http://ichthys.com/ 
Believers in the World XIII

Question #1:  
Hello Dr.,

Not a lot new to share here. I decided to cancel my appointment for the interview. After much thought and prayer it didn't seem like a good fit for me. At my age and with the little time we have left before the beginning of the Tribulation along with the fact that the place is a left leaning, virtue signaling institution, where employment would more than double my daily commute and the new hire is required to test and get state certified in storm water inspections, they could offer me double my current salary and I’d still have reservations. The way I see it less with the Lord can be more than all the world has to offer, so I’m still where I’ve been for the last many years. It may be a dysfunctional, occasionally toxic work environment, but hey, this is Cosmos Diabolicus after all. Also, there’s the old saying “better the devil you know, than the devil you don’t”!

How are you Sir? The new Peter teaching is excellent as always. I bet with as busy as you have been your summer is going by fast, I know mine is. However, that’s ok by me, never been a big fan of the heat and humidity.

Rev.22:20
Response #1:   
You are a wise man. When I got here to Louisville, let's just say it suffered by comparison with the SoCal of that day. I sought – and got – a number of opportunities to leave. But they were all defective in one way or another. So, like you, I decided not to take them. I certainly don't regret that now. This city and this university are – as in your situation – far from ideal, but the Lord has made a place for me where I can reasonably do what He has called me to do, and I am very grateful for that. 

Doing pretty well here. Sorry to see the summer so far advanced. I've been enjoying getting back into my research, but writing is a very slow process, and I'm nowhere near where I'd hoped to be by now. Still, I'm plugging away day by day. I'm going to endeavor to keep my head in research to a degree during the semesters this AY. Of course, that is always the plan . . .

Plenty sticky and hot here too! My friend and ex USMC C.O. lives in Mississippi and tells me that fall doesn't arrive down there until November. So I count my blessings.

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #2:  
Hi Mr. Luginbill,

I'm sorry my email rejected yours again!! I changed some settings to (hopefully) allow emails from your address through no matter what. I hope it works for you this time!

I'm trying to figure out my life, specifically work. Since God knows that I want to please Him, why won't He just tell me plainly what I should do? That way I would KNOW that I was doing what God wants me too. Like if I should start my own business (and if so, exactly WHAT that is) or work for someone else, etc. The main thing holding me back is that I don't want to waste time and I just want to do God's Will.

Did God "tell you" (not in audible words, just in a definite way) to work as a professor? How do I know if it's God or just a feeling? I can't seem to get past my own kinks. I know you said to pray and God would guide me, but I have lots of options and I just want to pick the right one!

Your last email was so helpful, thank you. I think I forget that the Holy Spirit is so powerful. And when I'm looking at my problem (as you said, in a sinful/fearful state) it's no wonder it seems impossible to win. I just feel out of sorts and I want to get past all this and I'm just off right now.

I want to know God's plan for my life.

Respectfully,
Response #2:   
Thanks for trying to work this problem. These things are often beyond our means to fix, even if we have some idea about what we're doing. I have been getting spam addressed to a ___. I am not ___ (never heard of "them"), so I blocked the address and also classified the recipient name as spam . . . and these emails still get through sometimes. Whereas addresses I have declared "safe" with information in them that is not spam or classified that way, still ends up in spam. Another strong signal that we have nothing to fear from AI anytime soon.

Re: "why won't He just tell me plainly what I should do?", well, that's not the way it works, and for good reason. The Lord gives us a lot leeway in this life and that is wonderful. And after all, we have an excellent case study for when people were told "exactly what to do", namely, the children of Israel. In the early going, they wouldn't do any of it (even though they SAID they would: Ex.19:8; 24:3; 24:7); in the post-exilic time, they "did it all", but only after they had redefined His words to suit their own desires, stripping them of all power (i.e., tithing spices but leaving out "the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith" Matt.23:23). If Israel couldn't follow the Law, we should be reluctant to ask for a new one. What we have, WHO we have, is the Holy Spirit. And He DOES guide us. We just have to get better at listening to the signals. So that requires growth. And that is why growth is the first and foremost thing He wants us to do. As to the details of life, these are choices we make based upon what is really important to us, and that is part of the testing we are going through here in the world as well. 

Since you ask about me, I decided I wanted to get a Ph.D. in Classics because I wanted to be as expert as possible in Greek and also in the ancient world, in order to be good at understanding the New Testament. I knew that this is not "the whole game". I also took Hebrew as I was working on my second B.A. The "theology" part of things I got from my mentor and his church (Col. R.B. Thieme Jr. and Berachah). Just as I was graduating, after I had been accepted to graduate school with a nice teaching position, over that summer I decided that instead of going "full Classics" I needed to go to seminary. So I resigned my T.A. position, packed everything in my Datsun B210, and drove off to CA. When I got there, I still hadn't been accepted to Talbot Seminary, but they did let me in. It turned out to be a wonderful blessing – not so much the seminary but the men I met and the course corrections it brought (I did have a couple of really wonderful professors there). After being there for a year, I realized that, no, I did not want to – and the Lord did not want me to – follow a traditional route. So I had to figure something else out. That DID involve a lot of "soul searching", as we say, and prayer. I decided that Classics would be a good way to earn a living while I did a ministry on the side – exactly the way things have worked out.

One facet of "doing what HE wants" is a quiet confidence the Spirit gives you, especially when you are "stepping out the boat" in faith to follow the Lord. Another is that HE takes control of things and works them out in amazing ways. For me, at that time, I only applied to one grad program and, looking back on things, I didn't put in a particularly good application. But not only did I get in, I got the special scholarship that paid for everything for my entire time there. THAT was definitely from the Lord. 

God has a plan for our lives, and part of the joy of living for the Lord is finding out what the plan is, day by day, trusting Him to work things out – He always does – and pushing forward in faith, putting Him first. Sometimes we have to wait for the "big things" we're anticipating. Abraham had to wait until he was almost 100 years old for the heir he longed for. But the Lord brought it to pass. He always does, for those who love Him, "working all things together for good" (Rom.8:28).

So don't worry. We're told not to (Matt.6:25-34). Keep growing. Keep putting the Lord first in all you do. He will bring you to the right place in all things. You're fighting a good fight. That is the thing. Everything else follows.

Keeping you in prayer, my friend.

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #3:  
I do have an actual Bible application question.

Deuteronomy 22:1
“You shall not see your brother’s donkey or his ox fall down along the road, and hide yourself from them; you shall surely help him lift them up again."

A street over, a woman came up to me as I took a break running (yay running successfully for now) and asked if I saw her black cat if I could bring it to her. And I tried to say that black is a very common color and there is no way for me to know if it is hers. And I thought, I also don't have time and I don't walk leisurely with nowhere to go around there (I am doing x or going to do y, and would not want to stop and chase a cat that may not even be hers). Plus, what is to stop her from being irresponsible and just letting the cat loose again and again?

Two things I think of this verse above though, that a) it was supposedly all believers (as you have mentioned) and b) I would suppose an ox or cow could be life or death for the neighbor. Is that right to think? Or maybe I am trying too hard to get out of something I should do?

Am I obligated to do that for her?
Response #3:  
Cats are different from oxen. They wander and they roam far and wide. Also, cats, while often beloved, have no necessary economic value, whereas if a farmer loses his ox he can't work his field and can become destitute. Also, you did not find a cat; someone you don't know asked you to find it. That is different entirely from actually coming across an animal in trouble whose welfare is essential to the person who lost it. 

