About Love and Fruit - Andrea Kioulachoglou

When asked, I found it difficult to say what love actually is. It was much easier for me to describe love.

God is love and He cannot be seen. But we know of His existence. The invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made (Romans 1:20). It is therefore possible to see God’s love when we look around us, the flowers, the plants and the trees that He created in all their diversity. We find them all over the world, they provide food for us, we can build houses of wood, we can enjoy them and we can just marvel about them as we observe the changes in the seasons. And we haven’t even mentioned any of the animals that God created.

The film “Love actually“ shows in different episodes relationships between people and the kind of love they experience for one another. It’s about the way they treat each other because they love.

So, how does it manifest when I love someone? I am happy to see the other, to be with him, gladly do him a favor, tell him nice things, get him a present and rejoice when he rejoices.

God is love. What did He do to show His love to us? The Bible tells us in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

The outstanding fact in this verse is for me that God loved the people so much that He gave. We, you and me, were lost. God wanted to rescue us because we would have been eternally lost otherwise. Likewise it is with our relationships towards other people:

It’s not about us, it’s about the other one. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12 that we should know that God gives His children of His Spirit, that it is possible and vital to manifest this gift in every day life. He continues to say in 1 Corinthians 13:1 that if I speak in the tongues of angels but don’t love, I am nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate.

I don’t know about you, but at least for me this seems rather challenging. In 1 Corinthians 13 Paul lays out the excellent way, the best way of all, for exercising the gifts of the Spirit. The gist of it is: Let’s do it with God’s love. The necessity and importance of it is that we all need love.

The good thing is that Paul didn’t leave the Corinthians alone, letting them figure out what he could have meant by that and then doing it their way. They had already been living their “Christian” lives their way and Paul was not pleased at all with the result. Paul understood that the Corinthians needed to grow in expressing their love in caring for the body of Christ. That’s why he gave them a description of love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.

The nine characteristics of love we find are: patience, kindness, generosity, humility, courtesy, unselfishness, good temper, guilelessness, and sincerity. These nine characteristics or expressions of love communicate love of one human being to another regardless of background. No one will naturally express his love in all these ways, of course. Some people are patient and kind by nature, but they lack humility. We all need God’s help to love His way. The good thing is that He already did His part to help us by shedding His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, which is given unto us (Romans 5:5). This kind of love is not limited in any way. So we can give it away freely and abundantly without fearing to run out of it.

Very often the Bible relates to Christians as to trees. We find an example for this in Psalm 1:1-3:

“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”

I would love to be like a tree planted by the river that gives fruit. I was always wondering how to bring forth fruit in my life. For much of my life I focused on the gifts of the Spirit rather than the fruit. When you plant a tree, eventually fruit is expected. And you know what kind of fruit to expect when you plant a cherry tree. God sowed Christ and He reaps Christians.

God says in His Word that everything should bring forth fruit after its kind (Genesis 1:11). So what did God sow into us? Let the following verses speak to you:

Matthew 13:23 (the parable of the sower and the seed):
”But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

Ephesians 1:13
“In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise”

1 Peter 1:23
“Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.”

John 15:8
“Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.”

No doubt God wants us to be fruitful. In the Gospel of John we find that chapter 15 is all about how we can actually be fruitful. The main thing is to have an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ because He is the vine and we are the branches. THEN we will bring fruit.

Let me summarize what you read in this article so far: God loves us. He showed His love towards us by giving His Son. Love is about how we treat someone. It’s not about us, but about the others. The apostle Paul outlines the best way how to exercise Spiritual gifts – with God’s love. This way seems impossible but it is possible because God poured His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit so that we have a source for His love; from God through us to others. God wants us to have a fruitful life. Jesus Christ is the Vine, we are the branches. When we stay connected with Him we will bring forth fruit.

Now that we learnt all that, what kind of fruit should we expect? God’s Word clearly states the answer for us in Galatians 5:22-23:

Galatians 5:22-23 
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. ”

I was almost shocked to see how this passage about the fruit of the Spirit corresponds to the characteristics of love.

I encourage you to write down the nine characteristics of love that we saw in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 next to the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. Prayerfully review them, examine your love and allow God to show you where you can improve to grow more and more in His love.

Remember that

- The Law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ (John 1:17).

