Terminal but Treatable Diagnosis…

Mary Ann Wray

There is nothing worse than receiving a medical diagnosis with no proposed remedy. It suggests you have a terminal disease. You would leave the doctor’s office despondent and without hope because you’ve basically been given a death sentence. 

Likewise, mankind has been diagnosed by God with a terminal disease called sin. In fact, the Bible says we were born in sin. David the psalmist lamented that he was conceived in his mother’s womb in iniquity. 

The Bible also tells us that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. That’s a pretty terminal and dire diagnosis wouldn’t you say? But God is love and in his loving kindness and mercy he doesn’t stop with the diagnosis. He has provided the remedy, the prescription if you will, to be healed and treated of the diagnosis of sin. Without the remedy to a terminal disease, one would die. Likewise, without the remedy to the terminal disease of sin, we all would perish. 

As in any prescription or remedy for a sickness, one has to be willing to take it and do what the doctor says in order to get well. Eternal punishment and separation from God is the result of sin from if it isn’t treated.

God has provided the remedy for this terminal spiritual disease. It began and came into existence after the fall of man (Adam & Eve) we see in Genesis Chapter 3.

The remedy is grace. But like any remedy, it must be applied to be successful. It must be received and utilized through a conscience decision to use it for the medical diagnosis .

We all must first recognize that we are sinners, born in sin, and as such, are at enmity with God. It takes the humility and faith of a child to see one spiritual condition before a holy god. The thief on the cross recognized his sinfulness while the other thief, mocked Jesus. Jesus extended his grace to the one thief because he admitted he deserved to be punished for his sin. You might say well I’ve never stolen anything and maybe you haven’t. But none of us can say that we are without sin. All of us at one time or another have broken one of the 10 Commandments. All of us at one time or another has said, thought, or done things, contrary to the wheel of God. The fact is all of us have sent and come short of His perfection. God knows this about man. He gave us the lawn under the old covenant, but no one could keep it perfectly. The Pharisees thought they could, but Jesus just showed them what hypocrites they were. That’s why in the fullness of God he sent his son Jesus Christ who is fully God and fully man. He was tempted in every possible way that man could be tempted yet he never once sinned. He became our scapegoat for sin. He became the sacrificial lamb.

So how do we apply the grace of God for our sin diagnosis? All of John chapter 3 spells it out very plainly and succinctly. There is a very familiar passage of scripture contained within it in i.e., John 3:17... God so loved the world that he gave is only begotten son that whoever would believe upon him would not perish, but have everlasting life. However, if you continue reading the following passages, you will see that there is a judgment and a condemnation for those who do not put their trust in Christ for the forgiveness of their sins. What Jesus is saying here is that we must choose between life and death, grace or punishment. There is no gray area.

You see, the wages, payday and outcome of sin is death an eternal punishment separated from the love of God. But the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus. In Ephesians chapter 2:8-9 Paul tells us that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ, not through works less any man boast. 

None of us are good enough, none of us are smart enough, not none of us are holy enough, to work or earn our way to heaven. We cannot gain access to Heaven by ourselves. God provided the remedy that is simple enough for a child to understand.

Are we humble and childlike enough in our faith to apply the remedy of the disease of sin to our own lives? Jesus said, “Except you are born again, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.” Being born again, simply put, is applying the remedy for sin that God provided for us on the cross of Calvary and validated through Jesus, bodily resurrection on the third day. If you haven’t already, 

will you apply the remedy to the terminal spiritual disease of sin? It’s an open prescription to anyone who wants it…

What are You Practicing?

What are you Practicing?

Mary Ann Wray

 

 

 

A Life Analogy…

“Finally,  believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart]. The things which you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things [in daily life], and the God [who is the source] of peace and well-being will be with you.”

Philippians  4: 8 & 9

Physicians study a long time to learn about their trade, but when the time comes to actually begin practicing medicine, that is what they do - they practice it. That means they are not all knowing and can make mistakes. What it does suggest is that to the best of their ability they strive to help and heal others. Of course, there are those who have been sued for malpractice. The reasons could be varied such as carelessness, negligence, perhaps even greediness.

In Philippians 4: 8-9 Paul gives us some explicit instructions about how to practice our Christianity. The word practice (prasso in greek) means to exercise, to be busy with, carry-on, undertake, to do, accomplish, perform, to commit, and to perpetrate.

One has to admit, that this is quite a lofty list of virtues and paints a picture of an ideal Christian. To be honest, I fall short of these things many times. But that should not mean that I give up or stop practicing them. I certainly don’t want to be accused of malpractice i.e., hypocrisy, by saying I am a Christian but have none of these characteristics working in my life, causing damage to the name of Jesus, and perhaps even hurting others through negligence and a poor witness.

