shed, I myself was standing by and approving and watching over the garments of those who killed him” (Acts 22:19b-20, ESV).

Looking back at Saul’s life, it’s scary because of the heinous acts he committed, but even more so because he thought he was doing everything right. He thought he was carrying out God’s work; after all, he was a “Hebrew of Hebrews” (Philippians 3:5) and on fire for God. This facade crumbles when he hears Jesus’ voice calling him on the road to Damascus:

And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And I answered, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said to me, “I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting” (Acts 22:7-8, ESV).

You and me are sometimes like Saul. We think we’re right, but maybe it’s more like self-righteous. Maybe our priorities are mixed-up. Maybe we’re quick to judge, hesitant to forgive, or eager to avenge. Are we accurate reflections of who Jesus is, or do we persecute him? Jesus’ harsh words to Saul are a warning to us, too.

Here are two ways to heed Jesus’ warning:

1. Get to know Jesus. Saul didn’t know Jesus for himself. He accepted what his circle of religious elite said about Jesus (and it wasn’t nice). Get to know Jesus personally—who he is and what he stands for. We get to know him through
   reading accounts in scripture, prayer, and worship.
2. Leave the Judgment to God. Saul got into trouble when he sought to avenge the supposed heretics. He relied on his own flawed and limited perception instead of God’s, the perfect Judge. Your job is to love and forgive; God will handle justice.

-Mackenzie McClain

Reflection Questions

1. In what ways have your actions and attitudes “persecuted” Jesus? How can you be a better reflection of him today?
2. Saul’s transformation story is incredible! Is there anyone in your life who you’ve dismissed as being too far gone? God’s not done working!

Learning to Avoid Shortcuts

One year ago, we reconnected with to Kuya Kevin, who we first knew as an American living in the Philippines. His real name is Kevin Sanders. Today he’s better known as Pastor Kevin Sanders, and he’s now a Texas pastor. On his “about” page, he writes, “The older I get, the more I realize that life is all about the undeserved grace of God.” Click the title which follows to read this where it first appeared.

The Danger of Spiritual Shortcuts

“I know a shortcut!”

We’ve probably all heard this at least once in our lives and regretted following the ill-advised path. The “shortcut” ended up wasting valuable time or even got you completely lost. You would have been much better off just going the way that was certain to get you to your destination.

Shortcuts can present themselves in ways that are less literal but with very real consequences.

We see this in 1^st Samuel 24.

Saul had shown himself unworthy to be Israel’s king. The Lord rejected him and chose David to be his successor. Saul decided he was going to prevent this succession by killing David. David escaped Saul’s presence when it became clear that Saul’s mind was set on murder.

David fled from place to place, doing whatever he could to survive. He even pretended to be insane on one occasion (drooling on his beard) in order to get away from another rival king. He collected a ragtag militia along the way—a group of malcontents that thought their life would be better under a new king.

That leads to the scene at hand:

When Saul returned from following the Philistines, he was told, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.” Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel and went to seek David and his men in front of the Wildgoats’ Rocks. And he came to the sheepfolds by the way, where there was a cave, and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave.  And the men of David said to him, “Here is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.’”

Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.  And afterward David’s heart struck him, because he had cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord’s anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the Lord’s anointed.” So David persuaded his men with these words and did not permit them to attack Saul. And Saul rose up and left the cave and went on his way.

1st Samuel 24:1-7

Saul thought he finally had the resources and information available to find and execute his rival. But nature called while he was leading the hunt. Not only did nature call; it called collect. This was the kind of call that required privacy. He went into a cave to “relieve himself.”

The King James Version translates this literally with an ancient euphemism: “Saul went in to cover his feet.” I still remember this from my childhood.

Little did Saul know that he had walked into a trap. David and his men were in this same cave Saul had chosen to use as his port-o-potty. There was Saul, exposed (literally) and in the most vulnerable state imaginable. He was probably too busy trying not to make a mess of things to notice anything else.

This scenario presented David with the perfect opportunity to eliminate Saul (apologies for the pun—you didn’t deserve that).

David had the sword of his most famous rival, Goliath. It must have been an impressive weapon, and one quick strike would have forever ended the conflict with the man who unworthily ruled Israel. Saul would not have known what hit him, and David could have walked out into the daylight as Israel’s new king (just as God had already promised).

Killing Saul was the logical thing to do. Killing him was the most expedient thing to do.

David’s men even argued that it was God’s will.

Speaking of David’s men, David could have been rid of Saul by simply standing back and doing nothing.

Saul, after all, was the reason that these men were hiding in a cave instead of enjoying the perks of being royal soldiers. Any one of them would have been more than happy to exterminate him and end their suffering.

But this wasn’t God’s way, and David knew it.

David symbolically attacked Saul by mutilating his robe (the robe was a status symbol in the ancient world). Even that caused him to feel guilty, and he did not allow anyone else to get near Saul.

David knew it wasn’t his place to take matters into his own hands.

He wanted to become king God’s way and in God’s time. He refused to take any shortcuts.

Therein lies the lesson for us.

You will inevitably encounter a shortcut on our spiritual journey—a way that looks easier than the way you know God has told you to go.

An example or two comes to mind:

A single believer gets tired of looking for a godly match. She chooses to get romantically involved with an unbeliever, figuring she can convince him to follow Jesus.

A man accepts a lucrative new job opportunity even though he knows God has told him to wait for something else.

These are just a couple of examples.

Sometimes the shortcut is blatantly unscriptural or foolish. Other times it is just less than God’s best.

Either way, just one act of disobedience can negatively change the trajectory of our lives.

Lord, forgive me for those times when impatience has turned into disobedience. Grant me the wisdom to stay on the path of Your choosing, even when alternatives routes present themselves.  

Approaching Easter Sunday: What the Lord Has Done for Us

by Richard Schmelzle*

As we approach Easter Sunday, we must each examine our life in light of what our Saviour has done for us.  Does my relationship with Him and with others reflect the mindset of our Lord as He approached the cross? 

Paul writing to the believers in Philippi said:

“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!”  (Phil. 2:5-8  NKJV)

Christ’s entire life was marked by obedience and surrender to the will of the Father.  As followers of Christ, are we not called to do the same?  We talk about the surrendered life, we read books and have Bible studies on the subject.  I cannot sing the chorus “I Surrender All” without tears streaming down my face.  The question remains, have I surrendered all?

Oswald J. Smith gives us some clues as to why this is so difficult.  He often said, “When we are saved, we are delivered from the penalty of sin;  As we are sanctified, we are delivered from the power of sin, however, only when we are glorified are we delivered from the presence of sin. 

His friend, Dr. J. Edwin Orr, the Irish Revivalist, was a frequent guest at The Peoples Church, Toronto. In the opening page of his book, Full Surrender, he suggests one of the reasons why we find this so difficult.

“Why is it that hundreds of well-meaning Christians attend conventions and conferences for the deepening of the spiritual life, enjoy the ministry there given, return to life’s vocations with a feeling of improvement, yet speedily lapse into their former ways of backsliding and defeat?  There are many reasons, but one of the least noted is the matter of incomplete consecration, the sin of broken vows.  Too many Christians make a bargain with God and fail to pay their part of the price.  This is sin.” 

The Apostle Paul gave us these words of encouragement and direction:

“Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness” (Romans 6:16-18 NKJV).

C.S. Lewis addresses the subject in his classic work, “Mere Christianity”. 

“Christ says, ‘Give me All. I don’t want so much of your time, and so much of your money and so much of your work. I want you. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it. No half-measures are any good…Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires which you think innocent as well as the ones you think wicked – the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you Myself, My own will shall become yours.

The terrible thing, the almost impossible thing, is to hand over your whole self – all your wishes, and precautions – to Christ. But it is far easier than what we are all trying to do instead. For what we are trying to do is to remain what we call ‘ourselves’, to keep personal happiness as our great aim in life, and yet at the same time be ‘good’. We are all trying to let our mind and heart go their own way – centered on money or pleasure or ambition – and hoping, in spite of this, to behave honestly and chastely and humbly. And this is exactly what Christ warned us you could not do. As He said, a thistle cannot produce figs. 

