I have taken the time this morning to do a little Bible study on the impact of our words, what we say. Confining my search to the book of Proverbs, I found the verses listed below as a reference. Confirming what I already knew, the lookup has convinced of how little I practice what I know. It is good however to review these things with a view to reinforcing them in my mind and heart, and especially to be guiding my mouth. If a man is able to tame his tongue, he is a perfect man, able to bridle his entire body as well. And, of course, I am nowhere near that.

Drawing from the Scriptures as mentioned, here are a few take-aways:

What you say can either trap you or liberate you, and you get to choose. How many of us are imprisoned by our own words!

There is no way you will not sin if you talk too much. If you are smart, you will keep your words to a minimum.

Closely associated with the quantity of words you speak, is guarding what you say, controlling what comes out of your mouth. Why? Because you are going to say one of two things: life, or death. If you do this the Bible calls you wise.

How you respond to people will determine the outcome of the conversation as well as make or break the relationship.

Gossip is destructive.

Much good can come from what you say, both in your own life and in the lives of others. Your words, if chosen and spoken correctly, can

1. Be a fountain of life to others; your words can give life to other people

2. Feed many the very thing they need most. This can be words of encouragement, love, good counsel, even correction. The way you feed a person spiritually is through words.

3. Flow with wisdom, bringing forth what is needful and acceptable.

4. Deliver you and others—by which is meant from anyone or anything that may be holding you captive, such as demonic influence, bad habits, evil thinking, generational curses, sickness, infirmity, and so forth.

5. Bring satisfaction to your soul.

6. Bring healing to yourself and others.

7. Make your heart glad.

8. Bring good to you.

9. Protect you.

10. Turn away anger.

11. Spread knowledge and make it acceptable.

12. Persuade others as to the truth, what is right and just.

13. Earn you a good living.

14. Garner the love of others for you.

15. Please the King of kings.

This is just a short list; much more can come from a more comprehensive approach. What I have written though is sufficient to make the point as to just how vital are our words to our spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical health. And not only ours, but others as well. “How delightful is a timely word!”

Here are the Scriptures I looked up from Proverbs:

If you have been snared with the words of your mouth,

Have been caught with the words of your mouth,

(Proverbs 6:2 NASB)

The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,

But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

(Proverbs 10:11 NASB)

When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable,

But he who restrains his lips is wise.

(Proverbs 10:19 NASB)

The lips of the righteous feed many,

But fools die for lack of understanding.

(Proverbs 10:21 NASB)

The mouth of the righteous flows with wisdom,

But the perverted tongue will be cut out.

(Proverbs 10:31 NASB)

The lips of the righteous bring forth what is acceptable,

But the mouth of the wicked what is perverted.

(Proverbs 10:32 NASB)

The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood,

But the mouth of the upright will deliver them.

(Proverbs 12:6 NASB)

An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips,

But the righteous will escape from trouble.

(Proverbs 12:13 NASB)

A man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his words,

And the deeds of a man’s hands will return to him.

(Proverbs 12:14 NASB)

He who speaks truth tells what is right,

But a false witness, deceit.

(Proverbs 12:17 NASB)

There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword,

But the tongue of the wise brings healing.

(Proverbs 12:18 NASB)

Truthful lips will be established forever,

But a lying tongue is only for a moment.

(Proverbs 12:19 NASB)

Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord,

But those who deal faithfully are His delight.

(Proverbs 12:22 NASB)

Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down,

But a good word makes it glad.

(Proverbs 12:25 NASB)

From the fruit of a man’s mouth he enjoys good,

But the desire of the treacherous is violence.

(Proverbs 13:2 NASB)

The one who guards his mouth preserves his life;

The one who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.

(Proverbs 13:3 NASB)

In the mouth of the foolish is a rod for his back,

But the lips of the wise will protect them.

(Proverbs 14:3 NASB)

A gentle answer turns away wrath,

But a harsh word stirs up anger.

(Proverbs 15:1 NASB)

The tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable,

But the mouth of fools spouts folly.

(Proverbs 15:2 NASB)

A soothing tongue is a tree of life,

But perversion in it crushes the spirit.

(Proverbs 15:4 NASB)

The lips of the wise spread knowledge,

But the hearts of fools are not so.

