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Posts Tagged ‘surrender’

10 Popular Christian Phrases that Can be Misleading

Posted in Commentaries, Lists, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 31, 2025| Leave a Comment »

  1. Winning Souls for Jesus:  This phrase is derived from the concept that life is essentially a battle between the forces of good and evil, and that our mission is to win souls to team Jesus, so that team Satan doesn’t gain the upper hand.  But Christ has already defeated the power of evil (1Cor.15:55-57, Heb.2:14-15)), and He has not given us the ability to “win souls” (1Cor.3:6-9).  Our real mission is to be a manifestation of Christ’s presence on the earth (Rom.8:29, Col.1:27) and to allow the Lord to draw men unto Himself (John 6:44).  We make disciples of all nations (Matt.28:19) by being faithful disciples ourselves.
  1. Soldiers in the Lord’s Army: For many, the concept of being a soldier in the Lord’s army can conjure all sorts of glorious imaginings of epic battles, and grandiose victories, but the scripture doesn’t seem to support such a picture.  Like Peter, we imagine that grabbing a sword is the way the battle will be won (John 18:10), but Jesus explained that this wasn’t the case (John 18:36). Ephesians 6:10-20 makes it clear that we’re not battling against each other, and it speaks of protecting ourselves against the relentless attacks of the enemy.  While 2Tim.2:3-4 speaks of enduring hardship like a good soldier and of not becoming entangled in temporal affairs. 
  1. Making a decision for Christ:  There are several different phrases that float around the evangelical realm that seem to point to a moment of salvation.  Things like, “I invited Christ into my life,” or “I repented of my sins,” or “I made a decision for Christ.”  They all seem to point to a specific instance where my eternal status changes from unredeemable to redeemed, and my eternal trajectory shifts from hell to heaven.  And while I don’t deny that such a moment exists, I don’t believe we are well equipped to discern it (Matt.7:23).  Only the Lord can decide when a heart truly belongs to Him, and each of these expressions simply describes a step along our lifetime journey of pursuing Him.  Inviting the Lord into our lives is a great step, but He won’t be content to sit on the shelf with all of our other interests.  Repenting of our sins isn’t simply a matter of being sorry for our transgressions, it’s about going on and living a different life, which takes more than just a singular moment.  And making a decision for Christ isn’t necessarily the same as surrendering our life to Him.
  1. Defending the Faith: The nature of faith is that it cannot be defended, because to those who are perishing, the cross is foolishness (1Cor.1:18).  The scripture tells us to be prepared to give a reason (or a defense) for the “hope that we have” (1Peter 3:15). This of course presumes that we as Children of God would live in a way which might cause someone to make such an inquiry. Unless hope becomes visibly manifest in our lives, the source of that confidence will be of little consequence. I would suggest that the culture isn’t growing more hostile toward God’s message of hope and love; they are instead growing more resistant to a religious system that doesn’t seem to offer them either one of those things. God has called His people to live by faith (2Cor.5:7), not to simply be defenders of the ideology of faith.
  1. Building the Kingdom: There is a big difference between building a house and moving a house.  When we build a house, we choose a site, make our plans and build to suit our desires; but when the house already exists, we must go to where it is and study its design if it is to arrive intact at its new location.  The Kingdom of God already exists, and God Himself was the Architect and Builder (Heb. 11:10).  God is not interested in some earthly replica of His Kingdom; He means for His Kingdom to come on earth as it already exists in the heavenly realm.
  1. The cause of Christ:  The “Cause of Christ” can mean different things to different people.  Too often we attach the name of Jesus to causes we’ve become zealous about as though He shares our passion and position (Matt.7:21-23).  But He is not fickle (Heb.13:8).  The Son of Man came to seek and save that which was lost (Luke 19:10), so we are called to be compelled by His love and to regard “no one” from a worldly perspective, as we’ve inherited the ministry of reconciliation (2Cor.5:14-18).  This is the cause of Christ and it will not change.
  1. Saved, sanctified & going to heaven:  The decision to surrender our lives (i.e. take up our cross) and “follow” Jesus is not a one-time thing, it’s an everyday process (Luke 9:23), and a journey that lasts a lifetime (Phil.1:6), which is completely at odds with our cultural and religious paradigms.  We prefer to think of ourselves as, “saved, sanctified, and going heaven,” which implies that the work has already been completed, and we’re just waiting for the bus to take us to our heavenly mansion.
  1. The Anointing:  Our present use of the phrase “the anointing” is something of a misnomer.  Before Christ, access to the power and authority of the Holy Spirit was limited to a chosen few.  But because of Christ’s sacrifice, all believers have a direct connection to the indwelling Spirit.  All who belong to Him can rightfully be classified as “anointed” (2Cor.1:21, 1John 2:20). Holy Spirit empowered giftings are not expensive presents that God only bestows upon His favorite kids, they are tools provided to faithful followers.  An anointing was never intended to be something we could possess.  It is simply a garment, provided by the Lord, which allows us to serve His purposes.
  1. God is in control:  God is most certainly omnipotent, and sovereign over all things.  He is the Lord of heaven and of earth, but that does not equate to Him being in “control”.  He gave the earth to man and gave men the ability to choose who they would serve (Josh.24:15).  He does not send the molester into a child’s bedroom, and he does not place the drunk driver behind the wheel.  He sets before us life and death (Deut.30:19) and then lets us choose for ourselves.  Those choices have significant consequences, which affect both us, and the people around us.
  1. Fruitful ministry: Culturally, we tend to view an endeavor as being fruitful if it gets results (e.g. productive, profitable, prosperous, popular…), but the “fruit” that God seeks is Christ’s character (Gal.5:22-23) being revealed in the hearts of His children (Col.1:27).  And that fruit can only be produced by abiding in the vine (John 15:5).

