Knowing God's Will Through Trust Part 2

James 4:6-7 tells us: But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble. Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Submitting to God includes obeying the Bible. But it also includes yielding your will to God's call for your life. I have often run across Christians who insist that God has called them to teach, but who refuse to teach children's classes. It might be possible, but I have never seen one of them teach a good adult class.

We decide that we want to serve God, but then Satan motivates us to seek prestigious positions. So many Christians feel "called" to be leaders that churches have to hold elections, while the same churches beg for people to provide transportation, work in the nursery, give money to poor families, etc.

If you'll submit to God and accept whatever He tells you to do, He'll tell you what to do with your life.

Knowing God's Will RIGHT NOW Through Trust Part 1

Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us: Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

In our 5 1/2 years in Mexico, we have seen several missionary families come and go, often with little or no fruit. Meanwhile, we had 19 kids on the church van last Sunday.

Common sense says that a missionary should have nothing to do with our church's children's ministry. It will never become self-supporting, and it will never grow into a successful church. So it makes sense that over the years, as I have often asked missionaries to help, they do not. Common sense tells them that it is a bad idea. And then they go away empty-handed, while the children's ministry continues to thrive.

You have to learn to trust GOD, not your own understanding. God's ways are past finding out, and if He is doing something, then that's where you want to be.

Knowing God's Will RIGHT NOW Through Separation Part 3

Immediately after promising to be a Father to those who separate, God continues:
"Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." 2 Corinthians 7:1

If you want to know God's will for your life RIGHT NOW, you have to cleanse yourself both inwardly and outwardly of filth. We have already seen that true separation does not mean obeying man-made rules while tolerating sin. True separation means getting rid of ALL filthiness of the flesh and spirit.

Okay, but what specific things is God talking about? God lists "the works of the flesh" in Galatians 5:19-21, telling us that "...the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,
20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,
21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like;"

If you want the guidance that God gives to separated Christians, God has given you a list to start off with.

Knowing God's Will RIGHT NOW,Through Separation Part 2

After the Southern Baptist Convention became a large and successful religion, modernists crept in who sought to turn them away from God and His Word. When the Convention refused to take serious action, many Baptists obeyed the Biblical command to separate, and they became independent.

Blessed by God, independent Baptists experienced great success in the 1960's and 1970's. But when they made the decision as a group, that sin in the leadership would be quietly smoothed over, things went wrong. They regarded themselves as "separated" because they still followed the man-made rules that hadn't worked, even while they disobeyed the Biblical command "Those that sin, rebuke before all." Losing the guidance of God because they didn't separate, many turned to Ruckmanism, regarding themselves as superior to Godly saints because they would only use the King James translation of the Bible.

Others, regarding Peter Ruckman as a wife-stealing enemy of Godly men, obeyed the Biblical command to separate. You'll find that independent, fundamentalist Baptists churches (often without the word "Baptist" is their name, though) still dominate the list of America's 100 largest churches. And despite their pride, Ruckmanites do not.

"Separation" does not refer to following man-made rules while tolerating sin. And Christians who tolerate sin don't get the guidance that God promises to those who separate.

Knowing God's Will RIGHT NOW Through Separation

PART 1

2 Corinthians 6:17 Therefore " Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you."
18 " I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the LORD Almighty."

When God's people have fellowship with the wicked, it influences them. A person can only learn so much, and that Christian is learning from the wrong source. But there really are good things you can learn from the world: how to read, how to drive, etc. However, the context of this verse shows that Paul is talking about pagan religions, and we are to have nothing to do with them or their wisdom.

When you lose the wisdom of the wicked, God gives you His own wisdom in its place. He promises that if we will separate, He will be a Father to us, instructing us in right and wrong.

To be continued...

Knowing God's Will Through Obedience

The question was "How do you know which leaders to obey?"

In John 14:21, Jesus said "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."

Regardless of what people claim, those who truly love Jesus are willing to obey Him. And Jesus manifests Himself to those who obey Him. So, one way to know God's will RIGHT NOW is to obey Him.

But two verses later, Jesus clarifies His statement: "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word;"
Those who truly love Jesus obey Him, and they keep His Word. So, which leaders should you obey? A leader who does not stand without compromise for the Word of God doesn't really love Jesus. Therefor, Jesus doesn't manifest Himself to that leader. Therefor, you shouldn't be following that leader.

It is Possible to Know What God is Doing RIGHT NOW

1 Chronicles 12:32 of the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their command;

Notice that these men of Issachar didn't learn from Scripture what Israel should do; that was pretty well known already. But with Israel in transition between kings, these men knew what Israel should do RIGHT NOW. And because they had this knowledge, God's people were willing to follow them.

Notice that most of the tribe of Issachar only knew that they should follow these men, but even then, they knew what Israel should do. And notice that these leaders were making a change: the kingship had passed form the house of Saul to the house of David.

But other leaders were saying that Israel should be loyal to the house of Saul. How can you KNOW which leaders to listen to?