As our will becomes God’s will, we become like God. That’s the whole point of Christianity. Yet the whole notion of surrendering our autonomy and will to anyone or anything is abhorrent by today’s standards. Any religion that suggests we do so is coloured in the most extreme shades of radicalism by contemporary thinkers. Yet this is precisely what Jesus Christ taught we must do.”

“And He said to them all, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.” (Luke 9:23, 24 NKJV)

Surrendering our will to God is the polar opposite of entrusting ourselves to ‘the crowd’.  On the one hand we are loved “with an everlasting love” and on the other we are just another nameless face. The great challenge for us is finding the confidence within to entrust our will to Him.

To be sure, my Brother, my Sister, the Christian life is totally antithetical to the world view of our culture and counter intuitive to our embedded `natural man`.  Scripture tells us further:

“The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Corinthians 2:14 NKJV)

The writer to the Hebrews gives the final word on how to overcome our dilemma:

“Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin”. (Hebrews 3:1, 13 NKJV) 

Let us proclaim together, Christ is Risen….He is Risen Indeed!

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* Dr. Richard Schmelzle heads the Toronto Chapter of the C. S. Lewis Institute which meets regularly in Richmond Hill. For general information about the organization, go to cslewisinstitute.org .  Used by permission.

His Present Kingdom

But he said to them, “It is necessary for me to proclaim the good news about the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because I was sent for this purpose.”
 – Luke 4:43 (Christian Standard Bible)

“Until John the Baptist, the law of Moses and the messages of the prophets were your guides. But now the Good News of the Kingdom of God is preached, and everyone is eager to get in.
 – Luke 16:16 (NLT)

For today’s Sunday Worship column we’re returning to visit with Paul Burleson. Click the title below to read this at his blog.

Some Thoughts About Kingdom Living

What do we mean when we say “Kingdom Living?”

It might be good to know because it is clear from scripture [Luke 4:43] that Jesus came preaching the gospel of the Kingdom. His life and message were all about what the Kingdom was like. So to be “Jesus followers,” and more importantly, when we have Him as the very SOURCE of our very LIFE, we will have our feet firmly planted in “Kingdom living.”

So, what is the Kingdom of God? It is, in simple language, living life where what God wants done [His Will] is being done. That’s what the simple phrase in the Lord’s Prayer is addressing. “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.” It will be a “future Kingdom, of course! But until He comes with that “Future Kingdom” the “Present Kingdom” is ANYONE’S life in which the King truly rules and reigns right now.

The “Present Kingdom” looks like your life, whatever that entails.

• Whether it is simply going to work, playing, or going on vacation. Whether it’s being married or unmarried.
• Whether it’s going to a gathered meeting with your part of the Church, whatever you call that group, or NOT going to a gathered meeting.
• Whether it’s seeing a child born or family member or friend die. Whether it’s being young, old, or somewhere in between.
• Whether it’s being married, divorced or being abandoned.
• Whether it’s being healthy or sick.
• Whether it’s being wealthy or living from pay-check to pay-check. Whether it’s seeing the beauty of God’s creation or being blind and seeing darkness all of your life.
• Whether it’s being handsome or homely, beautiful or plain, or being ordinary in the looks department.
• Whether it’s having a College degree, a Master’s degree, or even a Doctorate, or NOT having finished high school.
• Whether it’s having traveled extensively or NEVER leaving the neighborhood.

It’s experiencing any and all of these things with OTHER things that could be listed. It’s being a person, right in the middle of all of it, in whom God is real and is being responded to, in faith, while living out our unique journey with our eyes on Him and His Word, trusting His Spirit for life and strength, knowing His Son intimately and knowing that what He accomplished in His Cross and empty tomb experience is the “SOURCE” for what makes life, in any of the aforementioned circumstances, absolutely worth living and celebrating.

Add to all that knowing some truths that are ABSOLUTE for us as well, and you have THE KINGDOM OF GOD!.

