Baptist City Blog

Man's Approval Results In God's Disapproval

John 9:22

"These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue."

It was just another Sabbath day for this young blind man. He did not know that on this day his life would change forever. It would change because of Who would pass by his way. We don't know if this young man was simply feeling his way through town, or if he was standing by the wayside begging, but we know that Jesus passed by his way. When Jesus saw this young man, knowing that he was born blind, He had compassion on him and healed his blind eyes.

The problem with this story is that the Pharisees didn't think that Jesus should heal on the Sabbath day. When they asked this young man who healed him, he said he didn't know who it was. The Pharisees didn't believe that he used to be blind, so they went to the parents to ask them if their son was really born with no sight. They confirmed that he was born blind, but out of fear of being thrown out of the synagogue, they wouldn't confirm how he received his sight.

Herein is the problem with many Christians. Too many Christians are more concerned with the approval of man than they are with the approval of God. They are more worried about what man can do to them than they are about what God can do to them. When you live for the approval of man, you can rest assured that your life will be disapproved by God.

Let me remind you that God is greater than man. People are so afraid of what man can do to them when they don't realize that God is the One Who ultimately determines what He allows His children to go through. You should always keep God's approval of what you do as your highest priority.

Furthermore, if you live for the approval of man, you will find that you will never succeed. If one group of people approve of you, then there will be another group of people who will disapprove of what you have done. Compromise starts when you start living for man's approval. Living for God's approval is easy, for you will only have one set of rules to obey. When you live for God's approval, you will find an inward satisfaction when you have accomplished this lofty goal.

Christian, be careful about living for the approval of man. Live your life to please God. Don't be concerned with what man thinks about you, but be concerned with God's approval of your life. If you will live to please God then you will find that you will be able to live a fulfilling life.

The Relevancy of God's Word for Your Life

John 1:1

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

If you were to listen to what society says about the Word of God, you would think that God's Word is just a bunch of stories that are entertaining to read. Most of society views God's Word as the writings of men and not the very Word of God. However, when you study the Word of God you find that every Word in the Bible is the very Word of God.

In John 1, you will also find that God's Word is relevant to your life. Though some may think that God's Word is out of date, when you study It you see that It's principles are relevant to your life and every situation you currently face. In fact, God's Word has the answer for every problem that you face. If God's Word doesn't have the answer for your problem, then you don't have a problem. In John 1, you can see several ways that God's Word is relevant to your life.

First, everything begins with the Word of God. It says in the verse above, "In the beginning was the Word..." You will notice that God started this world with His Word. You should always start everything you do with God's Word. Start your day off in the Word of God. Start your marriage off by using the Word of God. Start your business by following the Word of God. When you look at the founding of the United States of America, you will see that the principles of the founding documents came from the Word of God. If you start anything without the Word of God, then you are starting it off the wrong way.

Second, God's Word gives life. John 1:4 says, "In him was life;..." We believe that the King James Bible is the inspired and preserved Word of God because without inspiration there is no life. God's Word gives life through It's inspiration. The only way your life will sustain excitement, interest and vibrancy is by wrapping your life around the Word of God. Without God's Word, you will find your interest will waver in your pursuits. However, with God's Word involved in every pursuit, you will find that life and excitement will be sustained.

Third, God's Word gives life. It says in the second part of John 1:4, "...and the life was the light of men." God's Word is a light that shines upon the pathway of life. When you are wondering which direction you should take in life, God's Word will shine a light upon the right pathway. When you are making decisions, you will find that God's Word will give you light so you can clearly see the proper decision.

Fourth, God's Word is truth. John 1:14 says that God's Word is "full of grace and truth." If you are looking for absolutes, then look no further than the Word of God. The source of all truth is found in the Word of God. Only God's Word can guarantee what It says to be true.

Fifth, God's Word gives grace. Not only is God's Word full of truth, but It also shows you how to be gracious as you live It's truths. In other words, grace is having the people skills to properly apply truth without running everybody off. Don't get me wrong, God's Word will offend some people, but if you will properly apply It's principles, you will learn how to get along with people.

Christian, you need God's Word in your life. It is relevant for your every need. I can never stress enough the importance of daily spending time in the Word of God. Don't let church be the only time you open It's pages, but let the pages of the Word of God bring It's relevancy to your daily life by reading It and living what It says.

Heaven's Focus

Luke 15:7

"I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance."

One of the mistakes I made in my early ministry was focusing on the rebel more than I focused on those who needed and wanted my help. Though God used me in spite of my mistakes, there were many who I could have focused upon and helped in a greater way. When I realized that my focus should be on helping those who wanted my help, it resulted in many more people being helped.

Often you see ministries that seem to focus upon the rebel. Christian schools many times will ruin the good child because they focus so much on how to salvage the rebel. With the focus being upon how to salvage the rebel, the good child slips through the cracks and ends up not being helped in the way that they could have and should have been. Many different church ministries will focus upon the rebel, when they should focus upon the ones who really want to be helped.

In the verse above, you will notice that Heaven's focus is upon restoring the lost. There are three parables in Luke 15. Two of the three deal with the lost and one deals with the loss of a rebel. It is interesting to note that Heaven's focus was not upon the rebel. Don't get me wrong, I believe we should pray for the one who has rebelled, but too much focus is placed upon the prodigal when it should be placed upon the lost. You can see from the verse above that Heaven rejoices when one sinner repents. Yes, Heaven is thrilled when people are right with God, but the thing that gets Heaven to throw a party is when the sinner repents.

The purpose of the church is to be a spiritual hospital. I often say that a church is an emergency room where patients who are sick and wounded from sin come every Sunday and Wednesday to get help. Churches must be careful about losing that focus. When a Pharisaical attitude starts creeping into the church, then the sinner will not feel that they can get help from that church. Sinners should feel welcome in every church. No, they shouldn't feel that they can continue in their sin and feel good, but they should feel that they can get the help they need and feel loved and wanted at the same time.

Furthermore, be sure to place the focus of every ministry in the church on helping the ones who need and want our help. Ministry leaders should not give the rebel the attention they want, but rather they should focus on helping the one's who are desperately wanting their help. When you focus on the sinner who wants help, then that lets the rebel know that their rebellion is not the way to get the attention they desire.

Moreover, parents need to be careful to help the children that want their help. Parents often spend much of their time trying to bring the rebellious child back and end up forsaking the other children who need and want their help. Parent, let God deal with the rebel and focus your attention on the child who will respond to your help.

Last, every Christian should focus on bringing the lost to Christ. Though the parables in Luke 15 deal with saved people, I still believe that the principle of Heaven rejoicing over one sinner repenting applies to those who are lost in sin. Be busy every week doing your best to win the lost to Jesus Christ.

Always remember that a clean emergency room is an unused emergency room. If the church is doing what it is supposed to do, you will find the sick and hurting throughout the church. Be sure that your focus is the same of Heaven's focus and that is helping the sinner to repent.