We live in a very relativistic culture today when it comes to morality, religion, etc. Many think that what one person believes should be treated just as valid as what the next person believes. Not only that, many tend to get their panties in a bunch when someone comes along and says that someone else's beliefs are not valid and that there is only one truth. Words Words like "tolerance" and "open-minded" are thrown at those who insist there is one truth and one way to heaven.
For believers, this sort of thing is just nonsense. Two plus two cannot have multiple correct answers. You can say it's three, four, and give. Sure, all the answers could be wrong -- but they cannot all be right. It's the same way with views on God, period. There is only one truth. Christians believe that the one truth about God and his relationship with man is revealed in the pages of the Bible. I as a Christian, who accepts the Bible as God's Word, cannot be "open minded" to a view which says that Jesus is not God, or that his death meant nothing, that says we are essentially good people, or that we can get to heaven by doing more good deeds than bad, or that there is no God, or that homosexual behavior is acceptable, or that sex outside of marriage is acceptable, or that getting drunk is acceptable, and so on. When you come up against God's Word and don't agree with it, you're wrong, period.
So what about all those other beliefs? We certainly can't accept wrong views as equally acceptable, but we also want people to come to know the Lord, not push them away. In this age of "tolerance" what do we do? Let's look at some examples.
Example 1. I love the account of Elijah on Mount Carmel. And I'll admit I love it for the wrong reason. It's Elijah versus the priests of the false God Baal, engaging in a "let's see whose god is real" contest. The priests go first. They do their thing. Nothing happens. Elijah mocks Baal, saying "Shout louder! Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping." Okay, that's why I love it. A big "Ha, forget you!" to the fake god. But ignore my own shortcoming and look at what happens next. Elijah calls on the LORD. BAM! He comes through in big way. And guess what? The people (people watching, not the priests) saw this and believed in the LORD.
So, number one, we show people God is real like Elijah. How? With unwavering faith in the LORD, with immense hope of the things to come, and with loving words and actions. In other words, live a life filled with faith, hope, and love.
A note on the last one, love. It's really important, and we screw it up too often. But even when we don't, the world gets ticked off at some things we do anyway due to a hardened heart and blinded eyes. Really. If I yelled at someone "Hey, jump off that train, the bridge is out and you're going to die!" that would be a totally fine act of love. But if I tell someone "Hey, quit living that lifestyle, repent, and turn to the LORD or you risk an eternity in hell" it doesn't have the same impact. It just makes people mad, yet it's the same thing.
Example 2. Hezekiah, a king of Judah who took over an idolatrous mess from Ahaz. He purified the temple, invited all Israel and Judah to come celebrate the passover at the temple, called the people to return to the LORD, prayed for those who had their hearts set on seeking God, and encouraged those who were serving the LORD. He was a motivational kind of guy, with a passion for the LORD. What happens next? The people go out and smash the items of false worship and bring in tons of stuff to the temple for the LORD.
So, number two, we call people to turn the LORD and encourage those who do, both passionately.
Example 3. Paul, the greatest missionary who ever lived. Specifically Paul in Athens and in Corinth. In Athens he was taken to the Areopagus so he could share with a bunch of people. In his preaching he tried to relate to the culture of the day, calling them "very religious" and playing off their altar "to an unknown god" and quoting one of their popular poets. He tried to relate to them. Only a few believed, but sadly there is no "Church at Athens" recorded in the Bible. Bummer. Then he went to Corinth to preach. In his first letter to them later he says "I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified." Beat down in Athens, he changed tactics and got to the heart of the problem and the solution provided by Christ.
So, number three, we focus on Christ and the significance of the cross.
All the talk of some abstract concept of God, all the hand-holding and trying to fit into someone's existing beliefs, and all the dancing around the point doesn't help. Point in case. I was talking to a Muslim friend of mine the other day, and we talked about things like respect, honor, and similarities in our beliefs as far as moral behavior is concerned. My point to him in the end? There's a lot of "good moral stuff" in many of the world's religions. That's not the issue. The issue is Christ. He came to die as a sacrifice for sins to pay a price we cannot, because there is no way we can "earn" our way into heaven by good works. The cross is central.
In this age of "tolerance" what do we do, then? We speak the truth, in love, but we don't bend it, back down from it, or beat around the bush. We back up what we believe to be true with our words, our actions, and our very lives. We stick to the heart of the issue -- the problem of the sinful human heart and what that means. We do this all passionately.
Yeah, people don't want to hear it and think we're obnoxious sometimes. And sometimes, we are. We'll screw it up. When we do, we repent and go to God with it -- asking him to help us do better the next time so that his light and love are spread. We're not perfect either. That's quite clear in all of the Biblical heroes. That's okay, because, after all, heaven is not a place for "good" people. It's a place for forgiven people.
Grace and Peace friends.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Jesus In A Nutshell
Reminds me of a programming book "Perl In A Nutshell". :-)
I took a break from reading through kings to skim one of the gospel accounts. I thought it would be interesting to through and see a big overview of what Jesus talked about while he was here on earth. Here are the key points as I saw them in a nutshell:
1) There is good news for the underdog. Jesus came for us. After all, he came to seek, find, and restore the lost. He didn't come so much to seek and find the stubborn hard-hearted people who refuse to believe him no matter what.
2) We have to see our own sin. We have to come before God in humility and repent of our sins. That means agreeing with God and turning away from sinful behavior and turning toward him. That means getting crap out of our lives that cause us to sin against God.
3) God's Word matters. He wants us to keep it. Judgment will come. The righteous who keep it will be rewarded, while the wicked who do not will be punished.
4) God, however, doesn't want anyone to perish. He wants everyone to turn to him, and the invitation is there for all people. Even so, many will not accept it and turn to him.
5) We need to believe in, and we need to believe, Jesus. We need to follow him. We need to trust him. We need to recognize his divinity.
6) Jesus came to suffer and die for us, paying the price for our sins that we cannot pay on our own.
7) We need to love God above all else and love others very much. We need to put him and his kingdom first.
8) The expression of that love is more than a feeling. It's actions. We need to do something tangible to show God's love to others.
9) The motives behind our actions are extremely important. God cares about the heart.
10) Jesus is coming back and we need to be ready. He will reward the righteous and punish the wicked. Until he comes, we need keep his commandments, point others to him, and be wary of those who will pull us away from him.
There is much more to say than that, but that is the overview. If we get these and keep God's Word, we do well.
Grace and Peace friends!
I took a break from reading through kings to skim one of the gospel accounts. I thought it would be interesting to through and see a big overview of what Jesus talked about while he was here on earth. Here are the key points as I saw them in a nutshell:
1) There is good news for the underdog. Jesus came for us. After all, he came to seek, find, and restore the lost. He didn't come so much to seek and find the stubborn hard-hearted people who refuse to believe him no matter what.
2) We have to see our own sin. We have to come before God in humility and repent of our sins. That means agreeing with God and turning away from sinful behavior and turning toward him. That means getting crap out of our lives that cause us to sin against God.
3) God's Word matters. He wants us to keep it. Judgment will come. The righteous who keep it will be rewarded, while the wicked who do not will be punished.
4) God, however, doesn't want anyone to perish. He wants everyone to turn to him, and the invitation is there for all people. Even so, many will not accept it and turn to him.
5) We need to believe in, and we need to believe, Jesus. We need to follow him. We need to trust him. We need to recognize his divinity.
6) Jesus came to suffer and die for us, paying the price for our sins that we cannot pay on our own.
7) We need to love God above all else and love others very much. We need to put him and his kingdom first.
8) The expression of that love is more than a feeling. It's actions. We need to do something tangible to show God's love to others.
9) The motives behind our actions are extremely important. God cares about the heart.
10) Jesus is coming back and we need to be ready. He will reward the righteous and punish the wicked. Until he comes, we need keep his commandments, point others to him, and be wary of those who will pull us away from him.
There is much more to say than that, but that is the overview. If we get these and keep God's Word, we do well.
Grace and Peace friends!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Solomon's Blessing
I was reading through 1 Kings and came across one of Solomon's public blessings. I love how much truth is jam packed into this little bit of time and wanted to share.
First, here it is altogether:
"Praise be to the LORD, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses. May the LORD our God be with us as he was with our fathers; may he never leave us nor forsake us. May he turn our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways and to keep the commands, decrees and regulations he gave our fathers. And may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the LORD, be near to the LORD our God day and night, that he may uphold the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel according to each day's need, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God and that there is no other. But your hearts must be fully committed to the LORD our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time." - 1 Kings 8:56-61
Now let's break it down to see what Biblical truth Solomon echoes in his blessing, and see what we can apply in our own lives and petitions to God. I think a lot. Solomon was a pretty wise guy you know. Much wiser than me, so I bet I miss something.
1) "Praise be to the LORD,"
Always a good idea to start out with praise for God. Whatever good it was, guess what? We didn't do it. All him.
2) "who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses."
God always keeps his promises, period. If we think he hasn't kept a promise to us, it either wasn't a promise from God, or we didn't understand it.
3) "May the LORD our God be with us as he was with our fathers; may he never leave us nor forsake us."
An echo back to the time of Moses where he encouraged the people, telling them not to be afraid or discouraged, because God will never leave them. Nor will he leave us. If we're apart from God, we did something to cause it. Figure it out. Fix it. In my life the barrier has always been sin in my life, failure to stay in the Word, or failure to connect with God in prayer. Typically those all go together.
4) "May he turn our hearts to him,"
I love this. It doesn't say "may we turn our hearts toward him" because that isn't going to happen. His Spirit moves like the wind. In my experience, it wasn't me who decided to look into Jesus and follow him. No. It was him drawing me to himself little by little, until I came to believe the Bible was true and knew that Jesus was who he claimed to be -- the savior of the world. Only in recognition of my terrible condition and the impossibility of doing anything about it on my own could I really cry out to Jesus to save me. And he did! He pulled one of those inside-out, new-creation, new-heart deals on me. I don't regret it.
5) "to walk in all his ways and to keep the commands, decrees and regulations he gave our fathers."
Duh. I don't know why people are so deaf to this sometimes. Even Jesus said it. "If you love me, obey my commandments." This is not a burden, but a blessing to us. If its a burden to us, we need to go back to #4 here -- if our hearts are turned totally toward God, how hard could #5 be? Jesus said "my yoke is easy and my burden light." Yeah, we all fall down. We all get convicted when we do. That's not the issue. When that happens, we repent, and we're restored. The issue is living in habitual willful sin versus living a godly life. That's not some monastery or priest thing -- that's just walking with the LORD every day. Keep our thoughts continually on him and we're golden.
6) "And may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the LORD, be near to the LORD our God day and night,"
God hears all prayers!
7) "that he may uphold the cause of his servant"
And he's got our back!
8) "and the cause of his people Israel according to each day's need,"
This so reminds me of the "Lord's prayer" because of its focus on daily needs. We don't just come to the LORD when we're in a pickle. Maybe we do, but we shouldn't. It's a daily thing. It's a dependence thing. Learning that dependence on God in all things is huge. It's a life long lesson too.
9) "so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God and that there is no other."
Oh, oh oh! Here's a kicker. This isn't about us just getting taken care of and looking all goody two shoes and stuff. This isn't just about get right with God and we're done. Israel was supposed to be a light to the world. Now we are supposed to be a light to the world. Little lights all over the place pointing people to Jesus Christ. Remember what Jesus said? "Do good works before men so they may tell you how awesome you are." No! "Do good works before me so they may glorify your father in heaven!" That whole glorifying God in all we do thing again!
10) "But your hearts must be fully committed to the LORD our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time.
No lukewarm here. No half-in, half-out. No one foot in the world and one foot in God. Like the guy in the Fireproof movie said -- "You have to be all in." Weekly church seat filling doesn't cut it. Being a "cultural Christian" doesn't cut it. Checking religious things off the list doesn't cut it. This isn't about religion; this is about a relationship with God. He wants the best, not the rest.
I love these nuggets in the Word. Grace and Peace friends!
First, here it is altogether:
"Praise be to the LORD, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses. May the LORD our God be with us as he was with our fathers; may he never leave us nor forsake us. May he turn our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways and to keep the commands, decrees and regulations he gave our fathers. And may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the LORD, be near to the LORD our God day and night, that he may uphold the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel according to each day's need, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God and that there is no other. But your hearts must be fully committed to the LORD our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time." - 1 Kings 8:56-61
Now let's break it down to see what Biblical truth Solomon echoes in his blessing, and see what we can apply in our own lives and petitions to God. I think a lot. Solomon was a pretty wise guy you know. Much wiser than me, so I bet I miss something.
1) "Praise be to the LORD,"
Always a good idea to start out with praise for God. Whatever good it was, guess what? We didn't do it. All him.
2) "who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses."
God always keeps his promises, period. If we think he hasn't kept a promise to us, it either wasn't a promise from God, or we didn't understand it.
3) "May the LORD our God be with us as he was with our fathers; may he never leave us nor forsake us."
An echo back to the time of Moses where he encouraged the people, telling them not to be afraid or discouraged, because God will never leave them. Nor will he leave us. If we're apart from God, we did something to cause it. Figure it out. Fix it. In my life the barrier has always been sin in my life, failure to stay in the Word, or failure to connect with God in prayer. Typically those all go together.
4) "May he turn our hearts to him,"
I love this. It doesn't say "may we turn our hearts toward him" because that isn't going to happen. His Spirit moves like the wind. In my experience, it wasn't me who decided to look into Jesus and follow him. No. It was him drawing me to himself little by little, until I came to believe the Bible was true and knew that Jesus was who he claimed to be -- the savior of the world. Only in recognition of my terrible condition and the impossibility of doing anything about it on my own could I really cry out to Jesus to save me. And he did! He pulled one of those inside-out, new-creation, new-heart deals on me. I don't regret it.
5) "to walk in all his ways and to keep the commands, decrees and regulations he gave our fathers."
Duh. I don't know why people are so deaf to this sometimes. Even Jesus said it. "If you love me, obey my commandments." This is not a burden, but a blessing to us. If its a burden to us, we need to go back to #4 here -- if our hearts are turned totally toward God, how hard could #5 be? Jesus said "my yoke is easy and my burden light." Yeah, we all fall down. We all get convicted when we do. That's not the issue. When that happens, we repent, and we're restored. The issue is living in habitual willful sin versus living a godly life. That's not some monastery or priest thing -- that's just walking with the LORD every day. Keep our thoughts continually on him and we're golden.
6) "And may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the LORD, be near to the LORD our God day and night,"
God hears all prayers!
7) "that he may uphold the cause of his servant"
And he's got our back!
8) "and the cause of his people Israel according to each day's need,"
This so reminds me of the "Lord's prayer" because of its focus on daily needs. We don't just come to the LORD when we're in a pickle. Maybe we do, but we shouldn't. It's a daily thing. It's a dependence thing. Learning that dependence on God in all things is huge. It's a life long lesson too.
9) "so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God and that there is no other."
Oh, oh oh! Here's a kicker. This isn't about us just getting taken care of and looking all goody two shoes and stuff. This isn't just about get right with God and we're done. Israel was supposed to be a light to the world. Now we are supposed to be a light to the world. Little lights all over the place pointing people to Jesus Christ. Remember what Jesus said? "Do good works before men so they may tell you how awesome you are." No! "Do good works before me so they may glorify your father in heaven!" That whole glorifying God in all we do thing again!
10) "But your hearts must be fully committed to the LORD our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time.
No lukewarm here. No half-in, half-out. No one foot in the world and one foot in God. Like the guy in the Fireproof movie said -- "You have to be all in." Weekly church seat filling doesn't cut it. Being a "cultural Christian" doesn't cut it. Checking religious things off the list doesn't cut it. This isn't about religion; this is about a relationship with God. He wants the best, not the rest.
I love these nuggets in the Word. Grace and Peace friends!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
The LORD Is My Drop Shield
Both of my daughters have memorized Psalm 23 as part of their scripture memorization in AWANA. Since I don't ask them to do things I wouldn't do myself, I learned it as well, and am glad I did. It is a beautiful piece of scripture that tells eternal truths about God using shepherd (and other) imagery, starting "The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want..."
Today we like that kind of imagery I think, because of what it conjures up in our heads. Green hills. Fresh running water. Peaceful animals. Blue skies. Stuff like that. Yeah. We're not shepherds. The people of David's time -- the shepherd-turned-king who wrote it -- probably would have had a different picture. Less nostalgic, more real. And very meaningful as it took something very familiar in the culture and relayed truth about God with it.
Awesome.
I'm more of a gamer. Under "best game ever made" I have filed Wonderboy, Boulderdash, Baldur's Gate 2, Crazy Taxi, Gran Turismo 3, Starcraft, Guitar Hero, Mario Kart Wii. And now, Halo: Reach. Best game ever made. Something to be careful with lest posts about "false idols" and "redeeming the time" are warranted. God first, others second, and so on. Unfortunately I think I put sleep last. Oops.
Anyway, back on task here.
The LORD is my sprint loadout. When I just can't go anymore under my own power, he lifts me up and carries me along.
The LORD is my armor lock. When Satan sticks me with his plasma gernade, the LORD lets me withstand it, knocking the enemy on his butt so I can counter with the energy sword of the Word.
The LORD is my jet pack. When I can't get from A to B on my own, even though I know that's where he wants me to be, he provides the means.
The LORD is my drop shield. When the storms of this life are coming in fast and heavy from all directions, he surrounds me, protects me, and heals me -- getting me through the storm better than when I came into it.
The LORD is my motion tracker. He shows me the good and the bad, allowing me to make the right choices.
