and

THE STAND ALONE CHRISTIAN

DR. DOUGLAS A. BLANC, SR.

INTEGRITY and
THE STAND ALONE CHRISTIAN

DR. DOUGLAS A. BLANC, SR.

Foothills Publications
Gloversville, New York

 2013 by Dr. Douglas A. Blanc, Sr.

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION, ESV Copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
WHO SET THE BAR SO HIGH? 1

A BRIEF LINGUISTIC SURVEY

THE SLIPPERY SLOPE OF COMPROMISE

NOAH: THE TAMIM OF GOD

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THE CHOSEN STRATEGY OF A HARMFUL ENEMY

12

THE PROVERBIAL CART BEFORE THE HORSE

15

CONCLUSION

17

GODS GIFT OF SALVATION

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The booklet is offered prayerfully and with the hope that its contents will bless my fellow disciples of Christ in our common spiritual pilgrimage toward his likeness. These pages are of value to the extent that the Spirit of God applies its truth to our lives. Theologizing is an empty pursuit without obeying the truth it unfolds. As a pastor and Christian leader for more than 25 years, it is acutely apparent to me that a consistent daily walk with the Master is our supreme and all-encompassing duty.

Please read the following pages with your Bible opened to the cited references.

WHO SET THE BAR SO HIGH?

You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matt 5:48).
Such a strong statement! Such a high standard! Lets reflect for a moment

Is Jesus using the word perfect here as mere hyperbole (exaggeration) to gain the attention of His audience? (Matt 18:9) Could he be simply imploring his listeners to contrast their existence with Gods and in so doing recognize the infinite gulf of imperfection separating mankind from their Creator-Redeemer? (Isa 59:2) Or, are we hearing from the Saviors lips the justified demands of a Holy God personally stipulating the terms of relationship for his aspiring disciples?

Quite frankly, we dont want to hear the word perfect.

Sympathetic responses to our imperfection are far more soothing to our injured consciences: Hey, you did your best or Oh well, nobodys perfect!

We prefer measurable goals so that we can compare our efforts against those of others. We prefer variable goals on the ground that unforeseen events may require an exit strategy. We prefer attainable goals that require little sacrifice, the absence of any zero tolerance clause, and with lots of room for trail and error.

Jesus spoils all of this by invoking a standard completely beyond the bounds of human achievement! You therefore must be perfect. Perfect? Oh, you mean relatively perfect? You therefore shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Perfect! The mind boggles and the heart races! If the use of this incendiary term was not enough (i.e. incendiary to the unyielding bend of the unconverted sinner the fleshly-minded Christian), Jesus uses the imperative mode (of command) as though indicating a state in which mankind must enter and maintain (always) if he or she is to enjoy a relationship with God (John 3:7; Acts 4:12; 16:30; John 9:4). I mean, this is God were talking about, after all!

This is not a political alliance. This is not a corporate partnership. This is not a mortgage contract with a bank. This is the relationship of all relationships (1 John 3:1)!

Hey, there may be hope for us yet, provided that we do not read beyond this pressing injunction to be perfect. Let us assume that Jesus is merely demanding an ethical or moral standard that ascends above ones peers. After all, didnt he also say ...unless your righteousness exceeds that of

the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven (Matt 5:20)?
Perhaps you wouldnt have selected self-righteous practitioners of the Mosaic Law to exceed by your own righteous acts! In reality, the Pharisees may not have exceeded the publicans of their day in righteous acumen, but in perception, the population identified them with perfection. Yet, this is not the standard of righteousness drawn by the Savior as a chalk line for a sin-intoxicated mankind to walk without the slightest deviation.

You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Why do we rightly identify a standard of perfection for salvation, one that is achievable only by the gracious intervention of God through the atoning work and imputed righteousness of his Son (see Rom 4:25; 8:1-4; 2 Cor 5:21), and then quickly abrogate such a standard as the goal-ideal of Christian performance?

