Just Ask!

Surprise, surprise to discover that the following words are not a prayer formula nor some grandiose promise about how God answers prayer: Ask and it shall be given to you; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds and to him who knocks it shall be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8 New American Standard) What they are is a statement about the nature of our relationship with God. Here's what I mean. The beginning of the Sermon on the Mount by Jesus, which contains the words above, is a listing of what we have come to call, "The Beatitudes." For those who are new to the Bible, the Beatitudes are that set of verses in Matthew 5 that being with the words "Blessed are..." as in "Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" and so on. The Beatitudes are followed up in verse 17 of Matthew 5 with an interesting comment by Jesus: Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to abolish but to fulfill." The comment is interesting, but it is also odd, unless you understand why he likely said it at that moment. He said it, because what he had just taught people in the Beatitudes might make them think that he was speaking against the Law. The Beatitudes say that if you are poor in spirit, yours is the kingdom of heaven; if you are gentle, you will inherit the earth; if you are pure in heart you will see God; if you are a peacemaker you will be called sons of God. Each of these comments flies in the face of what the Pharisees and Sadducees and frankly all of Israel, had been teaching about how one will see God etc. It was following the Law, they had been taught, that would eventually allow one to see God. Jesus' teaching, sounded like he was going off in a different direction. He wasn't, but he needed to correct their erroneous view of the Law. To explain further his view of the Law, Jesus gives several examples of faulty thinking, each beginning with words like, "You have heard it said....but I say to you." In each case he tells the people about some application of the Law they had been taught, and shows them that actually God's interpretation of the Law was much stricter than the interpretation of the Scribes and Pharisees. In fact he tells the people: For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. (Mt. 5:20) To make it worse he finally tells them in verse 48: Therefore you are to be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect. Houston, we have a problem: ain't none of us going to make it. None of us are perfect, and none of us even close. Now what? The now what is answered as Jesus continues his Sermon on the Mount thoughts, leading people eventually to this statement in Matthew 7:7-8: Ask and shall be given to you; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds and to him who knocks it shall be opened. What is he saying? Here's what it seems to me: "Friends, I know you have been following the Law. I'm in favor of that. But know that following the Law in some ritualistic manner isn't going to get it done. Here's what you need to do to have a forgiven relationship with me: Just ask! Just seek! Just knock on the door! I'll open it!" Just ask! What a great comment by the Lord. Friend, he is saying, just ask me, I'll forgive you. Friend, if you want to get your life in order, just seek me, I'll answer. If you want to have fellowship with me, just knock on my door, I'll open it! Relax! I'm for you! While this section does relate to prayer in a secondary sense, it is not a formula or some promise about prayer. It is rather the Lord's freeing instructions for how to have a healthy relationship with him, a relationship not based on ritualistically following a set of rules we ultimately can't keep well enough to have it count for much in the first place anyway. Just ask! he says! Just ask! I'll be there, I'll forgive, I'll walk with you. Lighten up. Relax. Get off the rules bandwagon. Talk to me. I'm here. Knock on my door, I'm in! Wow, what a relief. The Lord is saying, Come on over. Lets be friends. Just ask me and it'll happen. Yes there are things we'll need to clean up along the way as God works in our lives. That's called repentance. Its part of the deal. But because we can never clean things up well enough to be perfect, Jesus is saying we can't and shouldn't base our relationship with him on whether or not we have met the requirements of the Law. We haven't and we never will. Solution? JUST ASK! Critics and fundamentalists will say that such an approach leaves out our need for repentance and Lordship and all that. I get that. I understand that. My point today is not to explain every nuance of all those things, as important as they are. My point today is to set people free who have been on the one hand bound by rules that they can never follow well enough, and on the other hand, to set people free from having their faith damaged because their prayer formula isn't working for them. "Ask and it shall be given to you..." is a statement about having a relationship with the Lord. Enjoy that and don't let the naysayers rob you of that freedom and openness. Look to the sky today and give the Lord a "Good morning." He's waiting to talk. He said so, and the "come on in" sign is on the door.

You can be wrong about a lot of "God" things and still be headed for Heaven

Ask The Pastor: How it got started
E-mail your questions
Master List of Articles

Some thirty years ago when I was in college, one of my professors blew me away with a statement he made in class one day. It was a passing comment on some subject the content of which I don't remember. In his comment he mentioned some Christians friends of his who were amillennialists. (Nevermind what an amillennialist is. It's simply some one who has a certain view of the "end times.")

I was shocked when he called them Christians! As a relatively new believer at the time, I couldn't imagine how one could come to the conclusion about the end times that amillennialists do, and still be a Christian!

Of course my immaturity in things theological was showing through in my thinking. But my professor's comment started me on a process of thought that led me to an even more startling conclusion:

There are tons of things we can be wrong about when it comes to our beliefs about God, even very important things, and still be headed for heaven.

That may not seem like a great revelation to you, but believe me it was to me. For example--and this may be a shock to someone who hasn't thought this through--we can be wrong in our belief about the virgin birth or the inerrancy of the Bible or when or if there will be a rapture and so on, and still be "saved" people headed for heaven.

