Restoration Road Ministry.org

Living is not easy, and doing it alone oftentimes makes matters worse. Sometimes our feet are slowed down by the weeds that have entangled them along the way, while other times we unnecessarily carry the weight of suffering we were meant to leave behind. Yet, without help we will often continue in our life struggles because we lack the assistance of someone else to detangle us from those weeds we have stepped into, or to provide a broader perspective of the burdens we have been carrying, so that we will find relief from their weight by letting them go.

We believe that one of Satan’s greater schemes is to keep us walking alone, through a learned response to societal expectation that drives individualism and self-reliance, through pride, rather than working together in community. As a result, we have contributed towards, and suffered from, our own neglectfulness in helping one another in our joint journey in life, especially the life we are to experience as followers of Jesus Christ.

Through Satan’s schemes and our pride, we continue in our sinfulness, through the weeds and weight we are burdened with, instead of asking for help to be burden free. And when we do ask for help our mindset is focused on worldly solutions rather than spiritual guidance, which results in unchanged circumstances and ongoing hardship, since it is only through God’s word and his promises that we gain freedom.

Pride causes us to think our sin is worse than the sin of others, to walk alone instead of in community, to keep our Christian walk to ourselves rather than discussing hard topics together, prevents us from exposing our weaknesses to others so that we might be strengthened, divides us over an unwillingness to be sharpened by God’s word or the work God has been doing in the life of another for our benefit, and pride causes us to be threatened rather than finding encouragement through biblical conviction to walk more Christlike.

Our prayer is that you will encounter the hope you are after by setting your eyes on Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of that hope, rather than remain incomplete in your existence, physically, emotionally, and spiritually because your hope was drawn from the world.

It is no surprise that we will encounter attacks on our flesh when our focus is off of our heavenly Father, who created us. After all, he is our provider and protector, and he is responsible for opening the eyes and ears of those who will surrender themselves to him, so that they might walk according to his Way instead of following the patterns of the world. While Satan uses our misguided steps as a result, to pull us further away from the path Jesus desires for us to walk. And before long we find ourselves alone and as prey for the wolf in our midst.

While Jesus may be calling your name to redirect your attention and focus on where he is, Satan is doing the same to pull you away through every earthly opportunity afforded him to use, through your willful participation in being distracted with the cares of the world and your flesh.

For this reason, it is imperative that we recognize the traps that the wolf uses against us, and to steer clear from walking in a direction opposed to the way Jesus is leading.

This seems relatively simple on the surface, but in practice our flesh is too weak at times to do as we ought to do, and before long we have succumb to the wiles of our enemy once again. And in so doing, contributing to a host of spiritual consequences that cause us to feel disconnected to God through our sinful disobedience in remaining steadfast in our walk with him.

Because of this we are encouraged to remain in God’s word, so that we are empowered by his truth instead of the lie that Satan uses against us. And while this is of extreme importance to our spiritual protection, that God has given to us, we must also recognize that we are also each other’s protector, in the flock that Jesus Shepherds.

In the Book of Genesis, we encounter the story of Cain who killed his brother Abel. “Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” And the LORD said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth” (Genesis 4:9-12, ESV, 2001, Crossway).

We must wrestle with this story ourselves and appreciate that the context of murder extends beyond the physical act alone, and towards the spiritual actions we convey towards one another in our Christian walk together. And to ask ourselves if we are displaying care through our heartfelt words and actions, or are we guilty of killing the spirit of others through our neglect, impatience, or slander? Are we building up and refining others through spiritual and biblical truth or are we tearing them down through our thoughtlessness and neglectful tendencies that fail to help others grow in their surrender and full dependence on him alone?

Scripture is full of verses that point us to God’s nature and his expectation. Let’s look at a few to broaden our awareness so that we remain inline with his character and truth.

“I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me” (Proverbs 8:17).

“Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him” (John 14:21).

“Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name” (Psalm 91:14).

“The Lord preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy” (Psalm 145:20).

“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).

“Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil” (Proverbs 3:7).

“The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate” (Proverbs 8:13).

“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds, and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking in truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grows so that it builds itself up in love” (Ephesians 4:11-16).

“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord” (Romans 12:9-11).

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2).

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship” (Romans 12:1).

“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2).

“Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4).

These handful of verses are just a snapshot of who God is and what he expects from those who follow him. Yet, we often need the help of other spiritually mature people to walk alongside us, to confide in, to be encouraged by, and strengthened through the application of biblical truth.

We need the eyes, ears, and awareness of the other sheep in the flock to observe the blindspots within the fold that are susceptible to attack. And come to appreciate that without watchmen on the wall, we will not see our enemy until he is already up close.

For this reason it is essential that each member of the flock, regardless of their spiritual maturity, recognize that it is our exercise of faith through scripture, following the basic principles of spiritual warfare that will protect not only yourself, but those around you who need your help.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak” (Ephesians 6:10-20).

Unfortunately, Christians are weak in this understanding, and even more so through their application. If you have been a church goer for any length of time you will certainly have experienced this yourself. The church attempts to create community through weekly services, midweek activities, and small group bible studies. However, these fail to produce the strong dependance we are discussing here, that is willing to die for our friend, speaking truth in love, discussing openly the weaknesses we are struggling to let go of, and possessing enough of God’s word through our own independent study to guide ourselves and others through the onslaught of traps set before us by Satan.

Instead, church has been found to be a meeting place to worship together, hear a sermon, share a meal, and enter into shallow conversations briefly with one another before heading home.

Our purpose is not to beat up Christians or the church through this honest observable feedback, but to engage with them to appreciate this disparity for themselves. And begin to assert a deeper Christian walk through their confidence in Jesus Christ, and defend the foundational truths found in scripture, regardless of pushbacks produced by society.

Satan is working hard to corrupt our minds, produce hardened-hearts and broken spirits, to produce insecurity, shame, distraction, and division. As a result, Christians become incapable of standing firmly on God’s word, and communicating his truth to others in the flock who have been led astray or tormented through their own negligence or disobedience. Consequently, the modern-day church has become a body of lukewarm Christians, that are no doubt desirous in their faith, but unproductive in displaying the spiritual fruit God desires from them.

Once again, we want to remind our readers that our intent is not to create further division through the words we speak, but to be honest with our appraisal of what Christianity has become. And through it, to encourage a humble and honest self-reflection opportunity for every follower of Jesus Christ, and to reshape who we are to be and how we are to function as brothers and sisters-in-Christ.

What we are hopeful to produce in others is a willingness to listen instead of escape, to be humble instead of proud, to be honest instead of disingenuous, to be helpful instead of resistant, to be strengthened through the power of God’s word and the authority in Jesus Christ and use your spiritual gifts and calling to deepen the walk of those around you.

We must become the examples of those who followed Jesus in scripture, those disciples who were called and then responded by following, who sold their possessions, who helped the sick, the poor, the widow, and the fatherless. We must return to speaking truth to the Samaritan woman at the Well, by walking away from sexual immorality; or confronting the hypocrisy of those like the Pharisees, who talk of Christ but lack his power and authority over their lives. We must hold our teachers and leaders accountable for what they preach through our own diligence of independent biblical study and prayer. We must confront evil in every circumstance that opposes God’s word, and make no agreements through our own participation. We must demonstrate our love for one another in Jesus Christ through our selflessness, and desire for others to find and walk with Jesus just as we are doing. We must be willing to wash the feet of our Christian family, to serve one another, to die for one another, and live in unity with one another in truth. We must awaken, no longer sleeping as those who do not know Christ, and to be watchful for the numerous schemes brought against us, that are used to steal, kill, and destroy those who have chosen to walk the narrow path with our Shepherd.

This is why living is hard, and why doing it alone makes matters worse. We must come to recognize our reliance on one another in the flock of God’s children, each struggling in our own walk to remain free from the weeds of sin that entangle our steps on the narrow path, and to be free from the burdensome weight of sin we continue to carry, which impedes our progress and our ability to catch up to others in the flock.

God is calling each one of his children to let go, to surrender, to repent, to forgive, to love, and receive his Son, Jesus Christ as their Savior, who will lead them through the wickedness found in this world. He is also calling each one of us to help others stay the course, through the family he is putting together, through community.

We hope you will enter into this adoption you have been called into, and leave no straggler behind. We hope you will see your responsibility to yourself and to others in the group. We hope that intimacy will be encountered with one another that allows for honest discussions in areas of fleshly weakness, that Satan uses to separate the flock and to steal, kill, and destroy. We hope to rally God’s children to awaken, to be watchful, and to safe guard one another along the Way; and to speak God’s truth through edification as well as rebuke, if necessary, so that we remain encouraged and redirected in our walk towards the leading of our Savior, rather than towards Satan.

For this to occur requires us to allow the Holy Spirit to intervene. It requires us to open up, to search out others, and deepen our spiritual walk through humility, and honesty in our dialogue. We hope that you will be the catalyst to ignite the fire within your community, by exemplifying these traits to others, as a pattern for them to embrace and follow.

In Christ.