Thats the $100 question of the day! You ask, Who would do such a thing? I suggest to you, those who adopt a careless, anemic, run-of-themill, lethargic, tired, atrophied, treading-the-water, lazy, slumbering, halfhearted Christian existence! Whew! Hold on now, perhaps Im being an alarmist. On second thought, consider an excerpt from the 1st century A.D., one that is a mere generation beyond the flaming fervor of the Apostolic Church. In Ephesians 5:8-21, the apostle Paul implores the believers in Ephesus to adopt a lifestyle of watchfulness or find themselves yielding to the deceptiveness of sin and inviting it as a welcome presence in their midst. In the strongest of terms, Paul calls for the sleeping ones in their midst to Awake! and to Arise from the dead (v. 14). Paul is quoting the prophet Isaiah (26:19; 60:1) who used similar imagery for the later renewal of the people of God. We may gladly receive the benefits of salvation and then, if we are not vigilant, regard the process of sanctification (growing in likeness to Christ) as optional, extra credit, or a bonus round, if you will. Has the nature of God changed? Is he not holy? Truly, his demands have been satisfied through the atoning work of Jesus (John 19:30), whose work blankets the believer with righteousness (2 Cor 5:21), grants to him release from sin (Eph 1:7) and a secure place in the family of God (John 1:12).

But where is the awesome regard and passionate respect for his holiness? Peter didnt forget about this (1 Pet 1:13-16). Where is the sensitivity toward the knowledge of God that once flowed antiphonally in angelic refrain: Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory! (Isa 6:3)? Where is the adulation that flows from a heart unbroken in its fellowship with God, whose floodgates yield to a virtual tsunami of praise crying Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power

and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing! (Rev 5:12)
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When will the ethos (ideal) of our life become a living offeringsacrament to God (Rom12:1) and the pathos (experience) become a desire borne out of the immediacy of the moment; a moment that lives, breathes, and has its being in the very present of God?

My friend and co-laborer, hear the Word of the LORD through his servant Isaiah: Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool; what is the house

that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and who trembles at my word (Isa 66:1-2).
Integrity is grounded in perfection, not one that is objectively sought, but one that has been received with a corresponding passion to fully please the Giver (Col 1:9-12).

A BRIEF LINGUISTIC SURVEY

We still need to ascertain what Jesus meant when he commanded his aspiring disciples to Be perfect. The use of the infinitive here in the imperative (command) mode is perhaps an attempt by Matthew to convey the force of the spoken Aramaic used by the Lord Jesus (Keener, Matthew, 205). The mind of the Jews would most likely revert to the Hebrew verb tamm meaning, to be complete with the noun tm referring to completion, perfection and integrity. The adjective tamim is therefore descriptive of something (or someone) that is whole, perfect, intact, free of blemish, blameless, honest, and sincere. Many in Jesus day measured perfection by full allegiance to the Mosaic Law, something Israel and Judaism never achieved. However, this perfection became the goal, the target, and the object nonetheless.

In the New Testament, the Greek cognates employ similar goal or end conceptual imagery with reference to integrity. For example, the Greek verb tele refers to fulfilling an obligation, to bring something to an end. Hence, the sense of completion is derived. The noun telos means goal, end, or to the full. The adjective teleios corresponds well with the Hebrew tamim. In fact, the one who does the will of God is tamim; [possessing a] heart which is undivided in obedience to God and therefore, shalm; another adjective meaning complete, safe, full, perfect, or finished, unharmed, or in a covenant of peace (Kittel and Friedrich, eds., Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Vol. 8, Brown, Driver, Briggs, Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament). Perhaps the adjectives are the most insightful where our Lords admonition in the Sermon on the Mount is concerned. In particular, the notion of rendering undivided obedience to God is especially significant.

If integrity is measured by a sense of wholeness, completeness and fullness, then the lack of integrity is measured by a condition of want, necessity, and incompleteness. The lack of integrity may not even precisely be a matter of deficiency, but a matter of defect and blemish.

Jesus confronted the rich young nobleman with the necessary means for entering life; keeping the commandments (Matt 19:17). The young man claimed to possess ceremonial conformity to the law, All these things I have kept (Matt 19:20). However, he understood the notion of tamim and asked, What do I still lack? as though willing to achieve a state of absolute integrity before God (Matt 19:20). Jesus said, If you would be perfect [teleios], go, sell what you possess and

give to the poor, and you will have treasures in heaven; and come, follow Me (Matt 19:21).
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The rich young ruler is not undivided in relation to Godto be undivided in relation to God includes detaching oneself from that which separates from God (TDNT, Vol. 8). The rich young ruler forfeited his integrity because he was not willing to fully abandon to God. We cannot enter into life partly, or half-heartedly, or as Agrippa, almost persuadedly (Acts 26:28). Those who come to Christ are damaged beyond repair (Luke 19:10). There is no room for negotiation with regard to the terms of discipleship (Luke 9:57-62).

