On this weeks episode of The Pulse Podcast, we discuss the all-important questions of how do you know if God is speaking to you? How do you know that you’re not making it up, mishearing the Holy Spirit, or that it was even from God?
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As we read through the Bible, it is clear to see that God asks much of us. This statement might sound confusing since Christianity is mainly characterised by grace. So, the question we are left with is ‘are grace and effort contradicting realities in the Christian life?’. And if they are not, how can we reconcile these two seemingly distinct realities?
The Bible is replete with promises for the Christian. Jesus offers us eternal life (John 3:16, John 14:6), freedom (Galatians 5:1, John 8:36), love (John 15:9, Ephesians 3:18-19), joy (John 15:11, John 17:3), peace (Philippians 4:7, John 14:27), comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3) and security (Romans 8:35-39, John 17:12). Jesus doesn’t just offer these promises, but so much more, so it is understandable as to why many find it difficult that the Christian life would require effort. There are some that argue that sanctification should be effortless and that faith in God should be unshakeable since, if you’re a Christian, you have been united with Christ. The problem with this line of reasoning is that it undermines two things that have been made available for the Christian; The Church and God Himself – The Holy Spirit. The fact that the Christian life requires effort doesn’t undermine the power of the cross, it confirms it. Christ set His affection on helpless sinners, lived for them, died for them, rose from the dead for them and now reigns supreme for them. Now this resurrected Christ grafts these redeemed sinners into His body (The Church) and empowers them by His Spirit (The Holy Spirit) to live out holy lives (1 Peter 2:9-10). And the scriptures inform us that we need the Body (1 Corinthians 12:12-26) and the Holy Spirit (John 14:16)
The scriptures don’t just give us many promises but also has many commands. And if the Spirit of God lives inside each believer then surely obedience should be easy? Experientially and scripturally, we see that obedience is not easy; hence why we have the Holy Spirit who causes us to obey (Ezekiel 36:27) and the Church who is called to bear with its members (Ephesians 4:2). Jesus makes it clear throughout the gospels that obedience to God is evidence of love for God (John 14:15). So, why do Christians fall short so often when upon conversion the love of God has been poured into their hearts? (Romans 5:5). Well, Paul puts it like this :
“For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing”
Romans 7:18-19
Here we see Paul express the reality that is common with every believer, you have received Christ and your heart has been changed as evidenced by new desires and behaviours, yet you still find yourself drawn to the things antithetical to your newfound faith. And as we are tempted by these former loves we forget the glorious truth of the gospel – Jesus is better. This is why God in His infinite wisdom calls for us to be in community (the local church) so that we are constantly reminded of this and can help each other combat the sins that wage war against our soul (1 Peter 2:11, Hebrews 10:23-25).
The danger with acknowledging that Christianity requires effort may result in both Christians and non-Christians thinking that their effort somehow merits their righteousness before God. It doesn’t. We are saved by grace alone (Ephesians 2:8). We are also kept by grace alone (Jude 24). The effort we produce to live right is by grace (1 Corinthians 15:10), furthermore the desire to initially want to do what is right is also by grace (2 Thessalonians 1:11). We can take no credit for any act of righteousness we do because all righteousness ultimately comes from God.
Paul lets the Christian know that God is willing and working within our efforts for His glory. In other words, our effort is energised by God’s grace for God’s glory and our good.
“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure”
Philippians 2:12-13
The undergirding of our Christian efforts is the God who works in our efforts for His glory. The God who calls us to obey gives us the heart to want to obey and delight in obeying (1 John 5:3). This should cause the believer to have great joy because the Christian walk does not rely on our strength but on God. Therefore we can trust that God will grant us the grace to empower our Christian efforts for His glory and our good.
Joke: Q: Which servant of God was the most flagrant lawbreaker in the Bible?
A: Moses. He broke all 10 commandments at once
Discussion
As a society, we like our heroes… we like to hero-worship. We’ve moved on from cowboys and Indians today. We’ve turned it up a notch and now our heroes are super – Super heroes! Batman, Superman, Ironman… and recently Hollywood has been pushing that giant of a superhero, Antman! What’s next? Slugman? Snailman? Slothman? We also hero worship actual real people… when Obama won his first Presidency the journalists wrote of him like he was literally the long awaited Messiah. Years later in 2013 Barbara Walters, the respected American journalist and broadcaster said of Obama: ‘He made so many promises…We (the media) thought that he was going to be – I shouldn’t say this at Christmas time, but – the next Messiah.’
