The Preaching of the Word

“Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness,
in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began
and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior;” (Titus 1:1-3, ESV)
Preaching. To many, the word itself evokes memories of long-winded sermons, often addressing things which the listener does not relate to or thinks are unimportant. Some believe that the practice was a later addition to the liturgy of the early church and therefore of no consequence. It is regularly discarded as being archaic, not a proper approach to people. On the other hand, there are those who use the practice to pound into the minds of any who will listen, their particular beliefs, their hobbies, their schisms, whatever it is that they are selling. Politicians are very good at this and often use the “bully pulpit” to abuse the powers given them by the people who brought them to office. Preaching carries a negative connotation in our day.
Have you ever noticed when reading the Bible that little points that seem of no particular significance later jump off the page at you and make you realize that more than a salutation or side note is there before you? Look at the scripture in Titus. Paul, who often begins his letters with similar salutations, says that he is a servant - one who serves a Master. His Master is God. Next he says that he is an apostle of Jesus Christ, using the personal name of his Savior and then the title which means Messiah, the Anointed One. He is an apostle, one who was sent out to carry a message. He was an ambassador for his King, King Jesus. But then he says that there was a special purpose to being sent out by the Christ; he was to carry out a specific task for the sake or welfare of the faith of those chosen by God, the elect. Not only for their faith, but also for their knowledge of the truth was he given this task. He then says that this truth is in agreement with godliness.
Have you ever thought about being godly? To be godly is to be as God, to have God qualities. One of the qualities of God is truthfulness. He never lies. His truth promised eternal life to those who believed His Son, Jesus. He gave us the promise of eternal life, to live with Him forever, and He didn’t lie about that. That promise began before the Creation, before time itself began.
One of the things I really love about God is His timing. He does things in His time, not in my time or your time. Mordecai reminded Esther that she may have been raised up for such a time as was before them, to stand in the face of possible eradication of the Jews from the earth, not just in Medo-Persia, but throughout the empire. This would have effectively destroyed God’s promise to bring his son, Messiah, through the line of the tribe of Judah, for the Jews were named after that tribe. It would have brought to an end God’s promise for salvation to come through the Jews. But at exactly the right time, God raised up Esther. A woman was used by God to save the plan that had begun before the Creation. So time with God is always the right time, the time of His choosing.
Then Paul says that the truth of God’s promise was manifested, published abroad, made known,
through Paul’s preaching. Paul says that was the task that he was entrusted with. To have a trust is to have a solemn obligation. My wife administered her parents’ trust for over ten years and is still dealing with some small problems connected with that trust. She had to carefully carry out the desires her mother and father had put into that trust, to care for her mother after her father passed away, to ensure that her brother got a fair share of the inheritance, and in his case, to ensure that his children got a fair share each after his demise. All of that has been faithfully executed. Paul says he had that kind of trust. He was to faithfully bring the knowledge of this truth to those who had faith in Christ and he was to do it through preaching.
The next time you think the preacher is too long-winded or the topic is not of interest to you, look at the verses in Titus again. The preacher is doing his best to carry out his duties, the duties of the trust that has been handed down from generation to generation, since Christ returned to the Father. Worship is not just about the Lord’s Supper. It is not just about what kind of music we enjoy. It is not about whether we sit in pews or on theater seats, or even on the floor. It has nothing to do with making our attire more important than other things. We are there to worship the King and He is the One who wanted His truth to be made plain through preaching. Preaching is a difficult task, it is a task that carries a heavy weight of responsibility with it. Woe to the preacher who takes the job lightly. Woe to the listeners who take preaching lightly.

