The Check of God

Matthew 5:23-24 NIV

"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.

Who Makes Your Decisions?

The other day I was driving on the freeway and a car was behind me in the left hand lane.  Suddenly he sped up and cut in front of me but then slowed down so that I had to put on my brakes.  I was a bit perturbed because he could have just as easily slid behind me if he had to get in my lane.  When I found myself driving five miles an hour slower because of the guy who had pulled in front of me, I began to stew over it until it became an obsessing thought.  Why did that guy have to be in front?  Was it an “alpha dog” thing?  I felt like my manhood had been stolen from me by this one simple act of this guy getting ahead of me on the freeway.  Of course my thinking about this was irrational and of course I was being immature but in a flash, I shifted lanes, punched the gas and broke into the lead, jumping in front of the guy who had cut in front of me.  Did I feel happy about what I did?  For a moment…for a moment I was quite puffed up and filled with pride…and then I just felt stupid and embarrassed and was compelled to ask God to forgive me!

Each of us has a disposition that is rooted in Sin.  Sin impacts our personality in a wide range of ways and for some of us it means we are prone to selfishness, for others greed, of using people for selfish ends or being easily insulted or angered.  Sin can lead to us being cold and indifferent to the suffering we see, make lust our dominant thought process, strip us of our compassion and honesty.  Sin wrecks our true sense of self; many despise themselves because of how Sin has affected them, others feel inadequate and generally depressed. Sin isolates us from God and from each other and makes our disposition self-absorbed and cuts us off from the spiritual realm.  By far, the most damaging effect of Sin upon our disposition is it makes us unconcerned about sin’s impact and makes us true rebels against God’s Kingdom.

There is an under-appreciated work the Holy Spirit does in us and that is He makes us aware of where we have gone wrong…how we have veered off-course.  Jesus hinted at this in the Sermon on the Mount.  "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. (Matthew 5:23-24 NIV)  The Holy Spirit checks us…causes us to pause and think about some way that we have been wrong.  In this case it is with regard to disappointing and angering those close to us.  We see in the New Testament numerous examples of how the Spirit of God changes the disposition of His people by checking their behavior.

The Apostle Paul early in his life had the dangerous linking of a violent temper, self-righteousness and the authority to wield them as he wished.  Many have bad tempers and quite a few are self-righteous but the combination of the law and social constraints keep them both in check usually.  Paul was not encumbered by either and so he was free to unleash his self-righteous fury at will.  Paul’s wrath was directed at Christians and like Stalin and Hitler and Saddam Hussein after him, he was able to let his anger determine his actions; he was given authority to beat, imprison and kill anyone he wished.  After Paul was born again and God began working throughout his personality, his temper and self-righteousness continued to plague him.  In Acts 15:37-39 we see their lingering power over Paul.  Paul was mad at a colleague who deserted him and Barnabas on their previous mission trip and he refused to forgive his actions.  Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work.  They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. (NIV)

Not much later, that temper flashed again and many would say justifiably so when Paul was being questioned by the members of the Sanhedrin when the Roman commander asked the Jewish leaders to prove the rightfulness of their charges against him. In the midst of the proceedings, the Jewish High priest, who was not known to Paul, became angry with something Paul said and ordered Paul be punched in the mouth.  Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, "My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day."  At this the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth. (Acts 23:1-2 NIV)  Instantly, Paul responded.  Then Paul said to him, "God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck!"  (Acts 23:3 NIV)  When Paul was told that he had just insulted the Jewish High Priest, Paul backed off from his angry indignation.   Paul replied, "Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: 'Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.'" (Acts 23:5 NIV) 

Now a critic of Paul might argue that the Apostle would have acted upon his anger if he had the power to do so.  What checked his temper was the force behind the Sanhedrin.  Yet, Paul was not thinking of attacking the High Priest physically, his temper only took him as far as the insult, a similar one to what Jesus used when confronting the Pharisees.  When Paul realized that he was angry with the High Priest, the Holy Spirit through the scripture checked him and he immediately backed off his temper. There is a moment when a window opens and God’s light can either come into us and fill us with His presence or we let the window close and nothing of God touches us. It is when the check of God reaches our mind and we choose to heed it or ignore it that we stand on the edge of receiving a deeper work of the Holy Spirit in us or lose that instant of intimacy with God.

The Bible often points back to the critical moment when the people of God had to decide if they were going to trust God with their lives and enter the Promised Land or close the door to Him and silence God’s voice in them.  They decided to go it on their own without God.  Of course they never would have said they were closing themselves off to God.  The Hebrews were much too religious for that.  As far as they were concerned, they were wisely not putting themselves or their families at risk.  They were still open to the Lord working with them.  He could talk to them later if He wished…that was acceptable to them.  But God doesn’t work that way something serious and terrible happened when they refused to let the check of God have its way with them.  So, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did.  That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, 'Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.'  So I declared on oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest.'" (Hebrews 3:7-11 NIV)

The check of God is the door that opens the way for us to enter our Lord’s rest.  “Rest” in Scripture is not some sort of spiritual or even physical “lying around”.  It is reaching the sweet spot with Christ where we are secure in Him and despite all the chaos around us, we are at peace because we have obeyed the check of God.  Let’s examine a very practical example of this.  In Acts 16 we are told that Paul and his fellow missionaries did not go into the province of Asia because the Holy Spirit checked them.  It is not that they didn’t really want to go and preach in Asia, but the Holy Spirit somehow made it clear to them not to go into the Roman province of Asia.  Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.  (Acts 16:6 NIV)  Later, Paul did go into Asia when the Holy Spirit was no longer checking him.  He (Paul) sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed in the province of Asia a little longer. (Acts 19:22 NIV)  In both situations God’s peace was with Paul and his companions because they were aligned with God.

Let’s now look at the Holy Spirit check from a different angle. The Spirit can also check us to do something.  "And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there.  I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me.  (Acts 20:22-23 NIV)  So Paul was directed somehow, and we do not know how, but somehow by the Holy Spirit to go to Jerusalem.  In this check of the Holy Spirit, he also was cautioned about what he would encounter there.  Later, a prophet from Judea traveled up to meet Paul in Caesarea and confirmed what the Spirit had already told Paul.  After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.  Coming over to us, he took Paul's belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, "The Holy Spirit says, 'In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.'"  (Acts 21:10-11 NIV)  When the people of the church heard this warning they literally wept and begged Paul not to go to Jerusalem; they loved him so much.  But Paul was as calm and peaceful as a daisy in the springtime sun.  That is how it is when we let the check of the Holy Spirit have its way with us.  No matter what He might tell us, we are settled and unperturbed when in faith we obediently let the check of the Holy Spirit have its way in us.

It cannot be said how the check of God will come to you.  It may be through a dream, or a conversation, a moment of reflection while driving in the car or most likely a quiet moment while reading the Bible but the Holy Spirit will make known to you something that aligns perfectly with Scripture and it is going to be totally up to you how you respond to the check and then what happens next is in God’s hand.  You will have His rest like Israel could have had if you let the check of the Holy Spirit have its way with you…or you could be brought into turmoil by turning away.  No one is more peaceful and content than the Christian who is letting the Holy Spirit have His way in his or her life but the converse is also true.  No one is more miserable than the Christian fighting the prompt of God and turning aside when the Holy Spirit has made something clear.  Our Lord’s promise to you could not be any clearer.  You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. (Isaiah 26:3 NIV)  It is in your hands whether you have our Lord’s perfect peace at any moment.  With steely resolve, decide you will do what the Holy Spirit tells you to do and God’s peace will carry you through every twist and turn of your day.

Changed Mind

Matthew 21:29 NIV

 "'I will not,' he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.

