What To Desire – Part 2

The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Ps. 19:9-10

The spiritual songs in the old Christian hymn books, books like “Golden Bells”, “Redemption Songs”, “The Baptist Hymnal” and others; each one of these songs, individually, is a gold mine in the Spirit. We have not even began to scratch the top of the spiritual riches that are embedded in each one of these songs. In other words, you could sing just one of these songs all your life and it will keep you perfectly spiritual. The things of the Spirit are that rich!

Nowadays there are telethons and marathon worship services. Here people sing and sing and sing! But people nowadays are more into form. They are into good music, and professional singers. People who are so gifted they can pitch their voices any way they want. Down, up, sideways, etc.

But I can assure you, praise and worship telethons are not what God is looking for. God is not looking for form. God is not even looking for good praise and worship leaders. Nor is He interested in great singing. Actually, the devil could sing far much better than anyone dead or alive. But the devil rebelled against God. God is therefore not looking for such. But Jesus said,

“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” (Jn. 4:23-24)

That’s the challenge: to worship God in spirit and truth. And the word “worship” here is not even talking about singing. It is talking about the entirety of the Christian life; and singing is a very small aspect of this life. In fact, it is nowhere near the most important things.

We don’t even need to sing all those songs that we sing. Jesus did not spend his life here on earth singing songs. The Bible records only one time where Jesus sang a song, in Matthew 26:30.

“And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.”

One song was enough for Jesus. Do you think He sang it in the Spirit? Yes, He did, and it strengthened Him.

Considering the apostles were all men, I very much doubt it was great singing that went on there. God is therefore not looking for someone who can sing, no! God is looking for someone who will do righteousness. You can live your entire life without singing a single song and still please God fully. We do not read that Abraham nor Noah spent their lives composing songs. But they did righteousness, and that alone pleased God greatly.

David, the great spiritual composer, did not spend his entire life writing songs. In fact, upon reading the Bible, you wonder where David got the time to write all those psalms, because the Bible is full of the life of David, and not the songs he wrote! But David’s Psalms are included in the Bible because they are an extension of the righteous life that he lived.

Growing In Grace

And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him. Lk. 2:40

That’s talking about our Lord Jesus Christ. Notice the Bible tells us that Jesus grew. Elsewhere, the Apostle Peter tells us:

“But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.” (2 Pet. 3:18)

I have an interesting illustration to go with this scripture. It is a true story. And, as always, it involves me, God bless my poor soul!

Many years ago, I was invited to attend a 5-day religious conference and, when I arrived at the venue, I was led straight to my sleeping quarters. When I saw the spot where I was to sleep, I was less than impressed. In fact, I remember, I was livid. It was not the best living quarters that anyone could desire, least of all me! Apparently, it was the best they could do for me; but even such a thought would not appease me.

A short while later I was invited to the same conference. When I received the invitation (sent via text message), I immediately called the sender, who happened to be the secretary of the conference. I was smarting from the last “putting down” they had given me. Without mincing words, I gave the man specific instructions about where I wanted them to put me up, including the distance the residence had to be from the conference hall. The secretary faltered for a minute, then he finally gave in and said okay.

Years passed and then, one day, I received the very same invitation. But something had been going on in my heart…

I boarded the bus and headed for the conference venue, a 6-hour journey. As the bus sped across the countryside, somewhere along the way the thought popped up in my head, “What about the sleeping quarters?”

It was at this moment that I knew for sure that a change had taken place in my heart. The answer came automatically: I would gladly sleep anywhere they put me.

The questioner persisted, “What if they put you up in a far-off place where you might need to walk for half an hour to reach the conference venue?”

Again the answer came smoothly: “So much the better. In fact, I would want them to put me up in exactly such a location.” I felt so free! And I rejoiced greatly that I would be willing to suffer rather than be a burden to my brethren.

It was then that I recalled clearly my attitude the last time I had attended this conference. As I looked at how my heart had been then, I was appalled – appalled at my selfishness. In fact, I felt so embarrassed I wondered how I could ever face my hosts again. Unable to do anything else, right there in the bus I closed my eyes, bowed my head and said quietly, “Lord, forgive me.”