The Last Days, Part III

Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,
nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. (I Corinthians 6:9-10, ESV)
Will things be so bad in the last days that no man or woman can withstand the onslaught of the evil one? That is what many would
have you think. Because of the sheer quantity of sinful acts in the world today, many people believe that we are heading into the end times and then Jesus will return to set up His Kingdom on the earth for a thousand years. Ignoring the selectivity of giving literal meanings to symbols in the book of Revelation and the refusal of some to understand the historical setting of the book, still the question of societal breakdown leaves many wondering what the end times will be like. Books like Deliver Us From Evil by Ravi Zacharias (available from Amazon.com and other vendors) help one to understand the breakdown not only in the American culture but in every culture that chooses to distance itself from the One True God. To those who understand God’s word concerning good and evil there is no surprise to what we see going on around us. As was true in ancient Israel, women and children and all of the weaker members of society are vulnerable to attack by those whose hearts are filled with evil. A look at history will prove that no amount luxuries and modern amenities will change the human heart. For many, hope was replaced by apathy and that has now turned to despair. There is never an end to the need to accumulate more and more while others are deprived on even the basics for living.
What is God’s response to the evil in the world? Are we merely to wait for the end time? Are we indeed in the last days leading up to the destruction of the heavens and the earth and the creation of new heavens and a new earth? Will God repeat what He did in the days of Noah?
For those who are obsessed with the need for tangible proof of God’s existence, usually through the manifestation of some charismatic gift, who believe that is the power of God, the following scripture needs to be read over and over again. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16, ESV) I don’t know about you, but I was taught in English class that the word “the” signified that what followed was superlative. That is, one and only. If the gospel is “'the' power of God for salvation” then it is the supreme power and it is sufficiently powerful enough to save the souls of men and women. There is no greater power. It is powerful enough to turn towns, cities, and even countries around. Notice what this powerful weapon did in the city of Corinth. Corinth was known for its debauchery, its ritual prostitution, its corruption. To call someone a “Corinthian” was surely a term of derision. But notice what the great apostle Paul says in the first letter to the Corinthians after stating earlier that “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (I Corinthians 1:18, ESV). “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,
nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (I Corinthians 6:9-11, ESV) The power of the gospel of Jesus Christ is the Cross of Christ. Paul said that the cross was foolishness to folks who were dying but that same cross was the power of God to those of us who are being saved. What power! Paul says the power of the gospel transformed men and women in Corinth, people who fit the description of many in our society today. In fact, we should look into the mirror of the gospel and see that in our own hearts there are all kinds of lusts, envy, cravings for things that enslave us to sin. We are set free by the power of the gospel, the Cross of Christ. Paul told Timothy that he, Timothy, was living in the last days. The Corinthian church, which was also living in the last days, was filled with men and women who came out of lives of depravity to live wholesomely. The remedy for our society is the gospel of Christ. Paul told the Corinthians that three things would last forever, faith, hope and love. Love is certainly the greatest of these. But the Corinthians were called to faith in Jesus Christ and a hope for tomorrow. Those three grow in the hearts of men and women who are ready to receive the good news, just like the good and honest soil that Jesus spoke about in the parable of the sower. We must believe that there are folks who want the freedom that comes from believing that they are sinners and that Jesus can set them free. Instead of hand wringing, we should be telling the world the good news of Jesus.

The Last Days, Part Two

“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.

For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive,

disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable,

slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless,

swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the

appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among

them are those who creep into households and capture weak women,

burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and

never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres

opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind

and disqualified regarding the faith. But they will not get very far, for their folly

will be plain to all, as was that of those two men. You, however, have followed

my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my

steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch,

at Iconium, and at Lystra--which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the

Lord rescued me. Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will

be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse,

deceiving and being deceived.

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed,

knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been

acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for

salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and

profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in

righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good

work.” (2 Timothy 3:1-17, ESV)

When exactly are the last days? That's the question that keeps popping up, year

after year, century after century. Due to the almost instant availability of news

from the tv or from newspapers, we are bombarded with news of natural

disasters, wars, possible wars, famine and poverty, and the rapid spread of

disease, not only on a daily basis, but even hourly. The human mind cannot take

in so much news about so many disasters, worldwide, without succumbing to

apathy or panic. What can I do? is the question often heard. Because of the

intricate meshing of world business and politics, a small problem on one side

of the globe can have far-reaching consequences thousands of miles away.

The thing I hear more and more are the voices of hopelessness, from people

who are able to put food on the table and live peacefully. I see looks of

hopelessness in the faces of people on their way to work, eating alone in

restaurants or even shopping. Life has become unbearable for many. The

news in Japan, a country free of wars for over half a century, is of an increase in

the number of suicides. More than 30,000 folks end their lives in desperation

every year, believing theirs is a future without hope.

Before the latest prophet or guru gets your mind worked up about the last

days, take a look at the scriptures in 2 Timothy 3. These are not quoted by those

who believe they have a special understanding of prophecy. “For people will

be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive,

disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable,

slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless,

swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the

appearance of godliness, but denying its power.” Sounds like a diagnosis for

our society, doesn't it? Politicians surely fit the description of those “having

the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.” Sometimes I wish the

politicians would quietly go to church, if they believe in God, or not go at all.

It's interesting that Paul starts this list off with people who love themselves. I

think, if anything, that describes the current situation better than any other.

Selfishness and greed have brought disaster on the world, more than once. But

Paul started this chapter with the point that this would be the situation in the

“last days.”