Have You Changed Your Mind Lately?

I am not very fickle and I rarely change my mind when I have decided something but the other day I was ready to get rid of our cat.  She doesn’t really care about anyone but our daughter, she drags her claws on the sofa, she sheds all over the house and lately she has taken up going to the bathroom in our shower.  Our cat is grumpy, eats too much and doesn’t care if you come or go.  She only demands, never gives.  I can’t say she even really wants any of us to touch her.  So when a family friend said she was interested in taking our cat if we didn’t want her, I was very happy about the prospect.  Unfortunately it only lasted a week.  Our friend was hoping for a cat that purred, rested quietly on her lap, wanted to stay inside and liked her.  Our cat has absolutely no people skills and is not interested in making anyone happy and soon she was back in our apartment shedding once more everywhere.  But, I must say that I changed my mind about our cat.  I still would not get too upset if she got into drugs and was busted by the police or found a boyfriend and decided to move with him to Michigan but I was glad she was back with us because I saw how much my daughter loved her.  What seemed so dreadful, that our cat would be returned to us, I actually felt good about.  I changed my mind.

Perhaps you have changed your mind about how you thought of someone.  An enemy actually became a friend, a job you disliked you now enjoy doing.  Perhaps you now like where you live or have changed your mind about someone who asked you out for a date.  It could be that your thoughts about God have changed over time or even your views of heaven and eternity are different.  Sometimes it is quite a major change in thinking that we experience; even our family members are shocked, co-workers and classmates are surprised.  Would you shock even yourself if you changed political parties or made a flip-flop on your view of climate change, eating meat or which sports teams were your favorites?  How easy is it for you to change your mind and when it comes to how you think, is it true that “change is good”?  Do you need a change in how you think, in the way your life is going?  Do you think it really is possible for you to change in regard to the most important parts of your life?

The New Testament uses a particular word that carries with it negative connotations for many people.  You may have heard preachers use it and it bothered you the way it was expressed in sermons.  Unfortunately this word is often misunderstood and viewed as strictly a “religious word”.  John the Baptist is quoted in one of his sermons using it.  Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. (Matthew 3:8 NIV)  Jesus used the word to explain His work.  I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." (Luke 5:32 NIV)  The Apostle Paul stated that it was also his mission to present the same message.  I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus. (Acts 20:21 NIV)  Repentance is a great word that despite what some people think of it, presents the perfect picture of what every helping profession from psychologists to doctors and dentists hope to accomplish.  The goal of all these professionals is to bring about repentance.  Let me explain!

The English word “to repent” has Latin and French roots and speaks mostly of feeling badly about what one has done.  Guilt is a key component in the Latin and French terms.  That is often what we associate with repentance.  Repentance, at least as the early French and Catholics indicated, was all about the emotional side of realizing what you had done was wrong; it was about feeling guilty for bad behavior.  To some degree, that is how repentance may work for many of us but that is not the Biblical sense of repentance.  Repentance is a rather narrow English translation of the Greek word found in the New Testament and this Greek word means more than just feeling badly about your actions.  The Biblical expression is actually a combination of two Greek words which when put together mean, “to change the mind”.  It describes a morphing from one way of thinking to another, a “conversion” of thinking.

We see this illustrated by Martha, the sister of Lazarus who was raised by Jesus from the dead.  In Luke 10, Martha is agitated that she has to work hard in the kitchen while her sister is free to sit at Jesus’ feet and relax.  As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said.  But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"  "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:38-42 NIV)  There is not a more believable and unremarkable account in the entire Bible than this.  Most of us have been incensed that all the work has fallen upon us while others get to play.  We have felt just like Martha and have even expressed our frustration about it.  But something happened that brought about a change in thinking with our friend.  It was the resurrection of her brother Lazarus.

