Together # 48
A Together for Battle
A Together for Battle
Contend for the Faith Together
copyright by Dick Wulf, 2018
Check lifestyles against doctrine. Take a stand against the evil deceptions of Satan. Together test questionable ideas against sound doctrine. Exclude non-Christianity from your faith.
Phil 1:27-29; Phil 4:3; Col 2:4-8; Heb 11:1-40; Jude 3
The beginning church was told to contend for the faith because of bold efforts on the part of unconverted Jews to alter the new faith of Christianity by insisting that non-Jewish adherents had to be circumcised and follow Jewish rules. Believers in new churches needed to fight off these things that contradicted the teachings of Jesus, especially that following the law in Scripture was the way to God rather than the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ. They had no place in the faith where our Lord’s death on the cross was the final sacrifice required to join men and women with God. The believers in these churches had to oppose these men and stand up for the true faith of Christianity.
Make sure no predator makes you his prey through some misleading philosophy and empty deception based on traditions fabricated by mere mortals. These are sourced in the elementary principles originating in this world and not in the Anointed One (so don’t let their talks capture you).
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Col 2:8 (The Voice Bible)
Those apostles who wrote the New Testament letters to churches were not telling believers to fight those who held other beliefs but were not attacking the church. Other religions and philosophies of unbelievers were not the concern. Contending for the faith meant keeping unbiblical things out of the church.
Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.
Jude 3
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First of all, opponents of the churches taught a different truth than the gospel. The good news of faith in Jesus was not that people follow rules meant to secure salvation by living legalistically. Salvation was already secured by the death on the cross of God’s Son, but challenges to this new faith were persuasive and resistance was necessary.
I only tell you this to warn you about those who would try and deceive you with their arguments. They seem plausible enough; but in the end, they are false.
Col 2:4 (The Voice Bible)
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But it was not only the distortion of biblical truth. The early church had to contend for faith in how it was lived. They were to be bold in protecting life as resurrected believers and not be coerced back to lifestyles of slavery to Jewish law. The way of living they were to protect was a life solid in faith so that they could suffer for the sake of their Redeemer when necessary.
Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.
Phil 1:27-30
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Today, anything that opposes the faith we know and are to live vibrantly must be stopped. We Christians are to fend off beliefs and lifestyles that do not fit with Christianity. Today we do not need to stand against Jewish legalism as did the earliest churches. However, we are assaulted by many forces, two of which we will address: (1) secular ideologies that challenge what we know from the Bible, and (2) things resulting from the mediocrity of Christian culture that greatly inhibits taking our faith from only knowing intellectually to living powerfully.
Secular ideologies that are dangerous to true Christian faith include salvation by works, abortion, and evolution, among many others. Organized churches and denominations do fairly well at contending for the faith regarding these forces through their doctrines and statements of belief. What they are not so able to do is see that things contrary to the Christian faith stay out of the “real lives” (as opposed to “church lives”) of their members.
This is why most contending for the faith must be done in our Christian Inner Circles where we learn of challenges to the biblical faith of our friends and families. In our conversations and observations in real life (not in the pew where everyone is on their best behavior), we can see when beliefs waver and ways of living and handling life are contrary to our faith.
Abortion is an example of how an organized church can preach against it and church members publically state their opposition, but then privately acquire an abortion. There is little the larger church organization can do to keep those under its care from secretly getting an abortion. The fight against abortion in the church can only be waged by Christian friendships, families and marriages. That is where an unwanted pregnancy can be spotted. That is where sex outside of marriage can be battled effectively.
Unfortunately, we delegate contending for the faith to organized churches where not much more than teaching can be done. The smaller, unorganized forms of the church, namely Christian friendships, families and marriages, are where contending for the faith must be done. Using the abortion example, it is only in friendship, family or marital conversations that the secular arguments for abortion can be countered with biblical truth right at the time a Christian woman is considering abortion. These close and transparent relationships are where contending for the faith happens and abortions are prevented at the personal rather than ideological level.
It is absolutely disastrous that Christian friendships, families, marriages and Christian Inner Circles are not taught their responsibilities to contend for the faith in the lives of one another. Occasionally something might be said in a sermon exhorting the individual to watch that his or her own life adheres to faith professed. Ignoring God’s design that we must have one another’s help, that admonition is doomed to fall far short of the mark.
Contending for the faith is something we must do together. We must know that it is our business to stand up for the faith with those believers in our Christian Inner Circles. We must remember that this is true love for those Christians we care most about. We truly want their thoughts to remain in the truth and their lives to be lived in faith that is not lethargic but powerfully effective.
Opportunity to Become More and More Like Jesus Christ
Secular ideologies that are dangerous to true Christian faith include salvation by works, abortion, and evolution, among many others. Organized churches and denominations do fairly well at contending for the faith regarding these forces through their doctrines and statements of belief. What they are not so able to do is see that things contrary to the Christian faith stay out of the “real lives” (as opposed to “church lives”) of their members.
This is why most contending for the faith must be done in our Christian Inner Circles where we learn of challenges to the biblical faith of our friends and families. In our conversations and observations in real life (not in the pew where everyone is on their best behavior), we can see when beliefs waver and ways of living and handling life are contrary to our faith.
Abortion is an example of how an organized church can preach against it and church members publically state their opposition, but then privately acquire an abortion. There is little the larger church organization can do to keep those under its care from secretly getting an abortion. The fight against abortion in the church can only be waged by Christian friendships, families and marriages. That is where an unwanted pregnancy can be spotted. That is where sex outside of marriage can be battled effectively.
Unfortunately, we delegate contending for the faith to organized churches where not much more than teaching can be done. The smaller, unorganized forms of the church, namely Christian friendships, families and marriages, are where contending for the faith must be done. Using the abortion example, it is only in friendship, family or marital conversations that the secular arguments for abortion can be countered with biblical truth right at the time a Christian woman is considering abortion. These close and transparent relationships are where contending for the faith happens and abortions are prevented at the personal rather than ideological level.
It is absolutely disastrous that Christian friendships, families, marriages and Christian Inner Circles are not taught their responsibilities to contend for the faith in the lives of one another. Occasionally something might be said in a sermon exhorting the individual to watch that his or her own life adheres to faith professed. Ignoring God’s design that we must have one another’s help, that admonition is doomed to fall far short of the mark.
Contending for the faith is something we must do together. We must know that it is our business to stand up for the faith with those believers in our Christian Inner Circles. We must remember that this is true love for those Christians we care most about. We truly want their thoughts to remain in the truth and their lives to be lived in faith that is not lethargic but powerfully effective.
Opportunity to Become More and More Like Jesus Christ
Elena had only been married a couple of months when she became pregnant. She was in college and did not want a baby yet. Although she should have told her husband so that he could contend or stand up for their faith, she did not because she was afraid he would object.