They are worthless (Rom 3:12). They are dead in trespasses and sins (Eph 2:1). They are desperately sick (i.e.. terminally ill (Jer 17:9). They are a polluted garment (Isa 64:6). They are held accountable to God (Rom 3:19) and condemned already (John 3:18).

Every sinner must of necessity come to terms with his or her moral bankruptcy. Depravity needs no modifier such as total, for the word itself stands for a condition whereby the sinner is not as bad as he or she can be, but rather as bad off as he or she can be. Thus there is an urgent need for the Holy Spirit to awaken the sinner, Illumine the dark recesses of his or her corrupt nature, and make the soul conscious and sensible toward the Savior (John 16:8; 2 Cor 4:3-6). Jesus raises the bar above human hands that would rationalize some partisan interpretation of the Law, creating casuistic (case-by-case) nuances aimed at making adherence to the Law possible for some, while impossible for others. Such is the essence of Pharisaism and a host of religious systems, both ancient and contemporary.

You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

The simple inclusion of the comparative, as your heavenly Father is perfect, placed any hope for humanly achieved perfection forever out of reach, except in the case of the Son of Man Himself (Rom 8:3-4). That God becomes the standard of comparison suggests that this exhortation is not assuming a state into which the hearers have already come [including the Pharisees!] (Keener, Matthew). Jesus is not speaking here of ceremonial rectitude with the Law, plausibly unachievable in its fullness, all the time (Gal 3:24; Rom 8:3-4). He is speaking with reference to something so beyond human capability as to make mouths gape with wonder. Jesus is referring to moral conformity, and not a as mere relative state, but absolute moral perfection of which God is the standard. This news can achieve nothing short of a lightning bolt impact on his listeners. In effect he is saying, My disciples will be of such integrity as to possess an undivided heart toward God, the same undivided heart possessed by God with respect to his intentions (Gal 4:4; Eph 1:9-11) and with a view to the profuse outpouring of his manifold blessings (Mal 3:10; Acts 2:17; 3:19, 26). Behind the admonition of the Lord Jesus to his aspiring disciples is the concept of tamim, wholeness, perfection, blamelessness, which is unobjectionable to God, without defect, and free of any blemish (VanGemeren, New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology & Exegesis, Vol. 4). This is the status of the believer in Christ as a new creation (2 Cor 5:17). The merits of our Advocate (1 John 2:1-2) applied through faith (John 1:12; Eph 2:8) have resulted in a not guilty declaration (Rom. 5:1). It is based upon this gracious work of God that the apostle Paul appeals to our obligation as Christians to live a life in accordance with the integrity imputed to us by God through Christ (Rom 12:1-2). Dear ones, the mark of integrity is an undivided heart toward God (Deut 6:5; Jos 1:8; Exod 3:2; 1 Kgs 18:38-39).

Our cry to God today should be, Oh God, consume me on your altar as a sacrifice so that the world will see a heart which is undivided toward you. Dont forget, however, that Elijah needed first to repair the altar of the LORD which had fallen down (see 1 Kgs 18:30). We will never experience the fire of God falling upon broken down altars.

Pick up the assorted and fragmented pieces of all that is objectionable to God. Then, bind the sacrifice with cords, even to (or, up to) the horns of the altar (Ps 118:27). Present yourself decisively to God as being alive from the dead (Rom 6:13). Pour out your heart importunately to God as a plaintiff seeking to satisfy an injustice (Luke 18:1-6).

We cannot afford to be wind-driven waves of the sea, rising up in faith and crashing down in doubt (Jas 1:6). We cannot expect the blessing of God upon our life and work for God if we live the double life of the twosouled man (Jas 1:7-8).

Yet, where are these disciples; those men and women of such moral fortitude that they stand out from among the teeming masses of moderating compromisers (2 Tim 4:10)? Who will resist upon pain of death the hostility of sinners, by considering the One who endured such hostility with joy (Heb 12:3)?

We cry with desperation, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? Perhaps God replies, Where are the Elijah-like men and women of the LORD God? Someone has well-said of our cherished enterprise as heralds of the gospel: The voice in silence dies, the text fades from memory; but the preacher lives. Long after the masses have forgotten the sermons, they will remember the life (Heb 13:7).

