I’ve talked about obedience on here in the past, and I think that is the biggest issue, and one that I struggle with as well. Are we going to conform ourselves to the Jesus of the Bible, or try to conform our idea of Jesus to suit ourselves? Sadly, I think for most Christians it’s the latter. But it shouldn’t be this way. As Christians, particularly in North America, we’re always looking for the finances, the life of ease, a God who gives us stuff when He asks us to give it all to Him instead. God never promised us an easy life… what He promised was that He would never abandon us, never forsake us. He promised that if we were obedient to Him, He would put our feet on a sure foundation so that when the storms of life hit us (not if, not that if we were obedient that they wouldn’t), we wouldn’t be blown away, that we would stand firm in His embrace. He promised to walk with us, not to give us “stuff”.

This is a challenging article and well worth the read. I highly encourage you to take some time to read it and then examine your own heart, and challenge yourself about what it really means to follow Jesus, to be a servant of our King, to really love and worship Jesus, and make of ourselves living sacrifices that honour and glorify His Name.

Here we can see God’s direction played out, and Joash’s obedience to the Word of God:

“And Elisha said to him, ‘Take a bow and some arrows.’ So he took himself a bow and some arrows. Then he said to the king of Israel, ‘Put your hand on the bow.’ So he put his hand on it, and Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands. And he said, ‘Open the east window’; and he opened it. Then Elisha said, ‘Shoot’; and he shot. And he said, ‘The arrow of the Lord’s deliverance and the arrow of deliverance from Syria; for you must strike the Syrians at Aphek till you have destroyed them.’” (2 Kings 13:15-17, NKJV)

Joash obeyed everything that Elisha said, and Elisha gave him detailed instructions. This clearly shows obedience. Yet the following verses, while showing obedience, also show a lack of passion, zeal, and enthusiasm — which are things that God wants from us as well:

“Then he said, ‘Take the arrows’; so he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, ‘Strike the ground’; so he struck three times, and stopped. And the man of God was angry with him, and said, ‘You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck Syria till you had destroyed it! But now you will strike Syria only three times.’” (2 Kings 13:18-19, NKJV)

Obedience is important, absolutely! If Joash had not obeyed the Word of God through Elisha, he would not have struck Syria at all, and God’s deliverance would not be evident whatsoever. Yet, even though he was obedient, he was not zealous about what God had said. He was not given the specifics of what striking the ground would produce, yet his lack of response ultimately meant that God did not respond as fully as He wanted to. God wanted to give Joash complete victory, but the king’s response limited God. And as a result of that limitation, complete victory was not attained.

We can, and do, limit what God can do in our lives. The above illustrates this clearly. It is also spelled out quite plainly in the Psalms:

“How often they provoked Him in the wilderness, and grieved Him in the desert! Yes, again and again they tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.” (Psalms 78:40-41, NKJV)

If you want to release the full victory and blessing of God in your life, do not limit Him. Do not hold back in your worship, in your prayers, in your intercession before the Holy One of Israel! Be obedient, yes, but do not hold back! Let the outward be an expression of the inward, abandon yourself and be passionate for God, be zealous and enthusiastic. Paying lip service to God, doing the prescribed works without love, loyalty, passion will get you somewhere, but it will not get you what you want, or what God wants to give you.

Abandon yourself, lose yourself, in worship. Let holiness and righteousness consume you, set a fire in your heart, to strive for and hunger after the Presence of the Almighty God. Prayer, worship, studying and consuming the Word, losing yourself in love and adoration to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ — show Him that He is the first and foremost in your life! Couple that with obedience to His Word, to His commands and direction, then you have a potent mix, a formula for victory and success in whatever it is you are crying out to the Lord for!

The term Christian is thrown about quite loosely and I think a lot of people call themselves a Christian because they believe in God. Or they (mostly) do nice things for people. Or they go to church for Christmas… and maybe Easter if they feel like it. Maybe they think they are Christian because they were baptized as a baby. Or maybe they asked Jesus into their heart as a child.

Do any of these things make you a Christian? In and of themselves, no. Being baptized doesn’t make you a Christian. Asking Jesus into your heart once, or twice, or a whole bunch of times even, doesn’t make you a Christian. These are stepping stones on the way to becoming a Christian, sure. But making you a Christian? No way.

