Life's Greatest Adventure

Life’s Greatest Adventure Walking With God BY

J. Don Jennings, D.D.

Š 2011 www.drdonjennings.com

ii PREFACE What an adventure it is to walk into the future hand in hand with God! Those who walk with God always get to their destination. The Christian life is a journey, a pilgrimage to the heavenly country, characterized as “walking” in the Bible. These studies on Life’s Greatest Adventure: Walking With God, are intended to be informational and inspirational for fellow travelers on the heavenly highway.

God’s walking manual contains many encouragements and examples for making spiritual progress. He instructed Moses to tell the Israelites to “go forward.” (Ex14:15) The writer of Hebrews challenges us to “go on to maturity.” (Heb. 6:1) “Follow me” (Matt.4:19) is Jesus’ call to would be disciples.

As we explore the walkways in the following chapters, it is my prayer that these topics will be helpful and healthful to you and that you will be exercised to advance onward and upward step by step.

“Go with God” are words frequently spoken by well-wishers to friends who are leaving on a journey. I said those words to my son and daughter-in-law at the airport as they were leaving for Europe. My son replied, “That’s the only way to travel, Dad!” Going with God is indeed the best way to travel in time on our way to eternity. So, join me for the journey, put your best foot forward, step out in faith and go with God. That’s the only way to travel. And it is Life’s Greatest Adventure!

iii CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 WALKING THE GOOD WAY CHAPTER 2 WALKING TOGETHER CHAPTER 3 THE RADIANT WALK CHAPTER 4 THE GODLY WALK CHAPTER 5 WALKING IN DIFFICULT PLACES CHAPTER 6 WALKING THE HOLY HIGHWAY CHAPTER 7 THE FORBIDDEN WALK CHAPTER 8 THE TRANSFORMED WALK CHAPTER 9 THE CHRISTLIKE WALK CHAPTER 10 THE TRUTH WALK CHAPTER 11 THE GOOD WORKS WALK CHAPTER 12 THE WORTHY WALK CHAPTER 13 WALKING BY FAITH CHAPTER 14 THE HOLY SPIRIT WALK

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iv CHAPTER 15 THE WISDOM WALK CHAPTER 16 WALKING FROM CAIRO TO JERICHO

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Chapter 1

Walking The Good Way Jeremiah 6:16 “This is what the Lord says: ‘Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.”

America has the best highway system of any country in the world. Granted, some local roadways may leave much to be desired but over all, we have good roadways. However good they may be, they are no match for the Good Way about which Jeremiah writes.

When Jeremiah speaks of a road called “the good way,” the inference is that there must be some “bad ways” also. Indeed, Jesus warned of the “broad way” crowded with hikers going to destruction. He also spoke of the “narrow way” to eternal life and said few walk on it (Matt.

7:13-14). So, there must be a choice of roads to travel. But be warned: not all roads are “the good way.” Two times in the book of Proverbs we read the same warning: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” (Prov. 14:12; 16:25) Speaking to His disciples, Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27) Walking with God, Life’s Greatest Adventure, is to walk in His footsteps which is the Good Way. Therefore, what must I do to walk the Good Way? Let’s get started. First,

PAUSE AT LIFE’S INTERSECTIONS “Stand at The crossroads” Our text begins by telling us to “stand.” God orders our steps as Psalm 37:23 tells us: “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.” He also orders our stops. Jeremiah 6:16 instructs us to “stand” which is another word for “stop!” Stopping before stepping is wise.

For many, modern life is lived in the fast lane. Life in the fast lane is dangerous and even deadly. Often we hear someone talking about the “rat race of life.” They can’t wait for the next section of a revolving door so they rush through the side door. They are also the ones who run up escalators. The urge to surge and splurge is a scourge!

I was in the Naval Aviation branch of the military during the Korean War. The most boring thing I had to learn to do when I was in Basic Training was to stand. I could march, learn about and work on airplanes, run obstacle courses, endure lectures, etc. but when our company was ordered to “halt!” and remain standing in formation for seemingly endless periods of time, I would almost panic. It seemed so useless, such a waste of time. I was an action guy. I wanted to be doing exciting things. However, I finally recognized that I was being taught patience and discipline.

There are times when we need to stop what we are doing and purposefully stand still. Take a “Time Out.” The “pause that refreshes,” when making major decisions, is not a soda drink but a cessation of activity. Speeding through intersections, whether on a cement highway or the celestial holyway can cause casualties. Therefore, to avoid a wreck listen to what God says.

2 Jeremiah 6:16 begins with orders from Headquarters: “This is what the Lord says….” And what does the Lord say? He says, “Stand at the crossroads.” That is, pause at life’s intersections. Intersections either on expressways, local roadways, city streets or bicycle paths are points of decision making. In which direction are we going to proceed? Making good decisions requires that we temporarily stand, pause, stop! Rushing into important decisions and hurriedly making life choices is not wise.

Time and time again God instructs His children to “wait.” Below are several examples: •

Psalm 27:14 “Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the LORD!”

•

Psalm 37:7 “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.”

•

Psalm 62:5 “My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him.”

•

Psalm 130:5-6 “I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope.

My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning.”

•

Isaiah 40:31 “But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength….”

“Stand at the crossroads.” Let us stop in the hurried and harried pace of life and wait on the Lord. While living in a "Hurry Up World" we must be careful not to forget that the Lord is patiently working out His timetable, His plan. The great believers have been unwearied waiters. There is no time wasted in waiting if you are waiting in the will of God. If we are going to walk the Good Way we must learn at the outset that it is not a speedway!

There will be times when we will need to “stand at the crossroads” and get our bearings by waiting on God before we proceed. Jeremiah’s travel tips continue with these words:

PROCESS YOUR OBSERVATIONS “and look” Crossroads are places for decision making. Jeremiah says that while standing at the crossroads we should “look”- be observant, comprehend, perceive. It is decision time. The Bible is replete with examples of those who made decisions, some good, some bad, beginning all the way back in the Garden of Eden. We only travel life’s highway and make this pilgrimage one time. Therefore, it is imperative that we make right decisions if we are to arrive at our desired destination.

Did you ever read Dr. Seuss? Well, Dr. Seuss wrote about decision-making. His wisdom on making a decision is seen in the following poem “The Zoad in The Road.” He wrote:

3 “Did I ever tell you about the young Zoad?

Who came to a sign at the fork of the road?

He looked one way and the other way too; The Zoad had to make up his mind what to do.

Well, the Zoad scratched his head, and his chin, and his pants.

And he said to himself, "I’ll be taking a chance.

If I go to Place One, that place may be hot So how will I know if I like it or not.

On the other hand, though, I’ll feel such a fool If I go to Place Two and find it’s too cool In that case I may catch a chill and turn blue.

So Place One may be best and not Place Two. Play safe," cried the Zoad, "I’ll play safe, I’m no dunce.

I’ll simply start off to both places at once."

And that’s how the Zoad who would not take a chance Went no place at all with a split in his pants.”

Trying to go in both directions at once will result in going no place at all. Jeremiah says, “look” when you come to crossroads. Comprehend that which you see. Process your observations.

Let your sanctified, studied observations guide you. Think! Make good decisions.

Decision-making is often synonymous with problem solving. How do we solve problems?

How do we make decisions? Guidelines for decision making include: • • • • •

Identifying the problem; Getting all the facts; Seeking counsel from trusted sources; Not making decisions under duress if it can be avoided; Making decisions based upon biblical principles. If we live by biblical principles 99% of our decisions are already made for us!

It is reported that Yogi Berra, the former New York Yankees baseball catcher and manager, said when giving directions to his home: “When you come to a fork in the road, take it!” That is a classic Yogi Berra quote. Some people go through life thoughtlessly taking forks in the road without considering the consequences. Contrary to the old saying, not all paths lead to Rome and not all paths are the Good Way. It has always been amazing to me that many persons make more and better plans for taking a vacation here on earth than they make for where they will spend eternity. Jeremiah would say to them, “Stand at the crossroads and look!” Take a good look!

What is Your Present Location?

Before we can make progress we must know where we are presently located. When Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden we read that “the LORD God called to Adam, and said to him, Where are you?” (Gen 3:9) God knew where Adam was. He wanted Adam to know!

Sinners need to locate themselves in relation to God; prodigals need to look about them

4 and realize that God did not create them for the pig pen but for the Father’s House. Are you “walking in the counsel of the ungodly, standing in the path with sinners, and sitting in the seat of the scornful”? (Ps. 1:1) Or are you keeping in step with the Lord, The Way? What Is Your Planned Destination?

Focus upon your future. Proverbs 4:25-27 gives us this guidance: “Let your eyes look directly ahead and let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you. Watch the path of your feet and all your ways will be established. Do not turn to the right nor to the left; turn your foot from evil.”

What is it that these verses are telling us? Just this: • • • •

Focus – “let your gaze be fixed”; Keep checking the map – “watch the path”; Take no detours – “Do not turn”; Persist on the Good Way – “Turn your foot from evil.”

And then what?

PROBE FOR INFORMATION “ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is.”

Have you ever asked for directions when traveling? I stopped on a mountain road many years ago and asked a farmer for directions. He said, “You can’t get there from here. You’ll have to go to the next little town up the road and start from there.” He proceeded to tell me how to go once I got to that next little town. I got to my destination but not without some misgivings and confusion.

Did you ever ask God for directions on how to get from your house to the Father’s House? He not only knows the way but He is The Way. Jesus said, “I am the way no one comes to the Father but through Me.” (Jn 14:6) The opening words in our text are, “This is what the Lord says ….ask.” Probe for information.

Start by asking questions of yourself: • • • • • •

“What is the Lord saying to me personally?”

“Am I a seeker of The Way?” “Where will my present path eventually take me?”

“Where do I want to spend eternity?”

“Is the lifestyle I am living the lifestyle of one walking with God?” “If I have gotten off the Good Way how do I get back on it?”

When life’s crossroads confuse you, investigate. Consult God’s Word, seek spiritual advice from Christian leaders, inquire of Christian friends. We recognize that we do have a Sovereign Father who allows all things to work together for the good of His children.

(Rom.8:28) However, He has also given us the means to make godly decisions. We have the Word of God to instruct us, the Holy Spirit within to guide us and, as Isaiah says, “if you leave

5 God's paths and go astray, you will hear a Voice behind you say, "No, this is the way; walk here." (Isaiah 30:21 TLB) I was speaking in a church and in one service stressed the importance making right choices in life and the consequences of indecision. A man in attendance came to the next service carrying a large, framed painting. It was a painting of an ancient western town with horses hitched in various places and horse drawn wagons here and there. It pictured two streets that separated at the town’s entrance forming a “V”. On the left was a street and on the right a street. Looking at the painting you could see the length of both. The right-hand street had legitimate businesses: blacksmith’s shop, livery stable, hardware store, merchandise store, barber shop, bank and at the very end of the street a church. The left-hand street had dance halls, gambling dens, houses of ill repute, an undertaker’s establishment, a large salon and at the very end of the street a jail. The caption beneath the painting was: “Which Way Jesse?”

Which way are you traveling?

Not only did Jeremiah say “ask” but so did Jesus: "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Matt. 7:7) Inquisitiveness, especially in seeking the Good Way is commendable.

Fanny Crosby, the blind hymn writer, is in Guinness Book Of World Records as the most prolific hymn writer of all time. She wrote over 8,000 hymns. Many of her hymns are wellknown. Some of them are not so well-known. One of the little known hymns, written in 1897, is: “Walking In The Good Old Way” “We are traveling on with our staff in hand, Walking in the good old way; We are traveling on through a world of sin, Walking in the good old way; We are pilgrims bound for the heavenly land, Walking in the good old way.

Though our foes are strong we have peace within, Walking in the good old way.”

Once you have stopped, looked and asked, then walk! Take action, advance, progress. Life’s Greatest Adventure: Walking With God, is accomplished by purposefully and persistently advancing along the Good Old Way. That is what Jeremiah says next:

PROCEED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION “….and walk in it.”

John Ortberg wrote a book titled, “If You Want To Walk On Water You’ve Got To Get Out Of The Boat.” It is a call to step out and live by faith. Away with indecision! Having paused at the crossroads, processed the observations and probed for further information, there comes a time when the next step is to take the next step! Put faith into action and walk – get going!

6 When I was in my early teens, my younger brother and I went rabbit hunting in a field near our home. I carried the gun. We came upon a rabbit in a clump of weeds about ten feet in front of us. In my excitement I said to him, “Don’t just do something, stand there!” He is the brainy one of us five children and he calmly said to me, “You mean, don’t just stand there, do something don’t you?” I replied, “Yes! Do something, don’t just stand there!” By the time he had corrected my sentence structure, the rabbit had hopped off due to my inaction.

Standing, looking and asking when at the crossroads are exercises in futility if all one does is remain immobile. Will Rogers said, “Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there.” There are those who suffer from the paralysis of analysis. They have all the information they need in their heads but it never gets into their feet. One fellow said, “I joined a health club last year and it cost me $400. I haven’t lost a pound yet. Apparently you have to go to the club and exercise in order to lose weight!” Just as in exercising to lose weight, those who desire to with walk with God not only need to join the “Club” but must step out! Walk!

Jesus told of a landowner who went out to hire laborers and he found some who were unemployed and asked "Why have you been standing here idle all day long?' (Matthew 20:6) Many are idling away their lifetimes because they have not put feet to knowledge. Again, Jesus gave this jewel of truth: "If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.”

(John 13:17) I like what Abraham’s servant said when he was sent to find a bride for Isaac. He said, “I being in the way, the Lord led me.” (Genesis 24:27 KJV) The NKJV reads, “I being on the way, the LORD led me.” We must get in the right pathway but then move onward. The famous quotation from George W. Cecil should spur on the procrastinator: "On the Plains of Hesitation bleach the bones of countless millions, who, at the dawn of victory, sat down to wait, and waiting - died!"

PROFIT FROM GOOD DECISIONS “…and you will find rest for your souls.”

Deciding to walk the Good Way with God is always extremely profitable. One reward that Jeremiah mentions is rest: “and you will find rest for your souls.” Bad decisions result in restlessness, which is a characteristic of our society. Millions could say with Job, “I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil." (Job 3:26) At the end of a long journey what is sweeter than rest for the weary, way-worn traveler? We plodding pilgrims cling to the promise that “There remains therefore a rest for the people of God” (Heb. 4:9) in the Celestial City. However, there is rest to be had here and now.

How can we know that we have made the right decision and that we are on the right road?

The rest test will tell. Rest is peace. The way to know that you are walking on the Good Way is soul rest, “the peace of God that passes all understanding.” (Philippians 4:7) Mattress companies may help those who buy their products get rest for their bodies, but who provides soul rest? Doctors may prescribe medicine to induce restful sleep for the body but

7 what human medic can provide soul rest? Plato, Aristotle and Socrates lived before the incarnation of God the Son but they did not promise soul rest. When Jesus came He said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” He is the only One who promised to give the rest that all mankind needs. The rest that Jesus promised and provides is two-fold: it is both a release and a reward.

• The Rest That Is Release. “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) This is rest as a result of the release from the burden of sin.

• The Rest That Is A Reward. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:29) This is rest that rewards those who link up with, learn and lean on Christ.

Jeremiah says that it is profitable to stand, look, ask and walk the good way and the promised profit is that “you will find rest for your souls.” This is peaceful rest that is the reward, not of pursuing the path of least resistance, but of pursuing the path of loyal obedience. Not all who are buried beneath tombstones that read, “Rest In Peace” are resting in peace. Not all who are yet above ground wanting a little peace and rest have either. But Jesus provides both!

Two young children on Mother’s Day presented their mom with a house plant. They had used their own money to buy it and she was thrilled. The older of them said apologetically, "There was this other plant at the flower shop that we really wanted to give you. It was real pretty but it was too expensive. It had a ribbon on it that said ‘Rest In Peace,’ and we thought it would be just perfect since you are always asking for a little peace and rest around here, but we got this one instead.”

Harried housewives, hurried husbands and hustling children can profit from stopping at life’s crossroads, being observant, asking for information and deciding to walk the Good Way to heaven. What is the profit promised? “Rest” – soul rest, rest for “heavily laden” sinners and rest for saints who “cast their burden upon the Lord” (Psalm 55:22) and are sustained by Him. “Come Unto Me, And Rest” is the title of a song written many years ago by Daniel W. Whittle.

(1840-1901) The title is an invitation and the lyrics are an inspiration. They are not new but they are true!

Brother, art thou worn and weary, Tempted, tried, and sore oppressed?

Listen to the word of Jesus, “Come unto Me, and rest!”

To the Lord bring all your burden, Put the promise to the test; Hear your Burden Bearer say, “Come unto Me, and rest!”

One cold night in the fall of 1885, a scantily clad man was walking on Bleecker Street, in New York City. He was a homeless man, weary for want of sleep, and weak from lack of food. He had left home, family and position. All, including health, had been sacrificed to satisfy his craving for alcohol.

8 He stepped into a doorway for a little rest. Standing there thinking about his low condition and despairing of his life, his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a female voice singing the song, “Come Unto Me And Rest.” Surprised, he looked in the direction from which the sound came, and saw an illuminated sign on which were the words, Florence Mission. Glad to get out of the cold he went into the Mission. As he entered a lady continued singing the song that had caught his attention: “If in sorrow thou art weeping, Grieving for the loved ones missed, Why then fear when He is saying, “Come unto Me, and rest!”

Trust in Him for all thy future, He will give thee what is best; Surely then to you He whispers, “Come unto Me, and rest!”

If there was anything that the man needed it was rest. Rest for his tired, famished body; rest for his tortured mind. He left the Mission and wandered the cold streets until morning, but the words of the song did not leave him. It constantly rang in his ears, “Come unto me and rest.”

He finally turned to Jesus for the rest that He promised. The Minister who knew that man and tells this story said that this man became his assistant and for many years served the Lord, winning hundreds to Christ through his testimony.

Our Lord is called the “Wonderful Counselor” (Isaiah 9:6). His counsel in Jeremiah 6:16 is counsel for all people, in all times and in all stages of life. What is His counsel? It is this: “stand”; “look”; “ask”; “walk” and “find rest.”

Eternal unrest awaits those who reject Jesus Christ and the rest that He offers. Those who go into eternity without Jesus as Savior “have no rest day or night” (Revelation 14:11). Can we comprehend anyone refusing to take the omniscient God’s council? And yet, that is exactly what those about whom Jeremiah wrote did! They said, “We will not.” Perplexing? Yes!

A PERPLEXING REJECTION “they said, "We will not walk in it.”

The verse begins with these words: “This is what the Lord says.” He gave ample and clear instructions concerning the way He desired Israel to walk. However, their sinful willfulness ignored God’s counsel and they said, "We will not walk in it.”

The Old Testament bears witness that the people of Israel had a history of refusing and rejecting God’s appeals. Perplexing? Absolutely! The Bill of Indictment against them is long. It can be summed up as follows: • •

They refused to obey God, “They….refused to walk in His law.” (Psalm 78:10) and They rejected His counsel, “….our fathers would not obey, but rejected. And in their hearts they turned back to Egypt.” (Acts 7:39)

9 Refusal and rejection of God and His revealed will is the habitual reaction of Israel throughout their history. When God said “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls”, they said, "We will not walk in it.”

Isaiah confirms what they said: “They would not walk in his ways, neither were they obedient unto his law.” (42:24) The only invariable fact in Israel’s history is that they refused and rejected the “ancient paths, the good way.”

We have heard it said that the saddest words are, “It might have been.” The saddest words of Israel were, "We will not….” To their everlasting sorrow, they, and millions since, whether Jew or Gentile, have said, “We will not walk the Good Way.” Therefore, a word to the wise walker is sufficient: “Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction….” (1 Corinthians 10:11) It is reported that Abraham Lincoln said, "I am a slow walker, but I never walk backwards!" If you would go forward and not backward: • • • • •

Pause at life’s intersections; Process your observations; Probe for information; Proceed in the right direction; Profit from good decisions.

Then you will not be guilty of walking backward and rejecting the Lord. Instead you can sing as you walk: “Oh, how sweet to walk in the Pilgrim Way, Leaning on the everlasting arms; Oh, how bright the path grows from day to day, Leaning on the everlasting arms.”

There are many helps for those seeking the Good Way and for those currently traveling on the Good Way to heaven. Apart from the Bible itself, none is better than the book, The Pilgrim’s Progress. It is the all-time best selling Christian Classic. According to the publishers of one of the editions, with the exception of the Bible, Pilgrim’s Progress has been read by more people than any other book in the English language. It was written in the 1600’s by John Bunyan who wrote it from Bedford Prison in England.

In 1660 he was arrested for preaching without a license and spent 12 years in Bedford prison and there wrote The Pilgrim's Progress published 1678. It is a vision of salvation told allegorically as if it were a journey through life. It is a narrative about Christian and his wife Christina making their journey from their home in the City of Destruction to the Celestial City.

They travel through places such as Vanity Fair, the Slough of Despond, the Valley of Humility, the Valley of The Shadow of Death and finally arrive at the Celestial City. During the journey Christian, counseled by Mr. Worldly Wisdom, turns aside from the Good Way. However, Mr. Evangelist confronts him and points him back to the Good Way. And the story

10 continues with these words: “Then Christian determined to go back to the Good Way and Evangelist, smiling, gave him his hand, and said, ‘May God bless you.’”

We modern day Christians and Christinas need to be on our guard and keep on the Good Way if we are to have God’s blessings upon us as we proceed on Life’s Greatest Adventure: Walking With God!

11 Chapter 2

Walking Together Amos 3:3 “Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?”

Walking in good company makes the journey more enjoyable. Group walking is a popular activity engaged in by many health conscious persons. The world doubles walking record is currently held by Jim Clark and Roger Rurgess of Clinton, Iowa. To qualify for the doubles record, Clark and Rurgess had to walk side by side. They clocked 116.5 miles in 24 hours.

The world walking record for miles covered in 24 hours by a single individual is currently 121 miles. The record is held by C.A. Harriman of California.

When the Bible speaks about walking it is not talking about how fast or how far we can walk, but how compatibly we walk with God and with one another. The word “walk” is used in Scripture to characterize the Christian’s manner of life and behavior. “He who says, ‘I know him’ ought to walk even as he walked.” (I John 2:6) In the prophet Amos’ day, his contemporaries claimed to be walking with God. But God declared, “They do not know how to do right.” (Amos 3:10) He saw their inconsistencies and therefore asked the question, “Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?” This is a pertinent question and should cause us to examine our walk with the Lord and with others.

The Christian life is not a casual, lackadaisical stroll, but a lifetime of purposefully walking in fellowship with the Father and His family. Walking together is our heavenly Father’s desire for His children. How then can we walk together? In answering Amos’ question, there are three essential considerations: The Importance Of Walking Together, The Implications Of Walking Together and The Implementation Of Walking Together.

THE IMPORTANCE OF WALKING TOGETHER The importance of teaming up to travel can be seen as we look at two separate but related principles: the principle of our union and the principle of our unity. Both are vitally important to our walk, our work and our warfare. First, Walking Together Is Important Because Of Our Union When a union is formed there is a bonding together of two or more entities. This principle is seen in marriage. There is a uniting in the bonds of holy matrimony. We are responsible to our spouses to maintain the union into which we have entered.

Likewise, when we say, “I do” and accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we enter a holy union with the Father and His family. A disharmonious relationship is a violation of that union. Walking together validates that union. The old clique “birds of a feather flock together” is applicable to Christians as well.

12 Walking Together Is Important To Our Unity Ephesians 4:1-3 addresses this subject as follows: “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

In these verses we have both union and unity. Notice the words: “the bond of peace”; that is union; and the words, “the unity of the Spirit”; that, of course, is unity. Union should result in unity but that is not always the case. As members of His Body we are responsible to preserve and perpetuate unity in our Christian communities. Paul said, “endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Endeavoring means, work at it!

Unity is more than union. Union is the foundation and framework upon and within which we have come together. Unity is fellowship and function within that union. Union is getting together while unity is getting along together! Coming together is one thing, but walking and working together is quite another thing. Birds of a feather not only flock together, they also fly together!

King Charles V of England became weary of ruling over a factious country and abdicated the throne in 1556. He retired to a monastery where he spent his time trying to make a dozen clocks run in perfect synchronization. When he had repeatedly failed he said, “How foolish I have been to think I could make my people live together in harmony when I cannot make two clocks run in unison.”

Not King Charles V or any other human can force people to walk in unity. Only as we submit to the Holy Spirit, who brought us into union with Christ, can we maintain unity with one another. We will not be in disharmonious relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ if we are in harmony with our heavenly Father. When we are walking with God we will also be walking in union and unity with fellow pilgrims on the Heavenly Highway.

THE IMPLICATIONS OF WALKING TOGETHER “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10) We are social beings and live in the context of community. Christians belong to that grand company of saints called the body of Christ, the society of saved sinners. We cannot live a hermit’s life and walk with others. The Church of Jesus Christ is not one person striding solo to heaven. The church is a company - the company of the redeemed and is addressed as such in all of the New Testament epistles. We are to function corporately, not as isolated individuals doing our own thing.