However, Elena’s friend Sophia sensed what a man might not and asked if she was pregnant. Elena mentioned her positive pregnancy test and desire to secretly get an abortion. Sophia cried with Elena, but then stood up for the faith. Elena complained, “I thought you were my friend! I thought you would back me on this!” Sophia explained that she was being more of a friend by standing up for the faith both of them had in Jesus. “It would be so much easier to tell you that God will forgive, that abortion is not unforgivable. But, even when forgiven, there will be bad consequences, many of them lasting through all eternity because you will have shown God you are more important than He is.” Sophia then spent many hours with Elena acknowledging her feelings yet remaining true to Christian faith that declares all life sacred. She helped Elena decide to be true to God, tell her husband, and envision ways to look forward to another type of life which might or might not include the hoped for career. |
Jesus had compassion for people, but He never watered down truth about faith for another’s comfort. Jesus knew very well that faith in God made it possible to engage this world and its challenges with confidence because another life was assured at the spiritual level.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matt 5:10-12
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Our faith makes feeling blessed possible when mistreated. Heaven awaits. God whispers to us when things get tough, “It’s okay. I am in control. Heaven is coming soon. Right now I am molding you so that you can have a more wonderful life in heaven. For that life, your spirits have to be changed into the image of My Son. This will help you live more in the spiritual world of your new self while you live for Me and My work in the material world.”
We hardly realize the marvelous depths of our faith. We are new creatures in Christ! For the glory of God!
We hardly realize the marvelous depths of our faith. We are new creatures in Christ! For the glory of God!
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.
The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
2 Cor 5:17
The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
2 Cor 5:17
As new creations, we have been transformed by Jesus, the One Anointed, to live increasingly within spiritual reality by a faith for which we must contend. This faith of ours should be so treasured that we will want to stand by it in every moment of our lives. We live in the material world as redeemed people possessing a spiritual reality that makes us capable of living and fighting for God in ways that seem foolish to the world. We can do righteous things and be attacked for doing them because we are already in the kingdom of heaven and will soon arrive there.
Almost everything Jesus said to us was about the faith we are to seek, contend for so that nothing gets in the way of it, and fight for it. When we contend for the faith together, we walk together with Jesus and become more and more like Him. He tells us to take faith in God seriously, and we tell one another the same.
Almost everything Jesus said to us was about the faith we are to seek, contend for so that nothing gets in the way of it, and fight for it. When we contend for the faith together, we walk together with Jesus and become more and more like Him. He tells us to take faith in God seriously, and we tell one another the same.
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.”
Matt 7:24-25
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All of Jesus’ confrontations with the Pharisees and teachers of the law were contending for the faith. He challenged showy actions that were meant to be aspects of faith but were not. He drove merchants out of the temple because their commerce was contrary to the Jewish faith and the role of the temple. He said to the religious leaders, “Woe to you” for tithing but neglecting justice and love of God, seeking the best privileges, loading people down with burdens of religiosity, and curtailing learning about God and His ways. (Luke 11:42-52)
Standing up for the true faith of the Bible together, we keep one another from both distorting the faith and neglecting it. Since sin still impacts us, we have much work to do with one another in the way of contending for the faith and its many qualities and advantages. Many of the Togethers are specific ways in which we are to contend for the faith. For example, in spurring one another on to love and good works, we push one another further into many aspects of faith not yet fully grasped, such things as service for God and trusting in His provision.
Each time we contend for our faith, our spirits become a little more inseparable from the faith. Since our Lord is completely inseparable from truth and faith, we grow in Christlikeness when we stand up for the faith. But, like Him, we must not only contend for doctrine and Bible knowledge but also for living our faith more than superficially.
Standing up for the true faith of the Bible together, we keep one another from both distorting the faith and neglecting it. Since sin still impacts us, we have much work to do with one another in the way of contending for the faith and its many qualities and advantages. Many of the Togethers are specific ways in which we are to contend for the faith. For example, in spurring one another on to love and good works, we push one another further into many aspects of faith not yet fully grasped, such things as service for God and trusting in His provision.
Each time we contend for our faith, our spirits become a little more inseparable from the faith. Since our Lord is completely inseparable from truth and faith, we grow in Christlikeness when we stand up for the faith. But, like Him, we must not only contend for doctrine and Bible knowledge but also for living our faith more than superficially.
“And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.”
Matt 5:4
Matt 5:4
This instruction from our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount requires the biblical knowledge that God will provide for our needs, which we can easily mouth. But, it needs to become living faith, a transition for which we should strive. We contend for our faith by telling ourselves to live what we say we believe, especially with those in our Christian Inner Circles.
Here is another example. Materialism sneaks into our friendship group. . Before promotions and higher salaries, lunchtime conversations tended to be about people and their welfare. Now they are about buying expensive items, many of which are for vanity or excess recreation. Hopefully, one of us in our group of friends would recognize that materialism had invaded our faith. If that person speaks up, that person has taken a step toward being more like Jesus. If that person meets resistance from the rest of us and does not waver in contending for the lifestyle of the Christian faith, he or she is really becoming more like Jesus.
Here is another example. Materialism sneaks into our friendship group. . Before promotions and higher salaries, lunchtime conversations tended to be about people and their welfare. Now they are about buying expensive items, many of which are for vanity or excess recreation. Hopefully, one of us in our group of friends would recognize that materialism had invaded our faith. If that person speaks up, that person has taken a step toward being more like Jesus. If that person meets resistance from the rest of us and does not waver in contending for the lifestyle of the Christian faith, he or she is really becoming more like Jesus.
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Matt 6:19-21
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If others in the lunchtime friendship group realize that the issue goes even deeper, they might proclaim that the life of faith is something they want to guard because it is their very lives. This would be a giant step into Christlikeness.
And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
Luke 12:15
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Let’s stand up for the faith with one another. Let’s make certain that truth is not distorted or merely given lip-service. Let’s contend for the faith that is much larger than we understand and hold on tightly. Let’s be like Jesus in pushing one another further into our faith.
Opportunity to Worship God
Opportunity to Worship God
The Han Family was shocked when their fifth grader came home and announced that evolution proves there is no God. Her teacher had said so, and that was that!
This assault on the Bible and the family’s Christian faith needed to be faced head on. A family meeting was called to contend for the faith against this prevalent secular challenge. Mr. Han asked the fifth grader to explain what she had been taught in school. Then he asked the other four children what they thought. Only one other child had begun to wonder if the world just happened by evolution. Thus began a process of the Han Family standing up for the truth of Scripture and defeating this challenge from those outside of the faith. Books on creation and evolution were read and reports given. Reasons that Christians believe in creation rather than evolution were adequately explained. They also discussed why those who do not know God are so ready to accept evolution with all of its unproven assumptions. When the Han Family contended for the faith, they were honoring God and that was worship, even though they did not realize it. |
God has given us the power in committed Christian relationships to contend for the faith. When we do so, we worship God by reflecting back to Him his own work to make truth and its application in faith clear to humans.
