When God Doesn't Answer our Prayers -- James 4:2b-3

James 4:2b-3


"You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." (NIV)

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!" (Matthew 7:7-11 NKJV).

If there is a conundrum within Christian beliefs, this one is probably the most obvious. The Lord Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, teaches that if you keep asking God, if you keep seeking, if you keep knocking, you will receive. And yet, there are sincere Christians of long-standing faith that pray, often over long periods of time, for something and they don’t receive it. And, for some, the result is that they begin to doubt God; they become angry that their petitions haven’t been answered. To them it seems that God has promised but not fulfilled His promise. Their world is turned upside down because they believe their faith has been in vain.

Wherein lies the problem? Does it lie with God or His Word? Does it lie with our faith? I believe that the problem lies in perspective. You see, God sees our lives (and the lives of all people) from a far different perspective than we do. We see from the temporary. He sees from the everlasting. We see from the circumstances of this earth. He sees from eternity. The views are totally different.

*There was a wonderful Christian family. The father and mother were both pastors and not only shepherded their church, but many other churches and many missions internationally. Among their own children was a young man who was passionate for the Lord. This young man spent many years preparing to become a medical missionary to Africa. He trained for twelve years to become a doctor and a surgeon, marrying a lovely young nurse in the process. During their training they also became parents. After this long preparation period, they left for Dakar, Africa and then eventually went to a remote region of Mali where there was no other medical care within a radius of 500 miles. They were in Africa for about two years when the young man was in a terrible accident, dying a few days later. The parents were devastated. So many years of training. So many donation dollars gathered to build the new medical clinic, for what?

For what? When news of this young doctor’s death was shared, so many young people dedicated themselves to the mission field in Africa (including a number of my own parents’ friends) that the total number of missionaries who went was lost in trying to keep the accounting. One man gone, but literally hundreds rose up in his place. One man who could help hundreds, perhaps thousands, was gone. But in his place went hundreds who would end up helping hundreds of thousands of needy people. This is the view from eternity. The view from the temporary said that this man’s death was the waste of years of training, thousands of dollars in donations. But God knew better! In His plan, this young man was taken to heaven to see the face of His Savior while a host of missionaries flooded the remote areas of Africa, building hospitals, churches, schools, and clinics for the waiting people there.

James tells us that when we ask, if we don’t receive, the reason we don’t receive is because we ask with wrong motives. The NKJV says that we ask "amiss," that is, to ask in a mistaken or faulty way. James explains that this "faulty way" is due to the influence of our own lusts, our own emotions. We ask what we ask because we want to please ourselves; we want to make ourselves happy. We aren’t asking for God’s will or His way. We look at our circumstances, make our own conclusions, and then present to God our solution to our current predicament. And, of course, that solution is formulated so that we will end up happy. When God refuses to be bent to our will, we call foul, claiming that He has faulted on His promises.

The question is, can God actually default on His promises? Is that even possible? For if He can, then our prayers are solid and He is at fault. But if He cannot default, then the problem lies within us, within our own motives when we pray.

Who is God? Who do we truly believe Him to be? When we pray, our expectation of outcome is based on whatever this premise is. If we believe God to be trustworthy, then we will trust Him, regardless of whether or not the outcome suits our preconceived ideas of what should happen.

In the book of Daniel, an account is given of three young men who trusted God in the manner we should also trust Him. Their names were Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They served in the king’s court in Babylon as slaves and advisors to the king. At one point, the king decided to build a huge statue of himself and required everyone in the kingdom to bow down and worship the statue. If a person refused, they were to be thrown into a fiery furnace and killed.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, believing in the one true God, refused. After they were tied up and being readied to be thrown into the furnace, the king questioned them about their refusal. This was their answer:

"Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.’" (Daniel 3:16-18 NIV).

Notice that while they believed that God was fully capable of saving them, even if He didn’t, they would continue to trust Him and to worship Him. They were fully content to live out their lives exactly as God had already planned whether in life or death, trusting that God’s will for their lives was perfect in every detail.

God’s view of our lives and His perfect will can often be far different from ours. The apostle Paul fully understood that Christians shouldn’t fear the future, even if death looms at the door. "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better." (Philippians 1:21-23 NKJV).