Let’s put it this way. Do your friends and family and co-workers know that you are a Christian? If not, then you need to do some serious soul-searching and figure out why that is. I’m not saying you need to evangelize to them all (but if you are at all concerned about their eternal souls, which you should be, then you should be talking to them about the hope within you, right?), but you need to live a lifestyle that, without a doubt, reflects that you are a Christian. Does this mean you need to be perfect? Nope. I’m far from perfect. And I am pretty much scared spitless to evangelize to people — I am more than willing to talk about Jesus and my hope and faith and love for Christ if it is brought up, but to just out of the blue talk to someone about it? I have a real hard time with that, and it really takes some prayer and dependency on the Holy Spirit to move me beyond my natural tendency to clam up.

But at the same time, I know that when people spend some time talking to me, they know I’m a Christian. I haven’t always been this way, of course, but as I’m growing and learning, I am becoming more public, more obvious. Things like saying “God bless you” roll off the tongue with such ease now, when they were so hard to say before. Taking my Bible to church was something I would do if I remembered it, but it didn’t really matter if it didn’t come with me. My Bible goes with me every time I’m at church now. And instead of tucking it away or hiding it in a stack of whatever else I happen to be carrying, it’s on top, shining for the world to see.

These are a few examples, but they convey a very important thing: I’m not ashamed or trying to hide who I am. And this is a very very important thing to realize, because Jesus says:

““Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.”” (Matt 10:32-33, NKJV)

Being denied before God means an eternity separated from God. And if God is in heaven, then that means we will not be in heaven. There’s only one place left.

Look at what else Jesus says:

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matt 4:13-16, NKJV)

I heard this the other day and it really made sense. As Christians, we are the Bride of Christ, right? Ok, so all you married people out there… you do acknowledge the fact that you have a spouse, right? That you’re married? You don’t tuck your significant other in the closet and bring him or her our when the lights are off and no one is around, right?

So if we, as the church, are the Bride of Christ, why are so many of us denying the fact that we have a “husband”?

Think about it! If you ignored your spouse, didn’t spend any time with them, didn’t give them any affection, didn’t stand up for them… how long do you think your spouse is going to remain your spouse? He or she might suffer it for a while, but I’m pretty sure that at some point they are going to pointedly say to you that you’re doing something wrong and you need to acknowledge them and treat them better. Shape up or ship out. I’m pretty sure that most of us would feel the same way. Dejected, lonely, frustrated, angry — these are things anyone who is consistently ignored by their spouse feels. So then the question becomes: if we feel this way when we are neglected by our spouse, how do you think Jesus feels when His spouse-to-be is neglecting Him?

We are salt and we are light. We need to make the fact that we are Christians known. People need to look at us and know there is something different about us without us even opening our mouths and saying a word. God’s light should be shining from within us. We should be doing, and acting, and speaking, things that befit someone who belongs to a body that will be married to the King of Kings! Our attitude should be so Christ-like that people will know that we are more than just “good people” without even bringing God into the conversation. And when they ask why you’re so happy, or joyful, or what makes you so different, why do we hide the fact that it is our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ that has transformed and redeemed and saved us?

Living lives that are righteous, holy, and obedient before Father God are what will draw people to us and let them know that we are different without us even having to try. We need to love our neighbours as ourselves:

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35, NKJV)

Finally, look at the origination of the term Christian:

“So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.” (Acts 11:26b, NKJV)

The disciples were called Christians! Not “the good people”, not the people who “went to church sometimes” — none of these were called Christians. The disciples were called Christians. If we profess to be Christians, we need to be disciples of Jesus Christ! There are three keys in this half of the verse: the first is that they were disciples. The second is that they assembled with the church (“spirituality without the church” is not Christianity!). The third is that they taught people.

Are you a Christian? How do you know if you’re a Christian? You know you’re a Christian if you lead a life of selfless abandon to Jesus Christ, that you love Him, that you strive to be obedient in all things. That you put on your robes of righteousness for His Name’s sake, not yours. That you do everything you can to lead a holy and righteous life. That you teach people, through words and actions. That you are a city on the hill, a light uncovered for all to see. That you do not deny Jesus — at any time. That you love His Word, that it is your daily bread. That you put Jesus before everything, before relaxation and recreation, before music or books or TV or video games or “hanging out”. That you love the Body of Christ, the church, and your brothers and sisters in Christ, and you strive for unity in all things with the Body. That you are a bride that wants to wear robes without wrinkle or spot and that you are head-over-heals in abandoned love with the only One who can save, who has given you the free gift of salvation and eternal life! That you repent of your sins, get baptized, and be filled with the Holy Spirit and then let the Holy Spirit shine through you!