Shall I go on? The LORD is awesome. Enough said! :-)
Grace and peace, friends.
Today we like that kind of imagery I think, because of what it conjures up in our heads. Green hills. Fresh running water. Peaceful animals. Blue skies. Stuff like that. Yeah. We're not shepherds. The people of David's time -- the shepherd-turned-king who wrote it -- probably would have had a different picture. Less nostalgic, more real. And very meaningful as it took something very familiar in the culture and relayed truth about God with it.
Awesome.
I'm more of a gamer. Under "best game ever made" I have filed Wonderboy, Boulderdash, Baldur's Gate 2, Crazy Taxi, Gran Turismo 3, Starcraft, Guitar Hero, Mario Kart Wii. And now, Halo: Reach. Best game ever made. Something to be careful with lest posts about "false idols" and "redeeming the time" are warranted. God first, others second, and so on. Unfortunately I think I put sleep last. Oops.
Anyway, back on task here.
The LORD is my sprint loadout. When I just can't go anymore under my own power, he lifts me up and carries me along.
The LORD is my armor lock. When Satan sticks me with his plasma gernade, the LORD lets me withstand it, knocking the enemy on his butt so I can counter with the energy sword of the Word.
The LORD is my jet pack. When I can't get from A to B on my own, even though I know that's where he wants me to be, he provides the means.
The LORD is my drop shield. When the storms of this life are coming in fast and heavy from all directions, he surrounds me, protects me, and heals me -- getting me through the storm better than when I came into it.
The LORD is my motion tracker. He shows me the good and the bad, allowing me to make the right choices.
Shall I go on? The LORD is awesome. Enough said! :-)
Grace and peace, friends.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Would Not or Could Not?
So I've been reading through the Bible straight from Genesis. I'm at 1 Kings now. Things have been up and down for the Israelites. I know what's coming. It's not good. More disobedience. A split kingdom. Kings leading Israel down a moral sewer. Judgment. This is not new. It's been a roller`coaster ride for them ever since the were led out of Egypt.
More interesting is that God knew this kind of madness is what was going to happen. He's not taken by surprise. Yet he still gave them the promises with blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience anyway. He even told them through his servants this is what you're going to do and what's going to go down. He offered choice despite knowing what would be foolishly chosen.
A question came into my mind. Is this a would or a could? Would the Israelites obey? We know the answer, generally, no. But what about could? Could they even obey? I don't mean that from some kind of fatalistic position where God is controlling them like robots. Nothing like that. But, still, could they? I say maybe no. "What, you're nuts! They made their free choice!" Hear me out. Paul's argument about the purpose of the Law came to mind -- to reveal what sin is -- not knowing what coveting was until the Law said not to covet for example.
So here's my argument.
They could not obey God because they were sinners. But God knew this. So why demand it? Perhaps to teach them to depend on him. That seems like the real choice. Not to follow what God says on our own power, but to say "God, I can't do this on my own, I need you to help me do it." I say we can't obey God without trusting in God and depending on God, and neither could they.
Take it a step further. I would also argue that they couldn't fully depend on God either. Sure, they could depend on him some -- some more than others at various times. But sin still got in the way. Big time for many, as most didn't seem to get that whole dependence thing down. Over time, it ruined the nation. What was once a people hand picked by God with him as their king turned into a mess of dead ritual and empty works. Not good.
In comes Jesus. Number one, he came to be a sacrifice for that blasted sin thing, paying the price once and for all. But he also came to be an example. And what an example he was! Here was someone who lived a life completely dependent on God. Both human and divine, he was the only one who could do it. After his ministry, his death, his resurrection, and his ascension back into heaven, he sent -- and continues to send -- another wonderful gift to believers. Those who believe have God's Spirit living in them.
So as believers, we're good to go now, right?
Well, as far as salvation is concerned, yes -- but I argue that we are experience the same kind of very long lesson all over again, with a twist.
Here's my argument to that end.
We can't obey God fully because we are sinners. Period. Even with God's Spirit we are still sinners. We're just not slaves to sin. We don't revel in it. We don't want to sin, but quite often we still do it. Don't believe me? Check it out. If the greatest commandments are boiled down as "love God with everything you've got" and "love your others as yourself" then guess what? Not doing that is a sin. There is no way anyone loves God and loves people that much all the time. Ain't gonna happen. But, still, God told us to do it.
Why?
Same thing. To teach us dependence on him, despite the fact we cannot be fully dependent on him this side of eternity. The ability is not the point, but rather proper perspective -- trusting God and relying on him for the strength to be obedient to him.
With such perspective we pray different prayers. Lord, help us to see our sin and turn from it. Lord, help us not to sin against you. Lord, help us to love you more. Lord, help us to love others more. Lord, help us to keep your Word and never deny your name. Lord help us, Lord help us, Lord help us.
To me, that's what faith is all about.
I might be off in the weeds, but I don't think I am.
Grace and Peace friends.
More interesting is that God knew this kind of madness is what was going to happen. He's not taken by surprise. Yet he still gave them the promises with blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience anyway. He even told them through his servants this is what you're going to do and what's going to go down. He offered choice despite knowing what would be foolishly chosen.
A question came into my mind. Is this a would or a could? Would the Israelites obey? We know the answer, generally, no. But what about could? Could they even obey? I don't mean that from some kind of fatalistic position where God is controlling them like robots. Nothing like that. But, still, could they? I say maybe no. "What, you're nuts! They made their free choice!" Hear me out. Paul's argument about the purpose of the Law came to mind -- to reveal what sin is -- not knowing what coveting was until the Law said not to covet for example.
So here's my argument.
They could not obey God because they were sinners. But God knew this. So why demand it? Perhaps to teach them to depend on him. That seems like the real choice. Not to follow what God says on our own power, but to say "God, I can't do this on my own, I need you to help me do it." I say we can't obey God without trusting in God and depending on God, and neither could they.
Take it a step further. I would also argue that they couldn't fully depend on God either. Sure, they could depend on him some -- some more than others at various times. But sin still got in the way. Big time for many, as most didn't seem to get that whole dependence thing down. Over time, it ruined the nation. What was once a people hand picked by God with him as their king turned into a mess of dead ritual and empty works. Not good.
In comes Jesus. Number one, he came to be a sacrifice for that blasted sin thing, paying the price once and for all. But he also came to be an example. And what an example he was! Here was someone who lived a life completely dependent on God. Both human and divine, he was the only one who could do it. After his ministry, his death, his resurrection, and his ascension back into heaven, he sent -- and continues to send -- another wonderful gift to believers. Those who believe have God's Spirit living in them.
So as believers, we're good to go now, right?
Well, as far as salvation is concerned, yes -- but I argue that we are experience the same kind of very long lesson all over again, with a twist.
Here's my argument to that end.
We can't obey God fully because we are sinners. Period. Even with God's Spirit we are still sinners. We're just not slaves to sin. We don't revel in it. We don't want to sin, but quite often we still do it. Don't believe me? Check it out. If the greatest commandments are boiled down as "love God with everything you've got" and "love your others as yourself" then guess what? Not doing that is a sin. There is no way anyone loves God and loves people that much all the time. Ain't gonna happen. But, still, God told us to do it.
Why?
Same thing. To teach us dependence on him, despite the fact we cannot be fully dependent on him this side of eternity. The ability is not the point, but rather proper perspective -- trusting God and relying on him for the strength to be obedient to him.
With such perspective we pray different prayers. Lord, help us to see our sin and turn from it. Lord, help us not to sin against you. Lord, help us to love you more. Lord, help us to love others more. Lord, help us to keep your Word and never deny your name. Lord help us, Lord help us, Lord help us.
To me, that's what faith is all about.
I might be off in the weeds, but I don't think I am.
Grace and Peace friends.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
A Tale Of Two Gangsters
Today I want to talk about some gangsters. Yeah, gangsters. Two of them in particular.
The first is Mikey Cohen. More than a half century ago, Cohen was involved in all kinds of bad stuff and hung around all kinds of bad people. But then later in his life he met Billy Graham at one of his gatherings. He made a public confession of Jesus Christ there. Awesome! But wait. He kept being involved in all kinds of bad stuff and still hung around all kinds of bad people.
What's up with that?
Some Christians confronted him about this. He responded that no one told him he had to change his lifestyle -- there's Christians football players and Christian politicians, so why not Christian gangsters? If he had to give up his lifestyle, he was out, fuhget-about-it!
I think he missed something big there.
Fast forward a couple of decades to our second gangster, Michael Franzeese. Talk about a Saul to Paul story! He went from big shot in the Colombo family -- making more money for a crime family since Al Capone -- to born-again Christian and motivational speaker. It wasn't a big tent revivial that God used here, but a dancer named Camille Garcia. He goes around today sharing his transformation with church congregations and also speaks to professional and student athletes about the dangers of gambling. I've seen his testimony on a DVD from when he came to speak at a church here in San Diego, and what a story he has to tell.
Maybe that doesn't sound like much, but consider that a big wig in the mafia breaking with the family usually has nasty side effects -- death, for example. He risked his life to put away the only lifestyle he knew for something greater, service to our Lord Jesus Christ.
Clearly Mike #2 had a much different encounter with Christ than Mike #1.
Again, what's up with that?
I can't answer anything about why one person was truly changed and one was not, but I can make this observation:
When you are really saved, really born again, really a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, guess what? You're changed. Completely. From the inside out. The Bible calls you a new creation, for the is exactly what you are.
So what can we learn from this?
First, I think it says something about the superficial and the emotional. Yeah, sure, man, I don't want to go to hell! Sign me up for the Jesus bus! Okay, but how's your walk with the Lord 10 years later? 5 years? 1 year? 1 month?
Second, I think it says something about evidence of faith. When we have real faith in Christ, we put him first. He's "Lord" not "Some dude". If our lifestyle is more important than serving Christ, we've got a problem. If anything has wrapped around our hearts and taken over our lives, it has become our god. We have to guard against that. I know this first hand. There are things in this life I enjoy that I get really really into -- I must be wary not to let them become idols in my life.
Finally, I think it says something about the power of God. But don't get me wrong here, I'm not knocking Billy Graham and his methods. I'm not knocking anyone's methods. My point is that no matter how much enthusiasm and money is piped into something, no matter how good the intellectual arguments are, no matter how much Christians love a program or an event -- nothing, absolutely nothing, takes the place of the Spirit of God working in the heart and mind of the unsaved person.
God has to do the work from inside to effect real change on the outside -- anything that starts from the outside in is bound to fail, period.
Praise God for salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ and his Spirit living in all believers!
Grace and Peace friends.
The first is Mikey Cohen. More than a half century ago, Cohen was involved in all kinds of bad stuff and hung around all kinds of bad people. But then later in his life he met Billy Graham at one of his gatherings. He made a public confession of Jesus Christ there. Awesome! But wait. He kept being involved in all kinds of bad stuff and still hung around all kinds of bad people.
What's up with that?
Some Christians confronted him about this. He responded that no one told him he had to change his lifestyle -- there's Christians football players and Christian politicians, so why not Christian gangsters? If he had to give up his lifestyle, he was out, fuhget-about-it!
I think he missed something big there.
Fast forward a couple of decades to our second gangster, Michael Franzeese. Talk about a Saul to Paul story! He went from big shot in the Colombo family -- making more money for a crime family since Al Capone -- to born-again Christian and motivational speaker. It wasn't a big tent revivial that God used here, but a dancer named Camille Garcia. He goes around today sharing his transformation with church congregations and also speaks to professional and student athletes about the dangers of gambling. I've seen his testimony on a DVD from when he came to speak at a church here in San Diego, and what a story he has to tell.
Maybe that doesn't sound like much, but consider that a big wig in the mafia breaking with the family usually has nasty side effects -- death, for example. He risked his life to put away the only lifestyle he knew for something greater, service to our Lord Jesus Christ.
Clearly Mike #2 had a much different encounter with Christ than Mike #1.
Again, what's up with that?
I can't answer anything about why one person was truly changed and one was not, but I can make this observation:
When you are really saved, really born again, really a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, guess what? You're changed. Completely. From the inside out. The Bible calls you a new creation, for the is exactly what you are.
So what can we learn from this?
First, I think it says something about the superficial and the emotional. Yeah, sure, man, I don't want to go to hell! Sign me up for the Jesus bus! Okay, but how's your walk with the Lord 10 years later? 5 years? 1 year? 1 month?
Second, I think it says something about evidence of faith. When we have real faith in Christ, we put him first. He's "Lord" not "Some dude". If our lifestyle is more important than serving Christ, we've got a problem. If anything has wrapped around our hearts and taken over our lives, it has become our god. We have to guard against that. I know this first hand. There are things in this life I enjoy that I get really really into -- I must be wary not to let them become idols in my life.
Finally, I think it says something about the power of God. But don't get me wrong here, I'm not knocking Billy Graham and his methods. I'm not knocking anyone's methods. My point is that no matter how much enthusiasm and money is piped into something, no matter how good the intellectual arguments are, no matter how much Christians love a program or an event -- nothing, absolutely nothing, takes the place of the Spirit of God working in the heart and mind of the unsaved person.
God has to do the work from inside to effect real change on the outside -- anything that starts from the outside in is bound to fail, period.
Praise God for salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ and his Spirit living in all believers!
Grace and Peace friends.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Blind Obedience?
You know there's a lot of misconceptions about God. One in particular is regarding obedience. There are those who might say that blind obedience is a bad thing. That listening to a bunch of rules because God's Word says to do them is stupid, and that we should think for ourselves.
Well.
First, its not a bad thing. If God says to do something, we ought to do it -- for no other reason than God said to do it. He's the creator of the universe and of all mankind. He made it, he made us, and therefore he gets to make the rules. You can't argue with him. His stuff, his rules.
Now, you can argue that the Bible is not the Word of God, but that is a whole different can of worms. Suffice to say, that the main reason many people deep down reject the Bible as the Word of God is not because of some great logical argument or evidence, but rather that they don't want to be held accountable to God for not listening to what he says. If you can rationalize away the Bible then you can go make up your own god and your own ideas about what this god wants. In effect, you make yourself God. That's a tradgedy.
But back on target, to blind obedience.
Despite the fact that blindly obeying God is a correct thing to do, the Bible doesn't leave us blind anyway! Check it out:
Genesis 4. The Lord asked Cain was he was angry and told him that if he does what is right, he will be accepted, but if he does what is wrong, sin is crouching at the door ready to get him. God doesn't just say "don't be angry" -- he gives Cain a reason. Can just doesn't listen.
Exodus 20. The ten commandments. The Lord gives a command to honor parents so the children may live long in the land they are going to get. Again, God gives a reason.
Leviticus 20. A bunch of laws. The Lord tells the people to keep them so the land will not vomit them out and because the people have been set apart from the other nations. Again, God gives a reason.
Deuteronomy 28. Moses' recap of the events that took place in the past 80 years or so before he died. He tells the people that if they folow the Lord's commands, he will set them high above all the nations on the earth and lists various blessings that will come on them. Again, a reason.
Let's skip to some New Testament stuff.
Matthew 26. "Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me. Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
Mark 10. "No one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present ago and, in the age to come, eternal life."
Luke 12. "Whoever acknowledges me before me, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God."
John 15. "If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete."
Revelation 3. The letters to the churches. To those who continue to follow Jesus to the end -- "I will give the right to eat from the tree of life." "He will not be hurt at all by the second death." "I will give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it." "I will give him the morning star." "I will never blot out his name from the book of life." "I will make a pillar in the temple of my God." "I will give the right to sit with me on my throne."
Reason after reason after reason.
No, not every single commandment of God is explained with a reason. That would be silly. We're supposed to TRUST God. Just like our children are supposed to TRUST us as parents. We know better, and there are many things that are way over their heads. Even more so with us and God. But this isn't blind obedience. This is obedience with a purpose behind it. Joy. Peace. Honor. Power. Glory. Eternal life. And yes, avoidance of the wrath to come for those who do not heed God's Word.
We should obey God simply because he is God, and we love him, and we trust him. As a BONUS he throws in all this other awesome stuff too. Yet, somehow, we stiff-necked human beings often thing we know better or that there is a better deal? Shame on us.
Grace and Peace
Well.
First, its not a bad thing. If God says to do something, we ought to do it -- for no other reason than God said to do it. He's the creator of the universe and of all mankind. He made it, he made us, and therefore he gets to make the rules. You can't argue with him. His stuff, his rules.
Now, you can argue that the Bible is not the Word of God, but that is a whole different can of worms. Suffice to say, that the main reason many people deep down reject the Bible as the Word of God is not because of some great logical argument or evidence, but rather that they don't want to be held accountable to God for not listening to what he says. If you can rationalize away the Bible then you can go make up your own god and your own ideas about what this god wants. In effect, you make yourself God. That's a tradgedy.
But back on target, to blind obedience.
Despite the fact that blindly obeying God is a correct thing to do, the Bible doesn't leave us blind anyway! Check it out:
Genesis 4. The Lord asked Cain was he was angry and told him that if he does what is right, he will be accepted, but if he does what is wrong, sin is crouching at the door ready to get him. God doesn't just say "don't be angry" -- he gives Cain a reason. Can just doesn't listen.
Exodus 20. The ten commandments. The Lord gives a command to honor parents so the children may live long in the land they are going to get. Again, God gives a reason.
Leviticus 20. A bunch of laws. The Lord tells the people to keep them so the land will not vomit them out and because the people have been set apart from the other nations. Again, God gives a reason.
Deuteronomy 28. Moses' recap of the events that took place in the past 80 years or so before he died. He tells the people that if they folow the Lord's commands, he will set them high above all the nations on the earth and lists various blessings that will come on them. Again, a reason.