For the Christian, there should be two goals: To live this life in whatever ministry we are called to and then to go, as quickly as possible, to heaven to be with the Lord Jesus Christ. This life we live isn’t about what we can do to make ourselves happy but is instead about what we can do to minister to others. And even if, as in the case of the young doctor, we believe that our lives can be effective in ministry, God may have other plans because the view from eternity is far different than the view from this life. Out of the ashes of death, God is fully able to raise up even an greater ministry, even greater numbers of servants for the gospel.

The question becomes, do we trust Him? Do we truly trust Him? If we do, then nothing that comes our way is beyond His plan. If we truly trust Him, then every circumstance, regardless of the outcome on this earth, falls within the promise of Romans 8:28: "All things work together for good to those who love Him, to those who are called according to His purpose."
*This story is recounted in Helen Correll’s book, Lady Preacher, copyright 1995 and printed by Rhymeo Ink, available on Amazon.

© 2015 Robin L. O’Hare. All rights reserved. Permission granted for nonprofit and church groups to use this article in its entirety (including this notice). For other uses, please contact servinggodalone@yahoo.com.

A Valid Christian Ministry -- 2 Corinthians 4:1-4

2 Corinthians 4:1-4


"Therefore, since it is by God’s mercy that we are engaged in this ministry, we do not lose heart. We have renounced the shameful things that one hides; we refuse to practice cunning or to falsify God’s word; but by the open statement of the truth we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." (NRSV)

If you cruise the Internet at all, there seem to be a lot of articles and op-eds about millenials leaving the Church and finding "God" in other places. And actually, who can blame them? The American Church is a mess. It seems that almost every week some prominent Christian is exposed as being involved in sexual sin. And rather than take responsibility for what’s happening, Christians want to lay the responsibility at the feet of Satan.

We need to realize that while Satan is the tempter, he is powerless against the Holy Spirit who resides within us. Satan can tempt, but he cannot force us to sin. No, instead we have become a people, a Church, that hides our sin, hoping and longing that we won’t be found out, that we will be able to totally avoid any consequences for our lustful actions and decisions.

Paul outlines three things that give validity to his ministry. They are three things that we would be wise to incorporate into our lives if we want others to look at us and see reality in our walk with the Lord:

(1) We have renounced the shameful things that one hides.

(2) We refuse to practice cunning.

(3) We refuse to falsify God’s word.

We have renounced the shameful things that one hides.

Renounce: to give up and refuse to follow and to even acknowledge any further.

As Christians, we are no longer slaves to sin. We have the power, through the Holy Spirit, to choose instead lives of righteousness. We have our consciences quickened so that sin can be readily identified and rooted out. And yet, with all that, we may still embrace sin. When we do, it is usually hidden from others. We know it is sin. We know it should be condemned. So when we do it, we do it in the darkness, in those hidden moments when no one else of the family of God can find out.

Paul not only refused to choose sin, he renounced it! He refused to even consider it any further in his life. It wasn’t that Paul suddenly decided that he would be honest about his lusts and desires and would simply do them in the open. That’s not what this says. What it says is that those things, which are often done in secret, Paul renounces because he acknowledges that they are naturally shameful.

Paul’s life was lived transparently. It was open for all to see. There were no locked doors, no solitary habits, no secret computer accounts, no clandestine meetings. Paul states: "we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God." Paul is saying that anyone can look at his life and know that his life is sinless and pure.

Can we all say that? If a television crew were allowed in our homes at this very moment with access to every drawer, every computer file, every moment of our lives, would our Christian witness continue to be a light to the world? Or would we be exposed as hypocrites and liars?

The American Church is adept at easily brushing off its own sin, but brutally condemning the sin of nonbelievers. That is so opposite from what scripture says. First, we are to judge ourselves: "But if we judged ourselves, we would not be judged." (1 Corinthians 11:31 NRSV). We are so worried about "loving" ourselves, we have forgotten that if we did truly love ourselves, we would be more concerned about the sin in our lives than granting ourselves permission to be kind to ourselves. I mean, really! If a little child is playing too close to the edge of a cliff, we are not concerned about encouraging their creativity and fun, but rather are snatching them from the edge so that they aren’t dashed to their death. But when it comes to our own indulgences, we are more concerned about loving ourselves than understanding that we need to be brutal with our own lusts which are leading us closer and closer to destruction. We need to learn to daily judge ourselves so that we might make better choices.