Those truths are these! As we live in His “Present Kingdom” He is available to us and we hunger to know Him better. [Matthew 6:13/Luke 16:16] We keep on trusting that GOOD will come out of all kinds of things happening, GOOD or BAD. [Romans 8:28] And that NOTHING can separate us from His unconditional love and effective care. [Romans 8:35-39] Then, finally, knowing that one day HE WILL RETURN and the “Future Kingdom” will come with Him. We then will be found living in a new dimension, involving a New Heaven and a New Earth, called “Eternity.”

THAT’S what is meant by “Kingdom Living” IMHO.

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Coming tomorrow: Christianity 201 Blog Post #3,000

God is Saying, “Get Off My Throne”

Sam Williamson is the author of Hearing God in Conversation, a book I was privileged to be able to review a few years ago. Today I decided to catch up with him and found what follows. There’s also a longer introduction this, so click the title below to read the entire piece.

What A Fool I Was!

Admitting Our Foolishness

Last week, I read the story of King Jehoshaphat. He is one of the “good” kings. Scripture says,

“The Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the ways of David (2 Chron. 17:3).

He was also a powerful king, and for most of his reign, neighboring kingdoms paid him tribute.

In his later years, though, three enemy kingdoms formed a coalition to destroy him. He is told that a “multitude is coming against you.” And he turns to the Lord. Jehoshaphat is at the pinnacle of his career: he is stronger than he’s ever been; his kingdom is at it richest under his rule; and his wisdom is just peaking. He prays:

Lord … we do not know what to do. (2 Chron. 20:12)

I wonder if the epitome of wisdom—the meaning of my gray hair—is to admit, “Lord, in all my wisdom, I finally realize, I do not know what to do. And I probably never did.”

The Battle Belongs to the Lord

I have a friend who I believe is making a mistake in his life. I think my discernment may actually be from the Lord. I wanted to tell my friend what he’s doing wrong. But a couple weeks ago I read this quote from Oswald Chambers:

Beware of getting ahead of God by your very desire to do His will. We run ahead of Him in a thousand and one activities, becoming so burdened with people and problems that we don’t worship God, and we fail to intercede.

God is calling me simply to pray for my friend. It feels weird. As though prayer isn’t enough, as though my friend needs my wise words more than God. Which is stupid of me. Foolish even.

When King Jehoshaphat seeks God’s word for this upcoming battle, God speaks:

“Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s.” (2 Chron. 20:15b)

As I get older, and hopefully wiser, and as my hair turns gray, I am coming to realize that all the battles are the Lord’s, not mine. There are times God may ask me to raise a sword, but even then, the battle belongs to the Lord, not me.

God is saying to this graybeard, “Get off of my throne!”

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I also encourage you to check out the author’s website, BeliefsOfTheHeart.com

Wisdom is Justified by Her Children

This is our third visit with Steven C. Mills at the website, Steve’s Bible Meditations. Click the title below to read at source.

Wisdom’s Children – Luke 7:18-35

“For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by all her children.” (Luke 7:33-35, ESV).

John the Baptist sent some of his disciples to Jesus to find out if He was the Messiah. When they asked if He was the Messiah, Jesus did not answer them explicitly. Rather, He sent them back to John with this message:

“Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me” (Luke 7:22-23, ESV).

But Jesus explicitly identified John as the one whom the prophet Malachi described as the messenger who would prepare the way when the day of the Lord comes. Although this explanation of John’s ministry satisfied many of the people in the crowd of people following Jesus who were also John’s disciples, the Pharisees and scribes rejected His testimony about John because they didn’t believe John the Baptist was sent by God.

Then Jesus points out that God’s purpose is accomplished in multiple ways: John’s abstemious method and Jesus’ intemperate style.

Jesus and John didn’t try to justify their own behavior. They didn’t behave a certain way because it’s the “right” way.

Instead, they each carried out the ministry to which God called them. With John it was declaring people’s sinfulness and need for repentance. With Jesus it was declaring God’s forgiveness and mercy and then sacrificing His life for us. Each rendered service to God in the way in which God called them and according to their own personalities and perspectives.