(Proverbs 15:7 NASB)

The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer,

But the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.

(Proverbs 15:28 NASB)

A man has joy in an apt answer,

And how delightful is a timely word!

(Proverbs 15:23 NASB)

Righteous lips are the delight of kings,

And he who speaks right is loved.

(Proverbs 16:13 NASB)

The heart of the wise instructs his mouth

And adds persuasiveness to his lips.

(Proverbs 16:23 NASB)

He who restrains his words has knowledge,

And he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.

(Proverbs 17:27 NASB)

Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise;

When he closes his lips, he is considered prudent.

(Proverbs 17:28 NASB)

The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters;

The fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.

(Proverbs 18:4 NASB)

A fool’s mouth is his ruin,

And his lips are the snare of his soul.

(Proverbs 18:7 NASB)

The words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels,

And they go down into the innermost parts of the body.

(Proverbs 18:8 NASB)

With the fruit of a man’s mouth his stomach will be satisfied;

He will be satisfied with the product of his lips.

(Proverbs 18:20 NASB)

Death and life are in the power of the tongue,

And those who love it will eat its fruit.

(Proverbs 18:21 NASB)

There is gold, and an abundance of jewels;

But the lips of knowledge are a more precious thing.

(Proverbs 20:15 NASB)

He who guards his mouth and his tongue,

Guards his soul from troubles.

(Proverbs 21:23 NASB)

And my inmost being will rejoice

When your lips speak what is right.

(Proverbs 23:16 NASB)

He kisses the lips

Who gives a right answer.

(Proverbs 24:26 NASB)

Like apples of gold in settings of silver

Is a word spoken in right circumstances.

(Proverbs 25:11 NASB)

Do you see a man who is hasty in his words?

There is more hope for a fool than for him.

(Proverbs 29:20 NASB)

Movement:  “A series of organized activities working toward an objective; also, an organized effort to promote or attain an end <the civil rights movement> ” (Mirriam-Webster).

I am reminded of the late Jim Russell who, troubled by the lack of biblical truth in the secular media, decided to do something about it.  He bought a typewriter (this was in the mid-70’s), took a trip to Florida, and undertook to write an article with the goal of it getting published in the local press.  While there he never wrote anything; instead, he conceived the idea of a national writing awards contest, where he would give out cash prizes for those authors writing thought-provoking articles which included Scripture, published in their hometown newspapers.  This was to become the most popular writing awards contest in the nation, known as The Amy Writing Awards.

What this inspired was an army of known and unknown Christian writers, emboldened to come out of the closet and address current affairs from a biblical point of view.  Because the word of God is living, active, and full of power, each qualified article was required to use Scripture in a skilled, relevant way, underscoring God’s position on matters of interest to the reader.  Each year $35,000 was awarded to the top 15 writers, the first prize being $10,000.

I tell this story because something on this order is what is needed at this hour. The Amy Writing Awards became a movement, and the national media would never be the same as a result of it.  What followed was not only the proliferation of Scripture in newspapers and magazines across the country, but also a renewed effort to produce television shows and movies promoting the good news.  One such example is Movieguide, whose efforts and awards program have resulted in a huge increase in faith-based films.

Jim Russell was a businessman with a laser-like focus on the Great Commission.  He advocated Christians to have a vision, a mission, and a strategy, in alignment with that of the heavenly Father.  The vision, he said, was “Your kingdom come and Your will be done, here on earth as it is in heaven.”  The mission—or, the central work required to fulfill the vision, was “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”  And the strategy, he taught, was a Holy Spirit-inspired action, or activity, which would constitute the work needing to be done.

All three are needed to be employed by the church if it is to be God’s agent of change in our day.

To a degree, I think the vision and the mission are largely in place—at least among committed, full-Gospel churches.  What is lacking seems to be a cohesive strategy for impacting our world.

The world is awash with movements—virtually all of them evil.  What it needs is a Christian movement, a “series of organized activities working toward an objective.”  Inspired, orchestrated, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, a strategy such as this would begin with an impartation of God’s vision and mission into the hearts and minds of Christians.  It would start with a picture of something so large, so grand, and so attractive, that the masses of believers would flock to it to become a part.  (As a side note, this is how the communists attracted such numbers of young people to its evil agenda.)  And then it would include opportunities for involvement.

