The Word of Truth

People are in need of the truth, Christians and non-Christians alike. Every person longs for the truth to guide them and to give them hope. That’s what Christ does, and that’s what His Word does. It is life to those who seek it, but likewise it is a barrier to those who chase after their own desires.

Unfortunately many churches make it a point to avoid the truth of the Word. They have resolved to put forth a message that tickles the ears and promotes worldly gain. They make those that attend feel less guilty about their pursuit of themselves, to the severe detriment of the communities that surround them.

To be clear, Jesus taught the opposite of worldly gain, and He Himself was an example of humble service, not power and position, though He possessed both of those. This is evidenced throughout the Bible, which only has to be occasionally opened and read in order to glean its elementary truths. God’s Word needs no secret decoder ring, and it is accessible to all who come to it. Storing up treasure in heaven is a basic teaching of God’s Word. So why do so many preach worldly gain, which is worse than useless to the believer?

Recently I attended a Sunday service at a church in Northern California whose pastor had never been to seminary. Afterward my friend proceeded to tell me the story of the church beginning, and how the pastor had organized a small bible study in his apartment complex some years ago. Through prayerful planning and teaching, the group grew to 50 people, and soon had to be held at another location to provide ample space for the attendees.

This pastor obviously had direction from the Lord, and upon observance I noticed that his teachings were almost verbatim from the Bible. He was preaching the truth, and people were drawn to it. Currently the church has over 3,000 members, with several services. There were people standing along the walls of the auditorium at the service I attended. People yearn to hear the truth of God.

The challenge for us is this: Are we brave enough to proclaim God’s truth to those who will listen? You don’t need a degree to teach the gospel, and the need is great. Sure, people will always come around to listen to what makes them feel better, but will we proclaim the fullness of the Word of God even if it may rub some people the wrong way? I submit that we must, and that if we muster the courage, others will be blessed with hearing God’s Word of Truth, which is never wasted, and will always have a spiritual return for those who hear.

True Freedom In Chist

There are some Christians who equate the Freedom that we have in Christ with the idea of “having no rules”. I heard a sermon on Sunday that expressed that we are free from rules, and that we should do all we can to experience the joy and the fullness of living in Christ without rules. But does freedom from sin really mean that there are no rules for the believer?

In truth, part of the wonder of being a child of God is that we are free in Him. God does fill us with His grace and love and mercy. But biblical freedom is something different than the experiential freedom that some teach today. And it is important to draw this distinction between true freedom and experience, even at the risk of sounding legalistic, because I believe one side will draw you closer and deepen your relationship with Christ, and the other will turn your focus inward and pull you away from what Christ has in store for you.

True freedom in Christ is the freedom to obey His commands and follow in His footsteps. Before we were adopted as sons of the Living God we were slaves to our own sin. Worse yet, we were dead in these sins and separated from God. But because of His unfathomable grace Jesus broke those chains of bondage. He paid the price that was put upon our heads because of sin, and he regenerated our spirits and made us new. Our God actually resides in us in the form of the Holy Spirit, and is constantly watching, constantly guiding us as we live our lives.

The goal of His guidance is to make us more like Himself by nudging us to seek a lasting, meaningful, and real relationship with Him. Our God knows us and wants to be known by us. Because of Christ’s death on the cross all links to our former ways of living have been broken and we have been freed from spiritual death forever. We are free from the components of the law, and best of all we are washed and are now worthy (by proxy) to stand in the presence of God Himself.

Freedom is not in the clothes your wear or the music you appreciate. The exercise of true freedom is worshiping the God who cared enough to send His Son to die in our places. To love and obey His ordinances, realizing that He gives us rules to guide us through life, and in fact His way is life to any man who chooses to follow. True freedom is the freedom not to be enslaved to your former lusts and desires. It is the freedom to say no to sin, and yes to God.