Let's skip to some New Testament stuff.
Matthew 26. "Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me. Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
Mark 10. "No one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present ago and, in the age to come, eternal life."
Luke 12. "Whoever acknowledges me before me, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God."
John 15. "If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete."
Revelation 3. The letters to the churches. To those who continue to follow Jesus to the end -- "I will give the right to eat from the tree of life." "He will not be hurt at all by the second death." "I will give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it." "I will give him the morning star." "I will never blot out his name from the book of life." "I will make a pillar in the temple of my God." "I will give the right to sit with me on my throne."
Reason after reason after reason.
No, not every single commandment of God is explained with a reason. That would be silly. We're supposed to TRUST God. Just like our children are supposed to TRUST us as parents. We know better, and there are many things that are way over their heads. Even more so with us and God. But this isn't blind obedience. This is obedience with a purpose behind it. Joy. Peace. Honor. Power. Glory. Eternal life. And yes, avoidance of the wrath to come for those who do not heed God's Word.
We should obey God simply because he is God, and we love him, and we trust him. As a BONUS he throws in all this other awesome stuff too. Yet, somehow, we stiff-necked human beings often thing we know better or that there is a better deal? Shame on us.
Grace and Peace
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Overflowing
If you've ever seen the movie "Office Space" you might remember the bit about flair. This waitress' boss was always getting on her to put on more "pieces of flair" -- junk she had to pin on to her outfit to look, well, I don't know, nuts? She met the boss' requirement, 15 pieces. Randomly chosen. She didn't like the flair and she didn't care what things she pinned on. Then there was the other waiter who went way above the requirement. He looked like a pin trader table at Disneyland. The boss really didn't like that the waitress only did the bare minimum and really loved that the other dude went all out.
What's this have to do with anything?
Replace the boss with God, the waiters with us, and flair with our works.
Bare minimum doesn't come from the heart. Its working hard enough not to get fired. Its banging out the paper and tweaking the font size so it fills the five pages. Its being on the field/court but not really in the game. Its also showing up late to church, mouthing words to the songs, texting during the message, and speed reading the Bible just to get the "Christian life" checkboxes checked off. That's crap, and it doesn't honor God.
Let's take a look at some good stuff in God's word that is the opposite of "bare minimum" -- overflowing!
Check out Exodus 35 and 36 where the offerings were brought in to build the tabernacle. Peoples hearts were moved so greatly, and they brought so much stuff, that Moses had to tell them to stop bringing stuff! Pastors use that a lot to make a point about generous giving, saying that it was the first time and the last time people gave too much. That's overflowing!
Check out 2 Samuel 9. That's where I'm at in going through the Bible right now and what prompted this post actually. Back in 1 Samuel 20 David made a promise to Jonathan to not cut off kindness from his family. Jonathan was Saul's kid -- the Saul who kept trying to kill David. Then David later became king. What did kings in the ancient world do? Wipe out the others who would be a threat. David could bare-minimum-fulfilled his promise to Jonathan just by not seeking out descendants of Saul and allowing them to live. But what does he do? He actively seeks out descendants of Saul and finds Mephibosheth, restores lands to him, orders Saul's previous servants to work the land and provide for him, and allows him access to the royal palace -- inviting him always to his table.
Mose and the Israelites, cool. David, cool. But dude, let's talk about Jesus! How about Mark 6, feeding the five thousand? Jesus just didn't give these guys a PB&J and squeeze box OJ so they were still hungry. At the end of the account it says the disciples picked up 12 baskets full of leftovers. That's a lot of leftovers, and it means the people there were stuffed! They got more than enough to eat.
But that's not where God's giving stops. You want to talk about overflowing? What does God do? Sends his son Jesus to pay the price for our sins. We don't deserve that. We didn't earn that. We can't ever repay that. But that's not all. When we follow Jesus, he gives us the kingdom. What?! I'm not a smart man and into all the nuances of Revelation, but I can read at the end of chapter 3 where it says "To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne." This is the creator of the universe talking here, and he's going to let his people sit on his throne? Woah. That's pretty freaking awesome. We don't think so sometimes because we're thick headed and just don't GET it, especially me!
Oh, and just before that bit about the throne, Jesus was talking about spitting out the lukewarm deed doers from Laodicea out of his mouth. Those "bare minimum" dudes.
Yeah, we don't want bare minimum. We want overflowing. When we sing. When we learn. When we teach. When we serve. Whatever we do in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, make it excellent, and make it overflow. It pays back a thousand fold. So, if we don't have overflowing joy, then I must ask -- do we have overflowing actions that returns joy? We should!
Grace and Peace friends
What's this have to do with anything?
Replace the boss with God, the waiters with us, and flair with our works.
Bare minimum doesn't come from the heart. Its working hard enough not to get fired. Its banging out the paper and tweaking the font size so it fills the five pages. Its being on the field/court but not really in the game. Its also showing up late to church, mouthing words to the songs, texting during the message, and speed reading the Bible just to get the "Christian life" checkboxes checked off. That's crap, and it doesn't honor God.
Let's take a look at some good stuff in God's word that is the opposite of "bare minimum" -- overflowing!
Check out Exodus 35 and 36 where the offerings were brought in to build the tabernacle. Peoples hearts were moved so greatly, and they brought so much stuff, that Moses had to tell them to stop bringing stuff! Pastors use that a lot to make a point about generous giving, saying that it was the first time and the last time people gave too much. That's overflowing!
Check out 2 Samuel 9. That's where I'm at in going through the Bible right now and what prompted this post actually. Back in 1 Samuel 20 David made a promise to Jonathan to not cut off kindness from his family. Jonathan was Saul's kid -- the Saul who kept trying to kill David. Then David later became king. What did kings in the ancient world do? Wipe out the others who would be a threat. David could bare-minimum-fulfilled his promise to Jonathan just by not seeking out descendants of Saul and allowing them to live. But what does he do? He actively seeks out descendants of Saul and finds Mephibosheth, restores lands to him, orders Saul's previous servants to work the land and provide for him, and allows him access to the royal palace -- inviting him always to his table.
Mose and the Israelites, cool. David, cool. But dude, let's talk about Jesus! How about Mark 6, feeding the five thousand? Jesus just didn't give these guys a PB&J and squeeze box OJ so they were still hungry. At the end of the account it says the disciples picked up 12 baskets full of leftovers. That's a lot of leftovers, and it means the people there were stuffed! They got more than enough to eat.
But that's not where God's giving stops. You want to talk about overflowing? What does God do? Sends his son Jesus to pay the price for our sins. We don't deserve that. We didn't earn that. We can't ever repay that. But that's not all. When we follow Jesus, he gives us the kingdom. What?! I'm not a smart man and into all the nuances of Revelation, but I can read at the end of chapter 3 where it says "To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne." This is the creator of the universe talking here, and he's going to let his people sit on his throne? Woah. That's pretty freaking awesome. We don't think so sometimes because we're thick headed and just don't GET it, especially me!
Oh, and just before that bit about the throne, Jesus was talking about spitting out the lukewarm deed doers from Laodicea out of his mouth. Those "bare minimum" dudes.
Yeah, we don't want bare minimum. We want overflowing. When we sing. When we learn. When we teach. When we serve. Whatever we do in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, make it excellent, and make it overflow. It pays back a thousand fold. So, if we don't have overflowing joy, then I must ask -- do we have overflowing actions that returns joy? We should!
Grace and Peace friends
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
What Does It Mean To Glorify God?
In response to the statement "we're here to glorify God" I have had it said to me that God is not vain. That is true -- and such a response comes from a misunderstanding of what it means to glorify God.
Let's clear it up a bit.
My own definition is "to make God look so awesome and so good like he really is". And the reason for it? Because he's the only one who deserves it!
He's the one who made the universe. He's the one who made people. He's the one who reached down into humanity to reveal himself to use through his creation, through his prophets, and ultimately through the person of Jesus Christ. He's the one who waits patiently for people to come to him. He's the one who changes hearts and minds and transforms lives. He's the one who brings peace and joy. And he's the only one that did and does these things!
How do we do that?
We can praise and worship him. Not because of some "religious" requirement. Not because that's what we're expected to do. Not because of anything other than a thankful and joyful heart for all that God has done for us! Our prayers, our songs, our messages -- they all mean nothing if our hearts are not right. We are to love God with all our hearts, and when we do, we can't help but lift up his name!
We can do good works. Jesus told us when he said to let our light shine before men -- so that people see them and praise our father in heaven. You don't do good works just to meet people's needs. YOu don't do good works just because it makes you feel good. You definitely don't do good works to make yourself look good. Nor do you do them with a bad attitude. No, you don't good works because you're a sign, a billboard, a pointer. You're a big fat blinking arrow that points people to God. Think about it, what good is filling someone's belly or fixing their house going to do if they remain spiritually dead? Worthless. When you go out there in the name of Jesus to do good things, people see it, know why you are doing it -- and that changes lives for all of eternity. That's freaking awesome.
That takes care of Sunday and our outreach times, right? Ding ding ding, wrong. Now what I'm about to write, I suck at too at times. I don't do it all the time either. I don't think anyone does. That's because we're a stiff necked sinful people. It happens. Pay attention to it and it keeps you humble before a holy God.
It's more.
It's our whole lives. Our entire lives should be an act of praise, worship, and pointing people to the awesome God that made us and loves us. Paul wrote that in everything we do, we should do for the glory of God. Really, everything? Drinking orange juice? Yup. John Piper even wrote about that. Check it out here:
http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/taste-see-articles/how-to-drink-orange-juice-to-the-glory-of-god
Can we do that completely? Yes, if we're totally sold out to Jesus. I don't think any man is totally sold out to Jesus. Chuck Smith often has said something about wondering how God would use a man that is totally, 100%, committed to him. I wonder that myself.
Really, I can knowingly glorify God, even if not perfectly, when I help people in need. When I give. When I teach. When I encourage. When I share the Word. When I stand up for the truth. When I study the Word. When I sing (well, in my way) praises. When I impart spiritual knowledge to my children. Those fall in the box of some sort of "typical Christian life".
But I can also glorify God when I do the dishes because my wife hates doing them. When I eat my lunch with a thankful heart. When I go to the store to pick something up for someone else. When I take out the trash as a duty and stop to check for stuff other people could use in there. When I play with my kids and soak in the joy that brings. When I go to work and work hard to support my family and have money to give. Those are day to day things that can adorn the gospel and glorify God when done with a right heart and motivation.
In those examples from my own life, know that I've screwed up every single one of those by having the wrong motivation and a bad attitude. Praise God for the conviction the Holy Spirit brings when that happens!
Know also that I don't think about glorifying God in some of the things that I do. I don't think about it when I play basketball and even less when I play Halo. I'm thankful for those things. I enjoy them. I like the mentally untaxing down time. Am I glorifying God in them? Maybe, but I'd chalk those up more to being yet another one of a billion who are not 100% sold out. I just don't know sometimes.
Even so, we learn and we grow. We are convicted and we change. Getting cleaned up is a lifelong process that doesn't end this side of eternity. As I have heard said, "imperfect action is better than no action." And right action to glorify God with all of our lives starts with an understanding of what that means and why he deserves it.
Grace and Peace
Let's clear it up a bit.
My own definition is "to make God look so awesome and so good like he really is". And the reason for it? Because he's the only one who deserves it!
He's the one who made the universe. He's the one who made people. He's the one who reached down into humanity to reveal himself to use through his creation, through his prophets, and ultimately through the person of Jesus Christ. He's the one who waits patiently for people to come to him. He's the one who changes hearts and minds and transforms lives. He's the one who brings peace and joy. And he's the only one that did and does these things!
How do we do that?
We can praise and worship him. Not because of some "religious" requirement. Not because that's what we're expected to do. Not because of anything other than a thankful and joyful heart for all that God has done for us! Our prayers, our songs, our messages -- they all mean nothing if our hearts are not right. We are to love God with all our hearts, and when we do, we can't help but lift up his name!
We can do good works. Jesus told us when he said to let our light shine before men -- so that people see them and praise our father in heaven. You don't do good works just to meet people's needs. YOu don't do good works just because it makes you feel good. You definitely don't do good works to make yourself look good. Nor do you do them with a bad attitude. No, you don't good works because you're a sign, a billboard, a pointer. You're a big fat blinking arrow that points people to God. Think about it, what good is filling someone's belly or fixing their house going to do if they remain spiritually dead? Worthless. When you go out there in the name of Jesus to do good things, people see it, know why you are doing it -- and that changes lives for all of eternity. That's freaking awesome.
That takes care of Sunday and our outreach times, right? Ding ding ding, wrong. Now what I'm about to write, I suck at too at times. I don't do it all the time either. I don't think anyone does. That's because we're a stiff necked sinful people. It happens. Pay attention to it and it keeps you humble before a holy God.
It's more.
It's our whole lives. Our entire lives should be an act of praise, worship, and pointing people to the awesome God that made us and loves us. Paul wrote that in everything we do, we should do for the glory of God. Really, everything? Drinking orange juice? Yup. John Piper even wrote about that. Check it out here:
http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/taste-see-articles/how-to-drink-orange-juice-to-the-glory-of-god
Can we do that completely? Yes, if we're totally sold out to Jesus. I don't think any man is totally sold out to Jesus. Chuck Smith often has said something about wondering how God would use a man that is totally, 100%, committed to him. I wonder that myself.
Really, I can knowingly glorify God, even if not perfectly, when I help people in need. When I give. When I teach. When I encourage. When I share the Word. When I stand up for the truth. When I study the Word. When I sing (well, in my way) praises. When I impart spiritual knowledge to my children. Those fall in the box of some sort of "typical Christian life".
But I can also glorify God when I do the dishes because my wife hates doing them. When I eat my lunch with a thankful heart. When I go to the store to pick something up for someone else. When I take out the trash as a duty and stop to check for stuff other people could use in there. When I play with my kids and soak in the joy that brings. When I go to work and work hard to support my family and have money to give. Those are day to day things that can adorn the gospel and glorify God when done with a right heart and motivation.
In those examples from my own life, know that I've screwed up every single one of those by having the wrong motivation and a bad attitude. Praise God for the conviction the Holy Spirit brings when that happens!
Know also that I don't think about glorifying God in some of the things that I do. I don't think about it when I play basketball and even less when I play Halo. I'm thankful for those things. I enjoy them. I like the mentally untaxing down time. Am I glorifying God in them? Maybe, but I'd chalk those up more to being yet another one of a billion who are not 100% sold out. I just don't know sometimes.
Even so, we learn and we grow. We are convicted and we change. Getting cleaned up is a lifelong process that doesn't end this side of eternity. As I have heard said, "imperfect action is better than no action." And right action to glorify God with all of our lives starts with an understanding of what that means and why he deserves it.
Grace and Peace
Thursday, October 7, 2010
The Deity Of Jesus Christ
Props to Mark Strauss tonight for prompting me to write this. Higher props to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit for working in the hearts and minds of all believers!
Remember that Da Vinci Code movie? I guess it was a book first, but I saw the movie only. There's a lot of crap in it. Of course there is, it's a product of a godless industry. However there is one especially large piece of crap in it -- that argument that the church viewed Christ as human only until the Council of Nicea in the 4th century, in which he was "voted" to be divine -- by a narrow margin at that.
All bunk. One can look up what the vote was about and what the margin was to se that. But Dan Brown's nonsense or some council is not what this post is about. We have to go back before that, into the 1st century. What did followers of Christ write about him?
How about John? Chapter 1. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All thing were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made...And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have see his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."
There you have it. Jesus as both divine and human, and creator to boot.
Not enough? How about Paul? Colossians 1, chapter 1. "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities -- all things were created through him and for him...For in him all the fullness of God was please to dwell..."
There you have it again. Jesus as both divine and human, and creator to boot.
Not enough? How about the author of Hebrews, chapter 1. "Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power....And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, 'Let all God's angels worship him.'"
There you have it again. Jesus as both divine and human, and creator to boot.
Three different 1st century New Testament authors independently attesting to both the divinity and humanity of the God-man, Jesus Christ -- let alone the numerous indicators of this through Jesus' words as recorded in the gospel accounts. The conclusion, according to scripture, Jesus is God.
"Oh wait, what about..." others will say. This "Who is Jesus?" test is a good one to help answer the "Christian or non-Christian cult?" question. Here's the common two "what abouts" in the above passages:
First, "and the word was a god". This is what the Jehovah's Witness' translation of the Bible says. Go find a Greek New Testament and some impartial dude who knows Greek well and have him tell you. There should be no 'a' in there. It's a mistranslation made intentionally to fit the Jehovah's Witness' mission to prove to everyone that Jesus is not God. It's bunk and it's wrong. And guess what? Even that Bible is still littered with numerous indicators to the divinity of Christ.
Next, "firstborn". Uh, oh, Jesus was a created being himself, even though he created everything else? Well, no. "Without him was not anything made that was made." If he was created but also created everything, then he had to create himself. That's just stupid. :-) But that's not the end of the argument either. Firstborn is used to indicate status as well -- the most honored.
Grace and Peace friends.
Remember that Da Vinci Code movie? I guess it was a book first, but I saw the movie only. There's a lot of crap in it. Of course there is, it's a product of a godless industry. However there is one especially large piece of crap in it -- that argument that the church viewed Christ as human only until the Council of Nicea in the 4th century, in which he was "voted" to be divine -- by a narrow margin at that.
All bunk. One can look up what the vote was about and what the margin was to se that. But Dan Brown's nonsense or some council is not what this post is about. We have to go back before that, into the 1st century. What did followers of Christ write about him?
