We are told in scripture to work out our salvation. The interesting thing about this is that when we work we need a few tools and the better the quality of the tools the easier the job usually goes and the better the results. (Here I pulled a couple of nails out of a peice of wood with a jemmy bar and said, "try doing that with your fingers or teeth). This is the first part of a series on ‘Tools of the Faith’ or another way to word this is to say ‘in order get the job done; to live right we will have to have the right tools.
As you know in life there are ways of doing things, the world looks at people in a certain light. If you behave in a way that is above the standard, you stand out from the crowd and are usually rewarded for being better than the rest. If you break certain rules you get punished.
If you work hard you may get a pay rise. In regards to the pay rise you will most likely have to ask for it, this is the way the world operates. Some people do well; others fall through cracks, people judge by certain standards.
We have some funny standards could be that in your family someone, usually a parent had a dislike of shellfish or game meat so you’ve never tasted shellfish or venison. It could be that in your family someone said that “if a black cat crossed your path its bad luck” so you avoid black cats or “that if you stand on a crack you’ll marry a rat,” so you don’t stand on cracks or maybe some of you married rats. Cats and rats now that’s an interesting combination. These are all really silly things but the world lives by some pretty strange ideas and standards.
The worlds standards even effected the saints of old. The apostle Paul in this letter to the Corinthians had to write in his own defence, because he was being judged by some who lived in Corinth and by the standards of the world. Let’s have a look at what he says in 2nd Corinthians 10:1-5. (Read)
Paul this man of God writes to the Corinthians and this passage is at the end of a long letter in which he has covered things like ‘his own ministry, the state of the believers he’s writing to, seeing the glory of God, death and what that means to Christians, good Christian living and quite a few other subjects.’
But this passage has a bit of a sting in its tail; its almost like Paul is raising himself up to his full height (he was apparently around five feet tall) and its almost like he’s saying ‘get it right or you will be dealing with me next time I visit, because some of you are speaking out of turn about me and also living by the standards of the world!’
How did he do this, how did he confront these people?
1) If we look at the first couple of verses of the passage, we read Paul use a description of Jesus and he appeals to the Church at Corinth using that description. “By the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you – I Paul who am ‘timid’ when face to face with you, but ‘bold’ when away, I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think we live by the standards of this world.” (Corinthians 10:1-2)
There is a great deal to chew over in these two verses, Paul this saint of the church; it should be remembered was a persecutor of the church prior to his supernatural encounter with the risen Jesus in the road to Damascus, this was a man who according to Acts nine had breathed “…out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples.” (Acts 9:1) He was a hard man, a hard nosed intolerantly strict sectarian Jew from the outset; who once he had seen the Risen Jesus, he then became Jesus disciple.
Here he is saying to the Corinthian church “By the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you.”
Where had this meekness and mildness come from? I firmly believe that these were not personality traits that were known to this man before his encounter with Jesus.
But here he was now; when he was face to face with the church he was timid. What Paul had done in his life since his encounter with Jesus had learnt that he did not any longer need to be the old Paul. Paul was changed as the Holy Spirit came into his life and heart. That he did not need to live as he once had but that he could clothe himself with Christ. In his letter to the church in Rome he says, let us not live in the ways of the world, and he spells them out, and then says “Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” (Romans 13:14)
Paul this ‘hard doer’ had clothed himself with meekness, gentleness and timidity, He changed as the Spirit of God acted in him. He knew that he had to take on the personality of Jesus in order to no longer live by the standards of the world. He knew that he had to think as Jesus would have him think, and clothe himself with Jesus.
His reasoning for this was that tied up with the fact that as Christians we live in the world, but we don’t do things as the world does things. In verses three and four Paul states “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.”
What does he mean?
2) You see that the world wages war in the physical; we wage war in the spiritual. There’s another passage of scripture where Paul points out that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the authorities of this dark world and against the forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12-13)
What Paul is saying is that there’s stuff that goes on unseen. The influences of this world, the under current of popular opinion, the trends that prevail, and our struggle is with them and with the forces of evil that exist in the world. Here’s a case in point, when I was a child this advertisement would not have had a dog’s show of making it onto the tele. Now I had a picture of this young lady on an Australian beach, saying “we’ve saved a spot on the beach”, and I think there’s a bit that says “we’ve had the camel’s shampooed”, we are then asked “where the something or other are you?” We had a meeting of the executive and decided the photo of the young lady on the beach was in its self a bit much for the sermon without the subtitles. Not just because the young lady in it is clad in a Bikini but because of the language that she uses to ask where we might be. Today in this country this is acceptable. Interestingly it was banned in the UK. This is a case where popular opinion often runs against Biblical principles and Christ’s way of thinking and living.
What do we do? Go with the flow, ride with the tide, slip on a shirt, slop on some sunscreen, slap on a hat and go join the Australians?