Second, we are to judge the family of God: "For what have I to do with judging those outside? Is it not those who are inside that you are to judge? God will judge those outside. Drive out the wicked person from among you." (1Corinthians 5:12-13 NRSV). We. Are. To. Judge. That sounds so awful because we have heard for so long that we should live and let live. And yet, by judging our brothers and sisters in Christ, we are truly loving them! So what is judgment and what isn’t judgment? "Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted" (Galatians 6:1 NKJV). Judgment is understanding the seriousness of sin and doing whatever is necessary to restore that person to a true relationship with God. Judging isn’t gossip, criticism, or flaunting one’s own "righteousness."

Third, we are not to judge nonbelievers. "For what have I to do with judging those outside? Is it not those who are inside that you are to judge? God will judge those outside. Drive out the wicked person from among you." (1Corinthians 5:12-13 NRSV). We are responsible for the family. God is responsible for everyone else.

We need to focus on the sin within our midst and to purge it completely through teaching and restoration.


We refuse to practice cunning
Paul is saying that he refuses to market Christianity using anything other than the truth. Sometimes I think we have gone crazy with pithy names, catchy programming, and trying to look like other than what we are. I mean, I’m sure God doesn’t care if we have fancy stage lighting if we are also taking care of the poor and widows in our community. I’m sure God doesn’t care if we have amped up the music if we are dedicating our worship to listening to His quiet voice. I’m sure God doesn’t care if we dress in our most comfy (and not always clean) clothes if our focus is on bringing Him the glory (rather than satisfying our own comfort).

What is Christianity? And have we, in an attempt to make ourselves "relevant" actually morphed the Church into something other than the Bride of Christ? When I have time to surf Facebook, I am sometimes surprised to see "Christian" posters forwarded by people that I didn’t think were Christians! Is a poster how we share our faith? Or are our lives? When people look at me, is my life such that they say, "That’s what Jesus is like"? Or is my faith so hidden that they have no idea that I’m (supposedly) sold out to Him?

If our faith relies on gimmicks, then our faith is useless. Worse than that, it is absent! Our faith should be readily evident, and, with Paul, we should be able to say that "we refuse to practice cunning" in order to win souls to Christ.


We refuse to falsify God’s Word

Paul could say this with confidence because he had taken years to learn what God’s Word actually said. In fact, Paul was raised as a Pharisee and already knew the Old Testament inside and out. Then, after his conversion, in a period from 11-17 years, Paul was engaged in ministry only slightly, but rather spent his time restudying the Word of God and learning how the Old Testament told of Jesus over and over again. Paul could say, without hesitation, that he refused to falsify God’s Word because he knew what God’s Word said.

Can we say that? Do we study God’s Word? Do we choose good biblical teachers to listen to and then study the Word to confirm what they say? Or do we simply attend church (perhaps weekly or less) and feel that we have satisfied the Father with our "Sunday obligation" attendance?

Many, many Christians falsify God’s Word without knowing it because they listen to false teachers and don’t spend the time studying themselves. Others study, but twist scriptures to say what they want them to say in order to satisfy their own desires and lusts. If we are to truly be effective in our witness to the world, we need to be able to know that we aren’t falsifying God’s Word, both in our lives and in our speech.

Paul had a valid ministry because he held himself to a high standard of conduct, the kind of conduct that is possible through the power of the Holy Spirit. If we want to have an effective, powerful ministry, we need to dedicate our lives to these same standards. Only then will the American Church become spiritually strong and have the possibility of an impact on our culture. Only then will we be the light on the hill. Only then will the world truly see Christ in our lives.

© 2015 Robin L. O’Hare. All rights reserved. Permission granted for nonprofit and church groups to use this article in its entirety (including this notice). For other uses, please contact servinggodalone@yahoo.com.

Freedom in Christ -- 2 Corinthians 3:4-18

2 Corinthians 3:4-18


"Such confidence we have through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

"Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. And if what was transitory came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!

"Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." (NIV)


Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
America is a country established on the idea of freedom, of individual liberty, of self-determination. And over the years, that idea of freedom has evolved. Initially, it was understood that with great liberty came also great responsibility. But now, freedom has become equated with license.

In looking at partial definitions of liberty and license, there is a comparison that is helpful:

Liberty: "Freedom from arbitrary or despotic control; the positive enjoyment of various social, political, or economic rights and privileges."