The burden of guilt lifted off me. It was like the Lord said, “You are forgiven.”

When I arrived at the conference venue, I found that a brother from a foreign country had also attended the conference. The hosts told me, “Brother Mwita, you are the man best suited to give our foreign visitor company, so, please, you will be staying with him.”

Without so much as a shot fired, I found myself staying at a more comfortable residence than all those I had fought for before. But then, it really did not matter. I was ready for anything.

In this account, I feel that there is nothing for me to be ashamed of. The Bible says that Jesus grew. And the Apostle Peter exhorts us to grow. There is nothing wrong if we are growing, no matter how afield our growth might appear. It becomes a problem with God, however, when the years pass and we are not growing, not changing through dying to our selves.

Paul exhorts us in Romans 12:1-2

“1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

And in verse 3 he goes on to remind us:

“For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” (v.3)

That is growing in grace.

[To grow in grace… is to not think of yourself more highly than others]

The Revelation Of The Cross

There is something that we all as believers can safely agree on: that God wants us to grow spiritually; that He does not want us to remain babies forever. And in order for us to grow spiritually, we will need to feed on a proper diet. That means we will need to hear the right doctrine or teaching.

There are some congregations which are based on praise and worship, which is not a bad idea, except that the prescription for spiritual growth is in a teaching – a teaching of the right doctrine. Jesus spent much of His time in ministry teaching proper doctrine; so did the early apostles. The Apostle Paul says that “it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe” (1 Cor. 1:21). When you read verse 25, you realize that the ‘foolishness’ he is talking of here is actually God’s wisdom. Foolishness to the carnal man, but wisdom and power to the spiritual.

And what, pray, is this right teaching that the Church needs to hear? When you look carefully at the teachings of Jesus, you notice that they are not so soft, after all. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus provides the Church with a blueprint for the kind of lifestyle it ought to live. It is a tough calling. When you realize what is expected of the Church, you also acknowledge that it can only be achieved through the power of the Holy Spirit.

And in Matthew 10:34-39 He says, “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.”

Jesus called Peter “Satan”. He called another lady a dog! You try that kind of ‘teaching’ with any of today’s rights-conscious Christians and you will end up in jail. Literally.

It is obvious that the charismatic gospel that the Church has been fed on for the last 2 decades or so cannot provide us with spiritual growth. It simply does not have the ingredients for bringing the Church to spiritual maturity. On the contrary, today God’s people are being taught to look out for No.1 (self); others are taught to live in self-pity.

The gospel that Jesus and the apostles preached is not a gospel you are likely to hear in our age, and for that reason the Church remains immature: it is fighting, envious and engaged in every kind of stuff that does not please God.

We need to hear the right gospel that will make us to rise and fight the good fight with joy and assurance of victory in our hearts.

In two instances in the Bible (1 Corinthians chapter 3 and Hebrews 5) we see Paul rebuking the churches for failing to grow spiritually. On both occasions, he says the reason for this lack of growth in their spiritual lives is because they have not been able to eat ‘strong meat’, instead loving to partake of only milk.

Mother’s milk is wholesome; but it will never bring baby to mature. Baby needs to reach a place where he can eat tough food!

The ‘strong meat’ that Paul is speaking of here is the gospel of the Cross. That is the revelation that he received from Jesus Christ; and that is why in all his teachings Paul echoes the words that Jesus spoke in the Gospels. Inherent in all of Paul’s teachings is a thread that never breaks: the importance of the Cross in a believer’s life in crucifying their flesh.

But it is equally true that the Church needs a revelation in the spirit to understand Paul’s doctrine concerning the Cross.

This is the gospel that Jesus had kept hidden throughout the ages, the gospel that He purposed would be preached to every creature to “present every man perfect in Christ Jesus” (Col.1:28). The preaching of this ‘tough’ gospel does not make us to question whether God loves us or not. A child who questions their parents’ love for them must have psychological problems on the side! We have no doubt that God loves us. But here, it is about growing up, becoming mature in our spirits. Which means we should not doubt God’s ways.

