Nr: 99: laziness!

Nr. 99:

laziness - by Poul Madsen, Copenhagen, Denmark
"She eats ... not ladheds bread" (Proverbs 31.27)
Sloth
Pride, and sloth and falsehood (laziness)
is due to Karl Barth sin nature.
Let us consider the last, the talks
not much about these days.
In relation to God
"Thou shalt love the Lord your God with all
your heart! "Thus saith the basic
bid. But sin prevents man
to fulfill the commandment, and sloth is sin
deflection.
Does it also Christians who confess
that Jesus is their Savior? It should not
be true, but it is still too
often. He who writes these lines, know
ladheden in himself.
But two old sisters in the Lord kept me
to help, without them even knowing it. The
one approaching the eighty years, the other is
several years older. We had a worship
out in Valby, where we would otherwise not come together
Sunday. It was not so easy to find there.
The day after I heard that these two old
sisters got up at. 6 Sunday morning
to participate in our midst! In the case belongs,
that they both are fragile, and both are
fallen in the street sometimes armbrud
and another to follow.
The lover, however, the Lord their God
with all their hearts, and has overcome
ladheden and its incentives
to protect themselves: "How long will you lie,
you leave? When you stand up on your
sleep? A little sleep yet, a little rest with
samlagte hands ... "(Proverbs 6.9 following).
Whoever does not love the Lord with all his
heart that loves Him not at all - and it helps
not that he confesses that he believes in
Jesus! It does not help, he says,
that he loves Him!
Sloth in Bible Reading - slothfulness in prayer
- Sloth in the testimony - the sloth victim will
- Sloth love in deeds
- Sloth in visiting the sick - sloth in
serving - more terrible scale may sin
unlikely to surrender.
And particularly terrible is ladheden with so-called
full-time workers, among whom I
even hear! Alas, many full-time workers
work far from all the time! A
Norwegian once said that preachers are
people who hold some meetings and eating
many cream cakes! Pastor Bartholdy
talked, as we know about the lazy priests.
Oswald Chambers said in his time that
no decent man has time to be
Christian - he must take (capture) time there
by bl. a. getting up early and go late to rest!
As Karl Barth, who served as pastor of
Switzerland, were called to a professorship in Germany
he felt that his theological knowledge
was very limited and that he only
through "iron diligence" to obtain what
he lacked. From then on he showed a
"Iron diligence", so it's almost giddy for us
average people. And he felt
so happy! He would not serve God
Dropside hand (Jerem. 48.10).
Paul could testify that he had
worked more than all the others (1 Cor.
15.10) and that it was a manifestation of God
mercy! He could testify to wear and fatigue,
often during the night awake (2 Cor. 11.27) and
he kept his legme in check (1st Cor. 9.27).
But all this deprived him not
least of his joy - on the contrary was
joy far richer and more glorious.
Are we not about to get under
Law Enforcement? Are we not about to
put unnecessarily heavy burden at each other?
Yes, the danger is present and we must heed
that we can not draw a certain pattern of life
("Iron diligence", night waking, wear and fatigue
and rigorous self-discipline) as a normative
for everyone who calls themselves a Christian.
When we rob the gospel of its power
and Christian people of their joy in the Lord.
But the danger of sin sloth is also
present - and I know it, son mentioned
from my own life.
The narrow road with loviskhedens ditch
on one side and ladhedens ditch on the
other side is a road that goes from glory
to glory, and the road is our Lord Jesus
(John, 14.6). Let us stay close to Him
every day when we fall in any of the ditches!
Let us again and again consider Him
as he is painted in mind in the Gospels,
because the Holy Spirit confesses that Jesus is
Christ is come in the flesh (1 John 4.2) -
and his life in the flesh is described in the four
gospels. Here we see him who loved
Father with all his heart and made
Father (John 14.31) - he who
no hesitation, as the Father commanded him
go to Calvary and to be victims
Lamb of God who carries the world's sins.
With his eye fixed on Him, we summarize the
unimaginable that God so loved the world -
yes me that He gave His Son, the beloved,
for my sake - and because "forcing" of God
love me to love Him so that
it really is with all my heart, my whole
soul and all my wits! Since losing ladheden
His power over me - and I want
to do God's will completely.
Probably there are some things or
habits, I must repent from - but with
Ham, painted for the eye as crucified, makes
I have it with gratitude.
But I do not come under my
own will power, it is in the long run, in vain.
The gospel brings me a better place
go! It awakens the faith in me - and it is
not a desire exertion - it leads me
not back to myself but to our
Lord Jesus - and deleted from Him the Spirit
which allows me to love the Lord my God
all my heart - and do it with joy!
It is not my achievement, but God
gift to me by our Lord Jesus Christ.
I saved only by my indolence of my
Savior, not by my own efforts.
They bring me into an unbearable cramp soul,
where I always have doubt about
I am now "iron industrious" enough.
The gospel, however, gives me that "serve
God with joy "(Psalm 100.3) - serve
Him with all my heart with the joy of
had to do it!
Compared to my next
My relationship with God is best illustrated by my
relationship with my neighbor. Love and serve my
him / her with all my heart - or have
ladheden crept in and undermined
my love and my service?
How about prayer? The Prophet
Samuel said to Israel: "Be
far from me to sin against the Lord and
cease to pray for you "(1 Sam.
12.23).
How to row a cup of cold
water - a visit - send an encouragement
- How to love
works at all?
The big problem for us all is probably that
there was complete concordance between
our confession and our lives - between
our words and our deeds - and that ladheden
do not take this discrepancy
seriously, but lull us into a sedative
habit that so it is now again!
Ladheden reject God's chastisement when he
wish to speak on this matter and
speak with us.
Ladheden have nothing against "orthodoxy
"But it abhors Truth
Spirit, who is not satisfied with mere
'Orthodoxy', but requires work (see
James).
How do we overcome ladhedens power
and influence in our daily lives with the Lord?
It may be helpful to take
some healthy decisions in our Lord Jesus
Christ's name - but the real help is
Towards the goal - articles by Poul Madsen September 1994 page 2
come to light, i.e. come to the judgment
and grace God.
One day we are accountable for
Christ's court. Let us, however, accelerate
the day to day today!
Well it is humiliating to come
to the light, to the judgment God - but it
is also liberating, because we humble ourselves under
God's mighty truth about ourselves, we find
mercy. As is our crucified Savior and
Lord in mind of an innovative way
with new grace and power to do God's will
compared to my neighbor with joy. It is
again the love of God, which "compels" us
there, as it poured into our hearts by
the Holy Spirit.
And then ladheden lost its grip on
our inner man. Well, we are not perfect,
and well, we still have a few things that
contend with, but faith has been renewed
- And thus all things were different!
In this belief there is power and rest on a
time - the power to do all of the heart as
for the Lord - and the rest in the middle of our deeds,
so it does not become a lovisk performance
that sucks power out of us, but a gift from
God.
Now we are serving God with joy
is our strength! It runs ladheden vain
storm against.
Falsehood
In the congregation there are false brothers (the second
Kor. 11.26), false teachers (2 Peter 2.1),
false witnesses about God (1 Corinthians 15.15), false
prophets (Matt. 24.11) - all leading to the
false speech (Acts 20.30 G.) and will on the one
Somehow yield congregations
with fake words (2 Peter 2.3).
As a fake coin or banknote
indistinguishable from the genuine, but in
Unlike it's worthless, so
looks like fake people leading forward
in churches, true Christians, but in
Unlike them only a detrimental effect
on others.
The spiritual world
The deliberate falsehood is falsehood. There is
no place for falsehood into God's kingdom - and
However, it infuses into church life.
"Take the falsehood and speak truth each one with its
next, "says Paul (Ephesians 4.25), and he
repeats it: "Do not lie to each other '
(Col. 3.9).
How can Christians find to lie?
There are two main causes.
The first is the urge for self preservation.
The real truth about me in a certain
situation can be so humiliating that
I cover it with false words.
The second reason is anxious to please.
One will win the people for themselves, therefore
flatters Mon, speaks outside of the truth
- You dare not be sincere sand
for then you risk losing influence.
Particularly bad is it when you lie in
the testimony. I remember what impression
it did on me, as an experienced Christian
said approximately the following to me: "I yearn
to hear a truthful testimony
- A testimony from the mission field for
all the defeats they have suffered - all the failed
events - a testimony
home from Christians who do not hide,
how small and inadequate they are. "
Lie characterizes too many reports
the results of revival meetings,
rallies and 'promotion'. Respect
the churches have suffered great harm thereby.
The question is: has the lie
yet a place in my life? Pastor Fjord
Christensen believed that the last thing a human
are saved from is the lie. But then
long lie still exist, are
falsity is not out of our lives and our work
of Christ - and a little leaven permeates
As we know all the dough!
The unconscious falsehood is
even more dangerous because it is difficult to
uncover. This falsehood is due to two things:
(1) that there can be no external characteristics
on what is spiritual and what is
falsely spiritually, and (2) that in our day
has become too easy for people to come
a voice and influence in the congregation
spiritual life.
Nothing external characteristics
In the seven church letters of John Revelation. 2
and 3, says the Lord in each of these
Letters: "He who has ears, let him hear what the
Spirit saith unto the churches! "It is a
underlines what He said when he
walked down here. But then has he
stressed that everything depends on whether I
have ears that can hear.
If not I have it, give me
no other means whereby I can
determine whether it is God who by his Spirit
works, or it is not God.
Now however, there are assemblies, which
claim that "we are baptized with the Holy Spirit!
"Is it not a guarantee that such
have God's Spirit in them, and then I
safely go there and recommend others the same?
Alas, no - far from it!
If they speak in tongues, is it not
a clear proof that here is the Spirit and only
Spirit powerfully present? Alas, no - far
from!
If they tell of the wonders and signs,
about healing and exorcism of evil spirits
then it must surely be clear to everyone that
here has the Holy Ghost power! No - far
from!
If they say they are Bible-believing - the
believe that the Bible is the Word of God - there can
when no danger! Oh yes - one is
to say that you believe the Bible is God's
infallible word - another is to be faithful
at the word by doing what it says!
No, it is the Holy Spirit that speaks
and work, or if it is only something that
pretending to be the Spirit, can only
he who has ears to hear, determine. There
be no external evidence - so the possibilities are
the false spirituality so large
and therefore there is so much conscious and unconscious
falsity of Christendom.
As the false prophets in the Old Testament
said, "Thus says the Lord ..."
so many come forward in the name of Jesus and
speak on his behalf - and they know perhaps than
not saying that they are false.
Today accumulate in many congregations
a heated atmosphere with loud
and bodily gestures of the one or
otherwise, and publishes it to the Holy Spirit.
It helps not, however - the unconscious
falsity of mass suggestion violence
will only further cemented it.
It is deceiving himself without knowing it -
but God will not deceive!
Should you finally point was a characteristic
to some extent can tell whether
Spirit is active or whether it is a forgery,
I will point out - the fear of God -
Gudsrædselen - Fear God! Where the
ails - even where safety is prevalent
- Where gaiety and joviality are
ȁndsindholdet" as well as large insurance
about everything that we can achieve when simply
we think - where the concept of sin is not something
Taking pronounced seriously - there have
falsity great opportunities, both the conscious
and the unconscious.
Too easy
The spiritual world is dangerous territory.
It was known in the past and took his measures
against hazards.
Mon reared children and young people with authority
and let them not come too quickly.
It was a good thing against them.
This preserved the lot of falsehood.
Mon demanded conformity between
experience and words. Then they demanded good behavior.
Upbringing gave them useful inhibitions.
Mon listened not uncritical, admiring
on young people that led to
Towards the goal - articles by Poul Madsen September 1994 page 3
forward, but rather gave them a bucket of cold
water in the head so they could get to
sense.
Today is different. Children and young people
are now in the foreground. It has been almost
so that though they are eager and want to
rather, they are also suitable. There are
no requirement for them. It has become too easy for
them to come to assert themselves in
manifold assemblies.
Therefore, the falsity now open doors.
Many do not always know how empty they are
the true Spirit of content and how gaping
chasm is between their assertion that
serve in the Spirit of God and reality itself.
You do them great harm - and to do
Testimony terrible injury - and it corrupts
the churches.
But also all those who accept the falsity,
helps to promote it. There is
a collective guilt over all of us to lie
and the falsity of the testimony today.
When the state has become so eroded
Truth of the Assemblies, it is even
easier for crooks to get directly to
with a seductive voice, words, miracles and other
one.
A spiritual charlatan can say exactly
the same as a true servant of the Spirit,
but he says it is not by virtue of the Spirit
but by virtue of its own easy moving
soul-life that causes him to believe that he
is full of the Spirit of God, while in reality he
is utterly inane. Anyone who
have ears, hear once that it is the Spirit
speaking, and that it is not the good
Shepherd's voice.
It is rather those who do not want
rather, the modest, the dedicated, those who are
afraid to say too much, those who fear
of misrepresenting God, those who have
Small thoughts about themselves - it is rather
them, God wants the - the ones the Spirit of God
speaks through. They never talk machines
there, they have too much respect for truth,
who is Jesus himself.
"But they have no clout!
"Objected that against them. "They can
not gather people in skarevis! They are
too quiet, too weak, too little convincing.
I wonder if they know the power of the Spirit? "
Yes, this is argued - and it gives
falsity even greater opportunities -
for this very argument purports
of unconscious falsehood or lie, namely the
false assertion that human weakness is
an obstacle to God's Spirit.