License (third definition): "Freedom that allows or is used with irresponsibility; disregard for standards of personal conduct." (Both from the Miriam-Webster Dictionary)

Perhaps the most important is the phrase for the definition of license: "disregard for standards." When we read the word "freedom" in scripture, we have to understand that Paul wasn’t talking about "license," but rather about a very specific kind of freedom.

The word translated freedom (or in the NKJ liberty) in 2 Corinthians is eleutheria (Strong’s G1657). Vine’s elaborates:

"The phraseology is that of manumission from slavery, which among the Greeks was effected by a legal fiction, according to which the manumitted slave was purchased by a god; as the slave could not provide the money, the master paid it into the temple treasury in the presence of the slave, a document was drawn up containing the words ‘for freedom.’ No one could enslave him again, as he was the property of the god."

This was the context against which Paul wrote Romans 6:

"For if we have been united with him (Christ) in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been set free from sin." (v. 5-7 NIV).

This is the freedom to which Paul refers in 2 Corinthians, the freedom from being enslaved to sin. This is always Paul’s definition when he speaks about freedom. He never speaks about or encourages license (separation from standards of behavior). How do we know this? Because of the verse before and after Romans 6:5-7:


"What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
"In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace." (v. 1-4, 11-14 NIV).

Paul couldn’t make it any clearer. The freedom that is given to the believer is not the freedom to choose to do whatever we want. It is the freedom to be able to choose righteousness. And with boldness and emphasis, Paul states, not once but several times in Romans, that we are to turn from sin at every point and to choose righteous and holy living. Unfortunately, we have taken this idea of freedom and decided that Christians can do whatever they want to do. After all, we’re saved, right? Our sins are forgiven, right? We have grace, right? But Paul argues that it is the Spirit that gives life; he makes this argument in Galatians 5:

"I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control." (Galatians 5:16-23 NKJV).

Paul compares two kinds of behavior, the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit. But then, Paul makes this condemnation: "Those who practice such things (the works of the flesh) will not inherit the kingdom of God" (v. 21). And Paul begins this passage by saying (my loose translation): "If you want to not do all the stuff that goes with living by the lust of your flesh, then you must walk in the Spirit." And how do you do that? By living out the fruit of the Spirit on the daily basis, by living righteous and holy lives.

The freedom of which Paul speaks in 2 Corinthians isn’t a license to do whatever our emotions tell us we should do. We aren’t allowed to be angry or hateful or jealous or selfish. We can’t justify our sins or hide them and think they don’t exist. We can’t be what comes naturally for our sin nature will lead us astray every time! The freedom, the precious freedom, we have been given is the freedom to live by and through the Holy Spirit of our Savior and to be loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled in every situation. It is the freedom to trust God in the midst of the worst circumstances and know that we can never lose because He is always in control. It is the freedom to know that our life is in His service and that our death promotes us to Glory in His eternal presence. Our freedom is the Hope the one day soon we will see our blessed Savior face to face, never to be separated from Him.

© 2015 Robin L. O’Hare. All rights reserved. Permission granted for nonprofit and church groups to use this article in its entirety (including this notice). For other uses, please contact servinggodalone@yahoo.com.

Maybe My World's Too Big -- Matthew 6:31-34

Matthew 6:31-34


"Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." (NKJV)

When the Lord Jesus said those words, when He actually walked on the earth, people’s lives were very small. What I mean is that their sphere of knowledge was very limited. What they knew outside of their own village was restricted to what they heard from visiting travelers or the infrequent letters they might receive (if they were wealthy). That is a lifestyle very different from our own.

Today, one can wake up and with a few clicks of either a computer or the television remote, access the "news" from all around the world. We can see pictures of a bombing in Thailand, a peace negotiation in Iraq, the marriage of European royals, and the latest dirt on a reality TV family within a few short moments. Our ability to learn about the troubles and ails of the world is limited only by the amount of time that we want to take read or watch videos. Add to that, the almost unlimited amount of fictional television shows available, and our own woes can be increased literally millions of times.

We worry about the international treaties being decided by national leaders. We worry about the manufacturing decisions made by corporate presidents. We worry about the trends in finances, the trends in education, the trends in culture, and the trends in the lives of the Kardashians. We listen to the predictions of hundreds, if not thousands, of experts, preachers, and media personalities and worry about the future. For some, these predictions mean making life changes. For others, it means adding to the depression of already different lives.