He makes another point that is often overlooked. The very next sentence says,

“avoid such people.” Notice that? Slipped right by you, didn't it. It slipped by

me once or twice. But there it is. Timothy and Paul were in the “last days.” The

situation Timothy faced was in the “last days.” Timothy was admonished to

avoid people who were self-indulged, greedy, narcissistic and liars. The last

days began when Jesus sealed the new covenant with His blood on Calvary.

Paul and the other apostles, outside of John, were persecuted and murdered as

was our Lord Jesus, just for being Christians, for believing in the One True God,

for promoting selflessness rather than selfishness, for promoting love instead of

brutality, for promoting joy rather than despair. Jesus even said to rejoice and be

really glad when evil things are done to you because of your faith in Him,

because your reward in heaven was really great. James later said to count it all

joy, not just a part of it, when you are tested by various trials in this life,

because that produced steadfastness, “stick-to-it-iveness” as some have called it.

We are being perfected through the trials of this life in order to receive a better

life in heaven with our Savior, Jesus Christ. The more we endure for Christ in

this world the better we will be able to appreciate heaven.

In 2 Timothy, Paul says the scriptures, our Bibles, are able to make us wise for

salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All of the Bible was God-breathed,

from God, His very words, and those words are able to strengthen our faith

in order for us to hold fast to Christ. By holding fast to our Savior Jesus, we

can weather these turbulent times and keep our hope in Him. Our hope is an

everlasting hope, borne from One who could look down in compassion on His

tormentors and murderers and ask His Father to forgive them. His was not a

selfish scheme to get rich or to gain power or to be a world idol, but to be the

Savior of those who call upon His name. He lived His life incarnadine and He

calls us to do the same, in these last days.

The Last Days, Part One

Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.

But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the

night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let

his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man

is coming at an hour you do not expect. (Matthew 24:42-44, ESV)

When is Jesus returning? This is an age-old question that has stumped men and

women since Jesus returned to heaven almost 2000 years ago. Tons of books,

literally speaking (no pun intended), have been written on the Second Coming

of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It seems that every age reckons that their

time or era is the last days. Are they? That's something I would like to discuss

in this blog in the next one as well. It is extremely important for Christians to understand what Jesus means when He talks of the coming of the Son of Man and when Paul discusses the Last Days. Are the two synonymous? Is Jesus returning, staying around for a while and then coming back with the final disposition of our respective cases? It causes people to wonder. Remember the almost panic in some quarters at the turn of the millennium? Many people were afraid that it was the end of time. Computer glitches would bring the world crashing down. When 9/11 happened the following year, many people really believed that it was the beginning of the end of the world. If you are a student of history you would know that at the turn of the first millennium, A.D., around the year 999 in fact, many people were filled with dread and fear because of the approaching number 1000. Jesus would return in that year, or so many believed.

I have discussed before some of the attitudes Christians have towards the book

of Revelation, believing it to be a blueprint for the return of Christ, the setting

up of a kingdom on this earth, the literal reign of Christ from Jerusalem for one

thousand years. Indeed, many Christian writers, some of whom are trained in

the Bible, have written fictional works based on those beliefs.

Rather than brushing those beliefs off as pure fantasy or wrongheadedness

concerning the message of the Bible, I would rather look at some other

scriptures that I believe will shed some light on the subject and help believers

draw their own conclusions.

In this part, I would like to examine what Jesus said concerning the Coming of

the Son of Man. Remember that Jesus used the term, Son of Man, as a title for

himself more than any other term used to describe our Savior, about 95% of the

time. What significance does that hold for you and me?

In the book of Daniel, which many theologians and Bible scholars have tried to

denigrate as a canonical work or a real book of prophecy, this term shows up in

a very interesting way. Daniel is seeing a vision and is alarmed by what he sees.

Let's examine the scriptures.

"As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire.

A stream of fire issued and came out from before him; a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened.

"I looked then because of the sound of the great words that the horn was speaking. And as I looked, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire.

As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.

"I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.

And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.

"As for me, Daniel, my spirit within me was anxious, and the visions of my head alarmed me.” (Daniel 7:9-15, ESV)

Who is this Son of Man? It must be the Messiah, the Son of God, or else He

would not be given a Kingdom from all nations and languages and His

dominion would not last forever. Kingdoms that men have built rise and fall

as surely as the tides of the sea. Notice that the beasts, who represented men or

kingdoms soon after the time of Daniel, were destroyed or had their dominion

taken away. Clearly, the Son of Man and the others are not to be construed as

similar in nature.

Another thing we need to consider is this: when Jesus speaks of the Coming of

the Son of Man, does that mean salvation? Does it mean the end of the world?