I don't have a problem with returning pets who show up on our doorstep (if there is tag and the animal is not dangerous – I wouldn't be looking for a tag on a stray pit bull, e.g.), but this sort of thing can be taken too far well beyond the boundaries of what the spirit of the commandment is. Also keep in mind that for many things lost, the person is probably going to be looking for "it" where he/she dropped/lost "it" in the first place. So if we don't have any idea to whom "it" belongs, and no way to find out, we are probably not doing them a favor by moving "it". When babies throw things out of their carriages in the park where I jog, the etiquette is to put "it" up on a branch beside the road where "it" is very visible in case the person wants to look for "it" and retrieve "it". 

We are also not under the Law any more. It's a good thing to help people when we can; but our neighbor is our fellow believer, not any passerby. It's gracious to do things for passers-by but we have to be wise as serpents in doing so, recognizing that unbelievers are not necessarily our friends and are certainly not motivated by a healthy fear of the Lord as we are. They may take what we do in the wrong way.

So as always, it's prudent to be operating with spiritual common sense in all that we do – and if we are motivated to do anything (or stop doing anything) out of pure guilt, then it's at least best to rethink.

Keeping you in my prayers.

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #4:  
It helps me to also think about it like that there are alot of principles and commands in Scripture and we are trying to balance them. For example there does seem to be this idea in Scripture that you don't bail out a fool. And to take care of yourself (love your neighbor AS YOU DO YOURSELF, guard your heart/mind). And you can't just take one piece without the others. 

Hopefully that is right thinking?

Thanks for your help.
Response #4:  
That is correct. As I often say, when it comes to many such things where it is a matter not of a direct command (i.e., no oxen in this case, no brother/sister in Christ involved, no longer under the Law), then what we have is a question of applying the truth – which means using our spiritual common sense, led by the Spirit, to do NOT what some guilt feeling may prod us to do but the good thing He is telling us to do. And often in such cases the method you just employed is exactly right: triangulating between two opposite "guide posts" of scripture to discover what is best in a given situation. Because truth is truth, and truth does not cancel out truth – but there is often a sweet spot where the one principle is followed and the other not violated, just as you concluded.

It's impossible to make rules about this sort of thing. In fact, making rules is wrong to do. Making rules is legalism. Groups who make rules end up valuing the rules over the truth of the Word and following the rules even when it violates the spirit of the Word or even the direct testimony of the Word. Here is our "rule":
(16) But I tell you, walk in the Spirit and you will not carry out what the flesh lusts for. (17) For what the flesh lusts for is contrary to the Spirit's will, and the Spirit is opposed to what the flesh lusts for. Since these are diametrically opposed to each other in this way, what you are doing is not what you yourself choose. (18) But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.
Galatians 5:16-18
In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #5:  
Hi Bob,

Question up front: Once someone has decided in their hearts that they want the truth, how fast should we expect that they are led to a "serious ministry" actually teaching the truth? Would God ever actually delay a person who wanted the truth from coming to a ministry better teaching the truth?

What do you think of this topic? It seems like another one of those situations where getting too bogged down in hypotheticals might prove problematic. So, for example, "If Paul had believed earlier, would God have led him to some place where he might learn about Jesus immediately, at that point in time?" It's just not something we can know, because that didn't actually happen.

But more the open question here is whether or not there will be any "lag" if someone is really serious about the truth. It seems to me like I may fall more towards the side of "If someone is actually serious, God will take them where they need to be without much delay".

Might I share any response here with the others?

In Christ,
Response #5:   
Glad to hear (I assume) that you made it back home safely. Hope you had a nice Christmas.

Initial observations on "the question" before reading the rest of the email:

How are we to know that someone has "decided in their hearts that they want the truth"? It's difficult enough for us to know our own motivations (Jer.17:9), and impossible to really understand those of others. Since we cannot be privy to this information, we have no way of actually answering the question even in terms of actual cases. We do have anecdotal information. I can tell you my experience; you can tell me yours. But, as mentioned, as I look back I can see that this decision was more of a process – just like all growth is a process. When the Lord evaluates us, someone may say, "Lord, I decided I wanted the truth but you made me wait a year for the right place"; what will He reply? Only the perfect answer based on a perfect understanding of the facts. Without knowing the detail of hypothetical-person, it could be 1) "Actually, you weren't yet fully committed", or 2) "Had I done so, this involvement you had with XYZ would have soured things for you and set you back longer than that"; 3) "You did want the truth but you were confused about what that was and where to get it, and I had to have you sort that out first"; or 4) [a thousand other things we might think of and a billion we probably would not]. What we CAN say is that God is perfect and His plan is perfect and that He has never ever let anyone of us down, that He has always worked everything out together for the good for us who love Him, every time (Rom.8:28).

Also, while it may be an interesting question, I'm scratching my head trying to think of any biblical passage or biblical situation which might generate it.

Feel free to share!

Happy 2023!

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #6:  
Hi Bob,

1) Interpreting Romans 10: Could you give a brief high-level interpretation of Romans 10, especially the first ~4 verses? What exactly does it mean in verse two for someone to “be zealous for God, but not based on knowledge”?

2) Is the terminology of “proper zeal for God” and “improper zeal for God” useful or appropriate?

[omitted]

Let me know if any of the questions don't make sense, or anything of that sort.

Yours in Christ,
Response #6:  
1) Verse four of Romans 10 is the key: 

For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
Romans 10:4 NKJV

This is all about Jesus Christ. There are lots of religious people in the world who talk about God fervently. Without Christ, it means nothing. The advantage of those of the Jewish faith is that the God they talk about is the real God – but no one can come to the Father apart from Christ (Jn.14:6), so they are equally far removed in spite of their advantage. Paul certainly knew what he was talking about here because he had just this same zeal – an enthusiasm apart from the truth – which the individuals he is concerned about had. That is what the rest of the chapter is dealing with: rebutting false salvation by the works of the Law when what is needed is trusting in the Lord by faith so as to have His righteousness as opposed to the pseudo-righteousness of following the Law and expecting to be rewarded for that (when denying Christ).

2) I don't find anything in scripture about this. Paul says what he says: they have zeal, but it is not kat' epignosin, which means not according to truth (epignosis being true knowledge which is also believed); that is the state of those who reject Christ. If anything, I would imagine that, absent a road to Damascus intervention, people who are on a jihad for a false God (or the true God in a completely false way, which amounts to the same thing) could be even less likely to ever come around and be saved. If we are talking about a believer – Paul is talking about unbelievers in this context – then it's a moot point whether or not a lukewarm person is more likely to turn around than a one who is red-hot turn away for the wrong things. That depends on the person and what is really going on in his/her heart. Apparent "zeal" could be the result of all manner of things, and not necessarily a genuine desire for the truth. Only God knows what is really going on in a person's heart.

3) As to "Someone might legitimately desire the truth, but God might nonetheless withhold it from them, even over a long period of time like decades", I am inclined to agree with you that this is unlikely, but since internal motivations are involved – i.e., God is comporting Himself perfectly to every person in every situation of which there are an abundance – there are too many "moving parts" here to formulate a rule. We can say that God "wants all people to be saved and to come to full-knowledge (epignosis) of the truth" (1Tim.2:4) – so why would He want to delay that for arbitrary reasons? Whatever He actually did/does is good and right, so we do have to conclude that any delays were good and right and just. I can think of dozens of reasons for delays – and I not particularly imaginative.

Do feel free to share.

Keeping you in my prayers.