Lord God, make more disciples for you! You are calling Your people to repentance, to holy and righteous living, just as You are Holy and Righteous! Shape me into a vessel of honor for Your Name’s sake, Lord, not mine. Never for me, but always for You! Jesus I love You, I exalt You, and I magnify Your precious Name! Father, thank You for sending Your Son to die on the cross for our my, to bridge the gap between you and me, so that I can know You and, more importantly, that You know me. Thank You Jesus for all that you have done for mankind, are doing for mankind, and will do for mankind. Thank You that You love us so much! Help me to be a worthy disciple, showing you through my words and deeds, showing a lost and dying world the one true path to everlasting life! Amen and Amen!

The dictionary describes “faithful” as: loyal, constant, true, devoted, unswerving, staunch, steadfast, dedicated, committed, trusty, trustworthy (or “worthy of trust”), dependable, reliable. These are some powerful, yet intimidating, words. Keeping these words in mind, look at this scripture:

“And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” (2 Tim 2:2, NKJV)

Paul is talking about men that are trustworthy, dedicated, and loyal — to such men is the Gospel given in order to teach others. This shows us that Jesus wants to trust us with things, and know that we are going to be faithful to them. Just like an employer wants an employee that is dedicated and loyal, so does Jesus want followers that are dedicated and loyal.

If you’re not faithful, you’re unfaithful. There is no middle ground. The antonyms for “faithful” from the dictionary are: traitorous, unreliable. This is the definition of being unfaithful.

Seeing what the words mean (beyond a “spiritual” definition of faith) really lets us know why most people desire to hang out with, know, and associate with faithful people — whatever they are faithful to. Faithful to their spouse, their job, their family, their church. No one wants to associate with people that abandon their spouse, come to work late and do a half-hearted job, leave their family to go drink at the bar, or jump around from church to church. People are drawn to faithful people. At the same time, people are repelled by unfaithful people.

Look what Jesus says about being faithful:

“He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.” (Luke 16:10, NKJV)

This is a very real truth and there is spiritual principle here. I know this for fact when my wife and I started tithing years ago, despite the fact that we felt we couldn’t afford it. We wanted to be obedient to God’s Word, so we were faithful in the little that we had, and God gave us increase. We had proven that He could trust us with money, and He has been faithful to provide for both our needs and our wants. His Grace was sufficient, and while there are always times that are tight, usually it is due to us spending money on something silly, rather than the tithe being the burden.

The same holds true with employment. To the employee that is loyal and dedicated in their job, regardless of how menial it might be, to them is given favour over those who despise their job or don’t do a good job. People notice and appreciate good work! This doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll receive promotions overnight or higher wages, but it could very well mean that when it is time for the axe to come down, you survive the cuts. I have experienced this scenario personally as well.

Keep in mind, however, that there is always a test. Just as we get tested before we can get a drivers license, or tested in school before we can move on in studies, so we are tested in life. The test is what determines whether we learned what we needed to learn and can progress, or whether we need to learn the lesson again. There will always be a test to see if you are faithful. Your loyalty will come into question, whether by people or circumstances or temptations. Loyalty to your marriage, your family, your job, your church, your relationship with Jesus. These things will be tested, and your faithfulness (or unfaithfulness) will prove itself.

Will you pass the test? Will you be faithful in the little so that you can be faithful with much? Will you tell God that you will tithe when He gives you more finances? Will you get into ministry when the church is bigger? Will you have fellowships and visits in your home, but only when God gives you a bigger house?

Are you a Christian that tells God what your definition of Christianity is and think that because Jesus loves you, it’s ok? That it’s ok to compromise? That it’s ok to hold back? That it’s ok, because Jesus loves me and I can do no wrong, so here God, this is what I’m willing to do but don’t ask for more because I’m in this for convenience and ease?

“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil 2:12, NKJV)

There are two things to note here. The first is that as Christians we weren’t called to a life of convenience and ease. We are called to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. Reverence! Worship! This is Almighty God we serve!