THE SLIPPERY SLOPE OF COMPROMISE

Early in the 4th century a momentous change occurred in the life of the church. Almost immediately after the greatest of persecutions, the church was granted tolerance by the Roman Empire and soon Constantine began to extend increasing manifestations of his favor. Fifty years later, Christianity was the official religion of the Roman Empire and steps were being taken to destroy the old pagan religion of Rome. The favorable attitude of the emperor produced a change in the situation of the church. From obscurity it emerged into brilliance, from infamy to the height of popularity. Crowds pressed into it, Christianity became fashionable, and the majority of the population, then as now, found it convenient to follow the fashion. While the genuineness of Emperor Constantines conversion to Christianity is debated, the enormity of his impact on the course of church history is unquestionable. With his favorable attitude toward Christians and what he understood of their faith, the merging of church and state was set in motion. Jesus taught that his kingdom was not of this world, nevertheless the world of the late Roman Empire became the kingdom of God in the eyes of a number of euphoric believers. There was tremendous relief to Christians to be freed from overt state persecution, but the presence of a Christian Empire was far more insidious a danger than overt persecution. Many Christians reacted to this new development in one of two ways. On the one hand were those who were overly enthused about the state acceptance and embraced the new relationship with uncritical naivet. On the other hand were those who in protest led the monastic movement, some feeing to the desert to live as solitary hermits. Others (believers) took a more balanced approach, whereby they engaged society, but with a critical stance toward its compromising tendencies. One of the consequences of the new situation with Roma was that it became fashionable to be a Christian and to attend church. This meant that the upper classes would shape the self-consciousness of the church.
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Where once the early church had regarded the gospel as good news to the poor, offending the sensitivities of the rich; now wealth and extravagance began to be seen as signs of Gods favor. Furthermore, until this time, Christian meetings had been relatively simple and informal. After Constantine, the church began to reflect the pomp and protocol of the imperial court: incense, luxurious priestly clothes, formal gestures, processionals and choirs. All this deepened the clergy-laity distinction and led to the disenfranchisement of the average Christian. Faith became superficial, and was identified with the acceptance of dogmatic teachings rather than a change of inner being. As the church became rich, bishoprics became objects of contention rather than instruments of humble service. With a new freedom, the Church was able to go out into the world; and at the same time, in a new and dangerous fashion, the world entered into the Church. The Arian controversy was the first major ecclesiastical dispute and concerned the nature of Christ. The dangers of an uncritical acceptance of Platonism (separating God from the material world) prejudiced many against the biblical doctrine of the incarnation of Jesus. The leading proponent of the view that Jesus was less than equal to God was a man named Arius not an opponent of the Bible, but a popular pastor in Alexandria, Egypt. Alexandria was the center of the speculative theological system of Origen that was captivated by Platonic philosophy. Arius taught that Jesus was a great man, in fact the greatest of Gods creatures, but that there was when he was not. Christ was there before the creation of the world, but not eternally preexistent, according to Arius. Jesus was then of similar substance as the Father, but was made. So, rather than a member of the eternal community of the trinity, the Christ of Arius was a created being. Because this caused such an uproar, Constantine decided to intervene by convening a council at Nicaea n 325 A.D. to discuss this. It was now possible to invoke the authority of the state to settle a theological question. The interference of the state, even though it was supportive of orthodoxy, set a precedent of politically established religion that would endure for over a thousand years.

At Nicaea, the Emperor was more interested in the political unity of the Empire than the doctrinal purity of the people of God. As a result, even though the council officially rejected Arius position, Arianism did not die for decades. This was due to the fact that the Nicene creed was sufficiently ambiguous for superficial agreement as well as the political opportunism of subsequent Emperors, who saw the controversy in pragmatic terms. Keep in mind what was mentioned earlier about the states role in making other views illegal. For a number of years, the Nicene faith seesawed between being the official view and the illegal view. For this sustained period, another Alexandrian leader, Athanasius, often standing alone and enduring political exile, countered Arian claims. He clarified and insisted on the deity of Christthat the church would not worship a mere man and that only God can save. A finite human being could not pay for our sins. As a result of the rises and falls in Arianism's influence, he was banished from Alexandria only to be later restored on at least five separate occasions, perhaps as many as seven. This gave rise to the expression "Athanasius contra mundum" or "Athanasius against the world."

NOAH: THE TAMIM OF GOD

Consider the life of Noah. According to Genesis 6:9

These are the generations of Noah. [toledth = summary account of Noah, see e.g., Gen 5:1; 10:1; 11:10,27; 25:12,19 and 37:2] Noah was a righteous man, blameless [tamim] in his generation. Noah walked with God.