Paul does not mince words when addressing two disruptive sisters in the church at Philippi: “I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord.”

(Philippians 4:2) Earlier he had instructed the believers in Philippi to “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:5) If we have the mind of Christ we will not

13 attempt to live independently of each other. Our unity will be evidenced in many ways, among them will be the following: Togetherness Implies That Core Beliefs Are Shared Congregations of Christians come together on the basis of what is commonly believed and those beliefs bind them together. The hymn, “Onward Christian Soldiers” includes these words: “We are not divided; all one body are we: one in hope and doctrine, one in charity.”

“One in hope and doctrine” - doctrine means teaching. The general outlines of the church’s doctrines are usually articulated in official church documents such as Articles of Faith, Church Constitutions and/or Confessions of Faith. It is one thing to publish our beliefs on paper and quite another to practice those beliefs in our relationships. When we worship, fellowship and function together harmoniously, we are demonstrating the beliefs we say we share. If belief does not impact behavior then our faith is faulty.

Togetherness Implies That Christ’s Interests Have Priority What were Christ’s interests? We can see them in Matthew 28 and they can be summarized as: evangelize, “go and make disciples of all nations” (v.19a); baptize, “baptizing them” (v.19b); stabilize, “and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you” (v.20).

Promoting the interests of Christ will find us walking with others who have the same interests.

Paul wrote to the church in Philippi lamenting that there was a shortage of Christians who were pursuing Christ’s interests. He said, “For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 2:22) What is the basic reason that there is not more togetherness among Christians? After over 50 years of ministerial experience, I am forced to say that the reason is just as Paul stated it.

Sadly, only a minority take a genuine interest in the welfare of others, which was the priority of the compassionate Christ. Therefore, the cohesiveness, the togetherness that should characterize all believers is missing. JOY means: Jesus, Others, You. When we prioritize our interests, predicated upon Christ’s example, they will be in that order and that makes for togetherness.

The words “one another” are found in the Church Epistles approximately 40 times. These statements promote togetherness. Some of them are: “serve one another”; “pray for one another”; “love one another”; “comfort one another”; “forgive one another”; “submit to one another”; “be kind to one another”; “edify one another”; “bear one another’s burdens,” etc.

Looking out for Christ’s interests means looking out for the interests of others. The church that attracts and holds people is the church where Christ’s interests have priority; where each member lives for the others and all live for Christ.

14 Togetherness Implies That Our Christianity Is Authentic The supreme test of authenticity is not how faithfully we labor but how fervently we love. We can be as busy as a bee and sting like a bee also! Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love on another as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34-35) The coldest atmosphere that I have ever been in was in churches with a loveless Christianity.

A professed Christianity in which there is tolerance of one another and some degree of friendliness, but not authentic agape, God-like love, expressed. There has been a subtle substitute that has slipped into our Christian circles. That substitute is “liking” one another instead of “loving” one another. “Liking” other believers as friends is less than “loving” other believers as brothers and sisters in Christ. The first epistle of John sums it up like this: “Little children, let us stop just saying we love people; let us really love them, and show it by our actions.” (1 John 3:18-19 TLB) Let’s summarize: • Walking Together Implies That Our Core-Beliefs Are Shared.; • Walking Together Implies That Christ’s Interests Have Priority; • Walking Together Implies That Our Christianity Is Authentic.

We can understand the importance and implications of walking together but unless we put the “walk” into our “talk” we have not made any progress. So, let’s take the next step and implement our walk.

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF OUR WALK TOGETHER Getting off on the right foot is important. Amos’ question is, “Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?” The key to unlocking the together walk is in the word “agreement.” In order to walk together there must be agreement on at least these matters: We Must Agree About The Destination Of Our Walk We are so earth bound, aren’t we? Things “down here” occupy our minds much of our time.

Only occasionally does the average Christian think about where eternity will be spent.

Focusing upon the Father’s House and the delights awaiting us there should cause us all to join harmoniously with our brothers and sisters who are traveling there. What is our destination? We are on a journey from earth to heaven; from here to eternity; we’re marching to Zion!

Let’s march there together!

We Must Agree On The Direction Of Our Walk Our destination will determine our direction. It is quite impossible for persons going in different directions to walk together! The direction of your face and your feet will reveal the direction of your heart. If there is not an agreement of heart and mind between the walking partners concerning the direction in which they are going, they cannot walk together.

15 There is a most interesting conversation in II Kings chapter 10. A man named Jehu is riding in a chariot and he met Jehonadab, who was walking. Jehu stopped the chariot and said to Jehonadab, "Are you in accord with me, as I am with you?" ‘I am,’ Jehonadab answered. ‘If so,’ said Jehu, ‘give me your hand.’ So he did, and Jehu helped him up into the chariot. Jehu said, ‘Come with me and see my zeal for the LORD.’ Then he had him ride along with him in his chariot.” (II Kings 10:15-16) These two men were in agreement and they joined together and journeyed together. Why? They were in agreement about their direction and destination. Agreement. Togetherness.

That is what Amos’s question addresses. His inquiry concerns unity, harmony, oneness of persons, purpose and procedure.

Why all the disagreements and divisiveness among God’s people? Christ’s crowd should be leaping ahead but, sadly, many are limping along. The reason? I believe it is the result of a “me” mentality rather than a “we” mentality. I will illustrate what I mean by using The 23rd Psalm. It is David’s own personal testimony, however, we can make it our collective testimony. If we did it would read as follows: “The LORD is OUR shepherd; WE shall not want. He makes US to lie down in green pastures; He leads US beside the still waters. He restores OUR souls; He leads US in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Yes, though WE walk through the valley of the shadow of death, WE will fear no evil; for You are with US; your rod and Your staff, they comfort US. You prepare a table before US in the presence of OUR enemies; You anoint OUR heads with oil; OUR cups run over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow US all the days of OUR lives; and WE will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”

Friends, “we” are on the walk through this world together! Can two walk together? The answer to Amos’ question is a resounding “yes”! So, let us agree to walk together with the Lord Jesus and with one another. It is a beautiful sight and a powerful testimony to a watching world when God’s Army marches in step.

16 Chapter 3

The Radiant Walk Ephesians 5:8 “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.”

“Tips For Walking In The Dark” was the title of an article in a fitness column in the local newspaper. The opening paragraph was: “Light up when you lite out for a walk! Be safe - be seen, your entire outline should be reflective and you should carry a light or wear a flasher.”

Good advice!

Light is difficult to ignore. When at night we turn on a light, it is instantly obvious. Light is conspicuous. Likewise, those who are “in the Kingdom of light” are to be conspicuously different from those who are in the “kingdom of darkness.’

What is “light”? The “light” we are talking about is spiritual light which is the opposite of spiritual darkness. Darkness in scripture is used for evil, error, unrighteousness, death, wickedness and the eventual eternal abode of the Christless. Satan is the personification of darkness.

Spiritual light, as distinguished from natural and mental light, is used interchangeably for holiness, purity, divine illumination, truth, goodness, righteousness in scripture. Jesus is the Personification of Light.

By its very nature light illuminates, penetrates, eradicates, separates and even aggravates: “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.” (John 3:19-20) As we think about what walking in the light means, let us examine a couple of “light” scriptures. First, we will look at The Claim of Christ, second, The Commission of Believers and third, The Commands For Christians.

THE CLAIM OF CHRIST “I am the light of the world.”

John 8:12 The first recorded words of God in Genesis are, “Let there be light.” (Gen. 1:3) The darkness that covered the earth was literal darkness. Later, when Jesus said “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12), He was confronting spiritual darkness.

He who was not of this world said, “I am the light of the world.” Immediately His critics called Him a liar: “So the Pharisees said to Him …… your testimony is not true." (John 8:13) However, John testified saying, “In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.” (John 1:4) Matthew, quoting Isaiah’s prophecy concerning the Messiah, wrote "The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great light, and those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, upon them a light dawned." (Mathew 4:16)

17 The aged Simeon was promised that he would see the Messiah: “It was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.” (Luke 2:26) When Jesus was taken to the Temple by His parents, Simeon said, “My eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.” (Luke 2:30-32) The claim that Jesus made needs no substantiation or authentication by mere humans. However, the theological implications of the statements that Jesus made about light are tremendous and the Holy Spirit underscores Christ’s claim by human attestation in the above references.

God is Light What was Jesus claiming when He said, “I am the light of the world”? The source of light is God. The point is this: Jesus was claiming to be God! Jesus is “God…..manifest in the flesh.”

(I Tim. 3:16) John, in his epistle said, “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.” (1 John 1:5) God is Light, Jesus is the Light of the world, Jesus is God! The Kingdom of Light God’s Kingdom is the “kingdom of light.” Paul writes to the Colossian Christians that they should give thanks to the Father “who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:12-14 NIV) The kingdom of darkness is Satan’s kingdom. From his kingdom we have been rescued.

“You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.” (1 Thess. 5:5) Light is the antithesis of darkness. Our lifestyle should reflect the qualities of the kingdom of which we are citizens. “He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life" said Jesus. (John 8:12) To “walk in the light” one must recognize Who “The Light” is and receive “the light of life” (John 8:12) as the Light of their life! Jesus is “the light of the world” but is He your Light? If He is “you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.” (Eph. 5:8)

THE COMMISSION OF BELIEVERS The Lighting Mission of Jesus has now become the Mission of The Lighted. He said, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)

18 Two Announcements Notice two announcements that Jesus made: He said, “I Am the light of the world” (John 8:12) and “You are the light of the world.” (Matthew 5:14) Which is it? Is there a contradiction here? No, for Jesus went on to say, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."

(John 9:5) He physically exited the world and now lives within His enlightened ones. We are “light in the Lord” (Ephesians 5:8) and have thus been commissioned to carry on His mission of lighting the darkness of this world! As John the Baptist was "a burning and a shining light" (John 5:35) so should we be.

Committing Our Commission We are to be His witnesses! (Acts 1:8) Therefore, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16) Light is revealed in Jesus Christ; light is resident in those who receive Him; light is reflected in His obedient followers. Have you received The Light? Are you reflecting The Light in the way you walk in this world of darkness? Is yours the radiant walk?

I was the guest speaker in a church named Beacon Baptist Church. On the church sign is a picture of a lighthouse and beneath it is this motto: “If you are on The Rock, shine like a lighthouse!” Well stated. Every Christian and every New Testament church ought to shine as a lighthouse shines, sending out a beacon of blessing into the community. Shine as a lighthouse, don’t whine at the darkness!

Is Your Light Shining?

A railroad bridge had been washed out by a flash flood that raged through the mountains. A railroad employee was sent to wave his lantern and stop oncoming trains from plunging into the chasm. A locomotive approached. The man waved his lantern. The train plunged into the torrent.

The employee was sued and taken to court. At his trial the judge asked the railroad man, “Were you on duty the night the train wrecked?” The man replied, “Yes sir!” The judge once again questioned, “Did you have your lamp with you?” The man replied, “Yes sir!” The judge asked one final question, “Did you wave your lamp to try to stop the train?” Again the man replied, “Yes sir!”

The railroad employee’s testimony ended. He was not held accountable. Later the man told a friend, “I am glad that judge did not ask me if my lamp was turned on. You see, my batteries were dead!”

Sinners are plunging into the Christless chasm. We are not commissioned to physically restrain them, however, we are commissioned to shine the lantern of our lives so that some will come to the Light and not perish eternally. If the battery of our lives is drained by sin our radiance will be dimmed.

19

THE COMMANDS FOR CHRISTIANS The repeated commands for those who have been commissioned as lights in the world emphasize the radiant walk. Here are some of the clear commands: Wake up!

“Knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly….”

(Romans 13:11-13) Step up!

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.”

(Ephesians 5:8) Speak up! “…. proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

(1 Peter 2:9) Keep up!

“If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” (I John 1:6-7) Charles Haddon Spurgeon wrote, “Why should Christians imitate Christ? They should do it for their own sakes. If they desire to be in a healthy state of soul, if they would escape the sickness of sin and enjoy the vigor of growing grace, let Jesus be their model. It is when, by the power of the Holy Spirit, you are enabled to walk with Jesus in His very footsteps, that you are most happy, and most known to be the sons of God. Peter afar off is both unsafe and uneasy.” (Evening & Morning, May 17) So, let’s keep walking in the light, being true to our commission and obeying His commands.

A pastor friend of mine was a Coast Guardsman on the Pacific Northwest coast. He gave me the following story: At Cape Disappointment a young lighthouse keeper, in the late 1800’s, went up into the lighthouse to trim the wicks of the lamps and to clean the salt off the windows late at night in a howling gale. He first went outside to clean the salt off the windows.

The wind slammed the door shut and it locked behind him. He was trapped outside on the narrow walkway high above the waves breaking over the rocks below. He realized that if he did not get back inside the lamps would run out of fuel and the light would go out leaving the passing ships to wreck upon the rocky shore.

Pelted by the rain, blowing spray and being blown back and forth by wind, he went hand over hand down the lightening rod cable in the darkness, soaked and exhausted. Near the bottom his grip gave out and he fell onto the rocks below hitting his head and briefly losing

20 consciousness. When he regained consciousness, he managed to struggle to the tower entrance at ground level and crawled up the steep stairway and refilled the lamps just before the fuel ran out. He kept the lighthouse keeper’s motto: “The light must not go out!” May we be as committed to radiantly shining in the spiritual darkness of this world.

21 Chapter 4

The Godly Walk Genesis 17:1 “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.”

Are you a walker? Walking is good exercise for the body. The health benefits of walking are many including reduces blood cholesterol, lowers blood pressure, increases cardiovascular endurance, boosts bone strength, burns calories, keeps weight down, it’s enjoyable! To physically walk means to progress toward a goal by using our feet and legs to propel us forward. My wife and I are walkers, she on a treadmill and I walk outdoors. Walking has been good for our physical health.

There is, however, a spiritual parallel to physically walking. The Bible uses the analogy of walking to describe spiritual exercise – spiritual exertion. To “walk” in biblical terminology, means “To conduct oneself in a godly manner; to live Christianly.” Proverbs 20:7 says, “The godly walk with integrity.” (NLT) Godliness is the way of life which we are to demonstrate daily in our walk. The godly life is the life that reflects our relationship with God as our Father and we His children. Therefore, we must be everlastingly on our spiritual toes!

The tendency of many Christians is to allow the physical to dictate to the spiritual. As we age physically do we stop growing spiritually? Do we become careless in our walk with God? Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.” (2 Corinthians 4:16) Are we being spiritually renewed daily? Or, are our souls deteriorating as our bodies age? We can sing: “I’m pressing on the upward way, New heights I’m gaining every day; Still praying as I onward bound, ‘Lord plant my feet on higher ground.”

And backslide!

The Australian coat of arms pictures two creatures - the emu, a flightless bird, and the kangaroo. The animals were chosen because they share a characteristic that appealed to the Australian citizens. Both the emu and kangaroo can move only forward, not backward. The emu's three-toed foot causes it to fall if it tries to go backwards, and the kangaroo is prevented from moving in reverse by its large tail.

Those who truly choose to follow Jesus should be like the emu and kangaroo, moving forward, never backward. We should be “pressing on the upward way” every day!

1 John 2:5 says, “He who says he abides in Him (that is in Jesus) ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” The direction in which God leads us is always onward, forward and upward. The song, “Onward, Christian Soldiers” is not, “Backward, Christian Soldiers”! The Christian walk always denotes forward progress.

22 One of the reasons some “walk afar off” as Peter did at one time (Matt. 26:58), is because of a loss of awareness of Who our Companion on the journey is. Of two Old Testament patriarchs we read: “Noah walked with God” (Gen. 6:9) and “Enoch walked with God.” (Genesis 5:24) What a testimony! Can it be said of us that we walk with God? How can we do that? In contemplating The Godly Walk we must first know the One with Whom we walk.

WE WALK WITH THE ALL-WISE GOD “When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, ‘I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.’” (Genesis 17:1) Walking before the Lord is to live one’s life knowing that God, in His wisdom, knows all that we do. A most comforting and yet at the same time, for some a most disturbing truth, is that God is watching at all times. Hagar gave God a new name as recorded in Genesis 16:13 “El-Roi.” It means: “You-Are-The-God-Who-Sees.” Theologians call this attribute God’s “omniscience.”

This Is A Comforting Thought “Walk before me,” does not mean to run ahead of the Lord, but to walk knowing that we are always under divine scrutiny. It is comforting to know that our heavenly Father is watching over His children. How we perceive God determines how we react to divine scrutiny. If we view Him as a stern judge who is watching just so He can zap us every time we make a misstep, we will become legalists. However, if we see Him as our loving and beneficent heavenly Father who is caring for His children, we will thank Him for His providential care and live holy and joyful lives.

This Is A Correcting Thought To be conscious of the fact that God knows everything about me and knows everything I do serves as a corrective to my behavior. Psalm 139 is a good example of God’s omniscience: “LORD, You Have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it.” (Psalm 139:1-6) When God said to Abraham, "I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless,” He was not singling out Abraham from the human race to keep an eye on him to the exclusion of everyone else. Indeed “there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” (Hebrews 4:13) Since we are accountable to the Lord for our walk as believers and since we will be rewarded for well-doing, we should be thankful that the Lord keeps account of our conduct. This truth serves to keep us walking correctly. This wonderful truth of God’s omniscience should remind us that, as the song says, “His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me” also!

23 "I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.” This statement is both comforting and correcting! Furthermore, when we are walking the Godly Walk,

WE WALK WITH THE EVER-PRESENT GOD “Yes, though I walk through the valley……. you are with me.” (Psalm 23:4) A powerful incentive to live a godly life is not only that God knows all, but that God is everywhere. He is present with me every moment of my life awake or asleep. Psalm 23 clearly emphasizes that truth. Review the truth in this well-known Psalm once again: The Valley Path “Yes, though I walk through the valley...” He did not plan on going halfway and stopping!

Notice the before, during and after the valley experiences: • Before the valley - “green pastures”; “still waters”; “paths of righteousness.”

• In the valley - “table before me”; “anoints my head”; “cup runs over.”

• After the valley - “goodness and mercy”; “house of Lord.”

The Valley Partner “You are with me.” Why all the provisions before, during and after the valley experience?

Because of our Ever-Present Partner!

The Valley Purpose He speaks about the Shepherd before the valley experience: “He leads me”; “He makes me to lie down”; He restores my soul.”

He speaks to the Shepherd after the valley experience. After the valley experience he uses the first-person: “You are with me”; “Your rod and staff”; “You prepare a table”; “You anoint my head.” He no longer refers to the Shepherd as “He” but he is speaking directly to the Shepherd, “You.” We can conclude, therefore, that the purpose of the valley experience is intended to bring us closer to the Lord, our Shepherd. Don’t waste a walk through the valleys of life! When God told Moses to lead the Israelites from Egypt to Canaan, Moses asked God who would help him. “The LORD replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." Then Moses said to him, "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.” (Exodus 33:14-15) The Godly Walk is the walk with God as our companion before, during and after life’s valley experiences. What is more inspiring than knowing that God is our Unseen Partner as we walk through this world? The Godly Walk is walking with the All-Wise God Who is the EverPresent God! In addition,

24 We Walk With The All-Powerful God “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:28-31) God not only is all-wise and everywhere but He is all powerful. To Abraham He said, "I am Almighty God.” (Genesis 17:1) To walk the Godly Walk is to walk in God’s power. The entire 40th chapter of Isaiah emphasizes God’s omnipotence. God is not selfish, He is a powersharing God for “He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength.” (v.29) Consequently, “We can walk and not faint.” (v.31) Let us break this verse down and look at its several parts: The Source of Power-Walking “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary.” (Isaiah 40:28) Walking physically and spiritually requires energy, strength, power. Walking physically can only be done for so long before we need to renew our energy. Likewise, spiritual walking requires that we continually draw upon the Lord for our strength.

The Secret To Power-Walking “Those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength” (Isaiah 40:31) This posture does not imply inactivity, or want of personal incentive but is an attitude of soul which realizes that our hope of aid and salvation comes from God alone.

The Success of Power Walking “They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31) In The Toronto Star newspaper was this headline: “The Ultimate Marathon: 110 Days To Cross Sahara.” Then follows the account of this amazing feat: “Canadian Ray Zahab and American Charlie Engle, along with Taiwan’s Kevin Lin, ran 4,347 miles, across the Sahara Desert.” (The Toronto Star newspaper, February 21, 2007) The story tells of Zahab and his two teammates who became the first known adventurers to run the length of the world’s greatest desert, battling sandstorms, injury and heat. They ran an average of 50 to 60 miles a day – roughly two traditional marathons – for almost four months. Their journey took them through six African nations – Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Libya and, finally, Egypt. Temperatures could soar to 110 degrees at mid-day and sink below freezing at night. There were sandstorms so violent they were forced to wear ski goggles. During the ordeal, the trio was trailed in 4x4 vehicles by a group of support staff, including a doctor, massage therapist and a traveling chef. Truly an amazing physical feat.

25 Those of us who are crossing the desert of this world are on a spiritual adventure – Life’s Greatest Adventure: Walking with God ! We have the ultimate Team accompanying us as we travel: The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit! With the triune God as our Companion and Enabler on the journey we can “walk and not faint.” No wonder that Enoch, Noah and others in every age have been willing walkers with God. “O how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way, Leaning on the everlasting arms; O, how bright the path grows from day to day, Leaning on the everlasting arms.”

The Godly Walk is a walk before the All-Wise God, with the Ever-Present God and in the power of the All-Powerful God’. It is a walk that is, forward, onward and upward. Let us not only sing “I’m pressing on the upward way …..” but let us be “gaining new heights every day.”

I was driving along a street when I saw a lady walk out of a drug store walking backwards!

I watched her for about a block. Later, the clerk in the drug store said that the lady always walked backwards because she had a psychological problem. She did not believe that she could walk facing forward.

We who walk the Godly Walk in partnership with God are always facing forward, facing whatever may come our way, confident in the knowledge that He goes before us (John 10:4) and is with us always (Matthew 28:20). To move forward with God we must consciously and daily stretch the muscles of our souls.

What a privilege it is to walk with Him and to know that, at all times He is guiding, guarding and gracing us all along the path from earth to heaven. Walking with God is possible, preferable and profitable. So, let’s get in step Him and enjoy Life’s Greatest Adventure!

After delivering a series of messages on Discipleship in one of the churches I was privileged to pastor, a deacon tearfully said to me, “Pastor, I wish I had learned the principles of walking with God twenty-five years ago. I have walked at a distance from Him at various times. I want you to know that from now on I’ll be a better follower of the Lord, you just watch me!” I replied, “He will do the watching, I will do the cheering!”

26 Chapter 5

Walking in Difficult Places Psalm 138:7 “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life.”

The Bataan Death March has gone down in the annals of warfare as one of the most inhumane treatments of prisoners of war in history. The Bataan Death March was a war crime committed during World War II by the Japanese Army in the Philippines in 1942. The march occurred after the three-month Battle of Bataan, one of the battles for the Philippine Islands. The Japanese captured American and Philippine soldiers and forced-marched them 90 miles.

Of the more than 70,000 prisoners at the beginning, only some 55,000 reached their destination. Approximately 10,000 Filipino and 6,500 American prisoners of war died before they could reach Camp O'Donnell to which the Japanese were taking the prisoners. After the surrender of Japan in 1945, an Allied commission convicted General Homma of the atrocities and war crimes committed during the death march and he was executed of April 3, 1946 outside Manila.

We Christians are marching through this world by choice, not by force. We too are faced with “many dangers, toils and snares” as the song “Amazing Grace” reminds us. And Jesus warned us: “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." (John 16:33) What are some of the difficult places through which we may be called upon to walk?

WALKING THROUGH VALLEYS – FACING THE THREATS OF LIFE “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4) In his book “The Man Who Walked Through Time” by Colin Fletcher, he documents his twomonth walk through the Grand Canyon. The cover of the book says: “The story of the first trip afoot through the depths of the Grand Canyon.” It is over 200 miles long and at its center is over a mile deep. The fly leaf reads, “A setting that is at once dangerous and inspiring. It is a story of a journey that is grand adventure and spiritual odyssey.”

That sounds like some of the valleys God’s children have passed through - “grand adventure and spiritual odyssey.” Did you ever think about the fact that David experienced valley walks both literally and figuratively? He made it through the valleys and so can we. He had learned to trust the Shepherd and in Psalm 23 he pictures a scenario yet future and says “Yes, even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil…..”

He pictures a place with a perilous path, dreaded dangers, suspicious shadows and evil enemies. And in that setting he assures us that the Shepherd’s provision is sufficient when facing the threats of life. He says that we have the Shepherd’s:

27 • • • • • •

Companionship – “You are with me….”

Comfort – “your rod and staff comfort me….”

Care – “you anoint my head with oil….”

