GET BEHIND ME, SATAN!

                        How many times have you been stuck in a trying situation with your back against the wall, and attempted to reason your way out of it by making a deal with God? You say, “God if you just allow me to get this job, I’ll study my Bible intently for a year;” or “God if you help me do well on this test, I’ll make sure I go to church for the next month;” or even still, “God if you help me get this date, I’ll make sure to share the Gospel with at least one person this week.” We constantly use our relationship with God to make deals with Him, and expect that if we do one thing, God will give us something we deserve in return. Many other times, we will also use our own reasoning and logic to attempt to tell God what we think is best, or what we think He should do in our lives. As if we somehow have necessary input that our omniscient God is forgetting to recognize. We completely disregard His plan for our lives, and expect Him to do what we will.

Since the beginning of Creation, God has always been in complete control, and man has been attempting to take that control into it’s own hands. If you look back at the creation account in Genesis, you will immediately see all forces working to remove the power from God’s plan, and transport it into the will of each individual man. The serpent immediately causes questioning in both Adam and Eve’s hearts, and then they end up rebelling against God, deeming themselves wiser than the God who created them. In Matthew 16: 21-23, Jesus begins to reveal to his disciples the will of God, that He must go to Jerusalem, suffer at the hands of men, and ultimately be killed so that He may rise on the third day. Peter begins to refute the words of Jesus claiming, “This shall never happen to you.” Peter honestly believes that he is doing a good thing for Jesus, telling Him that He is overreacting, and everything will be ok in the end. The response that Jesus gives to Peter reveals everything we need to know about telling God what is going to happen in our lives. Jesus tells Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on things of man.” Jesus tells Peter that all he is doing is hindering God’s good and powerful will in every living person’s life, no good will come from man telling God what to do. Now, this begs the questions:

WHY DO WE THINK WE CAN TAKE CONTROL OF OUR OWN LIVES?

AND

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE TRY?

            We have been provided with plenty of examples throughout the Bible of what happens when we attempt to “make deals” with God, or put the will of God on our own terms. In Acts 5, we are told the story of Ananias and Sapphira, who sold a piece of property in order to tithe the proceeds to the young church under Peter. The only problem with this story happens to be that Ananias and Sapphira withhold some of the earnings from God and the church because they believe it would be more beneficial to them to keep a portion.

“Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God…But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last.”-Acts 5: 3-4, 9-10

            Through the Word of the Spirit, we have been provided in this account with the perfect example of why we attempt to take charge of our own lives, and what will happen if we try. Ananias believed that he knew what was ultimately best for himself and his wife; therefore he withheld some of the profit that his land yielded, which he said he would give to the church. All he did was what we attempt to do all of the time. We say we’re going to give everything we have to God, yet we constantly withhold from him. Why do we withhold? Everything that we have is already God’s anyways, yet we have maintained the notion that somehow we possess things outside of that which God has provided, as if we have paved our own route through life. When we deceive, we are not only deceiving the hearts of men, we are attempting to deceive God. Yet God knows everything, so this attempt lies futile, and we end up stuck in a situation that will never end well for us. The good we believe we are doing for ourselves, ends up being polar opposite from the will God had laid out before us (Acts 2:28), and we must be rebuked back into the confines of His will. In the case of Ananias and Sapphira, it was death that they received from the Lord because they were withholding what was rightfully His. While we might not always end up dying physically for the sins we commit, in a sense we kill ourselves spiritually because we limit our own growth in Christ by withholding our lives from Him, our lives which are rightfully His.

            Finally, we receive parting words of wisdom from Jesus, who amidst trials and temptations in the desert, was able to restrain the will of Satan, the only living man who could this, and gave all believers a commandment regarding our own dealings with God.

“YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.”- Luke 4: 12

         Jesus, while resisting temptation in every way, clung tightly to the will of God, because He knew that God’s will reigns supreme in everyone’s life. What he is exclaiming here is this: I know you will be tempted and you will suffer, but the will of God will bring you into ultimate glory. Do not try to escape it or reason with it, but live coherently and joyfully within. For when you are within the will of God, there is no greater joy you can find. Testing the One who created all things, and telling Him you know what should really happen is futile and foolishness. No good will come from finding your own way in life, you will only end up isolated and weary. Go to the One who can give you peace and rest.

Live joyfully and boldly; knowing the Lord your God has given all things for you.