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Praise and Worship

Posted in Commentaries, tagged , , , , , , , , , on March 13, 2025| 5 Comments »

Another file from the achieves

Recently someone asked me, what is the difference between a “praise” song and a “worship” song?  I had to smile at that question, because I remember asking the same question several years ago.  At that time, I’d not really been exposed to much “praise and worship” music and so the distinction wasn’t obvious to me.  What I was told at the time was that the “fast songs” were the praise songs and the “slow songs” were the worship songs.  That wasn’t a very satisfying answer, but I decided not to worry about it and to move on. 

All these years later I can testify to the fact that the act of praising and worshiping the Lord has revolutionized my relationship with Him.  It has birthed a love of prayer in me and helped me to understand that God still speaks to His children.  Because of the important role this has played in my journey, I wanted to give a thoughtful answer. 

While I had to admit that I wasn’t positive, I shared that I tend to view a praise song as one that I sing about God (e.g. “Our God is an Awesome God, He reigns in heaven above…”) while I view a worship song as one that I sing to God (e.g. “I surrender all, I surrender all, all to You my Blessed Savior, I surrender all…”).  While that may not completely cover it, I thought it was a better answer than the one I got. 

That led to some more discussion, which eventually led to the question, “is there any difference between praising and worshipping”?  Unlike the first question, I had a much higher degree of confidence in that answer and I thought it might be worthwhile to share some of those thoughts.

To praise somebody (or something) is to find them commendable, to react favorably, to show approval…  This is undoubtedly a positive thing.  The Psalms tell us that the Lord inhabits the praise of His people and that is certainly of infinite value; but the act of worship goes far deeper.  Worship entails elements such as respect, reverence, honor and even devotion, which are several degrees above simply being commendable. 

I believe that to truly worship something, we must view it as being greater than ourselves; but even that may not be enough.  I recognize that Michael Jordan is a far greater basketball player than I could ever dream of being, yet this still doesn’t compel me to worship him.  I believe that another essential element of true worship is submissiveness; that before we can really worship something, we must be willing to humble ourselves and to put ourselves in submission to it. 

There are many people and things that I have found praiseworthy, many that I have recognized as being greater than myself, but none besides the Lord that I would be willing to put myself in submission to and to truly worship. 

Jesus told the woman at the well that His Father seeks “true worshippers” and He went on to explain that since “God is Spirit”, “His worshippers must worship in Spirit and in truth”.  As I was reminded of these passages, I felt like the Lord said, “Many is the man who praises Me with his lips, but refuses to bow his heart before Me”. 

There are many people who recognize the goodness of God and who are even willing to acknowledge that before men, but few who are willing to submit their will to His.  In my own walk of faith I have grown wary of any person who calls themselves a child of God, but has no passion for worship.  I believe that our will and our nature make worship an essential part of our walk with the Lord. 

I find that I daily have to resubmit myself to His Lordship.  The word says that the fear (i.e. awe) of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.  I believe that awe is bore out of a recognition that God is so much greater than we are, that His ways are high above our ways and that we are totally dependent upon His mercy and grace.  I believe this awe causes us to submit, but that it is in coming under His Lordship that we discover His great love and mercy; which causes us to love Him, trust Him, and inevitably to worship Him. 

He is not only worthy of our praise, He is worthy of our worship as well.  Indeed, “All to you my blessed Savior, I surrender all”.

