Blog-votional: Life is Not a Sitcom: The Struggle of the Christian Life

The 2002 film Imposter starring Gary Sinese, Madeleine Stowe, Vincent D’Onofrio, Mekhi Phifer, and Tony Shaloub, is anemic in the storyline with outlandish plot devices and belabored scenes.  The “imposter” is scientist Spencer Olham (Gary Sinese), a 21st century scapegoat who comes to the realization that his hide is wanted by authorities.  He is charged with being a replica of a real scientist whose human-like body houses a twitchy bomb. 

Perhaps the scientist is a symbol of the way many of us Christians live.  Scripture makes clear, “Evil men and imposters will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived” (II Timothy 3:13).  You will find other warnings related to the reality of imposters who will invade the church in Acts 20:29; Matthew 7:15; Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43.  So, how can you tell genuine Christians from the imposters?  There are several criteria, but the most important one is related to obedience.  When we really believe in Jesus Christ, there will be evidence of it in the way we live, in the things we say, and in the things we do.  There will be an inseparable relationship between obedience and faith.

What are the grounds for our obedience?  Nothing more than God’s Word.  Charles Spurgeon said:  “He who does not believe that God will punish sin, will not believe that God will pardon it through the atoning blood…I charge you who profess to be the Lord’s not to be unbelieving with regard to the terrible threatenings of God to the ungodly.  Believe the threat, even though it should chill your blood; believe though nature shrinks from the overwhelming doom; for, if you do not believe, the act of disbelieving God about one point will drive you to disbelieve him upon the other parts of revealed truth.” 

When a person becomes a Christian, s/he openly acknowledges that Jesus is her/his Lord.  As a person seriously enthrones Christ, they will gladly submit to His authority.  Obedience then, is a foregone conclusion.  Let us not be guilty of Titus 1:16: “They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him.”  So what can we do?  I John 2:6 says it well:  “The one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as he walked.” 

So, here’s the struggle we face as we endeavor to live a victorious Christian life:  walking in the same manner as He [Jesus] walked.  Whether or not we realize it, people are looking at our lives all the time.  They are hearing and seeing the sermon our lives proclaim.  It is said of Noah: “This Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did” (Genesis 6:22).  Will the same be said of us?  We grow to be like Christ as we obey Him.

Dr. Stan Parker

Blog-votional: Life is Not a Sitcom: The Struggle of the Christian Life

Perhaps the greatest cultural challenge facing the church world today is the sacred-secular divide.  This syndrome says that some parts of our life are not really important to God — work, school, leisure — but anything to do with prayer, church services, church-based activities is.  The SSD Syndrome pervades the whole church.  Pretty much every one I know is infected with it and is a carrier of it.  I struggle against it all the time.  This and more enables the Christian to admit that living a dynamic Christian life is a real struggle.  It is no picnic given today’s environment.  So, what do we do?

 We are blogging about how to engage the struggle to live a victorious Christian life successfully.  We began by outlining some things we need to make sure we do not forget about spiritual maturity.  We then discussed the Bible as being revealed Truth that guides us into all truth.  Then we discussed that the chief end of man is to glorify God.  Doing that brings happiness, security, and growth to our lives, spiritually.  This will impact every other aspect of our life (Matthew 6:33).

The question we should ask is: How do we glorify God?  In fact, can we humans do that?

The Christian who has some comprehension of the Bible will readily admit that the supreme purpose of life is to glorify God.  Spiritual maturity is simply concentrating and focusing on the person of Jesus Christ until we are caught up in His majesty and His glory.  We glorify God because He created us, because He made everything to give Him glory, and because He judges those who do not give Him glory.  We must summarize these points here, but the Bible has many verses and illustrative stories to back up these truths. 

So, how does a struggling Christian glorify God?  Here are some practical ways:

Do this:  Trust Christ Jesus as your own personal Savior.  This is the beginning activity. God is glorified when we humble ourselves and confess Jesus Christ as Lord.

Do this: Confess your sins.  Confession of your sins means to agree with God that sin is all our fault.  Our repentance is accepting His grace and mercy of forgiveness.

Do this: Trust God.   Unbelief doubts God and implies that He is not to be trusted.  That detracts from His glory.  Do you believe God keeps His word?  Do you live as if He keeps His word?  God is glorified before those around us when we trust Him and live like we do.

Do this: Make it the aim of your life to glorify God.  I Corinthians 10:31 gives us the ultimate challenge in this regard: “Whether then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”  This is calling us to place God above all things — money, power, fame, success, friends, family, even honor. 

Do this: Bear fruit.  In the gospel of John 15:8 we have recorded these words: “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit.”  Why? Because then those around you can see the real, tangible results of living a Spirit-filled life. 

Do this: Give verbal and written praise to God.  Psalm 50:23 says, “He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me.”   Let others know God is faithful to you in big and small things.  Give Him credit for every good gift, comfort, and favor. 

Do this: Be content.  Contentment acknowledges God’s sovereignty in our lives, and that gives Him glory.  Discontentment reflects the times in which we live.  The Bible says that we should “learn to be content in whatever circumstances…” (Philippians 4;11,12).  We will not do this or even want to do this without God’s help by His Holy Spirit.  Christians believe that God is working in their lives bringing about good, purpose, repair, and meaning (Romans 8:28).

