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God and the Coronavirus
Here is a controversial question for you: Did God send the Coronavirus? The short answer is yes. I will give you two reasons why.
First, God is sovereign. He is in control of every molecule in this universe. If it was not His will that the virus come, it would not have come. So, whether He sent it or allowed it (to me, it’s semantics), He is the reason it is here. (See my blog: God Is Ultimately Responsible for All Suffering.)
Second, God did send plagues in the Old Testament. Exodus 8-12 records nine plagues the Lord sent through the land of Egypt when Pharaoh would not let the Israelites go. Exodus 32 records God sending a plague among the Israelites after they worshiped the Golden Calf. In Numbers 16, the Lord sent a plague among the people in response to their rebellion against Moses and Aaron. It only stopped after Aaron put incense from the altar into a censer and went and stood in the midst of the congregation. Even then, over 14,000 people had died.
One particular plague I want to draw your attention to is Numbers 21. It is arguable if this could be called a plague, but the effects are the same. Because the people spoke against God and against Moses, God sent fiery serpents among them to bite them. Every, or nearly every, person who was bit, died. When the people repented, the Lord told Moses how to stop the plague. He was to create a bronze serpent and place it on a pole. Whenever a person was bitten, if they looked at the bronze serpent, they would be healed and live.
Jesus referred to this incident in John 3. “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Why did He refer to this incident in speaking of Himself?
Just as there were likely some in the Wilderness who were bitten and who did not look to the bronze serpent to be healed, there are many now who are under sins judgment and who will not look to Jesus Christ to be saved. Looking at the Bronze Serpent was the only remedy God provided as a cure for the bite of the fiery serpents. By looking at the Bronze Serpent, they would live and not die. There was no salve, no magic incantation that would help them. Only looking at the Bronze Serpent would save them.
Similarly, looking to Jesus Christ is the only Remedy God provided as a cure for the sting of sin. By looking to Jesus Christ, we would live eternally and not perish. There are no good works nor good nature that will help us. Only looking to Jesus Christ will save us.
Did God send (or allow) the Plague? Yes. Why? It is hard to say. No one here knows fully the mind of God. But He may have done it for the same reasons He did it to the Egyptians and the Israelites—disobedience and rebellion. He may have sent it as punishment and as a warning. Our world is becoming so full of people rebelling against the command and the Person of God. Therefore, He sent a plague among us to call us to repentance before it is too late. Leviticus 26:21 says, “Then, if you walk contrary to Me, and are not willing to obey Me, I will bring on you seven time more plagues, according to your sins.”
One thing the Coronavirus has done is to cause people to reach out to God. Jeremiah 29:13 says, “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” Could a worldwide revival be on the way? Possibly. Or sadly, we may miss the warning God has sent us and do as we did after 9/11, go back to our sinful ways once the crisis passes.
Reach out to God while it is not too late. Recognize we are facing eternal death because of sin and only Jesus Christ is the cure. Trust that when He died 2000+ years ago on the cross, He paid the penalty for our sins. All we have to do is believe that He was Who He said He was and that He did what He said He came to do—to give His life as a ransom for many.
Look to Jesus and receive the only Remedy God has provided us to escape eternal death and receive eternal life.
The Bible – God’s Living Word
This past Sunday, I asked my students in “Sunday School” if they have heard the analogy that the Bible is like an onion. A few of them raised their hands while one of them blurted out, “Like it has different layers.”
“Exactly,” I said. I went on to explain how each time you read the Word it can say different things to you. Later that day, I was thinking of an example I could give them of this. My mind went back to a time when the Lord took me deeper into His Word. During one of my Quiet Times, the Lord took me to John 4. God used this passage to teach me several things. I thought it was a good illustration of how one can dig deep (and even deeper) into God’s Word.
John 4 recounts Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at a well. In this passage Jesus sends the Disciples into town to buy food while He spent some time alone with the woman (a social taboo in many ways). A look at this passage will show three different levels of digging into God’s Word.
Level one, which I call “the surface,” is what one can glean simply from reading the passage. On the surface, the passage is simply a conversion story. It recounts how Jesus meets a woman and through conversation leads her into the realization that He was the promised Messiah she’d been looking for. He does this by overcoming her objections and revealing Himself to her by recounting for her his life story—something only God can do.
Level two goes a little deeper. A level two reading reveals this telling to be more than just a conversion story but a lesson on how Christians are to treat non-believers if they intend to win them to Christ. First, Jesus went to where she was. If the saints are to win the lost, they have to go where the lost are. They can’t just sit in a holy huddle waiting for the lost to come to them. That just is not going to happen. Second, Jesus knew of her past and he let her know that he knew of her past, but He did not demean her for it. Jesus understood that sinners will act like sinners. It stuns me when saints are shocked when sinners act like they do. It’s their nature. It’s all they know. How ironic that saints expect sinners to act like saints while saints think it ok to act like sinners.