In a day lacking in positive moral influence, Noah walked with God. In a day when wholesale apostasy and the pursuit of self-interest reigned supreme, Noah walked with God. In a day lacking in Christian small groups and the absence of formative spiritual supports, Noah walked with God.
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When doing the wrong thing was the trend of the day, Noah walked with God.

Noah was an innovator. Innovators are visionaries. Visionaries are unpopular because they threaten the status quo. Noah walked with God because the rest of the world was walking away from God. Noah was not concerned with the consensus of the masses, but with obedience to God. Noah is described as tamim because his heart was undivided toward God. The record of Noah is preserved in Scripture for our instruction, that

through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope (Rom 15:4).
Noah is not the personification of some unachievable ideal! He is the manifestation of a man who stood his ground against a generation whose antipathy toward God is perhaps exceeded in modern times. He is a lasting monument for to the weary pilgrim who, like Elijah, might be seated beneath a tree waiting for death to come, bereft of hope, spewing forth nonsensical charges of being the only one left with a heart for God (1 Kgs 19:4). Let God be true and every man a liar (Rom 3:4)! Take heart Elijah! Theres an army of 7,000 strong who will never bow a knee to Baal (see 1 Kgs 19:18). Friends, you may feel alone, but you are and will never be alone (Matt 28:20). Yet, even this knowledge does not absolve us from the unpleasantness of standing alone.

THE CHOSEN STRATEGY OF A HARMFUL ENEMY

Satans strategy is to isolate the servant of God. He has not changed his tactics because they are consistent with his nature. Satan is therefore highly predictable.

Every word that proceeds from his lips is a lie (John 8:44). Every intention that protrudes from his heart is murderous. Every act that is traceable to his minions is destructive. From the beginning it has been so and will be so until the end.

Go back and trace the path of destruction through the biblical record. Every place that God puts a definitive period, Satan removes it and replaces it with a question mark (Gen 3:1).

Where God desires unity and restoration, reconciliation and peace, Satan installs a wedge, sowing tares amidst the wheat, always dividing and breeding goats who find their way into the sheepfold. Where there is doubt, despair, discouragement, destruction and disillusionment, there is also Satan feigning innocence while his fangs drip with the blood of the saints who have been seduced by his lies.

Beware, lest the euphoria of personal or ministerial success eclipses its true source (Gal 6:14) and you believe yourself superior to, and inoculated from, satanic devices (1 Cor 10:12). It is at such times that Satans master strategy, like a bent bow, is ready to release the lethal arrow at the very heart of your ministry. Just remember, for the Christian, the power of the bow is not in the arrow, but in its desire to remain upright. God has so fashioned us, with a natural bend toward uprightness (Matt 5:6); to live the Christian life is to do so unreservedly and undividedly. Ah, but what of Satans isolationism? Indeed, Elisha, youll see chariots of fire and floating axe-heads, youll strike the waters and theyll part before you; the dead will rise, the leprous will be cleansed, oil will be miraculously supplied, only to find yourself surrounded (isolated) by the Syrian army. (see 2 Kgs 2:1-6:33). You may respond, But Im living in lowly Dothan, an obscure location. Why would Satan waste his time on me? Why? Because youre a child of God! Regardless of the breadth and the expanse of your ministry or the nature and extent of your calling; rural village or urban center, teeming masses or congregated few, you are marked out for nothing short of destruction and public humiliation (John 10:10; 1 Pet 5:8).

Why else would Paul adjure himself (1 Cor 9:24-27)? Why else would Paul admonish young Timothy (1 Tim 6:11-16)?

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And how did Elisha answer the frantic appeal of his servant, Alas my master! What shall we do? (2 Kgs 6:15).

The stand alone man of God will confidently reply, Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them (2 Kgs 6:16). Here are the anointed eyes of a prophet! What will you see when Satan next isolates you? O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see

and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha (2 Kgs 6:17). The Lord blinds the enemies of the living God only
when the man of God will stand alone against a sea of antipathy. He graciously meets us on the road to Emmaus and with a brief and familiar glimpse, transforms the path of faithless defeat and despair into a highway of heavenly renewal (see Luke 24:13-35).

Oh, for such eyes to see! Oh, for the cry of Moses to see the very glory of God (Exod 33:18) from the One who is now predisposed to give it in timely displays (John 14:21).

