In The World But Not Of The World

As I look at the news today I can’t help but think the world has gone wacky.  Society calls the things that are wrong right and right things wrong.  Down is up and up is down.

Without Jesus, we should be surprised, with Him as our Lord and Savior we shouldn’t. I must confess that even though I am a blood-bought child of The Living God, I have a hard time (at times) with what’s going on in the world. When I think of the guy on a cruise after perhaps saving for the cruise for years, to be met by a guy in a haz-mat suit because of a Ebola virus quarantine on board, I wonder what is going on. I wonder at what point do I say “wow…that’s as good as it gets”. Or just laugh to keep from crying.

We live in a broken world and have for thousands of years.  Why, as followers of Christ, would or should we be surprised that the world seems to be off the rails now? (Glad you asked) I think it is partially that even though we intellectually know parts of the big-picture God has for the future, we can’t see it that readily. We then get focused on our situation – on ourselves and we have a tendency to focus on the negative aspects of all we can see.

The other part of the answer to that question is the FACT that the Kingdom Of God is EXACTLY the opposite of the kingdom of the world. God’s Kingdom serves, changes hearts from the inside out and thus manifest in changed behavior rooted in love. The broken kingdom of the world can only control behavior by force or threat of force from the outside in. The world’s only concern is if our behavior lines up. The world does not and cannot care about the motivation of hearts. The two will always be at odds – it can be no other way.

Even for Christians it seems the expectation is for conditions in their world, town, state, city or neighborhood to always get better. The fact is though - The world is degenerating. I don't mean that we shouldn't or can't change our individual situations.  We think positively and take control (we think) of our situations to make them have the best possible outcome for us. We plan for the future, careers, family, vacations, college, retirement etc.  We should plan for these things.  It would very be foolish not to.

 We can and should do this. We should do everything we can to have a Kingdom influence – pray, have faith for (after prayer and study to find and know Christ’s mind and example) and act within the confines of the governing laws - remember Christ never once railed against the oppressive Romans or broke their laws. He never once criticizes or bad mouthed the Roman government.  In fact he forgave them and prayed for them.  He instructs His disciples (and us) to go the extra mile for them. 

 I’m convinced that Jesus doesn’t care about your political affiliations.  He doesn’t care if you’re a democrat, a republican, a socialist or whatever.  What He cares about, is whether you follow Him or not.  

We take our example from God.  God is a God of organization and planning, He does nothing haphazardly, He never acts rashly or shoots from the hip.  He has a set of values and standards He has passed on to us.  Those standards are called the Word.

Many places in The Word, God tells us to meditate on it (His Word). When we do this regularly, we start to see things as He sees them. We start to know His mind. We see different problems. Thank God – we see different solutions!

The more we hold to His Word and stick to His thinking, the more we recognize just how upside down the world really is.  John tells us that we are in the world but not of the world.

In Joshua 5:13, the Commander of the Lord’s army (whom we know as Jesus), tells Joshua that He is on no one’s side.  This tells me that Joshua’s commander was God and it also tells me The Lord is with those that are with Him (in context).

It follows then, if Jesus is the Word (John 1:1.and 14), and The Word is God, and He is with those who are for Him and He has provided His Word to us so we can know Him, then it also follows that we know Him and follow Him by utilizing and meditating on His Word as made available to us. Namely The Bible.

To meditate means to mull over, kick around in your mind, to ponder and to think about deeply. You can go to the internet and read up on methods to meditate on The Word. While there is nothing wrong with employing or learning a new method for anything. We should always be learning God’s Word and ways to study it. In fact, I am going to re-post a study on a method of meditation on The Word that changed my life as only God’s Word can.

Remember though, the children of Israel, as they received this instruction had no internet. Bible study instruction was nonexistent because there was no Bible. They had God’s Word to think about and mull over in their minds and most importantly to act on and employ in their lives – in everything they did. It is obviously impossible for them or us to employ anything in their or our lives without thinking about it.

 The focus here is on God’s Word – it can, does and will change lives. Meditating, thinking about,  focusing on, His words and thoughts changes our point of view to His. We then know Him more and more. The more we know Him, the easier it is to have faith in and act on what He is telling us to do.

The fact is we MUST do this on PURPOSE. Meditating on The Word won’t happen otherwise. We can’t know Him otherwise. We can’t expect God’s Word to work in our lives if He has nothing to work with. We can’t see things from His perspective if we don’t know it because we haven’t thought it over, kicked it around in our minds, thought about, thought deeply or pondered it. It's on us!

He is telling us what to do Joshua 1:8 (meditate on The Word) and then leaving it up to us Deut. 30:19 (choose life).

Meditate On The Word

Text : Joshua 1:8

Many forms of Bible Study

·        Topical – choose a topic

·        Expositional – entire book – verse by verse

·        Survey method – a focus at generalities instead of details

·        Biographical – a study of a particular person

·        Word study

·        Verse study

Bible study is imperative to:

·        Our own spiritual growth

·        Spiritual growth of others around us  - Job 15:8

·        Take the whole Bible in context – cover to cover – only then is the Truth revealed – “whole council of God”

·        God’s primary way to connect with man.

Some general principles of study and or reading your Bible –

·        Context – Who is talking to whom and what is happening

·        What is going on

·        What are they trying to say and why

·        Always find out : who, what ,why, how, when, and where

·        Pay attention to prepositions – whenever you see the word therefore – find out what its       therefore

·        When trying to understand a verse, always read the verses before and after it (2-3) to try to catch context.

·        Always remember – there are many levels to Word , after you think you have it figured out, rely on the Holy Spirit – Holy Spirit reminds you and teaches you John 14:26

·        Whenever you see Jesus Christ when reading The Word, it speaks of us reaching to Heaven – when you see Christ Jesus, it speaks of Heaven reaching to us.

·        The Old Testament points to Jesus. The New Testament is His story, and tells what He has done for us and salvation, how to accept it and our responsibility to others.

·        The Bible ALWAYS agrees with itself, when you think there is a conflict pray for enlightenment  

                  - Eph 1:18  the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

-         Study out the conflicted passages – make sure all passages are read in context with themselves and with each other.

-         Seek out help with someone more mature in The Lord than yourself.

____________________________________________________________________

 

 

Meditate on God’s Word (my favorite)

·        Make it a priority – make a decision to do it on purpose.

·        1^st thing in AM choose verse – possibly from devotional (Daily Bread etc.)

·        if using devotional you get the added benefit of someone else’s take and revelation as well as your own.

·        look up verse in the Bible to make sure you have it right.

·        Write it down.

·        3-4 time per day, using synonyms, substitute the important words of the verse

·        Compare you “new” verse with the original.

·        Think about verse in light of your substitutions as well as the takes from your devotional or your own previous revelation.

Meditate on Scripture – command of God (He only wants the best for us)

Josh 1:8, Psalm 1:2, Psalm 119:48, Deut 6:9, Duet 11:18 (our duty to teach our children)…(many verses concerning meditation)

Duet 4:40, Duet 30:19

God’s Word will always – either by inference of context or more direct quotation, will appear at lest twice in the Bible – Usually in The Old Testament and The New also.  – Matt 16:16 , 16:19

·        The reason for meditation in the first place is to think more like God.

Rom 12:2  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

·        Those two verses tell about the power of agreement (one of God’s principles)

·        The key word here is agree

·        POWER IN AGREEING WITH MAN – POWER IN AGREEING WITH GOD

Only when we agree with God is he obligated – that’s why our prayers MUST line up with God’s will – examples  (that’s a whole series of studies in itself)

                       

At this point lets meditate on Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

Do this everyday, make a commitment for 30 days it will change your life!

Romans 12:1-2 Renew Your Mind

Rom 12:1-2  21^st Century  KJV

 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

 2 And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God

Beseech – Call near , invite, ask, call you to, intreat, call for, pray, beg, implore urgently

            Rom 15:30,

                       

·        Paul invites us to think about, by begging (he must think what he is saying is important) us in an urgent manner and tells us to listen to his message.

Therefore – so, hence, then

Bretheren –

 1) a brother, whether born of the same two parents or only of the same father or mother

2) having the same national ancestor, belonging to the same people, or countryman

3) any fellow or man

4) a fellow believer, united to another by the bond of affection

5) an associate in employment or office

6) brethren in Christ

a) his brothers by blood

b) all men  - don’t forget “God would that all men be saved”   1Ti 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

c) apostles

d) Christians, as those who are exalted to the same heavenly place

Mercies  –  God’s mercy / save sinners by re-establishing His Kingdom. Gal 2:8-9

1.	compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender, an enemy, or other person in one's power; compassion, pity, or benevolence: Have mercy on the poor sinner.

2.	the disposition to be compassionate or forbearing: an adversary wholly without mercy.

3.	the discretionary power of a judge to pardon someone or to mitigate punishment, esp. to send to prison rather than invoke the death penalty.

4.	an act of kindness, compassion, or favor: She has performed countless small mercies for her friends and neighbors.

5.	something that gives evidence of divine favor; blessing: It was just a mercy we had our seat belts on when it happened.

6.	at the mercy of, entirely in the power of; subject to: They were at the mercy of their captors.   Also, at one's mercy.

Present -  

1.	to furnish or endow with a gift or the like, esp. by formal act
3.	afford or furnish
11.	to represent, impersonate, or act,
16.	a thing presented as a gift
4.	to hand over or submit

Lets take a look at an old testament sacrifice: - it will become clear that a sacrifice is a gift. 

Lev 16:7

And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD [at] the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

              The idea here is to make a gift of something, to give something, a gift is always free – or at    least it is supposed to be. In this case a sacrifice to the Living God, a gift from a man,What do we call gifts (Christmas, birthday presents – spelled the same way). Remember God’s free Gift in salvation (undeserved) He – presented or gave  to us?

·       We can never out give God, in the old test. He put in place a series of animal sacrifice because. He had not sent His Son yet to be a perm. Sac for us. Think of that he sent His Son not only to re-establish His Kingdom here on earth but through His Son, a permanent sacrifice or gift was given to each on of us.

your body -  a temple -  1 Cor. 6:19 – A temple is where sacs were made

a living sacrifice – your reasonable service  - acceptable to God

Rom 15:16                  Gal 2:20 – after what He has done for us it’s the least we can do for Him.

                                                We are Crucified with Him – if we are joint heirs with Him Rom 8:17

Like any father all God wants for us is the best for us (His Children)

1.   He thru Paul, tells us to give ourselves over to Him and His way of thinking, His service (by working for Him, in our church, by helping and building each other up, etc. what ever He wants you to do specifically) He speaks to us most of time thru His Word, Pray – listen/spend time being quiet specifically to listen to God. 

2.   He tells us not to be like the unbelieving world but transform or change your thinking to the way He thinks. (He says that the least we can do) – when we do that (the more we think like Him. Or our thoughts line up with His, then it’s easier to discern His voice)

3.   We learn what is the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God the more we meditate on His Word. It’s a circle of Gods Love toward us: The more we meditate on His Word the more He reveals to us and the more He reveals to us. The more we meditate on His Word. The more we learn about Him the more we will want to learn - for who can resist then The God of the universe?

(read)  Isaiah 28: 9&10 “line upon line, precept upon precept”