Spiritual Discussions on the Christian Life

War is Sinful and Evil

2010-02-09T22:25:00.001-08:00

Greetings to everyone who shall read:
I write this as something that I have read and meditated about over the last year or so. The issue of war and the attitude that the follower of Christ should have towards it.

The more I thought about this issue and the more I thought about what God's Word has to say about war, the more heinous in my mind war becomes. What more wretched evil has humanity brought on itself than war? War only does two things (to quote an ultra conservative radio talk show host whom I no longer agree with) "kill people and break things." In the United States, young men and women are forced by their country to take the lives of other human beings day by day. It doesn't matter that ours is an all volunteer army. It doesn't matter that the individual volunteers for various reasons. Personally, I did my four year enlistment in the US Army for the college money. I'll get back to personal reflections, or "rantings" if you prefer, a bit later. We need to first look at what the Word has to say about this issue.

First, I think it important to look at God's view of human government. We of course see throughout biblical history that God used different nations for different purposes. However, I think it naive to think that the Almighty endorses the institution. A great insight about God's true attitude towards human government can be found in I Samuel 8:5-22. In this passage, the Israelites were demanding a king:

⁵“Look,” they told him, “you are now old, and your sons are not like you. Give us a king to judge us like all the other nations have.”

⁶Samuel was displeased with their request and went to the Lord for guidance. ⁷“Do everything they say to you,” the Lord replied, “for it is me they are rejecting, not you. They don’t want me to be their king any longer. ⁸Ever since I brought them from Egypt they have continually abandoned me and followed other gods. And now they are giving you the same treatment. ⁹Do as they ask, but solemnly warn them about the way a king will reign over them.”

Samuel Warns against a Kingdom

¹⁰So Samuel passed on the Lord’s warning to the people who were asking him for a king. ¹¹“This is how a king will reign over you,” Samuel said. “The king will draft your sons and assign them to his chariots and his charioteers, making them run before his chariots. ¹²Some will be generals and captains in his army,^* some will be forced to plow in his fields and harvest his crops, and some will make his weapons and chariot equipment. ¹³The king will take your daughters from you and force them to cook and bake and make perfumes for him. ¹⁴He will take away the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his own officials. ¹⁵He will take a tenth of your grain and your grape harvest and distribute it among his officers and attendants. ¹⁶He will take your male and female slaves and demand the finest of your cattle^* and donkeys for his own use. ¹⁷He will demand a tenth of your flocks, and you will be his slaves. ¹⁸When that day comes, you will beg for relief from this king you are demanding, but then the Lord will not help you.”

¹⁹But the people refused to listen to Samuel’s warning. “Even so, we still want a king,” they said. ²⁰“We want to be like the nations around us. Our king will judge us and lead us into battle.”

²¹So Samuel repeated to the Lord what the people had said, ²²and the Lord replied, “Do as they say, and give them a king.” Then Samuel agreed and sent the people home.

^* Hebrew commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties.

^* As in Greek version; Hebrew reads young men.

Tyndale House Publishers: Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 2nd ed. Wheaton, Ill. : Tyndale House Publishers, 2004, S. 1 Sa 8:4

Samuel got pissed at the people, for lack of a better word. But as we see, God allows it, even though He clearly does not approve. Later on, beginning with King Saul, and later with the kings of the House of David, we can see all of God's warnings coming to pass. While America is of course not a monarchy, nor most definitely not a anarchic theocracy as they were in the times of the judges, we can definitely see some definite parallels. The most relevant for this discussion being soldiers and war. As an aside, one might think "but didn't God tell the Israelites to ethnically cleanse the land?" Admittedly, yes. But all this came after when they were supposed to enter the Promised Land almost as soon as they left Egypt. That generation of the Israelites (with the exception of Joshua, Caleb, Aaron, Miriam, and Moses) were doomed to wander the wilderness until that generation died out, because of their complete lack of faith in God's promises. It was only after this that Joshua entered the land by force of arms.

Now that we've examined God's attitude towards human government, let's look His attitude toward's war itself. Thankfully, Jesus addresses this directly in the Sermon on the Mount, recorded in Matthew and Luke. Let's examine the text.

First, let's begin with the "beatitudes," Matthew 5:1-12

5 One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around him, ²and he began to teach them.

The Beatitudes

³ “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,^*

for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

⁴ God blesses those who mourn,

for they will be comforted.