How about John? Chapter 1. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All thing were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made...And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have see his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."
There you have it. Jesus as both divine and human, and creator to boot.
Not enough? How about Paul? Colossians 1, chapter 1. "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities -- all things were created through him and for him...For in him all the fullness of God was please to dwell..."
There you have it again. Jesus as both divine and human, and creator to boot.
Not enough? How about the author of Hebrews, chapter 1. "Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power....And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, 'Let all God's angels worship him.'"
There you have it again. Jesus as both divine and human, and creator to boot.
Three different 1st century New Testament authors independently attesting to both the divinity and humanity of the God-man, Jesus Christ -- let alone the numerous indicators of this through Jesus' words as recorded in the gospel accounts. The conclusion, according to scripture, Jesus is God.
"Oh wait, what about..." others will say. This "Who is Jesus?" test is a good one to help answer the "Christian or non-Christian cult?" question. Here's the common two "what abouts" in the above passages:
First, "and the word was a god". This is what the Jehovah's Witness' translation of the Bible says. Go find a Greek New Testament and some impartial dude who knows Greek well and have him tell you. There should be no 'a' in there. It's a mistranslation made intentionally to fit the Jehovah's Witness' mission to prove to everyone that Jesus is not God. It's bunk and it's wrong. And guess what? Even that Bible is still littered with numerous indicators to the divinity of Christ.
Next, "firstborn". Uh, oh, Jesus was a created being himself, even though he created everything else? Well, no. "Without him was not anything made that was made." If he was created but also created everything, then he had to create himself. That's just stupid. :-) But that's not the end of the argument either. Firstborn is used to indicate status as well -- the most honored.
Grace and Peace friends.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
In What We Trust?
I read the first part of 1 Samuel 4 tonight. An interesting story there about a boneheaded decision the Israelites made. Don't get me wrong, I'm not overly knocking them -- I make plenty of boneheaded decisions all the time. I'm sure you do too!
Here's what went down. The Philistines and the Israelites are fighting. The Philistines are winning. So the Israelites come up with this brilliant plan -- bring up the ark of the covenant from Shiloh to the camp, thinking that will make things go well.
Uh oh. Bad idea.
The short story is the Israelites get pummeled, get the ark captured, and the two wicked priests, Eli's sons, ended up dead.
What did they trust in? A box with the Lord's commandments, a staff, and some manna in it. That's not going to do a whole lot. Yeah, its some really neat stuff in there, but dudes, its still just stuff!
That got me to thinking. What kind of bogus objects of trust do we as people have for our salvation?
"We're Methodists." Or Baptists, or Presbyterians, or Lutherans, or Whateverans. "Oh really? What's a Methodist?" "I don't know, but my family, we're Methodists." Yeah, sorry, that won't cut it. The Jews back in the day tried this with "We're Abraham's descendants." Same thing, different time, same result.
"I go to church." You know I asked one of Novalee's former teachers if she knew Jesus before. She said she went to church, if that's what I'm asking. No lady, that's not what I was asking! Going to church and knowing Jesus Christ are two different things. If you know Jesus, yes, you should go to church -- for a number of reasons. But there are plenty of seats taken up in churches today by a bunch of people who don't know Jesus Christ. That's fine too, we want people to come in the doors, hear the Word, and get saved -- but the problem is when people think they're saved just because they show up. No deal.
"I got baptized." Yeah really? When you were a baby or an adult? I'm guessing the former -- not that it matters, since baptism is an outward symbol of an inside change. There isn't some magical life saving water you can sprinkle on or get dunked in to save you from hell. There is only the living water, Jesus Christ.
"I believe in God." Well, you believe in A god. Do you believe in the one true living God, the God of the Bible? The God who made this whole universe and sent his Son Jesus Christ to die on a cross as payment for our sins, because there is no way we could bridge the gap between him and us ourselves? That God? If that's the God you believe in and love, awesome. If you believe in some abstract concept of God like I once did, or believe in a god different than the one revealed in the pages of scripture, you believe in nothing -- worse than nothing even, because you lie to yourself.
"I'm a good person." We could spend a while on this, but I don't want to. The short answer of what the Bible teaches on this is, no, you're not. Period. Ain't none of us good. Jesus said the only one that is good is God. Funny thing about that. Jesus is God, and Jesus is good. Anyway, since none of us are good, guess what? None of us are going to heaven because of our "good works" either!
I'm sure this list could go on, but this post is getting quite long already. The point here is, trust Jesus Christ for your salvation. That he died on a cross to pay the price for your sins. You can't pay that price, ever. You come to Christ with that drilled into your heart, he'll do the rest regarding whatever other junk in your life needs some fixing. Real stuff. That deep down sometimes scary spiritual stuff. He'll also give you stuff to do to further his kingdom and point people to him.. It's awesome!
Grace and Peace friends.
Here's what went down. The Philistines and the Israelites are fighting. The Philistines are winning. So the Israelites come up with this brilliant plan -- bring up the ark of the covenant from Shiloh to the camp, thinking that will make things go well.
Uh oh. Bad idea.
The short story is the Israelites get pummeled, get the ark captured, and the two wicked priests, Eli's sons, ended up dead.
What did they trust in? A box with the Lord's commandments, a staff, and some manna in it. That's not going to do a whole lot. Yeah, its some really neat stuff in there, but dudes, its still just stuff!
That got me to thinking. What kind of bogus objects of trust do we as people have for our salvation?
"We're Methodists." Or Baptists, or Presbyterians, or Lutherans, or Whateverans. "Oh really? What's a Methodist?" "I don't know, but my family, we're Methodists." Yeah, sorry, that won't cut it. The Jews back in the day tried this with "We're Abraham's descendants." Same thing, different time, same result.
"I go to church." You know I asked one of Novalee's former teachers if she knew Jesus before. She said she went to church, if that's what I'm asking. No lady, that's not what I was asking! Going to church and knowing Jesus Christ are two different things. If you know Jesus, yes, you should go to church -- for a number of reasons. But there are plenty of seats taken up in churches today by a bunch of people who don't know Jesus Christ. That's fine too, we want people to come in the doors, hear the Word, and get saved -- but the problem is when people think they're saved just because they show up. No deal.
"I got baptized." Yeah really? When you were a baby or an adult? I'm guessing the former -- not that it matters, since baptism is an outward symbol of an inside change. There isn't some magical life saving water you can sprinkle on or get dunked in to save you from hell. There is only the living water, Jesus Christ.
"I believe in God." Well, you believe in A god. Do you believe in the one true living God, the God of the Bible? The God who made this whole universe and sent his Son Jesus Christ to die on a cross as payment for our sins, because there is no way we could bridge the gap between him and us ourselves? That God? If that's the God you believe in and love, awesome. If you believe in some abstract concept of God like I once did, or believe in a god different than the one revealed in the pages of scripture, you believe in nothing -- worse than nothing even, because you lie to yourself.
"I'm a good person." We could spend a while on this, but I don't want to. The short answer of what the Bible teaches on this is, no, you're not. Period. Ain't none of us good. Jesus said the only one that is good is God. Funny thing about that. Jesus is God, and Jesus is good. Anyway, since none of us are good, guess what? None of us are going to heaven because of our "good works" either!
I'm sure this list could go on, but this post is getting quite long already. The point here is, trust Jesus Christ for your salvation. That he died on a cross to pay the price for your sins. You can't pay that price, ever. You come to Christ with that drilled into your heart, he'll do the rest regarding whatever other junk in your life needs some fixing. Real stuff. That deep down sometimes scary spiritual stuff. He'll also give you stuff to do to further his kingdom and point people to him.. It's awesome!
Grace and Peace friends.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
The Temptations
But it was just my imagination running away with me. It was just my imag...oh wait, wrong kind of temptations.
The ones that I'm talking about are the ones that are necessary. The ones not that we might face, but WILL face in this world. Jesus spoke on this, saying "woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes!" (Matthew 18:7)
And in my experience sometimes they come hard and sometimes they come constantly. So why is it necessary they come? I have a completely correct answer.
I don't know.
I didn't say it was a helpful answer.
However I can tell you some positive sides of temptations in my life.
First, when any temptation is overcome -- and they all can be overcome -- it further strengthens me in my walk with the Lord. The downside and the flip side is that when I fall flat on my face and give it, I'm bummed about it and I don't feel right with God. But even that in itself is an indicator of the change in me -- before God saved me I didn't mourn over sin -- I reveled in it.
Second, and more the driving point of this post, is that temptations keep me in check. They keep me from getting a big head thinking I've made it and I'm so good and can float through this life doing what's right without God's help. Woe to us when we think such thoughts!
With the conflict inside reminiscent of Romans 7, I remember where I came from. And I am once again reminded that it is only by the grace of God that I have been saved and am not going to perish and face eternal punishment for rejecting his offer of salvation through Jesus Christ. In short, temptations help keep me humbled before Almighty God and serve to keep always in mind my dependence on him!
Thank you God for every victory and every reminder of who I am before you!
Grace and Peace
The ones that I'm talking about are the ones that are necessary. The ones not that we might face, but WILL face in this world. Jesus spoke on this, saying "woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes!" (Matthew 18:7)
And in my experience sometimes they come hard and sometimes they come constantly. So why is it necessary they come? I have a completely correct answer.
I don't know.
I didn't say it was a helpful answer.
However I can tell you some positive sides of temptations in my life.
First, when any temptation is overcome -- and they all can be overcome -- it further strengthens me in my walk with the Lord. The downside and the flip side is that when I fall flat on my face and give it, I'm bummed about it and I don't feel right with God. But even that in itself is an indicator of the change in me -- before God saved me I didn't mourn over sin -- I reveled in it.
Second, and more the driving point of this post, is that temptations keep me in check. They keep me from getting a big head thinking I've made it and I'm so good and can float through this life doing what's right without God's help. Woe to us when we think such thoughts!
With the conflict inside reminiscent of Romans 7, I remember where I came from. And I am once again reminded that it is only by the grace of God that I have been saved and am not going to perish and face eternal punishment for rejecting his offer of salvation through Jesus Christ. In short, temptations help keep me humbled before Almighty God and serve to keep always in mind my dependence on him!
Thank you God for every victory and every reminder of who I am before you!
Grace and Peace
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Burn, Baby, Burn?
So I got sucked into thinking about this Qur'an burning thing this dude in Florida wants to do on September 11th. When I first heard about it, I didn't think much of it one way or the other. "Yeah, that's interesting...I bet the media will blow it into a whole big deal."
My mind drifted back to Old Testament times for a bit. You know where the Israelites were supposed to cross the Jordan, go in, and take over the land, getting rid of whatever false idols were there. We just don't do that sort of thing in a physical way these days. Go figure. We don't live in the theocracy of ancient Israel. Its not really a justification for anything, that's just where my mind wandered to. And since this is my blog, you get the annoyance of following my mind down all kinds of rabbit holes.
Of course then one thinks of Paul whose mind didn't wander to where mine did. I remember where he saw a dedication in the temple -- to "the unknown God". He tried to use that. "Let me tell you about this God you don't know" he said. Of course, few were saved despite his eloquence and trying to adapt. I think that was the turning point where in his next round of efforts said "I knew nothing among you except for Christ and him crucified". I guess that shows when you don't know where to go, focus on the cross is always a smart thing.
Okay back on the train track here.
Then I heard people talk about this issue on a few Christian radio stations I listened to. Christian brothers I respect greatly seemed to think it was a pretty bonehead move simply because the act seems to be out of anger and is inciteful. Okay, I can buy that. It reminds me of that Crocodile Hunter guy. You know, the one that would go up to some really poisonous sleeping critter and poke it with a stick to see what would happen. I'm not sure that kind of thing was the brightest idea ever. So I can see one of their points. Purposefully going and ticking off a whole bunch of people doesn't really help efforts to get the gospel across to people.
The other point I don't really buy at all. The one some general made that these guys also agreed with -- that it puts American soldiers' lives in danger. Maybe, but, you know what? Our soldiers are in places where local people just don't want them to be. They're pretty much in danger no matter what.
Then, I was thinking about this before writing anything, a song came on that had in it the old school "What would Jesus do?" as part of its lyrics. I don't know what he'd do. Probably not waste his time with this one dude's public statement one way or the other? Probably say something about anger in the heart that needs to be let go? Probably say something about loving ones' enemies, forgiving them, and praying for them? I don't recall the "if someone asks you to carry their junk one mile, go two" ending with "and then throw it in the river to tick 'em off".
Then, I also I wondered if such an event where happening locally, would I bring my kids? No, no I wouldn't. What's that going to teach them? At worst it teaches some pretty unpleasant stuff. At best it teaches them to waste their time and play with fire. I don't care for either. My kids are a good measuring stick sometimes.
So, while I hold the Qur'an up to no special light and consider it full of falsehoods like so many other things, I have to concur that the public burning idea on September 11th especially is a pretty bonehead move. If you're going to destroy others' sacred things to make a statement, make a more worthwhile statement on a different date. And to do that you might have to throw in the Hindu Vedas, the Sikh Guru Granth Sahib, the Bahai Aqdas, the Book of Mormon, the Pope, business plans, car manuals, piles of dollar bills, stacks of pornography magazines, season tickets to, cable boxes, romance novels, gym membership cards, drugs, booze, designer clothes, and on and on and on.
Depending on who comes across this post, I probably offended a bunch of people just now with that last statement. That's okay. I don't plan to implement said wildfire-starting plan nor advocate it. I'm just making the simple statement that there are a million false gods in the world, whether under the name of "God", "a god" or something that doesn't "seem" like a god yet is number one in someone's life. Going after them for everyone else ain't gonna work. Just get help from the right source and eliminate them in your own life.
In short, there is one truth, revealed in one book, and through one person -- the Lord Jesus Christ.
That was rather chatty. Grace, and Peace!
My mind drifted back to Old Testament times for a bit. You know where the Israelites were supposed to cross the Jordan, go in, and take over the land, getting rid of whatever false idols were there. We just don't do that sort of thing in a physical way these days. Go figure. We don't live in the theocracy of ancient Israel. Its not really a justification for anything, that's just where my mind wandered to. And since this is my blog, you get the annoyance of following my mind down all kinds of rabbit holes.
Of course then one thinks of Paul whose mind didn't wander to where mine did. I remember where he saw a dedication in the temple -- to "the unknown God". He tried to use that. "Let me tell you about this God you don't know" he said. Of course, few were saved despite his eloquence and trying to adapt. I think that was the turning point where in his next round of efforts said "I knew nothing among you except for Christ and him crucified". I guess that shows when you don't know where to go, focus on the cross is always a smart thing.
Okay back on the train track here.
Then I heard people talk about this issue on a few Christian radio stations I listened to. Christian brothers I respect greatly seemed to think it was a pretty bonehead move simply because the act seems to be out of anger and is inciteful. Okay, I can buy that. It reminds me of that Crocodile Hunter guy. You know, the one that would go up to some really poisonous sleeping critter and poke it with a stick to see what would happen. I'm not sure that kind of thing was the brightest idea ever. So I can see one of their points. Purposefully going and ticking off a whole bunch of people doesn't really help efforts to get the gospel across to people.
The other point I don't really buy at all. The one some general made that these guys also agreed with -- that it puts American soldiers' lives in danger. Maybe, but, you know what? Our soldiers are in places where local people just don't want them to be. They're pretty much in danger no matter what.
Then, I was thinking about this before writing anything, a song came on that had in it the old school "What would Jesus do?" as part of its lyrics. I don't know what he'd do. Probably not waste his time with this one dude's public statement one way or the other? Probably say something about anger in the heart that needs to be let go? Probably say something about loving ones' enemies, forgiving them, and praying for them? I don't recall the "if someone asks you to carry their junk one mile, go two" ending with "and then throw it in the river to tick 'em off".
Then, I also I wondered if such an event where happening locally, would I bring my kids? No, no I wouldn't. What's that going to teach them? At worst it teaches some pretty unpleasant stuff. At best it teaches them to waste their time and play with fire. I don't care for either. My kids are a good measuring stick sometimes.
So, while I hold the Qur'an up to no special light and consider it full of falsehoods like so many other things, I have to concur that the public burning idea on September 11th especially is a pretty bonehead move. If you're going to destroy others' sacred things to make a statement, make a more worthwhile statement on a different date. And to do that you might have to throw in the Hindu Vedas, the Sikh Guru Granth Sahib, the Bahai Aqdas, the Book of Mormon, the Pope, business plans, car manuals, piles of dollar bills, stacks of pornography magazines, season tickets to
Depending on who comes across this post, I probably offended a bunch of people just now with that last statement. That's okay. I don't plan to implement said wildfire-starting plan nor advocate it. I'm just making the simple statement that there are a million false gods in the world, whether under the name of "God", "a god" or something that doesn't "seem" like a god yet is number one in someone's life. Going after them for everyone else ain't gonna work. Just get help from the right source and eliminate them in your own life.
In short, there is one truth, revealed in one book, and through one person -- the Lord Jesus Christ.
That was rather chatty. Grace, and Peace!
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Churchianity Is Not Christianity
I asked a woman once "Do you know Jesus Christ?" The response I got surprised me a little bit. She said "Do you mean do I go to church? I go to such and such church." No, that's not what I meant. After a little more conversation she gave me the brush off that went something like "I'm fine, thanks for your concern though." Blah blah blah and so on. There's a problem here.
Churchianity is not Christianity.
You can sit in a church for all your life and wind up in hell or never set foot in one and end up in heaven.
So let's set some things straight.
