Living By Faith In This Troubled World

                                    LIVING BY FAITH IN THIS TROUBLED WORLD 

            Kayla Mueller, 26 years old, was captured by ISIS, and on February 10, 2015, U.S. officials confirmed that Muslim extremists had murdered her while in captivity. She wrote to her family as a captor in the spring of 2014. The letter begins with Kayla’s assurance that she has been treated well and is “in a safe location, completely unharmed + healthy.” The 26-year-old aid worker goes on to apologize touchingly to her family for the suffering that she has put them through because of her captivity. Then comes her central proposition:

            “I remember mom always telling me that all in all, in the end, the only one you really have is God. I have come to a place in experience where, in every sense of the word, I have surrendered myself to our creator because literally there was no else.” Kayla, who was involved in the campus ministry at Northern Arizona University, goes on to relate how “by God and by your prayers I have felt tenderly cradled in freefall.” She adds, “I have been shown in darkness and light and have learned that even in prison, one can be free. I am grateful. I have come to see that there is good in every situation; sometimes, we just have to look for it.”

            She concluded, “Please be patient, give your pain to God. I know you would want me to remain strong. That is exactly what I am doing. Do not fear for me, and continue to pray as I will. By God’s will, we will be together soon. All my everything, Kayla.”[1] Kayla, though lived only 26 years, she lived by Faith under extremely troubling situations and has gone to be with her maker in Heaven. She leaves a lesson for us on how to Live By Faith In This Troubled World. The sixth-century B.C prophet Habakkuk has a valuable lesson to teach 21st-century believers how to navigate this troubling world in which we are called to live and make an impact.

            The prophet Habakkuk is rather an obscure figure that we don’t often hear about during Sunday services, yet he has a profound message for all of us. His little book of three chapters is one of the gems in the OT. It was written when the Babylonians were the undisputed power in the region. Habbakkuk’s problem was divine justice. How could a mighty God, seeing all the wickedness and evil in the world, remain unconcerned? That was Habakkuk’s dilemma.

            Habakkuk noticed violence, lawbreaking, and injustice go unpunished, so he questioned God about it. God’s answer troubled him even more, so he asked God again the second time about justice. God reassured Habakkuk that if he could only wait, it would all be clear for him. This satisfied Habakkuk, and with renewed Faith, he seemed to conclude that, Given God’s nature, his own questions were unjustified. What made Habakkuk remain silent? (Hab 2:20).

            Another significant thing about this small book is that The Habakkuk Commentary is the most well-preserved OT Commentary among those found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Apostle Paul used one verse from Chapter 2 in Rom 1:7 to introduce the doctrine of Justification by Faith rather than by works. Martin Luther’s interpretation of this verse totally reoriented his thinking and contributed to the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. Before we find out the verse that changed the History of the Church, let’s look at the two complaints of the prophet Habakkuk and God’s answer that changed the prophet’s perspective.

I. Habakkuk Complaint # 1 (Vs. 2-4)

            Habakkuk complained to God that, despite repeated prayers to God regarding the violence and injustice, God didn’t listen to his cries. He complained that the Department of Justice and the Supreme Court of that time were broken by letting the wicked escape punishment, and the righteous were constrained by the wicked. On top of that, strife and conflict among people kept increasing. Habakkuk thought he was justified in his complaint.

            Do any of these complaints of Habakkuk ring a bell in our times? What do you think about the justice system in our land? Do you feel angry and even hurt when you see the wicked people having their agendas fulfilled and the righteous suffer from their wickedness? You may feel justified in complaining and challenging God over the state of our country and the world. But wait, let’s find out what God has to say to the prophet regarding his complaint.

II. God’s Answer To Habakkuk’s Complaint”

            Look at the nations and watch—and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.” The prophet might have thought that God was finally going to do something. But he didn’t know that the new thing was the increased misery for God’s people. God was going to send the cruel Babylonians to invade Israel and Judah and take people as captives to their land of Babylon.

            Think about God’s answer for a moment. You are praying to God to alleviate wickedness and the evil plunging our nation into confusion and chaos. You heard God saying, behold, I will do something about it. By the way, I will send your enemies to further inflict trouble on the existing trouble you are already enduring. How would you receive such an answer from God?

III. Habakkuk’s Complaint # 2 (1:12-17)

            This time, he gained a proper perspective of God’s holiness and his everlasting presence in the affairs of humanity. He complains again about God’s tolerance toward the wicked and his un-involvement even while seeing the outrageous evil against God’s righteous people. Unlike the first time, he positioned himself to see how God was going to destroy the wicked people.