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #7:  
Hi Bob,

This helps, but I still don't think things are 100% clear for me. Could we actually walk through a few of those dozens of examples in some depth? I've tried to take a step back and look at things from the wider divine perspective for that deeper level behind why things may or may not happen in the perfect Plan of God, but I confess that I am still having problems formulating examples that seem convincing as to why someone who really wants the truth might only receive it after some delay. It's the really long delay -- as in many years or even decades of delay -- that seems dangerously false to me. I've always allowed that other than that, there will necessarily be some delay. To argue otherwise is to say that immediately after we settle in our hearts to desire the truth regarding something, then a bolt from heaven would strike and enlighten us then and there, which is clearly not how it works. God works through teachers in the Church, for example, not direct revelations to individual lay Christians.

What do you think about some of these following things as examples?

1.A) Because God knew that the format of a ministry was not well-suited to a person's present capabilities and tastes, even though the ministry is serious about the truth, He doesn't bring the person in question to it. So maybe somebody wants long textual studies, not videos. All well and good. But it's not like there is only one teaching ministry in the world, right? So even if this hypothetical person isn't led to serious video ministry A to receive the truth that they actually do want, well, what about serious text ministry B? I see no reason to say that God must delay if serious text ministry B exists at the same time. Especially now that we have printed books and even the internet and more choice than ever before.

Even more than this, if a person is determined in their heart to get the truth, is there really such a thing as a teaching format that "won't work" for them? We have the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to always help us make sense of spiritual things. The question instead is, are we willing to actually pursue the truth, or use format as an excuse not to?

It seems to me like people passing on ministries actually teaching the truth for superficial "packaging" reasons is nothing but an excuse... meaning that they actually don't want the truth that bad to begin with. Because if they did, they'd be willing to do what it takes to get it. So, wouldn't this actually not be the "legitimate seeker" situation I am trying to consider?

1.B) How about if God foreknew that if He led the person to ministry A, they'd meet another person there that would be a bad spiritual influence on them? So He doesn't lead them to ministry A in order to protect them, per Romans 8:28

Well, again, why not another ministry actually teaching the truth rather than ministry A -- why would there have to be a time delay involved?

And, almost definitionally, if someone actually wants the truth, why would the bad example of someone else trip them up? If they are so easily swayed by the siren song of some set of lies, how badly did they really want the truth to begin with?

So is this not our case either?

1.C) What if God knew that if the person learned the truth they actually desire at the current time, it might cause them to stumble somehow?

For example, let's say someone is on the upswing from a legalistic cult that heavily emphasizes rule-following, and now joyfully embraces the freedom from arbitrary rules and regulations we have in Christ.

But then they start cheapening the freedom grace affords us by using it as an excuse to sin, as Paul weighs in against (cf. Romans 6:1).

If they did that and think that that is the truth... well that's not the real truth about grace, so did they really want the truth after all?

1.D) Examples you provided earlier.

To use another set of examples, from your first email response, you had said:
When the Lord evaluates us, someone may say, "Lord, I decided I wanted the truth but you made me wait a year for the right place"; what will He reply? Only the perfect answer based on a perfect understanding of the facts. Without knowing the detail of hypothetical-person, it could be 1) "Actually, you weren't yet fully committed", or 2) "Had I done so, this involvement you had with XYZ would have soured things for you and set you back longer than that"; 3) "You did want the truth but you were confused about what that was and where to get it, and I had to have you sort that out first; or 4) [thousand other things we might think of and a billion we probably would not]. What we CAN say is that God is perfect and His plan is perfect and that He has never ever let anyone of us down, that He has always worked everything out together for the good for us who love Him, every time (Rom.8:28).
As to (1), well that is very clearly the person not actually wanting the truth.

As to (2) -- could you make this example more concrete? Like, how might involvement with a ministry actually seriously teaching the truth somehow sour things for someone rather than helping them better grow spiritually?

As to (3) -- this seems extraordinarily similar to the circles we've gone in during our forum discussion thus far. I have been asking "How can we say that someone actually wants the truth if what they want is not really the truth and they need to be sorted out first before God can give them the truth? By definition, that means they didn't really want the actual truth." Basically, in how I laid out the situation (i.e., with someone legitimately wanting the actual truth in their heart of hearts), (3) is not that. It's again someone who thought they wanted the truth, but actually didn't, because what they wanted wasn't the truth, at least not initially.

To recap this first question, I've never argued that there will not be all sorts of delay in practice between when we think we want some facet of the truth and when we actually receive it... because at the beginning, what we want is not actually the truth, but only partially on-target, at least initially. We will grow into the proper desires only over time as the Spirit transforms the carnal desires of our hearts and we leverage more and more of the truth learned, believed, and applied in our lives, being transformed from the inside out, per Romans 12:2. That's a process.

But... that's not what I'm asking about at all. I have no issues with that. Because in that case not receiving the truth is always 100% on us and our misdirected free will. God never withheld anything from someone who wanted the real deal. He always gave as much truth as a person could truly bear, gated completely by their free will. And I've always been on board with that.

It is this business of someone finally (i.e., after a process of growth to get to this point) doing everything properly on their end and then God withholding the truth from them once they actually want the real deal. That is what I cannot fathom, and what seems completely false to me. I don't see any reason for delay at all when this situation has actually finally come about.

2) We still aren't talking in absolutes here either

Someone with all the advantages in the world (a loving family with both parents present, excellent education, church attendance since childhood at one of the rare local churches actually teaching the truth, a very high IQ, an eidetic memory, and so on) likely will objectively accomplish more on an absolute scale than someone born blind and deaf and into an extremely impoverished environment, for example. Duh, right?

But to whom much is given, much is expected.

So nowhere here am I trying to say someone born with the proverbial silver spoon gets to feel high and mighty about all the spiritual knowledge they've accumulated due to circumstances that had little to do with an excessive outpouring of their free will in a positive way. Perhaps they did well, and good for them, but some of their position is also not due to them, but simply based on unearned opportunities that God placed in their life. To use myself as an example, I try to constantly keep myself aware of the great many advantages I have to keep myself humble. It scares me sometimes, knowing how much more opportunity I have been given than many others. Because I could have done so much more, and I say that already, at only age __.

Anyhow, none of this has ever been about comparison with others. The person who knows more truth overall at 20 cannot necessarily look down upon the person who is at a similar spiritual place at 30 just because of the ten years of difference there. What of some of the factors brought up here (the blind, deaf, poor person who has so many serious barriers set up against them)? We simply cannot know. But God knows. The two people will be judged perfectly on different standards according to their circumstances.

The only thing I am trying weigh in against is a situation in which the "blessed person" (who, e.g., has a razor-sharp intellect and the financial means to have gone so much further than they actually did) says "Well, I really wanted the truth, but God withheld it from, me, so it's not my fault I'm not more spiritually advanced than I am."

These are the sort of people who Paul upbraids in Hebrews 5:12. What they say is a lie, and they are in fact in need of a rebuke to remind them to grow spiritually.

3) It's never our business to tell someone whether they have done well in their circumstances. All we should do is sharply condemn the idea that God has ever withheld truth from them according to their own relative standard. 

What do you think of all this? 

In Christ,
Response #7:   
I like your reasoning. I don't think this "problem" is capable of complete reduction beyond what you have come up with. So actually, I don't personally think it is a problem at all. First, we don't actually have any examples that are real so for me that makes this a bit of an exercise in futility. What I mean by that is I don't know of any biblical examples where we could say definitively that such is the case. Even Moses. Why did God wait 40 years after his flight from Egypt to put him into service? We can speculate, but we don't have the information from scripture to say. When it comes to people we know, we don't actually know what is in their hearts. And there are many moving parts, many considerations, many subtleties. 