- Loving God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and to love your neighbor as yourself is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices (Mark 12:33).

Andrea Kioulachoglou

About Friendship - Andrea Kioulachoglou

Do you have friends? Who are they? How did the friendships begin? What makes them your friends? What is friendship? Many questions that one can have when thinking about this vital subject. In this article I will try to answer some of those questions.

When you browse the Bible in your mind, who pops up first when you think of “a friend” or “friendship”? I first thought of God and Moses:

Exodus 33: 11a 
“And the Lord spoke unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.”

When I read this verse I was wondering how a friendship comes to pass. Every time you move to a new town/city/state or join another church you go through the same thing again – making friends. You see new people, observe what they do, how they speak, look for the things that you highly estimate in a friend then meet them to find out that they are maybe not even keen on going out for a coffee with you. How can this happen after you selected this person so carefully?

In the Bible, the only reference that I found for how friendship comes to pass is in 1 Samuel 18: 1:

“And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.”

When I look at the friendships in my life I must say that it was just that way – looking at the relationship after some time I realized that we had become friends. I had not chosen that friend, something was just there that I hadn’t found with all the others, a mutual liking.

I met my best friend Maria in a home fellowship, invited her for a breakfast the first evening for the following weekend and she said that she wouldn’t accept my invitation because on a weekend it would take her too much time to get to another city using public transport. I didn’t have a car either and thus suggested that she could come the day before which would be a weekday, and public transport would be more readily available. She agreed. When she came we had such a great time that she stayed for the whole weekend.

Before I had invited her for breakfast I didn’t even think of what kind of person she was, if she was up to my standards, if she was “spiritual” enough, if she was behaving all right, etc. I just invited her.

What is friendship, how does it manifest, what should a friend be like? My husband has a stunning answer to “What should a friend be like?” – “Friendly”. At first I was shocked with the simplicity of his answer. But I must say that this is really the gist of it.

The Bible gives a manifold answer to this question and I will put down the verses and let them speak for themselves:

Give of your own belongings

1 Samuel 18: 4
“And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.”

Trust, even in danger

1 Samuel 20: 1
“And David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? what is mine iniquity? and what is my sin before thy father, that he seeketh my life? ”

Be willing to help

1 Samuel 20: 4
“Then said Jonathan unto David, Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee.”

Love your friend as yourself

1 Samuel 20: 17
“And Jonathan caused David to swear again, because he loved him: for he loved him as he loved his own soul.”

Impart faith, point towards God

1 Samuel 23: 16, 18
“And Jonathan Saul's son arose, and went to David into the wood, and strengthened his hand in God. And they two made a covenant before the Lord: and David abode in the wood, and Jonathan went to his house.”

Show compassion in affliction

Job 6: 14a
“To him that is afflicted pity should be showed from his friend”

Love at all times

Proverbs 17:17
“A friend loveth at all times”

Be friendly and closer than a brother

Proverbs 18: 24
“A man that hath friends must show himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.”

Give good advice

Proverbs 27: 9
“Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel.”

Shape and be shaped

Proverbs 27:17
“Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.”

Can be a mirror

Proverbs 27: 19
“As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man.”

Help each other

Ecclesiastes 4: 9-10a
“Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow”

Help even if you don’t feel like it

Lucas 11: 8
“I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.”

In the Bible we find an outstanding personality, someone who goes to the extreme of friendship and even lays down his life:

John 15:13
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

Of course we know that it was our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ who laid down His life for us. He calls us His friends. What does this mean for us?

John 15: 14-15
“Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.”

This verse is the link between God speaking to Moses “face to face, as a man speaks to his friend” and Jesus Christ being our friend – speaking openly, being frank, friendly, trusting, devoted, committed, being closer than a brother, loving the friend even if it means to give the life.

James 2:23
“And the Scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called theFriend of God.”

God gave us a free will. It’s up to us who we are friends with:

James 4:4
“Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.”

We choose to spend time with God or not, speak with Him and listen or not. I shared the same flat with my best friend Maria for 6 ½ years until I got married. Our friendship rests upon a good foundation which cannot be shaken easily. Maria taught me that relationships are about love and forgiveness. Many things we learned while going through them rather than avoiding them. We chose to be friends no matter if each of us gets married because we realized that it is very difficult to keep up a friendship from a distance. God knows that too:

James 4: 8a
“Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.” Or as the The Message puts it, more “friendly”: “Say a quiet yes to God and he'll be there in no time.”