Author Elton Trueblood likens the church to a military band in his book, “The Company of the Committed.”  Here, he presents evangelism to be the “unrelenting responsibility of every person who belongs, even in the most modest way, to the Company of Jesus” — that is, the church.  He goes on to write about “The Strategy of Penetration,” how it is that Christians are to engage every aspect of secular society—similar what we know of as the “7 Mountains of Influence.”

Activities would most certainly include events, both large and small scale.  Publishing and distributing written materials such as small books and tracts would be an effective contribution to the movement, as would be coordinated radio, television, and billboard advertisements and presentations.  Free health clinics, similar to the medical tents that often accompany missionary efforts in third-world countries, would attract those unable to afford a doctor.  Medical professionals, inspired by the vision, would volunteer their services to treat and minister to the poor (Note: this is being done en masse in the city of Detroit).  Ministry teams could be put together and sent out to those places where people congregate, not the least of which would include impoverished areas of the city.  And Christians could be taught in the churches how to develop and share their testimonies, how to share the gospel with their families, neighbors, and co-workers.  Those practiced in this area could train in actual experience those who are not.

The idea is a mass mobilization of church resources, people, financial, and material, to do what we’ve prayed about doing for years, to reap a great harvest of souls for the kingdom.  It would not be something we do, it would be all we do, everything contributing to the objective.  The socialists are doing it; the gay-lesbians movement is doing it quite successfully; Islam is doing it, on track to take over the world.  Where is the church—by nature the most powerful body of people on the earth, where is she in the mix?  Where are we?

“And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7).

There is this scene in the movie The Nativity where, with Mary ready to deliver, Joseph frantically runs from house to house, pounding on doors, hoping someone will open up to him a place for the Christ child to be born.  At the last he goes to the local inn, where he is told there’s no room for them there.   Finally some man point them in the direction of an animal stall, and there the Lord Jesus is born.

It has been like this ever since—meaning, there is hardly room in the hearts of men for the Savior of the world.  Usually, it is only the place of last resort, the place where Christ finds for Himself a home; by this is meant a lowly and humble heart.

The Psalmist writes, “In his pride the wicked does not seek Him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God” (10:4 NIV).  There is room for all manner of others things—careers, academic pursuits, investments, sports, and even good things such as family and friends; but unfortunately, few have room for God.  Even among professing Christians, ‘there is little space in their crowded lives for the God who loves them.

Our Lord said, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock” — that is, He is taking the initiative; He so wants to come in and “dine” with us, He so wants entry into our lives for the purpose of relationship.  Yet few respond, and they do not know what they are missing.

I think if Bethlehem only knew who it was that was to be born there that day things would have been different.  Folks would have been rushing to be the one in whose home the Messiah would be born.  And you would think that people today would welcome Christ into their hearts if they only knew.  Oh but they do know!  Jesus Christ is no secret; there is an awareness of the Christian message such as has never been before.  While secularists seek to wipe all vestiges of God and Jesus from the public square, still there are 100’s of thousands of churches, millions of Christians, hundreds of Christian TV channels, programs, and radio stations.  What is remarkable though is the diminishing space Jesus occupies in the hearts and souls of the populace.

We make room for God by letting Him in—and not just initially.  So many have ‘received’ Jesus at some point in their lives, but that doesn’t mean He occupies much space in them.  The idea is that He take up all the space of the human heart, every nook and cranny.  Of course, it is a process; I know this from personal experience.  But that is just it, it is a process, one we undergo willingly, wanting God to fill us up to the brim, being God totally.

We make room for God by spending time with Him.  The thing is, He not only wants to be with us, He loves spending time with us.  He’s knocking at the door not as some unwanted salesman, but as one who earnestly desires to have dinner with us.  Christianity is relationship; eternal life is not some place on a cloud with a harp, it is knowing the Father and the Son (see John 17).  We get to know Him—we get to know Him!  And this by spending time with Him, the most precious minutes and hours you will ever spend during the course of a day.