I think of my own life and to some degree I always wanted the truth. But when I did finally get serious about it I was provided with what I needed with no appreciable delay. If I had gotten that provision a year earlier, it wouldn't have had the same positive effect. When it comes to other people, we only have their reports to go on, and while they may be heartfelt and from good people, people are often a bit foggy on their own internal motivations and personal histories – for one thing because we tend to forget things we want to forget and also because there are plenty of internal forces competing for our attention, not to mention external ones.

What I do know is that God is not in the dark about what we want vs. what we say we want and what we are willing to do vs. what we say we are willing to do. That often turns out NOT to be the same thing, even if the profession is genuine at first. E.g.:
So Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before them all these words which the LORD commanded him. Then all the people answered together and said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do.” So Moses brought back the words of the people to the LORD.
Exodus 19:7-8 NKJV
. . . versus . . . 
And the LORD said to Moses, “Go, get down! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!’ ”
Exodus 32:7-8 NKJV
The biblical principle of the Lord providing for us what we need and when we need it, one that we have both affirmed, is correct, and I know of no example in the Bible I would need to carefully explain in light of that; when it comes to individual experiences, as mentioned, I would trust the principle in lieu of the report; when it comes to hypotheticals, well, that is all they are.

1A) "they actually don't want the truth that bad to begin with" Amen.

1B) "If someone actually wants the truth, why would the bad example of someone else trip them up?" Amen.

1C) There are all manner of unintended consequences in life, and in this example the permutations are limitless – and the answer could depend on a single one. Bottom line: God knows what's good for us; we can only guess – or accept what He gives us by trusting Him. "every time I try to come up with an example regarding God delaying when some legitimate seeker actually wants the truth, it always seems to me to boil down to that person not really wanting the truth in actual fact." That seems fair to me.

1D) on #2: for example, a person who is generally positive but is convinced that abortion is murder and therefore disposed to chuck any ministry teaching life at birth into the trash can without further ado . . . until brought to a point of humility so as to be able to "put aside the bones" until all questions are answered. All human beings are prone to arrogance; but without sufficient humility a person is not going to be learning much truth since it has to be believed. Everyone has "tics". 

On #3: There is a reason why it has taken centuries since the Reformation to get to this point. People say they love the Lord. But not everyone will win the three crowns. And in fact no two believers will receive the exact same rewards – because no two believers have the exact same level of willingness to follow the Will of God or consistency day by day, moment by moment. So "wanting the truth" is a relative thing, always. And not the same today as tomorrow or yesterday. Ideally we will "want the truth" the same way we love the Lord, "with all our hearts and minds and might and souls" – but who is anywhere close to perfect on either count? We seek to get better, but we are not perfect and probably will not arrive at perfection on this score before the clock runs out on us. Paul seems to me to have come closer than anyone else, but he too was a human being. God, however, knows precisely "how much" we love Him, "how much" we love and want the truth, and "how consistent" we are willing to be. So we can't really approach this "problem" as if we were dealing with "red, blue, white, yellow, black" etc. when the "red" is actually a terabyte of complex information which is in flux. We can only see the trend of an individual's trajectory from what they say and do – and even then we are limited in our true ability to discern the spirits without God's gifting.

Bottom line on this one: Does God delay? Answer: He gives everyone what they can handle, as much as they can when they can, and abundantly so; if they can't handle it, He doesn't disadvantage them by giving them what they can't handle to a fatal degree; if they say they can handle it or could have handled it, it doesn't make it so. People are complex. We don't even really understand ourselves all that well (which explains the thriving therapy industry). But God understands. Like you, I don't see any biblical reason to accept that "for no reason" God makes the positive wait; even if they are positive, believe me, He has His reasons – and they are always good and right and just and fair.

2) I know of at least one Ichthys reader who is partially deaf and at least one who is completely blind. On the other hand, I am surrounded daily at the university by extremely intelligent and highly educated individuals who don't even believe in God.

As to "spiritual knowledge they've accumulated due to circumstances that had little to do with an excessive outpouring of their free will": they had to learn it and believe it. That is all anyone has to do. If anyone is willing to learn it and believe it, God provides it. If anyone who is learning it and believing it wants to compare circumstances with others who are so doing, the fact is both are learning and believing the truth due to God's provision. All this is to me essentially the flip side of the "what about the people who've never heard the gospel?" "problem". It's not problem for God. The only reason to engage in the question is for an apologetic reason. God has never been unfair. Anyone who wanted the truth got it. And God knew before He created the world who would and who would not want it. All such "problems" are resolved by acknowledging the goodness and fairness and omniscience and omnipotence of God. Whatever happens is planned – even if we don't understand it. Whatever happens is good – even if it doesn't seem that way to us. THAT is a critical perspective we're going to need when the Tribulation begins.

To take yourself as the example, I deal with privileged young people every day. The vast majority of them are not saved; of the ones who are, few are interested in the truth. Your desire to know the truth is to be commended – and will be on that day. Is it unfair for God, knowing how short the time is, to have given you some things to help you get to your goal in time? One thing I do know: every believer and every unbeliever at the final judgment will be led to see how everything God did for them was fair. We can't know all the details down here – but we CAN trust God before that time that this is true. We know it's true. We don't need evidence or argumentation to convince us that it's true (Heb.11:1).

3) ". . . according to their own relative standard." Amen. And that is the key. There are too many variables which are known – and an infinite number which are not – to be dogmatic in such statements. What said hypothetical person is saying in effect is "God was unfair to me!" Such an attitude is a guarantee of lack of spiritual maturity. And if said person is still spiritually immature after being exposed to a large measure of truth he/she is upset about not receiving earlier, then it is fair to observe that he/she is apparently not really sufficiently grateful for it now.

I think, as intimated above, this all resolves into the need to trust the Lord where things are matters of application and not strictly speaking directly expressed biblical principles. We know God. We can trust Him that whatever He has done for us was just right – and mercifully beneficent beyond what we had coming (Ps.103:10). And we need to give Him the benefit of the doubt here every time.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding.
Proverbs 3:5 NKJV
In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #8:  
[omitted]
Response #8:  
Trying to figure out the specifics of any individual case is the "problem" which cannot be
resolved this side of heaven. In terms of "delay" in my own life from receiving the truth, I wasn't ready for it. I don't know that I can recover my entire mindset. But I can say God's timing for me was perfect. God is just and fair and does what He does (or doesn't) for us for the best of reasons. Our choices in matters like this are seldom one time / black-and-white. We move gradually in our thinking based upon all manner of things that happen. We are deciding, yes, but it's more like thousands of decisions which result in a momentum in a good direction – or the reverse. We may focus on one at one moment in our recollection, but, for example, a lot of things transpired today to bring me to the point of answering your email – many decisions that brought about this moment. The problem for this discussion is that if it is reduced to "he did want it really" vs. "he didn't want it really", that will never be resolved because of the above. And in any case, it's important for us to be moving FORWARD and not looking backward in order to do what the Lord wants us to do with these lives He's given us.
This one thing only [do I keep in mind]. Forgetting what lies behind me [on the course] and straining towards the [course] ahead, (14) I continue to drive straight for the tape, towards the prize to which God has called us from the beginning [of our race] in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13b-14
In terms of comparing individuals who "made close to equivalent uses of their respective circumstances", this would never be true; circumstances are incalculably many and entirely different for the same individual on different days; how much more so for different individuals on different days! The more specific this discussion gets, the less grounded in reality it will necessarily become because of that. Better to stick with general principles which are clearly true: God loves you; He gives you what you need; He has never been unfair; if you think He treats you differently than others, of course He does, because you ARE different from others; if you think He's been unjust to you in so doing, you need to start reading your Bible.