To be honest, I’m beginning to wonder if we are overdosing on too much information. I beginning to wonder if we aren’t totally off-track as believers, focusing on things that, in the larger scheme of things, really aren’t important at all and failing to focus on those things which are important.

The Lord Jesus begins this passage with the phrase: "Therefore do not worry." The KJV translates it: "Therefore, take no thought." He ends this passage with this phrase: "Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." The very real sense is that we shouldn’t even concern ourselves with that which we haven’t been given responsibility for. For when we do—when we take on burdens that aren’t ours to take on—we become overwhelmed and incapable of dealing with that for which we are responsible.

As a former pastor, I can give an example. I’ve known many pastors of small churches who literally stewed themselves into grief over the small numbers of attendees of their churches. Thirty would show up on Sunday morning and the pastor would bemoan the fact that there weren’t sixty in attendance. And yet, what about the thirty that did come? Don’t they mean anything? Aren’t they important? Rather than focusing on the dear saints who were there, the pastor would worry and fret about those who had decided not to come.

We can’t control the lives or decisions of others; we can only control ourselves. We also can’t control the future; we can’t live there! We can only do what God has put our hands to do today! And if we live in the future, we lose sight of the preciousness of the blessings that God wants to pour out on this day, for this hour, for the people we will touch now, in this moment.

"Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’" These words from our Lord basically cover all the basic needs of life. But I think we fail to see the true meaning in these words. This isn’t just about whether or not we will have enough to eat or drink or wear. It’s not just about quantity; it’s also about quality! In other words, our Heavenly Father is fully able to take that which He has provided for that moment (for that day) and use it for the benefit of our bodies without our worrying about whether or not it is healthy, politically correct, or even of benefit.

The apostle Paul wrote something similar in 1 Corinthians 10:

"‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things are beneficial. ‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things build up. Do not seek your own advantage, but that of the other. Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience, for ‘the earth and its fullness are the Lord’s.’ If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. But if someone says to you, ‘This has been offered in sacrifice,’ then do not eat it, out of consideration for the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience—I mean the other’s conscience, not your own. For why should my liberty be subject to the judgment of someone else’s conscience? If I partake with thankfulness, why should I be denounced because of that for which I give thanks? So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God." (v. 23-31 NRSV).

Doing everything for the glory of God. The Lord Jesus, Matthew 6, said: "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness." Our focus is off! For every time that we worry about what will happen tomorrow, we forget about the blessings of today. For every situation that we worry about things we can’t control, we forget about our responsibility to minister to those around us in that moment. And for everything that we worry about when we cannot change it, we forget to pray. Where is God’s glory in that?

Maybe we need to unplug so that we can plug into those things that are really important. Maybe we need to let go of announcing every detail of our lives on social media and start a real conversation with Father God. Maybe we need to stop criticizing our world leaders and start praying for them. Maybe we need to stop worrying about tomorrow and start living as if today is the only day we have (because it is!)

© 2015 Robin L. O’Hare. All rights reserved. Permission granted for nonprofit and church groups to use this article in its entirety (including this notice). For other uses, please contact servinggodalone@yahoo.com.

What Will We Leave Behind? -- 2 Corinthians 3:1-3

2 Corinthians 3:1-3


"Do we begin again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as some others, epistles of commendation to you or letters of commendation from you? You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart." (NKJV)

In a popular movie (National Treasure), it is said: "Death is the debt that all men pay." Death is the one appointment that none of us can delay, none of us can avoid, nor can any of us run away from it. At some point, unless we are alive at the Rapture, we will all die. It is an eventuality. The question becomes, at the time of our death, what do we leave behind? We all will leave a legacy. What will it be?

There are some who want to leave behind something they believe is "permanent." For example, two sculptors, Gutzon and Lincoln Borblum, left behind the majestic carvings of Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln at Mt. Rushmore. For many people, those sculptures seem immortal; however, even now various efforts are being made to try to preserve the sculptures which are at the mercy of the weather and the earth’s movement. If this earth lasts long enough, the sculptures will eventually be gone.

Michaelangelo painted the beautiful frescoes on the Sistine Chapel in the 1400s. In the 1980s restoration work was done to continue to try to preserve the paintings. If a catastrophic event took place, such as a massive earthquake, the paintings could be destroyed in one fell swoop. If the earth lasts long enough, the paintings will eventually be gone, regardless of any attempts to preserve them.

This is the point. Everything here on this earth will eventually be gone. So what legacy do we leave behind?

Paul wrote: "You are our epistle . . . known and read by all men . . . written by the Spirit of the Living God." Paul understood that the greatest investment that anyone can make in this life is the investment of making disciplines. That is the investment that lasts forever. Paul didn’t need any kind of "letter of commendation" to justify who he was. He had already preached the gospel to the Corinthian church and made the disciples. They were his "letters of commendation."

When we die, what will we leave behind? Of course, initially, we would hope that we would leave family that loves us, people who would miss us. But quickly life simply rushes in and fewer and fewer people will mourn. Most will go on with their lives with only a thought here or there that they miss us. The initial great stab of pain at our absence will be mitigated with time and life for them will go on. So what will we actually leave behind?

I believe that Paul commends all believers to invest our lives, not in the things of this world that are all temporary, but into the lives of those around us with the first priority being to make disciples of them. Only that "living epistle by the Holy Spirit" has eternal significance. When we make disciples, we know without a shadow of a doubt that those are people we will see again, we will fellowship with again, we will live with again. There is so much more than just this life! As Christians, we need to live as if we truly believed this and then to put our efforts into making disciples so that everyone else can enjoy that eternal life with us.

"The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9 NKJV).

While not everyone will be saved, but only those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, it is God’s desire that everyone would be saved, that everyone would believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. When we witness, when we preach the gospel, when we disciple others, we are not doing so in vain. Rather we are acting on the very heart-throb of the Father! Our efforts, rather than being spent in other, more temporary duties, should—when at all possible—be spent on these eternal tasks! When we die, we should be able to say with firm conviction that we need no letter of commendation, no eulogy in newspapers or on the Internet, because we leave behind many in whose hearts are written the gospel because of our efforts.

© 2015 Robin L. O’Hare. All rights reserved. Permission granted for nonprofit and church groups to use this article in its entirety (including this notice). For other uses, please contact servinggodalone@yahoo.com.

Christianity as an industry? (2 Corinthians 2:17)

2 Corinthians 2:17


For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ. (NKJV)

The death of a celebrity. The divorce of a politician. The affair of a mega-church preacher. Details and pictures on the 7:00 news or on Yahoo or in a tabloid.

Anything and everything for money. Voyeurism at its best.

Reality shows weren’t created and then we were drawn to them. We are drawn, through our sin nature and through temptation, to the darkest, most evil deeds of others; to gloat at their faults; to stare at their sin. And then, without even knowing, we become infused with the desire for more, more lurid details, more outspoken insults, more outrageous behavior. Suddenly, we begin to think that we need to communicate the gospel of Christ in the same manner. The gospel presented on TV, on t-shirts, on mugs, on key chains. Christianity as an industry. The Church in a tabloid. The gospel as a youtube channel.

And we wonder why the world fails to take us seriously.

Using the world’s methods to hawk, to peddle, the gospel isn’t new. The apostle Paul encountered it often. People who preached the gospel and then passed the offering plate. Evangelists who demanded the best (and more) for themselves and their families without thought for the sacrifice of the giver (1 Corinthians 9). Sorcerers who wanted the power of the Holy Spirit in order to extract money from people (Acts 9).

Paul knew that the power of the gospel was never going to be in how much we could conform Christianity to the existing culture nor would people be attracted to Christianity because we somehow made it seem attractive to them. The power of the gospel isn’t in how it’s marketed. Quite the contrary. The power of the gospel is in how we react when we suffer:

"Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day." (2 Timothy 1:8-12 NKJV).

As Christians, we have always been called to a lifestyle that is very different than the world’s. We have been called to live out the fruit of the Spirit in every situation and through every circumstance, being willing to suffer anything and everything that is placed in our path, understanding that we are suffering for the gospel and that we will persevere through the most dire circumstances because of the power of God. This is the "holy calling according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus." Our holy calling isn’t how many watch us on a youtube channel or how many "Christian" t-shirts we might own or the enormously large mega-church we attend. Our holy calling is how we live our lives through the daily suffering that most people face anyway and perhaps even through inordinate suffering that is thrown at us through either the attacks of Satan or through the plan of God. He has called us to a holy calling according to His own purpose, giving us the grace to trust Him even in the most dire circumstances.

