The nature of violence regarding God's Kingdom

"The law and the prophets were in effect until John came; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is proclaimed, and everyone tries to enter it by force."

"From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force."

"Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it."


"There they strengthened the souls of the disciples and encouraged them to continue in the faith, saying, "It is through many persecutions that we must enter the kingdom of God."


"Jesus went through one town and village after another, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, "Lord, will only a few be saved?" "He said to them, Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able. When once the owner of the house has got up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, open to us,' then in reply he will say to you, 'I do not know where you come from.' Then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.' But he will say, 'I do not know where you come from; go away from me, all you evildoers!'"


I have recently begun to understand the certainty of violence required of God's people. This violence is not one of physical force, or anything of that sort, rather it is a violence of faith. Justification is the outcome of our faith (Romans 6:17-18) and as Christians, our purpose is to be justified in the sight of God (the very reason we live). After studying the Scriptures and reading works by those who knew God and His Word, the Christian will come to the conclusion that it is absolutely necessary we must set our faces like flint to be justified in the sight of God. This is done by God's grace and that grace affords us faith to live a life pleasing to God. Violence is the duration of our faith; it is what makes us able to overcome opposition on the Road to Life in this world (1 John 5:4-5). In this duration of our faith, all of God's blessings and promises are preserved for us (Col 1:21-23). I am not ruling out sin because we all sin, but I am saying that through faith, we come to a consistent pattern of living that is pleasing to God. If we say we have no sin, God's truth does not remain in us (1 John 1:8) and we also deceive ourselves into believing that Jesus' offices of High Priest and Mediator are non existent.

I have been reading through The Pilgrims Progress, and I recall an instance where Christian has come to Mr. Interpreter's house. Mr. Interpreter has already shown Christian some very important things concerning the nature of Christianity, but the one instance where Christian and Mr. Interpreter go and view a palace. Outside of the palace many men stand who would enter it but dare not because of the many guardsmen intent on keeping people out. Also, Christian saw a doorway; a little distance from that doorway stood a table, book, pen, and a man who served to take down the names of those who would enter the palace. Suddenly a man of valiance comes and tells the man to put down his name. Immediately after, he attacks those people who are guarding the palace, and cutting his way through them, he presses into the palace where he hears a voice calling to him, Come in, come in; Eternal glory thou shalt win.

Faith to set upon the Kingdom of Heaven though we are opposed by many forms of evil is what God requires of us and will strengthen us to do because of the blessing of His grace given to us. Violence is to walk the narrow and hard way of this life which God has chosen for His people and to do harm to any opposition that we may meet along the way to the Kingdom. I write this in full knowledge of the lack of violence in my own life, but I can only write down what I know is necessary for the follower of Jesus Christ. God will strengthen us in His will if we accept it wholly without comprimise.

On a final note, I would like to point out the solemn fact that the Gospels of Matthew and Luke are colored by the theme of violence in people's faith, or lack of. The sermons on the Mount and Plain display a life that can only be lived if a person determines to live entirely for the will of God. Yes there will be failures and sin, but through the strength provided by the Pioneer and Perfecter of our faith, this can become the consistant pattern of our lives. Praise God for this!

"Now to God who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but is now disclosed, and through the prophetic writings is made known to all the Gentiles, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith -to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever! Amen. "

Self Examination

"Men are apt to act very treacherously and perversely in the matter of self-examination. When they are put upon examining themselves, they very often decline it, and will not enter into any serious examination of themselves at all. They hear uses of examination insisted on, but put them off to others, and never seriously apply them to themselves. — And if they do examine themselves, when they are put upon it, they are exceedingly partial to themselves. They spare themselves. They do not search, and look, and pass a judgment according to truth, but so as unreasonably to favor and justify themselves — If they can be brought to examine themselves at all, whether they do not allow themselves in known wickedness, although they attend on divine ordinances, they will not do it impartially. Their endeavor will not be indeed to know the truth of their case, and to give a true answer to their consciences, but to blind themselves, to persuade and flatter themselves that they do not allow themselves in known sin, whether it be true or not. There are two things especially wherein persons often act very perversely and falsely in this matter."

~Jonathan Edwards

Sin

"Sin has no substance, it can only be know through the pain it brings."

~Julian of Norwich

World Slums

The result of a spiritually impoverished society:

http://www.theplaceswelive.com/

Part 2

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life."

--Ephesians 2:8-10

"For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us)..."

--Romans 4:16

"And he believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness."

--Genesis 15:6

The Scriptures establish that humility and faith are inseparable to those walking the path of life in Christ. Humility is one of the conditions, or proofs of faith acceptable to God. That said, I want to attempt to cover the relationship of grace, faith, and works in a summarizing manner. The verses in Ephesians are often ignored by people today. This is saddening because we need to realize the fact that in these verses, the revelation of God's dealings with mankind and what He wills for us to do are made clear--basically, this is the desire of God's heart. The Apostle Paul is saying that God has snatched us from eternal death even though we are unworthy, has granted us the ability to rely on Him (faith), to live bearing the good works of our faith to God and that this be our continual way of living. The other side is that no person can do this by his or her own strength. This salvation; this way of life is only possible through the death and rising of Jesus. He is our life (Col 3:1-4) through faith that brings us into a deep relationship and unity with God. The Grace of God giving us faith and accessed by faith is revealed to humanity--this is the way, may we walk in it certainly by the favor of God!

Parable 1

Grace

Grace is not a pillow on which a man sleeps; it is the Hand of the Almighty grasping the human soul, lifting it from death and rousing it to life in the journey of faith.

Humility and Faith pt 1

"Unless you become like a little child, you will not enter the kingdom of God."

Today in American society, people are taught certain moral perspectives on life. People today can be very moral, in a civil sense, in their personal lives and yet be very far from the Kingdom of God. Many modern churches teach a certain code of ethics to the masses, yet they are far from the knowledge of God. The reason for this is that the vast majority of people lack the humility that God requires of His people. God said that he would look upon and be with the humble who are filled with contrition; who tremble at His words (Is 66:2), that He leads the humble in what is right, and that the humble are taught by Him (Ps 25:9). The Scriptures teach us that the spirits of the proud are unstable and that the righteous will live by reliance upon God (Hab 2:4), this reliance can only be found in the humble. In order to recieve such faith that lasts forever, a person must be clothed with humility. God does not lavish His grace upon the proud, but on the humble, who by their humility can look to Him in faith for the fulfillment of the will of God. Faith and humility are intertwined, they co-exist together within the saint binding him to Jesus who stands before the Father pleading for the needs of those bound to Him in faith. James tells us that God is against the proud, but is for the humble (Jas 4:6-10). James also admonishes us to turn to God by means of humble faith, changing our patterns of life that are not in accord with the will of God through lamentation, mourning, and weeping. This is the work of humility that is acceptable to God. So let us examine our lives with the prayer of the psalmist (Ps 139:23-24) and cleanse our hands with zeal for God and the humility of faith. With that, I will post two last admonitions from Scripture pertaining to the necessity of submition to God:

"See that you do not refuse the one who is speaking; for if they did not escape when they refused the one who warned them on earth, how much less will we escape if we reject the one who warns from heaven!"

"And we want each one of you to show the same diligence, so as to realize the full assurance of hope to the very end, so that you may not become sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises."