The second guy who gave me a hard time was really passionate. Not about Jesus
living in him, but rather about what he knew about the Bible and all the work he
was doing to minister to some ladies in Pico Rivera. He was the type of
Christian who had no problem telling me about other people in his life who
needed prayer, including his wife. Like many Christians who are caught up in
works instead of resting in the Finished Work, he expressed dismay that more
people in his life were not as fervent as he was in sharing the gospel. Such
enthusiasm, one that creates divisions and hierarchies of "more active-less
active" are not motivated by a spirit of grace and truth, but rather by a
compulsion to seek out some standing from other people. After he had sat down
with me, even though I did not invite him, he proceeded to tell me about all
that he had been doing to share the Word with two Hispanic ladies, the ones
living in Pico Rivera.
He wanted to argue with me about some scriptures,
a discussion which at the time did not strike me as threatening or disturbing.
Before I could share my thoughts on something that we were talking about, he cut
me off and shushed me, "Time for prayer." He teared up briefly, thanking God for
saving his mother, then he took off.
I saw him, or rather he saw me again
a few weeks later. He began by chiding me about a comment that I had made from
the last time that we had spoken. I was not pleased that he would bring up a
point of contention, specifically because I could not recall at all what I had
said, but brothers in Christ have no reason to come out swinging about
differences of opinion in the Bible, anyway. We have fellowship because of the
righteousness that we have become in Christ.
Still, this man insisted on
sharing with me some of his particular insights in the Scripture, like Jesus was
crucified before the foundation of the World. I could testify affirmatively that
Jesus died on the Cross in the fullness of time (Galatians 4:4; Ephesians 1:
10), although I do recall the scripture that he was referring to:
"And
all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in
the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world."
(Revelation 13: 8)
Paul also expresses this truth:
"According as
he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be
holy and without blame before him in love:" (Ephesians 1: 4)
Here's the
verse that disputes the notion that Jesus was slain before the foundation of the
world:
"For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the
world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by
the sacrifice of himself." (Hebrews 9: 26)
But also, to assure that Jesus
was chosen to die for us, but was not slain for us, before the foundation of the
world
"Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world,
but was manifest in these last times for you," (1 Peter 1: 20)
The man
was in error on the matter. Then he argued with me that the Old Testament saints
were filled with the Spirit of God, as opposed to the Spirit of God merely
resting on them, and that He would come and go depending on the faithful
obedience of the servant or not.
He flew into a rage when I brought out
these scriptures, even discouraging me from looking up other passages to
substantiate what he had been sharing with me. When I say how dysfunction and
distant from the Truth of Jesus that the conversation was becoming, I simply
stopped him and said ,"Christ and Him Crucified, that's what matters. Christ and
Him Crucified."
That moment, I made sure that I would rest and remain in
the Person and the Work of Jesus. Many people who still have a heart based on
what they do for God as opposed to delighting in all that God has done and
continues to do for God, they will resist anything that diminished all that they
have done.
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