Stress, anxiety and worry are something we all struggle with at some point in our lives. But what about when it gets to a point where you feel completely overwhelmed?   

Between financial struggles, marital issues, health scares, and the run-of-the-mill problems of everyday life, it’s easy to feel weighed down and trapped by your circumstances. In times like these, it’s tempting to just throw in the towel and quit. With all the bad things that are happening, and will happen, how can Paul say and encourage his readers and eventually us to say what he did in Romans 8:28.

Romans 8:28 (HCSB)  We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose. 

These words from Paul are not from a person who has had it good all his life but from a guy who "under great pressure" and "despaired even of life" (2 Cor. 1:8); he was "hard pressed on every side" and "perplexed," "persecuted" and "struck down" (2 Cor. 4:8-9); he experienced "beatings," "imprisonments," "riots" and "hunger" (2 Cor. 6:4-5). 

2 Corinthians 1:8 HCSB For we don’t want you to be unaware, brothers, of our affliction that took place in Asia: we were completely overwhelmed — beyond our strength — so that we even despaired of life.

2 Corinthians 4:8‭-‬9 HCSB We are pressured in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed.

2 Corinthians 6:4‭-‬5 HCSB But as God’s ministers, we commend ourselves in everything: by great endurance, by afflictions, by hardship, by difficulties, by beatings, by imprisonments, by riots, by labors, by sleepless nights, by times of hunger,

For Christians to be free from the realities of sin and death does not mean that we can live our lives unaffected by the continuing presence of sin and death in this world.  So what’s the good? Doesn’t make sense does it? Exactly what does it mean that “all things work together for the good of those who love God?” Here’s what it means. It is the destiny of those who love the Lord to be like Jesus. God is committed to produce in us all the love, all the joy, all the patience, all the long-suffering, all the goodness, and all the gentleness of Jesus.  

But until that happens we are still subject to the realities of sin and death.  It is God's love in Christ that sustains us and empowers us—even in the midst of our experiences of sin and death—"to be conformed to the likeness of his Son" . God works in all things toward that good purpose. But only "those who love him" know that, because they are participants "with him" in the outworking of that purpose.

Romans 8:29‭-‬30 HCSB For those He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.  And those He predestined, He also called; and those He called, He also justified; and those He justified, He also glorified.

When you feel most overwhelmed  remember that God is:  

• SOVEREIGN — He reigns over everyone and everything and has never been stressed out. 

• UNSTOPPABLE and so are those who follow Him. 

• HOLY— God is perfect, which means everything He wants/desires for my life is far greater than anything I could have thought of. 

• CONSISTENT — I don’t have to worry about Him being in a bad mood. 

• GREATER than any temptation the enemy throws my way. 

• BETTER than anything the world has to offer. 

• BIGGER than any sin or failure in my life. 

• GRACIOUS — He knows every stupid, foolish, sinful thing I’ve ever done (or will do), and yet He loves me anyway! 

• ALWAYS here with me — God has NEVER walked away from me. He doesn’t always deliver me from the fire, but He has ALWAYS walked with me through it! 

• FAITHFUL — If I fail to see His faithfulness in my past, I will probably not recognize the fruitfulness of my future. 

• THE ONE WHO PURSUES ME — He pursues me even on the days I tend to walk away from Him. 

• RELENTLESS — He has NEVER given up on me! 

• PASSIONATE — His passion and zeal that the scriptures reveal cause me to be in AWE. I could go on and on, but what I want you to see is that when stress comes into our lives it is an awesome opportunity to KNOW GOD. 

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When You’re Overwhelmed, Stand Strong
By Rick Warren

“Put your trust in the Lord your God, and you will stand your ground. Believe what his prophets tell you, and you will succeed” (2 Chronicles 20:20 GNT).

When you focus on your problems instead of trusting God, you’re going to end up exhausted. And you’re going to be defeated because God didn’t design you to fight your battles alone. You don’t have the power you need to face every problem in your own strength. You need God’s power.

You can’t focus on your problems and focus on God at the same time. You’ve got to shift your focus to who God is and what he’s promised to do for you.

Life is full of experiences that test you, drain you, and wipe you out. When you are worn out, that’s when you’re ready to say to God, “I’m sorry. I can’t handle this situation, and I’ve tried everything. I need to give it to you because it’s bigger than me.”

So, what should you do when you are overwhelmed? You stand strong.

Standing strong is an attitude of quiet confidence in the character of God. You will be successful when you put your trust in what he says to you through his Word and the Holy Spirit. When you get with God, you’ll never have to give up ground because you are standing strong.

When the burden is overwhelming, you may be tempted to cave in under the pressure. God doesn’t want you to back down from difficult situations. He doesn’t want you to sacrifice your integrity. God wants you to trust him through the challenges and learn from them. If you run, you’ll miss out on learning from God. And chances are, you’ll need to repeat that lesson.

God is committed to your success. But you need to focus on him and trust him and his Word if you want to stand your ground.

“Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. Don’t assume that you know it all”(Proverbs 3:5-7 The Message)

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The instances of mass murder, hate crimes, and terrorist attacks (many of them being all three) over past few weeks, in fact the past few years have caused many of us to be afraid of being in crowds, going to certain places like shopping malls, even church.  When these things happen we realize that we are not in control of much in our lives and that generates fear. It's at those times we yearn for peace. The kind of peace we had as young children when our parents, grandparents, a guardian, or even social service programs took care of everything.

Shalom the Hebrew word translated as peace, expresses the idea of tranquillity, well-being, restoration, reconciliation with God, which happens through the right relationship with Jesus, who is the Prince of Peace  

Isaiah 9:6 (NLT)6  For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

Peace is the freedom from disturbance; it’s quiet and tranquility.  The peace of God that passes all understanding is not just a psychological state of mind; this peace is spiritual peace…the peace of the God of all Creation.   This is the peace of people whose sins are forgiven. The peace that comes from being in a right relationship with Jesus doesn’t depend on everything going well.  

This peace is the opposite of anxiety.   It is the tranquillity that comes when you commit all your cares to God in prayer and don’t worry about them anymore.  You are confident that God can and will do what is best for you.  

This  peace guards you from anxiety, fear, and worry like a sentry guards the entrance to a military installation or the ones who stand guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier in Washington,  DC.   

I recently started a series of posts sharing prayers for you to pray at those times when  you're having trouble with trust or finding the words to pray above the scary times. It's at those times you want to know the peace of God which passes all understanding.  (For the entire series of prayers click this LINK)
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Here are some scriptures to include in your prayers for peace from God’s Promises for Your Every Need by Jack Countryman  (Emphasis mine). 

You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. — Isaiah 26:3

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” — John 14:27

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. — Philippians 4:6-7

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. — Romans 5:1

Lord, You will establish peace for us, For You have also done all our works in us. — Isaiah 26:12

“For you shall go out with joy, And be led out with peace; The mountains and the hills Shall break forth into singing before you, And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.” — Isaiah 55:12

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” — John 16:33

Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright; For the future of that man is peace. — Psalm 37:37

He shall enter into peace; They shall rest in their beds, Each one walking in his uprightness. — Isaiah 57:2

For the Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men. Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.  — Romans 14:17-19

Great peace have those who love Your law, And nothing causes them to stumble. — Psalm 119:165

But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. — Psalm 37:11

I will hear what God the Lord will speak, For He will speak peace to His people and to His saints; But let them not turn back to folly. — Psalm 85:8

Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. — 2 Corinthians 13:11

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. — Colossians 3:15
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Peace is a gift from God.  We can never earn it. We can strive for it, pray for it, work for it but in the final analysis it’s a gift.  If we accept it as a gift, we can serve Christ knowing that God is pleased with us, and because we have become peacemakers through the filling of  the Holy Spirit, people will be pleased with us too. 

