True Holiness

I found myself reviewing this chapter again for context. As I look back over Romans 15 to remind myself of the many things that I have learned over the past few months I can see even better more of the links that connect the various concepts in different parts of the text. But more importantly I open my heart to hearing what needs to happen inside of me that God wants to show me from this passage.

Here are a few things that I am seeing.

Those around us who are without strength need our perseverance and encouragement. I need to remember that sometimes I am going to be the one without strength.

I need to become a servant on behalf of the truth of God to demonstrate and reflect His servant attitude. This will in turn attract others to Him instead of me attempting to drive them to Him with shame, fear or intimidation. This seems to be God's method of relating toward religious people as I see it in this passage. On the other hand, His method for unbelievers is to become a servant in order to demonstrate His great mercy. That is somewhat different than serving religious people to confirm the truth about God, although many times religious people are not really believers and also need to see and experience mercy to attract them to God. The labels on people are not always indicative of what is in the heart.

I need to experience mercy myself – deep in my heart in order to be able to reflect it to others. To be an effective and attractive servant I need to experience everything that I am passing on to them. I need to believe in it from personal experience, not just mental assent and profession. I must be mentored to be accepting of mercy and kindness and love for myself instead of resisting it. Then I will be able to express it to others more naturally and authentically.

This kind of authentic unselfishness, this kind of servant spirit is the true definition of holiness. As I have been thinking about this lately, I am sensing that holiness in my life is simply a reflection of God's holiness which simply means that He is totally dedicated to serving all of His creation ahead of His own comfort or feelings. As I become more acquainted with the selfless spirit and disposition of God I will be empowered to reflect it more accurately.

Very recently I found myself trying to share the truth about God with a small group of religious people having their typical religious discussion. When it was all done I was left feeling very dissatisfied with the results of my comments. My intention was certainly noble I believe, but the effect of my words – probably more my tone of voice and body language – I felt was potentially chilling in my opinion upon reflection. I hate this about myself and desperately want God to bring total healing to whatever it is that still causes me to misrepresent Him so badly in this way.

I know that there are still roots producing bitterness in my heart that are yet undiscovered and need replacing with roots of love and compassion, kindness and gentleness. But I cannot heal myself – only God can heal those kinds of deep scars. I don't know how to even get from here to there except to keep asking Him to expose and judge me with His healing kind of pre-judgment that exposes the lies of the heart and replaces them with empowering truth.

I don't want to keep scaring people away from truth that is such a blessing to my own heart. I know this is one of Satan's schemes to keep my witness ineffective and continue to damage God's reputation. But I don't want to be a part any longer of Satan's schemes to dishonor God. I want to be a clean reflection of God's beauty both in word and in spirit, especially in spirit. God, be merciful to me a sinner!

I cast myself on the mercy and faithfulness of God to heal me – for His name's sake. Because it is all really about His reputation, not mine. I want Him to make me a truthful and faithful witness like Jesus.

(next in series)

Boasting and Ministry

I want to take more time to visit this issue of boasting. I am taking a little time to ponder each of these surrounding verses here in Romans 15 to find descriptions and associations that help me understand better what a true minister looks like and what legitimate boasting will sound like.

• Counterfeit boasting goes along with confused ideas of what it means to be a minister. Only true ministry can result in true boasting.

• A real minister is one who's focus is entirely on drawing attention to God and how good He is.

• Hope and joy and peace will be fruits produced as he reveals the truth about God.

• He will not encourage dependence on himself by those he is teaching but will affirm the talents of those he is encouraging to begin sharing truth about God as he is doing.

• He will have true boldness which overcomes fear and inhibitions because of the inner passion of God burning within his own heart to expose and tear down the lies about God that keep people from trusting Him.

• Counterfeit boldness uses shame to expose people.

  True boldness is all about undoing the lies and reconciling people's hearts to the heart of God.

• An authentic minister will convey truths about God to others with grace.

• A real minister will realize the importance of his own life being filled with God's grace.

• A true minister will act as a priest, interceding on God's behalf to people and taking onto his heart their sins and problems to pass on to God without condemnation. He takes their ignorance and lack of concern for their own souls before God and uses his own authority “in Christ” through intercessory prayer to unleash God's power to interfere with Satan's work of deception in their lives. He gives permission for God to do things in their circumstances and hearts that would not otherwise be possible.

• A true minister understands that he is not building up anything for himself but is working to attract others to fully devote their hearts and minds to God, the true Lover who only can satisfy their deepest cravings. This is the real meaning of sanctification.

• A minister of Christ Jesus will be a loyal friend of the Bridegroom.

• A real minister will abide in Christ, will live his life “in Christ” and will have Jesus living in him.

• Living from a position of being “in Christ” a minister will discover opportunities for legitimate boasting which is always and only focused on bragging about the accomplishments of God. He will do this for the purpose of attracting others to engage in the same relationship with God, to become loyal and active friends of the Bridegroom.

