STARTING WELL, ENDING WELL

If we start well in our journey of faith, does it mean we will definitely end well? 

Four accounts in the New Testament tell us why believers may not reach the intended final destination if they do not fulfill certain conditions.  

The accounts are found in the writings of the apostle Paul and Jude, the letter of Hebrews and the Parable of the Ten Virgins.

Moses led about two million Jews out from Egypt. But they were not grateful to God who delivered them out of slavery. They had experienced supernatural guidance through a cloud that moved ahead of them. And they had narrowly escaped the fury of Pharaoh’s army when they miraculously crossed the Red Sea as if it were dry land. Yet, through it all, they did not remember God’s faithfulness.

Despite experiencing God’s supernatural provision of food (manna) and water that gushed out from a rock, they worshipped idols and indulged in pagan revelry and sexual immorality. As a result of their rebellion and sinful acts, they did not inherit the Promised Land but perished in the wilderness.

This falling away, according to the apostle Paul, serves as a warning to believers today that we need to persevere in our faith in order that we might not be destroyed. We must not think we are spiritually strong—for we might just fall like the exodus generation (1 Corinthians 10:1-12).

                                                                      

Though God will eventually bring to completion the good work He began in us (Philippians 1: 6), we still have to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12).

Though Paul is sure that God is able to guard what he has entrusted to Him (2 Timothy 1:12), he does not keep us guessing about the need for personal responsibility. He himself set the example.

• He tells us that he subjects himself to strict discipline like an athlete, lest after preaching to others he might be disqualified (1 Corinthians 9:27).

• In the last days of his life, he proudly proclaims: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7-8).

Paul had to remain faithful till the end before he could receive heavenly reward. This is in keeping with the fact that only overcomers receive the ultimate reward—salvation. “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels” (Revelation 3:5).

Similarly, Jude, the author of the penultimate book of the New Testament warns “that Jesus first rescued the nation of Israel from Egypt, but later he destroyed those who did not remain faithful” (Jude 1:5).

Though God is able to keep us from falling (Jude 1:24), we too have to play our part—build ourselves in the faith and keep ourselves in the love of God (Jude 1: 20,21).

Thirdly, the writer of Hebrews warns that if we willfully and deliberately live in sin, we can no longer expect a sacrifice to cover our sins; instead, we have to be ready to face God’s judgment (Hebrews 10: 26).

Once again referring to the rebellious generation who left Egypt but failed to inherit God’s promise, we are told that we share in all that belongs to Christ only if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed; and so we must not harden our hearts as Israel did (Hebrews 3:14-15).

Elsewhere, it warns us that we need to patiently endure and do God’s will—that we might receive the reward God promised (Hebrews 10:36).

Believers who do not keep themselves strong in the faith but shrink back will be destroyed (Hebrews 10:37-39).

Yet, the most serious warning is directed to apostates: It may be impossible to bring back to repentance believers who turn away from God, even if they have a genuine conversion experience (Hebrews 6: 4-8).

                                                                        

Lastly, in the Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25: 1-13), Jesus warns us to be spiritually prepared as we await the appearance of the bridegroom, who is a picture of Christ returning to earth for the second time. All these ten virgins carried lamps filled with oil. Keeping one’s lamp filled with oil means staying close to God, constantly being filled with the Holy Spirit.

When people think that they have more than enough time to get ready, they tend to be complacent and spiritually lax. That is what happened to the five foolish virgins, who started out well with oil in their lamps but later ran out of oil when the bridegroom got delayed. And so they were left out of the wedding feast. Meanwhile, the five wise virgins followed the bridegroom to the wedding feast as they had sufficient oil in their lamps. For more on the Parable of the Ten Virgins, please check out: http://bit.ly/1MA1h8F

To recap, it seems clear from the four accounts above (the writings of Paul and Jude, the letter of Hebrews and the Parable of the Ten Virgins) that our eternal destiny is not determined merely by a decision we made once upon a time in the past—when we asked Christ to come into our lives.