From the very beginning, or at least after man sinned in the Garden of Eden, God promised to do something about all the agitation and distress in our world.  He promised to restore the peace, and He did. He sent the Prince of Peace to come and do what we can’t do for ourselves. Jesus brings true, lasting peace, the kind of peace that all of us are looking for.
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I lead a Bible Study at my church and we are studying the book, Prayer Does It Make A Difference? by Philip Yancey.  In his book Philip explores the intimate place where God and humans meet in Prayer. Polls reveal that 90 percent of people pray. Yet prayer, which should be the most nourishing and uplifting time of the believer’s day, can also be frustrating, confusing, and fraught with mystery. 

One of the mysteries about prayer is why some people are healed and others not healed.  It doesn’t seem to matter how much how much the person or their friends and family pray.  Some people are healed and others not.  

We really can’t explain why some prayers are answered in miraculous fashion, some slowly over time, and some don’t get answered or appear to be answered.  It’s a mystery known only to God and we must always default to Him because we can always count on Him being good, faithful, and loving us no matter what. When it seems that our prayers aren’t answered we should continue to pray because prayer does make a difference.

Checklist for Healing

When you desire and pray for healing ask yourself a series of questions.

1.  Am I expecting a miracle as an entitlement?

God neither protects Christians with a shield of health nor provides a quick, dependable solution to all suffering. Christians populate hospital wards, asylums, and hospices in approximate proportion to the world at large.

2.  Am I using the benefits of God’s “common grace” — the healing built into our bodies and the medical knowledge we have gained?

Studies on faith and healing demonstrate that the best healing takes place when a person lives so that a properly aligned soul and spirit can direct the bodily healing prompted by good medicine. 

The Christian heals because he or she has the kind of body that was designed by God to be equipped to overcome injury and infection. 

The real direction of prayer for the sick and the suffering should be, first to praise God for the wonderful mechanisms of healing and recovery that God has designed and placed in the person’s body, and then to pray that God’s special grace will take hold of his or her whole person and give the ability to use these resources to their fullest advantage; and also that the church will rally round and lay their healing hands on the one who needs support, faith, hope, and love.

3.  Do I wrongly blame God for causing the suffering?

We've all heard Christians say that the reason bad things happen is that it is a punishment from God.  Absolutely not! Look at Job.

4.  Am I prepared for the possibility that physical healing may not take place?

The apostle Paul had the power to heal a man crippled from birth and even raise another from the dead. 

Acts 14:8‭-‬10 CEV In Lystra there was a man who had been born with paralyzed feet and had never been able to walk. The man was listening to Paul speak, when Paul saw that he had faith in Jesus and could be healed. So he looked straight at the man and shouted, “Stand up!” The man jumped up and started walking around.

Acts 20:7‭-‬10 CEV On the first day of the week we met to break bread together. Paul spoke to the people until midnight because he was leaving the next morning. In the upstairs room where we were meeting, there were a lot of lamps. A young man by the name of Eutychus was sitting on a window sill. While Paul was speaking, the young man got very sleepy. Finally, he went to sleep and fell three floors all the way down to the ground. When they picked him up, he was dead.  Paul went down and bent over Eutychus. He took him in his arms and said, “Don't worry! He's alive.”

Yet three times in the New Testament he refers to friends (Epaphroditus, Trophimus, and Timothy) who suffered from a serious illness, not to mention his own ailment.

Philippians 2:25‭-‬30 CEV I think I ought to send my dear friend Epaphroditus back to you. He is a follower and a worker and a soldier of the Lord, just as I am. You sent him to look after me, but now he is eager to see you. He is worried, because you heard he was sick. In fact, he was very sick and almost died. But God was kind to him, and also to me, and he kept me from being burdened down with sorrow.  Now I am more eager than ever to send Epaphroditus back again. You will be glad to see him, and I won't have to worry any longer. Be sure to give him a cheerful welcome, just as people who serve the Lord deserve. He almost died working for Christ, and he risked his own life to do for me what you could not.

2 Timothy 4:20 CEV Erastus stayed at Corinth. Trophimus was sick when I left him at Miletus.

1 Timothy 5:23 CEV Stop drinking only water. Take a little wine to help your stomach trouble and the other illnesses you often have.

One friend he left behind, ill; for another he counseled treatment. We have no record of their physical healing.

Jesus never promised to erase all poverty, all suffering, all human need. ​

​Don't Blame The Sick Comfort Them

Whatever we conclude about physical healing, we must not add to the burden of guilt and sorrow borne by those who do not find healing. 

Many Christians who roll about in wheelchairs, who awake each day to the scarred stumps of amputated limbs, who cope with debility and chronic illness, have prayed for healing. Some have attended healing services, felt a sudden rush of hope, and kneeled for an anointing of oil — yet still they live unhealed. For them, divine healing feels like the cruelest joke of all, a taunting accusation that in spiritual as well as physical health they do not measure up.
                   
Paul wrote God “comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.”

A Prayer for Relief from Pain
By Meg Bucher

“You heard my plea: ‘Do not close your ears to my cry for relief.’” - Lamentations 3:56

Anyone who’s suffered long-term pain can relate to the sentiments of the prophet Jeremiah in today’s verse. God does hear and answer our prayers, but His answers don’t always look the way we want them to, or happen in our time.

We take things for granted until they are taken away. Why does human nature have to be that way? God designed us, and did so perfectly… to need Him. He does give us more than we can handle and He does allow circumstances to bleed out beyond our control (See See That's Not In The Bible - God Will Never Give You More Than You Can Bear).  There’s a lot of life He will withhold the answers to, and we don’t have the capacity to understand even if He did explain it.

Hear God’s voice through the pain, and feel His presence through the frustration. “Don’t be deaf to my call;”Jeremiah pleaded.  When someone we love is in pain, we feel helpless to stop it. 
 
“Bring me relief!” When we are in pain, whether physical, mental, or spiritual, it takes over our focus. It becomes difficult to concentrate on the hope of healing, and hard to let go of what we think that should look and feel like.
 
Hold onto the hand that was nailed to the cross. That hand knows pain like none other. Our hope is in Him.
 
Father, we praise You for Jesus. No one has ever experienced pain like He did for us. Thank You for His sacrifice, which allows us to call out to You for help in full confidence that You hear us and will answer us and heal us. Forgive us for wanting to control what the answers to Your prayers look and feel like and when they happen. Bless us to be strong in Your Word, and rely on You for strength. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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The instances of mass murder, hate crimes, and terrorist attacks (many of them being all three) over past few weeks, in fact the past few years have caused many of us to be afraid of being in crowds, going to certain places like shopping malls, even church.  When these things happen we realize that we are not in control of much in our lives and that generates fear. It's at those times we yearn for peace. The kind of peace we had as young children when our parents, grandparents, a guardian, or even social service programs took care of everything. We didn't 

I recently started a series of posts sharing prayers for you to pray at those times when  you're having trouble with trust or finding the words to pray above the scary times. It's at those times you want to know the peace of God which passes all understanding.  (For the entire series of prayers click this LINK

A Prayer for Peace When You're Overwhelmed

Lord, when my heart is overwhelmed, overwhelm me with Your peace. Lead me to You, my rock. Guide me to Your Word which gives me strength and refuge. Help me not to run to lesser things. Draw me to run to You first. Help me get into the habit of taking my “overwhelmed” and placing it under your will. Thank You, Lord. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. ~ Jennifer Rothschild

A Prayer for the Troubled Heart

Dear God, Our world is hurting and broken. We pray for those who have lost loved ones this week, please comfort them in their grief and loss, cover them with your peace and presence, as only your Spirit can do.   We know that in whatever we face, you are our Peace and Refuge, a very present help in times of trouble. Thank you that you remind us throughout your Word, we do not face the storms alone, but you are always with us.  Whispering calm. Speaking peace. Bringing rest to our souls.