So, it’s not about which way is right and which is wrong–it’s about doing God’s will!

Think about it. Is the right way to serve God by living in the wilderness and “eating no bread and drinking no wine” like John the Baptist? Or, is the right way socializing and “eating and drinking” with people like Jesus did?

Our trouble is that we want it to be one or the other. This is right, that is wrong. In other words, we compartmentalize our faith–we’re either right or left, evangelical or liberal, Arminian or Calvinist, preterist or futurist.

And then we want to impose the compartment in which our faith resides on others. If they don’t believe the way we do then they must be wrong and we need to fix them!

Being wisdom’s children is not simply about knowing the difference between right and wrong. It is about seeing our purpose in life from God’s perspective.  Each of us must find out what we should do and then do it according to the personality and perspective God has given us.

And, accept the perspective of others who are doing likewise…

When our lives are focused on justifying God rather than our own point of view, then we are the children of Wisdom.

O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. (Psalm 104:24, ESV)

Their Hearts Were Hardened

by Russell Young

The Lord had hardened the hearts of Pharaoh and his officials when Moses asked for the freedom of God’s chosen people being held captive in Egypt. This hardening was done to accomplish his purposes. The purpose for hardening their hearts was so that the story of his miraculous signs would be relayed through the generations of Israel that they might know that he is the LORD. (Ex 10:1) He has hardened hearts throughout history in order to accomplish his purposes. However, Christ also spoke of the hardness of people’s hearts that inhibited or prevented the furtherance of the gospel and the hope of salvation.

Having a “hard” heart or a hardened heart means that a person’s heart is fixed on an issue as engraved in stone. It is not a heart of flesh that is malleable and can be influenced. A hard heart is not sensitive to anything other than its own interests and goals. It is not a humble heart but is often one that is prideful. As stated, God can harden a heart, but so can individuals. People can have hard hearts in relation to the Word and in relation to others.

The Lord stated that the hearts of his disciples were hard at times in referring to their lack of comprehension or understanding. (Mk 6:52; 8:17; Jn 12:40; Eph 4:18) It is troublesome when the hearts of believers have become hardened and fixed concerning others in the family of God so that they will not even examine the convictions of one another to discern underlying truths. God does not want his created people to have hard hearts and no one can come to him whose heart cannot be molded into the likeness of that of his Son. (Rom 8:29)

It is easy to find people with hardened hearts. They cannot conceive of the truth of God’s sovereignty over the world and all that is. They are not willing to see the divine hand of God in creation or in the miracles about them. They have trouble listening to or considering others and their opinions. They are often selfish and self-centered. We should be careful about applying the label of hardheartedness to others, however, until we have considered our own state. Most people have areas in life where a stubbornness and dogmatism persists and where the heart is no longer malleable and the Spirit’s influence is resisted. This does not mean that a person’s values and “truths” should be easily altered. The gospel is truth, after all, along with the rest of God’s Word; however, only God knows pure truth.

Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” (Jn 10:27 NIV) ‘Listening’ is the sign of a receptive heart, a heart eager to absorb or accept the Lord’s teachings and directions. Obediently ‘following’ is indication of a sensitive heart. Paul told the Ephesians that they must “no longer live as the Gentiles do in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their heart. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.” (Eph 4:17─19 NIV) Their hardening prevented the knowledge of truth and the presence and leading of the Spirit for righteousness.

Every believer should examine himself or herself to check for hard spots in their heart. Honesty might reveal that there are more than they would like to accept. Regardless, Christ condemned blindness and ignorance to his teaching. He requires obedience to the Spirit; hearts that are sensitive and able to be led. It is easy to dismiss one’s ungodly attitudes and behaviors if they are common to those around, even the ungodly. Society gives many permissions that the Lord does not and one day all of those who call themselves by his name will have to answer for their rejection of his righteous standards. He knows because he is in the believer trying to lead and to gain victory. “[T]hose who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” (Rom 8:14 NIV) Victory cannot be gained by those who have hardened their hearts to sin, and particularly to a favorite sin.