Cup – “my cup runs over” Convoy – “goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life” Culmination – “we shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

That’s a “grand adventure and spiritual odyssey” in the “valley of the shadow of death.” The life of the believer has its ups and downs, its ins and outs, its smooth places and rough. The Lord does not shield us from the hard knocks or the difficult places of life. He has not “promised skies always blue, flower strewn pathways all our lives through.” He did promise “never to leave nor forsake us” (Hebrews 13:5). The highway to heaven, like the terrain of earth, has its mountains, valleys and deserts. Let us not focus on the way upon which we walk to the exclusion of The Way with whom we walk!

WALKING THROUGH FIRE – FACING TRIALS OF LIFE “….now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

(I Peter 1:6-7) Perhaps you have seen news clips on television or missionary films showing persons actually walking barefoot on red-hot coals of fire. Loring Danforth, an anthropologist at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine is quoted in the National Geographic News, September 1, 2005 saying, “Each May in some northern Greek villages revelers walk barefoot across a bed of burning wood coals as part of a three-day celebration in honor of Saint Constantine and Saint Helen.

They believe that the power of Saint Constantine, the religious power, allows them to do it and that that is a miracle." The festival is just one of the many events around the world in which people walk across a fire pit without getting burned.

Call it voodooism, satanic ritual or whatever it is, it is not something I would be interested in doing. However, I have walked through fire – that is, the kind of fire that Peter is writing about. Fire, in the Peter passage above, refers to the trials of life. I have “fire walked” on a number of occasions in 50 plus years of service for the Lord.

I read a statistic, that I believe from experience is true. If you have children, you will also agree that it is true. The statistic is this: A child, by the time he reaches the age of fifteen, will ask 500,000 questions. Did you catch that - 500,000 “whys!” As children of the Heavenly Father, I wonder how many times over the years we have asked our Father, Why? In studying the Scriptures we find that the Bible records many "whys." Warren Wiersbe in his book, "Why Us?" states that there are over three hundred questions in the book of Job alone!

You may also find some of the following "whys" of Scripture sounding familiar: • "If all is well, why am I like this? So she (Rebekah) sent to inquire of the Lord."

(Genesis 5:22)

28 • "Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Why is it You have sent me?”

(Moses - Exodus 5:22) • "Why did we (Israelites) ever come out of Egypt?" (Numbers 11:20) • "Why is the house of God forsaken?" (Nehemiah in Nehemiah 13:11) • "Why did I (Job) not die at birth? Why did I not perish when I came from the womb?"

(Job 3:11) • "Why is my pain perpetual and my wound incurable, which refuses to be healed?"

(Jeremiah in Jeremiah15:18) • "Why do You show me iniquity, and cause me to see trouble?"

(Habakkuk in Habakkuk 1:3) • "Why could we (the disciples) not cast it out?" (Matthew 17:19) • "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Jesus in Matthew 27:46) Yes, throughout history humans have endured trials and have wondered “why”? In her book, "No Cause for Bitterness," missionary author Elisabeth Elliot, who lost her husband Jim to martyrdom at the hands of the Auca Indians, lists six scriptural answers she had found to the question "Why"? They might be good for us to tuck away in the flyleaf of our Bibles. Here are her references: I Peter 4:12-13; Romans 5:3-4; 2 Corinthians 12:9-10; John 14:31.

One of the scriptural answers to the question why we experience trials that Elisabeth Elliot lists is: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (II Corinthians 12:9-10) We cannot always instantly or adequately respond with reasons for trials. Vance Havner was right when he said, "God marks across some of our days, ‘Will explain later.’” Only God can answer the "whys" of life, some He may answer now and others later.

In the meantime, we must continue to trust and be not afraid and always remember, “When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” (Isaiah 43:2,3)

WALKING THROUGH STORMS - FACING THE TEMPESTS OF LIFE Ever been in a storm at sea? It is a scary experience! We have been a boating family. At one time we lived in Michigan and boated on Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. Once when we were crossing the Straits of Mackinaw, near the Mackinaw Bridge, a storm swept down upon us nearly swamping the boat. We were not laughing! Again, when I lived and ministered in the Puget Sound area in Washington State, I was caught in a storm and waves swept completely over the boat. Fearful experience!

Matthew chapter 8 details the disciple’s stormy weather outing on the Sea of Galilee. While touring Israel with my wife and sons, we boated across the Sea of Galilee. It is beautiful when calm but the day Jesus and the disciples set out to cross the Sea of Galilee in a small open boat “Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake.” (Matt.8:24) Verse 24 goes on to say, “the waves swept over the boat.”

29 The storm must have been unusually severe for these were experienced fisherman and had seen many storms. They were completely at the mercy of the waves, hopelessly weak and totally incapable of coping with the situation. Perceiving themselves to be in desperate straits they turned to Jesus. Mark's account reads like this: “and he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.”

(Mark 4:39) There was immediate response to the authority and power of Jesus’ words. One moment there was turbulence, the next silence. It was a miracle of momentous magnitude and the disciples "marveled, saying, what manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?"

The sea of life is not always calm. There are storms that suddenly sweep down upon us, causing us to call out as did Peter when he began to sink, “Lord save me!” The writer of Psalm 42 experienced some sudden adversity and he said, "All your waves and your billows are gone over me,” however, his testimony concludes with these words, “yet the Lord will command his loving kindness ...." (Psalm 42:7-8) The Apostle Paul experienced storms and confessed, “when we came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were troubled on every side. Outside were conflicts, inside were fears. Nevertheless God….” Did you get that? “Nevertheless God!” He was experiencing storms but his focus was upon the God Who is above all the storms of life. Paul’s complete statement was, “Nevertheless God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us….” (2 Cor. 7:5,6) When buffeted by adverse circumstances the Psalmist said, “Yet the Lord….” and Paul, in similar straits said, “Nevertheless God….” They did not leave the Lord of the storms out of their calculations and neither should we!

When the cold winds of sorrow blow, when waves of sickness roll over us, when the clouds of doubt hover around us, there is comfort in the presence of Jesus Christ and healing in His words “peace, be still.” When we journey with Jesus we will always reach our destination even though storms may rage within us and around us.

Many years ago an Englishman named Whiting, was sailing across the Mediterranean Sea. A terrifying storm broke upon the ship with great fury. The winds became a shrieking hurricane, the towering waves threatened to crush the helpless boat. The passengers thought they were doomed. No ship could withstand such tempestuous winds. Mr. Whiting, who was a Christian, sat peacefully with a smile on his face throughout the storm. After the storm had subsided he was asked, “Were you not afraid?" he replied, "No, I was rejoicing that I have a God who can make a storm like that."

When going through the tempests of life let us recognize and rely upon the God of the storm to see us through. We must always remember that God never takes us into the deep waters to drown us but to develop us.

WALKING THROUGH WILDERNESSES - FACING THE TESTINGS OF LIFE “When Israel came up from Egypt, they walked through the wilderness.” (Judges 11:16) The route from Egypt to Canaan was a trail that tested the Israelites in many ways. Wilderness

30 areas have a way of doing that. We lived and ministered in Southern California. A two hour’s drive from our home was the Mojave Desert, a vast expanse of cactus, sand, lizards, gullies, rocks, snakes and heat. There are persons who take the challenge to cross the desert on foot. Some of them are ill prepared and have to be rescued and others perish because they are not adequately prepared for the demands and dangers of the desert.

The desert’s dangers remind me of this world through which we are walking to a “better country” (Heb. 11:16). There are many testings on our trek along the trail that leads always upward. I will mention only three here: There is The Test of Our Obedience “You shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.” (Deuteronomy 8:2) Earlier I referred to Colin Fletcher and his walk through the Grand Canyon. He wrote another book, “The Thousand Mile Summer in Desert and High Sierra.” It is an account of a six month solitary walk which took him through the “wildest areas, off the beaten paths, through arid desert, through the salt flats of Death Valley.” He tells of the loneliness, thirst and dangers that he encountered. Wilderness walking is not for the faint of heart.

For wilderness walkers, to disobey the laws of nature is to risk one’s life. Obedience is the law of the wilderness survivor. When the Israelites journeyed through the wilderness, they were where they had never been before. Joshua said, “You have not passed this way before.” (Joshua 3:4) Dangerous terrain, animals and human enemies lurked everywhere.

The God Who miraculously delivered them from Egyptian bondage was leading them to the Land of Promise. He was “testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.” Did they obey? Their record is not good. Many are the references to their disobedience one of which is the following: “For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people who were men of war, who came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they did not obey the voice of the LORD.” (Joshua 5:6) The level of our obedience to God is tested every time we read a command or an exhortation in God’s Word and ignore it. The reason so many Christians are stumbling along through the sands of life, scratched by the cactus of sin, bruised from falling into the crevices of the devil and consequently are unhappy, is because they have failed the obedience test. “If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” (John 13:17) There is The Test of Our Dependence “And they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people complained against Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?"

So he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There He made a statute and an ordinance for them.

And there He tested them .....” (Exodus 15:22-25)

31 The Psalmist also records this testing: “You called in trouble, and I delivered you; I answered you in the secret place of thunder; I tested you at the waters of Meribah.” (Psalm 81:7) And Psalm 78:18 adds: “They tested God in their hearts by asking for the food of their fancy.”

This crowd had seen mighty miracles by the hand of God – the protection from the plagues in Egypt and the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea – and now, here in the wilderness, they were tested about water and food. They were thinking, “Couldn’t the God who rolled back the Red Sea provide water in the wilderness?” What fickle folks! But let’s be honest, we too have fretted and failed the dependence test also, haven’t we?

Jesus addressed this issue when He said, “do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek.

For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:31-33) Dehydration and starvation in parts of the world are reported regularly by the media. We may not have experienced either so far in our lives, but what if we awoke some morning and discovered that we had neither water or food, would we panic as the Israelites in the wilderness did? Or would we depend upon the God who led us into that wilderness testing experience to “supply all our needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus”?

(Phil. 4:19) Would we able to later testify, as did the psalmist: “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread”? (Psalm 37:25) There is The Test of Our Resistance “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And the tempter came…”

(Matthew 4:1-3) The account of Jesus’ wilderness temptation in Matthew chapter 4 has always intrigued me.

He was “led by the Spirit….” and “tempted by the Devil.” Very interesting. God does not tempt. James wrote, “Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.” (James 1:13) The Devil is the tempter - “Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." (Matthew 4:3) God tests, He does not tempt! If we are “led by the Spirit” into a wilderness experience, it is for the purpose of testing us, not to tempt us.

Our greatest example of victory when tested is seen in Jesus’ temptation. The devil tempted Him to turn stones into bread, jump from the pinnacle of the temple and bow down in worship of the devil. Jesus resisted each testing.

Temptations come either from the flesh, the world or the devil. Jesus resisted and repulsed each temptation in the order in which it came to Him with an “It is written” thrust of the “sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” (Ephesians 6:17) When our resistance is low physically, we are susceptible to disease and sickness. Likewise, when our spiritual resistance is low we are attacked more severely by the enemy of our souls.

32 Healthy souls can resist the devil, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7) There are many other tests that we experience as we pass through the wilderness classroom. But let us never forget Who our Teacher is! He passed the wilderness test - “For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.”

(Hebrews 2:18)

WALKING IN DARKNESS – FACING THE TERRORS OF LIFE “Oh, that I were as in months past, as in the days when God watched over me; when His lamp shone upon my head, and when by His light I walked through darkness.” (Job 29:2-3) Is there a child who prefers darkness to light? I doubt it. As children we had a natural fear of darkness, primarily because in darkness we lose visual awareness. We want to see what is happening around us.

A little girl was in bed, scared of the dark. She went into her parent’s room and told her mother she was afraid. Her mother said, "It’s OK, sweetheart. There’s nothing to be afraid of, God is in there with you." The little girl went back to her bed and as she climbed into bed she said, "God, if you’re in here, don’t you say a word. If you do you’ll scare me to death."

As adults we may not fear the literal darkness which is the result of the absence of light.

However, there are other kinds of darkness. Darkness, in scripture, is used symbolically to characterize evil, impurity, wickedness, trouble, sorrow, distress, spiritual blindness, eternal punishment, etc.

There is figurative darkness as in Micah 7:8 - “When I sit in darkness, The LORD will be a light to me.”; or Psalm 82:5 - “They walk about in darkness.” Then there is spiritual darkness as in John 12:46 - “I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.”

The believer is not immune to or isolated from “dark times” in their lives. I knew a godly brother, who had been in Christian ministry for many years, who was going through a time of difficulty in his life. I was befriending him on one occasion when he said to me, “The farther I go the darker it gets.” He was older than I and a man I greatly respected and when he said that it startled me. I have lived long enough to understand what he meant. Later his time of sorrow passed and his cheerfulness returned.

When “dark times” come in our lives, they do not mean that God has abandoned us.

Evidently Job thought God had abandoned him for he said, “Oh, that I were as in months past, as in the days when God watched over me; when His lamp shone upon my head, and when by His light I walked through darkness.” (Job 29:2-3) When “down in the dumps”, as Job was, it is so very human to throw ourselves a pity party.

But when sanctified sanity returns to us, we know that God has not forgotten us. Recall with me some of the truths that chase the terrors of darkness away. When walking through the darkness:

33 We Have The All-Pervading Presence of The Sovereign Lord to Comfort Us Think about Joseph and the dark time he experienced in the pit, the prison and the palace of Pharaoh. We read, “the patriarchs ……sold Joseph into Egypt. But God was with him and delivered him out of all his troubles.” (Acts 7:9-10) Later he said to his brothers, “You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good.” (Gen. 50:20) I do not find one word of grumbling, complaining or bitterness from the lips of Joseph.

Why? He relied upon the presence of God throughout the whole dark experience. What a model for us!

We Have The All-Seeing Eye of Our Shepherd to Guide Us The writer of the Shepherd Psalm also penned these words: “If I say, "Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, and the light around me will be night," Even the darkness is not dark to You, and the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You.” (Psalm 139:11-12) What was he saying? He was saying that God’s eyesight is just as good in the darkness as it is in the light! The Shepherd and Bishop of our souls guides and guards in the dark as well as in the light. Take heart, dear believer and believe it!

We Have The All-Sufficient Savior to Save Us “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined ….. For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:2 & 6) G.K. Chesterton said, "When belief in God becomes difficult, the tendency is to turn away from Him, but in heaven's name to what?" I’ve heard it said many times by saints going through dark periods in life: “I’d rather walk with Christ in the dark than walk in the light alone.” I agree! Whether walking through valleys, fire, seas, wildernesses or darkness, we walk in the best of company with our Savior Shepherd and we can say with John “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” (John 1:4)

CONCLUSION The Pilgrim’s pathway may pass through valleys, fire, seas, the wilderness and darkness but let us never forget that it leads, as John Bunyan’s classic book, Pilgrim’s Progress shows, from the City of Destruction here below to the Celestial City above Anyone who expects life to be a leisurely stroll along a primrose path is in for a rude awakening. But the destination is worth the difficulty! So let us pick up our tired feet and walk on to that place where “we shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”

(Isaiah 35:10)

34 C. S. Lewis wrote: "The settled happiness and security which we all desire, God withholds from us by the very nature of the world ‌‌ Our Father refreshes us on the journey with some pleasant inns, but will not encourage us to mistake them for home."

Whatever happens to you today, remember that this world is the journey, not the destination.

Every day you are one day closer to home than you've ever been. So, let us continue to advance on Life’s Greatest Adventure: Walking With God!

35 Chapter 6

Walking the Holy Highway Isaiah 35:8-9 “A highway will be there, a roadway, and it will be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean will not travel on it …….. but the redeemed will walk there.”

A popular hit song was titled, “Highways And Broken Hearts.” The first line of the chorus is: “Highways and broken hearts, late nights and old guitars…..” Well, the persons whose experience is described in that song are walking on the wrong highway!

The traditional Christian church’s hymn books contain many songs about walking. Some of the titles are: “O Master, Let Me Walk With Thee”; “I Walk With The King”; “Stepping In The Light”; “Footsteps Of Jesus”; “Walking In Sunlight”; “I Walked Today Where Jesus Walked”; “Lead On, O King Eternal”; “Savior, Like A Shepherd Lead Us”; “God Leads Us Along”; “Follow On”; “All The Way My Savior Leads Me”. etc.

The lyrics of such songs remind us that life is not stationary, it is a journey. We are not riding in a comfortable vehicle or flying in a jumbo jet, but we are pedestrian pilgrims. Walking is the way God characterizes our journey from the here to the hereafter, from our earthly home to our heavenly home. And there is a highway that leads to that glorious, eternal dwelling place that God has prepared for those who are His children.

Isaiah says that it is a “highway” a “roadway” and it is called “the Highway of Holiness” and, he says that the “redeemed will walk there.” He is writing about Israel, in the coming Kingdom, going back to Jerusalem. But for the church of Jesus Christ this “Highway of Holiness” leads to the heavenly Jerusalem. Let us survey this Holy Highway. It is:

THE DIVINE WAY God is the greatest Road-Builder! He has prepared a road from earth to heaven. When a new highway is to be built surveyors search the landscape, laying out the best route. God is also the Great Surveyor. He sees all that is ahead, the danger spots, the pitfalls etc. His road is well designed and if we stay on it we will arrive at our destination without wrecking our lives.

The psalmist said, “Lead me in a plain path, O Lord, because of mine enemies.” (Psalm 27:11) God’s way is clearly marked with instructional signs such as “Warning” signs, “Stop” signs, “Yield” signs, “Danger” signs, “Curve Ahead” signs, etc. so that our path will be plain.

Jesus, speaking about the Divine Way said, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.

For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

(Matthew 7:13-14 NASB) “You will not see a “Wrong Way” sign on the Divine Way!

36

THE PROVEN WAY It is the inclination of fallen mankind to exercise independence from God and to attempt to pioneer his own way forward into the future. This pioneering spirit has served the race well on earth with new frontiers explored and new worlds discovered.

However, when it comes to the future eternal homeland of the soul, there is only one way that leads there. It has already been paved for us and if we insist on forging our own way we do so to our own destruction. “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” (Proverbs 14:12) God’s Way is the tried and true Way. This Way has been walked by millions of saints and not one has been misled, gotten lost or ended up in the wrong place by staying on it! Hezekiah said, “I have walked before You in truth and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in Your sight." (Isaiah 38:3) David said, “I have walked in Your truth.” (Psalm 26:3) It pays eternal dividends to walk the Proven Way. Many have temporarily strayed from it to their own harm. There is ample proof that “the way of the cross leads home.”

There are no “Detour” signs on this highway!

THE SAFEST WAY There are no accidents when God leads us on the Highway to Heaven! Any accidents are the fault of those whose walk is like that of Peter who “walked afar off” from the Lord.

(Matthew 26:58) The road is sometimes bumpy but all the bumps in the road are divine appointments, not divine accidents. Warren W. Wiersbe wrote a book entitled, “Bumps Are What You Climb On.” The road may be bumpy at times but it is safe.

We will walk “beside the still waters”, “in paths of righteousness”, in “the valley of the shadow of death” and “in the presence of enemies” but He, The Path Paver Himself, is with us! He knows the way, He goes the way, He shows the way – He is The Way! There are no “Bridge Out Ahead” signs on this road!

THE COSTLIEST WAY Have you heard of the organization “Highways For Life”? It is a secular group of highway construction companies. Their web site says, “The purpose of Highways for Life (HFL) is to advance longer–lasting highway infrastructure using innovations to accomplish the fast construction of efficient and safe highways and bridges at a minimum of cost.” Their motto is: "Leap not Creep, Accelerating Innovation Implementation." Building highways in America is expensive. We pay for them with our taxes. Even after they are finished we must pay to travel on some of them known as Toll Roads.

37 But the King’s Highway has been paid for by Another and we can travel it for free! It is not under construction for it is finished! It cost the Son of God His life - “Jesus Paid It All” on “The Old Rugged Cross.” This is the most expensive Highway in existence and it truly is a “freeway”! Upon the cross Jesus did all the work necessary to provide this Way. There are no “Construction Ahead” signs on this highway.

THE EXCLUSIVE WAY Jeremiah 6:16 says, “stand at the crossroads and ask where the good way is.” “Crossroads” is plural. There are many divergent crossroads in the religious systems of this world. However, notice that “the good way” is singular. There is only one “good way” to the Father’s House – only one. Jesus Christ said, “I am the way …. No one comes to the Father but by me.” (John 14:6) There is only one Savior and only one Way to the Father’s House. This is the exclusive Way in that it excludes all other “ways.” Heaven is called a “country”, a “city” and a “house.” And there is only one path that leads to the country where there is a city in which God has prepared for us a house.

There are no “Stop” signs on this road!

THE LIVING WAY Hebrews 10:20 calls this the “new and living way.” The way to Heaven is not on dead pavement but through a living Person. It is the Life Path. The wise man Solomon wrote, “The path of life leads upward for the wise…” (Proverbs 15:24). David said, “You have made known to me the path of life….” (Psalms 16:11). Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life.”

Someone said it long ago: “Without The Truth there is no knowing; without The Way there is no going; without The Life there is no living.” The Living Way is the Upward Way. There are no “Dead End” signs on this road!

THE REJECTED WAY Jeremiah 6:16 is a glad verse that has a sad ending. The glad part of the verse is as follows: “This is what the Lord says: ‘Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’”

Read the sad ending again: “But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.” To many the Heavenly Highway has no appeal. It is not the popular way. It is, by the majority, rejected. They refuse to walk it. As early as the times of the Apostles there were those who rejected the Highway of Holiness. Acts 28:22 tells us “that people everywhere are talking against this sect."

38 Recall the famous saying of Jesus: "Wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14) Again, the wisdom of Solomon instructs us: “There is a way which seems right…. but the end is death.” (Proverbs 14:12) If you choose this route you should know that “the way of the transgressor is hard.” (Proverbs 13:15).Therefore, “Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established.” (Proverbs 4:26) The Rejected Way truly is a “dead end.” And there are no “Rest Area Ahead” signs on this road!

Many are tired of this world’s winding ways that lead downward to destruction. They are tired of sin and want to go home to the Father’s House but do not know The Way. They have tried all the paths this world has to offer – the path of gratification, entertainment, religion etc.

There is a path, yes, a highway that still leads home – home to Heaven and the Father’s House. And “the redeemed will walk there.”

39 Chapter 7

The Forbidden Walk Ephesians 4:17-19 “This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.”

When we lived in the Pacific Northwest we often visited the Oregon coast. What expansive and awe-inspiring views there are looking westward out upon the ocean. One special promontory, hundreds of feet above the water’s edge, is Ecola Point. There is a fence along the edge of the precipice with a warning sign: “Do not walk outside the fence.” It is obvious that to do so would jeopardize one’s life. I doubt that anyone objects to the fence being there.

Parents who want the best for their children often warn them about walking in unsafe places.

Our heavenly Father, who is “too good to be unkind and too wise to make mistakes,” knows what is best for us. If we choose to cross the fence of His will for our lives, we are the party to blame, not God. So, since “Father knows best” – let’s keep on the right side of the fence!

Paul’s counsel to the Christians in the wicked culture that prevailed in the city of Ephesus was that they live a lifestyle that was counter to the lifestyle of the pagan peoples around them. The conduct of the citizens of Ephesus proved that they were without the knowledge of the true God. Those who know God have been converted, they have experienced a transforma-tion and consequently their conduct and conversation ought not to be as it was in their pre-conversion days.

God’s Word contains warning signs that tell us not to walk outside the fence of God’s design and desire for us. I have counseled not a few who have walked outside that fence and have fallen, proving that a warning to the unwise is insufficient! Some have said, “Why did God let that happen to me!” as though it was God’s fault that they “walked outside the fence.” Eugene Peterson, in The Message, renders Proverbs 19:3 as follows: “People ruin their lives by their own stupidity, so why does God always get blamed?” Why indeed?

There are several warnings for the Walkers of The Way in God’s Word. Let us examine a few of them.

REFUSE TO WALK IN GODLESS COUNSEL “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly...” (Psalm 1:1) The word Hebrew word translated “counsel” appears some eighty times in the Old Testament and means basically just what we understand the word to mean - “to give counsel, advice.”

The noun is “counselor.” Jesus is called “wonderful counselor” (Isaiah 9:6). His counsel, like Himself, is indeed wonderful.

40 Yet, the majority of people take their counsel for life’s journey from the culture around them, the media and/or the general consensus of their friends and associates without regard for God’s viewpoint. Consequently, as Jesus said, “They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.” (Matthew 15:14) The sensitive saint will recognize ungodly counsel and refuse such. But not all saints are sensitive to the Holy Spirit. In extreme circumstances, when most vulnerable, they take matters into their own hands following counsel that at the moment may seem very rational, logical and practical. Later, to their sorrow, they discover that the advice was not godly and their decisions based upon such counsel were wrong.

We Would Be Wise to Seek Counsel The comic strip “B.C.” by Johnny Hart, occasionally had a female sitting beside a rock giving advice. She received letters addressed to “Mrs. Know-It-All.” No person is a “Mr. or Mrs. Know-It-All” even though some may think that they are! There are many important decisions that we make which require research, consultation and input from knowledgeable persons and we would do well to seek their counsel. No one has all the answers, that is, no one but God! God rebukes Israel for not seeking His advise: “Woe to the rebellious children, says the LORD, Who take counsel, but not of Me, and who devise plans, but not of My Spirit, that they may add sin to sin; who walk to go down to Egypt, and have not asked My advice….”