We confess our need for you. We ask you to forgive us for trying to figure everything out on our own, for not trusting that you are more than able and powerful to work on our behalf. Forgive us for picking back up what we already determined to lay down at your feet. Give us the ability to trust you more, give us a heart that finds rest in your presence, give us the wisdom to seek peace and pursue it, remembering it’s only to be found in you alone.

Thank you that your yoke is easy and your burden is light. Thank you that you care for us. Thank you that the peace of your loving and strong presence guards and protects our hearts and minds in you. Thank you that we do not have to walk in fear or live in overwhelmed cycles of worry and stress. Thank you for your voice that breaks through the greatest wind and storm swirling around us, and whispers “Peace, be still.” Thank you that you sent your One and Only Son to set us free. In the Mighty Name of Jesus, Amen. ~ Debbie McDaniel

A Prayer for Peace in Hard Times

Lord, when my heart is overwhelmed, overwhelm me with Your peace. Lead me to You, my rock. Guide me to Your Word which gives me strength and refuge. Help me not to run to lesser things. Draw me to run to You first. Help me get into the habit of taking my “overwhelmed” and placing it under your will. Thank You, Lord. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. ~ Lysa Terkeurst

A Prayer for Peace to Transform Your Mind and Life 

Lord, how I long to break free from negative thinking and embrace peace and joy and optimism. I invite You to begin transforming my thought patterns and help me recognize, reject and replace thoughts that are not pleasing to You. In Jesus' Name, Amen. ~ Traci Miles

A Prayer to Trade Worry for Thankfulness

Dear Lord, Sometimes it seems like I take my worries everywhere except to you. I hear people say, “God’s got this!” But how often do I live like I believe it?

I know you hear me, Lord, when I bring my concerns to you. You care about what is going on in my life, and I know you want to give me a clear, sound mind. Forgive me when I allow anxious thoughts to cloud my thinking. Help me take my anxieties to you in every circumstance, believing you will intervene and work out your eternal purposes. Give me a thankful heart—a heart that says, “I am grateful for your lovingkindness to me, Father. I know you will work out your plans for my growth, others’ good, and your glory.” ~ Dawn Wilson

A Prayer of Deliverance

Dear God, I am in trouble. I am weary, worried, and worn out. Not knowing how to pray, I turn to the Psalms and repeat their pleas for my own heart: “O Lord, deliver me! O save me for Your mercies’ sake. Deliver me in Your righteousness. Deliver me from the hand of the enemy. Deliver me from all my troubles. Deliver me from my distress. Deliver me from all my transgressions. Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me; O Lord, make haste to help me. I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinks on me. You are my help and deliverer.” You have said, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.” I claim that promise now. Father, You know what’s happening in my life, in my family, in my church. You know the webs of worry spinning in my mind. Lead me not into temptation but deliver me from evil; For Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen! ~ Dr. David Jeremiah

Psalms 123:1‭-‬4 CEV Our Lord and our God, I turn my eyes to you, on your throne in heaven.  Servants look to their master, but we will look to you, until you have mercy on us.  Please have mercy, Lord ! We have been insulted more than we can stand, and we can't take more abuse from those proud, conceited people.

Prayer For The Lord's Help
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Psalm 123 is one of a group of Psalms that are songs the people of Israel sang on their pilgrimages to the temple to worship.   These Psalms have been categorized as "Psalms of Ascents" (ascending to Zion/Jerusalem for worship).

Psalm 123, which has two points, is brief but powerful. 

• Confession of trust in God (verses 1-2)
• Subsequent complaint and petition (verses 3-4)

The psalm begins with an affirmation of trust and moves to a plea for help from the one it trusts. 

The eyes of the pilgrim community look to the divine king for hope in the midst of oppression by arrogant oppressors.  The perspective is that the faithful, the believers, understand that life is not something they have earned or made, but it is a gift from God who is, sustainer, and king enthroned in the heavens. 

Although short the Psalm is an example that the power of prayer does not consist of the number of words that you use, but the fervency of those words.  Every prayer is long enough when the words come from the heart and originate with the unspeakable groanings of the Holy Spirit.  

Romans 8:26 CEV In certain ways we are weak, but the Spirit is here to help us. For example, when we don't know what to pray for, the Spirit prays for us in ways that cannot be put into words.

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Church attendance is not just a “good suggestion”; it is God’s will for believers.

Hebrews 10:23-25 (NLT)23  Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.24  Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.25  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.

Earlier this year I published three posts on the importance of joining and worshiping with a local church.  In those posts I defined church as a gathering of believers in a local place of meeting. It might be a “church building”, a hotel ballroom, a school cafeteria, or a house.  The believers who met and worship together have a structure that results in there being purpose in their meeting. That purpose is praise, worship, teaching, and fellowship. See the Church category of this blog at this LINK.

There are lots of Christians that say they don’t do church.  They don’t do church for various reasons. They had a bad experience with a church member, or pastor, they fell for a false teaching and got hurt, they don’t see any difference in church goers and people who don’t go, or are not even believers. They think they can read the bible and gain as much knowledge by themselves as if they went to church every week.  Church repulses them because they feel it’s full of hypocrites. Other people accept that people are hypocrites by nature; they just can’t stand churches talking about money.

 Even if they can get past those issues, still others steer clear because church is irrelevant to their everyday lives.   Some may even want to attend church, but when they do, they feel even guiltier than they did before. The pastor and all the other put-together, perfect people just make them feel worse about themselves.  They tried church before, and it didn’t make a difference. So why bother?

Finally, there are the “super spiritual”.  Their ideals are so high that no church can possibly meet their standards. They have detailed lists of what’s wrong with each church in town. The worship music isn’t “Spirit-led” enough, or it’s too loud, too soft, or too whatever. The sermons are too shallow or too intellectual. The missions program isn’t aggressive enough or it’s all the church talks about. They spend too much money on the building or not enough. 

Here’s the thinking of a lot of Christians today.  We can get all the Christian content we need from websites, podcasts, and books—even television and radio.  I don't have a big problem with Christian television, radio, and tape ministries, websites (I have one),but they are no substitute for regular attendance and involvement in worship services, ministry outreaches, and educational programs of a local church. 
God never intended for his believers to be independent.  He wants us dependent on one another and on him.
 
Galatians 5:13 (NLT)13  For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.

Romans 12:10 (NLT)10  Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.

Ephesians 4:31-32 (NLT)31  Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.32  Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
As believers in Christ, we are incomplete without the rest of his body—the church. And the church is incomplete without us. We need others, and others need us.

Romans 12:4-5 (NLT)4  Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function,5  so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. 

"Those who isolate themselves from other believers do so at their own peril, because the Bible tells us that it is important to get together, encourage one another, and correct one another.". . A true Christian will want to be around other Christians. After all, why should God go to your house if you won't go to His? A lot of us want all of the fringe benefits of Christianity without applying ourselves. - Greg Laurie (from "What Makes an 'Authentic' Christian?")
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Editor’s Note:   The New Testament speaks of the church both as a spiritual body—an organism composed of all believers, and as a local, earthly organization of saints.  
When we use the word organism in relation to the church, we are speaking of a body that possesses inner life and is not dependent on human organization. 

It is the concept of the church as being the body of all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. The inner life of this body is the life of God himself, imparted through the Holy Spirit, who lives in every believer.   

An organization is human-made.  It may exist as an orderly whole; it may have different parts and functions, just like an organism, but it lacks the essential, generating life of an organism. An organization can be disbanded or altered or replaced with new parts and new programs without destroying its existence. But with an organism, when any part is removed or altered, there is a mutilation. False members may be added that may function, but even those do not make the body whole again.

