Giving Keys to Thieves

After church one day a few years ago, a solid Christian woman began to be overcome with feelings of extreme sadness. A few of us, my wife included, went with her into a room to intercede for her away from the crowds.

As we prayed, a demonic presence appeared to manifest. She started to growl, drool and claw at the floor like a wild animal. Honestly, I was kind of freaked out. Though we eventually saw her receive deliverance from the evil spirit, within a few weeks it happened again. When I got a call about her experiencing her third bout with the demon, I sensed God telling me to ask her if she had been harboring bitterness and resentment toward a certain family member.

Unfortunately, this is not the only time I have ministered to brothers and sisters in Christ where prolonged bitterness and an unwillingness to forgive allowed evil spirits to have their oppressive way. Sometimes these Christians heard audible, evil, and berating voices, and one believer even heard voices telling him to do harmful, malevolent things to others.

In Ephesians 4:26-27, Paul makes sense of this situation. He writes, “Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity.” The word translated “opportunity” in this verse (topon) has a lexical range that includes “place,” “region,” “seat,” and “opportunity.” Jesus says in John 14:2 that He is going to God the Father to prepare a topon, a dwelling place, for His disciples.

So basically, remaining bitter with someone and refusing to forgive him or her is like handing a thief the key to our house. Specifically, Paul tells us this thief is the devil, and the house for which the key is made is our body. To be sure, handing over the key to our house is not the same as signing over the deed to that person. Just because someone has a key to our house does not mean he or she owns it. We still own the house.

If you have been born again, God hasbought you with a price and your body has become the temple of the Holy Spirit. The devil cannot own or possess something that is owned or possessed by God. However, if you have given away the key to your house to him, he has the ability to cause much damage to your life. Again, as Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10). Knowing this, why would you willingly give the key to your house to the thief?

Though what you just read may be outside of your tradition, the early Christians affirmed that unrepentant Christians can be oppressed and demonized by evil spirits.

Holy Scripture teaches us that there are certain invisible enemies that fight against us. And it commands us to arm ourselves against them. … We receive certain initial elements and (as it were) seeds of sins from those things that we use agreeably to nature. However, when we have indulged them beyond what is proper and have not resisted the first movements to intemperance, then the hostile powers size the occasion of this first transgression. They incite and press us hard in every way. They seek to extend our sins over a wider field. – Origen 225CE, ANF Volume 4, p.   [CD-ROM]

Thankfully, all of the individuals experienced full and lasting deliverance once they repented of the sins of bitterness and unforgiveness. They experienced the Spirit of God cast the evil spirits out from their bodies through the power, authority, name and blood of Jesus Christ. These Christians felt incredible spiritual and physical relief as a result of the repentance and deliverance that had taken place. One of them was finally able to start having a full night’s sleep after roughly two decades of restlessness.

What about you? Has a root of bitterness been allowed to run deep in your life for too long? Is there someone you need to forgive?

Today is the day for reconciliation. Today is the day for freedom. Today is the day to reclaim the keys of your house.

Grace Pt. 3 - Through Jesus' Eyes

My wife often teases me about how many toothpicks I carry in my car. The habit started a few years ago after having lunch with a buddy of mine.

I ate a hamburger that day, and when I got back into my car I happened to look in the mirror. What I saw horrified me. A huge piece of lettuce was stuck between two of my front teeth.

The lunch lasted at least a couple of hours, and I finished my burger after the first 45 minutes. So that gigantic leaf was waving hello to my friend for well over an hour, and he just let it happen. He never said anything.

I get it. It can be awkward to point out people’s flaws, but if you’re like me, you’d rather them say something than let you keep on looking like a slack-jawed-yokel. But, for a while ignorance often does feel like bliss.

Have you ever heard someone teach that because of God’s grace, when God sees Christians, He sees them through the lens of the blood of Jesus? Maybe they extrapolated on that thought and declared that God therefore sees Christians as always only holy, righteous and forgiven in His sight. After all, scripture does use those words about what God’s grace has done for those who are in Christ.

But pause for a minute and humbly dwell on this question: Is that always what scripture says God sees when He looks at Christians?

Why does James call the Christians he’s writing to adulterers in James 4:4 if they are always holy, righteous and forgiven in God’s sight?

Why does John say in 1 John 1:8-9 that if any Christian claims to be without sin they are a liar and the truth is not in them, but if they confess their sin, God will forgive and cleanse them – if they are always holy, righteous and forgiven in His sight?

Maybe someone out there is taking a low view of the inspiration of scripture and thinking, “Those scriptures don't clearly show God’s personal view of Christians.”

Well, if you’re a Christian, do you believe that Jesus is fully God? Do you believe that the Holy Spirit is fully God? Then what about when they speak as one in scripture to Christians? Does that count as God speaking? If so, how do you feel about the words of rebuke and warning Jesus and the Holy Spirit spoke to five of the seven churches in the book of Revelation?