We make room for God in our thoughts.  That is, we learn to be thinking not only about Him, but the thoughts He thinks.  In the Bible it’s called renewing the mind.  We come to see things much differently than the way they appear; we grow to have God’s perspective.  If you love someone, you think about him (or her); anyone who has ever been in love understands this.  This too is a process, but oh what a process it is, to have a mind occupied with the One who made me and loves me.

We make room for God by obeying Him—not as some taskmaster, but as one who has our best interests at heart.  Father knows best.  Don’t we as earthly parents command our children for what is good for them?  We tell them not to play in the street.  We command them to stop fighting between each other.  We warn them about touching a hot stove.  God’s rules make for the best of living; in doing what He wants we find a life that far exceeds one lived apart from Him.  Obedience to God is a privilege; without Christ at the center of our hearts it is impossible to do what God wants, as we are without Him still bound by sin.  Obedience to God tells Him we love Him and appreciate what He does for us.

As for me, there is nothing I want more than more of God.  More than anything on the face of the earth I want to have supper with Jesus Christ.  You needn’t knock, Lord—the door is wide open; please do come in and make Yourself at home.  My home is Your home, and my heart is Yours for the taking.

I am thinking of the ordered life, what that looks and feels like. I am inclined to interpret that as meaning set patterns or certain routines that I follow every day. It was the Lord who said there would an entire reordering of my life. Then He hit the reset button.

If there be anything predictable about God it’s that He can be unpredictable. He shows up when you least expect Him. He says things you would never in a million years anticipate.

I am thinking the ordered life is not a routine one. On the contrary, I am thinking it is exactly the opposite. The ordered life may well be a disordered one. Meaning, instead of predetermined activities and day-to-day patterns of living, you live life unpredictably.  By this I mean you follow the Holy Spirit’s leading.

Jesus said, “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” The wind–or, breath–is of course the Holy Spirit.  If you live life in the Spirit you may not necessarily know where things are coming from nor where things may be headed. But you can be confident that you are always on course when you are following the Spirit.

Gone then are the pressures to be doing thus and such. Absent is the guilt you feel for not doing certain things you think you should be doing.  You are relieved of all the ‘should-a’, ‘would-a’, and ‘could-a’s’ you think must govern your life.  You’re only concern, really your only responsibility, is to follow the Holy Spirit.

This is what we hear the apostle Paul saying in Galatians 5.  From Kenneth Wuest’s translation we read, “Through the instrumentality of the Spirit habitually order your manner of life.”  And, “In view of the fact that we are being sustained in spiritual life by the Spirit, by means of the Spirit let us go on ordering our conduct.”  Or, as our standard renderings would say, “Walk by the Spirit.”

In practical terms this means abandoning the idea that an ordered life equates to doing certain things at certain times, consistently.  It means stepping out of the box of predictability and into the realm of the Spirit.

It’s not that we’re not faithful in the fulfillment of our responsibilities.  I mean, we all must get up and go to work, attend to personal needs, and so forth.  What life looks like here is keeping in step with God. “As many as are led by the Spirit, these are the sons of God.”  It means hearing His voice and patterning your day-to-day accordingly. If we plan, and we must and do plan, it is in and by the Spirit we make our plans.

The Scripture says, “To him who orders his way aright, I shall show the salvation of God.”  That is, if we set our course as that of the Spirit’s, we shall see great and glorious things.

It’s easy to forget that the person whose birth date we celebrate December 25th came for a purpose.  And while I may be saying things that have been said before, I would be remiss if I didn’t recall the reason why this child whom they named Jesus appeared on the scene some 2,000 years ago.

The answer is simple.  It was for guys like me.

You see, I am one of the people this child, when he grew up and became a man, said he came to seek out and save.  “It is not the healthy who need a doctor,” Jesus said, “but the sick.”

An accurate description for a man who despaired of life and had no hope of it ever getting better.  A man who knew he needed God but rejected Christianity and wanted nothing to do with this purported ‘son’ of God.

Yet, for reasons perhaps I’ll never know, I was wanted by him, and somehow, by means even more mysterious, he was able to persuade me that his ways were better than mine, and that what I really needed was a relationship with him.

It was a relief I must say, to realize there was help for this illness I suffered, this disease of the heart.  The cure was this Christ I had resisted.  But now I welcomed him.