Therefore churches are organizations of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ scattered throughout the earth, having specific tasks defined by the New Testament.

Scriptures added by me. (see my sermon The Called Out HERE

6 Reasons Doing Church Away from Church Isn’t Church
By Eric Davis 

Maybe you’ve heard it. “We can’t make it to church today, so we’ll just do church as a family.” “I can just do church on a hike this morning in God’s creation.” “The church is really the people, so we can do church wherever. God is everywhere, after all.”
Do we really need to go to a building on a certain day for it to count as doing church? If so, isn’t that legalistic?
It’s becoming increasingly popular to fashion new ways to “do church.” But how do we discern what does and does not constitute going to church? God’s word has plenty of wisdom on the issue. In short, my hike or a Bible open in my living room with the kids is not church.

Here are a few reasons why doing church away from church isn’t church.

1. We wouldn’t approach other areas of life like that.

To assert that we can do church away from church is an unparalleled way to approach life events. Do we approach other areas of life like that?

Husbands, next time you’ve scheduled a family day, just before it happens, tell your wives, “Honey, I’m actually going to do our family time on a solo-camping trip. But I’ll think about you and the kids while I’m sitting out there with the dog and my knife cramming Spam in my mouth. It still counts as family time, right? We don’t have to be all legalistic, honey.”

I wonder if we would use the “church-away-from-church-still-counts” jive towards other things in life, like missing the game, our daughter’s ballet, our hobby, or that movie we really want to see. “I’m going to forsake my daughter’s ballet, but I’ll do the ballet by remembering the moves I saw her practice in the living room last week.” “I’m going to miss hunting with the crew today, but I’ll do hunting by watching hunting YouTubes at home.” “I won’t make it to the premiere of that movie, but I’ll do the movie by watching the preview again on my phone.”

A YouTube video isn’t hunting with the crew. Meditating on her grande jeté is not attending my daughter’s ballet. Watching the preview on my six-inch screen isn’t doing the movie premiere. And doing church at home, in the car, or on a hike is not doing church.

2. Since we are not God, we cannot redefine things that are God’s.

If we are the head of an organization, then we can choose to define things in that organization. If you are the founder of a company, you can define your company’s goals. You can define standards for your employees, because you are over the thing.
Christ is the head of the Church 

Ephesians 1:22‭-‬23 CEV God has put all things under the power of Christ, and for the good of the church he has made him the head of everything. The church is the body of Christ and is filled with Christ who completely fills everything.

He bought the Church with his life.

Acts 20:28 CEV  Look after yourselves and everyone the Holy Spirit has placed in your care. Be like shepherds to God's church. It is the flock he bought with the blood of his own Son.

He birthed the Church into being. It’s his Church.

Matthew 16:18 CEV So I will call you Peter, which means “a rock.” On this rock I will build my church, and death itself will not have any power over it.
 
 So, he gets to say how things go. When he lays out things for his Church, that’s how they need to be.

Christ has specified how things look for his kind of church. And there are no verses which say, “Well, if you want to alter this thing that I’ve specified, go for it.” So it is when it comes to doing church God’s way. He is so great and worthy that it is reasonable for us to submissively and carefully approach what he says about church. We’ll look at some of what that means below.

3. Worship of God is not a self-determined endeavor.

Much of the Bible begins with God laying out what it means, and does not mean, to worship him. One take-away from Exodus and Leviticus is, “Wow. This glorious God does not leave the details of worship up to us.” That’s because one of the great problems with humanity is that depravity renders us unable and unwilling to worship him correctly. We have manufactured 10,000 ways of worship. And every one of them is profane and idolatrous.

Not once in the history of humanity has a person or people devised the correct way to worship the true God. That’s why we need the Bible. Whenever man takes the self-determined approach to worshiping God, he makes an idol. In his grace, God prescribes worship to sinful man for good reason.

Just consider some of these Old Testament examples:

Leviticus 18:3 CEV So don't follow the customs of Egypt where you used to live or those of Canaan where I am bringing you.

Leviticus 20:23 CEV The nations I am chasing out did these disgusting things, and I hated them for it, so don't follow their example.

Consider those Old Testament times. With all of those blood sacrifices, couldn’t someone just offer up a sacrifice at home? Wouldn’t that be good enough as long as they meant well and thought about God? Those who offered a sacrifice away from the tabernacle were to be killed.

Leviticus 17:8‭-‬9 CEV Remember! No one in Israel, including foreigners, is to offer a sacrifice anywhere except at the entrance to the sacred tent. If you do, you will no longer belong to my people.

The point is that proper worship of God is not a self-determined endeavor. God has not left it up to me to decide what defines obediently gathering as the church for corporate worship.

4. Church means something specific in the New Testament. 

Not once in the New Testament does God refer to an individual or parents and their kids as the/a church. Individuals are called by their name. Families are called households. But they are not called “church” or said to be doing church. An arbitrary group of Christians is neither called church, as in the gathered body for corporate worship.

Sometimes “church” refers to the larger body of believers.

Ephesians 1:22‭-‬23 CEV God has put all things under the power of Christ, and for the good of the church he has made him the head of everything. The church is the body of Christ and is filled with Christ who completely fills everything.

Ephesians 5:25‭-‬27 CEV A husband should love his wife as much as Christ loved the church and gave his life for it. He made the church holy by the power of his word, and he made it pure by washing it with water. Christ did this, so he would have a glorious and holy church, without faults or spots or wrinkles or any other flaws.

And sometimes to local bodies of believers 

Acts 14:23 CEV Paul and Barnabas chose some leaders for each of the churches. Then they went without eating and prayed that the Lord would take good care of these leaders who had trusted in the Lord.

Revelation 1:11 CEV The voice said, “Write in a book what you see. Then send it to the seven churches in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”

When Paul and his team roll into Philippi, they find some people praying by the river.

Acts 16:13 CEV Then on the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to a place by the river, where we thought there would be a Jewish meeting place for prayer. We sat down and talked with the women who came.

Then, they meet with the jailer and his household in a home.

Acts 16:34 CEV They were very glad they had put their faith in God. After this, the jailer took Paul and Silas to his home and gave them something to eat.

 Neither venues were deemed a church. They needed to be baptized and gathered with other regenerate individuals under biblical leadership. Crete had a similar situation. While there were many Christians scattered around the island, they needed to be shepherded and gathered under qualified biblical leadership.  Until then, Paul did not consider it ecclesiologically complete.

Titus 1:5‭-‬9 CEV I left you in Crete to do what had been left undone and to appoint leaders for the churches in each town. As I told you, they must have a good reputation and be faithful in marriage. Their children must be followers of the Lord and not have a reputation for being wild and disobedient.  Church officials are in charge of God's work, and so they must also have a good reputation. They must not be bossy, quick-tempered, heavy drinkers, bullies, or dishonest in business. Instead, they must be friendly to strangers and enjoy doing good things. They must also be sensible, fair, pure, and self-controlled. They must stick to the true message they were taught, so their good teaching can help others and correct everyone who opposes it.

The book of Acts gives us a clearer picture:

During the earlier days of the book of Acts, the church was in its infancy, foundational stages. God matured it towards the end of the first century. By the time we get to 1 and 2 Timothy, and Titus, many of the necessary ingredients of a local church are prescribed and handed off by the apostle. Contemporary believers have the responsibility of observing these prescriptions so as to keep with God’s idea of church.

Paul’s point in 1 Corinthians 14 is that the church gathering needs to look a certain way. The way of self-centered, self-expression did not count for Paul.

1 Corinthians 14:12‭, ‬23 CEV  If you really want spiritual gifts, choose the ones that will be most helpful to the church.  Suppose everyone in your worship service started speaking unknown languages, and some outsiders or some unbelievers come in. Won't they think you are crazy?