Abraham is also called a friend of God and it is written about him that he walked with God. He didn’t walk before Him or was miles behind Him but with Him and that made the difference.

My mom taught me to treat my friends the way that I wish they would treat me. I know that not every friendship is like the one of David and Jonathan or Andrea and Maria. But I encourage you and me to be a genuine (same inside as outside) friend without expecting anything back, loving unconditionally and forgiving one another, walking in the steps of our friend and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Andrea Kioulachoglou

And you will know that I am the Lord

I was recently reading some chapters from I Kings and two times I fell in the above phrase. Ahaab was king of Israel at that time and he was one of her worse. He was walking after the steps of Jeroboam and after the steps of his own wife, Jezebel, one of the most wicked women ever. God’s spokesman at that time was Elijah. Despite the state Israel was at the time, God didn’t stop making Himself known to His rebellious and following other gods people. To the contrary, in various ways He tried to draw their attention to Him… In fact not only that but to make them know that He is the Lord. And this is what impressed me from these chapters: the people of God for years had rebelled against Him… for years had abandoned him worshiping golden calves and other idols, and yet the Lord had not abandoned them. He wanted them to know that He is the Lord and not the idols they were worshiping.

The phrase “and you will know that I’m the Lord” occurs various times in the Bible. God used it when He moved His people out of Egypt. And He used it for the Egyptians. The Egyptians would know that He is the Lord. It is also used when the people of Israel were in the wilderness and they were murmuring, doubting him. God promised to them that they would know that He is the Lord. It is also used, very extensively in Ezekiel: there this phrase is used in connection to God’s judgment: they would know that He is the Lord through His judgment.

God makes himself known. He let man know that He is the Lord. He let His people know that He is the Lord and He changes not. And this He did to Israel in those two occasions of I Kings. Let’s see them.

I Kings 18

Elijah had told Ahaab that there would be no rain in the land but only through the word of his mouth (I Kings 17:1). Three years passed by and there was not a single drop anywhere in Israel. King Ahaab with Obadiah, a godly man that was the governor of his house, went out searching for food for the horses. It was at that time that Elijah came to Obadiah and asked him to go and tell the king to come and meet him. After some discussion between Elijah and Obadiah, Obadiah went and told the king:

I Kings 18:16-24 
“So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him: and Ahab went to meet Elijah. And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel? And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim. Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's table. So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel. And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? If the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word. Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men. Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.”

Elijah was specially commissioned by God to demonstrate God’s presence and power to His people who had forgotten Him. God wanted to show to His people who He is God. He wanted to turned them to Himself and for this He brought them altogether to see what He was going to do. The dryness had made His people suffer for three years. Imagine three years without rain. Water and food had become very scarce commodities. I’m sure under such conditions many hearts had softened and God wanted to bring them back, to tell them that He is the Lord. So all Israel and the false prophets of Baal came all together to this “test”. Who would see this demonstration and would doubt that Jehovah is God? The verses that follow tell us what happened:

I Kings 18:25-45
“And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under. And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made. And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked. And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them. And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded. And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down. And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name: And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed. And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood. And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time. And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water. And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.”

The people came to know that He is God. He is the Lord. God does wants us to know that He is the Lord. He wanted to show to the rebellious Israel that He is God and you can be sure: they knew. A great rain followed the above events, the first after three years.

Turning the above to us, God wants us to know that He is God. He is the Lord. When I became a Christian, the invitation of the Lord given in Matthew 7:7-11 was one of the passages I had and still have in heart:

Matthew 7:7-11
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?”

God wants to show you that He is the Lord. It is actually those who are far from Him, not those who are near that especially need to know this. Those who are close to him, they do know that He is the Lord. Elijah didn’t need a demonstration to know that He is Lord. However he also got one later in I Kings 19. He was with the Lord all day. But those people of Israel did need to know this. They were far from the Lord and they had forgotten Him. They needed to know that He is God and God made a special demonstration to them. The above verses of Matthew are for everybody. God will never cease to answer prayers and bless His people. He will never cease to be a Father to His children. But I would like, if you are far from him, if you are even not of his household, ask Him, give your needs to Him. Knock His door. God is a prayers answering God always and especially for those who are far from Him and want to approach Him, He wants to make known to them that He is God. He is going to answer to you in marvelous ways that will leave no doubt that He is the Lord. So approach him, seek Him and He will be found!

