“Is that you, darling” We all know the pathetic story, and how the other child, who was not the “darling,” sadly answered, “No, mother, it’s only me.” And with too many Christians “it’s only me” expresses the response the heart makes to His appeal to them to follow Him as His “beloved children.” (Ephesians 5:1) That Enoch pleased God is the Greek Bible rendering of the Hebrew words that he “walked with God.” And both are joined in the, Apostle’s exhortation: “how ye ought to walk and to please God.” (1 Thessalonians 4:1) But such a standard of Christian life, even for a single day, is deemed visionary and unpractical. We are “only me” Christians.
It was Jesus who told his disciples clearly to expect that there will be a cost to their earthy existence if they choose to be His disciples but it will be an opportunity for them to bear witness for Him:Karnataka is southern India's most spiritually desolate state, claiming only 1.1 million Christians. Many regions of the state are without even one follower of Jesus.
Gospel for Asia in Karnataka:
Mark Zook - BiographyMark Zook and his wife, Gloria, were born and reared in Belleville, Pennsylvania. While farming, they were involved in their local church and in correspondence courses through Moody Bible Institute.
They completed New Tribes Mission’s training and moved to Papua New Guinea in 1983 to begin working with the Mouk People. After learning the language and culture, Mark began Bible translation, Bible teaching, and church planting work. He has translated the New Testament and portions of the Old Testament, developed an extensive Bible teaching curriculum in the Mouk language, and trained Mouk believers for the ministry which has been documented in the videos EE-TAOW and EE-TAOW, the Next Chapter. More than one hundred Mouk men serve as pastor-elders, deacons, Bible teachers, teacher trainees, and literacy program workers ministering to the eighteen indigenous churches in the Mouk tribal area. During the time the Zooks lived and worked with the Mouk tribe, Mark also served as a consultant for tribal missionaries.
Upon returning to Pennsylvania in 1997, Mark joined the team that developed new curriculum for the New Tribes Missions Institute. For the next four years, he taught and refined church planting courses. He has presented church planting seminars in Ivory Coast, Senegal, Venezuela, Papua New Guinea, Argentina, Portugal and the Philippines.
Most recently, Mark co-founded the Worldview Resource Group (WRG), which provides training in cross-cultural church planting methodology with an emphasis on a worldview approach to ministry. Mark’s seminars and workshops are a combination of proven methodology and Biblically-based, practical advice. On December 11, 2004, he received the Honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree from Lancaster Bible College.
Mark and Gloria live in Belleville, PA. They have two children, Rick and Nichole, and two grandchildren. Rick and his family are church planters in Papua New Guinea. Nichole and her family live in Pennsylvania.
 | Because of their dangerous situation vis-à-vis the law, Christians were almost bound to meet in secret . . . Every Christian knew that sooner or later he might have to testify to his faith at the cost of his life . . . When persecution did break out, martyrdom could be attended by the utmost possible publicity. The Roman public was hard and cruel, but it was not altogether without compassion; and there is no doubt that the attitude of the martyrs, and particularly of the young women who suffered along with the men, made a deep impression . . . In the earlier records what we find is calm, dignified, decorous behaviour; cool courage in the face of torment, courtesy towards enemies, and a joyful acceptance of suffering as the way appointed by the Lord to lead to his heavenly kingdom. There are a number of well-authenticated cases of conversion of pagans in the very moment of witnessing the condemnation and death of Christians; there must have been far more who received impressions that in the course of time would be turned into a living faith." John Piper, "Desiring God"- Chapter 10 Suffering - The Sacrifice of Christian Hedonism A short video showing the re-enactment of the persecution of Christians in the early church in Rome. |
in south Minneapolis. (I learned later it had to do with damage to his feet during the torture that he had received in a Romanian prison.) Before him -- and below him -- sat about a dozen pastors. He spoke of suffering. Again and again he said that Jesus "chose" suffering. He "chose" it. It did not merely happen to him. He "chose" it. "No one takes my life from me. I lay it down of my own will" (John 10:18). He asked us if we would choose suffering for the sake of Christ.
"Confession
After expressing adoration, we must come with hearts of confession. Remember that we have no right to come before God at all, apart from the finished work of Christ. We can make no claim, in and of ourselves, to the ear of God. We have no intrinsic right to his presence. The Scriptures tell us that God is too holy to even look at sin. God delights in the prayers of the righteous, but we are not very righteous in our daily lives. Nevertheless, the God we serve invites us into his presence in spite of our sin.
In our study of the Lord's Prayer, we have already considered some of the important elements of confession. As the model prayer indicates, confession is to be a normal part of our conversation with God. Confession is not a frivolous matter to be engaged in only at appointed times and dates throughout the year. Confession should be a daily activity for the Christian, whose entire pilgrimage is characterized by the spirit of repentance. The principal reason why confession must be on a daily basis is because our sins are committed on a daily basis against divine law. We do things we ought not to do and leave undone those things God commands us to do. We run up a daily indebtedness before God. Consequently, our daily prayers must include genuine acts of confession."
"Confession is like a declaration of bankruptcy. God requires perfection. The slightest sin blemishes a perfect record. All the "good deeds" in the world cannot erase the blemish and move us from imperfection to perfection. Once the sin has been committed, we are morally bankrupt. Our only hope is to have that sin forgiven and covered through the atonement of the one who is altogether perfect.
When we sin, our only option is repentance. Without repentance there is no forgiveness. We must come before God in contrition. David put it this way:
You do not delight in sacrifice. . . . The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. (Psalm 51:16-17, NIV)
Here David's profound thoughts reveal his understanding of what many Old Testament persons failed to grasp--that the offering of sacrifices in the temple did not gain merit for the sinner. Sacrifices pointed beyond themselves to the perfect Sacrifice. The perfect atonement was offered by the perfect Lamb without blemish. The blood of bulls and goats does not take away sin. The blood of Jesus does. To avail ourselves of the atonement of Christ, to gain that covering, requires that we come before God in brokenness and contrition. The true sacrifices of God are a broken spirit and a contrite heart.
There was an important element of surprise in David's experience of forgiveness. He had begged God to wash away his sin and to make him clean. In a certain sense, forgiveness must never be a surprise. We should never be surprised when God keeps his word. In 1 John 1:9, God tells us that if we confess our sins, he will be faithful to forgive those sins. God keeps his promises; man does not. God is the covenant Maker; we are covenant breakers.
Looking at the issue from another perspective, however, we ought to be surprised every time we experience forgiveness. We ought never to take God's mercy and forgiveness for granted, even though we live in a culture that does. It is terrifying to consider the ease with which we take God's grace for granted. I occasionally ask collegians, seminarians, seminary professors, and ministers the questions, "Is God obligated to be loving? Is he bound to forgiveness and grace?" Again and again their answers are in the affirmative: "Yes, of course, it's God's nature to be loving. He's essentially a God of love. If he didn't show love, he wouldn't be God. If God is God, then he must be merciful!"
He must be merciful? If God must be merciful, then his mercy is no longer free or voluntary. It has become obligatory; if so, then it is no longer mercy, but justice. God is never required to be merciful. As soon as we think God is obligated to be merciful, a red light should flash in our brains, indicating that we are no longer thinking about mercy, but about justice. We need to do more than sing "Amazing Grace"--we need to be repeatedly amazed by grace.
Adapted from R.C. Sproul's small book Does Prayer Change Things?.
Please visit and read the full post here: The Practice of Prayer (pt. 3)
Ananias and Sapphira underestimated God’s Standards. Lets take care that we don't be likewise. © Copyright Kathryn Capoccia 2001. This file may be freely copied, printed out, and distributed as long as copyright and source statements remain intact, and that it is not sold.
Ananias and Sapphira were two people of the New Testament whom God used as examples, in the same way He used Uzza (1CH 13:10), to show His holiness and the standard of holiness to which He expected believers to cleave. They were not especially remarkable in their persons but achieved a position of uniqueness because of their experiences. Ananias and Sapphira are remembered for the judgment they received when they tried to deceive the Jerusalem Church; they pretended to offer them the whole price of a field they had sold while withholding some of the money. They lied to men and they lied to God, underestimating both and the standards God expects Christians to keep. Like James and John, “the sons of thunder” (MAR 3:17), they did not know “what kind of spirit they were of (LUK 9:55). Let’s turn to ACTS chapter 5 and read about their story.
I. Who Were They? Acts 5:1-11.
A. What were their names? Ananias, a common Jewish name, means, “Jehovah is gracious” in Greek; Sapphira means, “beautiful” in Greek.
B. Where and when did they live? They lived in Israel in the 1st century A. D.
C. Who were their people? Scripture is silent on their history but they both had Greek names and they may have been part of the Hellenistic Jews of the Church (ACT 6:1).
II. What Did They Do?
A. They were members of the Jerusalem Church.
1. What was the Church in Jerusalem?
a. A body of Christians who grew in number:
1) ACT 1:14,15; the brethren were, “about 120 persons…devoting themselves to prayer”.
2) ACT 2:47; those who were daily being saved and joined the Church fellowship.
3) ACT 2:41,42; 3,000 souls (Hebrew and foreign speaking Jews) ACT 2:9-11) were added who were “devoted to the Apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer”.
4) ACT 4:4; 5,000 total believers.
5) ACT 6:1, Hellenistic Jews from the dispersion.
b. The “called out ones” (ACT 5:11; “church” means “ekklesia”, those who have been called out from the world to form an assembly).
1) Those who are united through Christ (EPH 4:3; GAL 3:28, 4:1-6).
2) Those who were “born again” (JOH 3:5-8; TIT 3:5)
3) Those who are holy:
a) positionally holy (EPH 5:27).
b) practically holy
i. devoted to God (MAR 10:3,4; ROM 12:1)
ii. imitating God, “Be holy for I am Holy” (1PE 1:16).
iii. conformed to Christ (ROM 8:29, 12:2).
iv. pleasing God (2CO 5:17).
4) Those who evangelize (MAT 28:19,20).
5) Those who fellowship (HEB 10:25).
a) worship (1CO 1:2).
b) celebrate communion (ACT 2:42-47, 20:7-12; 1CO 11:17-20).
c) discipline sinning Christians (1CO 5:2,7, 13:2; 2CO 2:5-7; 2TH 3:14; 1TI 1:20; TIT 3:10).
d) pray (ACT 2:42,46, 4:31).
e) study the Bible (ACT 6:4).
6) Those who do good works (EPH 2:10).
c. Not a particular location: the disciples met in various places;
1) an upper room in Jerusalem (ACT 1:13).
2) a “place” for Pentecost (ACT 2:1).
3) Solomon’s Portico in Herod’s temple (a colonnade running down the E. side of the outer court of the temple: ACT 5:12).
2. Who led the Church?
a. the Apostles; the 12 (the 11 Apostles plus Matthias; ACT 1:25,26) who “devoted themselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word”(ACT 6:2).
b. the elders (ACT 15:6).
c. James the LORD’S brother, who died in A. D. 62 (ACT 12:17, 15:12-21, 21:18; GAL 1:19, 2:9, 12; 1CO 15:7; JAM 1:1, JUD 1).
3. How did Ananias and Sapphira become part of the Church?
Scripture is silent about their conversion but we may guess that they were perhaps part of the great mass of Greek speaking believers after Pentecost.
4. How do we know they were believers?
a. They are included in “the congregation of those who believed” (ACT 4:32).
b. They obviously had a relationship with the Holy Spirit.
c. God used them as an example to teach other believers about the folly of sin.
d. Death is the final chastisement for sinning and unrepentant believers (1CO 11:30-32; 1JO 5:16).
B. They examples to the Jerusalem Church.
1. They outwardly imitated the brethren’s example (ACT 4:32-37).
a. Members of the Jerusalem Church would sell land or houses as there was need and give the money to the Church (ACT 4:34,35).
b. Barnabus (Joseph of Cyprus), sold a tract of land and brought the full price to the Apostles to be distributed to the needy (ACT 4:36,37).
2. They inwardly lied to the Holy Spirit.
1JO 2:21 “no lie is of the truth”.
a. How?
1. They deceived the Church: they kept back money from the Church.
WAS IT A SIN TO KEEP SOME OF THE MONEY THEMSELVES? No.
a) The money was theirs to do with as they liked (ACT 5:4).
b) Personal property is no where prohibited in Scripture and participation in community goods was only voluntary (ACT 4:32, 34; 2CO 9:7).
2. They lied to the Church (ACT 5:2,4).
a) they conceived the deed in their hearts (ACT 5:4)
“After desire is conceived it gives birth to sin…” JAM 1:15).
b) they agreed to “put the Spirit to the test” (ACT 5:9). I e. “to see how far they could go in presuming on God’s goodness”, Charles Caldwell Ryrie, “The Ryrie Study Bible”, Moody Press, © 1978, pg. 1652.
c) Satan filled Ananias’ heart to lie to the Spirit ACT 5:3).
1) Does this mean that he was possessed by Satan? No, Christians cannot be possessed by an evil spirit because they are possessed by God.
i. Christians belong to God because they have been purchased with Christ’s blood (1CO 7:23) and no one can take them away from God (JOH 10:29).
ii. The body of a believer has been sealed by the Holy Spirit who resides in it: it is His Temple (1CO 6:19).
2) What can Satan do to a believer?
i. he can tempt him to sin (1CO 7:5).
ii. he can become personally involved in the life of a believer (MAT 16:21-23; EPH 6:12; 1PE 5:8,9).
iii. he can oppress a believer.
3) What can a Christian do to defend himself/herself?
i. call upon the LORD, his/her covenant partner, to fight for him/her (see 1Sa 18:3ff to understand the symbols of a covenant and what they entail).
ii. resist the Devil (JAM 4:7).
iii. pray for God to rebuke Satan (JUD1:9).
iv. immerse himself/herself in godly thoughts by studying the Bible (PHI 4:8; 2CO 10:5).
4) What did they do at Satan’s prompting?
a) they “kept back some of the price for themselves” (ACT 5:2).
b) they “laid a portion [of their sale] at the Apostles’ feet” as if it were the full price (ACT 5:2).
HOW DID LYING TO THE CHURCH MAKE THEM LIE TO THE HOLY SPIRIT?
The Church is comprised of those who have the Holy Spirit in them and is the Body of Christ; vs. 3,4 address the Spirit as God, so lying to the Church means they lied to the Spirit who is God.
b. Why?
1) They coveted praise.
“Pride goes before destruction” (PRO 16:18).
“When pride comes, then comes dishonor” (PRO 11:2).
a) their pride wanted spiritual prestige.
b) they envied those who were counted among the spiritual.
2) They coveted their money.
*It was not wrong for them to keep money that they needed or wanted because God gives us money for our daily needs, but their attitude about the money is like that of the “rich young ruler” whose money was his god (MAR 10:17-22): they could not give it all up because they did not revere God.
a) they wanted a cost-free sacrifice (see David at 2SA 24:24).
b) they wanted their money and a reputation for generosity too.
3) They loved man’s praise more than God’s (JOH 12:43).
a) they were hypocritical: there was no fear of God in their eyes.
b) they were like the Pharisees who did all of their “righteous” deeds for men and not for God (MAT 6:2).
4) They had a low view of God.
a) they thought He did not see (PSA 10:11), or:
b) they thought He would not act (2PE 3:9).
3. God struck them down.
a. God killed Ananias and Sapphira (ACT 5:5-10).
1. Ananias was slain and buried (ACT 5:5)
a) judgment for the testing of God was passed (DEU 6:6 ; see 2CO 11:2; EPH 5:27).
b) burial was swift for those who died of divine judgment (DEU 21:22,23; a normal burial was usually the same day).
2. Sapphira was slain and buried (ACT 5:10).
b. Fear fell upon the Church and all “who heard of these things” (ACT 5:11).
1. Their deaths were a deterrent to others (1TI 5:19,20).
2. God was glorified as believers realized the seriousness of sin.
WERE THEY WINNERS OR LOSERS?
CAN WE LIE TO THE HOLY SPIRIT TODAY?
III. What Can We Learn From Them?
A. God has the desire to have purity in the Church and the power and will to discipline sin within the Church (1PE 4:17).
B. We should be thankful that God gives us grace and does not immediately discipline us for all of our sins.
C. Lying is a heinous crime against God which He cannot ignore.
D. Hypocrisy is hateful to God (LUK 12:1; MAT 24:51; 1CO 8:12).
"For a long time, Mahaney had ties with both restorationism and Maranatha Campus Ministries. He currently co-hosts the Together for the Gospel conference with Mark Dever, Ligon Duncan and Albert Mohler and serves on the Council of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, and on the boards of The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood and the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation" Source: Wikipedia
