Of Men & Devils

"Cowards never won heaven. Say not that thou hast royal blood running in thy veins, and art begotten of God,

except thou canst prove thy pedigree by this heroic spirit,

to dare to be holy despite men and devils."

-William Gurnall

In the American church we have various anti-biblical dares:

We have the prosperity dare- Just give some money and declare with your mouth and you've dared to challenge God, now He must give you riches regardless of His sovereign will.

We have the purpose dare- If you just live for a specific purpose with all that you have (regardless of whether or not it glorifies God or fulfills His will for your life) then you will be happy and blessed.

We have the theology dares- If you believe these 5 points, these 16 statements, these 19 convictions then you will be saved. Oh yeah, you may want to repeat the magical prayer as well just to be sure.

YET, the lofty thinkers of old had a different ideology of what it meant to take a bold dare. That dare was something that only a true follower of Christ could take- a dare to be holy despite men and devils.

Men represent society as a whole. Our perverse cultures throughout the generations and the most perverse of all in this day and age. To be bold enough to stand against the flow of the stream and stand out as an outcast, to push forward against the ebb and flow and to be hated because of your bull-headed determination.

Devils represent the internal and external forces of hell which cause us to fall. This can be the flesh which battles daily against the Spirit of God within true believers, or it can be the actual demonic forces which tempt, attack and devour us on a regular basis.

The call here by Gurnall is simple- dare to be a light in the darkness, a contrast to all that surrounds you. He says that "it requires another spirit than the world can give or receive to follow Christ fully." In other words, without the help of our God we CANNOT fulfill this dare to be holy. Even with His help we must wake up each day determined to do battle and lay our head down on our pillow only after violently grabbing hold of the kingdom of God (SEE: Matthew 11:12)

I would be a fool to say that a man or woman of God will never fall, even the best warriors will lose a battle or two- but they will stay resolute in their fighting until the greater war has been won! Anyone can fall into the mud, the question is how we react to our fall. Do we stay and wallow in the mud or jump back to our feet so that the Lord may cleanse us once again? Anyone can fall into the mud, but ONLY A PIG WILL STAY THERE TO PLAY.

William Gurnall also said "How uncomely a sight is it to see, a bold sinner and a fearful saint, one resolved to be wicked and a Christian wavering in his holy course." We are to have a BOLD HOLINESS about us in our actions, our beliefs, and our lifestyle. I've said this on various occasions and I'll say it again now...As Christians we should be the best neighbors, the best family, the best tippers, the best employees and it needs to be done for GOD'S GLORY not our own!

The call from Jesus is simple- be ye holy, for I am holy! Without holiness no man shall see the kingdom of God. In the midst of our sin-filled world, the sinful forces of hell, and our sinful inner-man we can still take a stand and boldly and PUBLICLY decree that though we stumble or fall we will keep our eyes fixed on the prize. Yesterday no longer matters and a fall ceases to be a fall once you've stood back up. It doesn't mean that the cuts, bruises and scars cease to exist- it simply means that EACH NEW DAY is filled with NEW MERCIES and NEW OPPORTUNITIES to live for Jesus Christ!

We will battle both men and devils and march on each day as we strive towards the finish line of this life and the beginning of eternity!

Darkness Often Yields The Brightest Light

In the midst of the darkness we can fit in with the shadows
or stand as a point of stark contrast by shining as a bright light.

The Good News Isn't Good News Until You've Heard The Bad News:

Imagine a man who is rotting from within. Yet, the man is fully unaware of his condition. He may see some signs on the exterior. Perhaps he notices a skin blemish or a low grade fever. He imagines that something small may be wrong, but assumes that he can fix it himself or take a tylenol in order to eradicate his condition. The man needs a trained eye who has studied the medical texts in order to point out the acute interior condition for him.

Without that assistance he will continue on with life as usual, fully unaware of what is truly wrong with him.

One day the man sees a small blotch on his skin and decides to go to a doctor. Once he arrives at the office, the doctor tells him all about this amazing medicine and the wonderful benefits that it will provide to the man. This medicine is incredible. The doctor even goes on to tell the man that the medicine is FREE of charge! He then asks the man if he would like the medicine and the man thinks to himself, "Well who wouldn't?" "It gives me a million benefits and costs nothing, why wouldn't I want it?"

The man takes the medicine home and sets it on the shelf in case he should some day feel the need for medicine. Perhaps the man even tries to apply the medicine, but his life stays the same. The blotches don't go away. In fact, though it may have been covered for a period, his condition is now even worse than before.

WHY?

THREE REASONS:

1- The man stood in front of a trained eye which saw that he was sick, but the doctor never told the man about his interior condition. The doctor only spoke to the man about the exterior signs which the man already knew about. He did not inform the man of the interior rotting which was taking place. Therefore, the man left knowing that a medicine existed, but he never knew his deep and urgent need for that medicine.

2- The man wasn't ever told how the medicine works. He heard about it and it's wonderful benefits, but he never heard what it actually did or how it worked. He was told about the miracle drug but never found out why he needed it or how to apply it in his life. He may have tried applying it as a cream, but never really knew that his issue wasn't a skin condition- it was an interior condition; and if he wasn't changed from the inside out then he would have remained sick forever.

3- The man wasn't told about the side-effects that the medicine would give him. He assumed he'd go home and live happily ever after- he didn't hear the FDA disclaimer which is so prevalent in today's pharmaceutical commercials. He only knew the benefits, but never heard about the cost. He couldn't make an educated decision because he was never actually educated about the medicine. He heard about the benefits but left fully unaware of the personal risks.

THIS IS A PICTURE OF CHRISTIANITY IN AMERICA TODAY!!

We have heard about the cross, but no one told us about the immense personal cost. We heard about the joy, but no one mentioned the tribulations. We've been told about grace, bit no one mentioned God's wrath. We've been told that we're saved, but no one had told us what we've been saved from or saved into. We have heard that Jesus will free us but no one told us He wants to change us. We've been told that God wants to hear our prayers, but we haven't been told that God demands to see our holiness.

Someone once said that half of the gospel only produces half of a Christian. And the Lord said that if we're lukewarm He will vomit us from His mouth. Therefore half of the gospel only produces luke warm vomit.

How can the Good News ever be considered as good news

if we don't start out with the bad news?

We live in a lost society surrounded by darkness. The darkness is both external and internal. In the midst of this dark world a light appeared just over 2,000 years ago. That light yielded immense brightness and to this day it is emitting infinite lumination to all whom would be willing to see it. BUT, if we don't draw attention to the darkness within and without, we cannot properly appreciate the light that comes from above. How can I know that I live in darkness unless I see that light exists, and how can I understand what light is unless the darkness has been properly explained to me?

How can I know the mercies of God if I have never experienced difficulty, sorrow, pain and suffering? In the midst of our highest conviction, in the midst of our deepest sorrow, in the midst of our greatest suffering, in the midst of our most trying hardships- that is when the light of Christ shines the brightest.

Rev. Stephen Hill (of the Brownsville revival) is just coming out of a long battle with cancer that nearly cost him his life. In the midst of he and his family's hardest hour is when God shined the brightest. In the center of darkness is when God showed Himself to be most faithful. So it is with the gospel- if we do not know the bad news, we cannot understand the Good News!

"Before I preach love, mercy and grace, I must preach sin, Law and judgment."

- John Wesley

"Evermore the Law must prepare the way for the Gospel; to overlook this in instructing souls is almost certain to result in false hope, the introduction of a false standard of Christian experience, and to fill the church with false converts."

- Charles Finney

"They will never accept grace until they tremble before a just and holy Law." "

-Charles Spurgeon