JC Blog

Think back over all of the amazing truths that Paul has shared in the book of Romans. No wonder that he is issuing a warning to the believers to hold fast to the truth they know and protect it at all costs. From past experience Paul knew that others would come in after him with smooth talk and flowery speeches in hopes of causing division and confusion among the church.

His warning was against false doctrine. This is anything contrary to the teachings that they had learned from Paul. He doesn't encourage them to discuss or persuade those individuals, he tells them to have nothing to do with them. This is because deception is a most subtle form of trickery which can, in many cases, even if only slightly alter your course in life.

Turning from the truth even a little can completely change where you end up. Falling prey to deception will keep you from being free, keep you in the dark and hold you there. However, Jesus said that it is the truth you know that will make you free and shortly before that statement he gave the key to the truth, "If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" ( John 8:31-32 ). Staying in the Word, seeking understanding and applying these truths will protect your heart from those who mean to deceive you.

Our responsibility is to guard and protect the truth we know. We need to keep to the teachings we have learned from the Apostle Paul and the book of Romans. This book is a wonderful exhortation of grace, freedom from the Law, freedom from our sin nature and how to walk by the Spirit of God. It is essential for the health of the believer. This is the starting point to understanding how Christ has made us free and has rescued us from the power of sin and death. If this amazing truth can be stolen away from being rooted and established in our hearts then we will not experience the freedom Christ purchased for us. This is why Paul said to watch out and keep away from anything contrary to the truth he wrote.

What a great reminder for us today to compare everything we hear and read with the Word of God. If we stay plugged in to the truth then we cannot easily be fooled and deceived. As an added benefit we will reap all the rewards of the wonderful truth found inside. Knowing these things will make us free to live for Jesus in a powerful and effective way!

To be a judge in our court system several requirements have to be met. First the judge has to know the law. They have to compare the offense against the standard of the law and render a decision. Secondly, the judge has to be impartial. They cannot be bias towards either side of the case. And lastly, the judge has to be fair. They have to base their decision on the facts or the truth of the case. Opinion cannot play into part during the trial. Both sides have to be weighed equally and whatever side is proven right wins out in the end.

In the previous verse, Paul has just disqualified mankind from rendering judgment against each other. "You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things." ( Romans 2:1 ) To participate in the transgression excludes the ability to render fair and right judgment.

However, given the criteria for passing judgment, Paul knows that only God is capable of doing it. God's judgment is based on truth. Many people thing that truth is a relative term, but in reality truth is an absolute. And that truth is based on His Word and His character. Knowing from our own court system how important the truth is in deciding a verdict, one can rest assured that God bases everything upon it. If he didn't he would not be just.

God is just but God is also merciful. Paul tells us in Romans 3:26, "...so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus." This is extremely important because as a just judge he has to render his decision based on truth, but as a merciful savior he took the punishment for us we could be justify before God. He render the decision of guilty and the penalty was death or eternal separation from God. But, when we believe in Jesus and accept His free gift of Salvation then we stand in true righteousness and holiness before God 'just as if we've never sinned'. The judgment and penalty was placed on Jesus and the benefits were given to us.

Praise Jesus that he is both a just and the justifier!

Isn't it interesting that many people look at Christians and think that we are abnormal and peculiar. We do and say things that aren't in tune with today's culture. In many situations we stand out like a sore thumb because our values and world views are atypical of what is going on around us. However, Paul tells us that the truth of God has been exchanged for a lie so in reality the world is the one that is upside down and anomalous.

The world has bought into the lie that God is not God. So in believing this lie anything counter to that falsehood seems unreasonable. A lie is something that is not true. A lie, by default was said in a conscious effort to deceive. No one by nature wants to believe or buy into a lie, however the truth about God was buried away by the darkness and futile of thinking because we did not recognize Him as God. ( Romans 1:21-22 ) This was a cognizant effort to mislead us away from the one true God.

When believing this lie, people will worship and serve just about anything else but God. People will serve money, jobs and possession along with an whole list of things not realizing that those things were created for our pleasure not our bondage. Jeremiah 2:11 says, "Has a nation ever changed its gods? (Yet they are not gods at all.) But my people have exchanged their Glory [God] for worthless idols." In other words, what people have traded God for was something that profited them not and was worthless in comparison to His beauty.