            Instead, God answers him to write down these profound words for all generations. We have read the words written by the sixth-century prophet again on this 8^th day of February 2025. Those profound words that changed many people’s lives are: The righteous shall live by Faith.

            Another assuring proclamation must have calmed the prophet, i.e., “The LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.” This was as though God was saying, I got this; I am in control. You be silent, and so is everyone on this planet before me. Now, prophet Habakkuk has nothing more to complain to God; instead, he offers praise in prayer.

IV. A Prayer of Praise and Faith Amid Despair and Hopelessness Chapter 3

            May this profound prayer of praise be ours in our despair and hopelessness. “Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time, make them known; in wrath, remember mercy.” Here is how we can overcome the most difficult circumstances and go on to live a life that would bring glory to God.

            This is how we overcome our depression, discouragement, and lack of resources. Even if nothing seems to be working our way, everything is challenging and unmanageable; we can live by trusting in God when we know that our God is loving, holy, and mighty in power.

            Whatever you are going through today, don’t lose hope in God. You will come through by His help. Like Habakkuk, we can turn our complaints into a time of praising God for His marvelous deeds.

 

            On this snowy morning, let me close this beautiful prayer and praise of Habakkuk in Chapter 3:17-19“Though the fig tree does not bud, and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength;  he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.” (The Message).

           

 

 

 

           

 

 

 

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[1] Stephen L. Carter, "On Kayla Mueller and Faith," Bloomberg View (2-13-15)

 

Trait # 1 Experiences God's Empowering Presence

Ten Traits Of A Vital Christian

Trait # 1  Experiences God's Empowering Presence

 

            I vividly remember how much joy flooded my heart for the first time when I surrendered my life to Jesus at the age of eighteen. I decided to preach the gospel and serve the Lord until the day I die. I was full of hope, energy, and optimism to turn the world upside down like the early disciples. With youthful exuberance and vitality, I joined a six-month Discipleship Training School with YWAM in India. That was where I laid a spiritual foundation for my future ministry.

            The six-month DTS was one way like a Christian boot camp for me. Because of particular rigorous training, some staff defined DTS as Dying To Self. You will soon learn to die to yourself if there is only one toilet for 45 people and only a half bucket of water for a shower. However, the key concepts of discipleship I learned were so precious that they even sustain me today in ministry after all these years. Those principles helped me become a Vital Christian.

            The dictionary defines vitality as being strong and active or energetic. It also means liveliness, life, spiritedness, vivacity, and exuberance. It is the power of giving continuance to life and being present in all living things. A Vital Christian is not necessarily always energetic, exuberant, and euphoric but a joyful, committed disciple of Christ. They have been battle-tested and refined in the crucible of affliction. They love the Lord, and as Eugene Peterson puts it, they maintain a life of "A Long Obedience In The Same Direction," no matter the cost.

            Today, we begin a Vital Christian Living Series. For the next several weeks, we will learn why it is essential to have vitality in our daily lives as Christians and what the ten traits of a vital Christian are. The ten traits should be seen in the light of Jesus's life and teaching, based on the Gospel of John and the relationship Jesus had with his disciples. To help us unpack these traits, we will use Stephen Macchia's book, "Becoming A Healthy Disciple." The First Trait of a Vital Christian: "A Vital Christian Experiences God's Empowering Presence." John 14:15-21

 

I. Vitality is God's Design for All People

            Since the beginning, God has designed vitality for all mankind. This was how God formed the first man. Genesis 2:7 says, "Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being."             According to this scripture, we have no life without God's breath (Spirit) in our nostrils; we are just a lump of clay. God blessed mankind and said, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it." Gen 2:8. As we see, physical vitality (Life) and blessings of fruitfulness and multiplication are God's design for all people. Satan has disrupted God's divine intentions for mankind by tempting man to sin. Since then, God has been working to restore both physical and spiritual vitality to people which Satan has stolen.

            Several OT passages explain God's provision of physical and spiritual vitality for His children, those who walk closely with Him. Psalm 1:1-3, "Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by water streams, which yield fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers." Are you like that tree planted by water streams?

            In this world, several people outwardly seem to be healthy, wealthy, and successful, yet inwardly, they may be lonely, fearful, unhappy, and unfulfillment. They may be physically alive but spiritually dead. What robs our spiritual vitality, and how can we restore it?

II. How Can We Restore Spiritual Vitality?

            Before we talk about restoring spiritual vitality, we need to address how we lost it in the first place. In Genesis 2:17, God tells Adam that on the day he eats the forbidden fruit, he will "surely die." Adam does fall, but his physical death does not occur immediately.

