Let Us Keep Our Eyes Fixed on Jesus
By Jeremiah Z
September 1, 2017
Yes, we do need that saving faith and understanding that we are washed in the blood and have our sins forgiven through our Lord Jesus Christ—to have our hearts renewed in Him daily and to feel the joy of the Holy Spirit!
Faith and works go together—like a rowboat needs oars to paddle downstream. Our plain way of living will not and cannot earn us brownie points to heaven, but it does keep me close to God! The confusion of the world is mind-boggling. How can the internet, TV, and cell phones be part of a peaceful life in all godliness (I Timothy 2:2)? What a wonderful world this would be if people would spend half as much time with their Bibles as with their cell phones.
You can find any scripture or spiritual reading from the internet on your phone, but you can also indulge in porn! The devil has the last laugh! Sweet and bitter water cannot come from the same well! No, I cannot obtain my salvation through living a simple life, but I've learned over the years that endurance teaches us contentment and a joyful heart! And I do indeed experience the fruit of the Spirit in true peace and joy--while out on my patio on a beautiful spring morn running my laundry through the wringer wash machine, singing praises to my Savior, or plodding down a lonely country road with my horse and buggy, singing and meditating.
It is sad that so many Anabaptist churches no longer want to crucify their flesh or carry their crosses in any way (that hinders them). Divorce is creeping in and the excuses are lame, but God’s Word stands forever!
Yes, we may have some Amish that do not clearly understand the plan of salvation, but we have them in all churches. My prayer is that they may be enlightened with the Word and truth. We cannot always read their hearts, either. I have had experiences with people that I didn't know very well, and I with a judgmental heart, thought of them as not being very spiritual; but after having a conversation with them, I had a different view. Let us beware of this before we find ourselves judging another. Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus!
A.M.K.
Jeremiah Z Responds:
A.M.K., I’m delighted to hear of your personal walk with the Lord. We all need to be born again by faith in the Son of God before we can walk with the Lord. After the Lord removes the scales from our eyes at conversion, we are then able to live a life pleasing to the Lord.
Our churches are filled with people who are putting their hope in getting into heaven because they went to church, did or didn’t do certain things, gave money to the church, etc. This isn’t only true in Anabaptist churches, but is in churches all across America. The only solution is a new heart—to be born again by faith.
I do not think that denying technology keeps me close to God. While our lives were not busy with technology, work seemed to keep everyone busy from morning to evening. The issue is the heart. The problem with focusing on the outward is that we tend to forget the heart. If religious leaders spent more time talking with individuals about their hearts and praying with them, then I think we’d see real, radical change in members. But instead, we do exactly what we’re warned against in Colossians 2:20-22: Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, (Touch not; taste not; handle not; Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?
If the heart is corrupt, the whole body and mind is corrupt. If we struggle with lust, we will lust after the flesh whether we have a cell phone or not. If our hearts belong to the Lord, we will love Him more than the things of the world and will despise sin whether we have a cell phone or not. This is my personal testimony, both before and after conversion. The Lord does an amazing work in our hearts if we allow Him to, literally giving us a new heart when we are born again.
Whether or not people are members of an Anabaptist church matters little to me. Please do not think our goal is to get people to leave the Anabaptist churches. As you said, there are many in Anabaptist churches who are indeed born again and are walking with the Lord. We wish to encourage those who believe, and want to share the Gospel with those who have not yet placed their faith in the only One who can save us and change us.
— Jeremiah Z
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