Secondly, Paul is talking about faithfulness in the same verse. He is saying to the church that they were obedient, faithful, when he was with them but they are also faithful, when he is not there. Isn’t that the sign of a good employee? Someone who can work without direct supervision, or their manager breathing down their back having to correct them or encourage them or keep them on track?

Isn’t that also the sign of a good Christian? Someone who is motivated to get into the Word, to pray, to worship, to live a life of witness to those around them — without having God on their back telling and correcting, but simply doing it because they just plain old love God and want to be obedient and loyal and faithful?

Good intentions don’t count when it comes to faithfulness. In the words of Yoda: “Do, or do not. There is no ‘try’.” (sorry for the Star Wars reference, but it is far too relevant!) People fail the test of faithfulness because they are self-absorbed, and self-seeking. They are against unity and want to do things on their own, being a Lone Ranger. This is not what God has called us to be, or to do.

The final point to mention is that we need more Elishas. Elisha was the kind of man we all need to be. He was tenacious, he was loyal, he was dedicated — both to serving Elijah and also to serving God. He did not waiver, he didn’t go behind Elijah’s back to start his own thing. He didn’t go into ministry on his own until Elijah’s mantle was given to him. If you read 2 Kings 2, you see that Elisha refused to leave Elijah despite being told to stay behind. Three times Elijah asks him to stay behind and three times Elisha vows “As surely as the Lord lives I will not leave you”. Twice he has the prophets telling him that Elijah is going to be taken away from him that day, and not once did this disheartening news make him turn from following.

His faithfulness was rewarded. But it wasn’t Elijah that rewarded him. It was God. God rewarded Elisha’s faithfulness and granted him what he requested (the double-portion). But if Elisha would have been unfaithful, even once, he never would have received what he asked for. Only because he was faithful, did he receive the double-portion of Elijah’s spirit. If he had tried to do things his way, or fast-tracked God’s plan and become a prophet before it was his time, he would have lost out on the huge blessing God had in store for him. His faithfulness earned him that.

Thanks, Pastor Mark, for the awesome message. Hopefully I did it some justice with my post. My spirit got all wound up with this message because it’s so true and so relevant (to anyone, whether you are a believer or not). My prayer is that you find it relevant in your life, just as I find it relevant in mine, and you ask yourself the hard question (and answer it honestly): Am I faithful? And if so, what are you faithful to? Are you faithful in the little things? Are you faithful in all things? A friend once said that if you had a glass of water that was 99% water and 1% cyanide, it’s still poisonous. If you are 99% faithful but 1% unfaithful, don’t kid yourself — you’re still unfaithful.

Don’t preempt God. Don’t put your selfish desires before His — even if you desperately want to do something for God. Remember Waiting on the Lord? Be faithful with what He’s given you, and if it is a vision, hold fast to it but don’t preempt God into starting or doing something when the time isn’t right. Seek God, pray, and He will reveal His good and perfect timing. Until then, be faithful in what He has already given you, and prove your faithfulness, and then rest assured that God will lead you out into bigger things, for His glory and His Name’s sake.

It’s all about His Name, not yours, and certainly not mine. Be patient, be obedient, be faithful. Be worthy of trust.

This is a powerful message, and it is one that many will find offensive or “dated”, and the only reason you would think that is if you have bought into the “contemporary Christian” or “carnal Christian” mentality that is so prevalent in western churches today.

I don’t want to reiterate what Paul Washer said — if you know you are a Christian, you need to watch this. If you think you are a Christian, you really need to watch this. If you are not a Christian, you should watch this as well. The guts it took for this man to stand before an audience of 5,000 people (most of them youth), and preach this message, is astounding.

What I would like to do is focus on one thing he says because it really resonates with other things that I have really been feeling in the last few weeks, particularly in the areas of righteousness and holiness.

“‘Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way the leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.’” (Matt 7:13-14, NKJV)

Many Christians today think that righteousness and holiness is a lifestyle choice, like choosing to eat Subway over McDonalds, or drinking water over soda pop. Unfortunately, the Bible never taught that (as Bible-believing Christians) we had any choice on how we live as Christians. We were called to be holy and righteous — not as a lifestyle choice, but as a mandate. We were called to examine ourselves, line ourselves up to the Word, to be like Jesus as much as we can in this fallen earthly flesh. When did we get the idea that we ever had a choice?

