A Masterpiece

“Death is life’s defining moment. It is a point where the final touch is put on each person’s life’s portrait. The masterpiece is signed and the paint dries, never to be changed again. It is finished.” - Randy Alcorn in Deadline.

A Story:

“A slave and his master come to Bahgdad. Early one morning, in the marketplace, the slave sees Death in human form. Death gives him a threatening look, and the slave is terrified, convinced that death intends to take his life that very day. The slave runs to his Master and says, ‘Master, help me. I have seen Death and his threatening look tells me he intends to take my life today. I must escape him. Please let me leave now and flee on my camel so that by tonight I can reach Samara, where death cannot find me.’

His master agrees and the terrified servant is off to ride like the wind for the fifteen hour journey to Samara. A few hours later the master sees Death and asks him, ‘Why did you give my servant a threatening look today in the marketplace?’

‘That was not a threatening look,’ Death replies. ‘That was a look of surprise. You see, I was amazed to see your servant today in Bahgdad, for I have an appointment with him tonight in Samara.’

Death will come at its appointed time. There is nothing you can do to escape it. The only question when it comes will be this – are you prepared?” - Randy Alcorn in Deadline

The decisions we make and the actions we take in this life paint the Masterpiece of our life. The quality of that Masterpiece is determined by those decisions and actions. And the only paintings that will be worth anything after this life are those that are painted by the brush of Jesus Christ. We submit to Him and he paints His Masterpiece in our lives. We try it on our own, and the painting is garbage.

Death will come. Who is painting your Masterpiece?

Being a Non-Conformist

Romans 12:2: And 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.

So what does it mean to not "be conformed to this world?" Seems pretty important, since that is key to proving "the will of God..." - demonstrating "that which is good and acceptable and perfect."

Four Parts to this answer:

1) Part 1 is found in the verse right before this one - Romans 12:1. We are to daily present ourselves as "living sacrifices". We are to submit our will to His. The first step in not conforming to the world is that we conform to His will. Being a sacrifice means that we submit even in areas where we do not feel like it. We submit only because He calls us to. Sacrifice inherently implies that we give up what we want - otherwise it is not sacrifice. It means that our lives are not driven by our "feelings" - but by our commitment to Him - regardless of how we feel.

2) We recognize that we are aliens in this world. 1 Peter 2:11 says that "as aliens and strangers" we are "to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul." We are not to love the things of this world. Yes we are "free in Christ" - but that freedom is freedom from sin. We are still slaves - slaves to Christ. This world is not our home. So, we should always be careful to not abuse our "freedom in Christ" to justify making this world comfortable - to do anything that makes this world more "home-like". That is conforming to the world. Our lives should be marked by seperating from the world. Anything that betrays our true citizenship only puts us "undercover" - the antithesis of what Christ has called us to be. So, as we exercise freedom in making practical decisions, a driving question should always be - "does this decision more closely associate me with the world or with Christ?"

3) We exercise discipline. Somehow, many Christians today have decided that freedom in Christ means a freedom from discipline. But that is a foreign concept to the New Testament. Paul talks of "buffeting his body" with regard to discipline. There are 18 passages in the New Testament regarding how we are to discipline ourselves - or that God will discpline us. We are told to be discplined about study, doctrine, fasting, praying, giving, exercising spiritual gifts, refraining from certain activies, acting in others, use of judgement, etc. Many Christians will say, though, "What if I don't feel like doing something? Shouldn't I wait until my heart wants to first?" That's a lazy, unbiblical response. Jesus says that where our treasure is, there will our heart be also. We must put our treasure where we want our heart to be - before our heart is even necessarily there. That's what discpline is about. We do what God has called us to do. Because He's God. And we are not. Obdience is about volitional love. Not love based on what we "feel" - but love based on the fact that we decide to love and honor the Lord because we must - because of who He is - and that He has called us to love Him and honor Him as Lord. "Not being conformed to this world" requires a dicsipline to live and do as God calls - regardless of feeling. Conformity to the world is marked by a living by feelings.

4) Non-conformity to the world requires commitment to a local church. There is no such thing as a Christian outside of a local church in the New Testament. We are to not forsake the assembly of believers. Within the church we are to "stimulate one another to love and good deeds". We are to be as iron sharpens iron. The body of believers is to work toward pushing each individual towards being Christ-like. This likely means pain. But God uses that pain to sharpen us. But there is also joy, fellowship and love amongst believers that the world can never understand (Philippians 1). This pain, joy, love, etc. is all found within the local body through fellowship, service, and accountability - and draws us to our true citizenship, keeping us from conforming to this world.

Not conforming to this world is a conscious decision. We sacrifice our lives, we recognize we are aliens, we excercise discipline, and we subject ourselves to a local body of believers. God has so much for us beyond this life - why would we want to cling to this world anyway?

Fight!

Stolen from Randy Alcorn's Website for Eternal Perspectives Ministries (www.epm.org):

"The true Christian is called to be a soldier, and must behave as such from the day of his conversion to the day of his death. He is not meant to live a life of religious ease, [laziness], and security. He must never imagine for a moment that he can sleep and doze along the way to heaven, like one traveling in an easy carriage...If the Bible is the rule of his faith and practice, he will find his course laid down very plainly in this matter. He must 'fight.'"

- J. C. Ryle, Holiness

Crystal Clear

A scary trend among many Christians today - even "evangelicals" - is the idea that Scripture is not necessarily clear. The philosophy promoted by many usually says one of the following ideas:

1) God's Word may be interpreted in multiple legitimate ways; or
2) God has left His Word intentionally unclear for His purposes (i.e. discussion of unclear direction from God causes Christians to learn to practice grace between differing perspectives and to muzzle our pride by keeping us from thinking that we, as people, could have the audacity to actually interpret God's Word with conviction and finality.)

Both of these perspectives are unbiblical and lead us down a road that invites a diminution of our view of Scripture. Consider the following:

1) "....no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God." (2 Peter 1:20-21)

Scripture is not open to multiple interpretations. It is actually God speaking - with a specific intention as to the message He wants to convey. It's not open for men to interpret how they see fit. God has a specific meaning when He speaks.

2) Consider 2 Timothy 3:16-17 --> "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work."

Scripture is not only inspired but is sufficient to present every man adequate and equipped for every good work. In order for this to be true, Scripture must be understandable. God has a message for us. God gives specific standards. God gives direction. He means what He says - and it is eminently possible for us to understand it. Granted, there are certain passages (although relatively rare in the scope of all scripture) that maybe we are not supposed to be able to fully understand. However, such passages are not with regard to content specific to how we are saved, how we should live, how the church is to function, etc. In other words, scripture relating to how we are to be adequate, equipped for every good work should be understandable. Sometimes proper understanding requires work through context, grammar, language, history, and culture - but work does not negate understandability.

We must always hold scripture with the highest view. It's our bread - let's not allow it to be de-valued.