In John 11 is the famous account of Jesus raising Lazarus, the brother of Martha and Mary from the dead.  At first, Martha was perturbed with Jesus for not coming when she and her sister sent for him when Lazarus was just sick.  When Jesus, in her mind, wasted his time on trivial matters and got to their house too late because Lazarus in the meantime had died, she chastised him for his cavalier attitude toward her brother’s dire circumstance.   But when Jesus raised him from the dead and Martha realized that not even death should dictate how she thought about things, and even more so how she thought about being left alone to serve everyone, she “changed her mind”.  Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus' honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him.  Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. (John 12:1-3 NIV)

Much is made of Mary pouring all that expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet and drying them with her hair but someone should notice Martha here too.  No longer is she complaining about Mary lounging when there was work to be done.  There was no more animosity about all the work she had to do on her own.  Her mind had changed: there was a conversion of her thinking!  The same could be said of the Apostle John who along with his brother James was furious over the lack of respect Jesus received in one of the Samaritan villages.  As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, "Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?"   But Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they went to another village. (Luke 9:51-56 NIV)  It was never a small matter for Jesus to rebuke anyone and it would leave a lasting impression.  It clearly resulted in John “changing his mind” about the Samaritans because after Jesus crucified and risen left the disciples and they became apostles, sent out into the world, one of the very first things John did was join with Peter and begin an evangelistic tour throughout Samaria, preaching there the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages. (Acts 8:25b NIV)

It is one thing to feel badly about what you have done; another altogether to change your mind about your actions and alter your course.  One of the great questions facing the field of psychology is how to get people to change their minds about things…to change their minds sufficiently that it results in a different lifestyle.  All sorts of methods are used: punishment, rewards, talking, reviewing past personal history, mentoring, administering of drugs.  What everyone knows is that no matter how expensive and elaborate the intervention may be, unless a person’s mind is changed, behavior change is never long lasting.  For centuries however, Christian people have been changing their minds and dramatically altering their behavior as a result.  Not every person who names himself Christian has a changed mind; that is why so many so-called Christians look just like non-Christians…their morals are just as loose, their honesty is just as undependable and their addictions are just as resolute and harmful as those of non-Christian people.

What is needed is a real change of mind brought about by God’s kindness.  The Apostle Paul puts it this way.  …do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance? (Romans 2:4 NIV)  What happened with Paul has been occurring for centuries.  As soon as Paul realized what a great kindness God had done for Him by dying on the Cross for his sins, the hateful and angry Paul embraced the very people he wanted dead.  Why?  Because Jesus Christ became a part of Paul and the Savior began to work His way into Paul’s thinking.  Literally, this verse states that God’s kindness leads you into a changed mind!  How does this happen?  Paul let the cat out of the bag in his closing remarks to the leaders of the church of Ephesus.  The NIV translates it this way.  I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.  (Acts 20:21 NIV)  The original Greek wording puts it this way, “having declared to Jews and Greeks the changed mind into God and faith into our Lord Jesus.”  What this means is that the changed mind which is immersed in God’s mind is always in conjunction with faith into the Lord Jesus.  Without developing and expanding faith into Jesus Christ, the mind never develops God’s mind; it just stays the same with only its own strength and understanding.  Faith in Christ though brings God into our thinking and with Him there, habits can be broken, memories that have haunted us can lose their power over us and we will have the kind of thinking we need to overcome bad behaviors and bad attitudes.

Faith in Christ is the most dramatic and powerful way to change both what we do and how we think.  Yet it is so simple to place your faith in Christ and gain God’s power in thinking.  You ask Christ to guide you and help you with everything you can think of as you go through your day.  When you read something in the Bible that insists you change what you are doing, then you believe Christ is right and you make the change.  When there is a choice between something you think is good and fair and what the Holy Spirit clearly says is not for you, then you accept God’s guidance and trust Christ in it.  Faith in Christ is not a once for all decision; it is a hundred little decisions each day which when added together give you God’s power to become the sort of person you want to be and God intends for you to be.