I am well aware that when you begin mentioning names in such a forum as this people are likely to think you are advancing cultic teachings. However, personally I am grateful for Brother Miki Hardy and the many elders of CTMI for the revelation that God has placed in their hearts for the restoration of the Church.

I would encourage anyone who reads this blog to check out CTMI’s website (www.ctmiworld.com) to see for themselves whether there is not something new and challenging for the Church.

I wish you all a lovely weekend.

Suffering Is The Only Way

For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:

And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. 2Co 5:14-15 

Did you notice the small print there? It says that Jesus died that we, too, might die. Afterwards we will be able to live a different, completely selfless life. But before we live that life there is a death to undergo.

Salvation is not easy, nor is it comfortable. It is tough – on the body, I mean. No one in their right minds can tell you that suffering or death is easy or desirable. But much is meant to die in us before we can claim to be spiritual. In order for us to stand in the grace we stand in today Someone (Jesus) had to die. Many more joined Him in His suffering and death so that His life could continue flowing to others. The Apostle Paul says of his life: “(I) now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church” (Col 1:24). Did you notice something else there? Paul had to suffer in the flesh so the Church could benefit in the spirit.

The biggest lie in history is being perpetrated in the Church today. People are being taught that they should not accept trouble or problems. They are taught that suffering is of the Devil and that they should fight it.

It is true that suffering could be from old man Satan himself, but remember that Satan did not trouble Job without God’s permission. At the end of the day, if we are walking in the right spirit, we realize that in all things it is God, not Satan, who is at work. After he had suffered for a brief period of time, Job was immensely rewarded. Many people think that Job’s reward was the material blessings that God blessed him with; but no, the real blessing that Job received as a result of his suffering was that He came to know God better. He said: “I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes” Job 42:5-6.

We could say that Job grew spiritually through the sufferings that he endured.

The gospel that we hear today preached to the majority of born-again believers is simply misleading. I can listen to any of our local Christian radio stations and I keep hearing the same stuff rotated about in different garb: God loves you and He does not want to see you suffer.

So – how are we going to learn patience if we are not tried in the area of patience? Can we, for example, learn how to defeat anger by attending anger-management seminars? Is it not that we need the Lord Himself to shake us in that area? Remember the Bible says that God used Pharaoh – a ‘type’ of Satan – to trouble the children of Israel for 400 years! (Romans 9:17)

If we want to live the charismatic lifestyle – the emotional/intellectual gospel preached by a large percentage of prominent preachers today – we will live it; but that is not true Christianity.

In Christianity the only way to become spiritual sons and daughters of God is through suffering. That is a Biblical fact. In this blog I keep providing evidence after evidence about our call to suffer. I would be surprised if someone came up to me and told me they were Christians and they have no sufferings in their lives!

Recently, the Devil attacked my family. It was a deadly and vicious attack. Nowadays we live in such an ‘free’ and Godless society that there are things that will simply come as a shock to us. When the attack occurred, I was tempted to react to save my family; but my wife reminded me that although the attack was physical, its roots were spiritual. She said we should pray to God, which we did and He gave us the victory in the spirit. The next day, my family sat together and wondered at the grace God had given us. We prayed that God would deliver us from such attacks; but at the same time we were assured that if God were to allow any such thing to happen again, we felt we would have the grace to face it.

How do you expect God to ‘shake’ us and have us grow if not through suffering? That is the central question that born-again believers ought to be asking themselves.

I have kids and I seriously desire for them to grow up, to mature. If I raise them up on a soft diet they will never become mature. They need some ‘shaking’. That is not good news for anyone to hear, myself included. But there is no other way.

Suffering is the only way for us to become more like Jesus, the only way for us to know God more. We cannot avoid it.

The Apostle Peter, speaking of the glory that would be revealed to us (meaning the gloriously victorious life we ought to be experiencing today) says: “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” 1Pe 1:13.

There are Christians who deride the kind of teaching I am advancing here; they will say, ‘Oh, you are threatening the people of God’; that I am bringing them under law. I am ready to be accused of anything someone feels I am guilty of, but we cannot fight Biblical truth. That truth will set us free, if we are willing to pay the price.

God’s love is tough.