• But let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things," declares the LORD. (Jeremiah 9:24)

• A true, humble minister who represents Jesus will never indulge in drawing attention to his own accomplishments because he knows that everything he does is only by the motivation and empowerment of Christ.

• The results of a true minister will be seen in the spontaneous obedience in the lives of those affected by the power of Jesus working through that minister. It will not be a self-generated obedience or a fear-based obedience trying to appease the demands of rules or a threatening deity.

• This obedience will be far deeper than just saying the right words or subscribing to a list of approved doctrines. It will be an obedience that emanates from the whole life in the things people say and feel to how they act and how they treat others. It will not be a forced obedience but will spring from a heart melting under the influence of fresh revelations of God's goodness, kindness, compassion, justice, unconditional love and forgiveness. It will be an obedience that is simply reflective of the true nature of God Himself.

• When a person really abides in Christ and God is accomplishing His work through that person, power will be seen as a result and signs and wonders will become evident. The Holy Spirit will be more free to work and convict and draw all to the revelation of the truth about God as revealed in Jesus.

• True boasting never revolves around focusing attention on the signs and wonders but on the character of the God who uses signs and wonders to draw the affections of people toward Him.

• A true minister will have a servant-spirit like Jesus.

• The people who are drawn to God through the work of God through a true minister will become unified more and more as they draw closer to the heart of God themselves.

• A real priest-like minister will present the gospel of God. That means he will expose the good news about God. The results will always be that people must decide for themselves whether to believe and embrace that life-transforming reality or to reject it and further harden their hearts.

(next in series)

To Minister Boldly

But I have written very boldly to you on some points so as to remind you again, because of the grace that was given me from God, to be a minister of Christ Jesus.... (Romans 15:15-16)

For many others this may not raise anything out of the ordinary. But for me putting these words together into the same sentence raises memories that have potential tension. For most of the people that were religiously bold in my background were not usually the same ones who were known for the grace in their lives. There are certainly many people that like to brag about their boldness in standing up for God and for the truth, but the effects on people's hearts that results from their words and actions are not reflective of the grace that I see in the life of Jesus.

It certainly would make sense that if a person were to claim that they were a minister of Jesus Christ then they should reflect much of the same spirit that surrounded Jesus in His relationships with others while living here among us. And to be able to treat people with the kindness, patience and compassion that Jesus had on a daily basis requires that a person be filled with God's grace as Jesus was. It would be impossible to have that kind of endurance and unconditional love without supernatural grace filling the life and soul and spirit of any individual.

But how does boldness fit into this picture? Even having to ask the question makes me suspect that much of the boldness that I have encountered in the past is likely of the counterfeit version rather than what Paul must have been referring to here. So what I would like to know and even have much more of myself is the right kind of boldness that is not a counterfeit and that is full of grace given to me from God. If God wants me to be a minister of His grace (I am not talking about minister in the sense of religion commonly thought of with that word) I rather suspect that I will need a great deal more boldness than I currently have to overcome my timidity. And it will not be a boldness that will be offensive to sensitive hearts and damaged souls but will be a boldness to take the initiative to speak out in protection of others, to approach people with compassion when it is not comfortable, to not be afraid or intimidated by what others may think of me.

I read a blog post from a Christian lady a couple days ago that brought me under severe conviction about this very thing. She wrote about some amazing things that her little daughter has done through recent years in her childlike faith and her desire to introduce other people to Jesus. I was becoming ashamed of my own fear and inhibitions as I read about this but it intensified exponentially when she finished the post by sharing that in the last few months her daughter has quit doing those things because of the influence and example of her own parent's inhibitions. I highly recommend reading this story for yourselves to get the full impact of it.

I think this story is a classic example of the true kind of boldness that is needed by all true Christians who want to be real and live life in the way Jesus wants us to enjoy it. But this can only happen within a fully resting relationship with Jesus and a connection with His heart that requires the trusting spirit of a little child. Jesus stated this quite clearly Himself when He told His disciples that unless they became like little children they could not enter into the kingdom of heaven. (see Matt. 18:2)

I want Jesus to mature me into the kind of faith seen in this little girl's amazing example. I am ashamed of having so many fears and inhibitions that prohibit me from being kind or sharing sympathy with hurting people just because I am afraid of what other people might assume about me. I want to come to the place where the only thing important in my life is God's opinion about me and His value for me. I want to live with my reputation resting totally in His hands without trying to manage it myself. But I am not there yet. I even feel resistant to praying with others. God still has a great deal of work to do in my heart. But He is doing it and I choose to cooperate with His ministry to me. For as I receive His ministry to my own heart I will also learn how to more effectively minister to other people's hearts.

I want enjoy the freedom to boldly remind others of God's grace, His goodness, His passionate love for them and His unconditional forgiveness despite what religion has claimed. I want to do it with much more than just typed words on a screen – I want to have my whole being involved in this ministry. I want my facial expressions, my tone of voice, my body language and even my words to be reflective of the incredible grace that is the real qualification for any true minister of Christ Jesus. This is my prayer.

(next in series)