The hearts of the Israelites were hardened and they could not understand or accept God’s righteous requirements. The writer of Hebrews cautioned his readers: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion during the time of testing in the desert.” (Heb 3:8) Accept it or not, those who belong to Christ today are wandering in the desert with the aridness of sin and deceit all around them. They have pledged that Christ was their Lord (Rom 10:9) and he desires to lead them to victory to the promised land, but they must have hearts that are sensitive and are prepared to obediently follow. (Heb 5:9)

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Russell Young is the Sunday contributor to Christianity 201 and author of Eternal Salvation: “I’m Okay! You’re Okay!” Really? available in print and eBook through Westbow Publishing, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble; and in Canada through Chapters/Indigo.

9781512757514

To read all of Russell’s contributions here at C201, click this link

Does the Lord Know You?

by Russell Young

Does the Lord know you?  This might be a strange question to ask.  It is commonly accepted that the Lord knows everything about everyone.  That is, he is omniscient.  However, Christ said that “on that day” he would plainly say to some of those who had served in the development of his kingdom, “I never knew you. Away from me you evil doers!” (Mt 7:23 NIV) This is a disturbing prophesy.  These people were expecting to be received by him; they had prophesied in his name, driven out demons in his name, and had performed many miracles (v.22); they were confident in their hope.

Many start their evangelizing with the question, “Do you know the Lord?” Perhaps, that is a good place to start, but even in this question consideration needs to be given to the word, “know.” In any event, as the confessor progresses in his or her walk, the question needs to be asked, “Does the Lord know you?” Those he does not “know” will be cast from him.  The justification that he had presented for casting away those referenced above was because they were “evil-doers.” Even though they had participated in ministry in his name, they had walked through their world in an “evil” manner, in violation of the law, or unrighteously.  At the beginning of this discourse the Lord had stated, “Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father in heaven.” (Mt 7:21 NIV) It is a person’s “doing” that is important to the Lord, not their profession of his lordship.

The word “knew” is translated from the Greek ginosko which means “to know absolutely, to be aware (of), feel, have know(-ledge), perceived, be resolved, can speak, be sure, understand.” (Strong’s Greek Dictionary #1097) Perhaps the “knowing” that the Lord spoke of can best be understood in relation to the Lord’s absolute knowledge of a person’s conviction; he was “unsure” of the integrity of their confession, or “didn’t understand” them. In this manner, he had chastised the church in Laodicea for being “lukewarm—neither hot nor cold” (Rev 3:16 NIV) and said that he was about to “spit them out of [his] mouth.” A person’s testimony through his or her life practices is the manner in which the Lord comes to know him or her.  He has stated that his saints overcame Satan, “by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” (Rev 12:11 NIV) He is not saying that ‘the testimony of their word’ overcame Satan but that “the word of their testimony’ or the speaking of their actions as they revealed Christ through righteous living and obedient practices. It should be appreciated that both the blood of the Lamb and a person’s own testimony through righteous living are needed to dwell in the kingdom of heaven.

To the Thessalonians Paul wrote: “He will punish those who do not know (appreciate) God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.  They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power.” (2 Thess 1:8─9 NIV) As is recorded above, Christ said that, “only he who does the will of my Father in heaven” will enter his eternal kingdom. It is through obedience to him that God gets to “know” or to become sure of a person’s commitment.  This thought should not be taken lightly. Does the Lord “know” you? Do you obey Christ as he leads you by his Spirit?  Those who do will present a righteous testimony and will be participants in building his kingdom, and they will be part of it. The only way that a person’s state of faith can be known by God is through their degree of submission to him as they obediently comply with his requirements in their lives. Obedience is faith in practice. “[Christ] became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.” (Heb 5:9 NIV)

The Lord gets to know a person as he or she seeks him for righteous living.  The reason that Christ claimed not to know or to be sure of them was because their practices did not show evidence of his life having been lived through them.  They had not humbled themselves to his sovereignty.  They had lived apart from him.  Christ said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” (Jn 14:6 NIV) and they had not recognized his life even though they had called him “Lord.” They had continued in their evil practices; they had lived life on their terms.