⁵ God blesses those who are humble,

for they will inherit the whole earth.

⁶ God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice,^*

for they will be satisfied.

⁷ God blesses those who are merciful,

for they will be shown mercy.

⁸ God blesses those whose hearts are pure,

for they will see God.

⁹ God blesses those who work for peace,

for they will be called the children of God.

¹⁰ God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right,

for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

¹¹“God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you^* and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. ¹²Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.

^* Greek poor in spirit.

^* Or for righteousness.

^* Some manuscripts omit and lie about you.

Tyndale House Publishers: Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 2nd ed. Wheaton, Ill. : Tyndale House Publishers, 2004, S. Mt 5:1

Specifically, verse five and verse nine are very key. Those that are humble will inherit the earth. As far as I know, those who make war are not humble. They are very prideful. More importantly, Christ makes special mention of peacemakers. They are sons of God! What a magnificent promise we have for those that strive for peace! There will certainly be wars from now until Christ comes back, but if we take fatalistic attitudes towards the world, especially wars, then we are going against Christ's very words.

Still in Matthew 5, let us now look at vv 38-39:
(from Aramaic Peshitta)

"You have heard it said 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you that you should not resist evil; but whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also. (Matt. 5:38-39)."

Clearly, this teaches us not to repay evil for evil! I see no qualifications or divine "buts" in Christ's teaching in this instance. We are not to return evil for evil. No exceptions.

And again, in vv.43-48:

"You have heard that it is said 'Be kind to your friend and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless anyone who curses you, do good to anyone who hates you, and pray for those who carry you away by force and persecute you, so that you may become sons of your Father who is in heaven, who causes his sun to shine upon the good and the bad, and who pours down rain upon the just and the unjust. For if you love only those who love you, what reward will you have? Do not even tax collectors do the same thing? Therefore become perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect (Matt. 5:43-48)."

What a tall order! While this more pertains on the individual level of not returning evil for evil, certainly this has wider implications. Our nation nor any other cannot keep up this cycle of "he hurt me so I'm gonna hurt him back." This is one of the many many reasons Our Lord must come back at some point, before we all kill each other! In our corner of the world, we are to trust that God will deliver us from evil, and not return the evil done to us individually or collectively as a nation. This holds true for any nations, not just America. Ultimately, it comes down to what Christ said in Matthew 6:33-34 "Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will look after itself. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble."

I will draw this to a close, but here is some more Scripture to ponder in regards to war:

Romans 12:17-21
17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable.18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.
19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,

"I will take revenge;
I will pay them back,"*
says the LORD.

20 Instead,

"If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap
burning coals of shame on their heads."*

21 Don't let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

James 4:1-5
1 What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don't they come from the evil desires at war within you?2 You want what you don't have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can't get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don't have what you want because you don't ask God for it.3 And even when you ask, you don't get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.
4 You adulterers!* Don't you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.5 What do you think the Scriptures mean when they say that the spirit God has placed within us is filled with envy?*

Be blessed and God be with you all!
-Matt

Does God Always Heal?

2009-03-16T17:30:00.000-07:00

Greetings in His Name:
This evening, I was thinking about the subject of healing. (A little later, I will address two types of healing, but right now I speak of healing in general.) Does God always heal? If He does, why are some Christians sick unto death while others are not? Does this "healing" His Word speaks only in the physical sense, the spiritual sense, or both?

Many of us who call ourselves followers of Christ have asked these questions at one time in our walk with Him. The primary text I will be referring to is Isaiah 53, perhaps the most well-known of the messianic prophecies in the Old Testament. It reads as follows:

Isa 53:1 Who has believed what they heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
Isa 53:2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.
Isa 53:3 He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Isa 53:4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
Isa 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.
Isa 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Isa 53:7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.
Isa 53:8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?
Isa 53:9 And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.
Isa 53:10 Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
Isa 53:11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.
Isa 53:12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.
Look at Isaiah 53:5. On the surface of this verse, it would seem that God heals us spiritually AND physically, if we but have the faith enough to ask. But, we have to look at the context of the entire passage. The prophet here writes about how our sin aka "our transgressions" are put upon Him. So from this, it would seem that God is talking about our spiritual health, would it not? I would put forth, just from the evidence and context of this passage, that God's primary concern is of the health of our souls. That is not to say that God never heals physical infirmities, but sometimes He chooses to heal our bodies and sometimes He does not.
Case in point, John 5:1-9:

Joh 5:1 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
Joh 5:2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades.
Joh 5:3 In these lay a multitude of invalids--blind, lame, and paralyzed.
Joh 5:4 (OMITTED TEXT)
Joh 5:5 One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.
Joh 5:6 When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, "Do you want to be healed?"
Joh 5:7 The sick man answered him, "Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me."
Joh 5:8 Jesus said to him, "Get up, take up your bed, and walk."
Joh 5:9 And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath.
In this particular passage, we observe that there were many that had infirmities of numerous types, but Jesus focuses on the one man who had been crippled for 38 years. He healed this man, but He chose not to heal the others. Why is this so? In this particular case, we probably won't know this side of eternity.
However, I know personally of a man who was healed miraculously by God for a awesome testimony. Three years ago, Frank Londino was diagnosed with double lung cancer, with six months to live. While in the midst of his chemo-therapy, he was told by God in his spirit that he was healed. After the chemo and the radiation, he was. The tumor was dead, and even the dead tumor disappeared. Frank's doctor said there was no way that the chemo or radiation could have shrunk or killed his tumor to that extent. (Frank's doctor was a believer, and with all the doctor's medical knowledge, the doctor without a doubt believed it was a miracle from the Almighty.)
In this case, God chose to heal in order to provide a powerful testimony that has literally touched thousands of people.
Personally speaking, I too had cancer. It was a rare type of bone cancer growing in my right foot, which God chose not to heal. I have thanked Him many times for this, because the over-abundance of blessings my wife and I have received because of it overshadows any miraculous healing I would have received. Also, through that primary experience and others, God healed my soul and humbled me to get on the Path of Salvation.
My friends, the point is this:
Can God and does God heal in the modern age? Yes, without a doubt. But at times (for our good and His glory) He chooses to heal or souls rather than our bodies.
In Christ,
Matt

Seeing Our Way Through

2009-03-12T10:25:00.000-07:00

Greetings to all who read this. I know it has been longer than I would have liked since I have written anything in this blog, and for that I do apologize. I have no excuse other than I have been lazy...:)
To start off, I am reminded of a story that was in the Augusta Chronicle a short time ago (can't remember the date, but if you want to look for it, its title was "Seeing our Way Through") about a family man who seemed to have everything going for him. He had a loving wife, three children, what you'd think would be the portrait of the American Dream. This man killed his family and then himself, allegedly because they suddenly got into financial troubles because of the current recession.
My heart breaks whenever I think about this tragedy. I can feel what this man must have been going through, as my wife and I are struggling in the same way (more on this in a minute), but the utter hopelessness this man must have felt is what really gets to me.
In these dark times, it is especially important that we stick together as families, as Christians, and especially those that have not known Christ. In the book of Jeremiah, chapter 29, we see the text of a letter that Jeremiah sent to the exiles in Babylon. Among the many things that this God-breathed text tells us, perhaps the most important is the following:

Jer 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Jer 29:12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.
Jer 29:13 You will seek me and find me. When you seek me with all your heart,
What an awesome sentiment this is! Imagine how thrilled those exiles of centuries ago must have been encouraged by reading first-hand these very words of God Himself!
As He had a plan to prosper the Israelites of old, so He promises those who love Him in the present time. In this time of great need (though I can tell you from first-hand experience how hard this can be), we must keep these Promises of God close to our heart if we are to make it through. Remember: when fear brings forth despair, this is the very antithesis of faith.

A companion promise, as it where, can be found in the Words of Christ:

Mat 6:25 "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
Mat 6:26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
Mat 6:27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?
Mat 6:28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,
Mat 6:29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Mat 6:30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
Mat 6:31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'
Mat 6:32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
Mat 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Mat 6:34 "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Christ admonishes us that as God takes care of the simplest of His Creation, how much more will He take care of us, who are formed from His very Image!?
I have heard it said that it is easy to say Christ is all you need until Christ is all you have. What wisdom is in those words! My friends, I pray for all of us that it doesn't take losing material possessions to see how much we need Him. I would like to close this entry with the very center verse of the Bible:

Psa 118:8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.
May God bless you and keep you in the palm of His Hand.
In Christ,
Matthew Powell

By Faith

2009-01-29T15:00:00.000-08:00

Greetings:

It has been a very long time since I posted anything on here. I don't even know if anybody will ever see this outside of my wife and close friends, but I feel God is leading to post this tonight.