God Bless,

Trip Starkey          

DEAD TO SIN, ALIVE IN CHRIST

“For some slaves, the first step out of bondage is to learn to see their lives with new eyes.”-Kevin Bales

            When you think of a slave, what is your initial thought? For many of us students of American History, we think of slaves in the sense of pre-Civil War times, humans bound to an owner or master, and forced to do manual labor or else suffer torturous consequences. Sadly, in this day and age, the definition of a slave has actually escaped us, it is no longer just bondage servants bound to a master, as many of us believe, it is now much more than that. Slave, in today’s terms, is defined as a person who is entirely under the domination of some influence or a person. This now means we can find ourselves slaves to a job, a boss, a girlfriend/boyfriend, a relationship, education, athletics, technology, drugs, alcohol, and many other things. Many of us find ourselves lost in the world when we find ourselves underperforming or without possession of that thing we have become a slave to. Unfortunately, this view has made its way into many churches and faiths across the world, and caused many people to be crippled in their relationship with Christ. Many people view Christianity as a constricting religion drenched in legalism, and one which causes it’s believers to become slaves to God instead of having a genuine relationship with the God they worship. For those who believe Christianity to be a “straightjacket,” as Tim Keller puts it, the Bible gives a clear-cut response to those people, and reveals truly what Christ did and how we should live in response to his sacrifice.

“Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to Him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.” – Romans 7: 4-6

          For all of those who believe that possessing faith in Christ only constricts and limits the things which you can do, Paul plainly states that all of that constricting legalism previously attached with a relationship with God died with Christ’s sacrifice. No longer are believers subject to the law which reigned over them before Christ came, His sacrifice removed all the constriction from our lives and freed us to experience a right relationship with Him. When he was crucified, all of our spirits were released from bondage, our slates were wiped clean, and we were given the opportunity, for the first time, to enter into the presence of God, truly and wholly His. When Christ died, so died the Law and everything under it, including us, but when he rose from the grave, we arose with Him, and were given His Holy Spirit as our guiding light, not the law that previously guided us. How amazing is that? God himself, came down from Heaven, gave his life for us, and through His resurrection freed us from all lawlessness and malice so long as we strive to mold our lives after Him.

“For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into Heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly… for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him.”- Hebrews 9: 24-28

            Now what is being told here is this: Christ came to earth as a man, not only to demonstrate how to live a right life, but primarily to die on the Cross for all people, and along with his own life also put to death sin for the sake of those who believe in Him. All of the people out there who believe that due to their sin they are somehow separated from God, Christ himself has put to end that train of though, and made it no longer feasible. Christ literally died on the cross so that the separation that sin previously caused has now been filled by his blood, and He has gone into the presence of God on our behalf and made us clean in the sight of God. There is no greater freedom than the freedom that we have received in Christ, we are no longer held captive by pain, addiction, occupation, relationships, or anything else, as long as we put all of our hope and faith in Christ. Christ has made the only sacrifice that was in need of being made, and he did it so that we could live eternally with Him. We have no reason to hang onto anything that this world can offer to us, everything must be offered up to Him due to his sacrifice for us. His only request of us is that we let go of ourselves, give our lives to the will of Him and his Spirit, and constantly mold ourselves in genuine faith in Him. He says that if we adjust our life’s perspective to that which is Christ-centered, He will return for us on day, in eternal glory, and the things of this world will be but an after-thought to us.

            So for all of you that are holding on to things that you believe will give you eternal happiness on this earth, which we all do, I challenge you to let go of them. Remind yourself constantly that Christ died so you would not be held in bondage to anything on earth, and that you would experience ultimate freedom through Him without any Law to live by. In a true relationship with Christ you know what it is to truly live, you have no guilt or shame, you are able to experience true goodness through Him. Obviously no one will lead a perfect life, even Paul made mistakes (Romans 7), but if you are actively seeking a true relationship with Christ, you will experience a freedom from sin that you never had before.

             Christ died for you, to abolish the law that was previously in place, and create a new God-centered order that we all must live by. Experience the freedom offered from him, no longer live in slavery to your sin. Live boldly, love strongly, and constantly mold yourself to God and his will. Nothing will give you more freedom than that.