On the other hand, God, our creator is the one who should be worshipped and praised. He alone is worthy of every adoration that we can think to mention. Recognizing this exchanges the lie of man for the truth of God and consequently turns the world right side up.

The first step in setting our hearts on the frequency of God's truth, is casting off our idols and whatever holds us in bondage to this lie. The second step is praising God for who He is. Tell Him of his mighty works, sing His praises and bless His name. This will put your world right-side up and in tune with the truth of God even if it is counter to the lies of this world.

Like the Israelites many people are passionate for and about God but have no regard for the truth of Jesus Christ. We use our religions and doctrines to umbrella God into what we want him to be or what we think he is. But Paul said in yesterday passage that there is laid in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and fall and that stone is Jesus Christ ( Romans 9:33 ). If you remove Jesus from His deity and worship God without regard to him then your worship is in vain and it is not based upon truth or knowledge.

This is an incredible reality to understand. Worship is misguided and meaningless unless it is based upon the truth of God's word. Jesus said the same thing in John chapter 4 when he was speaking with the women at the well. She had been questioning him about an age old argument between the Jews and the Samaritans and Jesus revealed to her an amazing thing. He said, "You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth" ( John 4:22-24 ). He tells her plainly that they do not know the truth. The truth is that true worshippers have to worship God in spirit and truth. This can only happen through Jesus. God is a spirit and to communicate with him on a spiritual level we must be born again. Born not naturally but supernaturally from above.

The world is okay with religion and okay with talking about God, and the world wants you to think that many roads lead to heaven. It is acceptable to talk about Buddha and teach about Allah but at the mention of the name of Jesus the world gets hostile, because there is power in that name. Peter said, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved" ( Acts 4:12 ). So as long as we can be deceived looking outside of Jesus for salvation and meaning in life then we are no threat to the world. Just like Paul said in today's passage, "I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge" ( Romans 10:2 ).

Jesus is the vital piece of information that we must have in worshipping God as he desires. Even as Christians we can be well meaning in what we do, but what good is that? Hosea said, "my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge" ( Hosea 4:6 ). Unless we understand the truth of God and his word we will destroy ourselves in our well meaning ignorance. God's word is full of the person of Jesus Christ, what he has done, what he has provided in his redemption package and what he will do for you once you come to him. He is the way, the truth and the life and no man comes to God the Father except through him ( John 14:6 ). This is the knowledge that Paul desired the Israelites to have. He knew Jesus was the missing link in their devotion to God.

Jesus said in John, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" ( John 8:31-32 ). The truth is the truth, but to be free, you have to know it. Religion does not want you to be free, that is why it keep you bound up under the power of the law. But it was John who said, "the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" ( John 1:17 ). Today, it is my prayer that you understand the grace and truth found in Jesus alone and fully trust in him as your personal savior. This is the knowledge that Paul desired for the entire world to grasp. Jesus is the rock laid in Zion that many stumble over, however to those who fall upon Him they will never be put to shame ( Romans 9:33 ). Today, be blessed by this truth in Jesus name, amen!

We have a responsibility as believers to build up and encourage our fellow believers if they are struggling with certain things. We are not to look to our own interests but to that of Christ. As such it is important for us to endure the struggles of our weaker brothers and sisters without passing judgment. Instead we should strive to encourage and build them up for good.

At first glance this passage seems like common sense and it would be easy to casually read right over it and miss the golden truth nestled inside. But the Amplified Bible explains it this way, "WE WHO are strong [in our convictions and of robust faith] ought to bear with the failings and the frailties and the tender scruples of the weak; [we ought to help carry the doubts and qualms of others] and not to please ourselves. Let each one of us make it a practice to please (make happy) his neighbor for his good and for his true welfare, to edify him [to strengthen him and build him up spiritually]" ( Romans 15:1-2 Amp ). So you see what Paul is saying is much more than just bearing each other's weaknesses without passing judgment. In this case we are to come along side those individuals who are struggling in their faith and help carry the burden of their doubts.

This can be accomplished by instruction in the word. Paul told Timothy "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" ( II Timothy 3:16-17 ). If our brethren are struggling in convictions, doubt or doctrine then the only way to help them is to show and teach them from the word and to build them up spiritually. The scriptures were given for this very purpose, to equip us for a godly life and give us instruction for everything we will encounter. Consequently their faith is built this way. Romans 10 says, "Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ" ( Romans 10:17 ). So if doubt or lack of faith is the issue than the solution is instruction in the word of God.

If we are strong in our convictions and robust of faith we must be patient with the tender scruples of the weak and help carry their doubts. This is done by strengthening and building them up spiritually. This is the only way to remove doubt and inner struggle. Jesus told the disciples "then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" ( John 8:32 ). The truth is the truth, but to be free you have to know it. So if our brothers and sisters are struggling in faith because of doubts or lack of knowledge and understanding, then we should be reassuring them from the word of God to help build faith in them and see them freed by the truth we share. This makes for a happy life, but more than that it affects their true welfare; it strengthens, edifies and builds up spiritually so to be fully equipped for every good work in Christ.

This is a good word for today. Let us therefore encourage and build one another up in faith by learning and understanding the word of God. Jesus said concerning the words he spoke, "The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life" ( John 6:63 ). To those who take these precious words to heart they will be life and happiness forevermore. May you be blessed and encouraged by the truth of this passage, amen.

The other night the transformer that supplies power to my neighborhood caught on fire. The electricity in my house flickered on and off for several minutes until finally it shut off. Everything that ran on electricity fell powerless and the house was completely dark. I looked out the window, the entire neighborhood was also dark and quiet. No street lights, no house lights, no light at all except the illumination of the moon.

I fumbled into the kitchen and found the drawer where the flashlights were kept. I pulled out the biggest and the most powerful one and turned it on. The flashlight gave enough light to walk around without running into things but not enough to continue on with life as normal.

I waited for the lights to come on but after a while I decided to give up and get ready for bed. As I did my normal routine such as brush my teeth, wash my face and change my clothes, I noticed how difficult it was with only a little flashlight to illuminate my way. A house once full of light had become very dark. With no surrounding lights, the light the flashlight gave was pretty dim. I couldn't help but think about people trying to navigate this life with little or no light to see by.

In John chapter 1, it says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it." ( John 1:1-5 ).

Do you ever notice that when light is introduced into darkness, the light overtakes the darkness. When a light is turned on in a room, the room lights up, not the other way around. The Bible says, that Jesus is the light that went forth and illuminated the darkness. The Amplified Bible explains it this way, "And the Light shines on in the darkness, for the darkness has never overpowered it [put it out or absorbed it or appropriated it, and is unreceptive to it]" ( John 1:5 ). Jesus is the light that shines on the darkness and conquers it.

As I fumbled around with only my flashlight to see by, many stumble through this life in complete darkness. Just as I staggered through my nightly routine tripping and accommodating the darkness, many falter through life with no direction to follow. In the same way that lights make everything visible and bring illumination to our lives, Jesus' radiance makes our course clear, because He is the light that shines on and overpowers the darkness.

Living in a little truth or a little light is like trying to navigate life with a flashlight. Many do not realize they can have the true steadfast light with which to see by clearly by. If you look at the life of Jesus and what He said about himself He always demonstrated this spiritual truths in a physical way. For instance, Jesus exclaimed that he was the light of the world in John chapter 9, shortly before he opened the eyes of a man who had been born blind.

When the blind man was questioned about who opened his eyes, he said, 'One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!" This man had walked around in complete darkness his whole life until he met Jesus. Who not only gave him sight, more importantly, He illuminated His life to the Messiah. Jesus conquered the darkness he had been born into and gave him use of his eyes. But Jesus also conquered the darkness that surrounded his heart and open the eyes to the life from God that was promised and was the light of men.

This spiritual truth was explained in a physical way. When Jesus opened the eyes of the blind man He exclaimed that he was the light of the world. For the blind man, this was a awesome demonstration of God's power and love. But when he recognized who Jesus was, then the truth that He was the Messiah overshadowed What had happened in the physical.

Recently, I was at a conference where a women, who had become blind in one eye because of an infection, was healed. During the course of the evening, the pigment had completely returned to her eye and she regain full use of it. When asked to share here story, she was most excited to share that Jesus had saved her. She had come to the conference not knowing Him but during the conference she has recognized her need for a savior and had called upon the name of the Lord. She knew she had passed from death to life. She was excited about seeing and being healed, but more importantly, she was excited that she came face to face with Jesus and received life from Him.