As certain individuals intelligibly use their gifts in the corporate gathering, the whole body receives edification

1 Corinthians 14:26 CEV My friends, when you meet to worship, you must do everything for the good of everyone there. That's how it should be when someone sings or teaches or tells what God has said or speaks an unknown language or explains what the language means.

 Intelligibility and orderliness must abound.

1 Corinthians 14:33‭, ‬40 CEV God wants everything to be done peacefully and in order. When God's people meet in church, But do everything properly and in order.

In other words, the church gathering is to be done as God defines.

All that to say, church means something that is not arbitrarily defined in the New Testament. In part, the emphasis is on the corporate body gathering for edification in an orderly manner according to commands prescribed to church leaders. Thus, it will not do to consider myself “doing church” away from the local church.​

​5. Gathering corporately observes that God has saved us into the body of Christ. 

“Well, the church isn’t a building. It’s people. So, if I am with Christians, then it’s technically church.” As demonstrated above in #4, the New Testament does not support that argument. Hanging out with my family or a few Christian friends might be practicing the one anothers or studying the Bible or praying. But it is not the church gathered in obedience for corporate worship.

That’s the very thing that the writer of Hebrews corrected. Various individuals, and likely families, were not gathering with the church for corporate worship. In response, he does not say, “Oh, right, the church is not the building, so go ahead and forsake corporate worship.” Instead, he says, 

Hebrews 10:25 CEV “Some people have given up the habit of meeting for worship, but we must not do that. We should keep on encouraging each other, especially since you know that the day of the Lord's coming is getting closer.

Paul addressed an individualistic attitude towards the body of Christ plaguing the Corinthian church. His argument there speaks to the “church-isn’t-a-building-so-I-can-do-church-wherever” attitude. Speaking to a local church, he writes, 

1 Corinthians 12:14 CEV Our bodies don't have just one part. They have many parts.

Yes, the church is not a building. No, you and your family do not constitute the church. A local body is made up of many members. You need those other members, and they need you. 

1 Corinthians 12:17‭-‬18 CEV If our bodies were only an eye, we couldn't hear a thing. And if they were only an ear, we couldn't smell a thing. But God has put all parts of our body together in the way that he decided is best.

Paul's illustration helps us understand this: 

Consider Paul’s illustration; a body. Can a lung be considered a body? “Well, it’s my family, not just me.” Can two kidneys and an armpit be considered a body? In a New Testament kind of church, God has made that group of believers as a functioning body.  It’s not perfect. It needs work. But it’s a body, and far more so than lungs and kidneys sliding around our kitchen floors.

My family hunkered down at home is not the local, representative body of Christ. Hiking with a few friends is not the body of Christ. Going out skiing with unbelieving friends is not the body of Christ. Doing church away from church isn’t church because doing church without the church isn’t church.

Our good God commands us to forsake these lone-ranger-ism fallacies and instead gather with his people for worship. Doing so expresses the wonderful truth that we belong to something bigger than ourselves. We belong to the body of Christ. Gathering with the church shows that we enthusiastically embrace God’s good desire to immerse eagerly into his visible, living church; the body of Christ. Apathy thereto is apathy towards God and the Head of the body.

6. Church constitutes, in part, a group of believers under the committed care of qualified leadership present to bless the local body.

“House churches” are popular in many areas these days. That’s great that people want to gather with others to study God’s word. But often these gatherings are missing something critical; biblically qualified and affirmed leadership. Again, Paul did not consider things as faithfully complete in a church without such leaders.  At the close of the first century, the apostles delegated elders/pastors to take the baton in the shepherding-care of the churches.

1 Timothy 3:1‭-‬7 CEV It is true that anyone who desires to be a church official wants to be something worthwhile. That's why officials must have a good reputation and be faithful in marriage. They must be self-controlled, sensible, well-behaved, friendly to strangers, and able to teach. They must not be heavy drinkers or troublemakers. Instead, they must be kind and gentle and not love money.  Church officials must be in control of their own families, and they must see that their children are obedient and always respectful. If they don't know how to control their own families, how can they look after God's people? They must not be new followers of the Lord. If they are, they might become proud and be doomed along with the devil. Finally, they must be well-respected by people who are not followers. Then they won't be trapped and disgraced by the devil.

Tested leaders physically present were necessary in every church.

We need to honor God and the way that he has decided to care for his churches. Part of doing that is working to raise up and install biblically qualified and affirmed leaders

1 Timothy 4:14 CEV Use the gift you were given when the prophets spoke and the group of church leaders blessed you by placing their hands on you.

2 Timothy 2:2 CEV You have often heard me teach. Now I want you to tell these same things to followers who can be trusted to tell others.

Another part of doing that is gathering for worship with a church where such things exist. Prescribed corporate worship involves the preaching of God’s word, administering the ordinances, and disciplining as necessary by these leaders.

Matthew 18:15‭-‬20 CEV If one of my followers sins against you, go and point out what was wrong. But do it in private, just between the two of you. If that person listens, you have won back a follower. But if that one refuses to listen, take along one or two others. The Scriptures teach that every complaint must be proven true by two or more witnesses. If the follower refuses to listen to them, report the matter to the church. Anyone who refuses to listen to the church must be treated like an unbeliever or a tax collector.   I promise you God in heaven will allow whatever you allow on earth, but God will not allow anything you don't allow. I promise that when any two of you on earth agree about something you are praying for, my Father in heaven will do it for you. Whenever two or three of you come together in my name, I am there with you.

I can’t do that if I’m doing church with my friends on a hike.

“Well, we do sit under the word and listen to a qualified pastor charged to preach. We watch our favorite pastor live-streamed on Sundays in our living room.” Certainly there are intermediate and temporary situations where we can do that. We may be a church plant in the process of becoming a church or have lost our pastor. But these ought not, and need not, be permanent solutions. We need physically present leaders to shepherd us.

Even if the New Testament was written in the 21st century virtual age, the ideal would be a church who is physically, and not virtually, gathered together. It’s possible, and necessary, to do so. Even with the many first century constraints, God’s people were able to travel, train, and get local leaders raised up so that leaders were physically present in the various churches And they did so even in churches within a few miles from each other.

“Well, our family does everything a church does on Sundays.

”Is dad a pastor? Has he been recognized and affirmed as such by a currently-qualified and recognized body of local church leadership? How is your family church disciplining people? And is there not a New Testament local body with whom you could gather?

Bottom line:

I cannot consider my arbitrary group of people gathered on a Sunday a church if it does not include a regenerate body of individuals committed to one another, biblically qualified and affirmed leaders, preaching of the word, administering the ordinances, and conducting biblical church discipline as necessary. Therefore, I could not consider such a group as doing church.

More could be said on what church is and is not. But Christians should scrap attempts to justify church-away-from-church as church. We don’t approach other areas of life like that. We are not God, and so have no authority to redefine ins and outs of his church. Truths about church and worship are not arbitrarily defined, but mean something specific in the New Testament. Gathering with the body under the shepherding of biblically qualified leaders demonstrates the privilege we have of belonging to something larger than us; the greatest organization in the universe.

We ought to consider it a privilege and joy to gather weekly with God’s people. The body needs us and we need the body. We need what God desires to give us through qualified, affirmed leadership. We need to see and be seen. If we are missing church with the family, and attempting to supplement it, just say, “We are going to study the Bible, sing some songs, and pray as a family. This isn’t church, kids.”
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Share this post whenever you hear someone say “I don’t do church”, “I don’t have to go to church to have church”, “I can do church at home”, or I did church with _______________ on television or the Internet".   Doing church away from church is not church!

