Name it and claim it...Huh?

It's Thanksgiving, and I'm certainly thankful for this computer that I'm typing on, and for the internet connection, and for the four walls and a roof surrounding me, and for the job that pays for most of it.

However, to focus on these things is to miss the fullness of God's incredible grace, through Jesus the Christ, who died for our sins that we might be regenerated and sanctified in Him.

Amen?

Believe it or not, I've had a little controversy over a favorite verse of mine, Matthew 6.33:
"Seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you."

That seems pretty simple & straightforward in context, right? The previous verses talk about how the birds never worry about what they're going to eat, and the flowers don't worry about what they're going to wear, but God takes care of them. Likewise, we're supposed to focus first on doing God's work, and letting Him handle what we need. Right?

Well, I noticed a little online bulletin from an acquaintance of mine who is the pastor of a rather liberalistical church (along with his wife, a co-pastor, which is a different subject altogether) that quoted that verse...only something was different. His version said, "Seek the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, then these things will be added."

THEN?

Huh?

The actual translation (in English) is "...AND all these things shall be added unto you" (emphasis mine). Consider it semantics, if you will, but there is a very important reason it doesn't read "then."

The original Greek translation of the term is "kai," which according to Greekbible. com means -

"1) and, also, even, indeed, but"

It's definitely not "then," which is a different Greek word altogether (actually two: "tote" or "loipon").

As I pointed out to this person, that basically turns the scripture into an "if/then" statement. IF you do this, THEN something will happen. However, I believe Jesus said this in a different context intentionally. The point is not to seek God so that you will gain materialistic prosperity, but to seek God and not worry about materialism, as seen from the previous verses about the birds & flowers.

It was altogether convenient that this pastor follows what I call "Genie in a bottle" theology - just another term for the "name it & claim it" belief that people eisogete from the scripture. To focus solely on temporal, physical blessing, whether it be financially, health-wise, or otherwise, and blame trials & tribulations solely on a lack of faith is to deny that God can work in the midst of difficult times in our lives. Let me quote a few verses to support the point.

Isaiah 30:20-21
20And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers: 21And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left. - King James Version

1 Thesselonians 5:16-18
16Rejoice evermore. 17Pray without ceasing. 18In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. - King James Version

1 Peter 5:9-10
9Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. 10But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. - King James Version

(I'm not necessarily a KJV fan, but I happened to have these up already)

Let me reiterate that we're called to follow and serve God first, and let Him worry about the temporal things in our lives. God's grace is so amazing that we don't have to be preoccupied with these things, though we're still accountable for what we do with whatever we are given. In fact, a pastor and friend of mine pointed out that "blessings WON'T come if we're not being faithful."

Nevertheless, being faithful does not automatically equal blessings. THAT'S NOT THE POINT.

If you really want to get into it (and I do, just a little anyway), all we, every one of us truly deserve is DEATH. Even the world says that "nobody's perfect," which is just the secular acceptance of total depravity. Nobody can stand in the presence of a holy God. Even Elijah, in God's presence, felt like he was being "undone," practically torn apart from the inside out, in God's throne room.

All kinds of sensational preachers, from Fred Phelps to Jeremiah Wright talk about God's judgment on the USA, whether it be on the war, the homosexual agenda, the economy, or Hurricane Katrina. However, if God revealed Himself right now, the whole WORLD would would be undone just as Elijah was...and God has every right to do it if he wishes.

When we were saved, God revealed Himself to us at that moment. We realized just how holy we weren't, just as Elijah did. We realized how excruciatingly painful Elijah's experience was right up to the point where an angel took a searing coal and touched his lips with it. We begged for mercy, for forgiveness that we certainly didn't deserve, and God saw fit to show grace. Christian hip-hop group The Cross Movement had a lyric that went something like: "You're born, you suffer, and you die...but there's a loop-hole." Though we deserved to die in our sins, God saw fit to give us a loophole through Christ!

The sad thing is that this shouldn't be anything new for believers, but it's so easily forgotten in day to day life. I made the mistake of watching The Saw once and it scared me half to death. I'm not talking about the sado-masochistic semi-realistic gory parts, either. What scared me was that people become blind to all of the things they've been given in life, taking everything for granted until it's going to be taken from them. I was in an accident once - an accident that I have no doubt should have taken my very life. I was given a rare opportunity to realize everything that I had been given, yet I find myself taking things for granted every day, as soon as another minute crisis looms over me. This world is so demanding that it tries to capture our attention every minute of every day, but we have to work constantly to firmly tell it, "NO!" and ignore it's cries of frustration.

Therefore, let us not focus on the materialistic blessings during the holiday season (especially CHRISTMAS, so I don't get boycotted by the AFA) but on the spiritual blessings as well. Better yet, let's focus more on the spiritual and let God make sure we have everything we need. Regardless of what and how much you've been given, give thanks to the Lord for all of it.

Sola gratia.
Sola Dei gloria.