We are saved by faith to enter into a journey of faith. Mind you this is not salvation by works but a salvation that requires us to have enduring faith (Hebrews 10:36-39, 2 Timothy 4:7). If we fail to abide in Christ, we will be thrown away like a useless branch and burned (John 15:6). Likewise, if we fail to continue in God’s kindness, we will be cut off (Romans 11:22). 

                                                             

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FROM BROKENNESS TO MINISTRY

A “burning bush” experience with God set a broken soul free and launched him into an ‘inner healing’ ministry.

A senior pastor shared his testimony that he was rejected by his own father when he was a child. He wanted love and affirmation from his father but to no avail. When he became a young adult, his hate for his father grew worse. Trying to cope with the pain of rejection, he immersed himself into a busy career. Though he quickly scaled the corporate ladder, success did not help him overcome his inner conflict. Alone after work, he would return home, only to slump on his bed and stare at the ceiling—his soul racked by bitterness and anger towards his father. 

Trying to pull himself together, he decided to seek God every evening after work by reading His word, praying and worshipping Him with the help of online worship songs. That went on for several months. One day, he suddenly felt God’s presence in his room. He could never forget that experience. It was as if God was speaking to him in an audible voice: “You are my beloved son with whom I am well pleased.”

                                                                 

From then on, he gradually recovered from his inner turmoil. He found a sense of belonging, value and significance through that close encounter with God. And aren’t these the qualities everyone needs? Everyone needs affirmation and acceptance. Everyone needs to have self-esteem. Everyone needs to find purpose and meaning in life.

Today, he ministers inner healing to broken people through prayer, counseling and deliverance. And because he himself has found victory from brokenness, he is able to empathise with those who are hurt inside. (1)

As he travels around the world to minister, he confidently proclaims, “The answer is found in Christ, who has come to set us free.”

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

    for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released,

    that the blind will see,

that the oppressed will be set free,

and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.”

(Luke 4:18-19)

                                                                            

This pastor’s story illustrates the fact that believers may be broken though we are saved. We may be living in fear, worry, bitterness and anger, or in bondage to evil spirits and bad habits. Like old plumbing, our mind and emotions may need “fixing”—we need inner healing. God isn’t just interested in getting us to heaven but restoring us completely so that we can live victoriously and fruitfully for His glory. (2) 

We may think that, as a result of the new birth, every part of our lives becomes brand new: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Truth be told, only our ‘spirit man’ becomes new. Our mind and emotions still need to be progressively renewed so that they are aligned with godly principles found in the Word. We need to forgive those who hurt us and be set free from bitterness, traumatic memories and emotional baggage of the past.

                                                                      

Secondly, this story also underlines the importance of a healthy relationship between father and child. Bonding, based on love and discipline, should preferably start when the child is young. Any conflict between father and child needs to be restored. If a father is a role model of responsibility, loving discipline and moral uprightness, his child will be more likely to grow up into a well-balanced, productive, law-abiding and God-fearing individual in society. Conversely, a troubled father-child relationship may lead to deep-seated hurts and bitterness in the child when he attains adulthood. This brokenness may, in turn, affect his relationships with his future spouse, children and colleagues and superiors in the workplace. 

It is easier to raise a child than restore a broken adult. As the family is the basic unit of society, the father’s role as head of the family cannot be overemphasised. He has an onerous task to fulfill—building a foundation for happy and harmonious homes in a stable society.  (3)

                                                                     

In this context, we are reminded of the last verse in the Old Testament. It is about the advent of John the Baptist, who has come in the spirit and authority of the prophet Elijah, to restore the relationship between father and child: “And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers; lest I come and smite the earth with a curse” (Malachi 4:6). The original meaning is that the God’s people, His children, will walk in the ways of their patriarchs (spiritual fathers) until they are all united in fear and obedience to God; if not, they will have to face God’s judgment.

However, even when a positive parental role model is missing in the child’s formative years, he may still be able to grow up into a responsible individual if he experiences the reality of the Father Heart of God. (4) Though this may not be the best model for nurturing the young, we do see children from broken homes turn out well as adults because they experience the unconditional love of God the Father as this story illustrates.

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