God is constantly urging His people to believe Him and have faith. That is really what the whole Bible is all about.
God is constantly urging His people to believe Him and have faith. That is really what the whole Bible is all about.
And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets – who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated – of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
Heb 11:32-38
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Our faith is all about eternal life and victory over death made possible by God’s love and the willing substitutionary death of Jesus on our behalf. Faith in what God has done and will yet do is what we are to strive for. When we contend for the faith, we try to block anything that can make us insecure, afraid of death, and lose sight of our eternal future with God in His heaven. Keeping one another aware of faith as much more than just a set of beliefs empowers us to live for God, face whatever He allows, and develop our spirits for heaven.
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
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Heb 11:1-3
When we protect the truth and contend for the faith we have through Jesus, we are reflecting back to God His own character. Through the centuries God has contended with us that we might be people of faith in Him, who know such faith and live by it.
God has designed a life that begins on a troubled earth and shortly thereafter changes to a forever life in heaven. God has given us a faith to withstand the storm of this sinful environment to mold us for heaven. God has poured out His love to us and given us faith with the long view in mind. We worship Him by respecting that faith, pushing forward in that faith, and protecting it from anything that can hinder that faith. Contending for the faith together is worship.
We learn in the Bible that the Israelites looked for their faith primarily to bring them good things. Is that ever like us? When hard things came, they lost their faith. Is that ever like us? Then, when God wanted to bless them with the promised land, they turned Him down because they had not protected their faith. Is that ever like us?
This was the opposite of worship.
God has designed a life that begins on a troubled earth and shortly thereafter changes to a forever life in heaven. God has given us a faith to withstand the storm of this sinful environment to mold us for heaven. God has poured out His love to us and given us faith with the long view in mind. We worship Him by respecting that faith, pushing forward in that faith, and protecting it from anything that can hinder that faith. Contending for the faith together is worship.
We learn in the Bible that the Israelites looked for their faith primarily to bring them good things. Is that ever like us? When hard things came, they lost their faith. Is that ever like us? Then, when God wanted to bless them with the promised land, they turned Him down because they had not protected their faith. Is that ever like us?
This was the opposite of worship.
Then they despised the pleasant land,
having no faith in his promise. They murmured in their tents, and did not obey the voice of the Lord. Therefore he raised his hand and swore to them that he would make them fall in the wilderness, and would make their offspring fall among the nations, scattering them among the lands. |
Ps 106:24-27
If we want to go along with God’s program for us, we will need to contend for the faith together. We do not want to lose it. If we comprehend our precious faith even a little, we will value it above all things and do all we can to keep it and grow more into its vastness.
He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”
Matt 13:31-32
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With the help of the Holy Spirit, the immensity of our faith can work miracles as long as how we apply it fits in with what God wants. Most likely we will not move actual mountains, but there are a thousand things we can face with our faith.
He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”
Matt 17:20
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Let’s contend for the faith together and protect it so that it can be dynamic in our lives, helping us have God’s promise of eternal life at the front of our minds, pursuing that faith, traveling through dark valleys with faith, and arriving in heaven with more faith than we ever imagined.
How Used in Battle to Defeat Evil and Satan
How Used in Battle to Defeat Evil and Satan
Pastor Harold has taught the members of Grace Church that the devil is determined to rob God of His glory. As a result, they have decided to go to battle together against the evil one and contend for the faith in the strength of the Holy Spirit.
Abe Kingston, who attends Grace Church, works at a tire factory. At lunch he would eat with a friend who is deeply involved in a deceptive cult. Soon Abe began bringing some strange interpretations of biblical passages into the fourth grade Sunday School class he teaches. When one of the children mentioned these ideas to his parents, they contacted their small group leader who in turn talked to the elder in charge of church fellowship and community. Church leaders then handpicked a team of two men to meet with Abe and explain how Satan had deceived those in the cult to which his friend at work belonged. They successfully stood up for the faith and Abe changed his mind about the things his friend was telling him. Satan was defeated. This kind of straying away from the truth and coming up with untrue interpretations and applications of Scripture is usually caught early in the small groups of Grace, but Abe had been resistant to attending one. Now, seeing that he was very vulnerable to the teachings of cults and false religions, he attends a small group diligently. |
Satan started his relationship with the human race distorting truth. He tempted Adam and Eve to change their attitudes. He diminished their faith, their “assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb 11:1). The devil proposed another way of looking at things, that what they desired should be pursued, that life was all about them. Adam and Eve turned away from God and His simple request, plunging the human race into sin.
Millennia later, we are to do battle with Satan by contending for the faith together. We must help one another reject attitudes we have gotten from two main sources: (1) secular society and (2) Christian church culture.
This battle to contend for the faith together cannot be adequately dealt with by organized churches and their programs. It is where “boots are on the ground” that we must stand up for the faith when the real life of Christian friends and family members is impacted by attitudes contrary to a life of faith. Christian Inner Circles are where the tug of war between true faith in action and diminished faith happens. Since none of us come even close to living up to our faith and its benefits and power, there is much work for us to do. God urges us to contend for the faith He has made available to us. We are to do this together.
Standing up for our faith means denying ungodly attitudes of the secular culture in which we live. It is far too extensive to list all of the unfaithful things we willingly or unknowingly soak up. We can only mention a few.
The materialism of our culture infects us with the attitude of wanting many unnecessary things. We think that if we have the money, we deserve them. If we live to acquire things and spend a lot of time maintaining and using them, what counts at the spiritual level fades and faith suffers.
It is prevalent in our culture to quickly say that we don’t have the time to volunteer for the good of others. The culture tells us that it is almost a duty to do just what we want, watch a good bit of television, spend a lot of time looking at our smart phones, read tantalizing items on our computers or tablets, allow our kids every opportunity they wish, and the list could go on and on. It was not too long ago that those who said they did not have time were on farms or ranches working from before dawn to after sunset or working twelve hour shifts in factories. Now, with shorter work weeks and time-saving microwave ovens and the like, we are convinced we do not have time for Bible study, prayer, the necessary Christian interactions of the Togethers, or helping those outside of the faith. Whenever any of us declares that he or she does not have time for dedicated effort to put biblical truth into action, the enemy has knocked down the door of our faith.
Too, our culture can convince us that real living is having a job that we thoroughly enjoy. If we do not enjoy our employment, we are miserable and do not find enough contentment to love one another through the Togethers. If we do like our career, we pour everything into it. Although the Bible treats work as a way to eat and the spiritual life of faith the main reason for life, our culture defines life by what people do to earn money.
