Why It Was Wrong to Change the Lord's Prayer - Refiner's Fire Explained

Why the Lord's Prayer Shouldn't Be Changed - Refiner's Fire Explained

26/8/2019

Why It Was Wrong to Change the Lord's Prayer - Refiner's Fire Explained

““But who can endure the day of his coming? And who will stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire, and like launderer’s soap; and he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi, and refine them as gold and silver; and they shall offer to Yahweh offerings in righteousness.” ‭‭(Malachi‬ ‭3:2-3‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

I was just meditating on the passage above, about how Jesus is a Refiner and how He purifies is to become useful to God.

To understand the illustration that Yahweh (the pre-incarnate Jesus) uses, we must first understand how gold and silver are refined. Here is how it works, based on a good article by Precious Metal Technologies (PMT):

"Gold is processed into it’s purest form through smelting and refining. High heat, pressure and chemicals are used to remove impurities from the gold.

A gold refinery receives the raw material such as rock, gold nuggets, scrap gold and re-liquefies the metal in a hot furnace, then adds various chemicals to the molten substance to separate the gold from the other metals.

A sample of the gold is used in an assay to measure the purity of the gold content, usually found to be 99.9% pure. The gold can now be used in many applications, including in electronics and jewellery making."

When you first believed in Jesus, you were like a gold nugget trapped encased in rock.
Your spirit was reborn and perfectly holy, righteous and perfect, but your mind and body were still carnal—wanting to obey the desires of the sinful flesh.

The high heat and pressure in Jesus’ illustration represents the trials, persecutions and sufferings that we experience in life—they are sent by the devil, not by God.

Sometimes, God protects us from them, such that we don’t even know they were planned against us in the first place.
However at other times, when God allows us to go through them, He is with us through His Spirit, leading the way.

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” ‭‭(Matthew‬ ‭4:1‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to experience this high heat and pressure from the devil’s temptations as well as the inhospitable heat and dryness of the environment

In this case, Jesus didn’t need to be purified because He was already sinless and perfect in all His ways.
He was allowed to be tested by the devil to show us that He is really pure gold.

I just read an article recently about how Pope Francis just officially approved the change of a verse in the Lord’s Prayer.
He changed “lead us not into temptation” to “do not let us fall into temptation”—this change only affects the Catholic religion.

“Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.’” ‭‭(Matthew‬ ‭6:13‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

This is a big mistake—an example of man trying to make sense of God’s word according to his own understanding.

“Trust in Yahweh with all your heart, and don’t lean on your own understanding.” ‭‭(Proverbs‬ ‭3:5‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

Yes, God does lead us into testing and temptations—but when we’re in them, He is with us, His eyes are on us and He will lead us to be delivered right on time once all the benefits have been reaped.

If God leads you into a temptation, He is there with you and will lead you out of it in due time, when the benefits are fully reaped

What is the implication of “lead”? It means that God goes before us and that He is still with us amidst our testing.
He prepares the way ahead to make sure that it is within safe limits, and then leads us through the valley of the shadow of death.
He doesn’t abandon us there to escape on our own.

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” ‭‭(Psalms‬ ‭23:4‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

When God leads you into the fire, He goes with you by His Spirit.
As a Refiner, Jesus watches you closely. A refiner cannot pull out the gold too early or too late—he has to be attentive about the timing to ensure the quality of the refined metal.

Isn’t it assuring to know that Jesus’ eyes are always fixed on you and He knows the perfect timing to deliver you from the fire so that you can gain the maximum benefit from it?

Your deliverance has a set time to it—it will be done in due season. Trust the Refiner—that’s how you will remain peaceful inside even though it’s hot on the outside.

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven:...a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;” ‭‭(Ecclesiastes‬ ‭3:1, 3-4‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

When God allows us to be tempted, He is leading us into testing.
We are not abandoned to suffer the full brunt of the devil’s attack, but it is tampered within safe limits that we can bear.