God Bless,

Trip Starkey 

The Truth In Sacrifice

“Being selfish to me means that you have to look out for yourself and you don't have to sacrifice.”- Herbie Mann

            Sacrifice, as many probably know, is defined as surrendering or giving up something for the sake of another thing. I realize that this is common knowledge among most people, yet it is a concept that many people appear to either bypass completely or have been confused about. Sacrificing, in modern terms, does not mean taking the best animal you have out to slaughter in order to atone for all of your sins, for as we know, the only blood that has needed to be shed, was already poured out for our sins on the Cross by Jesus. Sacrificing in today’s terms means realizing that the one truly necessary sacrifice has already been made for us, so now we have been called to give up everything we have, including ourselves, and follow the One who made the sacrifice for us.

            If we have clearly been given this call and understanding of the term, then why do we constantly turn away from our call, and gravitate towards the things that please us more? Why do we have such a hard time sacrificing ourselves, and living solely for Christ?

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” – Romans 12:1

         Now, I realize this is one of the most well known verses in the bible, yet it is one that people (including myself) constantly skip over. How many times during the day do you genuinely ask yourself if you have given everything you have completely to God, and that you will undoubtedly follow His will not matter what? I would be willing to bet, that if we were completely honest with ourselves we would answer not very much. The thing that jumps out at me in Paul’s words is that he isn’t just saying this would be beneficial, he is pleading with us to do this, to him it is a necessity. Paul knows that in order to live in a truly right relationship with God, we can hold on to nothing that this world has providing us with, but we can only hold on to what God has provided us. It is imperative that we sacrifice all of ourselves to God, in order that his perfect and right will can be done in our lives.

            Now, if you’re like me, your next question is this one, HOW DO I KNOW WHAT GOD’S WILL IS IN MY LIFE, AND IF I AM TRULY SACRIFICING MYSELF TO HIS WILL?

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”- Romans 12:2

            This is what Paul is saying about how we know and understand the will of God, we sacrifice our lives to Him completely, we turn away from the things the world offers us, and through our relationship with Him (reading the Bible, prayer, and community with believers), we allow our minds to be transformed into his will. Now, this may seem like a foreign concept, but bear with me here because what Paul is saying is crucial to our understanding of our sacrifice. He is saying that Christ has made the sacrifice which connects us to God, He has made everything possible for us through Him, and now we must give all of ourselves up to whatever he chooses to reveal to us as our path of life. God will not leave you stranded alone without any knowledge of what He has willed for you, but you do have to work at a relationship and allow Him to transform your mind completely. Starting a relationship does not guarantee that you will automatically know everything that your life will hold, which is why people who are confused as to their own plans in life have not spent enough time digging into their relationship with God.

            Realize this, in order to live the life that God has truly called you too, you must be willing to drop everything in order to follow Him, realize that He has given you all that you have needed, and strive for an active daily relationship with Him. Paul in no way is saying that everything will be revealed to you whenever you read one single passage of scripture, but what he is saying is that in order to figure out what God’s will is for you life, you must be involved in a relationship with God and open to anything that He may decide to throw your way. The whole purpose of this sacrifice is because God gave everything that we may experience true life in Him, but in order to experience true life we must accept the free grace that was given to us on the cross, and give all of ourselves to be molded into the image of Christ. You will never be perfect, but that is no excuse to quit striving to be like Christ, that is all the more reason to try to live like Him. Because He is the only one who can make you whole, and give you a purpose filled life.

            The one thing I have realized in the last few weeks is that although I may get frustrated due to my lack of knowledge of His will, the more I strive to grow in a relationship with Him, the more he reveals to me through His word and the people He has placed in my life. Do not take advantage of the things He has provided, because they have all been given for His purpose.

            Tim Keller stated that “the heart is an idol factory,” but in order to defeat the production of idols within ourselves, we must first surrender our heart to God. The only way to do that is through an intentional sacrifice of our will for our lives, in order to gain God’s will for our lives. He loves you, and will do what is best for you. Live for Him, and Him alone.

