Have you ever been to Home Depot, gone to the paint aisle and saw that the paint brushes and rollers are displayed in the good, better or best categories? Well, that is what I want to talk about today. We as people have those same categories in our spiritual walk with God. Let us dive in…
The Good
Let’s buy “the good.” In painting, when I buy the “good brand” it is for quick and easy jobs when I am not as worried about the quality. I want a nice job, but if I am only painting one board or just a trim piece on the wall, I buy the good brand. Most likely I will throw that brush away when I am done. It not worth the time to clean and store it.
When we approach God on the “good basis,” we begin to live our lives on what is good and bad or what is right and wrong. We feel if we are good enough or do enough good works we can earn our way to heaven. Many people believe if they are good enough, give enough and if they do more good than bad, then, of course, they will go to heaven! They scored over 60% on the good vs bad report card. They believe they were a good spouse, raised their kids right, gave to charities and occasionally went to church on most important days.
All religions are based on the good vs bad concept. If you believe the right way and perform religious sacraments or traditions along with living a good life, you will have a chance to get into Heaven. Even if you come up short, there are those who teach there is a place (limbo/purgatory) where you can go and pay off your debt or shortcomings and then get to go be with God. Unfortunately, these are all false teachings! Like my good paint brush, although it had a purpose and did a good job, in the end, it was throw away. But you do not have to stay here just doing good and hoping you will be with God in Heaven. You can repent and go on to be “the better”…
The Better
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NJKV)
I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, (good works, religious duty etc.) then Christ died in vain.”(for nothing) Galatians 2:21 (NKJV) *(paratheses mine)
Then there is the “better brush”. Now, these are the real deal, better quality and have a long life… Spiritually, these are the ones who have left the false doctrines of religion and humanity and found the need for Jesus and salvation of the cross. These people have accepted their need for Jesus and have asked Him into their lives.
We call these better ones because they are born again, repented from their sins and their dead works and found Jesus at Calvary’s cross. They are real and have eternal life with Jesus. They go to church, read their Bible, serve their church and lead others to Christ and make disciples. They know there is nothing they can do to earn salvation, not good works or any deeds of their own. They accepted the only way to eternity with God is the fact that they are sinners and Jesus died to pay for their sins at the cross. They then rest in that fact.
But the better have a problem, and I believe it is epidemic in the church of Jesus Christ today. You see, even though they are the better brush, they have not moved on to the “BEST”! Yes, they have said the salvation prayer and are saved and they go to church and serve God but…..so many have stopped here. If they get real honest, and you asked if they hear the voice of God in their lives or if they sense or know God is present in their life, They would say: “no”!
To them, God is mysterious and lives in the cosmos. Yes, they have the right doctrines and can quote good verses, but God is at a distance to them.
There are also some who get worked up at worship time at church and whip up a strong emotional reaction to the music and counterfeit the presence of God with emotionalism and weeping.
But in reality, when the music is done and the church service is over, God is at a distance and very quiet to them. So they rationalize and believe this is true for everyone and they become satisfied with their weekly local church services and with their Christian culture and friends.
I have heard the sayings:
The best is the enemy of the good. Voltaire
Good, better, best. Never let it rest. ‘Til your good is better and your better is best. St. Jerome
So as St Jerome said let’s go on to our best…
The Best
I bet I have your attention now! You might be saying what is better than being saved? For so many of us when we received salvation we heard the invitation go something like this. Repent from your sins and dead works and come and receive salvation so you can go to heaven! Who wants to go to heaven? Then you said yes, and then walked the aisle/raised your hand and then said the salvation prayer.
Please understand, I am not questioning your salvation here. I am saying there is a higher ground after salvation, after getting saved, reading your Bible, going to church, and then waiting for that day you will go to heaven! There is a “best” level, and I will show you in scripture what I am talking about.
So many people today will say they “believe” in God even those regularly attending churches. Therein lies the problem… We only believe, hope, or even wish there is something out there. We may go as far as to doctrinally believe and stand on the fact that Jesus died on the cross 2000 years ago, and even go along with all the creed of our faith. We go to church in hopes of getting nearer to our Creator and Savior, but at the end of the day if we are truly honest with ourselves we still say: God is somewhere out in the cosmos. I have good news for you. You do not have to stay there with the masses. There is the “best” and I will show you how to get there.
Now, this is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true [supreme and sovereign] God, and [in the same manner know] Jesus [as the] Christ whom You have sent. John 17:3 (AMP)
Do you see this here? The Bible gives us the definition of eternal life. It is not saying a prayer and then one day, when you die, you get to go to heaven. That is only a benefit to what I am showing you. It is the logical conclusion to this.
ETERNAL LIFE IS … THEY MAY KNOW YOU!