Just what exactly does it mean? In Daniel, the Son of Man is to receive a

Kingdom. It Matthew, it sounds like He has a Kingdom and is exercising His

power. Daniel cannot be a prophecy of Jesus' final return to earth, but rather His

first coming and the establishment of His Kingdom, the church.

In the text in Matthew, it would seem that Jesus is talking of the destruction of

Jerusalem which happened under Titus, the Roman general who later became

emperor of Rome. It is interesting to note that tradition says that the Christians

of that time understood what Jesus meant and fled the city just in time so that

they were not caught up in the siege and following destruction.

But it would also seem that Jesus is giving warning for all people to be aware of

their own lives because most people have no idea that they are about to die up

until the event happens. Even people with terminal illnesses don't usually know

the final hour or minute of their lives. Death comes at the most inconvenient

time for most people. How many people have their affairs in order, just in case

they might not see another day?

Jesus says, “stay awake.” It is easy for us to slip into “cruise control” in our lives

and forget to be on guard, to be aware of the assault that the Evil One makes on

the people of God. Remember the Lord's model prayer? “Lead us not into

temptation, but deliver us from (the) evil (one).” Satan is out to get whatever he

can, to try to destroy the victory that Christ has over evil.

Of course, you need to believe that it is possible to fall away from Christ. No,

He will never leave you nor abandon you. But last I checked, it is very possible

to abandon Him. More on that next time.

Conclusion: the coming of the Son of Man for most of us is an individual

affair, the final event in our lives here on this earth. We should live our lives so

covered by the blood of the Lamb that the evil one cannot sow seeds of doubt

in our minds, rob us of the great reward we have in Jesus by getting us to deny

the One who died for us on Calvary. We need to live our lives incarnadine,

the color of the blood that Christ shed for you and me.

To God be the Glory

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. (Luke 2:13-14, KJV)

The word of God is filled with verses which speak about giving glory to God. Man was created in the very image of God and was created to give back to God the very glory that has surrounded everything that God has done from time immemorial. Too often we get caught up with the mechanics of worship and fail to realize that everything we do should give God His due.

There is a story in the Old Testament of a grievous sin that was committed after the miraculous conquering of the city of Jericho. God had specifically given instructions that the children of Israel were to take nothing for self but rather keep all of the items of silver and gold to put into the treasury of the Lord. However, one man took some of the things and hid them under his tent. God knew that he had sinned and so when the Israelites went to battle again against the city of Ai, they suffered defeat. Joshua couldn't understand what had happened but God explained to him that there was sin in the camp. Notice the statement that Joshua makes to the man, Achan, when Joshua discovers that it is Achan's sin that has brought trouble on the entire nation of Israel.

Then Joshua said to Achan, "My son, give glory to the LORD God of Israel and give praise to him. And tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me." (Joshua 7:19)

Joshua's answer almost seems strange. Most of us would have simply said, “Tell the truth. Repent.” Repent is what Joshua is commanding Achan to do, but before that he wants Achan to give glory to God. God's very being demands that men and women the world over give glory to Him.

Someone asked me in what ways did I see God being robbed of His glory, specifically in the church. I do not have all of the answers to that one, but here are some of the things that I have seen over the past four decades.

First of all, when decisions are made about conducting activities in the church, before the activity is begun, have we spent time in prayer, asking God how He may be glorified through this activity? We often hear little prayers like, “God, may you be glorified through this.” But more often than not, we haven't really taken the time to learn God's will in the matter. There is a scene in the movie, “Shenandoah” with Jimmy Stewart that is about a family caught up in the Civil War. The family is working a farm and Stewart does the praying before each meal with these words, “Lord, we cleared the land, we plowed the fields . . ., but we thank you for it anyway” or words similar to that. In other words, we did all of the work, but we are supposed to give you thanks for everything, so here it is. Does that give God the glory? Isn't that often the feeling we have, not just in our homes, but in our church activities?

When churches choose leaders, whether elders, deacons or preachers, is God truly glorified through the decision-making process? Often preachers are hired for churches based upon the man's voice, ability to keep a sermon to a certain time limit, his physical presence, his ability to do visitation in hospitals, etc. In reading the Bible, I find men chosen by God for other reasons. Who would really want to hire the apostle Paul to preach in their church? He had weepy eyes, he himself says that his speech wasn't all that great sounding, and he evidently cried a lot for churches and their members. God did the choosing and took a man who clearly had a temper to become one of the greatest apostles of the Lord's church.

Fanny Crosby VanAlstyne wrote thousands of hymns and constantly gave glory to God. How about “To God be the glory, great things He hath done...” Or, “blessed assurance, Jesus is mine. Oh what a foretaste of glory divine.” We are here on this earth to glorify Him. And he will be glorified.