Don't be surprised if the world does not share your enthusiasm about our Savior being the promised light of the world. In our example from John 9, the Pharisees were upset at this mans story and refused to acknowledge that he had been born blind. They couldn't refute that he could see, so they doubted his story and threw him out of the temple. When Jesus once again found the man and knew what had happened to him, he told him, "For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind" ( John 9:39 ). Jesus came to open blind eyes and blind hearts. Once the truth of God is illuminated in our hearts we no longer live in darkness but in His light. Unfortunately, the world is still operating in darkness.

Once our eyes have been opened, Jesus tells us that we are the light of the World. In Matthew 5, Jesus said, "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven" ( Matthew 5:14-16 ). In the same way that Jesus shone into the darkness of this world and conquered it, we also shine on the darkness of this world and overpower it.

As soon as the transformer was fixed in my neighborhood and the power returned, I turned on the lights. It was much easier to see and operate with the lights on. I no longer had use for the flashlight that only dimly represented light. In the same way, It is impossible for us not to sparkle in the midst of the shadows of this world. We are called to illuminate what Jesus has done for the humanity. By doing this and letting our light shine before men, we bring glory to our Father in heaven. Passing this on from person to person confirms the truth that Jesus spoke 2000 years ago, 'I have come into this world, so that the blind will see...' ( John 9:39 ).

"I will become more undignified than this...” II Samuel 6:22

While worshipping one Sunday morning in a unified fellowship of believers as the Lords presence fell on all assembled there, people began to dance and shout for joy to the Lord, praising the Lord for the freedom we experience in Christ. The Glory of the God and the presence of God filling the assembly and as it did people started worshipping in spirit and truth.

A word from the Lord came to me during this time, the Spirit of the Lord said to me, "become more undignified than this - " It was as if the Lord was giving me permission to worship him as he created me to worship Him, in Spirit and in truth and to worship as the Lord moved and directed me.

I am reminded of the story from II Samuel 6, which David is bringing back the ark of the Lord into Jerusalem. He and the people are singing and dancing before the Lord and as they are entering Jerusalem, David's own wife look upon him as he is singing and dancing before the Lord and the scripture says, "she despised him in her heart."

When David returned home to bless his household, Michal the daughter of Saul, David's wife came out to meet him and said, "How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, disrobing in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would."

This happens to all of us, if we are following the Lord and walking in the plan that he has for us, then don't be surprised when criticism comes your way - and don't be surprised if it comes from your closet friends and family.

But I love David's response to thins criticism from his wife... he doesn't let it bother him and he doesn't stew over it, but look at his response to her, verse 21, 'David said to Michal, "It was before the Lord who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord's people Israel. I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this and I will be humiliated in my own eyes..."

David took the criticism and said, You haven't seen anything yet!.. Watch This! If you think I am acting crazy now, I will become more undignified than this!

Jesus said it this way in John 4:24, "God is a Spirit and his worshippers must worship in Spirit and truth"

Why does the world criticize you? Why doesn't the world understand you? Why does it come against you when you worship the Lord as His Spirit directs you to worship? Because it does not understand the way of the Spirit... But Jesus said that God is a Spirit and true worshippers Must Worship in spirit and in truth for those are the kinds of worshippers that the Father seeks ( John 4:23-24 )

Paul also adds clarity to this in I Corinthians, chapter 2, verse 12. "We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him and he cannot understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment. For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him! But we have the mind of Christ!" ( I Corinthians 2:12-16 )

The reason the world doesn't understand true worship is because it is foolishness to them - it is foolishness to them because they are spiritually discerned.

Even when other brothers and sisters criticize you, it is because they do not know how to worship as the Lord directs because they are not in tune with the Spirit of God!

I have personally taken a lot of criticism lately because I have left a church due to the lack of the Word being preached there. Being in a dominant leadership role, it upset a lot of apple carts by leaving as I did. Even the Pastor wouldn't recognize my departure as a call for change but told me I was walking away from the Lord -

I know a lot of false things had been said about me and even from the pulpit but I am choosing to response like David - if you think I am a fool before the masses, then watch this! "I will become more undignified than this!" That is why this word is so important to me because it gives me the freedom to worship the Lord and it gives me the freedom to not care what others may say about me! I would and do relish the chance to be in the presence of the Lord any day, rather than be subjected to the ranting and ravings of man...

There is a need for my mind to be aligned with the Lord Spirit within me... it groans on the inside of me... it has called me out of the darkness into light and continues to call me out of the ordinary and into the extraordinary! The Spirit within me has given me permission to be "more undignified than this!"