It is exactly the opposite! Human brashness,
strength and confidence is the real
obstacle to the Spirit.
Congregation dare not return
of powerlessness and the daily
total dependence on God. It will have
'Success' - any agent that creates
'Success', approved - hence the door
opened to falsehood, lies and seduction. We
is in deep danger today that the Lord has said
in advance.
Salvation from falsehood
There is, thank God, salvation from the lie
and falsity. All we are guilty, all have
we falsity of our old man, all
We have on one way or another brought
falsehood mask at certain occasions.
But we might also all built
reluctance to see our own falsehood and
become aware of it. We see rather
mote in our brother's eye than the beam in
our own. And maybe we're also in defense position
when the congregation seductive falsehood
be revealed.
Adam is hiding rather than for God
coming to light. Truth can
be so cruelly humiliating. Adam defends
and excuses himself rather than departs
by death.
"It is not without pain being reviewed saved
"Emil says Gustavsson. No, that
fries of falsehood and a lie is sometimes
which to fight their way through a very narrow
port.
But there is salvation to be found - not on
our conditions, but the truth!
"Who is guilty?" Asks
The truth you - and you are truthful, then match
You: "I am the guilty - I is false
- I lied! "- And the Spirit of Truth shows
up situation after situation where you
dodged the truth and entrenched
you excuses, i.e. the lie.
The word in Rome. 3.13 hits you now
a completely different way than before.
The truth always leads verdict
the depth and withering!
You sneak up now no denying the slangevis,
when you lower your head to God in
shame and hits your mouth. Now you have
nothing more to say!
Well, one thing you stammer: "God,
Be merciful to me a sinner. I have known
you for many years and now stands convicted anyway!
"
As the Savior He you from your sin - so
true gospel is the power of God unto salvation -
falsehood and lies are being crucified
- And you're free!
Not like that now you're perfect -
but such that the falsity has been revealed
convicted and stripped of his power - you have
made up with the presence of Truth -
such a confrontation deprives the falsity any
favor with you.
Can this happen to any of us before
it's too late!
Arrogance
Essence of sin is pride. And
of total arrogance is the Christian the worst.
Let us consider it to take us in the last
it.
Our Lord Jesus
He could say: "I am meek and humble
of the heart! "As things often illustrated
best of its opposite, illuminated vanity
Perhaps best of its total opposite: our
Lord Jesus.
His humility was reflected in the fact that
He always did the Father's will. Therefore went
humility go hand in hand with courage, bravery,
stamina and virility. He
was humble of heart, and therefore not puny.
The false humility is queasy.
He was humble, therefore course he
never. He bore it quietly and did not open
his mouth when tribulations culminating and
human wickedness poured in on
him.
Humility and faith-obedience are two sides
of the same coin. The humble looks unlike
the haughty God behind all - God
as that which governs, so not even a sparrow
falls to the ground without his will - therefore
responds the opposite of humble the haughty,
who has himself as the center of existence.
He takes the hand of the Father
adversity and disappointments and hardships, while
the haughty rage against them and
especially against the people who cause
them.
The humble is confident in the right
way. Jesus knew who he was.
Paul knew who he was. Their self-awareness
was the same as their responsibility
- They were called to
do God's will and nothing else. Therein included,
they were called to be rejected
and disgrace - it took not as a
accident, but as part of their service.
Therefore, they sulked when it happened.
They let themselves do not prevent it, that they
let his hands sink.
The humble owner of a special joy.
Let us call it the joy of knowing
God. Jesus was anointed with the oil of gladness
rather than his brothers, for he who does not seek
his own, retain the joy when others lose
it. The arrogant can be irritating,
and he never avoids irritations, for he
looking after all his own - and it is not always!
Towards the goal - articles by Poul Madsen September 1994 page 4
You never see our Lord Jesus offended
irritated, angry, hysterical, irascible,
temper, shouting and screaming and gesticulating
- And yet he was anything but feeling cold
- He was humble of heart -
the proud are however extremely vulnerable.
The humble never indulges his friends
but love them. The haughty pampers
them but not love them. He will
win them for himself. Jesus won them
for God. The humble so warrant the truth,
even when he might lose his
friends. But he speaks of the love that
looking their best. The haughty speeches
otherwise, for the pride lurks always a
secret fear - a fear of man - a
fear of losing too much.
The humble know however not to
fear. What should he fear? Therefore
he erect without being proud. He is free.
Pride
We have attempted to describe the pride by considering
our Lord Jesus. By this comparison
get our own pride,
our pride is in the day.
The Christian arrogance is spiritual
ostentation. You are doing great with the help of
God bless! It's sad and it
is ridiculous. They talk big words, and when
Mon "witnesses," You make your own at the center.
This arrogance conceals terrible
opportunities themselves, first and foremost, the possibility
to be seduced. "Lord, Lord!
have we not prophesied in thy name, and has
we not cast out demons in your name;
and we have not done many miracles
by your name? 'must say many of the
big day. And only then (and now it is too
late) it dawns on them to perdition
horror, that their whole Christian life and their entire
"Wonderful" service was driven by pride
spirit for the Lord says to them: "I have
never knew you: depart from me, ye that
iniquity "(Matthew 7:22-23).
But in the Christian arrogance conceals
ability to deceive others as well.
The Bible tells of false prophets, false
teachers - men who are in spiritual pride
took no heed, and therefore in the 'spiritual'
confidence was lost leaders, although they
spoke in God's name.
There can scarcely be any limit
the pride of awful possibilities. God
hate it (Ordspr.8, 13).
Salvation
It helps, of course not mean that you dress
the haughty man and a devout
humble attire. It tries many, but
it is both futile and harmful.
Sermon on the Mount is the first long
service, we have the Lord's mouth. The
is an invaluable help to get his
pride of life. Wetterlund read it regularly.
Had the men who "testified
"So boldly about everything they had done
in Jesus' name, done that when they had
not counted, as they did, and when the Lord had
not shown them away. For in the Sermon on the Mount
mirror had been clearly see
what ailed them. Had the mirror
periodically, then had their own security
got the crack it needed. Since
they had begun to fear God, to tremble for
the Saints. Since they were also beginning to
be afraid of themselves - and all their
great thoughts about everything they mettle was
been replaced by this thought: I wonder if the Lord
will ever know me?
When was the glorious opportunity to present
the Lord by his Spirit revealed them
Cross secret - and when it does, the
the spiritual arrogance of a deathblow.
When they were in their nothingness come to
Jesus for him to learn to be meek
and humble of heart - and they were never gone
away from him with a diploma that
now they were trained - now they had no more
to learn in this regard. They had been at
him throughout his life.
So had their service had a completely different
tone. The apostle Paul could also
testify that he had performed mighty
deeds of God - but in such a
way that he came into the background - he says
not: "I did great things for
God "- he says instead that" the characteristics
that I am an apostle, was of course with all
stamina worked among you both by
signs and wonders and mighty deeds "(second
Kor. 12.12) - and you ask him who they
was influenced by, he would reply: 'the Lord
- Who else? "
Pastor Fjord Christensen believed that
lie is the last thing a human being
saved from - I do not agree with him in it
- I think that pride is the last thing we
fries completely.
For while lie is relatively easy
revealing the arrogance able to hide
themselves, so that even the haughty not see it
- Does not see it in herself.
The congregation can be a fun place
for all kinds of arrogance. It happens sometimes,
that a man who can not be great at
the world sees an opportunity to be
the congregation! That is one reason
that one should be cautious about
let those who want to be on the podium
or in the service, have an opportunity there.
For ambition driven not unconditional
Spirit of God! Well, do not dig his
talent down, and surely you are responsible for
develop his talents and gifts, and well is hard work
and energy and go-do attitude a good thing, but
it is usually best that these properties
develops in the earthly affairs
home and at work - for pride
must not be allowed to solidify
in a "service" in the church.
The haughty pride of people seeking
- But it should be excluded in any
service to the Lord. He seeks to become
large in people's eyes. His service is
terribly dangerous - especially for him.
Salvation from there
None of us can free himself from arrogance.
We must be saved from there. This applies not
at least us "full-time workers."
As previously highlighted, highlights a
things often most clearly by its opposite. Let us
'Full-time workers' therefore compare ourselves
the servant of the Lord our Lord Jesus! Let
us not run away too quickly from this comparison
For in it we find the verdict
and the liberating grace which we need.
He gave up - he humbled himself -
He took the servant figure - he never sought
his own glory and did not accept honor of
people - he is our example - and
fortunately also our Savior when we get
to be ashamed of all that pride,
hiding in our service.
He is so great a Redeemer, that he can free
care of that stick longest in us: our
spiritual arrogance.
He lodges us a fervent distaste for
it, even a hatred for it. He gets us onto his
side, so we his Spirit struggles with Him
against our own arrogance.
The battle is victorious, for we are fighting
not in its own power, but by faith in Him who
was meek and humble of heart. And all
that which is born of God overcomes the world
- And the world falls just pride of life,
pride, the pride and the carnal
assertiveness.