When men and women push their way in churches to take control of God's church, they miss the real purpose of worship and in trying to get glory for themselves, they fail to get that glory and they fail God.

One of the great missionaries of the 19^th century was an Englishman named J. Hudson Taylor. To read his biography is to learn about a man who truly loved God and truly loved the lost. An interesting side note to this is about his brother. I heard this story many years ago, so I am not sure of all the facts. But the story goes that Taylor's brother was dying to get his name in “Who's Who” in England. Finally, he accomplished his goal and his name was put in the book. In the note next to his name, as each name had included in it's own entry, was the reason why he was being included in the book. Evidently the brief note said, “brother of J. Hudson Taylor.”

Next to my name, in the book of life, there is an entry. I haven't seen it, but I am almost positive it says this: “a child of God.”

Did God Create the Universe?

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:

But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work,

thou nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle,

nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth,

the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed

the sabbath day, and hallowed it. (Exodus 20:8-11, KJV)

One of the most profound truths in the Bible is that God is a Creator. Many have struggled with the claims of science and the information found in the Bible, trying to justify one position or another; some claim that God created the heavens and the earth, others claim that either evolution or the Big Bang were responsible for the universe in which we live. Those who believe the Bible often feel that while they trust God they don't have a firm foundation to stand on in order to refute the claims of science. For many, this becomes a dilemma for their faith.

Have you ever wondered why God gave the Sabbath Day as part of the ten commandments? There is very little explanation for the other commandments, but, in comparison, a rather lengthy explanation for why the Sabbath must be kept. Then folks become confused as to why Jesus didn't command the disciples to keep the Sabbath. Interesting, isn't it?

So, let's look at the giving of the Law on Mt. Sinai. A good reading of Exodus is always helpful to understanding the giving of the Law. Background material from Genesis and the first chapters of Exodus tells us that the Israelites, taking the name God had given to Jacob, were in Egypt for over 400 years. Jacob, his sons, grandchildren, daughters-in-law, all numbered 75 when they went to Egypt. When the children of Israel came out of Egypt, their numbers were probably between one and a half and three million. They had become a people. But they had become a people who didn't really know the God who sent the plagues to bring them out of slavery. He wanted them to know that He wasn't like the gods that the Egyptians worshiped, nor was He like the gods that were in the families that came up out of Ur of the Chaldees. Joshua addressed the problem before left the earth, asking the people to choose whom they would serve. No, God wanted the children of Israel to know exactly who He is. Notice the explanation for keeping the Sabbath Day. God reminds the people that He made the heavens and the earth and everything in them in six days and then rested on the seventh. By keeping the Sabbath, the people were constantly reminded of who God really is. He is the Creator of the Universe. He is the Creator of all living beings. He is God the Creator.

The next question is, why didn't Jesus command that the Sabbath should be kept? John, in his gospel, tells us that the Word (Jesus) was God, was with God, and everything that was made was made through Him. Jesus is God, therefore He is the Creator. God was not living with His people the way Jesus lived with His people; the time had not yet come for God to do so. Jesus came to show the people who God is. Because Jesus is Creator and because He is God, He is the one who gave the Sabbath to the children of Israel; He commanded that they remember the Sabbath Day in order to know who He is. But one of the names of the Messiah is “Immanuel,” God with us. Once Jesus came to the earth, it was no longer necessary to have a day to remember that He is the Creator because He is with His people. When Jesus said that He is Lord of the Sabbath He reminded the people that the sabbath was made for man, not the other way around. The Sabbath was given to help the people know who God is, the Creator. Therefore, Jesus, who is God who is the Creator is Lord of the Sabbath. He is the One they were to remember, although He had not been revealed as the Son at that time.

In Romans chapter 1, the apostle Paul tells us that there is enough in nature for man to know a lot about God. What Paul is saying is that the power of God to create is visible in nature itself and God's invisible nature is perceived by man in the things that have been created. Paul also warned a young preacher named Timothy to be careful about profane and empty babblings that are falsely called science. Paul wasn't saying that science is false, but he was warning about things that were being passed off as science that really weren't. Much of what is passed off as science today is really just empty talk.

So what does our faith tell us? God is the Creator. He wanted the children of Israel to know Him as the Creator. Jesus wants us to know that He is the Creator, as well as our Savior. We don't have to worry about whether the Bible will square with the latest scientific theory or not; the Bible says that God created the universe. It is a foundation stone of our faith. Those who choose to live their lives incarnadine will stand up for that faith, believing that the One who died for us is the One who created us.

