October 6, 2023 WWJWMTD by Steve, the son of John (2SoJ)
It’s Easy…
It is easy to become critical of the Christian church. There are numerous denominations that claim to be Christian, but they do not honor Christ as God’s Son nor do their doctrinal positions dictate the authority of Scripture (the Bible) or even the words of Jesus Christ Himself.
Various church bodies throughout history failed their own teachings and often offered excuses for the very beliefs they adhered too. It is no mystery that the world has become skeptical and defiant of ‘the church’. Christian churches have brought worldly criticism upon themselves; they say they love God, but their actions and words demonstrate their hatred for the very people God loves.
For me to make a case for this line of thinking and a list of the grievances would take a sizeable dissertation. I do not need to do this. The Bible teaches that God will bring judgment upon His very church if it rejects Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. I will instead speak to a couple of items that bear witness to Scripture and the Holy Spirit.
First, the Book of Psalms can be greatly misunderstood and yet at the same time brings hope, encouragement, and offers ‘a path’ to God. Typical church theology and most seminaries will say Psalms are the experiences of King David and he is the central character in Psalms. I do not hold to this line of thinking. I believe (I know) that each verse of Psalms is a description of Jesus Christ, who He is, and what He will do. David is not writing about himself but about Jesus Christ. He saw and experienced Christ looking forward just as we believe in Christ, looking backward to His death. David saw and believed in Christ by looking forward to what, how, who, and why Christ is. We instead look back to the time Christ was on earth. Every time I read any verse in Psalms, I see Jesus—who He was, how He ministered on earth, and who He will be when He returns—the Second Coming of Christ. I see Jesus, not David when I read Psalms.
Second, the Book of Proverbs is not just a collection of wisdom statements and daily instructions in order to have a prosperous and blessed life on earth, nor clever insights on how to live a life of integrity. Proverbs of course can do those things because God uses natural and earthly truths to explain the spiritual. Jesus also used stories about things in this life to explain spiritual truths. God is using natural truths/principles to facilitate your knowledge and understanding of the Holy Spirit. Every verse in Proverbs (and I mean every verse) speaks about the Holy Spirit. It is a book that explains how the Holy Spirit works, what is His job descriptions, and when He intervenes in the lives of all humanity. It is a ‘no nonsense’ treatise (def: a systematic exposition or argument in writing including a methodical discussion of the facts and principles involved and conclusions) of the third person of the Trinity. Proverbs is about the Holy Spirit; it is about the third person of the Trinity. If you understand Proverbs, you will understand the Holy Spirit. We have simplified the Holy Spirit by just speaking about the Gifts and Fruits of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is much more and so important for the Body of Christ to have the Holy Spirit do what Jesus said the Holy Spirit (our Comforter) will do.
Third, is the Government of God, which is the rule of Christ over all of creation; I indeed feel Christ’s authority and governmental rule every day. The government in and of itself is a topic that is identified and manifested in many verses of the Bible but is not spoken about enough in the Body of Christ. We are in the last days and without a clear understanding of the ‘government of God’ our knowledge of Christ will have ‘gaps and loose ends’ that will cloud our judgment and understanding of what God will be doing in these last days. We must understand and embrace the Government of Christ in all its fullness, looking forward with hope, patience, and expectation that God has everything under His control.
We need to understand these three things—what the Bible is telling us—coming to a full and perfect knowledge of God thereby “being not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ” and being made perfect and complete in believing in the Trinity of God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
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What would Jesus want me to do?
Dr. Steven J. Wentland www.wwjwmtd.com
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