            God must have had spiritual death in his mind. Physical death is the separation of the soul from the body. Spiritual death, which is of greater significance, is the separation of the soul from God. This separation from God is precisely what we see in Genesis 3:8. When Adam and Eve heard the voice of the Lord, they "hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God." The fellowship had been broken. They could not relate to God anymore. They were spiritually dead.

            Every man and woman without Christ is spiritually dead. Paul describes it as "being alienated from the life of God." Ephe 4:18. (To be separated from life is the same as being dead). Isaiah 59:1-2: People were separated from God by their sins, which hid God's face from them. In Ephesians 2:1-3, we read people were dead in their sins, which separated them from God and deserving God's wrath. We thank God for Romans 5:8, which says, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

            How can we be spiritually revived and our vitality restored? This might have been in the mind of a learned Hebrew Rabbi Nicodemus, who came to Jesus at night. Jesus told him, "Very truly, one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again." John 3:2-5 The natural man, like Adam hiding in the garden, is isolated from God. Spiritual death is reversed when we are born again, and we become God's children. Now, we can live a vital Christian Life.

III. A Vital Christian Experiences God's Empowering Presence.

            As a dead man can not follow human instructions, a spiritually dead man can not understand and obey God's commands. As sinners, none of us can save ourselves from the impending wrath of God. God, in his mercy, sent His Holy Spirit to Convict the world of sin, and righteousness and judgment." John 16:8. The Holy Spirit convicted me of my sins in that Evangelistic meeting, so I repented and accepted God's forgiveness. At that moment, something supernatural happened. The Holy Spirit came into my life as promised in John 14:15-21.

            Many Christians are unaware that the Holy Spirit comes to live in them when they get saved. Jesus promised his disciples that He would send another advocate to help them and be with them forever. He said the Spirit of Truth will be with and in them. The Holy Spirit came to live in us when we were born again. A vital Christian Experiences the Powerful Presence of God. To experience the presence of the Holy Spirit, first of all, we must believe He is living in us. With that realization, we invite the Holy Spirit to take charge of our lives. The N.T writers used a  Greek word, Dunamis, to describe the Power of the Holy Spirit, from which we get our English word dynamite. Now, you can imagine the power of the Holy Spirit inside you.

            You have learned from Romans 8:11-13, "And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live."

            We can live a vital Christian life by regularly experiencing God's empowering presence. When we recognize we are in the presence of the Holy Spirit, we will experience Joy. Despite the challenging circumstances, there is peace, abundant life, and eternal hope when we abide in his presence. The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sins. He heals and transforms broken hearts.

            He counsels us with His wisdom. He comforts us when we are hurting. He consoles us with his love and grace. He reveals and exalts Jesus. He will show us what is right and how to avoid the wrong. Ultimately, it will be the Spirit who completes the work in us so that when we go home to be with the Lord for all eternity, it will be the Spirit who empowered us to be recipients of the "well done, good and faithful servant" affirmation from our loving heavenly Father. How are you Experiencing God's Empowering Presence in your life? 

 

 

           

 

Not At Home In This World!

                                        NOT AT HOME IN THIS WORLD!

 

            Imagine walking through a busy shopping mall with loud music and people carrying big shopping bags full of merchandise. You see greed in people’s eyes, coveting and wanting to buy the latest and trendiest fashion clothing or electronic gadgets, often on credit. You are somehow turned off by all that glitter, glamor, and people hoarding things. You feel sad and not at home in that shopping mall. Some of you may feel that way; why do you feel that way?

            I feel overwhelmed and out of place when I go to a shopping mall. You may think I am strange, and maybe I am when shopping. Not only with shopping, but I also carry values and live by Biblical principles that differ from those of my extended family, friends, and colleagues.

            A tourist once traveled through the area where the famed late 19^th-century Rabbi Hofetz Chaim lived. Being a great admirer of the Rabbi, he inquired whether he could visit him at his home. He soon got a reply that he was welcome to visit anytime. The young tourist thereafter arrived at the Rabbi’s home with much excitement.

            Upon reaching the simple one-roomed house, he was asked to enter. Upon entering, to his amazement, he saw only a table, a lamp, and a cot, besides many books, inside the house. Surprised by what he saw, the tourist asked, “Rabbi, where is the rest of your furniture?” Rabbi Chaim calmly replied, “Where is yours?” Puzzled by the Rabbi’s response, the tourist replied, “My furniture? But I’m only a visitor here.” The wise Rabbi then replied, “So am I.”