It is in times of isolation when perceived weakness is the greatest, that the man of God must confess the true source of His strength (2 Cor 12:7-10; Eph 6:10). Hear of our blessed Lord Jesus, who was crucified in weakness yet lives by the power of God (2 Cor 13:4). Unlike our risen Savior, if you fail, you may inherit that ancient and lamentable epitaph, How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle! (2 Sam 1:25). God will put you in the crucible of the pressure cooker to prove of what moral fabric you are made (1 Pet 1:3-7). It may be that the enemy of sanctified living is not some descending army of Syrians, or even the Pharaoh for that matter (Exod 14:9); but some inordinate passion thats been left unattended and if given fuel for one moment of weakness will erupt into a flame of desire which could destroy years of labor and ministry with its consuming flame (Heb 12:1; Jas 1:1315).

Oh, how the mighty continue to fall (see 2 Sam 1:25,27) just as the Lydian city of Sardis; that ancient city on a hill, thinking she is safe and beyond the reach of enemy advances. The city was captured at night and destroyed while its inhabitants slept (Rev 3:1-2). Herodotus records the shocking details of the Lydian defeat. The inhabitants considered the elevated city impregnable. According to the ancient historian, the Persian forces gathered in the valley below the citadel. A Lydian soldier dropped his helmet over the city wall. When he repelled down the sheer rock to retrieve it, a nearby slave watched his every move and then revealed the citys vulnerability to the enemy. The soldiers used the information to capture the city for Cyrus, and King Croesus was taken prisoner.

THE PROVERBIAL CART BEFORE THE HORSE

Oh, hear the Saviors bidding to watch and pray (Matt 26:41). The undivided heart, the stand alone Christian, Gods tamim, will not be found sleeping (see Matt 26:40)! How would you characterize a stand alone individual? Perhaps youre thinking of someone who is not easily persuaded by new ideas, or passing fads. Perhaps this individual is a true non-conformist, never being affected by the influence of others, independent, a self-starter, one who can be trusted to be consistent day-in and day-out. Yet, each of these qualities, though admirable, is requisite to any leader of industry or prince among men. We owe our integrity to an overwhelming sense that something may be lacking (Jas 1:2-8) which requires timely and consistent supply from the hand of God, apart from which no movement forward is advisable (Exod 33:15; Neh 2:8). The undaunted are not easily distracted because they are driven by a clear vision, motivated by personal responsibility, and propelled to the goal by an undivided heart for God (Acts 26:19).
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Nothing will dissuade such a one as this. Dont even try. He or she is too focused (Dan 1:8,21). God alone is the object of his or her captivated heart and allconsuming devotion (Dan 6:3-5; Ezra 7:10; Acts 7:51-60).

Then how is it that we fail?

We fail when we lose our focus (Isa 26:3; Heb 12:2; Luke 9:62; 17:32). We fail when our undivided devotion is exchanged for a host of competing loyalties (Matt 6:24). We fail when we rationalize the clearly revealed Word of God with any measure of self-absorbed expediency that seeks our needs before Gods will (Lev 10:1; Jos 7:1; 1 Sam.13:11; 2 Sam 12:7; Acts 5:1-11).

Remember, Peter, that even when you are drowning in a sea of failure, the ear of the Lord is attentive to your cry and the hand of the Lord will pull you to safety, set you again on the boisterous waves, and walk beside you back to the vessel (Matt 14:29-33). Peters request should have been to walk with God and not to God.

The former relies on divine support, the latter on human performance. The former can never fail. The latter is always doomed to fail.

Satans desire is ever and always to induce spiritual turbulence (Luke 22:31-32). We become an impedance to the cause of Christ whenever our heart is anything less than undivided toward God (Matt 16:21-24).