These things of the world are influenced by authorities of this dark world, by forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Our weapons are so different I’ve called this series Tools of the Faith it could as easily be called “Weapons of the faith, Ways of living that demolish strongholds!”
The strongholds are demolished by the Spiritual authority of Jesus Christ.
What is it that Paul says about this? Looking at verse five “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God,…”
So how are these things against the knowledge of God.
3) Paul in this instance is talking about incorrect teaching that was popping up in the church, about incorrect teaching about Jesus and also teaching that was saying it’s OK for believers to live as the world lives.
We know that scripture teaches us to live in accordance with God’s will, scripture points out taht course language doesn’t fit within God’s will for our lives.
Paul was saying that; no we don’t live by the worlds standards and because of our very living we demolish that line of belief the second half of verse five reads “and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ”
What Paul is saying is along the lines of , we alter our thinking, we think how Christ would have us think.
How does he do this?
4) This is a simple case of Mind Control for Christ. (Not this kind of mind control, PP)
As Christians we take our thoughts captive and we make them obedient to Christ. (grasp a thought out of the air and put it in a tin, I yelled at the thought "get obediant")
Take our thoughts captive-In Pauls situation he was talking about thinking within the Church (those people who followed Jesus) and making sure it was sound and in agreement with what was true and in keeping with correct doctrine.
As believers are we living in ways that do not divert from scripture and that sound doctrine teaching? Are we seeking guidance from the Holy Spirit?
Do our life styles reflect that we also think in ways that are sound and in keeping with how Christ would have us think?
So back to my introduction, I spoke about the ways of the world and how it would have us think.
The world tells us that to be successful there are certain standards to live by, the nice house in the right neighbourhood, the latest model car, the right brand of circular saw (it should be a DeWalt), buying the right label from the right shop, the correct brand of [laundry detergent and dish washing liquid (survey)]. You’re probably thinking I’ve over stretched the point with the last two.
These are just illustrations, the truth is that there are people who get caught up in this stuff, and the whole brand label is a biggy. Ask the youth, with regards to that one. Here’s a question to ask them, what brand of jeans are the best. The latest thing is to be part of the latest thing.
And here’s Paul saying no matter what else, take you thoughts. “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” Think as Jesus would have you think.
5) What thought? Every thought. The one I have about the Ford Mark One Zephyr that I would like to one day own, the one about how angry I get with repeating a request that someone shuts the door behind them, the thought about how I’d like that last slice of chocolate cake that is for another member of the family, the thought about how I deserve this or that, the thought about the attractive lady who smiles at me in the street, and here’s a biggy the thought about how ‘I earned it, it belongs to me! ‘
You see we all have thoughts we shouldn’t have and the world tells us that it’s OK to have them. Not every thought is worth having, in fact, some are down right hazardous to a person’s health.
Try these on for size:
Ill never be capable of doing that.
Just one, no one will ever know.
Everyone’s out or the kids are in bed, I can watch this programme.
Everyone else does it.
If I just wait around things will come right.
It’s only cheating if I get caught.
We humans, are inclined to do stuff wrong, we think wrong and then act in wrong ways. there is a process of thinking and action. Thought comes before action. If we can capture our thoughts and that’s every thought, even the ones that seem good, but are a bit self seeking and make them obedient to Christ, life is a lot easier.
The loan for the Zephyr, which I would so like, does not have to be paid back, you see in my case it’s a case of idolatry any way, and the Subaru is adequate, and much cheaper to run.
The door situation doesn’t erupt into an argument, because I come up with a suitable deterrent to the door not being shut, and discipline is how the young learn.
The chocolate cake fills the right stomach and I didn’t need it any way, I also don’t need to apologise or loose the extra calories.
I take any thought about the smile and think about the beautiful lady who smiled at me on our wedding day and continues to love me even knowing all my faults not just me at a glance. The gift of God that is our income is recognised as being a gift because God has gifted us with the ability to earn it. This is thinking how Jesus would have us think!
We know what these thoughts are, as we walk in the faith, we pick up the tools of the faith. “Thinking how Jesus would have us think” is one of those tools.
The scriptures and the Holy Spirit aid us to think correctly but we need to know them and respond to them.
To live and think in obedience to Jesus we need to be able to say that we “love God in accordance with and live in accordance with his will for our lives.
Then strongholds are demolished by the Spiritual authority of Jesus Christ.
The right tools on our journey with Jesus will keep that journey smooth, how often have you grasped onto some false teaching, some idea that has taken you off towards some problem, a trap, some easier way that has lead to trouble, to a burden?
We can either allow our thoughts to lead to actions that hold us captive, a track that leads to death; or take our thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ, that track leads to life.
The choice is ours!
The choice is yours!
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