God Bless,

Trip Starkey

The Pains of Being Pure At Heart

“We have learned to live with unholiness and have come to look upon it as the natural and expected thing.”- A.W. Tozer

         How many of you have ever wanted something so bad, that you were willing to go to any lengths to get it? Whether it meant telling someone a lie, taking something that didn’t belong to you, or pushing a certain limit that you had set for yourself in order to please someone that didn’t have your best intentions in mind. Now, how many of you have reasoned doing this by stating, “oh it’s just a little white lie, it won’t hurt anyone,” or “oh, I’m just borrowing it, I’ll give it back sometime,” or “I’m just trying to have fun, I’m not doing any harm.” These excuses that people make for dealing with behavior that should be unacceptable are fairly common amongst people today. No one really wants to admit that they’re doing anything wrong, and they constantly justify themselves by comparing their actions to those who are around them. Let me start by saying that when it comes to actions, there is no one else involved and no one to compare to, every person must be responsible for the choices that they make.  Every person on earth is a sinner, and no one is perfect, the challenge comes when you decide to both give up on God and live the way you want, or realize that Christ is the only perfect being and we must spend our entire lives trying to mold ourselves into His image. We have been given His grace and Word free of charge, the real question is how will we study it, defend it, and most importantly live by it?

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.” – Romans 1: 16-17

            What Paul reveals to all Christians here is this: We should not be ashamed about any part of scripture that God so graciously gave to us, because it was provided to us with a purpose. It was given to us with the purpose of showing us the things God has done for us in their totality, and so that upon seeing His love and sacrifice for us, we will in turn give all of our selves to Him, making ourselves a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1), and live according to His will in our lives. According to this passage we are given a commandment from God that all who are to be considered righteous “SHALL LIVE BY FAITH,” and the only way to have faith is to have an active relationship with God where you are constantly molding yourself to Him in every way. For those who go around justifying their actions by making insignificant excuses, Paul claims God has made known to them the consequences of their actions, and that when they act foolishly, they are suppressing the truth that God has revealed to them. Basically, they are totally disregarding the goodness of God, and trading it in for a self-indulgent lifestyle that totally removes Christ’s sacrifice from any significance in their being. Woe to these people, for they are not only causing others to stumble in their faith, but they are also causing themselves to stumble, and are pushing themselves further and further away from God.

“And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God. God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done….Though they know God’s decree that those who practice such things DESERVE TO DIE, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.”- Romans 1: 28, 32

            What Paul is now stating here is that the people that constantly justify themselves doing things that go against God’s commandments and ignore His will, ultimately are given up to the desires of their own flesh, and forced to cope with them alone. When we deliberately disobey God’s word and will, what else should we expect then to be held responsible for our actions? Sir Isaac Newton stated, “with every action comes an equal and opposite reaction,” and while this was meant for science, it applies to everything. When you make up in your mind that you are going to do what you want to do, you should expect that you will end up completely alone, feeling as if life should definitely be more than what you’re living in. The sad part is that everyone who does these things will at some point feel a sense of regret and shame, this is what Paul is referring to when he claims that they know what God has said and they know the “wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Yet, when you have already ruled God out, you will continue to feel this sense of guilt, and keep doing the same things hoping at some point they will be satisfying to you. You will eventually get others involved with your sin hoping that experiencing it with someone else will give you the fulfillment you are longing for. Let me go ahead and save you some time, YOU WILL NEVER FEEL TOTALLY FULFILLED IF YOU ARE APART FROM GOD. We are genetically geared to desire a relationship with something fulfilling to us, the only entity that can give us total fulfillment is God himself. Do not look for fulfillment in relationships with the opposite sex, friends, drinking, drugs, athletics, money, or anything else this world can offer, it will always leave you feeling empty. Instead, keep you heart and mind pure and totally fixed on God, for He alone will provide you with all you need on earth and in Heaven, for He is the creator of all things.

“Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all and in all.” – Colossians 3: 9-11

            These verses here are some of the most encouraging as far as dealing with issues of the heart. Paul tells us that there is no need to lie or justify ourselves, for in God all sins are abolished, and we have been set free in Him. People view Christianity as a straightjacket that constricts them, but ultimately there is no greater freedom than the freedom that is within Christ. We are to embrace the sacrifice of Jesus, and put on our new selves, which solely means to live a true life for Christ, and give up all things for his will in our lives. Our lives are to be renewed daily through a relationship with Christ, and ultimately we should be transformed into the true image of the one who created us. You see, when we are within Christ, we have no need to please people or desire anything other than what is provided, because Christ provides us with all we could ever need and more. When we are in a relationship with Him, He overflows with goodness and love for us that nothing else can even compare to Him. All those who believe in Him make up one body and constantly encourage and love on one another, there are no social classes, races, political parties, or nationalities, there are only believers who make up the earthly body of Christ. That is when perfection is in its greatest form, when all of us is stripped away and we are solely one community in Christ, living daily and earnestly for Him.