There's one true church. Uh oh. Every time I hear that phrase alarms go off in my head. That's a strong mark of a cult right there. But no, I'm not talking about some group or building. The one true church is made up of all followers of Jesus Christ. The requirement for membership is confessing Jesus as Lord and believing God raised him from the dead. I mean truly. The kind of belief that yields real transformation in a person's life. That new creation kind of belief. The label you are under doesn't matter if you're right with God through Jesus Christ.
Going to church isn't about you. It might seem that way in some, with a polished presentation, lively bands, and feel good messages about how Jesus can improve your life. Some people go there to get their spiritual fix for the week, get recharged with the Spirit, or whatever else someone wants to call it. Whatever the phrase, its about the church goer and not God Almighty.
Going to church isn't about the tradition either. And we all have tradition, whether you're under a label that has been around for a thousand years or one. How much do we focus on the comfy seats, hip bands, and poppy messages with just the right of humor thrown in? Or how about the pomp and circumstance, huge choirs with matching outfits, and preachers in pin striped suits with all the flair? Or how about a holier than thou attitude, overly costumed "clergy", and detailed instructions about when to kneel, sit, stand, sing, shake hands, and so on.
Yes, we're supposed to take something excellent away from church in our hearts. Yes, worship should be orderly. Yes, everything should be done for the glory of God. But let's make sure that it really is, and the way to do that is when we come to church with a heart that knows it's ALL about God. If we forget who we are gathered together to honor, the most organized and polished service in the world is nothing more than rubbish.
Daily life isn't about focusing on "church stuff". Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of "church stuff" that is very awesome. But if in our hearts, we've got nothing more than a "good works" checklist, it, again, is all rubbish. By all means, lead at AWANA, but remember you're there to raise up children to love the Lord. Sing in the choir, but remember you're there to honor the Lord with your voice. Go to the weekly Bible study, but remember you're there to dig into God's Word with other believers, gaining knowledge to better love and serve the Lord for the rest of the week. Go to the prayer meeting, but remember the goal is to seek the Lord's will, not bring him a to-do list. Say yes to the various roles your are asked to take on, but only after getting an okay from the Lord and not just to be a people pleaser. Soak in the teaching from weekend message, but compare it yourself against the Word, and, if it passes the test, seek how you might apply it the rest of the week as well.
In short, as the saying goes, "Only one life, it will soon be past - only what's done for Christ will last." So if church isn't about Christ in your life, then fix it. That means either a new church, a new you, or both!
I will close with this link I came across that I loved. Written so many years ago, it can apply very well today:
http://www.auburn.edu/~allenkc/chrichur.html
Grace and Peace my friends
Churchianity is not Christianity.
You can sit in a church for all your life and wind up in hell or never set foot in one and end up in heaven.
So let's set some things straight.
There's one true church. Uh oh. Every time I hear that phrase alarms go off in my head. That's a strong mark of a cult right there. But no, I'm not talking about some group or building. The one true church is made up of all followers of Jesus Christ. The requirement for membership is confessing Jesus as Lord and believing God raised him from the dead. I mean truly. The kind of belief that yields real transformation in a person's life. That new creation kind of belief. The label you are under doesn't matter if you're right with God through Jesus Christ.
Going to church isn't about you. It might seem that way in some, with a polished presentation, lively bands, and feel good messages about how Jesus can improve your life. Some people go there to get their spiritual fix for the week, get recharged with the Spirit, or whatever else someone wants to call it. Whatever the phrase, its about the church goer and not God Almighty.
Going to church isn't about the tradition either. And we all have tradition, whether you're under a label that has been around for a thousand years or one. How much do we focus on the comfy seats, hip bands, and poppy messages with just the right of humor thrown in? Or how about the pomp and circumstance, huge choirs with matching outfits, and preachers in pin striped suits with all the flair? Or how about a holier than thou attitude, overly costumed "clergy", and detailed instructions about when to kneel, sit, stand, sing, shake hands, and so on.
Yes, we're supposed to take something excellent away from church in our hearts. Yes, worship should be orderly. Yes, everything should be done for the glory of God. But let's make sure that it really is, and the way to do that is when we come to church with a heart that knows it's ALL about God. If we forget who we are gathered together to honor, the most organized and polished service in the world is nothing more than rubbish.
Daily life isn't about focusing on "church stuff". Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of "church stuff" that is very awesome. But if in our hearts, we've got nothing more than a "good works" checklist, it, again, is all rubbish. By all means, lead at AWANA, but remember you're there to raise up children to love the Lord. Sing in the choir, but remember you're there to honor the Lord with your voice. Go to the weekly Bible study, but remember you're there to dig into God's Word with other believers, gaining knowledge to better love and serve the Lord for the rest of the week. Go to the prayer meeting, but remember the goal is to seek the Lord's will, not bring him a to-do list. Say yes to the various roles your are asked to take on, but only after getting an okay from the Lord and not just to be a people pleaser. Soak in the teaching from weekend message, but compare it yourself against the Word, and, if it passes the test, seek how you might apply it the rest of the week as well.
In short, as the saying goes, "Only one life, it will soon be past - only what's done for Christ will last." So if church isn't about Christ in your life, then fix it. That means either a new church, a new you, or both!
I will close with this link I came across that I loved. Written so many years ago, it can apply very well today:
http://www.auburn.edu/~allenkc/chrichur.html
Grace and Peace my friends
Saturday, September 4, 2010
I Stand By The Door
My uncle, brother, and friend sent me this poem. It's most excellent.
I stand by the door, I neither go too far in nor stay too far out.
The door is the most important door in the world.
It is the door through which men walk when they find God.
There is no use my going way inside and staying there when so many are still outside and they as much as I crave to know where the door is.
And all that so many find is only the wall where the door ought to be.
They creep along the wall like blind men with outstretched groping hands feeling for a door, knowing there must be a door, yet they never find it.
So I stand by the door.
The most tremendous thing in the world is for men to find that door, the door to God.
The most important thing that any man or woman can do is to take hold of one of those blind groping hands and put it on the latch, the latch that only clicks and opens to the man’s own touch.
Men die outside the door as starving beggars die on cold nights in cruel cities in the dead of winter, die for want of what is within their grasp.
They live on the other side of it, live because they’ve not found it.
Nothing else matters compared to helping them find it and open it and walk in and find Him.
So I stand by the door.
I admire the people that go way in but I wish they would not forget how it was before they got in.
Then they would be able to help the people who have not yet even found the door.
Or the people who want to run away again from God.
You can go in too deeply and stay in too long and forget the people outside the door.
As for me I shall take my old accustomed place, near enough to God to hear Him and know He is there but not so far from men as to hear them and remember that they are there too.
Where?
Outside the door.
Thousands of them, millions of them.
But more important for me, one of them, two of them, ten of them, whose hands I am intended to put on the latch.
So I shall stand by the door and wait for those who seek it.
I had rather be a door keeper.
So I stand by the door.
- Sam Schumaker
"I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture" - John 10:9
Grace and Peace
I stand by the door, I neither go too far in nor stay too far out.
The door is the most important door in the world.
It is the door through which men walk when they find God.
There is no use my going way inside and staying there when so many are still outside and they as much as I crave to know where the door is.
And all that so many find is only the wall where the door ought to be.
They creep along the wall like blind men with outstretched groping hands feeling for a door, knowing there must be a door, yet they never find it.
So I stand by the door.
The most tremendous thing in the world is for men to find that door, the door to God.
The most important thing that any man or woman can do is to take hold of one of those blind groping hands and put it on the latch, the latch that only clicks and opens to the man’s own touch.
Men die outside the door as starving beggars die on cold nights in cruel cities in the dead of winter, die for want of what is within their grasp.
They live on the other side of it, live because they’ve not found it.
Nothing else matters compared to helping them find it and open it and walk in and find Him.
So I stand by the door.
I admire the people that go way in but I wish they would not forget how it was before they got in.
Then they would be able to help the people who have not yet even found the door.
Or the people who want to run away again from God.
You can go in too deeply and stay in too long and forget the people outside the door.
As for me I shall take my old accustomed place, near enough to God to hear Him and know He is there but not so far from men as to hear them and remember that they are there too.
Where?
Outside the door.
Thousands of them, millions of them.
But more important for me, one of them, two of them, ten of them, whose hands I am intended to put on the latch.
So I shall stand by the door and wait for those who seek it.
I had rather be a door keeper.
So I stand by the door.
- Sam Schumaker
"I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture" - John 10:9
Grace and Peace
Monday, August 30, 2010
Storms Of This Life
Today I am writing about the storms of this life that we all face, or will face, from time to time. And I must be honest here; my personal experience with them is very limited. I don't know what it is like to lose a child to disease, have my home burn down, or get beaten and thrown in prison for something I didn't do. I don't know real persecution, and I don't know real hardship. I only know to some extent what the Word of God says about these things. My own prayer tonight is that if, or when, big storms hit in my life, I can follow what I say here myself!
That said, here goes.
When tough things come our way in this life, our reaction is often to turn to God in prayer. That's good, we should come to God with whatever is weighing heavily on our shoulders. But what do we ask of God when we come to him in prayer with a trial that we are facing?
We might ask God to take away whatever burden is on our backs. That's understandable. I don't know it for sure, but I'll bet it is the most common reaction to our troubles, at least initially. There are definitely Biblical examples of it. I can think of two immediately. In 2 Samuel 12 David seeks the Lord on behalf of the dying child he had with Bathsheba. And in 2 Corinthians Paul asks the Lord three times to remove a "thorn in the flesh" he had been given.
In both of these cases, the Lord doesn't do what is asked of him. In David's case, the child dies. He stops fasting and petitioning the Lord, accepting the finality of the situation. In Paul's case, the Lord responds to him, saying "my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." He also accepts the Lord's answer, welcoming the weakness because it shows how Christ can make him strong.
When we, like David and Paul, see the Lord is not going to lift the burden from us, I think there are two things we can continue to bring before the Lord in prayer. I think both are shown through Paul's response.
First, we may ask the Lord to give us the strength to get through whatever it is. The saying is true that sometimes the Lord calms the storm and other times the Lord calms you so you can get through the storm. Knowing that the storm is there to stay, we need help -- the supernatural power of Jesus Christ working in our heart and mind to get us through whatever difficult situation there is that we cannot face alone. This is what Paul recognized -- where he broke down, Christ stepped up to keep him going. Seeing such strength in believers going through the toughest trials of their lives makes people take notice. It points others to Christ. And it glorifies God.
Second, we may ask the Lord to show us how to use the trial for his glory. As pointed out above, God may be glorified simply through the demonstration of Christ's supernatural power working in our lives as we stand strong in the face of calamity that we could not face on our own. Or he may further use our trials to comfort others, to encourage others, to inspire others, or to provide a unique platform on which to share the gospel, for starters. Our trials today may not even be used for some time for God's purposes.
I remember as I write this the story of Nick Vujicic -- a man born with no arms and no legs. God has used him mightily to preach the gospel in parts of the world that the "typical" evangelist could not reach. Could God grow him some arms and legs? Yes. But instead of doing that, he's given Nick the power to accept his situation, the extra strength he needs day by day to keep moving forward and keep focused on the kingdom, and the wisdom to see how God is using his infirmity for His own glory.
It is the same way in many other stories. Young couples who lose their babies to disease that later start church support groups to help their brothers and sisters bear the same burden. Victims of various forms of abuse being able to empathize and talk on the same level with other similar victims and bring them the hope of Christ where others could not. People standing up for Christ in hostile lands and the cost of their lives who inspire the next generation of missionaries and strengthen the faith of all who hear their stories told. The list is virtually endless, but the method of operation is always the same -- the bad situation of today getting flipped around for good tomorrow.
So whatever we thorns of our own we are given, know that God has the power to remove them. Know also that he has his reasons for not doing so. We don't always know his plan and purpose for our lives. We don't always know what he's preparing us for in this life. We don't always know how he may use our hardships to further his kingdom and point people to Christ. But what we do know is that he is bigger than us, wiser than us, and that he loves us immensely. Our part is to seek his will for us, trusting that whatever he allows to happen in our lives is for a greater God-glorifying purpose that we may not be able to see this side of eternity. We just need to trust that he's in control and that he can see us through anything that comes our way.
Grace and Peace
That said, here goes.
When tough things come our way in this life, our reaction is often to turn to God in prayer. That's good, we should come to God with whatever is weighing heavily on our shoulders. But what do we ask of God when we come to him in prayer with a trial that we are facing?
We might ask God to take away whatever burden is on our backs. That's understandable. I don't know it for sure, but I'll bet it is the most common reaction to our troubles, at least initially. There are definitely Biblical examples of it. I can think of two immediately. In 2 Samuel 12 David seeks the Lord on behalf of the dying child he had with Bathsheba. And in 2 Corinthians Paul asks the Lord three times to remove a "thorn in the flesh" he had been given.
In both of these cases, the Lord doesn't do what is asked of him. In David's case, the child dies. He stops fasting and petitioning the Lord, accepting the finality of the situation. In Paul's case, the Lord responds to him, saying "my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." He also accepts the Lord's answer, welcoming the weakness because it shows how Christ can make him strong.
When we, like David and Paul, see the Lord is not going to lift the burden from us, I think there are two things we can continue to bring before the Lord in prayer. I think both are shown through Paul's response.
First, we may ask the Lord to give us the strength to get through whatever it is. The saying is true that sometimes the Lord calms the storm and other times the Lord calms you so you can get through the storm. Knowing that the storm is there to stay, we need help -- the supernatural power of Jesus Christ working in our heart and mind to get us through whatever difficult situation there is that we cannot face alone. This is what Paul recognized -- where he broke down, Christ stepped up to keep him going. Seeing such strength in believers going through the toughest trials of their lives makes people take notice. It points others to Christ. And it glorifies God.
Second, we may ask the Lord to show us how to use the trial for his glory. As pointed out above, God may be glorified simply through the demonstration of Christ's supernatural power working in our lives as we stand strong in the face of calamity that we could not face on our own. Or he may further use our trials to comfort others, to encourage others, to inspire others, or to provide a unique platform on which to share the gospel, for starters. Our trials today may not even be used for some time for God's purposes.
I remember as I write this the story of Nick Vujicic -- a man born with no arms and no legs. God has used him mightily to preach the gospel in parts of the world that the "typical" evangelist could not reach. Could God grow him some arms and legs? Yes. But instead of doing that, he's given Nick the power to accept his situation, the extra strength he needs day by day to keep moving forward and keep focused on the kingdom, and the wisdom to see how God is using his infirmity for His own glory.
It is the same way in many other stories. Young couples who lose their babies to disease that later start church support groups to help their brothers and sisters bear the same burden. Victims of various forms of abuse being able to empathize and talk on the same level with other similar victims and bring them the hope of Christ where others could not. People standing up for Christ in hostile lands and the cost of their lives who inspire the next generation of missionaries and strengthen the faith of all who hear their stories told. The list is virtually endless, but the method of operation is always the same -- the bad situation of today getting flipped around for good tomorrow.
So whatever we thorns of our own we are given, know that God has the power to remove them. Know also that he has his reasons for not doing so. We don't always know his plan and purpose for our lives. We don't always know what he's preparing us for in this life. We don't always know how he may use our hardships to further his kingdom and point people to Christ. But what we do know is that he is bigger than us, wiser than us, and that he loves us immensely. Our part is to seek his will for us, trusting that whatever he allows to happen in our lives is for a greater God-glorifying purpose that we may not be able to see this side of eternity. We just need to trust that he's in control and that he can see us through anything that comes our way.
Grace and Peace
Sunday, August 29, 2010
What Do We Worship
What do we worship? Who do we love?
Things of the world or the father above?
A million gods around us every day
Innocent snares that pull us away
Do we shout praise to Giants and Eagles, Bears and Kings?
Or is our attention devoted to less sporty things?
Do we make idols of work, cars, children, and home,
When our top concern is ours and our own?
Do we make much of the lives of men?
Enquiring of the Stars and fawning over them?
Do we go Gaga over a Lady who really is not?
Or droll over a Rock because we think he's hot?
Do we daydream of having great power and fame?
Or just get sucked into an endless array of games?
Do we pay homage to the needle or the bottle?
Or seek a thrill-a-minute life lived at full throttle?
Do we gather for worship together at the local mall?
Thinking of the new fashions, we've got to have them all?
Or do we seek to find true meaning far from home?
Believing that happiness lies closer the farther we roam?
Long ago from wood, stone, or silver, false gods were cast
We think they're ancient idols from days long past
What we so often completely fail to see
Are the gods today that tempt you and me
A million lay around us every single day
Everyone trying to pull us away
From the only one that will matter in the end
The one true God, our eternal best friend
Friends, there are so many things in this world that get between us and God -- and there is no one to blame but us. We are the ones who so often go chasing after things of this world, thinking in the end that they matter. But the saying is true. Only one life, and it will soon be past -- only what is done for Christ will last. We've been given great resources and gifts to be used for furthering God's kingdom, so let's use them! We must be wise with our money, and we must be wise with our time. The more we focus on mindless things to amuse us or get caught up in addictions that abuse us, the less we have to offer in service to God.
As I have heard a dear brother say recently, let us judge ourselves. We have a great measuring stick to compare our lives against, and that is God's Word. We may talk the talk, but let's compare against the Word to ensure we're walking the walk! Do we suppress our own freedoms in Christ for the sake of our brothers and sisters? Do we make the most of the time we have on this earth for the sake of the kingdom? Do we do our best to spiritually train our children and teach them to know, love, and serve the Lord Jesus Christ? These are just a few of the many questions we need to be asking ourselves as we compare our lifestyles against who we are called to be in Christ.
The measuring stick doesn't change and we don't stand still. Every day we're either shrinking or growing in comparison to it. Let us all strive to do the latter!