A level three study of the text reveals to us the heart of God. Jesus, being God, had to go through Samaria the Bible tells us. The Jews normally would go out of their way to avoid this area but Jesus made a beeline through it to meet a woman at a well during the hottest part of the day. This woman would go to that well during this time because no one else was there. At that time, there would be no leering eyes and muttered talk. This woman was looked down on even by the Samaritans. She was, in effect, the lowest of women among the lowest of society among the lowest of people groups, at least according to Jewish thinking. But God went directly to her and met her personally. Likewise, God calls us to go to the unlovely and the unlovable to demonstrate His love and concern. Who around us is considered the unlovely? Who is considered the unlovable? Who would we consider to be not worth our time or not worthy of heaven? What person or people group has God placed on our heart? Jesus went to this woman and this woman, the least of her people, became His first evangelist, introducing her people to Him while the Disciples stood idly by. God said He would take the foolishness of this world to confound the wise and the weakness to confound the strong. He did that with this woman. Like Moses, Gideon, Jeremiah, the Disciples, Paul—just to name a few—He used this woman to lead an entire city to the Lord. What Billy Graham or Mother Teresa is in our midst waiting to know of the love of God and of the salvation available through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ?
These are by far not the only applications of this passage. I’m certain that as I study it again, God will lead me to other truths. He may have led you to other trusts while you were reading this post. If so, please share so we can all grow from your insights.
Why does the reading of the Word of God produce so many applications? It does so because it is God’s Word. God is living and dynamic and so is anything He creates, including His Word, which, according to Hebrews 4:12, “is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart, NASB.”
My Commentary on First Timothy 1
The epistles to Timothy are among my favorite books in the Bible. In fact, I do not believe enough teaching is done on them in churches perhaps due to the fact that most see them as being written to a pastor who how to conduct his ministry. However, there is a lot of doctrine in these letters. Not to mention, these instructions can be useful to all of us—after all we have a ministry whether paid or not, big or small. We are all charged with the responsibility of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
So since I do not hear a lot of teaching on these epistles, I thought I’d do my own.
Timothy 1:1-2
Verses 1 and 2 give us both the author, Paul, and the addressee of the letter, Timothy. Paul, again reaffirming his apostleship and stating he is an apostle “by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope.” Paul called Timothy his true son in the faith. Apparently, Timothy was led to Christ by Paul and has been a faithful disciple of Paul ever since.
To his son, Paul, opened his letter with a benediction (or blessing). He pronounced “grace, mercy, and peace” to him which only comes from God our Father and Jesus Christ, our Lord. In this benediction, he reminded Timothy that his real Father was God (who would supply all he needed) and that Jesus Christ was Lord.
1 Timothy 1:3-11
Apparently while Paul was in Ephesus there were those who were preaching other doctrine, doctrine that was contrary to the doctrine Paul had taught them. As a result, when he was called away, he urged Timothy to remain and confront them and give instruction to the congregants not to receive such teaching. These false doctrines included “fables” (untrue accounts) and “endless genealogies” (disputes on lineages of people and possibly of Christ himself). This doctrines lead to disputes that are profitless. They are designed to tear down the body and not build it up. What builds up the body—trusting in God and living in that trust—just as Abraham did.
True doctrine is to unify not divide. Division comes when people attempt to put their own spin on what God has said. But when we listen to the Spirit to understand the true meaning of the word, we will be unified. Just as it is written in Ephesians: “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all (Ephesians 4:4-6, ESV).”
So what is the purpose of the law and doctrine: love. Many don’t believe that but love is the essence of the Christian faith. Mainly because we do no demonstrate it but Jesus said that the demonstration of our love for one another will be the way we show that we are His disciples. We are to manifest love that comes from a “pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith.” When we abide in Christ, His love is manifested in and through us. Unfortunately, many church members do not demonstrate love but selfishness, self-righteousness, and jealousy. Those who manifest these behaviors are like those Paul talks about who have strayed from the faith and turned aside to things that do not edify the Body or glory Christ.
Paul said they want to be teachers of the law but they don’t understand what they teach or affirm. When I think about the churches in America, I am reminded of this statement. Many of the largest churches in America are led by people who do not teach God’s Word of repentance and salvation but a social gospel (I’m Ok, you’re OK) or a prosperity gospel (where God’s favor equals material blessings). These take scriptures out of context and do not hold the Law of God in any esteem. Instead they esteem the goodness of man and the value of worthless, earthly things. However, the Law of God was not done away with just because Christ came.