There is an old hymn (by Whittle and McGranahan) that came from this passage in 2 Timothy:

I know not why God’s wondrous grace to me He hath made known,
Nor why, unworthy, Christ in love redeemed me for His own.

I know not how this saving faith to me He did impart,
Nor how believing in His Word wrought peace within my heart.

I know not how the Spirit moves, convincing men of sin,
Revealing Jesus through the Word, creating faith in Him.

I know not when my Lord may come, at night or noonday fair,
Nor if I’ll walk the vale with Him, or meet Him in the air.

But ‘I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able
To keep that which I’ve committed unto Him against that day.’

I may not understand why the Lord leads me through the situations that come my way. Those situations may not resolve in the ways I had intended or even hoped. But I can have confidence, with Paul, that if I remain true to the holy calling on my life, that if I refuse to resort to reducing the gospel to something can be "peddled," God Himself will bless my efforts with His grace and will keep all that which I’ve committed to Him until the Day when He returns to take me Home.

© 2015 Robin L. O’Hare. All rights reserved. Permission granted for nonprofit and church groups to use this article in its entirety (including this notice). For other uses, please contact servinggodalone@yahoo.com.

The Fragrance of Life -- 2 Corinthians 2:14-16

2 Corinthians 2:14-16


"Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things?" (NKJV)

On the one hand, the gospel is inclusive: the Lord Jesus died that the whole world might be saved. John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son." On the other hand, the gospel is exclusive: only those who have submitted to the Father’s plan of salvation will be saved: "that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life."

Paul, in this passage in 2 Corinthians, speaks about these two groups, the one group going from life (this life) to life (life eternal) and the other group going from death (this life without Christ) to death (hell eternal).

To get a sense, first we might look at the word picture that Paul is using here:
"The imagery conveyed in the use of this term is of the Roman general who marched in victory with his entourage, consisting of two groups: Them that are saved, and … them that perish. The former group consisted of those allowed to live as slaves of the Empire. They were being led into a new life. The latter group were the condemned. They were being led to their death. Each group carried a burning incense. The one was a savor of death unto death, the other was a fragrance of life unto life. Calvary was the mighty display of the infinite power of a sovereign God. The human race was divided into two categories: those of life unto life and those of death unto death. The practical lesson here is that the believer is a "savor" of God’s infinite power and unspeakable love wherever he goes. Also, as the believer proclaims this truth, he divides men. This is not a "method" of evangelism, but a proclamation of the triumph of Christ at Calvary." (KJV Bible commentary. 1997, c1994. Thomas Nelson: Nashville)

There is a reality that we as believers need to grasp: the world isn’t going to embrace us. Ever. We’re never going to be popular. We’re never going to be the major culture influence. We are always, as our Lord was always, going to be rejected.


"Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious" (1 Peter 2:4 NKJV).

We cannot, as believers, expect to have better treatment from the world than did our Lord Jesus. We will be rejected because the gospel divides. It always has. It divides those who believe from those who do not. And that division is more than just a belief; it is an entire view of what the gospel actually is and does:

"We preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." (1 Corinthians 1:23-24 NKJV).

Notice that the gospel, to the unsaved, is either a stumbling block or foolishness. A stumbling block in that it is emotionally and morally offensive. Foolishness in that it is intellectual offensive. To the unsaved, it is an aroma of death leading to death, a dead religion leading to useless or even offensive practices.

As believers, we should expect that the world will be offended by both our beliefs and our practices. Without knowing, what they are offended by is the presence of the Holy Spirit in our midst, the Holy Spirit that witnesses to their consciences that the gospel is truth and it is life. But because they have rejected that life, the fragrance of the gospel is one of death.

But there will be others to whom we witness and minister to whom the gospel is life and life-giving. To them the presence of the Holy Spirit will be the fragrance of life. This is the dichotomy with which we live and will continue to live. Yet, we aren’t to live in any kind of arrogance at this knowledge. Rather we are to continue living out the fruit of the Spirit in our lives, being loving, kind, good, gentle, faithful, joyful, peaceful, patient, and self-controlled in all situations and with all people until the Lord calls us home.

© 2015 Robin L. O’Hare. All rights reserved. Permission granted for nonprofit and church groups to use this article in its entirety (including this notice). For other uses, please contact servinggodalone@yahoo.com.