Grace and Peace
Things of the world or the father above?
A million gods around us every day
Innocent snares that pull us away
Do we shout praise to Giants and Eagles, Bears and Kings?
Or is our attention devoted to less sporty things?
Do we make idols of work, cars, children, and home,
When our top concern is ours and our own?
Do we make much of the lives of men?
Enquiring of the Stars and fawning over them?
Do we go Gaga over a Lady who really is not?
Or droll over a Rock because we think he's hot?
Do we daydream of having great power and fame?
Or just get sucked into an endless array of games?
Do we pay homage to the needle or the bottle?
Or seek a thrill-a-minute life lived at full throttle?
Do we gather for worship together at the local mall?
Thinking of the new fashions, we've got to have them all?
Or do we seek to find true meaning far from home?
Believing that happiness lies closer the farther we roam?
Long ago from wood, stone, or silver, false gods were cast
We think they're ancient idols from days long past
What we so often completely fail to see
Are the gods today that tempt you and me
A million lay around us every single day
Everyone trying to pull us away
From the only one that will matter in the end
The one true God, our eternal best friend
Friends, there are so many things in this world that get between us and God -- and there is no one to blame but us. We are the ones who so often go chasing after things of this world, thinking in the end that they matter. But the saying is true. Only one life, and it will soon be past -- only what is done for Christ will last. We've been given great resources and gifts to be used for furthering God's kingdom, so let's use them! We must be wise with our money, and we must be wise with our time. The more we focus on mindless things to amuse us or get caught up in addictions that abuse us, the less we have to offer in service to God.
As I have heard a dear brother say recently, let us judge ourselves. We have a great measuring stick to compare our lives against, and that is God's Word. We may talk the talk, but let's compare against the Word to ensure we're walking the walk! Do we suppress our own freedoms in Christ for the sake of our brothers and sisters? Do we make the most of the time we have on this earth for the sake of the kingdom? Do we do our best to spiritually train our children and teach them to know, love, and serve the Lord Jesus Christ? These are just a few of the many questions we need to be asking ourselves as we compare our lifestyles against who we are called to be in Christ.
The measuring stick doesn't change and we don't stand still. Every day we're either shrinking or growing in comparison to it. Let us all strive to do the latter!
Grace and Peace
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Who's Number One?
I suck.
Yeah, thanks for agreeing. But I suck for a particular reason today. First, let me tell you about my day. It sucked too. I got up early. I left quickly and got to work earlier than I have been. I stayed a little late and came home. But guess what I got done today? Nothing! Okay, at least nothing that was done efficiently and left me feeling my pay was justified today.
I put in some interview comments for someone I interviewed yesterday. That took a lot longer than I thought. I read through some FCC documents to figure out if something I implemented was done right. That took a lot longer than I thought. Then I phone interviewed someone. That took a lot longer than I thought. Then I put in some interview comments for that person. That took a lot longer than I thought. Then I documented some stuff I worked on. That took a lot longer than I thought. Then I left feeling both blah and unproductive. A day of inefficiency, yuck!
Later in the evening I realized my problem. Sin. End of post.
Okay, I'll elaborate since sin is big problem causer in all kinds of ways and copping out like that just doesn't help. I failed to mention that I started giving God the first part of my day in the Word. Technically not the very first part. Wake up, stretch, brush teeth, change, get some food, and then come to the Word. But still, its a special time of the morning to spend with the Lord, and the days I have done that have been great.
This morning, I blew it. I consciously decided to skip it in favor of getting to work early. I took my Bible with me thinking I'd read it outside at lunch, which I totally forgot about. I was also distracted on the way to work and didn't really get anything out of the preaching on K-Wave and didn't really spend any time with the Lord in prayer. God was far from my heart and far from my mind for the bulk of the day, and that was absolutely sinful. And, rightfully, my day sucked.
Never, ever, put other things before the Lord. That doesn't mean you have to make a hard rule to this or that every day, but when you willfully tell the Lord "Not now, I'll get to you later" it is a slap in the face and ALWAYS a bad idea.
Grace and Peace
Yeah, thanks for agreeing. But I suck for a particular reason today. First, let me tell you about my day. It sucked too. I got up early. I left quickly and got to work earlier than I have been. I stayed a little late and came home. But guess what I got done today? Nothing! Okay, at least nothing that was done efficiently and left me feeling my pay was justified today.
I put in some interview comments for someone I interviewed yesterday. That took a lot longer than I thought. I read through some FCC documents to figure out if something I implemented was done right. That took a lot longer than I thought. Then I phone interviewed someone. That took a lot longer than I thought. Then I put in some interview comments for that person. That took a lot longer than I thought. Then I documented some stuff I worked on. That took a lot longer than I thought. Then I left feeling both blah and unproductive. A day of inefficiency, yuck!
Later in the evening I realized my problem. Sin. End of post.
Okay, I'll elaborate since sin is big problem causer in all kinds of ways and copping out like that just doesn't help. I failed to mention that I started giving God the first part of my day in the Word. Technically not the very first part. Wake up, stretch, brush teeth, change, get some food, and then come to the Word. But still, its a special time of the morning to spend with the Lord, and the days I have done that have been great.
This morning, I blew it. I consciously decided to skip it in favor of getting to work early. I took my Bible with me thinking I'd read it outside at lunch, which I totally forgot about. I was also distracted on the way to work and didn't really get anything out of the preaching on K-Wave and didn't really spend any time with the Lord in prayer. God was far from my heart and far from my mind for the bulk of the day, and that was absolutely sinful. And, rightfully, my day sucked.
Never, ever, put other things before the Lord. That doesn't mean you have to make a hard rule to this or that every day, but when you willfully tell the Lord "Not now, I'll get to you later" it is a slap in the face and ALWAYS a bad idea.
Grace and Peace
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Be Ready
We have dogs.
When the dogs come to greet me when I get home, and have not peed on the floor -- there is a lot of tail wagging, standing up on two legs, tongue hanging, barking, whining, running around, and so on. Why? They are excited to see me.
When the dogs chew on something they are not supposed to or pee on the floor, do you know what they do? They get real low to the floor. They hang their heads in shame. They go into their boxes in the laundry room. They're not completely stupid. They're not completely without understanding. They know they've done badly and are in trouble.
I think perhaps people are both a lot smarter and a lot stupider than animals. Really! Consider the following:
How many people know the miracles of the Bible are true yet live like practical atheists?
How many people know they should put God first in their lives yet don't have evidence of it in their checkbook register or on their calendar?
How many people know the time is short and the days are evil, yet fritter it away on meaningless pursuits or sitting lethargic in front of the television watching shows about nothing?
How many people know they have a responsibility to teach the Word to their children, yet put far more importantce on after school sports or family game night?
A number of passages in the Bible carry the same theme -- be ready, be vigilant. The Lord could return at any moment. Are you prepared? It's a worthy question to think about -- what kind of reaction do you want to have when he returns? One where you hang your head in shame because you have known the Word but down a half baked job at best in keeping it? Or one where you are so excited you can't contain yourself?
Grace and Peace
When the dogs come to greet me when I get home, and have not peed on the floor -- there is a lot of tail wagging, standing up on two legs, tongue hanging, barking, whining, running around, and so on. Why? They are excited to see me.
When the dogs chew on something they are not supposed to or pee on the floor, do you know what they do? They get real low to the floor. They hang their heads in shame. They go into their boxes in the laundry room. They're not completely stupid. They're not completely without understanding. They know they've done badly and are in trouble.
I think perhaps people are both a lot smarter and a lot stupider than animals. Really! Consider the following:
How many people know the miracles of the Bible are true yet live like practical atheists?
How many people know they should put God first in their lives yet don't have evidence of it in their checkbook register or on their calendar?
How many people know the time is short and the days are evil, yet fritter it away on meaningless pursuits or sitting lethargic in front of the television watching shows about nothing?
How many people know they have a responsibility to teach the Word to their children, yet put far more importantce on after school sports or family game night?
A number of passages in the Bible carry the same theme -- be ready, be vigilant. The Lord could return at any moment. Are you prepared? It's a worthy question to think about -- what kind of reaction do you want to have when he returns? One where you hang your head in shame because you have known the Word but down a half baked job at best in keeping it? Or one where you are so excited you can't contain yourself?
Grace and Peace
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
You And Your Household
I love the account from the middle to the end of Acts 16, for a few reasons. There's a particular part of it that has more meaning to me these days than it has in the past. I'll share that in a minute, but first, here's the gist of the account.
Paul and Silas are in Phillipi. A slave girl with a spirit of divination (future telling) ends up following them around crying out about them. Paul finally gets fed up with her and casts out the demon. This is bad news for the slave girl's masters, because they were using her to make money. This ends up causing a ruckus; Paul and Silas get attacked, beaten, and thrown in jail. An earthquake busts up the jail so prisoners can escape, but Paul and Silas don't run away. They hang around and are used to convert the surprised jailer, telling him "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household."
Awesome story.
One thing I think is interesting is that Paul doesn't cast the demon out of the girl right away. That has some implications of its own I think, but that's now what has more meaning to me these days. Rather, its the last line, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household."
First, let's clear something up, because this trips some people up. You're not saved because of who you know, unless its Jesus Christ. Your mom's faith doesn't save you. Your dad's faith doesn't save you. Your brother or sister's faith doesn't save you. Each person's own relationship, or lack of it, with God through Christ is what saves them or condemns them.
That said, I look at that verse in the context of my own life and can only respond with praise and thanksgiving that I was saved at a time when my children were/are young enough to have a meaningful impact on their spiritual life and worldview.
What did my home look like before God saved me? There was no Bible reading or teaching that I am aware of. There was no church attendance despite the longing in my wife's heart, due to my own sinful stubbornness. There were no acts of serving the Lord by serving others. There was no mealtime or bedtime prayer. There was no desire to separate from the public school system and its exclusion of God and promotion of evolutionary nonsense. The list could go on, but I think you get the point!
After God saved me and transformed my heart and mind, various things in our home changed over time to be more focused on what the Lord would have us do. Now, don't get me wrong here -- this is not my doing for which I claim any credit. I am simply pointing out that Jamie and I needed to be of common mind and common focus when it comes to raising our children to know, love, and serve the Lord. That couldn't possilby happen when I was in bondage to sin and thinking I loved it.
In the context of the Phillipian jailer, I'm not sure exactly what Paul meant by his statement, but I can certainly see in my own life how the things of God begin to take over once the parents in the home are both committed to Christ and to raising godly children. So, for any similar type of situation, I can certainly understand how one could legitimately say to one or both parents "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household."
It is my prayer for any lost family and friends out there tonight, especially parents of young children, that they investigate the claims of Christianity, come to know the truth, and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ while they can still be a great influence on the lives of their kids!
Grace and Peace
Paul and Silas are in Phillipi. A slave girl with a spirit of divination (future telling) ends up following them around crying out about them. Paul finally gets fed up with her and casts out the demon. This is bad news for the slave girl's masters, because they were using her to make money. This ends up causing a ruckus; Paul and Silas get attacked, beaten, and thrown in jail. An earthquake busts up the jail so prisoners can escape, but Paul and Silas don't run away. They hang around and are used to convert the surprised jailer, telling him "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household."
Awesome story.
One thing I think is interesting is that Paul doesn't cast the demon out of the girl right away. That has some implications of its own I think, but that's now what has more meaning to me these days. Rather, its the last line, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household."
First, let's clear something up, because this trips some people up. You're not saved because of who you know, unless its Jesus Christ. Your mom's faith doesn't save you. Your dad's faith doesn't save you. Your brother or sister's faith doesn't save you. Each person's own relationship, or lack of it, with God through Christ is what saves them or condemns them.
That said, I look at that verse in the context of my own life and can only respond with praise and thanksgiving that I was saved at a time when my children were/are young enough to have a meaningful impact on their spiritual life and worldview.
What did my home look like before God saved me? There was no Bible reading or teaching that I am aware of. There was no church attendance despite the longing in my wife's heart, due to my own sinful stubbornness. There were no acts of serving the Lord by serving others. There was no mealtime or bedtime prayer. There was no desire to separate from the public school system and its exclusion of God and promotion of evolutionary nonsense. The list could go on, but I think you get the point!
After God saved me and transformed my heart and mind, various things in our home changed over time to be more focused on what the Lord would have us do. Now, don't get me wrong here -- this is not my doing for which I claim any credit. I am simply pointing out that Jamie and I needed to be of common mind and common focus when it comes to raising our children to know, love, and serve the Lord. That couldn't possilby happen when I was in bondage to sin and thinking I loved it.
In the context of the Phillipian jailer, I'm not sure exactly what Paul meant by his statement, but I can certainly see in my own life how the things of God begin to take over once the parents in the home are both committed to Christ and to raising godly children. So, for any similar type of situation, I can certainly understand how one could legitimately say to one or both parents "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household."
It is my prayer for any lost family and friends out there tonight, especially parents of young children, that they investigate the claims of Christianity, come to know the truth, and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ while they can still be a great influence on the lives of their kids!
Grace and Peace
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Give Well
What's behind our giving? Of time. Of money. Of things. Of whatever. There's a few good motives and a lot of bad ones.
Do we give because God wants us to give, but do it grudgingly? "Bah, they're asking for money again!" Would we rather spend the money on new toy for ourselves? Would we rather spend the time hanging out with friends, watching television, or playing sports? If that's your motive for giving something, keep it. God doesn't want it.
Do we give because we feel a sense of duty? "Well we're Christians so we better give; its the thing to do." Maybe we're not reluctant about it, but we're not fired up about it either. It's just another check box to tick off on our list of things to do to look like we're good little Christians keeping our i's dotted and t's crossed. If that's your motive for giving something, keep it. God doesn't want it.
Do we give because we feel guilty? "We have so much and they have so little. That's not cool. Let's give them something so we don't feel as bad." This one is probably most common in rich western cultures. We recognize there is an imbalance in the world and that we didn't end up with the short end of the stick. We have some recognition of where all that we have comes from and don't feel entitled, but we still squander it and know it. Giving is a way to suppress that feeling we don't like. If that's your motive for giving something, keep it. God doesn't want it.
Do we give because we don't want something bad to happen to us? "If I do this for God, then God will be nice to me." If we do this, what god do we think we worship? Some pantheistic God-is-everything nonsense? Some other false god in a false system that demands we "earn" salvation through good works? Do we actually think we can bribe God? If that's your motive for giving something, keep it. God doesn't want it.
Or do we have a real reason for giving? How about giving generously because God first gave to us so generously -- showing love because he first loved us? How about giving because we are so thankful that he paid a debt for us that we could never pay ourselves? When we give for these reasons, we give well.
I have given both out of proper motive (as far as I can tell anyway!) and wrong motive, and I can say with certainty that there is no reward, eternal or temporal, for any work done from a heart that isn't in the right place.
Give often, give much, and, most importantly, give well.
Grace and Peace
Do we give because God wants us to give, but do it grudgingly? "Bah, they're asking for money again!" Would we rather spend the money on new toy for ourselves? Would we rather spend the time hanging out with friends, watching television, or playing sports? If that's your motive for giving something, keep it. God doesn't want it.
Do we give because we feel a sense of duty? "Well we're Christians so we better give; its the thing to do." Maybe we're not reluctant about it, but we're not fired up about it either. It's just another check box to tick off on our list of things to do to look like we're good little Christians keeping our i's dotted and t's crossed. If that's your motive for giving something, keep it. God doesn't want it.
Do we give because we feel guilty? "We have so much and they have so little. That's not cool. Let's give them something so we don't feel as bad." This one is probably most common in rich western cultures. We recognize there is an imbalance in the world and that we didn't end up with the short end of the stick. We have some recognition of where all that we have comes from and don't feel entitled, but we still squander it and know it. Giving is a way to suppress that feeling we don't like. If that's your motive for giving something, keep it. God doesn't want it.
Do we give because we don't want something bad to happen to us? "If I do this for God, then God will be nice to me." If we do this, what god do we think we worship? Some pantheistic God-is-everything nonsense? Some other false god in a false system that demands we "earn" salvation through good works? Do we actually think we can bribe God? If that's your motive for giving something, keep it. God doesn't want it.
Or do we have a real reason for giving? How about giving generously because God first gave to us so generously -- showing love because he first loved us? How about giving because we are so thankful that he paid a debt for us that we could never pay ourselves? When we give for these reasons, we give well.
I have given both out of proper motive (as far as I can tell anyway!) and wrong motive, and I can say with certainty that there is no reward, eternal or temporal, for any work done from a heart that isn't in the right place.
Give often, give much, and, most importantly, give well.
Grace and Peace
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
The Primary Issue
I've observed something and learned something over time. Sometimes believers can get overly concerned about the behavior of non-believers. I can understand this, especially when the overt practicing of sin makes it more difficult to instill a proper worldview in my children or when other, particularly innocent, people get hurt as a result.
But when we get to the point where we challenge an unbeliever's actions or moral perspective only, maybe pointing out they don't line up with the Bible, I think we do the gospel a disservice. Think about the effect that has. What does it say to someone? I think the main thing it says is "You get to heaven by your own efforts in being good, but you're screwing it up." This inevitably leads to a response of "You just want to use that book to control how I live. Screw that."
Bummer. That's not the message. Behavior is a secondary issue. Yes, its important. Yes, the Bible tells us how we should live. However, that doesn't matter one bit for the person that hasn't dealt with the primary issue! And the primary issue is in the heart of man. We don't live up to our own standards, let alone God's infinitely higher ones. Changing our behavior on our own terms isn't going to help fix that. The only things that will help fix it is 1) agreeing with God's analysis of our condition -- we're broken sinful people that can't earn our way into his favor and 2) accepting his solution to the problem by placing our faith in Jesus Christ, recognizing that on the cross he took the punishment for our sins, paying a debt we could never pay.
So, for unbelievers who live together and are not married, there is only one solution
For unbelievers who practice homosexuality, there is only one solution.
For unbelievers who condone abortion, there is only one solution.
For unbelievers who railroad God out of school, there is only one solution.
For unbelievers who drunk themselves stupid every night, there is only one solution.
For unbelievers who waste their lives on trivial pursuits, there is only one solution.
The list could go on, but the one solution to all the bad behaviors we tend to get vocal about, and more, is Christ crucified. Period. That's it. We don't get our actions right and then come to Christ. Rather, we take care of the primary issue by coming to Christ as we are, in humility and faith, and then letting him do the cleaning up from the inside out -- bogus behavior on the outside vanishes when we have a new heart on the inside that wants nothing more than to live for Christ!
Grace and Peace
But when we get to the point where we challenge an unbeliever's actions or moral perspective only, maybe pointing out they don't line up with the Bible, I think we do the gospel a disservice. Think about the effect that has. What does it say to someone? I think the main thing it says is "You get to heaven by your own efforts in being good, but you're screwing it up." This inevitably leads to a response of "You just want to use that book to control how I live. Screw that."
Bummer. That's not the message. Behavior is a secondary issue. Yes, its important. Yes, the Bible tells us how we should live. However, that doesn't matter one bit for the person that hasn't dealt with the primary issue! And the primary issue is in the heart of man. We don't live up to our own standards, let alone God's infinitely higher ones. Changing our behavior on our own terms isn't going to help fix that. The only things that will help fix it is 1) agreeing with God's analysis of our condition -- we're broken sinful people that can't earn our way into his favor and 2) accepting his solution to the problem by placing our faith in Jesus Christ, recognizing that on the cross he took the punishment for our sins, paying a debt we could never pay.
So, for unbelievers who live together and are not married, there is only one solution
For unbelievers who practice homosexuality, there is only one solution.
For unbelievers who condone abortion, there is only one solution.
For unbelievers who railroad God out of school, there is only one solution.
For unbelievers who drunk themselves stupid every night, there is only one solution.
For unbelievers who waste their lives on trivial pursuits, there is only one solution.
The list could go on, but the one solution to all the bad behaviors we tend to get vocal about, and more, is Christ crucified. Period. That's it. We don't get our actions right and then come to Christ. Rather, we take care of the primary issue by coming to Christ as we are, in humility and faith, and then letting him do the cleaning up from the inside out -- bogus behavior on the outside vanishes when we have a new heart on the inside that wants nothing more than to live for Christ!
Grace and Peace
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Jesus Christ, Problem Solver
I wrote a little while back about Jesus being "the way" and not "a way". I want to revisit that, because I love the way it was put by a man interviewed in the "Case for Faith" video by Lee Strobel: "Jesus is the only way because he's the only one who solved the problem."
Absolutely. Wait, what problem?
The problem of sin. In other words, not doing what God wants us to do -- not living up to his standards. Heck, we don't even live up to our own standards of how we want to be, let alone God's much higher ones. That's not just something we pull out of the Bible, its obvious in our daily lives. We have innate feelings about what is right and what is wrong in many situations. Often we want to do what we know is the right thing, yet we choose to do the wrong thing anyway and then we feel bad about it. Sometimes we purposefully choose the wrong thing and think we are happy about that choice, but we still know we chose the wrong thing.
That's one aspect of sin, and its our biggest problem.
Why? Well, look what it does. It wrecks relationships. When we choose to do the wrong thing, we hurt people directly or indirectly, and the relationships with the people we've hurt are weakened or destroyed completely. Maybe we think we don't care about those relationships. That's an excuse, because if we look deep down, we all know that we should care about other people because it is right to do so.
Not only does sin wreck our relationship with each other, it wrecks our relationship with God.
To see this pretty easily whether you believe the Bible or not, just think of it from a parent/child point of view. Jamie and I are parents. We're bigger and stronger and wiser than our kids. We're in charge of the home, not the kids. So say one girls starts doing something they know inside is wrong and ends up hurting the other. Do you think we're going to let that slide? Heck no. Is everything just peachy keen between my girls and I at home at that time? Heck no. She's busted and goes to timeout at a minimum. There has to be justice.
Now, here's the kicker. There's no external action she can take to fix it. Being nice for the rest of the day won't do it. Making me cookies won't do it, despite how much I like cookies. Excusing her actions and arguing about it certainly won't do it. No, the relationship is only good to go again when she realizes she's done wrong and fesses up to it -- and then I as a parent, out of love, extend forgiveness to her. Justice gives way to mercy.
And so it is with us and God. But that's where the analogy ends. Take what we have as parents -- standards, just consequences for violating them, love, mercy, forgiveness, and so on -- and extend them out to infinity. Now what do you have? You have a perfect God with perfect standards who is perfectly just and perfectly merciful. That's another problem from one point of view. You've got the perfect justice of God who will in the end punish all wrongdoers -- and we are all wrongdoers. And you've got the perfect mercy of God who will forgive all wrongdoers who come to him in repentance -- humbly recognizing their state as sinners who cannot be right with him on their own terms, desiring to turning away from their sins to him and receive forgiveness.
How do you resolve these two opposing traits of perfect justice and perfect mercy? We can't, but God can. That's where Jesus comes in. He is God become a man, the God-man if you will -- come to earth to die on a cross as a payment for our sins. In other words, he didn't just experience the physical pain of crucifixion itself -- he bore the full weight of the punishment for all our sins himself. In one act he satisfied the perfect justice of God and showed us the perfect mercy of God. No man could ever do anything that, so God took care of it himself.
That is why Jesus is the one who solved the problem, and the only one who ever could solve it. That is why Jesus is the only name under heaven by which men can be saved. That is why we all need to turn to him, trust in him, and ask him to come live in us and change us from the inside out.
Grace and Peace
Absolutely. Wait, what problem?
The problem of sin. In other words, not doing what God wants us to do -- not living up to his standards. Heck, we don't even live up to our own standards of how we want to be, let alone God's much higher ones. That's not just something we pull out of the Bible, its obvious in our daily lives. We have innate feelings about what is right and what is wrong in many situations. Often we want to do what we know is the right thing, yet we choose to do the wrong thing anyway and then we feel bad about it. Sometimes we purposefully choose the wrong thing and think we are happy about that choice, but we still know we chose the wrong thing.
That's one aspect of sin, and its our biggest problem.
Why? Well, look what it does. It wrecks relationships. When we choose to do the wrong thing, we hurt people directly or indirectly, and the relationships with the people we've hurt are weakened or destroyed completely. Maybe we think we don't care about those relationships. That's an excuse, because if we look deep down, we all know that we should care about other people because it is right to do so.
Not only does sin wreck our relationship with each other, it wrecks our relationship with God.
To see this pretty easily whether you believe the Bible or not, just think of it from a parent/child point of view. Jamie and I are parents. We're bigger and stronger and wiser than our kids. We're in charge of the home, not the kids. So say one girls starts doing something they know inside is wrong and ends up hurting the other. Do you think we're going to let that slide? Heck no. Is everything just peachy keen between my girls and I at home at that time? Heck no. She's busted and goes to timeout at a minimum. There has to be justice.
Now, here's the kicker. There's no external action she can take to fix it. Being nice for the rest of the day won't do it. Making me cookies won't do it, despite how much I like cookies. Excusing her actions and arguing about it certainly won't do it. No, the relationship is only good to go again when she realizes she's done wrong and fesses up to it -- and then I as a parent, out of love, extend forgiveness to her. Justice gives way to mercy.
And so it is with us and God. But that's where the analogy ends. Take what we have as parents -- standards, just consequences for violating them, love, mercy, forgiveness, and so on -- and extend them out to infinity. Now what do you have? You have a perfect God with perfect standards who is perfectly just and perfectly merciful. That's another problem from one point of view. You've got the perfect justice of God who will in the end punish all wrongdoers -- and we are all wrongdoers. And you've got the perfect mercy of God who will forgive all wrongdoers who come to him in repentance -- humbly recognizing their state as sinners who cannot be right with him on their own terms, desiring to turning away from their sins to him and receive forgiveness.
How do you resolve these two opposing traits of perfect justice and perfect mercy? We can't, but God can. That's where Jesus comes in. He is God become a man, the God-man if you will -- come to earth to die on a cross as a payment for our sins. In other words, he didn't just experience the physical pain of crucifixion itself -- he bore the full weight of the punishment for all our sins himself. In one act he satisfied the perfect justice of God and showed us the perfect mercy of God. No man could ever do anything that, so God took care of it himself.
That is why Jesus is the one who solved the problem, and the only one who ever could solve it. That is why Jesus is the only name under heaven by which men can be saved. That is why we all need to turn to him, trust in him, and ask him to come live in us and change us from the inside out.
Grace and Peace
Friday, July 16, 2010
Division In The Body
Regarding the Bible, does every passage have one intended meaning? Yes. Is there one absolute truth? Yes.
However, we, as mere humans, interpret all input, period. To deny that is a lie. We interpret what we read, hear, feel, think, and so on, through the lens of our own experiences, cultural background, prior understanding of words and ideas, assumptions made beforehand about the input, etc.
That interpretation, that we all do whether we admit it or not, includes the reading of scripture. Some claim that you can do a "pure literal reading" of scripture. You cannot. You bring baggage into it. Many people claim to just "read the text" and that it has been illuminated by the Holy Spirit, yet across those many people, they do not come to the same conclusions on a myriad of points. That is because we often make a mistake thinking that our own understanding is actually the Holy Spirit's intent. When we go there, we of course think we are absolutely right, and everyone else who doesn't agree is, therefore, wrong.
Look at the different opinions about end times. Pre-trib this and post-trib that. At least four major categories if I remember regarding the timing of the rapture and the reign of Christ. People brought baggage with them to come up with those different views as well. Again, they cannot all be right. They may all be wrong, but they cannot all be right.
So what is to be done about it? Well, we can try to learn to do better exegesis and also recognize how our prejudice's and assumptions are influencing our reading of the Bible. That takes some dedication and a measure of humility. But, even doing that as best and prayerfully as we can, in the end, many will still disagree on many things -- each thinking he is right and others are not. Maybe not on all points, but on some.
Hence, division. Disagreements are fine, but when we take them personally, they become points of contention. We argue and then split over non-essential issues. To be clear, I'm not talking about splits because a group intentionally twists the Word of God for their own agenda, or groups led by wolves who want to fleece God's flock, or any such thing. I'm talking about splits between genuine followers of Jesus Christ over things that, while possibly interesting, have no bearing on who Jesus is or what he did for us on the cross -- such as the age of the earth, mode of baptism, the sovereignty of God versus man's choice in salvation, church structure, etc. We can all think what we want about these things, but they have nothing to do with Christ crucified, coming to him in faith, or being transformed by him.
Division in the body is not a "I hold the absolute truth of the Bible and you don't" issue, despite those who really do think they hold the absolute truth of the Bible and everyone else is off in the weeds. No, much division comes from the honest differences of opinion of godly, but flawed, people each seeking to keep to what God's Word says -- people that, while divided on minor issues, can remain united in their faith in their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and treat each other with, above all, love.
Grace and Peace
However, we, as mere humans, interpret all input, period. To deny that is a lie. We interpret what we read, hear, feel, think, and so on, through the lens of our own experiences, cultural background, prior understanding of words and ideas, assumptions made beforehand about the input, etc.
That interpretation, that we all do whether we admit it or not, includes the reading of scripture. Some claim that you can do a "pure literal reading" of scripture. You cannot. You bring baggage into it. Many people claim to just "read the text" and that it has been illuminated by the Holy Spirit, yet across those many people, they do not come to the same conclusions on a myriad of points. That is because we often make a mistake thinking that our own understanding is actually the Holy Spirit's intent. When we go there, we of course think we are absolutely right, and everyone else who doesn't agree is, therefore, wrong.
Look at the different opinions about end times. Pre-trib this and post-trib that. At least four major categories if I remember regarding the timing of the rapture and the reign of Christ. People brought baggage with them to come up with those different views as well. Again, they cannot all be right. They may all be wrong, but they cannot all be right.
So what is to be done about it? Well, we can try to learn to do better exegesis and also recognize how our prejudice's and assumptions are influencing our reading of the Bible. That takes some dedication and a measure of humility. But, even doing that as best and prayerfully as we can, in the end, many will still disagree on many things -- each thinking he is right and others are not. Maybe not on all points, but on some.
Hence, division. Disagreements are fine, but when we take them personally, they become points of contention. We argue and then split over non-essential issues. To be clear, I'm not talking about splits because a group intentionally twists the Word of God for their own agenda, or groups led by wolves who want to fleece God's flock, or any such thing. I'm talking about splits between genuine followers of Jesus Christ over things that, while possibly interesting, have no bearing on who Jesus is or what he did for us on the cross -- such as the age of the earth, mode of baptism, the sovereignty of God versus man's choice in salvation, church structure, etc. We can all think what we want about these things, but they have nothing to do with Christ crucified, coming to him in faith, or being transformed by him.
Division in the body is not a "I hold the absolute truth of the Bible and you don't" issue, despite those who really do think they hold the absolute truth of the Bible and everyone else is off in the weeds. No, much division comes from the honest differences of opinion of godly, but flawed, people each seeking to keep to what God's Word says -- people that, while divided on minor issues, can remain united in their faith in their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and treat each other with, above all, love.
Grace and Peace
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
God And Suffering?
Life is very hard at times, but God’s got our back.
God loves us. Don’t be fooled into thinking that God is not loving because of the trials we face. What parent does not allow their child to suffer a little to prepare him for what is to come? A young child does not understand why a doctor gives him a painful shot, yet it is for his own good. It is the same with the suffering that God allows us to experience. We don’t understand it at the time – and maybe we never will in this age. We just need to trust, just like a child, that God knows what he is doing when he allows us to face difficulty and pain in life.
God gets our pain. Whatever pain we may be going through, God understands it. The fullness of God dwelt in his Son Jesus Christ. He endured hunger, thirst, temptation, shame, persecution, nakedness, bereavement, betrayal, mockery, injustice, and death. On top of that, he also bore God’s wrath against sin on the cross so that we don’t have to face it ourselves. That is the ultimate in suffering! God doesn’t just understand our suffering from a distance; he experienced more of it firsthand than we ever will, and He knows deeply about whatever it is we face in life.
God gives us hope. Man’s abuse of the free choice God gave us – sin – brought, and continues to bring, suffering in this world, which in turn lets us see and experience the horrible effects of sin. But there is immeasurable hope to be found in the cross of Jesus Christ. He conquered sin and death, and, as God’s eternal Son, he’s the only one capable of doing so. Through Christ, God gives us a way to be free from the power of sin in our lives today and free from the presence of sin in the world to come. Apart from Christ, there is no hope.
God shows us grace. Really we deserve nothing from God. We’re His creatures, and we’re sinners who fall short of His glory. We deserve nothing, yet, despite whatever pain is in our lives in this age, we still have life and breath and many other good things. We deserve nothing, yet we will have everlasting joy if we are in Christ. That begins with sincerely admitting we are sinners incapable of saving ourselves, truly believing Jesus Christ died on the cross as payment for our sins, and really choosing to turn away from our sin and follow Him.
He lives, he loves, he understands, and he offers the greatest gift in the world, free of charge. God rocks.
Grace and Peace
God loves us. Don’t be fooled into thinking that God is not loving because of the trials we face. What parent does not allow their child to suffer a little to prepare him for what is to come? A young child does not understand why a doctor gives him a painful shot, yet it is for his own good. It is the same with the suffering that God allows us to experience. We don’t understand it at the time – and maybe we never will in this age. We just need to trust, just like a child, that God knows what he is doing when he allows us to face difficulty and pain in life.
God gets our pain. Whatever pain we may be going through, God understands it. The fullness of God dwelt in his Son Jesus Christ. He endured hunger, thirst, temptation, shame, persecution, nakedness, bereavement, betrayal, mockery, injustice, and death. On top of that, he also bore God’s wrath against sin on the cross so that we don’t have to face it ourselves. That is the ultimate in suffering! God doesn’t just understand our suffering from a distance; he experienced more of it firsthand than we ever will, and He knows deeply about whatever it is we face in life.
God gives us hope. Man’s abuse of the free choice God gave us – sin – brought, and continues to bring, suffering in this world, which in turn lets us see and experience the horrible effects of sin. But there is immeasurable hope to be found in the cross of Jesus Christ. He conquered sin and death, and, as God’s eternal Son, he’s the only one capable of doing so. Through Christ, God gives us a way to be free from the power of sin in our lives today and free from the presence of sin in the world to come. Apart from Christ, there is no hope.
God shows us grace. Really we deserve nothing from God. We’re His creatures, and we’re sinners who fall short of His glory. We deserve nothing, yet, despite whatever pain is in our lives in this age, we still have life and breath and many other good things. We deserve nothing, yet we will have everlasting joy if we are in Christ. That begins with sincerely admitting we are sinners incapable of saving ourselves, truly believing Jesus Christ died on the cross as payment for our sins, and really choosing to turn away from our sin and follow Him.
He lives, he loves, he understands, and he offers the greatest gift in the world, free of charge. God rocks.
Grace and Peace
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
The Way
Props to Brian Broderson for his exposition on John 14:6 that led to this post.
There are plenty of destinations in which there is only one way to get there. Heaven is one of them, for Jesus said "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." He didn't say "a way," he said "the way," period.