What would compel a man who was said to be the savior of the world to come for a person like me?

He came because he was compelled by love.

It was because God loved the world that he sent his son.  Christ so loved God that he came.  Both knew that my deepest need was love.

What an amazing love it is.  Why else would one by whom and for whom the heavens were made and the earth sent spinning in space condescend to such a low estate?

Why would he who was eternal and immortal confine himself to a body that grew hungry and thirsty and felt pain and sorrow and joy?

Why would such royalty stoop to hay and rubble and the smell of animals at the time of his birth?

Why else would this all-powerful being live in relative obscurity for thirty years, knowing who he was and what he came to do, yet keeping it secret until the time came for him to be revealed.

Why else would this one who could call down legions of angels in his defense allow wicked men to beat him and nail his tattered body to a tree?

Why else would this one of a kind allow himself to be cut off from his Father, from whom he received direction for every word and step? “My God, why have you forsaken me?” he cried from the cross.

I tell you that he did it because of love, and he did it for me.

But that’s not all.   Not only was he born on Christmas day to die for sorry souls like me, he came to tell us of a new order, a heavenly one.  “The kingdom of God has arrived,” he said. “You must change your hearts and minds and believe the good news!” (Mk. 1:15, Phillips)

His was a call to people who wanted something better and who recognized their ways to be so far from those of God’s that only a miracle could bridge the distance.  This is what this God in man’s body came to do.

His was a kingdom “not of this world,” the government of which would be his responsibility.  He was called “Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”  His kingdom would grow and grow and never come to an end.

All this love, all this purpose, all this power, wrapped up in a tiny babe, whose mother and father gathered ‘round on a cold winter’s night in a manger because there was no room for them at the inn.

All this, for a man like me, who could never dream of such riches in a million years.

This is why Jesus came.  This is why I remember the day he was born.

Among the many deep and limitless meanings of the crucifixion is the simple and most profound truth: a man may approach God.

It is written that, upon Jesus’ immediate death–the breathing of His last breath, His giving up His spirit, the veil of the Jewish temple–that thick veil which separated the holy place from the holy of holies, where God dwelt–was torn in two from top to bottom; signifying this: that the way into the presence of God was now open, not just to the priests or the super-religious, but to all men everywhere, for all time.

Hebrews encourages us in this. In light of what Christ has done the author writes,

“Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water” (10:19-22).

Men are deceived in thinking that anyone can approach God any old way they wish; that there are many ways to God; that God hears every prayer; that God accepts everyone regardless of how they come. The truth is, there is but one way to God; the prayer God hears is one prayed according to His will; a man is accepted in Christ, and in Christ alone; and the approach to God is only through the veil of Christ’s flesh–that is, His death, burial, and resurrection. This is to say, His shed Blood.

Not one of us is turned away when we come to God the way He has prescribed, the only acceptable way; and in coming, we can be absolutely assured we shall be welcomed with open arms. This is the full assurance of faith the writer of Hebrews says we can have. It is not presumed upon any merit of our own–not our goodness (or lack thereof), not our righteousness (concerning which we do not have), nor based on anything worthy we have done. No, it is on the basis of the Blood of Jesus entirely and alone. We can enter the holy place by the Blood of Jesus. Period.

Our entry was inaugurated. That is, Jesus brought about the beginning of the approach to God.

It was new in that never before, since the fall of man, had a man the right nor the way into the presence of God. This was brand, spanking new.

It was a living way. The truth is, Jesus is alive–He is able to save to the uttermost them that draw near to God through Him, since He ever lives to make intercession for them. He died the death, yes; He was buried, true. But His spirit did not die and, on the third day was united with HIs body and, lo and behold!–we’ve the resurrected Christ!

It is alive in another sense, too. His Blood–the life being in the blood–it still speaks. In a very real sense the Blood is still alive; we see it in chapter twelve of Hebrews. In this snapshot of heaven as it now is, there is God the Judge of all, and Jesus the Mediator, and the spirits of righteous men made perfect, and the church of the firstborn. And then there is the Blood–the Blood is there, right now as I write these words. And it is speaking, it is speaking better things than the blood of Able. It is crying out, “Mercy! Mercy! Have mercy!”