Sadly, society and the idea of being un-offensive to people have told us the lie that we do have a choice, and when we read that verse we think of only the narrow gate, and think only that when we accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Saviour, then that’s it. Done deal. I’m going to heaven now. And we never change how we live our lives. Nothing changes! We continue to be of the world, rather than in the world. Two very different things!

Yes, the narrow gate is the first step and I believe that gate is coming into a personal relationship with Jesus. Nothing else counts. His Name is the only Name by which men are saved. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and no one comes to the Father but by Him. Period.

But we’ve glossed over verse 14 where it says that the way is difficult. That means the gate isn’t the final destination. There is a path after the gate, and it too is narrow. It is difficult. It is a life of discipline, of surrender, of change. It is a life of being led by, and changed by, the Holy Spirit. It is a life of transformation and regeneration, becoming a “new creation” or a “new man”.

The gate is not the end of the road. It’s the beginning!

In western civilization, there is so much sensitivity, compromise, and tolerance. None of these things were taught in the Bible. Look at how “harsh” the church in Acts was:

“It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immortality as is not even named among the Gentiles — that a man has his father’s wife! And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you [...] deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” (1 Cor 5:1-5, NKJV)

Would we even think of doing something like that today? But this is where Paul preached a “no tolerance” message. Why then, do we look the other way? Are we taking “turn the other cheek” too far, turning it into “turn a blind eye”?

It is no wonder that power is lost in the church when the messages delivered from the pulpit are all “feel good” messages or talks about current events. I thank God that He put me into a church that preaches the Holy Word of God, regardless of whether it is comfortable or not. That teaches Christian life through the Bible and not through someone’s handbook or some fanciful ideals.

Too many people today consider themselves Christians, or saved, and refuse to allow God to transform their lives. They are full of pride, go to the bars, get drunk, show off their bodies with sensual dress, do drugs, chase after money, watch pornography, live with their girlfriend or boyfriend without making a commitment to marriage, get divorced without taking their marriage before God and making an effort to fix things, tell crude jokes, lie, steal, cheat, show unkindness to people — the laundry list of sin goes on. And then these people have the audacity to consider themselves Christian? Many of them go to church on Sunday, raise their hands, worship God, and then are at the bar getting drunk on Monday, or going home with their common-law “significant other” to persist in a life of sin! God forgive me, but I have been guilty of some of these myself and bought into the lie that it was ok, I’m a Christian, I can ask for forgiveness and I’ll be forgiven. But until I repented and turned away from what I was doing, I was no different from anyone else who calls themselves Christian. Jesus forgive me for making a mockery of Your Most Holy Name!

People, the term “Christian” embraces proverbially all that is noble, and good, and Christ-like!

How then can we call ourselves Christian if the things we do are not noble, not good, and not Christ-like?

I’m not saying that overnight we have an encounter with God and turn around to become perfect. This is a life of repentance, discipline, and serving Jesus with our every last breath. This is a life of going to God with our struggles and concerns and worries and having hope, faith, and trust that He will guide us through His Holy Spirit. And there will be evidence! To have an encounter with God that lasts a week, or a month, and then go back to the same old thing that you were doing exactly before having that encounter with God is not proof that you are saved. Having your mind transformed and continually improving, changing, and leading a life that is pleasing to God is proof! Not everyone will become evangelists or preachers after an encounter with God but you will start displaying the fruits of the Spirit!

If you have never read Galations, below is a verse that is the litmus test for anyone who professes to be a Christian. Which are you? Flesh or Spirit? This is where we have been called to examine ourselves. Examine your fruit and if the fruit you find is not the fruit of the Spirit, then perhaps you need to rethink the life you are leading. I know that listening to Paul Washer’s sermon has made me look at my life again. I am so far from perfect that it isn’t even funny, but by the Grace of Almighty God I know I am a new creation and I know that He is doing a good work in me because I see changes in me that were not there years or even months ago. Thank you Lord for continuing to change me into a vessel that would honor and glorify You!

“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 times 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. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.” (Gal 5:19-26, NKJV)

I pray that you really take this to heart, and that you have the courage to listen to Paul Washer’s sermon in its entirety. God bless him for the courage it took to preach a message that is not dated, not irrelevant, and not “old school” but is so desperately pertinent to today’s declining church!