Today people are oohing and aahing over the Pope. Late last year the Guardian newspaper had an article entitled: ‘Why atheists love Pope Francis – The pope ignites unprecedented secular excitement’. So here we go again. Movie and sports stars get the same treatment because everyone knows that if you can catch and throw a ball or if you are handy at pretending that you’re someone that you’re not, then you are pretty special indeed!
Now when you come to the Bible, it’s not without its own list of heroes. It has its hall of faith. But it’s fair to say these were a different breed of character to those popular today. Lets talk a look at God’s hall of faith – His heroes if you like. It is a study of Hebrews chapter 11. It is the ‘faith’ chapter.
Hebrews chapter 11 contains a list of people that God says are noteworthy. See if you can name who these people are from these small clues:
Guess the people
They are a list of stars whom God places His stamp of approval upon saying ‘The world was not worthy of them.’
The American author and poet Henry David Thoreau wrote the following and I want you to think about this quote… He wrote: ‘If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however, measured or far away.’ That sums up the characters we will read about in Hebrews 11. They listened, and marched, to a different drum beat. But hopefully, that should be said of all of us.
Discussion
The faith that we hold and the life that we live should reflect something of the heavenly music that we listen to, and God’s people should be marching to the beat of a different drummer! If that means we are out of step with the rest then good. So be it. This study is just a starter as we will examine
Hebrews 11:1-3. It touches on an initial definition of faith and introduces the first aspect of our faith that hopefully, we can all put our name next to. Let’s read:
Hebrews 11:1-4 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (2) For by it the men of old gained approval. (3) By faith, we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.
In Hebrews 11, the faith described is more practical than theoretical. It is not so much trying to define what faith is through a verbose theological discussion but is more focused on how that faith is outworked in the life of God’s people. It lists what people did by faith… how faith affected their lives. But it does start, in the very first verse, with what is the only place in the Bible (that I know of anyway) where a definition of faith is given.
Heb 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
I’m not sure how you would define faith. You may have heard, or possibly even feel, like the little girl who was asked to define faith and said “Well, faith is believing what you know ain’t so.” That may raise a smile but actually, faith isn’t believing what ‘you know ain’t so.’ But that is how the world often sees it. Faith isn’t positive thinking (‘everything is going to be alright, things are getting brighter, I’m feeling better’) or just a vague wishful hope that things will work out somehow. Here is what the Bible says about faith:
‘The assurance of things hoped for’: Now that sounds pretty certain! We see first of all that faith is linked to hope. Now, this is not a wishy-washy hope. Biblical hope is based on certainty. Faith is not just hoping that things will be ok and work out alright in the way we would say ‘I hope it doesn’t rain today’. It is based on the certainties of the promises of God – which are based on the very character of God. That’s why it says that faith ‘is the assurance’. It means that the promises of God, the very things that we place our hope to become so real that they impact how we live today. Hebrews 11 doesn’t try to define this further but instead gives various examples, such as Abraham who was able to leave his home and live as a stranger and an exile in this world because he was looking for a heavenly city. His assurance of what is still to come changed how he lived today. And faith can bring light to the darkest of times. It gives great optimism!
Faith is an essential part of our relationship with God. It is a prerequisite to beginning the conversion process, which is a necessary step on the road to salvation and eternal life.
Without faith we can’t please God (Hebrews 11:6), essentially because if we don’t believe in Him and believe Him, we won’t really be trying to please Him! In the New Testament, both faith and belief are generally translations of the Greek word pistis. People who live by faith as followers of Jesus Christ are called “believers” (Acts 5:14).
“The main sense of the word ‘faith’ in the NT is that of trust or reliance… [Pistis] bears the sense not of faithfulness alone, but of the reliance and trust that is the basis of man’s faithfulness, i.e., the faithfulness that expresses confidence in the faithfulness of God” (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, 1982, article, “Faith”).