The veil, it says, through which we enter, is Jesus’ flesh. How is that? Simply put, it is but through the broken, crucified body of the Son of God that men have their singular access to the immediate presence of God.

We’re told to draw near with a sincere heart. What is that? An honest one, a true one. Not presumptuous. Not for show (how could that be?). A heart laid open and bared to the One with whom we have to do. One that knows that God knows. You cannot hide anything from God. You come as you are without any pretense.

It’s to be with full assurance. The one thing we can have absolute confidence in is the word of God. What do we have without this? The whims of men and of the world’s thinking. The Bible says we can come, and it says we can come for these reasons; therefore, we can come fully assured–right? Yes, indeed!

There is no ground for apprehension in approaching God if you come in His way. And this is through the veil of Christ’s death on the cross; through, in, and by His shed Blood. No fear of rejection, of punishment, of being turned away. The Throne of Grace is wide open–God says so, so it is. So, you come.

Thus, among the transcendent and indescribable meanings and benefits of the crucifixion, the one–I believe the chief one, is the freedom, the liberty, the joy of approaching God.

“And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn our in the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the entrance of the tomb and went away” (Matthew 27:59-60).

In that quiet place, the stone having been rolled over the entry and sealed, Mary and Mary having observed, and now with soldiers sitting there, little was known that though the body of Jesus lay still in that rocky tomb, there was very much going on in the spirit.

I am no theologian–well, maybe I am. Given all my studies of the Scripture for forty-three years, maybe I am a bit of a Bible-scholar, eh? That said, I make no such claim. But I do think upon Scripture much, and when I read certain things, other things come to mind. That said, my mind goes to thinking what transpired during that span of time the corpse of Messiah laid wrapped up in cloth in Joseph’s grave.

I’ve taught on the theme of resurrection before in my Foundational Truths class. And in my teachings on Righteousness I’ve also covered briefly this multi-day period between Jesus’ death and His resurrection.

We all know the reason for the crucifixion. Christ died for our sins. He bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we being dead to sin might live to righteousness. Jesus gave His life a ransom for many. He not only bore our sin, but Paul teaches He became our sin. He became, as it were, a loathsome thing to God. He was punished by God with the punishment that was our punishment, that was our due on account of sin. I think most Christians understand this, at least the just of it.

Punishment for sin however does not mean simple, physical death. It means eternal banishment from God. It means forever in hell. It means you are forever cut off from God with no chance of returning. It means there is this chasm between you and God which cannot be spanned. The good news of the gospel is that Jesus is the mediator between the two of you, that He can bridge the gap–but that is a topic for another time. I speak about what was happening between Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

What I mean to say is that in paying the penalty for our sin, the brutal and unimaginable pain of being crucified was not the end of it. In fact, it was not even the greatest suffering to be had by our Lord. No, the greater pain of all time and eternity was that of the Son–forever one with the Father, being cut off from the Father.

We breeze over the cry of Jesus from the cross when He said, “My God! My God! Why have You forsaken Me?” We cannot for a moment consider Jesus was just saying this to make sure He fulfilled the Scripture. No, He fulfilled the Scripture by being cut off from God, forsaken by the Father. Jesus Christ, the Son of God from all eternity; one with God, of the same essence as God, Himself the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, this One was at the moment of crucifixion, separated from God. He experienced in real time what every man, woman, and child will experience when their time comes and they have not been reconciled to God. Banished from God. No, His cry was a real one. He, in agony no man could ever imagine, truly questioned the Father: “Why have You forsaken me? Why? Oh, why? “

Yet He did not give up His faith. He said, “Into Your hands I commit my spirit.” And, “It is finished.” Meaning to say, “I’ve done what you commanded Me to do.” “I’ve born the punishment due these, and as the worst part, I am banished from You.”

If we believe in the atonement at all, and are at all familiar with the Scripture, we know it did not end there–the punishment, I mean. No, what awaits all men apart from God is not only physical death, and not only an eternal separation from God, but assignment to the dungeons of the damned, the garbage heap of humanity–Hades, or hell as we would know it. To pay the penalty for our sin, fully pay it, Jesus had to go to hell.

Now this is where I might be a little theologically unclear. Maybe that is because the theology itself is unclear. But the trusted creeds tell it this way, and I believe Scripture supports it, if not outright describes it.

