Sanctuary for illegal aliens? Is it Biblical?

Question: Dear Dr. Roane, what do you think about offering churches or cities as sanctuary cities or places of refuge for the illegal aliens flooding our country?

Answer: It's Biblical, like it or not. More specifically according to these verses, and more:

Leviticus 19:34

But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

Exodus 23:9

Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.

Deuteronomy 10:18,19

He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment.

See also: Numbers 35:11-12; Exodus 22:21; Deuteronomy 24:14.

So, the principle is certainly established in the text as well as the admonition that we should love our neighbor as ourselves. In this regard, we are to love them as Jesus does. They are precious souls for whom He gave His life as well as for ours.

Now, as far as government policy is, and how this is instituted, is beyond my scope of comprehension, except to say that it must be done lovingly. A loving response would not rule out helping them to improve their living conditions in their country of origin as long as it is reasonably safe and practical. In no way, however, should children be separated from their parents, especially their mothers and left destitute and without hope.

This does not mean, however, that we should allow jihadists, drug dealers, or felonious criminals enter to work havoc in our country. These kinds must be vetted out of the system.

Remember, that “the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere (James 3:17).” So, in essence, since what you are asking for is wisdom in a situation like this, keep this verse fully in focus.

Trust this helps,

JimR_/

Human Sacrifices: are they Biblical?

"No one should regard us as anything else than ministers of Christ and dispensers of the mysteries of God. (ref: 1 Corinthians 4:1)" — Martin Luther (Babylonian Captivity)

Dear Friends, prayer and financial partners,

As far back as Exodus 19:6 God declared that His elect were a universal priesthood—further in New Testament times Peter reconfirmed this with these words:

“[We] are a chosen people. [We] are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, [we] can show others the goodness of God, for he called [us] out of the darkness into his wonderful light (1 Peter 2:9).”

Of course, this priesthood has sacrifices to offer. As 1 Peter 2:5 states,

We also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

What are these spiritual sacrifices? Romans 12:1 says we offer our bodies. Philippians 4:18 says we offer our donations. And Hebrews 13:15-16 state that we offer our praise, our good deeds, and our sharing with others. Far too many Christians, in my opinion, are so turned off by the word sacrifice that they never bother to understand what a universal priesthood means. Priestly duties for them mean work for those ordained pastors or priests or otherwise so designated, not something that is obligatory for every true believer.

This, however, runs counterintuitive to Paul’s analogy of the functions of Body of Christ of which we are all members. Each part has its unique function, and, yet, each contributes to the overall good of the body and the purposes for which we are chosen.

I’m not an eye, perhaps, I am only a big toe. However, without the toe, the body will limp along its way to fulfill the purposes of God.

And, what are those purposes? Romans 8:28-29 answers that—we are all called into the perfection of Christ. This is line with: “Be ye perfect as your Father in Heaven is perfect (Matt. 5:3)” — and, these are not just idle words, they have the force of Christ behind them.

Sometimes fulfilling the purposes of God, as a sacrificial offering, can be messy work, long, arduous, work. Sometimes, yes, even unpleasant work. None-the-less, it is no less priestly work as was the slaughtering of animals at Temple. True Christ was our sacrifice, but, none-the-less, He told us that we turn must bear a cross. Here are His words in black and white:

“And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple (Luke 14:27).”

Such work is global work, too. No one is exempt, not even those in the most remote jungles of the world. Read it, it’s in the Bible:

For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the LORD of hosts (Malachi 1:11). 

So, by this, we understand that the priestly duties of the Old Testament were brought into the new. But not just confined to the Temple in Jerusalem, but globally. Thus, at the very heart of who and what we are to become is missions.

Thanks be to God, we can proclaim:

"Through your blood you have made us into priests and kings (Revelation 5:10)."

Must of us revel in the kingship; few, however, delight in the priestly. Now, may these words sustain you unto full perfection in Christ (Colossians 2:10).

Now may you embrace the fullness of His Grace that you shall never be put to shame (Rom. 10:11),

JimR__/

Worship has an audience of One!

“I can safely say, on the authority of all that is revealed in the Word of God, that any man or woman on this earth who is bored and turned off by worship is not ready for heaven.”—A.W. Tozer Dear Friends, financial and prayer partners,

Worship in every aspect is always for an audience of one. God alone deserves such an honor. Not the angels, or the saints, or even Mary, the mother of our Lord, are worthy of the honor. Jubilant singing is fun, makes you feel good, but it is not worshiping unless it is Godward. Christian concerts fall into the same category.

The facts are evangelical congregations gorge themselves each week on pabulum feast full of psychological props, catchphrases, clichés, and comfy morals. Such soulish trivia is devoid for the most point of even a hint of contrite spiritual enlightenment, ever feasting, as it were, but never satisfied. Never experiencing the satiating fulness of what it means to bow in humble reverence before God in the awesome beauty of His Holiness.

Make no mistake, hoopla will, when orchestrated right, draw huge crows, fill large auditoriums, create a cult of ardent devotees, and rack up remarkable statistics to impress the home office—but, sadly, however, not an awesome God who is hidden in the splendor of His own light (Psalm 36:9).

Why, pray tell me, why all the fuss?

In reply, I say this simply because only those with clean hands may enter His presence. A feel-good atmosphere or watered-down gospel is not the criteria. Holiness is, however.

Who, then, ascends into the presence of the Lord?

And who has the privilege of entering into God’s Holy Place?

Those who are clean—whose works and ways are pure,

whose hearts are true and sealed by the truth,

those who never deceive, whose words are sure.

They will receive the Lord’s blessing

and righteousness is given by the Savior-God.

They will stand before God, for they seek the pleasure of God’s face…

(Psalm 24:1-6)

In essence, what David is saying, as are many others in Scripture, is that the altar must precede worship. Somehow, the church has primarily reversed the order. Repentance is restricted to a written prayer of response at best and seldom do we witness an old-fashioned altar call that invites the sinner forward to the mourner’s bench. How could there be since the user-friendly crowd has taken that away?

So, no, worship is not all about me, it is all about Him—repentance is, however.

Now, have a blessed day as you meditate on these words.

JimR_/

The Lord's Prayer . . .

There are some glaring theological problems which most Evangelicals fail to address. One is, of course, related to the priestly prayer of our Lord recorded in The Gospel According to John chapter seventeen, particularly verse twenty-one, which reads:  

20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. (John 17:20-23)

Practically, this verse is like the proverbial elephant in the room in most Evangelical settings. Everyone knows it is there, but no one mentions it for fear they might kick-start a controversy. Most prefer to talk about cardinal doctrines, as the only essential doctrines of the faith forgetting, of course, that it is the little foxes that kill the vine. In that regards, there is no such thing as just a little heresy—"a little leaven leavens the whole lump (Galatians 5:9),” as Paul wrote.

However, on a much broader scale, we, too, some ask the question as to whether there is any fellowship with the darkness of liberalism. "So, why bother with that bunch?" they argue. And, that, too, must be factored into the ecumenical equation and the High Priestly Prayer of Christ (i.e. John 17:21), since “Light has no fellowship with darkness” (2 Corinthians 6:14)—and that’s Bible, too.

So, in essence, we have a conundrum rife with the fear of controversy.

I feel, for one, however, that we must address this proverbial elephant in the room with common sense and honesty. We will get nowhere without dialogue, and dialogue we must if we are to ever to do what is necessary to bring about healing within the Body of Christ. 

May God's presence embrace you now and forever,

JimR_/

Is praying the rosary sinful?

Question:  Dear Dr. Roane, is praying the rosary sinful?

Answer: Well, let me begin by saying that I do not find any form of prayer sinful, depending, of course to whom you are praying and what your petitions are (James 4:3). Catholics have some beautiful prayers in which they use the rosary as a memory device—that alone and in itself is not wrong. The rosary, in that case, should be considered a kind of prayer list which, I am sure, we have all used from time to time. Catholics are not the only Christians that use a rosary, many Anglican, Methodists, Orthodox, and others use it also.

The problem is that a rosary can become repetitious and perfunctory. That we must all avoid. Noting wrong, either, with repetition as long as our prayers of the petition do not become a kind of verbal hammer to try and change God's mind and get our own way. God looks at the heart and to the spirit in which the prayer is offered. For instance, I have a friend who has cancer and for whom I pray every day. Should I stop doing that simply because it is repetitious. God is not counting the number of times we say something; He is primarily interested in our motives for saying it. I hear many Pentecostals saying, "Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah" or "Glory to God," over and over again, and I have never felt compelled to correct them. As a matter of fact, I rather like the sound of it. I think God does, too. So, we must be careful in our criticism.

Here are some firm guidelines which I believe can be helpful for our prayer life taken from "Got Questions.com:"

Man's highest aim should be to bring glory to God (1 Corinthians 10:31), and this includes praying according to His will. First, we must ask for wisdom. “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5). In asking for wisdom, we must also trust that God is gracious and willing to answer our prayers: “But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt” (James 1:6; see also Mark 11:24). So, praying according to the will of God includes asking for wisdom (to know the will of God) and asking in faith (to trust the will of God).

Here are seven biblical instructions that will guide the believer in praying according to God’s will:

1) Pray for the things for which the Bible commands prayer. We are told to pray for our enemies (Matthew 5:44); for God to send missionaries (Luke 10:2); that we do not enter temptation (Matthew 26:41); for ministers of the Word (Colossians 4:3; 2 Thessalonians 3:1); for government authorities (1 Timothy 2:1-3); for relief from affliction (James 5:13); and for the healing of fellow believers (James 5:16). Where God commands prayer, we can pray with confidence that we are praying according to His will.

2) Follow the example of godly characters in Scripture. Paul prayed for the salvation of Israel (Romans 10:1). David prayed for mercy and forgiveness when he sinned (Psalm 51:1-2). The early church prayed for boldness to witness (Acts 4:29). These prayers were according to the will of God, and similar prayers today can be as well. As with Paul and the early church, we should always be praying for the salvation of others. For ourselves, we should pray as David prayed, always aware of our sin and bringing it before God before it hinders our relationship with Him and thwarts our prayers.

3) Pray with the right motivation. Selfish motives will not be blessed by God. “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures” (James 4:3). We should also pray, not so our lofty words can be heard and we may be seen by others as “spiritual,” but mostly in private and in secret so that our heavenly Father will hear in private and reward us openly (Matthew 6:5-6).

4) Pray with a spirit of forgiveness toward others (Mark 11:25). A spirit of bitterness, anger, revenge or hatred toward others will prevent our hearts from praying in total submission to God. Just as we are told not to give offerings to God while there is a conflict between ourselves and another Christian (Matthew 5:23-24), in the same way, God does not want the offering of our prayers until we have reconciled with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

5) Pray with thanksgiving (Colossians 4:2; Philippians 4:6-7). We can always find something to be thankful for, no matter how burdened we are by our wants or needs. The greatest sufferer that lives in this world of redeeming love, and who has the offer of heaven before him, has reason to be grateful to God.

6) Pray with persistence (Luke 18:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:17). We should persevere in prayer and not quit or be dejected because we have not received an immediate answer. Part of praying in God’s will is believing that, whether His answer is “yes,” “no,” or “wait,” we accept His judgment, submit to His will, and continue to pray.

7) Rely on the Spirit of God in prayer. This is a wonderful truth: “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will” (Romans 8:26-27). We have the Spirit’s help in praying. At the times of our deepest depression or sorrow, those times when we feel that we “just cannot pray,” we have the comfort of knowing that the Holy Spirit is actually praying for us! What an amazing God we have!

What assurance we have when we seek to walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh! Then we can have confidence that the Holy Spirit will accomplish His work in presenting our prayers to the Father according to His perfect will and timing, and we can rest in the knowledge that He is working all things together for our good (Romans 8:28).

 Trust this helps,

JimR_/

Holiness: a little known virtue

Dryness, or as some say, writer’s block comes to all. Most, but not all, however, know that that is the time to lay the pen down until the juices start flowing again. Preaching is the same. Same old pastor, same old rehashed sermons, same old monotony, déjà vu all over again. And, the results? Boredom and a dwindling congregation.

Show me a pastor who doesn’t spend time in prayer, and reflecting on Scripture, and I’ll show you one that has a poorly nourished flock with just enough wherewithal to—if they are lucky, to fall off the nearest cliff.

Very few men or women have the capacity for sermonizing as Charles Spurgeon or the depth and writing skills of an A. W. Tozer. The sooner recognized, the better the lesson learned. God’s word is, first and foremost, a voice from on high (Roms. 10:17). That voice often seems evasive—so, some say, Why bother? I’ll just coast on my intellect; after all, I’m a seminary graduate, I’ve got the goods. May not come across the plate as a strike, but I’m going to take a swat at it, anyway.

Trouble is, unlike baseball, preaching or writing for the Christian is not a mundane matter. Neither should we treat it as such, either.

Thematic preaching may have its place, but it is most certainly not giving the congregants the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27). Same goes for writing.

The cure? Moses went to the mountain, the disciples to the Upper Room, Christ to the garden for rejuvenation, and so must we. Never truer words were spoken than those in the old hymn: “Take Time to Be Holy” by C. Michael Hawn which reads:

Take time to be holy,
speak oft with thy Lord;
abide in him always,
and feed on his word.
Make friends of God’s children,
help those who are weak,
forgetting in nothing
his blessing to seek.
(The United Methodist Hymnal, No. 395)

Yes, it takes time to be holy, to speak often with the Lord and feed on His Word and to be charitable in all things; but it is well worth the effort. Heaven pays the highest dividends that I know. So, spend time with the Lord, feed on His Word, and seek to do His will in all things in love.

Now, have a blessed day! 

JimR/—

P.S. Thanks for making our most recent mission trip a success. We now have a new batch of graduate students to work in God's Kingdom in Sri Lanka and beyond.

The foolishness of the Cross . . .

Question: Pray tell me, Dr. Roane, why all the fuss about the cross that we must bear? I thought Jesus came to do away with all of that. He suffered for us, why then must we suffer?

Answer: Good question, and a popular one at that, I must admit. May I suggest however that you stop believing such foolishness. I know that it is a popular belief, but heresy none the less.

Firstly, it is true that for the willing heart—with God, to dream is to achieve. The problem with most of us is that our dreams are not big enough. We are satisfied with the mediocre, the mundane—willing to muddle our way through life, choosing comfort rather than the cross. I am speaking about spiritual things here. In God's Kingdom the cross, however, trumps comfort on any and every occasion when a choice is given. 

To be Christlike is the ultimate sign of Kingdom success, and Christ was a man of the Cross for all seasons. Nothing cushy about His choices. He took the road less travelled—the one strewn with obstacles and battles to be fought all along the path; yet, He never faltered or gave up hope. Facing the cross, His prayer was: "Father, not my will, but thine be done." In doing so, He not only sealed His fate, but that of ours also. Thus, we are compelled daily to take up our cross and follow Him. Not a cross that we have fashioned; mind you, but one that God the Father has constructed. That cross—both His and ours, was designed with us in mind. His for salvation, ours to work out His sanctification in us. Thus, we can say that,

Properly defined, sanctification is that process of being set apart for God's work to be conformed to the image of Christ.  This conforming to Christ involves the work of the person, but it is still God working in the believer to produce more of a godly character and life in the person who has already been justified (Phil. 2:13).  Sanctification is not instantaneous because it is not the work of God alone.  The justified person is actively involved in submitting to God's will, resisting sin, seeking holiness, and working to be more godly (Gal. 5:22-23). (Ref: CARM)

This is the work of the cross: His and ours. Therefore, we must not shun either; for both are ours to embrace. 

Pray tell me, where is the lasting evidence of something you learned from pleasure? Now, ask yourself the same concerning the hard knocks of life, the crosses, the times of difficulty. Those are the seminal moment that mold and shape us in life for the better—is it not so? The good man, the wise man, realizes that and embraces those moments. This, bear in mind, is not spiritual masochism; it is spiritual realism—that is, it is the purpose of the cross; again, ours and His to be precise.

Thus, we read that— 

“When He was reviled, He did not revile in return; when He suffered He uttered no threats” (1 Peter 2:23).”

And that, when— 

“He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth ( Is. 53:7).”

Why? The answer is simple yet loaded with spiritual insight. He embraced the Cross. He embraced his destiny. So, must we.

The problem, in my opinion, with most Protestant and Evangelical theology, particularly that of the Charismatics is that they have not developed a sensible theology of the Cross. Theirs is a cushy cross; a cross cushioned with pads of comfort. Hard times are seen as Godly punishment, crosses to be avoided at all costs. They are a sign of the "lack of faith." Yet, biblical faith teaches just the opposite. That they fail to see; however, or embrace.

When difficult times come, they are shouted away in a torrent of fleshly exuberance which is passed off as worship. A shout here, and a shout there, with a few positive confessions, negates the purpose of the test— that is, the remedial effects of the cross . . . again both His and ours. Thereby, it strips life of its most valuable lessons. 

Morbid? Not at all. Nothing morbid about it. The Cross, including our cross, is the most positive experience we can have in this life, it lifts us above self-interest, high above the mundane, right into the very presence of God, the inner sanctum. For without, sanctification we shall never experience His holiness. That's Bible. That's good theology. That's truth. It is the very nature of God's plan to redeem us, to fulfill Romans 8:28-29 in which "all things work together for our good." Pray for healing? It does not come. Praise God anyway. Pray for financial acumen, it does not come. Praise God anyway. In any and all events He knows what is best for us. That which is temporary, keep in mind, is never in our best interest unless it serves His higher interest for us. 

God's sovereignty reigns above all, including the Cross— both His and ours. God's will is supreme, cannot be altered, changed or modified. To oppose that Will is to invite ultimate shame and disaster. It is unalterable. Not because He is obstinate, but because He knows best.

Now, may God give us both the wisdom and the will to embrace these great truths.

Yours in the eternal bonds of Calvary,

JimR_/