I Kings 20 The above miracle was not the only demonstration of God’s power, during those dark times of the northern kingdom of Israel. Chapter 20 contains two more times the phrase “and you shall know that I’m the Lord”. There we find Benaad the king of Syria coming against Israel. He came against Samaria with a lot of army and power. At that crisis time a prophet of God came to Ahaab. Verse 13 of I Kings tells us:

I Kings 20:13 
“And, behold, there came a prophet unto Ahab king of Israel, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou seen all this great multitude? behold, I will deliver it into thine hand this day; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD. ”

God would once again show to this King that HE IS THE LORD. The Syrians came with great power and with a numerous army. But as Romans 9:16 tells us it is not of the one that wills or the one that runs but of God that shows mercy. As also Psalms tell us:

Psalms 127:1 
“Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.”

The Lord is the final factor that determines a result. A great army came against Israel but God would use this to show to his people who HE is the Lord. Not their idols bur HE. As Paul said in another point:

II Corinthians 12:9 
“my [God’s] strength is made perfect in weakness”

When we have the power then we run and move and try to obtain, though again it is not of the one that wills or runs but of God that shows mercy. However in the weakness, when we can’t do much, HIS strength made PERFECT. So here are the Syrians, with a great army and great power. In the opposite side however they don’t have just the people of Israel but the God of Israel, Who wanted His people to know that HE is God. The verses that follow us tell us the outcome:

I Kings 20:14-22 
“And Ahab said, By whom? And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Even by the young men of the princes of the provinces. Then he said, Who shall order the battle? And he answered, Thou. Then he numbered the young men of the princes of the provinces, and they were two hundred and thirty two: and after them he numbered all the people, even all the children of Israel, being seven thousand. And they went out at noon. But Benhadad was drinking himself drunk in the pavilions, he and the kings, the thirty and two kings that helped him. And the young men of the princes of the provinces went out first; and Benhadad sent out, and they told him, saying, There are men come out of Samaria. And he said, Whether they be come out for peace, take them alive; or whether they be come out for war, take them alive. So these young men of the princes of the provinces came out of the city, and the army which followed them. And they slew every one his man: and the Syrians fled; and Israel pursued them: and Benhadad the king of Syria escaped on an horse with the horsemen. And the king of Israel went out, and smote the horses and chariots, and slew the Syrians with a great slaughter. And the prophet came to the king of Israel, and said unto him, Go, strengthen thyself, and mark, and see what thou doest: for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against thee.”

The Syrians suffered a great defeat. Despite this however they would return. The prophet of God warned the king of Israel that they would return again. But with no different result:

“And it came to pass at the return of the year, that Benhadad numbered the Syrians, and went up to Aphek, to fight [again] against Israel. And the children of Israel were numbered, and were all present, and went against them: and the children of Israel pitched before them like two little flocks of kids; but the Syrians filled the country. And there came a man of God, and spake unto the king of Israel, and said, Thus saith the LORD, Because the Syrians have said, The LORD is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys, therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thine hand, and ye shall know that I am the LORD. And they pitched one over against the other seven days. And so it was, that in the seventh day the battle was joined: and the children of Israel slew of the Syrians an hundred thousand footmen in one day. ”

The people of Israel were very few in comparison to the great multitude of the Syrians. But God was with them and He wanted them to know that He is the Lord. The Syrians lost the battle and their king was running to hide himself. For once again we see that it is not of the one that wills or the one that runs but God that gives mercy. For once again we see that God wants the people to know that He is God, even if His people are far from him. In fact it is they that need most of all to know that He is God.

It may be that you try to do everything yourself. It may be that you doubt whether God can help. Well, HE CAN. God wants to bless you and to know that He is God. This was His will for Israel and He did it by demonstrations of His power, by deliverance and miracles and covering of needs. Here is the invitation to you:

Matthew 7:7-11 
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?”

Anastasios Kioulachoglou

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One Sat Alone Beside The Highway Begging

1	One sat alone beside the highway begging,   His eyes were blind, the light he could not see; He clutched his rags and shivered in the shadows,   Then Jesus came and bade his darkness flee.
	When Jesus comes the tempter’s pow’r is broken;   When Jesus comes the tears are wiped away. He takes the gloom and fills the life with glory,     For all is changed when Jesus comes to stay.
2	From home and friends the evil spirits drove him,   Among the tombs he dwelt in misery; He cut himself as demon pow’rs possessed him,   Then Jesus came and set the captive free.
3	“Unclean! unclean!” the leper cried in torment,   The deaf, the dumb, in helplessness stood near; The fever raged, disease had gripped its victim,   Then Jesus came and cast out every fear.
4	Their hearts were sad as in the tomb they laid him,   For death had come and taken him away; Their night was dark and bitter tears were falling,   Then Jesus came and night was turned to day.
5	So men today have found the Savior able,   They could not conquer passion, lust and sin; Their broken hearts had left them sad and lonely,   Then Jesus came and dwelt, Himself, within.

Which race are you running ?

In Hebrews the Word of God speaks of a race that we Christians are supposed to run:

Hebrews 12:1-2 
“let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

The race of faith we are supposed to run is a race that we run with patience, looking unto Jesus. It is a race whose focus and end is the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the Christian race. Something else that we can extract from what Paul says is that not all of us that we call ourselves Christians are running this race. Otherwise why the exhortation “LET US run ….. the race”.

The question I have for us, today is what race are we running? Is there any other race?

The rats race

I found this term in a very fine Christian book I’m currently reading, called “Man in the mirror”. There is another race raging around us, the world’s race. In this race the final aim is not the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not a race that is run focused on Him. Instead it is a race with various shallow “goals”. It is a race for financial success, job success, self-fulfillment, more materials, bigger and better homes, bigger income, more power and influence. It is a race for the “nice, beautiful and settled life”. It is this race billions of people are running every day, filling shopping malls, filling houses with things, things, and more unnecessary things. It is this race that people are running getting in debt to satisfy the dream of the “beautiful, nice and settled life”. A life of affluence, and “personal (self-centered) peace”. The end of it: emptiness, loss of orientation and stress. Shopping has become a familiar term among Christians. We are going shopping and by this many times we do not mean to get the necessities but to get somehow a joy that supposedly exists in buying things.

There are therefore two races: the Christian race, the race of faith people run by looking unto Jesus. The race of living a life in obedience to God’s Word. This race stands in stark opposite to the race of materialism, consumerism and secularism, the race of the world. The thing is that despite the fact that we Christians should know better many times we fall prey to the race of secularism, materialism and consumerism. You see secularism, the religion of the godless humanists that have re-designed our values to no values, is the majority out there. And many of us are proselytised to their gospel. The TV cries out, the internet cries out, the news cry out, your colleagues cry out…. the gospel of consumerism, materialism and secularism. And many of us, Christians, buy it. To this has also contributed a deterioration of the message of the gospel, and a lowering of the price to be a Christian. For many of us that profess to be a Christian, the God we believe is simply not the God of the Bible. We believe in a God that is a gentle grandfather that spoils us with his gifts. We believe in a God that loves and gives but not in a holy God. Therefore God becomes the one from whom we expect to not only fulfil our needs – which is the right expectation – but to help us continue running the wrong race. We want both God and the world. But this is not possible. As James says:

James 4:4
“know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

It is not possible to run two races at the same time. It is not possible to serve two masters. It is not possible to be up in two horses. You have to choose one of the two and as first step you have to recognise which race are you running. Yes we go to church every Sunday. But this by itself says nothing. Many of us go to church, go through the motions, but by Monday evening they don’t remember what Sundays sermon was about. I believe the best indicator of the race that we are running is what our heart, or better the spirit of God in our heart, is saying. Do you feel full of the power and life of God or empty and disorientated? Getting closer to God brings life. Getting closer to the world brings death. What is the God you are believing in? Is your God a gentle God that always will be spoiling you with gifts and blessings? What would you do if God does not match with your standards, if a prayer is not answered, if a desire is not met? Are you in debt, seeking out the monster of consumerism materialism and secularism? What would you do if to be a Christian became more expensive? If you had to stand for your faith at work or the society?