            For those who have ears to hear, IT IS NEVER TOO LATE TO ACCEPT THE FREE GRACE OF CHRIST. He wants nothing more than to hear your sweet voice claim that you want a true relationship with Him. It’s the sole reason that he died on the cross. Do not keep wandering aimlessly on this earth wondering what your purpose is, or trying to live a life that indulges in earthly things, it isn’t what you were made for. Instead, realize that your duty on earth is to live solely for Christ, and give up everything to live a right life with Him. He gave everything for you, stop trying to run away and accept the grace that is so graciously being offered to you.

            The only person with true freeing power from Sin is God, it will not be easy to keep yourself from giving into earthly desires, Christians deal with it every day, but the good news is that you have Christ and an entire body of believers there to encourage you. Stop running; see the glory bestowed before you.

Live with a purpose, and strive daily for the goodness of Christ.

God bless,

Trip Starkey

Apathy The Killer.

“Hate is not the enemy of love, apathy is.”- Rollo May

         Apathy, in today’s society can be the death, spiritually and physically, of many people who succumb to it’s power in their lives. Yes, I sense the irony in saying apathy, which is defined as the absence or suppression of passion, emotion, or excitement, can have any form of power. The two statements conflict each other. Based on its definition, the statement above about apathy made by Rollo May, renowned existential psychologist, confirms that in its truest form, apathy is the exact opposite in every way of love. Apathy is a destroyer because it takes good, hard-working people and turns them into sluggish animals that don’t have any sense of direction in their lives. It causes people to begin to slowly dissipate until they are nothing but skin and bones, with nothing worth anything going on in their lives. These are those that talk about all the things they plan to do with their lives, but due to their apathy will wallow in their own self-pity, and wonder what happened to their lives.

Love, especially that of God, means to be possessed by a reverent affection towards Him, and to become so overwhelmed with passion, zeal, and awe in His presence that we give up everything to follow Him and His will for our lives. Apathy comes into play when we let our sinful nature grab a hold of our hearts, turn to gratifying the desires of our flesh, and lose all semblance of a relationship with God in our lives. Apathy literally can kill your spiritual and physical life because you become too careless about everything going on around you, and all you are left with is yourself and your own desires. When you are left alone with only yourself, you have only yourself to rely on, so when nothing goes your way, all you become is depressed or angry and curse the God you claim allowed you to get this way. God had nothing to do with you getting this way, God is the ever flowing Water of Life, which continuously pours into those whom he created, it becomes our apathy which acts like a dam to his stream, and prevents his life-giving waters from quenching our spiritual and physical desires.

“A sluggard does not plow in season; so at harvest time he looks but finds nothing”- Proverbs 20:4

If God indeed is love, which all Christ-followers shall agree with (1 John 4:8), then those who are apathetic embody everything that goes against God. They are the people that take for granted everything that God has given them and provided them with, and they waste it away doing meaningless tasks in their daily lives to satisfy every desire that pleases them.  This proverb hints strongly at the fact that those who lose all of their zeal for God and life, waste this life doing whatever they so please, but when the time comes where God prunes us by the good fruit our lives bore, the apathetic man will find nothing good, and will be thrown into the fire (John 15). When we waste this life we have been given so graciously by God, we are disgracing the Him, because we are intentionally turning away from his commands and desires for our lives, and theoretically “spitting in His face” claiming “I don’t need you, I do what I want.” Now, I don’t know about you, but I do not want to be the one who so audaciously tells the almighty, omniscient ruler of the universe that my will and desires for my own life are better than His. Yet, constantly when I fall under the control of apathy what I am claiming is that, “yeah you’re a great God, but I’m gonna do what I wanna do, thanks for your input.” Just typing that pains me because I have to deal with the fact that daily I fall into apathy. We are given hope though, and that hope comes through our relationship with Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for our sins, defeated death, so that all who believe in Him may have eternal life through our relationship with Him (AMEN!).