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The Blessing of Brokenness

Posted in Commentaries, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 31, 2024| 1 Comment »

There is a very human tendency to avoid discomfort of any kind, but the reality of our existence is that we aren’t likely to change until we absolutely have to.  Thus, it often takes adversity to bring about a significant transformation.  For those who count themselves as followers of Christ, we must grapple with the knowledge that Jesus (a man of perfect faith) learned obedience from the things He suffered (Heb.5:8), and that what is pleasing to the flesh is not pleasing to the Spirit (Gal.5:17).  Western culture aspires to create a pain-free existence, which fundamentally works against the process of spiritual growth.  Indeed, it is in the midst of a situation we cannot hope to control that we are most likely to cry out for help; it is the circumstance that we cannot wrap our hands around that we are most apt to release to God; and it is in those moments when there is no earthy wisdom to calm our anguish that we are best positioned to receive the words of life.  Despite our ardent desire to avoid anything that might challenge our perception of prosperity, it is in the midst of our weakness that His strength is made perfect (2Cor.12:9), and it is a broken and contrite heart that He honors (Psalm 51:17, Isa.66:2).  Most often, it is only when our capabilities are completely overwhelmed that we can achieve a thorough and genuine level of surrender.  But for those who emerge on the other side of such experiences, the reality of who God is, and of our place in Him are forever changed.

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The Great Omission

Posted in Commentaries, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on August 21, 2024| Leave a Comment »

I have often sensed that Western Christianity’s consistent failure in the area of discipleship is rooted in the fact that there are so few actual “disciples” of the person of Jesus Christ within the movement.  This isn’t to say that folks aren’t “Believers” (i.e. in the man, Jesus or His teachings), or that they do not take their faith seriously, it’s just that our westernized sensibilities aren’t particularly compatible with the concept of completely surrendering our lives to anything outside of ourselves.

While we understand that the original disciples sacrificed everything to follow Jesus, we reason that our particular brand of religious practice is an acceptable substitute.  After all, we’ve made a “decision for Christ,” we’ve been baptized, we regularly attend, we give offerings (maybe even tithe), we do our daily devotions, we partake of sacraments, we study our bibles, we go to worship concerts, we wear religious t-shirts, we apply religious bumper stickers to our SUVs, and we’re “not ashamed” to let folks know that we are Christians.  Some even speak in tongues, prophesy, and see miracles happen.  But none of that necessarily equates to the discipleship that Jesus describes.

He said that whoever wants to be His disciple must deny themselves, taking up their cross daily, and following Him (Luke 9:23).  Denying ourselves looks like forfeiting the “way that seems right” to us (Prov.14:12) in favor of the way that is exceedingly, abundantly more than we could ask for or imagine (Eph.3:20).  It’s not trying to gain our lives, but yielding our lives to Him and His purposes (Matt.16:25).  It’s doing nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, and esteeming others above ourselves (Phil.2:3).  It’s taking every thought captive, and making it obedient to Christ (2Cor.10:5) and loving the way He loves (John 13:34).

It’s refusing to be conformed to the pattern of this world and allowing our minds to be renewed (Rom.12:2), so that His character would be manifest in us (Gal.5:22-23).  Ultimately, it’s being transformed into the image of Christ (2Cor.3:18), so that His light would shine upon the darkest corners of His creation.

The decision to surrender our lives (i.e. take up our cross) and “follow” Jesus is not a one-time thing, it’s an everyday process (Luke 9:23), and a journey that lasts a lifetime (Phil.1:6), which is completely at odds with our cultural and religious paradigms.  We prefer to think of ourselves as, “saved, sanctified, and going heaven,” which implies that the work has already been completed, and we’re just waiting for the bus to take us to the mansion He’s prepared for us.

Our version of discipleship generally consists of inviting people to come to our church, or to outreach events, yet our friends, neighbors and/or co-workers may not see any tangible evidence of our supposed passion for Christ as they walk along side of us on a daily basis.  This is the anti-thesis of what Jesus described.

If the western church has any hope of fulfilling “The Great Commission (Matt.28:19),” we must first go back and become true disciples ourselves.  Jesus taught that unless a seed falls to the ground and dies, it remains a single seed (John 12:24).  Without taking that step we aren’t likely to accomplish much more than the promotion of “Christian” values, the perpetuation of “Christian” culture, and/or the preservation of the “church” industry.

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Thought for the Day – All Things

Posted in Thought for the Day / Quotes, tagged , , , , , on October 27, 2022| Leave a Comment »

The understanding that apart from Him we can do “nothing” (John 15:5) is meant to drive us toward surrender.   While the revelation that through Him “all things” are possible (Matt.19:26) is meant to facilitate our transformation.

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