In the end it does not matter if ABC happened or if we were XYZ about this issue in the past. What matters is what we/you are doing NOW. The past cannot be changed. Like all who may feel abused – or were abused – in the past, we have to accept God's goodness, accept that He has His reasons for absolutely everything, rejoice in the good spiritual place we are at NOW, and not let concerns about the past mortgage our future.

God is just. Even if we have suffered or been disappointed or disadvantaged relative to others. But we trust Him no matter what . . . or certainly should:
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.
Psalm 46:1b-3 NIV
First day of classes tomorrow; apologies for any brevity as a result.

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #9:  
[omitted]
Response #9:   
The problem I have with this formulation is that it generalizes about things – people – which cannot really be generalized in a meaningful way. We are all different and God treats us for who we are and where we are. In that simple sentence are a virtually infinite number of variations. To drill down a bit and restate, at the heart of this discussion seems to me to be an assumption that God acts arbitrary and plays favorites. That is decidedly untrue (link). If we accept that He is intrinsically good and cannot be otherwise, then any perceived delay will be only that – or if there really is a delay, then it will be for good reasons. We cannot possibly know all the reasons for why God does what He does in any realm of life. "Why does a good person die young?" "Why did I get cancer?" "Why did my marriage fail?" "Why am I still single?" One could go on ad infinitum. 

We can't answer these questions in general because they depend first and foremost on the individual who is asking the question. But even if we know who it is, while we might hazard a guess, we can't be sure that we are right (even if in some cases we are pretty sure we know). What we can say in all such circumstances, including in every one of the permutations of this present discussion, is that "God knows what He is doing" and "He is working things out for our good in so doing" and "there is nothing whatsoever unfair or biased or prejudiced in what He is doing". That being the case, I think trying to make general rules of this sort is a mistake. They could never be correct, in my view, because in trying to jam it all into the suitcase, something will pop out on this side or that which runs afoul of the above.

As to "they can pray and seek and pray and seek and yet still not know what is true and what is false", first, we all have family members or friends or acquaintances whom we wish would get enthusiastic for the truth but who do not. Often times we are puzzled by this since they are good people, pretty clearly Christians, and the sort we feel would really love, e.g., the materials at Ichthys, if they would only give them a fair chance. I have observed before more than once that I had the impression, after first stumbling upon the truth being taught in a substantive and exciting way, that it was just a matter of exposing others to it and they would come along just as I did. In fact, almost no one I knew and told about Berachah had that reaction. And I came to find out that some of those few I came across who were already aware and occasionally partaking were for the most part not nearly as enthusiastic about the materials as I was. Often they talked a good game, but when it came down to commitment, let's just say that there were various levels of it. 

That is always the way it is. Just because a person is a Christian, and just because we have a good relationship with them, and just because we invest some time and effort in trying to steer them to the truth, does not mean that we are going to get the response we want – or any response at all. This is why we are all here on planet earth as believers after salvation, namely, to demonstrate by our thoughts, words and deeds just how willing we are to follow Jesus Christ. The level of commitment here in Laodicea is, generally speaking, decidedly lukewarm. And even among the not lukewarm the degree of heat differs from person to person – and from day to day. Just because we and a very few like-minded individuals are doing pretty well in our level of commitment and trend thereto does not mean that others are going to deploy the same level of determination to please Jesus Christ. 

On some level, all believers know that they are not 100% and may have some idea of how short of 100% they are falling (blessedly not TOO clear or we would all lose heart). That is an uncomfortable thought, and so, being human, we often use the God-given ability to repress such truth (which in the case of confirmed unbelievers falls into the category of hardening the heart; link). People, Christians, get to the point of being comfortable with their applications, even if (especially if) they are lukewarm. If challenged, they will be happy to trot out the rationalizations (personal "philosophies") they have developed to insulate themselves from getting uncomfortable as they continue along their lukewarm way. That is analogous to an unbeliever who protects himself from having to deal with the uncomfortable truth that he will die and be judged for what he's done in not accepting God's will in Jesus Christ by saying things like, "many people in the history of the world never even heard the gospel, so of course God can't judge me for not accepting it". That is absurd, but it is part of that armor to protect complacency in the status quo. 
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful."
John 15:1-2 NIV
This is the way it is: some are willing to pruned; most are not. Being pruned is uncomfortable and often results in making sacrifices we'd rather not have to make. You get home after a very hard day and opt for pizza and beer and a movie instead of preparing for the Bible study you're going to be giving the next day. And it's easy to rationalize: 1) there's nothing inherently sinful about (some) pizza, (some) beer and (some) movies (within godly limits); 2) you've already got enough prepared for the thing to go well; 3) you really do NEED this break. Well and good. But if the Spirit is telling you to forgo the rest and get to work, tired though you are, then that is the best choice. Mind you, none of us are even CLOSE to being perfect in this. Paul, though human and not perfect, came closest of any believer in this regard recorded in the Bible, as far as I can tell:
I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.
2nd Corinthians 11:27 NIV
And of course our Lord was perfect in this (as in everything else). E.g.:
After he had dismissed them (i.e., after ministering the Word all day long), He went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone (i.e., He didn't call it quits until He had finished praying His "list").
Matthew 14:23 NIV

Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.” But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?” “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.
John 4:31-34 NIV
That didn't mean as a true human being He didn't need to eat and to sleep – He did. But more than any other He gave up even legitimate things in order to perfectly carry out the Father's will. We are nowhere near that level, nowhere near Paul's level, nowhere near many names of great believers which could be mentioned. But at least if we are HONEST with ourselves about when we are slacking – or not even slacking, just not doing all we could – then we have the chance of getting better. But if give ourselves over to rationalization, we're not going to get better at this. We are likely going to get worse. 

Self-justification is the handmaiden of rationalization. To use examples given, if we say "I am zealous" or "I was zealous" or "I wanted the truth" or "I want the truth now", what is the point of that? Why even mention it? Why not get zealous or better yet take things to a new level of zeal? What not get cracking with the truth now? If a person says something like "I don't know if this ministry is true (e.g.)", then they are just putting on their armor to avoid having to deal with the issues. There are plenty of ways to avoid doing what the Lord wants us to do. There are plenty of ways to distract ourselves and to deceive ourselves. 

What those of us who are trying to do what is right need to remember: 1) we are not perfect; so we need to be harsh in our judgment of ourselves, even if and when and especially if and when we know we are not doing all we could; 2) it's not a matter of knowledge – it's a matter of will . . . which is what faith deployed and engaged really is, the essence of the free-will image of God we have been given; 3) just because others say this or that is no reason for us to accept it or to worry about it; we try to do the best we can, we recover when we slump, and we offer ourselves up for pruning.

There are plenty of excuses to be made for ourselves by ourselves here and now. But when we stand before our Lord at the Bema, it will be "No excuse, Sir!" Pastor-teachers need to be hard on themselves, but also willing to confront when necessary those under their care who are veering off. We don't argue with their choices. But if they tell us they have no choice essentially because of ABC, XYZ, it is incumbent upon us not to buy into that. And by all means the LAST thing we need to be doing is to be abetting their process of rationalization. Better we should live such a good example that they have nothing further to say.
In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.
Titus 2:7-8 NIV
This life is all about choice. It is all about moving forward. It is not about looking backward and trying to defend what we did or didn't do in the past. It is not about staying put and finding reasons why that is OK. That sort of choice is up to us, after all. But that is NOT the way to earn top rewards, to follow Jesus Christ as He wants us to do. If we listen to the Spirit, we know this is true, even when we are failing. But if we stop listening to the Spirit altogether, then how will this not affect our growth, progress and production? How will it not affect our reward?
If we live because of the Spirit, let us also walk by means of the Spirit.
Galatians 5:25

For God [through His Spirit] is the One who is empowering you both to desire [what is right] and to put it into practice for the accomplishment of His good pleasure.
Philippians 2:13
A quick word about zeal. The context from which this launches in Romans 10:2 is Paul's pointing out that the unbelieving Jews who are zealous for the Law are wrong, and that their zeal doesn't make them right. To please Jesus Christ, we need not just "to do" but to do WHAT He wants us to do; to think and say and produce what He wants, NOT what we want. If there is a disconnect there, then all enthusiasm, zeal, "production" is for naught. It's just works of the flesh, not being done in the Spirit. This is where most of evangelicaldom is today, that part which is "doing" anything is at. 

So I think you are correct that as a pastor-teacher you not should be in the business of tolerating brazen self-justification and rationalization. No one is perfect and it is not your job to micro-manage other people's decisions and applications or correct every word you hear come out of their mouths. Ideally, you let your teaching speak for you. And, one would hope, your teaching, being direct and affirmative will easily drive out and drive away all who are not really interested in the truth on any level – because those who are not hate having their armor removed.

One never knows about people, as to which person is really positive and which one is merely springing up like the seed planted in shallow ground. We never know what they will decide down the road. I like to think of myself as a pretty fair judge of character, but I have been gravely surprised in my life in both directions, to wit, some I thought died in the wool positive turning out to be in their heart of hearts nothing of the sort; some I thought would never ever come around finally doing so. But this is all about their choices. 

What we need to do as pastor-teachers is to do our best to give those who listen to us the ammo, the encouragement, the truth they need if they are indeed going to get cracking in anything approaching a non-lukewarm and "zealous" way so as to live for Jesus Christ that they may maximize their eternal gains. We would all like to do this; we would all like to be able to "give an account" without "groaning" of those we are trying to help (Heb.13:17), but in the end it is about their choices not ours . . . as long as we really are giving it our all (or as close thereunto as we can consistently muster).

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #10:  
So very glad to hear from you!!

To be honest I have been waiting up to hear from you as I have been very worried about you (though I know the Lord told us never to worry!)

So very glad to hear you are keeping on keeping on and fighting through! ___ will be relieved too as he could see how anxious I have been about you!

Will keep praying for you my friend!

In Jesus,
Response #10:   
All is fine here! But I do appreciate your concern, my friend, and your prayers especially.

So sorry if that posting caused you angst. I put it out there not for my own sake but as a warning to "the flock" that these sorts of wolves in sheep's clothing are out there and prowling around.

Glad you're both doing better!

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #11:  
Hi Bob,

It's always my pleasure!

Great to know you had a good break. I had a rest from painting on Saturday because I felt a bit rough. I feel a lot better now though. Very nearly done with all the painting now. The new kitchen is in and finished now too - looks nicer than mine! We're hoping to put the house on the market very soon. We'll see how it goes.

[omitted]

So yes, it's all gone a bit crazy here. I can't say it's always easy but the goal is to keep doing what the Lord wants me to do. To keep loving and helping my family and glorifying the Lord. It would be much easier for all of them if they stopped "suppressing the truth" and just turned to the Lord. No matter how old they are, when they get sick they get scared and want to cling on to this life for all it's worth - it's worth nothing. This life is the only one they believe anyone has got. We know that without God nothing satisfies and it's all meaningless. "The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life". (John 12:25) I continue to wonder how much more sickness, how many more friends and family, young and old have to die before they will even consider looking to God. It gets frustrating sometimes because the truth is alive and burning inside of me and I want the same for them. So I'll put my faith in the Lord and keep praying for them and shining that light. The Lord is so gracious and patient and kind. He desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:4). Must admit though, with some of them it's a definite case of pearls before swine. But we keep fighting the good fight!

I read something today about a professor who had been in medical school for several decades. He said he would be a Christian if the only proof of God in creation he had was the human eye. He said that the detailed craftsmanship of the human eye is beyond any explanation apart from there being a Master Designer who created it. And that is just one small part of our human body that testifies to the existence of God. 

I love the Lord - there is no greater joy than in knowing Him and I don't know how anyone lives this life without Him.

Looking forward to studying His Word tonight - can't get enough of it!

Keeping you in my prayers, Bob!

In our dear Lord Jesus
Response #11:   
You really are an impressive Christian warrior, my friend! No doubt that is why the Lord gave you this difficult battlefield to fight on (since not many could handle it). I continue to draw encouragement from your excellent attitude and insightful words. 

Glad you are getting some necessary rest. I just finished Thanksgiving break . . . and I'm already pining for Christmas break! My students are as well (the few of them who showed up today). Happens every year, but this is the first year fully back to normal after Covid, and we're all a bit out of shape, apparently.

In Jesus,

Bob L. 
Question #12:  
Hi Bob,

Sometimes I feel like I can't handle it and the truth is that I can't without the Lord. This battlefield I'm fighting on is causing me to rely and focus on Him more and more and I know that's a very good thing. I know I'm moving in the right direction if the battle and the pressure is bringing me closer to the Lord through prayer and the truth of His Word. He's teaching me, correcting me, encouraging me and I'm listening, obeying and I'm growing spiritually. That's what the battles and the tests and trials are all about. I feel His presence while the battle is raging around me. I'm praying for those around me who have no hope. I have hope in the Lord and I'm experiencing genuine joy in Him! I'm not just saying this - I'm speaking the truth. I've just this second read this verse.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13

I hope this will encourage others.

Hang in there, Bob - not long now until the Christmas break!

Back to work for me tomorrow too.

Keeping you in my prayers.

In Jesus
Response #12:   
It's absolutely true that in times of stress and pressure when we are really conscious of being "in the fight" we often feel closer to and are helped to draw closer to the Lord. No one likes trouble, but the solace in all such trouble we have as believers in Jesus Christ is this very closeness and comfort we have in our Lord through the Holy Spirit.
(3) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the God of compassion and all encouragement, (4) the One who encourages us in all our tribulation so that we in turn may be able to encourage those in all types of tribulation by means of the very encouragement which we ourselves received from God. (5) Because as our sufferings for Christ multiplied in service to you, so through Christ did the encouragement we received multiply to the same degree. (6) So if we are experiencing tribulation, it is to provide you with encouragement and salvation. And if we are being encouraged it is for the sake of the encouragement you have received, which is now at work in your successful endurance of the same sufferings which we also experienced. (7) And so our hope for you is a solid one, since we know that as you have become partakers of suffering, in the same way will you also become partakers of encouragement.
2nd Corinthians 1:3-7
You exemplify the above. Thanks much for your willingness to share, my friend. I wish everyone who partakes of this ministry a little or a lot had the same attitude.

Keeping up those prayers (thanks for yours!).

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #13:  
Can you remind me why Jesus had to live a perfect life in order for His sacrifice to be sufficient. Why couldn't a sinful man have taken the sins of the world upon him? I need to know this.
Response #13:  
On your first question, this is covered in the book of Hebrews extensively, the first two chapters in particular (but also later on; link). Jesus is the Lamb of God, and He and His death for us were represented by actual lambs of sacrifice:
When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?” says the LORD Almighty.
Malachi 1:8 NIV
The sacrifice had to be perfect to be acceptable. Adam's and Eve's bodies were corrupted, infested with the sin nature, just by one single sin, eating of the tree of knowing good and evil. Christ alone didn't have such a body as the rest of us do through natural procreation because of the virgin birth. But if He had sinned, that perfection would have been negated immediately – and rendered the virgin conception and birth of no account.