Of Wheat and Towers

And Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. "Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name." (John 12:23-28, ESV)
"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.'
(Luke 14:26-30, ESV)
The above two passages of scripture are the true heart of Christian living. What passes for Christian living in many parts of the world is diluted milk and bears no resemblance to the Christian living that Jesus called His disciples to. We often read our Bibles and even marvel at the sacrifices made by the early Christians; Stephen was the first martyr, followed by James and then others. John was put into exile at a time when the church underwent heavy persecution. Heavy stuff. Surely not for the timid or the weak. Or perhaps we will read the stories of missionaries or Christians who lived in more recent times and we begin to twitter like birds in a tree. We may even get goose bumps or shed a tear or two. But again, not for the timid or the weak.
True Christian living is dying, dying to self and dying to the demands of this world. It’s not about taking care of Number One (self) or climbing the ladder that includes stepping on others or pushing them down in order to achieve. True Christian living is about saying no more often than not. It’s not about my rights, unless that right is the right to give myself for others. It’s not about my rights unless it is my right to give my life for my Lord.
There are a myriad of cutesy, warm little Christian stories that constantly circulate on the web, daring you to be the one to break the chain of sending the story on for fear of losing your friend or even your soul. That’s not what Christian living is all about.
Instead of reading the warm little stories, what if each of us decided to be a story? What if we decided to take our Christian walk seriously and began to do more than warm a pew on Sunday morning (some churches are even adding a “user-friendly” Saturday evening worship) or put a pittance in the collection plate. What if we challenged ourselves to get out of our warm, comfortable circumstances and to get down and dirty, helping the truly needy, the unloved, the forgotten ones.
Many years ago, living in southern Japan, we rented a very small house and lived in it for a year. The rats ate the insulation on the electric cord for the refrigerator, or you could hear them running overhead at night. Large spiders, the size of tarantulas, but harmless (unless being scared out of your wits counts as being harmful)would crawl up the walls of the bathroom while you were sitting in the tub. These problems were nothing. Most folks in that part of Japan dealt with the same things. But one thing that even some Japanese visitors didn’t like was the non-flush toilet. That’s right. An outhouse, connected to the house. When you opened the front door, especially on a hot summer day, the smell could be overpowering. Many visitors would open the front door, catch the odor and say, “It was nice visiting with you.” They never once stepped foot inside the door.
That was harmless. We didn’t mind so much, because we were reaching folks with the gospel. There are many places in the world where people are living in much worse situations, even squalid conditions, and we who are to be the light of the world don’t want to be involved.
It’s time for us to count the cost of following Jesus. Many start strong, only to grow soft as the days and years go by. We start out to build a tower and we stop before we have even built an outhouse. We love our lives here on this earth, and we are unwilling to let go of things that make the creature part of us comfortable or happy. Some will angrily challenge any idea of God not saving anyone who calls himself or herself a Christian, without really ever changing into what God wants – a servant who is willing to die for Jesus.
Perhaps I am wrong. Maybe I don’t understand what Jesus is saying. But I don’t believe it was to the apostles only that he taught self-sacrifice. It would appear that in the coming years, we will have many more opportunities to give of ourselves to others. When we serve others, we are serving Jesus. (Check Matthew 25:31-46 on sheep and goats and doing for others.) When we give of ourselves to the point of doing without, we are beginning to live our lives incarnadine, the blood color that all Christians should be covered with, because our Master shed His blood for us. Forget the fuzzy little stories. Forget about forwarding tear-jerking anecdotes. Let’s get out of the overstuffed chairs, our from in front of the big waster of time, let’s forget about constantly checking our e-mail, and begin to live our lives for others. Our spiritual lives depend on it.

Will I Find Faith?