Here’s what one early Christian had to say:

Unravel the meaning of “what the Spirit says to the churches.” He imputes to the Ephesians “forsaken love;” reproaches the Thyatirenes with “fornication,” and “eating of things sacrificed to idols;” accuses the Sardians of “works not full;” censures the Pergamenes for teaching perverse things; rebukes the Laodiceans for trusting to their riches; and yet gives them all general warnings to repentance—under threats of vengeance, it is true; but He would not utter threats of vengeance to one unrepentant if He did not forgive the repentant. – Tertullian 195CE, Volume 3, p. 1153 [CD-ROM]

To the early Christians, Jesus really saw and Jesus really knew. And as usual, Jesus didn't waste words. If He issued a grave warning, it was because He meant it. If He offered the opportunity to repent, it was also because He meant it.

Here’s what I think is going on in the modern church: God’s grace is so amazing that many Christians have become caught up in its majesty. Then, they overstate what scripture says grace actually does. Unfortunately, this love of an overstatement of God’s grace has led to some rather unfortunate natural conclusions.

For instance, some teach that since Jesus died for all sin, everyone is already forgiven. Everyone on the planet. People just need to come to this awareness. Basically, salvation is through knowledge of God’s gracious act of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Modern Gnosticism. 

Some Christian teachers proclaim that since everyone is already forgiven, to ask forgiveness for anything is actually a rejection of grace.

Others teach that since every Christian is already holy, behaviors like homosexuality and other forms of sex outside of marriage are not sins for Christians.

In this series of blogs about grace, I’m going to be discussing several things the Bible says that grace does, and some things modern Christendom believes grace does that it actually doesn’t. I hope you’ll join me on this journey.

But for now, will you pray with me this beautiful, soul-searching prayer of David, so that we may align ourselves with the truth of God?  

Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way. - Psalm 139:23-24

Lord's Prayer Pt. 5 - Forgive Us As We Forgive

In the Christian culture where I was raised, we were taught to view the Bible as the inerrant, infallible word of God. I’m glad that I was given that foundation, because scripture teaches that it is completely inspired by God… breathed out by the Holy Spirit Himself. Looking back, though, I have noticed that there were several instances in the church where it was insinuated that the pastor or teacher’s interpretation was more authoritative than the simple words of Christ.

For instance, let’s explore Jesus’ teaching on forgiveness.

The Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6:12 calls us to pray, “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” Did you notice that little word as? It means ‘in the same way’. Little word – big implications.

Do you really forgive all people of their sins in the same way you want God to forgive you of your sins? And do you believe He will answer this prayer?

Perhaps the most detailed and shocking story told by Jesus on the importance of forgiveness is found in Matthew 18:21-35. A servant is mercifully forgiven an unimaginable debt by his master, yet afterwards refuses to forgive a fellow servant of a minor debt in comparison. When the master hears of the injustice, he hands him over to the torturers until his debt can be paid off (he owed more than 150,000 years worth of salary). Jesus concludes this parable by saying, “My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart. (vs. 35)”

Do you really believe that God will have His servants tortured if they don’t forgive other Christians from their heart?

Though my church culture growing up believed it was imperative to forgive, they didn't really teach that a Christian refusing to forgive others could affect that Christian's eternal experience. The early Christians took the matter of forgiveness with the utmost seriousness and believed it did affect our eternal standing with God. Look at these two examples:

If then we ask the Lord to forgive us, we ought to also forgive; for we are before the eyes of our Lord and God, and “we must all appear at the judgment-seat of Christ, and must every one give an account of himself.” Let us then serve Him in fear, and with all reverence, even as He Himself has commanded us, and as the apostles who preached the Gospel unto us. – Polycarp 135CE, Volume 1, p. 60 [CD-ROM]

He has clearly … bound us by a certain condition and engagement, that we should ask that our debts be forgiven us in such a manner as we ourselves forgive our debtors, knowing that that which we seek for our sins cannot be obtained unless we ourselves have acted in a similar way in respect of our debtors. … There remains no ground of excuse in the day of judgment, when you will be judged according to your own sentence; and whatever you have done, that you will also suffer. For God commands us to be peacemakers. – Cyprian 250CE, Volume 5, p. 793-794 [CD-ROM]

Being a parent will just about force you to learn how to be forgiving if you struggle with that issue. I’ve never had to offer forgiveness more often in a two year period than I have since Steph and I adopted siblings in 2014. It was a difficult adjustment for me during that first year, primarily because I was being pulled out of deep levels of selfishness I didn't know existed.

There was one point early in year one when I was getting repeatedly lied to and hurt every day, and began to harbor a significant amount of bitterness. It was affecting my mood, concentration, patience, relationships, driving and sleep. One day I felt God calling me to get down on my knees at my bed to confess this bitterness and forgive my kids.

As I began to confess the bitterness, an oppressive force seemed to manifest. I know this sounds weird, but something began to choke me. I tried to rebuke whatever it was in Jesus’ name, but I couldn’t breathe or speak. Finally, after about 20 seconds of crying out to God in my heart and mind, I managed to eek out, “Spirit of bitterness, I rebuke you in Jesus’ name.” And just like that, everything went back to normal. I quickly forgave my kids.

I’ve never experienced anything like that before, and, praise God, never anything like that since.

Bringing this to a head, there are many phrases in the Lord’s Prayer that the human heart just doesn’t want to take seriously. Yet, of all the things Jesus could say in response to the vital issues we are commanded to pray for, He immediately follows the prayer with, “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions (Matt. 6:14-15).”

So I ask, do you really believe Jesus that if you don’t forgive other people their sins, God will not forgive you of your sins?

Who do you need to make amends with today?