The Greek/English lexicon states it this way: BDAG defines γινώσκω this way. “This verb is variously nuanced in contexts relating to familiarity acquired through experience or association with pers. or thing.” The important point to note is that it is a knowing that is relational and growing. It is not some fact we accept, but the kind of knowledge that is gained through experience and, if the context allows it, through intimacy.
God does not want us to “believe” in him but to know Him. It is personal and intimate as in relational. Jesus put it this way: John 10:14-16: I am the good shepherd; I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so, I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; there will be one flock and one shepherd.
Jesus is talking about an intimate personal relationship with Him. He also talks about His relationship with the Father. Jesus then tops it off with “they will hear My voice. Not some doctrines and creeds and hoping someone is out there. He wants us to come into a close intimate relationship with Him. Now let look at what the Apostle Paul says about this subject:
Philippians 3:10: that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,
Paul states the very same revelation as the Apostle John and Jesus does. Have you ever, noticed that in the Bible you will never read anyone asking someone to come follow and say a prayer so you can get your sins forgiven and go to heaven? It is nowhere. I am not saying it is wrong, that is how I got saved in church. But I am saying there is so much more!
When many get saved we are told to go to church, read and learn your Bible and then get involved in church. (Nothing wrong with these practices), except, they replace the best with the better. We spend the rest of our lives learning theology, studying and learning Bible verses and seeing who can be more doctrinally sound and proficient. Paul states the opposite in Philippians 3; all these religious stuff was rubbish and a waste compared to the knowledge of Jesus Christ.
If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; 6 concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
7But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain[b] to the resurrection from the dead.
What Paul states here is: He was a religious superman! He had all the right genes, the right upbringing, the right schooling and was at the top of all the religious people he knew. He was religiously superior in every way known to man. But it was rubbish in comparison to him getting to know our Lord and Savior intimately. In the church, we do the opposite. We pray the prayer and accept Jesus, then we try to become religious superman at the expense of our personal relationship with Jesus.
A great many people need to lose their religion and find Jesus Christ as Paul did!
Do you wonder what Jesus thinks of this? How does He feel about this mentality?
Revelation 2: 2-4; “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars, and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless, I have this against you, that you have left your first love.
The church in Ephesus was the great church of the New Testament. It had Timothy as the pastor and traditions say that the Apostle John and Mary (the mother of Jesus) attended there at one time. But even having all the right stuff going for it, Jesus says they did all the right things except in continuing a close and personal relationship with Him. The other stuff became more important.
My life experience!
On June 10, 1985, after 6 months of recovery from a drug and alcohol addiction that started when I was 9 and lasted for 11 years, I ended up homeless but sober. At my rehabilitation center 6 months earlier I was told the only hope I had to remain sober was to find God! I was an atheist and a hater of God if He happened to really exist.
In spite of that, I wanted to get sober and not die from the addiction. So I did as I was told: to pray and seek God as if He was gold and silver. I have to say, I did seek God with all my heart for 6 months. Then finally on June 10, as I was fighting the battle of my addiction and trying everything not to let fear and self-pity take over and go use as the devil was tempting me to do, I found Jesus! I cried out to the Lord: “I hate this invisibility stuff, If you really exist and want me to stay sober please help me, I can not do this on my own!!! Jesus appeared to me.
The best description I can come up with is the way we picture Paul on the road to Damascus in Act 9. I sat and talked to Jesus for a while and He relieved me of my addiction and the demons that possessed me. Since that very day, I have had a personal relationship with Jesus. He saved me from my addictions and demonic possession even before I prayed for Salvation and eternal life with God. He has always been personal to me and I can hear His voice very often when I need Him or He is directing me in my ministry. Today, I have been sober for over 33 years and have been a Christian for over 30 years.
Just recently I was serving with Samaritan’s Purse in North Carolina, helping those who were suffering from the devastation brought by hurricane Florence. I was with a friend of mine on a day off at the beach and I went to change my clothes to go swimming in the ocean. I came back from changing and went to go swimming and right before I dove into the waves, I heard a voice say: Dennis you forgot your keys. It startled me because it was so loud, but it was definitely Spiritual and from the Lord. So I got out of the water and went to check my clothes.
I had forgotten our rental keys to the car in the public bathroom. I ran and checked and they were still there on the sink. If the Lord had not spoken to me we very possibly would have been stranded and been in a world of hurt. We were an hour away from our base and three hours away from the rental car business. He speaks to me a lot and I love the relationship I have with the Lord.
So when people ask me; “if I believe in God?” I always say: “NO! I do not just believe in Him, I know him personally and we have an intimate relationship with each other.
I pray you will pursue a personal relationship with Him. He is not playing spiritual hide and goes seek with you. He is waiting for you to make the first move. If you do not know this, let me share this principle.
God does not determine how close a relationship you have, YOU DO!
James 4:8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