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Nobody really knows if a person is saved other than God and the person themselves. However the Bible does teach that there should be some evidence of a changed and renewed life.  Pastor Jim Joseph, in an article published in the Lake County News Chronicle, Two Harbors, MN, says that the Apostle John gave us seven pieces of specific evidence that should show after salvation. 

Editor’s Note:  Scriptures along with emphasis added by me.

Evidence of salvation
Written By: Pastor Jim Joseph, Living Waters Fellowship 

The Bible teaches us that if a person is truly a Christian there will be definitive changes in that person’s life. The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

We are saved by grace through faith alone. But saving faith is by its very nature alive and transforming. Our changed lives give evidence to that saving faith.

Another of Jesus’ disciples, the Apostle John, writes about some very specific evidence of a Christian’s salvation in his first epistle. Accordingly, he refers to several, which we should expect to see in our own lives and in the lives of all other believers. Each of these evidence affects our words, our deeds and our lifestyles.

First is obedience.
​
“We know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.”

1 John 2:3-6 (NLT2)3  And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments.4  If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth.5  But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him.6  Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did. 

1 John 3:22-24 (NLT2)22  And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him.23  And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us.24  Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us.  

1 John 4:20-21 (NLT2)20  If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?21  And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their Christian brothers and sisters. 


We see within us a desired and willing obedience to God’s Word. We begin to do those things that please the Lord and to avoid those things which displease him. Using the Bible as our guide, we choose to live according to its teachings and its commands.

Second is love for God .

1 John 2:5 (NLT2)5  But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. 

1 John 5:1 (NLT2)1  Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too. 

If we belong to him, we will love him — passionately, purposefully and powerfully. We love if with all of whom we are. To the believer, God is not just out there, but a being with whom we have entered into living and lasting relationship based not on fear, but on love.

Third, we choose not to love the world 

1 John 2:15-17 (NLT2)15  Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.16  For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.17  And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.  

1 John 5:4 (NLT2)4  For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. 

We cannot love both God and the world. Jesus said we cannot serve both God and Mammon. We are called to live a life of holiness to God.

Matthew 6:24 (NLT2)24  “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. 
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Fourth is righteous behavior 

1 John 2:29 (NLT2)29  Since we know that Christ is righteous, we also know that all who do what is right are God’s children. 

1 John 3:7-10 (NLT2)7  Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous.8  But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil.9  Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God.10  So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God. 

1 John 5:18-19 (NLT2)18  We know that God’s children do not make a practice of sinning, for God’s Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them.19  We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one. 

It is very easy to be a Christian on Sunday morning, but live a completely different life the rest of the week. For a true believer, how we live our lives in and out of church is not differentiated. We strive to live consistent, godly lives 24/7 so that through our words, our deeds and our lifestyles people will know we are Christians.

Fifth is love for other believers 

1 John 3:11 (NLT2)11  This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 

1 John 3:13-18 (NLT2)13  So don’t be surprised, dear brothers and sisters, if the world hates you.14  If we love our Christian brothers and sisters, it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead.15  Anyone who hates another brother or sister is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them.
16  We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.17  If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion--how can God’s love be in that person?18  Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.  

1 John 4:7-8 (NLT2)7  Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.8  But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 

Not love for other believers who agree with us or who are from our own fellowship or denomination, but all Christians.

There are three kinds of pride: pride of face, pride of race and pride of grace. All are wrong, but the last is the most insidious. A true Christian loves like Jesus loves, even dying for others.

It is precisely because of that we choose to live in harmony with each other, forgiving one another and allowing love to cover a multitude of sins.

Sixth, through study we gain an understanding biblical truth 

1 John 4:1-2, 13 (NLT2)1  Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.2  This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. 13  And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. 

Like the reformers of old we stand on Sola Scriptura (Latin: by scripture alone) as the basis of our living out of this Christian life. Christians have a love for God’s Word. Reading it is not drudgery or a chore that must be done, but there is a joy that comes from reading, studying and understanding God’s Word.

Seventh, we experience answered prayer.

1 John 5:14-15 (NLT2)14  And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him.15  And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for. 

The entire purpose of John writing this letter was to help us know that we have eternal life — to show us the evidence of our faith that should be there.

1 John 5:13 (NLT2)13  I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life. 

May you enjoy the fullness of the salvation that comes only through the Lord Jesus Christ .

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​Romans 6:1-2 (NLT2)1  Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace?2  Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?  

In Paul’s letter to the church in Rome he said that when Christ saved us that we died to sin.  Well I’m saved and so are most of you reading this post, but I still sin, and bet so to most of you. So the question is if I died to sin why do I still sin?  

If Paul said that we died to sin and we still sin then there must be something that we can do to stop it.  It is a constant battle between our flesh and the Spirit.

Galatians 5:16-17 (NLT2)16  So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.17  The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.  

If there is a constant battle then there must be some way to win.  Pastor Roger Barrier in his a post How to Win the Battle with Your Own Sin gives us 5 ways you can set yourself free from the bondage of sin.  To read the entire post click or touch this LINK.

How to Win the Battle with Your Own Sin  

​Let me illustrate this for you by the story of Samson.

Judges 14:5-14 (NLT2) 5  As Samson and his parents were going down to Timnah, a young lion suddenly attacked Samson near the vineyards of Timnah.6  At that moment the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon him, and he ripped the lion’s jaws apart with his bare hands. He did it as easily as if it were a young goat. But he didn’t tell his father or mother about it.7  When Samson arrived in Timnah, he talked with the woman and was very pleased with her.8  Later, when he returned to Timnah for the wedding, he turned off the path to look at the carcass of the lion. And he found that a swarm of bees had made some honey in the carcass.9  He scooped some of the honey into his hands and ate it along the way. He also gave some to his father and mother, and they ate it. But he didn’t tell them he had taken the honey from the carcass of the lion.10  As his father was making final arrangements for the marriage, Samson threw a party at Timnah, as was the custom for elite young men.11  When the bride’s parents saw him, they selected thirty young men from the town to be his companions.12  Samson said to them, “Let me tell you a riddle. If you solve my riddle during these seven days of the celebration, I will give you thirty fine linen robes and thirty sets of festive clothing.13  But if you can’t solve it, then you must give me thirty fine linen robes and thirty sets of festive clothing.” “All right,” they agreed, “let’s hear your riddle.”14  So he said: “Out of the one who eats came something to eat; out of the strong came something sweet.” Three days later they were still trying to figure it out.  

​In essence the answer is that honey comes out of the dead lion’s carcass. When we are born again a new life springs forth (honey). Nothing can be done to fix or improve the old dead carcass (our sin nature).

At the moment of our conversion, new birth occurs and simultaneously our old sin nature is crucified with Jesus:

Galatians 2:20 (NLT2) 20  My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 

So, why do I still sin?

Many wonder: “I expected that the new birth would make everything right in my life. I expected that by this inward change my evil nature would be transformed into a good and holy one. I still struggle with sin just as much as before. What is wrong with me?”

When we are born again, the Holy Spirit produces new life in us. We are “partakers of the divine nature”.

2 Peter 1:4 (NLT2) 4  And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. 
Unfortunately, after conversion, many Christians endure endless pain trying to improve the dead lion – to morally disinfect the sin nature, to make it more bearable to a decent and religious society – but the dead lion is still a dead lion, no matter how we dress him up.


Romans 6:6-7 (NLT2) 6  We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.7  For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. 

The misunderstanding is that we can do something to empower the victory. The old nature is dead. We look to Christ to grow and empower the new nature.


1.  Remember that sin isn’t in charge of you.

Romans 6:7 (NLT2)7  For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. 

In Romans 6-7 Paul isn’t saying that sin has been eradicated. We might say it this way: the old sin nature is deprived of its strength. It is deprived of its controlling influence. Paul defines exactly what he means in the next phrase, that we should no longer be slaves to sin. That’s the issue. The old nature is rendered inoperative as the sovereign of our lives.