This passage should instruct everyone who desires to dwell in the Lord’s eternal presence to recognize his lordship, his indwelling ministry, and the need for righteous living. Misleading representations concerning God’s grace should not prevent the life of Christ from being lived, as he would, through the believer. Christ admonished, “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Lk 6:46 NIV) How well does the Lord “know” you?

What God Wants To Know — Is You

^{Matthew 7:21} “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²² Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ ²³ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

²⁴ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ^{NIV 2011}

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^{Matthew 25:31-33}“When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his place on his glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left.

^34-36“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why:

I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.’

^37-40“Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’

^41-43“Then he will turn to the ‘goats,’ the ones on his left, and say, ‘Get out, worthless goats! You’re good for nothing but the fires of hell. And why? Because—

I was hungry and you gave me no meal,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
I was homeless and you gave me no bed,
I was shivering and you gave me no clothes,
Sick and in prison, and you never visited.’

⁴⁴“Then those ‘goats’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn’t help?’

⁴⁵“He will answer them, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me.’

⁴⁶“Then those ‘goats’ will be herded to their eternal doom, but the ‘sheep’ to their eternal reward.”^31-33“When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his place on his glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left.^{The Message Translation}

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^{Luke 13:22} Jesus was teaching in every town and village as he traveled toward Jerusalem. ²³Someone said to Jesus, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?”

Jesus said, ²⁴ “Try hard to enter through the narrow door, because many people will try to enter there, but they will not be able.²⁵ When the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you can stand outside and knock on the door and say, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’²⁶ Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in the streets of our town.’²⁷ But he will say to you, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Go away from me, all you who do evil!’²⁸ You will cry and grind your teeth with pain when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in God’s kingdom, but you yourselves thrown outside.²⁹ People will come from the east, west, north, and south and will sit down at the table in the kingdom of God. ³⁰ There are those who are last now who will be first in the future. And there are those who are first now who will be last in the future.”^{The Message Translation}

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These are the “depart from me” passages as rendered in the KJV, presented here in more modern translations.  In the first, Jesus is saying that it’s not enough to hear His words, but to do what they say. In the second, He clarifies that doing such things may take unexpected forms, and that when we do good works that benefit other people here on this earth, we’re doing His work and doing it as though we were doing it directly to Him. In the third, busy-ness about so-called Kingdom business does not necessarily equate truly knowing Him.

This is what matters.

Nicolle Cottrell has written the following piece, 14 Questions God Will Never Ask You, which appeared at ChurchLeaders.com   Copy and paste this section that follows and send it to that someone in your email contacts that God shows you might need this…

God will not ask you…

If you read Blue Like Jazz or Desiring God

If you voted for Barack Obama or Mitt Romney

If you referred to yourself as “missional,” “emergent,” “intentional,” or “purpose driven.”

God will not ask you…

If you were a supporter of gay-marriage or an opponent of gay-marriage

If you homeschooled your children or chose public or private school

If you preferred an open theist approach or a classical theist approach

God will not ask you…

If you were a Mark Driscoll fan, Rob Bell fan, Brian McLaren fan, or John Piper fan

If you subscribe to a belief in Evolution, Evolutionary Creation, Intelligent Design, or Creationism

If you were a registered Democrat or a registered Republican

No, chances are God will not ask you any of those questions when you are standing before Him. Instead, He will have another set of questions. Most likely, He will ask you something else…

He will ask you…

Do you love Me?

Do you know me?

Did you serve Me?

Did you clothe those who were naked?

Did you feed those who were hungry?

Did you take care of the orphan and the widow?

Did you love the unlovely?

He will ask you…

Did you bless those who cursed you?

Did you resist repaying evil with evil?

Did you make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit?

Did you take up your cross and follow Christ daily?

Did you lay down your life for your brethren?

Do you love God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind?

Did you love others more than yourself?

~Nicolle Cottrell