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Using The Means Of Grace
Several Means of Grace Available
Spiritual sustenance and encouragement is given to believers in a variety of ways:
- hearing Bible preaching
- exhortation and encouragement of fellow believers
- participation in the Lord's Table
- Godly, edifying music
- memorization and meditation in Scriptures
- regular times of personal and family altars
Prosperity Kills Spiritual Hunger
Though these means of grace are readily available for American Christians, many do not avail themselves of their use, or neglect them to some degree.
Prosperity and material success does not strengthen a Pilgrim's spiritual walk, Quite to the contrary, having a goodly portion of the "American dream" (materialistic success), has been devastating to the American church, Weak, anemic and carnal Christians abound in our land, just as they did in Laodicea, a bell weather of Christian carnality.
Our Lord got right to the heart of the matter when He said it was easier for a rich man to pass through the eye of a needle than to enter the Kingdom of God (Matt 19:24), Why? Because those possessed of princely quantities of this world's goods are strongly tempted to place their hope in them rather than the god who made them rich (I Tim 6:7), Not only so, but they manifest very little spiritual hunger because of their comfort and complacency.
Pilgrims in North Korea, Iran, Sudan and China do not have any illusions about where they should place their hope and trust, Because of the dangerous, life- threatening circumstances in which they live, they avidly seek out all the means of grace open to them, and as a result, thriving underground churches have developed.
In terms of this world's goods, they are destitute, but they are rich in faith.
Believers in Occidental Western churches have been as deceived as the false teacher of I Tim 6:3-5, They supposed that "gain is godliness ..." Paul sharply warned believers to withdraw from such (I Tim 6:5), Many adherents of neo- charismatic circles have preached such wealth and prosperity doctrines as evidence of God's smile and blessing, Despite the fall of several of their leaders, the idea remains popular and seductive, One only has to look at the fruit and testimony of these preachers' lives and of their followers to be warned something is drastically wrong with their manner of life and their doctrines.
It is surely incumbent upon us as serious Pilgrims to shun these health and wealth movements, and the worldly and carnal distractions of Laodicean, materialistic America, Rather, we must avail ourselves of the same means of grace sought by our embattled brothers and sisters in the underground churches of the third world and developing countries.
We Must Be Pro-Choice For Grace
Spiritual anemia and lethargy is not accidental, One does not become apathetic and disinterested in one's own testimony because of factors beyond ourselves, The plain fact of the matter is that we choose to seek God or to not seek Him, Manifold promises are given to saints who find themselves in dire circumstances of this life, Even in captivity, a saint will find God if he consciously seeks Him (Deut 4:29), Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah and Josiah were not known to have experienced God's grace and favor simply because of a fortuitous concurrence of circumstances.
Rather, they consciously, deliberately set out to seek His face and favor through the means of grace available to them (I Chron 19:3; 2 Chron 31:20-21; 2 Chron 34:2- 3).
It is tragic that though New Testament believers have much more light than their Old Testament counterparts (we have a completed Canon and an indwelling Holy Spirit), many are seemingly jaded and apathetic, having little interest in the spiritual riches they possess, Ignoring the means of grace for whatever reason, is a choice against receiving its soul-satisfying balm.
Those Who Have Tasted Are Grateful
Consider the heartfelt expressions of the Psalmist: "How sweet are they words unto my taste" (Ps 119:103); "This is my comfort in my affliction for Thy Word hath quickened me" (Ps, 119:50); "Oh how I love Thy Law, it is my meditation all the day" (Ps 119:97); "Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counselors" (Ps 119:24).
"I rejoice at Thy Word as one that findeth great spoil" (Ps, 119:162), Did these Old Testament Saints find something in Scripture we have missed? They obviously were so significantly blessed that they were moved to profound gratitude for the Word of God.
Bread For The Soul
When God provided manna for Israel in the wilderness, the Israelites were curious about this mysterious "food, " They quite naturally said, "What is it?" which is the Hebrew word "manna, " Their common questions became its name: "manna, " Manna is a beautiful type and figure of the Word of God, It was food from Heaven, just like the Word of God, The perfect fulfillment of this type is our Lord Jesus Christ: "For the bread of God is He which cometh down from Heaven, and giveth life unto the world" (John 6:33); "I am the Bread of life" (John 6:35).
A Sick Soul Despises Bread
Just as a lost man or a carnal believer despises the Scriptures, carnal Israelites despised the manna, "Our soul is dried away and there is nothing at all besides this manna before our eyes" (Num, 11:6), Man controlled by carnality seeks his answers in pills, medical doctors, psychologists, relationships, and materialism, He delights to learn of a new "disorder" with which he can identify so as to quiet his nagging conscience, He welcomes the role of "victim" so as to escape personal responsibility for his life, However, the "Word of God is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Heb, 4:12), No one in poor spiritual condition will read the Scriptures with a seeking heart because it reads us more than we read it.
First Things First
Israelites gathered their manna in the morning, Each Israelite was to gather sufficient for his needs: "Gather of it every man according to his eating" (Exo, 16:16), To fit the figure, we also should seek our "bread from heaven" in the morning if at all possible, This would also fit the pattern of the Psalmist: "My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord, in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee" (Ps 5:3), "In the morning shall my prayer prevent thee" (Ps 88:13), "Cause me to hear Thy loving kindness in the morning for in Thee do I trust" (Ps 143:8).
Daily Gatherings Necessary
Note also that each day of manna gathering was only sufficient for that day; there was to be a fresh gathering of manna the next day; "Let no man leave of it till the morning" (Exo 16:19), Basic Christian discipline demands the same thing of us that God required of His Old Testament saints; fresh seeking of the Word for each day, Just as an Israelite would go hungry if he decided he was too busy for manna-gathering, so our souls will be impoverished if we allow crowded schedules to eliminate our daily seeking of the heavenly bread.
Responsibility Of The Head Of The House
As God's prophet, priest and king in the home, a father must sent the example with his own faithful daily devotions, and encouragement of his family members to have theirs, In addition, that same father must see to it that there is a family altar during which he can answer questions as well as systematically covering the major themes of Scripture, This satisfies the demands of Deut 6 in which each head of household had the duty of conducting the equivalent of a Bible institute in his home.
Gathering Is A Measure Of Dependence
Whereas the empty stomach of the Old Testament Israelite drove him to the manna, it is a dependent, seeking, hungry heart and Godly character that drives a New Testament Christian to the Word, Just as continued avoidance of manna-gathering would have left that Israelite weak, emaciated and malnourished, similar spiritual destruction occurs in our souls and in our families when we avoid personal and family devotions.
Gathering Can Be A Measure Of Our Walk
I would go so far as to say that the quality and regularity of personal devotions probably has more to do with an individual's growth in grace (or lack of it) than almost any other spiritual discipline, It is very easy for each believer to take spiritual inventory on himself by simply asking what priority is given to his manna seeking.
We Can Make A Fresh Start
The carnal Laodiceans were promised by the Lord that if they would repent and seek Him anew, "I will give to eat of the hidden manna" (Rev 2:17). The Bible is a treasure of hidden blessing waiting for the penitent, humble, seeking heart.
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