The old sin nature does not lose its influence altogether, it loses its controlling influence, its sovereign influence, its mastery, its dominion. He’s not saying there won’t be sin; he is saying that sin isn’t in charge anymore. The tyranny of sin is broken.

Romans 6:15-18 (NLT2)15  Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not!16  Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.17  Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you.18  Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living. 

2. Stop struggling.

I was swimming at the gym, but couldn’t kick my legs properly. I had a leg injury. I struggled to get to the side of the pool. Suddenly, I was underwater and couldn’t stand up. I thrashed around as I fought to get to the side; but I went under and couldn’t find my way out. I panicked. I remembered thinking, “So this is how you drown...”

Then I remembered what a lifeguard does.

He waits until the victim stops struggling. Then he can get him back to shore. So I stopped swimming and started floating.

The same is true for us. We will never find victory over our sins until we learn that struggling means sinking. Then and only then will we look for deliverance in the Deliverer.

Romans 7:24-25 (NLT2)24  Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?25  Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. 

3. Choose freedom.

God is not expecting us to improve man in the flesh, or looking for goodness in him of any kind. The dead lion is not our source of victory. Now that are our old sin nature has been crucified with Christ, we have the choice to choose to live the resurrected life of Jesus Christ.

Romans 6:6-7 (NLT2)6  We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.7  For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. 

Before salvation we were controlled and dominated by the old man, old nature, sin nature. We were slaves to sin.

Because the sin nature is crucified, we are now free to choose whether or not to sin.
Imagine you are a disarmed soldier captured by your enemy. A machine gun is aimed directly at your face.

That was our condition before Christ died for us. Our former self had the gun and we were the prisoner.

Now, imagine that out of the corner of our eye we see a soldier friend creep up and shoot our enemy. Our enemy falls dead. This is our present position in Christ. The old self is dead. We don’t have to serve him any longer. We have our lives to live again!
Why would we ever be so stupid as to prop up our enemy’s gun in his dead hands and obey whatever he tells us to do?

If a Christian sins, it is only because he/she wants to.

4. Position and condition.

Sanctification is God’s making us on earth what we already are in heaven. Our position is what God sees us to be as if we already were in heaven. Our position in Christ is perfect. Everything that belongs to Christ is ours! Everything that is true of Christ is true of us.

Ephesians 2:6 (NLT2)6  For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 

Colossians 2:9-10 (NLT2)9  For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.10  So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority. 

Our condition is where we are in our Christian walk. Our condition has to do with the imperfect state of our Christian lives on earth. By the way, the smaller the gap between our position and condition, the more likely we are to look and behave like Jesus.
Let me demonstrate the difference between position and condition in the church life of the Corinthians.

Their position was wonderful. They were saved, sanctified, and holy.

1 Corinthians 1:2 (NLT2)2  I am writing to God’s church in Corinth, to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours. 

On the other hand, their condition was dastardly deficient.

1 Corinthians 1:11 (NLT2)11  For some members of Chloe’s household have told me about your quarrels, my dear brothers and sisters. 
 
1 Corinthians 5:1 (NLT2)1  I can hardly believe the report about the sexual immorality going on among you—something that even pagans don’t do. I am told that a man in your church is living in sin with his stepmother. 

As we dwell upon our position there will be a drastic change in our condition. The power that sin seems to have over us will be broken. Now we are free to enter into the resurrection life of Christ!

Colossians 3:1-5 (NLT2)1  Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand.2  Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.3  For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.4  And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.5  So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.  

5. Live free.

Some will find it relatively easy to overcome their sinning. Others will find it takes quite a while to make basic changes. But, over time, our sinning should become less and less.
The country of England was taxing the American colonies mercilessly in the 1700s. Finally, the American colonies rose up against England and thus began the American Revolutionary war. The Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, which declared that the new United States was free from the power of England. But the war continued until 1783 when the British were beaten at the Battle of Yorktown. 

Our declaration of independence from sin was signed in 32 AD at the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ.

Now the battle for freedom begins

While the crucifixion of the old nature sets us free from having to sin, we must still make the choice not to.

Colossians 3:15 (NLT2)15  And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. 
 
Colossians 3:12 (NLT2)12  Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 

Let me give you a scenario: A man is stopped at a stoplight when a gorgeous woman steps onto the crosswalk. Before Christ, his old nature didn’t help him at all. He fell right into lust. After Christ He can say, “I don’t have to do that anymore. I am dead to that. I can live by the Spirit.”

Instead of lusting, he can begin praying for her to have a life in Christ, for things to go well at work, for needs in her family.

Here’s another scenario: One woman has been hurt by another. She’s tempted to spread rumors about the one who hurt her. She’s going to get even. She’s bitter and angry. With the old nature alive, fighting back was the most natural thing in the world. But now with the old nature dead, she has a choice.

Instead of yielding to the old sin nature, she should follow Jesus’ advice and pray for her enemies, those who hurt her.

We don’t ever have to sin again. Let’s live in the power of Jesus’ new life in us.

Galatians 6:14 (NLT2)14  As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died. 

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Isaiah 6:8 CEV After this, I heard the Lord ask, “Is there anyone I can send? Will someone speak for us?” “I'll go,” I answered. “Send me!”

Here I Am Lord Send Me

Are you sure about that. Are you really prepared to drop everything, give up your comfortable job, your comfortable home, fellowship with close friends and family?  Before you say "I'll go send me", I suggest that you read;

Matthew 19:16‭-‬22 CEV A man came to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to have eternal life?”  Jesus said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? Only God is good. If you want to have eternal life, you must obey his commandments.”   “Which ones?” the man asked. Jesus answered, “Do not murder. Be faithful in marriage. Do not steal. Do not tell lies about others. Respect your father and mother. And love others as much as you love yourself.” The young man said, “I have obeyed all of these. What else must I do?”  Jesus replied, “If you want to be perfect, go sell everything you own! Give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven. Then come and be my follower.” When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he was very rich.

In his interaction with Jesus this young man seems to have been a good guy.  He obeyed all the commandments regarding his relationship with others. For us today it would be, living the "successful" Christian life; church every Sunday, a great marriage, five attractive (and above-average) kids, a corporate CEO with a Bible on his desk, a faithful supporter of Christian causes — the whole Christian enchilada. You would think this would be the perfect person to join and be sent by Jesus.  

Matthew 28:19‭-‬20 CEV Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world.

When Jesus says go He wants you to empty yourself of all things that would compete with Him as you go.  Things like wealth, family, position, influence.

Like the man in this interaction with Jesus, you may be doing all the right things on the outside, but on the inside your heart is divided.  Your possessions and position may be competing with God for supremacy. You've surrendered your outward behavior to God, but your commitment to him isn't absolute. I don’t believe Jesus was saying that all of us have to sell everything we have and give it to the poor. No, Jesus was looking into our hearts and saying that we haven't relinquished our lives unconditionally.

When you say "here I am Lord send me" remember that Jesus requires absolute surrender.  To be a disciple means forsaking everything to follow Jesus, unconditionally, putting our lives completely in His hands. When we say that we want to be His disciple, yet attach a list of conditions, Jesus refuses to accept our terms. His terms involve unconditional surrender.

Editor’s Note:  Some content from The Hole in Our Gospel by Rich Stearns

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Follow Me 

This  invitation goes beyond adopting new habits, embracing Christian beliefs, and living moral lives. The Scriptures give ample evidence of what we should consider.
Before you follow Jesus, reflect on these 10 important considerations:

1.  Be willing to obey and submit.

Following Jesus does not mean you live independently from his example and instruction. Christ’s followers trustfully obey and submit to his will by faith, even when it exceeds understanding. “Jesus answered him, ‘If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him’” (John 14:23).