Blessedly, He was able to endure everything – and without sin (Heb.4:15; Jn.8:7).

In the One who has saved us once and for all, Jesus Christ our dear Lord.

Bob L.
Question #14:  
Okay, I think I get the point. One more question: why couldn't Jesus have just stayed in a cloister without sin and then go to the cross? Why did he have to live life on this earth the way we all do? 
Response #14:  
Here is what I read in scripture:
. . . [Jesus] said to them, “Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth.”
Mark 1:38 NKJV

. . . but He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.”
Luke 4:43 NKJV
The Messiah had to proclaim the gospel to Israel first. That couldn't be done from isolation. On top of that, trying to avoid sin by hiding never works. After all, most sin is mental, a lot is verbal, only some is through the actions we take or fail to take. If you or I found ourselves marooned on a desert island alone, we still wouldn't be able to stop from sinning entirely.

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #15:  
Professor, 

Okay, thanks. I guess what I was asking more so is: is there a reason Jesus had to live a human life with circumstances and problems? Did He have to live a life like us and live in the world for a greater reason? When it comes to the sacrifice, I mean, let's say he did live perfectly in isolation somehow and went to the cross at the end of his life. As a sacrifice, would his sacrifice somehow either become adequate or not adequate due to his lack of experience with humanity? I suppose one reason might be that the righteousness of God has to be manifested to the world in a personal way, among other reasons. 
Response #15:   
I like your conclusion at the end.

It says in Hebrews . . .
For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Hebrews 4:15 NKJV
Hard to see how the above could have been true if our Lord had been, say, in a medically induced coma. More than that, our Lord had to grow up spiritually the same way we all do in order 1) to fulfill His mandate of offering the gospel to Israel, and 2) to have the spiritual wherewithal to withstand the gauntlet leading to the cross and to endure the suffering of spiritual death thereon when the darkness fell. Hard to do any of that if isolated from the world. 

It was also as a result of His engagement in the ministry to which He was called that He incurred the opposition that led to His crucifixion. Please read BB 4A, "The Life of Christ", and I think it'll give you a sense of what He went through and had to go through for us. The plan of God worked it all out perfectly – and indeed Jesus Christ IS the plan of God, the "logos" (Jn.1:1-3). 

Applying the above, that is, looking to our Lord's perfect life and perfect example in accepting the Father's will, is always a good rule of thumb for any "problem" in theology or life. When we suffer reverses, we may still want to know "why?", but more important than that is accepting that whatever God is working out is perfect in every way, that He is perfect and that His plan is perfect. Getting too focused on the "why?" is dangerous. Just ask Job about that.

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #16:  
[omitted]
Response #16:  
As to whether or not to send this letter, you should do what the Spirit is leading you to do. Of course, everything you have written is the truth. In an communication, the audience is as much a part of the construct as the message itself. Which is to say, as you say, it makes a difference to whom we are speaking/writing. Or as Paul says,
Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.
1st Corinthians 9:19-23 NIV
Of course, Paul never pulled his punches when they were needful, and we know from his letters that he could be brutally blunt when that was called for. So being considerate of the feelings of others is just good witnessing; it doesn't mean failing to tell them the truth, however. As Paul says to the Ephesian elders . . .
"For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God."
Acts 20:27 ESV
Along with audience, there is also occasion. There are times to speak up and times to remain silent (cf. Eccl.3:1-8). I know that you have come to a place of needing some distance with those who are not willing to grow and whose fellowship is only a drag on what you are trying to do. It might be good to consider, however, whether or not this letter is necessary. It certainly is true. But if __ is not ready to accept it, I do wonder whether or not it will do __ any good. If it closes down all further communications, that would give you distance in this case, but might not benefit __. There is a right time and a right way to tell people the truth, and so we also need to take into account their present ability to be able to take it in, even if willing. Or as Paul tells the Corinthians . . .
But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready.
1st Corinthians 3:1-2 ESV
Everything you have written is true and potentially very helpful, depending on the reception. I only know of __ from a few reports from you. I have been praying for __, but you are the one to judge what __ needs and when . . . in consultation with the Spirit. 
Question #17:  
Thanks Bob,

Yes I agree with everything you have wrote and I think for the moment I will keep my peace. If I was going to send that message it would have eventually been a lot shorter, gentler and less final.

It made me think not just about the audience but what was the purpose of my sending it? I realised that it wasn't with __'s best interest at heart but just my own. You are right that it probably would have severed ties and I was actually doing it out of self preservation motives which were wrong.

There was something else I didn't tell you. As I have been patient, giving, amenable and available with __, __has seen this as a weakness and a sign of emotional dependency on __. I am sorry to say that this has been exploited recently and __ has tried to boss and bully me around. You know I have a long back history of being bullied and abused so soon as I recognised the signs I wanted to put up walls to close __ out.

I realise that the Lord wants me to overcome both my fear and aggression towards bullies once and for all. I know my ministry will be for the abused and the bullied rather than for the abusers and bullies themselves but no doubt I will still be rubbing up against this type of behaviour regardless as I have noticed that even abused people can then seek power over someone they perceive to be 'even weaker than they are'. 

That's the thing about the Christian walk, to unbelievers it makes us look 'weak' in that we are relying on God instead of ourselves, on His power rather than our own brain and brawn to outwit and out-clobber them.

I still get 'triggered' by this type of power play and manipulative behaviour no matter how slight it is. I get one whiff of it and then I am either reaching for my artillery or pulling up my anchor quickly to set sail.

I know I can't keep running away when this happens and I know I can't immediately throw punches either. What it means is I have to be spiritually mature enough not to be frightened and immediately defensive and retaliatory when I see this behaviour.

I must still be resting in the Lord and trusting in His power. I have to think, what's the worst these people can do to me? Kill me?

The Lord wants me to be professional about this. These situations make me feel VERY uncomfortable as I suddenly feel very vulnerable and desirous of reducing this stress through fleshly defences. I know though that the Lord wants me to get through these instances with trust and faith in Him. Wise as a serpent but harmless as a dove.

I know that I will be able to get through these chinks in my armour because I trust Him to get me through. Of course if any situation becomes persistently and plainly abusive (there is a pattern of it) then I will know that person's conscience is seared and only the Lord will be able to get through to them (if they allow Him to.)

What I do need to get over however is this constant flinching whenever I see someone as an aggressor no matter how slightly.

Your message really helped me as it really made me think why I was sending that message (and to be honest it was like a 'you're fired' type of missive without __'s eternal state in my mind or heart.) You have given me pause to take thought over this and through this I see a huge problem with myself, my fear of bullies which I still have since childhood.

So the Lord really wants me to overcome this terror of bullies (which is really a terror of Satanically influenced/controlled people.) The Apostles weren't afraid of the demonically possessed. Even when they saw them as a real nuisance to their ministry, they still took pity on the ones who were possessed.

I need to have that right balance of still seeking salvation and spiritual growth for people no matter what their current sinful state is. None of us were clean before we were saved. We came as we were and Jesus died for us even when we were in that very sorry state! I have to remind myself of that. I do admit that I was looking around for polite and caring mature Christians around me to fellowship and minister to!! Given the closeness of the tribulation and also the state of Laodicea, I may have to swallow the bitter pill that I might be the only maturing Christian around me and that every Christian I meet has likely got a long way to go. At first that seems a very lonely and gruelling reality but instead I could see it as a huge opportunity to earn rewards and glorify the Lord more and more!

