How? Laying the Foundation of All Sufficient Faith part I

Posted by anointedplace on June 16, 2010 · 3 Comments 

The question of how seems like a simple one but it’s not always as it seems. Some would see that as a problem but it actually opens the door to a conversation. That conversation is the Gospel; I know what you are thinking: “here he goes with the Jesus talk”. With that in mind I always wonder why do people hate to hear the Gospel? If I wanted to tell you anything else, it wouldn’t be a problem at all.

But to be fair really, if I had anything else to say that didn’t involve me talking about how a person lives their life you would be all ears. It is this same way of thinking that has changed communities/neighborhoods. We no longer live in communities and its even harder to find people that genuinely care for the well being of others. So what does this have to do with the Gospel? Well, since most people don’t want to hear it and since it usually has to do with the fact that they feel like you are invading their private life.  What people fail to understand is that in most cases the guidance of the Holy Spirit will lead you to those whom hearts are ready for: seeding, watering or harvesting.

For me those encounters usually start with a question from them….How? “How do you have joy in the mist of sadness? How do you have faith when everything else is falling? How do you know when you are saved? How do you know when God is leading you? How do you know God’s will? How do you put God first? How can you still smile?” You can tell when a person is ready to listen and by the power of the Holy
Spirit you will know how much they can handle.

Movie quote from The Matrix(1999)

Morpheus: The Matrix is a system, Neo. That system is our enemy. But

when you’re inside, you look around, what do you see? Businessmen,

teachers, lawyers, carpenters. The very minds of the people we are

trying to save. But until we do, these people are still a part of that

system and that makes them our enemy. “You have to understand, most of

these people are not ready to be unplugged. And many of them are so

inured, so hopelessly dependent on the system, that they will fight to

protect it.”

Don’t get it twisted, I’m not quoting the movie as some divine authority. I’m just making a point on a level that is not above a common understanding. There are people who are not ready to let go of the world and sin. There are people who do not know that they are sinners. If you don’t think you have a problem or illness; you willnever go to the doctor. But that is the beauty of the Gospel because the doctor came to us. God didn’t wait for us to make the first move but because of His love for us; He sent His Son. See, the answer to all those questions is very simple but for me to just give the answer will still leave some confused. So let’s start from the beginning then:

Genesis 3

1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals theLORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You
must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ”

4 “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and youwill be like God, knowing good and evil.”

So from the fall of Adam, we are now all born sinners. We are born at odds with God, we are born enemies of God. Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, andin this way death came to all men, because all sinned— Yet, we all say that we are good but God says no! Romans 3:10-12, No one seeks God! You may feel that its not true and that you know a lot of goodpeople. Believe me, because I know how you feel. I thought I wasgood too… Do you feel how Neo felt in the movie when he learned that the world that he lived in was a lie. The sheer thought of us not being good scares us. The thought that all of the “things” that we do are as filthy rags in the eyes of God (Isaiah 64:6 ). We say that its not fair and why would anyone want to serve a God like that? We say that we can control our own lives and our own destinies (please see Genesis 3, again!). The odd thing is that we have never thought for once how little control we have over the creation of life within a woman’s womb. Even if a doctor inseminate her, the doctor can’t make the eggs fertilize correctly or make the fetus develop properly. What does a mother have to do with the first beat of a fetus’ heart? What good does a father’s protect do for a fetus? Then take that child and place them in a world were at least 40 hours per week are out of the perimeter of a mother and father’s guidance? How can you guard a life that is out of reach? On top of that what is it that you do to keep your heart beating? If you can’t start it at birth, how do you maintain its rhythm? Have you ever notice that the only why a heart or brain stops working is by some form of sin? Sin destroys not only the soul but the body as well.

Romans 1
18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the
godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their
wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them,

because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the
world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine
nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been
made, so that men are without excuse.

21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor
gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish
hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became

fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to
look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts
to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.

25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served
created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts.

You know that there is a God but your love for sin will not let you see Him. Our hearts are so harden against our creator until we rebel like spoiled children. Do you know how you break a spoiled child? You let their rebellion break them down and the whole time you are abreath away waiting for them to wake up face down in the hog pen likethe prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). And then there are some who have been “good” but by who’s standard are they good? Jesus said only the Father is good as He spoke with the rich young ruler (Matthew19:16-30). What Jesus revealed to the young man and what I’m about to show is that “goodness” or “righteousness” is the condition of the heart and the intent of all that we do. Now think about how hard it is to have only pure intent. That is before the formulation of thoughts and actions; that all is of a pure heart. Mankind is only concern with himself and how things will benefit him alone. So how can a selfish, prideful and power hungry human being can ever hope to have pure intent all the time? So how can we ever hope to live up to God’s standard of righteousness? So here we are faced with the wrath of God, with no hope of an excuse or a way out. We stand before God’s justice without a defense. On top of that, we aren’t even concerned about finding a defense! We don’t even care if we spend an eternity in damnation. We don’t even try to find out how to make things right with God. Yet, we will try to lower God’s standards so that we can meet those standards of righteousness. Hence, we have built the American Dream, American Idol, and this “freedom”. We now worship the created things and not the Creator.

So what do you say to this? Is there any hope for mankind?

God bless you & may the Holy Spirit lead you

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