“And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”- Hebrews 6: 11-12

This passage right here is one of my favorites in the entire bible, because it gives us a reason and a purpose to turn away from the hold that apathy has on our lives. For those of you that deal with apathy (myself included), or who could not care less about your relationship with Christ (a place I have been before), pay attention to the raw power in Paul’s words right here. What Paul is explaining to all believers here is that we must allow ourselves to be transformed by the Saving-Grace of Jesus Christ, immerse ourselves in the Hope he has provided us, so that we can deny the apathy which tries to grab onto us, and endure the hardships of this life, through faith in order to inherit God’s promises. Just let that thought capture your mind: if we can turn to Christ, deny our own laziness and carelessness, we will ultimately be rooted in our faith in Him who gave everything for us, and ultimately endure this corrupt world and gain our perfection in God. God gave everything for us, so that we would not have to rely on ourselves anymore, LEGALISM IS GONE, IT IS ALL ABOUT CHRIST. IF YOU WALLOW IN APATHY, YOU ARE DOWN RIGHT MISSING THE PURPOSE OF CHRIST’S SACRIFICE.

Do not be the person who is constantly going about life their own way, then continuously drifts further away from God, and then one day sits around realizing their mistakes and regrets all of the time they spent pursuing earthly desires which got them nothing. There is no greater feeling on earth than being in a loving relationship with the God whom created you, and allowing his power and majesty to transform and enrich your life daily. Trust me, I have been on both ends of the spectrum, living in apathy gets nowhere but a meaningless existence and questioning of your purpose, we were given the grace of God so that we may no longer question what our meaning in life is. If you truly live a life for Christ, apathy will not stand a chance, but if you live a life of apathy, your relationship with Christ doesn’t stand a chance (not on God’s end, but on your end).

Remember, God gave up his son so that you can live an meaningful and purposeful life centered on His grace and love, we were never intended to live based on our own desires, that just proves we are still fallen. Rely on the one who has and will provide you with everything you need, do not rely on your finite wisdom and fallen nature to get you through this life. YOU DON’T STAND A CHANCE ALONE.

God Bless,

Trip Starkey

WHAT CAN I LEARN FROM JUDE?

“All credibility, all good conscience, all evidence of truth come only from the senses.”- Friedrich Nietzsche. 

            Now, you are probably curious as to why I started out my blog post with a quote from Nietzsche. He is arguably the most well known atheistic philosopher of his time, the man who claimed “God is dead,” and a man who flat out hated every religious person he came into contact with. What could you possibly gain from anything he said? Well, he happens to be an example of the type of person that we are strictly warned against in the Bible. Nietzsche preached the gratification of the desires of the flesh, and then lead people astray by teaching that in gratifying the senses, you were experiencing truth. According to the Bible, Nietzsche could not be any further off, and the only thing he accomplished in his life was leading people further away from the ultimate truth that he denied.

WHAT CAN I LEARN FROM JUDE? OR WHAT EVEN IS JUDE?

            Sadly, a book in the Bible that deals with the subject of false teachers tremendously happens to be a book that people commonly skip over, or forget even exists. It is the book just after third John and right before Revelation, it takes up all of about 2 pages in my Bible, and is only one chapter long. Sounds significant right? Actually, the book of Jude, written by the brother of Jesus and James, happens to give us some key insight into how to deal with those who are false believers, and also how true believers need to hold fast to the Lord in fellowship, and persevere until the day of the Lord.

            “For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ…Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones…But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they were destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively. Woe to them for they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam’s error and perished in Korah’s rebellion…These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage.” -Jude 4, 8,10-11, 16

            What Jude is saying here is that there are people who come into the church, or into contact with believers, and tell them that the way they are living is unnecessary, they can live however they desire. They are the ones who preach that you can ultimately do whatever you want because you have forgiveness from God one prayer away. We were given this earth to live however we please, and then when the time comes; we just use our “get out of jail free” card from God, and ask for forgiveness. Jude dispels this by saying these are people who actually deny Jesus with their entire livelihood, even if they claim to be true believers of His word. These people, who claim to have the logic that is necessary to live a good life, fool believers into following their ways and believing in their truth, not God’s. Jude tells us they are “relying on their own dreams,” meaning they have their own will at heart, and completely ignore the will of God. In relying on their own wills, they reject all authority, and teach believers blasphemy, and live in a state of despair, becoming slaves to sin.

            The phrase that gets me is when Jude claims, “they blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they were destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively.” What he is saying is that there are people within the faith that claim to believe in the truth of Jesus, but in their lifestyles, contradict and diminish everything that they claim they believe in Jesus. Have you ever known those people who say that they truly believe in the word of God, but when you examine their lives, there is no evidence of that anywhere (a place all of us can probably say we’ve been at, or are at). I recently heard a sermon where the pastor asked the question, “If you were to be arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” This question convicted me because that is an extremely scary thought. One day we’ll be before the throne of judgment, and our entire lives will be examined, and we will be judged by how we live on this earth. There will be those who truly lived all out for Christ, and entrust everything in Him. Then, there will be those who, like Nietzsche, were all about gratifying the flesh. These are the people that end up being “destroyed by all they understand instinctively.” These people who throw caution to the wind, just want to “have fun,” and live their lives the way they want to, apart from God. We are warned not only to repent of this lifestyle, but also to encourage those who are in it to come back to the faith they claim to believe in.

            Jude is not all negative though, for those who truly believe in Christ, we are given encouragement and guidelines for how to deal with those who live in a manner separate from God.

“ But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads us to eternal life. Have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by flesh.”- Jude 20-23

            This is our encouragement, to build each other up in prayer and love, praying for the strength and mercy granted to us by God. We are told that in Christ is where we find our true meaning, removing our sinful, human selves (Ephesians 4:22), and clothing ourselves in God’s love and grace. In that, we finally have achieved our purpose in life, and we can dwell in His love forever. God also reveals to us how to deal with those that instinctively pursue the desires of the flesh. He tells us that we need to show mercy on those who do not believe. Have you ever know someone that judges others for not living in a way that they deem acceptable? Your answer should be yes, because we have ALL been there. I know I sure have. What Jude is saying is not to judge them, but have mercy on them. To LOVE them, because without us having Christ’s love revealed to us, we would be in the same position. You are no better than anyone else because we are all sinners, no one will be perfect until they have joined Christ in Heaven. Love everyone around you, no matter if they have the exact same beliefs as you, or if they are polar opposite from whom you are. The message of the Gospel is LOVE, live by that. Encourage one another daily with words that build up, not tear down. With some though, the love will have to be tough, because some who claim to believe will repeatedly revert to their sinful desires, and show no repentance for them. Those are the people that need to be discipled to in a way that is not always easy. No matter what, never cease to love those that God has placed in you life.

            “Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.”- Jude 24-25

            Finally, what Jude claims, is that no matter who we are, what we’ve done, or how we got to where are, all must give everything to Christ. Those who are on the right path, the only reason you are on that path is because you trust in the One who is “able to keep you from stumbling.” The only way we are forgiven of our sins is because we trust in the One who can present us “blameless before the presence of His glory.” Jesus is the only one worthy of praise, worthy of our lives, and worthy of us modeling ourselves after. If you desire anything other than a life lived in accordance with Jesus and His word, your life is just awaiting “eternal chains” (Jude 6). You both truly choose Jesus and His word, and receive eternal joy, or you choose to live life your own way, ignoring the truth, and have eternal damnation awaiting you. Don’t be fooled either, the scariest passage in the bible is Matthew 7: 21-23, where Jesus claims that there are people who will claim to have believed in Him, but he will say, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” I don’t know about you, but I do not want to be the one who receives that statement from God. That verse alone makes me want to pursue God with everything I have, but sadly we constantly turn away.

            There are people who live for God, those who claim to live for God but don’t, and those who flat out deny God. It doesn’t matter who they are, LOVE them with the love of Christ. Share the true love of Christ with them, and encourage their relationship with Him. Make sure you are persistent in your relationship with Christ, studying and training in His word, and growing with fellow believers. Truly trust that Jesus died for you, accept His grace, and live by Him and his word.

Bet you didn’t think Jude was that useful, huh? I didn't either.

Live intentionally, love mercifully, and give all to the God who gave all for you.

God Bless,

Trip Starkey

WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR?