CONCLUSION
In the year 1501, then 25-year-old Michelangelo was commissioned by the city of Florence to work on a great statue of the biblical David. The City desired a symbol of its independence that would stand as a witness to its surrounding enemies. The artist had been surveying a piece of marble for the work, an enormous block that had been spoiled by a master sculptor and abandoned. It was reported that Michelangelo couldn't take his eyes off of it. Every day he would walk to where it had been sitting for many years and there he would touch it, measure it and caress it. Studying that marble he had realized that he could actually exploit the mistakes of the first sculptor, and by removing only the dispensable, he would be able to retain the colossal proportions. At last Michelangelo was selected to do the work over Leonardo, and the marble was assigned to him. Two years of cloistered retreat passed with no news filtering to the world outside. Although Michelangelo revealed nothing, it can be guessed that he worked incessantly on the giant (19 tall) at least in the first three months; day and night, without rest, without a pause, to delete all the chisel marks left by the previous master, especially in places where so little marble remained that he could only smooth and polish. Like a dark insect buzzing around an immense plant, up and down on the scaffolding, his homely face beside the magnificent features that were emerging from nothing, by daylight and by candlelight, his hair turned gray by the marble dust, as if nourishing his creation with his very breath, Michelangelo lived and consummated in solitude, to the end, the conception and birth of his masterpiece. This is how God works with us. He is a Michelangelo, we are ignoble stone until David is revealed. We are spoiled and flawed, abandoned and unwanted, but God chooses us anyway. He has a vision of what we can become. He hides us away and works on us night and day, molding and shaping, remolding and reshaping. God is an artist. He is creating a masterpiece. Nothing more, nothing less is His standard (see Eph 2:10).
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GODS GIFT OF SALVATION

Gods salvation is free, but it isnt cheap! In order to save us, God offered his own Son on the cross to pay the penalty of death for our sins. Thats why the gospel is called good news. God did this because he loves us. God offers salvation freely to anyone who will admit their need of a Savior and personally receive his gift. This gift is fully paid for and was delivered to humanity long ago. The question remains, Have YOU received this precious gift? I say it is precious, because we receive so many free gifts that we neither want, nor need. However, Gods gift of salvation is one that we all desperately need. We literally cannot live without it! Yet, do we want this precious gift? That depends on whether or not we want to have our sins forgiven and to possess eternal life, a life that begins now and continues after death with God, forever. To receive this greatest gift of all, you must first acknowledge that sin has ruined your life and that you stand justly condemned in the eyes of God. Condemnation for sin is not a future event. It is a present reality. Acknowledging this truth is called REPENTANCE, the desire of a guilty person to turn from danger and to escape judgment. Next, you must believe that Jesus died in your place, to take your punishment, and lives as your Lord and Savior. This is FAITH, placing your confidence in Christ alone, not a church, not a denominational affiliation, not the sacraments, or even good works. For those who will repent and place their trust in Christ alone, a new life from God begins immediately. The God of the universe will enter your life! Youll still look the same on the outside, but on the inside, where God sees the real you, youll be remade to be just like Jesus. This new life is a life of freedom from the penalty and power of sin, an inexpressibly joyful experience!

GOD LOVES YOU...

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only [unique-begotten] Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16 SIN IS SEPARATING YOU FROM GOD...

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God...for the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Rom 3:23; 6:23 GOD MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR YOUR SINS TO BE FORGIVEN...

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous just for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the Spirit.
1 Pet 3:18 YOU MUST PERSONALLY RECEIVE GODS FORGIVENESS BY REPENTING OF YOUR SINS AND TRUSTING FULLY IN JESUS CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR...

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
John 1:12

YOU CAN PRAY RIGHT NOW TO RECEIVE JESUS CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR... God, I want more than anything to receive the precious gift of salvation you have provided through your Son, Jesus. I know Im a sinner and I acknowledge my need for your forgiveness. I admit that Jesus is my only hope, because he died for me and rose from the dead. I am now repenting of my sins and trusting in Jesus as my living Savior. I ask this in the name of Jesus, amen.

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Please contact us if you prayed to receive the Lord Jesus as your personal Savior. Wed like to pray for you and to help you get started in your daily walk with Jesus!

Founded in 1992, Laborers Together exists as an evangelical Christian mission organization committed to evangelizing lost humanity into growing and reproducing disciples of Jesus Christ. Laborers Together has three essential ministry aims: 1. to reach the lost with the gospel of Jesus Christ 2. to disciple new believers into growing and reproducing disciples of Jesus Christ 3. to equip committed disciples with the necessary core competencies to serve the body of Christ

Foothills Publications
A MINISTRY OF LABORERS TOGETHER

10 5th Avenue Gloversville, NY 12078

Douglas and Sally Blanc are co -founders of Laborers Together, an international gospel ministry focusing on European evangelism.

www.sent2all.com
Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.
MARK 16:15 ESV

DONT BE FOOLED...
Where there is doubt, despair, discouragement, destruction and disillusionment, there is also Satan feigning innocence while his fangs drip with the blood of the saints who have been seduced by his lies.

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