Our culture also tends to promote that real living is enjoyable recreation. Our Christian service can become limited to whenever there is not something fun to do. While some recreation can easily fit into the committed Christian life, our culture teaches nothing about limiting our recreational pursuits to spare time. Spare time is what is left over after recreation has taken hours and days.
But, most damage to living our faith with dedication is done by our contemporary Christian culture. There is a mediocrity that infects churches to the point that their programs have to be “marketable”, drawing believers into services and programs because of their attractiveness rather than their meaningfulness to their relationship with God. Times of worship can become musical entertainment where the goal is for the worshiper to feel close to God rather than for God to be blessed by worship first. Sermons and Bible classes must be interesting and non-demanding teaching, but not coaching and exhorting Christians to live for God in all the ways Scripture directs.
How did we get to me-centered Christianity rather than God-centered? How did we come to give God the “acceptable minimum”? How did the body of Christ, the church, become so self-serving? Where did we get the attitude that being a Christian means going to church – plus very little else? Why do we not take Jesus more seriously? How on earth is a watching non-Christian world going to see what life with God is like if we don’t go much farther in living our faith?
It is sad so many people pay homage to Jesus by declaring only intellectual belief. Research has continually shown that a large percentage of the American population say they believe in Jesus, but when questioned further admit they do not believe in some of the most basic doctrines such as the virgin birth. Jesus is someone who came and died to pay the penalty for men’s sins – end of story. Jesus becomes Savior without becoming Lord. The faith we are to contend for becomes lukewarm, perhaps not faith at all.
Millennia later, we are to do battle with Satan by contending for the faith together. We must help one another reject attitudes we have gotten from two main sources: (1) secular society and (2) Christian church culture.
This battle to contend for the faith together cannot be adequately dealt with by organized churches and their programs. It is where “boots are on the ground” that we must stand up for the faith when the real life of Christian friends and family members is impacted by attitudes contrary to a life of faith. Christian Inner Circles are where the tug of war between true faith in action and diminished faith happens. Since none of us come even close to living up to our faith and its benefits and power, there is much work for us to do. God urges us to contend for the faith He has made available to us. We are to do this together.
Standing up for our faith means denying ungodly attitudes of the secular culture in which we live. It is far too extensive to list all of the unfaithful things we willingly or unknowingly soak up. We can only mention a few.
The materialism of our culture infects us with the attitude of wanting many unnecessary things. We think that if we have the money, we deserve them. If we live to acquire things and spend a lot of time maintaining and using them, what counts at the spiritual level fades and faith suffers.
It is prevalent in our culture to quickly say that we don’t have the time to volunteer for the good of others. The culture tells us that it is almost a duty to do just what we want, watch a good bit of television, spend a lot of time looking at our smart phones, read tantalizing items on our computers or tablets, allow our kids every opportunity they wish, and the list could go on and on. It was not too long ago that those who said they did not have time were on farms or ranches working from before dawn to after sunset or working twelve hour shifts in factories. Now, with shorter work weeks and time-saving microwave ovens and the like, we are convinced we do not have time for Bible study, prayer, the necessary Christian interactions of the Togethers, or helping those outside of the faith. Whenever any of us declares that he or she does not have time for dedicated effort to put biblical truth into action, the enemy has knocked down the door of our faith.
Too, our culture can convince us that real living is having a job that we thoroughly enjoy. If we do not enjoy our employment, we are miserable and do not find enough contentment to love one another through the Togethers. If we do like our career, we pour everything into it. Although the Bible treats work as a way to eat and the spiritual life of faith the main reason for life, our culture defines life by what people do to earn money.
Our culture also tends to promote that real living is enjoyable recreation. Our Christian service can become limited to whenever there is not something fun to do. While some recreation can easily fit into the committed Christian life, our culture teaches nothing about limiting our recreational pursuits to spare time. Spare time is what is left over after recreation has taken hours and days.
But, most damage to living our faith with dedication is done by our contemporary Christian culture. There is a mediocrity that infects churches to the point that their programs have to be “marketable”, drawing believers into services and programs because of their attractiveness rather than their meaningfulness to their relationship with God. Times of worship can become musical entertainment where the goal is for the worshiper to feel close to God rather than for God to be blessed by worship first. Sermons and Bible classes must be interesting and non-demanding teaching, but not coaching and exhorting Christians to live for God in all the ways Scripture directs.
How did we get to me-centered Christianity rather than God-centered? How did we come to give God the “acceptable minimum”? How did the body of Christ, the church, become so self-serving? Where did we get the attitude that being a Christian means going to church – plus very little else? Why do we not take Jesus more seriously? How on earth is a watching non-Christian world going to see what life with God is like if we don’t go much farther in living our faith?
It is sad so many people pay homage to Jesus by declaring only intellectual belief. Research has continually shown that a large percentage of the American population say they believe in Jesus, but when questioned further admit they do not believe in some of the most basic doctrines such as the virgin birth. Jesus is someone who came and died to pay the penalty for men’s sins – end of story. Jesus becomes Savior without becoming Lord. The faith we are to contend for becomes lukewarm, perhaps not faith at all.
“‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.”
Rev 3:15-17
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The living faith we are to stand up for and protect is one that lives, not just knows. The transition from Bible study to Bible obedience has to take place in our most frequent and natural Christian relationships. Christian friendships, Christian families, and Christian marriages must take what has been learned from sermons and Bible studies and implement them through faith. Contending for the faith together means not letting the devil convince us that knowing is enough or minimal obedience is sufficient.
Satan is quite successful at inhibiting our power by influencing us to consider God’s gift of faith to be an individual thing. Faith together where we contend for it in one another’s lives stops the devil. Let’s do this more and more. Let’s stand up for our faith and see that it blossoms in one another’s living and breathing.
How in the Sinful Environment this Together Prepares Us for Heaven
Satan is quite successful at inhibiting our power by influencing us to consider God’s gift of faith to be an individual thing. Faith together where we contend for it in one another’s lives stops the devil. Let’s do this more and more. Let’s stand up for our faith and see that it blossoms in one another’s living and breathing.
How in the Sinful Environment this Together Prepares Us for Heaven
When Howard came home and greeted Deborah, each had bad news. (Or good news from a spiritual perspective.)