It is daunting to realise that there may not be any mature Christians anywhere even remotely local to me. It is daunting to think that I am probably one of the most mature by a long shot (though I still have a long way to go!) I have never considered this before. I was eagerly looking around for mature and growing Christians to fellowship with and then I realised that the babies around me would one day be looking to me, not me to them!

I now realise how vitally important your ministry has continued to be to me and the patiently loving tending you have shown to my faith plant! Even in these terrible times where spiritual babyhood is the norm and maturity rarer than 'the gold of Ophir', the Lord has provided for me bountifully in the wilderness and set a table for me in the presence of my enemies!
Praise the Lord for His matchless wisdom, His love and unfailing provision!!

God is VERY good! Amen!!

(You can print this one)

In Jesus,
Response #17:   
I'm happy to hear you say all this.

For people who "knew us when", and not just family, transitioning to a ministry role is very difficult because mostly they can't get past their impression of us "back then". Also, ministering face-to-face is a different sort of thing from ministering over the internet, through social media and the like. Much less likely that someone met under the latter circumstances is going to show up at your house and want you to put them up for the weekend, e.g.

On the "silver lining" side of things, you have learned a lot through this process about yourself and what your ministry should and should not look like, and what it should and should not attempt to do. You've also come to realize that there are a great many out there in need of it . . . but that not all who really do need it are willing to do what it necessary to be helped by it. Sorting that out will be key.

Thanks as always for your encouraging words, my friend. We are all in this together too, after all.

Keeping you and your ministry in my daily prayers. And thanks so much for your willingness to share!

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #18:  
Doc, I just wanted to tell you about something I'm doing...not really important at all, just don't really have any other ideas to email you about. I'm doing something in one of my favorite video games, [omitted] 

This sure seems like alot of dedication for a video game doesn't it? What do you think about this? I probably should take a break from making this since I've been spending most of the day making it for the last couple...I'll get some Bible and Ichthys study in during this break, how does that sound? Who knows, maybe when I'm done with that, this won't seem as important to me and things that matter spiritually will be more of a focus. I do plan on finishing it sometime of course, but I do need to start managing my time better first.
Response #18:  
It sounds innocuous enough. I think it is fair to say that in the 21st century USA, most people have hobbies or interests of one sort or another which consume a lot of their time and energy (and money too, often), which have no particular inherently positive aspects in and of themselves. There is nothing inherently wrong, for example, with being a baseball fan in the original sense of the word: "fanatic". There are people who instead of watching an occasional game now and then spend hours a day on the sport (or other sports). I don't find anything "demonic" or "sinful" about that. 

The thing is, however, this life is short. Often a lot shorter than individuals anticipated it would be (e.g., Lk.12:20-21). Time is actually the most valuable resource that the Lord has given us. And He hasn't given it to us in unlimited quantities either in toto or viewed from a day by day perspective. How we choose to use our time is in many respects the most important set of choices we make. Certainly, we have to sleep, we have to eat, we have to do all manner of things which are necessary for people living in this temporary world. That makes our "free time" even more of a valuable commodity. If we use it for our own pleasures instead of doing what we know is pleasing to God, well, that is a choice. 

No one is or probably ever was "total for the Lord" (except possibly the likes of the apostle Paul coming closer than the rest of us), but if we really are telling the truth when we claim that Jesus is more important to us than anything else in this life, well, shouldn't that be reflected in how we use the time He has allotted us? If we are using it 99% for ourselves and 1% for Him, that will no doubt be reflected in the size of our reward when we stand before Him on that great day of judgment. 

After all, it's hard to grow to spiritual maturity, hard to make much spiritual progress thereafter, hard to have any sort of effective ministry . . . on a mere 1%. Make no mistake: ALL believers have a full share in the Lord, in the resurrection, and in New Jerusalem. But there are rank and reward distinctions in eternity – based on "how we did". That certainly motivated the likes of Paul and the likes of Moses (Heb.11:24-26). Seems like it ought to motivate us as well. I think every Christian does/would desire to receive the three crowns, of righteousness, life and glory, but very few will, it seems. Why not? Rewards are based on what we did with these short lives of ours, how we used our time for Jesus Christ . . . or didn't.

So I'm certainly NOT telling you not to play this game. I'm telling you what I tell all believers – myself included – that when it comes to free time, every minute spent on spiritual growth is a minute you will never regret. So consider investing more in what is eternal and less on what is going to disappear like the mist on a sunny day. Do this NOT out of guilt for wasting time, but out of zeal for the Lord and a positive desire to be pleasing to Him. Pushing yourself for the wrong motives can work out much worse in the end. Better to let your positive response to the Spirit boost that 1% gradually – until it no longer even seems to be a sacrifice but rather a pleasure to spend time with the Lord.

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #19:  
Thank you Doc...I actually completed most of it while waiting for you to respond, lol...I'll be spending more time in the Bible and your site now though. Even in the middle of making it, I started to realize...this all won't mean anything soon enough. Any achievement in a sport, career, much less a video game, will be returned to zero, so to speak, once we stand before Christ for our rewards. I had this epiphany many times before, but I seem to need to be reminded far more often than is healthy...I've noticed once I actually become motivated to serve the Lord, the things of the world seem to pull on me far harder than normal. No doubt the enemy trying to keep me from making that dedication something real. Please pray for my protection from the enemy.
Response #19:   
That's right – the evil one always opposes us whenever we start to move in a good direction. But we have the Holy Spirit who is infinitely more powerful.

I am praying for you daily, my friend.

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #20:  
Oh the only thing on what you said it that...okay I am going to try to be clear and concise. My adopted mother did some horrible things to me (as I now realize it was bad). And she is the kind of person to deny she ever did wrong, and blame you for faults and made up faults. Similar to what they now call gaslighting. I am not sure what the boomers and previous generation would have called something like that. Gaslighting is where you make someone doubt their own sanity and physical senses/memory and judgement by basically messing with them over a long time period in an underhanded way (lying, rationalizing, the like). Anyway so I took to writing down things I remembered my family doing to try and break free of the damage in my mind. Note that I am not seeking revenge. I could. I mean I am not completely incapable, but I am not. But I don't want them to claim I was just a bad kid and believe it because they are good at doing that, and I would likely struggle with believing their words (you know childhood habits).

You don't think I am wrong to do that, am I?

The only other thing is that I was doing that with my supervisor and manager and have been realizing that my adopted parents were very singular people and most other people I have met are not like that (gaslighting) and manipulative. And it seems to do more harm than good when I am talking to a coworker and keeping in mind something that happened two years ago. I have been thinking about throwing that part of the journal away. What do you think overall about what I am doing here? If you could just give me a short line, I would appreciate it. I want to obey the Bible, and I believe the Bible knows what it is talking about (it is for good). I do think I have slowly been doing better on things.
Response #20:  
I know "journaling" is something therapists recommend. They also recommend therapy. They also recommend steps-programs. And "getting to the bottom of trauma". To me this is all worse than nonsense. It only keeps wounds open and doesn't allow them to heal. In my book repression of bad things is an excellent strategy. So is forgiveness. So is forgetting and moving on. The Christian life is all about the future, and we are moving towards that wonderful future one day at a time. And we don't have that much time. The more we waste looking backwards, the less we'll have to put before the Lord when we see Him face to face. 

I know you've suffered a lot in your life, so please take the above with a grain of salt, at least. You do need to do what you need to do in order to cope. My point is that the Holy Spirit is the best therapist and that reading the Bible and listening to the Word of God taught is the best therapy . . . for believers.

In Jesus,

Bob L.
http://ichthys.com/