(Isaiah 30:1-2) Stubborn people should read and remember Psalm 32:8-9, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding.” Do not be without understanding, seek counsel from the Lord when faced with major decisions. That’s the wise thing to do. Many mistakes, headaches and heartaches can be avoided by doing so.

We Should Seek Wise Counsel We have the option, when seeking advice, to go to anyone and ask for their opinion.

However, not all counsel is wise counsel. We may or may not get good, sound and wise advice that way. Rather than randomly asking the nearest person for advice we should give some thought as to who is qualified to give the kind of advice that I need. If I have a problem with my automobile I would not ask advice of a Doctor. If I have a medical problem I would not ask advice of a mechanic.

There are non-professional, wise counselors. Persons who are well educated or have lived many years and whose lives give evidence of principled living are good sources for wise counsel. Prayerfully and carefully seek them out.

There are professional, wise counselors. However, just because they are “professional” is no assurance that they will give wise counsel in your situation. For instance, many automatically turn to psychologists and/or psychiatrists for advice. They have their place and purpose, however, from the biblical perspective the majority of such counsel is purely humanistic. It is usually rational and logical but is not faith based.

41 Such counsel and counselors do not deal with the sin problem and may even deny its existence. Therefore, beware of counsel that does not take God and our relationship and fellowship with Him into consideration. There are Christian counselors whose philosophy of counseling is based upon godly principles. All advice, whether from family, friends, associates or respected Christian leaders, should be weighed in the balance of biblical truth.

Wise counselors give wise counsel; unwise counselors give unwise counsel. There are examples in scripture of bad counsel as in 2 Chronicles 22:3 where we read that King Ahaziah’s mother “advised him to do wickedly.” The wrong kind of counselors suggested that Daniel be thrown into the lions den. We read: “The counselors and advisors, have consulted together to establish a royal statute and to make a firm decree, that whoever petitions any god or man for thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions.” (Daniel 6:7 NKJV) So King Darius followed their advice and Daniel spent the night among the lions.

Rejecting wicked counsel and following wise counsel will save us from many dangerous situations. Job said, “He knows the way that I take.” (Job. 23:10) Why would we not consult the Wonderful Counselor Who sees the path, from beginning to end, on which I journey?

Avoid godless counsel - consult the Wonderful Counselor!

REFRAIN FROM WALKING IN GODLESS COMPANY “My son, do not walk in the way with them, Keep your foot from their path” (Proverbs 1:15) “Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evil men.” (Proverbs 4:14) Paul writes “Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” (NKJV) other translations are: “Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” (NIV); “Do not be deceived: "Bad company corrupts good morals." (NASB); “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.” (I Corinthians 15:33 KJV) So, how do we conduct ourselves?

1. Beware!

Young people of today live in a pressure packed environment. Peer pressure is so intense.

James Dobson of Focus On The Family, writes in Hide or Seek: “It is important for your preteen to know about group pressure before it reaches its peak. Someday he may be sitting in a car with four friends who decide to shoot some heroin. Your preparation is no guarantee that he will have the courage to stand alone at that critical moment, but his knowledge of peer influence could provide the independence to do what is right.”

All too frequently we learn in the media of someone who was with the wrong crowd when laws were broken. Consequently, an otherwise fairly good citizen was arrested along with habitual ruffians, which proves that “bad company corrupts good morals.” (I Corinthians 15:33 NASB) Peer pressure is no respecter of persons. It is an equal opportunity experience. Adults too are pressured to conform, blend in and go along with the crowd. But we cannot follow both the crowd and the Christ! We must refrain from going along just to get along. Therefore, beware at all times.

42 2. Be Warned!

The wise man Solomon warns, “Don't do as the wicked do. Avoid their haunts - turn away, go somewhere else, for evil men can't sleep until they've done their evil deed for the day. They can't rest unless they cause someone to stumble and fall. They eat and drink wickedness and violence! But the good man walks along in the ever-brightening light of God's favor; the dawn gives way to morning splendor, while the evil man gropes and stumbles in the dark.”

(Proverbs 4:14-19 TLB) 3. Be Walking Fear of doing the wrong thing keeps some from doing anything! To be apprehensive about human relationships can result in withdrawing from social contacts altogether and attempting to live in a cocoon. There were persons in ancient history as well as in the present day who prefer to walk alone. Such a person was Simeon Stylites.

During the middle ages, A man named Simeon Stylites, entered a monastery early in his life and began displaying his devotion in some very strange ways. The other monks, a little shocked, asked Simeon to leave the monastery. Simeon found a quaint little cave to call home, where he continued extensive fasting and also took to standing upright until his limbs gave out. Simeon’s behavior attracted attention and crowds of pilgrims began to seek him out for counsel and prayer. Simeon became annoyed by his lack of time for his own purposes, so he built a platform on a 24 foot pillar to escape the crowds. Simeon Stylites died in 459 AD after 36 years atop his pillar.

The following is from The Catholic Encyclopedia: “Stylites were solitaries who, taking up their abode upon the tops of a pillar, chose to spend their days amid the restraints thus entailed and in the exercise of other forms of asceticism. This practice may be regarded as the climax of a tendency which became very pronounced in Eastern lands in the latter part of the fourth century.”

Did you know that the word “saint” appears in the New Testament in singular form only one time (Philippians 4:21) and then it is in a community context? It is always “saints” appearing some 60 times. We fulfill God’s purpose for our lives when we function in concert with other humans. God intends us to walk in fellowship with other saints.

F.F. Bruce said it like this: “The higher reaches of the Christian life cannot be attained in isolation from one’s fellow believers.” (The Epistle to the Ephesians, London: Pickering & Inglis, 1961, p. 87) We need each other so let us refrain from walking in ungodly company but get involved in a Christ-exalting church and fellowship with God’s people. The Christian walk is not a hermit-like hike through this world but a community walk-a-thon with others of like precious faith. Don’t become a loner attempting to walk solo to heaven!

REJECT WALKING ACCORDING TO GODLESS CUSTOMS “This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind.” (Ephesians 4:17)

43 It should be remembered that the figurative use of the word “walk” or “walking” in the Bible means “manner of life” or “way of living.” When speaking about refraining from godless council, company and customs, we are touching upon the doctrine of sanctification. That is, we are dealing with the subject of holiness of life. Holiness is not a popular subject today, even among some who claim to be Christ’s followers. So, before we talk about rejecting godless customs, let us consider why God would warn us about walking “as the rest of the Gentiles walk.”

Five times in the book of Leviticus God reminds His people to “Be holy, for I am holy.”

(Leviticus 11:44,45; 19:2; 20:26; 21:8) The God of the Old Testament is the God of the New Testament and He says the same thing to us in the book of I Peter: “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy." (I Peter 1:15-16) This is the doctrine of sanctification.

Sanctification – What?

The word “sanctify” is from the Greek word “hagoazo” and basically means “to make holy by setting apart unto God.” “Hagoazo” is the root word which is translated variously as: "holy," "holiness," "consecrate," "saint," and "sanctification." As noted, the word “saint” comes from this word. “Saint” means “holy one.” It does not mean one who is perfect but one who has been set apart, consecrated, that is, separated unto God, declared holy by God. Sanctification - Positive and Negative Sanctification has both a positive as well as a negative connotation. To be set apart to God is the positive side while being set apart from sin is the negative side. Paul reminded the Thessalonian Christians “how you turned to God from idols to serve the true and living God.” (I Thess. 1:9) Turning to God necessitates turning from idols. Unfortunately, in some ecclesiastical circles there is more emphasis upon separation from certain sins than there is emphasis upon separation unto God. Thus the negative is magnified and the positive minimized resulting in an imbalance which leads to legalism.

Generally speaking, the positive side of sanctification can be seen as we look at the three tenses of sanctification: positional sanctification, when we were set apart unto God at the cross by the sacrificial death of Christ; progressive sanctification, as we are being “conformed to the image of his son” (Romans 8:29) by the ministry of the Holy Spirit as we “grow in grace” (2 Peter 3:18); and prospective sanctification, when we shall be set apart into the eternal state from this earthly scene.

A. W. Tozer wrote, "We have lived with unholiness so long that we are almost incapable of recognizing true holiness. The people of God in the churches of Jesus Christ ought to be a holy people. Our Lord is a holy Lord, and His eyes are as a flame of fire. His X-ray eyes can see right through everything! We can hide nothing from God. He sees all.”

Sanctification - Why? The reason that God says, “no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk” is because we are His holy people – we have been changed! Let us praise Him that in Christ we are “a new

44 creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV) We have new life in Christ. This change has impacted how we relate to our culture, its customs and conduct.

No, we are not under law! We are saved by grace and live in the age of grace, but we are not to live disgracefully! We are God’s trophies of grace living in the showcase of our bodies, which are the temples of the Holy Spirit, demonstrating to a watching and wicked world the transformation that the Gospel of the Grace of God makes in a life.

Paul continues by saying: “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God.” (2 Corinthians 6:14-16) Paul goes on to quote the sense of several scattered Old Testament statements. (Exodus 39:45, Leviticus 26:12, Isaiah 31:11, Ezekiel 37:27 and II Samuel 7:14.) He weaves them into his argument that the people of God in Corinth are God’s people and that they are different and should live as such saying: "I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people." Therefore, he says, "Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty."

(2 Corinthians 6:16-18) This instruction is an injunction against uniting with unbelievers in a way that would identify a child of God with them in their lifestyle. It is not that believers are to have no contact with unbelievers but that they are not to conduct their lives as the unsanctified do. Paul wrote to the Ephesians essentially the same message: “This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind.”

(Ephesians 4:17) Also, to the Philippians he wrote: “For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame--who set their mind on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 3:18-21) These and similar passages pertain to the doctrine of sanctification. The twice-born have been set apart unto God, declared holy by God and are to live holy lives as pleasing to God and witnesses before mankind. Therefore, believers have a totally different value system, principles, priorities and purpose than their unsaved counterparts. However, we have the divine commission to be “salt” and “light” as we walk “in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you (we) shine as lights in the world.” (Philippians 2:15-16) Go God’s Way! We are living in a post-Christian country. The America of the 21st century is not the America of the 19th or even the 20th century. Our society is more secular and sectarian than ever before. We say in the pledge of allegiance “one nation under God” but in reality America is one nation with many gods! Who is our God? The God of the Bible is a holy God. He does

45 not look upon sinful customs and conduct with the least degree of allowance. America needs our uncompromised Christian witness.

The Forbidden Walk – we are forbidden by God to walk in a manner that betrays our relationship to Him, denies our profession and defames the name which He has given us: “saints.” We who have walked through the “narrow gate” should not be in the traffic on the “broad way that leads to destruction.” (Matthew 7:13) We can’t walk both ways at once. Make up your mind to go God’s way!

Therefore, the exhortations to reject a lifestyle that compromises our testimony and identifies us with unholy customs, are apropos. Believers are forbidden to walk in evil counsel, company and customs. God’s prohibitions are for His glory and our good. He said to Adam and Eve: “of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat…” (Genesis 2:17) Whether it is forbidden fruit or a forbidden walk we would bring glory to God and health to our souls to hear and adhere to our Father’s warnings.

Our earthly pilgrimage will end someday. We will walk our last here on earth “where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.” (Matthew 6:19) When, among those made holy through the blood of the Lamb, we walk on heaven’s streets, we will be glad that we walked not “as the Gentiles walk”!

46 Chapter 8

The Transformed Walk Romans 6:4 “Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.”

When I was ten years of age I had an accident that temporarily crippled me. I was walking across a log foot-bridge and fell off, landing about ten feet below in a creek bed. My left leg hit a rock and pieces of the rock were imbedded into the bone. For a period of time I limped along. I couldn’t play with the other kids and the pain became unbearable. Finally, the doctors performed surgery and corrected the problem leaving a long scar on my leg which I have had all my life since.

For approximately one month I was not able to walk and then for two months I walked with crutches. The emotional pain was worse than the physical pain. Daily I watched my friends walking and running but I was unable to do so. It was a happy day when the Doctor said, “throw those crutches away and go play!” Instead of limping or walking on crutches my walk was now transformed. I walked differently and my friends noticed the difference saying, “You’re walking ok now, let’s play!”

It is not possible to walk unless one has life and health! Corpses have all the facilities for walking: legs, bones, feet and muscles, but they do not walk because they are lifeless. Those who have received new life in Christ demonstrate the transformation that has taken place in their relationship with God by the manner in which they walk out the life that they have within.

Walking with our Savior is discipleship. Discipleship is not a popular subject among those who have little interest in the spiritual exercise of daily walking with Christ. There are many who want to participate in the wealth which Christ offers but are not interested in reproducing the walk that Christ requires.

Genuine Christianity includes wealth and walk, doctrine and duty, riches and responsibility, salvation and service. Any other type of Christianity is not genuine. The transformed walk is walking “in newness of life.” (Rom. 6:4) A look at where God found us compared to what and where we now are is quite humbling.

The Before Picture We need to reflect on what and where we were before we were transformed by the grace and power of God and then the “after” will stand in more stark contrast. The “before” is not a pretty picture but unless we think God got a bargain when He got us let’s look at our previous walk. The pen portrait is set forth very graphically in Ephesians 2 as follows: “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.” (Ephesians 2:1-3)

47 That is quite an indictment. Let’s analyze the picture: • We were spiritually dead – “were dead in trespasses and sins”; • We were worldly minded – “walked according to the course of this world”; • We were devil deceived - “according to the prince of the power of the air”; • We were inherently disobedient - “sons of disobedience”; • We were fleshly focused – “conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind”; • We were summarily condemned – “and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.”

Not a pretty picture! Other snapshots of the pre-salvation life are scattered throughout God’s photo album of scripture. (Another sobering picture is in Romans chapter three.) This is what and where we were in our “Before Life.”

The After Picture However, a better picture is also seen in the photo album of Ephesians chapter 2: “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” (vs.

3-6) And, “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” (v.13) The result? New life in Christ! When we come to Christ in contrition and confession, repenting and receiving Him as our Savior, we receive a new life. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:18) Previously we were walking, that is, living, in “oldness of life.” Now, as Romans 6:4 states it, we are to walk in “newness of life.” The old has gone, the new has come. In Ephesians chapter four, Paul instructs the Ephesian believers to “put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:22-24) He uses the analogy of changing wardrobes – “put off the old,” “put on the new.”

The old walk is to be abandoned, the new walk is to be adopted. The Transformed Walk is glaringly different from the worldly and wicked walk. To the Christians in Rome Paul wrote, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

(Romans 12:2) Cosmetic surgery is becoming very common and popular among those who desire to erase, what they consider to be ugly and preserve what they perceive to be beauty. They often speak of “transforming” their appearance. However, when we speak about spiritual transformation, we are talking about a transformation that takes place first within us that has drastic and discernable external evidences in ones lifestyle and conduct before God and

48 humans. If you have been inwardly transformed by the new birth, are there external evidences of your transformation?

What are some of the characteristics of a transformed person’s walk? Let’s look at some of the differences between the “old life” walk and the “new life” walk.

THE TRANSFORMED WALK IS THE PROPER WALK “Let us walk properly,” writes Paul in Romans 13:13. Those who profess to be “new creatures in Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:18) are on display before a watching world. We are Christ’s ”showcases.” “Walk properly toward those who are outside” he says to the Thessalonian church. (I Thessalonians 4:12) We witness to those who are “outside” the family of God when we walk properly.

An improper walk should not characterize a Christian. Those who have been transformed by the power of God should demonstrate their transformation in the way they walk, that is the way they live. So, consider the negatives and then the positives of walking properly.

The Proper Walk Negatively Considered “Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.” (Romans 13:13 NKJV) Note the three “nots” in the verse: “not in revelry and drunkenness”; “not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.”

This emphasis is continued in Colossians 3:5-9 - “Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.

Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices.”

Anyone who professes to have been transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit, yet persists in practicing the “old walk,” must certainly raise questions in the minds of those who observe such aberrant behavior. Such questions as, “Have they really met the Master?”; “Are they “new creatures in Christ Jesus?”

The Proper Walk Positively Considered “Let us walk properly” (Romans 13:13 NKJV); “Let us walk honestly.” (KJV); “Let us behave decently” (NIV). These are certainly positive statements.

In I Thessalonians 4:11-12 Paul admonishes the Thessalonian believers to “aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, that you may walk properly toward those who are outside.”

And, continuing to address the Colossians, Paul wrote, “put on the new self …. put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you,

49 so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.” (Colossians 3:10-15) These are attitudes and actions that reflect positively the Transformed Life.

Bible truth is balanced. There are the “you shall nots” and there are the “you shalls”; there are “do nots” and there are “dos.” Walking properly - living properly, honestly and decently, proves that we have experienced a transformation and that the “shall nots” and “do nots” are avoided and the “shalls” and “dos” characterize us.

On the stage of life, we live our lives before two audiences: a heavenly audience and an earthly audience. Our walk is being watched by God and humans. We need to be aware that both worlds are watching.

When I was in the United States Naval Aviation branch of the military during the Korean War, we often had to march in Parade Review. That is, we marched in Company Units in front of the review platform on which were the high ranking officers. We were graded by companies.

Each company strove to be the best company. The key to being graded the best? Marching properly. God puts a premium upon walking properly. He is always on the Review Stand and if we are walking properly before that Audience of One our conduct on earth will be proper.

THE TRANSFORMED WALK IS THE PATTERNED WALK “Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ.” (Philippians 3:17-19 NASB) In these three verses Paul makes three salient points in encouraging believers to be patterns on their pilgrimage.

First, He Wants Them to Follow His Saintly Model “Brethren, join in following my example…” Paul’s statement, at first reading, may sound egotistical and self-righteous. However, we must understand what he said in light of other statements that he made in this regard: “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1 NIV) The NKJV and NASB render it: “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.” He wrote to the church in Thessalonica in the same vein, “For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined manner among you, (2 Thessalonians 3:7 NASB) He is saying quite literally, “Become my fellow-imitators of Christ.” We consciously or unconsciously model our lives after someone. Of course, the perfect Model is Jesus Christ.

Paul unashamedly confesses that The Master is his Model and he is mimicking his Model! He is not bashful or backward about declaring this fact and urging others to follow him as he patterns his life after The Pattern above all patterns, the Lord Jesus.

50 Furthermore, we are models for others. We will not likely be on the cover of some fashion magazine but if we are patterning our lives after the life of our Savior we will be walking properly and proper walking draws others to follow our example. Are we living the kind of life that would qualify us to boldly invite others to pattern their lives after us? If not, why not?

Second, He Writes Them a Solicitous Message He wrote, “Observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us”, or, as the NIV translates Philippians 3:17 “Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.” His emphasis here is two-fold: Be observant.

“Observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us” or “take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.”

Paul says, “be observant”; “take note.” That is, be wise – analyze! Gullibility is not a good ability to acquire or to cultivate. We frequently hear of those who get into trouble because they are with the wrong crowd. Paul adds: “Do not be deceived: bad company corrupts good morals." (1 Corinthians 15:33 NASB) I read a health brochure that encouraged belonging to a walking group. It listed several advantages of group walking such as motivation, comradeship, safety, commitment and then this concluding statement: “Profit from observing veteran walkers.”

Many are the warnings in scripture about walking with the wrong crowd. There are blessings for those who do not follow the wrong patterns. The book of Psalms begins with this blessing: “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked.” (Psalm 1:1) Be observant – model your lifestyle after persons who walk with God! Be obedient.

“Join with others in following my example, brothers.” Notice that he says “brothers.” Join others in the Christian community who put a high priority on modeling the Master. Not all who call themselves Christians are patterns that can safely be followed. Many take the name but do not live up to their claim. There is great profit and encouragement to be had walking in the company of the truly converted. Imitating the lifestyle of Christ is a godly group exercise.

Thank God for the “new born” crowd that lives a “new life” as they travel to the “New Jerusalem”!

Third, He Warns Them About a Sinful Multitude “For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.” (Phil. 3:18,19) This weeping warning is not to be taken lightly. Jeremiah was a weeping prophet, Paul was a weeping preacher. There are some whose walk is so wayward that they are called “enemies

51 of the cross of Christ.” Isaiah says, “They parade their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it.

Woe to them!” (Isaiah 3:9) These are bad patterns whose example we must not imitate.

A mark of spiritual maturity is discernment (Hebrews 5:14) and when discernment is absent, disobedience is present.

Paul is addressing sensually living persons who had identified with the church. He said such are “enemies of the cross of Christ.” Jesus referred to such when He said, "'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.'" (Matthew 15:8, 9) Paul warns the Philippians about these worldly walkers whose “destiny is destruction.”

I went through the same phase in life that many boys go through, that of building model airplanes. I would buy a kit and build my own plane out of balsa wood. The kit always contained a pattern that had to be meticulously followed. The pattern was to be laid out on top of the wood and with a pencil the lines were to be transferred to the wood and then the wood would be carved with a razor knife. When the pattern was followed exactly, the plane flew nicely. When the pattern was not properly followed what happened on that first test flight was not pretty. It crashed! That meant that the aerodynamics were not right. Some-thing was out of balance. The wood was ruined, the money was wasted and I was disappointed!

As a servant of the Lord for many years, I have seen numerous lives crash into ruinous heaps because the wrong pattern was followed or the right pattern was not followed correctly or consistently. May we live lives patterned after the best models and consequently avoid “crashing” and at the same time, be good patterns for others who want to avoid crashing also.

THE TRANSFORMED WALK IS THE PLEASING WALK “We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves.” (Romans 15:1) What Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome was just as much counter to the philosophy of life in his day as it is against the philosophy of life in our day. Why? We also live in a selfcentered world just as the Christians did in the hedonistic Roman Empire.

Hedonism is “the self-indulgent pursuit of pleasure as a way of life.” (Webster’s New World Dictionary) This is a world that is focused on self-pleasing and the thought of living life to please someone else flies in the face of the world’s self-indulgent priorities and agendas.

That is the reason we have broken homes; rebellious children; white-collar, blue-collar and no collar crime; anger; jealousy; murder etc., all the result of persons living to please themselves.

However, a life that pleases God is lived counter to the above approach to life. In order to live differently we must be different. A transformation must take place in our lives which results in our lives being centered, not upon ourselves but upon God. We must have a new center to our personal universe. Our lives must revolve around God not self and the result will be that we will be able to say with Paul, “we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:9 NASB)

52 A couple of questions will help us get a grip on this transforming truth: Who Are We Not to Please?

“We …… ought …… not to please ourselves.” (Romans 15:1 NKJV) And, here is a shocker: “For even Christ did not please Himself.” (Romans 15:3) The emphasis here is not that the Lord Jesus was displeased with Himself but that His focus was upon pleasing His Father, not upon living a self-indulgent life.

It is clear that the transformed life is the life that is not self-centered. It is the “other-centered” life. Who is the principal “Other”?

Who Are We to Please?

“Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that…… you ought to walk and to please God.” (I Thessalonians 4:1,2 NKJV) Our Pattern, the Lord Jesus, said: “The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him." (John 8:29) Our goal should be to always please our Master. Everybody has goals. Whether it is to make lots of money and retire early, travel the world and see new sights, advance their education, help others, sit around and do nothing, consciously or unconsciously, everybody has goals.

Goals define the way we live and are reflected in our virtues and values.

Having goals is good but just having a goal will not do an ounce of good unless we daily and consciously focus upon the goal and “walk and to please God.” Do it! Your future depends upon it. What you gain by achieving your goal is not as important as what you become by achieving your goal.

How Do We Please God? “Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight. This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.” (I John 3:21-23) Let us work backward through these three verses: 1. We please God by believing.

“We believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ.” Let no one think that they can please God and at the same time reject His Son, Jesus Christ, as their Savior. Nothing pleases God more than receiving the love-gift of His Son. 2. We please God by obeying “…..we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.” Earthly parents are not pleased by the disobediences of their children. Neither is our heavenly Parent. To obey is to please God! 3. Believing and obeying affects our praying

53 “…...and whatever we ask we receive from Him.” How many prayers are just so much wasted breath because they are prayed by persons who are not believing, obeying and pleasing God? We know when we are living in a pleasing manner for “our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God.” Pleasing God imparts confidence. We can have no confidence that He will hear us unless we live so as to please Him. Who are we not to please? Ourselves. Who are we to please? God. How are we to please Him? By believing and obeying. That’s the way to walk pleasingly.

Transformed?

The Transformed Walk is possible only by those who have experienced a transformation of life by the power of God. Are there discernable evidences that yours is a transformed life?

In 1904 William Borden, heir to the Borden Dairy Estate, graduated from a Chicago High School a millionaire. His parents gave him a trip around the world. Traveling through Asia, the Middle East, and Europe gave Borden a burden for the world’s hurting people. Writing home, he said, “I’m going to give my life to prepare for the mission field.”

When he made this decision, he wrote in the back of his Bible two words: “No Reserves.”

Turning down high paying job offers after graduation from Yale university, he entered two more words in his Bible: “No Retreats.” Completing studies at Princeton Seminary, Borden sailed for China to work with Muslims, stopping first in Egypt for some further preparation.

