Environmentalists
As brothers in Christ, we meet to remind each other of who we are and whose we are. God has called men of God as “environmentalists”… to work with Him to create an environment where the Holy Spirit can come help himself to our lives. Many problems of our culture today are because of things not preached in church. The failure of churches today is the theme of a book called “Radical Church for Radical Times.” Another book is called, “When a Nation Forgets God.” When churches fail to support a godly environment of spiritual development and growth then the church fails to influence it’s surroundings.
If we do the work without allowing God to work in us and through us, Christianity will become like any other worldly cause and will deteriorate into an institution. In Jesus’ day, the church had deteriorated into Phariseeism influenced by the traditions of men. The Pharisees created an environment of legalism, condemnation, guilt and fear. They were self righteous and looked down on the congregation in their synagogues. Their’s was a works based religion of do’s and don’ts. Jesus said, “unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisee’s, you will not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.” True righteousness is not because of our what we did but because of what Jesus Christ did. For he who was without sin became the perfect sin sacrifice on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in him.
Our responsibility in church is to influence our environment. Our environment is our surroundings that sustain life… where Jesus Christ himself is the way, the truth and the life. Jesus Christ is the solution to the problems of this world. Our assignment is to preach Jesus Christ and him crucified and then let the chips fall where they may. We’re called to cast the seed of the word of God. God will give the increase when the seed falls on good ground. According to Isaiah 55:11, “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth. It shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in that thing whereunto I sent it.” Our responsibility is our response to God’s ability. He has made us able ministers of the New Testament. For the letter of the law of the Old Testament results in death but the New Testament law of the spirit results in life through Christ.
Dictators lead by creating an environment of fear. In contrast the Gospel’s kingdom is based on God’s loving kindness and tender mercy. That’s why Jesus said, blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you for my sake. For great is your reward in heaven.
An environment of God’s love, mercy, grace and goodness brings men to repentance. However, sometimes the devil comes in the guise of an angel of light. His method is to deceive and accuse. When he approached Eve in the garden of Eden, he appealed to her pride… He said, if you disobey God and eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you will be like God. He will offer the lure but hide the hook. When people fall into his snare, the devil takes them captive at his will. Ye are slaves to whom you obey.
All we like sheep have gone astray. We inherited the sin nature of the flesh from Adam. However, Repentance is to turn from sin and our insidious preoccupation with self….To turn from the darkness of this world and to the light of the Lord Jesus Christ. According to 1 John 1:7, But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all unrighteousness.
The devil is the deceiver and the accuser. His minions create an environment where they call good evil and evil good. In some circles if you carry a bible, you are guilty of a “hate crime.” For he that doeth evil hates the the light, neither comes to the light lest his deeds should be reproved.
This was also true in Jesus’ time. In Matthew 23 the Pharisees wanted to trap Jesus in his words so that they could accuse him of breaking the law. However, Jesus did not come to abolish the Old Testament law, but to fulfill it. Jesus chose to suffer on our behalf because this was the will of his Heavenly Father. Jesus said of the Pharisees, “They’re hypocrites. They tell you what to do but they themselves don’t do it.” The Pharisees made up laws that were heavy burdens. They insisted that the people follow the laws but they self righteously declared themselves above the law. The Pharisees show off their “credentials” like the length of the tassels on their robes and the size of their prayer boxes or phylacteries. They live for the praise of men and for their own power by keeping others under subjection through intimidation, fear, guilt and shame.
Matthew 23:5-12 says, “But all their works they do to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, 6. And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, 7. And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. 8. But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. 9. And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. 10. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. 11. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
In Matthew 21, Jesus had said to the Scribes and Pharisee’s, “even prostitutes and tax gatherers will enter into the kingdom of God, before you will.” These religious leaders are the people that Jesus was talking about when he said, “not everyone who calls me Lord, Lord, will enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
God works all things for (his and our) good to those who love him…to those who are called according to his purpose. When we surrender our lives to him he will bless us exceedingly abundantly above all we can ask or think. The greatest blessing is that we should be to the praise of the glory of his grace.. The question is “who’s blessing Whom? The abundant life is seeking the Blessor and not the blessing.
Whenever we’re confused by the doctrines of this world, we must approach the throne of grace with a broken and a contrite heart. When we turn from the world and unto the Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit will show us the truth of His love, mercy and grace. When we turn our eyes upon Jesus and look full in his wonderful face, the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.
When we abide in Christ, we will bear much fruit. Jesus said I am the vine and you are the branches. In his presence and in his strength, he will infuse his power into us according to the truth of His word. When we’re in his presence, the holy spirt will teach us the all truth. When we walk according to the spirit of life in Christ, this will produce the fruit of the spirt…love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and self control…against such there is now law.
When we abide in him, 1 Corinthians 10:13 says that He will not allow us to be tempted above that we are able. But he will with the temptation make a way of escape that we may be able to bear it. The trials he gives us are to see if we’ll pass the “smell test.” He’s showing us where our heart is. For where our treasure is there will our heart be also. We are what God made us in Christ… For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works that he’s foreordained that we should walk therein.
The question is, Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed? The holy spirt is the gift of Christ in you the hope of glory. Walking according to the spirit of life in Christ produces the fruit of the spirt. For there is therefore now no condemnation for those who walk not after the flesh but after the spirt… For the law of the spirit of life in Christ has made me free from the law of sin and death.
The doctrines of the world teach the law of sin and death. For the letter of the legalism of the law of sin and death kills but the law of the spirit gives us life through Christ. The only thing that changes the culture is the gospel of Christ. God has called us as ambassadors form our “foreign nation” in heaven to deliver the gospel message. Our mission is to influence those to whom he’s called us to minister by creating an environment where the Holy Spirit can come help himself to our lives. We are His living epistles, his “declaration of dependence”… For He alone is our sufficiency, our all in all!
May we ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael