Joanna Fruhauf

Joanna, What do you think of ministries that do good works?  I thought we are to walk by faith and not by works?  What about the scripture that says that it is by faith we are saved...not from works , lest anyone should boast' Eph 2:8-9

Granted that is how we are to walk, to walk and live out our every day life in the faith of knowing that Jesus is our Savior and what he has done for us on the cross.

BUT that should radically alter our attitudes, actions, agendas. If you read the very next verse, Good works are part of our walk....'For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.' and then again in James 2:14- 26 says in essence that faith without the display of that in everyday life, is a lie or dead.

In other words, actions speak louder than words....If you just say you have faith in Jesus but do not display that be the manner in which you live, don't extend yourself to others to try to show them the love of Jesus and the mercy and forgiveness of God, through practical means, than essentially you are lying about your faith in Jesus.  If you say something with your words, you better back it up with your actions even at your expense and sacrifice!

Now does that mean that everyone needs to get involved in a cause that is being promoted by a group, church or individual?  NO.  What you need to be is available to the Holy Spirit to minister to those in need around you.  To extend the mercy, forgiveness and grace of God to those around you, when you see it, even your enemies.

I have a pet peeve here....I see too many people involved in ministries that are half way around the world sending money and going on short 'vacation trips'. to involved themselves.  When the very same things are taking place in our own back yards....Or getting involved in causes that look to erradicate some evil from the face of the earth and yet  Jesus is never mentioned or barely mentioned.

There are not enough good works, not enough money, not enough causes or rallies that can erradicate sin and destruction from the earth and create a utopia here on our terms - that's just secular or christianized humanism....take a good look around....it is getting worse....the bible is accurate, sin increases to more sin...not less, regardless of how much man may say we want it....man has a sinful nature and doesn't want it tobe better, they just don't want to pay the consequences... but that's not how it works....the Wages of Sin is DEATH, destruction, degredation....in many areas, on many terms....

Jesus Christ, is our hope, our Salvation, our Remedy - Unless that is brought to the foreground, nothing changes -

Only if HE is lifted up will men be drawn to Him and be changed.....

Jesus gave a great command and commission, 'Go to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth.....making disciples....'  This was the order, with ever increasing circles of influence, start very locally, YOUR FAMILY, your neighbors, your friends, your community, town, school, county, country, then to the ends of the earth.....

I've known too many people running across the world but not doing what's necessary in their own homes or next door...escapism - feeling good about themselves while neglecting the more important matters.    Read Screwtape letters by CS Lewis, it's one of the ploys Satan uses to keep us essentially ineffective.  

I correct my kids when they want to go do yard work at a friends house, take care of your responsibilities at home first, then you have the liberty and freedom to move forward.....

NOW - I'm not saying going around the world is wrong...PAUL is a perfect example of being and long distance minister...But He took care of essentials close at home first....then moved out from that point.

So Go and allow the TRUTH of what Jesus has done to set you free from your sin and share that compassionately with others.  Allow the Holy Spirit to show you what areas of ministry you are to be involved, how you can best support or be involved. based on your responsilibilities in your life.

Do not over commit yourself, Do not excuse yourself, Do not give to anyone out of compulsion or guilt or emotional ploys...Give when Christ tells you to...Ask questions, get financials.  Be wise. Be honest.

Just because someone has a ferverent zeal for something doesn't me God has called you to it....I know -  I started a ministry for unwed mothers years ago and assumed everyone I met or spoke to should be supporting it....I was immature.

Pray, and then Go - Unafraid and Unashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Recently I've been asked on a few occasions about defining lines with regard to this subject.  So Here I must rant a bit!

In the past several topics have come out of it.

1 Corinthians 6:18 Flee fromsexual immorality. . . (v.19,20)  Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is inyou, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."

It's really pretty simple.  Sexual activity outside of or in addition to Marraige is not acceptable among God's people, among those who have 'said' that Jesus is their Savior, Master. 

It is a statement that holds for my daughter of 13 or my grandmother of 80.  And with those two situations, nearly everyone would agree.  Noone things that young girls or boys should be sexually active.  And not too many of us can or want to invision really old people being sexually active in nursing homes.  So that seems to make sense, and yet, we turn a blind eye or wink at those who are sexually active outside of marriage in their twenties, thirties, forties, fifities etc.  

Why the double standard?  Why the Hypocricy? Why would we choose to bear false witness against the Holy Spirit like this?

Christians, even leaders, erroneously use the scripture, "Judge not"  and yet neglect the very next few verses that command us to 'Know them by their fruit' (which requires discernment and judgement calls)

I've been asked if someone who is seeking a divorce can have a relationship with another person.  I'm not condoning divorce, it is a horrible thing, but in those case where it has happened or is unavoidable, I don't have a problem with a person eventually getting remarried.  BUT having a relationship with a person of the opposite sex before the divorce is final is flirting with adultery.

I've known of christians, who have actively sought affairs while still married, others who have engaged in sexual relationships with a separated -yet still legally married- person and justified it in their own understanding...I've been asked how far is the line pushable by singles...

EASY - If you're not Married to the specific individual - HANDS OFF! -  if it gets covered by a Bathing suit - STAY AWAY!

Is Jesus our Lord? Our Master? or not....Let's be honest and stop playing games, regardless of the justifications, our ages   Are we seeking to please the Lord, ourselves or others?

"Regarding the Old Testament, I hear Christians say, 'O don't worry about that, we live according to the New Testament'... Why do so many seem to neglect it?"

I am puzzled by this as well, actually I get very irritated by it.  It would be similar to meeting entering into a relationship, let's say when I first met my husband, and never ever desiring to know anything about him that took place in his life before that day!  Does that make any sense?

If you start watching a movie half way through, do you really understand what's going on, you' catch on eventually, but there are significant aspects of the plot that you have missed and they hold keys to what you now view!

It's the same in Christ!  Everything about the Old Testament speaks to us today!!! EVERYTHING!  Even, Dueteronomy 25:4 "You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing."

The Apostle Paul used that scripture in 1 Cor 9:9-10, "For it is written in the Law of Moses, "YOU SHALL NOT MUZZLE THE OX WHILE HE IS THRESHING " God is not concerned about oxen, is He?    Or is He speaking altogether for our sake? Yes, for our sake it was written, because the plowman ought to plow in hope, and the thresher to thresh in hope of sharing the crops."

That is a seemingly meaningless verse to us today, but it was significant in Paul's letter.  Think of the countless times, God is speaking directly to His own people, His instructions, His warnings, His encouragments!  Add to that the numerous times Christ is alluded to, foreshadowed and spoken of in typological terms! 

The text alone speaks value to us, in its entirety! Then when we understand the reasons behind the text, the revelations, the wisdom of various instructions, laws and boundaries, we realize that through Jesus Christ the Law of God is pure, holy and just.  That it speaks of a great glory, a vast wealth of liberty and abundant life as we live it out!

Christians, mostly gentiles or ex-pagans, historically speaking, came into Christianity, unaware of the Jewish customs, various laws and festivals that had been long established from Abraham through to Moses.  The gentiles were not put under the requirements of the Laws by the Jewish leaders of the Church during the days of the Apostles...

Of everything the Jews were required to fulfill and keep, the gentile believers in Jesus were permitted to keep it simple - Acts 15:20 "But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood."  THAT's IT!  The tem commandments were understood, and the gospel as preached regarding Jesus was a given, all else was graciously left off the backs of the new gentile believers.

Because they didn't have the foundation of understanding in the ways of God, the Jewish Believers didn't want to overburden them with things they didn't understand and weren't used to...these things didn't necessitate salvation. 

BUT - that doesn't mean those things are worthless, or without merit or value.  Dietary laws for the Jews, are incredibly healthy for humans to follow.  Not following them leads to all kinds of health problems!  The festivals all spoke of a national event and common past, but in addition they spoke of the future coming of the One God had proclaimed. 

The more I love the Lord, the more I get a desire to fully understand the beginning of the story, the events leading up to my revelation of Christ.  I desire to know more and more of what He ordained, said, did in the past that I might be able to see His faithfulness and character in new, refreshing and thrilling ways. 

"I've gotten money from the school loan which more than paid my student tuition and books this semester.  I have additional money from it and am curious if I am supposed to tithe off of this amount?"

I've gotten this question about 5 times. Tithing is always off of things that you have worked hard to secure.  Crops in the field that were planted, earnings from wages, etc. 

Tithes are different from Offerings, which could be given from a gift amount, grant etc.

But a student loan is neither!  It is not YOUR money!  This is money that, even though you may have some in your hand, is not yours.  It is money you have to give back in full, and depending on how quickly, with a bunch of interest.  The suggestion would be to bank that money and have it available for your first few payments...Even though the likelyhood is you'll use it for personal items, it is loan money.

When you buy a car and take out a loan, do you give to a charity any of that?  What about when you borrow to purchase a house, a business etc....?

I would say the answer is 'No'.  Remember what the scriptures say about giving it is always from what you have secured in your abilities and strength so that you don't think you secured it without the Lord...If someone is telling you that you should give, where are they coming from?  

When you give here are a few attitude checks.

Deuteronomy 15:10 

"You shall generously give to Him, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because [Deut 14:29; Ps 41:1; Prov 22:9] for this thing theLORD your God will bless you in all your work and in all yourundertakings.

Matthew 6:2  

"So when you give, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they [Matt 6:5, 16; 23:5]may be honored by men [Matt 6:5, 16; Luke 6:24] Truly I say to you,they have their reward in full.

Matthew 6:3 

"But when you give, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

2 Corinthians 9:7 

Each one must give just as he has purposed in his heart, not [Deut 15:10;1 Chr 29:17; Rom 12:8; 2 Cor 8:12] grudgingly or under compulsion, for [Ex 25:2] God loves a cheerful giver.

Philemon 1:14 

but without your consent I did not want to do anything, so that yourgoodness would [2 Cor 9:7; 1 Pet 5:2] not be, in effect, by compulsion but of your own free will.

"What does it mean to be Yoked to God or Yoked by the Spirit?"

Jesus told us that if we were laden down with heavy burdens he wouldgive us rest.  He stated that we are to take His yoke upon us because it is easier and lighter than that of the world.   Because the scripture is almost always used when trying to encourage the weary, the portion that says to take upon His yoke is somehow overseen as if it weren?t a constraint of some kind.  Jesus is in fact telling us we are to take on a constraining yoke and a burden, His! 

God rebuked the people of Judah during the time of the prophet Jeremiah for having broken the yoke and bursting off the bonds of His leading.  For that he spoke words of desolation against them. 

"What is the yoke for?  What purpose is therein being placed under a burden?  Aren?t we to be set free?  Haven?t we received liberty in Christ?"    Yes, and No!  The Yoke is as much of our freedom and liberty as our salvation.  The yoke is for our training process.  Training is the of the breaking self-will, reprogramming a formerly wild & unruly animal for the work of service in a new habitation.  So that one can live in an orderly fashion in the protection and blessing of a master. All of the Disciples except Judas Iscariot underwent this process and took this yoke upon themselves.  James and John were quick to react with violence before they under went it, they were called sons of thunder for wanting to destroy and call down fire on others.  Peter was an arrogant prideful man before he submitted to the yoke. 

Paul was certainly yoked by the Lord and sensitive to that yoke.  He recognized when it was steering him to the right or to the left.   He often times speaks of chains, but never with a discouraged heart.  He understood the purpose of the Holy Spirit  in those chains. Though they were literal chains he recognized the spiritual yoke or chains on him in obedience to God.  He saw himself as a slave of Christ.

He encouraged the Roman believers and us, that we should see ourselves as slaves of Christ.  We ought to submit to the leading of the Spirit and present our bodies as slaves of righteousness for holiness.  It?s in so doing, we will have the fruit of that holiness worked out in our lives and in the end have everlasting life.  He states that those that are led by the Spirit of God, those are the sons of God. 

"If we are sons of The Father, aren't there rules of the house?"   "Doesn't every home have some laws?"  The book of Proverbs mentions these laws and many times equates them with the wisdom of God. We are told not to forsake them , and though they will be graceful ornaments on our head they will also be chains around our neck.  The blessings they grant are long life ,  prosperity as well as the favor of man and God.  We are encouraged by the Word of God that if we submit to the leading of the Spirit and willingly obey we shall have blessings of eternal weight.

Being yoked by the Spirit allows us to learn of his ways, go according to His guidance, recognize His prodding.  All of this is for the conforming of our will and desires to His.  Being conformed to anything, is fashioning one?s self  according to a pattern set for us; taking on the exact shape of a mold. The pattern and mold set for us is Jesus Christ.  We have been predestined to be conformed into the image of the Father?s Son.   Romans 12:1-2 requires us to make our bodiesa living sacrifice on a continual basis so that we will be transformed by therenewing of our mind and will.  The morewe submit to His leading, correction and will the more we break the image ofthe world and take on the image of the Son. 

Bearing the yoke of the Lord and being harnessed by His Spirit strengthens ourwalk.  Due to the resistance involved in bearing the weight of the yoke, our spiritual muscles are increased.  The longer we couple ourselves to the Lord the more mature we become, able to understand what the Lord is intending for us.  Not only are we conformed, taking on a pattern not our own; we become transformed, becoming something different than what we are.   Staying in that harness we go further than simply taking on the form of godliness, we become holy even asGod is holy. It equips us for tasks beyond our abilities!

I?ve been in various situations where I was not capable of performing to speed and yet God used the situation to form me and because I was willing to come under His harness he equipped me for it.  If we are willing to be yoked by God, Willing to go to the fields He sends us to, willing to be under those He places inauthority over us regardless, then we will be increased and strengthened to become the strong laborers He needs and desires!

Sometimes the Lord takes us into a new field, we think that the terrain is not for us, someone else is better equipped for the task, He can use us and prepare us for it if we will let Him.  If we are doubtful, He will encourage, embolden our hearts to go.  But if we refuse and remain in the stall rebellious to His request, we may not have a second chance.

Short Answer: Being Yoked is being submitted to His Authority in our lives and following Him unconditionally.