Read
I read a story recently about Adoniram Judson, the American who served as missionary to Burma for nearly 40 years. In the early years of his work in Burma he was respected and even held favour with the king of Burma. However, in 1824, with the impending war between Burma and the English based in India, all the white foreigners were viewed with great suspicion and Judson was arrested and thrown into infamous, vermin-ridden death prison of Ava. His feet were shackled with chains and all the prisoners in this death prison had their feet bound to a long bamboo. Along with this they had no ventilation in the prison and were in extreme heat. At night the guards would raise the bamboo so that their feet were in the air (with the chains handling off them and weighing them down!) while their shoulders could rest upon the ground. That was how they would spend the whole night till the guard came in the morning. Judson was in this prison for 12 months. At one point a fellow prisoner said, with a sneer on his face, “Dr. Judson, what now about the prospect of the conversion of the heathen?” Judson’s instant reply was, “The prospects are just as bright as the promises of God… .” Goodness! What faith!
‘Conviction of things not seen’ : Hebrews also tells us that faith is the conviction of things not seen. The believer is one who is aware that there is more to this world and life that what can be seen with the natural eyes. We walk by faith and not by sight. There is an inner knowledge and conviction that is hard to explain to an unbeliever but it is one that can lay hold of the things that are invisible and possess them today. A staunch atheist wrote in to the website asking me to give him the best evidence for the existence of God. He saw the Bible on the same level as myths and fairly tales. I discussed my testimony, my experience of God as a Christian and also spoke of the amazing fulfilment of Bible prophecy. I tried. No luck. He just responded with ridicule. It is difficult for someone that only goes by their natural senses to see past that. Actually, as a related side issue, I read of an atheist who said to a Quaker, “Have you ever seen your God? Have you ever touched your God? Have you ever smelt your God? And you say you have a God!” The Quaker thought for quite a while and after a long pause, replied, “Hast thou ever seen thy brains? Hast thou ever touched thy brains? Hast thou ever smelt thy brains? And thou sayest thou hast brains!”
But we understand what the atheist is getting at. If you said to an unbeliever that you have received forgiveness and had been given a gift of righteousness by God, they may well say ‘ok well, where is it? Where is this forgiveness, where is this gift of righteousness?’ What would you say? You don’t receive a certificate from God that you can pin up on your wall when you become a Christian. The fact is, the spiritual blessings of God cannot be seen. They cannot be touched, smelt, licked or sniffed. And yet the eyes of faith apprehends them, the hand of faith receives them and the heart of faith appropriates them and receives the peace and joy that accompany such great gifts of God. And God commends us for it! But without faith, it is impossible to see these things and please God.
To conclude, let’s look briefly at another great passage about faith.
1 Peter 1:3-9 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, (4) to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, (5) who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (6)
In this, you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, (7) so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ; (8) and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, (9) obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.
This is a great passage and we can’t do it justice here but I just want to end with three points from this passage:
If you have been struggling, hold on and set your eyes on Him who is unseen once again. If you have been getting complacent in your walk, think again as to what is important and precious in this life. God says it is your faith. If you have been running well, don’t get proud but keep living in a constant relationship with your creator and finish well!
In Hebrew 11:13, after speaking about some of the ‘heroes’ of the faith it says this:
All these people were still living by faith when they died. (Heb 11:13)
That is why they are heroes!
Faith in God isn’t just how we start the Christian life. It is how we walk in this life and how we want to finish it.
The impact of social media and the internet on our everyday lives is visible. We are constantly looking at screens, spending hours in front of a computer or phone screen in conversations through instant messaging or Twitter. Amidst this, we must not allow our time with God to fall to the background.
The aim of this article is not to force you to get rid of all your devices or delete your social media accounts. We know they can be a tool to share the gospel and stay connected with others. However, if the time on your devices is more than the time spent with God, then it is time to re-evaluate.
We can spend all week engaging with online content yet spend only 40 out of those 10,080 minutes on the things of God. Although there is nothing that can separate us from His love (Romans 8:39), God still requires us to draw near to Him (James 4:8). A quick sound bite on Sunday is a great appetiser, however, it is not enough to nourish the depth of our souls. If we do not go deeper, eventually, we will find ourselves far from God and left on empty. We then try to fill our God-sized holes of loneliness and dissatisfaction with items that do not fit when we seek escape in YouTube vlogs, laughter from memes and validation from likes on our feeds. We are seeking everything but the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33).