And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, 'Give me justice against my adversary.' For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, 'Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.'" And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily.Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"
(Luke 18:1-8, ESV)
I have pondered over the above parable since I was a youth, hearing people tell me that it meant something that just didn't seem to fit the text. I have often heard it said that Jesus questioned if there would be any believers left on the earth when He returned. Since He is planning on returning “like a thief in the night” I suspect most people will be living their lives as usual, those practicing righteousness continuing to follow the Righteous One, while those given over to evil, continuing in their evil ways. Jesus compared His return to the times before the flood, at which time only eight folks were saved. What is the Master really saying in the above parable? I think it is quite simply this: those even who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ will begin to doubt whether or not God will hear their prayers or believe that He will answer those prayers. Prayer requires the praying one to believe the One being prayed to, to trust that He will not refuse His children their
requests. But what are we praying for? Elijah certainly knew what to pray for. He knew what God had told Moses about turning the sky to brass (i.e., no rain would be falling)when the people forsook Him and turned to worship idols. Elijah knew Solomon's prayer after the dedication of the temple, asking God to listen to the people when they forsook Him and He sent drought upon the land. (See I Kings 8:35-36) Elijah believed God and prayed accordingly. That is the prayer of faith.
Our problem is we do not often know God's heart because we have failed to diligently
study His word. Elijah was a man of the Book, as was Jesus, the very Son of God. Those who meditate on the Word of God will grow in faith and will begin to know how to pray. For example, is it right to pray for someone caught up in sin? If we understand Simon, the Samaritan sorcerer, it is something that we should regularly be doing. Simon asked Peter and John to pray for him; Simon was a believer. Those who would relegate Simon to the ashes of hell miss the point: it is right and necessary to ask others to pray for us when we are so caught up in sin that we really don't know how to get back on solid footing with the Lord. God had to send Nathan, the prophet, to help straighten out King David. Did God forgive Simon? I believe that He did, because Simon is in the act of repenting when he asks Peter and John to pray for him.
How about justice for Christians? Are we not God's elect? Have you never been in a
situation where it just seemed that justice would never come? I have, and believe me, it was rather uncomfortable. Something that should have been completed in 30 days took two years to complete. The transaction was held up by deceit and lies and shady negotiations. I even called the district attorney's office to try and get some relief, all to no avail. Finally I literally cried out to the Lord, laying prostrate before Him. After that, the matter was settled within a few days. My stubborn heart must have been faithless in thinking that my Lord would not take time to help me on something that should have been very straightforward and simple. Two years, yet I did get justice. God listened to my prayers.
We are to be like sheep, gentle and docile, willing to be mistreated by the world. On the other hand, our Master Shepherd is at the ready to assist us, to listen to our cries, to help us in any and every situation. Being faithful about asking for His help in small things is what He wants from us. Contrary to opinion, the small stuff is worth sweating over, not by stressing over it, but by spending time in prayer, being faithful in prayer.
A young Japanese Christian man I know is working for a chain of stores that sells clothing. The home office is here in Sapporo. He is being transferred to Tokyo, to take command of a new outlet there, the first in the capital city for this company. I told him that one day he just might make president of the company. He laughed and said that he would just like to be store manager one day. I replied, “Every president must first be the manager of a small store” to which he smiled and agreed. So it is. We must be faithful in prayer about the small things in life, or will Jesus find faith when He returns? Those who choose to live their lives incarnadine will be those who faithfully pray to the Father about as much of life as they can. They will truly want to pray down “thy will on earth as it is in heaven.” Only prayer can change nations, presidents, prime ministers, kings, barbarians
and the course of life itself. God is listening and He wants to find faith, faith in prayer.

God's Women

"Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.” (Luke 8:1-3, ESV)
You've got to love Luke for all of his attention to detail. As a good doctor would, he carefully researched all that he had heard from others who were eyewitnesses of the events of Jesus ministry and death and resurrection and then took the effort to write things down in order, something that not all writers do. Luke pays attention to the little facts that many assume are unimportant, but which, in fact, give us the little touches that make the stories come to life. Here, we not only learn that Jesus went from town to town and village to village, but that he had many along with Him. One point that Luke makes that other writers of the period would not make, is the place of the women in all that was going on. Let's take a look at the list given here.
First off, after mentioning that the twelve were with Jesus, Luke tells us about some of the women that also attended the group. He says that some of these women had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses or infirmities. Here is where a traditional lie can be found in the myriad of books and movies made about the life of Christ: Mary Magdalene was a prostitute. Not so. Luke says that she was one who had been healed of seven demons. In the King James these demons are called unclean spirits. Nothing is mentioned of Mary being a fallen women. It is true that Jesus ate with tax collectors and “sinners,” a term used to describe the women involved in prostitution during that time. But nowhere in the Bible does it ever say that Mary was such a person. In Luke chapter 4 it says that Jesus healed a man in Capernaum who had unclean spirits. It seems that unclean spirits would vex a person but there is no indication that this was in any way connected to specific sin on the part of the individual who was infested with these spirits. Mary was vexed, but there is no indication of immorality on her part.
We learn that one of the women was the wife of the household manager for King Herod. Not a low position in Jesus' day, to be sure. God is so wonderful. He manages to get people in high positions to believe in Him as well as those of humble circumstances. Another woman, Susanna, is mentioned, but we know nothing more about her. And then Luke says there were many other women and these were the people who were supporting Jesus and the twelve and their ministry.
We know that God told Satan that through woman, the Messiah would come, who would crush the head of Satan. Perhaps what we didn't know was the prominence of their position, not just in Mary as the mother of Jesus, but of women down through the ages who have actively been a part of Jesus' ongoing ministry of bringing the good news to the world. God made Eve a helper to stand equal with Adam. Jesus' Kingdom is filled with women who are equal to the men in the Kingdom, men and women each carrying out different tasks, but shoulder to shoulder, giving liberally, praying much, loving the lost. That's what makes being a Christian so wonderful. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ.”(Galatians 3:28, ESV) Luke didn't have a point to make, a position to define, nor a hobby to ride. He just simply lets us know that women, too, lived their lives incarnadine, covered by the blood of Jesus, because of thankfulness to Him for healing them. He heals us, too, of sin sickness and things that vex our lives. Shouldn't we also live our lives under the blood of Jesus?