While there he was stricken with cerebral meningitis and died within a month. A waste? Not in God’s plan. In his Bible underneath the words “No Reserves” and “No Retreats” he had written the words “No Regrets.”

The walk of transformed persons is, among other things, a Proper Walk, a Patterned Walk and a Pleasing Walk. For such walkers there are no regrets. Why? Because walking with God is Life’s Greatest Adventure!

54 Chapter 9

The Christlike Walk I John 2:6; Colossians 2:6 “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” (I John 2:6) “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.” (Colossians 2:6) President Harry S. Truman was called the Walking President. He said, "I began taking walks when I first went to Washington as a senator in 1935." The walks usually began at seven o’clock in the morning and he walked a mile or two each morning, moving quickly, at 120 paces per minute. He walked every morning in every kind of weather. He continued to walk after he had returned home to Independence, MO in 1953.

People vied for the privilege of getting to walk with the President. As Truman walked people would come out from their homes or jump out of their cars to walk with him. "I always try to be as pleasant as I can to the numerous people who want to see and talk to me," he wrote. The Secret Service was never far away.

Our last several Presidents have been joggers. In today’s threatening atmosphere, the Secret Service keeps all aspiring joggers at a distance except those who accompany him by special invitation. Walking or jogging with the President of the United States would be a great experience indeed. Many are those who would accept an invitation to do so at a moments notice.

A Greater than the President of the United States desires for us to accompany Him as His walking companions! Who is this Person? God! The Creator, our Savior, “the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls.” (I Peter 2:25) Are we as excited about walking with Him as we would be if our President phoned us and asked us to take a walk with him?

In the Bible the Christian life is characterized as a “walk.” The biblical term “walk” symbolizes the way we live, the way we act, the way we conduct ourselves. If we claim to be Jesus’ followers, we are expected to walk just as Jesus walked. He is the perfect example of how to walk. He is both our Pattern and Partner in our life-walk.

Jesus’ call to His disciples is, “Follow me.” (Matthew 4:19) Paul admonishes us to “be imitators of God as dear children.” (Ephesians 5:1) Our walk should imitate the One we follow. We are to mimic the Master, follow His pattern and example, be Christlike, representing and reflecting Him. On our trips to Israel we usually have a brief devotional to end the day of touring the various sites identified with Jesus Christ. It is common practice to take along a CD with the song “I Walked Today Where Jesus Walked” on it and play it at days end. It contained these words: “I walked today where Jesus walked, In days of long ago; I wandered down each path He knew, With reverent steps and slow.”

55 Although it is possible to walk in geographical proximity to where Jesus walked, it is not nearly as important or significant as walking as Jesus walked. The Christlike walk is all about walking as Jesus walked. “He who says he abides in him ought himself to walk just as he walked.” (I John 2:6) This is what God expects of confessed followers and what He expects He inspects. As He inspects our lives does He find us walking “just as he (Jesus) walked”?

If we are to walk as Christ walked we must study the life of Christ. How did He walk? The partial answer is that He walked sinlessly, humbly, sacrificially, exemplarily, etc. However, for the purpose of this study we will limit our observations to the overriding principle that characterized His walk stated as follows: “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and gave Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.”

(Eph. 5:1, 2) To walk as Christ walked is to walk in love! If we are walking as Jesus walked we will love as Jesus loved for “God is love.” (I John 4:16) To walk is to make progress in a certain direction and to walk in love is to become more and more a person who loves God and others. Have you made progress in this area of your life?

Ephesians 5:2 instructs us to “walk in love.” Am I to manufacture love, conjure up love for God and others by straining in my soul? How do I obtain this holy love-lifestyle which I am expected to display?

Romans 5:5 tells us that “the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (NASB) Since the love of God has been poured out within our hearts, that divine love is the fuel, the force, the motivation that enables us to walk in love just as Jesus walked. “The love of Christ compels us….” (2 Corinthians 5:14) We are compelled, impelled and propelled by the very love in which we are to walk!

The Greeks had several words for love. “Phileo” was the word used to describe brotherly love. “Eros” was the word used to describe romantic love. “Agape” was the word used to describe God’s unconditional, sacrificial love. The quality of love that compels us is “agape” love. That is the word Paul uses in 2 Corinthians 5:14. He urges the church to move onward from the simple practice of “phileo” love, brotherly love, to the practice of “agape” love, God like love, in their relationships with each other.

God’s “agape” love is by definition sacrificial, forgiving, and full of grace. “Agape” love unites us. “Agape” love includes those whom others would exclude and turn away. “Agape” love is love without limits. That’s the kind of love we owe to a loveless world.

Paul writes about this quality of love and our love debt in Romans 13 and says we owe love to one another: “Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not murder," "You shall not steal," "You shall not bear false witness," "You shall not covet," and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” (Romans 13:8-10)

56 Some attempts to define love are: “It is an ocean of emotion”; “It is an itch around the heart that you can’t scratch”; “It is a feeling that sends one reeling!” These are humorous attempts to describe a common human emotion. The quality of love in Romans 13 excels mere human love. This is divine love “shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.” Divine love is God in us living out through us.

“God is love.” (I John 4:16) Consider six qualities of this love as seen in the Romans 13 passage:

THE PARAMOUNT DEBT OF LOVE “Owe no one anything except to love one another….” (Romans 13:8) Love cannot be forever silent, dormant and passive. True love must be and will be expressed. To “love one another” requires action. Augustine wrote, “What does love look like? It has hands to help others, feet to hasten to the poor and needy, eyes to see misery and want, ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.”

Love is a debt that we owe and must be paid by making frequent payments. Writing “love checks” at every opportunity is evidence that we truly love as our Savior loves.

One evening just before the great Broadway musical star, Mary Martin, was to go on stage in the play South Pacific, a note was handed to her. It was from Oscar Hammerstein, who at that moment was on his deathbed. The short note simply said: “Dear Mary, a bell’s not a bell till you ring it. A song’s not a song till you sing it. Love in your heart is not put there to stay.

Love isn’t love till you give it away.”

THE PROTECTIVE NATURE OF LOVE “For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not murder," "You shall not steal," "You shall not bear false witness," "You shall not covet," and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no harm to a neighbor…” (Romans 13:9-10a) The sentence in verse 10, “Love does no harm to a neighbor,” unlocks the meaning of verse 9. How can I harm my neighbor? Among the many ways are these: by committing adultery with my neighbor; by murdering them; stealing from them; lying to or about them; coveting their position or possessions, etc.

Love that is protective prevents us from acting in an anti-God and anti-social manner. Walking in love is not only good for my soul, it is good for society! It is not laws but love that is the best crime preventative!

57

THE POSITIVE RESULT OF LOVE “Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” (Romans 13:10b) And, “He who loves another has fulfilled the law.” (Romans 10:8) That ties in with what Jesus said: "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'

On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 22:37-40) We, in the age of grace, are not under law but we are not lawless either. We are not outlaws but in law to Christ! Love is both a demand and a desire for those who are Christlike. It is commanded by God and it is a characteristic of the godly. Walking in love has a positive spinoff benefit for us for in doing so we are fulfilling scriptural commandments and that is a positive step!

THE PROSPECTIVE VISION OF LOVE “And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.” (Romans 13:11) Loving God supremely and one another dearly will keep us alert and focused upon that day when we will meet the Lord and be forever with Him and all of our fellow Christlike walkers.

Until that day, let us anticipate and “love his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:8)

THE PURIFYING EFFECT OF LOVE “The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.” (Romans 13:12, 13) Divine love produces purity. To love right is to live right. If we love the things of the Lord it will be reflected in our holy walk. And, by the way, when we love as we ought we will hate what we ought! Notice that we will hate: revelry, drunkenness, lewdness, lust, strife and envy, etc.

Worldlings are persons who love what God hates and hate what God loves. Divine love produces a hatred for sin and a love for righteousness.

THE PARTNERING BOND OF LOVE Look at verses 12 and 13 again: “Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.”

Three times Paul writes, “Let us” - “Let us cast off”, “let us put on”, “let us walk.” To whom does “us” refer? “Us” means Christ’s community, the church; “us” means the fellowship of Christ’s followers. We are team-walking on the highway to heaven. Our commonality is that we are all bound to Christ and to each other by the cord of love. We are on this journey together so let “us” all encourage and support one another!

58 Eugene Peterson’s The Message expanded translation renders Ephesians 4:4-6 as follows: “You were all called to travel on the same road and in the same direction, so stay together, both outwardly and inwardly. You have one Master, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who rules over all, works through all, and is present in all. Everything you are and think and do is permeated with Oneness.”

Chuck Swindoll wrote about “togetherness” as follows: “The reason mountain climbers are tied together is to keep the cowards from going home! I don’t know who said it, but I’ve chuckled over it … you and I have a mountain of mercy behind us and a mountain of mission ahead of us. I need you, my sister, my brother, I need to be tied to you, and you need me too.

We need each other to keep from falling, fleeing in fear and returning to lower ground. Let’s keep pressing on the upward way – tied together by the line of love!”

THE PURPOSEFUL ACTION OF LOVE “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.”

(Romans 13:14) There is one last thought from the Romans 13 passage and it is this: We cannot have the quality of love discussed and described in Romans 13 apart from Jesus Christ. “To put on Christ” speaks of the clothing of the soul. We are to put on Christ-likeness. When we “put on Christ” we clothe ourselves with all that Christ is. He “is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.” (1 Corinthians 1:30) We put on the Lord Jesus for new life when we were saved. Now we must put on Christ for living out that life. He is our wardrobe for walking, our moral raiment, and our garb for godly character.

The purposeful action that we are commanded to take is to clothe ourselves with the Person and power of the Captain of our salvation, the Lord Jesus. When we are clothed with Christ Himself we are dressed for walking in love. When we love Him enough to put on His moral finery we have taken purposeful action against the “fleshly lusts which war against the soul.”

(I Peter 2:11) Garments of love or garments of lust, which shall it be? Let us do as Colossians 3:14 instructs us and put on the overcoat of love: “above all these things put on love.”

Concluding Loving Thoughts How is your love life? Do you love the Lord Jesus enough to walk in love as He walked? If we are truly in love with the Lover of our souls we live and love with Him as our Model. Are you walking before a watching world as did Jesus?

John Stott, one of the most well-known evangelical leaders, served as Chaplain to the Queen of England from 1959 to 1991. He concluded his final public engagement in July of 2007 at the age of 87. In addressing the Keswick, England Bible conference, he asked evangelical Christians in England, "What is God's purpose for his people?”

Giving his last major address before retiring from public ministry, he said, “I want to share with you where my mind has come to rest as I approach the end of my pilgrimage on earth.

59 God wants His people to become like Christ. Christ-likeness is the will of God for His people.

If we claim to be a Christian, we must be Christlike.”

To illustrate the impact that a Christ-like church could have on the world, Stott noted the words of non-Christians such as a Hindu professor in India who said to one of his Christian students: ”If you Christians lived like Jesus Christ, India would be at your feet tomorrow.“ From the Islamic world, Stott noted the words of the Rev. Iskandar Jadeed, a former Arab Muslim, who said: “If all Christians were Christians, that is, Christlike, there would be no more Islam today.”

One of my favorite stories is how Alexander the Great confronted a soldier who had showed cowardice in a battle. When asked his name the soldier had to admit that his name was also Alexander, like that of his General. Alexander the Great said to the soldier, “Renounce your cowardice or renounce your name!” Likewise, those who claim the name “Christian” should walk as Jesus walked or stop using the name “Christian.”

60 Chapter 10

The Truth Walk Psalm 86:11 “Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth.”

The phrase “walk of shame” has become popular with young people and refers to a person who must walk before others after an embarrassing or illegal action. In the former television programs, The Weakest Link and Survivor, the term "walk of shame" was used to describe the failure of a contestant who had to depart from the competition. In police work, the walk of shame is called the “perp walk.” An example from the world of sports is a player who violates the rules of the game and is ejected by an umpire and has to walk “the walk of shame” while exiting.

The “Truth Walker” never has to walk “the walk of shame.” The title attached to Psalm 86 reads, “A Prayer of David.” He prays for instruction saying, “Teach me your way.” To be taught God’s way is to be taught truth. Jesus prayed to His Father saying, “Your word is truth.” (John 17:17) Knowledge should precede action; instruction should result in practice. When taught truth we should practice the truth we have been taught. To practice truth in our daily lives is to “walk in truth.” The Truth Walk is set before us as the lifestyle that truth believers should demonstrate.

Scriptures speak of some who are Truth-Walkers and are examples to us: • • • • •

David said, “Your lovingkindness is before my eyes, and I have walked in Your truth.” (Psalm 26:3) Solomon said: “You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father because he walked before You in truth…” (I Kings 3:6) Hezekiah said, “Remember now, O LORD, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth.” (II Kings 20:3) In John’s epistles we find the Truth Walk complemented: “I rejoiced greatly that I have found some of your children walking in truth.” (2 John 4) And again he wrote: “It gave me great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulness to the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” (3 John 3-4)

The Truth Walk is possible, it is patterned before us and is profitable for time and eternity!

Walking either physically or spiritually requires commitment. David made a commitment when he said, “I will walk in your truth.” My wife and I are walkers. Long ago we made a commitment to walk regularly for our health. We encourage each other because sometimes we need a little extra reminder to stick with our commitment. That’s the way it is with our spiritual walking also. Therefore, we need to be reminded of our commitment and keep hiking the truth trail to heaven.

Paul, writing from prison, reminded the Ephesian Christians, and us, to keep walking: “While I am locked up here, a prisoner for the Master, I want you to get out there and walk – better yet, run! – on the road God called you to travel. I don’t want any of you sitting around on your

61 hands. I don’t want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere.” (Ephesians 4:12 The Message) So, what are some practical tips for Truth Walking? There are three steps that we must take when we set out to walk in truth. We must: First, Acquire A Love Of The Truth; second, Aspire To Learn The Truth and third, Desire To Live The Truth.

ACQUIRE A LOVE OF THE TRUTH The Psalm writer said, “Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.” (Psalm 119:97) How is a love for truth such as the psalmist expressed in the above words acquired?

First, A Love For The Truth Is Acquired When We Fall In Love With The Author Of Truth When we love the Lord’s Person, we will love the Lord’s precepts. There have been times in my ministry when I have been away from my wife for an extended period time in speaking engagements and we exchanged letters. When I received a letter from her I read it with gusto, letting every word soak in. Why? I love her and therefore, I love to read her words of love to me. So it should be with the Lover of our souls - His Word - love letters from heaven!

Secondly, A Love For The Truth Is Acquired By Exposure To The Truth If we are really concerned about truth, we must acquire it from the right source, the Word of God. When we "know the truth" (John 8:32), then and then only can we "walk in truth."

We are not born with a natural love for truth. “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Corinthians 2:14) It is only when we are born anew do we acquire an appetite for truth and even then the taste for truth must be cultivated. As we are exposed to truth and mentally ingest truth we hunger and thirst for it.

The taste for truth is an acquired taste. “Your words were found and I ate them, and Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart.” (Jeremiah15:16) Those who have an appetite for truth also say with the Psalm writer, “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psalm 119:103) But not everyone has a taste for truth.

There are those who loathe the truth.

Paul wrote that there are those who “received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” (2 Thessalonians 2:10) There are several categories into which non-lovers of truth fall: those who deny outright that there is truth; those who have apostatized from the truth (apostasy means to abandon truth they previously believed); those who believe that truth is relative but reject absolute truth.

Our culture is going through a time of transition. Princeton University philosopher, Diogenes Allen said, “A massive intellectual revolution is taking place that is perhaps as great as that which marked off the modern world from the middle ages.” What is this shift, this new paradigm called? It is called, Postmodernism.

62 Postmodernism is an ideology. The postmodernist says: “There are no absolutes; there is no absolute truth or “true truth” as they term it. Truth is relative. Truth is what one chooses it to be. There are no moral standards. Nothing is verifiably right or wrong. If it is your custom, tradition or choice it is viable.” This is like saying "There is no such thing as certainty and we're certain of it!"

To the Postmodernist the only philosophies that are wrong are those that believe in absolute truth. They say, “true truth is a fraud.” And to them, “The only sinners are those who still believe there is such a thing as sin.” (Postmodern Times – A Christian Guide to Contemporary Thought and Culture” by Gene Veith.)

While these philosophers are considered to be intellectuals, Paul said that there would come a time of learning without discerning. He wrote that there would be those, “always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth” and “these men oppose the truth – men of depraved minds.” (II Timothy 3:7-8) Truth is not to be judged by those who reject its existence or its absoluteness. In fact, they are in the worst possible position to render the correct verdict. Those who know the true God personally and have experienced the truth, know that His truth changes lives. They know that they can trust the authority of the Scriptures, for they have met the Author. And they say with the blind man, "One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!" (John 9:25) There are those who love the truth.

I am one of the truth lovers. My conviction and commitment to the principle of truth is that there truth, absolutely! And, contrary to postmodernists’ edicts, I believe that there is “absolute truth.” One’s belief system is only as valid as one’s authority. There are two sources of authority: human and divine. My authority is my Creator. His authority usurps that of His creatures. The Creator has communicated with His human creatures by inspiration – in a Book, the Holy Scriptures, and by incarnation – in a Body, His Holy Son. Both are The Truth. I love truth in the Person of God and truth in the precepts of His Word!

Do you love truth or loathe truth? To walk in truth one must love truth. There are two questions to consider at this point: “What does “truth” mean?” And, “Why should I love truth?”

What does “truth” mean?

The primary idea of truth in the biblical sense is that of firmness, stability, constancy and faithfulness. (The Hebrew and Greek words for “truth” are often translated “faithfulness” in some versions). Truth is the actual existence of ultimate correctness and exactness. Truth is established fact. In the Bible, the written will of God is final for man as the standard of truth.

Jesus stamped “truth” on the Holy Scriptures when He said, “Your word is truth.” (John 17:17) Why should I love the truth?

We should be lovers of the truth for many reasons, principle among them are:

63 1.

We cannot know God if we do not love truth.

God is truth. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are truth: “He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice, a God of truth and without injustice; righteous and upright is He.” (Deuteronomy 32:4 NKJV) “Into Your hand I commit my spirit; you have ransomed me, O LORD God of truth.” (Psalm 31:5 NASB) “He who is blessed in the earth will be blessed by the God of truth; and he who swears in the earth will swear by the God of truth.” (Isaiah 65:16 NASB) “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14) “For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.”

(John 1:17) “Jesus said…..’I am…the truth….” (John 14:6) The Holy Spirit is called “the Spirit of truth” many times: John 14:17; 15:26 & 16:13 etc.

God, by His nature, is Truth. He is the Highest Truth, the Source of truth, the Personification of truth. If we do not love truth we cannot know God. To reject truth is to reject God. 2.

We cannot have God’s salvation if we do not love truth.

Salvation is predicated upon knowing God. If we do not love truth we cannot know God. If we do not know God we cannot have His salvation. "This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (John 17:3 NASB) Theologian J.I. Packer wrote, “What were we made for? To know God. What aim should we have in life? To know God. What is the eternal life which Jesus gives? To know God. What is the best thing in life? To know God. What in man gives God most pleasure? Knowledge of Himself.”

Jeremiah speaks to this: “Thus says the LORD, "Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things," declares the LORD.” (Jeremiah 9:23,24 NASB) We can readily see the importance of acquiring a love for the truth since our relationship with a personal God and our personal salvation are contingent upon truth. Again, I repeat, to walk in truth we must acquire a love for the truth.

Secondly, to walk in truth we must:

64

ASPIRE TO LEARN THE TRUTH Jesus said, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:31-32) No one is free who does not know the truth as it is in God’s Holy Word. How do we know truth? We learn it.

Ten times in Psalm 119 the writer asks God to teach him. In Psalm 25:5 he invites God to “Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation.” The words “Teach me” indicate a truth-lover’s heart! “Teach me” is evidence of a hunger for God and truth.

Learning means to be informed, to gain knowledge or skill through instruction, study and observation. It implies finding out something by conscious effort, inquiry, experience, research and investigation.

No subject is more deserving of our earnest inquiry, research and investigation than truth.

The value we place upon a thing determines how ardently we will pursue it. Truth is of the highest value. “The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; (Psalm 19:9-10) How do we obtain this most valuable asset? How do we get involved in this learning process?

Basic suggestions for learning the truth in God’s Word: Textbook - The Right Text to Study It has amazed me through the years to have people say, when I have encouraged them to study the Bible, “What book do you recommend for me to learn the Bible?” Now, there are some excellent Bible study helps available to assist in Bible Study, however, there is no substitute for reading, comparing scripture with scripture, thinking , praying and meditating on the Bible itself! If you were a student in college studying history and you were given a history textbook, would you ask, “What book do you recommend for me to learn history?” No! The history textbook is the book you are to study.

So it is with the Bible. That is not to say that one should not avail oneself of Bible study helps somewhere in the process of Bible study. However, to be truth-taught one must study the truth textbook, God’s Word. “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (II Timothy 2:15) In order to learn truth we must: • Expose ourselves to truth.

“The unfolding of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.”

(Psalm 119:130) • Explore the truth.

The believers in Berea “Received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily.” (Acts 17:11) The “blessed man” in Psalm 1 is said to “delight in the law of the Lord and in His law he meditates day and night.”

65 • Exemplify truth in our lives.

Learning of truth is not only mental comprehension but actual demonstration of that which we learn. Knowing is doing!

The Wall Street Journal reported that nearly one thousand different cookbooks are published each year in America, many of them glossy, full-color, and very expensive. But at the same time, fewer and fewer people are cooking, and increasing numbers are eating in restaurants.

The reporter for the Journal interviewed one lady, a portfolio manager in a New York financial firm. She had acquired sixteen cookbooks in the last four years and subscribes to two cooking magazines. But the last time she prepared a sit-down meal was four years ago and she said, “it didn’t turn out.”

In a recent year the book publisher’s Annual Report gave the following information: “Printing presses turn out an average of one Bible every 6 seconds, day and night, the year round.

That is 14,000 copies every day. On a single day not long ago it was estimated that 19 tons of Bibles were printed.” Yet, the world acts more every day as though the Bible were an unheard of book. Are you exposed to Bible truth? Do you explore Bible truth? Is truth exemplified in your life?

The Barna Poll reports in an article titled, “Americans Are Most Likely to Base Truth On Feelings” the following: “Pontius Pilate asked the classic question, ‘What is truth?’ Do you know what Americans think about truth? By a 3-to-1 margin (64% vs. 22%) adults said truth is always relative to a person’s situation. The perspective was even more lopsided among teenagers. People are most likely to make their moral and ethical decisions on the basis of whatever feels right or comfortable in a situation. The Bible or religious teachings were primary for a small percentage of adults and teens.”

After fifty years of ministry, it is my observation that many church members cannot discern between truth and error. Why is that? It’s because they are not spending time in The Book!

Let’s get back to the Bible “The true living Word, sweetest old story that ever was heard.” The right text for learning God’s truth is the Bible!

An unknown writer penned these words about the Bible: "This Book is the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding; its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the pilot’s compass, the soldier’s sword, and the Christian’s character. Here paradise is restored, heaven opened, and the gates of hell disclosed.

Christ is its grand subject, our good its design, and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory,

66 rule the heart, and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently, prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure. Follow its precepts and it will lead you to Calvary, to the empty tomb, to a resurrected life in Christ; yes, to glory itself, for eternity is in it.”

Time - Set A Time For Study This will vary with different persons. Work schedules and routine responsibilities may dictate when is the best time for study. Many have found that the early morning is best. Setting a time for Bible study will require discipline. Of course this should not be repulsive for any true disciple of the Lord Jesus for discipleship means discipline! Amy Carmichael wrote, “Beware of saying, ‘I have no time to read the Bible and pray’; but rather say, ‘I have not bothered to discipline myself to do these things.’”

Technique – Use a Variety Of Study Techniques There are many ways to study the Bible. I’ll list a few: 1. Read it. Eugene Peterson wrote, “Worship shaped by an obedient reading of the scriptures is basic.” Get a reading schedule and start systematically reading.

2. Listen to it. Listen to the Bible on tapes or CD’s at home, in the auto or while walking.

3. Memorize it. “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” (Ps 119:11) Memorize praise verses, promises etc. Write verses on 3X5 cards; purchase Bible memory systems at Christian bookstores; copy a page from your Bible and laminate it – carry it with you and learn it.

4. Meditate on it. God told Joshua to “meditate in it day and night” (Joshua 1:8 NKJV) Meditation has been called the lost art of the 21st century. Meditation is holding what you have read in your mind, turning it over again and again, pondering it until it becomes a part of your life.

5. Attend classes. Your church has Bible Study classes, attend them! Your minister communicates Bible truth from the pulpit, be there!

Teacher – We Have The Best Teacher!

“The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:26) The Bible is the only book in existence that has its Author present anytime, anywhere, any believer opens it to read it! Why wouldn’t we love and learn it?