In the last lockdown, I found myself endlessly searching for entertainment to pass the time. In my seeking for a distraction, my attention drifted from Christ to vices that will never leave me satisfied.
It is easy to drift when we focus our attention solely on the things of this world as opposed to God. Who can blame us with these organisations competing for our attention? They demand it and will do anything to capture it. All these social media apps need from us is continuous engagement and they have designed specific algorithms to ensure we remain engaged. We are tempted by new alerts, notifications, and the promise of a new feed after clicking refresh. They make sure we always come back. And the more time we spend with these apps, the more attention they demand. This is the problem.
Our attention is important to God, where we spend our time and what we spend it on. But what can we do when we feel dissatisfied and in need of replenishment?
Ultimately, when we are tired and seeking rest, instead of turning to social media and the internet for fulfilment, we should find comfort in Christ. He is the source that will never run dry. The only one that can truly satisfy. Jesus says: “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst” (John 6:35). Jesus can fulfil the fundamental desires that will keep us alive in this life. He calls us to Him when we are weary because He alone can provide us with the rest that we need.
Are you weary, carrying a heavy burden? Then come to me. I will refresh your life, for I am your oasis. Simply join your life with mine. Learn my ways and you’ll discover that I’m gentle, humble, easy to please. You will find refreshment and rest in me
Matthew 11:28-29
Jesus offers us something completely different to what the world offers. While the world offers us distractions from with our devices, Jesus offers us complete satisfaction. When we receive this type of rest, we must remove anything that does not benefit the soul.
There are things in our lives occupying our attention and time but not providing us with the rest and satisfaction Jesus fulfills. To ensure that we are not seeking satisfaction from any other source, we should assess what we are consuming. We can do this with the living and active word of God. Through the word, with guidance from the Holy Spirit, we can discern the thoughts and intentions of our hearts. Not out of conviction but for contentment. To discover if we are more satisfied with our devices than we are in our Saviour.
Finally, brothers [and sisters], whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
Philippians 4:8
When a tv show is influencing us more than the word of God or our behaviour is being conformed to online trends rather than the life of Christ, we should ask ourselves of the content:
We must pray that we do not become numb to the type of content we are consuming and the time we are spending on our devices. A momentary pause can reveal the true intention of the heart. Paul writes, “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things edify” (1 Corinthians 10:23). We need to know when to draw the line between enjoyment and purity. To know when programmes are entertaining but ultimately do not glorify God. We need to know when to disconnect.
This lockdown will be different. As we seek the things that are above (Colossians 3:1) and keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2), we will see that in all things Christ is more than sufficient for us (Philippians 4:19).
I think if we are being honest with ourselves, a lot of us as Christians, are afraid of questions. How often do we shy away from our duty to evangelise under the guise of “What if someone asks questions I can’t answer?”. In some instances, we can even be afraid of the questions we ask ourselves. We are afraid that under interrogation, our doubt may cause our faith may falter.
When I became a Christian, I used to think I’d have to leave my brain and the door when I entered Church. I found the way we treat doubt and doubters quite worrying. Questions always seemed like the enemy of faith. “Just focus on God and the questions will go away”, or “Take God as His word” or “God’s ways are simply a mystery to us”. Phrases like these were ones I often heard when I would raise my doubts. These are sentiments which are I understand and are sincere but often leads to a mass of nominal Christians unaware as to why they believe what they claim to believe. Fortunate for us, we serve a God who isn’t afraid of our questions but instead invites us to ask them. God isn’t threatened by your doubt, nor does he get mad at you for asking questions. When we read the Bible, we find a God who is far more comfortable with our doubt than the Church is today. A God who doesn’t want our mindless obedience but rather our thoughtful Worship.
To have doubts is not unusual to experience for the Christians. The Bible is filled with stories of men and women of God who wrestled with their doubt. It is inescapable. The important thing isn’t to ignore our doubt but rather, how do we deal with it? Here are four ways which have greatly helped me.