It is written that, “He ascended”–as in the resurrection, but then says, “what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth?’ And, in another place, “You will not abandon My soul to Hades”–that is to say, “You will not leave Me in hell.”

I think the kingdom of darkness thought it had clinched the deal upon the death of Christ and His being forsaken by the Father. They had Him now. Now the whole earth, their domain then and even now, was theirs and would be forever uncontested. They had Him in their clutches. I’m thinking, just speculating because I don’t really know, that Jesus must’ve experienced at least a taste of that awful place: He had to experience what all lost souls indeed will experience, if He were to fully pay the price, to fully “taste death for every man”.

But Death nor that dark kingdom could not hold Him (Acts 2:24). No, instead He stripped them of their powers. He made some declarations, some proclamations to them there in that prison (1 Peter 3:18-20). And then, wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles, the Power of God showed up, the glory of the Father, the Holy Spirit. And He yanked Him up from that God-awful place. He was innocent. He was the Son of God. The Father said, in effect, “No way, Jose!” On His way up, He laid hold of those held captive. He disarmed the rulers and the authorities; He made a public display of them (Colossians 2:15). The timing was such that upon His being snatched up by the Holy Spirit, His spirit was reunited with His body and, lo and behold! The resurrection!

Again, I am speculating as to some of this. Not one of us knows for certain what happened during that time Jesus body lay in the tomb. But we get glimpses. And we know He fully paid the penalty for our rebellion against God.

“The Lord (that is, the Father) was pleased to crush Him (Jesus), putting Him to grief; if He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the Lord (the Father) will prosper in His hand. As a result of the anguish of His soul, He (the Father) will see it and be satisfied; by His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant (Jesus), will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities. Therefore I will allot Him a portion with the great; and He will divide the booty with the strong; because He poured out Himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet He Himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors” (Isaiah 53:10-12).

The thing to learn from all this is that it was of God. The Father was pleased to crush Him. In observing the anguish of Jesus’ soul, the Father would be fully satisfied. Jesus would bear our iniquities and, by this, make us right with God.

Because there seems to be some ambiguity about who is and who is not a Christian, I thought it worthwhile to investigate the matter from both a Scriptural and logical perspective–the former being the only one that counts.

First of all, it should be noted that the title Christian is one conferred on people professing Christ, not one those so identified placed on themselves. It was in fact outsiders, non-believers, who labeled the adherents of Christ. Acts 11:26 records that “the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.”

Here we have the most important clue as to what a Christian is: he is a disciple of Jesus Christ. So what, pray tell, is a disciple?

A disciple, by definition is simply a pupil, or a learner. It denotes “one who follows one’s teaching.” When we read in what is called The Great Commission, where Jesus said to “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,” what He is saying, literally, is to “Go enroll students.” That this is so is heard in what He said next, “Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (see Matthew 28:18-20).

So then, if a Christian is anything, he is first of all a student of Jesus Christ.

This is seen further in a statement Jesus makes in John chapter 8. Here He says, “If you continue to follow my teaching, you are really my disciples” (verse 31). In other words, you are a disciple–a Christian–if you follow the teachings of Jesus.

Taking this a step further, or rather expanding on these words, you could accurately say that a Christian is a follower of Jesus Christ. You cannot read any of the four gospels and miss hearing Jesus repeatedly say, “Follow Me.” It is only logical then that a Christian is a person who follows Jesus Christ by following His teachings.

Among these teachings are Jesus’ words, “You must be born again” (John 3:7).

There is quite the divide between those who consider themselves Christians these days. It is assumed that because you were brought up in a Christian home, or live in a so-called Christian nation, or attend church regularly, that you are a Christian. Not so. A follower of Christ must be, in Jesus own words, born again. The prescription for this is found earlier in John, chapter 1 verses 12-13:

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

So it is that the Christ must be received into the heart and the life. When a person does this, he or she is born again.

It is not as though anyone can judge; God knows the heart, we don’t. That being said, you can observe how others behave. Its like Jesus said in another place, “By their fruits you shall know them.” In other words, you should be able to tell who is a Christian and who is not by how they spend their time and the things that they do.