“No temptation has taken you except what is common to man. God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but will with the temptation also make the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13 WEB)

It is like setting a treadmill to the optimal level that your body can be challenged and gain fitness, without being flung off it like a rag-doll.

While you’re in the midst of a fiery attack, the pure gold part of you has to be separated from the fleshly dross parts—that’s the whole point why God allowed you to go though it.
What is the ‘chemical’ that Jesus adds to achieve this separation?
The answer is: God’s word.

When you’re suffering, the Holy Spirit strengthens and purifies you through the Scriptures.
It may come through the preaching you hear at church, believers reminding you of Scriptures, your own personal Bible study time, or other Spirit-directed ways.

When you place your faith in the word, He transforms you and those impure, unwanted thoughts, beliefs and habits of your flesh just fall off and disappear.

“But we all, with unveiled face seeing the glory of the Lord as in a mirror, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord, the Spirit.” ‭‭(2 Corinthians‬ ‭3:18‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

When you emerge from the fire, your heart becomes soft and malleable just like how pure gold is.
You are no longer stubbornly holding on to the worldly thoughts and beliefs that were holding you back from living the pure life that God wants for your own good.

“But he knows the way that I take. When he has tried me, I shall come out like gold.” ‭‭(Job‬ ‭23:10‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

You become humble and quickly submit to God’s will and promptings—this is the positive outcome of allowing God to transform you through sufferings in fiery trials.

Now in this soft state, pure gold can easily used in electronics or made into jewelry.
Likewise, when you become humble and obedient through trials, you become very useful to God.
He can easily use you to fulfill your calling—whether you’re designed by Him to be a prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher, helper, giver, server, deacon, bishop, to move in a certain area of service or certain spiritual gifts.

If you want to devote your life to Jesus just as He gave up everything to lay down His life for you, then you must learn to embrace and rejoice in trials.

Jesus did not say that life will be problem-free after you become a child of God. No, in fact, He promises that you will face persecution because of your faith.
These persecutions are sent by the devil, intended to break you and your faith.

“They have no root in themselves, but are short-lived. When oppression or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they stumble.” ‭‭(Mark‬ ‭4:17‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

“I have told you these things, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have oppression; but cheer up! I have overcome the world.”” ‭‭(John‬ ‭16:33‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” ‭‭(2 Timothy‬ ‭3:12‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

Yes, God does lead us into testing and temptations—but when we’re in them, He is with us, His eyes are on us and He will lead us to be delivered right on time once all the benefits have been reaped.

“Yahweh turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends. Yahweh gave Job twice as much as he had before.” ‭‭(Job‬ ‭42:10‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

Oh yes, and He will give you an abundance of restoration blessings for your trouble because you are now ready to steward more blessings without being ruined by them.

“For this is what Yahweh of Armies says: ‘Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, the earth, the sea, and the dry land; and I will shake all nations. The precious things of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory, says Yahweh of Armies. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine,’ says Yahweh of Armies. ‘The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former,’ says Yahweh of Armies; ‘and in this place will I give peace,’ says Yahweh of Armies.”” ‭‭(Haggai‬ ‭2:6-9‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

In this day and age, the house of God is the church—both individual believers and collectively as a whole body of Christ. You are the house and temple of God.

I declare to you that as you keep emerging victorious through fiery tests, your latter glory will be greater than the former—His plan is for you to have precious things and peace—both outward and inward abundance, so you can overflow as a blessing to others around you!

Our main passage about Refiner's fire is actually dealing with the Day of Jesus Christ—from His Second Coming onwards where He will return as a Judge. He will deal out punishment to the unbelieving world.

As for believers, we won't have any judicial punishment to worry about because Jesus already took our punishment at the cross. We will stand before His Great White Throne to receive eternal rewards for all the good works done for Jesus' sake.
Responding to fiery trials in faith is something that accumulates eternal rewards to our heavenly account.

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Why the Lord's Prayer Shouldn't Be Changed - Refiner's Fire Explained