What separates Christianity from every other world religion is that we serve a God who knows what it’s like to feel. There is not a facet of life which anyone reading this article has experienced, which Jesus in His thirty-three short years on Earth did not Himself experience. If you feel abandoned? Jesus was abandoned. If you feel rejected? He experienced that also. If you face temptation? Jesus was tempted in every way. Do you have doubts? Jesus knows what that feels like. As the writer of Hebrews says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses.” (Hebrews 4:15). Jesus knows how we feel and have a unique understanding of our weakness (Hebrews 2:18). God already knows that we have doubts. The Christian is not called to pretend as if they don’t exist, but to instead trust Jesus with our doubts. We do ourselves a huge disservice when we try and brush our questions under the carpet in the name of faith. Once we acknowledge them, Jesus deals with our doubts as he did with dealt with the disciple Thomas’ doubt in John 20, He reaches out to us. The Christian shouldn’t run from their doubts or deny them, but like the man who sought Jesus’ healing for his suffering son in Mark’s Gospel we ask, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”
“Doubting God is painful and frightening because we think we are leaving God behind, but we are only leaving behind the idea of God we like to surround ourselves with—the small God, the God we control, the God who agrees with us. Doubt forces us to look at who we think God is.”- Pete Enns
When we have doubts, we should start by questioning them. As Graham Ryken once said, “Some believers spend too much time doubting their faith, and not enough time doubting their doubts.” Very rarely do our doubts occur in a vacuum. More often than not, there are external pressures that fuel our doubts. The doubts we hold are typically tied to false beliefs we may have, misconceptions or wrong expectations. As Christians, at some point or another, we will face doubts. However, there some questions we should raise about those doubts.
You are not alone in your doubt. There is nothing new under the sun. The same questions and doubts we have today regarding faith, are the same questions and doubts fellow profession Christians have had in 2000 years worth of Chruch history. More often than not, there is someone in your Church, small group or fellowship who is wrestling with the same questions that you are. It is vital to find a Christian community which nurtures and helps us through our questions and doesn’t shut them down in the name of faith. Find those you trust and are grounded in their faith and share your questions with them. When faced with doubt, our response shouldn’t be to wallow in self-pity but invite someone in to help us bear it. Find those who won’t just give you short and quick answers, but those who will do life and walk with us through these difficult times (Galatians 6:2).
God is not offended by our doubt. God designed us to seek truth, that we might grow in our knowledge of Him – Sheri Bell
There are God-glorifying ways to deal with our doubts. When everything makes sense and life seems to be going our way, faith comes easy. But in those moments when life is challenging, trusting God, and having faith is all the more difficult. It is in these moments when God is most glorified. I have found that the periods of doubt in my life have actually played a significant role in the strengthening of my faith. This is because when we have doubts, the deficiency is in you, not in God. This deficiency isn’t meant to discourage you, but rather encourage you to seek the answers in the God of truth. God doesn’t run away from our questions but invites us to ask then to him. When David had his doubts, and there were numerous of them, he always spoke to God about them in prayer. When the doubting father in Mark 9 questioned whether or not his son would be he healed, he went to Jesus and prayed for the gift of triumphant faith. When the Psalmist Asaph had his doubts, he ran to the temple and worshipped God. When he did so, he then perceived correctly (Psalms 73:16–28). Our doubts should make us run closer to God as opposed to away from him.
So dear struggling Christian, acknowledge your doubt. But that isn’t enough. Doubt your doubts, tell others about your doubts and most importantly, tell God about your doubts. As you ask for His help remember, God “will deliver the needy when he cries” (Psalms 72:12).
Of all the things that you will learn in your Christian walk, one thing is for certain…Christians are messy. As much as we expect that the new birth (2 Corinthians 5:17) would iron out all the flaws in our brothers and sisters, there remain many quirks, tendencies and annoyances that cause people in our churches and circles (including me and you) to be insufferable.
Every Christian (and even the staunchest of atheists) has heard Jesus’s command to love our brothers and sisters. I’ve often heard it said that “you can love people, but you don’t have to like them“. This sounds reasonable, but is this the attitude that Christ has towards us, and is satisfied with us having towards others, especially those whom he died for? And we all know that without the motivation, our “love” for messy Christians will be no more than an “I’m praying for you” occasionally, without truly serving them practically (James 2:15).
It is crucial for us to not only treat others the way Christ calls us to, but to think and feel about others the way Christ wants us to. To help create this attitude shift, let’s look at 4 things Paul teaches us from 1 Corinthians 12 that will motivate us to love Christians that we don’t like.
