Obedience, Unpopular?

I received another "feel good" forwarded Christian email today.

And went to my Bible.....

How often do we forward emails we've received that have the words "pray" and "God" in them? When we do, do we believe we're providing encouragement to other Christians, so that we're "doing our part" for the kingdom? I think we've all done this. We read these messages we've received from someone else, click 'Forward', add all our Christian friends' addresses and then click 'Send', and smile. And then we go back to living our lives, hoping that someone somewhere will be encouraged by our "Christian act".

But how many of us will commit to spend a little less time this year forwarding "Christian message" emails (that we didn't even create but were merely forwarded to us), and spend a little more time being truly obedient to God's word? The Bible says:

If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land" Isaiah 1:19 (KJV)"


Willingness is great, but obedience is also extremely important.

So let's talk about OBEDIENCE.

OBEDIENCE: How many of us will agree to start offering prayers for the sick, so that they will recover? The Bible says:
"...the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. Therefore... pray for each other so that you may be healed" (from James 5:15-16, NIV)

There are FOUR possible outcomes from our prayer activity, as explained by the above scripture:
1. We will offer prayers in faith for the sick, and they will be healed.
2. We will pray, but won't offer our prayers in faith as explained in the Bible, and the sick will remain sick.
3. We won't pray at all. See #2's outcome above.
4. James words aren't to be taken literally, or he really meant to say something else.

OBEDIENCE: How many of us will agree to regularly attend church services and encourage one another while we're there? The Bible says:
"Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near." (Hebrews 10:24-25, NLT)

Encouragement and assembly go together. The New Testament writers only sent their epistles when they were unable to come and assemble with other believers in person. Think about it: are you truly "unable" to attend church, once or twice a week? Or is church just "inconvenient" to your lifestyle? Be honest.

Again, I see FOUR outcomes of our activities based on the above scripture:
1. We attend church regularly and encourage one another, motivating each other to good works.
2. We don't attend, but perhaps we forward someone else's emails we've received, thinking that our act will provide the encouragement they need to get through another day in this sick, sinful world. And then we wonder why our fellow Christians aren't being encouraged.
3. We attend church, but not very often. And when we do, it's all about how WE feel, what WE like, and what WE want. Again, see #2's outcome.
4. We are not obedient to the scriptures, and stay away from church altogether, accusing this or that church or religious group of being full of hypocrites, or some other excuse. But in the end, our activities separate from others in the Body of Christ, and the Body is weakened as a result.

OBEDIENCE: How many of us will agree this year to spend more time each week studying the scriptures? The Bible says:
"Work hard so you can present yourself (the KJV says "study to show thyself approved") to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15, NLT)

God gave us sixty-six books of pure divine love, every word carefully penned to help us all to live lives in a close relationship with Him through our obedient activities. But do we take the time to learn about what God has given us? Do we "work hard" to be able to (as the scriptures say) "correctly explain" the scriptures to other Christians, or an unbelieving family member or friend? Or do we skip Sunday School and Bible study, instead perhaps tuning in to our favorite "tele-pastor" to receive some inspirational message, so we can sit and "learn" from a distance, being ever-prepared to switch the channels if even this distant and well-watered word becomes a bit uncomfortable?

OBEDIENCE: How many of us will agree to give God more of our financial blessings this year? Even if you get hung up on whether the act of giving tithes is still biblically necessary, Jesus encouraged us to give far more than 10%. The Bible says:

"While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box. Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins. “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.” (Luke 21:1-4, NLT)

Some may argue about whether a 10% tithe is truly a biblical directive, but through his statement Jesus seems to be encouraging us to give everything like the widow (that's a 100% tithe!). So it seems we can legitimately complain IF we're asked to give more than 100%. Everything less than that is subject to interpretation.

Jesus also said "Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full — pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” (Luke 6:38, NLT)

Read your Bible (or get yourself to more Bible studies). If you drop a dollar in the plate on Sunday, don't expect more than a dollar in return, through the people around you. A buck, even one repaid to you in full as described in the Bible, doesn't seem like much, does it? Imagine how God feels when he sees your solitary dollar drop into the plate.

We CAN make a difference this year, to our families and those other believers around us. But instead of just reading, clicking and forwarding, let's all agree to give more PRAYERS, ATTENDANCE, STUDY, and FINANCES, to show God just how important he is to us.

I'll commit to this. Will you join me?

May God richly bless you, so you can richly bless those around you.
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© 2010 Scotty Ward