Christ came to fulfill the Law but those who are apart from Christ are still under the Law. Only those who have accepted Christ as Savior have been forgiven and are not under the Law (John 3:16-17, Romans 3:19, Galatians 4:4-5). And those who are under the Law, whether they recognize the Law or not, will be judged by the Law (Romans 2:12).
So what does Paul say about the Law and doctrine? It is good if it is properly applied. The Law is our schoolmaster. It sets the boundaries of how far we can go. To those who keep the Law, the Law means nothing. Think of a person who never drives. Does a speed limit sign mean anything to him or her? The Law is only a bully to those who refuse to keep it—the rebel, the sinner, whom Paul name: “those who kill their fathers and mothers, for murderers, for the sexually immoral and homosexuals, for kidnappers, liars, perjurers and for whatever else is contrary to the sound teaching”.
Being a Disciple
It is said that a wise person is a lifelong learner. If there is an area that this is true, it is in the Christian life. We are to be lifelong learners of the Word. We should always be prepared to hear what our Heavenly Father has to say to us. How does He speak to us? Primarily, He speaks to us through His Word—the Holy Bible.
For many the Holy Bible is a book gathering dust on a shelf. What a treasure God has given us that we often neglect! God is living and His Word is living that is one reason why every time we read it, we get something new from it. When we approach God’s Word, we should come with the attitude that we are about to have an encounter with our Father, the living God.
When we open us the pages of that Book, God speaks to us. As we read and meditate on what we read, the Holy Spirit gives us understanding. As Jesus said, “[The Spirit] will guide you into all truth (John 16:13).” Once we have an understanding of the Word, we are to put it into practice. This is living righteously.
As we learn and apply the Word of God, our minds begin to change. This is because our minds are being renewed according to knowledge (Romans 12:2, Ephesians 4:23, Colossians 3:10).A change of heart leads to a change of mind. A change of mind leads to a change of behavior.
The problem with self-help and motivational media is that they seek to change only the mind, thus changing the behavior. However, unless there is a heart change, any behavioral change is temporary at best. Now, this is not say that some self-help media do intend to change the heart leading to behavioral change, but only God can change the heart. Once the heart is changed, the behavior changes.
When we study the word and allows the Holy Spirit to put the Word in our hearts, it then become a part of us, inseparable. When this happens, we cannot help but to do it.
Reception is hearing the Word, reading the Word—what does it say.
Comprehension is understanding the Word—what does it mean.
Application is doing the Word—how do I live it.
True Hidden Treasure
God’s Word
“Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.”– Psalm 119-11
These words, penned by King David, give great evidence why he was called a man after God’s own heart. This is exactly what God wants. He wants us to treasure His Word, His Law. This was what He was trying to tell the Israelites in the Book of Exodus when He told them to bind it around your forehead and to put it on your doorposts. Though the Israelites took it literally, they missed the spiritual implications of the instruction.
What does it mean to “hide” His Word in [y]our heart? Usually when we think of hiding something, we think of putting it away for safety reasons or to protect it from prying eyes. Yet, when David said that he had hidden God’s Word in his heart, he was meaning just the opposite. He hid God Word in order that people may see that he possessed it!
Perhaps a better phrasing would be, “Your Word I have stored in my heart that I might not sin against You.” God does not want us to hide His word under or behind something. He wants us to live it so it will everyone will see. Psalm 1:2 says that the righteous person delights in the Word of God and meditates on it day and night. Why? To memorize it? No. Teachers will tell you that people who memorize things just for the purpose of memorizing them, do not really learn them and soon forgets what he memorized. On the contrary, we meditate not to memorize but internalize.
When David said he had hidden God word in his heart, he was saying that he had internalized it. He had digested it. He had made it a part of himself. It could be considered that he was saying that he had made God’s Word so much a part of him (his heart) that you could not tell it from him; thus it was ‘hidden’. They were so much alike that they were essentially blended together. One could not tell where the Word ended and David’s heart began.
Could this be said about you and God’s Word? Have you made it so much a part of your life that you no longer have to think to do it, it becomes nature? An analogy I often use is that of a cupcake. I love Hostess cupcakes (though the sugar doesn’t love me). In the middle of the cupcake is the cream filling. In the cupcake is sugar, flour, eggs, chocolate, and a host of other things. You can separate out the cream filling and still have the cupcake. You cannot separate out the sugar from the cupcake. To those of memorize the Word of God, the Word is the cream filling. To those who internalize it, the Word is the sugar.