Do this: Pray that God’s will be accomplished in and through your life.  John 14:13 says, “Whatever you ask for in my Name, that will I do, that the Father might be glorified in the Son.”  This is not a holy abracadabra.  Praying “in His name” means praying in accordance with His character and will.  This requires getting to Know Jesus, His character, His will, and His words.  This requires us to spend time in His Word, sharing with Him in prayer, and hearing discourses about His Truth from those called to prayerfully and responsibly dispense messages, teachings, and writings based upon His Truth (Bible).

Do this: Share His Truth with others.  When others hear the Truth about God from you, God is glorified.  We honor the Lord when we responsibly make Him and His Word known and understood.

Do this: Avoid sexual sin.  In I Corinthians 6:20 the apostle Paul says, “Glorify God in your body.”  Enough said.

Do this: Promote unity in the body of Christ.  Romans 15:5 says, “Now may the God who gives perseverence and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Jesus Christ.”  God is not a God of confusion (I Cor. 14:33).

When we live to glorify God, He responds by giving us His joy.  Life becomes thrilling.  True happiness is experienced.  So, regardless of the struggle, let us stretch ourselves and determine to glorify God.  Let us “rejoice in the God of [our] salvation” (Habakkuk 3:18).  Think about this: “The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). 

Dr. Stan Parker

Blog-votional: Life is Not a Sitcom: The Struggle of the Christian Life

I saw a bumper sticker recently that said, “Stuff Happens.”  Of course the first word was a little differently spelled.  Another sticker said, “Life is not a struggle when you learn to whistle.”  Wouldn’t it be great if life was that easy to negotiate!  Yesterday, Kathleen and I saw a sticker that said, “Pluff Mud: The Goo That Holds the Earth Together.”  All three of the statements have a bit of truth in them.  However, life is meant to be intentionally lived .  We are all created with a purpose.  It’s in our God-given DNA.  Successfully negotiating life takes more than just learning to whistle.  That actually sounds like a line you’d hear in a current sitcom.  Additionally, the world is a complicated combination of gases, liquids, and solids, all put together by an intelligent designer. 

Life is wonderful, precious, and it is both a dance and a struggle.  This is true if you are a Christian or not.  As a Christian, you have the added advantage of learning to cooperate with the Creator of all there is and the privilege of living according to His design for our lives.  In fact, the Christian community acknowledges that God, the Creator of all that exists, graciously involves Himself in the affairs of His people.  We are not left to figure out how to live on our own.

We’re looking at how to successfully live the Christian life.  We began by realizing the Bible is the revealed guide book that will instruct, change, and enable us to live effectively.

If you were to go to downtown Charleston and ask ten people at random to name what they considered to be the greatest theme in all the world, you’d get a variety of answers: money, love, marriage, sex, freedom, security, status, peace, happiness, pleasure.

From God’s viewpoint, the answer is that which is found in the Westminster Shorter Catechism.  It is the first question and answer: “What is the chief end of man?”  “The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.”  Every Christian should come to realize that we exist for God’s glory and God is for our enjoyment.  The idea was expressed by King David in Psalm 16:8, “I have set the Lord continually before me.”  That refers to giving God glory in everything I do.  Spiritual maturity comes from concentrating on the person of God until we are caught up and lost in His majesty.

“For this reason also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”  (Philippians 2:9-11).

The glory of God — we see it in the skies above, in the earth around us, in the dynamic of salvation, in the struggle of Christian living, in the promise of Christ’s return, in every dimension of life.

Our purpose for living then, is to glorify Jesus Christ in all we do.  The hymn we sing in church from time to time says it eloquently: “Let ev’ry kindred, ev’ry tribe, on this terrestrial ball, to Him all majesty ascribe, and crown Him Lord of all.” 

The question to address now is: “How does a Christian practically glorify God?” 

Dr. Stan Parker

Blog-votional: Life is Not a Sitcom: The Struggle of the Christian Life

Arnold Schwarzenegger has said: “Strength does not come from winning.  Your struggles develop your strength.  When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.”  Diane Westlake said: “Whatever the struggle, continue the climb.  It may be only one step to the summit.”

We are admitting that the Christian life is an adventure that is not without struggle.  To live the life that Jesus Christ desires for us to live requires spiritual growth.  Spiritual growth is critical to being an effective member of the body of Christ.  Call this growth: pursuing righteousness (I Timothy 6:11), being transformed (Romans 12:2), “perfecting holiness” (II Corinthians 7:1), pressing toward the goal (Philippians 3:14), or being built up in the faith (Colossians 2:7).  The goal is the same for all Christians: to be “transformed into [the Lord's] image” (II Corinthians 3:18).

So how are we supposed to grow?  By understanding and practicing the principles that are given in the Word of God, the Bible. 

Christians believe the Bible is a live document: “The Word of God 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” (Hebrews 4:12).  One of the early church leaders, Peter says that God’s Word is “imperishable…living and enduring” (I Peter 1:23).  The apostle Paul said that the Bible is “the word of life” (Philippians 2:16).