            The Rabbi’s statement and his value system are counter-cultural. In a consumer society where people think they must own everything they see on the TV in the market, a Rabbi simplified life, realizing that he was just a tourist in the land. This Rabbi emulated the simple and sober lifestyle of his Jewish ancestors. In I Peter 2:11-12, the Apostle Peter has a message for every born-again Christian everywhere: that we are Not At Home In This World. We are to live like foreigners and exiles passing through this World to our Eternal Home called Heaven.

 

Background to the First Letter Of Peter

            Peter’s first letter addressed the Jewish believers scattered among the five Roman provinces. The occasion was persecution in the area, and the letter tries to encourage and equip believers for the difficult times ahead. Though there was no empire-wide persecution of the believers until Decius (A.D. 249-51), the local ones could be severe. One of the worst persecutions known to have struck the early church took place early in the second century in Bithynia, one of the provinces in which I Peter was written.

            This was how Peter opened his letter. “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, I Peter 1:1, “To God’s elect, exiles (aliens, NASB, foreigners, NLT),  scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.” NIV. The status of the Jewish believers at that time was one of resident aliens. They were away from their homeland. They lived among people whose customs and rituals were strange and different to them and vice versa.

 

I. God’s People Are  Foreigners and Exiles In This World.

            At the beginning of his letter, Peter establishes the current status of all God’s people or the Elect of all times: they are foreigners and exiles in this World. If you are a born-again Christian who belongs to God’s Kingdom, you feel out of place, and people may perceive you as strange and, at times, even hate you because of your Christian convictions and lifestyle.

 

            This status of being foreigners and exiles is not a new phenomenon. This theme runs through the whole Bible. If you look through the OT, God’s chosen people, the nation of Israel, lived in pagan lands on their way to God’s promised land, Canaan, for them and their descendants. As they lived as foreigners and strangers, God gave them specific instructions. Deu 4:5-9 “See, I have taught you decrees and laws as the Lord my God commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of it.

            Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.” What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him? And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today? Peter urges believers of all times to live as foreigners and strangers in this World. What would that entail?

 

II. Waging War Against Our Sinful Desires.

            I Peter 2:11-12, “Dear friends, I urge you as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires which wage war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans (your unbelieving neighbors) NLT that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”

            The exact status that applied to ancient Israel and the first-century Jewish believers applies to us today. We, too, are foreigners and exiles in this World. As they were warned not to follow the pagan gods or learn the ways of the nations they were passing through, similarly, we are not to blend in with the ungodly society and follow its ways.

            Peter’s warning for us today is to abstain from sinful desires which wage war against our souls. Since deceiving Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, our arch-enemy has declared war against human souls. Satan’s primary weapon against human beings, mainly God’s children, is one simple three-letter word: SIN. If he could get God’s people to live sinful lives, he would win the war. What provision did God make for his believers to succeed? The Holy Spirit!

The Holy Spirit aids us in waging war against our sinful desires. We will learn about the Holy Spirit’s work in believers’ lives later. For now, we should know that we can only abstain from sinful desires and win the war not by our human will but by the Power of the Holy Spirit.

 

III. Not At Home In This World

            As foreigners, exiles, or sojourners, we are not at home in this World. A true believer in Christ must not be at home in this World. If you feel at home, in other words, you live like just everybody else, which means you have compromised your faith, perhaps not even born again.      Why do we feel that we are not at home in this World? Because this is what Jesus said of us. John 17:16, “They are not of the World any more than I am of the World.” As believers, we should never forget that we belong to Jesus and that this World is not our home. Peter urged his believers to abstain from sinful desires and live good lives in this ungodly society.

            According to Psalm 14:3, “All have turned away, all have become corrupt; no one does good, not even one.” If all have become corrupt, how can anyone be good and do good? Peter’s call to live a good life is not directed at everyone but at those who are saved, born-again Christians. We don’t do good works to be saved, but we do good works because we are saved. What does this good life consist of in this ungodly society? We can only be and do good as the Holy Spirit empowers us. Goodness is part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

            A spirit-filled Christian is equipped to lead a good life. A good person loves the Lord and loves his neighbor as he loves himself. Living a good life is living with integrity and honesty in all our dealings. A good person selflessly acts on behalf of others. Their speech is seasoned with salt. They avoid lying and ill-will toward others; instead, they speak the truth in love. They love their spouses if they are married, and if they have children, raise them in the fear of God.

            A good person is generous and kind to the poor, widows, and orphans. They are compassionate and kind to foreigners and strangers. To summarize, a good life is centered on Christ and His love. When we do good to others, people will glory God by seeing our good works on the day He visits us. May the Holy Spirit help us be and do all the good we can to others until Christ returns.