Should Churches Send Missionaries?

"I robbed other churches by accepting support from them in order to serve you.”(2 Corinthians 11:8, ESV)
“Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings? In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.”(1 Corinthians 9:13-14, ESV)
One of the things that strikes you from the moment that Jesus begins His ministry is His desire to spread the news of the Kingdom. Jesus told two disciples of John, who had come to inquire whether Jesus was the promised Messiah or should they look for someone else, that the lame walked, the blind received their sight and the poor had good news preached to them, all in the fulfillment of prophecy. God is the God who speaks. He proclaims. He announces. He brings good news. And to insure that the message gets out, He sends out workers. Jesus even told His disciples to pray to the Lord of Harvest to send out reapers. Jesus sent out the twelve and then seventy disciples to prepare the people for the Kingdom. John the Baptist came preaching to the people that they might turn their hearts to God and be ready to accept the good news about the Kingdom. Jesus even told the disciples not to take money or extra shoes or even a stick for protection, but to enter a town and depend on the people there to feed and clothe the workers.
Why discuss all of this? Because a mood is about in North America that says missionaries should go and get jobs and take care of themselves. In other words, don't take money from the local churches, money they would rather spend for comfort or whatever. Often the desire to stop supporting missions is rationalized by saying that the money needs to be spent locally, to reach the lost in that particular area. It sounds responsible and it sounds like something is going to be done to reach out. But often it doesn't happen. Sometimes a sense is given off that dollars are deemed holier than wan or yen or piasters and rubles.
Sending missionaries out to preach the gospel is warp and woof of the church's mission. To be sure, many missionaries have gone without, worked with their own hands and scrimped to get by, just so that one more person could hear the good news about Jesus and His Kingdom. Certainly the Apostle Paul and Barnabas did this. The history of Christian missions is a history of folks doing whatever it takes to bring good news to others. And absolutely, should the western world go belly up from the current financial debacle, God will raise up other churches in other countries to send missionaries and support them. Small countries like South Korea are already sending missionaries, even into North America. The work of the church is to teach others about the Lord and His Kingdom. Jesus built that church on the Rock, that is, Himself, and He said that the gates of Hell would not prevail against it. There will be a church until He returns. The word of God will exist until He returns. Men and women will go out to spread the good news until He returns. And be assured of this, those who have gone out have been thankful for the great sacrifice that others made, just so the gospel could be proclaimed to others.
Harry R. Fox, a man whom I dearly loved and who inspired me to come to Japan as a missionary, told me about his time of serving on the mission field in Japan. He said that even during the Great Depression, when things were so very tough in the U.S. and elsewhere, he and his wife and their seven children were supported on $75 per month. Now that sounds like a very small amount, but let me assure you that during the Great Depression that was no small amount of money. Churches and individuals sacrificed in order to keep that missionary family on the field. The family sacrificed in order to remain in their work. Not just the missionary, but those supporting the missionary, were willing to live their lives incarnadine, their lives literally the color of the blood of the cross, in order to bring others into the love of God and His Son Jesus Christ no matter where in the world they lived. This will continue to happen until He returns.
To some, it sounds wise to tell the missionaries to get jobs locally in the countries where they are serving and not to be a burden on the churches back home. Most of us have done that from time to time. The Apostle Paul did that until his team arrived and then he quickly went to work preaching the gospel full time. That was his calling, that was his mission. Paul tells us that missionaries have the right to refuse help from churches but he also says he robbed churches to preach where the church was new or weak. When the missionary is driven to look for work in order to survive while proclaiming the good news, be careful not to try and hide behind motives that may sound good, but are in essence an excuse for not doing what the Lord Himself called on the churches to do. Why? Because the same Lord said this: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” (Romans 10:15, ESV)