Think about this:

Fact #1: Christians believe the Bible is alive within itself.  It is perennially fresh in every generation.  Its riches are inexhaustible, its depth unfathomable.    It speaks as perceptively and definitively to the twenty-first century as it did to the first century.  It discerns our hearts.  It has insights that shake us up.  It reveals to us exactly what and who we are.

Fact #2: Christians believe the Bible is life-giving.  The Holy Spirit uses the written Word to bring about new birth (spiritual birth) in our lives.  According to Romans 10:17, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ.”  I Peter 1:23 says it this way:  We are “born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring Word of God.”

Fact #3: Christians believe the Bible sustains spiritual life.  A famous Puritan named Thomas Watson said, “Scripture is both the breeder and the feeder of life.”  The prophet Jeremiah said, “Your words were found and I ate them, and Your words became for me a joy   and the delight of my heart” (Jeremiah 15:16).  Because the Word of God nourishes us, we need it just like a baby needs the nourishment of milk and then solid food.

Fact #4: Christians believe the Bible transforms lives.  Only through filling our minds with the Word and living in obedience to its principles can old patterns of living be changed for new patterns more closely aligned to the likeness of Jesus Christ.  Only the Holy Spirit, working through the dynamic power of the Word, has the power to bring us to maturity in Christ.  “Conversion turns us to the Word of God to examine ourselves…as our mirror to dress by (James 1); as our rule to walk and work by (Galatians 6:16); as our water to wash us (Psalm 119:9); as our fire to warm us (Luke 24); as our food to nourish us (Job 23:12); as our sword to fight with (Ephesians 6); as our counselor (Psalm 119:24); as our cordial, to comfort us; as our heritage, to enrich us” (Philip Henry)

There is no shortcut to this spiritual growth.  It is not a sitcom experience.  The Bible is central to growth.  In it God “has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness” (II Peter 1:3).  So, we should be believing it, studying it, honoring it, loving it, and obeying it. 

Perhaps you, like me, are hungry for personal renewal.  I urge you to allow the Word of God to be the avenue that will lead you to the vast repository of spiritual riches that are yours in Jesus Christ.  The struggle is worth the difference it makes in life!

Dr. Stan Parker

Blog-votional: Life is Not a Sitcom: The Struggle of the Christian Life

It is easy to get diverted by various teachings that promise power, spiritual energy, and success without the process of growth into spiritual maturity.  This prompts people to look for dramatic experiences, climatic turning points, and instant solutions to spiritual problems.  The truth is, real, lasting success in the Christian life doesn’t come through those means.  God’s design is to “slow cook” us to maturity through a continual process of growth.

Failure to emphasize spiritual growth has produced Christians who are spiritually immature, undiscerning, weak, and very fragile.  Our society is now full of spiritually underdeveloped Christians.  Hey, I do not set myself outside of this group.  I am speaking to me too!  What caught my attention to this is the growing number of people in the church community who are addicted (too strong a word?) to “therapy,” preferring a dependency of a counseling relationship to the rigors of true discipleship and growth in grace.  This is a severe issue for the church universal to engage.  Why?  Because growth is a sign of life and where there is no growth, no true life exists. 

Our question today is: Are you growing?  Am I growing?  If not, or if we are not satisfied with our rate of growth, the next several blogs will hopefully help us to get growing as we should be.  According to II Peter 3:18 God expects Christians to grow and mature spiritually.  This verse says, “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”  That’s our privilege and our invitation.  Each day, we should realize that life is not a sitcom but an opportunity to progress in our spiritual life toward a higher, richer, personal, experiential knowledge of God and His Son, Jesus Christ. 

As we begin our journey, here are some reminders about what spiritual maturity is all about:

#1 It has nothing to do with the position we have in Christ.  We are complete in Christ (Colossians 2:10) and we have everything we need pertaining to life and godliness (II Peter 1:3).  As to our position, we are complete.  As to our practice, we fall miserably short.  Our growth is related to closing the gap between our position in Christ and our practice of godliness.

#2 It has nothing to do with God’s favor.  Even when we were “helpless,” “ungodly,” “sinners,” and “enemies” (reiew Romans 5:6-10), God showed His great love for us by giving Jesus, His Son to die for our sins.  We live in a performance based society.  God’s love is an everlasting love and is not based on performance.

#3 It has nothing to do with time.  Spiritual maturity is not measured by the calendar. 

#4 It has nothing to do with knowledge.  Our conformity to Jesus Christ is the key, not facts, data, and information about Him.  Truth should change our thoughts, speech, actions, attitudes, behavior, and prejudices.

#5 It has nothing to do with activity.  Busyness within the Christian community does not bring about spiritual maturity.  It can bring about a hardness to what is really vital and important within the Christian life.

#6 It has nothing to do with how well off you are materially. 

So what’s the bottom line?  Spiritual growth is just matching up our orthodoxy with our orthopraxis:  matching our talk with our walk or our practice with our position. 

God, give us sympathy and common sense, and help us live with courage high.  God, give us calm and confidence, and please — a twinkle in our eye. (Source: Off the Church Walls)

Dr. Stan Parker