– For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. – 1 Cor 12:12
For all our differences, the one thing we have in common is the most glorious thing about us. Our identity in Christ. The same Spirit has brought us all into communion not only with Christ but with each other.
A great way to demonstrate this communion is to understand the redemption of our sin. You could write all your known sin issues on a piece of paper (and if you do this honestly, it should cause some discomfort). The lying, sexual sin, greed, jealousy, cheating, stealing, anger issues, bullying… the list goes on. In our salvation, we hand the record of our sin over to Jesus and in his death, burial and resurrection, he pays the price of it all, tears up the paper and says “You are forgiven. You are clean. God and sin no more” (1 John 1:9, John 8:11).
He does the same for the Christians that you can not stand. You could also write every flaw of other believers on a piece of paper, hand it to Christ and He tears that up also. How wonderful is that! Let’s focus on that common ground – our common salvation (Jude 3). In your thoughts and prayers about others, don’t be more concerned with what you wish they would be than you are thankful to God for who they are. Just like you, they are redeemed.
For the body does not consist of one member but of many… But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. – 1 Cor 12:14, 18
When God calls us to commit to a local church (Hebrews 10:25), He’s aware of our flaws, and intentionally placed us together as one. This is not accidental. The same way that the Lord is intentional in weaving our physical bodies (Psalm 139:13), He is intentional in the weaving of the body of Christ.
By putting together incompatible people, God provides the context for us to fulfil our purpose as Christians. We often think of purpose in the sense of career or achievement. But how often do we consider our purpose to forgive those who wrong us, encourage the unmotivated, help the seemingly useless, show kindness to the mean, be generous to the needy? Don’t think that the perfect church for you is one where everyone fits your preference. God has intentionally placed you with those you can’t stand, so you would learn to humble yourself as Jesus does (Romans 5:6-8).
On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honourable we bestow the greater honour, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty – 1 Cor 12:22
The word weak is the same word Paul used in 1 Cor 8:7. He describes a Christian with limited theological knowledge and a weak conscience. Often, our reasons for not liking certain Christians are because of ways that they do not live up to our expectations of them. Yet the weak Christian is indispensable according to Paul. This means more than just “being welcome” to come as they please. Paul is telling us that as a body, we cannot do without them, even with their flaws and quirks. You may be put off by their lack of wisdom, lack of patience, lack of optimism, lack of self-control, “extrovertedness” or “introvertedness”. And yet, they are still indispensable to God, and so should be indispensable to you also. Likewise, you, with all your flaws, are indispensable.
Although people are weak in some areas, we shouldn’t only focus on what they or we don’t bring to the table, but celebrate and focus on what we bring to the body.
Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. – 1 Cor 12:27
The body is the representation of Christ on Earth. This means our role as believers is to live in a way that demonstrates our faith which we can explain through our testimony. If Jesus gave his life up for people he didn’t “click” with (Ephesians 2:1-3), then we can and should desire to do the same.
Imagine if you were to invite a close secondary school friend to church. They’ve known you well and know your preferences to some extent. If they were to see you showering another believer with loving-kindness, knowing how incompatible you are with that person, how great of a gospel witness would that be? If they ask you about it, you now have a great illustration to show them practically how Jesus change lives. It’s a beautiful picture of the gospel.
Don’t see this as something you just have to put up with. See it as a way to fulfil your calling as an ambassador of Christ and pray that your attitude towards the intolerable would reflect that.
If we are to truly obey the commands of Jesus, we have to go past mere tolerance of others and pursue the desire to serve them no matter how intolerable they are. Through prayer, scripture reading and investing in the local church community, our attitude, and therefore our actions, to Christ’s people will overflow with Christ centred love. We must lean on the same Spirit that baptised us into one body to empower us with a beautiful attitude to members of his body, no matter how little they suit our preferences.
Joke: Photons have mass? I didn’t even know they were Catholic.
Some of the words and phrases in common use – like ‘mental health’ – don’t occur in the Bible. We, therefore, need to pause and think: Do we all mean the same thing by the phrase? And, what are the contact points between this phrase and the Bible?