You see, it is what we believe about and do about Jesus that gets us to heaven. It isn't what we believe about the Bible, as important as that is. We could believe that the entire Old and New Testaments are filled with human errors, but if we believe correctly about Jesus and respond to that belief correctly, we'll be headed for heaven one day.

Certainly if we don't believe the Bible is trustworthy we'll have problems along the way in living life in a way that is pleasing to God. So I'm not advocating such a position! My point is simple: We can be wrong about lots of things...even important things...and still be headed for heaven.

By the way there is a corollary thought about all this that works in the other direction as well:

There are some things we just can't be wrong about, no matter how right we are about everything else.

We can't be wrong about who Jesus is and still be headed for heaven. If we think he was just a good man with good teaching, but not the Son of God whose death on the cross paid for our sins, then no matter what else we may be right about, we are still lost.

We can't be wrong about salvation being a free gift from God through Christ. If we think that even one little part of God's forgiveness is "earned" by us through us being good or doing good deeds, then we are still in a lost condition.

We can't believe that going to church and being a nice person or just believing that God exists is going to get us to heaven, and still actually be going to heaven...no matter how right we are about everything else.

I could go on and one with illustrations, but I think you get the point I am making. Ok, but, "So what?" you say, "What difference does it make to come to these conclusions?"

It makes a great deal of difference.

Understanding this concept can help narrow minded or judgmental Christians relax a bit. Not everyone has to believe everything exactly the same way to be headed for heaven. Certain things yes! But not everything. "Getting it" will help people relax a bit and be able to see others more positively who may disagree with them on subjects they hold near and dear to their theological hearts.

Understanding this concept can help people who have wrong ideas about salvation but right ideas about lots of other things, examine their position on salvation. It isn't enough to be right about many or most things. What matters is being right about the right things.

So, are you sure that you are right about the right things when it comes to salvation?

This post is already long, but here are some bullet points for you regarding salvation. Check'em out to see where you are at. If you want to be sure you are headed for heaven, I've included a prayer at the end for you to pray to take care of that with God.

Salvation bullet points:

• All people have sinned, including you.
  
• God requires a remedy for sin.
  
• There is only one remedy: The death and resurrection of the Son of God, Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
  
• Salvation comes by putting our faith in God's remedy (see previous bullet point).
  
• You can't earn any part of your forgiveness. It's a gift from God.
  
• Repentance is required at your salvation step, not just an intellectual belief in the truth.
  
• Even the demons believe, so just "believing" isn't enough. You must respond to God's call to repent, putting your faith in Christ as your Lord and Savior.
  

Ok, there you go. There may be some other ways to phrase things, but this gives you the idea.

If as you have read this today, you aren't sure whether you are headed for heaven, I've included a prayer for you to pray so you can be sure. Sincerely pray this prayer and you are on your way to heaven. Yes, that will only be the start of things, including changing your mind about some things you have been wrong about up until now. But you'll be able to do that "mind-changing" without worrying about where you are going to end up when you die.

Here you go:

"Heavenly Father, I realize today that there is only one way to heaven, and that that way is through Jesus Christ. I may have done this before, but today I want to be clear about it in my own mind. Today I put my faith in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and as my only hope for heaven. I ask that my sins be forgiven on the basis of what Christ did for me by dying on the cross and being raised from the dead. I offer you nothing for my forgiveness but Jesus and what he did for me in paying for my sins.

I ask that you give me the eternal life you promised. Today I surrender my life to you. Though I don't know where it will lead, today I give you control of my life, repenting of my sin.

Thank you for forgiving me. I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen."

Ok, did you pray that prayer? If you did, and you meant it, you are on your way to heaven. Yes, there will be things to relearn and change your mind about along the way...important things...things that make a difference. But today you took care of the main thing.

Go grab a cup of coffee and have a talk with God. He's smiling right now. Oh ya, and welcome to the family!