I have read the following in church bulletins from coast to coast: “Dusty Bibles lead to Dirty Lives" and “Fight truth decay - study the Bible every day!" While these sayings may seem trite they nevertheless have some truth to them. “The Bible is the greatest of all books; to study it is the noblest of all pursuits; to understand it, the highest of all goals.” (Charles Ryrie)

67 Mahatma Gandhi, the famous Hindu leader, knew the Bible contained TNT – he stated: “You Christians have in your keeping a document with enough dynamite to explode civilization, to turn society upside-down, to bring peace to this war-torn world. But you read it as if it were just good literature, and nothing else.”

The prophecy in Isaiah 9:6-7 says, “And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” I urge you to love the Wonderful Counselor’s counsel; study the Mighty God’s message; read the Everlasting Father’s letters to His children; learn the Prince of Peace’s communiqué!

Has the bookmark in your Bible moved lately? Let’s take God’s authoritative Word seriously; it deserves our trust because it is The Book that has been shown to be reliable and relevant.

It continues to inspire, challenge, comfort, instruct, guide and bless its readers because it is Truth! Jesus said of the Holy Spirit, “He will guide you into all truth.” (John 16:13) We must get into the truth for the Holy Spirit to get the truth into us!

Acquiring Love for Truth and Aspiring to Learn Truth are two-thirds of the preparation to walk in the truth. In addition we must:

DESIRE TO LIVE THE TRUTH David’s prayer was “Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth.” (Psalm 86:11) Notice that his request was followed by his resolve. Appreciation for truth and apprehension of truth must lead to the application of truth.

J. B. Phillips, writing in his book, “Your God Is Too Small” says, concerning Christianity: “It is a revelation of the true way of living, the way to know God, the way to live life of eternal quality, and is not to be regarded as a handy social instrument for reducing juvenile delinquency or the divorce rate …. The religion of Jesus Christ changes people (if they are willing to pay the price of being changed) so that they quite naturally and normally live as "sons and daughters of God.’” After many years of ministry to congregations, I am convinced that the majority of Christians know more truth than they practice; talk more about truth than they walk truth! Jesus said, “If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” (John 13:17) And James adds, “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.”

(James 1:22) John, in his third epistle, expressed his joy that there were some who were walking in truth: “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” (3 John 4) Commenting on John’s statement, John R. W. Stott, in his book, The Epistles of John said: “To walk in the truth is more than to give assent to it. It means to apply it to one’s behavior.

He who “walks in the truth” is an integrated Christian in whom there is no dichotomy between profession and practice. On the contrary, there is in him an exact correspondence between his creed and his conduct. Such conformity of life to the truth on the part of his children brought John greater joy than anything else. To him truth mattered.”

68 If truth matters to us there will be some practical evidences that we are walking the truth that we are talking. If we are walking in truth we will: Accept Its Reprimands If we recognize God’s truth for what it truly is, His standard of ultimate correctness and exactness, and to which standard He holds us accountable and by which we will be judged, we will accept His pronouncements and prohibitions, His counsel and corrections willingly and gladly. His words of warning to the church in Ephesus, for example, should be received by all who claim His name: “But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.

Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else.” (Rev. 2:4-5 NASB) If we are not walking the way we should let’s straighten up and walk right!

Comply With Its Commands Obedience and love are inseparably connected if we are to translate precept into practice: “This is love for God: to obey his commands.” (1 John 5:3 NIV) “And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands.” (2 John 6 NIV) Reading but not heeding; hearing but not doing is deadening to spirituality. “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.” (James 1:22-25) Display What It Demands It’s “show time”!

• • • • •

“show mercy and compassion” (Zech. 7:9); “show to them, and before the churches the proof of your love” (2 Corinthians 8:24); “show piety at home” (I Tim. 5:4) “show me your faith” (James 2:18); “show by his good behavior his deeds “ (James 3:13).

Truth, when activated, transforms. We’ve seen the “before and after” pictures of dieters. If we took “before and after” photos of those who are truth walkers we would see quite a transformation in their lifestyles. For a “before” and “after” snapshot read Ephesians 2:1-9.

Chuck Colson tells of the change that came in the lives of hundreds of men in a prison in Newton, Iowa. He went there to establish a Bible study group. Two months later, he went back to speak and found a group of excited men. They swarmed around him with their Bibles.

He listened to their testimonies. When he finished speaking, instead of politely applauding, these men jumped to their feet and chanted, “This is my Bible. It is a lamp to my feet.” (Break Point with Charles Colson, April 18, 2003)

69 When he first went to the prison at least half of them were not believers. Yet the whole prison had been transformed. The staff explained that these Christians told newcomers about their faith and invited them to Bible studies.

Let’s let truth have its perfecting work in our lives, transforming us, and then apply truth to our walk – that is our daily lives! God has given us His revelation; it was produced by inspiration; it is understood by illumination; it deserves careful examination; it will result in personal transformation!

Followers of Jesus have, at a minimum, three responsibilities to the truth: 1. We must love the truth.

2. We must learn the truth.

3. We must live the truth.

Walking in truth is living the truth – it is truth in shoe leather – which is a powerful commercial for Christianity! May all of us say with David, “Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth.”

70 Chapter 11

The Good Works Walk Ephesians 2:10

“We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10) When I was in my late adolescence, I spent an entire summer with my maternal grandparents and attended their church with them. They lived in a small farming community and almost everyone attended church. Every Sunday morning the service began with the same song led by Hazel, the Song Leader.

With the big flowers on her dress and the huge hat on her head, she was a rather imposing figure. Hazel did not need a public address system. Her voice was shrill and loud, which is an understatement. The opening song she chose every Sunday was “To The Work”, written by the famed hymn writer, Fanny Crosby.

Waving her arms, she urged the congregation on to greater vocal participation. My impression at the time was that she chose the opening song because she thought the members were slackers. So every Sunday morning she tried to rally the sluggards to greater effort on God’s work crew. Below are several verses of the song: “To the work! To the work! We are servants of God; Let us follow the path that our Master has trod; With the balm of His counsel our strength to renew, Let us do with our might what our hands find to do.

To the work! To the work! Let the hungry be fed; To the fountain of life let the weary be led; In the cross and its banner our glory shall be, While we herald the tidings, “Salvation is free!”

To the work! To the work! In the strength of the Lord, And a robe and a crown shall our labor reward, When the home of the faithful our dwelling shall be, And we shout with the ransomed, “Salvation is free!”

Refrain Toiling on, toiling on, Toiling on, toiling on, Let us hope and trust, Let us watch and pray, And labor till the Master comes.”

Hazel made sure that we sang all the verses. By the time the song ended, few of us were singing. We were too tired. She was a slave driver! Her concluding comment, and you could

71 depend on it, was always the same: “Now, let’s get to work this week!” I dreaded the opening song and rather than feeling challenged I was left feeling worn out. The remainder of the service was a drag. The Pastor did his best to overcome the negativity created by Hazel’s prodding and, in most services he succeeded to some degree.

But Hazel had one last shot as she led the concluding hymn which was, again, always the same: “Onward! Christian Soldiers.” She didn’t sing the word “Onward!” she shouted it! The image of Teddy Roosevelt at San Juan Hill flashed before my mind’s eye. When a six foot, two-hundred-fifty pound song leader loudly charges the members to go “Onward!” most parishioners are intimidated if not irritated. There are “prodders” and there are “plodders”.

Hazel was a “prodder.” British missionary William Carey said, “My greatest virtue is that I am a plodder.” Not so with Hazel.

Whenever I read that we are to “walk in good works” I think of Hazel. Maybe she did have a positive impact on me in a strange way. When the Apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesian Church encouraging them to “walk in good works” he was addressing plodders. Walking is plodding. He did not say, “run in good works.”

Let us begin to explore “The Good Works Walk” as follows: Good Works Identified What are “works”? In the Bible “works” are the product, the fruit of one’s life; the acts one performs or deeds one does.

“Works” Classified There are two types of “works”: “good” and “bad”. We are capable of doing “good” or “bad” works depending on whom we are following. Ephesians 2:1-2 says that we once “walked according to the … spirit that now works in the children of disobedience” – that is the Devil.

But now, we are God’s “workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works…..” (Ephesians 2:10). The Greek word for “workmanship” means “work of art; poem.” Are you God’s poem or Satan’s pawn? Well, let’s examine our lives and see: What are Bad works?

Several different terms are used in the Bible to describe “bad works” such as: “dead works” (Hebrews 6:1; 9:14); “evil deeds” (John 3:19; 2 John 1:11); “evil ways” (Ezekiel 33:11); “works of darkness” (Romans 13:12; Ephesians 5:11); “works of the flesh” (Galatians 5:19).

Sinners, before salvation, walk in bad works. Multiple scriptures underscore the bad walk and bad works of unbelievers such as: Zechariah 1:4 - “Thus says the LORD of hosts: "Turn now from your evil ways and your evil deeds."

Romans 13 speaks of “evil behavior” (v.3); “practices of evil” (v.4); v.12 “deeds of darkness” (v.12).

Galatians 5 lists some of the works of the flesh: “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also

72 told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:19-22) This is not a pretty picture is it? That was the sad state from which God, by His grace, delivered us. “But God ….” (Ephesians 2:4) intervened and by His grace saved us. Now we are different and our walk and works are different, or should be! No longer ought “bad works” characterize those who are “created in Christ Jesus” (v. 10).

What are Good Works?

Walking in “good works” is walking out the inward life of Christ in daily deeds of love and mercy. There are also numerous scriptures that speak of doing good: Psalm 37:3 “Trust in the LORD, and do good”; Luke 6:27 “do good to those who hate you”; Galatians 6:10 “As we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith”; 1 Timothy 6:18 “Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share”; Hebrews 13:16 “Do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased”; James 4:17 “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin”; 1 Peter 3:10-12 "Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."

Our works will reveal to whom we belong! We classify ourselves by the product of our lives.

Jesus said, “Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.” (Matthew 7:1718) God’s works are by grace; Satan’s works are a disgrace! In which scriptural classification do you fit?

Now that we have seen the classification of “works”, there needs to be some clarification about the term “good works” and how the subject relates to our salvation. This is an area about which there is much misunderstanding, resulting in false religions and false conceptions about how salvation is obtained.

“Works” Clarified “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-10) “Good works” are the consequence, not the cause of salvation. We are saved “for” not “by” our deeds. A person is not saved by works, but a saved person works. Our “good works” do not precede conversion, they follow conversion. How could anyone “dead in sins” (Ephesians 2:1) do anything good?

73 If we are the heavenly Father’s children, there should be evidences of that relationship. That which characterizes Him should characterize us. God is a “good works” Worker! Jesus said, "My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working." (John 5:17) What are some of the ways God works?

God works for us.

“If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, …. who also makes intercession for us.” (Romans 8:31,32,34) God works in us.

“He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

(Philippians 1:6) God works through us.

Just as Israel was God’s “witness” nation, “….that the nations may know me when I show myself holy through you before their eyes” (Ezek 38:16 NIV) – so He works through His children today “that the nations may know” Him. God works with us.

“And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them” (Mark 16:20).

“Good works” are not required for salvation; salvation is a gift, not a wage; “Good works” are reflective of our relationship to our heavenly Father; having been born again, ever after we should live lives that validate our profession of faith. James said, “show me your faith” (James 2:18). Our faith is put on display when we walk in “good works.”

“I do not work my soul to save For that my Lord has done; But I will work like any slave For love to God’s dear Son.” Good Works Intended Having identified what “good works” are, it may surprise some that God planned from the beginning, that His family would be “good works” people! Our text says we were “created in Christ Jesus for good works.” From the beginning it was God’s desire that His offsprings would, like Himself, do “good works.”

Those who identify with the devil are characterized by attitudes, associations and actions that are commensurate with his kingdom of darkness. Conversely, those who are in God’s Kingdom demonstrate traits that are Godlike.

We Are Created For Good Works Everything is created for a purpose. Paul describes the purpose for which we were created

74 as being “for good works.” He reminds us “It is God Who is at work in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13) He is the Creator; His work in creation was called “good” seven times in Genesis chapter one; we are part of that creation; His purpose for us is that we too should have “good” stamped on our works. His “good pleasure” should be our pleasurable pursuit for, “It is God who works in you.” (Philippians 2:13) Good Works Are Created For Us Paul writes, “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10 NKJV) Other translations are as follows: “….which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” (NASB) “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”(NLT) “He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.” (The Message) God has a blueprint for our lives that predates human history. Before we knew God, He had already decided, predetermined, preplanned and designed – “which God prepared beforehand” – the work He wanted us to do. He has the places picked out, the opportunities set up, the appointments scheduled. That is how He works.

There are no “coincidental” happenings in the life of one following the All-Wise God! He has prepared in advance for us to live out the purpose for which we were created.

Some of the scriptural admonitions for us to be about our Father’s business are: • “we should abound to every good work” – 2 Corinthians 9:8 • “we should be fruitful in every good work” – Colossians 1:10 • “we are thoroughly equipped for every good work” – 2 Timothy 3:17 • “we are to be zealous for every good work.” – Titus 2:14 The question is, “Are we taking advantage of the giftedness and the opportunities that God has already intentionally planned for us?”

A pastor was approached by a man who wanted to join the church. "But," the man said, "I have a very busy schedule. I can’t be called on for any service, such as cleaning, teaching, or singing in the choir. I just won’t be available for special projects or to help with setting up chairs or things like that. And I’m afraid I’ll never be able to help with any youth activities, as my evenings are all tied up."

The minister thought for a moment, then replied, "I believe you’re at the wrong church. The church you’re looking for is three blocks down the street, on the right." The man followed the

75 preacher’s directions and soon came to an abandoned, boarded up, closed church building.

(From Nelson’s Complete Book of Stories, Illustrations & Quotes)

“There is something radically wrong with the Christianity which does not issue in good works.

We cannot earn God’s love; but we can and must show how grateful we are for it, by seeking with our whole hearts to live the kind of life which will bring joy to God’s heart.” – (William Barclay, Ephesians, p.105)

GOOD WORKS ILLUSTRATED Jesus was the Master Illustrator. His picture-talks help us understand the term “good works.”

He helps us get our minds around the “good works” terminology by painting two verbal pictures: He talked about trees and vines bearing fruit. Note the two illustrations: The Tree Illustration In warning about false prophets, Jesus said “You will know them by their fruits.” (Matt.7:16) He went on to say, “Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.

A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.” (Matt. 7:17-29) The principle here not only applies to prophets but to people in general and that is that the product of one’s life is called “fruit” or, in a different word, “works.” “Fruit” is “works” and “works” is “fruit.”

The Vine Illustration In that wonderful word-picture of relationship, discipleship and stewardship in John 15, Jesus talks about The Vine, the branches and fruit bearing. Listen to Jesus: "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:1-5) “Fruit” and “works” are not two different things, they mean the same thing. Both can be either “good” or “bad” depending upon the source of the life within. Good fruit/works are the result of the outflow from the overflow of the Holy Spirit’s inflow in one’s life.

“Oh,” you say, “so that’s what the Bible means by doing “good works?” Yes, you’ve got it! And fruit can be born anywhere the tree and vine are planted. “Bloom where you are planted” is an old clique that needs brushing off and practiced!

The blessed person, according to the first Psalm “is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.”

(Ps. 1:3 NIV) I want to be a blessed person – planted, producing and prospering - A “good fruit”, “good works” person.

76 “The best of all the preachers Are the men who live their creeds, For to see good put in action Is what everybody needs.”

- Robert Leslie Holmes

Good Works Implemented Hazel’s hymn “To The Work” yet echoes in my mind. “To the work! To the work! We are servants of God; Let us follow the path that our Master has trod.” We can harmonize and verbalize about walking in good works ad nauseam but at some point we must actualize it!

Now for that inevitable question: “How?” How can I, as a child of God, make sure that I am productively involved in fruitful living for the Lord? Here is where we must be severely selfanalytical and sincerely honest if we are to be pro-active in working out the salvation that God has worked into us. We must: Embrace Our Appointment Did you know that you have already been appointed to do good works? Check it out: “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.” (John 15:16) God has appointed us to be His trees and vines bearing good fruit, producing good works.

What a privilege! Let us thank God and accept His appointment.

Examine Our Motivation “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16) Why do good works? To get glory to ourselves? No! To “glorify God.” Eliminate Any Bad Works – Sins “Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us…..” (Heb.12:1) Christians can do bad works too and that will negate any attempts to do good. Jesus said to the church in Ephesus, “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works….” (Revelation 2:5) Engage With Our Resident Power-Partner “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23) When speaking of good fruit and good works we are talking about that which the Holy Spirit produces through us. He is our life force. Draw upon Him for power to produce that which is good. “For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness…….” (Ephesians 5:9)

77 Educate Ourselves in Ways to Do Good “Learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.” (Isaiah 1:17) Doing good is being Jesus Christ to fellow citizens. Study the life of Christ and learn how He was a “Need Meeter.”

Elevate Our Sensitivity to Opportunities “So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.” (Galatians 6:10) Insensitive Christians (sounds like a misnomer, doesn’t it?) are part of the curse, not the cure!

James writes: “Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?” (James 2:15-16) Opportunities abound for us to do good. We live in a hurting and needy world. Jesus moved about in the same kind of environment and “when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.” (Matt. 9:36) The sensitive person will not have to look long and hard to find opportunities to display Christ’s compassion.

Emulate our Savior “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good” (Acts 10:38) There is no better Model! Jesus “went about doing good” - how? He cared, comforted, and cured. He helped those with physical maladies; ministered to the sorrowing, the hurting, the homeless, the hungry, the down trodden and outcasts.

What a privilege to be linked with the Lord Jesus in the doing of good works! It is an awesome association that we have. Just think of it – “we are God's fellow workers.”

(I Corinthians 3:9) Let’s get to work doing good deeds and bearing good fruit because there is coming a day when we will wish we had done more, a time of account giving.

GOOD WORKS INSPECTED What God expects He inspects “For God will bring every work into judgment…” (Ecclesiastes 12:14) Seven times in Revelation chapter 2 and 3 Jesus says to seven different churches, “I know your works.” He knows our works also! What is in the future for us?

There Will Be a Review of Our Works “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”

(2 Corinthians 5:10) Paul likens good works to gold, silver and precious stones and bad works to wood, hay and straw in I Corinthians 3:12-15. Each will be tested and the combustible – the wood, hay and

78 straw, will be burned while the noncombustible – the gold, silver and precious stones, will be preserved.

How sad to think that some will see their life’s works burned because they were the wood, hay and straw of work done for one’s own glory, not to glorify our heavenly Father, and they were the result only of expended human energy not coupled with the energy of the Holy Spirit.

There Will Be Rewards for Good Works By parable the Lord Jesus extends the prospect of rewards for good work. In the parable about servants, the faithful servant was rewarded by his master: “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.

Enter into the joy of your lord.” (Matthew 25:23) Jesus promised rewards: “And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward."

(Matt.10:42) And “I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.” (Revelation 22:12) Our works and fruit, that is our deeds, will be inspected. Doing good works brings rewards.

Therefore, let’s be zealous to do good works (Titus 2:14); maintain good works (Titus 3:8) and be a pattern of good works (Titus 2:7).

Walk to Work Every Day! The Christian’s walk is his work – it is our earthly calling – we are created in Christ Jesus to walk in good works and we should walk to work every day! After all, our work is our walk and our walk is our work. One of the ancient Church Fathers wrote: Teach us, Lord, to serve you as you deserve, To give and not to count the cost, To fight and not to heed the wounds, To toil and not to seek for rest, To labor and not to ask for any reward Save that of knowing that we do your will.”

- Ignatius of Loyola

When the famed English architect, Sir Christopher Wren, was directing the building of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, some of the workers were interviewed by a journalist who asked them, "What are you doing here?" The first man said, "I’m cutting stone for three shillings a day." The second replied, "It’s a job. I’m putting ten hours a day in on it." The third replied, "I’m helping Sir Christopher Wren build the greatest cathedral in Great Britain for the glory of God.” That last fellow had the right attitude! Let us walk in good works for the glory of God!

79 Chapter 12

The Worthy Walk Ephesians 4:1 “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called…”

Colossians 1:10 “Walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him” I Thess. 2:12 “Walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory” Walking is physical exertion. If we didn’t already know how to walk, we could learn the mechanics of walking from the encyclopedia. The online encyclopedia Wikipedia has an article on walking under “Biomechanics” which describes the walking process step by step as follows: “Human walking is accomplished with a strategy called the double pendulum. During forward motion, the leg that leaves the ground swings forward from the hip. This sweep is the first pendulum. Then the leg strikes the ground with the heel and rolls through to the toe in a motion described as an inverted pendulum. The motion of the two legs is coordinated so that one foot or the other is always in contact with the ground. The process of walking recovers approximately 60% of the energy used due to pendulum dynamics and ground reaction force.

An average walking speed is about three miles per hour.”

I am certain that is more than we need to know about the mechanics of walking. Can you imagine a parent reading that to a non-walking one-year old in order to teach the child to walk? Walking physically is mostly a self-learned activity. It is pretty much the result of trial and error, of falling down and getting up, of getting the knack of coordination, etc.

While we do not ordinarily sit a child down and explain the mechanics of walking physically and how to do it successfully, God does clearly teach us how to walk spiritually. The New Testament repeatedly instructs believers regarding the walk, that is the manner of life, that should characterize a child of God. Three times in the New Testament we are admonished to “walk worthy.”

Are you walking worthy of the Lord Jesus? If we rely on our own worthiness, we are not worthy. However, we have been made worthy in Christ for we are “accepted in the beloved” (Ephesians 1:6) and are “joint heirs with Christ.” (Romans 8:17) His worthiness has been imputed, that is credited, reckoned and imparted to us. (Romans 4:23-24) Therefore, it is incumbent upon us to: • • •

“Walk worthy of the calling with which you were called.” (Ephesians 4:1); “Walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him.” (Colossians 1:10); and “Walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.” (I Thess. 2:12)

80 Let us look at God’s “Instruction Manual On Walking” and learn how to walk in a manner that reflects our worthiness in Christ. There are several phrases in the New Testament that tell us why and how to successfully accomplish this worthy walk.

WALK WORTHY TO VALIDATE YOUR CALLING “Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:1-6) The Greek word “klesis” translated “calling” means an invitation. This is the divine invitation or calling by which persons are brought into the privileges of the gospel. The Westminster Shorter Catechism explains the “calling” as follows: "Effectual calling is the work of God's Spirit, whereby convincing us of our sin and misery, enlightening our minds in the knowledge of Christ, and renewing our wills, he doth persuade and enable us to embrace Jesus Christ freely offered to us in the gospel."

We could never deserve, by our own merits, to be “called” but we can demonstrate by our manner of life our gratitude and appreciation for God’s calling us to Himself. The grateful ones, by their conduct, will respect and reflect that calling.

Paul writes about this “calling” several times. He refers to the “calling” as: •

The high calling.

“I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

(Philippians 3:14 KJV)

•

The heavenly calling.

“Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus….” (Hebrews 3:1 NKJV)

•

The holy calling.

(God) “who has saved us and called us with a holy calling…..” (II Timothy 1:9)

Seeing that this invitation, this calling is high, heavenly and holy it deserves, yes, even demands, that we therefore, live, that is walk, in a manner worthy of such a calling. The context in which this worthy walk is encouraged tells us how to validate our calling.

81 We Validate Our Calling by Walking In Humility “With all humility.” It is a humbling truth to know that God took the initiative in choosing and calling us to Himself. There are those who say, “I chose God” or “I decided to come to God” or “I decided to seek God.” The truth of the matter is that God chose us. Jesus said, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you….” (John15:16) Furthermore, Romans 3:11 states: “There is none who seeks after God.” One of my favorite Gospel songs is “Naught Have I Gotten” by James M. Gray, former President of Moody Bible Institute. The first line of the song reminds me that salvation is all of God, not of myself: “Naught have I gotten but what I received; Grace hath bestowed it since I have believed; Boasting excluded, pride I abase; I’m only a sinner saved by grace!”

This is humbling truth indeed and if we have experienced God’s “so great salvation” our journey through this world should be marked by a consistent demonstration of humility in our walk.

We Validate Our Calling by Walking In Gentleness “And gentleness.” The opposite of living gently is living roughly. Rough living is not a mark of one who has been called to live as Christ lived. Jesus said, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

(Matthew 11:29) And Paul wrote the Thessalonian believers saying “we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children.” (I Thessalonians 2:7) Later, to Timothy he wrote, “a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all.” (2 Timothy 2:24) Machismo and bravado are so prevalent in our society. Television and movies are partly to blame. Hollywood and Madison Avenue excuse their excesses by saying “Art imitates life.

We only show what society is doing and saying.”

Where is the art that imitates civility, wholesomeness and gentleness? Surely not everyone is rude, crude, blasphemous or criminal! Again, quoting Paul, “But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.” (Ephesians 5:3-5 NIV) I suppose it is too much to expect sinners to act saintly. But it is not too much to expect saints to live saintly! Those who follow “gentle Jesus, meek and mild” should be gentle, meek and mild!

We Validate Our Calling by Walking In Patience “With patience.” In his book “A Walk Across America”, Peter Jenkins said that he learned patience. Every day he awoke to “another day of walking, in fair weather and foul; level

82 ground, and hills; alone and with companions; feeling well and feeling ill.” Every day was same old, same old.