Look again at your list – mental health is more than not having a mental illness, isn’t it? Good mental health is characterised by a person’s ability to fulfil a number of key functions and activities, including your ability to
What is also likely to be evident from your list is that no-one is perfectly mentally healthy – we are all on a spectrum – and we may move up and down on it from day to day
Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, director-general of the World Health Organization, reported in 2000 that “five of the 10 leading causes of disability worldwide … are mental conditions” ( Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 2000, 78).
The five conditions she listed are major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, alcohol abuse and obsessive-compulsive disorders. In addition, significant mental-health disorders plaguing humanity include phobias, generalized anxiety and panic disorder. Any of these maladies can be disabling.
Worldwide, mental-health afflictions are increasing. The total share of disability caused by them increased from 10.5 percent in 1990 to 12 percent in 1998 and is expected to increase to 15 percent in 2020—almost a 50 percent increase in only three decades. Depression, currently the fifth-leading cause of disability, is projected to jump to second place by 2020.
While treatment options—including medication and counseling—are available, prevention is the better choice.
Why is prevention preferable rather than treating a problem after it arises? Although treatment often works, it usually is much more costly. The costs often include financial losses, physical-health deterioration and trauma to family members—sometimes resulting in family disintegration.
Many mental illnesses can be prevented, and the Bible provides helpful information to that end. After all, it is a handbook from God on what we should think and how our minds should work. Among other things, the Bible tells us how to relieve stress and the kind of stimuli we should allow into our minds. Here are some crucial biblical keys to mental health.
Discussion
We start with the obvious merits of simple positive thinking. In Philippians 4:8 the Bible instructs us in proper thinking: “And now, my friends, all that is true, all that is noble, all that is just and pure, all that is lovableand gracious, whatever is excellent and admirable—fill all your thoughts with these things” (New English Bible, emphasis added throughout).
Those who consistently apply these positive words will practice positive thinking, a habit crucial to mental health. “A positive outlook is known to improve recovery from surgery and the immune system’s ability to fight off disease as well as aid in cancer recovery, to reduce the fight-or-flight response and hence stress disease [and can] … restore our tranquillity and turn our unhappy, anxiety-producing hormones into happy ones” (Archibald Hart, M.D., The Anxiety Cure, 1999, p. 217).
The characteristics of an optimistic mind-set include the ability to focus on the positive when the negative seems overwhelming. The key lies in turning a problem into a challenge and then working to meet it.
Negative thoughts are often the product of established patterns that are related to our belief systems. This could be about a variety of things, such as self-esteem, productivity, finances, relationships, a career, or anything else.
We also must avoid filling our minds with the negative and degrading aspects of the world around us. The apostle Paul wrote that some things are so shameful we should not even speak of them (Ephesians 5:12). Yet many of the degrading things to which Paul referred fill our print and electronic media.
If we want good mental health, we should discipline our minds to avoid a degrading mental diet. The principle of “garbage in, garbage out” certainly applies with respect to our minds. The net effect of what occupies our minds—and often comes out of our mouths—will be as pure or as corrupt as whatever we let enter our minds. We jeopardize our mental health when we subject our thinking to mental trash. To remain psychologically stable, we must discipline our minds to avoid thinking in the gutter.
IN PLACE OF THIS WE CAN
Where do feelings and emotions come from?
When God created man in His own image (Genesis 1:27), He included the human personality, which can express godly feelings.
The primary characteristic that summarizes God’s very being is love (1 John 4:8, 16).
But Paul describes a greater range of godly characteristics and emotions as aspects of the fruit of His Spirit. They include “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23, New International Version).
The Bible exhorts us to be full of this Spirit (Ephesians 5:18).
If these traits are dominant in our personality, we are less likely to suffer from mental aberrations. Such a mind will be self-controlled; it will be stable and able to endure the difficulties of life. It will be optimistic and optimism is a vital part of a healthy mind. “Optimistic people are more able to roll with life’s punches and slough off stress—and they live longer” (Bradley Wilcox, M.D., Craig Wilcox, Ph.D., and Makoto Suzuki, M.D., The Okinawa Program, 2001, p. 273).
Conversely, “a person without self-control is as defenseless as a city with broken-down walls” (Proverbs 25:28, New Living Translation). This person will be vulnerable and driven frequently by negative emotions. His outcome is described in Galatians 5:19-21. His accompanying problems can include adultery, sexual immorality, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, envy and drunkenness. Living this way exacts an automatic penalty that makes one a candidate for instability, unhappiness and mental problems.