A life lived doing good, however, does not necessarily spell ‘Christian’; there are non-believers who do good things. A Christian, however, does them for the right reasons and gives the credit to God.

Some think Christians are so because they read their Bibles and go to Church. And Christians should read the Bible–after all, it is the Word of God and contains the teachings of Jesus. And go to church they should; not only does the Bible encourage this, it is only natural for Christians to want to be with other Christians. “If we walk in the light,” John writes, “we have fellowship with one another.” The desire to fellowship with other believers is normal if you are walking in God’s light.

Coupled with all these things, perhaps the greatest give-away of those who are truly Christian is that they seek to live as Jesus did. That is, they seek to be Christ-like. They read or listen to His words and try to order their lives accordingly. Again, the apostle John writes,

“This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did” (1 John 2:5-6).

Of course, it is all a process, a life-long one. Which is another reason we must not judge. However, as we have seen, it is pretty clear as to what being a Christian is all about; if a person has no interest in learning from Jesus and trying to live life as He did His, then it may well be that person had better drop the label.

Charles Finney, a Presbyterian minister and a leader in the 2nd Great Awakening in America, said this,

“If there is a decay of conscience, the pulpit is responsible for it. If the public press lacks moral discernment, the pulpit is responsible for it. If the church is degenerate and worldly, the pulpit is responsible for it. If the world loses its interest in Christianity, the pulpit is responsible for it. If Satan rules in our halls of legislation, the pulpit is responsible for it. If our politics become so corrupt that the very foundations of our government are ready to fall away, the pulpit is responsible for it.”

I record these words here not to place judgment upon our nation’s churches, but rather to underscore the vital role the pastor plays in the spirituality of our collective people. If the church is the pillar and support of the truth, which it is, then the pastor is its spokesman. We cannot but be thankful, then, for the man or woman of God who–without concern for what man thinks, but for what God says–boldly speaks the truth of God’s word. This being said, we cannot underestimate the value of the pastor in the shaping of the hearts of men.

I believe it is an absolutely true biblical view that the church of Jesus Christ is to be the primary culture shaper out of all the influences present in the world today. Sadly, less than 50% of Americans have confidence in the church as an institution–42% to be exact, with this being down from 57% just twenty years ago (Barna, 2016). If Finney is right, the decline in both the church and the nation is directly attributable to the absence of leadership from the America’s pulpits.

It is my personal belief that pastors–not politicians or celebrities from the sporting or TV/movie world–are to be the leaders of our country. History tells us they were at one point; they are obviously not at this present time.

The Bible informs us that pastors are gifts from God. Paul writes in Ephesians chapter 4 that, “When (Christ) ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, and He gave gifts to men” (verse 8). He goes on to explain that, “He gave some as apostles, some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers” (verse 11). So then, the idea that pastors are mere hirelings that do the bidding of church boards or congregations is not a biblical one. Pastors, along with the other ministry gifts Paul lists, are responsible to teach people what God says so they can be responsible, mature, and productive contributors to both church and society.

That this role has been demeaned, minimized, and even ridiculed in American culture cannot be disputed.

This is all the more reason to hold a proper view of those men and women whom God has placed in the office of pastor. So much of their success–or failure–hinges on the value people place on them. It is a truth that if they are able to succeed in their calling, the church as well as the nation will benefit greatly.

The Bible has much to say about such leaders. Paul, writing to Timothy, says, “The elders (pastors) who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching” (1 Timothy 5:17). Hebrews 13:17 instructs us to “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.”

Not many of us understand the weight of responsibility that rests upon our pastors. Not only will they give an account for themselves on Judgment Day, but for those under their care. Theirs is a charge that no man nor woman in any position of authority understands or equals–not even the President of the United States. The President may be responsible for the security and stability of the nation, but the pastor for the soul of the nation.

October is Pastor Appreciation Month, and the second Sunday (October 8), is Pastor Appreciation Day. This month, let’s not only pause to thank our pastors for the work they do, but to honor them in some tangible way. Regarding the latter, we can begin by following their example and obeying their teachings. And, if we are able, give them a gift. It is the least we can do given most are under paid and seldom recognized. In going forward, we will not only benefit ourselves and our families by esteeming them properly, but our nation and its institutions.