I don’t know who said it but it is true: “Life is so daily.” Go to work, come home, eat, sleep, awake and repeat - on and on goes daily life. That’s the way God has ordained life to be.

Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” He did not say to pray, “Give us this day our monthly bread.” God planed for our lives to be lived in days not in a daze! It takes patience to endure routine.

Oswald Chambers challenges us not to resist what often seems so "daily" when he wrote: “Drudgery is the touchstone of character.... routine is God's way of saving us between our times of inspiration. Do not expect God always to give you His thrilling minutes, but learn to live in the domain of drudgery by the power of God." (My Utmost for His Highest, June 15) That takes patience! Eugene Peterson wrote a book on discipleship entitled “A Long Obedience in The Same Direction.” That’s it! That is what patience is all about. So, “let patience have its perfect work.” (James 1:4) And when we are patient we are validating our call to walk with God. We Validate Our Calling by Walking In Tolerance “Showing tolerance for one another in love.” Tolerance has gotten a bad knock from those who believe that their perspective on all things is the standard by which all should be judged.

And not a few Christians have bought into the false idea that if anyone deviates from what they consider to be the standard norm of things, they are just plain wrong and not to be tolerated. This attitude has caused inestimable trouble in churches and other Christian circles of fellowship.

Maybe we should revisit the meaning of the word “tolerate” – what is its meaning? “To allow; to respect others beliefs, practices, etc. without sharing them; to put up with.” (Webster’s New World Dictionary)

To tolerate does not mean to capitulate and abandon one’s standards, beliefs or ideas.

Tolerance means to be respectful of the other person even though we disagree with them.

Tolerance agrees to disagree, but is never disagreeable! Warren Wiersbe, in his book “Be Right”, wrote, “I have learned that God blesses people I disagree with!” We would all do well to learn that lesson. (“Be Right” p.156, 157) Notice the complete phrase in Ephesians 4:2 - “showing tolerance for one another in love.” It takes divine love “shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit” (Romans 5:5) to be tolerant.

Paul reminds us that “love is kind” and “bears all things” (I Corinthians 13:4 and 7) and, may I say, bears all people!

Tolerance in our walk is a validating quality demonstrating meekness not weakness. It takes a person who is wise to be tolerant. The intolerant usually are those persons who have strong opinions but not studied out convictions. Often intolerance is a smoke screen for ignorance.

My wife taught Kindergarten and they would occasionally have “show and tell” time. Kids would bring some favorite thing from home and tell about it. There are Christians who love to

83 “tell” but do not do well when it comes to “showing.” Are we “showing tolerance”? If we “showed” before “telling” our telling would be more effective.

We Validate Our Calling by Walking In Unity “Being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

Notice that we are not told to manufacture unity but to maintain unity which is created by the Holy Spirit. One person cannot maintain unity for all. All must be involved in preserving unity.

I was pastor of a church in the which was a brother who felt it was his duty to confront those whom he considered to be “out of line” and correct everyone whom he believed needed to be corrected. When I talked with him about his disruptive manner he replied, “Someone around here needs to see that we are united!” His “uniting” tactics were divisive. The uniting agent is the Holy Spirit. Only as we individually are obedient to the Holy Spirit will unity prevail in the Body.

Augustine articulated a prescription for unity which we would do well to practice: “In essentials, unity; In non-essentials, liberty; In all things, charity.” It is unity not uniformity that we are to maintain. Unity is a bond that binds us together. It is unity in diversity: • “one body”, • “one Spirit”, • “one hope”, • “one Lord”, • “one faith”, • “one baptism”, • “one God” and • “one Father.”

Therefore, unity should characterize our worship, fellowship, stewardship and discipleship.

The call to salvation changes us - changes our deportment and a watching world above us and around us should see the difference that walking worthily makes.

“Have you ever heard the Gospel?” inquired a missionary of a Chinese merchant. “No,” he replied, “but I have seen it. I know a man who was a terror in this whole region. He was as fierce as an animal, and he was feared by everyone. He was an opium addict, but when he accepted the Jesus religion, he changed completely. Now his wickedness is gone. He is gentle and quiet, and people no longer fear him.”

The walk of a Christian is a more convincing validation of one’s calling than the talk of a Christian. We have received from God the highest calling available to mankind - the calling to be a child of the living God. May we never do anything in our lives that would bring shame or dishonor to His glorious name by the way we talk, act, think or work. In everything we are or do we must “walk worthy of the calling with which you (we) were called…”

84

WALK WORTHY TO INDICATE YOUR COMPLIANCE Paul said that he did not cease to pray for the Christians in the city of Colosse “that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may have a walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” (Colossians 1:9-10 NKJV) When God calls a person from sinnerhood to sainthood, it is the highest calling that an earthdweller can ever receive. What a privilege, what an honor! Called from the depths of sin to the heights of glory in Christ Jesus. No calling on earth can equal it.

The “worthy walk” is the walk that is in compliance with this highest and holiest of callings.

Within the context of Paul’s prayer for the Colossian Christians are several indicators that we are worthy walkers. These indicators are proofs of our compliance. First, A Worthy Walk Is Pleasing – That’s Our Motivation “fully pleasing Him…” The purpose of those who have been redeemed should be to please their Redeemer. If we are not pleasing our Lord and Savior we are displeasing Him. Some of the actions that please God are specifically mentioned in scripture: •

“The Lord was pleased” when Solomon asked for wisdom. (I Kings 3:10) Do we ask the Lord for wisdom? James writes: “If anyone lacks wisdom let him ask Of God who gives to all liberally….” (James 1:5)

•

“This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17) Are we pleased with Jesus? Have you found Him to be sufficient for you?

•

“God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.” (I Corinthians 1:21) God is pleased with the gospel message, are we? Paul said, “I am not ashamed of the gospel….” (Romans 1:16). Are we?

•

“Children, be obedient to your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing to the Lord.”

(Colossians 3:20) Children of earthly parentage and heavenly parentage should live pleasingly.

•

“But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.” (Hebrews 13:16) Do good works and generosity characterize us?

Pleasing God occasionally is not an option. Colossians 1:10 says, “fully pleasing Him.” Are we focused on pleasing the Lord “fully” in our walk?

A Worthy Walk Is Productive – That’s Our Mission “being fruitful in every good work….”

Our service for the Savior is called “good work.” Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)

85 In the vine and the branches teaching by Jesus in John 15 it is quite obvious that it is the nature of a healthy branch to be productive. We are to “bear fruit” (John 15:4); to bear “more fruit” (John 15:2) to bear “much fruit” (John 15:8) by abiding in Christ the True Vine.

Doing “good works” and “bearing fruit” is the same thing.

It is incongruous to imagine that one who is not walking worthy of the Lord could be doing good works or bearing fruit! Fruitfulness and obedience go hand in hand. The one who walks in a worthy manner is assured of being “fruitful in every good work.”

A Worthy Walk Is Progressive – That’s Our Maturation “increasing in the knowledge of God…” Spiritual maturity is attained progressively. To know is to grow. Peter’s admonition is, “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (II Peter 3:18) That is why we need to feed daily upon God’s Word. We know God to the extent that we know Him through His Word.

Psalm 119:19-20 in the Living Bible reads: “I am but a pilgrim here on earth: how I need a map - and your commands are my chart and guide. I long for your instructions more than I can tell.” Trying to walk in a worthy manner without the Word-map is impossible!

It is said of the blessed person in Psalm 1 that “his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night.” Consequently, “He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season.” (Psalm 1:2-3) Walking worthily is indicative of our compliance with God’s desire and design for us to progressively mature. In Paul’s latter life it was still his desire to “know him” (Phil.3:10). Do we desire to “increase in the knowledge of God”? Let us remember whose children we are and walk in a way that indicates that we know Him increasingly.

WALK WORTHY TO DEMONSTRATE YOUR CITIZENSHIP “You know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged everyone of you, as a father does his own children, that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.” (I Thessalonians 2:11-12 NKJV) Christians hold dual citizenship – we are citizens of earth and more importantly, "Our citizenship is in heaven" (Philippians 3:20). How do we prove our heavenly citizenship? We do not carry official, recognized documents like a heavenly birth certificate; a heavenly driver's license with photo and address in heaven on it; a heavenly passport with date, place of birth and finger print on it. So, if we say to someone "I am a citizen of heaven" how do we go about verifying that claim? May I suggest the following: We Demonstrate Our Citizenship by Our Difference In Matthew 5:3-10 is listed what we call The Beatitudes – or attitudes of being:

86 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Those who are characterized by these virtues are different. Such qualities of life distinguish the followers of Christ. They demonstrate in their daily walk that they are citizens of heaven temporarily residing on earth.

God-blessed people are an asset to any society even though society in general may not appreciate saints among sinners. Do not be shy about being different. Be who God made you in Christ! Live out the inward life of a citizen of the heavenly Kingdom.

We Demonstrate Our Citizenship by Our Influence "You are the salt of the earth.” (Matthew 5:13) Salt is powerful. Just a few grains of sodium chloride will have a pleasant effect on a baked potato. Just so, a few grains of the Savior’s salt will have a pleasant influence on those around us.

Do you remember Paul’s shipwreck experience? There were 276 sick and sea-soaked sailors aboard that ship and one grain of the Savior’s salt – Paul. Through his influence the passengers were spared a death in the depths.

We do not need to be many to be much for God. Throughout the ages, a single Christian has had great influence for good upon society. Our society today needs the citizens of heaven to exert an uplifting and wholesome influence wherever they are.

We Demonstrate Our Citizenship by Our Radiance “You are the light of the world.” (Matthew 5:12) Light is radiance. We are to “Walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8) surrounded by those who are in spiritual darkness. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."

(John 8:12) What an opportunity we have to shine, demonstrating our other-world citizenship!

Paul said that he “exhorted, and comforted, and charged” the Thessalonian Christians to "walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory." Let us take this same exhortation, comfort and charge to heart and walk on earth as citizens of heaven.

Conclusion Jesus sent a message to the church is Sardis recorded in Revelation chapter 3. One promise

87 He made was: “You have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.�

Our worthy walk here will lead to our walking with the Worthy One hereafter. According to the Lord of the Lamps only a few people in Sardis were walking with Him in a worthy manner.

Are you?

88 Chapter 13

Walking by Faith Romans 4:12 “…walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had.”

2 Corinthians 5:7 “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”

Faith is not “A leap in the dark” – it is a step in the light! Paul, speaking of Christians collectively, said “we walk by faith, not by sight.” The “faith walk” and the “sight walk” are two different principles. Those who do not understand the faith principle interpret faith as “a leap in the dark.” However, as 2 Corinthians 5:7 states, “we walk by faith” - not a leap in the dark, and our “walking” is not by “sight” but by “faith.” What we are talking about are the two different ways of knowing, two different spheres: faith and reason.

"Reason" covers what we can know by experience and logic alone. For example, from reason we can know that there is a God for “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.” (Psalm 19:1) “God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.” (Romans 1:19-20) This truth about God is available to anyone through experience and logic, apart from any special revelation from God. (Although we could argue that creation is a special revelation of God!) "Faith" covers what we can know by God's special revelations to us which come through His written Word. For example, by faith we can know that God came into the world through Jesus Christ and that God is triune - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - these truths about God cannot be known by reason alone. One is principle is faithless sight; the other principle is sightless faith.

Let us begin by making sure we understand what biblical faith is not as well as what it is.

BIBLICAL FAITH 1. What biblical faith is not: • Faith is not Hope.

In 1 Corinthians 13:13, faith and hope are listed together: “And now abide faith, hope, love….” Faith is different from hope.

• Faith is not wishing or imagination.

Faith is not something produced by human emotions. We cannot work ourselves up into a frenzy of excitement and thereby produce faith.

• Faith is not a feeling. To say, “I feel this is right, therefore, I will believe it” is not faith.

• Faith is not a “leap in the dark.” Faith is based upon facts, God’s truth-facts.

2. What biblical faith is:

89 • •

• •

• • • •

Faith is believing; “believe” and “faith” come from the same root word; Faith is based upon God-facts – the facts God has stated in His Word. Unless our faith is established on God-facts, it is no more than conjecture, superstition, speculation or presumption; Faith is reliance upon the God known to be trustworthy; Faith is having the holy audacity to walk upon the water of God’s Word – taking God at His Word and acting upon it. It is not a “leap in the dark” but a walk in the light of God’s promises; Faith is believing God, Whom we do not see, for what we do not see which He has promised; Faith is “seeing” with our spiritual eyesight, what we believe, based solely upon what God has said; Faith is like a bird that feels dawn breaking and sings while it is still dark; Faith is an optic of the soul that enables us to see beyond what the eyes can see; Faith is enjoying in the present what is a future reality.

Philip Yancey writes in his book, Finding God In Unexpected Places: “I have learned that faith means trusting in advance what will only make sense in reverse.” J. Oswald Sanders sums it up as follows: “Faith enables the believing soul to treat the future as present and the invisible as seen.”

How Is Faith Acquired?

In order to “walk by faith” one must have faith. Does everyone have Bible faith? Not everyone has “the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ” (James 2:1). In Deuteronomy 32:20 is this statement: “Children in whom is no faith. In Mark 4:40 Jesus asked, “How is it that you have no faith?”

How do we determine whether we have authentic biblical faith or not? The object of one’s faith determines whether it is authentic Bible faith or not. In Mark 11:22 Jesus said, “Have faith in God.” Faith in an idol, a false religion, one’s own goodness etc., regardless of how sincere, is not Bible faith. Is God the focus of our faith? Having the right quality of faith is essential to our salvation and spiritual progress.

Jesus Christ is The Author of Faith Hebrews 12:2 says: "Let us fix our eyes upon Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith..."

In what sense is He our faith source? The Greek word “archeegon” is translated "author" in Hebrews 12:2 and means “the beginner, source, or cause of anything.” The phrase "the beginner of faith," or “the leader of faith,” would express the idea.

The Message About Christ Engenders Faith Faith is based upon God’s Word. Paul calls God’s Word “the word of faith which we preach” in Romans 10:8. And he proceeds to show how faith is produced: “For whoever will call on the name of the lord will be saved. How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent?” And, continuing in v.17 he

90 writes, “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” (Romans 10:13-15 & 17) The “word about Christ” is the message of the Gospel. When the “word about Christ” is heard it generates faith, which the hearer in turn reposes in the object of faith, the Lord Jesus Christ. This is why Christians are called “believers.” Bible faith then, does not originate with us, but with God.

TWO TYPES OF WALKERS Faithless Walkers “not everyone has faith” (2 Thessalonians 3:2) According to the Scriptures, faithless walkers are: “dead in transgressions and sins”; they follow “the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient ….. gratifying the cravings of the flesh and following its desires and thoughts” and are “by nature deserving of wrath.” (Ephesians 2:1-3) They are further described in Paul’s Galatian letter as follows: “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:19-21) All faithless walkers may not indulge in all of the deeds of faithlessness listed in the above Scriptures, but these Scriptures give one the idea of how most who are without faith think and live. One either lives according to the desires of the “flesh” or the directives of “faith.” The faithless live as if there were nothing which is unseen; they live for time alone with little, if any thought, for eternity.

Faith Walkers “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”

Those who walk by faith: • • • • •

Realize that they are accountable to God; Have a relationship with Jesus Christ as their Savior-Shepherd; Have a firm conviction of the reality of heaven; Know that that there is a reward at the end of life for living a life of faith; Believe and operate on the basis of the promises of God.

Therefore, the Faith Walker sees the invisible, touches the intangible and hears the inaudible!

“We do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

(2 Corinthians 4:18)

91 One of the great examples of one who walked by faith was Abraham. We read in the book of Hebrews: “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.”

(Hebrews 11:8) Abraham teaches us several basics regarding the faith walk. He demonstrated: Faith’s obedience – “By faith Abraham obeyed….” (Hebrews 11:8) Faith’s reliance – “And he went out, not knowing where he was going.” (Hebrews 11:8) Faith’s continuance – “By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob.” (Hebrews 11:9) Faith’s patience – “He was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” (Hebrews 11:10) Faith’s sustenance - based on God’s promise: “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:2-3) Faith feeds on the promises of God! In Hebrews chapter 11, the “Hall Of Faith,” we read the words “by faith” 18 times. Those heroes “walked by faith, not by sight”!

What it Means to Walk by Faith 1. To walk by faith is belief in the existence of unseen realities.

To use Abraham as an example once again, “He was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” He saw a city out of sight! His confidence, hope and expectation was based upon the promises of God. That is not foolishness, that is faith!

2. To walk by faith is to climb upward on the promises of God. It is stepping from one promise of God to the next. We stand on the promises of God for assurance and we step on the promises of God for advancement. One is location, the other locomotion! We claim, climb and cling to the promises of God. 3. To walk by faith is to not give up when bad things happen to God’s people!

The Faith Walker is firmly and irrevocably committed to the truth that “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28) When the going gets rough, the Faith Walker keeps walking!

4. To walk by faith is to live in expectation of things that are yet to come.

What God promises is as real as if we were experiencing it right here in the present.

Jesus said, "In My Father's house are many dwelling places.” (John 14:2) The Faith Walker has the deep-seated assurance that what Jesus said is true and he walks confidently into the future, “looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.”

92 Summarizing The “Faith Walk” Faith is never passive. Faith is worthy of the name only when it erupts into action. A faith that does not lead to action is called a “dead faith” (James 2:17, 26). Faith and progress go together. Walking by faith, like walking up the stairs, is taking one step at a time. God doesn’t ask us to take a flying leap of faith but to take a step of faith. The walk of faith begins with a single step of faith by receiving the Lord Jesus as our Savior from sin. Then we keep walking in obedience. This is the faith walk: “we walk by faith, not by sight.”

(2 Corinthians 5:7) Reason says, “I will believe when I can see.” Faith says, “I believe and therefore I see.”

Again, faith is not a leap into the dark but a step in the light – the light of the truth of God! The Faith Walk can be summarized as follows: 1. The “faith walk” is a walk with an unseen Partner.

What does 1 Peter 1:8 say? “…whom having not seen you love. Though now you do Him….” We do not see Him with physical eyes but He is present every step of the way.

We may not see Him but we have His word that "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5).

There is great comfort in knowing that the Ever Present One is walking: (a) Before us.

“He leads me beside the still waters….. He leads me in the paths of righteousness….”

(Psalm 23:2-3) (b) Beside us.

Moses’ final counsel to Israel was, "Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you." (Deuteronomy 31:6) What He did for Israel He does for us. (c) Behind us. “….goodness and mercy shall follow me….” (Psalm 23:6) God never leaves us. He is present to provide divine goodness and providential mercies. “Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it’" (Isaiah 30:21).

2. The “faith walk” is a walk on an unseen path.

Jesus said there is a “broad way” and a “narrow way” (Matthew 7:13,14). These paths do not appear on any earthly map but they are as real as if we could actually see them with our physical eyes. Proverbs 15:24 says “The path of life leads upward for the wise…..”

While we do not visualize this path, persons of faith utilize it!

On one of my ministry trips to Bangladesh, I went on a wild boar hunting expedition at night with a missionary friend, accompanied by two Bengali guides. The wild boar feed on young rice roots and so they are usually found in or around the rice paddies.

93 A rice paddy is a checkerboard affair created by building up a dirt embankment around the area to be flooded by water. An area of several acres would have many separate pools separated by earthen berms. To walk from one side of the rice paddy to the other, one walks upon the dirt dividers, which are usually from two to three feet in height. In order to cross the paddy one must zigzag many time while being careful not to fall into the swamp-like water, which not only has rice growing in it, but various creatures moving around in the murky water, including snakes. Therefore, it is the better part of wisdom to keep atop the soil embankment!

At certain times of the year in Bangladesh, the moon is very bright and one can see without a flashlight. On this particular night we were making our way across a very large rice paddy, walking about ten feet apart. I was following my guide and could see quite well in the semi-darkness. I was rather enjoying the adventure of crossing a rice paddy surrounded by dense jungle at night. However, a cloud suddenly moved over the face of the moon and there was no moonlight at midnight!

There I was in total darkness. My missionary friend and his guide, along with my guide, kept walking because the missionary’s guide, who was in front of the procession, could dimly see to walk on the narrow dykes which were about twelve to fourteen inches wide.

We had agreed to remain silent so as not to scare away any wild boar that might be in or around the paddies.

Bringing up the rear, I could see nothing! Therefore, like any city-living American not accustomed to walking across rice paddies in total darkness, I stopped and stood quite still lest I make a false step and tumbled into the infested waters. I stood there for several minutes before I realized that the three men ahead of me had kept walking and I was all alone in the middle of a vermin infested rice paddy. What do you do when you do not know what to do?

The men ahead of me reached the other side of the rice paddy and discovered that they had lost me. My guide, who had sharp eyes even in the darkness, came back looking for me. I could not see him but he later said that he faintly saw me. As I stood there trying to decide whether to get down on my hands and knees and crawl the remaining distance, a hand touched me! I almost jumped into the water! Silently the hand moved about until it found one of my hands and taking my hand he put it on his shoulder and began to walk. I followed.

Here is the picture: my guide had found me, put my hand on his shoulder, tugged and began slowly walking. I just trusted him and enjoyed the walk that night, not seeing my feet, not knowing what lay ahead and finally we arrived safe, sound and dry, on the other side. After a few laughs we moved on.

As I continued walking the Lord seemed to say to me, “Son, that’s the way is with you and Me. When you walk by faith you do not need to see every step of the way. I am The Way. I am your Shepherd and all you have to do is keep your hand in mine and I will get you safely to the other side! I learned much that night about walking by faith.

3. The “faith walk” is a walk to an unseen place.

94 Jesus said, “In my Father’s house are many dwelling places….” and “I go to prepare a place for you.” (John 14:2) We have not seen heaven yet but it is real and will be realized in time. Walking by faith has reference to the fact that the Christian’s lifespan is like a journey through this world to the heavenly country. The Christian’s life is spent walking that journey one day and one step at a time. Every step is a step nearer home. We do not know what lies ahead of us the next minute, day or year.

Therefore, we are “faithing” our way along step by step. We have the assurance that the Lord is our Shepherd; He leads us beside still waters; He leads us in paths of righteousness to the Father’s House. “No Faith” says, “I cannot go!”; “Little Faith” says, “I cannot see my way clear to go”; “Great Faith” says, “I walk with the King, Hallelujah!”

The Faith Walk issues in a life of faith wherever we are. This is beautifully illustrated in the life of the missionary Hudson Taylor. When Hudson Taylor, the famous missionary, first went to China, it was in a sailing vessel. Very close to the shore of cannibal islands the ship was caught in a windless calm, and was slowly drifting toward the shore and the savages were eagerly anticipating a feast.

The Captain came to Mr. Taylor and asked him to pray for the help of God. “I will,” said Taylor, “provided you set your sails to catch the breeze.” The Captain declined to make himself a laughing stock by unfurling the sails in a dead calm. Taylor said, “I will not undertake to pray for the vessel unless you will prepare the sails to catch the wind when God sends it.’ The captain set the sails.

While Taylor was engaged in prayer, there was a knock at the door of his stateroom “Who is there?” Taylor asked. The Captain’s voice responded, “Are your still praying for wind?” “Yes,” replied Hudson Taylor. “Well,” said the captain “you better stop praying for we have more wind than we can manage.” (Encyclopedia of 7,700 Illustrations.)

Hudson Taylor predicated his confidence in God answering his prayer upon such promises as: “Ask and you shall receive” (John 16:24) and “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” (I John 5:14-15) The “Faith Walk” is based upon the promises of God. Therefore, in order to walk by faith we must appreciate the promises, appropriate the promises and apply the promises in our daily lives. This is the way the walk of faith is experienced!

95 Chapter 14

The Holy Spirit Walk “Walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16) “Led by the Spirit” (Galatians 5:18) “Live in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25) The word "walk" is used often in the Scriptures in the sense of "conduct" or "manner of living."

“Walking” is a metaphor that communicates to us that we go through life stepping one step at a time. We began physical life as infants and crawled before we walked and walked before we ran. These stages of growth are natural in the physical realm. Likewise, they are true in the realm of the spiritual as well.

The first thing necessary for one to walk is to have life. A physically dead person does not walk. Neither do those who are spiritually dead. Without life there is no walking. The Holy Spirit is called “the Spirit of life” in Romans 8:2 and the Apostle Paul continued by saying, “Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” (Romans 8:9) God imparts spiritual life to the believing sinner. Jesus said to Nicodemus, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (John 3:6) Therefore, those who receive the life of the Spirit should “walk in the Spirit.”

Walking implies progress. Spiritual progress is impossible apart from the enablement of the Holy Spirit. Take “Christ” out of “Christian” or “Spirit” out of “spiritual” and you have destroyed the biblical meaning of both words.

William Hendriksen, writes, “If the source of our life is the Spirit, the Spirit must also be allowed to direct our steps, so that we make progress, advancing step by step toward the goal of perfect consecration to the Lord.”