We choose our emotions, and we live with the consequences. The types of emotions that prevail in our minds are a major determining factor in whether we succeed at life itself. “Emotions are a mixed blessing. They are responsible for many of man’s finest and greatest achievements. They are also responsible for some of the greatest tragedies in our world” (Norman Wright, The Christian Use of Emotional Power, 1974, p. 13). If we choose healthy emotions, we can be happy and achieve success in life.
We live in such a fast-paced world that it is essential to schedule breaks from our routine. “Taking time to rest is not an option in today’s world; it is a necessity. Yet more people struggle here than in almost any other area of their lives. It is perilous not to take time to rest” (Hart, p. 118).
Even Jesus and His apostles felt this need. Notice one such occasion in Mark 6:31: “Then Jesus said, ‘Let’s get away from the crowds for a while and rest.’ There were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat” (NLT).
For mental rejuvenation and avoiding stress overload, we need daily rest. Especially as we get older, an afternoon nap can rejuvenate us. We also need regular vacations if our financial circumstances and work situations permit. Even if one does nothing but stay at home on holidays, breaks from our routines can be beneficial.
In addition, God tells us we need to schedule one day in the week for rest. After completing His work of creation, God rested on the seventh day (Genesis 2:2). The Hebrew word for “rested” is shabath, the verb form of the noun translated as “Sabbath” in Exodus 20:10-11, where God gave the Ten Commandments to Israel and commanded the Israelites to keep His Sabbath holy by resting on the seventh day of every week
“… Woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up,” says Ecclesiastes 4:10.
Good mental health requires contact with other people. One of the first revelations of the Bible is that God designed us to need other people: “It is not good that the man should be alone” (Genesis 2:18).
See our previous study on Fellowship
The need for emotionally supporting family and friends is scientifically established. “What happens if we have no close relationships? The message that emerges loud and clear from scientific evidence accumulated since the mid 1970’s is that having a reasonable quantity and quality of social relationships is essential for mental and physical wellbeing” (Paul Martin, M.D., The Healing Mind, 1997, p. 157).
Human interaction spawns growth and is essential mentally and physically. Proverbs 27:17 tells us that “as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another” (NIV).
Perhaps the chief benefit of uplifting social contact is that it provides us the opportunity to learn how to love and serve. This is vital to mental health. “I have never met a person who is genuinely focused on helping others who is unhappy or dissatisfied with life … I can assure you that they are happy because they are directing their attention away from themselves” (Hart, p. 223).
Jesus recognized this and demonstrated that love and service are keys to happiness and mental health. He performed the menial task of washing His disciples’ feet to demonstrate that His disciples were to serve one another as He had served them. After washing their feet Jesus said, “Now that you know these things, happy are you if you do them” (John 13:17, Twentieth Century New Testament). Later in the same chapter He told them, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another” (verse 34).Jesus earlier said, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39).
Discussion
During this week’s episode of On The Table, we bring to the table, Evangelism! As Christians, we all know that we need to share the Gospel, God has equipped us and commanded us to be witnesses of what He has done for us in our lives. However, a lot of us make excuses as to why we don’t share the Gospel as often as we ought to. So, how can I better share the Gospel?
Guests: Toye Akinoso, Deborah Suen, Rufaro Jerahuni , Jireh Antwi
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On this weeks episode of The Pulse Podcast, we aim to tackle a question which most of us have wrestled with at one point or another, “How do I discern God’s will for my life?” For many people, the answer to this is a lifelong pursuit which often leaves us frustrated. Mike Omoniyi provides some encouragement and some key principles to help us better answer this question.
Join the discussion online by using the hashtag #ThePulsePodcast.
Join the conversation online using the hashtag #ThePulsePodcast
Listen on Apple Podcasts or Soundcloud: CLICK HERE
The Pulse Podcast is back with a brand new season, season four! On our first episode back, we discuss the matter of truth. Even in a post-truth world, there is still value is seeking the truth. There is still value in pursuing clarity in the person and work of Jesus. “how do you know Christianity is the one true religion?”
Join the discussion online by using the hashtag #ThePulsePodcast.
Join the conversation online using the hashtag #ThePulsePodcast
Listen on Apple Podcasts or Soundcloud: CLICK HERE