Howard reported that his interview for a hoped-for job did not result in the job offer he was sure would happen. He had been unemployed for weeks and the family was in great financial stress. Then, Deborah reported that the refrigerator had broken and she had to put on a credit card a new one that cost hundreds of dollars they did not have. It seemed to both of them that disaster was just around the corner. Their hope was shaken. Eventually, Deborah said, “What are we going to do?” Howard repeated the question with desperation. Deborah went into the kitchen to cook something for dinner while Howard went to change out of his good clothes. Both of them began reaching out to God, for they were fairly strong believers in Jesus and had been especially relying on Him the last few days as bills came due that they could not pay. And, both of them heard in their thoughts the same message from God and walked toward each other, meeting in the hallway. Both blurted out, “We asked the wrong question. It should not have been what are we going to do. We should have asked, ‘What is God doing?’” Dinner put on hold, the stove turned off, these two who had been married for some time went back to the couch in the living room to pray and ask God what He was up to in placing them in this desperate financial situation. They also searched their Bibles. They talked. They then reasoned that if they were eventually headed to heaven, perhaps the sovereign Lord was using this horrible situation to prepare them for a better eternity. Deborah and Howard began to contend together for the faith they possessed. They did not want their faith to waiver. They wanted to discover the advantages of their faith in this troubled predicament. It took a few days for these two married people to see the whole picture. Without their financial dilemma they would never have sought such deep spiritual understanding. They were surprised that this entry into deeper spiritual reality became so treasured. They were no longer unhappy, even though they had no idea yet how they were going to survive financially. They had become certain that God was in control. He wanted them to be without income for a while to change their spirits to be better fit for heaven. They saw that they had not really been trusting in God for the affairs of their lives. They said words of faith without the actions that would verify that they truly trusted God with the direction and decisions of their lives. God, they came to realize, was giving them the gift of genuine trust in Him. Before this, they had trusted in their jobs. Howard had made great income in his last job. Deborah had also earned much before she became pregnant and stopped working. These two Christians had often paid lip service to letting God guide them, but then they pretty much did whatever they wanted to do. As two adults without children and good incomes, they had purchased quite expensive cars. They had gone on pricey vacations. They belonged to health clubs. They tithed and considered that God was not all that interested in how they spent the remaining 90%. Now, God had stepped in for their benefit. He put a detour in their lives that would cause a correction in their spirits so valuable for life in heaven. Howard and Deborah sold their cars and got clunkers. They cancelled expensive health club dues. And the next week Howard landed a job that would have allowed them to keep their luxury autos and everything else they had liquidated. But, they did not mind. Their spirits were changed and they were now very different people. How valuable this all was to Howard and Deborah. Now they were able to grasp that every problem and situation that came into their lives was something God was using to change them to be more like Jesus Christ, and, thus, better prepared for heaven. From that point on, they decided to try to help each other analyze whatever was happening both in the light of this present world’s challenges and also whatever God was changing within their spirits. |
We protect what we value. And, then, the act of protecting it makes us value it more. Thus, contending for our faith raises its value. How much we appreciate faith the moment we die will be what goes with us to heaven. How much we honor faith, how much we cling to faith, how much we embrace faith when we die is logically where we will be with faith as we enter heaven. Growth in heaven in appreciating, honoring, clinging to, and embracing faith will occur much more slowly without the need to defend and protect it. Remember, contending for our faith now with the resistance of sin increases our sense of its value.
How sad it is, then, that we can so easily coast along in life without considering faith beyond saving faith. The belief in Jesus as our Savior is paramount, but it is then to infiltrate our lives with faith for living with Jesus as Lord. Salvation should get obedience started. Belief that begins with intellectual understanding must grow into faith in action.
Growth of faith from knowledge to action is often fostered by difficulties in life. That is why in the Bible suffering is said to be so valuable. It forces faith in God to grow. It forces faith in the words of God in the Bible to grow. It forces faith to branch out into trust and the fruit of the Spirit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These are all necessary for the good life in heaven. All citizens there will have these qualities of faith to some degree.
This faith, if we grasp it with our spirits, is far too valuable to not contend for in our
Christian friendships, families, and marriages. Women know vinegar to be useful for so many cooking and cleaning tasks, and men consider duct tape similarly. Sadly, we are probably not so aware of the usefulness of our faith. We must study faith until we see its incredible value and let it grow in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Trust emanates from faith. If we can trust God for safety and direction for a day, we want to let that grow to a week, then a month, then for all of our lives. Consider how valuable faith is when we are relieved of worry about life for a month at a time or longer.
Once they understand the depth of faith possible for loving God and neighbor and facing life’s challenges, Christian friendships and families and marriages will be more conscious of its useful application to the situations friends, families and spouses talk about, especially the hard things where faith overcomes struggle and suffering.
Take for example a few of the most difficult situations to face: a spouse divorces us, we become handicapped and our lives become limited, a good friend turns against us. There is no way to feel good about such loses without faith.
On the other hand, believers with the help of their Christian Inner Circles can deal with divorce and the rejection of a good friend with reality that goes beyond the grave. God will heal the hurt of rejection by the certainty through faith that Jesus loves and is constantly present, that the “ex” had the help of Satan to divorce, that life is far more than being married and service to God will make it meaningful again, and that finally all pain will be forgotten when life in heaven begins.
Handicapped believers can deal with the drastic change in their lives if they and their Christian Inner Circles contend for the faith so that it stays alive and increases. Then it can assure them that God will be using their situation to change their spirits for benefits in heaven that believers with able bodies might miss.
True Christian faith deals with real life. It grows only a little in the pew or small group Bible study. This faith grows when it meets life’s challenges with Christian friends, family members, and spouses. Protecting it from underutilization or distortion should be our urgent concern. Our faith is too valuable. It intensifies our relationship with God and takes our spirits into the vast wonders of life now, but far more in heaven. Therefore, contending for this faith together is top priority.
Someone once said, “the way to love something is to realize that it might be lost”. The faith that springs from saving faith through the growth of our spirits can diminish. To keep it growing, we must cherish this fantastic faith because we realize it can be lost. We must battle for it, contend for it, and hold on to it.
What changes in our spirits when we love our faith enough to make sure it is not lost, when we contend for it and stand firm in it? Contending for the faith increases our faith through additional commitment. Faith grows in value and we appreciate it more. And, greater faith produces a more godly life. Since our faith comes from and focuses on our God, it increases the appreciation of Him. Since He is the central joy of heaven, going to heaven with as much appreciation of God and His ways as possible greatly enhances life there.
In heaven we will still need faith. We will still want to have “assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen”. Heaven will be so big that in no way will we know all that is available or how it will all come to pass. We will still need to hope for things, and we will have assurance that those things will happen to the extent of the faith we brought to heaven.
Have we ever been with people who are more sure something good will happen than we were? We still had faith that something would happen, just not as strong as they did. That is the way it will likely be in heaven. Each of us will have allowed the Holy Spirit to take our spirit to some level of faith that later we will have to fight to keep strong.
Have we ever been with Christians who have more joy and contentment in life because their faith is stronger? Most likely they have struggled against opposition to their faith and protected it from diminishing. It will also be like that in heaven. We each will have some level of faith that enables us to appreciate the life of faith there, but at different intensities.