There are many New Testament scriptures that teach us about the Holy Spirit. In Galatians chapter 5, there are three statements about the Holy Spirit that give us particular guidance about walking in the Spirit. They are: • • •

“Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” Gal. 5:16 “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” Gal. 5:18 “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” Gal. 5:25

Let us investigate “The Holy Spirit Walk” as follows:

WHEN WE “WALK IN THE SPIRIT” WE WILL BE GUARDED “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16) Walking in the Spirit guards us from catering to fleshly desires. There are seventeen sins of the flesh listed in Galatians 5:19-21 as follows: “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders,

96 drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” The list is by no means all-inclusive. However, the list is enough to convey to the sensitive follower of Christ the knowledge that we need the Holy Spirit’s help to overcome the sinful human nature. Therefore, when we “walk in the Spirit” we are guarded against sinful lusts.

Following the listing of some of the sins that characterize those who do not “walk in the Spirit,” Paul lists some of the evidences of those who do “walk in the Spirit.” He continues: ”But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” (Galatians 5:22-24) What a difference there is between the persons who live to satisfy themselves and those who live to satisfy the higher and holier desires of the Holy Spirit! It is no wonder that we are to “Be filled with the Spirit.” (Ephesians 5:18) Paul wrote to the Roman believers that Christ “condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.” (Romans 8:35) We have a Guard inside the citadel of the soul Who guards us against sins of the flesh when we yield to Him and walk in His power. Therefore, “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”

WHEN WE ARE “LED BY THE SPIRIT” WE WILL BE GUIDED “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” (Galatians 5:18) Paul writes to the Galatians saying, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.” (Galatians 5:1) They were being tempted to turn back to the Mosaic Law as a way of living. The Law is an external force; the Holy Spirit is an internal force. Guidance comes from the Guide Who resides within the believer!

How does the Holy Spirit guide us? He guides us through the Book that He has authored, the Word of God. It is within His written revelation that He makes known the will of God. It is a “Lamp to our feet and a light to our pathway.” (Psalm 119:105) J. Oswald Sanders states: “A walk in the Spirit will of necessity be a walk in accordance with the Word the Spirit has inspired.” (Enjoying Intimacy With God) The Holy Spirit will not lead us contrary to what the Word of God teaches us. We have the assurance that "When He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth.” (John 16:13) We may not know where we are going like Abraham, of whom it was said, “He went out, not knowing where he was going.” (Hebrews11:8) We may not see the road ahead of us.

97 However, when we are led by the Spirit, we know that He will lead us aright. The life of faith is trusting God in the midst of misery and sometimes mystery!

David testifies “He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” (Psalm 23:3) Therefore, we will not fear, for He is ever with us (Psalm 23:4) and will never leave us to face our perils alone. The mature child of God who is actively engaged in Life’s Greatest Adventure, is “led by the Spirit.”

WHEN WE “LIVE IN THE SPIRIT” WE WILL BE GIRDED “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:25) Webster’s Dictionary clarifies what I mean by using the word “girded” as follows: “To equip, furnish; to endow with some attribute; to prepare oneself for action.”

To “live in the Spirit” the Spirit must live in us. Be "filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18) is a command, not a suggestion! It is a command to yield to the Spirit Who resides in us. To live in the Spirit is to live a life under-girded by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. This empowerment is not solely for our enjoyment but for our employment as well! It is for equipping us for living victoriously and serving effectively.

It is more than interesting to read the following: “Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee.” (Luke 4:14) It is wonderful to know that the same Holy Spirit, Who strengthened the Lord Jesus, strengthens us! In fact, Jesus made this promise: “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) What does it mean to “live in the Spirit”? It means to surrender your life each day to the control of the Holy Spirit. Start the morning by getting alone with Jesus. Read His Word and offer him your grateful worship. Ask him to show you anything wrong in your life, and confess it. Claim His forgiveness. (1 John1:9) Ask His Spirit to take control of your life and day. Then step out in faith to conduct the business of life by His enablement.

C.S. Lewis commented: "The real problem of the Christian life comes where people do not usually look for it. It comes the very moment you wake up each morning. All your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists simply in shoving them all back; in listening to that Other voice, taking that Other point of view, letting that Other larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in. And so on, all day.”

Astronaut James Erwin is one the few men to walk on the moon. As he stood upon the lunar landscape and looked up at the earth, he said he prayed. He thought about the strife among nations, poverty, hunger, and rampant evil; and he thought to himself: "More important than man walking on the moon is that God should walk on earth." God does walk on the earth in His people. Mature children of God give evidence of His presence within them as they “walk in the Spirit.”

A mature Christian walks in the Spirit. That is, walks in the wisdom and strength of the Holy Spirit in contrast to walking in human wisdom and strength. In the Galatian passage in which the three above phrases occur, Paul is addressing the tension between human nature and

98 the divine nature; between living a self-centered life and living a Spirit-centered life; between a self-controlled life and a Spirit-controlled life.

In order to enable us to live a life of victory, we are indwelled by the Divine Dynamic Himself, the Holy Spirit Who is called our Helper. (John 14:16 NKJV) Therefore, we are exhorted and expected to live lives that are reflective of this relationship.

Living under the guarding, guiding and girding influences of the Spirit is a mark of a Christian who is walking with God. If we are to “walk in the Spirit” we must be “led by the Spirit; if we are to be “led by the Spirit” we must “live in the Spirit.”

99 Chapter 15

The Wisdom Walk Ephesians 5:15 “Be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise.”

Colossians 4:5 “Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.”

The sign in front of the school read: “Be street smart! WALK WISELY when you walk to school or to visit a friend. Be safe. Only cross at the corner and always use the crosswalk!”

That’s good advice for all ages.

“Wise up!” Did you ever hear someone say that? Well, I suppose to some extent, we all need to “wise up” since no human has all wisdom. All of us need to go to the Source of all wisdom if we are to be truly wise. Of course, God is the Source of wisdom for He alone is All-Wise.

Paul exclaimed, “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!” (Romans 11:33) Walter C. Smith wrote the words to the hymn “Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise.” The words of verse one are: “Immortal, invisible, God only wise, In light inaccessible hid from our eyes, Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days, Almighty, victorious, Thy great Name we praise.”

Solomon, the wise human of ancient times and author of the Book of Proverbs, wrote “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” (Proverbs 9:10) I will assume, in discussing “The Wisdom Walk,” that I am communicating with those who are wise enough to fear God. Otherwise, why would you be reading about this subject? May the Lord bless you and may each of us develop a closer walk with our All-Wise heavenly Father!

Let us begin by identifying what wisdom is, for not all share the same understanding of the word “wisdom.” What is wisdom?

THE IDENTIFICATION OF WISDOM The general public makes the mistake of assuming that wisdom is the product of formal education. Popular opinion seems to be that wisdom is taught in universities or other institutions of higher education. This has been called the Information Age with more facts than we can mentally digest at our finger tips. With computers one can access just about any information that is desired with the click of a computer “mouse.” But is wisdom taught in a classroom and does the gathering of information equal wisdom?

Thomas Jefferson said, “The possession of facts is knowledge, the use of them is wisdom."

A now deceased modern-era prophet, Vance Havner, agreed: “If you lack knowledge, go to school. If you lack wisdom, get on your knees! Knowledge is not wisdom. Wisdom is the proper use of knowledge.”

100 Charles H. Spurgeon, famous British pastor and author wrote, “To know is not to be wise.

Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom.”

“Wisdom is the God-given ability to see life with rare objectivity and to handle life with rare stability.” (Charles R. Swindoll) The philosopher Immanuel Kant wrote: “Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is an organized life.”

Never mistake knowledge for wisdom. One helps you make a living; the other helps you make a life. Wisdom is indeed more than intelligence. Spiritual wisdom is the integration of heavenly knowledge in all areas of life.

In his Epistle, James reminds us that “the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.” (James 3:17) We who are committed to Jesus Christ want to live a life that reflects the wisdom that comes from above.

Walking in wisdom is living a life that represents the Source of true wisdom. That brings us to consider the importance of wisdom in a practical sense.

THE IMPORTANCE OF WISDOM Having defined wisdom sufficiently to have a working knowledge of what it means, let us peruse the Scriptures in order to get a sense, from God’s perspective, of the importance of being wise walkers as followers of Jesus Christ Who is the embodiment of “the wisdom of God.” (I Corinthians 1:24) Here are some of the “wisdom verses” in the Bible: Wisdom is a godly virtue Proverbs 4:7 “Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom.” (NIV) “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom.” (NKJV) “Getting wisdom is the most important thing you can do!” (TLB) Wisdom is of great value Job 28:18-19 “The acquisition of wisdom is above that of pearls. The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, nor can it be valued in pure gold.” (NASB) Proverbs 8:11-12 "Wisdom is better than jewels; and all desirable things cannot compare with her. (NASB) Wisdom wins grand victories Ecclesiastes 9:14-18

101 “There was a little city with few men in it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great snares around it. Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that same poor man. Then I said: "Wisdom is better than strength. Nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard. Words of the wise, spoken quietly, should be heard rather than the shout of a ruler of fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war…..” (NKJV) Before we go any farther in exploring the “Wisdom Walk” let us settle on the following: •

• • • •

The wise persons, from God’s perspective, are those who are in a right relationship with Him, through a personal saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; God is the Source of true wisdom which we are admonished to acquire; This wisdom increases in the measure that we “grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ” (I Peter 3:18); This wisdom is demonstrated in the walk, that is, the manner of life, one lives; Wisdom is virtuous, valuable and enables us to win great victories.

Now, to repeat the verses that I excerpted at the opening of this chapter: “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15-16) “Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.” (Colossians 4:5) These instructions, in both Ephesians and Colossians, emphasize walking as wise persons.

Let us now look at the context of these verses which will give us much information about the wise walker.

THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR A WISE WALKER Ephesians 5:15 says, “Walk carefully” – (“circumspectly” in some translations); Colossians 4:5 says, “Walk in wisdom.” Both scriptures are clearly instructive. Let us focus on the application suggested by these two statements. They include: Walking Carefully When we walk in wisdom we are not walking as fools. Someone, somewhere is watching the way you walk, not just your physical, but your spiritual walk, your dedication to the Lord.

Therefore, “Walk carefully, not as fools, but as wise.”

The topography of life is uneven and sometimes perilous. There are mountains and valleys, straight roads and crooked, even and uneven paths, some safe and some slippery.

Therefore, one must walk with care. Careless walkers are not wise walkers.

Walking Conscientiously

102 The manner of our walk will be demonstrated by how we use our time. Notice that Ephesians 5:16a says, “Redeeming the time,” that is “buy up each opportunity.” God gives to each of us a certain allotment of time. Be conscientious about how you use time. Be good managers of time for you cannot kill time without injuring eternity!

Walking Consistently We are the Lord’s lighthouses. The light must not flicker or else our testimony will suffer.

Ephesians 5:16b explains why there must be consistency to our walk: “because the days are evil.” All days throughout the ages have had an element of evil about them. What the writer is impressing upon his readers is that the days are becoming increasingly evil. Evil is darkness – these are dark days. Inconsistent incandescence brings reproach upon the Lord and His work.

Wisdom that God imparts discriminates between good and evil. The wise will be alert to the atmosphere of evil, the subtleties of Satan and the frailties of the flesh and will maintain a vigilant and consistent walk with the Lord.

Walking Comprehendingly Ephesians 5:17 states, “Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” If we are to walk carefully, conscientiously and consistently we must comprehend what the will of the Lord is for us. When faced with the challenges of life, the dilemmas of daily living, the temptations that bombard us, we need to comprehend that which God wills for us in every situation. From our limited human perspective, it's impossible to know with certainty how to interpret the experiences of life. What often seems "bad" to us may in fact be very good. What we do know is that we can trust God in all of life's circumstances. In His wisdom He knows and does what is best for us. We must continually pray, “Lord, what will you have me to do?”

Walking in the will of God is absolutely essential if we are to walk wisely through this evil and ever darkening world. Such a manner of living is glaringly different from that of the average person and the outward evidence of such a walk will not go unnoticed.

Walking Conspicuously We are to let our light shine in such a way that others may see our good works and glorify our heavenly Father. (Matthew 5:16) That is, go public with your Christianity! A shining saint is not a secret saint. Christians are not hermits. One who is walking in wisdom will be conspicuous.

Possessing wisdom is only half of the equation. The other half is putting the instructions into practice. Wisdom is pro-active: “Wisdom has built her house.” (Proverbs 9:1) Evidences that wisdom is being put to profitable use are observable.

The above instructions are not to be taken lightly by children of God. We have heard it said repeatedly that, “A word to the wise is sufficient.” It should be sufficient, but many times wise words go unheeded. How often, as parents, have we given wise guidance to our children only to have them ignore our advice? Solomon reminds us that “The fear of the LORD is the

103 beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Prov. 1:7) and, “My son, pay attention to my wisdom.” (Prov. 5:1)

THE INDICATIONS THAT ONE IS A WISE WALKER There are several indications of a wise walker given to us in Ephesians 5:18-21 - “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God.” (NKJV) Note three marks of a wise walker in the Ephesians 5:18-21 passage: 1. The Mark Of Shared Joyfulness.

“And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord….” (Eph. 5:18-19) The emphasis in these verses is upon joy – singing psalms, hymns and other songs and making melody in one’s heart are marks of joy. Many Scriptures speak of expressing joy, among them are: • • • •

Psalm 32:11; 35:27 which speak of “shouting for joy”; Psalm 16:11 “fullness of joy”; Luke 2:10 “good tidings of great joy”; I Peter 1:8 “joy unspeakable.”

Paul Speaks of Two Sources of Joy. Joy should be a mark of a genuine Christian. However, the source of that joy indicates whether the one who is joyful has false joy or true joy. Therefore, the source of joy is what Paul is articulating. He writes of two sources of joy: a. The Source of False Joy. “…. do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation….” Alcohol is a substance that brings a false and temporary joyfulness. The devil is the great counterfeiter and alcohol is one of his substitutes for producing real joy. Those who are under the control of alcohol do things of which afterward they are ashamed. The devil is always engaged in replacing bad for good. b. True Joy. “be filled with the Spirit….” The Holy Spirit is a Person within Who controls as we yield to Him. When one is filled and controlled by the Spirit of God, there are no regrets afterward.

To be controlled by the Holy Spirit is to be under a holy influence; to be controlled by alcohol is to be controlled by an unholy influence.

We would not consider one to be wise who chose some external force, substance or power

104 as a substitute for genuine and lasting joy, when the Holy Spirit is the source of divine joy for the wise walker. All who are wise will follow the example of the early disciples of whom we read, “And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 13:52) Paul Speaks of Two Places For Joy to be Expressed. a. There is Public Joy. “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.” This is joy that we practice in public when we are with other persons – this is public joyfulness. b. There is Private Joy. The second aspect in this verse is what we practice in private - “singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” So, whether with others or alone, if we are wise we will be joyful, and joy, like sadness, is hard to hide!

A little girl came home from school and said to her mother, “Mom, I think I saw a Christian man down the street.” The Mother asked, “How do you know he was a Christian?” The daughter replied, “Oh, Mom, he must have been! He looked so sad.”

Years ago there was a chorus children were taught in Sunday School which had these words: “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart.” A disgruntled passerby heard the children singing one Sunday and exclaimed to no one in particular, “If you’ve got it down in your heart, get some of it up on your face!” Sad sacks are not good advertise-ments of heavenbound walkers.

2. The Mark Of Sincere Thankfulness. “…. always giving thanks for all things.”

If you are controlled by the Spirit of God, no matter what comes into your life, you can and should give thanks for all things. The truth in Romans 8:28 and 29 explains why: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son….”

In difficult situations we may be moved to ask, “What is God doing!?” The answer is, “He is conforming us to the image of His son.” What could be better, even if the process at the time is painful? Peter writes, “… you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.” (I Peter 1:6,7) Being thankful even through tears is a mark of the wise.

Another mark of wisdom in Ephesians 5 is: 3. The Mark Of Saintly Submissiveness. “…..and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.” (Eph. 5:21) We are talking here about Christians and marks of spiritual wisdom, which in turn are evidences of spiritual maturity. These marks run counter to the world’s philosophy. In this self-centered, “me first” society, the wisdom of the world would say, “Be self-sufficient; look out for number one; be self-assertive, be aggressive if you want to get ahead.” However, a

105 mark of the wise and mature saint is that they are “subject to one another.” Spiritual maturity is evident when concern for others outweighs concern for self.

Let’s wise up and walk!

I hope that your walk is a wise person’s walk for when you walk wisely your walk is marked by joyfulness, thankfulness and submissiveness, which proves that you possess “the wisdom that is from above.” (James 3:17) Again, the school sign said: “Be street smart! WALK WISELY…. “ And, so does God’s Word!

106 Chapter 16

Walking From Cairo to Jericho Exodus 14:15 "Tell the Israelites to move on."

A physical therapist wrote about walking as follows: "There is much more to walking than merely putting one foot in front of the other and becoming a pedestrian.” He says that in order to enjoy walking one must "master various gaits and paces in order to determine which one is more comfortable." He goes on to explain, "There are various types of walking steps such as, shuffling, strolling, plodding, shambling, sauntering, trudging, tramping, sidling and marching."

When God gave the signal for The Israelites to "move on,” to exit Egypt and start for the Promised Land, they did not stroll, shamble or shuffle - they marched! And some of them probably wanted to run. They were anxious to go to a better place. The beginning of the migration story is found in Exodus 13.

Walking from Cairo to Jericho was not an exercise undertaken for sheer pleasure. The Jewish journey to Jericho was the migration of a nation. They were captives set free; emancipated slaves going back to their ancient homeland. But they did not know the way and God had to lead them step by step.

We have heard it said, “You’ll never really know a person until you walk a mile in their shoes.”

Well, let us try to put ourselves in the shoes of the Israelites. Although we are not likely to walk from Cairo to Jericho, like the Israelites, we too, are on a journey, a pilgrimage, a holy hike, a walk through the desert of this world to a better place.

There are many lessons we can learn from the Israelite’s walk from Cairo to Jericho. How did God lead the people of Israel? He led them along:

A PROTRACTED PATH TO DEVELOP ENDURANCE "When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter...." (Exodus 13:17a) God will not lead His people into war until they are prepared to do battle. They must be trained first. These were former slaves who had never fought battles. These early days of walking were "basic training" days for them. In the future they will have many battles to fight, but not yet. They needed maturing, training, experience, patience and endurance.

The same is true for God's people today. There is a vast difference between "newborn babes" (I Peter 2:2) and “faithful men.” (II Timothy 2:2) Even their diet is different. The diet for the immature is “milk” (I Peter 2:2) and for the mature “meat” (Hebrews 5:13). To see a more marked contrast between the two, read I Corinthians 3:1-3 and Hebrews 5:11-14.

God led these recently freed slaves out of Egypt on a protracted path, a circuitous route designed to by-pass their enemies until they developed endurance. That’s how He leads us.

107 He does not put spiritual babes on the frontline of spiritual warfare nor does He put novices in positions for which they are not spiritually qualified. And neither should we! Growth in grace precedes going to war. Much harm has been done to the cause of Christ by “child” soldiers being pushed forward into spiritual battle prematurely. God not only led the Israelites along a Protracted Path To Develop Endurance but He led them on a Providential Path To Develop Assurance.

A PROVIDENTIAL PATH TO DEVELOP ASSURANCE "For God said, "If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt." (Exodus 13:17b) God knows how we humans think. He knows that we have the tendency to "return to Egypt" when the going gets rough. Therefore, in His wise providence, He led them along a path that avoided the enemy for the time being so that they would have the assurance that God had their welfare in mind.

He wanted them, and us, to trust His providence. We may not understand it but we need the assurance that “…. all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28) The truth in Romans 8:28 is one of the most assurance building statements in the Bible. We often quote the words when something that we consider unfavorable comes about in our lives. Why? Because the words remind us that God is on the throne, He is in control and even though we do not understand what is happening in our lives at the moment, nevertheless, the words assure us that the God who runs the universe is also running the universe of our individual lives.

God is a good Father and is “too good to be unkind and too wise to make mistakes.” Isaiah 40:11 tells us that "He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young."

The trails, trials and troubles we experience are under the umbrella of God's providential protection and are intended to develop in us the assurance that we are constantly under His watch care. Blessed assurance it is, to know that we are enveloped by Providence!

Furthermore, God led them along:

A PRIVATE PATH TO DEVELOP DEPENDENCE "So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea." (Exodus 13:18) The words, "The desert road" tell us much. These Israelites had lived off the land in Egypt.

Even though they had been slaves they had raised crops, cared for livestock etc. Now they are on the move and in a desert. They would have no crops. Their food supply would be not from the land but from the Lord - manna from heaven.

108 Sometimes God has to isolate us and get us into seclusion and solitude before we will depend upon Him and Him alone. The isolated times with God can develop our dependence upon Him. The psalm writer said, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” (Psalm 91:1-2) The interlude of solitude can lead to our certitude about God’s amplitude! As has so often been said, "It is better to walk with God in the dark than to walk in the light alone." It is the nature and inclination of humans to be independent of God. Unfortunately, our attitude is “Please! I’d rather do it myself!” But God is ever working on us and in us to bring us to the place of utter dependence upon Him. That is where “the desert road” comes in. We need to get alone with God if we are to get along with God! “Sometimes on the mount where the sun shines so bright, God leads His dear children along; Sometimes in the valley, in darkest of night, God leads His dear children along.”

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George A. Young

Whether on the mount or in the valley, in sunlight or darkness, God leads us in such a way as to deepen our dependence upon Him. And He is dependable! He has never lost a case, never made a mistake, never been late, never failed and has never has forgotten where we are, no, not for a single second!

Walking with God increases our endurance, assurance and dependence. But that is not all – He leads us in a Plain Path To Develop Our Confidence.

A PLAIN PATH TO DEVELOP CONFIDENCE "By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people." (Exodus 13:21-22) God did not want His people to stumble around and lose their way in the wilderness. Therefore, He made the path plain by day and by night. They knew when to step and when to stop.

He wanted them to have confidence in His Shepherdhood.

In Psalm 27:11 David prayed that the Lord would lead him in a "plain path" (KJV); "smooth path" (NKJV); "straight path" (NIV). We can be confident that whether the path is obscured, rough or crooked, “God leads His dear children along.”

Some will remember the chorus from bygone years: "My Lord knows the way through the wilderness and all I have to do is follow!" That’s the attitude of genuine confidence in the Shepherd. The walk from Cairo to Jericho also led the Israelites on a Perplexing Path to Develop Patience.

109 A Perplexing Path to Develop Patience "Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea.

They are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon. Pharaoh will think, 'The Israelites are wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert.' And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself Through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD.’ So the Israelites did this.” (Exodus 14:2-4) We are often perplexed about what God is asking us to do and by what God is allowing to happen in our lives. God's plan for our lives may not always make sense to us, but if we have developed endurance, assurance, dependence and confidence in God we will also have developed some degree of patience.

God led the Israelites into what, to human eyes, was an entrapment. The sea was before them, mountains on the right and the left, and unknown to them at the time, Pharaoh’s army coming up from behind them. In that place they were to pause in their escape. I am sure that there were many asking, “Why?” They were anxious to put Egypt behind them once and for all.

God often opens His hand one finger at a time. Recognizing, receiving and resting in His plan for our lives develops patience. James counsels us to “Let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (James 1:4) and Paul reminds us that “Tribulation produces patience.” (Romans 5:3) Therefore, since we do not always know what God is up to, let us "run with patience the race that is set before us" (Heb. 12:1) knowing that our Father has planned it all.

The Israelites were in a patience-producing predicament, weren’t they? But God did not park His people in a precarious place and abandon them. His plan was not only to deliver Israel but to defeat Pharaoh in the process. Let us step ahead and consider that God led them on a Perilous Path to Develop Obedience.

A PERILOUS PATH TO DEVELOP OBEDIENCE "The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still. Then the LORD said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground." (Exodus 14:14-16) Heaping walls of water piled high on the right and left created a chasm into which the Lord ordered the Israelites to walk. All the lessons that they have learned are now to be put to the supreme test: will they comply with God's directives and do that which to humans is not logical? Does obeying God ever put us in peril? Ask Daniel about his lion's den experience; ask the three Hebrews who were in the furnace of fire; ask David who was hunted and hounded by Saul; ask Paul who was in a ship wreck while doing what God told him to do. Yet Daniel was not devoured, the Hebrews were not destroyed, David was defeated and Paul was not drowned!

110 The will of God will never lead us where the grace of God cannot care for us. "I will never leave you nor forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5) Have we learned to follow obediently even when we do not understand?

The Israelites had not yet arrived but they were on their way. They passed through the sea, plodded through the wilderness, crossed Jordan and arrived at Jericho and the Land of Promise. What a walk from Cairo to Jericho!

We are on a parallel journey, not from Cairo to Jericho but from earth to heaven. Where, why, when and how God leads us is His business; our business is to follow. What could possibly be more rewarding than walking through life hand in hand with the Almighty God? It is Life’s Greatest Adventure - I would not miss it for anything! Are you walking with God? Are you growing as you are going?