“The following of Christ is not the achievement or merit of a select few, but the divine command to all Christians without distinction.”- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

            In his book, The Cost of Discipleship, Bonhoeffer attempts to give people an understanding that following Christ is not something that only monks, pastors, or high-esteemed members of the clergy have the privilege to do, but it is a call from Christ himself to every living being on earth, that we must follow Him whole-heartedly in order to receive grace. Bonhoeffer deals with the idea that in our modern society, we have belittled grace as an almost meaningless oddity that we all have access to, but in fact, grace really doesn’t mean anything to us. Bonhoeffer rebukes this by stating that grace in fact is the most precious thing a human can possess, because it is something that no man has earned; yet it Jesus gave up everything, so that through His sacrifice we could receive life from Him instead of death. Grace is not something that man should belittle as unimportant, but it should be the thing that we give all things for because without God’s sacrifice, we would have nothing. God gave up everything for us, so we in turn should be able to give up everything and follow God right? Sounds easy enough, but for some reason no person is truly capable of doing that. Which leads me to my question:

WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR?

            Everyday life in the twenty-first century is riddled with things that cause people to lose focus on tasks that should be of great importance, and distract from the things that truly matter. For example, in writing this blog I have been distracted by the Internet, social networks, books, the television, and my cell phone. Why is this it though, that we allow these things to take us away from the God who sacrificed everything for us, and we don’t appear to have a care in the world. This mindset is extremely dangerous because we have been given fair warning in the scriptures about following the ways of anything except God, and yet everyday we do it seemingly with ease. I have been in the place before where I feel like I can do everything on my own, and I don’t need God in my life because I’m doing just fine without Him. It usually is about that time in my life though, where something I cannot handle alone happens, and I’m left feeling foolish for allowing myself to stray away from the One who can handle all things. Before I turn to God though, it seems as if I try to turn to everything else possible before actually going before Him in prayer. This happens with large and small things.

Peter gives us some insight into what following false teachers means for those believers who trust in things other than God.

“These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved. For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved. For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.” 2 Peter 2: 17-22

What Peter is trying to get people to realize here is that when you trust in things that are other than God, you’re following a waterless spring. You’re putting your faith into something that will yield you no results instead of trusting in the Water of Life who died so that you could receive free grace. Honestly, you may experience temporary happiness while following these false idols, but at a certain point that pool of happiness will dry up. You need to place your trust in the everlasting pool, which yields nothing but true joy.

The interesting thing to me in this chapter is that Peter claims that these things offer some sort of freedom and joy to those who use them, but they themselves are just products of slavery and corruption. These people that force these things down the throats of citizens in society only do so because they have to earn the biggest paycheck and have the coolest product. They are slaves to the competition of sales and “big business,” not seeing the whole picture of life. They operate in a close minded world, that it dominated by salaries and what material things they can place in the hands of people so they can in turn live lavish lifestyles themselves. They prey on the people who are weak, the people who constantly look for the next best thing, those people are their market. They look for people who don’t know what they live for, and are dominated by the American dream of having the coolest gadgets and the nicest things.

As Christians, we are called to deny all of these things and live solely for the one who died, and gave us all we could possibly need. Jesus tells us throughout His ministry that He is the only we could ever need, the quencher of our thirst, and the savior of our souls. He is the only one who has ever done anything that can truly be worthy of our devotion and praise. Not the next iPhone, Xbox, or 3D television that is put on the market. Not the coolest clothes designers have to offer, or whether or not we have a cool car. It’s not about social status or material things, it’s all about Jesus and His sacrifice and grace.

The scariest thing to me about all of this is that Peter says it will bode better for all of us had we never had heard the Gospel in the first place, than to have heard it and still place our hearts of material things. I don’t know about you, but that does not sit too well with me. I can think of countless occasions when I have worried far more about the things I have and how people view me, than my relationship with Jesus. Peter claims that it would be better for me to have never claimed to be a follower of Jesus, than to claim what I claim and concern myself with earthly things. He likens it to a dog returning to his vomit. That’s what earthly things are equivalent to, vomit. How does that make you view everything you place your time and devotion into? It makes me feel as if I have MAJORLY been wasting my time. The most frustrating part to me is to think that I could keep doing it too. That is where the importance of a true relationship with God comes into play, and surrounding yourself with those who realize the true purpose of life.

So build each other up in community, strive to go out of the way to limit your activity with anything that hinders your relationship with God. Most importantly, if something is getting in the way, recognize it, and get rid of it. Love God, and love others. Don’t love distractions.

“And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” Luke 9:23

It won’t be easy to do, but anything worth having doesn’t come easy. Remember that. Live earnestly and intentionally, remembering the sacrifice Jesus made for you, sacrifice comfort for true discipleship.

God Bless,

Trip Starkey