In your life, is the Word cream filling or sugar? If it isn’t sugar, ask God to help you change that. Develop a plan to read and study God’s Word regularly. Don’t just read it; understand what it says and why it says it. Once you understand the purpose for it, applying it becomes easier.
Be transformed!
The Call to Disciple
God’s Word
Why disciple? The church needs teachers. Teaching, in fact, is one of the core missions of the church. Ephesians 4 tells us the God gave some [people] to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry (Ephesians 4:11-12, emphasis added). As a friend once pointed out, there is no comma between pastor and teacher because a pastor must be a teacher. His job is to equip the saints—giving them the spiritual tools they need to do the work God has given them—witnessing to the lost.
Discipleship is not new. It did not come into being at the dawn of the church age. Discipleship has been around as long as Israel has been around. God commanded the Israelites in the Book of Deuteronomy to disciple their children. “You shall teach them [God’s commands] diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up (Deuteronomy 6:7).” Later in the Proverbs, Solomon reiterates this command: “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6).” Parents are called to be the main disciplers of their children not the church.
Jesus commanded that we be disciplers of men. In the Great Commission, Jesus commanded, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen (Matthew 28:18-20, emphasis added).”This Commission is repeated in the Gospel of Mark (Mark 16:15). It was never the Christian’s job to convert anyone. It was, and still is, the Christian’s responsibility to make disciples. We are called to be two things: witnesses and teachers. When we evangelize, we are simply telling the Gospel story and leaving the results up to God. We can attempt to persuade but the end decision is theirs and the end result is God’s.
Discipleship was the model Christ gave us. When He came to earth and began His ministry, He chose twelve men. These men would accompany Him and watch Him do His work. He would then send them out to do it. Talk about on-the-job training. The model was later used in the Church. Barnabas took Paul under his wings and taught him. Later, Paul took Timothy, Titus, and few others under his tutelage. In his final letter to Timothy, Paul charged Timothy to do the same thing: “And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also (2 Timothy 2:2).”
There is a desperate need for discipleship in the church. First, it is essential to disciple new believers. Those new to the faith do not fully understand even the fundamental doctrines of the faith. They are babes and they need to be taught the core beliefs. As Peter told his church, “as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the Word, that you may grow thereby.” I believe that this is one of the reasons churches have what has become known as the revolving back door. New members join but they don’t stick around because they are not being spiritually fed. And like any starving soul, they look for nourishment elsewhere.
Second, there is so much false doctrine being taught in our seminaries, on television, and even in our churches. Christians need to be taught the truth so that they will be able to distinguish it from error. Paul wrote “that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting (Ephesians 4:14).” If you don’t know what you believe and why you believe it, you will fall for anything (any lie of the devil or trick of slick talkers). [In another lesson, I will discuss False Doctrine and False Teachers.]
And finally, we should disciple other Christians because it was the model Jesus gave us. As mentioned earlier, it was the method Jesus used to train the twelve. It was the model Barnabas used to train Paul and Paul later used to train Timothy. It should be the same model we use to train others. It is not solely the responsibility of the pastor to teach the Word but it is the responsibility of every mature believer. Just as a parent teaches a child how to walk and to talk, mature Christians should teach newer Christians what the Bible says about how to live godly.
Not only are we to teach or train others, but we are to teach them what the Bible says and not what we want the Bible to say. God gives us enough information to form truthful doctrine. We don’t have to add to it or take away from it. For instance, I have heard some say that the reason Cain’s sacrifice in Genesis 4 was not acceptable to God was because it was not a blood sacrifice. However, that is not what the Bible says nor what God said. The Bible said Abel brought of the firstfruits but Cain just brought an offering. Second, the command to offer blood sacrifices for sin had not even been given yet. Third, God told Cain if he did well, he would be accepted. The Hebrew term means to be cheerful or to do good. This suggests that God was referring to Cain’s heart or motive in offering and not his offering itself. As I’ve heard many times and found to be true, the Bible interprets itself. In other words, rarely does the Bible says anything just once but either the command or lesson is repeated in another place.
I hope you see now why discipleship is so important in the church. Without it, people will fall into all sorts of error and begin to believe things that are ungodly. It is because people failed to disciple the next generation that the churches Paul and Peter and Timothy led were rebuked in the opening chapters of Revelation. They had fallen away from the faith and into false doctrine. It is because the generation before ours and our generation have failed to disciple that our society is in the quandary that it is in—godliness on the decline and homosexuality, pornography, greed, and malice on the uptake.
If we want God to bless America, then we need to bless God by studying and teaching His Word…before it’s too late.
Cyber-Discipleship 