These are things we should all strive for as followers of Christ, but realistically, as long as we are in our mortal bodies, we will wrestle against powers and principalities set against the Lord, as well as our own fleshly appetites. 

Perhaps this is the reason why the apostle Paul admonishes us to be filled with the spirit continually. It’s a daily decision and a daily discipline (Ephesians 5: 19-21)

Transactional Christianity

Transactional Christianity

 

Mary Ann Wray

While listening to the morning, show on Joy FM the other day, JR shared something that really stood out to me and helped me not only recognize a thought pattern that I’ve had, but understand “Why” I believed that way.

He said that he grew up with a transactional type of Christian theology. He went on to explain that his younger sister‘s son was born with juvenal diabetes. For the first two years of his life, it was extremely difficult-touch and go with him. He literally had to wear a bell around his neck in the event that he fell or passed out and needed attention.

He went on to say that his sister asked him one day, “What sin did I commit that God would allow this to happen to my son?” He used this example to say that it has taken him many many years to overcome this type of mentality.

I have to say that I grew up with the same type of theology/ mentality and it was iterated again when I followed the word of faith movement. From a personal experience, I will never forget the day that a priest came to my home the evening that my parents lost my adopted baby brother due to asphyxiation. I was only 10 years old. He said the following in our living room while pointing his finger at my father and said, “God is punishing you for some sin you committed.” The room, fell to dead silence while my mother, friends and I listened on with a sense of unbelief and deep shame. Somehow, I knew in my heart this priest was wrong. Unfortunately, my dad believed him and carried that guilt for the rest of his life.

As JR explained transactional theology, and Christianity goes something like this…” I do something good and God does something good for me. I give something to God, and he gives something in return to me. I do something bad, and something bad happens to me. I commit a sin, and God punishes me with some sort of bad circumstance.”

This sounds so much like the modern day view of “Karma.” It also reminds me of how I’ll go to a store and want to purchase a blouse for example, and I give the clerk $10 in exchange for being able to own and take the blouse home.

Adding my own thoughts to this, it is true that God corrects and chastises those whom he loves (Hebrews12). But correction and chastening does not inflict the kind of pain that comes from unexplained hardships, betrayals, and tragic circumstances. It is also true,  there is a spiritual law of sowing and reaping found in Genesis 8:22 and a Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8. However, that law has little to do with “transactional faith” as JR coined it.

If God rewarded me according to my sins, I’d be long dead. At the same to me, if I could measure in tangible units, how much I have given in exchange for what I have received in “kind” there would appear to be an extreme imbalance. Having said that, many of God‘s blessings cannot be measured in physical units, or human terms.

The point of all this is that we might understand God‘s mercies are new every morning, and He is faithful, even when we are not. He does not reward us according to our sins. In fact, the gift of eternal life cannot be bought or sold. Eternal life is a gift of God. Yes, it is just that, a gift. It is given to all of us who would believe upon Christ, repent of our sins and receive him as the sacrificial lamb slain for our sins.

I heard someone say that Grace is when God gives us what we don’t deserve and mercy is God not giving us what we do deserve.

To sum it all up, it is truly freeing, to walk by faith in Jesus without any condemnation!Romans 8:1

Related scriptures:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23

You were saved by Grace through Faith out of urine works less any man should both. Ephesians 2: 8-9

“For whom the Lord loves He chastens and scourges every son whom He receives.” If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid themrespect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened usas seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”

Hebrews 12: 6-11

Dangerous Places…

Dangerous Places…

Dangerous Places…

Mary Ann Wray

 

I’m convinced that one of the most “spiritually” dangerous places for a Christian to live is in the United States. We face the daily risk of hearing a diluted gospel, false teachings, fake news, compromising and puffed up preachers and pastors, corrupt politicians, worldview journalists, a polluted worldly education system for our children and a false sense of security. 

 

Discipleship in the American church, barely exists, and in most places, seems to be comprised of simply going to church, listening to the main pastor and paying tithes. This is not the type of discipleship that Jesus taught. 

 

For these reasons, Biblically literate Christians living in America, must make a daily decision to constantly swim against the endless stream of compromise or succumb to a lukewarm version of Christianity which offers no real salvation. We have to consciously decide to trust in Christ or trust in fleeting riches; to put one’s faith in God alone, or trust in man made institutions.To die for one’s faith offers, no earthly reward, but the promise of a crown awaits us in Heaven. To live for self offers temporal earthly rewards but eternal damnation. May God give us the grace to work, watch, walk and stand in an evil day until He returns.

 

I am not attempting to make a political statement or anything like that; just sharing a personal observation, and perhaps a warning as to where we are heading spiritually…a wake up call for all of us including me.

If this resonates within your spirit, please join me in prayer and seeking God‘s face for the body of Christ in America and true revival-not hype. Thanks and God bless