Horses and Carriages

Can a lamp burn without fuel?

On this edition of my blog, I am reflecting on a song, Same Power, by Jeremy Camp, click to see video below.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

“…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8

Before we had automobiles, we traveled by carriages. We needed horses to pull those carriages; it was the source of power for that transportation mode. If we attempted to move a carriage (or a heavy load) by our strength, we got overwhelmed, frustrated, and ultimately failed. When we put the horses ahead of the carriage (or a load), we provide the power required to move the load. Hence the term “do not place the cart before the horse.”

Observation

It boggles my mind why so many people reject Christianity. People claim it is too hard to live the life of a Christian. Many consider Christianity a boring religion, having to give up fun to live it. Many turn to other religions that promise peace and tranquility. It is easier to manage life on their power and efforts. Many consider these other religions as a compromise between having fun and having peace of mind.

When speaking with people, I noticed one primary reason for rejecting Christianity. It is considering Christianity another world religion. People will say, “I do not like religion; rules in religions seek to control you and control what you think.”

I agree that religions do try to control you. Religious organizations tend to create rules and conditions to please a god of their imagination or higher spirit and maintain the membership to get more funding. These organizations are power and money-driven. Many religions claim to be the only truth from God and try to control what you read, which texts to examine, which people to hang out with, etc. Today, there are so many religions that it is confusing, and many see Christianity as just another religion. Religions call us to do something to be accepted. This is also true for some religions that consider themselves a Christian faith, but it is not biblical. Even some of those named “Christian” religions that focus on the power of YOU instead of God’s power are not from God. A religion that never confronts sin but always tries to make you feel good is not from God.

These are some examples of religious activities promoted by some religions to gain access to heaven:

-Killing members of another religion to gain entrance into heaven
-Spending your money for good causes to gain favor with God
-Trying to live a perfect life, self-righteous, and well educated, to gain acceptance with God

Some of these activities may sound good to the average person, but it is self-centered.

Interpretation

In the passage above on Acts 1:8, Jesus told His disciples that soon they will receive power to accomplish their mission, to be witnesses to Him all over the world. In Acts 1:4, He told His disciples to wait until they receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

True Christianity is NOT a religion. Christianity is a RELATIONSHIP between a loving creator and His creation. Christianity is a loving God doing what we cannot do for ourselves, attain entry into heaven, and eternal life. In the New Testament, the Holy Bible tells us clearly that the work of redemption, the work of salvation, is on God and God alone; all we have to do is accept the gift.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

And

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

God inspired the Holy Bible to explain our fallen condition, reveal the solution to our situation in Jesus Christ, point the way to heaven, and guide us in the way there.

When God created Adam, he had a connection with God through the Holy Spirit. When he disobeyed God, sin severed the relationship with God, and he now was disconnected from God. The Holy Bible now guides us to re-connect with God and His power, His life.

Yet many stumble when they start reading the Bible and give up too quickly. Why?

Because we try to place the carriage before the horse, no one can understand the Word of God without the Holy Spirit revealing it to us.

“But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. “1 Corinthians 2:14

We tend to box the Bible and God on how we see things in a natural world. We let our feelings dictate what is right and what is not. Since childhood, our parents teach us that to gain favor with someone, you have to do something good for that person. With this in mind, we fall victims to religions that try to control us. Eventually, we go our own way because we cannot rise to the standard they attempt to dictate to us and expect of us.

God gives all of us a measure of faith, a spark. All He wants us to do is BELIEVE in His Son and His sacrifice on the cross for us. Jesus lived the perfect life for us and died on the cross to pay the penalty of OUR sin. We are free to live for Him, knowing our sin is now punished in Him and forgiven. There is no double jeopardy in heaven’s courts.

He wants us to trust Him. When we do that, He increases our faith and gives us the power to do what He purposes for us to do. The power He gives us to accomplish what He purposes for us is a person; he is called the Holy Spirit.

God wants us to trust Him with every minute, every little detail of our lives. When we trust Him with every decision we are to make, the Holy Spirit empowers us to do what is required to do. We may not be aware He is working, but we will see the effects. In John 3, we read about a teacher of Israel, a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish ruling council member. He was interested in how Jesus was able to do the miracles He did.

“Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” John 3:1-8

Let us consider two points in the passage above.

You must be born again to see the Kingdom of God. Born again is, symbolically speaking, getting the horse before the cart. When you believe in Jesus Christ and the sacrifice he made on the cross, the Holy Spirit places you in the family of God. This action is salvation, born again of the Spirit, not of the flesh. Being born again gives us a new nature, and you will see things differently.
Once you are born again, God empowers you with the Holy Spirit. You are able to see the result of His work in your life. Just like Jesus explained, you cannot see the wind, but you can hear it and see its effect. When you are “born again”, God restores the connection to Him that Adam lost by disobedience.

Application

People who reject Christianity as being too hard, or just another religion, have placed the cart/carriage before the horse or even lack a horse, to begin. God loves those that reject Christianity and pursues them, but they resist Him. They fear losing a part of themselves they are not willing to part with.

“For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Mark 8:35-37

When they resist, they reject the second birth that allows them to SEE the Kingdom of God and ALL the blessings that come from being part of the family of God.

We cannot even perceive the Kingdom of God without the Holy Spirit working in us. The Holy Spirit is the power behind ALL we do for God. Without the Holy Spirit we lower ourselves to be just another animal on the earth, descended from apes, as those without God claim.

Why is it that a woman in a death bed is praising God? Why is it that a man is about to get his head cut off because of Christ and still praises God?

We can claim to be good and not need salvation. God is patient, blessing us, and waiting for us to accept Him before it is too late. We can claim to be TOO BAD for Him to consider us, yet the worst thing we can do is deny Him.

Will you today place the horse before the carriage? Stop struggling with your faith and give it ALL to God today!

Pray this today, believe it, and God will transform your life:

Heavenly Father,

I admit that I’m a sinner, and I repent of my actions that fall short of your glory. I need your Son, Jesus Christ, to be my savior and my Lord. Today, I accept your gift of salvation and pray that you send the Holy Spirit to power my life from this day forward. I want to live my life so that it will bring you honor and all the glory. In faith and in the name of Jesus Christ, I pray,

Amen

Read the book of Ephesians for further edification…

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