God is the only source of life. Jesus said, those who seek their life will lose it and those who will lose their lives will find it. Many of us try to save our lives. Our life, our self is the most important thing and the center of our life trying to satisfy him in the shopping mall and in the things and riches we accumulate. Jesus’ way is to lose your life to God, submit yourself to God, look unto Jesus and then you will find what Jesus is, LIFE. The Lord said in Jeremiah that his people had forsaken Him the source of the living waters and had opened holes that were impossible to keep any water (Jeremiah 2:13). God is the only source of living waters. He is the only one from whom life and peace comes and those of us that at one time or another have been close to Him, know this very well. If God seems very remote could it be that we are running the wrong race? Could it be that we have bought the wrong gospel? Absolutely yes. The further we run in the wrong race the further from God we will be. But there is a path of return. As one of the prophets said “let’s examine ourselves and let’s return to the Lord”. As the prodigal son did, let’s come to ourselves and let’s return to the Father’s house. In the parable of the sower, 3 out of the four categories are professing Christians. However only one, the last one runs the right race. The other two are running wrong races. In the second category are those who are Christian only when the price is cheap. When the price goes up, when persecutions arise for the gospel, then they fall away. They are running the race of approval by the world. The other category is the one choked by the riches and the cares of this world. They are the “too busy” ones. They are out there to become rich and to leave a happy and beautiful life according to the world’s standards. This aim blurs their vision so much that at the end, they don’t produce any fruit. They are Christians, but worldly ones, running the race of the rats. None of these two categories produces fruit. It is only the last category that does produce fruit and only this category is running the race of faith. We see it also in Paul’s epistles. Demas a guy that Paul mentioned many times in his letters at the end abandoned him and followed the world. Demas was still racing, but for the wrong cause. He was still running but in the race of the rats not in the race of Christ. In which race are YOU running? Millions of us run in the wrong race. Millions of us need to repent and return. For millions of us it is time to stop putting up with the internal emptiness and turn to the source of all life and true: to the living God as He is revealed by His Word, the Bible. Millions of us have bought the gospel of consumerism, materials and secularism and are running for the “beautiful, blessed, problem free life”. Millions of us have believed in a God that is not the God of the Bible but rather the gentle grandfather that sends blessing. Millions of us would have stopped following God if He didn’t answer a very important personal desire. When Jesus died the only property he had was the cloth the guards divided. Today millions of us would need a truck to carry our tons of weight of stuff. Which gospel are you believing? The gospel of Jesus Christ or the gospel of materialism, secularism and consumerism? As the Word tells us:

“let us examine ourselves and let us return to God”and

“let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Anastasios Kioulachoglou

               Please check out Anastasios's book 

               "The Warnings of the New Testament". 

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Bearing the cross. Are You?

In several places in the gospels, Jesus mentioned the word “cross”. This didn’t refer to the wooden cross he bore for our sake at the end. In fact whenever he mentioned the word cross it was referring to the cross that we, as his disciples, would bear. It is actually this very cross and the fact that we bear it that marks us as His true disciples. Let’s see this from God’s Word:

Luke 14:25-33 
“And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. ….whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.”

Matthew 16:23 
“But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those who be of men. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.”

Matthew 10:33 
“But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.”

2 Timothy 3:12
“Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”

Looking at the above we can see that following Christ may brings us at odds with society, with those with whom we are familiar – even with our own parents or children. As unpleasant as this may be, it is Christ we should follow. In fact no man can be a disciple of Christ if he has not taken up his cross, accepting and bearing the consequences of being a Christian.

It is especially important to heed at these words and to make a deep decision in our hearts that we will follow Christ and God’s Word whatever the circumstances may be. That we will believe the Word of God regardless of what men and their philosophies and theories may say. It may not be pleasant to the flesh to do this. We all may want to be acceptable by everybody, but sometimes, when it cross the Word of God this may not be possible. We must not step back and retreat but we must bear the cross holding to our faith. What is stronger? What is more valid? Men, their theories and opinions or the word of God? Men’s theories come and go, but God’s word remains. I’ll give you an example: in our time and in our “Christian societies” almost everybody that is not a Christian believes that the world came out of nothing and evolved out of its own. Is this what the Word of God says? A tour in the first chapters of Genesis shows that this is not so. It is God that created everything. Hebrews summarizes it as follows:

Hebrews 11:3 
Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

What the world says (evolution) comes in stark opposition to what the Word of God says. What do we as Christians do? Very simple: we believe the Word of God! If God says something then we believe what God says! The key word here is “believe”, “through faith” as Hebrews says. Seeing is not believing. Instead by faith, by believing it is like we have seen it. Does God’s Word says it? If yes we believe it, without caring about what people say. But we may be ridiculed by the others. We may be laughed at and we may be called with names by others that because of our faith considers us fools. Well, this is our cross. As R. T. Kendal says:

“every generation of Christianity has its own stigma by which the believer’s faith is severely tested. For example in the first generation of the church it was to say that Jesus of Nazareth is the fulfillments of the Old Testament. This was particularly the stigma which the Jews accepted when facing the establishment that upheld Temple worship. Around the turn of the first century the cutting issue came to be whether to praise Christ or Caeser… In Luther’s day it was whether one was justified by faith or works. These are but a few examples .. for I could go on and on. The most hotly contested issue of any day is that which is true but which also makes the minority view look foolish and makes the believer look a fool” (R. T. Kendal, Believing God, Authentic classics, p.17)

How would it be if we were around Luther’s time and stood up for salvation by grace? We would be called foolish, and called with names there too. But there too we should have stood up for what the Word of God says, bearing the cross, accepting the stigma. What I want to say in this article is simple: bear your cross. Believe the Word of God 100%. Accept it is as the only authority for your life. Do not water down the message to make it compliant with what society says. Do not give up on what God says in his Word for essentially just to gain acceptance by others. Many Christians have done this. Many Christians when it comes to Creation versus evolution for example – that’s one very hot issue of our times, may be the hottest, that makes the believer look fool – have chosen to water down the message and compromise their faith. The will believe both in evolution and in Creation by God. This is not thought what the Word of God teaches. You don’t have to have something proven to you in order to believe it. You have to find it in God’s word in order to believe it. Does the Word says it? If yes believe it, if not don’t believe it, regardless of what others – we call them “experts” – may say. This is a child like faith and this is what pleases the Father. A child like faith to what the Father says.

Here are some more verses to help us see that being a disciple of Jesus Christ does mean accepting the possibility of being persecuted (this may meant physically persecuted in some countries and in some ages, and/or ridiculed and made look fool, like in our time and in Western societies). They also show us what we should do:

2 Timothy 3:12 
“Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”

2 Timothy 4:2 
“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”

Romans 1:16 
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

John 17:14 
“I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.”

1 Corinthians 15:19 
“If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.”

1 Thessalonians 3:3 
“That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto.”

John 12:43 
"For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. "

Whose praise do we want at the end? Do we want God’s praise or man’s praise ? I don’t say that sometimes you cannot have them both: leaving in a godly way does mean loving your neighbor and doing good and people may praise you for this – though it should never be your motive. But there may be times where you cannot have them both. When people ask you what you do in the mornings and you tell them that you read your Bible, you are risking to be laughed at. So what? When there is a talk about evolution and you say that God created everything, you are risking to be called fool. So what? When you say that Christ is the only way the truth and the life you are risking to be called exclusionist. So what? When you are reading your Bible or a Christian book in the plain or in the buss, you may catch some that look at you strangely. What the Bible says is at stark opposition to what the world says. It was always like this and I believe it will continue to be like this till the Lord comes back. What you and I have to do is just to choose to whom we will turn our back. Will we accept the stigma, take up the cross and follow Christ or we will water down the message, wanting to have both the acceptance of men - or not to be made look fool - and the acceptance of God?

Mark 8:38 
“Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

Luke 12:8 
“Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God. But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God”

Romans 1:16 
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”

It is a sinful generation that NEED what you believe. Let’s not water down the message of the gospel, the treasure we have, just to avoid the consequences that go with it. Instead let’s take up the cross and follow the Savior that was revealed to us.

Anastasios Kioulachoglou

               Please check out Anastasios's book 

               "The Warnings of the New Testament". 

               Purchase at Kindle and Amazon or 

               download for FREE at: http://www.jba.gr/

               Articles/pdf/the-warnings-of-the-New-

               Testament.pdf