Let’s not be passive regarding our faith. It will lead to less faith now as well as in heaven. Let’s pursue more and more faith, fight anything that gets in the way of it, and allow the Holy Spirit to make it as strong as we can possibly bear. Let’s contend for faith together to make this happen.
How this Together Can Make It Really Good in Heaven
How sad it is, then, that we can so easily coast along in life without considering faith beyond saving faith. The belief in Jesus as our Savior is paramount, but it is then to infiltrate our lives with faith for living with Jesus as Lord. Salvation should get obedience started. Belief that begins with intellectual understanding must grow into faith in action.
Growth of faith from knowledge to action is often fostered by difficulties in life. That is why in the Bible suffering is said to be so valuable. It forces faith in God to grow. It forces faith in the words of God in the Bible to grow. It forces faith to branch out into trust and the fruit of the Spirit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These are all necessary for the good life in heaven. All citizens there will have these qualities of faith to some degree.
This faith, if we grasp it with our spirits, is far too valuable to not contend for in our
Christian friendships, families, and marriages. Women know vinegar to be useful for so many cooking and cleaning tasks, and men consider duct tape similarly. Sadly, we are probably not so aware of the usefulness of our faith. We must study faith until we see its incredible value and let it grow in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Trust emanates from faith. If we can trust God for safety and direction for a day, we want to let that grow to a week, then a month, then for all of our lives. Consider how valuable faith is when we are relieved of worry about life for a month at a time or longer.
Once they understand the depth of faith possible for loving God and neighbor and facing life’s challenges, Christian friendships and families and marriages will be more conscious of its useful application to the situations friends, families and spouses talk about, especially the hard things where faith overcomes struggle and suffering.
Take for example a few of the most difficult situations to face: a spouse divorces us, we become handicapped and our lives become limited, a good friend turns against us. There is no way to feel good about such loses without faith.
On the other hand, believers with the help of their Christian Inner Circles can deal with divorce and the rejection of a good friend with reality that goes beyond the grave. God will heal the hurt of rejection by the certainty through faith that Jesus loves and is constantly present, that the “ex” had the help of Satan to divorce, that life is far more than being married and service to God will make it meaningful again, and that finally all pain will be forgotten when life in heaven begins.
Handicapped believers can deal with the drastic change in their lives if they and their Christian Inner Circles contend for the faith so that it stays alive and increases. Then it can assure them that God will be using their situation to change their spirits for benefits in heaven that believers with able bodies might miss.
True Christian faith deals with real life. It grows only a little in the pew or small group Bible study. This faith grows when it meets life’s challenges with Christian friends, family members, and spouses. Protecting it from underutilization or distortion should be our urgent concern. Our faith is too valuable. It intensifies our relationship with God and takes our spirits into the vast wonders of life now, but far more in heaven. Therefore, contending for this faith together is top priority.
Someone once said, “the way to love something is to realize that it might be lost”. The faith that springs from saving faith through the growth of our spirits can diminish. To keep it growing, we must cherish this fantastic faith because we realize it can be lost. We must battle for it, contend for it, and hold on to it.
What changes in our spirits when we love our faith enough to make sure it is not lost, when we contend for it and stand firm in it? Contending for the faith increases our faith through additional commitment. Faith grows in value and we appreciate it more. And, greater faith produces a more godly life. Since our faith comes from and focuses on our God, it increases the appreciation of Him. Since He is the central joy of heaven, going to heaven with as much appreciation of God and His ways as possible greatly enhances life there.
In heaven we will still need faith. We will still want to have “assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen”. Heaven will be so big that in no way will we know all that is available or how it will all come to pass. We will still need to hope for things, and we will have assurance that those things will happen to the extent of the faith we brought to heaven.
Have we ever been with people who are more sure something good will happen than we were? We still had faith that something would happen, just not as strong as they did. That is the way it will likely be in heaven. Each of us will have allowed the Holy Spirit to take our spirit to some level of faith that later we will have to fight to keep strong.
Have we ever been with Christians who have more joy and contentment in life because their faith is stronger? Most likely they have struggled against opposition to their faith and protected it from diminishing. It will also be like that in heaven. We each will have some level of faith that enables us to appreciate the life of faith there, but at different intensities.
Let’s not be passive regarding our faith. It will lead to less faith now as well as in heaven. Let’s pursue more and more faith, fight anything that gets in the way of it, and allow the Holy Spirit to make it as strong as we can possibly bear. Let’s contend for faith together to make this happen.
How this Together Can Make It Really Good in Heaven
I can hardly keep still, I am so excited. Tomorrow I am going to explore a forest where God has changed the design of water flow. I can’t even imagine what it will be like.
My friend at that table across the room is going also. I wonder why he is not able to be so eager. I know he wants to go, but it just doesn’t seem that he is so sure it will happen or that it will be as astonishing as I suspect it will be. I do know this, however. Back before death, my friend did not cherish his Christian faith very much. He valued other things so that his life matched only a little his Christian beliefs. Fortunately, I was in a Christian Inner Circle where the others would not put up with my apathy for living consistently with the faith I proclaimed. I certainly am glad now that they were so persistent in making me see that my faith was weak until I put it into my way of living. |
Contending for faith together now will in heaven have wonderful consequences. Now our faith can allow us to be sure of heaven even though we cannot see it. After death, our faith will be stretched for all that will be in heaven to anticipate.
Foolishly suppose that there are ridiculously few fantastic, presently unimaginable, opportunities in heaven, maybe only ten thousand. Heaven will thus have many opportunities for “assurance of things hoped for” and “conviction of things not seen”. It will be really good to go to heaven with faith that all ten thousand will eventually happen. This will require strength in faith that some will have and some will not. It is not that some will not be able to have faith in opportunities. But, in learning of them from some catalog of heaven’s gifts, they will react with more than indifference but less than strong, excited expectancy.
Imagine the hopeful faith we now have when we think we just might be able to take some trip of which we have only dreamed. Each time we think of this adventure, we feel joyful anticipation. If we honestly consider this illustration, we know that some have less faith that such a trip will happen, and, thus, less excitement. We also know that some would have more faith, more hope, and more excitement. In heaven we will have faith, hope, and excitement proportionate to the value we placed on faith before death. If we contended with others for things of faith, we will have strong faith, hope, and excitement. If we were complacent about faith and its value, we will not go to heaven equipped with such strong faith and hope and excitement.
Faith must be valued for us to contend together to keep it strong. If we value faith much, we will go to heaven full of the ability to be assured of things hoped for in heaven and convinced about things not yet seen there. Even now some of us are filled with more faith that heaven exists and that heaven will be exciting. We will carry that faith full of excited anticipation to heaven. How good it will be to enter heaven with eyes wide, searching for God and all of His wonderment.
Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to give us more complete faith for things promised by God but unseen and unproven. Then, let’s hold on to those future mysterious adventures by contending for our faith together and resisting anything that can dilute it. As a result, in heaven we will be filled with faith that God and His Kingdom will always have something unseen to excitedly look forward to.
Opportunity for a Closer Relationship with God through Empathy
Foolishly suppose that there are ridiculously few fantastic, presently unimaginable, opportunities in heaven, maybe only ten thousand. Heaven will thus have many opportunities for “assurance of things hoped for” and “conviction of things not seen”. It will be really good to go to heaven with faith that all ten thousand will eventually happen. This will require strength in faith that some will have and some will not. It is not that some will not be able to have faith in opportunities. But, in learning of them from some catalog of heaven’s gifts, they will react with more than indifference but less than strong, excited expectancy.
Imagine the hopeful faith we now have when we think we just might be able to take some trip of which we have only dreamed. Each time we think of this adventure, we feel joyful anticipation. If we honestly consider this illustration, we know that some have less faith that such a trip will happen, and, thus, less excitement. We also know that some would have more faith, more hope, and more excitement. In heaven we will have faith, hope, and excitement proportionate to the value we placed on faith before death. If we contended with others for things of faith, we will have strong faith, hope, and excitement. If we were complacent about faith and its value, we will not go to heaven equipped with such strong faith and hope and excitement.
Faith must be valued for us to contend together to keep it strong. If we value faith much, we will go to heaven full of the ability to be assured of things hoped for in heaven and convinced about things not yet seen there. Even now some of us are filled with more faith that heaven exists and that heaven will be exciting. We will carry that faith full of excited anticipation to heaven. How good it will be to enter heaven with eyes wide, searching for God and all of His wonderment.
Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to give us more complete faith for things promised by God but unseen and unproven. Then, let’s hold on to those future mysterious adventures by contending for our faith together and resisting anything that can dilute it. As a result, in heaven we will be filled with faith that God and His Kingdom will always have something unseen to excitedly look forward to.
Opportunity for a Closer Relationship with God through Empathy
Everywhere I go I am quite aware that God is with me. I cannot distinguish whether it is God the Father, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit who is so alive in my consciousness. Actually, I know that it is all Three so identified with One Another that I cannot discriminate. But, I wish I could adequate describe how wonderful it is to be so aware of His presence.
Another thing that comes with His presence is faith. This faith in heaven helps me to just automatically know that what happens comes from His sovereignty and is guided by His providence. This makes my faith most precious. Everyone here appreciates their faith, but it seems that some of us can value it more and that translates to a keener sense of God’s presence. |
Concern for faith before death equals concern for God and His desires. If God has given us the gift of faith, let’s realize that how precious we consider our faith is an indicator of how we cherish God. Doesn’t it make sense that the more we cared about protecting the faith and standing up for God’s truth before death, the better the relationship with God will be in heaven?
If in this life we give someone we love a gift that we consider quite valuable but he or she treats it carelessly, we probably are not motivated to give that person more gifts. We also might not want to be around that person as much as those who appreciate the gifts we give them. We need to consider that in heaven God may not want to visit us very often if we did not value His gift of faith. He loves unconditionally, as does a good parent, but that does not translate to lack of negative consequences for treating His gift of faith carelessly.
We do not really know how God will visit us in heaven. One thing seems to be sure, we will sense His presence with us. We can do that now to the degree that we pay attention to Him, so it will be easier in heaven without sin subduing the awareness. But, it may be likely that just as now some Christians are aware of His presence in their lives more than others, it will be that way in heaven. It will not be that God visits less, but that each of us will be aware of His presence at different levels of clarity.
This is not to rule out that Jesus will visit us in person. He may very well step down from his throne at the right of God the Father and knock on our door. Or we might meet Him while hiking a trail in the mountains. This is much more of a mystery. Yet, it is hard to see Jesus sitting down at everyone’s table to talk at the same time. But, if He does make personal appearances in heaven, it is just possible that He would visit some more than others, just as He spent more time with Peter, James and John than the other disciples.
In any case, those who had treasured faith, contended for it, and protected it, will probably have greater faith in heaven than others who did not so treasure faith before going to heaven. And, that will likely affect the personal relationship with God.
Suppose we give a gift that is useful for many things but a person never uses it? Are we not disappointed because we wanted them to find the gift beneficial. If God gives us saving faith and we are thankful for our salvation but do not apply that faith to help with life, we commit offense against the One Who loves us most. For example, we are deeply joyful for being saved, but we do not trust His sovereign presence in our lives, believing in fate instead. We receive His love but do not take advantage of it. In effect, we have greatly devalued His gift of faith.
We can understand why we want to think of God as treating us all equally in heaven no matter how we have treated Him. This is wishful thinking that delights the devil. It allows us to treat God and His gift of faith lightly because we think, “God won’t mind. He is big enough to overlook our negligence. He is good, isn’t He?” However, God’s relationship with Israel in the Bible shows this is definitely not so. God treated His people differently dependent upon the honor they gave to the faith He imparted to them. When they refused to go into the Promised Land just after God parted the waters so they could escape Egypt, He made them walk around in the desert for 40 years!
Old Testament history shows continually that God walked more closely with His people when they treasured Him, as well as the faith they had received from Him and His desire for how they lived daily life. All of the examples would fill pages, but we can remember how David was not allowed to build the temple because of his disregard for God’s laws. Amos told the people that God was not listening to their worship because they denied justice in their courts. Habakkuk was told that God was using heathens to punish Israel but that He loved His people and would eventually restore them to a relationship with Himself.
Treasuring faith now means valuing it highly and fighting for it. Let’s do this together. Let’s help one another value our faith more and more and highlight it as a wonderful gift from God. It is not just cold doctrine or intellectual belief, it is powered by God to enable us to trust Him, among other things. Let’s help one another be thankful for our faith that enables us to hope for things unseen and be sure that they are real. Let’s together enter into a closer relationship with God right now by adding to our appreciation of Jesus and His salvation a faith that allows us to trust the love of God and value all that He can be to us. Let’s carry such a relationship with God to heaven with us.
Praise and Prayer Regarding this Together
Loving God who loves us and gives us the gift of faith beyond saving faith, I and those in my Christian Inner Circle will need Your help to grow our spirits to help us to treasure that faith, build it up, contend for it, and protect it. Help us to yield to the work of the Holy Spirit for all of us to give You more glory in the way we fight together for faith and not let anything diminish it. Help us to make it stronger so that it will hold us up during life’s most difficult challenges.
Please help us all to become more like Jesus and do what we can to help those in our Christian Inner Circles walk deeper into the faith. Give us opportunities to proclaim to them how precious is Your gift of faith to us and that it can ever grow stronger.