This posting largely comes from a Bible study conducted by my pastor, Rev. Jerry Thangiah, on January 28, 2009.

Heb 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

In order to have true faith, we are to live like Christ, that the Father may be pleased. Sometimes I find it difficult to have the faith that it takes to always be hopeful for tommorrow. God knows, my wife and I have shared many hardships this past year. Despite my complaining and sometimes weak faith, the Father has always gotten us through. Thank You, Lord Jesus.

Rom 3:22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction:
Rom 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Rom 3:24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

Outside of God, we all deserve to go to Hell. The faith in Jesus Christ we have is the glory of God in us. Holy Father, I pray that Your Light will Shine through me unhindered. Though I may be a weak candle at times, my Father, I pray that You might find a use for me. Thank You, God, that You in Your mercy have saved us from ourselves and Your righteous act by the blood of Your Son, Christ Jesus.

1Pe 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1Pe 1:4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,
1Pe 1:5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
1Pe 1:6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials,
1Pe 1:7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith--more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire--may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

What a wonderous God we have! The promises that God has waiting for us are innumerable. It is through that faith in Christ that we can, that we will, overcome in His Name. This is for our peace, but more importantly for His Glory.

Eph 6:16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;

It is our faith that shields us. Our faith in Him is what shields us from the unholy trinity: our own carnal nature, the world, and Satan. Any time there is a trial to face, God always has the victory. I am reminded of a Todd Agnew song that in part says "rise up, oh Lord, and he (the devil) will flee before Our Sovereign God." A trial is a gift, that we might become stronger to serve.

Rom 1:17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith."

It is our faith in Christ that makes us righteous and acceptable before God.

1Ti 1:5 The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.

We are called to have a sincere faith. When those not of Christ look at us, they should see a difference in us, Christ's Light shining through us into the darkness that is the world.

2Co 5:6 So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord,
2Co 5:7 for we walk by faith, not by sight.
2Co 5:8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

We have the faith that those of us who are of Christ, we are no longer of this world, but have become naturalized citizens of heaven. When we are absent from the body, we are at home with God. Because Christ conquered sin and death once for all, so it is with us who believe.

Heb 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
1Co 2:9 But, as it is written, "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him"--

Anyone who earnestly seeks God through Jesus Christ will be rewarded. Christ abides in us when we bow the knee and acknowledge His Lordship over our lives. Yes, we have free will, but it is by faith that we are to give that God-given free will back to the One in Whose Image we are made.

Forgiveness

2007-12-21T17:08:00.000-08:00

The following was largely taken from my dear friend and brother Frank Londino, who preached on 9 December 2009. We currently have church at our pastor's house, Jerry Thangiah.

True forgiveness comes without stipulations and is the cournerstone of our faith. God has forgiven us, without regard to past offences, and in the same way we are told to forgive others.

Psa 103:11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
Psa 103:12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

The only "rembrance" we should have after forgiving is to ponder what God did for us, and as such, forgive other people. Christ died as much for us as He did for the one who offended.

Mat 18:21 Then Peter came up and said to him, "Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?"
Mat 18:22 Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.
Mat 18:23 "Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants.
Mat 18:24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.
Mat 18:25 And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made.
Mat 18:26 So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.'
Mat 18:27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt.
Mat 18:28 But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, 'Pay what you owe.'
Mat 18:29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you.'
Mat 18:30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt.
Mat 18:31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place.
Mat 18:32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.
Mat 18:33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?'
Mat 18:34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt.
Mat 18:35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart."

As stated in the above, we must forgive with our hearts. There are no strings attatched to God's forgiveness; in the same way, we are commanded to forgive. As much as forgiveness is a blessing, non-forgiveness is a curse. In addition to the fact that we are comanded to forgive as Christ forgave, I believe God gave us this stipulation for our benefit. We we do not forgive those who have wronged us, we give them power over us. When we hold bitterness in our hearts, we only hurt ourselves, not those who have offended us.

Eph 4:31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.
Eph 4:32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

As it is said, "greater is He that is in you than he (Satan) is in the world."

Forgiveness is not an easy thing to accomplish. Without God's power, I think forgiveness is impossible. We must forgive without the "buts" or "howevers" attatched. God knew this is a hard thing, which is why He is always there for us, in this and all things. God bless!

In Christ,
Matt