Now this idea that Jesus is the only way to heaven makes a lot of people mad. Many think Christians are narrow minded for believing this. Well, then, I suppose we are. If being open minded means denying what the Bible says or not believing it, then narrow minded is the correct choice. But let's at least give a good reason for that choice instead of reiterating the bold statement and leaving it there, as if we're trying to exclude people from God's kingdom.
Look at the history side of it. Jesus isn't just some fast talking carpenter dude who showed up 2000 years ago and said "hey everybody, jump on my bandwagon." No way. He came in fulfillment of thousands of years of prophecy prior to being born on earth, and he came for a specific purpose.
With that in mind, go all the way back the beginning, to the first man and woman. God created mankind to be in fellowship with him. He gave that first pair of people a specific command to follow, told them the consequences of disobeying, and they blew it. That's the sort of thing that happens when you give people choice instead of making them robots. So this one act brought sin into the world and sin brought death into the world. No worries, God promised a redeemer who would come and deal with this quite large problem. The Biblical record shows the line of that redeemer get narrowed down to Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Judah, and king David. Years later, Jesus, of the line of David, is born on earth. He is the redeemer promised to the first man and woman so long ago.
What about his purpose in coming? That first pair of people sinned. That's bad. Fellowship with God was broken. They felt shame for their sin, as shown by their reaction to their nakedness that they hadn't noticed before. They attempted to cover their shame with sewed together leaves, but that wouldn't do. God instead clothed them with the skins of animals, showing that blood had to be shed to cover sin. That theme of atonement for sin wove its way into so many ancient cultures in different ways for so long until foolish philosophies like atheism showed up. Why? Because it goes all the way back to the first man and woman. Its wired in us. In the line of people from which our redeemer was to come, there was a priesthood setup where animals were sacrificed to cover the sins of the people so the could be in fellowship with God -- a lesson to show that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. The final act of atonement took place when Jesus, God incarnate, willingly gave his life up on the cross.
This is why there is one way. Jesus, and only Jesus, is the one and only promised redeemer who dealt with sin himself, restoring our fellowship with God. Through him, all can be saved, and those who come to him in repentance, are.
Grace and Peace
There are plenty of destinations in which there is only one way to get there. Heaven is one of them, for Jesus said "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." He didn't say "a way," he said "the way," period.
Now this idea that Jesus is the only way to heaven makes a lot of people mad. Many think Christians are narrow minded for believing this. Well, then, I suppose we are. If being open minded means denying what the Bible says or not believing it, then narrow minded is the correct choice. But let's at least give a good reason for that choice instead of reiterating the bold statement and leaving it there, as if we're trying to exclude people from God's kingdom.
Look at the history side of it. Jesus isn't just some fast talking carpenter dude who showed up 2000 years ago and said "hey everybody, jump on my bandwagon." No way. He came in fulfillment of thousands of years of prophecy prior to being born on earth, and he came for a specific purpose.
With that in mind, go all the way back the beginning, to the first man and woman. God created mankind to be in fellowship with him. He gave that first pair of people a specific command to follow, told them the consequences of disobeying, and they blew it. That's the sort of thing that happens when you give people choice instead of making them robots. So this one act brought sin into the world and sin brought death into the world. No worries, God promised a redeemer who would come and deal with this quite large problem. The Biblical record shows the line of that redeemer get narrowed down to Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Judah, and king David. Years later, Jesus, of the line of David, is born on earth. He is the redeemer promised to the first man and woman so long ago.
What about his purpose in coming? That first pair of people sinned. That's bad. Fellowship with God was broken. They felt shame for their sin, as shown by their reaction to their nakedness that they hadn't noticed before. They attempted to cover their shame with sewed together leaves, but that wouldn't do. God instead clothed them with the skins of animals, showing that blood had to be shed to cover sin. That theme of atonement for sin wove its way into so many ancient cultures in different ways for so long until foolish philosophies like atheism showed up. Why? Because it goes all the way back to the first man and woman. Its wired in us. In the line of people from which our redeemer was to come, there was a priesthood setup where animals were sacrificed to cover the sins of the people so the could be in fellowship with God -- a lesson to show that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. The final act of atonement took place when Jesus, God incarnate, willingly gave his life up on the cross.
This is why there is one way. Jesus, and only Jesus, is the one and only promised redeemer who dealt with sin himself, restoring our fellowship with God. Through him, all can be saved, and those who come to him in repentance, are.
Grace and Peace
Monday, July 12, 2010
The Story Of My Life
I've shared the story of what God has done in my life with various people, but I want everyone who happens across this to know the saving power of Christ. This is the story of my life from childhood until this moment.
I grew up going to a church that taught things not found in the pages of the Bible. I went to service. I went to Sunday school. I memorized prayers. I learned some of the stories from the Bible. But I never really got it. Church was stuffy and boring. I didn't feel the love of God when I went there, and as I reached my teenage years, I just stopped going. I walked away with the idea in the back of my mind that there's a God and all you need to do to be with him in heaven one day is lead a “good” life.
Boy was I wrong, I just didn't know it yet.
Fast forward through high school and college. I had a "good" job, a "good" wife, and a "good" family. I was a "good" dad. Life was "good" and so was I. No problem, right?
Wrong.
On the outside I looked "good" and my life looked like there was nothing wrong at all. Except on the inside I was a mess. I didn't know it most of the time, but I was. I was looking for happiness in all the wrong places. What I didn't realize then is that you can't find true lasting joy in anything of this world. No matter where or how hard I looked, nothing would satisfy.
Then, for no reason that I could figure out at the time, I started listening to various speakers, preachers, and teachers talk about God and the Bible. The more I listened to them, the more I was interested. I learned about things that I was totally ignorant of so many years ago. I learned that God's creation was spoiled when man first disobeyed him, bringing sin and death into the world. I learned that man's big problem from that point on was that we had a sinful nature bent on rebelling against God, and had the evidence in my life to prove it. I learned that a cost must be paid for our sins. I learned that God promised a savior to deal with this problem. I learned that God fulfilled that promise through Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead. I learned that Jesus will come back one day to judge the world.
Most importantly, I learned that spending eternity in God's presence was not something that happened by being "good" -- but rather by putting my faith in Jesus Christ -- trusting that his death on the cross paid the price for my sins once and for all, and making him lord of my life.
I had a lot of knowledge at this point. I came to believe that the Bible was true and that I needed to turn to Jesus, but I still wasn't doing anything about it. Until one day when God opened my eyes even more. He showed me that if I walked through life in this state, my children would not grow up knowing about him at all. That was something I could not accept. At home that very night I got on my knees and admitted to Jesus that I was a terrible sinner and that I needed him desperately to save me.
Now for the most amazing part. He did. And he did it in such a way that there was no doubt it was real. I had the strangest warm sensation inside for a few days after. Fear and worry were replaced with peace and joy. I was no longer bent on rebelling against God through my sinful, selfish, lifestyle. I wanted nothing more than to know him more, love him more, and serve him more.
Since that time I have grown to know the Lord more and more and have read his word more and more. I see evidence that he saved me in my own life and in the lives of my children, who genuinely love God and are excited to go to church to learn more about him and worship him. That is something I have never experienced until I gave my life to Jesus.
That's where I am today -- loving and serving my savior and my lord, Jesus. I know without a doubt that Jesus saved my life for eternity. If he has done the same for you, that is so awesome! Keep trusting in him to the end, for this world is only a vapor that is here today and gone tomorrow – the eternal promises of Christ to come are so wonderful. If you don’t know Jesus yet, I pray that he work in your heart and transform it – the peace and joy and hope he brings is so much better than anything this world can offer.
Grace and peace my friend; may God be with you always, watching, protecting, and guiding you through this life!
I grew up going to a church that taught things not found in the pages of the Bible. I went to service. I went to Sunday school. I memorized prayers. I learned some of the stories from the Bible. But I never really got it. Church was stuffy and boring. I didn't feel the love of God when I went there, and as I reached my teenage years, I just stopped going. I walked away with the idea in the back of my mind that there's a God and all you need to do to be with him in heaven one day is lead a “good” life.
Boy was I wrong, I just didn't know it yet.
Fast forward through high school and college. I had a "good" job, a "good" wife, and a "good" family. I was a "good" dad. Life was "good" and so was I. No problem, right?
Wrong.
On the outside I looked "good" and my life looked like there was nothing wrong at all. Except on the inside I was a mess. I didn't know it most of the time, but I was. I was looking for happiness in all the wrong places. What I didn't realize then is that you can't find true lasting joy in anything of this world. No matter where or how hard I looked, nothing would satisfy.
Then, for no reason that I could figure out at the time, I started listening to various speakers, preachers, and teachers talk about God and the Bible. The more I listened to them, the more I was interested. I learned about things that I was totally ignorant of so many years ago. I learned that God's creation was spoiled when man first disobeyed him, bringing sin and death into the world. I learned that man's big problem from that point on was that we had a sinful nature bent on rebelling against God, and had the evidence in my life to prove it. I learned that a cost must be paid for our sins. I learned that God promised a savior to deal with this problem. I learned that God fulfilled that promise through Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead. I learned that Jesus will come back one day to judge the world.
Most importantly, I learned that spending eternity in God's presence was not something that happened by being "good" -- but rather by putting my faith in Jesus Christ -- trusting that his death on the cross paid the price for my sins once and for all, and making him lord of my life.
I had a lot of knowledge at this point. I came to believe that the Bible was true and that I needed to turn to Jesus, but I still wasn't doing anything about it. Until one day when God opened my eyes even more. He showed me that if I walked through life in this state, my children would not grow up knowing about him at all. That was something I could not accept. At home that very night I got on my knees and admitted to Jesus that I was a terrible sinner and that I needed him desperately to save me.
Now for the most amazing part. He did. And he did it in such a way that there was no doubt it was real. I had the strangest warm sensation inside for a few days after. Fear and worry were replaced with peace and joy. I was no longer bent on rebelling against God through my sinful, selfish, lifestyle. I wanted nothing more than to know him more, love him more, and serve him more.
Since that time I have grown to know the Lord more and more and have read his word more and more. I see evidence that he saved me in my own life and in the lives of my children, who genuinely love God and are excited to go to church to learn more about him and worship him. That is something I have never experienced until I gave my life to Jesus.
That's where I am today -- loving and serving my savior and my lord, Jesus. I know without a doubt that Jesus saved my life for eternity. If he has done the same for you, that is so awesome! Keep trusting in him to the end, for this world is only a vapor that is here today and gone tomorrow – the eternal promises of Christ to come are so wonderful. If you don’t know Jesus yet, I pray that he work in your heart and transform it – the peace and joy and hope he brings is so much better than anything this world can offer.
Grace and peace my friend; may God be with you always, watching, protecting, and guiding you through this life!
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Don't Waste Your Life
From a book I just picked up by John Piper (don't waste your life -- haven't cracked it open yet):
"I will tell you what a tragedy is. I will show you how to waster your life. Consider this story from the February 1998 Reader's Digest: A couple 'took early retirement from their jobs in the Northeast five years ago when he was 59 and she was 51. Now they live in Punta Gorda, Florida, where they cruise on their 30-foot trawler, play softball and collect shells...' Picture them before Christ at the great day of judgment: 'Look, Lord. See my shells.' That is a tragedy."
"God created us to live with a single passion: to joyfully display his supreme excellence in all the spheres of life. The wasted life is the life without this passion. God calls us to pray and think and dream and plan and work not to be made much of, but to make much of him in every part of our lives."
I look forward to the read.
Hear the Word and live the Word!
Grace and Peace
"I will tell you what a tragedy is. I will show you how to waster your life. Consider this story from the February 1998 Reader's Digest: A couple 'took early retirement from their jobs in the Northeast five years ago when he was 59 and she was 51. Now they live in Punta Gorda, Florida, where they cruise on their 30-foot trawler, play softball and collect shells...' Picture them before Christ at the great day of judgment: 'Look, Lord. See my shells.' That is a tragedy."
"God created us to live with a single passion: to joyfully display his supreme excellence in all the spheres of life. The wasted life is the life without this passion. God calls us to pray and think and dream and plan and work not to be made much of, but to make much of him in every part of our lives."
I look forward to the read.
Hear the Word and live the Word!
Grace and Peace
Thursday, July 1, 2010
The Born Again Experience
Sounds like a band name. I searched for others' descriptions of being born again of the spirit of God and came across this link first:
http://www.gospeldistribution.org/tracts/t_born.htm
This section describes what happened in my own life, about two years ago, so wonderfully.
It's a miracle which Jesus gives to everyone that accepts him as the Lord and only Savior. Just like he heals the lame legs and blind eyes, he also will touch the heart and mind supernaturally and set us free from sinful desires without which we cannot do right every time, and without which we cannot enter the kingdom of God.
When you are born again by the Spirit of God, you will immediately have love and desire to live right. You will begin to see clearly why some habits which are declared by the Bible to be sinful are sinful. You will have a changed heart to hate those habits and love to read the Bible and to know more about Jesus and the kingdom of God. In fact, when you have the 'born-again' experience, there will be in you a change of ideas about life, a change of taste for habits, a change of ambitions now to please God henceforth, and a change of desire. Your heart and mind will be free from guilt and from sin as the Lord removes the demons away from you, which also will free you from many diseases. It's as if your long-broken phone line now comes alive again. What a joy as you can henceforth dial out and receive calls -- direct connection with the Father. For it is truly that Jesus Christ said 'I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by me.' It is only by accepting Jesus Christ as the only Savior, and asking him for the 'born-again' experience that you can enter heaven, and live again forever with God in the new world to come.
That was exactly it. I remember the night when it happened clearly enough -- it was the night I realized who I was before a mighty and holy God, and that what the Bible says about his Son Jesus is true.
I also remember the lack of desire for the sinful things my old nature desired and a strong desire to feed on the Word through preaching and soak in all I could. I got things wrong, but God showed me where I needed to change and helped me to grow. I was ignorant of much of the Bible, but I wanted to learn more. I still stumbled and fell into sin, but it ripped me up inside when I did.
I know exactly what this inside-out transformation feels like and didn't have the words to articulate it. The above description is good, but nothing can really describe the experience adequately. You just have to have it, like Saul, later Paul, being blinded by the light and having his life flipped around and rearranged!
Despite how wonderful it was, recalling this experience has me perplexed now and again. Knowing what I felt and the drastic change in my life at that moment in time, I have something to solidly fall back on to remind me of the exact day that I was delivered out of my bondage and given a new and abundant life through Jesus Christ. I've talked to a believer, maybe a few, who have had the same type of experience. But interestingly many who profess Christ have not, and that's what perplexes me. If someone is indeed born again of the Spirit of God, shouldn't there be a distinct marker in the road of their life for when it happened, splitting that life into two parts? Before Christ and In Christ? Maybe not a memorable one for children who grew up knowing God all their lives, but for adults, I would think there would be.
Whether this is an expected occurrence or not for all born again believers, I praise my God and Father for it, and for the new life he has given me!
Grace and Peace
http://www.gospeldistribution.org/tracts/t_born.htm
This section describes what happened in my own life, about two years ago, so wonderfully.
It's a miracle which Jesus gives to everyone that accepts him as the Lord and only Savior. Just like he heals the lame legs and blind eyes, he also will touch the heart and mind supernaturally and set us free from sinful desires without which we cannot do right every time, and without which we cannot enter the kingdom of God.
When you are born again by the Spirit of God, you will immediately have love and desire to live right. You will begin to see clearly why some habits which are declared by the Bible to be sinful are sinful. You will have a changed heart to hate those habits and love to read the Bible and to know more about Jesus and the kingdom of God. In fact, when you have the 'born-again' experience, there will be in you a change of ideas about life, a change of taste for habits, a change of ambitions now to please God henceforth, and a change of desire. Your heart and mind will be free from guilt and from sin as the Lord removes the demons away from you, which also will free you from many diseases. It's as if your long-broken phone line now comes alive again. What a joy as you can henceforth dial out and receive calls -- direct connection with the Father. For it is truly that Jesus Christ said 'I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by me.' It is only by accepting Jesus Christ as the only Savior, and asking him for the 'born-again' experience that you can enter heaven, and live again forever with God in the new world to come.
That was exactly it. I remember the night when it happened clearly enough -- it was the night I realized who I was before a mighty and holy God, and that what the Bible says about his Son Jesus is true.
I also remember the lack of desire for the sinful things my old nature desired and a strong desire to feed on the Word through preaching and soak in all I could. I got things wrong, but God showed me where I needed to change and helped me to grow. I was ignorant of much of the Bible, but I wanted to learn more. I still stumbled and fell into sin, but it ripped me up inside when I did.
I know exactly what this inside-out transformation feels like and didn't have the words to articulate it. The above description is good, but nothing can really describe the experience adequately. You just have to have it, like Saul, later Paul, being blinded by the light and having his life flipped around and rearranged!
Despite how wonderful it was, recalling this experience has me perplexed now and again. Knowing what I felt and the drastic change in my life at that moment in time, I have something to solidly fall back on to remind me of the exact day that I was delivered out of my bondage and given a new and abundant life through Jesus Christ. I've talked to a believer, maybe a few, who have had the same type of experience. But interestingly many who profess Christ have not, and that's what perplexes me. If someone is indeed born again of the Spirit of God, shouldn't there be a distinct marker in the road of their life for when it happened, splitting that life into two parts? Before Christ and In Christ? Maybe not a memorable one for children who grew up knowing God all their lives, but for adults, I would think there would be.
Whether this is an expected occurrence or not for all born again believers, I praise my God and Father for it, and for the new life he has given me!
Grace and Peace
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