Learning from Simple Things

Its been awhile. Lots happening. All good, but busy. I was out walking the other day early in the morning, asking the Lord to teach me something...just anything that he'd like to, from his Creation. Living in northern Wisconsin, with eagles flying, otters cavorting, and surrounded by lakes, there is so much to see and learn from. The forests here are lush and beautiful this time of year...they are also ubiquitious (meaning everywhere). After I asked the Lord to teach me something that morning, I noticed the "V-shaped" piece of sky above me. If you have ever walked down a forested road, you know what I mean. On either side of the roads here in the Northwoods, there is nothing but trees, the view of which is only broken by a v-shaped band of sky above the road, as it narrows from being wide right over one's head, to being a small sliver of light off down the road where perspective brings the trees together in a point. It dawned on me that so often in life we worry about that point out in the future where we can no longer see with clarity either the sky above or the road below. Above us and nearby is this wider band of sky that we can see clearly. That wider band of sky is much like "today," today that is so clear to us, today, the realities of which we have no doubts about and less concern. So often we worry about things far down the road, that if we had only waited to experience or waited until they were nearer, we would have been less concerned about. I realized too in that moment that God is not bound by our limited vision. Residing above the forest of time and the concerns of life, he can see perfectly what is coming. He is above it all, he is "on top of it" soaring above and seeing it all. He knows what is up ahead and can be trusted with whatever it is. What a simple thing that v-shaped band of sky was that day...and yet so helpful. The Scriptures tell us, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." It was nice to relearn that truth again. My hope is that if you are going through a time of questioning or concern about what lies so far down the road you can barely see it, that you will choose to trust the Lord about that "whatever it is thing" out in front of you, and simply enjoy today. God knows your future and can be trusted with it. Be at peace as you walk with him. Lift your head! Enjoy today, knowing as his child you are safe in his care. And if you aren't sure that you are his child, this simple prayer when prayed sincerely will settle that for you too: "Lord Jesus, I ask to become part of your forever family. Please forgive my sins through Christ and what he did for me by dying for me on the Cross...paying for my sins. I repent of my sin and commit myself to follow you. I don't know all that that means, but I know I need you in my life and in charge of my life. I give my life to you to do with as you wish. Thank you for the eternal life in Christ you have promised all who will turn to you, as I do right now. Amen." If you honestly prayed that prayer, you are God's child. Trust him. Trust him. Trust him. He loves you.

My idea or His? How do I know? Ask Nehemiah

ATP: Have you ever run across a kook who tried to tell you that God had "told" them something? Something to do, for example? Even as a believer in God who believes that God does "communicate" with us, I've always been uncomfortable when I have heard people say, "God told me to...." whatever. Did God really speak to that person? Did they hear his voice? The phrase they used normally means that some one spoke audibly to a person. And when people use such phrase as "God told me to...." they seem to have very specific information as to what God was telling them to do. How do you argue with a person about to do something stupid, who says "God told me to...." If God spoke, who are we to intervene? Well, I'm not so sure that God speaks so audibly as some would have us think. And we need to be cautious both in how we speak, but particularly in how we respond to people who say God told them to do such and such a thing. However, it is clear from the Scriptures that God does communicate with us. And certainly in the Bible we find God actually speaking to people audibly. So it is not impossible. But it seems to me that more often, God speaks to our hearts. What in the world does that mean? Sounds pretty vague doesn't it. What I mean by "speaks to our hearts" is what I think Nehemiah experienced. For months he had prayed about the broken down condition of Jerusalem. This was God's city and at the time it was in ruins. People living there were living in shame because of its condition. So Nehemiah prayed and prayed about this. In the end we read an interesting sentence in Nehemiah 2:12: I told not one what my God had put into my heart do do for Jerusalem. There is a similar thought expressed in chapter 7 verse 5, when Nehemiah says: The God put it into my mind to assemble the nobles and the officials and the people to be enrolled by geneology. Nehemiah was keenly aware that it was God who had put this thought in his mind. Does God communicate to us in this way still? Yes, I believe he does. And certainly I believe that God can speak audibly to us. He is after all, God. He is free to do anything he wants within the make up of his perfect character. But notice how God's communication came to Nehemiah. In one case something had been "put on his heart to do," in another, he said that God had "put it into his mind" to assemble a certain group of people. What is that first thing, this "putting on the heart?" Simply put, Nehemiah developed an inner desire to do something for Jerusalem, an inner desire to accomplish a task. The second thing, "put it into his mind" was an idea of what to do, to assemble the nobles and others. But notice that in neither case did Nehemiah say, "God told me to do....." or, "God spoke to me...." Nehemiah recognized that his inner desire to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem had been planted there by God. He recognized that God gave him an idea regarding assembling a certain group of people. Is there a difference between that kind of communication from God, and a claim of verbal communication? Yes, there is. When a person says, "God told me...." they are making an unequivocal statement that this came directly from the mouth of God. When, on the other hand, they say, "God put it on my heart to...." or "God put it in my mind to...." notice that their "heart" and "mind" are the recipients, one in the area of desire, the other in the area of ideas, but neither in the arear of "I heard a voice and here is the command and instructions I received." Miles apart these are, from the "God told me to..." approach. So how do we know the difference in our own lives? Check out Nehehiah chapter 1. Nehemiah had been praying for months and months. No nightime vision popped in on him to give him direction. He had spent significant alone time with God, seeking God's direction. While doing so does not guarantee that all our "desires" or "ideas" are from God, such an approach is part of being led of the Lord. Our focus on God's will, God's direction, God's wisdom, guides our prayers and guides God's response to us. As we pray and earnestly seek His direction, we can be assured that he will answer us. So in the end, for us to say "God put it on my heart" or, "God put it in my mind to..." are both perfectly Biblical comments and ones that we should be comfortable with. God is at work in and through the lives of his children. And when we call on him, he will answer us. There are other factors that we must take into account to determine God's leading. The Scriptures tell us about them....things like seeking wise counsel from others and so on. But when we have done all the Scriptures tell us to do, we can be comfortable in knowing that God does lay godly desires on our hearts and put ideas in our minds to do for him.