May our lives worship You more because we submit to Your constant urging to believe in You and have more and more faith. We want to strive for what You have done for us and will yet do for and through us. There are mountains to move with faith that requires bigger faith than we yet have. Empower us to contend for the faith together.
Make us strong in Your power to defeat the devil by growing together in the scope of our faith while he tries to take away our assurance of things we hope for and conviction of things we have not yet seen. As Satan works to dilute our faith and get us to adopt wrong attitudes from secular society and contemporary church culture, help us to contend for the faith by putting up strong resistance.
Help us all to prepare for heaven by growing to value expanding faith and trust in You more and more. We want to honor our faith, cling to our faith, and enter heaven with a faith strengthened by resistance to sin through contending for the faith together. Make us very aware of the usefulness of our faith – more than we presently understand – so that we can face especially hard things which require stronger faith to overcome struggle and suffering.
Ever increasing practice of the Togethers of Scripture will (1) create in you the loving essence of Jesus, (2) give Jesus the kind of love He requested, (3) provide you with the most significant spiritual lifestyle which is attainable only through Christian community, (4) offer significant worship to God by reflecting his own character back to him through your behavior, and (5) bring God’s kingdom to earth as asked for in the Lord’s Prayer. And for heaven, such growing obedience to Scripture now will later (6) qualify you for a more responsible place of service as reward in heaven, and, (7) most important of all, give you greater empathy with God for a closer relationship with Him for all of eternity.
If in this life we give someone we love a gift that we consider quite valuable but he or she treats it carelessly, we probably are not motivated to give that person more gifts. We also might not want to be around that person as much as those who appreciate the gifts we give them. We need to consider that in heaven God may not want to visit us very often if we did not value His gift of faith. He loves unconditionally, as does a good parent, but that does not translate to lack of negative consequences for treating His gift of faith carelessly.
We do not really know how God will visit us in heaven. One thing seems to be sure, we will sense His presence with us. We can do that now to the degree that we pay attention to Him, so it will be easier in heaven without sin subduing the awareness. But, it may be likely that just as now some Christians are aware of His presence in their lives more than others, it will be that way in heaven. It will not be that God visits less, but that each of us will be aware of His presence at different levels of clarity.
This is not to rule out that Jesus will visit us in person. He may very well step down from his throne at the right of God the Father and knock on our door. Or we might meet Him while hiking a trail in the mountains. This is much more of a mystery. Yet, it is hard to see Jesus sitting down at everyone’s table to talk at the same time. But, if He does make personal appearances in heaven, it is just possible that He would visit some more than others, just as He spent more time with Peter, James and John than the other disciples.
In any case, those who had treasured faith, contended for it, and protected it, will probably have greater faith in heaven than others who did not so treasure faith before going to heaven. And, that will likely affect the personal relationship with God.
Suppose we give a gift that is useful for many things but a person never uses it? Are we not disappointed because we wanted them to find the gift beneficial. If God gives us saving faith and we are thankful for our salvation but do not apply that faith to help with life, we commit offense against the One Who loves us most. For example, we are deeply joyful for being saved, but we do not trust His sovereign presence in our lives, believing in fate instead. We receive His love but do not take advantage of it. In effect, we have greatly devalued His gift of faith.
We can understand why we want to think of God as treating us all equally in heaven no matter how we have treated Him. This is wishful thinking that delights the devil. It allows us to treat God and His gift of faith lightly because we think, “God won’t mind. He is big enough to overlook our negligence. He is good, isn’t He?” However, God’s relationship with Israel in the Bible shows this is definitely not so. God treated His people differently dependent upon the honor they gave to the faith He imparted to them. When they refused to go into the Promised Land just after God parted the waters so they could escape Egypt, He made them walk around in the desert for 40 years!
Old Testament history shows continually that God walked more closely with His people when they treasured Him, as well as the faith they had received from Him and His desire for how they lived daily life. All of the examples would fill pages, but we can remember how David was not allowed to build the temple because of his disregard for God’s laws. Amos told the people that God was not listening to their worship because they denied justice in their courts. Habakkuk was told that God was using heathens to punish Israel but that He loved His people and would eventually restore them to a relationship with Himself.
Treasuring faith now means valuing it highly and fighting for it. Let’s do this together. Let’s help one another value our faith more and more and highlight it as a wonderful gift from God. It is not just cold doctrine or intellectual belief, it is powered by God to enable us to trust Him, among other things. Let’s help one another be thankful for our faith that enables us to hope for things unseen and be sure that they are real. Let’s together enter into a closer relationship with God right now by adding to our appreciation of Jesus and His salvation a faith that allows us to trust the love of God and value all that He can be to us. Let’s carry such a relationship with God to heaven with us.
Praise and Prayer Regarding this Together
Loving God who loves us and gives us the gift of faith beyond saving faith, I and those in my Christian Inner Circle will need Your help to grow our spirits to help us to treasure that faith, build it up, contend for it, and protect it. Help us to yield to the work of the Holy Spirit for all of us to give You more glory in the way we fight together for faith and not let anything diminish it. Help us to make it stronger so that it will hold us up during life’s most difficult challenges.
Please help us all to become more like Jesus and do what we can to help those in our Christian Inner Circles walk deeper into the faith. Give us opportunities to proclaim to them how precious is Your gift of faith to us and that it can ever grow stronger.
May our lives worship You more because we submit to Your constant urging to believe in You and have more and more faith. We want to strive for what You have done for us and will yet do for and through us. There are mountains to move with faith that requires bigger faith than we yet have. Empower us to contend for the faith together.
Make us strong in Your power to defeat the devil by growing together in the scope of our faith while he tries to take away our assurance of things we hope for and conviction of things we have not yet seen. As Satan works to dilute our faith and get us to adopt wrong attitudes from secular society and contemporary church culture, help us to contend for the faith by putting up strong resistance.
Help us all to prepare for heaven by growing to value expanding faith and trust in You more and more. We want to honor our faith, cling to our faith, and enter heaven with a faith strengthened by resistance to sin through contending for the faith together. Make us very aware of the usefulness of our faith – more than we presently understand – so that we can face especially hard things which require stronger faith to overcome struggle and suffering.
Ever increasing practice of the Togethers of Scripture will (1) create in you the loving essence of Jesus, (2) give Jesus the kind of love He requested, (3) provide you with the most significant spiritual lifestyle which is attainable only through Christian community, (4) offer significant worship to God by reflecting his own character back to him through your behavior, and (5) bring God’s kingdom to earth as asked for in the Lord’s Prayer. And for heaven, such growing obedience to Scripture now will later (6) qualify you for a more responsible place of service as reward in heaven, and, (7) most important of all, give you greater empathy with God for a closer relationship with Him for all of eternity.