2.  Be prepared to endure hardship.

Are you prepared to endure hardship for Christ’s cause? Following Jesus means hardship is not only a possibility, but a guarantee. But James 1:12 explains, “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” As we endure hardship, we can be assured of Christ’s provision for it: “More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:3-5).

3.  Be ready to see the ugliness of your sin.

Walking with Jesus Christ means seeing the sin he reveals, confronting it, and asking for forgiveness. You will continue to fall short daily, and that can be frustrating for believers who assume that following Christ is equivalent to perfection. As you still succumb to temptations and earthly pleasures, you will find that having a new heart means you have a new awareness and sensitivity to sin when you never did before. But take heart, friend. Christ’s perfect sacrifice has covered us from condemnation, and he will supply you with the strength you need flee from sin.

4.  Know that the world will not always accept you.

When you truly know Jesus Christ, it’s hard to fathom how others won’t receive him and his followers. But Jesus doesn’t shield us from this sobering reality: “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first” (John 15:18, NIV). If the world is not walking with him, they are fighting against him. Therefore, as his follower, you will find yourself in similar situations of persecution, misunderstanding, condemnation, unacceptance, hostility, and oppression. Amongst the world’s antagonism, cling to what Peter and the apostles acknowledged in Acts 5:29: “We must obey God rather than men.”

5.  Be willing to step outside your comfort zone.
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Christians are called to seek justice, defend the helpless, and serve the poor. None of these commands can be accomplished by sitting quietly in your home. Whether you are comfortable with the Lord’s commands or not, you will be challenged to speak up when you’re scared, intimidated, or uncomfortable. Jesus isn’t saying you must be full of doctrinal knowledge or a spiritual superstar to do these things; no, Jesus calls us to a willing and obedient heart that follows wherever he leads.
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6.  Prepare to be held accountable.

Through Christ’s ultimate sacrifice on the cross, and by faith in him, your sins have been cleared from your record. But this doesn’t mean you have freedom to take Christ’s sacrifice for granted and continue sinning. You will still stand before God’s judgment seat, giving an account of your actions to him (Romans 14:12). Not only must you remain accountable to God, but to others in the body of Christ. Accountability seems intimidating, but it is a gift from God to help us walk the right path.

7.  Accept him at his word.

Your limited humanity means you will not always understand God’s sovereignty. You will question why he allows suffering, where he is in the silence, and why your prayers seemingly go unanswered. But you have not been instructed to fully understand; you are to walk by faith, acknowledging that his ways are higher than yours, and that his thoughts are greater than yours (Isaiah 55:9).

8.  Leave things behind.

Ephesians 4 tells us to no longer walk how we used to (v. 17) because our understanding was darkened, we were excluded from God, we were ignorant, and our hearts were hardened (v. 18). But we don’t know Christ in this way anymore (v. 20), because we have heard his truth and listened (v. 21). Therefore, we are to put aside our old self, prior to knowing Christ, and to put on our new self, which is now in the likeness of God (v. 24). Faith in Christ demands a radical change in your lifestyle from the way you once behaved. It may mean removing yourself from people or situations that ultimately do not glorify God, and this can be challenging.

9.  Expect to be humbled.

Philippians 2 tells us that followers of Christ do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but humbly count others more significant than themselves (v. 3) and look to the interests of others (v. 4). Christians are to walk humbly because Christ himself did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant (vv. 6-8). Boasting in our weakness (2 Corinthians 11:30) seems counterintuitive to our culture, but it is our duty as Christ-followers.

10.  Prepare to love.

At first glance, this final consideration sounds easily achievable. But in loving as Christ did, this means you cannot be selective about who you love. Following Jesus means loving without condition. But don’t be confused: Loving here means loving in action, not feelings. You may not be able to feel love for your obnoxious neighbor or spiteful relative, but you are still commanded to love them. John 13:34-35 spells this out: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

By loving others in spite of their sin, the world will see something different in you—and that beautiful difference is that you are a follower of Jesus Christ, unconditionally loved by him through his gospel of grace.

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The prosperity gospel is the  belief among some Christians, who hold that financial blessing and physical well-being are always the will of God for them, and that faith, positive speech, and donations to religious causes will increase one's material wealth.  Prosperity theology views the Bible as a contract between God and humans: if humans have faith in God, he will deliver security and prosperity.

In the prosperity gospel,” the believer is told to use God.   The truth of biblical Christianity is just the opposite—God uses the believer. Prosperity theology sees the Holy Spirit as a power to be put to use for whatever the believer wills. The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is a Person who enables the believer to do God's will.

A favorite term of prosperity gospel teachers is “positive confession.” This refers to the teaching that words themselves have creative power. What you say, prosperity teachers claim, determines everything that happens to you. Your confessions, especially the favors you demand of God, must all be stated positively and without wavering. Then God is required to answer (as though man could require anything of God!). Thus, God's ability to bless us supposedly hangs on our faith. 

Matthew 21:21 (NLT2)21  Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. 

Matthew 18:19 (NLT2)19  “I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. 

Mark 11:24 (NLT2)24  I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. 

John 14:14 (NLT2)14  Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!  

John 15:7 (NLT2)7  But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! 

1 John 5:14-15 (NLT2)14  And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him.15  And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for. 

These represent just a sampling of the New Testament’s sweeping claims made in plain language.   If these things are true and absolute absolute how do we account for unanswered prayer. Some are relatively trivial unanswered prayers: for example, a baby that refuses to sleep and cries louder every time the harried mother prays for relief, or prayer for a parking space near the door and the closet one is at the end of the parking lot.. Others are unanswered prayers with more serious consequences. Scars from abuse not by bullies but by family members. A child with cystic fibrosis. A mother with severe Alzheimer’s who has suddenly turned violent. Breast cancer, a brain tumor, pancreatic cancer. 

Some blame themselves, for the prayers going unanswered, believing the Christian brothers and sisters  who tell them that if they just had enough faith they would get the answer they want.proper. Some, looking for bright spots, point out that prayer does not work according to a fixed formula you have to get your life in order, you have to say say the right words, and the desired result will come. If that were true, Job would have avoided much suffering, Paul would have shed his thorn in the flesh, and Jesus would never have gone to Golgotha.

How can we reconcile the promises with the actual experience of so many sincere Christians who struggle with unanswered prayer?

One possible explanation centers in the specific group of people who Jesus was addressing: He was addressing the disciples. Could it be that Jesus gave the Twelve men, who He handpicked to carry on the work after his death, certain rights and privileges in prayer that would not be the norm for every follower? The Gospel writers do not explicitly say “These commands apply to the disciples only,” but they do specify in each case that Jesus was speaking to his intimate disciples, not a large crowd.

In the letters that the disciples Peter and John wrote they indicate that prayer didn’t work out exactly perfectly for them either. They, like Paul, expressed frustration over developments in the church in spite of their prayers. And history tells of the martyrdom of ten of the disciples. I would think that they were praying, like Jesus, that “ let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. ”.

Matthew 26:39 (NLT2)39  He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” 

Another explanation focuses on the “fine print” that modifies the promises.  Virtually all of them contain a qualifier, such as “ whatever you ask in my name,” or “  If you remain in me and my words remain in you.” The assurance of answered prayers, while sweeping in its scope, comes with conditions. 

• Am I abiding in Christ?
• Am I making requests according to his will? 
• Am I obeying his commands? 

Each of these underscores the relationship, companionship with God. The more we know God, the more we know God’s will, the more likely our prayers will align with that will.

In sharp contrast to the prosperity gospel emphasis on gaining money and possessions in this life, Jesus said, 

Matthew 6:19 (NLT2)19  “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. 

The irreconcilable contradictions between prosperity teaching and the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is best summed up in the words of Jesus.

Matthew 6:24 (NLT2)24  “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. ​